the ladies have passed the stormy night, after the mental strain of Shakspeare's tragedy." And he was gone with a graceful but not "dudish" courtesy.

On our way home, Dora remarked it was strange that the gentleman had only offered his umbrella, but not his escort. I knew well enough the reason of this conduct. If he had come along with us, he would have returned with the umbrel la on seeing us safely home; but through his stratagem he left the way open to call on Dora once more and become acquainted with her parents. And then I thought that he would follow us stealthily, to find out where we were living.

Now I commenced to "joke" my friend on her "conquest." "What are you thinking of?" she tartly replied. "That gentleman is married, sure enough; he looks so settled; else I would not have chatted with him with so much ease. But I must admit, I would not dis like him after all."

Next day, sure enough, our Knight of the Umbrella made his gallant appearance and prolonged his visit considerably, as Dora told me afterwards.

At any rate, he pleased the parents; else they would not have invited him for supper, an invitation of which he, so I was informed, availed himself by no means reluctantly. There was also an invitation for me, but I simulated headache; for 1 did not dare to trust myself to carry the deception quite that far. You see, I wasn't "dyed in the wool."

But he, my mysterious correspondent, seems to have been better versed in the art of dissimulation. Next morning Dora relieved me of my mental distress and moral agony. She narrated to me faithfully and explicitly, how everything had passed off so nicely and harmoniously, and how the new acquaintance of a night and a day had already warmed into friendship, as if under the charm of some kind Fairy's magic wand.

And again I undertook to tease her. But this time she did not enter into the subject at all, but branched off to another topic at once. But this did not prevent her from blushing up to that severed ear lug of hers.

A week after there came a letter from O-n, with a request for Dora's hand. How she received the message, notwithstanding the surprise, the astonishment, the wonderment, and the almost fright, can be best settled at once from the fact that Dora bears (and with sweet dignity, too) the famous name of my once unknown correspondent. I need not tell you, that in congratulating my Dora upon her great fortune (woman's greatest fortune is the possession of, and allegiance to, a true man) I felt the very opposite of the lines of Moore:

"The sympathy I then betrayed,

Perhaps was but the child of art;
The guile of one who long hath played
With all these wily nets of heart."

. I had "played," and betrayed; but at the denouement of my intrigue sincere joy reigned in my soul, indemnifying me manifold for the pangs of remorse I had suffered during the progress of my "unintentional intrigue," (if there be such a thing).

And Dora is not to be blamed in the least. Not a shadow of a speck can tar nish her virtue's bright shield, though she came by a husband in this peculiar way.

For she never knew of the whole "conspiracy" till after the wedding, up to which time the Professor had loyally kept his word. At first he gently teased Dora with pleasant hints and covert allusions, as to the correspondence produced above; of course it was all Greek to her; her obstinate non-recognition of his intimations puzzled him too; and both were a good deal perplexed, while I, as a silent spectator of the blind-man's-buff "held quiet," till Jack said I was more brilliant in his eyes and warmer to his heart than even the Daily Morning Light, and thus between brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, the whole story of the anonymous correspondence came out, to the unruffled merriment of all. And the Professor, after remarking that "he had the wrong one, and yet the right one" for a dear life companion, remembered that Shakespeare evening enough, to quote:

'All's well that ends well."

Leo Hafeli.

Figure 2.

Fig. 4.

a dredging hook (figure 3) may be used to advantage.

Now let us make a start.

Here (figure

4) is one of the largest of our beetles, the so-called Black Water-Beetle or Hydro

not far from home; it is small and not as

clear and attractive as some ponds I have known; yet, in the past, I have spent many pleasant periods on its shores.

To do well on our visit we must be provided with a few special utensils. Here (figure 1) is a small scoop-net, fastened to a walking stick for a handle;

Fig. 5.

sweep we capture the larva of the same creature (figure 5). The specimen already captured is a male; here (figure 6) is a female of the same species, with an egg cluster on the lower side of a leaf. Next we take (figure 7) a larva of the huge

under.

Calling now the microscope to our aid, we shall find many beauties not visible to the unassisted eye. A drop of pond water is often a world of living wonders. Let us make careful selections of samples, then repair to a quiet spot and examine. Fortunately we see an Amoeba (figure 15) in the field of instrument; this is shown in the figure Fig. 11. immensely magnified. The irregular shape, as sketched, is not a characteristic form of the animal: the irregularity, however, is characteristic. The creature is almost constantly changing its form; the

like structures is a complete animal; the fringe of hairs or cilia seen around the upper disc is of service to the creature in procuring its food. When disturbed, the animals retract themselves, each into a ball-like a blossom closed for the night.

The tiny crustacean Cyclops (figure 17) next claims our attention. These can barely be seen with the naked eye. The upper figure shows the male, and the lower the female cyclops, with her egg sacs There is an old myth, that there once existed a race of giants called Cyclops; each had but a single eye, and this was set in the center of the forehead. The little animal under our glass has been named cyclops, because it has but one eye, and this is situated in the center of the head. Among these interesting creatures the females greatly preponderate, and the rapidity of their increase is astounding. Dr. M. C.

Fig, 14.

all the progeny of one female cyclops during twelve months. In reality such a progeny never survives, because they are continually the victims of predaceous animals, but this is an estimate of the

Fig. 16.

enormous possibilities of increase, were all conflicting and antagonistic

circumstances removed."

Another interesting crustacean is the Water-Flea, of which there are several species. The common waterflea (Daphnia pulex) is shown in figure 18 as it appears under a med ium power. Figure 19 shows an enlarged view of one of those little vermillion specks so often seen among water weeds, and in clear water. They are called Water-Mites, and sometimes, incorrectly, red water-spiders; they are not really spiders. It is a strange fact that the young water-mite has fewer legs than has the adult. Before the young are capable of swimming, they sometimes attach them selves to the bodies of aquaFig. 17. tic insects, such as beetles and others, and are carried about by

their hosts, till they are able to move freely of themselves.

Now we have a specimen of those wonderful little creatures, the Rotifers

Fig. 18.

Fig. 19.

(figure 20). They are characterized by bearing upon their heads or forward parts peculiar organs which are almost constantly in motion, and which resemble revolving wheels. Indeed, the name, "wheel animalcules," has long been the popular designation of these tiny creatures. The "wheel," however, is now known to be an expanded disc, fringed with rows of delicate hairs, which are kept in rapid motion. Our time is spent, and we must content ourselves with simply glancing at the animal.

These and literally a thousand other things of interest we may find in one search in and about the ponds. The specimens illustrated in the foregoing are but a small part of actual captures in a two hours' hunt at the pond in Liberty Park, Fig. 20. Salt Lake City. James E. Talmage.

THE General Conference of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement As sociations, convened Sunday, May 31st, 1891, at ten o'clock a. m., in the Tabernable, Salt Lake City. There were present on the stand: Of the General Superintendency, Moses Thatcher, Assistant Superintendents Junius F. Wells, Rodney C. Badger and Milton H. Hardy; also Apostles Heber J. Grant, Abraham H. Cannon, and Anthon H. Lund, the Presidency of Salt Lake Stake

and other prominent officers of the Church.

The Twenty-first Ward Glee Club, conducted by Elder T.W, McIntyre, furnished the singing, opening with the hymn, Hark, hark, my soul! Prayer by Bishop W. B. Preston. The Glee Club sang:

God is love.

Elder Junius F. Wells announced that President Wilford Woodruff was unable to be present and deliver the opening