The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1888-05-05
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM BALTIMORE.
Some Amusements-Bea of Druid
Hill Park-Miss Rives' Late Novel
Some Pretty Things for Chill
dren-An Old Game Re-
vived-A Puzzle

BALTIMORE, Nd, May LIST, 1883.
Dear Union:-Wecan complain ola dearth
Mystery of Hanson Cab' is claiming at
tention, and at Holiday street theatre the
French Opera Company is delighting the music
lovers, and Manager Harris has wisely chosen
the Carleton Opera Company to open his sum-
mer opera season. The Academy was beauti-
fully decorated for the opening night and the
many growing plants gave an idea of GOODNESS
to the scene. And to cap the climax of enter
tainments, we have the inimitable Barnum
with his greatest show ON earth to which he
is ever adding new features and improving the
old. Last week the greeting on the streets was
Have you been to see the dog show?" Tor the
show dogs, whichP) This week it is care you
going to the circus?" Iadvise all to wear some
kind of feet protectors when they visit the
menagerie department, for the jostling crowd
begrudge the space your feet must occupy and
trample and muddy ones new boots, not to
mention tender feet, numerically. The bicycle
riding is an interesting performance, and speak
ing of bicycles reminds me that many women
now use the bicycle to the exclusion of the tri-
cycle, which not long since was the only cycle
allowed them, but surely the emancipation of
women is at hand y in Washington there is
club to which women only belong and where
they all use bicycles, no tricycle. rider being al
lowed in the club.
Druid Hill Park is looking its prettiest now
and has put on its first wild flowers to welcome
May Day. The animals are as attractive as ever
to young and old alike and it is hard to drag
the children from the monkeys cage. They
the human mOnkeys-never tire of watching
the antics of these almost human animals, and
when the mother monkey rocks the baby in
her arms she is greeted with shrieks from many
laughing mouths. As ever in the midst OF
life we are in DEATH" and the stuffed animals
receive their share Of attention. Iheard child
say ''Look at the corset animal, " which proved
to be aWhale. Thesa little maid said, while
looking at the camels, II always heard that
camels had SeVeaa stomachs but | only see one"
Her teacher of natural history should be more
particular in her remarks or more painstaking
in her explanations or that child will have
queer idea of the animal kingdom. We saw
the pet deer, ''Grover Cleveland" who was
lately presented to the park. The poor fellow
had waged war with some other aspirant to the
chiefship and had been so routed that he had
to take refuge with the common enemy, man,
where they dared not follow. One horn had
fallen into ''innOcuous desuetude'' and the scars
of his many digs and cuts were plainly visible.
1 hope his defeat is not prophetical; if so with
in what ranks would he seek consolation?
The literary world is all agog over the new
novelette, ''The Quick or the Dead, " by Amelie
Rives 1t is a weird, passionate story, such as
one would expect from highly-wrought,
super-sensitive, morbid brain. In Sundays
american was an extract from Life" parody
on the story. The poor young authoress seems
to have the same high-strung sensitiveness that
characterized poor Keats and proved his death
blow, for she IS at deaths door if she has not
already passed its dark portals from the morti-
fication inflicted by an uncharitable critic. But
the story, which is published in the April num-
Der of Lippincott is a great success. AT the
book stores and libraries you hear it asked for
continually.
A new thing in crochetted sacques is for
boy about four years of age and is drawn in at
the waist where the sacque ends, by broad
ribbon run in and out of the bottom row OF the
sacque and tied in front in bow with short
ends.
saw a piaue dress for miss of five which
think pretty. 1t had a skirt pleated to the waist
with five box plaits, the middle one being in
front and the first and fifth being under either
arm The back was gathered to the waist.
Down the front of the waist were two pieces OF
pique embroidery open at the neck and meet,
inc at the waist line The open space was filled
in with a shirred piece of null. The sleeves
were gathered to the arm-hole and also to the
ton of the cuff, which reached to the elbow and
was tight fitting and fastened from waist to
elbow with small bullet-shaped pearl buttons,
which also closed the plain back of waist
Around the neck and wrists was narrow ruffie
of pique embroidery, headed by q band of
feather stitching. With this dress was worn
winter turban, the brim of the silky white
breast of the grebe and the top Of white surah
1t was pretty but the little ones eyes were I'M
shaded.
There is a revival of an old game, the name
I do not know, but think "Hoop-ta' would
do. 4 hoop about two and half feet in diam
eter is wound with some bright color or it can
be painted 1t is hung from the doorway IN
Indictment weather, from limb of tree or
from the porch roof on pleasant days. A little
bell is suspended by a string or a ribbon one
third of the diameter of the hoop in length
Through this hoop are thrown bags, about four
inches square made of awning cloth or ticking,
filled with beans. The players arrange them
selves on one side of the hoop and take turns
throwing the bags through. Each player has
three bags and if the bag goes through without
hitting the bell he scores 1, but if he succeeds
in ringing the bell he scores 3. OF course the
number Of points can be regulated to suit them
selves and the one gaining the largest number
of points is victor.
Think of compound word such as punch
bowl. But this word that you must guess is,
when taken entire a kind of cake; its first half
a much used and much abused 1cOrd and its second
a part of the hand And now you must think
ofanother compound word which in its entire
ty is brilliant fO,cer its first half mid ami
NAL, and its second half the purest Of all focerS.
Before the first half of the first compound put
the definite article, then put one Of the shortest
coniunctions and then the definite article, then
put the first half of the second compound and
You will have the title of one Of Frank Stock
tons most popular stories.
PuZzingly yours,
A BALTIMORE MOTHER.