Answers and Money Awards in that Exciting Contest about a Queer Journey.  
The Mystery Trip story proved a mystery indeed to many, for while the puzzle was rather easy, it scared out not a few contestants by its looks—like the famous animal in the Bunyan narrative. And the questions thought by most solvers to be the hardest proved to the successful ones the easiest. For example, the great majority could not find "Tidbottom's spectacles," nor guess the riddles. The first-prize winner failed on one of the easy questions—What was the sea of darkness?—but answered everything else. His name is Herbert Wiswell, and he lives in Melrose, Mass.; and since he did so much better than any one else he is awarded a big prize—$25 in cash. The next two winners are girls. One is Anna Whitall James, of Riverton, N. J., and the other Bessie Steele, of Chicago. They did almost equally well, but not quite the same. So to the former is given $5 and the latter $3. To the other eight of the best ten—in addition to the first big prize—the offer was to divide $40 among the best ten—$1 each is awarded. Their names follow in order: De F. Porter Rudd, of Connecticut; Franklin A. Johnston, New York; Bryant K. Hussey, of Illinois; J. Lawrence Hyde, of Washington; W. Putnam, of New York; Fred P. Moore, of Massachusetts; J. Lurie, of New York; and G. Edwin Taylor, of Pennsylvania.
The following are placed on the honor list. All found at least 33 of the 37 questions: Freida G. Vroom, of New Jersey; Nannie R. Nevins, of New York; Maud G. Corcoran, of Maryland; Robert Meiklejohn, Jr., of Ohio; Ernest Haines, of New York; Frank J. and S. N. Hallett, of Rhode Island; Robert C. Hatfield and William J. Culp, of Pennsylvania; Margaret A. Bulkley and Rose G. Wood, of Michigan; and Claude S. Smith, of New York.
Here are the answers to the questions: 1. A travelling-rug that would transport its owner anywhere he wished to go. 2. A golden arrow given him by the gods which rendered him invisible as he rode through the air. 3. Vulcan. 4. Spectacles that enabled their wearers to see real character beneath an assumed one. (See George Wm. Curtis's Prue and I.) 5. A broom which he put at his ship's mast-head to indicate he intended to sweep all before him. 6. A Druid monument near Aylesford, in England. 7. Don Quixote. 8. Rosinante. 9. Dean Swift. 10. John Brown's dog "Rab." 11. One that could cover an army and yet be carried, when desired, in one's pocket. 12. An offering given to the priest at Whitsuntide according to the number of chimneys in his parish. 13. Roman coins dug up at Silchester, in England. 14. Old German coins made to unscrew; inscriptions were placed inside. 15. The Gate of Dreams. 16. An old name for the Atlantic Ocean. 17. A ship made by the dwarfs, large enough to hold all the gods, which always commanded a prosperous gale; it could be folded up like a sheet of paper and put into a purse when not in use. 18. The flying island, inhabited by scientific quacks, visited by Gulliver in his travels. 19. A mountain which drew all of the nails out of any ship which came within reach of its magnetic influence. 20. Scotland. 21. Roger Bacon. 22. Charles II. 23. Garibaldi. 24. Robert Southey. 25. Should have been "budge," not "bridge." The question is therefore ruled out—that is, none who missed it had the error counted against them. The answer is: a company of men dressed in long gowns, lined with budge or lamb's wool, who used to accompany the Lord Mayor of London on his inauguration. 26. Something made of all the scraps in the larder. (See Merry Wives of Windsor.) 27. An imaginary land of plenty, where roast pigs ran about squealing "Who'll eat me?" 28. The Escurial. 29. Caverns in the chalk cliffs of Essex, England. 30. An old jail in Edinburgh, Scotland. 31. A curious stone in Mexico cut with figures denoting time. 32. Corea. 33. December 13, 1688. 34. Simple people in the time of King John who danced about a thorn-bush to keep captive a cuckoo. 35. A badge worn by those who received parish relief in the reign of William III.; it consisted of the letter P, with the initial of the parish where the owner belonged in red or blue cloth, on the shoulder of the right sleeve. 36. The paper that enclosed the cartridges which were used in the Civil War. 37. A bookworm.
Boys will be Boys.
 
In the Life and Letters of Dr. Samuel Butler recently published, it is shown that the saying "boys will be boys" was as true many years ago as it is to-day.
"There was a certain Exciseman in Shrewsbury who was very trim and neat in his attire, but who had a nose of more than usual size. As he passed through the school-lane the boys used to call him 'Nosey,' and this made him so angry that he complained to Dr. Butler, who sympathized, and sent for the head boy, to whom he gave strict injunctions that the boys should not say 'Nosey' any more.
"Next day, however, the Exciseman reappeared, even more angry than before. It seems that not a boy had said 'Nosey,' but that as soon as he was seen the boys ranged themselves in two lines, through which he must pass, and all fixed their eyes intently upon his nose. Again Dr. Butler summoned the head boy, and spoke more sharply. 'You have no business,' said he, 'to annoy a man who is passing through the school on his lawful occasions; don't look at him.' But again the Exciseman returned to Dr. Butler, furious with indignation, for this time, as soon as he was seen, every boy had covered his face with his hand until he had gone by."
Signs of Coming Events.
 
Burning ears indicate, you know, that we are being talked about. When the right ear burns, something to our advantage is being said; when the left ear is troubled, something detrimental is being said. An old darky I knew of had a spell to stop this kind of gossip. She spat on her finger, made the sign of a cross on her ear, and said,
"If yer talkin' good, good betide ye;
Talkin' bad, hope de debil ride ye."
"Mother Goose" is responsible for the following:
"If you sneeze on Monday, you............