An Arabian mathematician named Sessa, the son of Daher, is supposed to have invented the game of chess. According to Al-Sephadi, the reigning prince was so pleased with the invention that he promised Sessa any reward he might desire. The mathematician asked for a grain of wheat for the first square of the chess-board, two for the second, four for the third, and so on to the sixty-fourth square. The prince was rather angry at first, considering it a stain on his liberality to be asked for such a paltry present. He gradually cooled down, however, when his Grand Vizier reported a total of 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 grains, or 31,274,997,412,295 bushels. If we suppose that one acre of land is capable of producing 30 bushels of wheat in one year, this enormous quantity would require 1,042,499,913,743 acres, or more than eight times the surface of the globe, at a cost of about $312,749,974,123.90. * * * * * The Endless Gallery. A novel little optical illusion is the "endless gallery," the delight of English children in the first part of this century. Here are the directions: Make a box 18 inches long, 12 wide, and 9 deep, and against each end place a plane mirror within 1/8 of an inch of the height of the box. Cut a small hole through one end, and likewise through the mirror resting against it. Mirrors should also be placed on the longer sides of the box. Cut grooves at various lengths across the box, and in these fit small colored figures, trees, statuary, etc., previously cut out from card-board, and bearing the same representation on either side. At each end place similar figures, leaving plenty of mirror space behind. The top of the box should be of ground-glass or oiled paper. Looking through the eye-hole, a vista of enormous length and breadth is seen, seemingly endless. VINCENT V. M. BEEDE. * * * * * A Typical New England Community. Wilton is a pretty little village in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. It is beautifully situated, being surrounded by hills. From one, called Pollard's Hill, it is said that you can see Boston Harbor on a clear day, a distance by rail of fifty-five miles. East Wilton is the business part of the town. Here are the High-School, three churches, several stores, and a new depot. A new High-School house is near completion. Wilton Centre, which is two miles from East Wilton, used to be, in the days of the stage-coach, the principal part of the town. The old Town-house is still standing. Here is where the town meetings were held forty years ago. It is now called Citizens' Hall, and is still used for many purposes. West Wilton is three and a half miles from East Wilton. There are many lovely drives and other places of interest around Wilton. We also have electric lights. WALTER B. PROCTOR, R.T.F. * * * * * A Curious Violet.