A little talk about "my girl," A little soft mustache to twirl, A little time of jealous fear, A little hope the way to clear. A little knowledge of the world, A little self-conceit down hurled, A little manly purpose new, A little woman, waiting, true. A little wedding gay at eve, A little pang the home to leave, A little mother lone at dawn, A little sigh--my boy was gone! L. R. I. * * * E. I. S.--We believe that some consider it not quite certain whether "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" was the sign of mercy. But Appleton's "American Cyclopaedia" says that, when, in a Roman amphitheater, a gladiator was overcome in fight, he was allowed to appeal to the spectators; and, if they pointed downward with their thumbs, his life was spared,--but if upward, his opponent dispatched him on the spot. THE RIDDLE-BOX. #NUMERICAL ENIGMA.# I am composed of thirteen letters in two words that form the name of a king lately dead. My 6 5 8 7 is the capital of his realm. My 4 11 6 2 10 is the city of his birth. My 1 7 10 2 3 12 is a noted port in his kingdom. My 8 2 13 9 10 is a cathedral city in his dominions. L. H., V. H., + #EASY DIAMOND PUZZLE.# 1. A consonant. 2. A wager. 3. A city in Italy. 4. A part of the body. 5. A vowel. N. B. S. #WORD SYNCOPATIONS.# Remove one word from another, and leave a complete word. 1. Take a crime from a clergyman's house, and leave an attendant. 2. Take a summer luxury from worthy of observation, and leave remarkable. 3. Take savage from to puzzle, and leave a drink. 4. Take suffrage from a bigot, and leave a river in Great Britain. 5. Take to lean from a glass vessel, and leave an animal. CYRIL DEANE. #ANAGRAMS.# Each anagram is formed from a single word, and a clue to the meaning of that word is given, between brackets, after its anagram. 1. Any one can (trouble). 2. I anoint combs (joinings). 3. Cover no sin (change). 4. A rude song (perilous). 5. I'm no cereal (rite). 6. A mad girl (song). 7. Real blue ant (fixed). 8. An egg dies (liberate). W. #DROP-LETTER PUZZLE.# Every other letter is omitted. H- D-T- M-C- W-O -O-H -E-L -H-T -E -A-H -O -O. C. D. #EASY RHOMBOID PUZZLE.# . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ACROSS: 1. Oversight. 2. Clean. 3. To fall. 4. To jump. DOWN: 1. One hundred. 2. An article. 3. A color. 4. A title. 5. A part of the body. 6. A pet name for a parent. 7. A vegetable. H. H. D. #PICTORIAL ANAGRAM PUZZLE.# [Illustration: From the letters of the word which describes the central picture, form words describing the remaining ten pictures. H. S. S.] #SEXTUPLE WORD-CROSS.#