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Her father is a Greek, she tells me, and he is usually at the stand himself; but when I saw little Adeline, she was "keeping shop" all by herself; and I couldn't help wondering that so tiny a child should be left to take the entire charge.

When the chestnuts first come, they seem to mark, as the strawberries do, a decided change of season.

We can't help calling it "summer" -- no matter how early it may be -- whenever the great red berries make their appearance; and so to-day we say, "Autumn and old Jack Frost have surely come, for don't you see the chestnuts are all ripe, and in the market?"

THE TELEGRAPH BOYS.

There are about one hundred and seventy- five boys in all, that flit about our Boston streets with these magic telegrams. And a busier set of little fellows- except it be the cash boys- I don't believe you will find in the whole city.

The "Western Union" Office, including all its branches, employs about one hundred and fifty boys; and the Main Office on State Street has seventy-five of the whole number.

I wonder if you have ever noticed their uniform. It is a dark navy blue, and the short coat has upon each shoulder a three-cornered piece of red; while the pockets, if I remember rightly, and the pantaloons, too, are corded with the same color.

The cap has a decided military air; and the raised letters, "WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH," are printed in heavy black upon a white band.

These uniforms are all made in New York, and the boys each buy them of the Company- paying fifteen dollars for the suit.

No boy is allowed to have the position unless he wears the uniform; and when the regulation was first put in force (a few years ago) it created a good deal of ill-feeling.

The boys thought it unjust that they should be compelled to spend so large a part of their earnings in this way; but after a little they began to see how much better it was to have an "official "suit. It gave a certain dignity to their work, and after all the price was just about the same as they would have to pay for any good suit of clothing.

So I think there is not a word of complaint now-a days about the "regulation."

The "District Telegraph "boys have a uniform, too, which is very like the "Western Union; "but if you notice closely you will see that, instead of the three-cornered piece on their shoulders, they have a sort of clover leaf made of scarlet cord. Then the letters upon their caps are just the reverse in color; for the words, "District Telegraph," are printed in raised white letters on a black band.

The boys employed by the "Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company" have gray uniforms, something like the letter carriers; but we do not often see them on the street for the whole force numbers now only about seventeen boys.

So much for round figures and uniforms now a word about the boys themselves. Some of the little fellows are seemingly not more than twelve years old, but most of them are between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. Nearly every one is earning his own living, and many of them have others depending upon their earnings.

The "District Telegraph" boys are paid three and four dollars a week by the Company according to the amount of work they do; while the "Western Union" boys receive so much for the delivery of each message. I believe the lowest price paid is two and a half cente, and the highest twenty-five.

The "Union" boys at the Main Office are arranged in three divisions each numbering twenty-five boys. By this means the day and night work are very evenly divided.

The boy who through the week is kept up latest goes by the name of the "Good-night boy."

Hither and thither all through the city, and at all hours of the day and night, the little fellows hurry along with their dispatches. And just think what important messages they carry in those great yellow envelopes!

Here is a "Western Union" cap dodging in and out among the crowds on Washington and Tremont streets. He is hurrying on as fast as he can, for somebody's darling lies just at the point of death, and the few words he carries are fraught with terrible import for somebody.

While he is on his way, another boy is carrying a message of good news -- the safe arrival of some dear friend in a foreign port; and here is another with a mysterious urgent request that only the receiver can understand.

The rise and the fall of gold, the fluctuations of the market, weather records, war news, political nominations, the latest word from Congress -- all matters, whether of public or private interest, which flash across the wires are recorded at the various Offices and delivered by these swift, trusty little messengers in an incredibly short space of time.

As I stood waiting in the Main Office, and. read upon the walls, "Messages sent at all hours to all parts of the world," I couldn't help contrasting the world of to-day with the world of "a hundred years ago." Then telegraphing seemed but an idle dream, too wonderful to be ever realized.