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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1899)
SOCIETY Superstitions ol the Wealthy-Dames of fashion Who Are famous Waltzers -Priceless Collections ot lace. (New York Correspondence.) 'The Neapolitan charm against the tII eye was first worn us a pretty or nament by Mr. Hurkanl, who ordcreil one of gold. It Is In the form of n tiny Tinman hand, the left hand, and has tho first and fourth finger pointing like n pulr of horns, while the second -and third ore folded Into the palm. Mrs. llnrkard's golden charm is bound ty n wee bracelet of brilliants at the wrist, and those who saw the trinket .and heard of Itfl supposed virtues bought copies of her watch charm, more for hard, ovory-day service, how ever, than ornament. One of the moat uniformly luck bringing charms Is highly valued by Miss Hkhard a hit of mosaic Jewelry that has been blessed by the people; and the young Duches of Marlborough .attributes no small amount of her mar ried content to n little heart of gold (the ordered niuile and cut half in two. The day before her wedding one-half of the heart was given her fiance, the other half she hung around her neck by n fine gold chain, and from that lay the young couple havo worn their portions of the go!d emblem in the be lief that to lose or mislay ono of the parts would bring thorn dire distress. Hut wearing efficacious tnllsmanH la not the whole of the fashionable wom an's superstitious creed. Hop sharp oyes look out for accidents that might cross her luck. Sho will put herself to infinite pains not to lot nny of her nuts turn upside down, to thereby In dicate she will novcr walk abroad again; If she dreams of fishes she will refuse to crosH the water for a twclvo month; but most carefully does she Riiard ngalnat the common blunder of turning her back nfter her foot has crossed the threshold. If on her wny to a ball sho finds sho has forgotten n fan, op gloves, or whatnot, she will cither go boldly on without tho dc fllrert articles, or, on turning back, en ter her own home and dcllboratoly re move hep tollot, or sit a whllo In tho hall, In order to pretend to tho fatcH that she novcr really started out at all. It is not uncommon in Now York for nn elaborate dinner to slowly burn to a crisp while some unlucky guo3t nits solemnly a wholo proclous fifteen minutes In n distant hallway, doing penance for the crlmo of turning bock In her tracks. Whoever Iovcb to see exquisite dan cing can satisfy their appetite nt any one of tho cottago colonics whoro Now York women congregate or In Now York Itself during tho winter. There la, In fact, not another city In tho world, except Vienna, perhaps, where bo many fuultles3 wnltzors can bo round, and tho peculiar long, gliding wtcp of tho fashionable woman from the big city on the Hudson can bo Iden tified nt onco In a crowded room at Hnmburg, Newport or In London. The Bmart New Yorkep walftea. with "her dollcato feet and Biipplo ankles, holds her body erect, with gracious oUtellne38, her head Is so carried that Tier eyes glanco freoly around tho room; her left hand Is poised, not lean ing on her companion's shoulder, and A WAITER'S PRACTICE. Haver Takes w (llats from u Person's IIllllll, "Give mo a glnw of water, please." 'The request was mado to a Walter bo ihlnd tho marble-topped lunch counter of a well-known restaurant In tho con tra! part ot tho city, Bays tho Philadel phia Inquirer. "All right, sir," was tho -waiter's reply. "I will Just as soon a3 you put your glass down." Tho man looked flrat at tho empty glass ho held 'in his hand and then at tho waiter, IN MANHATTAN TOWN. one cf her peculiarities Is that when she dances she never talks, and when her dance Is over she Is no more flushed or breathleci than If she had slowly crossed the room, The very finest art of the New York idle of good waltzing are displayed by Mrs. Oakley Ithlnclandcr. In her set sho Is famous for her beautiful poise, and a swan gliding down stream moved no less majestically than this tall, slim young woman, whose expres sion when sho dances Is one of d r e a m y content, like that of n musi cian listening to perfect harmonics. She Is somewhat less languorous than Mrs. Tomney Taller, n trlllc more stately than Mrs. Greuvlllo ICano.nnd her closcat rival Is Mrs. Jack Astor, who, however, Is not fond of this form of exercise. To waltz with di vine deliberation Is what the Now York woman prefers chiefly nt a ball, but she has taken kindly enough to tho bulmoral sehot tlschc, because the men llko It, nnd the most elaborate co tillon la invariably concluded by n vig THI3 orous Virginia reel. That, too, Is bceauso tho men like It, and though the New York man does not dance so well as the women, there are those, like Alexander Haddon, Lnngdon Irving and Harry Lchr, who do this gay exercise with wonderful fin ish. They aro tho men who have made It a rulo for their set nnd sex to carry several pairs of whlto kid gloves to a ball, and never npproach a delicately arrayed woman save In kids as Immac ulate as now-fallen snow. They, too, have Introduced the new and very greatly Improved method In dancing of taking n woman by her right wrist In stead of her right hand, and Invaria bly holding her arm nt length, but ouly a fow Inches away from her body. With her hand thus left free to carry any small bolonglngs or her train, n wom an Is comfortable and yet fools quite secure as she moves, To walk In silk attlro Is not wholly Then his choler bogan to rise nt what ho considered nn unwarranted piece ot Impertinence Tho wnlter ovldontly 8aw tho outburst of wrath that was coming. "No offenso meant, sir," he hastily explained. "You see, it's Just this way: Tho flrst thing n waiter learns, nnd ho learns It by dearly bought exporlenco, too, Is never to take a glass from another porson's hand. Why? IJecauso If ho docs tho chnnccs nro about oven that tho glass will fall nnd bo smnshed In tho transfer, This la particularly trim It the top ot tho satisfying any longer to the woman whose husband has sliver to npare, and one of the feminine ambitions, old as the hills nnd never fully satisfied, la to possess rich lace. Mm. John Jacob Astor made the first great collection of valuable laces In America, and for many years tho Astor laces, now an heirloom In that family, were un rivaled. Mrs. William 1C. Vaudorbllt made the next best collection, that on her death waa also divided among her DKACH CONVERSAZIONE. children; but nlnco Mrs. Astor's and Mrs. Vanderbllt's day New York so ciety has becomo possessed of some much more valuable and beautiful ex amples of rare and nntlque needle work. Not mnny ycara ago Mrs. Wolf sur prised her laco-lovlng friends by pay ing $1,000 In Florence for one antique llounce, and then sho willingly paid prices In proportion for any rare an tique piece she could find. Old lace was her gcntlo mania, but her limit has been easily overtopped by Mrs. Victor Newcomb, who cares not If laco bo new or old, provided It Is tho most perfect point d'Alencon in the market. At one purchase sho secured tho whole set of marvelous lacea owned by tho Princess Clotllde, and under that' prin cess' matchless Alencon Tveddlug veil Miss Newcomb was married. The hearty admiration ot all the laco lovers goes out to a remarkable set ot three-dcop flounces of tho richest Ven- table or counter hnppens to be of mar ble, as this ono Is, You probably un derstand that when a. waiter breaks anything In a hotel or restaurant he has to pay for It, and you probably now understand why It was that I would fill your glass as soon as you put It down so that I could pick It up myself." A man who praises himself meets with general denial; a man who do cries himself finds plenty to agree with him, -A Ico point owned by Mrs. Thome. Whei In Italy Mrs. Thome found and paid a big price fop the lovely pieces, draped them over a silk gown, nnd wore it all triumphantly to nn ambassadorial function In Home. Lovely as her gown was, It excited something more than mere admiration, for all at once a guest at the reception felt on her knees beforo the astonished American lady and began to bestow humble kisses on the rich ornamentation of her gown. In the commotion created, ex planations came forth to the effect that Mrs. Thome's lace had onco been pre cious church property, nnd worn by n famous Italian cardinal, and, there fore, in the rellgl'js Homan' man It Inspired as reverential emotions as if he had seen a famous relic. There after, when In Home, Mrs. Thornc for boro any use of her lovely lace. MRS. GRANT'S HOME. Tlis denornl's Widow ns Vigorous as WIifii nt (lie While Home. Washington Cor. -New York Mall and Express: The home of Mrs. U. S. Grant, situated In the picturesque part of Washington where Massachusetts avenue merges into tho hills of tho Ilock Creek National Park, is one of tho hiost Interesting private dwellings nnd full of historic memories. Mrs. Grant, although nearly 80 years of age, Is still active, mentally and physically. Of late years she has been losing her sight, but otherwise she is the same vigorous woman who presided In tho White House. Nothing gives her so much pleasure as to show hep house hold treasures to her friends and to explain the pathetic little histories connected with each. Sho has In this palatlul mansion most ot tho furniture with which she and her Illustrious hus band started housekeeping nearly CO years ago. The accumulation of gifta and souvenirs presented during Gen eral Grant's long official life are nlso plentifully scattered throughout his homo. In fact, evory chair, table, pic ture and book has some association which Mrs. Grant charmingly relates. In the great entrance hall is a magnifi cent Turkish rug, given to the goneral by a merchant prince ot Damascus. "Wo went to his store," says Mrs. Grant, "to buy some ruga and souve nirs for ourselves and our children. Wo bought three or four and gave our hotel address to havo thorn delivered. We woro astonished to find when the pack age arrived this rug, with a gorgeous ly embossed letter from tho merchant, asking hi in to accept this gift, ns it gavo him the greatest pleasure to offer the finest of his possessions to tin great Amoricnn warrior; and ho fur ther added that his nephew had fought lu tho armies of the United 'States-under General Grant. Of No Commercial Value. Savannah, Ga., News: Charles Nel son, a farmer of Floyd county, Iowa, is endeavoring to raise coffee. His plants, grown from aeed put Into the ground lust spring, aro now six Inches high. Out ot an aero ho expects to got five pounds of coffee, which making al lowance for the time and labor expend ed In tho cultivation of tho berries he calculates will cost him about $18 por pound. Farmer Nelson's experiment In coffee raising lu Iowa reminds 113 very much of tho tea raising experiments In South Carolina. Eliminate tho quest tlon of cost in each case and there is no doubt that coffee can bo produced In Iowa and tea In South Carolina. IN THE ODD CORNER. QUEER AND CURIOUS THINGS AND EVENTS. Arliona's I'etrlned Forest Extraordinary Kurglral Operation How Squirrels I.le In Winter llattle of Iteptlle anil Klah. The Olil Hunting Coat. A thing- of FtlfT canvas, dirt spotted and torn; Soiled corduroy collar; huge pockets that toto Tho game;, and Its fabric Is crumpled nnd worn; Yet memories cllns to the old hunting coat. Its color of tan with the (round smoothly blends And frights not tho timid and sharp lighted game; By delicate thread Its lone button sus pend , Untouched by the hand of tho unseeing dame. On the sleeve a light feather seems des tined to stay; The scent of burnt powder around It doth cling; And Its pockets conceal but a motley array Ot pipe and tobacco, shells, matches nnd string. And many a night It has pillowed the head That tented In peace 'nenth u shelter ing tent That on some stream's bank., tree-protected, wan spread, Where few but Damo Nature's wild creatures o'er went. Ah, If It could speak! It would eagerly tell Of long, breathless chuso through the thicket and thorns In pursuit of the elk that fought nobly and well, Hut whose antlers the old hunting coat now adorns. Or perchance It would whisper of morn ing's sharp chill And rush-hidden bout In some lnko ut daylight. And speak of the silence, and e'en of the thrill That It felt when the canva.iback start ed the fllsht. Or yet It could speak of tho favorite camp, Where the brook makes sweet music and soft breeres blow: And the odor of lira and of wild flowers. dew-damp. And the leaping of trout where the slender weeds grow. The broadcloth may scorn It, th woolen may sneer, Aristocrats they, keeping always re mote; Yet none of them offers tho comfort and cheer And happiness found In the old hunting coat. Colorado Springs Gazette. Arizona's I'ctrlllcd Forest. One of tho most Interesting and Im prosslvo of natural wonders Is the great petrified forest of Arizona, which cov ers nearly 100 Bquure miles. The gov ernment explorers have christened It Chalcedony Park. The surface of tho ground for miles and miles around Is covered with gi gantic logs three or four feet In diam eter, petrified to the core. Many of them are translucent. Some are almost transparent. All present the most beautiful shades of blue, yellow, pink, purple, red and gray. Some are like gigantic amethysts, some resemble the smoky topnz, and some are us pure and whlto as alabaster. At places the chips of agate for the trunks that have crumbled, lie a foot deep upon the ground, nnd It is easy to obtain cross sections of trees showing every vein nnd even bark. A bird's-eye view of tho petrified for est on a sunny day suggests a gigantic kaleidoscope. Tho surface of tho earth resembles nn Infinite variety of ruin bows. The geologists say this great plain, now 5,000 feet above the sea, was onco covered by a forest, which wa3 submerged for uges in water strongly charged with minerals, until tho fibres ot the trees wero thoroughly soaked and transformed Into eternal stone. Many of the trunks are still packed in u deposit of fine clay, which was left by tho receding waters, but tho eroslom of the wind has pulverized much ot tho clay and carried It oft In the air, exposing tho secrets that nature burled under Its surface. One great tree spans a deep gulch forty feet wide. It He3 where It fell centuries, porhaps ages, ago, and Is a most beautiful specimen of petrified wood. The rings and the bark can bo easily traced through tho translucent agate, and It Is firm enough and strong enough to Inst as many centuries ns It has already spent In Its peculiar position. It Is undoubtedly tho only bridge of agate In the world, and alone Is worth n long Journey to sec. The Indians of the southwest U3ed to visit the petrified forests frequently to obtain agate for their arrow and spear heads, and the material was scat tered over the entire continent by ex change between the different trlbe3 from tho Isthmus of Panama to the Bearing Straits. The great deposits hero explains where all the arrow heads of moss ugate came from, and other weapons and Implements of sim ilar material that are found In tho In dian mounds and graves of the central and western states. In the stbne age the agate of the petrified forest was th very best material that could be ob tained for both tho implements of war and peace of tho aborglnes. A scalp ing knife could bo made very easily from ono of the chips of agate and could be ground to a very flno edge. Many crystals wero used for Jewelry and ornaments also. How Squirrels Live In Winter. If ono asks a hundred school chil drenand grown people, ns well, for that matter how squirrels sub sist In winter, nine out of ten will roply that they eat the nuts thoy gath er In tho summer and fall. This Is partly, but not wholly true. Tholr food la widely varied In the courso of a year, especially In tho spring nnd dim mer. Indian corn In tho milk suffers more from squirrels than from rac coons or muskruts, which are prover bially so fond of It. In places on the western frontier nn extensive system ot watching hns had to be maintained at times against this pest. One dainty In late summer Is the mushroom, of soveral varieties of which they are fond, and this reminds me of a bit of unexpected sagacity In one of the west ern chipmunks lately spoken ot .In my hearing by the artist and author, Ern est Beton Thompson. It appears that this chipmunk depends for Its ordin ary fall and winter fare upon the seeds of tho plnon pine, which it preserves by storage In Its holes lu decayed stumps or underground. It happened lately, however, that In a certain area of the northwest tho plnon crop waB n complete failure, and the ground squir rels were compelled to find something else for their subsistence nnd winter stores. In this extremity they turned to tho mushrooms, everywhere abund nnt, and woro busy during all the lute autumn In gathering them. They were too wise, however, to otore them tin derground.where they would soon have rotted, but Instead deposited them In notches and crotches of the lower branches of tho forest trees, where they dried In the open air and so kept In good condition to be eaten. Their shriveling up and the shaking of the branches by tho winds caused many to fall.and these the squirrels Industrious ly picked up nnd tiled to fasten moro securely to the branches. This meth od of providing themselves with winter food Implied tho necessity of their coming forth from tholr underground retrcuts, no mntter how cold nnd snowy the weather, whenever they wanted something to eat. Instead of having their lnrder Indoors, as Is usual with them, and It would be Interesting to know whether they actually did bo or whether thoy failed to profit, after all, by their seemingly sagacious prudence. Uutllo of Iteptlle and Fish. From the New York Press: That mooted question of whether a good healthy water snake can cope success fully In mortal combat with a pickerel has been decided by a battle In Lake Pcnnesseewasse, of which William Gary and Kenneth Gurney were wit nesses. The lako waters abound lu large-sized pickerel and there Is no other body of wuter In Maine where the water snakes are so huge, Thoy are harmless, but It forced to a light with man or fish can put up a good scrap. Their bite, while not poisonous, is exertmely painful and everyone gives them a wide berth. In hot days they crawl to the branches of tho low bushes on tho shore of tho bogs and sun themselves In contentment. Mnny ot tho reptiles will measure over ten feet and few of them have ever been captured. If a person approaches them while they are apparently sleeping on tho bushes nnd attempts to hit them with a stick or stone they full quickly Into tho water and escape harm. Ono tiny this summer, while tho weather was extremely warm, Gary and Gur ney were on the lake trawling for sal mon from a canoe. The boat had Just passed tho edge of the bog where tho snakes have their headquarters, when thcro was a splash In tho water and n, churning that attracted tho attention of tho men In the boat. They backed water with tho oars and floated up to see what was tho trouble. They wero surprised to see a huge black coll of shining skin writhing In tho water and went closer to Investigate. They found that a water snake nearly eight feet long had a pickerel In his grasp. The fish must havo weighed In tho vicinity of three pounds nnd a fight wus on. The snake slowly uncoiled his body, when tho pickerel darted out and quickly turned, making a swirt lunge for the snake. Tho latter, how ever, grabbed the fish by the head and held lilni fast. In tho course of three or four mlnute3 tho snnko again un coiled his body, and tho pickerel, with a few faint motions, came to the top of tho water for air. The snako lay still, but as the fish showed signs of returning life ho again grabbed him by tho head. Then tho body of the fish be gan to disappear slowly, and at last there was no moro pickerel In sight.' Tho next day Gurney and Gary were on the shore of tho bog for frogs to bo used for bnlt, when they found tho dend body of n big snake, They cut tho reptile open and found about halF way down the throat tho body of tho pickerel. The snake in swallowing the fish had rested for n breath of air, when tho fish again camo to life and, spreading his belly fins, hnd choked tho snako to death. However, tho mon declaro that tho snnko won tho fight, but was too anxious to celebrate his victory, and thereby lost his own life. Kxtruordlnur Hurglcul Operation. In May, 1890, ono of tho most rc markabosiirgtcal operations on record was performed by" Dr. LaVelanguo In tho Children's Hospital at Paris. It was the caso ot an Idiot child. Its head had stopped growing Blnce It was fbur yenrs of age, and Was only one third the normal size. Believing that the Idiocy was due to compression of tho brain, tho doctor divided' tho skull longitudinally, and kept tho edges of tho bone from uniting. Fresh deposits of bono took place, and the skull grad ually expanded to almost its propor size. Then tho intellectual facilities, which had hitherto been those of an Infant, grew stronger and stronger every day, till at last tho child was as intelligent and healthy as any othor In France. Some of the most remark able surgical operations havo been per formed In connection with the brain which Is now bo accurately mapped out that a surgeon can tell exactly whero tho seat of ml3chlcf In tho brain lies. Should there be a tumor on the brain. Its exact situation can. bu located, and then the skull li opened and tho mor bid growth removed.