A BIT OF DIPLOMACY
An English Official Who Outwit
! ted a French Admiral.
HOW PERIM ISLAND WAS WON
Tho Interesting Story That la Told by
a White House on the Foreshore of
: the Arabian Coast at the Southern
Entrance to the Red Sen.
i Ou the foreshore of the Arabian
coa:.t In the strult of Babel-Ma udeb,
at the southern tntrauee to. the Ued
sen, stiiuds a large white house con
coining which the travelers to the far
east way hear a curious story. In the
middle of the ulncteenth century,
when M. do Lessep3 after many diffi
culties had successfully floated the
Suez Canal company, the governor of
the British port of Aden, about 100
tulles distant, was surprised one morn
Ins by the visit of a French squadron
of very unusual size for that part of
the orient, which, having encountered
a terrific storm off Sokotra. 'had nut
In for repairs.
tn the mind of the governor curiosity
was at once aroused as to the destina
tion of so large u command, a curiosity
which Increased as he found it Impos
sibly to extract any further Informa
tion from the French admiral or bis
olll'ers beyond the statement that
they were upon an ordinary cruise, an
e -lunation which the former was not
the least Inclined to believe.
Firm In tho belief, therefore, that
some political move of great Impor
tance was afloat. If not afoot, tho gov
ernor, in order first of all to gain time,
gave orders to go very tortolse-UUe on
the repairs and then set to work to
take the Frenchmen off their guard by
giving a succession of such entertain
ments as both bis slender means and
the awful barrenness of the place
would afford.
Hut. though at the end of two weeks
the French and British officers had got
upon the best of terras, the immediate
destination of the French squadron
remained as much of a mystery to
the governor of Aden as before, and
tn spite of all possible delay the re
pairs were nearly completed.
Now. It happened that the wife of
the governor possessed an Irish maid,
..who had been receiving attentions
from one of the Freucn petty officers-
attentions wuicn tue girl did not re
gard seriously, it occurred to the gov
ernor that by such means something
might be. learned of his unexpected
visitor's plans, and a private conver
sation between the governor's wife
and her maid resulted in another be
tween the latter and her Freuch ad
mirer, by which It was discovered
that Peri in Islaud was the objective
point.
At this Information the governor
opcued his eyes wide indeed, for, If
the Suez canal were cut through. Pe-
rlm. as commanding the southern en
trance to the lied sea, In the middle
of the strait of Hab-el-Mandeb. would
be a place of great strategic Impor
tance, over which, without doubt, ll
was the Intention of the French ad
miral to hoist the tricolor.
Secretly giving orders, therefore, for
a gunboat to Immediately embark a
detnehment of soldiers and steal away
in the night for Peri in island, the gov
ernor then announced a farewell ban
quel and ball for the day but one fol
lowing, a tlual act of courtesy with
which the Freuch admiral would will
inglr have dispensed, for be was anx
lous to sail, but which he could not
well refuse on accouut of the use be
bad made of the British supplies and
machinery at Aden.
So the dinner and party iu due
courso came off. the governor being in
high spirits, because in the meantime
he had received the uews of the occu
pation of Perim. which under the clr
cumstances would surely be followed
by the longed for promotion, awl the
French admiral was equally happy,
for he hoped on the morrow to add
the same Important little speck of lain)
to the dominion of bis own country
thereby covering his breast with tbe
stars aud Itamself with maritime glory
Next day. after uu interchange of
cordial farewells, the French squadron
sailed away to an apparently unknown
destination, until, when clear of the
laud, the course was laid full speed dl
rect for Perim island.
Then what were the dismay and dls
appointment of the French admiral
and his officers when, on coming In
Fllit of their destination, they beheld
the British dag flying aud a company
o soldiers drawn up to give them a
proper salute, it is said the French
admiral was so mortified at being thus
outwitted that he first flung his cock
ed hat overboard and then followed it
himself into tbe sea.
Be this as It may, as Perim was
clearly already occupied by the Brit
ish, tbe only counter move which tbe
French could make was to take pos
session of a strip of the foreshore on
the opposite Arabian coast, where
they built the fortified white bouse in
question, but as the place was entirely
at the mercy of tbe guns on Perim Is
land it was shortly abandoned, to re
main to this day as a monument of a
French admiral's undoing. Exchange
In Honor of Minerva.
The most notable festival at Athens
was in honor of Minerva. All classes
of citizens on this particular day
marched in procession. The oldest
weut first, then tbe young men, then
tne children, tne young women, tbe
0 niiuroua aim iuu oeuoie 01 me lower
orders. The most prominent object In
tbe parade was ship propelled by
hidden machinery and bearing at its
masthead the sacrsd banner of the
Koddeas.
IDENTIFIED.
fhe Bank Teller Was Silenced and
Paid the Money.
A lady with a severe uud determined
looking face and hi vhose eyes there
was a gleam of triumph entered a
bank aud presented a check to the
paying teller.
"I'm very fcrry to trouble you. mad
am," said the bank teller xi;tely, "but
you'll have to be identified." He push
ed the cheek across the marble slab
toward her as he spoke.
"Identified!" repeated the lady.
"Want does .that mean? Isn't the
check
The bnnk man did hot smile, for this
was the thirty-seventh lady who had
asked this question that day.
"I have no doubt It is." he said, "but
I don't know you. Do you know any
body in tbe bnnk?"
"Why, I'm Mrs. Weatherley!" ex
claimed the lady. "Didn't you see my
lift 'i.
i ll snow tou who i am
name ou the check? See. here It is'
The teller shook his head wearily.
"You must be Identified." he insist
ed. "You must bring somebody who
knows you." The lady drew herself
up.
"That check." she said with dignity,
"was given me by my husband. There's
his name on it. Do you know him?"
"I do." said the teller, "but I don't
know you."
"Then." said the lady. "I'll show you
who I am. My husband Is a tall man
with reddish hair. His face Is smooth
shaven. He has a mole ou one cheek
nnd looks something like a gorilla,
some people say, but I don't think so.
When he talks he twists his mouth to
one side, and one of his front teeth Is
missing. He wears a No. 15 collar, a
No. if shoe Mini won't keep his coat
buttoned. He's the hardest man to get
money out of you ever saw. It took
me three days to get this chock." The
bnnker waved his hand.
"I guess It's nil right." he said. "Put
your mime l ight there no, on the back,
not the face." (Jalveston News.
The Last Great Prize.
As we grow older and the shadows
begin to lengthen mid the leaves which
seemed so thick in youth above our
heads grow tbiu and show the sky be
yond, and as those In the ranks In
front drop away, and we come In sight,
as we all must, of the eternal rifle pits
beyond, a man begins to feel that
among the really precious things of
life, more lasting nnd more substantial
than many of the objects of ambition
here, Is the love of those he loves and
the friendship of those whose friend
ship he prizes. Henry Cabot Lodge.
No Boxes For Two.
Telephone girls sometimes glory in
their mistakes if there Is u joke in con
seqjence. The story Is told by a tele
phone operator In one of the Boston
Lex' hanges about a man who asked her
fot the number of a local theater. Ue
got the wrong number, nnd without
asking to whom be was talkiug he
said, "Can I get a box for two to
night?"
A startled voice answered hi in at the
other end of the line, "We don't have
boxes for two."
"Isn't this the theater?" he called
crossly.
"Why, no." was the answer; "this is
an undertaking shop."
He canceled his order for a "box
for two."
Something Missing.
This Is J. M. Barrle's favorite story
about Bret Harte. When Ilnrte reach
ed Glasgow after his appointment as
the American consul to that city bis
flnunces were at u comparatively low
ebb. and Instead of going at first to a
hotel he fouud it expedient to seek
lodgings at once. His search led him
to a dour Scotch landlady, arrange
ments were made, nud after leaving
his belongings in his new home he
weut out to look after bis official du
ties. Upon his return that evening he
was met by the landlady. Her atti
tude was stern and questioning. "I've
been looking over your belongings. Mr.
Ilarte," she said, "but whnur's your
Blbler-Rookman.
One on the Professor.
One sarcastic college lecturer him
got his deserts. A frequently Inatten
tive member of his class appeared to
be drawing In his notebook perhaps a
caricature of the Instructor.
The lecturer paused and askfd lm
presslveV. "Do you think that scrib
bling yo;i are doing Is Important?"
"1 don't know sir. I'm sure." respoud
ed the youth. "I was taking down
what you were saying."
GOOD EXERCISE.
Practicing Juggling at Home as an Aid
to Health.
It h been contended that the
easiest and pleasantest way to keep
in fit condition is to practice jucr
glinr, the art of balancing and
catching objects.
When exercising at home, un
matched by a teacher, one is likely
to perform his exercis-es in an iu-
torrect or slovenly fashion, thus do
ing himself more harm than good,
but the simplest feat of juggling con
be done in only one way, the right
way. Again, uhere physical exercise
develops only a ccrtuin part or parts
of the body five minutes' juggling
calls into pfay every important mus
cle. Finally, few physical exercises
train the eye or the hand. Juggling
docs both.
The mistake the novice is like
ly to make is that be tries to do off
hand what it has taken the experi
enced juggler years of practice to
accomplish. The beginner should,
of course, start with the easiest
feats, such as balancing a walking
stick on his forehead or tossing a
ball from behind his back over his
shoulder and catching it as it falls.
If one is really fond of juggling he
may invent his own problems.
Here ore n few axioms:
It is easier to balance a thing on
your head than on your hand.
Up to the point where great phys
ical strength is required the larger
the object the easier it is to balance.
Thus it is easier to balance a walk
ing stick on your forehead than it
is a pencil. .
One should always look at the top
of whatever he is balancing. Begin
ners make the mistake of looking
at the bottom or the middle of the
Etick or whatever is being juggled.
Again, when catching things do not
watch your hands. Keep your eye
on the object, just as you would to
catch a batted ball.
In all balancing feats it should be
remembcrcal that the shape of the
object is immaterial. What one has
to do is to balance an imaginary
line passing vertically through tho
center of gravity of the object, or,
in other words, to keep its axis per
pendicular to whatever it is bal
anced upon. Juggling is said to be
the best and healthiest of indoor
exercises, because it does not weary,
because it develops every part of the
body, because it trains the hand nnd
the eye and because it makes for
grace. New York Tribune.
An Afghan Trick.
During a shooting match in the
presence of the governor of TCanda
bar the firdar noticed to his utoH'
ishrnent that the heads of sp'iTi'rows
were the favorite butt of the marks
men, who but seldom missed their
aim, whereupon he declared that it
was far more dillicult to hit an egg,
Sir Peter laughed at the supposi
tion, but the sirdar stood his
ground, and the matter was put to
the test. An egg was suspended on
a wall, and the soldiers tired at it;
but, strange to say, not one of them
hit the egg. The governor and his
suit kpt their countenances and
excused the nonsuccess of the firing
party on the ground of the difficulty
of the thing. At last n ball hap
pened to hit the thread to which
the egg was fastened, and it fell to
tho ground without breaking. Now
the mvstcry was solved. The cun
ning Afghan had used a blown egg,
and the featherweight shell had
been moved aside each time by tho
current of air in front of the ball
and thus escaped being hit.
Snubbed a Duke.
Manners mark the man. but tho
typical Briton resents any advance
from a stranger with a cold stare
Vet it is un (Englishman who nar
rates an incident of railway travel
On the wav to London in a first class
compartment were two well dressed
men. Opposite them sat an elderly
gentleman, wlios? fur coat and silk
hat both looked shabbv. The elder
ly nian made ?. remark' about the
weather. The others stared at bin
with insolent silence. When tht
train reached Waterloo there came
two tall flunkeys in fur tippets and
corded hats to the door of our com
partment. and one of them said to
the shabby old gentleman. "Your
grace, tho carnage is here. here
upon tlw two snobs turned thirteet.
diircrer.t kinds of green and pink
and purple, and I went on my vay
rejoicing. The cuds had snubbed a
iluktv -Washington Herald.
The Nightingales.
The father of Florence Nightin
gale was William Shore, who as
sumed by letters patent the surname
of Nightingale in 1815. The name,
together with the family property,
came from old Peter Nightingale,
against whom Arkwright, inventor
of the spinning jenny, brought in
177G one of his actions for infringe
ment of patent rights. Lea Hurst,
the home of the Nightingales in
DerbyBhire, is only two miles from
Cromford, where Arkwright set up
his mill And the adjacent manor
house of which he purchased from
NiahtiainU. London Chronicle.
DEGREES OF BURNS.
Hew They Are Marked and How They
Shojld Be Treated.
The medical books describe sever
al degrees of burns, according to the
amount of damage the fire has done
to tho skin or the patts beneath.
The first degree couhists merely
in redness and stinging of the skin,
such as is caused by the flimo of a
match touching the finger for an in
stant or by a drop of hot wax from
a candle falling on the hand. Ordi
narily this is a, trivial accident, and
the pain of it, if annoying, may be
subdued by applying a cloth wet
with a solution of cooking soda, but
if a large surface is burned, as when
a cambric r.ight dress catches fire
and blazes up for a moment, b'lt is
quickly extinguished, the patient
may suffer severely from shock.
in the second degree, blisters
form on the injured part. Care
must be taken not to tear the blis
ters in removing the burned cloth
ing, for example. A little snip with
clean scissors or two or three punc
tures with a clean needle should be
made in the part of the blister
which protrudes tnost, and as soon
as the water has drained away the
part should be covered with u cloth
wet with soda sluution or with
equal part3 of limewater and olive
oil called carron oil.
In burns of the third degree the
upper layer of tho skin is destroyed.
This is the most painful of burns,
for the sensitive cutaneous nerves
are exposed. Tho first thing to do
is to cover the part so as to protect
the bared nerve endings from con
tact with the air. The same dress
ing as that for burns of the second
degree will give'rclief until the phy
sician comes. Carron oil is best,
but the soda solution is better than
nothing and much better than plain
water or oil.
In burns of the fourth degree
the third and fourth degrees usually
occur together the skin is burned
through and tho bare flesh is ex
posed. This, strange as it may
seem, is less painful than a third
degree burn, for now the nerve end
ings, which receive and transmit
tho painful sensations, are entirely
destroyed. It is more serious in its
after effects, becauso it always
leaves a scar which is disfiguring
and may contract and draw the part
out of shape.
In burns of the fifth degree the
muscles and other tissues arc more
or less extensively disintegrated,
and in those of the sixth degree the
entire limb finger, hand, arm,
foot or leg is destroyed.
In, all these everer burns there
is more or less shock, which may be
so profound as to kill, and there arc
also serious symptoms caused by
congestion of the internal organs
and probably also by a poison form
ed in tho burned tissues. Youth's
Companion.
The Chief Requisito.
Richard Watson Gilder had a dry
wit of his own. He once received a
call from a young woman who wish
ed to secure material for un article
of 3,000 words on "Young Women
In Literature." 'It was a fetching
subject, full of meat," explained the
young woman afterward, "and I saw
not only 3,000 words in tbe story,
but at least 0,000. But I never got
any further than the first question.
Mr. Gilder's answer took the very
life out of me. I asked him, 'Now,
Mr. Gilder, what would you say was
the first, tho chief, the all essential
requisite for a young woman enter
ing the literary field?' I waited with
bated breath, when he answered,
'Postage stamps!' "
Where She Drew the Line.
A story of a little maiden who
finally asserted her rights is related
in on exchange.
She was only three years old, and
it fl3 her first visit to n number of
relatives. Aunts, uncles and cousins
crowded around her and kissed her
over and over again. She stood it
patiently and gave every kiss that
was asked for without demur. After
awhile, whei she had run the gant
let of affectionate relatives, Uncle
Tom Eaid, "Now, baby, I'll take you
out to soe the cow."
Outside tho door she stopped and
shook her little head. "Uncle Tom."
the said, "1 won't kiss the cow!"
And Uncle Tom took pity upon
her and did not insist.
It Made Him Angry,
When u merchant in the Hill dis
trict who had been standing in
front of his store saw two young
men stop tho other day and begin
looking over his wares he naturally
was pleased and immediately gave
them attention. .
''I want to know," began one of
them, "if you havo any clean ehirts
ready to wear."
''Certainly, certainly 1" was tin
quick response.
"Well. then, no in and rmt one of
them on," was tho reply of the
smart young man as he and his com
punion continued on their journey.
Eyewitnesses say that the mer
chant didn't Uugh. PittsWg Gv
MUe-Tunea.
I WE SELL
i
WVETIXrS
Sage & Sulphur
HAIR RESTORER
WEVRICH & HABRABA
i
The Red Cross Drug Store.
Plattsmouth Phone No. 121.
Booster Sale.
30 Ladies Tailor-Made Wooltex
Suits Worth $35.00 to $40.00, now $14.89
A few Misses Suits Left Worth
$12.50 to $15.00, now $6.98
We are Making a Great Sacrifice on
Children's Coats.
Only 9 NWooltex black long
coats left, at one-half price. Fol
lowing the advice of the preacher
we will try coming down on prices
just to see what will happen.
m.
THE TAILOR'S SONG
Fit out at Frank's get a suit up to date,
Right in the fashion of woolens first rate..
A suit that will fit goods sound as a bell,,
No outside shops will fit you as well,
Keep track of Mac's good value he sells.
Mac builds good clothes garments all neat,
Chicago's ready made agents cannot compete
Examine his line and prices all through,
Look him up for a suit, saves money for you.
Reliable goods, all through his line,
Order a suit for the on coming spring time,
You find value for money here every time.
February Bulletin
of Special Rates
Homeseekers Excursions: February 1st and 15th, and the first and
third Tuesdays of each subsequent month, the West, Northwest and South
west, uew farm land regions. A chance for a splendid tour of the. West at
very low rates.
Winter Tourist Rates: Daily through February and March to all
Southern, Gulf, Cuban and California resorts.
Very Cheap One Way Rates
To Puget Sound and Pacific Coast
Only $2.r).()() from eastern ntwl pi nipiil V,.l.r..LL 4., c...,,.' n .. .
Spokane, Hutte, Helena, fcan I' raiicisco, Los Angeles and other far western
destinations. Tickets sold from March 1st to April 15th.
Through Service: These tieLeN lnn,ir..,i : .!.:. ... .....
, 1 . . 1 . . " iMuu i mm tourist
sWpersj.la.ly throUKhtourKst sleepers via Northern Pacific Express, daily
throng 1 tourist sleepers via G-eat Northern Express, through upper North
west; daily through tourist s eeners to fjilifnrnin
Salt Lake City, and Southern Pacific.
Get in touch with me, and let
arrange for your berths and assist you in
Iliilltlipi!
lite
y
CI A L
FANGER
Plattsmouth, Neb.
me give you descriptive literature,
every way.
W. L. PICKETT.Ticket Agent, Plattsmouth, Neb.
L. W. Wakely, G. P. A., Omaha.
