( .'")
p?.tlfjmotIi Journal
C. IV. MIKliJIA.N. I'ublWhrr.
rLA1T.sMOl"Ii.
M'BILANSa
SPRING TOKENS.
I gazed from out the western pane.
And sous-tit wit eaeer eyes
Some token ot the coming spring
Beneath the chill gray skies.
I wondered if the stern old king,
Who seemed so loth to go,
Would only crows the tender spring
With garlands made of snow !
But out upon the southern slopes
A dark spot, here and there.
Showed where the recent melting snows
Had left the brown earth bare.
The valley stream with swollen tide
Had burst Its frozen chain.
And rushed with turbid sullen force
Beyond the gray-white plain.
The maples swept their blushing top
Against the evening sky,
A ray of sunset glory told
Of brightness by and by.
And as I watched the azure mist
That hung o'er vale and tree.
From out the red'nlng maples rang
A bluebird's minstrelsy.
Thou sweet, sweet harbinger," I cried,
VTlth blue sky on each wing.
With hope f dialled of glad spring hours
In all the songs ye sing:"
Mrs. D. E. F. Horton, in Housekeeper.
Vo?.v X W
Lr a. I . i .
HAT tswnatsne
said to me; I
remember it
well." It was
a man who
spoke. He was
talking to him
self, for there was no one to listen
to him. "This is vhat she said: "I
could not forget you if I would; I love
you too well. But listen: I call Heaven
to witness that, come what may, I will
be true to you forever. Ah, Douglas!
how can you doubt me? "
lie repeated these words twice in the
tone of one who knew them by heart
and yet feared he might forg-et them,
and once more he whispered the last
sentence: "1 will be true to you for
ever, Douglas. Ah, how can you doubt
mc?"
-Why, I did not doubt her"' he went
on. as though he answered some one
who had spoken. "But Dora is so
beautifuL Every man must love her,
and 1 had no great opinion of myself.
Why should I? And Frank Fenwick
was so handsome; was rich as well,
and always coming1 to the house, and
the captain favored him. I could see
that."
Covering1 his eyes with his hands,
Douglas Dearie could fancy himself
once more in the parlor of Capt- Dar
ling's quaint little cottage down beside
the shore.
He saw the deep bay window, in
which a small telescope had been set
bo that with it one could sweep the
beach -and the boats and the billows
beyond, with whatever craft miht be
t:pon the water; the wainscoted wall
and tlf-3 polished floor spread with the
great Persian prayer-carpet the captain
had brought from the orient. The
panels were decorated with nautical
views of all sorts. Ships In cal:is and
storms; the launch of the Kitty
Creainer; the wreck of the Stormy I'e
irel; yachts at rest upon the water,
the moon behind them and colored
lights hung out; ships in full sail
on mid-ocean. The little bookcases had
polished brass handles to their doors.
The great green parrot with red wings,
and the great yellow parrot with evil
eyes, swung in two golden cages in the
window, flanked by tropical plants
growing in Chinese jars. A wood fire
burned in the brass grate, and the light
from a tail brass lamp fell through a
shade of rose-pink silk, puckered and
plaited into the likeness of a great
flower-cup.
The hour had come when he must
leave his little sweetheart. His arm
was about her w-aist, her cheek upon
his bosom. In that softened light her
face seemed to him to wear an almost
HER CHEEK UPON BIS BOSOM.
uperhuman beauty. She was always
ively and fresh and exquisite, but now
ie looked like an angeL Suddenly he
dt that he was altogether unworthy
'. her, and he remembered how hand
ime and winning Frank Fenwick was,
id all his advantages, and how often
i would be with Dora while her sailor
as far away. "And, oh! will you
ally be true to me?" he cried out; and
ien she had taken that ?ow. lie was
ways saying it over and over again,
devout Catholics repeat their pray
s: "I will be true to you forever,
juglas. How tan you doubt m&7"
ad once more, speaking as though in
tology to some listener, he said aloud:
Vhy, I did not doubt her! Biit, you
e, 1 was going to leave hex for six
month. P!x months great heaven!
As near as 1 can reckon I've been away
three years!"
The horror of the present swept over
him, blotting out the picture of the
past on which he was gazing with the
eyes of his souL lie looked up and
saw before him only the billows of the
ocean, over which lay the blue dome
of the sky, and a staff from which flut
tered a streamer of scarlet flannel a
signal of distress that the wind had
striven many a night to rend to tatters.
How long it seemed since he, with
two sailois, had been flung ashore like
so much seaweed, and in the dawn had
crouched miserably on the shore,
watching the ocean as it swallowed the
fragments of the wrecked steamer, and
ignorant of the fate of the crowded
boats that vanished from their sight vt
the stormy midnight!
A box And a cask or so were washed
ashore. The island was not quite bar
ren. But I could not tell you how they
lived unless I had the space to write a
new "Eobinson Crusoe."
One of the sailors had died within
two weeks, and the other Douglas
Deane had lately buried in the sea.
He was alone now, no human eye to
meet his own, no human voice to an
swer his.
Do you ask what kept the flame of
life and hope alive within him? I will
tell you. Dora Darling's last words:
"1 will be true to you forever, Douglas.
How can you doubt me?"
Locking at him, anyone would have
aid It would be over soon. He was a
mere skeleton a thing as terrible to
look upon as any specter.
The fatal drowsiness, against which
he constantly fought, was stealing over
him again even now, and he longed to
lapse back into his dreams. But with
a struggle he 6hook it off, stood up,
looked to the east and saw only the sun,
a ball of tire low upon the horizon;
looked to the west and north and saw
only sky meeting water; turned to the
south and noted a thin black cloud.
Was it a cloud? His heart began to
beat as though it would rend his body
in twain as he began to understand
that it was no cloud at all, but the drift
of black smoke from the tall pipes of a
steamer that even as he gazed came up
from that under world were ships hide
themselves in inidocean.
He grew blind, giddy. The joy al
most killed him as he understood that
they saw him that a boat had been
sent out, that friendly hands grasped
his, and that kind voices uttered words
of comfort. A terror came upon him
lest all this should be but the vision of
a dream, and he only quite believed it
true when actually on board the Nancy
Hopper.
His face washed, dressed in a suit of
clothes, a world too wide to be sure,
but still wholesome, decent garments,
he sat a guest at the captain's table,
drinking coffee oh, wonderful, deli
cious beverage eating like a Christian
with knife and fork, spinning his yarn
to sympathizing ears he to whose la
ments only the moaning ocean had re
plied for so many days! In the midst
of the taie of how the ship went down
he suddenly paused, his eyes fixed on
something that he alone could see.
"And she," he said aloud, "she said: "I
will be true to you forever, Douglas.
How can you doubt me?'" Then be
flushed scarlet. "I've got a habit of
talking to myself, I'm afraid," he fal
tered. But every sailor-man who
heard him understood that he was
thinking of his sweetheart. And he
saw it in their eyes and was ashamed
no longer. He had a shock, though, in
the morning when waking in his berth,
with white linen against his cheek in
stead of the roughness of a rock, and
limbs at ease that had wont to be
cramped and chilled and aching. He
lifted himself on his elbow and saw a
strange, wild creature staring at him.
It was like a skeleton, and the skin
upon its bones was dark as that of an
old negro. From the deep hollows or
the eye-sockets glared red-rimmed eyes,
and wild masses of hair fell over his
shoulders and mingled with a beard
that reached to his waist. Was the
strange being some madman? Did it
mean him harm? Then, with a groan,
he sank back upon his pillow. He was
only looking t himself in a mirror let
into the cabin wall. Three years of
such life as he had led had changed a
full-cheeked, bright-eyed, well-groomed
young man to this wild creature!
For a little while he despaired; but
tnere were scissors and razors to be
had. The ship's barber took him in
hand, and three meals a day did won
ders. He got back his own looks won
derfully during the voyage.
But how long those few weeks seemed
that yet kept him from his Dora Dar
ling! And still, as he leaned over the
side of the ship, sending his heart
homeward, he whispered to himself:
"I'll be true to you forever, Douglas.
How can you doubt me?"
At last the voyage was over, his
thanks and adieus to his preservers ut
tered. He had even reached the sea
side village and the gate of the garden
that surrounded Capt. Darling's house.
It was evening. There was no moon,
but the sky was studded with stars,
and through the windows of the cot
tage fell the lamplight. His heart was
beating again as it had when he first
caught sight of the smoke-drift upon
the horizon, and instead of ringing the
bell he stepped softly acrwss the porch
and looked through a parlor window.
There was the little room totally un
changed, the glowing fire in the bright
grate, the lamp in its pink shade, all
the inanimate objects unaltered. But
Dora where was she? A horrible fear
i came into his mind. She must have
believed h'm dead, and loving him as
she did, grief might have killed her.
As he stood, unable to move, not dar
ing to ring the bell lest some ill news
should greet him, a great leathern arm
chair in which the captain took his
naps after dinner, and which stood
with its back to the window,
moved a little, and from its
depths arose a man. Not the captain
a younger and more agile person al
together; fresr and blooming, too, in
the pink light, -with his blonde hair as
smooth as satin. Frank Fenwick and
no other!
He had been reading a newspaper,
and stretched his arms in a comfort
able yawn. He was plainly quite aft
his ease in that house.
A flood of jealous wrath swept over
Douglas Deane's heart, and he clinched
his hands tightly. "She called Heaven
to witness that she would b true to
me!" he muttered. "How cao I doubt
her?" But all the same he stood aside
and watched the room. Frank Fen
wick was waiting for Dora, he felt
sure, and he intended to see bow they
met. The next moment the door
opened and Dora glided in Dora, paler
and thinner than of yore, 'but lovely
still. In her arms she carried a tiny
babe. She smiled upon Frank Fen
wick. not in the least as one does who
greets a guest, and seemed to speak to
him familiarly as she placed the infant
in his arms, settling the embroidered
shawl about its shoulders and shaking
out its long white robe. He could not
hear what they said, but Frank bent
his head and kissed the little creature.
It was a pretty family group, with
but one meaning to the onlooker.
With a groan Douglas Deane stag
gered away from the window and out
into the sandy road again. He reeled
as he walked like a drunken man.
"Oh! fool that I was to believe that
woman could be constant!" he moaned.
"But she called Heaven to witness
that that " lie paused; it had be
come impossible for him to utter those
words on which he had existed for
three long years.
Why, he asked himself, had he not
perished on that lonely island in the
6ea? Why had he lived to endure this
misery? "But at least I can end it alL"
Ml
i
SAW A STRANGE Wlr CREATCKE STAK
ING AT HIM.
he cried out in his madness alona
there in the starlight on the sandy
road where no one could see or listen
to him. "I will rvturn to the ocean I
who am not wanted by anyone on
earth. It will be only one unknown
drowned man the more. And Dora will
never know."
By that you can see that, wretched
as he was, he still loved his love too
well to wish that she should suffer.
Full of his purpose, he walked on to
ward ths beach. He knew just where
the long, smooth slope would lead him
down and out into the water, on until
he was out of his depth. He would
fill his pockets with stones that he
might sink more surely. He did not
dread the brief struggle. As for the
sin of it, God would surely pardon one
too miserable to live for dying, he
thought.
But one more look at the roof that
sheltered her at the lighted window
through which he had seen what had
murdered his long-endured hope and
he would say good-by to earth. He
turned, and was aware that some one
was striding toward hiro a long
limbed man who moved swiftly and
was beside him the next mwnent cry
ing: "Great heaven! is it y-ou, then,
Douglas Deane! I never expected to
see you again in this world! Just now
Dora pointed to the window and cried
oat that she saw your spirit standing
there, but as I do n't believe in ghosts,
and don't like strange faces at thf panes,
I followed you. Give me your hai'd, old
boy. I'm glad to see you. But tins is
rather a strange thing for you to do to
people who have mourned you as they
have in that house!"
"Ah! she was sorry, then, at firs-?"
said Douglas. "Well, I fould expect
no more. The pictare of domestic hap-
Mnness was rather unexpected that is
all. I was not ready with congratula
tions. I am sorry she saw me good
night." "The picture of domestic happiness!"
cried Frank. "Oh! 1 begin to under
stand. You have taken it into your
head that I have cut you out that
Dora is my wife? Have you forgotten
that Capt. Darling had another daugh
ter, still at boarding school when you
went away? Sarah is ner name. I
married her two years ago, and that is
our baby. As for poor broken-hearted
little Dora, she lives but to bewail you,
you absurd idiot!"
But Douglas did not care what hard
names anyone called him now. as al
most mad with joy he turned and
rushed toward the cottage, and there,
before them all, he took his little dar
ling in his arms again and showered
kisses on her pale cheeks and tear-rvei
eyes, and whispered amidst his team'
"You said you would be true to mt
forever. How could I doubt you, dar
ling? oh, how could I doubt you?"
Unique Medicine for Melancholia.
To a person afflicted with a certain
phase of melancholia I once gave an
unusual piece of advice, said an Arch
street physician. I asked him if he
ever took an interest in the f-porting
intelligence presented in the daily pa
pers. He replied in the negative and
added that sports of any kind were di
tasteful to him. and some even ab
horrent to the principles instilled into
him from early youth. I then told him
he was suffering from the effects of
dwelling too long on the grave con
cerns and problems of life, and that if
he wished to prolong his years he must
take hold of lighter things, and that I
knew of no mental diversion so ef
fectual as to take a positive interest in
the sporting events of the day an in
terest which he might easily create by
a little persistent reading of this enters
taining branch of news. He followed
my advice, his morose and suspicious
temper was gradually subdued and he
became as cheerful and companionable
a man as I ever knew. Philadelphia
Record.
PERSONAL AND LITERARY.
John Burns, the labor member of
the house of commons, has delighted
Loudon with a pun purely English.
Correcting1 another raeiulier, he referred
to the house of lords: "Not as the gild
ed chamber, sir, but as the guilt v cham
ber." .
Prescott, the great historian, was
almost blind during the whole of his
literary life. He could use his eyes for
only a few moments each day, and was
compeled, loth in making his histor
ical researches and in writing his
books, to rely on the vision of others. I
Senator Vance has a general sym
pathy in his illness, for he is a great
favorite at Washington as well as in
his own state. The south has produced
few bettor stump speakers, and, like
Lincoln, lie has at his tongue's end a
fund of good stories to interest his
audiences.
Miss Olive Schreiner, the author of
that strange book, "The Story of an
African Farm." is engaged to be mar
ried. Her betrothed, who is four or
five years younger than the bride to
be, is Mr. Cron Wright, the son of a
well-known South African farmer and
meralier of the Cape parliament. He
is himself a successful farmer and
clever speaker, and it is supposed that
he will enter parliamentary life.
S. F. B. Morse, the inventor of the
telegraph, had beautiful hands, a fact
hat caught the attention of Benjamin
West while Morse was 3Tet an art stu
dent. It was Morse's hand that fur
nished West with the model for the
hand of Christ in one of West's most
famous compositions, and it is said
that West had the hardihood to ay to
Morse that he might henceforth assert
that he had a hand in the picture.
"Dr. Cyrus A. Bartol," says the
Boston Herald, "is the last survivor of
the famous 'Transcendental club,' in
which Emersovi was the central light.
Dr. Holmes. Dr. George E. Ellis and
Hon. Robert C. Winthrop are the other
venerable Bostonians who' are left to
us of a former and a notable genera
tion, but Ir. Bartol is now, we be
lieve, the only survivor of the brilliant
company who must lie named as the
associates and friends of Emerson in
the middle part of this century."
No writer v as ever more method
ical, practical or free from the idiosyn
crasies of gonitis, as far as his work
goes, than is Robert Louis Stevenson,
the author of "Dr. Jekyl and Mr.
Hyde." He, when in good health, de
votes certain hours of the day to his
work, which generally include the
morning, and sitting down to his desk,
whether he feels in the mood or not.
he writes. Some days the product of
his pen is better than others and occa
sionally he writes more than at other
times, but he writes just the same.
His ideas are not allowed to ferment;
they are born to be put on paper, he
says, and he does it.
Mr. Arthur Balfour, at a recent
meeting of the Psychical Research so
ciety at the Westminster town hall.
London, spoke for an hour from only
the briefest notes, and is said ir "nave
made a profound impression, although
he told no ghost stories and did not
profess a belief in apparitions. His
chief topic was animal magnetism, and
he said that at dinner he had often sat
next to ladies who proved to him that
they were able by the exercise of will
power to make any person at a distance
turn toward them involuntarily. Ho
remarked that it seemed possible tc
him that this faculty might be devel
oped into a power of which ordinary
philosophy takes very little note.
HUMOROUS.
Willie "Aunty, what do they call
the man who hunts up the taxes?"
Aunt Sarah "Taxidermist, uv course,
b'ca'se he skins everybody." Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
And Held It, Too. "Editor struck
a snap last night." "What was it?"
"Stepped on the preacher's bear-trap
that he had set for chicken-thieves."
Atlanta Constitution.
Duel Up to Date. "I challenge yon
to a duel." "Accepted." "Your choice
of weapons dagger or pistols?"
"Neither. Winter ascent of Mont
Bianc rotten rope three feet dis
tance." Fliegende Blatter.
"She can talk more gossip and
scandal than any other woman in the
country, and how she can rake over the
I failings of her neighbors!" "Does she
belong to the sewing circle?" "No;
she belongs to the charity club?" N.
Y. Press.
Must nave Loved Her Madly.
"Do vou really and truly love me,
Harry?" He "Love you? Why, 1
even have a fondness for that nuisance
of a brother of yours." She "Oh!
larry! You have made me so happy!"
Boston Transcript.
Mrs. Charitas "I have put ten
dollars in this letter to the relief com
mittee. Will 3'ou kinkly post it?"
Charitas "Wouldn't it be well to no
tify them of the gift by another let
ter?" Mrs. Charitas "Yes. I shall
post that myself." Inter-Ocean.
Youngpen "Do you think it will
pay to publish anything about the af
fair? It is a matter which can concern
nobody but the parties themselves."
Oldboy "That's just it. It's nobody's
business; everybody'U want to read all
we can print about it." Boston Tran
script. "Herbert, she said, tenderly,
"what did you do with that poetry
you wrote on my birthday?" "That
stuff," he responded, with a sneer.
"That wasn't poetry." "Why, what
makes you think that?" "I cot a mag
azine editor to accept it for publica
tion." Washington Post.
Where His Lamb Was. In a Chi
cago restaurant, the other day, a gen
tleman left his wife for a few moments
to chat with an acquaintance at an
other table, and while he was there his
friend persuaded him to partake of
some lamb. Under a misapprehension
the waiter removed the lamb before he
had eaten it, whereupon he exclaimed.
'Goodness! where is my lamb?" Hia
wife, overhearing the question, an
swered in a clear voice : "Here I am."
2T. Y. Tribune.
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
GUESSES.
Vou bits? me the rords of an rtd refrain,
&nd ask me to make the meaning plain;
Three little people who wonder why
The world is wide and the heaven are high.
Cut how would a guess from each one do?
So, Master Harry, and iirst come you:
for the skip on the sea, and the stars in the
s-y,
The world is wide and the heavens are high."
And what do you think, with your dreamy air.
Little Blue Eyes on the cushion there?
"For flowers to blossom, and birds to Ey,
The world is wide and Uie heavens are tuKn,
Last and least of the wondering three.
Here is wee Freddy, and what says he?
"To play with marbles, and kites to fly.
The world is wide and the heavens are high,"
Ah. well, a reason vou each have found.
So now the riddle to me comes round;
And this is tho guess 1 venture why
The world Is wide and the heavens are high.
TJp the great hillside our feet to set
A little farther and farther yet:
To try forever and still to try.
The world Is wide and the heavens are high.
Kate Putnam Osgood, in St. Nicholas.
THE OROYA RAILROAD.
A Trip on a Hand-Car Among the Andes
Mountains.
A correspondent of Forest and
Stream went up the Oroya railroad in
the Andes, a wonderful piece of rail
way engineering. The sharp ascent
began at noon, over terraces, through
tunnels drilled in the solid rock, and
over bridges spanning awful chasms.
At three o'clock they reached their
destination, some ten thousand feet
above the level of the sea. After a
substantial dinner, which the moun
tain air rendered doubly acceptable,
the party began making preparations
for the descent, which was to be ao-
Vi V;
GOIXO AKOCSD A CUEVE.
cormplished in a hand-car by the force
of gravity alone.
The hand-car had been brought up
with us on the train, and when the
men came to put it together it was dis
covered that the fastenings of two of
the wheels were broken. After a hur
ried consultation, as it was growing
late, some telegraph wire was found,
and the broken portions were tied to
gether. The men in charge of the de
scent hoped this would answer, they
said.
"And if it doesn't?" I asked. They
shrugged their shoulders.
I looked askance at my companions,
but they stood by in silence. Proba
bly, like myself, they would willingly
have seconded a proposition to return
by the regular train, but were too
proud to make it.
Without a word we took our seats on
the car. Silently one of the employes
opened a bag and took out three revol
vers, handing one to each of his com
panions. They cocked these weapons
in a matter-of-fact way and placed
them between their feet.
"This car is used by the paymaster."
one of them thoughtfully explained,
"and it isn't uncommon for desperadoes
to throw it off the track. I got a tum
ble and a bullet myself not so very long
ago."
Again I looked at my companions.
It was perhaps owing to the altitude
that they seemed to exhibit the pre
liminary symptoms of mountain sick
ness. As for myself, my heart was in
my mouth; but it did not trouble me
long, for of a sudden the brakes were
taken off, and with a spring the car
shot forward, apparently leaving at
the point of departure my entire inter
nal economy.
Down we rushed with ever increas
ing speed, the car swaying from side to
side, on one hand the mountain wall,
on the other a drop of perhaps a thou
sand feet, through tunnels of midnight
darkness, round sharp curves where
the broken wheels fairly creaked with
the strain.
The starless night closet? in around
us. It was now simply a question of
chante as we plunged into the dark
ness. "We ought to have started sooner,"
muttered one of the men; "a stick or a
stone, or even a dog on the track,
would throw us into the valley."
Nobody answered him. All talk, dif
ficult enough before on account of the
rushing wind, now ceased, and in si
lence we watched the sparks fly from
the wheels.
Thoughts of the armed outlaws and
of the broken fastenings kept running
through my mind, and the journey
seemed almost endless.
At last the sudden twists around the
sharp curves ceased. We were in the
valley. Presently a big light burst
upon us.
"Down brakes!" cried one of the
men. The station was before us. Thank
God!
.Not Taken as lie Meant It.
Miss Highflier O, Mr. Sappy, how
nice it was of you to name your new
hunter after me! What is she like?
Young Sappy Well, 6he's a regular
stunner, Miss Highflier. Not much to
look at, don't-cher-know, but very fast.
And he cannot make out why she is
bo cool to him now. Vogue.
Hard TimM.
"John," whispered Mrs. Squeers,
"there's a burglar climbing through
the window."
"Let him come in," responded her
husband under his breath, "I'll yeU at
him and scare him. He may drop some
thing ha hut stolen elsewhere.
Halla
CATS WITHOUT TAILS.
Corlons Creatures Found Only at Lont
llcaeh, N. J.
Seven miles from the mainland on
which the village of Beach Haven, N.
J., stands is a narrow strip of land
which is called Long Beach.
On it there is the only tribe of tail
less cats in this country. Early in this
century a large English ship was
wrecked on that part of the Jersey
coast. The sailors were saved, and so
were a lot of cats on board. They
came from the Isle of Man in the Irish
sea. and belonged to a curious breed
found only on that island, known as
Manx cats and born without tails.
At first the animals were quite tame
and frequented the vicinity of the
lighthouse, where they nightly held
open-air concerts that were not
musical enough to merit the apprecia
tion of the lightkeepers, and ultimate
ly resulted in their being driven away.
Then they took to the woods and man
aged to subsist during the first winter
on birds, thousands of which lived in
the swamps. The cat Increased rap
idly and in a few years numbers of
them could be found almost every
where in Barnegat's woods.
Their outdoor life made them sav
age, and the breed seems to have in
creased in both size and courage, for
eventually they became so flerce that
they would stand and show fight to
ward anyone who invaded their homes.
They are curious-looking creatures.
The front legs being shorter than their
hind legs causes them to make biff
jumps as they go about, yet it is said
they can easily outrun an ordinary
dcg.
The cats make good fishers, and
when fish are plentiful they go alonjr
the beach, and. as the breakers run up
on the shore, carrying with them small
butterfish, mullets and silver bait, they
jump into the shallow water and with,
their sharp claws pin a fish U the sand,
and the outgoing wave leaves their
prey exposed. Then, before another
breaker can roU in, they catch the fish,
and take it up on the dry beach and
devour it.
At times dozens of these strange
looking cats can be seen on the beacb.
making meals off the surf clams that
are cast up by the tide.
For the past twenty or thirty years
Long Beach has Veen a famous sum
mer resort. Many of the cats hav
been killed by tourists or frightened
back into the swamps. Occasionally
some more humane visitor endeavored
to tame tne of the animals. It la hard
work, but when the effort is succiBssflJ
there is no more domestic or affection
ate pet than a Manx cat. William
Alsa, in Golden Days.
THE LORDLY JAGUAR.
Bla Glorious Colors Ttrst Attract
the Be-
holder's Attention.
The lordly jaguar is the king of all
the American felidsB, and right proud
are we to have him for a feUow coun
tryman provided he does not make
himself too numerous! Of all the great
cats now living, he is 6econd iw size
only to the lion and the Bengal tiger.
South of the United States he is uni
versally called el tigre eegreo), which
is simply the Spanish for tiger. He
has the big chest and loins, thick neck,
big arms and legs, and bullet head of
a heavyweight prize-fighter, clothed In
the most gorgeous skin ever given to
i. Mr Y Dt 3v 1
V,ar x ei
THE JAGUAR OF SOUTH AMERICA.
any animal of the cat family. He is
the most stocky in build of all cats,
being very different in shape from the
more lithe and flat-bodied lion, tiger
and puma.
But it is his glorious colors that first
attract the beholder's attention, and
hold it longest. On a ground color of
rich golden yellow, which is darkest
on the back and shoulders and grows
paler as it descends to the legs, are
arranged with regular irregularity
large rosettes of black and brown.
These rosettes are the prominent dis
tinguishing character of the jaguar,
by which any child can recognize him
instantly wherever found. The head,
top of the back, base of W, lower
! joints of the legs, and the feet are
i plentifully besprinkled with round
! black spots, not "rosettes. Ordinarily
! the eves are light yellow, to match
the body color; but when the animal
becomes enraged, they turn the color
of green fire, and then it is high time
to get out of the way.
The jaguar is an edition de luxe,
bound in black and gold. W. T.
Hornaday, in St. Nicholas.
Pasty's Appeal for Dinner.
A young lady bookkeeper in Boston)
has been in the habit for some time of
giving the office cat a piece of meat for
her lunch every day, precaution being
first taken to lay down a piece of pa
per to pravent the meat greasing the.
floor. The other day, at lunch hour,
when the young lady happened to have
no meat in her basket, pussy begged
for some in her most intelligent fash
ion. Finding no meat coming the cat
ran to the waste basket, dragged out a
newspaper and laid it on the floor at
the young lady's feet. This appeal
was so touching that the young lady
went out and bought meat for the In
telligent animaL
A Happy Idea.
Visitor How did you haypen to
name your dog Pantry, Jimmie?
Jimmie 'Cause nana savs he holds
I so much fool Harper's Young People.
