THE NIGHT EXPRESS
Oct through the hills of midnight
Hurtling and thuudering on
Tho night exprosR from tbe outer ror
Speeds for tho open of dawn
Out of the past and gloom wrack
Out of the dim and yore
Freighted as train or caravan
Was never freighted before
Built when tho Sphinxs query
Was now on the lips of peace
Hurled through tho aching and hollow years
Till time shall have release
Stealing and as swift as a shadow
Oh I do wish
Bill7 with a sigh
Well come
i
Vr
muuoub urging acd bund
TJnpent as a joy or tne flight of a bird
With oblivion behind
Down to the morrow country
Into tho unknown laud 1
And tho Driver grips the throtte har
Our lives aro in His hand
The sleeping hills awake
A tremor a dread a roar
Tho terror is flying is coinu is past
The hills cciTsleep once more
A moment the silence throbs
Ibo dark ha a pulse of fire
And then tho wonder of time is 7-
A -wraith and a desire
Demolish toiling grim
In tho ruddy furnace Haro
While the Driver lingers tho tnrottle ja
Who stands at His elbow theto
Can It ho this thing like a Bhred
Of tho firmiuijent torn away
Is a boarded train that Death and his crow
Consorted to waylay
His wreckers grinning rnd lean
Aro lurking at eory curvy
But tho Driver plays with the throttle bar 1
Ho has tho iron norvo
We are traveling snfe and warm
With our little baggage of cares
Why tease tho peril that yot would corns
Unbidden and unawares
Tho lonely aro lonely still
And tho friend has another friend
Only the idle heart inquires
The distauco and tho end
Wo pant up tho climbing grade
And coast on the tangent mile
While tho Driver toys with the throttle bar
And gathers the track in His smile
The dreamer weary of dreams
The lover by Jove released
Stricken and whole and eager and sad
Beauty and waif and priest
All theFO adventure forth
Strangers tho side by pido
With the tramp of time in the rotving wheels
And haste in their shadow stiido
The star that races the hill
Shows yet the night is deep
But tho Driver humors tho throttle bar
So you and I may 6leep
For He of the sleepless hand
Will drive till the night is done
Will watch till morning siriug from tho sea
And the rails grow gold in tho sun
Then He will slow to a stop
Tho tread of tho driving rod
When the night express rolls into tho dawn
For the Drivers name is God
Independent
DESERTING HIS TOST
Say Billy aint you going with
us yelled the hoys standing on tip
toe to peep into the kitchen window
The Maverick farmhouse was on a
lovely plateau of land half way up a
dreary mountain side And Billv
sat alone hy the lire trying veiy hard
to get interested in an old volume of
Capt Cooks Adventures5 which he
had read over and over again He
jumped up at the sound of familiar
voices
Going where said he leaning
out of the window
Down to Pixleys Woods said
John laycox Were troing to have
a corn and apple roast down there
Theres lots of fellows coming
I could go said
on then roared
Herman Smith only make haste
But I cant said Billy Father
and mother went to the camp-meeting
to day and they left me to keep
house
Did thevspose the bears was go
ing to carry off the house9contcmpt
uously inquired Herman
No said Billy But old Mrs
Tricks house was broken into night
before last when she was gone to tea
at Elder Tones And father sas it
aint safe to leave the place alone
Much good you would be if the
thieves were to come sneered roter
Wise
Well I guess I can handle fath
ers old musket as well as another
man said Billy with some pride
But it aint that father says
The burglars only try locked up houses
and those where the folks are all
away
Well sniffed Peter if a burg
lar climbs this steep road he must be
hard up for something to steal thats
nil T linvp tn sue i limit it
Do come Bill urged Jaycox
Were going to have a regular good
time
Billy looked wistfully at the other
boys Oh I only wish i could
said he
Your folks will never know said
Jay cox coaxingly
No I dont suppose they will as
sented Billy But
Oh come now hoarsely shouted
Herman Smith
waiting all day If Maverick is com- j
ing let him come If he aint let
him sav so Are you ready fellows
Now then one two three march
And away went the little band of J
boys at a double quick
Billy looked longingly after them
Boys are naturally of a gregarious
nature and he had been alone all the
afternoon
1 might just as well go as not
said he aloud to the old clock tick
ing away behind the door Its just
s
up hy the Arc ana put a holster into
it which he first dressed up in an old
coat of his fathers and a battered
hat With its hack well toward the
window it rcallv did look like an old
man warming his hands at the tire
There old stuffy said Billy as
he gave it a final pat on one side and
a shake on the other Now mind
you take good care of the house
And scrambling out of the shed
window so as not to unfasten any of
the bolts and bars he slid down the
roof dropped into a thicket of black
berry bushes at the end and only
pausing to rub himself a little
started off at a run down the moun
tain side
For he argued within himself
all that father and mother wanted me
to stay in the house for was to make
people suppose that it wasnt left en
tirely alone and why cant old Stuffy
i do that just as well as me
Une man i
kitchen fire
Yes said Jones
He madesuch good speed by swinging
himself recklessly across the frame
work of the broken bridge that he
got to Pixleys Woods nearly as soon
as the other boys who went by the
regular pathway A bright blaze of
dry wood and leaves had been kindled
under the shelter of a huge rock the
corn apples and sweet potatoes were
put down to roast and the boys be
guiled the time by dancing break
downs singing comic songs and tell
ing tales and riddles
The first lot of smoking corn had
just been lifted out of the ashes when
little Larry Pike came plunging down
the ravine
FIalloa fellows said he breath
less with the haste he had made
have you heard the news
News What news said Herman
Smith while all the boys stopped
short in their occupations and stared
hard at little Larry
Thieves said he panting for
at the door of the kitchen waving
we cant stand here both his hands above his head
Come in he called out
exploding with laughter
and see the burglar He wont hurt
you Ill go bail Why hes nothing
on earth but a bolster dressed up in
fathers old clothes
And then as the four sturdy men
came somewhat sheepishly in he
showed them the outlandish imita
tion of humanity which he himself
had devised
exactly as Peter V lse says there one was in
aint a burglar going that would take to think
the trouble to climb the mountain
road Its all nonsense 1t me to stay
here
Billy Maverick as you can easily see
children had never studied the story
of Casabianca If he had been on
the burning deck it isnt at all prob
able that he would have remained
long enough for anybody to make a
Btorv about And yet Billy was a very
good sort of little fellow after all
And I won t stay said Billy so
there Ill fix up a fellow to keep
house for me and Ill run across the
woods and over the broken bridge and
be at Pixleys Woods just as quick as
the other boTs get there
So Billy whose resources were truly
Wonderful drew the old rocking chair
breath In Mavericks house And
lenks has gone for the constables
and Will Maxwell has trotted of on
his fathers horse to tell Mavericks
folks at camp meeting
4 Is is anything stolen said Billy
thinking of his grandmothers silver
teaspoons and the spaie money his
father always kept in the till of the
big red chest up in the garret
They dont know said Larry
Theyve got the house surrounded so
that no one can get out and now
theyre waiting for helo
Thunder what fools they must
be said Johnny Jaycox Why
dont they go in and knock daylight
into the scamps I wouldnt wait if
I were there
But said Larry wisely how
are they to know how yiany robbers
there may be or how well armed they
are
Oh said Johnny who had not
thought of this and all the boys drew
long breaths and looked at each other
with the intense interest Truly
thought they this is almost as good
as a to-be-continued story in a
weekly paper
But Billy Maverick broke away
from the rest and ran as fast as he
could toward the solitary farmhouse
on the mountain plateau Whatever
came of this dreadful state of things
he should always feel that it was his
fault
Lyon Jones a neighbor was lean
ing against the farmvard gate hid
den bv a cluster of cedar bushes as
Billy came running up He caught
at the lads arm to stay his steps
Dont go any further Bill said
ho in a whisper Dont give the
alarm until were ready to tackle the
fellows
Where are they said Billy
hoarsely What have they taken
How many are there
We dont know yet said Jones
Pike savr one man through the
kitchen window He was warming
himself at the lire very much at
home in your fathers old rocking
chair 1 suppose the rest are scat
tered through the house
said Billy at the
with a snuff-
colored overcoat on
Billy stood a minute staring at
Lyon Jones then he burst out laugh
ing
Its old Stuffy said he And he
broke away from Jones and ran up
the path as fast as he could go call
ing Come on come on There are
no burglars at all
The neighbors issuing from their
various hiding places followed him
and gathered around the door just in
time to see Master Billy scramble up
the shed roof bounce into the little
window and disappear
Presently he once more appeared
By the time hi
returned from
a tit
that
have mistaken
E
again
And the little incident furnished
all the neighborhood with gossip and
amusement for at least a week
New York and Paris Bazaar
-
Horse Keepers simi Stabling
Horse keepers are a subject of great
trouble at the present day It is diffi
cult to find men at reasonable wages
who at the same time thoroughly un
derstand four horse work In this re
spect old coachmen had a great ad
vantage over those of modern times
The present horse keepers are as a
rule difficult to manage to say noth
ing of their conceit incapacity and
love of strong liquor It requires a
thoroughly competent man to go over
the road and keep these persons in
order This head servant does not
by any means get the praise to which
he is entitled He should be pro
vided with a buggy an extra horse
should he kept at everv stage so that
he can start any time day or night
pickup his changes on the road and
see what the horse keepers are about
Moreover he must be thoroughly
familiar with the business of manag
ing coach horses It is admitted that
some of the best stud grooms accus
tomed to hunters and ordinary carriage-horses
have signally failed to
accomplish this work Not only is
the feeding an art in itself but the
stabling is also peculiar The coach
horse must have more air and less
clothing than anv other horse that
works and nothing is more pernicious
to a highly excited coach horse than
to turn him into a warm stable when
he comes off the road
The hours of feeding have neces
sarily to differ at each stage owing to
the various times at which the horses
commence their work and great care
has to be exercised especially in
warm wet weather to preserve their
condition and keep them free from
sore shoulders and galls
Each horse should be numbered and
be known only by that number a
board being kept at the door of each
stable giving detailed instructions to
the horse keepers This precaution
will save the annoyance of oft-repeated
and time losing mistakes
Century
Each Had a Mother
An old lady in faded black gar
ments walked through a side street
near Broadway the other evening
She stooped slightly and wore glasses
while her scantgray hair was brushed
straight back over her ears Her
dress bore evidence of being well
made although patched and darned
in spots As she slowly walked along
she looked down at the ground
Along tho sidewalk some of them
leaning on adjacent railings were a
number of sporting men They were
chatting of the races and laughing
when suddenly a big burly fellow who
evidently didnt look where he was
going ran plump into the little old
lady The shocic tnrew ner to the
ground and when one of the sporting
men stepped over to pick her up the
brute had disappeared
A bag of apples and pears which
the old lady had been carrying had
fallen with her and the contents were
scattered over the walk She was as
sisted to a neighboring doorstep
wheie she sat down seemingly in
great pain A policeman who saw
the men standing in a group ap
proached and on learning that the
old lady was suffering from a fall
started to call an ambulance
The old lady began to cry when up
stepped a great big wicked gamb
ler
Here one of you fellows who had
a mother call a cab he said
When that vehicle drew up to the
curb a singular scene was enacted
All wanted to pay for the cab and
the policeman insisted as hard as
anybody else The gambler won the
light and some of the other wicked
men helped pick up
fruit while the rest
ladys arm and helped
the cab It was only
and
men
they
again
s father and mother
camp meeting every
of hearty laughter
they could possibly
old Stuffy for one uf
a gang of burglars
Mr and Mrs Maverick smiled too
It would have been difficult to help
it But when everybody had gone
home and they were all alone Mr
Maverick turned to his son
It is all an excellent joke he
conceded and I am heartily glad
that your old Stuffy is the only burg
lar we have had about the premises
But Billy I would almost rather
have the old silver stolen than know
that my boy cannot be trusted to
keep his word
Billy hung down his yellow curly
head
I am sorry father said he
never desert my pot again
t
Ill
the scattered
took the old
her to reach
in incident
were all wicked sporting
five minutes afterward
How They Write English
Eli Perkins tells us that the Japan
ese have a mania for putting up En
glish signs and they flood your rooms
at the hotels with English cards
And such English The Japanese
have no imperative mood and they
generally express an idea negatively
that we express positively One day
I said to the waiter ivishi the
rolls are cold Yes he said a
good deal of not cooling the cakes is
good A conspicuous notice at the
Kioto Hotel reads On the dining
time nobody shall be enter to the din
ing and drawing room without the
guests allow One of the articles in
Come in the municipal laws of Kioto runs
Any deaer shall be honestly by his
trade Of course the sold one shall
prepare to make up the safe pack
age A Tokio dentists circular
reads Our tooth is an important
organ for human life and counte
nance as you know therefore when
it is attack by disease or injury artifi
cial tooth is also very useful I am
engaged in the dentistry and I will
make for your purpose The printed
label on the bottle of claret at Nikko
reads Weak man who is not so
hard of his stomach takes notice ol
his health ever must use this wing
usually
Doctors Bills
When a Japanese calls in a physician
he does not expect that he will be
presented a bill for medical services
In fact no much things as a doc
tors bill is know in Japan although
nearly all the other modern practices
are in vogue there The strict hon
esty of the people does not make this
necessary When he is through with
a patient a present is made of what
ever sum the patienfc or his friends
may deem to be just conpensation
The doctor is supposed to smile take
the fee bow and thank his patron
i 3ri
rsr
t
r
ROUNDED UP AT LAST
Altoatl Agent Overthrown and Captured
by an Old Maid
Up a long hill the horses were
slowly toiling Speaking of road
agents said the old stage driver
Ive had my fair sheer of holdups
and dont hanker arter any more
How many Wall I couldnt jist
give ye the exact Aggers but ten
wouldnt be fur out of the way
And were you ever wounded in any
of the holdups asked a Sew York
Herald man
Three different times sir Some
folks used to purtend to believe that
drivers and road agents stood in to
gether and whacked up but they war
idiots fur taikin sich bosh The
best proof of the fact that it wasnt
o lay in the killin of three different
drivers on this very line inside of six
months Durin that same time we
got away with two robbers
People who ar whackin up as
thev call it dont slambang bul
lets and bucksnot into each other at
clus range do they
Well hardly Youve had women
aboard when youve been stopped 1
presume
Sartin and then thar was fun I
was laughin to myself only yester
day about the case we used to call
The Old Maids Roundup It was a
durneci funny thing Til pint out the
place a dozen miles ahead as we
cum to it I had three men and a
woman as passengers and all were in
side I hadnt seen the woman and
couldnt tell what she looked like
but it turned out that she was a sin
gle critter about forty years old She
had red hair and a sharp nose and
she could talk a wheel off a coach in
five minutes Mebbe shed bin disap
pointed in love as they call it Ive
heard that that sort o turns a
womans feelins into pepper and vin
egar She got into a fuss with the
men about their smokin almost as
soon as we started and every few
minutes I heard her pipin away and
makin a kick about somethin or
other It jest made me fat to know
she wasnt harnessed up to me
Wed just climb the hill and it
was 3 oclock in the afternoon when
the robber they used to call Harry
Blossom steps out from behind a
rock and levels his gun on a line with
my face 1 stops right then and thar
Harry nods to me not to make a fool
of myself while he was busy and steps
along to the door and orders the pas
sengers to get down and view the
scenery He was a gentleman Harry
was and mighty gallant to the ladies
The old maid had traveled enuff to
know what a holdup was and at fust
she refused to git down She sot
right tnar on the back seat and wol
loped that chap with her tongue till
he didnt know whether hewasa foot
or on hossback Jemimy but you
orter hev heard her call him villain
rascal wretch skunk coward Injun
and a hundred other names I was
con arned over the robbery of course
but had to laugh or burst
And she wouldnt get down I
dsked
She did arter a bit He wasnt
goin to rob her fur he wasnt that
kind of a greaser but he figgered
that the men had passed her their
wallets as was often the case The
three fellers was like lambs but I
didnt blame em any A man who
plays fool when thars a shot gun and
and a road agent lookinathim never
gits any sympathy She flnallv got
down and I could see she was bilin
over with madness Harry got em
in a row and was allin far their
wealth when the old maid yelled out
li ie a cat pinched in a doorand grab
bed him He had a pistol in his
hand at the time but she didnt seem
to keer She got him around the
wast and tripped him up and it was
all done so quick nobody cduld git the
hang of it She was jest flghtin mad
and wanted t scratch and pull har
but when he went down we all saw
uhe chance and lit on to him He
fired twice but didnt hurt anybody
and by that time we had him safe
Ties over in the penitentiary yit and
its all owin to that old maid
It was funny We loaded him in
side bound hand and foot and she
tongued walloped him fur thirteen
long miles Harry was a tuff one
but he afterward told me hed rathei
got five years extra than to hev bin
obliged to hear her go on She had
a bible with her and she put in the
last two miles readin a chapter of it
to him
The rewards offered on him piled
up about 1000 and she got the
money and 200 on top of it as a pres
ent from the company Lands but
didnt Harry feel broke up and
ashamed Hed stood off the sheriff
properly tempered and ready to drive
to its place an increased -strength be
ing thus aaded to the wheel equal to
three additional spokes
Draining the Zuyder Zee
The Government of Holland has
for a long time had under considera
tion a project for draining the vast
lagoon known as the Zuyder Zee
This sheet of water is almost useless
for purposes of navigation and large
vessels can find their way to Amster
dam only by means of the North Sea
Canal
As agricultural land however this
tract would be exceedingly valuable
since it is estimated that more than
two thirds of it wouid be very fertile
The Zuyder Zee was formerly a lake
but in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries it was united to the North
Sea by inundation
The commission which was ap
pointed to determine the feasibility
of draining this vast territory of 700
square miles has issued its report
It proposes to close the Zuyder Zee
by means of a dam that shall be con
structed from the mainland on either
side of the island of Wieringen The
water thus cut off from the sea would
be divided into four parts in each of
which the work of draining would be
carried out successively The cost of
constructing the dam is estimated at
11000000 and the draining would
involve an expediture of 65000000
Star Stones
The asterias or star stones are
among the most wonderful produc
tions of the mineral kingdom Thev
are corundums the star saphire being
a grayish blue the star ruby bright
red the star topaz a straw yellow
The star appearance in the stone is
caused according to some mineralists
by a foreign substance in the gem
others say it is due to peculiarities
of crystalization Whatever it may
be advantage is taken of it by the
lapidary who cuts the stone in the
shape of a dome beginning at the
center of the star and making the
points radiate to the circumference
The stone has six points and as the
light plays on the surface of the stone
the bright lines of the star change
with the position of the gem and pro
duce a singularly beautiful effect
These stones are very valuable the
best specimens being it is said
worth as much as diamonds of the
same weight Burton the great
oriental traveler had a star saphire
which he alwajs carried on his per
son and in the heart of Arabia or the
deserts of Africa the sight of this
wonderful gem always inspired a re
spect that was akin to reverence The
wild Arabs and Negroes would gaze
at the stone then at its possessor
and concluding that he had a talis
man of unexampled power would
render him all possible assistance foi
fear of incurring his vengeance
Iloiiiarkablc ISeason for Duels
Col Montgomery was shot in a duel
about a dogCol Ramsey in one about
a servant Mr Featnerstone in one
about a recruit Sternes father in one
about a goose and another gentle
man in one about a bottle of ancho
vies One officer was challenged for
merely asking his opponent to pass
him a goblet another was compelled
to fight about a pinch of snuff Jen
Barry was challenged by a Capt
Smith for declining wine at a dinner
on a steamboat although the General
pleaded as an excuse that wine in
variably made him sick and Lieut
Cowther lost his life in a duel be
cause he was refused admittance to a
club of pigeon shooters
In 1777 a duel occurred in New
York between Lieut Featherstone
haugh of the Seenty fifth and Capt
McPheiMm of the Fortj seeond Brit
ish Regiment in regard to the man
ner of eating an ear of corn one con
testing that the eating was from the
cob and the other contending that
the gram should be cut off from the
cob belore eating Lieut Feather
stonehaugh lost his right arm the
ball from his antagonists pistol shat
tering the limb fearfully so much so
that it had to be amputated Maj
Noah lost his life in 1S27 at the dueling-ground
at Hoboken in a simple
dispute about what was trumps at a
game of cards Tit Bits
Some Peculiar Kodcnts
Death Valley California notwith
standing its suggestive name is the
abode of more curious and wonderful
specimens of animal creation than
any place of its size within the limits
of the United States The oddest of
these creatures perhaps in a species
of rodent called the kangaroo rat
which travels from place to place by
executing a series of jumps or springs
almost in exact imitation of his name-
half a dozen times and to be capturd sake of the Australian wilds Then
bv a woman and an old maid at that too as though it were natures
jest broke his speerits down till he
vas as humble as a rabbit
Compressing Timber
The compression of timoer is be
coming a growing industry and the
material thus treated is being applied
to a variety of useful and orna
mental purposes especially in the
field of carving most attractive and
artistic designs being thus brought
out pronounced in many cases fully
equal if not superior to anything or-
dinarily produced in that line The
wood to b employed in this manner j
is compressed either in its natural
condition or after being steamed and i
it is found that the hardest well-
seasoned ash timber say of four inches
thickness can be pressed into about
three inches without injuring the fi
ber Moreover it is also found that
wood can be upset the same as iron
and the increased tenacity of bent
and compressed wood of this sort as
compared with the same in its natural
state is declared to be something sur
prising In mechanical operations
compression is now applied to spoke
tenons the work being described as
very simpV and rapid the tenon
-
pose to make a miniature of even
larger piece of handiwork the same
locality furnishes the kangaroo
mouse a counterpart and perfect
pocket edition of the rat Besides
these kangaroo rodents there are at
least two other odd specimens of the
same genus in the California Valley
of Death the pocket mouse with
little pouches inside his mouth for
stowing away surplus food and the
scorpion mouse which feeds wholly
upon scorpions St Louis Republic
The Siamese Way
In Siamas soon as a man falls into
a debt his creditor can seize his per
son put him in chains if necessary
and keep him as a slave for the term
of his natural life The mans labor
piys only the interest of the debt
however small a sum it may be and
his sole chance of recovering his free
dom is if a friend or relative pays the
original sum Should the debtor run
away his wife and children his
father or other relatives are liable to
be seized The ordinary reply made
by a servant on being engaged is that
if he proves unfaithful you may take
his wife children ar1 a
1
v
Boar and Ieetlo
A Pennsylvania correspondent of
the New York Sun relates an amus
ing bear story The wood cutters of
Pocono Mountain it appears had
broken the handle of a beetle tho
previous winter A rope was tied
about the beetle head and it had
been left hanging to the low limb of
a tree The correspondent happened
to be in the vicinitv one summer
da and remembering the beetle
started after it to carry it home
As I came near the pacc I per
ceived a black bear slowly circling
around the hanging beetle at a dis
tance of a few feet He was too much
occupied to notice me and I stopped
to see what he was about
The bear acted as if he thought the
beetle were some kind of a trap He
would approach within a few feet and
sniff at it Then he would back off a
little way squat on his haunches and
give a low snort eying the tool all
the time
While he was thus engaged a sud
den breeze sprung up and sent the
beetle to swinging lightly The ani
mal snorted again and backcl off a
step or two Soon another uut struck
the beetle and swayed it still more
The bear responded by a louder snort
a sort of challenge
As soon as the beetle stopped wing
mg Rruin got up and circled about it
several times At length he went
near then nearer He reached out
his paw and touched it gently As
it swung toward him he hit it again
more forcibly
The beetle head was a round one of
hickory with heavy iron rings on
each end As it rebounded from the
second blow ol the creatures paw it
hit him fairly in the nose Angry at
this he rushed at the beetle again
and gave it a sounding Now As it
came toward him he dodged a little
just enough to save his nose and re
ceive the blow in his left eye He
hit it again and his nose got another
blow That hurt so much that he
growled angrily and rooted viciously
in the leaves
He was furious by this time and
went at the beetle as if he meant to
annihilate it He gave it tremendous
tlow with his right paw and the tool
swung clear over the limb came down
on the other side and struck him on
top of the head He uttered a roar
that made the woods ring
I stood still and shook with sup
pressed laughter to see the brute
go on
Finally he caught the beetle in his
paws pulled upon it until he broke
the i ope and then went to culling
and biting the tool
When he found that it did not fight
back any more he let it roll to the
ground Then he shook himself and
walked off into the woods and 1 let
him go
Wars Cruelly
An incident related in the recent
biography of Sir Provo Wailis Ad
miral of the British licet brings home
to the reader the cruel nature of
war It occurred during the war of
1S12 An American Captan had
taken a line ship to Lisbon where
she had sold her cargo for the use of
the British army under Wellington
and received several thousands of dol
lars in return which were on board
Meantime war had been declared
and on her home voage she fell a
victim to the British squadron One
of the principal objects of her cap
tors was to obtain information The
American Captain was sent on board
the Shannon which afterward cap
tured the famous Chesapeake but
was kept in ignorance of the war and
of the fact that he was a prisoner
ne answered unreservedly all the
questions put to him and Captain
Broke who greatly dsliked the de
ception he had been obliged to prac
tise now felt it difficult to make the
prisoner ac iiaintcd with the next
step which must be taken At length
he forced himself to sav
Captain J must burn jour ship
The American overcome by sur
prise faltered Rurn her-
Indeed I must
Burn her for what Will nor
money save her She is all mv own
and all the property 1 have in tho
world Is it war then
Yes said Broke
Both parties were painfully moved
and the scene did not end without a
tear from each but duty was duty
and the prize was destroyed
Wonderful Spiders of L Plata
In a chanter on spiders mention is
being made of the many strange and
wonderful features known in connec
tion with them Some spin a won
derful complex and beautiful web
some live on or in the ground many
simulate inanimate objects or death
itself Of two species belonging to
the same genus one is green while
another is like a withered ordried up
leaf The first when disturbed falls
rapidly to the ground like a fresh
green leaf broken off a twig but the
second falls slowly like a very light
dried and withered leaf Some of
the spiders are very large and will
chase a man from thirty to forty
yards keeping pace with a slow trot
ting horse An instance is related
where one ran up the lash of the au
thors riding whip to within three or
four inches of his hand and would
have bitten him hatt he not thrown
the whip away
A Chop House Idea
Cheap chop houses in Boston have
a new wrinkle for attracting cus
tomers which will not be slow to find
favor elsewhere They arrange all
the large supply of chops and steaks
in their show windows and place a
card with a number on each You
takes your choice so to speak
and when you enter you tell the
waiter you will have No 13 No
V or No 40 according to the at
iractiveness lof the viands and the
tatf - Vpt hnok and appe
tite
I
J
4
r
t
I
Ml
m
i