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REAL MOONLIGHT MIRAGE.
How many men have soou a mirage
a real desert mirage , at uight ? It
is not probable that the opportunity
has como to many.
Capt. H. R. Burke of San Fran
cisco , related the tale of this strange
phenomenon to a reporter on the Los
Angeles Times.
"Last mouth , " ho said , "a friend
and I were traveling in a wagon over
the desolate part of Arizona. Wo
wore not bound on any special busi
ness. My friend having more money
than health , wo were merely varying
the monotony a little.
"On the morning of the 18th ult. ,
wo left Belmout , in Nye county , trav
eling southward , and the evening of
the 24th wo stopped on the edge of
the Ralston desert. For three days it
had been oppressively warm , even
sultry , with cold nights. On this
afternoon wo had walked our horses
in the still air , sifting ourselves and
nearly choking the animals with al
kali dust. Truly it was a poor thing
to bo called recreation.
' * rEvon after sundown the air did
not change and we lay very uncom
fortably on the ground , smoking our
pipes and wondering whether or not
wo wore in for a bad night of it.
Presently my companion found hiin-
self out of matches , and arose to go
to the wagon. I heard him utter a
peculiar exclamation , and turning
abound saw him standing with hand-
shaded eyes looking intently toward
the south.
' ' Well , after I got up , there before
me in dim wavering outlines , was a
city. In the bright moonlight the
houses ought to have boon much more
distinct , but I attributed it to the
unsettled dust in the atmosphere.
Faint light gleamed in some of the
windows.
"We stood there some moments
speculating on our whereabouts and
chaffing each other as to our know
ledge of topography , for wo had
thought ourselves many miles from
civilization. Suddenly a faint breeze
came up , the heat of lower air strata
found an opening and started heaven
ward in a thousand snaky columns
of dust. In a few minutes the air
was clear and cool and our little city
had vanished entirely. In its place
was only the sago brush plain stretch
ing unbrokenly to the horizon.
"Had it not boon for the vagueness
I suppose that wo would have seen
that our images wore inverted. Ypt
1 was not looking for it , nor ho , for
neither of us had any idea that
moonlight was sufficiently strong to
throw the imago. " Omaha News.
THE PRESIDENT A PEDESTRIAN.
President Roosevelt repeatedly
gives exhibitions of his prowess as
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a long distance walker. Ho walks
whenever the fit seizes him and has
no regular hour for either walking or
riding.
An intimate friend from Boston
has reason to remember that the
President is no ordinary walker , and
w ill probably not bo so quick to ac
cept an invitation the next time lie
visits Washington. Three days ago
this friend called at the White house ,
and. after an interview with the
President , was asked to wait a few
minutes while some business was
being attended to , after which the
President would be glad to have his
company for a walk.
At 8 o'clock p. m. , an hour later ,
they started off together , walked
rapidly out beyond Georcetowu ,
thence to Cabin ' John bridge , seven
miles away , and back to the Chain
bridge , which they crossed. Coming
down on the Virginia side through
brush and woods they again crossed
the Potomac by the Aqueduct bridge ,
reaching the . White house at 7
o'clock , after traveling more than
sixteen miles.
The visitor had an engagement to
dine with Senator Lodge informally
at 7:30 : p. m. , and was barely able to
reach his hotel. Ho telephoned the
senator that all that was loft of him
would soon be in bed ; that ho had
been walking with the President and
the senator would understand. Balti
more Sun.
AN INDIANA THEORY ABOUT THE
PHILIPPINES.
Wo all have a theory about the
Philippines ; I confess that I have
my own.
If I wore out looking over the
world for something to buy , and I
saw the Philippines marked down to
49 cents on the bargain-counter , I
wouldn't buy the Philippines ; they
wouldnM ; look good to me. But if I
woke up some morning and found
that my boy had driven my neigh
bor's white elephant into my front
yard and tied him to the apple-tree ,
I'd hustle out and look the gate.
And when I'd got that elephant's feet
tied I'd paint my trade mark on
him , red , white , and blue , and 1' d
teach him how to bo a good white
elephant ; and when I got through
with him ho'd bo one of the nicest ,
most gentlemanly elephants that ever
came up the pike. But after I got
him tamed so ho wouldn't dig up the
flower-bed and pull down the fence ,
I'd call up my sou some quiet evening -
ing while the white elephant was
sleeping tranquilly in the back yard ,
and I'd say to him : "Daniol , isn't
this a pretty good time to sell olo-
phauts ? "
"Yes , sir , " ho'd answer.
"Well , Dan , " I'd eay , "you take a
little run over to Billy Hohonzollorn's
or Nicholas Nioholovitch's or
Johnny Bull's and trade that elephant -
phant for a good rnulo that will stand
without hitching and plough with
out kicking. " Meredith Nicholson's
Address to Indiana Loyal Legion.
GOOD PLACE TO GO SLOW.
Two deaths in families operated
according to the rules of Christian
Science have attracted a good deal of
attention in this vicinity in the last
week. Ono occurred in Omaha , the
other in Shouaudoali. The Omaha
case was made a shockingly public
affair ; coroners , postmortem surgeons ,
reporters , cameras put it in a hid
eously theatrical light. The death in
Sheuaudoah was handled in a much
more temperate and sensible way ,
wo judge from the report of our al
ways wise and judicious friend , the
Sentinel. In fact , how , in either law
or common sense , can wo compel
people to treat their sick in any one
particular way ? Tlie Christian Scien
tists cheerfully yield to sanitary
regulations , in. regard to such things
as quarantine and disinfection ; and
if they prefer to treat their sick by
what outsiders choos to call incanta
tions , instead of sending to the drug
store for a bottle and some capsules ,
how can the law interfere ? Wo don't
think it is possible unless it also goes
further and says whether they shall
employ an allopath , a homeopath ,
an osteopath , or who they shall got.
Each of these schools , you know ,
thinks all the others no more real
practioners than Christian Scientists.
GETTING RICH QUICK.
Once in a while a young man
thinks working and saving altogether
too slow a process for his genius ,
and concludes to got rich by specu
lating on the markets , just like a
city man. Wo know a young man
once who planned such a career for
himself. His father was a grocer ,
and ho could have earned clerk's
wages in the store and become a part
ner in time ; but ho married and
found his expenses increasing , and
came to the sapient conclusion that
ho must got rich quicker than that ,
so ho bought several things on the
Chicago board , and then he sold all
his wedding presents and his silk hat
and dress clothes , and borrowed all
the mouoy ho could and got his
father to mortgage his grocery store ,
and by this means paid up the greater
part of what he found ho owed to
his Chicago agent at the close of
the day. Thou ho wont to work on
the clerk's salary that ho had de
spised the day before.
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