10 T1T18 OMAHA DAILY ,1)1E ) $ > SUNDAY , yOYIOMniSH 2-t , 1805.
liSEWBibMKI
THE SUBSTITUTE.
A FOOT HALL STORY.
Ilr W niter Cninp.
fct ?
CHAPTER VII.
MY CHANCn.
At that moment a Rrcat wave or contusion
came over mo , an I realized I had not ones
thought of the tackle whom I was to watch.
I hadn't even seen him once to place him ,
and I determined that not again after tbo
line-tip should my eyes leave him. As they
spread out I marked him closely , a fin ? , Mg
light halted fellow , with shoulders like an
ox ,
"Ho's 1'lgger that Dud , " was my first
thought , but I coon taw that IIP was much
shorter. Ho was decidedly heavier than
Mcrwln , however , and kept tossing him about
and worrying him. On the first down ,
Hrewstcr took the ball between guard and
tickle , with a rush for five yard * .
"Ho'g a perfect wonder at that , " slid
lloland , "and how ho keeps his feet so long
I can't see. "
On the next play Thornton tried to mak
a plunge Just Inside tackle on Merwln'n side
but the Chatham tackle saw him coming
and , although ho could not get by Merwln to
reach the runner , he exerted all his strength
In n quick shove against Merwln , whlcli
throw him directly In Thornton'o way , closing
up the hole completely. It was too late for
Thornton to change his direction. In fact ,
ho had already lowered his head , and he
struck Merwln hard , both going over with
the Chatham tackle and guard on top of
them.
When they got up Merwln limped , ahd It was
plain that he had had a hard knock. Ho sprang
to his place , howeycr , but Langton called for
tlmo and come over to him. After a few
minutes talk Langton walked up to the Chat
ham captain , who was on the end , close to
our Bldo of the field , and I heard him ask
If ho could put on a substitute.
"Tho man Isn't hurt so badly but that he
could play , but I don't want to lay him up , "
I heard Lington ray.
" \VJiy , certainly , put on another man , " re
plied the Chatham captain.
You can Imagine that I was listening with
the deepest Interest.
"Much obliged , " Bald Langton , and then ,
"Ooddard , we want you , " and I stripped oft
my sweater and ran out. As I passwd Mer
wln hobbling off' he said "Oet down low ,
Qoddard , anil look out for his leg when you
go through. "
From that tlmo on I lost all thought of
everything except signals containing the num
ber eight ( which was my signal to talto ths
ball ) nnil taking care of that low-headed gen
tleman In front of me.
Twice I remember finding , Just at the last
moment , that ho had fooled me and I was
boxed In , but both times I saw that old
darling Greene , his face sot like n metal
mask , como swinging In between the Inter-
fercrs , and bring down the man I ought to
Imvo takon. Once ho paid to me , "Keep It
up , Qoddard , ho'a getting tlrjd of you , " and
again a little later "Keep your arms moving
more when you're going through , and don't
stand so still. "
Dudley didn't pay much attention to me
except when they tried small wedges on our
slda the line , and then as ho wouU be fairly
lifting two hugs fellows at n tlmo he'd grunt
out , "Crowd 'em back , freshman. "
Once , too , when I got my signal to run he
chopped off the Chatham tackle who was al
most on me as I left the line.
In a pause that came while a Chatham man
was recovering his wind , Thornton said to
me , "You needn't try to make those holey so
big , Goddard , and don't open them so early.
All wo wont Is a break In the line , and then.
when we strike , jump In and shove for all
you're worth. "
In flvo minutes more the end of the first
half toad , come , and we had scored twice ;
Dud Kicking a goal each time from the touch- '
down. During the-i Intermission Fairfax got
us together , and after asking a few questions
of Addlion , Dudley and Spellman about the
new wedges that Chatham had tried on us/ /
gave two or three words of Instruction
about meeting them , and , almost before ho
had finished , the referee was calling out
"Time's up , " and we lined up for the second
half.
half.For a long time the ball moved up and
down the field , neither side being able to get
it past the opponent's twenty-flve-yard line.
I don't know how the rest felt , but I was
getting pretty tired , and I knew from the
way my opponent way playing that ho felt
very much the same. The ball was now at
the center of the Held and Chatham had It.
Their ends dropped and they began to form
'tho wedges again , as they had earlier In the
game. They began to gain at first to our
rather indifferent surprise. They pushed us
throe yards , five yards , eight yarda at a
time , and things began to look parlous. Lang-
ton came up and commenced to drive us up
to the work. Again they formed , and though
wo held them better , they made tholr five
yards In thrco downs. They were at our
twenty-flve-yard line and had held the ball
.steadily . for seven downs.
Llttlo Addition exhorted the big center
men to hold them harder. The Hallock cries
from the Fldo line had entirely censed as
they saw their team driven steadily back
into their goal , whllo the "Hooray ! Hooray !
I am ! Chatham" came out stronger and
stronger , until It seemed like one continu
ous cry. Although the formation seemed
the same each time , the man came out at
a different placo. Sometimes he came be
tween guard and center , sometimes out
side of or over the tackle , and there was
apparently no , way of telling In which dl-
roctlon the wcdKa would turn.
Warner and I crowded up closer to our
guards , and It would go outside of us , and ,
though Greene mul Dsntley played like
demons , and Thornton and Langton backed
them up superbly , the damage was done be
fore they could reach the mm. Then , too ,
once a Chatham man had shaken himself
free , and , had Thornton not Just caught
him from behind , ho would Imvo had at
least twenty yards. We could fairly feel
the shadow of our goal posts as we backed
silently down , giving up yard after yard
to this unknown and nnsolvuble play , I
began to wonder whether the referee
would never call time. I was sure that we
had played for hours , that It must have been
half hour fully since wo had the hall. We
were on our ten-yard line , and Addlson In
cheer desperation had knelt down , literally
between Miller's leg ? , and , as the ball was
snapped end handed , ho drove directly Into
the arms of tbo stooping recipient , The ball
slipped , dropped , and , as the whistle blew |
nml the men pulled themselves out of the
Iieap , there lay Addtson Hat on his face , but
the ball the ball wo needed so badly , was
under him , tightly clasped In his arms , and
the assault had como to an nd !
First a feeble Hallock cheer went up , then
* s our crowd realized that the agony was
over , for a time at least , the "rah ! rah ! rah ! "
burst forth with a wild relief that was only
to bo measured by the fear that had prev
iously shaken their hearts. The ball was
passed back , end Drowsier , with one of his
beautiful long punts , drove It down to Chat-
ham'u fifty-yard line , and the- strain was
over.
They began working It back again with
the same wedges , but thulr force
vras spent and the distance to be regained
looked lee long , and in a few moments the
referee called time , and the game was
finished ,
There was precious little ssld on the ride
flown town , nnd , when the dirty , grimy
team crawled up the entrance * staircase
at St. Stephens , there was but one demand
and that WAS for tubs as speedily as possi
ble.
ble.After our baths we looked more Ilka human
beings , but we were sore and lame from
the haltering and our spirits were only juit
beginning to recover from that fright Chit-
ham had given us. I could see that Fairfax
and Langton were still studying on the mat
ter. The rest were beginning to relax , save
Qreene , Ilentloy an4 Warner. They were
quiet and would talk to no one. Thry Just
got together , and In low tonoi dlicimtd
and reJlscuiced the wedges that had crowded
us so nearly to the loss of a touchdown ,
I wished they would let me come Into the
dltcusilon , but they teemed to want itc one ,
not even Lington.
"Don't you worry , frothman , when we've
settled this thing we'll talk ( bout It , " wan all
that I could gel out of Orecne , "We've got to
make up our minds Just how they worked
It. and then we'll talk about stopping it,1'
Warner vouchsafed.
Thsrem \ a Oca ) pf.JoJUng at dinner and ,
most of the men wereIn high splilts and
how they ate ! Spellman said he thought
Dudley had lost so much weight he ought
to bo given ale.
"You'll need It. " rtortcd Dudley , "before
you run up against that Irton center. They
Bay ho expects to make a Miow of you. "
After dinner we took the S o'clock train up
and most of us slept two-thirds of the way.
When we reached Littleton a crosser crowd
never threw their traps Into carriages. In
another fifteen minutes I was dragging my
tired legs Into 21i ! Maple street , and how
good my own bed felt , as I ellppol Into my
pajamas and crawled between the phcetsl
CHAl'TKR VIII.
PREPARING FOIl TUB DUCAT ( JAMB.
When I awoke the next morning It w.n
ten minutes to S , and I had jiift time to
jump Into some clothes and run over to
chapel.
When I came out Harry Joined mo and
said : "Have you had any breakfast ? "
"Xo , " I said.
"Neither have I. Let's come over to the
Saracen. " So we wont over nnd after wo
had done justice to a porterhouse steak nnd an
omelette I began to feel more llko talking
"Harry , wo hid a close call down there , "
utld I.
"Ye ? , eo I heard , and I heard also- that you
had a chance to play two-thirds of the time
and did well , too. "
"Who told you that ? " Imiulrcd I.
"lloland , " sild he.
"Whcro In" the world did you see Ho-
land ? "
"Walking over to chapel this morning
but I heard about the game from Hyerson ,
who came up on the 6 o'clock and dropped
over to see mo In the evening. "
"What , that old dig ? What was he doing
In the cltyj"I
. "Well , Dick , wo never did him Justice ,
I'm afraid. It seems he has taken a lot at
Interest In your getting on the team as a
representative of. the school , you know , and
ho confessed to'me Inat night that he had
never seen a big game , so he thought he'd
go down. Somebody told him that ho
wouldn't understand unless he had watched
the practice , so last Wednesday Ju&t like
his old methodical way , you know he bought
a book of rules , read them through , ana
Thursday and Friday went out to the prac
tice. He came up * last night full of It. Ho
couldn't talk anything else , and he says that
he got so excited when Chatham was crowdIng -
Ing us down that he found himself clutching
the arm of a young woman who sat next
him , when at last he came to his senses upon
our securing the ball. Ho said , fortunately ,
the young woman wore cardinal , and wns
so much more out of her head than he that
she never knew anything about It. "
"I never supposed old Ryerson would over
look at anything so frivolous as an athletic
game , " said I , pleased nevertheless.
"He asked mo If we would mind If he came
over sometimes nnd talked a little foot ball.
I told him I didn't know much about It , but
I hung on to you and lloland and picked up
the phrases. Then he hemmed about and
I could tee he was trying to get out some
thing that embarrassed him. Finally ho
said , 'I'd like awfully to como over and be
with you sometimes If I wouldn't be a bore ,
and perhaps my notes and things on some at
the leclurea would lie of use lo you or God
dard. I'm sure you're welcome to them any
time. ' I thought then hero's another tri
umph , fan Dick , he's actually warmed the
cockles of old Ryerson'si heart up to a molt-
Ini ? since ! "
"How do you feel after your first big
game ? " was his salutation ,
"Oh , I'm all right , " I answered , delighted
to see him and hear now the game looked to
him.
him."You
"You did good work , Ooddard , and Head
( that was the Chatham tackle's name ) told
mo after the game that you were a better
man than Merwin , I uied to know Head at
Exeter , and I ran across him last night. "
"I'm afraid Merwln wasn't very well yes
terday when ho went In , " I said , glad enough
of the praise , however ,
"I tell you what , Goddard , we had a close
call In those wedges of theirs just thesame - .
Head told me that I'cmbroko couldn't o'op
them In their game a week ago , and that
Chatham didn't try them until the end of the
game , I thought we were gone when they
got us down to the ten-yard line , and wo
would have been , lee , If Addlaon hadn't
crawled under. He had good lurk , too , for
If they had turned the wedge that tlmo to
( lie other sld ? ho wouldn't have been In It. "
"Did you see how they worked them ? " I
asked.
"No , I couldn't make out , but I got
some points. When they came out ut
guard , center and Aiiurd would push
straight ahead , and they pull suddenly
apart , and Chatham's quarter and Hi ? runner
would both bo behind the opening. Some
times the quarter would come out dragging
the runner after him and pull him on a yard
or so , I couldn't sea bow they worked It on
the teckle , and thit was the hardest ( top.
Did you make anything out of It ? "
"No , I couldn't. I tried at first to see the
runner , but t fmmJ that t couldn't , nml only
got put out of It altnRethrr when I did that ,
so finally I just went In and grabbed the
bunch ns hard nnd low AH I could , and let
them go over me. Ti ! n Oroeno nnd Thorn
ton would lomchow Rt the man when ho
cntno out , but thpy gained on It every time.
Sometime * It didn't seem to com ? ' straight
at me , but nround me on the outside , nnd
then It just dragged me right along In splto
of anything I could do. "
IloUnd eat thoughtful for a time , nnd then
mmmed up the matter with the remark ,
"It's sot to bo studied out this wesk or we'll
have trouble In the lron ; game , for the Ittcn
team were all there , and they may HSO Ihe
same wedges. "
"Orone and Warntr are at work on It ,
and Greene told me last night that they
wouldn't speak to anybody till they had
studied It out , " replied I ,
"Good , " said lloland , "Green's the clcverlst
man on the team for getting on to plays , nnd
I bellevo lif'll rolvo the problem. He will If
any one can outside of Fairfax , and Fairfax
was puzzled yesterday , I'm sure , "
On Monday when wo climbed out of the
'bus , I saw Willis In a sweater running on
the track , plodding along lap after lap , and
when we were ready lo line up he camdovcr
dripping wllh inspiration nnd threw an
extra sweater over his shoulders. He get
cut behind mo ( for I was put In Merwln's
place h's ankle proving a serious sprain )
and coached mo all through the play.
Hiding In ho sal ncxl to me nml gave me
p. sound lecture on my faults. Then ho con
tinued "You will probably have to play In
my place In the Irton came , at any rale a
good share of that game. Fairfax nml Hart
ley have rigged up a sort of leather harness
for my shoulder , and If It works all right
I'm going to try lo go In , and lhat's why
I'm running nnd gc-tllng1 Into condition
again. Dr. Henry , the surgeon , says thai II
may bo Ihnl Ihe Ihlng will work , bul that
ho hasn't mf.cb confidence In It. He says
a sharp push on that elbow would put mo
out of II nt once If It came In the right di
rection. So you see you're likely to get yor.r
chance and , no matter which one of us Is
there. Irton Is going to strike for that point
In Ihe line , and wo must make It solid some
how. Fairfax got disgusted wllh you lhat
first week , but 1m feels better toward you
"AS MERWIN HOBBLED OUT. "
"I'll be right glad to take up that offer of
his notes , " raid I , "for I had to cut twice
last week , and directly after Thanksgiving
I'm going to get at my work In good shape
for the Xmas examinations. We'll teach old
Uyersou foot ball and he's to keep us up to
second division level for stand , or lose our
good company. You make a bargain with
him. "
We went over to the room and dressed for
church , nnd , as we came In the campus , we
saw Addleon and Lnngton looking most Im
maculate In frock coats and top hats , Just
taking Addlson's sister In to church. They
didn't look like , the tame two men who were
trying to check lhal Chatham wedga the day
before.
Sunday evening was always a cause of
homesickness to me. It had been whllo I
waa at cehool , and still more here at Little
ton. Then , too , I missed my pipe- , for when
I was not training , although I wasn't a hard
smoker , I used to like a pipe Immensely , and
with that and a book could forget that I
was away from home. I FUPPOBJ that the
living had much to do with It , even apart
from the sentimental side , for at home we
dined Sunday night just as any
other night , while at school nml at college
there fjemcd to be a fashion of giving a man
bread and butter and tea Sunday
nights , with perhaps a thin shaving of cold
corned beef and a dab of jam In a bauccr.
I had partaken of this frugal repast and
Just leturned lo my room , when a knock on
the door wns followed by the appearance of
Roland ,
since Saturday , and Is going to glvo you all
the coaching he. can this week. Whatever
you do , don't Iry to explain when you make1
a mistake .or miss the map. I've * never seen
you do It yet , but just as a mailer of pre
caution I say 'don't. ' It's Just a wasta ot
tlmo nnd we don't do It here at Hallock. "
"I certainly shall not , " I hastened to say.
Dy that lima Ihe whole college was alive
wllh anxiety as to ihe Brockton game. II
had flown like wildfire that Willis had been
over on the track and was going to play , and
in spite of the fact that the majority had
little confldenca In any harness arrangemant
that should take the placs of a collar bone
for him , the very fact of their old reliance on
him made them feel better to think that he
'might after all ba the Willis ot old. That
trying lime In Ihe Chatham game had made
the general public opinion turn to the be
lief that Hallock was not up to championship
form. Irton , too , had put up a strong game
against the Utley Athlcllc'association-on the
Wednesday before we- played Chatham , and
according to all accounts , their Interference
was far ahead of thet of former years. H-
aldcs , there were rumors of some wonderful
tricks developed In secret practice und3r the
tutelage of such experts ns Lawton , who had
brought out the flying opening wedge a year
or two ago , and Bradshaw , who was every
where respected as one of the best practical
coachers.
Some of our fellows who bad sen the Irton
men just after our Chatham game said that
they seemed well pleased and confident , nnd
the entire community with us could ECO that
Fairfax and Hartley ware decidedly worried
over affairs. Yet there was an undercurrent
of belief among our non-players generally
that "Halloclc couldn't lose , " and ths man
who had not planned to go to Brockton was
the exception.
On Monday Fairfax had told me to como
to tuo training table Tuesday mornlnir. so I
preoantcd myself In good season there. Willis
had also returned , but he had his arm
strapped to his side as far as the elbow and
looked like anything but a man who was tu
play a hard match on Saturday.
"Como over to the gym let and practice
signals after morning recitation , " ordered
Langton.
At 10 o'clock wo were all on hand nnd
found Greene , Miller and Warner describing
plays on the earn ! to Falrfaxand _ Hartley.
Langlon was listening , with an Incredulous
look on his face which evidently Irritated
Greene. "I Vnow that's the way they did
It , " Greene was reiterating.
"All right , " uatd Hartley , "let's have the
scrubs go through It thai way this afternoon
and see If we can stop It. "
"Have 'em go through It now , " said Fair
fax. "We've got half of them here , and can
get the rest In ten minutes. "
So men were dispatched to get the rest
of the second eleven , ' and meanwhile wo
went through the signals. When the ojcond
cloven were assembled Hartley and Greena
arranged them as they had figured out the
Chatham wedge had been played. They
played the center and guard at the front
with the two ends behind and lidding on to
them. Then they brought In the halves and
placed them behind the ends , making a sort
of alleyway , the sldos of which were formed
by thrM men each. The quarter took up lila
usual portion behind center nnd Ihe full
back came In belween the two halves. The
first few times they tried It It looked alto
gether too loose to bo effective and not at all
like the Chatham wedge , which Impressed
one from the moment of Us formation with a
sense of Us solidity , even before II started
and tumbled the opponents over and out of
the way.
After a tlmo It was found that the men
ougbl to 'graip each other by the hips and
bend forward at the hips , thus both extending -
tending and yel making more firm Iho sides
of the wedge. When the bail was snapped
the quarter handed It to the full back , who
went belween center and guard , they trying
to clear a way as fur as they could push ,
and then opening up a hole for htm. The
quarter was to push or drag the runnpr
through , as circumstances ) dictated. After
Hartley nnd Grecno had drilled the second
eleven thoroughly on this , they tried di
recting It out to the tackle , and here they
found It much more difficult , for all dis
agreed about the method. Finally It v u
decided to try the formation on the guard
IIrut nnd then. If that worked , to figure on
the tackle wedge.
That afternoon Willis tried playing for
about five minutes. He had on a sweater ,
through which showed the outlines of a
huge leather cap that covered his shoulder
from a few Inches beyond his arm up to his
neck , where a pad was placed to
prevent Its chafing him. He told mo
It was strapped under his arm and
around hU neck and that an elartlc band
wont from the edge clear around his chest.
HU upper arm vras also strapped to
his slda so that It seemed Impossible for
him to do anything against a whole
man. For all that , during the flva minutes
he played Fm rnndp A fhow of Knoton , though
there wn "tfrU lo bo unld that Kiwlm
wouldn't hnvo hxd anything happen to Wll-
ll throunMhllrV for the world , nnd I noticed
he pluyc-il rather RlnK rly , nnd Kept on Wil
lis' sound Mde" hs much a * he could
Of course I 'watched Willis very clo ly
nnd snw tfMt the point that made him * o
superior wrfs nib directness and force of his
movements.He1 seldom made any attempt
to nvold the Interferences , but , having
Jumped forw'ahl nnd dcterlmncd wht ho
thought thtf frthner oueht to be , he went
Elralgiu foC thb spot , nnd If nn Interf rer
struck him' It'was more likely lo bs the In-
tsrfe.-er who w'Mil down than Willis. He
was heavy , \ \ n true , but not ns Inavy as
Unrner , nftl1yet ho broke up Interference
better , becitinvowing to his confidence he
wns nlmost'alMys going fnstcr tlmn the In-
tcrferer when they actually met. I saw thnt
here was n point thai I might readily profit
from , nnd ! ninde up my mind to get on my
speed when next I met Interference.
After wo had played nbout fifteen mlnulei
In the regular way Hartley nnd Gre no wont
over to the scrub side and placed the men In
position to try the Chatham wedges. At first
there was considerable confusion nnd mora
or less fumbling , but after ten minute * Hart
ley announced thai Iho tccand eUvcn were
ready and the two teams lined up , the second
end having the ball , nnd forming ns nearly
as I could sea exactly as Chatham had dene.
And the mcst serious part of It nil wai that
they made ground against us , too , Jusl as Ihe
orlg nators had done. Wo lought ha d agilns
It , and did occasionally s'.op them without
sain , but It was hard work and by no means
sure. I wns wondering why Fairfax wns not
Jaklng more part In this , but I e w him
studying the play most carefully , first fron
ths 'varsity side , then from the FC ub.
When we stopped to rest 1 asked Greene If
Fairfax didn't , belkivo In the play.
"Why , my dsar boy , of couri'j h9 does. "
"Then I don't BBS why ho didn't h lp you
out when the rest of you w.re g tt.ng It
straight. , " said I.
"I'll toll you , Goddard , nnd jou'Il have n
chance to sea it demonstrated , too , befcn
long. Fairfax has n perfect genius for meal
ing plays a defensive eye I bellevo ho calls
it. I never EJSW his equal for devising Hi ?
moot certain blocks for any play or csrlcj of
plays , but In order lo do It effectively , that Is ,
to bo of propr service * to actual phyers. lu
has to study the nlny without too. nrat
knowledge of how It Is performed , that Is , he
wants to see it plnyc"d rnthar lhan plnniuJ.
You remembr Saturday when he * had only
seen that Chatham wedge once or twlco he
told our center men to stick togsther rather
than try lo. go through. "
Surely enough. Ju t then Langton came over
nnd said Fahfa.v wanttd a word with the
cndy and tnc los.
We went across and ho explained Juat what
he wanted us to do at different parts ft th'
play. "I vfanl II crowded toward th ; center , "
h ? said. "If you csn't stop it turn It In all
yen can. Ami ends , don't you close In until
you s'c ths man with the ball. Kesp outsIJ ?
until then. "
Then he took the guards and center nml
gave them a fnv instructions , snd WA beqan
aw In. Hartley and Uresno liatl by this t'ma '
asttlcd upon n method of turning th wed "
out upon the Ucklj by giving llu ball to tha
end man that Is , the half back of elthsr
i'lde > cf thj wedg.-- . This was 'similar In ff-
frct to an opsnlne wedqe we 'vcro In tlu
habit of r.lay'rjr ; ard the men Icok to It easl y
The result waj that v.-e tnckles and ends hid
our hands full land were ula.l whBii Hills' was
called. That -cucninK , too , wo want Ihrousa
It all acalmtip til Irs in Ihe gym , for it was
now the lastrwealq and after Thursday thsre
would bo no m'rn ? prictlc ; nnd nothing be
tween us attlvldtory or defeat at Brock-
tan. I/ * I
" ( To' bj Continued. )
v. } siiowmts.
KK nnil si- } i-IIInr IMiriimuciiii ot
, llif , Clonils.
A game of .cricket was once Interrupted
In a curlou.4 > wayiln a small town in Scot
land.
land.Tile flr.y , ' . . 6rdl.crlly ? pleanr.l , suddnl >
clouded over , .arid ) scon began to fall what
the players thought was hall , until It was
oussrvej toViitf of thf supposed hailstones
v/ere moving , ahd Investigation showed that
It was raining pllflsli.
LttIeMcrm ! < > 5ns like prawn v filled ths nlr
and came trbun upon the grass In"counties ?
numbers. The Incident created widespread
comment. astle * prawns originated In salt
water , which was a long distance away , nnd
many curious theories were ndvancd lo ac
count for Iho phenomenon.
Such Bhowers are nol known In various
parts of th ? world , and always arouse the
wonder of thft. obssrvers who often see some-
Ihlng mlracihllus In the occurrence.
Not many years ago the village of Kenno-
way , in Flfeihlre , Scotland , was visited by an
equally remarkable shower , consisting of
amall frogs. They fell like snow , filling .up
crovlces In the streets , from which they
crawled Into Ihe bousts and were gathered
and swept out. In heaps , to the umazment
and wonder Tit the villagers , who believed
that the animals had literally rained down
from the skies ,
Near Falkland n shower of seaweed oc
curred during a lieavy storm. It was during
the winter , "when the trees were bare , and the
morning following the storm the limbs were
seen covered with seaweed that swung In the
breeze , presenting a singular spectacle and
conveying Iho linprssslon lhal the trees liad
been for a few moments Immersed In the
ocean and then raised laden with the weed.
T.ia natives of Rajkote , India , had occasion
to long remember a shower which fell In that
neighborhood. An elephant train had been
passlrfg during tli3 forenoon , but , caught In
a lieavy storm , t'.io drivers turned the great
animals Into some sheda which stood near.
Before reaching them some of the men no
ticed that fishes were falling , at first a few ,
then scores ; and a few minutes later
they catno pattering down by hundreds ,
slrlklng the elephants nnd riders and i-Hdlng
Off 011 tO the KrOllml. The qnnooi-nnn of IVtn
fishes was accepted by the- superstitious na
tives as a miracle , as the near-st stream
from which they could have conic was many
miles away.
In these Instances and others the wind IB
the medium. DurJns ; a squall or whirlwind
or some similar occurrence the stream or
pond is fairly .lifted Into Ihe air. Its contents
whirled upward and borne away , to b ;
dropped to th ? earth perhaps mllas distant.
A complete list of showers of various kinds
In which animals have fsl ! n to the ground
would nia' c an extraordinary avowing Nearly
all the showers Illustrate ths- possibility of
the distribution of animals from one. section
of the country to- the other and explain the-
presence of certain animals In ponds and
lakes that are apparently Inaccessible.
After a heavy ihower had once swept over
Lake Gynant a shower of i'.iiall tlsbes re
sembling younn lurrlng began to fall , to the
amazement of the wqmen who were gathered
about Iho banks washing , The storm was n
particularly severe en ? , accompanied by
thunder and lightning , and the "living rain"
had evidently baen transported a long dis
tance before being dropped Into their native
element ngalrj/ > oi/
The transportation of flih through the air
Is by no mttyps i , uncommon. The city of
Loulsvlll * , Kyujiwawi'once vlsltad by a shower ,
cf tlshes. Tha Callr f rain wai extraordinary ,
overflowing trt ) struets , ami the following
morning quavtltltsdof small Ilsh , the sun
perch , were foundjjawlmmtng In the gutters.
Attempts v/er * mtlu to discover where they
came from , butinol extraordinary whirlwind
had been noticed Inutile vicinity , and. 03 far
as Known , ths sourra was never tracoJ , Tlint
fishes are Jlftetl ouUuf the c-cenn by the wind
and whisked dwayuit a well known fact.
It Is remarkable'that ' living animals should
be carried abftUt lli the air , but what shall
we way when colin-onted with the facts showIng -
Ing thai mlnultf fcnalls floal nbout and de
scend thousanarfvofi'mlles ' from th localities
from which thfy = Avere originally taken up.
Whsn Darwin thndlstlnBiilsbed naturalist ,
was sailing nfoy the Capa de Verde Islands
ho noticed tliaf'/thpticb ' a long distance from
land , the air WaTmrni wth | a fine Impalpable
dust that hod an , Injurious effect upon the
fine Instruments. Ho collected some of the
dust , end , thinking that It might contain
something of ( ntorer.t , forwarded II to the
German naturalist , Ehremberg. who , after
examining H through a powerful microscope ,
mode the remarkable announcement that It
contained Infusorlans. ullcl ! ins , shields and
the silicons ( Issue of plants , In all , the re
mains of sixty-seven dlfferznt organic forms.
Two of these were from salt water , ths reit
being fresh waler forms , and from South
America , as the naturalist showed ; yet here
they had drifted In the- air several thousand
rallca from tlie locality from which they
originally etar'.cd ,
Dust Is often raited In the air by the
hamattan a net Afrlcin wind that car
ries It over theAtlanl'e for thouianda
of niilci , and there ii llttla dor.it but thi.
enormous unties qf duit are borne , aloft
and held lor moitlu in tha air and finally
deposited long tiUtanres from the original
site. Usiuclilly lr ) ihav it. whera there .
are dry arid pla'nj , methods ot dust traps-1
THE
V i V r" " F nil /iv r8
POPULAK
in
I 5 i
POPULAK. PRICES.
Guaranteed Guaranteed
to Heat to Heat
ms wllh Rooms v/ilh / on'y
* > tenant
Tons of Goal Tons of Goal ,
1 o Ner" BegLners in Housekeeping- .
If not Convenient to
cask we will
term's to suit.
111
. .
" ' "S
jn" ± rml.i H.if :
H2/3 FA
portatlon are observed. On the borders of
the Mojave d&sert tall columns of rcddlah-
brown dust can often ba seen In the sum
mer , first smell spirals .rising but a few
feat above the Ground , then reachlng upward
to hundreds , even thousands of feet In the
air , and moving "on before the wind with a
JUaceful curve. If high this Is caught by the
. 'asterly wind a high and apparenlly con-
t'nuous cumcit that blows out ovar the In
coming lowcir wind and carries dust far cut
over Ihe Pacific , where , laken by olber cur-
renls , It Is bcrne hither and yon.
F. C. HOLDEN.
JViMV Gniiio erA
A brand new game of marbles _ has struck
the town , says the New York Herald. With
lightning rap.'dlty It has spread from the
Battery to Harlem. It Is not over a week
or two old , and yet by some mysterious
methrd the youngsters have all "caught on , "
and they play tha game by Ihe same rules in
all parts of the lown.
"Forty out" cr "forty odd" Is a game that
Is de-signed to fill a long felt want. Most
games with marbles can be played only upon
the biro earth. Paving stones are too smooth
and C2bbestoneu ! too rough. This fact Is well
known to ths shopkeepers. Ths shop nearest
i vacant lot will sell three times as many
"commies" ns the others. This new game
's ' adapted to we-11 worn or Ill-laid pavements.
In fact , any placa where there are numerous
cracks nnd crannies will answer. Each of
the places wher.2 a marble slowly rolled from
"base" will lodge Is given a numerical value.
After the start from "basa" the marble is
rolled from the crack where II lodged.
Any number of youngsters may engage In
the game , and the first one scoring forty
wins , but the Intricacies of the count , while
apparently well understood by the youthful
players , entirely'loo much for the casual
b'holder.
PHATTM3 OK TIII3 YOUXGSTKUS.
They are < telling a story of the little sons
of the German emperor , who have on Eng
lish governeis , to whom they are warmly
altached , The birthday of the governess occur -
cur d recently , and not only the emperor
anil empress made her present ? , but the
young princes also tried to afford their
teacher some special pleasure. The governess
noticed pmong the gifts a plain little- paper
b-x. "Whnt Is this ? " she aeked In surprise ,
taking It In her hand. Seven-year-old I'rlnce
Ojcar drew himself up proudly. "That's
from meho replied , "Hut It's empty , "
said the teacher. "Yes , It's -empty now , "
answered the prince , "but tomorrow pap Is
going lo pull out my first tooth , and the
box Is meant for that ; I'm going lo give It
to you. " The- next day the little fellow ,
liMiiiliiB with Joy , really did bring the tooth
to the governess , and she now wears It as a
charm on her bracelet.
The precocious frankness and simplicity
of a class of G-year-olds has been forcibly
impressed upon one of the teachers In the
now Illalno school , says the Philadelphia
Record. Preparatory to opening the school
the children are being registered , and their
answers to .the questions put to them are
often quite ludicrous. One of the teachers
asked a youngster what was his father's
name.
"Haxtcr , " was IVo reply. ,
"What Is his full name ! "
"Mister Ilaxlcr , " said the boy.
"No , no , " the teacher continued , rather
Impatiently ; "what Is hla flr&t name ? "
A gleam of comprehension brightened the
lad's face , and be blurted oul :
"Ma calls him 'Dill ! ' "
In order to determine another llttlo fel
low's place of nativity he was asked ;
"Were you born hero ? "
With all seriousness he responded :
"No'me. L was borned on Tyler street. "
"Do you want a boy ? " he Inquired of the
magnate of the office.
"Nobody wants a boy , " replied the mag
nate.
"Do you need a boy ? " asked the applicant ,
nowise ubablicJ.
"Nobody needs a boyl"
"Well , say , mister , do you have to have'
boy ? "
The magnate collapsed ,
"I'm sorry to say wo do , " he said , "and
I guom you're about what wo want. "
"Johnny , " said the teacher , "have you
finished your composition ? "
"Yejsum. "
"Head It. "
"Little boys when at school should nol
make faces at the teacher and should not
study too hard , 'cause It makes them near
sighted , and should not sit lee long In one
position , 'cause It makea their backs crooked ,
and thould not do long examples In arith
metic , 'cause It uses up their pencils too
fast. "
"Bobby , " sad | the teacher la a Iloston
school , "I am surprised at you ! You are
usually so studious , and here you are drawing
horrid. Idle pictures on your slate. "
"I beg your pardon , miss , " replied the
youth , with the hauteur' of "mUmnderstood
genius , "bul you are laboring under a mis
apprehension. This is not a horrid , idle
picture. It is a design for a magazine
poster. "
"Now , Ted , .tnippose you had forty oranges
and I took Iwenly away from you "
"I'd like lo see you try It , " challenged the
pupil.
"You must not Interrupt. Wo are only
supposing. Now , If you had forly oranges
and I took twenty , how would you find bow
many you had left ? "
Ted gave bis head n disdainful toss.
"Pooh ! " he said , "any ono could do that. "
"Then how would you < lo It ? "
"I ? Why , I'd count'em. _ of course. "
PLOATINC POUTS.
Tin ? Aoct'i > tcil JK'MlKiiM for THO .Mou
nter IllltdfHlllllH.
The Fifty-third congress authorized Hie
construction of two first claw battleships ,
and the plana for those vessels for the navy
have been prepared , the designs completed
for the Inspection of ehlp builders , bids will
scon be solicited for their construction at n
cost of about $4,000,000 each , exclusive of
armament , and the Fifty-fourth congress will
bo asked to provide the money with which
the work the battle-ships be
on - may prose
cuted.
These two fine war ships , says the New-
York Times , will have each 308 feet length ,
will be 72 feet beam , mean draught of 23V4
feet , normal displacement of about 11,000
tens , normal coal capacity of 4\0 \ toim , and
total coal capacity , when all modes of storage I
are resorted lo , of 1,210 tono. The vosiels
are to be driven by twin screw s. The engines
are to b ; of the vertical , triple expansion
type , one on each shaft. The boilers will be
five In number. Each ship must maintain on
the trial trip n speed of slxtcep knots an
hour for four consecutive hours. The two
military masts for each vessel wilt be hollow ,
with fighting tops for rapid-fire guns.
The "vitals" of the ships will bo boxed In
an elliptical frame of armor. The hulls near
the water line will have an armor belt of a
maximum thickness of fifteen Inches and a
mean depth of seven feet six Inches , extend
ing from the stem to the after barbette , the
maximum thickness extending over the engine
and boiler spaces.
IJarbettes for thlrteen-lnch guns will have
armor not leas than fifteen Inches thick ,
except In rear , where It will be reduced to
twelve Inches. The turret port plates will be
seventeen Inches In thickness , the balance of
aimor plating fifteen Inches thick. The ship's
side , from the armor belt to the main deck ,
will bo protected by not less than five Inches
of steel armor from barbetlo to barbette ,
Coal wll | be carried back of a portion of this
five-Inch casemate armor.
A novel feature will be detected at once
by Ihobo who Imvo observed Ihe peculiarities
of battleships. This Is the double turret ,
which was recommended by the ordnance
bureau , one above the other. The armor for
there turrets will bo nine and eleven Inches
In thickness. The two turrets thus Joined
must be turned together , giving a center fire
of four powerful guns. There will bo one
double turret forward and another aft on
board each ship , while along each broad
side , piercing the thick wall ot armor , will
bo arranged five-Inch guns , This arrange' '
ment , together with a general scattering of
guns of smaller caliber , will give the ship a
mo t war-like appearance , II will suggesl
even thu old line battleship , which had such
a hrlutllng appearance and such a deadly
effect In Its broadside fire.
The battery of the vesrel will ba four
thlrtecn-lnch breech-loading rifle * , four eight-
Inch brccch-loadliiR rlllcs , fourteen live-Inch
rapld-firo guns , twenty six-pounder r pld-fire
guns , four one-pounder rapid-fire guns and
four macfilne guns and one field ggn ,
An armored deck will extend throughout
the length of the vessel. Where this steel
deck Is worked flat the thlckncro will not b ?
ICBJ than two and three-fourth Inches , and
where worked with Inclined sides the slopes
will be three Inches In thickness. A cellulose
boll will be fitteJ along the sides Iho whole
length of the ship.
The conning tour will be not lens than
ten Inches In thickness , having an armored
communication tube not less than seven
inchou In thickness.
The supply cf ammunition will ba 200
rounds thlrteen-lnch ammunition , COO rounds
eight-Inch ammunition , 11,600 round * five-
Inch ammunition , 10,000 ruun < U slx-poundor
immunltlon , and 2,400 rounds one.poundrr
ammunition.
The torpedo oil I lit will conulxt of five tui-
pedo tubes , eight torpedoes , and Miltablo
allovsance of guncctloii for inli.cs xnU nils- ,
cellancous uurpwe-a. The tcrp-ilo tubs' * will j
be placed two on each broadside and one In
the bow.
Provisions nnd small stores will be car
ried for three months. Distilling apparatus
and evaporators will lr ; . JIMed for fresh
water supply , the allowance of water to bo
carried to be sufficient for fifteen days , be
sides water for sanitary purposes. Clothing ,
contingent and small stores will bo carried
In sufficient quantity for the service of the
ship for one year.
The electric lighting plant will consist ot
throe units , each unite having an engine , a
dynamo and a combination bedplate , and
each dynamo having a rated output of 400
amperes at eighty volts. The total weight
of the three units ! complete wilt not exceed
31,500 pounds. The total weight of the
whole electrical Installation , Including' dyna
mos , engines , bedplates , all fittings , wirings ,
and stores , and four searchlights , will not
exceed forty-four tons.
Each ship will carry about 500 men.
IIUUOISM OK A MOTIII2II.
Snvoil Her Own nnil tin * Iilr < * N of Hrr
Children During Klrv.
A picture of motherly heroism comes from
out the smoke and flnmo of a tenement
house lire In Jersey City. On Ilia upper Hoer
of the burning building dwelt Mrs. Kllmur-
r.ty and her five children , tlif oldest a lad of
12 years. Retreat by the stairway had been
cut off and the wlndowu offered the only path
to safety. There were no ladders and no
time for obtaining them. The flames and
einoko were close behind , and If the chil
dren were to bo saved It must be dona
quickly. Her husband and friends were In
the yard below , shouting encouragement.
Without hesitation she took her children ono
by one and dropped them down the height
of four stories Into the arms of the waiting1
father and friends below. Even Ihe 18-
months-old Infant \viu sent whizzing through
space to safety. One of the. lads wns
slightly hurt. Then Mrs. Kllmurray hcrsMt
swung out by the clothesline nnd reached
the ground alive , but sbmswhat Injured br
the fall.
Wns there ever a hotter cxnmpl ? of a
woman's daring nnd nerve , says the llrook-
lyn Eajle. ; She knew llml lo remain whcra
they were meant spsedy death from suffoca
tion. She -had the couragelo take the
chance agalnsl certain death for her chil
dren on the one hand and a po lblllly of
rescue on the other , and fall ? did not heil-
lale. There were no v.omanly tremblings ,
no wringing of Ihe hands and unavailing
cries for help. She saw what should be- done
and her maternal spirit gave her the courage
which she might have lacked under other
conditions. She perilled her own life and
theirs to secure their safety. It was an ex
ample of cool and quiet heiolsni , Just such
09 women of nil classes have Rhown In all
agon of the world In times of stress and
danger. _
HI ; OAiiiriiM.Y I.OOICKU
Over tlie I.n nil mill WIIN I'lrnxril ,
While my first Impressions of the country
wore favorable , still after remaining tbera
and very carefully going over the Orchard
Homes lands altered for sale , my good 1m-
preiElons were not only confirmed , but I mu.it
In strict Justice say I wau forced to admit
that the advantages of Orchard Homes for
thu Intelligent purchaser were really muro
than they had been represented to bo , I was
astonished to find crops of corn , und In many
cases at potatoes , growing upon land from
which there had already heim harvo3tcd this
season llrtt crops of tomatoes , IKMIIS and
other vegetables , This convinced me that
the raising of two or more crops nn the same
land each year wns plainly an absolute fact ,
I think also , thai by Intelligent ami careful
working ot Iho land three or four nropi can
bo grown c-ach year Just as easily as two
crops. The native grasses uro nutritious ,
producd well and keep green during all the
year , and I understand from reliable Infotma-
llon that alfalfa haj been known to glvo as
high us tlvo to eight cuttings annually ,
I found the land to bo gently rolling , with
Jutt enough timber scattered over It to meet
the wants of fuel , fence posts and other
ordinary uiea. The roads were In excellent
condition. Water was plenty , such as run
ning creeks and wells , the latter would
average from thirty to sixty feet In depth.
The water Is pure- and wholesome. I found
the weather somewhat different from what I
expected. In the middle of the day the ther
mometer did not run near as hlcli as It does
lipre and the nlr.hU and mornings wore ul-
unyM cool and pleasant.
Orchard Home * Information on application
to Goo. W. Ame , gen , agt. , 1617 Farnam
itrost , Omaha , Keb.
Some Idea of the terrific force with which
a bird panes through the air may bo Rdlned
Jiom the fact that a short tlm ago a common
curlew flew right through a piece of plat *
glai H quarter ot an Inch thick at Turnberr/
lighthouse. AyruUlr .
* - i _ ( , . t