LEAL BARE, Editor ad PnorBisroK
8UBSCEIPTI0N RATES.
One Year, cash in advance
11.25.
Six Months, cash in advance "5 Cents'
Entered altheorthPlatte(Nebrasl:a)po3tntncea8
eecond-cjBfsxnaUer.
TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1897.
There are populists in Lincoln
countv who do not want to see the
country prosper for fear it will ruin
the populist party. This may seem.
a little harsh, nevertheless it is
true.
"When Governoror Holcomb
turned Uncle Johnny Powers out of
the state labor bureau to make
room for Sidney Kent, he Srhowid
his lack of gratitude. Uncle Johnny
was one of the men who made Gov
ernor Holcomb oat of Three-per
'cent Holcomb.
The man who would expect to
gather roasting- ears the next day
alter planting ins corn is no more
unreasonable than those who
pact to see returned prosperity be
fore the tariff bill is passed, says
the Kearney "Hub. Nothing so un
settles business as the pendency
of a tariff measure affecting impor
tations of articles of all classes
The manufacturer is unable to
enter intelligently upon manufac
turing operations and the dealer is
utterably unable to place orders
with the manufacturer until the
the rates of duty upon goods are
determined. Thus there can be no
activity in the manufacturing lines
until the tariff bill becomes a law,
and without activity in these lines
.the prosperity which other indus
tries would feel therefrom of course
cannot be realized.
Here is a little more unpleasant
truth for the populist party, from
the Lincoln Call: "There have
been more state officials absent
from their posts of duty, du
the past three weeks, touring the
country, north, south, east and wes
at the expense of the railroads,
than was ever before known in the
history of the state. There is
to-
day now out a larger line of
railway transportations held
free
by
populist, democratic aud free silver
republican countv and state officials
than was ever before issued by the
various railway companies in the
palmiest da-s of republican admin
istration. There was a greater de
mand for passes from the fusion
element of the last legislature than
from any other in the history of the
st-te. This is the testimony of
railway officials
frequently been
This charge has
made and
up to
date it has never
or contradicted."
been
challenged
The fund for the maintenance and
education of Helen Keller, the blind
and deaf girl, has already reached
$25,000
Miss Maud Parks, of Lock Raven.
Baltimore county. Md., was sitting
near a stove wheh a celluloid comb
in her hair caught fire. Somebody
present got a bucket of water and
emptied it over her.
An effort is being made, and the
Grand Army of the Republic is re
ported to be deeply interested to
have a bronze tablet bearing a copy
or resident Lincoln s address at
Gettysburg pieced in every college,
high school, and grammar school
in the United States.
James Robinson, the famous bare
back rider, who began his career in
1845, is still living in Mexico. Mo.
a.uv- i.ai umui won mm iame was
iiuiuiLu in lot;, jluis was turn
ing a back somersault while riding
backward on a running horse. Ee
did the same trick afterward before
half the sovereigns of Europe and
won especial praise tor his darin"
- . .
irom the Uueen of England.
A record price for a dog was real
ized recently at the Birmingham
dog show, at the customary sale by
auction of dogs which had been
claimed at catalogue price by two
or more persons. R. S. Williamson's
St. Bernard, Lord Hatherton, a
young dog born in February last,
which is said to be the bestSt. Ber
nard ever exhibited, was catalogued
at$l,uoO, but atter a spirited bid
ding, the dog was disposed of for
$2,350 to Joseph Royle of Manches
ter.
For the year 1896 the average
cost of running passenger trains
over the Chicago & Alton road was
about 70 cents per train per mile,
for 1895 it was 74 cents and for 1894
it was a little over 75 cents per
mile. These figures, General Pas
senger Agent Charlton says, are
below the usual actual cost, because
the company did no work upon the
road, or on cars or locomotives, that
could be avoided. Just as little
money as possible was spent to
keep the road, in operation. In
good times, under normal condi
tions, a fair average cost for each
passenger train would be at least
85 cents per train per mile.
A. BIDDING EIVALEY.
AN
NCIQCNT OF AN AUCTION OF OLD
CHINA AND BRIC-A-BRAC.
What Happened When Two Women Each
Determined to Have a S5 Cnp and Sau
cerHard to Tell Which. Pelt Worso
When It Was All Over.
It was the third day of an auction
sale of the china, bric-a-brac and furni
tare of the last representative of an old
New STork family, and the auction room
was crowded to the doors with dealers
in antiques, connoisseurs, speculators
and people who had just dropped in to
fish up a bargain in glass or china if an
opportunity offered. There were a large
number of women present, and they
were principally bargain seekers.
The auctioneer seemed used to such
crowdB and continued to call out the
bids monotonously despite the amusing
situation that arose every time he
reached an article which one of -the
women had marked to buy for herself.
Things had been quiet for a time when
the auctions reached No. 706 on the
catalogue, which was a cup and sau
cer of Sevres china. It was a very pret
ty bit of Sevres, cleverly decorated and
frail enough to suit the most artistio
fancy. It was such a pieco as might be
purchased at nny fine china or glass
store for $5, and it certainly would not
have been reasonable to expect more
than $4 for it at auction sale. The auc
tioneer didn't expect more, and under
ordinary circumstances ho wouldn't
have got so much, hut these were not
ordinary circumstances. It happened
that two bargain seeking women had
marked that cup and saucer for them
selves. They were only separated by a
dozen seas and an aisle through the
maze or camp stools, and, ot course,
neither had any notion that she would
have very much competition for such a
trifle. They were well dressed women,
and one was quite young. They sat in
tueir seats witnont a word, while a
cloisonne jardiniere worth 100 was
knocked down to a dealer for $20, and
they never ventured a bid on bits of
Worcester, Diesden, Coalport and other
kinds of china, which were sold for ri
diculously low prices. But when the auc
tioneer wearily remarked in his profes
sional tone: "What .'ml offered for this
cnp and saucer.-1 uuarautee goes with
every piece. Gimmo a hid, please," he
was amazed at two shrill yoices which
called out simultaneously:
"One dollar."
The two women peered across at one
another.
Then the younger said in emphatic
tone:
"A dollar aud a half."
Tho auctioneer took in the situation.
What moro could an auctioneer want?
Two women pitted against each other.
Sleepy a moment before, he was all life
now.
"A half more!" he exclaimed scorn
fully. "Eealiy this is ridiculous. I can
not take less than dollar bids."
"Two dollars, " said the older worn
an.
"Three," said tho other woman.
The women sized each ether up again
whilo tho auctioneer exhorted.
Til fix her now," said the older
woman to a friend. ' 'Five dollars. "
Six," said the younger one.
Why, the spiteful thingl I don't
believo she wants that cup at all. Well,
she justsha'n't have it. Seven dollars."
This tinio tho younger woman hesi
tated. Every eye was on her, for the
whole crowd was interested. She pressed
her lips together, and, assuming an in
different expression, made the bid 8,
while the auctioneer nearly fell off his
chair. Every head m the room turned
with the bid to tho older woman.
"Don't you bid another cent, " said
her friend.
"I'll just make this ono bid. She
doesn't want that cnn. It's just spite.
butl'll dohcrupnow. Ten dollars, " she
exclaimed, and with a triumphant Emile
she glanced across the rcom.
That smilo was too much for the other
woman, it made her more determined.
"Ob, she needn't think I'm afraid of
a couple of dollars," sho remarked in a
husky whisper to tho pale faced man
who had come with her to tho auction
and had been trying to get low enough
in his scat to be ont of sight of the eyes
focused on his companion at every oth
er bid.
"Let her have it," said the man. "It
iEu't worth the money."
"Let her have it? Well, I guess not
Do you think I'll let her beat me like
that? Eleven dollars, " in a shaky voice,
but with a sweet smile.
.Fine piece. Very fine Sevres. "Worth
big money," chanted the auctioneer.
"Well, I never!" exclaimed the older
woman. "Ur all the impudence I ever
heard of! Oh, I'll fix her now!"
Let her have it," urged her friend.
Cora Stone, do you mean to tell me
you mean that? Would you have me
give in to that doll faced child? I'll
show you how I'll give up to her. Fif
teen dollars."
This was a staggerer. The young
woman looked troubled. She raised tho
bid a half, and the auctioneer took it,
because ha saw the end was near. A
point had been reached when bids were
cheered, and the side remarks caused
roars of laughter. The price reached ft 7,
and tho bid was the older woman's.
Tho pale man urered his comnauinn nnt
to bid, but those cheers rang iu her
ears, and every eye was upon her.
"And a half," she said.
"Then take it, yon spiteful thing,"
suddenly yelled tho older woman, right
at her competitor. Then she rose to her
feet. "Come, Cora! I shan't stay in
such a place another moment." Audshe
flounced out, followed by Cora.
Tho younger woman looked badly
rattled. She handed out Si 7.50 to the
clerk and took the cup and saucer.
Then she went out, looking very much
embarrassed over the affair and wonder
ing, probably, what had ever made her
pay such a price for such a thing. New
York Sun.
Bishop Perry at A orlt Again.
Cedak Rapids, la.. April 12. Bishop
William Perry of Iowa, who has recov
ered from his recent protracted illness,
and who returned to his home in Dav-
enport a few days ago, is now actively
at work. He confirmed a large class at
Muscatine.
Municipal League to Meek
Philadelphia. April 12. Clinton
Rogers Woodruff, secretary of tho Na
tional Municipal league, has prepared
tho nmcrrom nf the conference to bo
held in Louisville, on May 5, 6 and 7.
A SEA ABOVE THE CLOUDS.
Extraordinary Superstition Onco Preva
lent In England.
The curious superstition that there is
an ocean above the clouds is illustrated
by the following strange story by an
old English writer: "One Sunday the
people of a certain village were coming
ont of church on a thick, cloudy day,
when they saw the anchor of a ship
hooked to one of the tombstones the
cable, which was tightly stretched,
hanging down from the air. The people
were astonished, and while they were
consulting about it suddenly they saw
the rope move as though somo one la
bored to pull up the anchor. The an
chor, however, still held fast by tho
stone, and a great noise was heard in
the air, like the shouting of sailors.
Presently a sailor was seen sliding down
the cable for the purpose of unfixing
the anchor. When he had just loosened
it, the villagers seized Jiold of him, and
while in their hands ha quickly died,
just as though he had been drowned.
"About an hour after the sailors
above, hearing no more of their com
rade, cut the cable and sailed away. In
memory of this extraordinary event the
people of tho village made the hinges
of the church doors out of tho iron of
tho anchor." It is further stated that
these hinges "are still to bo seen there, "
a bit of evidence much like Munchau
sen's rope wherewith he once climbed
to tho mocn. If ycu doubted the story,
you were confronted with the rope. I
There is another queer tale about
this aerial ocean. "A merchant of Bris- !
tol," it is said, "set sail with his cargo
for Ireland. Some time after, whilo his
family were at supper, a knife sudden
ly fell in through a window on the ta
ble. When the merchant returned cud
saw the knife, ho declared it to be his
own and said that on such a dav, at
such an hour, while sailing in an un
known part of the sea, he dropped the
knife overboard, and the day and tho
hour were found to he exactly tho time
when it fell through the window." All
of which was once implicitly believed
by many end regarded as incontroverti
ble proof of tho existence of a sea above
the sky. Ono is at a less to conjecture i
how that "unknown part of tho sea"
connected with the rest of it. A phys
ical geography showing this would bo
no small cariosity. Boston Post.
SILKWORMS OF LEBANON.
How They Are Cultivated In tho moun
tains of Tripoli.
Harry Fcuu, the artist, has written a
paper, entitled "Silk and Cedars," for
St. Nicholas, describing his visit to
the famous mountains of Lebanon.
Concerning tho silk industry, which
plays such an important part iu tho
lives of the natives, Mr. Fenn says: As
the time approaches for the silkworm
to hatch out the egg tho family move
out of the house and camp under the
trees, giving up the entire establishment
to the worms, after having placed the
eggs on shelves made of a rcedhke
bamboo. At first tho young worms are
fed on finely chopped leaves, but as
they grow larger the leaves need only
be broken m two. The people have to
feed and watch the worms nisht and
day, or they wander in search of fGod
and get lost, and iu the silence of tho
night tho sound of the worms feeding
is like a gently falling rain.
The worms fast three or four times
during this period, and about 24 hears
is the length of each fast. A curious
feature about their fast is their posture.
They assume tbe attitude of a cobra
snake about to strike and remain rigid
ly fixed in that position for the c-ntiro
period. When they arc ready to spin,
small branches are placed cu the
shelves, and as the cocoons are formed
upon them the dead twigs seem to bear
golden fruit. When the worms get
through that part of the business, tho
neighbors are called in scinethina as
to an old fashioned New England ap
ple paring bee. They call it "qtaf " in
Arabic that is "pic-king," and scon
you see piles of pale green, pure white
and golden yellow ccccons heaped upon
the floor. Later they may be spun into
hanks, but usually the coccous are sent
down the mountains to Tripoli or Da
mascus, and after their 30 or 40 days
of toil they, too, often have to sell the
produce for next to nothing, as the Chi
nese are always ready to undersell them
Another curious use Mr. Silkworm is
put to is to soak him in vinegar for
some hours, after which ho is drawn out
into so called "catgut" to make suells
or leaders for fishhooks.
Serving X'arrots.
A way of serving carrots is tho fol
lowing, evolved by a cook desirous, as
all cooks should be, of "something
new. xho vegetable is scraped, diced
and boiled till tender. Meanwhile a
slice of onion is browned in a table-
spoonful of butter. With this one table
spoonful of flenr is rubbed smooth and
stirred until the ficnr is cooked. Then
one cup of tomato juice, not heated, is
added to the mixture with a half tea
spoonful of salt and a dash cf pepper.
The whole is stewed together three or
four minutes before being strained over
the carrots, which havo been drained.
This dish is much mere palatable than
tho creamed carrots because it adds a
needed flavor and is ncne the harder to
prepare than the better known prepara
tion. New York Post
What Is Keally Needed.
"Somebody has invented another talk
ing machine."
"That's a stupid thing to do. Won't
these scientists ever learn that what the
world needs is listening machines?"
Chicago Record.
To the poet, to tho philosopher, to
tho saint, all things are friendly and
sacred, all events profitable, all days
holy, all men divine. Emerson.
, A llible Siea.
A friend cf the Listener saw a funny
sight down in Maine. At a place there,
which needn't be named, there lives a
small boy named Jonathan LongfellGW,
who is a third or fourth cousin cf the
poet, and he is a great bey tco. One day
this friend cf tho Listener was driving
past young Jonathan's house and saw
the boy engaged at a little distance in
sliding down hill cu the slippery crust
on something that was net a sled. What
could it be? Evidently the serctiny of
tho passerby was observed by the bey,
for he stopped his coasting and called
cut amiably, "I'm sliding down hill Ti
the Bible." And it was the fect tco. He
had r-Ct the sn:cctb, IcatLcr Lcr.::d fam
ily Bible, containing the gencratfens ci
all the Lcnf,fcilcws, and was ccastin
cn it with magnificent rccccss. Bcstci
HE FORESAW THE FUTURE.
James G. Blaine's Prophetic Words Abont
His Political Career.
I first made tho acquaintance of' Mr.
Blaine during the congress session of
1865-6. He was then beginning his sec
ond term in tho house. At that time I
owned and edited a country newspaper
in General Garfield's district. One day
in tbe fall cf 1865 Garfield wrote me to
come up to his hilltop homo in the little
college town of Hiram. He told mo that
he thought itwould be a good thing for
a young newspaper man to study nation
al politics in "Washington and get ac
quainted with national men, and that
he would undertake to get me a clerk
ship in tho house of representatives. In
due time he spoke to his old friend,
General Robert C. Schcnck, who was
chairman of the committee on military
affairs, and tho result was I was given
tho clerkship of that committee.
Colfax was speaker of tho house, and"
for somejreascu or other ho seemed to
have little liking for tho ambitious
young member from the Augusta dis
trict of Maine, for ho appointed Blaine
to a position near the fcot of that com
mittee. Now, Blaine had not served in
the army and had no knowledge cf mil
itary legislation aud 110 taste for that
kind of work. He used to be a country
editor himself, and ho appeared to take
a fancy to the young clerk from Ohio.
He would often drop into the committee
room, and, standing before the weed
fire, would talk freely to me about his
newspaper and political career and his
plans and hopes for the future.
I remember that he said ono day: "I
do not like this military committee
business and ought not to be here. Next
congress I am going to bo on tho com
mittee on appropriations cr ways and
means. Financial questions will scon bo
tho dominant cues in congress. Two
years later I expect to bo chairman of
my committee. Then I think I shall bo
speaker cf the house and after awhile I
hopo to go to tho senate."
Everything came about exactly as he
planned. Ho had wonderful prescienco
concerning his own future, as well as in
relation to political events. When ho
was a candidtc for the presidential nom
ination in 1SS0, he said to me: "My ca
reer has thus far closely paralleled that
of Henry Clay. - Ho was speaker of the
house and then senator. His party re
fused to ncniinato him as long as it had
any chance cr electing a president.
When it had 20 longer any chance, it
gave him the nomination he had so long
sought. I believe that is going to be my
fate." Chicago Times-Herald.
ANCIENT CORPORATIONS.
Trade Monopolies That Were Almost Sav
age la Their Operation.
Apprentices became no better than
serfs and slaves. They wero not merely
pitilessly fined and brutally punished,
they were often left iu ignorance of tho
craft that they had purchased the right
to learn, in that frightful social and
moral revulsion following the long and
devastating wars of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries the corporations
I became mere determined than ever to
maintain their industrial aristocracy
and monopoly. Thc-y refused to admit
any trace less ancient and honcrablo
than their gwii to tho rights and privi
leges cf tbe law; they scilcd themselves
by contact with no person of illegiti
mate birth; and in their savage and re
lentless pursuit cf pcrccns engaged in
unauthorized tiaGc they invaded tho
hemes of ccrJraband workmen, confis
cating Icth their tccls and the hidden
products cf their toil, leaving them am:
their families destitute and starving.
To such absurd lengths was the crea
tion of ccrpcraticns carried for the pro
ductiGn of new taxes and new places for
court faventes that occupations like tho
teaching cf dancing, the selling of flow
ers and the cateLing cf birds were or
ganized, and homogeneous occupations
liko the hat makers' and carpenters'
were divided and subdivided beyond the
comprehension of the mcdern mind.
But despite the ingenuity of lawyers
and the vigilance cf armies of inspect
ors the hues cf demarcation could not
be drawn so sharply as to avoid ecu
flicts of interests. The makers cf felt
hats quarreled with the maLcrs of cot
ton hats. The spinners who had pur
chased the right to use hemp quarreled
with those that had purchased the right
to use flax. The shoemakers fougl
with the cobblers that renrcduced more
than two-thirds cf an old shce. The cut
Icrs I hat nado the handles of knives
fought with these that made the blades,
j.ne reiauons cr me makers 01 wooden
porringers and the makers cf weeden
speens wero equally belligerent.
Franklin Smith in Popular Science
Monthly.
The Struggling Young Author.
"I have always read, and always
with interest," said the struggling
young author, "what literary men had
to say cencerning their habits of wcrk.
In many cases productiveness appears
to depend upon mocd sometimes a
man can write and scmctimcs he can't.
A man feeling in condition can do any
sort of work, no doubt, better than
when ho is cut of ccuditiou, but a man
may bo mistaken iu himself. I fiud
that it is a good thing to make a begin
ning. "Often the mere effort cf making a
beginning is enough to dispel clouds
that had seemed to be hcavj-, but which
ore shown to be mere films, and one
touch of concentration is enough to
bring hack fancies that you had thought
were wandering far from home, but
were really loafinn about right near.
ailing only to be called." New York
Sun.
A Coincidence.
"The man who brought this in," re
marked the editor's assistant as he un
rolled half a yard of manuscript, "told
me confidentially that he needed the
money for it"
"Yes," was the melancholy answer,
it's a strange fact that the longest
poems seem almost invariably to bo
written by the shortest poets." Wash
ington Star.
Marvelous Besults.
From a letter written bv Hov. J. Gun-
derman, nf Dimondal1, Mich., we are per
mitted to make this extract: "I have
no hesitation in recommending Dr.King's
New Discovery, as tho results wero al
most marvelous in the case of ray wife
While I was nastor of the Bantist Church
at Hives Junction she was brought down
with Pneumonia succeeding La Grinne.
Terrible paroxysms of coughing would
last hours with little interruption and it
seemed as if she could not survive them.
A friend recommended Dr. King's New
Discovery; it was quick in its work nd
highly satisfactory in results." Trial
bottles free at A.F. Strettz'a Drugstore.
Regular size 50 cents and 1.00. 1 .
LANGUAGE' OF CEIME.
THE ARGOT OF PARIS AND THE "PAT
TER" OF LONDON.
Thieves Hare Special
Stealing of Every
WcrcLj to Express
Kind Material
Changes Take
Three Years.
Place
Every Two or
The language of criminals the argot
of Paris, tho "patter" of London has
been carefully investigated by numer
ous writers, with yery variant resnlts.
Its origin is difficult to explain.
Criminals, say many authors, havo
found it necessary to adopt a technical
language for their own protection, that
they may be ablo to converse in public
without being understood. "They have
ceen lorced to do this and have mado
language as sinister and as vile as them
selves." This theory cannot bo admit
ted. Certainly tho argot is sinister and
vile and thoroughly representative of
tho class that uses it, but further than
this we cannot go.
Tho theory that tho use of this dialect
is of any assistance to the criminal is
inadmissible. Most policemen and all
prison officers know this slang, some
times better than tho thieves. To speak
it m tho hearing of a detective is to in
yi te arrest; to speak it in the presence
ot the general public would arouse sus
picion and attract attention two things
tuc eayeumuy 10 CO avoided
Why, then, does it exist? Dr. Laurent
of tho Santo prison in Paris has given
an explanation which has at least noth
ing to contradict.it: Tho nersons en
gaged in every trqde form a species of
dialect or technical phraseology which
is spoken and understood only by them
selves. Criminals, who practice a trade
as old as any, have gradually acquired
a language more adapted to their wants,
more in keeping with their ideas and
thoughts. Miserable, heartless, engaged
in a perpetual struggle against moral
ity, law and decency, they havo ac
quired a language of debased words and
cynical metaphors, a language cf abbre
viated expressions and obscene syno
nyms. This dialect, has mutilated the mother
tongue. It has also borrowed liberally
from other languages, but without meth
od or etymology. Criminals are not
grammarians. Neither are they lin
guists, aud at first sight it would seem
strange that they should import words
from other countries. We will find,
however, that in any prison tho percent
age of inmates of foreign birth will be
large. In America it is about 15 per
cent. A foreign expression which seems
apt or an improvement on the ono in
present u.so is rapidly diffused through
tho prison. In cases where it is especial
ly descriptive it may become permanent,
but its life 13 usually short. The argot
of tho ciimo class changes materially
every two or threo years. It is ephem
eral, as shifting as its users. Victor
Hugo exaggerates only slightly when ho
says, "Tho argot changes more in ten
years than the language does in ten cen
turies." rIhus in tho last threo years
there have been threo different terms
for watch "surer." "thimble" and
"yellow and white" each of which
was in its turn the only cue used.
Every writer on the subject has no
ticed that the argot is rich iu expres
sions to dencte certain common actions.
This is a pecliariiy shared by all primi
tive languages, tho only difference being
in tho selection of the common acts.
Thus in Sanskrit there are nearly 100
roots which express tho idea of killiiiu
or wounding, without counting second
ary derivations. Some of these roots are
embodied in our languago today. In tho
dialect of the thieves there are nearly
100 expressions to signify theft. It was
necessary fo: the pickpocket to describe
the various pccEets in a man's clothing
and in a woman's dress. Tho average
man does not often need to specify a
particular pocket. When he does, ho
lays his hand on it to assist the poverty
or his language. The thief has a sepa
rate name for each separate pocket.
But in spite of this richness in syn
onyms, which is in itself a marked sign
of degeneracy, for tho tendency of a
language is to criminate its synonyms,
giving to each a different shade of
meaning, the arj.ot is a pcor language,
it has rot a smglo expression for ab
stract emotion. To attempt to render a
philosophic thought, a moral emotion, a
synthetic cr aesthetic idea into the dia
lect of the thief would be like attempt
ing to translate "electricity" or "steam
engine" into Latin. It is impossible be
cause the words do not exist. They are
not needed. The criminal has no more
conception of abstract emotion than a
blind man has cf color.
A fact which does net seem to ally
the argot to a primitive language is its
ability to form additional words from
its own resources, a power of self de
velopment which we find in the old
Anglo-Saxon, and especially in tho Ger
man cf tcday. This trait is the more
striking as it seems in direct contradic
tion to tho impotence of the English
language iu this respect The English
has little formative power. It relies on
the Greek and Latin languages for tho
extension of its vccabnlarv. A. T. B.
Crofton in Popular Science Monthly.
Rivals For Fame.
"I'm going to introduce a bill." de
clared the first ilcgislator, "prohibiting
any and all persons ficm going up in a
balloon."
"There's where you show vour lack
of statesmanship," sneered the second
legislator. "My bill will make it an
offense punishable by fiue and impris
onment to fall out of a balloon."- -Detroit
Free Press.
A famous Scctch dean used to toll a
ghost story, the clew to which is in the
question, "Wee!, maistcr ghaist, is this
3 general rising or are ye inst taking a
launder frae yer grave bwi-rsplf?"
Argonaut.
Nature is an arrant democrat and be
stows her gifts impartially. Mrs. C
a. uore.
A IJeinurkable Portrait.
Tho
pope has received, through the
Countess Maria Festctics, maid of hon
or to the empress of Austria, a some
what remarkable portrait nf tho Em
peror Francis Joseph. It is wrought in
silk and cotton, and its production in
volved an enormous amount of labor
and expense, tho effect of light and
shade being produced by only two colors.
The factory from which it comes is the
famous one of Werustadt, in Bohemia.
The portrait, which Leo XIII is having
placed in his library, received a gold
medal at tho Chicago World's fair.
PARLIAMENT AND THE TURF;
A Case In Which a Government Was Al
most Overthrown by Ascot.
Five or six years ago an astute Rad
ical, Mr. Samuel Storey, with charac
teristic wariness, very nearly caught
the government of tho day tripping. He
had been "left speaking" on a Tuesday
night in June and announced his in
tention to continue his remarks on a
rather exhaustive scale upon the follow
ing Thursday, when tho debate was to
be resumed. This was just what a num
ber of Unionist gentlemen wanted, for
it happened that a little "event" known
as the Gold Cnp was to be decided that
afternoon at Ascot, and, much as it
grieved them to miss the eloquence of
Mr. Storey, they were bound to choose
between the two attractions. So possi
bly with grieved hearts, and also possi
bly not they hied them to tho royal
heath in cemfert and contentment.
On returning they "looked in" to tho
house of commons to seo everything
was all right and found that everything
had been all wrong. For the sagacious
Sunderland Radical, haying glanced
around him and beheld the poverty of
tho land, thought that his own words
might ho silvern, but a division wonld
bo golden. Accordingly ho stated his
intention not to indulge in further crit
icism, and beforo tho few Unionists
could recover from their amazement or
put up a man to talk against timo until
tho Ascot visitors returned a division
was called.
A few of tho "early birds," having
missed tho last race in order to reach
Westminster as speedily as possible,
drove into Palace yard as tho leather
lunged policemen wero shouting ' ' 'Vi
sion 1" Tho dread word, borno on the
summer firceze, told its own talc. Into
tho lobby they rushed liko madmen,
just in time to save tho government
from an awkward defeat. Mr. Storey,
though not a sporting man, smiled
sweetly. Ho had been done by "only a
short head." And ho would havo actu
ally won if a dozen horse racing lovers
of his own side of politics had not also
abjured Westminster for tho pleasant
plain of Berkshire. Thus was Mr. Stor
ey prevented from bringing off a glori
ous triumph.
The moral of the talo is the fallibil
ity of human nature oven Radical hu
man nature. "The Cup" begat Mr.
Storey's fearful hope of "a coup," and
ho very nearly succeeded in bringing it
off. Since that time the party "whips"
have marked tho Ascot Thursday with
a black mark and taken heed unto their
forces.
By way of revenge it was tho Ascot
Friday which nobody troubled to
think about that rnined the Rosebery
government m 1895. Men went away
to see the racing, and on returning to
town found, when dining at the club,
that an ardent hand of astute diplomat
ists had skillfully toppled over Sir Hen
ry Campbell-Bannerman, tho war min
ister, on the comparatively insignificant
question of cordite. It is a hard thing,
after a "black" week in backing horses,
for a poor legislator to find himself face
to faco with the terrors of a general
election. London Telegraph.
PAPER MONEY.
The Kinds of Currency That Are Used by
Foreign Countries.
Tho Bank of England noto is 5 inches
by 8 in dimensions and is printed in
black ink on Irish linen water lined pa
per, plain white, with ragged edges.
The notes of tho Banquo de France are
mado of white water lined paper, print
ed in bine and black, with numerous
mythological and allegorical pictures,
and running in denomination from tho
25 franc note to the 1,000 franc. South
American currency, in most countries,
is about tho size and appearance of
American unis, except that cinnamon
brown and slato blue are the prevailing
colors and that Spanish and Portuguese
are the prevailing languages engraved
on tho face.
The German currency is rather ar
tistic. Tho bills are printed in green
and black. They run iu denominations
fiom 5 to 1,000 marks. These latter
bills are printed on silk fiber paper.
The Chinese paper currency is iu red,
white and yellow, with gilt lettering
and gorgeous little hand drawn devices.
The bills, to the ordinary financier,
might pass for washing bills, but they
are worth good money in the Flowery
Kingdom. Italian notes arc of all sizes,
shapes and colors. The smaller bills, 5
and 10 liro notes, are printed on white
paper in pink, blue and carmine inks
and ornamented with a finely engraved
vignette of King-Humbert.
The 100 ruble note of Russia is barred
from top to bottom with all tho colors
of the rainbow, blended as when shown
through a prism. In the center, in bold
relief, stands a large, finely executed
vignette of the Empress Catheriue I.
This is in black. The other engraving is
not at all intricate or elaborate, but is
well done in dark and light brown and
black inks. Tbe Australian bill is print
ed on light colored thick paper which
shows nono of tho silk fiber marks or
geometric lines used in American cur
rency as a protection against counter
feiting. Golden Days.
Bubinsteln'g Disillusions.
The posthumous "Souvenirs" of Ru
binstein in tho Vcm Fels zum Mcer
contain some of tho disillusions or a
great musician. Rubinstein alludes to
B concert organized by Pasdeloup, which
he conducted in Paris, tho programme
consisting mainly of his own composi
tions. It was held at tho Cirque, and
somo 4,000 people wero present.
Throughout Rubinstein was possessed
with tbe conviction that tho attention
of the entire world was directed exclu
sively upcu him. On reaching his hotel
Rubinstein was met by an old friend,
who expressed the greatest surprise at
seeing him. "Wnat!" exclaimed tho
riend, "you in Pans! When did you
arrive? One never hears a word about
von nowadays. Aro you thinking of
giving any concerts iu Paris?" Rubin
stein was so much taken aback that he
was speechless.
MECCA CATARRH REMEDY.
For colds in the head and treatment
of catarrhal troubles this preparation
has afforded prompt relief; with its con
tinued use tbe most stubborn cases of
catarrh have yielded to its healiDg
power. It is mado from concenstrated
Mecca Compound and possesses all of its
soothing and healing properties and by
absorbtion reaches ali tho inflamed
parts effected by that disease. Price 50
cts. Prepared by Tho Forler Mfg. Co.
Council Bluffs, Iowa. For sale by A. F.
Streitz.
.
f
MELTED SNOW POWER.
Swiss Towns
That Utilize tho Mountain
Streams.
Besides a considerable number of
large water power installations Switzer
land is full of small power plants, nearly
ornrr frvcrn i7i that land of mountains
and waterfalls being well supplied with
power from tho "white coal," as tho
melting snow on tho mountain sides has
well been called. When there aro no
large streams, many small ones aro im
pounded and collected in reservoirs on
the hillsides, and it is raro to find a
place of any size which is not well
lighted by the power of some mountain
stream.
At Montreux tho electric tramway
gets its power in this way, and from tho
old Roman town of Vevey to the me
diaeval castle of Chillonone may ride in
a trolley car propelled by the power of
an insignificant little stream which may.
or may not bo noticed when ciimoing
up tho hillsides just abova
Tho capabilities of this general util
ization of natural power are beginning
to be understood everywhere, and, with
tho appreciation cf tho possibilities of
tho best methods cf long distance trans
mission, the development of many moun
tain streams must surely come. There
are innumerable streams, which, whilo
very small, are yet very high, and theso
can with comparatively little difficulty
be impounded and carried down many
hundreds cf fect, thus making up for
their lack of volume by the great pres
sure readily obtainable, and, either by
tho use cf electricity cr compressed air,
the power may be transmitted to many
points cf application with but littlo
loss. Cassicr's Magazine.
QUEER WEDDING BANQUET.
Where tho Unhidden Guests Scrambled
For Hits From the Table.
I was married iu India, writes Fhil
Robinson, the author and traveler. I en
gaged for our honeymoon a littlo houso
1G miles cr so from any other habita
tion of white man
steep white cliff of
that steed on tho
the Nebudda river, .
which here Cows through a canyon of
pure white marble. Close beside onr
house was a little hnt, where a holy
man lived in charge of an adjoining
sbriue, earning money for himself aud
for the shrine by polishing littlo pieces
of marble as mementos for visitors. It
was a wonderful place altogether, and
whilo my wife went in to change her
dress the servants laid breakfast on tho
veranda overlooking the river. At tho
first clatter of the plates there began fo
como down from the big tree that over
shadowed the house, and up the trees
that grew in theravino behind it, from
the house roof itself from everywhere
a multitude of solemn monkeys. They
came up singly and in couples and in
families and took their places without
noise or fuss on the veranda and sat
there, like an audience waiting for an
entertainment to commence. And whon
everything was ready, the breakfast all
laid, the monkey3 all seated, I went in
to call my wife.
"Breakfast is ready, and they are all
waiting," I said.
"Who ara waiting?" she asked in dis
may. "I thought we were going to be
alone, and I was just coming out in my
dressing gown."
"Never mind, " I said. "The people
about here aro net very fashionably
dressed themselves. They wear pretty
much the samo things all tho year
round."
And so my wife came out. Imagine,
then, her astonishment. In the middle
of the veranda stood her breakfast table,
and all the rest of the space, as well as
the railings and the steps, was covered
with monkeys, as grave as possible and
as motionless and silent as if they wore
stuffed. OuJy their eyes kept blinking
and their little round ears kept twitch
ing. Laughing heartily at which the
monkeys only looked all the graver
my wife sat down.
"Will they eat anything?" asked she.
"Try them," I said.
So she picked up a biscuit and threw
it among the company. And the result 1
About 3D0 monkeys jumped up iu the
air like one, and just for ono instant
there was a riot that defies description.
The next instant every monkey was sit
ting in its place as solemn and serious
as if it had never moved. Only their
eyes winked and their cars twitched.
My wife threw them another biscuit,
and again the riot, and then auother
and another and another. But at length
we had given all that we had to give
and got up to go. The monkeys at onco
rose, every monkey on tho veranda, and
advancing gravely to the steps walked
down them in a solemn procession, old
and young together, and dispersed foi
the day's occupations. St. Louis Globe
Demccrat. You have to go to the bottom of
things in this world if you wish to
accomplish much. It does not pav to
merely skim over the surface, "fbis
is true of disease as well as of every
thinjr else. It is the popular belief
that headache and sleeplessness arc
dae to some trouble confined to the
brain. Nothing could be further from
the truth. These troubles are merely
signals that the digestive organs are
disordered and the blcod impure. It
does no permanent good to treat them
with sedatives. In order to produce
a cure, a medicine must be used that
goes to the bottom of things, that
corrects the "first cause" of the
trouble. Dr. Tierce's Golden Med
ical Discovery does exactly this. It
is ine greatest ot all knoivn blood
makers and purifiers. It is the
best flesh -builder. It fills
the arteries with rich, red
tissue -building blood, in
vigorates tnc nerves, stim
ulates digestion, brings
back the healthy ap-
peure, end restores
Nature's soft nnrsp '
sleep. Thousands
have testified to it
value.
B.F.Holmes.I.0.
.Box 173, GafTncy,
Spartcnburjj Co..
S. C, writes: "I
was a sufferer for
sixvears frrn, inri;.
geshon, sore stomach, and constant headache I
tried several of our best physicians and found' no
permanent relief. I commenced the use cf Dr
Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery and 'Pleasant
Pellets' which gave me prompt relief. When I
commenced using the medicines I could not sleeo
had a restless, uneasy feelincr all the time, mfri
my skin was yellow and dry. I weighed only 148
pounds. I now weigh 170 pounds. Haveacood
color, rest well at night, have a good nppaite
nnd mh m Spinet t..-t.:.. t -t ,C T .
.-- .uijuiiu); x v.mii. for tffO
years while under treatment by a physician I at
nothing hut graham bread."