Plattsmouth weekly herald. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1882-1892, October 08, 1891, Image 10

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A Jealoue Hum.
In a fashionable boarding stable in
New York is a horse called Tatters. Tat
ters belongs to a lady who makes a great
pet or him, and uever visits the stable
without taking him some apples, carrots,
or siiar, of which lie is extremely foud
In a neighboring stall is the horse of her
friend, an animal rejoicing in the name
of Phil. Tatters and Phil are on good
terms, but the former sometimes throws
his ears back and manifests jealousy
when his Distress, after giving him an
spple or a garrot, gives one to Phil. One
day she went into the stable while Tat
ters was in the hand of the groom. He
began begging for an apple, and she de
terred the gift until the groom had fin--hed
his work aud the horse had return
ed to his stall Meantime she gave an
apple to I'uiL
When Tatters had gone to his stall
he offered him an apple, but he refused
to take it, and turned his head from her
In disgust. For half an hour she coaxed
him, but to no purpose. Then the groom
tried to induce him to take it, and then
another groom made the same effort, but
all in vain. Take the apple he would
not, nor would he recognize his mistress
in any way.
His ears drooped and he had the ap
pearance of a child in the sulks, jut as
much as a horse can possibly have it
His heart was broken, not so much be
cause an apple had been given to an
other horse, but because it had been
given before himself had received one.
But by the next day he seemed to have
forgotten his grievance, and you may be
sure that bis owner has beeu careful not
to offend him since in the same way.
Brooklyn Standard-Union.
A Roumanian Cnetom.
A pretty custom, similar to that ob
served in England, Scotland and the
United States on St. Valentine's Day, the
11th of February, is in vogue in Rou
mania on the 1st of March. This is the
duy indicated in the state and church
calendar as the official date for the be
ginning of Kpring. ,
The masculine portion of the popula
tion is not favored with valentines as in
this country, but the daughter, friend,
sweetheart or bride may be quite sure of
receiving ber token of affectionate re
membrance on that day. These little
gifts are called martwoires, and are made
of bronze, silver or some cheaper ma
terial in the shiipe of hearts, stars and
medallions. These little amulets bear
the data March 1. accompanied by that
of the year, and any motto or Inscrip
tion which may occnr to the giver as
appropriate.
The recipient of the martisoire wears
it, held by a small chain, on her arm or
hung around her neck until in her walks
abroad she Bees a row in bloom or hears
the song of the nightingale. Then she
takes it off and hangs it on the next
green bush to which she comes as an of
fering to Mother Nature, for whom all
Roumanians have a great love.
Whether these little medals are al
lowed to hang ou the bushes and swing
in the breezes all summer, or whether
after a certain time they are stealthily
gathered by a martisoire collector, to be
melted for another season's use, is not
stated by the German paper which tells
of this pretty, if rather sentimental, cus
tom. A Two Hnnrired Dollar Speech.
A certain weU known German phy
sician of the south side was the victim of
his own "previousness" the other day.
He had successfully treated a wealthy
lady's daughter for diphtheria, and the
lady was extremely grateful for it When
the child was thoroughly well mother
ami daughter appeared at the physician's
office. The little girl shyly handed the
physician a neat little kuit purse, while
the lady went on to say: "For having
saved my child, doctor, 1 want to pre
sent you with this purse."
"But," said the physician, after an em
barrassing pause, "I have sent you a bill
for U00."
The lady flushed, then said quietly:
"Let me have the purse, please."
She took two flOO bills out of it and
returned it to him with the remark:
"There are $300 in there now, so your
bill is paid," and left the room.
Now the doctor is cursing his clnmsy
tongue for the bad break it made. That
little speech cost hiui $200. St IiOuis
Republic,
Father and Aon.
A fine young fellow was disinherited
by his father, a- well to do grazier and
cattle dealer, for marrying a domestic
servant in the village. The father not
only cut him out of his will, but turned
him out of the house and dismissed hira
from his employment. The young man
took service in the county police, and
was shortly appointed to his own vil
lage. But in a year or two he inherited
a snug fortune from a brother of his
father's, wt:h whom the latter had a
deadly feud, and the old grazier was so
put out at his son's good fortune that he
cut his throat Almost the last work
the son had to do Wore leaving the
police force to enjoy his legacy was to
attend the inquest of his father officially.-London
Tit-Bits.
A Rrpnlalv Custom.
The Russinn of the old school still
preserve theaueient Slavonian custom
which makes it binding upon every
guest at a dinner party, on rising from
table, to go and kiss the hand of his
hostess, she kissing his forehead in re
turn; and I have myself seen the soft
white hand of one of the most beautiful
women in St Petersburg literally cov
ered with streaks of soup from half a
dozen pairs of greasy mustaches in suc
cession. David Ker in New York
Epoch.
This Pulley Weight Seventy Too.
A Willimantic linen mill has a pulley
that is said to be the second largest one
iu the world. Its weight is seventy
tons, and its diameter twenty-eight feet
Three belts pass about the pulley, one
of which is 49) inches wide, and the two
others are twenty-four inches. The
wheel makes sixty revolutions a minute.
The shaft on which the pulley is hung
weighs twenty-seven tons. New York
Sun.
BEAR BRAVELY.
Re mill, ead hvrt;
Put oo thy u..k muni the urowded street.
Ami let I'.ij atnlle felicitous and aweet.
With leluut-d calm lbee curluua (are greet
Who curctu fur thy a mart?
He strong, my heart;
l'hcuiKb wiiti'IruiiK ad, thou owett the world a
Kin lie.
To m It happy Hlmiild thy grief benile;
Liivtm. hope aud oy nurruuud thee all the
while
WhorHii thou beareat a part.
Hp brave, my heart;
Kurt) neawin'1 sweiiptng hath Its silent eong.
To liluht alone the mlver man belong,
Aud right grotra ever mightier than the wrong
ta deed and act. a
Uf patient, heart;
Blowing come aweet to those who ne'er were
bloat.
And brief the days, a little a pan at beat.
Till ray loan, deep, irrevocable rest
Eternal peace impart.
-J. K. I'arker in Detroit Free Preaa.
Flab That Shoot File.
There is a curious hah of the Indian
ocean, to which, although it has long
been known to naturalists, attention ias
recently been called on account of some
new observations of its peculiarities. It
is flat and chubby, not nnlike the ordi
nary sunfish, and seldom exceeds seven
or eight inches in length.
It is furnished with a short snout or
muzzle, which, as we shall see, serves
very much the purpose of a sportsman's
gun. It is fond of insect, and its
method of capturing them has suggested
its name of the archer.
Swimming close beneath the surface
it watches the brilliant flioa flitting
above, and, having selected one to its
fancy, suddenly thrusts its muzzle out,
and with almost unerring marksman
ship discharges several drops of water
at it victim.
Confused by the watery projectiles,
and with its wings entangled and ren
dered temporarily useless, the insect falls
npon the surface of the sea, and is im
mediately seized by its voracious enemy.
The fish is said to be able to bring
down a fly in this manner from a height
of two or three feet
Some of the inhabitants of Java keep
these little fish in captivity for the sake
of watching them practice their archery
npon flies and ants suspended above
thorn. Youth's Companion.
Dlalllualona.
During his days of youthful enthusi
asm every man promises himself a career
of perfect happiness of stainless re
spectabilityof matchless honor. We
flatter ourselves that the world will re
form itself for our sake. We anticipate
a faultless partner in our future bride,
and cheat ourselves with the expectation
that the even current of destinies will
flow over sands of gold. Alasl tho first
self deception we are compelled to resign
becomes a bitter trial to our fortitude,
but, one after another, we see these
cherished visions fade away we inure
ourselves to the degree of mediocrity
which is our allotted portion and final
ly learn to be contented with such scraps
as the charity of fortune throws in our
way. New York Ledger.
Bcallopa In an Aquarium.
Nothing is prettier than to watcb
pectens in an aquarium. They have a
fluttering motion and move np and down
in the water. Provided with an aductor
muscle of great power, they can rapidly
open and close their valves and take in
or throw out water. As Mr. Hugh M.
Smith writes, "The sight of a school of
scallops moving iu unison through the
water is a very striking one." Fisher
men know that the scallop moves, for it
often happens that where there were
scallops one day on a bank there are
none to be found the next. Probably
changes of position are made for food or
temperature. New YorWiines.
A Victim of the Common Honae Fly.
It is said that the late Father Damien
attributed the leprosy which brought
about his death to inoculation by flies
which flew from leprous patients to a
wound on his head. It must be remem
bered that though cases donbtless occnr
in which mfectious diseases are con
veyed by flies, these Insects do an im
mense amount of useful service by the
scaveugering which they so assiduously
perform. Brooklyn Eagle.
, A Bemarkable Egyptian Cuatom.
The Egyptians had a very remarkable
ordinance to prevent persons from bor
rowing imprudently. An Egyptian was
not permitted to borrow without giving
to his creditors in pledge the body of his
father. It was deemed both an impiety
and an Infamy not to redeem sd sacred a
pledge. A person who died without dis
charging that duty was deprived of the
customary honors paid to the dead.
Yankee Blade.
' Silk Dye.
A favorite method with silk manufac
turers of imparting a pale straw color to
pieces of silk is to steep them in a very
weak solution of hydrochlorio (muriatic)
acid. This cannot be practiced with
success by the housewife, as the process
is a somewhat delicate one. New York
Recorder.
The big Cinereous owl of the far north
is the biggest of all our owl tribe. In
contrast is the little Pigmy owl of the
west, which is hardly larger than a big
sparrow. So small is it that it is a mar
vel that it ever dares to stick its talons
into a mouse, for fear of being run
away with.
No bath should be taken while the pa
tient is weary from labor or excitement.
Rest is then indicated. But if the tired
feeling is due to chronic or long con
tinned conditions, the bath is not there
by contraindicated.
H. E. Wells, of Iralay City, Mich.,
who enlisted in a Michigan regiment
and was captured during the war, has
not shaved since he left Andersonville
prison. His beard is now 5 feet 9 inches
in length.
J ules Verne has a son, Michel, who is
developing a talent for writing stories
very much in his father's highly imag
inative style.
SIMPLIFIED DRESS.
The Coatnm Adrocated by the Leading
Keforuert of England.
Last December a renewed movement
tor the introduction of a simplified
style of dress
for women was
made in Eng
land. The orig
inator is Mrs.
Ottilie Hancock,
who explained
her views on the
subject, and at
the same time
gave a practical
illustration of
them before an
assembly of lad
ies at her own
house. The new
practical dress is
by no means con
spicuously differ
ent from the us
ual female at
tire. It is es
simplified skirt, pecially adapted
for house wear and walking, and
what will certainly be considered
an advantage it makes the ladies
wearing it look younger. The cos
tume consists of short trousers or
knickerbockers, long gaiters reaching
up to the knee, and a plain, single
skirt cut five inches shorter than the
usual promenade dress. The side
breadths of the skirt are laid in two
single box-plaits, the back breadth in
two double ones. The inside -of the
skirt Is lined to a third of the length
with mackintosh that can be washed;
the bodice is tight fitting and the
6leeves puffed. A small zouave jacket
may be worn for extra warmth. A
half tight-fitting jacket and small felt
hat complete the walking part of the
dress. A number of young ladies ap
peared in this array at a bazaar for the
charitable purposes held in London.
The general utility and advantage of
this reformed dress has already been
widely acknowledged, and medical
papers praise it from a hygienio point
of view.
FASHIONABLE HOSIERY.
How t Dress the Feet According to tha
La teat style.
The prevailing rule in dressing the
feet is that if the dress is dark the
stockings may either match exactly or
may have a dark ground with the orna
mentation in a light color. Light stock
ings are not always worn with light
FASHIONABLE HOfllEBT.
costumes, but the prevailing color in
the toilette should predominate in the
stockings. Handsome plain silk hose
are in all the gray and tan shades,
while with many ladies all-black stock
ings are ever preferred. The hosiery
pictured in this article shows the modes
in which the new shades green, yel
low, and old rose are presented In odd
figures. The average price of these
fancy stockings is two dollars a pair.
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.
Ta Make Chocolate Klanc-Mange.
Blanc-mange may bo made firm by
the use of gelatine, Irish moss, sea
moss farina, cornstarch or arrowroot
The cheapest of these thickenings are
cornstarch and sea-moss farina. The
latter, being the more delicate, may be
nsed In preference to corn starch. Put
one quart of milk in the double boiler
and on the fire. Sprinkle into it one
level tablespoonful of sea-moss farina.
Cook for half an hour, stirring frequent
ly. Scrape one ounce of plain chocolate
and put it into a small pan with four
tablespoonfuls of sugar and one table
spoonful of hot water. Stir this over
the hot fire until smooth and glossy.
Add the dissolved chocolate to the
cooking blano-mange; also add one
third of a teaspoonful of salt Stir
well, and pour into a mold that has
been rinsed in cold water; set in a cold
place for several hours, and serve with
sugar and cream. Ladies' Home Jour
nal Tha Vegetable Turkey."
This recipe is given by a magazine
which advocates an exclusively vege
table diet, and we should think might
prove palatable by whatever name it is
called: Bread, one pound; butter, one
fourth pound; nut meats, one-fourth to
one-half pound, one egg, seasoning and
sage to taste. Either mash the nuts In
a mortar or chop fine, then put bread,
butter and egg into a chopping bowl;
pour on boiling water and chop fine,
season to taste and mix thoroughly.
Butter a pudding pan, cover the butter
with bread crumbs, put in the mixture
and bake an hour, or until well dnn.
Turn out on a platter and yon have
what my mends call "a success."
To I'reaerve Crab Applet,
Sort your apples, and the perfect oues
put by themselves, trim the stems
(leaving about an inch on the apple),
and sorape. out tho blossom end, wash
them, put in a porcelain or other -preserve
kettle, cover with water, cook
until you can run a straw through,
skim out and weigh; to each pound take
a pound of sugar aud a cup of water,
boll and skim, put in the apples and
boil until clear, skim out boil the sunn
a few minutes, then put over the ap
ples. The water the apples were
boiled in measure, and to each pint put
a pound of white sugar, boll an hour,
and it makes a beautiful jelly.
VORIC-BASKETS AND BAOS .
rilled w4th AH Sort) of ft Mvaao al
Memurtwe a WeU.
There is a certain charm about a
work-basket; some of them seem almost
human, associated as they are with
every member of the household. And
yet, I recently visited a lady who pos
sessed no hign of this necessary article.
She is the mother of two children. Not
even a machine drawer appropriated for
spools, needles or sewing did she have
The spool of cotton was lying around
somewhere, the thimble was on her bu
reau, the scissors on the machine or
manteL Such a state of thinps seems
so irregular. TVere are lovely work
baskets nowadays, nicely arranged with
pockets for buttons, needles and the va
nous other things so necessary in a
home. They can be ornaiucntal even.
prettily lined with some soft material
and fluted ribbon fastened around the
inside edge. The larger it Is the more
useful it will be. A work-basket is
always bewitching to the little tots, and
sometimes, in a desperate case, I have
given the little, busy fingers full play
among Its contents. But this only oc
curs onextraoccasions say In sickness.
when pain makes the child cross; then
I have found that my forbidden basket
was better than a doctor's opiate.
I look upon this simple article of fur
niture as a treasure; hidden in its depths
lies a panacea, often for low spirits
indeed, it has once in awhile proved a
tonic, as I took a little garment to re
pair and let my thoughts wing back
ward as my needle pushed forward.
With what roseate hopes for the future
did I purchase and plan that little deli
cate slip, and then there is always a
stray bootie in mamma's basket to mate
the one on the floor by the cradle. I
often take up a bit of lace how well 1
remember the happy evening when it
rose and fell to my buoyant step in the
pleasant dance.
Every work-basket should possess a
mother's housewife. This is a dainty
pocketed thing made out of memento
pieces and will contain many a little
scrap of beauty for baby's doll or a rib
bon for pussy's furry neck. I love to
see these baskets piled with sewing; it
is a mark of plenty, and the mending
bespeaks frugality.
A well-filled work-basket possesses
the charm of a song- to while away mel
ancholy. I know all do not think go
because they look upon it as work.
Do not forget, dear mother, that eves
work can be made a blessing. I believe
if there were more loaded work-baskets
there would be less divorce. It is a
good plan to never put away fresh laun
dered clothes until they are mended;
let them lie some stormy day or even
ing they will chase the blue phantoms
from your home. I always have a small
basket inside the large one for spools
PATTERN FOB OUTLIKE WOBK.
of cotton. While reading and I gen
erally read while nursing baby, I come
across a bit of poetry, or a little gem
worthy of preservation; It Is slipped in
to my work-basket for the present, and
so with small change. A young mother,
lately deceased, had one of these inter
esting work-baskets. After her death
the friends found a large sum of money
stowed away in it Very probable that
she had dropped it from time to time,
as above hinted.
Whatever you have, or do not have,
see to it that some sort of receptacle is
provided for the tools that are so re
quisite to complete the home circle.
A favorite book often lies there, or
mother's last sweet letter, or the tele
gram hubby sent to learn how th slok
baby that he left feeling so badly in the
morning was at the noonday hour.
They do not take up much room. On,
or beside the machine, is a convenient
place for them.
"A place for everything and every
thing in its place," applies very aptly to
the article under consideration. I do
hope they will not go out of fashion,
because they are Indispensable to a
well-ordered home. The button-bag is
a feature among the contents.
Whoever finds a home without a button-bag
and a work-basket finds disor
der and unthrift Mrs. A, E. Thomas,
in Chicago Herald.
Glaaaea, No Wrinkle.
If a man or woman, particularly the
latter, wishes to preserve good looks
and avoid wrinkles in the face, he or
she must wear glasses, says an oculist
lie pointed out over a score of men and
women on the street who, he said,
needed glasses or a power of control
over the features that It would take
pretty hard study to acquire." Each
face that he pointed out to me was
wrinkled very much, because the sun's
rays poured down with blinding heat
and it was impossible to avoid it Tho
wrinkling of the face is an involuntary
action of the muscles to protect the
eyes.
An Excellent Face-Waah.
An excellent wash for the skin, which
will soften it to the softness of velvet,
is made after the following rule: Two
thirds of a pint of distilled water, two
ounces of pure glycerine, one ounce of
simple tincture of benzoin; mix', shaks
well, and it is ready for use.
8oa-Water RemoTea Warts.
Do not disfigure the hand with caus
tic to remove warts, but touch them
with strong soda-water several times a
day. They will disappear.
. A Bridge Unlit ol Old Iron.
Crossing the Pequabnck river on Son'n
Main street in Terry ville there has just
been completed an iron bridge, which is
unique in design and worth the atten
tion of town officials throughout the
state, as it iai tha only one of the kind
known to be in existence. With the ex
ception of the plank flooring and a few
comparatively small castings, the bridge
is made entirely of old railroad iron. It
is a truss bridge, having a span of Id
feet. The roadway is 80 feet wide, aud
iu addition it has a sidewalk 8 feet
broad, the whole surface being covered
with concrete.
The bridge rests upon stone abut
ments, on each of which an iron rail
rests and forna the "mudsills.'' Upon
these the "strings," which are also oM
iron rails, are laid Of these there are
fifteen in this bridge, as they are placed
at equal distances of 2f feet apart An
other rod or "spindle" across ths center,
under and at right angles with the
stringers, is supported by iron rods de
pending from the trusses, which also
support the bridge.
Each of the trusses is forme1 by two
rails, the ends of which are fitted into
solid iron castings made of especial
shape to receive them, and meeting at
the center of the bridge are also held to
gether by similar castings.through which
the iron rod extends, and braces extend
ing on either side to the end of the spindle
give strength as well as rigidity to the
structuie. Heavy plank covered with
a concrete pavement forms the floor of
the structure.
The idea of using old railroad iron for
town bridges was conceived by Jason C.
Fenn, of the board of selectmen, who
built the first one of this character three
years ago and has designed and con
structed several more since that time, in
each of which he has made improve
ments. The one just finished, under his
personal supervision, is the most perfect
and combines beauty, strength and
cheapness. It is believed that these
bridges can be built at no greater cost
than substantial wooden bridges and
their durability is of course much
greater. Hartford Courant
Philadelphia Men BevoKAgalnat Women.
There is a determined movement on
foot among the masculine population of
Philadelphia against the promiscuous
surrendering of seats ii publio convey
ances to strange women. A call will
shortly be issued for a mass meeting to
take some definite steps in the matter.
This is not because our male popula
tion is growing less courteous, nor our
female population more discourteous,
but Simbl v because the custom has irrown
so common among Philadelphians that
woman ao not appreciate the sacrifice
which a man, who has probably been
working hard nil day, makes in giving
his seat in :i ..-.r to a woman, who, in
nine cases out of ten, not only neglect
to thank him for it but by act, if not
by word, demands the homage. The
custom is peculiarly a Philadelphian one.
In no other city is it observed to the ex
tent that it is in the Quaker City.
A man who travels considerably, and
who voices tha sentiment of thononnda
of Philadelphians, said yesterday," While
1 do not wish to be considered lacking
in courtesy, ttfiave seen enough to dis
gust me with ths nractica. and 1 now
only give my seat to an elderly woman
or a woman with a baby, or in such
cases where courtesy really demands it"
riuiaaeipuia Record.
When Sleep Is Labor.
Wonder if many people think of the
snnny side of a night watchman's life?
An employee of the Broadway Cable
Kailroad company was overheard dis
cussing it as follows: "It isn't so un
pleasant loafing around here in the street
these nice evenings. It's trying to sleep
during the hot days that makes a fellow
thin. It isn't half so hard on a man to
have to work all day in the hot sun as it
is to have to sleep during the same hot
day, or get no sleep at all.
"The night watchman is always a
poor man, living in small space, and
often with several children. My young
sters begin to find their legs and voices
just about the time 1 want to go to
sleep. You can't keep them still. They
are in and ont and whooping it np and
down until I'm nearly crazy. Some
times 1 get but two, three, four or five
hours' sleep. If 1 can catch six once in
awhile I'm in luck. But a man must
live, and to live he must work or steal."
-New York Herald.
A Gorgeoua Coatam for Man.
Prince Ferdinand of Bnltraria WMra
the most ornate and cost.lv rnlmnt rr
any European sovereign. His costumes
are usually ordered from Paris and are
extremely elegant A late order was for
a garment resembling a princess' robe,
mads of electrio blue velvet and lined
with soft surah silk over ekler down.
This was trimmed with sparkling bine
beaded passementerie. With it was
worn a silk shirt with Doint laca ruffles.
a brocaded silk sash, trousers of old rose
brocade, bine stocking, embroidered in
pink, and blue slippers. This costume
is designed for wear at a mornln con
certNew York Ledger.
A Dtaruated Cat.
A Lewlston young man promised to
feed the cats while his mother and sis
ters went on a vacation. He promised
to give them fish, properly prepared, and
milk. He fed them on milk, but forgot
the fish. Every day the old cat walked
op to the milk until it got to be a case
of forty quails in forty days, and she
finally rebeled. One day the young
man flung out a smoked herring, and
that finished the job. The cat took her
two kittens and has gone to live with
the minister in the next street Lewis
ton Journal.
Alumlnlam-Oold.
A most remarkable alloy of gold and
aluminium is now under the examiua
tion of scientists. It is of a beautiful
rich purple color. This royal metal will
make a handsome addition to those now
nsed for purpose of adornment. From
all accounts it seems amenable to the
methods of jewelers in making their
gold ornaments. New York Recorder
Halo Day at Boeky Ford.
Five thousand long green watermelons
of the "swank" variety were arranged ii
a huge pile within a low board inclosnre
under the shade of New Cottonwood
grove, in the pleasant little village of
Rocky Ford, Colo., one morning recent
ly. Surrounding these watermelons were
little pyramids of canteloupes, some 2,000
or 8,000 in number. The top of this
board inclosnre served as a table, on
which the melons, sliced by big knives
into halves, were 'laid, only to be eager
ly assaulted by waiting crowds of merry
people, who lined the tables as close aj
they could stand. The only restrictions
were numerous rudely painted sign
tacked to trees, reading, "Please leave
your rinds npon the tables."
It was Melon Day at Rocky Ford, and
this melon pen was the center of all in
terest, and every one of the 5,000 visitors
present at this annual festival were wel
come to as much melon as they could
stow away. Ten years ago a single
ranchman named Q. W. Swank, was
raising melons for market in this valley.
The quality of his product was to supe
rior that 100 acres of melons could not
supply the demand.
Now the village of Rocky Ford is in
the center of thousands of acres of wa
termelon vines, while as far as the eye
can reach, stretch prolific fields of grain
and hay, interspersed with young or
chards and luxuriant vegetable gardens.
All this is the result of irrigation during
the past ten years. No wonder the resi
dents of this valley delight in celebrat
ing this annual Melon Day. Cor. St
Louis Globe-Democrat
Speculation front Storm.
Physicists that is to say, the physi
cists who are not idling are now busy
reaping the aftermath of the thunder
storms which for a week or more have
been the chief meteorological feature of
our climate. Lightning of every type
zigzag, with sharply defined borders,
without any apparent width, in sheets
or in the shape of fireballs has been
seen, and several lives have been lost by
these Olympian thunderbolts. But what
is most curious is that cattle have beeu
more frequently struck than human be
ings, even when the chances of both
were equal This has been noticed more
than once by students of electricity.
Thus, a miller standing between a
horse and a mule was only shaken a lit
tle, while the animals were killed. There
is also the well knows instance of the
Abbey of Noirmoutiere, near Tours,
where a flash of lightning killed twenty
two horses without doing any other
harm to the ISO monks whom it visited
iu the refectory than overturning the 150
bottles which oontained their rations of
wine. London Graphic
A Family of Alligator.
David Cope, who occupies a shop on
Gay street, has a family of nine young
alligators which play around him like
kittens. The saurians are from eight
inches to a toot long and are about six
months old. Mr. Cope caught them last
spring in Florida, and brought them
home with him for the amusement of
himself and friends. They were very
savage, and wonld snap at anybody who
touched them when he first caught
them, but they have now become quite
tame when in the presence of any one
that they are familiar with.
They play about Mr. Cope's feet and
crawl about the floor. Catching flies is
a great pastime with them, and their
jaws shut on their food with a snap
that is quick and startling. If a
stranger enters the shop the alligators
know it instantly, and make off into the
corners of the room and hide themselves
behind anything that may be convenient
West Chester (Pa.) News.
An Art lata' Knocker.
The davs of Benvenutn nllinl UFA
over past, and perhaps on the whole it is
us . . ,
as wen, dui sometimes yet we may find
an artist of genius applying his skill to
motives not too bright or good for human
nature's daily food. Harry Bates, the
sculptor of "Hounds in Leash," bought
by the Earl of Wemyss. and "Pandora,"
who soon will be taking her place among
the other Durchasea under th (Jhnnrraw
bequest, has jost made a veritable chef
d'oeuvre in the shane of a knocker. Th
design, which represents an exquisite
remaie ngurtanaing in a pose of ex
traordinary tftace. is. anart from all
technical excellencies, full of the pure
pint or classic refinement, strong, yet
dainty, mora nerfect than tha Tanu
statuettes, yet, it would seem, touched
wiin a Kinarea inspiration. The figure
will be of silver ami will lain uimincf
brazen background. London Telegraph.
Prehlatorlo Monatera.
Near Higate, about fortv miles west
of 8t Thomas, Canada, was discovered
the largest skeleton of any extinct ani
mal yet found. It belonged to the order
Mastodon gigantiens, and measured
twenty-two feet from end of nostrila
tip of tail. The tooth only of one of
wese nuge monsters or prehistorio times
was dug ud recently at Falling Snrinirs.
near Belleville, Miss., which weighed 11
pounas ia ounces, and had the skeleton
been discovered it would probably have
been found to be that of an animal thirty
t I r. i -
tees long. exenange.
At a ball in Liverpool a gentleman,
fnr a 4nlrn ramrtt4 a j .
.vv.ia u vuoir juss as s
male guest was about to sit down. The
victim fell to the ground and injured his
"F""' uiuugus an action in the
Liverpool county, court, and the prao-
. v,UutU w iuy me plain
tiff's claim, 230, with costs.
A new freezing apparatus for labora
tory use has been constructed by M
Ducretet It is called the cryogen, and
in it the expansion of liquid carbonic
acid, escaping through a coiled metallic
rube, quickly causes a fall if tompera
ture to 100 degs. or 110 degs. below
ero. Fahrenheit
A three year old child died at Topeka,
Kan., the other day, which had lived
for twelve month An Taor atrrva nn;1
... -ee tim
ID-Ik. A year ago it ate some soft soap,
and after that its stomach would never
oiiu anyming but the diet mentioned.
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