THE GIANT PURSE CRAB.
He Cllmba Coroiiimt Tree gnil Crack tht
Nut :tiiiHt Sloin-n.
In tho mining bureau tnny n seen a
very fino niM-cini. fi of the remarkable
lar land crab known as the purse crab,
or Birus latro. which i.s well preserved
in a tfhiss j.n. 1 his is oria of thi largest
fM -i-s of lanl crab known. It is some
times fouri'I from IS to 21 inches in
length when fully ist retched out, anl is
capable of erecting itself to tho height
of nearly a foot from the ground, which
it nr.i'lily does if irritated, retreating anl
xhibitiri! to th utmost its powers of
offense ami defense.
It is somewhat allied to the hermit
crab, but having the abdomen or tail
nhorter, yet very lare, on the under side
of wliicli it carries its es in immense
quantities. Its under ide is soft and
membranous, its upier surface covered
with strong plates, which overlap one
another as in lobsters. The first pair of
Ifs have Iar;o and powerful pincers;
me seconu ana inira pairs or leffs are
terminated by a Kindle nail; the pair next
to them are a little smaller, with .small
pincers; the pair of les nearest to the
ablomen are very small, but terminated
by rudimentary pincers.
When teased this crab is so imwerful
in its first claws and Ifs as to b; able to
din; to a utick. and can hold its own
weight to le carried for over a half hour
ljefore letting go, it can travel about as
fast backward as forward if pursued. It
is generally of a yellowish brown color,
its limbs bein, however, covered with
little blackish projections.
it is never lomi.i tar lrom the sea, to
wliich it is said to pav visits in order to
moisten its fjills. lut it always resides on
l::i:d. and is frenerally found in holes un
der the roots of trees, cspe-CJ';lv of cocoa
nnt trees, which it prefers, and where it
aeeniiiulates jxre.it (plant it ies of the fibers
of the coco.-mut husks, as if to keep itself
warm or f.r a soft bed. As a general
tiiimr the purse crab stays in these boles
during the daytime and comes out at
ni.L'iit.
Its food generally consists of cocoa
I'Uts, also the nuts of a species of palm
known as 1'ainlanus odorotismiis, and
other nuts, which it climbs the trees to
procure, cutting the cocoanut from the
tiee with its heavy claws, and after it
has cut down two or three it descends
and commences to pull the husk from
them.
In its manner of uYnlinjr with cocoa
nr.fs it exhibits a remarkable instinct, as
it always begins to tearotf the husk at
the end where the eyes are. It then
makes a hole through the eye from
which the nut would germinate. This
is done by striking the fruit with its
lie.tvy claw and breaking it sufficiently
to admit one of the small legs, by which
it scoops out the nut with its small pin
cers. Sometimes it seizes the nut by
one of its great pincers and breaks it
against a stone.
The purse crab is found in the mount
ains and in the more eastern islands of
the Indian ocean, as well as on some of
the islands of the South Pacific, more es
pecially in the Caroline islands, which
are a low coral
Chronicle.
;roup. San Francisco
Hats anil Ifc:its.
It has been noticed by i!r. Henry
Heath, who fiends hats all over the world,
from Calcutta to Peru, that different na
tionalities possess heads of distinctive
sizes and shape.. For instance, Germans
have very round heads, a peeuliai-ity
shared by our own royal family. The
average English head is what hatters call
a ;iM)d shape that is. rather long. The
Scotch, one is not surprised to learn, are
very long headed. Canadians are dis-tiu-ruishe'd
br exceptionally large heads.
South Americans by very small ones.
Australians, again, have rather small
heads. The subject is an interesting one,
and worth pursuing further if space al
lowed. The heads of individuals also
vary a good deal from time to time,
shrinking during illness or mental worry,
and generally becoming smaller with ad
vancing years. As to shape, there is
such a thing ::s fashion, but it only affects
mashers; men stick to much the same
shape year after year. Pall ilall
Zei te.
Icttiii;-; :i Tliif.
"John Napier." Miss Warrendcr tells
ns. "pursued his studies and researches
in rierchiston. lie was supposed by the
vulgar to be deeply versed in magic, and
to possess a familiar in the shape of a jet
black cock. The story goes that once
when some petty thefts had been com
mitted in the castle, of which one of the
servants was susjweted. Napier brought
theiii all up the winding stairs into a
darkened room, where the cock was
plv.eed. He commanded them to stroke
it.- back, declaring that it would crow at
the touch of the guilty person. During
the whole ceremony the cock remained
silent, but afterward the hand of the
culprit was found to be free from the
soot with which the bird's feathers had
Lee a liberally sprinkled."
Ilnw the IVople of S:insr Kfi'p Time.
The ieople of Sangir. an island of the
Malay Archijielago. keep time by the aid
of an hour glass formed by arranging
two bottles neck to neck. The sand runs
out in half an hour, when the bottles
an reversed. Close by them a line i?
stretched, on which hang twelve sticks
marked with notches f rom ore to twelve,
with a hooked stick, which is placed be
tween the hour last struck and the next
one. One of these gla-ses keeps the time
fr each village, for which purpose the
hours are sounded on a gong by a keejer.
London Tit-l)ifs.
A Lucky Hoy.
A lad at AnnajM lis was lying on n
lounge reading a novel, when a bullet,
tired a quarter of a mile away, came
through u door, fell upon his' chest and
s.lipled down into his vest pocket, where
he found it half an hour later. Ho
thought his brother had hit him with a
ppool. Detroit Free Press.
Th I'revallinji Ennui.
You look tired."
"I am."
Too many social dissipations?"
-No. Not enough." Puck.
OLD LONDON PICTURED.
COMPARED WITH THE CITY Or
TODAY 'TWAS A SORRY SIGHT
Its llnimm Were Ownrfy, Squalid Struct
ure ind Canity fulled Down Tlio Cli
mate Then Was Colder and Mora Un
bearable Famine auil I'eittllence.
Who can rebuild before the eye of the
mind a single ordinary dwelling of the
vanished Loudon of the middle of the
Thirteenth century? It was a dwarfish,
squalid structure of such crazy unsub
stantially that, with a stout iron crook
and two strong cords, provided by the
ward, it migh be pulled down and
dragged off speedily in case of fire; a
structure of one story jutting over a
low ground floor, with another jut of
eaves above, its roof perchance engrailed
with gables, its front bearing an odd re
semblance to the back of a couple of
huge stairs, and the whole a most rick
ety, tumbledown, top heavy, fantastical
thing. Chimneys were fairly in vogue
then, so it had them squat, square,
wide mouthed, faced with white plaster,
red tiles or gray iebble work.
lied tiles covered its roof. Its walls
were rough planed planks or a wooden
framework filled with a composite of
straw and clay, buttressed with K)sts
and crossed this way and that with sup
porting beams, the whole daubed over
with whitewash, of which the weather
soon made graywash. In front was a
stairway sometimes covered, sometimes
not or a stepladder set slantwise against
the wall for an entrance to the upper
story.
Tho doorways were narrow and low.
the windows al-o, and the latter, dark
ened with overbrows of wooden shut
ters, propped up from beneath and
sticking out like long, slender awnings,
were further darkened by sashes of
parchment, linen or thin shaved horn.
lor glass came from I? landers, and was'
costly and rare.
HOM ANTIC KCILDINO.
Such, joint and seam and tile being
loosened into crack and cranny and crev
ice everywhere, was the dwelling of the
London citizen as the eye might see it in
the middle of the Thirteenth century.
Multiply that dwelling into a tortuous
and broken perspectiveof like buildings.
some joined by party walls, some with
spaces between, all pent roofed or gable
peaked, heavy eaved. stub chimneved.
narrow latticed, awning shuttered, stair
cased, post buttressed, beam crossed,
dusky red roofed, dingy white walled,
and low under the overhanging vastness
of the sky. and yon have an ancient Lon
don street, which shall bo foul and nar
row, with open drains, footways roughly
flagged and horseway deep with slushy
mire, overstrewn with ashes, shards and
ollal, and smelling auominablv.
There were indeed at that period.
thinly interspersed here and there.
houses of somewhat better description.
solidly built of stone and timber, though
at best strangely deficient in comfort
and convenience, according to the fash
ion of that most inconvenient and un
comfortable acre. Here and there, too.
for those were the times of the feudal
soldier and priest, rose in dreadful beau
teous contrast with the squalid city
the architectural grandeur of church
and cathedral, or the stately house or
palace of bishop or earl. Cut all around
stretched dwellings which our poorest
modern house excels, and on those
dwellings all evils and discomforts that
can befall had their quarry.
Light came dim and sunshine dimly
glimmering into their darkened rooms.
Summer heats made ovens of them. The
old gray family of London fosrs rose
from the marshes north of the city walls,
from the city's intersecting rivulets,
from the Thames below, and crept in at
every opening to make all dark and chill
within. Down their squat chimneys
swept the smoke, choking and blinding.
Hams such as even rainy England knows
not now soaked them through for weeks
together.
A TEHHinLIJ PICTURE.
Cold such as English winters have for
gotten now pierced with griping blast
ind silent sifting snow to their shiver
ing inmates. Foul exhalations from the
filthy st reets hung around them an air
of poison, or rising from the cesspools,
of which ever' house had one within,
discharged themselves in deadly mala
dies. Lightnings stabbed their roofs or
rent their walls, hunting for those they
sheltered. Conflagration, lurking in a
spark, npspread in dragoonish llame and
roared through them devouring.
Whirlwind swept through them howl
ing, and tossed them down by fifties.
Pestilence breathed through them in re
curring seasons, and left their rooms
aghast with corpses. Civic right or in
testine war stormed often near them and
brought them death and sorrow. Fam
ine arose every few -ears and walked
through them on his way to England,
leaving their tenants lean and pale, or
lifeless. Often into them broke the
midnight robber, singly or in gangs;
often to them came the gatherer of
taxes or of tithes; upon them hung per
petually all the bloodsuckers, every
vampire which an age of ignorance and
tyranny could spawn, and in them
nerded fiendish bigotries, crazy super
stitions, brutish illiteracy, and all thai
darkens and depraves the souL
For that was the mournful midnight
of our mortal life centuries ago. The
old, sad stars that governed our con
ditions still kept their forceful tation
aoove the brawl of brutal .and internal
dreams, and one alone, now risen from
tieber's east, hung dewy bright with the
worl J s hope ami promise, while science,
bnilder of life that is holy, beautiful
and gay. was but a wondrous new bom
child in Roger Bacon's cell, dreaming of
things to come. Atlantic Monthly.
Drawing the Line.
A native New Zealander was induced
to wear a shirt, a paper collar, shoes and
a hat, and be almost concluded to eat
with a knife and embrace Christianity.
Then they asked him to wear suspenders,
and he went out .and hanged himself. It
was pushing civilization too fast. De
troit Free Press.
The Laborer Should Ite Honored.
The real dignity of labor is well sym
bolized and set forth in those single act3
at the beginning or end of a great work
which represent to the imagination the
whole enterprise.
The corner stone of a great building is
generally laid by some official digni
tary who, in an unaccustomed apron
and with a trowel which he uses clum
sily, makes a pretense of doing the actual
work of putting the stone in place.
Crowds stand about to witness the work,
and orations are made and hymns sung.
The knocking away of the prop which
sends a vessel off tho ways and into the
water is an event of equal consequence
and interest, because it represents the
noble task of constructing a great ship.
When one of the greatest engineering
works of all time was completed the
construction of the Pacific railroad it
was regarded as a great honor to drive
tho last spike that bound the last rail to
the earth, and the spike which served at
least temporarily for the work was
made of silver.
Emperors, kings and presidents start
with their own hands the machinery of
great industrial exhibitions, themselves
typical in a high degree of the import
ance of manual labor.
In a certain Reuse it would be more
fitting that these ceremonies, which con
centrate into a single instant's act long
periods of hard labor, should be per
formed by one of the real workingmeii
who are engaged upon the enterprise. It
is they who do the work, and they might
well claim that the honor of the key
ceremony belongs to them.
This was what was done, indeed, when
the first blow of the pick was struck in
the construction of the buildings for the
World's fair of lS'.Ki at Chicago. Youth's
Companion.
Wh !' Cold Goes To.
A considerable part of ail tho gold
which goes to India never returns. Hav
ing been obtained in the west by the sale
of exported productions, it is retained in
the east as realized profits, wealth stored
up, and to a moderate extent for use in
the arts, for the rest as a representative
ot value on the credit of which traders
buy and sell with the bills of exchange
they issue and the book credits they
open, and settle up the differences with
the silver money of the country.
Dut the vast stock of gold accumulated
there undergoes no diminution. There
is no ebb and flow under the reciprocal
action which commerce enforces in the
case of countries trading together on a
common metallic basis. The three mill
ions sterling (or thereabout) of gold bull
ion which India annually .adds to her
store are. under the monetary law of
that country, just as much lost to the
nations of the west, by being with
drawn from the general commerce of the
world, as if the money had been lent to
a South American republic.
Between the years 1S33 and 18S9
(April) this depletion amounted in value
to iJllIO.OU.T.jS. Cet ween that date and
the month of September, lS'JO, a further
accumulation, to the value of '"). OO'J,
272, took place, bringing this portiou of
the gold treasure of iadia up to a value
exceeding 1Go,2o0.H00. Blackwood's
Magazine.
Ibsen's Curious Figure.
I cannot recollect having ever met a
man of more peculiarly striking appear
ance than Mr. Ibsen. He reminded me
to a certain extent of those fabulous
creatures the gnomes, who play such an
important part in Scandinavian myth
ology, and are vividl3r described in the
old songs of the Edda. He is a man ot
less than medium size, but very heavily
set. The upper part of his body is very
large in proportion to his lower limbs,
but still small in comparison with that
immense head, which, with its bushy
hair, white as snow, overtowers the
compact bodily frame.
A heavy beard of the same color would
encircle the face if it was not for the fact
that Ibsen keeps his chin shaven, a dis
tinction also enjoyed by the upper lip.
1 wonder if Mr. Ibsen knows that by
wearing his beard iu the manner de
scribed he shows a very strong chin and
a mouth of classic delineation. Irresist
ible is the charm of his eyes, which are
of a deep blue, like the color of the sea
on the shores of his beautiful native
north land. Louisville Courier-Journal.
A Glance at London Society.
Take the vast London society. It is a
stiffnecked dress parade in wliich one
meets one's best friend once a fortnight
and strangers in proportion. People
never know each other well and are al
most suspicious of those they do know.
Invitations are sent out from one to two
months ahead and people come and go (
without making a visible impression, and
there is none of that merry familiarity
which makes American life so enjoy
able. A dinner is a set affair, with no gen
eral conversation and a total absence of
what the French call esprit; in fact,
most of the Englishman's pleasures are
of the macintosh and umbrella kind.
The Londoner is always guarded and
suspicious of the stranger, and 1 don't
wonder, considering some of the Ameri
cans he has had shoved upon him. But,
after all, there are too many people in
London: it is impossible to expect free
dom, familiarity and hospitality among
such a multitude. Cor. Chicago News.
It Can't Re.
A New York surgeon who lias made a
specialty of nerve centers says the music
of a hand organ is pleasant to at least
ninety-nine out of every hundred people,
falling upon the nerve centers and tym
panum of the ear with soothing effect,
lie says that when you meet a person
that cries out against this sort of muio
3'ou can safely put him down as a falsi
fier and deceiver. Detroit Free Press.
An Innocent Question.
Clockraaker Why, my good woman,
if your clock doesn't go. -ou must bring
me the whole of it; I can do nothing
with the pendulum alone.
Woman Ale prosim! Why the whole
clock? The clock is all right; it's only
the horrid pendulum as won't work.
Wiener Figaro,
NEW
Do not
The
Goods
V. S. White, the new deputy oil in
speclor, went to Omaha to-day.
The P. K. O. society will meet at
Mrs. J. P. Young's to-morrow after
noon at 2:30.
John Duke went to Omaha fhis
morning; to vis-it his brother Libert
for a few days.
Mrs). Judge Yiiiyard and Mrs.
Rol.t. Pnlkuer of Hastings are visit
Mr. and Mrs. h i cd Latham.
"The Fair" lias the reputation of
being the cheapest place 111 town
on ribbons, laces and embroitleries.il
Frank Kllenbaiim of the Sixth
street meat market is 111 outii
Omaha to-day looking- after some
fine beef cattle.
The young folks social at 1 lie
Presbyterian church last night is
spoken of as a very pleasant aiiair
which was largely attended.
Uncle Frank While was down at
Steve Davis' oil -warehouse tins
morning- smelling the coal oil bar
rels in order to get himself in trim
for his new duties as inspector.
Dock beer day is being- celebrated
by yll the devotees of gauibriiius
in the fashion. Dock bt'Cl" is
on tap nt nil the saloons and a
rushing; business is done iu this
olden time beverage.
You ought to see Dave Dabbing-
ton's new Gem ice cream freezer, its
a daisy and can be carried in a fel
low's pocket, that is if the pocket is
large enough. If the girls get onto
the fact that Dave has ice cream in
his pocket, he will be more popular
than ever -with the fair ones.
Mr. T. C. Shepherd, with a force
of men, has been busy for the past
week planting shrubbery and
making flower beds for Ed Oliver,
wliich has turned his handsome
grounds into a veritable park. Mr.
Shepherd is an ariist in this line
and ought to devote all his time to
landscape gardening.
L. i-l. Karnes sent a copy yester
day of his book, on the D. of K,
degree of odd fellowship to a prom
inent members of Ihecraftat Areata
J California. Mr. Karnes' book is one
! of the neatest volumes we ever saw,
all the diagrams and print ing being
pen work of a work of a very ar
tistic kind.
Aj 3-011 walk upon the streets how
many people 3-011 meet that are
troubled with boils, pimples and
eruptions on the skin, experience
has shown us that 110 reinedj- 011
the market will remove them so
quicklN- and improve the complex
ion as Ilnllei-'s Sarsaparilln and
Jlunlock's Compoiuiii. i; will cure
nervous debilit i.-iv-ipjlii-s bill
iousness, f'-male weakne.-s. scrofula
S philis and all kindred diseases.
For sale b3- all druggists. '2
as:
SPRING CLOTHING
FURNISHING GOODS, HATS, ETC
ARRIVING- EVERY DAY
JOE
THE LEADING ONE I 'KICK CLOTIIIKK.
buy until you have seen :md
MAMMOTH STOCK AND PRICES.
IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY.
finest stock of Spring Clothing-, Furnishing
and Hats you ever seen in I'lattsmouth,
-o-
OIE'IEjE.A. HOUSE COIRlsriEIR,
Rock Bluffs.
(Jeorge Churchill keepsa grocery
slore, and though ol not large pro
portions is doing- a satisfactory
irade.
Jut litilo remains of this once
sprighllv little village- to indicate
the importance of ils former self.
3'et there i.s some business carried
011.
Dr. Rej-nold's looks aflerlbe phj-s-
ical maladies ot llie people, mid
eleven 3'cars' practice has estab
lished him in the confidence of the
people.
The mental training of the 3-011II1
is under llie dirrci ion of Professor
Knott, who is an excellent teacher
and has the school iu good work
ing order.
FYed Pa'derson is the post master
and runs a grocers' store in connec
tion. Fred is an old settler, having
grown from boyhood days here, and
holds the office of justice of the
peace.
Your correspondent visited the
antiqi-ak-d village of Rock 15'uf'fs
and found a number of readers of
1 UK IlKK',l.l. We say ant icpmted.
not out of derision, but because it
is one of the olde.-t landmarks of
Nebraska, having been an impor
tant town in the territorial da s.
The spiritual welfare of the peo
ple is cured for b v Rev. N ichol s.
pastor of the M. K. church at this
place, and Union. Taking it all in
all the people here arc of a con
tented in ind. and seem to Iiveeasil
and undisturbed b- ansthing.
Tun IlKRALl) is read of course 1
all and thc'3- are consequently
posted on the current events of the
da3
Joseph Shera is the pioneer mer
chant of the place. He begun busi
ness in the identical building he
now occupies twent3-six 3-ear.s aao.
He is now doing a good business,
carriug a large and complete
Ptock of general merchandise, and
as he paj-s, no rent or clerk hire he
is able to duplicate Phtttsmouth
prices. Mr. Shera shows his appre
ciation of Til?-; IlEk'AM by continu
ing his patronage 3 ear alter s ear.
Cough syrup.
Koch's Ls-mph is good in its place
but no remed- has been put on the
market and had such marvelous
sales in so short a time as Ilaller's
Sure Cure Cough Synip. We guar
antee it to cure ;m- cough, cold,
bronchitis or sore throat. For sale
13' all druggists.
Will vou suffer with Dvspepsia
and Liv.-r Complaini'r Shilolfs "it
alizer is o nw anleed to cure vou. -
Lin. merit
There are man- liniments on the
market now that are good for sor.ie
purposes but only one that will
lieal barb wire cms effective-, and
that is Ilaller's Barb Wire Lin imcnt.
If your horse or stock i cut bu- a
bottle and witness the wonderful
results. For sale 13' all druggists.
17
nf f
iLVi,.'. j
J, f
: . C
- &i
if
m
i. ' ' ' ,
inspected
19.-ETERSE1T & KARSOW.
1
THE LEADING
GROCERS
HAVE THE MOST
COMPLETE
STOCK IN THE CITY.'
EVERiTHIKj - FRECH - Ai;D - IN
SEASON
ATTEXTIOX FARMERS
We want your Poultry, Ivggs, Gut
ter and your farm produce of all
kinds, we will pay you the highest
cash price ns we are buying for a
fiiii in Lincoln.
Petersen & Larson
THK LEADING GROCKRS
Plattsmouth - - Nebraska.
The Citizens
BANK
PLATTSMOUTH . NEBKASKA
Jayltal stock paid in $5 0 0 !
Authorized Capital, $200,000.
. officeki
if RANK CAUKUTII. J 03.
President.
A. COKNOH.
Viee-l're; Uent
Cashier.
W. II. CUSHINQ.
DIKKCTOKH
shrank Carruth J. A. CV,r ut - v
W. D. ..I-msna, Wxu. VKeccajn r.. v
H. Custm.2.
fgAKSiCTSl GEimj, BAU1K6 EUSUIE
city sureties.
Carry a Full Line of
V T T r.' Iflr rr.,..
-iww;.u;iT AND Cllfli
VR EN 8 (J LOTH IN Q. 1 t
ALSO FRESH C'L'T Fl.rWEl:H
Knot 'i, R.LKT KLecii.
i.ttmoct
I'
f
-
:t-.v :-.
