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About The Sioux County journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1888-1899 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1893)
'4 m tm TO 1 CHAPTER XXIV. JVST IN ' IME. Hardly had the engine commenced to slat-ken its speed, as it approached the smoking bridge, when Louis leaped to the ground, and in a moment was examning the extent of the damage. He saw the stringers were no weakened that it would be uupoBsiole to run the engine over. yuickly coratirehen ling what must be done. Louis starte;. on a rapid run for a farm house ou u hill, alsmt one hundred rods distaut. It took him but a few moments to rea. ti it. In the yard he met the owner of the farm. The two recognized each other at once. God in Israel! Holy Moses, Lo.iis Patterson, what on earth are you do ng here? ' was the familiar and astonished salutation. "Are you mad' Fleeing from a bride that only wants wing.; to be an angel. Louis Patterson, in the name of ." "Sto j. for heaven's wake, stop and hear me," said Louis. "I want a horse: the fleetest one in your stable, I want it quick. Not a second to lose. The man who is now loading Mary Nor drum to the altar is a villian and a blackhearted scoundrel. He is not Louis Patterson. I must get there be fore the ceremony or " By this time farmer Dickson was dancing all over the yam. He was too excited to be of any help. 'Hallo there. Hank, go and bring out the little gray-Sam, for the love of all the saints, put a saddle Jane, wife. Molly come out here and help, quick, quick; 'taint xuis Patterson that's being: good Lord, I forgot, every blessed one of tnem have gone to the wedding. Take any horse you want. They are all good ones: hitch up " But Louis was not listening: he had heard very little what the old gentle man said: he had rushed intothe stable, put a saddle and bridle on the only horse there, and was just mounting wnen rarmer uienson yeneu out: 'Give him the reins; let him have his own way: he is the fastest hore in the country. Don't be afraid to let him jump. Nervy Jim never yet lost a race, and by the eternal heavens he wont lose this one stars and snakes see him go'" And before the honest old farmer had finished his exc ting instructions to the rider. Nervy Jim was a mile away, leaping as.onishingly long strides, gathering uimself at each jump as though his limbs were steel springs and plunging ahead like the swift wind, the noble brute see.ning to understand that it was no common race he was making that day. Nervy Jim doubled himself right downjto work. His big nostrils were extended wide and broad, his beautiful neck was stretched straight out from his lithe bodv, as it . he expected to win the race by pacing under the I wuo i a. naiiu n 1,1 ' ,J aurau ' i time; his mane and tail stood out full length with the wiul. and ere half the distance was made, the white foam completely encircled h i black body. It was ten miles ride from Farmer Dickson's house. When the bold rider mounted his steed he bad twenty-six minutes to make the distance. The best he expected to do was to reach the scene of the festivities before the ceremony was finished. Nervy Jim needed no urging. ! He was doing his best; and Louis felt that waa enough if no mishaps over took him. Farm houses were past but they were ("esrted. One little village was reached and not soul was seen. Everybody was t wedding except the bride- - room. .. On yonder rise ia plain sight was the school-bouse and a little further on waa the church building, but the dar ing rider saw neither., his eyes were trained to catch the. first sight of scene beyond. ; The horse and rider may safely be left to proceed alone to the Nordrum (arm. The reader can reach there Itrstand Justin time for the completion of the outdoor arrangements for the wedding festivities. The trees which line the lawn are j lemoned with wreaths of prairie flowers, fruit blossoms and gaily col ored riblxms. Two parallel banks of flowers a few feet aart and running the whole length of the lawn, mark the boundaries of the green aisle along which the bride must pans to reach the alter. The altar is a raised platform, aver which and high enough for a person to tend upright, is a i overing made of DrajT'hes of trees, and wreaths of ever greens, and the sides are bedecked with flowers, surrounded with a dense thicket of hot-house plants. On either side the aisle rough seats hare been placed and these are now occupied by tho g, tests, who have come from far and near to witness the mar riage ceremony and participate in the , wedding festival. It la a gay throng, a merry, laughing, : chatting gathering of hard-working, tadaetriou people. IaaVde the hom? there seems but lit tle atlr for raeh an hour. There in a . fHaees unnatural, more like prepa- f i for a funeral, than a marriaire, 'W faaeral aow than a wedding, i 9 trUU lile hare been ready (or id mtmr. Titer, too, partake Tfat o( Ike ombre snrreadiag. T JLr r-kjt. " Tfcere lsamr II -ywtfttBf waetaathr Nfjeat rtl hot gwyrrr aal ekeerfui- .y,i..-:n'.,' - . .". -. '.- ... .. . " ! fill . ' ' , - f. The lauehter and merriment of the g-esta sound harshly u on the ears of the maids, and ye when could laugh ter and merrimen be more appropri ate than now. The n ore intimate friend who have as.-isted in the preparations for the ceremony, and the wedding feast notico the gloom which lossesses everything z.Z everbody. and they felt it should be removed if poss ble. But who can do K? "None know how it came, 'rom where it came, or why it came. Will tne light come at last? Will the dark veil be lilted that the sunshine behind it may In revealed? Can Mary Nordrum do it' No. bhe is shackled with ropes of steel and ) owerless as an infant. She is disturbed and distres-sjd but she at tributes it to the excitement of the im ortant event she is soon to be a party to. On bended knees she asks for divine assitanee. If the dead are permitted to look down uH)n the scenes of this earth, and can influence human con duct she asks her mother, her fattier, and Louis' mother, to guide and direct tier stops. Witn. faith in the Divinity, trusting the spiritso.' the dead will point out the r.ght way. if so be she is tempted to take the wrong one, she j repares to complete her toik-t and calls her maid from the ad oining room. Do not make such haste, sweet Mary Nordrum. Thtwe urango blossoms will become that fair brow, but ttiey need rearranging. Tbev conceal too much of that beau tiful forehead. Perhaps it were well its whiteness should be shade 1 v the tinge of yellow that clings o e lonely to both forehead and blossoms. That is a pretty veil -so snowy, so rich, so rare. It may be admired even though the wedding guests are wait ing. That pretty rosebud will become its place so near the heart. Now all is ready. Heady? Why this agitation? Why that flushed cheek? A moment since it was pale and white as the spotless gown that rotes the fairest of maidens. It must be t.'ie fresh air that the breeze has stirred up without. Don't seek to hide those blushes, Mary Nor drum, they become you as virtue be comes an anrel. God's pure air is a great physician, it may strengthen you now when you need strength the most. As Mary steps upon the green sward and comes in view of the multitude of friends who have come to make merry at her wedding, a murmur of delight reaches her ears. They are captivated by her beauty always beautiful, but now more beauti- 1 tul than ever. Alone she walks up the green aisle, the handiwork I of nature and loving hands. Her path is bedecked with the flowers ; of early summer. Following a short j distance came the maids, who, with bowed heads, keep even pace with the tne prospective bride. Go slow, Mary Nordrum. you follow no one; for one wise purpose you lead; lead so slowly, and even then you may lead too fat. There are times when it were better for a bride to be late at the altar than precisely on time. There are marriage festivals when the happiness of a life time may be wrapped up in delay. (jo a little slower now. dear girl, perhans the mist you see through that thin veil may be lifted, and float away forever, if your slow fooUteps move slower still. It may be that your heavy heart, heavv when," if ever in life, it should be light, and heavv from no re vealed cause, may be relieved of its burden, if you should stop and rest even lor a moment: moments now are more precious than jewels. Yoj are in the hands of Divinity His Holy angels should direct you wisely. That faltering step that sur feit of low spirits that depressed con dition of body and soul and God's sig nals telling you that he has not for saken the innocent and pure. Yonder the bridegroom cometh, take his outstretched hand. There may lie strength there for both. The holy man of (iod breaks the silence. "Dearly beloved we are gathered to gether here in the sight of God. ana in the face of this company, to join to gether this man and this woman in holy matrimony." "A little to rapid, Ileverend Sir, is your utterance of these solemn words. ' It seemed as though a messenger in visible, whispered those words in the aged preacher's ears. For he con tinued more slowly and more solemnly with the beautiful service. "Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. J ii any man can snow jusi cause wny they mav not be lawfully joined to gether, let him now speak or else hero after forever hold his peace." With this last word came a rumblin g sound from a distance and so strange WJiK it and Men did it break u on the ears of the multitude, that all were disturbed for a moment, and all Ihs-i-ame earnestly interested in knowing the cause. The minister's hand trembled and j his book came near falling to the ground. What was it? The sound came nearer and nearer. It was evidently the clatter of horses'ht ofs on the hard road, caused by some tardy farmer hastening to the wedding feast. The holy man continued: "1 require and charge you both, as ye will answer at the dreadful day of judgment when the secrets of all hearts shall be diclosed. that if either of ye know of any impediment why ye ' snoum not te lawiuiiy joined together in matrimony ye do now confess It." These words caused the expected bridegroom to rock to and fro like a reed in the gale. His (ace turned white as the bridal veil that almost touched his pallid cheeks. Only nerves of iron kept him on his feet The clattering hoofs An one side, the meaning of which he could not fill to understand, and the solemn waning of the preacher on the other, Iliad on owl with terror. (TO K OONTDfUBO. " "The 4n" la Mid to hi toe asott otwfasr drink in Um irttt i THE ANGEL OF THt HOUSE. Tbet four env walls ax bat tbw bodily thH, U hf rmt my lavdr of tbw brmv Mue tm I. it ituaiurtaU toui. All weat rib9 A a .iruusl rcurd of t4orb, known wU, Tbi Ilk tb too wttLtn a goitUo tell P uJ tbeto vub goo I im rnonrbre - Ttxr thing arm juu ber If hbe being hf 'ibe br-ib ihmt make Utc ro Uee a est to OMtll. Thro b vcasbto &rd through hbadov nd bruttb gJooui, Witu mi rib bOJ gracious court; for bar ways, Aikj .-oodue vr fort h. but bfer spfUt, bbe vitts light band from rtxtu to rouiu. Ami i Muif (jiun ifur b , mud the Uayt Ar full and quieilf round avud con i-u L. STRAWBEITS STOIIY. I am not an ordinary or rommoo pla individual in any sense of the word, and 1 flatter myself that among gentlemen 1 make a very creditable appearance. I have often been told that uiy (rank, open countenance is a passport for worth md honesty, and my language has always been of the best, as my parents were too poor to keep servants. 1 have recently learned, however, that, a man's ap pea aL s"d previous record may havi Lathing to do with the case, and that there are occasions when not. ting will avail against direct clr cumstancial evidence. In ibis particular case my best frien g happened to be the DeClan ceys, a young couple who live - in town and occupy a medium-sbed room ou the third flour front of a large and respectable boarding-house, kept by a lady with long Hue of an cestors, and wnose husband, the pos sessor of enormous wealth and a member of the then existing Four Hundred, died suddenly, leaving her pe a i less. I have never seen the lady he. elf, but having lived in board ing bouses more or less all uiy lite, I know her as a type lar tettcr than my friends, the young couple le ferred to, who, having bat Just transcended the honeymoon period, have placed themselves for a brief spell under her protei ;. ion preparatory to embarking upon the chop-sea of housekeeping. In search of a type for a new pict ure that I hoped won to place ou ex hibition, 1 bad cut loose from the metropolis, and 1 wa rusticating on the outskirts of lioston. One day: while I was Dreaming of color, and thinking out my nev creation, 1 re ceived from New Y k an invitation for a dance at the Von Hlumers', w,.lch had lieen forwarded to me, j an I which was to take place that! very evening, i determined to ac-; cept almost before tearing open the j enveioue for Maude Von lilumer is a : great favorite of mine, 1 felt that I had an unusual claim on her regard. 'For who knows," I said to my self, "but this may ue the turning point in my career?" and I deter mined at the most favorable oppor tunity to ask her again. I hastil) packed up my dress suit case, caught the 'l o'clock expre-s, and at pre cisely 15:30 I found myself in front of my favorite re taurant on tth ave nue. Although cast In a delicate mold, and the possessor of a highly sensitive organization, 1 am hv no means birdlike in my appetite, and a loud call from my Inner man forced me first to consider this imperative claimant "After which " 1 said to myself ''I wiil seek a hotel, don my evening dress, and at 10 o'clock be ready for the frav. " 1 entered and was about to scat j myself in mv favorite nook while my j favorite waiter, witn an expectant; flourish of his nap in. was placing the dinner card before my plate, when i hapieDing to glance up 1 saw, over the Paderewskl head of a foreign ' nobleman, the beaming face of my i friend le Clancey and the more com- j posed features f his charming young wife. Whatcould be more opportune? ' And whatcould be moreeordial than was their reception of me? "Thank goodness," 1 said, as 1 seated myself at the end of their table, "that you have just begun, and that fate has been so extremely kind to me." "And to us all, my dear fellow," said DeClancey. "Occasionally we grow tired of the young man who come) down to dinner every evening In a dress suit and never goes any where: of the elderly gentleman op posite, who has met all the dis tinguished people in the world; of the ailing widow, who has her capsules brought to her with ber soup, and, what is more to the point, of Mrs. Morrellton's dishes, and we steal away to get a "square meal' But for you to drop In upon us In this way Is the very best of all, isn't It, my dear?" 1 explained the purpose of my visit and the presence of my dress suit case, and how it was necessary for me to leave them Immediately after din ner in order to go to ray hotel and make myself presentable for the even ing. "You will do nothing of the sort." said De Clancey, "will he, my dear? After dinner we will go round to Mrs. Morrellton's, which is but a step ' from here Next to us on the stone j floor there Is a 1 unoccupied room, i While you are here you must be our i guest" "Jiut uy dear fellow," I protested, I "the ball won't be over till the small hours of the morning. I don't want f to wake up every one in the house, ! and, besides 1 couldn't think of put ting you to so much trouble. If you were in your own house it would be different" De Clancey waved his hand. This waa an old habit of De Clancey'g when anything of Irai ortance hud to be settled and I Knew that it settled me for the night "Mr dear boy," be replied, "your brief rwtdtoo In Boston has evl-1 dently made you forget the use of a j latch-key. Hera, I give you mloe. j now," and be took one from several otban oa ni key-ring and passed it i over tone. "As for tne trouble,"; be eoatlnued, "that's all nonseosa. ; Ton know It's a pleasure for us. Isd t , IV fearf" ! I accepted tne kev with a mild pro test inwardly glad, however, that luck had done so much for me, for it occurred to me almost instantly that 1 would sleep late iu the morning j.nd would breakfast some time alter Ix: Clancey was obli ed to leave tor business, an I the proxpect of break fasting with Mrs. De Clan ey was I very agreeatiie to me. Aiinounn ' quiet, Mrs. Ie Clancey is a ch inning i womau, particularly in a tct -a-tcte. ' She is one of tho-e women who shine i best when there Is no third perxm " present. I had promised to her twice j before she married De Clancey and never quite understood why she pre ferrel him, but this never interfered with our friendship. Indeed. 1 think ' lie Clancey always liked me better ; for it. j In a moment after leaving the restaurant we were at the Morrell j tons, and so busy were we laughing and chatting that it never occured ; to any of us as amthlug peculiar that t DeClancey, in the most natural way. ! should unlock the door for us I i thought of It afterward, however, Una way that did not reflect much credit on DeClancey's intellect j The ball was a great success as In deed the Van rilumer affairs always arc, and Maude was especially nice! ! to me. It Is true that she rejected j i me again, but her "No" was not sol J imphatlc as on three former ureas-' , Ions and I was not the least bitdis-' ' cou raged. I felt that it was only a question of time tiow, and 1 was con-! ; tent to wait Maud introduced me ! to a howling swell named Castleton, . who. when we broke up at 3 in the ; morning. Insisted on my getting into ; his coune and being driven around to my quarters for the night Here 1 1 must confess to a little deception, , though not In any wav wishing to re-1 : tie t on the DeClanceys who are charming in every wav and the best . ; of friends I have. Hut 1 told Castle- J ton to take tne around to the Wal-1 , dorf. and when his coupe had van-1 ! ished around the corner 1 set out to walk to Mrs. Morrellton's, for thu j fact is I didn't want Maude's friend j to know that I was staying at a j I boarding-house. j As 1 remarked before, I am natur j ally delicate, and as 1 inserted the i key In the door of Mrs. Morrellton's establishment I was very sleepy and i ! tired from the long hours of dancing, . I and a peaceful smile played over my face as I thought of the little lx-d that was waiting for me upstairs, I j have bad a large and extensive ex ! perleoce with latch keys, and I did ' not expect this particular door to open at once. First I inserted the key right side up, then up-slde-down. Then I turned it both ways, first softly, then quickly. Then I tried the other door, found a key-hole there. aDd repeated my experience. When I grew tired of one door I would try another. Finally I lighted a match and looked for another key bole, but there was none, so 1 sat down on the doorstep for a moment to think. At this moment It became at once apparent to mc that two men were watching me from the gloom of a neighboring house and while I was debating what had best tie done I saw the watchman sauntering along slowly, swinging his club. I retired within the storm door, Jrom which point of observation I presently saw the two men hold a whispered con sultation with the guardian of the peace. To retreat was now imposst- blc, so 1 boldly advanced to the step, in it except nine. Col, Davy Crock and in my most self-possessed manner ett surrendered himself on a promise 1 called out: "Oftlcer, will you kindly see what you can do with this key? For some reason or other it doesn't work." The wat-hman approached, while the two men stood In tne background. He silently tried the key, lit a match, examined it and then he turned on me. " Oho," said he. ' So this is your little game, is it? Well, you are a cool one, young feller, you'll have to go along wid me to the station-house." " What do you mean?" said 1, "with your impertinence! Can't you see I'm a gentleman? The Idea of Insulting a man who is trying to en ter his own hoi se!" " Your own house," he grinned. " Sure you never saw this house le fore, or, If you did. it was for no good. Come a'.ong now wid you, at,' no Kassin'." "But my dear sir." sad I, "let me explain. " There suddenly flashed over me the picture of De Clancey opening the door, and the knowledge that by mistake be had given mc the wrong key. "Let me explain, my dear sir. The key " " You can explain later on." be re marked, hustling me off the step. "Come on wid ye and none of your tongue." and he waved his club in the air. Look here," I shouted, " I've bad enough of this, and if you don't Instantly ring that bell and wake my friends I'll make It hot for you to morrow. " I flatter myself that when I'm on my dignity I am quite Impress. re, and the watchman instantly lowered his club. "Sure, sur," he said, apologet ically, " that's a dl Cerent matter. If ycz had friends In the house why didn't you soy fto"'" I walked back up the steps and rang the bell furiously three or four times, for my blood was up. Then we all sat down and waited, for the two strangers had moved up so they ' would not miss one word of what was going on. After an Intermina ble period, as It seemed U me, I beard steps on the stair, the door waa slowly opened, and a formidable face was thrust out 'Well' aald the man whom I had never seen before, "what is It?" 1 arose promptly and faced the un known. "Are you, vir," 1 questioned timid, ly.. '.'are you the elderly gentleman wbo baa met all the distinguished people In (be world?" "No, sir, I in not" he growled. What the devil do ou mesa " ".Perhaps, sir," feebly suggested, "you are the youo man who always comes down todinuer in adres-uit " Look be;e. you.'' he shouted, if you don't tell me what you want and be quick atout it I'll break your face" This was something I bud not bar gained for. Itehind me I felt the nrm lutch of the o,t;cer of the law and I was thoroughly rattled. "Maybe," I stammered, "you are the widow who takes her capsules with her soup?" i "ee here," he roared, "this Is to j much," and he opened the door and i made a pass at me. Then seeing the watchman, and taking in the situation at a glance, he calmed (down and obsem-d: "Ah, watch- man, burglar, eb? and In a dress suit, too Well, well, this is most extra ordinary.'' "No, sir," I protested, "I am not a burglar. I am a peace-abiding citi zen, and I came to spend the nignt with my friends, the De Cianceys? Of course, you know the De Cian ceys?" "No, I don't either." he laughed. "Never heard of them. Take him away, officer, and I'll testify iu the morning." Hy this time quite a crowd had as sembled at the foot cf the steps, and as the watchman grabbed me and wheeled mc around I stood there like an animal at bay. Evidently we had made considera te noise, for In this brief instant I saw heads pop ping out of the windows opposite. Then I was hustlet rapidly down the steps and off toward the station house. There was no helping it 1 was doomed. Hut with a last des perate attempt like a drowning man who clutches at a straw, I raised my voice and shouted: "lie Clancey! De Clancey!" at the top of my lungs. "Is that you. George?" came the faint answer from what was now half way down the block. " Hey there, watchman, wait a minute." "There," I hysterically cried, " don't ycu hear that?" The oil ccr stopped. I was saved. The next morning I met the man who had opened the door for me the night before. "I have lceti told, sir," I re marked, respectfully accosting him, "of the hab ts and peculiarities of most of the other occupants of this house. May 1 inquire, sir. what po sition you occupy?" "Certainly, sir," he replied, while an amused smile played over his bronzed face. " I am the husband of a lady who married a drummer, and ( returned yesterday from a three months' trip." Hartford Times. The Alamo. The Alamo was a fort near San Ant' n la, Texas, so called because of the almond trees (alamo) that grew near it. Dui.ngtlie war of Texan independence against Mexico, 140 Texaus under Cot William Travis were besieged in the fort by some 4,000 Mexicans under Gen. Santa Anna. The siee began February 2.', lum After a few days thirty-two men from San Felipe managed to pass the Mexican lines making the garrison all told 17.1 persons. Includ ing women and children. On March 0 the Mexicans assaulted twice, but were driven bacn; a third time they raptured the fort killing every person of satety, but was murdered by Santa Anna's orders. Col. Bowie, the in venter of the bowie knife, was killed as he lay ill in bed. but not until he bad killed several of his assailants. Major Kvans was shot while trying to explode the powder in the maga zine. Three others were murdered with Crockett Only three persons a woman, a child, and a servant were permitted to escape. The Mexi cans had lost 1,600 men in the three attack's On April 21, js.pi, the Texans met the Mexicans at San Ja cinto, Texas, and their battle-cry was "Hemember the Alamo!" The Mexican army was entirely defeated, and Santa Anna himself was taken ( prisoner. I Monkeys and the Hick. Monkeys, with some notable excep tions, are some degrees worse than savage men in their treatment of the sick. On the new Jumna Canal, at lielhi, monkeys swarm in trees upon the banks, and treat their sick com rades In true monkey fashion. ! The colony by the canal being over- crowded, and as a consequence un heaitby, did, and probabh' does still, su .er from various unpleasant dis eases. When one monkey is so ob viously unwell as to offend the fccl i Ings of the others, a few of the larger monkevs watch It and, taking a favorable opportunity, knock It Into the canal. If It Is not drowned at once, the sick monkey Is pitched in again after It regains the trees, and cither drowned or forced to keep , aloof from the flock, i At the London Zoological Gardens the monkeys torment a sick one with ' out mercy, and unless it Is at once removed from the cage It has little chance of recovery. The small mon keys bite and pinch It; the larger ones swing It around by the tail. When it dies, as many monkeys as can find room, sit on Its body. Dairy l lennlla. The question is sometimes raised whether It Is possible to always keep wooden dairy utensils perfectly clean. It Is no good policy to let milk stand for any length of time In woo ien palls or receptacles, but wooden churns and butter workers are all right, and can be kept perfectly sweet and bacteria-proof by tne uae of lota of hot water. Son show we never feel at home with tbe people wbo art so nloa tbey won't eat apples wltbont I rat poellag then YARN MADE OF LEATHER. M orntMit Haram JIum Bad Hvlllaf TwM to ArriMRt hf m ImiIuml Old leather leltlng. leather scraps, old txxit-, and, in fact every kind of a-io leather, no matter how old, d. cayed or soiled It may be, is now going to be u til, zed in the making of varn. says the Iiulletln. a process has been introduced by a Fiuhburg Inventor (or reducing nld leather to a pulp, and then drawing the pulp own to a thread. The work isdone by the use of a vacuum bleacher, a grnding machine, and a device for draw, ng a leather strand from pulp. The vacuum bleacher Is a kettle ar rangement from whl h the air Is pumied after the leather Is put in. Then Ingredients are introduced which cleanse the oil and other for eign matter from the leather. Tne next process consists in running the cleansed piece of leather through a machine made like a grinder. In this the pi ces are ground to a pulp by levolviu ' blades. Next the powder like stuff Is mixed with water and allowed to stand 1 11 it becomes a) out the consisten -y of melted glue. Then it Is poured Into a tank In which there are a series of boles side by side. As the pulp emerges from these holes In long strands it passes tween rollers, where It Is rubbed int'i a cir cular form as it leaves tbe worsted eard. The rubbing process serves to separate tbe strands as well as to give Iheru suriieicnt twist to strengthen and solidify them. As the strands leave the rub rollers they an run throutrh grooved wheels, In which a press wheel fits into the troove aiiove the strands, thus further solidifying the strand. From this point the strand Is wound upon a tiobbin. IkM-sn't leile the Toadstool. A ' thoughtless man, wandering through the woods caught sight of a cluster of giant toadstools growing at the foot of a tree and began to slash them witn his walking stick. 'Now, what on earth do y u want to do that for?" askod his thoughtful compani n. "Why, they're no aood. They're poisonous and unsightly, too," replied the cane wieldcr. "Well," retorted the thoughtful man, they're one of the most use ful things that grow. They are ex cellent proof of the old chestnut that ev rything In nature has its use and value to man." "It's the first time I eer heard of it" said the tnoughtlcss man, dubiously, whereupon the thoughtful one, at the very first op ortunity, Uik the inoughtless one Into a big city drug store. Heaped high in a glass case on one of the counters were hundreds of odd shaped things that looked like pieces cf chamois skin It was all odorless and as soft as vel vet almost to the touch. "What are they?" asked the thoughtless man In surprise. "Dried toad-tools" replied the thoughtful man. Nobody ought to be without them,' chimed In the druggist "Tnere isn't a better simple cure for noiebleed known than a bit of toad stool thrust Into the bleeding nostril. Toadstools make excellent dressing for certain kinds of wounds, are highly valued by surgeons and are in big demand In hospitals. Germans use toadstools extensively as pit lighters also. The dried fungus makes perfect tinder. It Is cut in long strips, and these In turn aie clipped at the edge In a sort of fringe and tipped with phosphorus and sul phur just like match heads. Ity rub bing the fringe against any rough sur face, it ignites just like a match, and burns like punk. If you thrust a bit Into the t.owl of your pipe you can light the tobacco with ease In the highest wind in the biggest storm, In fact, the harder it blow? the bct- fter your pipe will light Hunters and fishermen Mod this sort of a match much preferable to any other. A dried toadstool makes a curiosity, too, for it is astonishing how few jieo pic know what it Is when they see it" A Mranice Malcli. It is an historical fact that Freder ick of Prussia formed the Idea of compelling unions between the tall est of the two sexes In his dominions In the hope of having an army of giants. It so happened that during a rather long ride the King passed a particularly (all young woman, an utter htranger. He alighted from his horse, and insisted upon her de livering a letter to the commanding oflicerof his 'Vrack" regiment The letter contained tbe mandate that the bearer was instantly to be mar ried to the tallest unmarried man in the service. The young woman was somewhat territlcd, and, not under standing the transaction gave an old woman the letter, which was con veyed to the commanding officer, and this old woman was In a short time married to the handsomest and II nest mm In the crack" regiment It Is hardly neecs-ary to say that the mar riage was an unhappy one particu larly so to the old woman. - - .... ...... ... nKwijuan An amiifllmr itirit la IrAA t n .. cultured mariner's views on Mr. Steadman's views. One of tho lat ter was glrcn to the sea dog to read in midoccan. For lack of something better to do he condescended to wade through It, and then this colloquy ensued between the mariner and tbe companion, who tells the tale: Well, this man Stead man seems to bare a pretty big notion of some of these poets. " "Yea. he has." "1 wonder why. Is he a poet him self? ' "Yea" .-'''. "Ob, tbat aooonnu for It He'd be aura to prate, tbe other 'ennee beV in tbe swim wltb'ens." ' ' Mr.i ?:t?Z4-? ..... h:;v, v 4 r'i' 1- h 1- ' , Xf -- .