Nebraska Newspapers

    A LITTLE BOOK.
Htt'-a bo k with br and tbr a tenf
Tt'itt'd a . 4m tvudrv f (7 How ft
To k to mm, to fill mv oul wirfa dram
frw-. a brat lot ac4 beaUL.fux aa brief I
Jiw.a wua hr glory, un tbU pK- CT.ff
i'ur 10 hav stained it ; i-vrm tfa Blight
a raui,
A&.l b-rw tL star withheld from ber thtr
. ea a.
And totr . oigbt bar wbiia aoul hk a thief.
An i here b-r came and aa X breath tri iwmi,
oI, vl ii. a p a eu.- iu the rtmi
th4 t aiH lahbu, a lut I may n t iook ;
lif lowed iawa ara liutierint, at my fret,
Zii ii'tiL . , an 1 10 i in be g'ooui,
Mi ii-e a HutuKU ot i in lo buua!
CASTLE CLIFF.
"1 wonder," mu ed lb ber Trent,
as ne M-ttie i himself more comiort
ablv n the tail, jelluw gra-s "I
wonder what a c.tv is like. streets
c ovrned with carts and wagons 1
sui pose -hops and tine bui, dings
and hundreds of well-ure-scd p ople.
All." he diew a de p breath, and his
e.itn, dxtd upi.n the misty peaks of
tne rar-oif bids. gioed with the
light ot an Intense longing "if only
I co i. id go to .i c ty and do some
thing and 1 e something! I would
wor nifeht and da; and pretty wton
Jlei-r Trent wouid be heard of, I
can wll juu. If anyUdy shuuld say
to uie, -II ber, my hov. what do you
want most?' I should answer, "Ju-t a
chance, that' all.' "
He raised him-elf upon his elbow,
and a ioo of sadness darkened his
eauer lace as be gjyd over the rugged
and desolate country. .Not a dwell
ing was visible frou where he lay,
not even a cultl a ted llela. It was a
wild mountain region, sparsely in
habited by poor, ignorant people,
fur the most part occupying rough,
ui painted cottages, and w nning a
cant subsistence bv cutting wood
iu the vast p.ne forests and carting
or .siedgi g it to the ra;lroad in the
valley, many miles di-tant
He tier, a sturdy boy of flft'er, had
already hewn and sold many a curd
of timber: thi-, with the vegetables
he raised in tiie garden patch alut
the cottage, had suiliced for the
meagre wanti of himself and his old
aunt, with whom)ie lived, both his
parents hav;n died when he wa
very young. He had never been to
school there was no tuch thing as a
schooJ within twenty miles; but hav
ing secured a lew olC newspapers an 1 i
books, he had patiently taught him
self ton ad, and even though in a
very awkwurd fashion, it must be
confessed to write.
Once, wh le at the railway station,
Heber had heard a traveling tiiusi
Cian play the violin, and thencefor
ward it had become the ambition ot
his life to ouy au instrument and
become a performer himself. He
had never po-sessed a penny of his
own. The triile he earoeJ for bis
wood scarce su I red for the exitenses
of the humble household. I'.ut dur
ing the past two or three weeks he had
devoted ail Ins leisure hours togatber
ing nuts In the forest, w hich old Seth
Stone, the carter, kindly sold for him
at the station; so that he had already
a little hoard stowed away on the
rafter over his bed
"Anyway," said Heber. more hope
fully; "even if I can't live in a city,
I shall buy a violin as soon as I have
6aved up enough."
His financial calculations were in
terrupted at this point by the trea I
of a horse and the rattle of wheels
upon tne road which had led across
the hill where he lay. The unusual
sound caused him to sit uj right and
stare ama eilly at the approaching
vehicle. It was a neat lignt wagon,
drawn by a handsome, spirited hors ,
iuite di.,eren frm the clumsy
buck boa ids and lean, raw boned ani
mals w th which the boy was tamil
iar. The occupants were a gentleman,
clad in a gray tra ebng suit, and a
beautiful little girl in a Irock of
bright colors with a small blue cap
set jauntily upon her long, rippling
yellow bair.
Heber hoped the strargers would
cass by without observing him: but
the wagon stopped opposite where
he sat, and the gentleman beckoned
to him. With a feeling of shame for
his patched and frayed o eralls, and
rough, butternut shirt, the boy re
luctantly arose and went to the side
of the wagon, pulling off his ragged
cap as the gentleman spoke to him.
'llw far is it to the nearest ra 1
road station?" he asked.
"About twelve miles," answered
Heber.
The gentleman gave a whistle of
dismay. "And we have come nearly
that distanc already," he said. "Are
you tired, Nettie'-"'
""ot a bit,'' replied the little girl,
shaking her bead and smiling.
Vouse.-." explained the gentle
man, turning to ilebe:-, "we missed
the only tram that goes down today
on the other road, and as I must get
iu town to-night we had to come
this way."
"You will have plenty of time,"
said Heber; ' the road Is pretty good,
and you can't lo-.e your way."
'I am very much obliged to you,"
said the gentleman, and he put his
band in his pocket
Heber drew bacn. "Thank you,"
be stamme ed, blushing, -'but 1
couldn't take pay just for that, you
know."
"Will you tell me your name? said
the little girl, as the gentleman gath
ered up the reins. He told her, and
the next minute tbe wagon was mov
ing swiftly away. The child looked
back, smiled, and waved ber band.
'Oood-bye, Heber Trent," she
called, in her sweet young voice.
"Good-bye, Miss Nettie," cried
Heber, waviog his cap la response.
From the spot where tbe boy stood,
tbe road swept In a curve along tbe
brow of a precipice, oearly a hundred
feet in behibth, aod as perpendicular
M tat side of a house, celled Castle
Cliff. Vrtm tbe road to Um brink of
t cliff, Iks) ground, covered with
l rT""J grass and scattered
I ),t opa gradually &Hra.
ward. It was a dangerous plac. but
tbe few who passed that way were -o
fa.uiliar with it that no acr-ident bad
happened within Heber's memory.
r ioiu tbe bottom, naif-way up, the
surfa e of the precipice w s nearly as
smooth as a wall, t-rom that point
to the top. the r -k was seamed and
tuo-e'rles. broken, while here and
there a tuft of harsh, tough grass, or
stunted tree or shrub, found a hole
in tbe crevices.
He!r continued to watch the re
treating ehicle with a feeling f re
gret, as If he were witnessing the de
parture of friends wh m lie would
never mtet again; when suddeuly the
wagou stopped, about midway a ross
the precip ce, and th" little girl
jumped out and ran toward the hael
bushes oo the dangerous slope.
"Th y don't know about the cliff,"
Diutterel Helr, anxiously. a the
small bright figure llitted amoag tbe
hazels, gathering the ripe nuts and
every moment approaching nearer
to the unseen brink. "he'ii be over
n xt. Stop ! Mop 1" he shouted.
Then remembering that his warning
cou d not be heard at that distance,
he started toward lae spot at the top
of his speed.
He bad not made a do.eo leaps
when he checked himself aud stood
with horror-stricken eyes. The child,
cot her own length from the very
edge of i he precipice, was reach ng
up on tiptoe to grasp a t'.'Uipting
cluster of nuU. Suddenly her toot
Siipx-d. and, losing ber balance, she
feil forward, vainly clutrhi g at the
slender twigs and branches and
plunged headlong in the (eartul gu'f
below.
Heber sank to his knees and cov
ered his face with h s ha ds. When
he raised his head again, the gentle
man was ru-dilng madly throusb the
buhes toward the place where his
daughter had disappeared. As the
mist cleared away from his visiou.the
boy saw a bright object against the
side of the clii! about half-way down,
it was the bodv of the child, whose
fall had been arrested by some shrub
or tree growing out of a cleft.
Het-er sprang to his feet and ran,
as he had never run before in his
life. As he drew near the gentle
man, the latter, who si emed to have
almost lost his senses with grief aod
terror, turned toward him, wringing
his hands and sobbing aloud: "My
child
my little Nett el" he cr ed:
she has falieu over the cliff.'"
"Yes," answered Heber, with a
shudder, "I saw it alb lut wait: it
may not be so bad as you think."
lie dropped upon his hands and
knees, and, crawbng to the edg of
the cliff, p'-ered cautiously over. ' I
was right." he exclaimed, -'she hadn't
fall n to the bottom, she is lying in
a stunted cedar fifty feet down. And
she is aiive; I see her nio.e her arm."
He sprang up and gazed at the dis
tracted father. "We must get her
up from there, somehow," he said,
eagerly.
"Yes, yes, "' cried the gentleuiaa
Hun for help: get ropes."
"Hopes," repeated Heber, sadly.
"1 don't think th -re is a rojie long
enough or strong enough in the whole
valley. The nearest place where we.
could get one is the station."
Then take the wagon and drive
for your life " said Nettie's father.
"Quick! quick! I'll wait here till
you return."
Heber shook bis head. "Twelve
miles there and tw Ive miles back!
It would take to i long. She would
fall off and be dashed to pieces, or
die of fright and hurts before I got
here. No: we must try and save her
ourselves."
"Hut how?" asked the gentleman,
shaking tbe boy's arm in his excite
ment. "Let uie think let me think,"
mutteied Jleber, while his eyes wan
dered to the horse, who, left to his
own devices, had drawn the wagon
off the road upon the turf, and was
now nibbling at the yellow leaves of
a dense ma-s of vines Interlaced with
the branches of a low spreading tree.
Suddenly bis face brightened with a
glow of hope.
I believe I've got it!'' he cried.
I'm sure I have."
1'ulting his jac knife out of his
pocket, he ran toward the clump of
vines, and. after a hasty inspection,
began to hack away industriously at
the trunk of a wild grapevine, a foot
above the ground. In a few minutes
he had severed it ;.nd drew out the
end. "Take hold," he cried, to the
gentleman, "and tug for your life,
while I cub"
Nettie's fa'.ber oljeyed, and by their
united efforts it was not long before
they had fully sixty feet of the
strong, tough vine drawn out upon
the ground, and cleared of branches
and creepers.
' There i our rope," u clare l
Heber, wiping the sweat from hi
for head with bis sleeve "aud strong
enough to hold a ton. Now. then,
I want the reins off your horse. -'
Inspired by the lxs cheerful en
ergy the gentleman worked rapidly;
and presently, having secured the
end o'' the vine aro ind a stump upon
the brow of the cliff, and with ttie
reins wound a!out bis waist. Heber
began his dangerous decent toward
the cedar where the child lay. He
was not blind to the faetthat he wa-i
literally taking his life in his bands
A single slip, the smallest relaxation
of his muscles, and he must surely be
dashed to pieces. Once he glanced
below, as he swung from the viue.
His heart seemed to stop, and a great
sick fear to sweep over his whole
body; he felt that he must let go. A
vast weight appeared to be dragging
at bis feet. But somehow he never
understood it himself be managed
to summon back bis coolness and
courage. After that he was careful
not to look downward again. Even
when be was aware that be waa close
to Nettle be merely called to bar
that he waa coming, without ventur
ing to glance at her.
Lit still," be cried: "I'll be there
in a minute. Nettle. Keep up your
courjge a 1 ttle longer "
"You are going t i save me. H ber
Trent. " came the faint, childish
voice from telow. "I saw you com
ing. Hurry as much as you can. I
am so tired, and 1 ache mj."
"All right," replied Heler, Cheer
fully, ' l'l, have ynu out of there in
no time Here we are!" he iaid, as
with a dual swing aod slide he
planted his f. el upon the sturu-d
cedar.
The girl lay wheie she had fallell,
looking up at him w.tb a pale face,
acro-s which there were two or three
streaks of blood. he tried to smile
bravely, though she was evidently
mm h hurt. Letting astride of the
tree, Hener raised the child up and
bound her firmly to his back with
tbe reins.
"Oh, Heber! we shall never get
up that awfui place!" moaned Nettie.
' Put you arms aro ind my neck
and keep quiet." commanded Heber,
as he slowly arose to his feet, holding
fast to the v ine
To this day, if you were to ask
Heber Trent how he climlied that
preeipicccarrying the child upon his
back, he could not tell you. He has
a dreamlike memory of a u-rriflc
scramble a sensation as if his arms
were being torn from their sockets; a
fearrul instant when missing his
foothoid. he swung loose upon the
vine, over the yawning gulf, holding
himself and his precious burden i y
his hands alone: then the heavenly
relief of the pe-t up in a narrow shelf,
where he touched with thumping
heart an I hokitu: breath; and last of
all. the desperate struggle which
landed himself and the child u.on
the turf, headlong in the arms of the
joyful lather.
"Well," said Heber. as he unbound
the reins and freed the child, "Net
tie is safe!"
"Yes, you brave Heber!" cried
Nettie. "1 am all one big pain; but I
should have been dead only for you,
you noble boy!"
"Thai's all rignt." replied Ilcler.
brusquely; "any fellow would have
done as much."
"Hardly," said Nette's fa'.er
"To say nothing of your daring de
scent or the cl i it, your idea of usi.g
tbe grajevine for a rope was a str ike
of real genius."
"Thank you," replied Heber. feel
ing very much embarrassed and at
the same lime very happy. "1 got
her up, and that's the main point.
Now the next thing .s to take her to
a doctor as soon as you can."
"irue.' exclaimed the rattier, anx
iously, ot serving how pale and lan
guid the child was -'but you will
hear from us again, Trent, very
shortly."'
"1 will write you along letter, my
self, ileber," said the little girl,
feebly waving a farewell from tbe
wagon, "..ood-bve, you dear, brave
!.:'
A week later the gentleman paid a
visit to Heber at his home. The re
sult of a long talk was that, a few
! days afterward, the iKiy mounted
1 Seth Stone's buck board on his way to
the station.
"Hear ye arc go 'n' to leave us, lad,"
said t.ie old man.
' i en," replied Heber: "I've got
my chance at lasL "
"Make the most of it. then," said
Mr. Stone; ' for when ye live to be as
old as l am, ye II larn that, man or
boy, your chance only comes once."
When we tell you that under the
name of Heber Trent we have related
M-a iocident in the early life of a fam
ous musician, you will see that he
did indeed make Ihe most of his
chance The Independent.
"Iid you ever think why every ho
tel o.'lice faces the entrance?" queried
a veteran clerk for the reception of
guests, addressing a writer for tbe
Washington News. "Well, it isn't
mere accident, I can assure you, but
the main idea of the ariaugement is
to give ample opiiortunltv for the
clerk, to study the people, who come
into the bouse K.ery stranger is an
understudy, and to make just one
mistake in sizing' him up might
mean serious trouble. There Is the
man who should not be trusted for a
room if he is without a trunk. Then
there is another ho can stand double
rates for the best rooms and is s ire
to want a batb. while another will
never wish to bother with such lava
tory nonsense as can oniy be found in
a tub There is the man who wants
the cheapest room in the house and
is willing to put up with annoyance
to get it Another has a literary
genius and will bnrn gas wiih an
open hand and you want to e,et him
in a room with but one et All these
jiexuliarities the i lcrk is supposed to
divine, and in order to get it 'by
sight' he wants to get a view of the
guest, from the i i me he enters the
door till he reaches the counter, for
you can tell character by a man's
swing or appearance a little way oil
that could not so well lie delected
when he is within a fool ot you.
'Takes brai :s to be behind the desk?'
Well, I just tell youeou have it now. It
does take brains and not alone a dia
mond shirt pin. as some unsophis
ticated people seem to think "
DenliMlw mi Woman'M I'luck.
It m interesting lo learn, on the
authority of an eminent dentist, that
women show, as a rule, a far greater
amount of courage and patience than
men under tbe often excruciating
tortures of the drill and forceps "I'd
rather have three lady patients than
one .man," remarked a well-known
practitioner recently, "they've got
such a lot more pluck. iKiensof my
lady patient I could mention who
underwent the most acute agoay al
most without a wince, while I And
that tbe majority of tht men are
shocking cowards In tht operation
chair, and the very eight of tbe In
strument', being oftet enough to make
one gtat, etroog-kKucIng fellow
ptle with fright"
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
TOPICS OF INTEREST TO FARMER
AND HOUSEWIFE.
How to Cofutrurt ft Wire Biupronlno Foot
HrlUt-Selsc-tlng and Frwrvlng tMx-d
turn To Cora "Thump In flga-Ccu.
eial Iiru uU'fc
A Kupalon toot Ilrnlicr.
Foot bridges, in both mountainous
and nearly level regions,acrosiistreams
from ten to one hundr d feet in
widsh. would often be a great con
venience and save going around to
cross on some public br d'e. Sine
wire has become so plentiful and
( heap thf re is no great difficulty .n
having foot bridges across almost any
W1BK HUSI'EXSION BKnXiK.
stream less than one hundred feet in
wiiith. l'osts aie set Hrmiy in the
wround from four to ten feet back
from ihe margin of the stream, as
shown in the illustration, Inun a
sketch by L. 1). ,-nouk. Against
these jo-tij is placed a strong piece
of tlmlier of some durable wi.od,
around which are. (irmly secured ti e
ends of the wire intended for the
brl Ige support A llfty-foot br.dge
requires eight No. or : gauge an
nealed fence wire placed from six to
to e ght Inches apart, always remem
bering that the shorter and narrower
the bri ige the less weight in foot
boards it will be obliged to support,
consequently the more durable It
will prove. The wiies should not I
drawn to tightly, but should have a
curve of about ten inches In a fifty
fool bridge. Make tbe floor of some
light, durable wood oue ln h thick
and four inches in width, ( bmmence
laving at one end, fastening each end
of the board to the outside wire wiih
a staple driven underneath. lla:e
the loards one loch apart.
The posts should be alout four feet
in height, over which are strunghand
wires llrmly secured to anchor -.
as shown. Short guy wires are placed
every lew feet and conne ted with
the outside foundation wires: these
not only ad i to the supporting
strength of the structure, but I re
vcul the bridge swaying In heavy
gales If hea y stones arc placed
near the posts for the cross titulier to
rest against the structure will prove
more dur..ble. liapidiy-growing trees
plant d near the i.osts may, in a few
years, be used to replace them.
W he e the embankments are low,
ra.se the end titui.ersso that the foot
wires will be in no danger of in,ury
by (loodwood during freshets. If
short sections of two-inc i gas-pipe
lie used for all the posts and for the
end crosspiece, and once in Ave years
the wires are painted where they are
wraptied arouud the end support, the
bridge w ill prove good and serviceable
for arty years. American Agricul
turist Dolnc Avar with I'xlurrl.
A. R tiarrett thinks that good
farmers will noon adopt soiling al
most exclusively in place of pastur
age. That a steadier supply of food
can thus I e provided is unquestioned.
Pasturing is wasteful whether there
is abudnance of feed or uot. Mr.
liarlett bel.eves that with good soil
ing one and a half or two acres of
good rich land can be made to furnish
feed for a cow a whole year, but In
pasturing five acres are retired for
summer a ;d one for hay for winter
feed. The saving In this Is quite evi
dent, especially where the tax on
every acre amounts to considerable.
Now, in the fall, is the time to tie
gin soiling, and to do it properly
preparations should be mace so that
the first feeding can lie made in April
and steadily thereafter. Winter rye Is
the first crop that should be planted.
This should be put in in October or
at the 'atest November, With good
preparations of the soil and g'Kjd seed
ing the rye should take a steady
growth as soon as the first signs of
spring appear The ( lover or grass
seeds must l sown, too, and the rye
will last until the grass is ready to
grow up for eating, ( lover or oichard
grass seeds must I sown, too, for
they kIvc an abundance of good, rich,
food. Farly corn must be planted as
soon as possible In tbe spring, and by
the tiice the clover or orchard grass
give out the gr. en corn should lie
ready for eating to take up the suc
cession. Meanwhile the sewnd plant
ing of rye has leen attended to, and
w en the corn gives out the rye will
be ready for fall food.
Thus, all through ttie summer, a
succes ton of green crops has been
supplied to the cows, and with a lit
tle, preparation In another line, the
saineiun be continued through the
winter. Klther beets or mangels or
silage should be grown for winter
feeding, and this will complete the
year.
To grow all of these crops consider
able planning Is required, but after
the succession Is once p act iced it is
not a difficult matter to follow and
improve upon it Every available
apace of land must be utilized. Hart
ford ( ouraot
T Kmi TrM frnai Braafctag.
I'rof. W. F. Ma-aey. Horticulturist
of the North Carolina Experiment
Station, given tbe following in reply
r m:r tsa i fcv i iti ia.a m
to an inqu ry a. to the best method
ot keeping j.icii trees from breaking
down. liach tre-s usually bran
down because of neglect In pruning
and shaping the young tree. The
1 each bears its fruit on last yen's
shoots. If the growth is neglected
the f ult-l earing wood gradually gets
further and further out on the ends
of the limbs ' n I the weight ot tbe
frop has a tremendous leverage and
splits the limb off.
N hen we plant a young peach tree,
of one year's growth from the bud
ithe onlyane at which th -y should lo
lanted,)we cut the 6tcin baek to
atxmt eighteen to twenty Inches
from the ground. When growth be
gins i.i spring, we rub off ail the
shoots ex -ept three or fnur at the
top, which form the limbs for the
future head. Tnese are again short
ened back in the fa 1 one third: and
when the shoots are too thick In the
interior of the head and interfere
h ith each other, they are trimmed
out Kveryfall the young growth of
the season Is shortened back one
third, and care Is taken to maintain
an even distribution of young wool
all through the bead of the trea
The crop is thus distributed over t e
tree and no damage is none. If the
tr e is planted and allowed to take
the natural shai it assumed In the
nursery, the limbs will more readily
split off than w hen formed by head
ing back.
Sklnj Milk hrnr.
There is a great outcry in" some
quarters against either making or
se ling cheese from which any of the
ere ill) has ten removed. Yet it Is
true that if all tne butter fats of rich
milk are left in il when they go into
the vat all alKive 4 per cent, go
lulo the whey and are lost, The
practice of many good farmers in
luaKing cheese tor their own use is
to skim each alternate mes of milk
1 2 hours after setting. Th 8 wi:h
milk In the pan would leave a good
deal of c cam to i sc. Su h skim
milk was mixed with 'he new milk
of the next, mess Cheese thus made
was as rich and as good flavored as If
a greater poition of cream was left to
be thrown to the pigs, because the
cheese could at.rii no more. It Is
fraudulent practices of di.;erent and
wor e sort than these that have
broughl American cheese into disre
jutein the Knglish market
Thumping
l'lgs will "thump" in almost any
internal disease; hence we could not
decide from the statement rec ived
what the ailment would te, and no
other material symptoms are given
us. We have often rtated that when
ever a numtier of animals are sick on
a place, and when deaths occur, that
it Is desirable to have one or more of
the carcasses cut open soon after
death, and a larcful memorandum
made o! the appearance of all internal
organs
This, in connection with a short
de-crlptii.n of the symptoms exhib
ited by ihe animals during their
sicknes-, would lie a valuable assist
ance n forming a diagnosis of the
disease. As it is now, we are sorry
not to le able to give any correct ad
vice io this instanic J'ralrie Farmer.
Hi-tod Corn.
Tbe earlier seed corn Is gathered
and bung up to dry the letter, says
the Farmer's T.ibune, The dl.ier
ence between good ana poor seed
ma , and often does, make all the
difference between success and fail
ure in the production of paying
crops. A Judicious electon of an
abundant supply of the best ears
grown is of first Importance, but
sra;ceiy less so Is the necessity of so
handling it and storing it that it
will not be affected by tbe extremities
in temperature that are sure to oc
cur beiore another seed time arrives.
Farm Not.
Some farmers make It a point to
produce enormous hogs, and the
weights are published as news, but
it is doubtful If such hogs aro as
irofltable as those that are of medium
size.
A Coknki.l experiment station
bulletin, concerning raspberries and
blackberries, says that the only rem
edy for red-rust is to dig up and burn
at once every plant found to be af
fected. Cut away and burn all canes
affected with antbracnose pits, and
spray the plantation with Hordeaux
mixture.
Fa i!. m Kits are rapidly learning that
the best way to rest land is to keep
it actively at work lietwejn sa e
crops, gathering fertility lroni the
air by means of leguminous crops
Whatever rotation is practiced, never
let It le one in which a Held is let to
lie a w hole season growing only weeds
for' future brow sweatings.
A Sowthkhn farmer says If the
lira of the wagon becomes loose pour
a gallon of boiling h t linseed oil in
a suitable vessel, and. with the help
of an assistant, plaee the wheel
directly over it and immerse the fel
loes wholly In oil. Apply on the hu
with a brush. When dry reioat,
after which give the who.e wagon a
good coat of paint
Is order to tie wholly successful a
farmer s; ould make his plans fir a
long time in advance of the day when
they must be put Into operation.
The liest way is to mature a plan of
operations that will require some
years for fully carrying them out
This brings letter results than the
changeable way that some have of
trying one w:iy this year and another
the next
An eminent scientist claims that
tbe time will come when all crops
will lie grown by Irrigation, and that
'water Is king," instead of cotton
and corn. Irrigation It as yet In It
Infancy, but the Improvements that
are constantly being made in pumps
and windmills will do more to regu
late moisture than any experiments
to control the rainfall.
HOODOOED Br A COW.
T'.tm Vcw To-k auil I ha Etrarim
larn In t'.ip wma Npoc
The crew of the Ktrnrla says it
was all due to a dead cow. Whether
this is the fact or not neither Oapk
Walker of the Ktruria nor Cap.
.Tariipunn f,f 1 h New Vnrk ran UlU.
a though both think it a siranir oc-
currence that lb: two great steam
ships loMi bound west, should have
V oseu aowu en iue same un), y
exactly the same latitude and longi
tude, l'.y a s ngular coincidence the
kteamsbij s were each delayed ten and
a na f hours for repairs, and each of
the vessels was about twelve hours
late in making the ort The Ktruria
r ached New York unday uioinlag,
bringing a crew of seamen who be
lieve that old Neptune is after tbeas
in arnest Seamen are always au
perstitioos, and to the average Ur It
Is as unlucky tu sight a dead cfll at
sea, on tbe sixth day of tbe laet
tnomh of the year, as it is to tall
ov rboard oo Friday. On the sixth of
i ecember the lookout on tbe Ktruria
sighted a dead ow. He commual
taied the information to his fellows,
with the result that there was a uni
versal sinking of heads and the pre
di t on that soon aiter there wottld
be mischief. Kach of the H'O mem
bers of tbe crew looked for an acci
dent, and, sure enough, it came.
Her shaft broke some hours later.
The following day. the voyage bavtmr
been resumed, the Ktruria tell in
with the (Jerman. tank stcamnip
liurgei meister 1'etersun, bound lor
this port from Amsterdam. The
l.urgeriuelster signaled that she bad
lost her rudder post and rudder, and
that all were well. She was proceed
ing toward port under sal1, with tbe
evident expectation of being picked
up by some o( the west-bound steam
ships and towed to port Some ef
tije Ktrurla's tars wish the Govern
ment would send a cruiser to blow
up tbe dead cow's carcass, as would
be the p ocedure in tbe ate of a
waterlogged derelict They think
the "hoodoo" of the floating carca
quite as dangerous.
The Typical American
The typical Americans have all
been Western men, with the escep.
Hon, let us say, of Washington.
Washington had not had much tnf
Kurojean cu tura The qiialktMi
that made htm a great commander
and a great President, were qualities
which would have made him an equally
great frontiersman. , You caanet
Imagine Hamilton, or Mudison, or
Livingston, or John Adams or the
Pinckneys living toierably on loe
frontier. They are not Americans in
the sense in which ( lay and Jackson
and Lincoln are Americans. We may
wish that the typical Americans of
the past had had more knowledge, a
more cultivated appreciation of tbe
value of what was old and estab
lished, a juster view of foreign natloas
and foreign politics; Ih-it tbvy haw
been rnor: like Webster and less like
Jackson; aud we may hope that tf.e
typ cal American of the future will
be wiser acd lietter poised. Hut In
the meantime the past Is to be under
stood and estimated as the facts
stand, and only a thoroughly sympa
thetic comprehension of these men
who have actually been the typical
Americans, will enable us to effect
that purpose. Tbe fact that Clay
rather than Webster, Jackson, aavd
not John Qulncy Adams represented
the forces which were really predomi
nant and distinctively American in
our development, Is commentary
enough on any theory that makes
cither of the p culiar sections tf the
Atlantic seaboard the principal tr
only theater of American history.
The Forum.
An Honeat Our.
A ragged tramp applied one day re
cently at a house oq Howard eUMt
for some old clothes and the phatata.
b e woman living there fitted bias,
out in full attire from bead to tott
aud he went away in a cheethjl
mood. Next day he came back quite
as ragged as at first except as to hat
coat, carrying the clothes tbe lady
had fciven him.
"Well," she asked In astonlshaaaat
as he presented himself and hie
bundle, "what's the matter?"
"I've brought back the clothes,
lady," he said simply.
"Why did you do that? Doo't jot
need them In the cold weather?"
He laid them down on a chair ta
tcrminedly. "No, lady," he replied.
"I can't say as I do. You see, lady.
I've been used to wcarln' ventilated
shoes and hats and clo's ho long that
when I tried those you give I felt to
kind r smothered I bad to git back
in the old ones and bein' honest, ef
I am po r, I thought I'd bring 'eat
back so's you could give em' to some
ot the boys that ain't le n intbe
perfesh quite as lontr as me," , and
with a bow and thankt and a warm
pie he struck manfully out into tht
cold morning, Detroit Free Press. .
A Hard .Nut lo Cmcfc.
A professor of logic, who was mat
particularly lucid in bis distinctions,
was on one occasion endeavoring to
substantiate that "an article remalas
tbe same notwithstanding the sub
stitution ot tome of its parts."
A young student held up bis knife
and in (ulied: ,
Suppose 1 should lose tbe Uadt
of thi knife, and shuuld get another
one made and inserted in Ita place,
would it be tbe same knife It was It
fore?" "To be sure," replied the profaptr.
"Wall I hn " t ha ilmUm
"tuppote I sh yjld loae the bandit
aod get another, "would It bt Mm
tan.e knife still?"
"Of course," the professor replied,
"But if aomel ody abould find the
old bladt and tbt old handle, atd
abould put tbtm together, what kMt
would that bt?"
Tbt proftt oft aatwer it not recorded.
r