V
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V. ,Y'
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ii j i - i w
F
O THE LATCH KEY.' W
NO!"
It was a peremptory "do."
such as mother seldom used,
for rthe was gentle in disposition.
'"No. Freddy, don't think any more
about it."
"Can't you make an exception just
thin once?" begged -ed, iny brother,
looking like a persecuted sinner.
"No! You might lose it; Homebody
might find It; we might be exposed 10
all sorts of calamities; someone might
g'-t into the house "
, ".Stop, mother, you are picturing im
probabilities to yourself."
"Secondly," continued our mother,
"you an; too young to carry a latch
key. I ddn't wish you to be out late at
night; you are the only male protector
we'have, and"I,want you to be at home
wflh ua."
I'nder any Mher circumstances Fred
misht have beeu proud to be called our
""only male' protector," but Mils Hs
; ttii'-tioii made no impression upon him
'now. When mother had"' taken the
latchkey from the keyboard and: 'con
signed It to her pocket, Fred wasn't in
the kiudliest frame of mind. , "
Two montlm ago we liiid' moved from
the, little town where we. were ;boru to
a Urge city mother, Fred and" I. We
were still upset, and confused by the
sudden radical change from country
.qujer, 'to-"'ftk ibifstle of a metropolis.
Mother certainly came- much' against
her Inclination, .but Freddy exhibited
an unusual musical talent,. and I,' too,
was modestly gifted with a propensity
for drawing, and we felt'.tbe needs of
instructive advantages-which we could
not obtain In our native town. Our
maternal parent was unwilling that we
.should go forth into the world. alone,
land so the little home. was sacrificed,
ami we set up an abode' elsewhere."'
Our mother, who had been the most
couthllng soul in the world, was sus
picious of everything and everybody in
.her' new surroundings . and. Insisted
that the h 0110 should be locked and
bolted at 10 o'clock every night, At
that time we bolted the door-to our
apartments. A.' half past. 10 the front
door, was ' locked by the janitor,' and
everybody was supposed to be safely
tucked away In bed.
"Ridiculous," growled Fred, after
'mother hadftth room with the key
to her pocket, "to expect a grown man
to be at home every night at 10."
: Fred was Invited to a little supper
after the concert at which his' music
teacher was to render the star num
bers. "She will let you stay out tlll lt If I
auk her, and I will sit up for you."
"You know mother goes to bed at 10.
so if 1 should be a little behind time,
don't mind, Milly, don't mind; that' a
g ood girl."
"Very well, brother mine!"
J,?' "Or haJf an hour, or an hour! She'll
' be asleep, anyway, and I'll Just cough
ge-ntly under you wLndow, and then
you'll come down and let me in." 1
"See that you watch is not too far
. lie li lad time, Freddy," I langhed. "and
I'll see whatiCau be done."
"I'll go down now and try it oh! If
you hear me cough, let me know."
Freddy went out. A moment after-
ward I heard him cough Immediately
under ray window. I looked out and
nodded to him. "A!! right, old fellow,
I can hear the signal."
Mother finally was prevailed upon to
t'. re her permission for Fred to stay out
until 11, and after supper made herself
comfortable In the big arm chair with
a the evident Intention to wait for the
W:ale protector" of the family.
I At 10 o'clock she looked pretty sletpy,
"and the strike of the next half hour
' awoke her from her first nap. She
gathered up her knitting.
"He will soon be here now, Mllly;
it' really not worth while for both of
ns to kit up. I'm going to bed but not
to aleep until he Is safely at home."
I bade mother good-ulght. In less
than five minutes, I knew, she would
be sonpd asleep. An Interesting book
would help me over the next hour. Be
fore I knew I wan deeply Involved In
the lore affair of a young couple, and
when r turned the last page of the book
It was twenty minutes past midnight.
A sudden thought struck terror to my
litvirt. Fred may have been here and.
absorbed aa I was In my story, I might
n hare heard the signal. I rushed to
th window, but nobody wai to be seen.
Tne minutes dragged with leaden slow
lien. A quarter of 11 ; Where could
he h?i At 1 o'clock I tiegan to divest
inysolf of my dress' niu! slipped Into
my gown. Then I arranged my hair
for the night and bud Just flnlstiid put
ting oe aide of , wy head Into curl
pa(cra. when the' signal came.
I wept to the window, opened It Just
a bit and aald aeftiy .
"I that you, Freddy?"
"Her la the keyr I tbn w It down
Into the atrett.'
.,-rr ' ".
"Ion't leave It In tl)t kt;M; bring
It tip With your "
"Unite right!"
"And take off your boots; doi'l let
met bar' h yon."
"Very wr . ; ' ,
I efcd tbe lamp and hdstened ou4
oa rite atalra f Ught nty belated broth-,
tr oa bla way. The kiy was tnroad In
i'kl't, - r; ." -: - , A
a..' m.rm . ' mr i i i . .- il
pause,
off bis
stairs.
Freddy was evideutly takiug
shoes before coming up -the
"You are a " I was on the point
of whispering, when I. heard the boot
less step quite near me, but I suddenly
checked myself. Froin out of the shad
ow of the chairs emerged a uhluiug
helmet with waving plumes, a'nd "be
neath it the strange face of a young
man, wJt.h a dark brown mustache .and
black eyes, the whole figure arrayed in
knightly -.armor evidently in mas;
querade suit.
I had just presence of mind enough
left noi to cry out aloud. A few steps
sufficed to.brlng'-iue within the shelter
of ouif hall, land as I'closed the door I
sawr4hti tall stranger bow profoundly,
then all was dark. I was terribly
frightened at first, but when soon after
T.HJC 'Wilbl.K 'FIOI'Wk AHRATED IX
, '. KNfOHTJ-.Y ARMOR.-'.
I came .to ihy .8ene? I 'rcatlzed' that
the strnngcr-had wy'key, pt-rliaiis he
had left It In the lock. I rekindled the
lamp, arriijigiHljijy Jol.let and descend
ed to the front door.
No; It waij not there. In ,my 'excite
ment I had forgofte'n to' notu whether
the knight had gone down ov up the,
Ktalr$.aftKr adfjjttttyg hlmseif .with my
key! The.re' was' nothing left for me to
do but to go from one floor to, the other
and find1 the. culprit. . I rang the bell of
the lower flat timidly enough. ,. It
bnrmght to; the door an old man. ,..
"Have you a young man lodger who
has Just. come home? He has my -"
''No!" growled a voice, and the door
was slammed in my face.
I went to the next floor and repeated
the experiment.. A young servant maid
came to the loor. .
"No," she Vuld.'when I Lnqulred after
a young man In a masquerade suit; no
young man' lived ou their premises.
Past our own door I now mumbled
and went to th". floor above. My i.nock
brought to the door a rolly-p'olly' little
old woman In dressing sack and night
cap..
."W,hat Is it, child?" she asked.'anx
lously, io.r she knew me. "Is your
mother 111? Can we help you?"-
"No," I whispered,, "but 1 have Just
by mistake given our latchkey to a
strange young man In a .masquerade
suit because I took him for my brother.
Does he live with you?" '
"No, my dear young lady." .
Tears came to my eyes. I was at my
wit's ends. . ,
"But a young artist has Just moved
Into the garret room. I'erhaps he Is the
man you seek." '
Yea, It must be he! But how could I,
a young woman, go to a young man's
quarters In the middle of the night to
demand the return of my latch key?
My old friend came to tuy rescue,
called her hu-sband, and sent him up
stairs to ask for my key., We could
hear their voices, first unintelligible,
and then the voice of the stranger rang
out In tbe tone of Injured innocence.
"What; not returned the key? I laid
It at the feet of the young lady?"
And so It was. When we three came
down to our door and held the lamp
close to the, floor,, we-found 'It' lying
where he had said. I, thanked my
neighbors for their kindly aslstancc
and haMened to the window to look out
for Fred. v -'
There he stood, shivering In the cold,
anxiously waiting for admittance.' He
had not much to sjjy. but grabbed the
lamp and disappeared In his room. I
MOTH EH HASORD MK Ml CARD.
did -not blame him, though he was woe
fully late In coiulng.upmc.
Next, morning. we. fotind tljat our
mother was unaware of the adventure
of tbe night. , She bad slept tbe sleep
of the Just, for which I was profoundly
thankful. l ' '
. Just m we were rtstAjr 'to slt'towa to
dinner ;the Ml raog. Mr; mothar
opened the door find bowd -a.
unit Into th parlor. f.
JOMI
"I came to beg your padon for the
disturbance I caused last night," I
heard the voice f a youn; man y.
"DUlurbunce! I kiuw. nothing of It.
Milly!"
I came in. red as a peony, and redy
to sink into the floor. !.i other handed
me bU card. "Mr. Charles Bowman
Artist," it said. '
"You must tell me all about it, Mr,
Bowman." continued my mother, "for
I duu't know what you mean, really."
And he told her Just what had hap
pened. Mother's face grew longer and
longer as he. proceeded with his nar
ratlve. t;
' - "Stupid men!" I thought. Just at the
end he showed a grain of sense.
"When did all this happen?" asked
my mother, excitedly. ' I went to bed
at 10 o'clock. I hope that Fred came
'hofne at the proper time, Milly."
The young man's dark eyes' turned
upou me.
"I don't know just to the minute, but
it must have lieeu aliout 11 o'clock or
thereabout." ,
I blessed him for that answer.
, Mr. Bowman's first unfortunate visit
was followed by many more. He be
came my brother's friend, then my
sweetheart, nnd now he li my be
trothed. Late in the spring w'e are to
hi married. '
POPULATION OF IRELAND.
Km fa fat I olii Decreasing Report
the nesriatar General.
of
, .The report of the register general of
Ireland for the year 1800 has been is
sued as a blue look. It states that the
marriage rate for that part of the Unit
ed Kingdom, although not high, in 1890
was considerably in excess of the de
cennial average, and -was the highest
for. any year since 1871, says a-London
dispatch to the Paris Meesenger. The
birth rate was somewhat above the av
erage and was the highest for any year
sllice 18H4, wlrile on the other hand the
death rate was much below the aver
age, be;-ig only 10.0 per 1,000, and waa
tlx? lowest for any year since 1871. The
excess of births over deaths was 31,-
im.
As the loss by emigration amounted
to 38,l!)5. there was an apparent de
crease of 7,0."4 in the population during
the year. But against this decrease
there Is a set-off In Immigration, of
whjeh no official record has lieen ob
tained. The estimated jxypulation In
the middle of the year was 4r.00,378.
Tlje rate of emigration last year per
1,000 of the estimated population waa
8.0, the average rate for the previous
ten years being 12.7. In 1804 tie rate
was as low as 7.8, whereas in 1887 It
reached 17.1. The population of Ire
land, Including the military, naval and
merchant service, amounted in 1822 to
6,892,708. From that period the num
ber continued to Increase until 1845,
when It amounted to 8,295,061.
It then began to go through a con
tinuous process of decline, falling be
low 7,000.000 In 1850, below 6,000,000
In 18T.fi and below 5,000,000 In 1884, the
lowest point being reached last year.
The emigration which took place In
1890 comprised 3.842 from the province
of Lelnster, 15.4.85 from Munster, 7,434
from Ulster and 12,234 from Con
naught. Of the total emigrants from
Ireland last year 6.9 per cent were un
der 15 years of age, 83.7 per cent be
tween 15 and 35 years old, 9.4 per cent
were 35 or upward, and In ten instances
the ages were not specified. The great
bulk, therefore, were In the prime of
life.
YOUNG PHIL SHERIDAN.
Not Brilliant, but Studious and In
dustrious ut Went Point.
Up at West Point there is a slender,
smooth-faced young man who is work
ing day and night to emulate the glo
rious record of his father.
It Is "young Phil Sheridan." He Is
already a soldier by Instinct. In a few
years he will be a soldier In reality.
So far he has taken but little Inter
est in the athletic sisjrts of his class
mates. He Is not a foot-ball player,
He Is a bad hand at base-ball. He
plays tennis and enjoys It. Most of all,
however, he Is a thorough student.
While not exactly ''a brilliant youth,
young Sheridan Is' persistent and In
dnstrlous, and It would not be surpris
ing If at the end of four years' study
he should be graduate at the head of
his class.
It was not only his own but his moth
er's desire that he should become a sol
dier, and by the time he receives his
lieutenancy It is possible that we may
Indulge in a wai with a foreign power
that will enable him to show his mettle.
Like poets, however, great soldiers
seem to be a question of birth and In
stinct. In this connection a prominent
West Point officer recently said:
"It Is almost a certainty that It we
werr to go to war now the successes
that we might achieve would mt de
pond upon the sons of our dead mili
tary heroes. I do not know of one who
lias been graduated at this college who
has shown any especial brilliancy.
"Sheridan Is as brilliant ns any of
them. Military genius does not shine
In times of pence, however. It takes
war to bring out a soldier's qualities,
nnd It is likely that In case of an arm
ed conflict new generals would spring
up from humble lieutenant who have
bni 'ty managed to scratch through
their examination." New York Jour
nal, i
, When It Happened.
. "What time was It," asked the judge
of the rural wlttiem, "when this affair
occurred?"
' "Well, sir," replied the wllness. "ef 1
doh'l dlsrwiiember It wiia long or 'liout
fodder -pnllln' time."
"I mean," eiplalmnl (lie judge, "wiiait
time of day?"
' "It warn't no llm? of day, yer Hoftjwr.
far u wm night lm."
"And What tltM wm that r
"Wo, ilr, t K warn't bedtime U wn
mighty lo 0 H."
If : 1 1
'Mil.
mm
z-V
For Cleaning and Polishing Stoves
Qiix finely-powdered . blaek-lefld to a
paste with water in which a small
smouut of glue ha been dissolved.
The bulb of an electric lamp should
never be Inclosed in any fabric. If
wrapped in tissue paper so that no air
can pass between it and the glass, the
pfiper will soon be ou fire.
Paper tiles are said to have numerous
advantages over the ordinary ones, be
ing lighter, harder, and also impervious
to damp. Furthermore, they are non
conductors of heat and sound, and look
better than the old kind.
Glass library shelves have recently
been introduced In France. The edges
are rounded. The glass Is nearly In
flexible, which gives it great advant
age over wood. Its strength has been
proved. It Is more easily kept clean
than other shelving. The appearance
of the library is greatly enhanced. The
book people who have used it are en
thusiastic.
Sudden and great fluctuations in the
level of water-In wells In stormy weath
er, closely corresponding to the fluctua
tions in wind velocity recorded by Prof.
Langley, have been observed by Dr.
Home! Martini. This explains the pop
ular tradition that, bad weather may be
predicted from the sudden rise and fall
of wells. Curiously, however, small
and rapid changes of barometers are
more certain to affect wells than large
changes.
Recent observations on the differ
ences of color in different races of men
are described in a French journal of
anthropology by Monsieur Broul. It
appears that the color of the skin de
pends upon a pigment contained -in the
deeper layers of the epidermis. This
pigment, in the form of minute grains,
is distributed in the same manner in all
races, the only difference being In the
color of the grains, which varies from
black, through many lighter shades, up
to light yellow.
In Spain, where the telephone is large
ly used in place of the telegraph, says
Monsieur Plerard, as reported in the
Electrical World, an Ingenious appli
cation of the phonograph to record the
telephonic messages ha been made.
The receiving operator repeats the mes
sage Into a phonograph, from which It
can afterward be transcribed at leis
ure. This saves the delay caused by
writing the message a u ring its recep
tion, and insures greater accuracy be
cause the repetition of the message for
the phonograph ! heard, simultaneous
ly, by the original sender at the other
end of the line.
Many of the violent changes which
occur under the surface of the sea, as
Prof. John Milne has recently shown,
produce effects that are distinctly and
sometimes disastrously felt on the land.
Wherever a profound cavity exists in
the bed of the ocean near tne land, and
wherever the border of a continent
slopes off Into a deep sea, great slides
are apt to occur, and these often cause
earthquakes. In Japan, Mr. Milne says,
a large number of earthquakes came
from the deep sea off the mouth of the
Tonegawa, the largest of the Japanese
rivers. The river brings down alluvial
detritus which la deposited on the brink
of a deep hollow In the ocean, and from
time to time the accumulated deposit
e'ldcs into the depths, slinking not only
the aea-bottom, but the adjacent land.
According to Nikola Tesla, as report
ed In Industries and Iron, "of all con
ceivable methods of generating electri
cal energy, nothing lu the present nor
in the future la likely to compare in
facility and economy with the water
fall." Of all methods of generating
power, the utilization of waterfall, he
says, Is the slmpleat and least waste
ful. According to him, even if It were
possible, by combining carbon la a bat
tery, to convert the work of the chem
ical combination Into electrical energy
With very high economy, such mode of
obtaining power, he thinks, would be
no more than a mere makesmlft, bound
to' be replaced sooner or later by a more
perfect method which requires no con
sumption of any material whatever.
"With a view to rendering his opera
tions really asoptlc," says the Berlin
correspondent of the Lancet, "Prof.
Mikulicz, of Breslau has taken to ope
rating In glovea, and has published tn
account of the favorable results obtain
ed after tbree months' exper.ence. He
uses fine thread gloves, which are made
aseptic In steam In the same way as
surgical bandages. Of course tbe hands
are washed and disinfected lu the usu
al uianuer befre the glove are put on.
The glove have to be changed several
times during long operations; they are
worn by the assistant as well. Prof.
Mlkuller. declare that none off, he man
ipulation are rendered awkward or
difficult by the gloves, and that, on the
.contrary, it is easier to take and ktep
hold of tissues In gloves than with the
bare hand. He further recommends
the use of a respirator of sterilised mus
lin.:. In order to avoid danger from
mouth bacteria.
Authors Ksjoylng Mechanical Helps
, The up-to-date stories aliout authors
Indicate that the brotherhood of the
pen are aa keenly alive to the advan
tage of a high state of civilisation as
any other class of people In the com
Dunlty, The author with a fountain
pen which holds Ink enough for about
10,000 words has made his appearance.
Ills daily stint Is tbe amount of Ink In
his pen, and when that is exhausted
be stops; the author who has lost three
months' work by the breaking of a
phonograph, Into which he had dictated
a novel, has also come Into publicity,
and ieople feel as sorry for him as did
the gay Frenchmen of a hundred and
fifty years ago for tbe poet who lost a
collection of blank rhymes. The au
thor wlio keeps a phonograph by his
bedside, in order not to lose the bril
liant tdeas that come to him in the si
lent watches of the night, and the mag
azine editor who, from ids residence,
dictates a lengtny and learned article
through tne telephone to a shorthand
writer at his office are all with us, for
the authors are evidently not the kind
of people to lag behind the age in which
they live.
A PECULIAR EXPLOIT.
Towed a Large Turtle Twelve Miles
Through the Water.
Jim Westover, a youngster of 21, and
a rider of the "bike," is the hero in the
region about Mayport, Fla., Just at
present over the capture of a huge tur
tle the other night on the beach. West
over had been down on the beach tak
ing a spin and also to see about some
cows In a pasture at Six-Mile Point
He hnd a rope about fifty feet long that
he took with him to do some measuring
on some camp meeting lots. Knowing
that this waa the time, for turtles to be
laying their eggs, they affecting moon
light nights for such exercise, he kept
a sharp lookout for them. Just after
passing Pabio he saw the big outlines
of something black up the beach.
"By JLmminy," said Jim under hi
breath, "that's a dog-goned big un, too."
Riding rp slowly, he soon came near
the big turtle, which was too busy lay
lug eggs to notice Jim's noiseless ap
proach. Jim cogitated over the matter
for a few minutes and then, taking his
rope, carefully fastened it to the tuW
tie's front flipper and drew the rope
tight. No sooner did the turtle feel
thia than It started up and wiggled .to
ward the water. Jlni mounted his
wheel and tried to ride off the1 other
way. Jim pedaled and pedaled, but
could not move the old fellow. The
turtle seemed to have the best of the
bargain and pulled, the unwilling
wheelman to the water's edge. Jim was
getting anxious. As the turtle entered
the water he started up the beach
alongside the water's edge, trying to
get a new pull on his capture.
To his great surprise and delight be
found that he bad the turtle foul. The
old fellow was at home in the water,
but having his right flipper caught by
tbe tow rope he was powerless to run
away, and fight as hard as he could ht
could not escape: Jim started np the
beach as near the water's edge as ha
could ride, and began to tow the turtle
to Mayport. The turtle naturally ob
jected and sheered out to sea. But the
rope being attached to his landeld
flipper It kept blm at Just the right dis
tance from the shore and be towed as
easy as a log, as Jim said afterward.
Once In a while he got obstreperoue
and twice Jim fell Into the water, but
by midnight he and his prize arrived
off Cotnmanehe Point. His wild whoops
aroused the neighbors, who came out to
see what was up. They would not be
lieve that Jim had towed the turtle for
twelve miles in this way, until he show
ed them the rope and then to show off
towed the big fellow up and In front
of the town for a few turns. And the
turtle had gotten used to It now and
kept Just far out enough to make tow
ing easy. When he saw Jim turn to
come back, after going up the bank a
little ways, the turtle turned around
and shifted the rope to bis landalde
flipper again, as he knew that be could
not be towed If the rope waa on the out
side. Jim has the turtle in a crawj
neur his house and every evening be
takes him for a tow along the banks.
Chicago Uhronlcle.
Seals Lore JMuslo.
The well-known love of seals for mu
sical sounds often leads to their de
struction. When the Eskimo hunter
sees none 01' hi prey about he begin
whistling, and sooner or later Is sure t
attract an appreciative seal within
reach of his harpoon. Lying, at full
length at the edge of the ice he contin
ues whistling low, plaintive, calling
notes, and presenfly a few of the ani
mals will draw near to the spot, lifting
themselves as high as they can out of
the water, and slowly moving their
heads to and fro, as If keeping time to
the music. By and by one seal, mora
daring than Its fellows, will come very
close to the hunter, who then Jumps to
his feet and s-lsys the creature, while
Its mates make off as quickly as possi
ble. Pearson's Weekly.
Japanese Industry.
The Japanese think the best mission
ary they can send to Formosa Is the
locomotive, and they propose to clvllire
Its 500,000 fierce Inhabitants by build
lug railroads, which will furnish trans
portation for the sugar, tobacco, rice,
corn, tea, camphor, cinnamon, pepper
and tropical fruits which flourish lux
uriously In nearly the same latitude as
the Sandwich Islands. - -
The Japanese Government Iron foun
dry now in course of construction at
Yednmltsti In the Oga dlatrhrt will turn
out !(,i00 tons of steel yearly.
Prance's Consumption of AlcoCtol.
A lea rued, professor at Geneva, Swit
zerland, states that France drinks
more alcohol annually than any oilier
imtlon In Europe. His calculation Is
bused on the percentage of alcoholic
Honors consumed. According to tnu
standard each person In France drinks
thirteen quarts of alcohol In many
inure aunrta of wlnea. beers, etc in
the course of a year.
There la a He going around about aa
old-fastilooed child UuU wm m
A GREAT GAME PA RIG
Twenty-six
Thousand
Acre Hr m
Preserve.
G. T. Ferris contributes an artJcIa
on "Wild Animals in a New England
Game Park" to the October Century.
Mr. Ferris says, In describing the lata
Austin Corbln's New Hampshire pre
serve: Blue Mountain Forest Park, as the
preserve Is called, Includes parts of
four townships, and lies near the en
terprising borough of Newport on the
Concord and Claremont branch of the
Boston and Maine Railroad. It is said
to be the biggest game park in the
world, except one owned by the Duke
of Sutherland in Scotland, and one or
two royal demesnes on the continent.
Of course, in making comparisons, one
must exclude those Immense public pre
serve, as big as provinces, where the
British Government of India seeks to
save the elephant from extinction, and
our own national parks in the West.
The name of Blue Mountain attaches
to the entire spur of hills which bisectu
the iark, while Croydon designates its
highest shoulder rising to the height of
nearly three thousand feet. The steep
and densely wooded .heights of Croy
don, curving like-a hump, break the
sky-line in the shape of a camel's back;
near by a skirling canyon opens a car
riage route across the mountain. In
characteristics it belongs rather to the
Green Mouutain than to the White
Mountain range, though it seems dis
conected from both: The verdure of
an immense forest of spruce, fir, hem
lock, pine, birch, beech and maple in
folds it to the very crest, with here and
there a brown patch of clearing. The
greater part of the Corbiu inclosure
consists of abandoned farms, many of
them already beginning- to bristle
with saplings; for the woods are on the
march. Dismantled houses with win
dows and doors gaping like holes. In a
skull, ramshackle barns rotten and
weather-stained, the -wreck of stone
fences thickset with brambles these
meet the eye at every turn.
The general outline of the park is
that of an ellipse with respective diam
eters of about four and a half and
eleven miles, and the surface is cut
diagonally by a backbone of mountain
running northeast. The lower slopes
and the meadow levels are diversified
with brooks and swamp land, while ex
tensive groves of second growth pro
fusely dot the surface. It is in these
that the wild swine, the progenitors of
which clashed their tusks against the
boar-spears of mediaeval kings and
barons, root and propagate their kind
with a fecundity which is a marvel to
the keepers.
One can scarcely grasp the bigness of
the park by figures. But let the reader
fancy a demense considerably more
than double the size of Boston and all
its suburbs; thirty times the area of
Central Park, New" York; almost ten
times bigger than Fairmount Park,
Philadelphia; or fourteen times the
acreage of the -whole park system of
Chicago. Roads, many of them thor
oughfares of days gone by, variously
Intersect the inclosure, and an excel
lent carriage track crosses the park
from east to west through the pictur
esque notch. On the western side the
declivity is more sloping and open, but
has the same agreeable diversity of
scene. "
A wire fence, partly mesh, partly
barbed, nearly eight feet in height and
twenty-seven miles in circuit, confines
the four-footed tenants within its' steel
barrier. The same posts which support
the fence until the trees which have
been set shall have grown to take their
place, string a telephone connecting the
nine sub-stations at the different gates
with the central station, the home of
the superintendent,, the Corbln villa,
and the town of Newport. The keepers
and other employes of the park vary
from twenty-five to fifty, according to
the season of the year. It need scarce
ly be said that the needs of attendance
compel a vigilance which -never rests.
Merely to watch the fence, lest It
should have parted somewhere by acci
dent or wanton malice, require an In
spection twice a week.
Hare Packs of Cards.
The oldest pack of cards found In the
United States is a deck which was dis
covered in perfect condition In a closet
In an ancient house in New Jersey. The
date of- the puck is of the time of
Charles I., and the cards are of English
make. Some very old playing cards
have lieen found in the bonrd bindings
of early books. It looks as If Illustra
tive art was used In the making of
cards even before the pictures in books
of religion, which shows that man
thought more of his amusement than of
the saving of his soul. At a recent
sale in London some old playing cards
wero disposed of. A geographical pack,
1075, with the rare explanatory card
describing other packs of the period,
brought 3; a pack of old proverb cards,
not In the British museum catalogue,
4 11s; Dutch satirical cards, first quar
ter of the eighteenth century, with tho
two supplemental cards, 3 18e; a pack
of grotesque cards, the suits cleverly
designed nnd colored, 2 10; a pack
Illustrating the American Hvil wnr,
with portraits of the generals engaged
therein, 2 2s; and the rare ioplsli plot
onck, published In 107!), one card miss
ing, 2 IRs. Collet-tor.
MUle Chin 1 Tea in London.
There seems to be no doubt that as
far as the British market la concerned
China teas are gradually becoming ex
tinct. Germaay'a Many Haloid.
Germany's proportion of aulctdea la
larger than that of any other European
country.
If a woman sincerely loves a bmui it
never worries bar ceaaeleaot fee
tobacco for hint.