Leap-Vear Privilege.
Even thl age of statistics is not
likely to lx able to tabulate the actual
results of a leap year as thfy are re
corded In lii book of the towu clerks.
WIe-er women really propone nar
rlagt to men In the year which have
twenty-nine days In February cannot
be prove!, even by the census reports
of the number of marriages In each
year.
The theoretle privilege bus been
much extended In modern times,
whether or not women avail them
selves of It. The legend runs that
Saint Bridget begged Saint Patrick
that there might be some time when
maids might properly woo, and that
he yielded the twenty-ninth of Febru
ary to her request. As their conversa
tion happened to occur on that very
day. Saint Bridget promptly offered
herself In marriage to the amiable
Saint Patrick; but be had the courage
to refuse her, and the tact to temper
her dlsapf. jtment by a kiss and the
gift of a silk gown.
To modem maidens popular consent
has conceded the whole year instead
of the one meager day granted by the
wise saint. They certainly are skil
ful lo the arrangement of opportuni
ties leap year sleigh rides and parties
of various sorts furnishing what I toe
tor Drummonds delightful Canadian
farmer calls "good chances get ac
quaint" But yotlng women deeply ex
perienced In all these affairs are heard
to protest that feminine love-making
la to be found only on the pages of
novelist and port, and that It Is In
leap year, as in other years, both need
less and useless to substitute for the
subtler language of the glance and the
mile tbe clumsy "Will you marry
me?" Youth's Companion.
Notes About Needle Work.
A practical pincushion is a hanging
one, which Is heart-shaped and padd
ed well so that the pins can be thrust
In the sides. The face Js ribbon em
broidered, with a wreath of forget-me-nots
fastened with a bow of rlblion at
the top.
A very dainty stock Is of tine linen
hand embroidered In pastel blue polka
dots. The shape of the stock is out
lined with a narrow band of blue linen
and the stock Is finished with a lin
gerie Jabot of the sheerest law n with
a band-embroldcred border In white.
Instead of stiff white collars, slocks
are mnde of the waist material, either
fagoted r plain, and a double fold of
scrim, crepe de Msse or rushing added
to soften the effect. As these rui-hings
come In every ' conceivable shade and
quality, tlrelr Use Is limitless.
For tea jackets, dressing sucks and
bouse gowns nifties are nn exceeding
ly popular means of decoration. Some
of the ruffles on these house gowns
show row after row of niching, which
gives the effect of a billow of Ince. It
is -especially desirable for use on crepe
d rhino.
Tbe (lowers upon buttons ore usual
ly worked In pompadour effect; that
Is, several delicate colors are blended
in tbe pult-ern, with one color stand
ing out more strongly than the others.
Sometimes the entire button Is cover
ed with embroidery in several shades
of one color.
A t'hiirtnliiK Tea (loan,
A charming tea gown Is made of
rose-colored crepe de chine; front -finished
with pale mauve satin mous-ie-llne.
Wifely Cn-()f ration.
A man seldom prospers In the world
without the co opnr.'ition of his wife.
If she unites In mutual endeavors or
rewards his labors with an endearing
smile, with what confidence w.llf- he
resort to his merchandise or his farm,
fly over the land, sail upon sens, meet
difficulties and encounter danger', If he
knows that he is . not spending his
strength In vain, but that bis labor will
be rewarded by the sweets of home!
Solicitude.' ttJd disappointment, enfer
the bjatory of every man's life, nnd
he Is but hnlf provided for his voyage
who finds but an associate for happy
hours,, while for bis days of darkness
.and distress no sympathlxfng' partner
Is prepsred. v.
. . Krnlt for Children. .. .
,. In general terms we Blight say Tthat
any fruit which Is In perfect comll
tlnn and In season may be givcu to
children, but It Is to be remembered
that such a broad definition must be
qualified by tlw constitution and diges
tion of your particular children, It Is
P N
wibe to teach the into discard the seeds
of apples, grapes, pears, oranges and
raisins. Fruit should be given them
In moderation, even when It appears
to agree perfectly. Such fruits as con
tain an excess of add should be given
sparingly until it is certain that they
will not cause any skin eruption, such
as Is known to lie produced on many
persons by strawberries. Fruit in sea
son Is better than that bought out of
season. In the late winter and early
spring, when even apples are scarce
and expensive, use carefully cooked
dried fruits, such as prunes, figs, apri
cots, dales, etc. All dried fruits should
lie carefully washed, first in warm,
then in cold water, covered with fresh
cold water and allowed to soak for at
ieasi iweniy-four hours; it may then
be cookwi for a number of hours In a
double boiler, sugar being added while
cooking.
There are no old maids In Siam, for
there all the girls marry, and woman
Is not considered to have attained her
highest estate till she has become a
mother. Then she has reached the pin
nacle of honor. The chief wife la tbe
first wife and she may not be sold,
but If her husband desire to be rid of
her he must divorce her according to
the law.
In Holland the good old custom still
obtains among women of washing the
china and silver after breakfast and
tea with their own fair hands. This
they do In the presence of the family
and any guests who may be there, and
(he fashion has lately been revived
In some American households, partly
becnuse It gives a touch of homely slm-
fplfclty, and partly because a woman's
gentle handling Is needed if the deli
cate china and glass are to lie preserv
ed for any length of time.
The origin of the peculiar woman's
right of leap year Is said to date back
to the fifth century. St. Bridget, so
the story go,, was troubled becnuse
the women under her charge Insisted
on their right of proposing to the men.
Accordingly she 'went to St. Patrick,
and begged hlin to settle the matter by
fixing certain seasons In which women
might take the initiative. St. Patrick
promised them every seventh year, but
then, pleased by the persuasive elo
quence of St. Bridget, he said they
should have the longest year in the
calendar, and that was every fourth
year, when February had on extra
day.
War has been declared against the
corset at Leeds, Kngland, where an
Antlcorset league has been formed,
with a membership of some sixty or
seventy ladles and many more men.
The men pledge themselves not to
marry "corset wrecks" and they call
on others to choose wives from among
women with natural waists or to re
main unwed. It Is the opinion of the
league that the world be all the better
for the abandonment of present fem
inine fashions In favor of the flowing
garments worn by the women of an
cient Greece before stays were ever
thought of. That the corset destroys
the beauty lines of the figure Is an
undoubted fact.
What Women Meat Like.
A woman likes to be truly loved
and to be told so.
She likes some noble, honorable mnn
to be thoughtful of her, kind and con
siderate of her welfare.
When -veil and becomingly dressed,
a quiet notice of It is always appre
ciated. A word of praise for a nice dinner
or sepper ftcn more than compensates
her for the worry and work of prepara
tion. She wants her husband not to be
her supporter but her companion, re
membering that It Is tin' kind word
that often brings her greater h.ippl
ness than a new set of dishes, though
present like the latter are always wel
come. She likes to bo made to realize that
she Is gxl for something besides a
mere household drudge.
She likes to be petted occasionally,
but not In public The little private
pet names are very dear to a woman's
heart. Louisville Times.
The W'njr to Walk,
A friend who leads a very active life
has a 'theory that the preservation of a
good figure depends to some extent on
the manner of walking. Many people,
she says, as they ad) unco In years al
low themselves to walk heavily and
without elasticity, so that the whole
weight rests on. tbe lower part of the
Ihubs at every step, the only effect of
exercise being weariness of the leg
and feet. Instead of this the. oody
should be held erect and poised so as
to. ha, re a perfect bit la Dee, In this way
the muscles pre braced and strength
ened throughout, the lungs must of ne
cessity iMwoy.tmpanclcd, and It seems
quite reasonable to suppose that the
tepdency lo Increase of weight may be
checked. .At all cveufs, a lighter step
and a brisker and more enjoyable man
ner of walking can bo kept up, und
that In Itself is a very great gain.
Philadelphia Inquirer.
SCORING PARTY
I?OT5EW ,
lL
'k7
The Russian military system maintains a curious arm of service that
has no counterpart in any other army. A certain number of picked shots
are selected from an infantry regiment and formed into groups of sixteen
men per battalion, each group under one or more officers. They are specially
trained for scouting by night and the regulations prescribe that the men
shall always have their bayonets fixed, ao as to be ready for any emergency.
HISTORY OF THE TORPEDO.
Rnaalana Firat Cacd It In Their Laat
War witb Turkey.
The history of the torpedo, which the
lapanese used with such good effect at
fort Arthur, Is a brief one. Jan. 25,
1878, two Russian warships, the
IVhesme and Sinope, fired one torpedo
lach at a Turkish guardshlp In the cn
Irance to the harbor at Batouin. Both
nploded under the vessel and she
limk.
On April 12, 1S!H. the Chilean In
lui'kent ship Blanco F.ncnlada steamed
Into the harbor at Valparaiso for the
purpose of ding some dnincge. and,
ifter accomplishing considerable In
that line, she anchored for the tilglit,
not taking the trouble to put out her
torpedo nets. In the darkness along
tame two government torpedo boats,
JAPS FIUIXG A TORPEDO
the Lynch and Condell, which dis
shnrged aevernl Whiteheads at her.
One of them hit her and blew her up,
with great loss of life.
On the night of April 5, ISOfi, four
vessels belonging to the Brazilian gov
ernment assailed with torpedo- the
revolutionary flagship Aquldaban. One
at the projectiles struck her, tearing a
hole In her bow big enough to drive ft
hiiy v.'Egon thronh. Thnt wss tha bmt
of the Aquldaban.
1 Hiring the Chi no-Japanese war the
nmese made three attacks upon the
Chinese vessels at Wei-IIal-Wel. Two
of them were unsuccessful, but on the
third occasion four Chinese ships the
.awaiii l aauui aa 4'5TOM!!''
- wig
'Vm, - Tm
THE DEADLY WHITEHEAD TORPEDO.
Ting Yuen, Wei Yuen, Lai Yuen and
Clilng Yuen were torpedoed and
sunk.
in no Instance has a vessel remained
afloat after being struck by a torpedo.
The explosion of l-'O pounds of gun
cotton In contact with a ship's bottom
not only smashes a big hole through
the latter, but transforms much of the
interior of the craft Into a mass of
wrecknge. Tims it Is not surprising
to learn that the Russian ships tor
pedoed by the Japanese at Port Ar
Uius were benched to suve them from
sinking.
Some of the advantages of the tor
pedo boat are that It Is cheap, costing
only $75,hh or $100,(100, and that ono
can bo built in six months, whereas a
battleship requires three years. In the
American nnvy each battleship carries
on her deck one or two small torpedo
boats, which cost on nbout $l!;t.0K)
apiece. Thus the same Arrangement
Is adopted In the Japanese navy a
fleet, whenever It may be desired, can
OF RUSSIANS.
F -X'v w
let loose a swarm of floating hornets to
harass the enemy.
When three or more torpedo boats, In
the night, bear down upon a battle
ship or cruiser from as many different
directions, It Is not easy to destroy
them quickly enough (vulnerable
though they are) to prevent one of
them from launching its projectile suc
cessfully. A single hit scored, and the
proudest fmored vessel a floating
mass of machinery that costs $5,000,
(mm) to build and equip Is transformed
In a moment Into an Iron coffin, carry
ing officers and crew to the bottom.
Willi Ilfe Observation.
Good observers are probably about
as rare as good poets. Accurate see
ing an eye that takes In the whole
truth, and nothing hut the truth how
FROM A DESTROYER.
rare Indeed it Is! So few persons
know or can tell exactly what they
see; so few iicrsons can draw a right
Inference from an observed fact; so
few persons can keep from reading
their own thoughts and preconceptions
Into what they see; only a person with
the scientific habit of mind can be
trusted to report things as they are.
Most of us, In observing the wild life
about us. see more or see less of the
truth. We hcc loss when our minds
are dull, or preoccupied, or blunted
by want of Interest. This Is true of
most country people. We see more
when we read the Ikes of the wild
creatures about nn In the light of our
human experience, and Impute to the
birds and boasts human motives and
methods. This is too ofUn true of
tbe eager city man or woman who sal
lies out Into the country to study na
ture. The tendency to souti men tali ze na
ture has. In our time, largely taken
the place of the old tendency to de
monlze and splrltlze It It Is anthro
pomorphism In another form, less
fraught with evil to us, but equally In
tbe way of a clear understanding of
the life about us. Century.
Cull Knowledge.
Mrs. , dayman That man who
moved In next door recently seems to
know you pretty well.
Mr. Gayman Knows who I am,
does he?
Mrs. dayman More than that. He
says be knows what you are. Phila
delphia Press.
Beware of the woman who Is con
vinced enslly; she's dangerous.
' IE
A I.
t
FAVORITES J
v
Marco Boxzaria.
At midnight in his guarded tent.
The Turk was dreaming of the hour
When Greece, her knee in suppliaace
beut,
Should tremble at hli power;
In dreams through ramp and court he
bore
The trophies of a conqueror;
In dreams his song of triumph beard;
Then wore his uiouarch's signet ring;
Then pressed that monarch's throne a
kmc!
As wild bis thoughts and gay of wing
As Eden's garden bird.
At miduiKht in the forf.t shades,
Bum fin ranged his Suliote band.
True as the steel of the tried blades.
Heroes in heart and hand.
There bsd the Persian thousands stood;
There had the glad earth drunk their
blood
On old Plataea's day;
And now there breathed that haunted air
The eona of sires who perished there,
With arms to strike and souls to dare
As quick and far as they.
An hour passed the Turk awoks,
That bright dream was his last;
He woke to hear his sentries shriek,
"To arms! they come! the Greek, the
Greek!"
He woke to die 'mid flames and smoke,
And shout and groan and saber stroke,
And death ahota falling thick aud fast
As lightning from the mountain cloud;
And heard, with voice aa t rum pat loud,
Bozzaris cheer his band;
"Strike till the laat armed foe explrea,
Strike for your altars and your fires!
Strike for the green graves of your sires'
God and your native land!"
They fought like brave men long and
well;
They piled that ground with Moslem
slain;
They conquered, but Bozzaris fell,
Bleeding at every vein.
His few surviving comrades saw
His smile when rang their proud hurrah,
And the red field was won;
Then saw in death his eyelids doie,
Calmly as to a night's repose,
Like flowers at set of sun.
Bor.zarli! with the storied brave
Greece nurtured in her glory'a time,
Rest thee, there is no prouder grave,
Even in her proud clime,
She wore no funeral weeds for thee
Nor hade the dark hearse wave its
plume.
Like torn branch from death'a leafless
tree,
In sorrow s pomp and pageantry,
The heartless luxury of the tomb.
But she remembers thee as one
Long loved and for a season gone;
For thoc her poet's lyre is wreathed,
Her marble wrought, her music breath
ed; For theo she rings the birthday bells,
Of tliee her babes first lisping tells;
For tliee her evening prayer is said
At palace couch and cottage bed;
Her soldier closing with the foe,
dives for thy sake a deadlier blow;
His plighted maiden when she fears
For him, the Joy of her young years,
Thinks of thy fate and checks her tears.
And she, the mother of thy boys.
Though In her eye and faded cheek
Is read the grief she will not speak,
The memory of her buried Joys.
And even she who gave thee birth
Will by their pilgrim-circled hearth
Talk of thy doom without a sigh;
For thou art Freedom's now and Fame's,
One of the few, th' immortal names.
That were not borne to die!
Fits-Greene Halleck.
FORTUNE8 ON FINGER ENDS.
Queen of Slam Has Gem-Set Thimble
Worth $75,0O0.
The costliest thimble In the world is
undoubtedly one possessed by the
Queen of Slam, says the Queen. It was
presented to her by her husband, the
king, who had it made at a cost of
rather more than 15,000. This thim
ble is quite an exquisite work of art.
It la made of pure gold, In the fashion
or shape of a half-opened lotos flower,
tbe floral emblem of the royal house
of Slam.
It Is thickly studded with the most
beautiful diamonds and other precious
stones, which are so arranged as to
form the name of the queen, together
with the date of her marriage. She
regards this thimble as one of her
most precious possessions.
Not long since a Paris Jeweler made
a most elaborate thimble to the order
of a certain well-known American mill
ionaire. It was somewhat larger than
the ordinary size of thimbles and the
agreed price was 3,000. The gold set
ting was senreely visible, so complete
ly was it set with diamonds, rubies
and pearls, in artistic designs, the
rubies showing the Initials of tho in
tended recipient.
This thimble was made rs a birth
day present to the millionaire's daugh
ter, who can now boast the possession
of the second most valuable thimble in
the world. Iler father was so much
pleased with the fine workmanship it
showed that be ordered another but
much less expensive one to be made
for presentation to the school compan
ion and bosom friend of bis fortunate
child.
Five or six years ago a Jeweler In
the west end of London was paid a
sum of nearly (1,000 for a thimble
which the pampered wife of a South
American Croesus Insisted on having
made for her. This was ono muss of
precious gems, diamonds and rubles,
which as thimble ornaments seem to
almost monopolize feminine taste.
The eccentric prince, tbe late Maha
rajah Dhulecp Singh, never did things
Ly halves, and one of the most beauti
ful and costly thimbles ever made was
that which was supplied to bis order
as n present for a great lady In Rus
sia. Tbe price of this ran well lnts
four figures and Ut gems set In it
were all pearls of great value and n
less beauty. a.'
So were those in a highly treasdwd
thimble which, on tbe occasion of om
of bis visits to Europe, the late Shab
of Persia presented to a lady wbos
guest he was for a few hours. In th
words of the delighted recipient, 11
looked like a cluster of glittering gems,
which in reality it was, save for ths
gold in which they were set. An expert
if precious stones valued the thimbU
at 1,300.
There are thimbles of no IntrinsK
value, but which, on account of thl
famous women to whom they belonged
would command very qigu prices ii
submitted to public auction. In thl
possession of the wealthy Mrs. Vande
bilt there Is a thimble which was foi
merly used by Queen Alexandra. It u)
an extremely dainty article, made ol
gold and enamel.
But apart from its association, It ll
not of much greater value than an
other thimble owned by the saint
American lady. This is a very service)
able locking article In solid silver, but
very small. Its value lies in the fad
that It was the property of the latt
Queen Victoria In the days when shi
was only a girl of 14. From Its appear
ance our late sovereign knew how t
ply ber needle in her youthful days.
The first thimble ever made was thl
one presented In the year 154 to Anm
Van Wedy, the second wife of Killaej
Van Rensselaer, and the thimble is
therefore, a Dutch invention. In mah
ing the presentation the . giver, Vai
Benschoten, begged the lady "to ao
cept this new covering for the protaa
tlon of her diligent fingers as a tokei
of his great esteem and profound ra
spect."
BRUFF'S APT REPLY 8AVED HIM.
Btory of a Reporter Whose Quick Wt
Disarmed an Angry Woman.
"The nerve of newspaper men fra
quently keeps them from serious trou
ble, as well as getting them Into It.
remarked Representative Livingston oi
Georgia while talking to a group
av neiiua iu iuc ouorti wm. . . w
- n-A MAnA.n11v a r.rottv plover 111
and prepared for any emergency, and ',
suppose that they make about as fe
mistakes as the average run of men.
"I shall never forget an incident
which happened several years ago 1
Atlanta, and I laugh now every tlmi
I think of it. A dashing young woma
came to Atlanta and engaged tht
swellest suite of rooms at the Kin
ball, and she sported diamonds as largi
as walnuts aud drove a four-ln-hand
It was given out that tbe young beautj
was Miss So-and-So, tbe cattle queei
of tbe West, and that she had monej
enough to burn up a stock yard of wn
cows.
"Ed Bruffey of the Constitution baf
an idea that the woman was a fakt
and he soon had the wires hot witl
messages making inquiries about hei
the result being that be got a corkin
good story to the effect that the worn
an was the rankest kind of humbug
Bruff printed the story next mornln)
and It caused a genuine sensation, but
the woman never lost her grip, drivini
out that afternoon with her four-in
band.
"Late that night Bruff was In thi
lobby of the Kimball talking to Ed Cal
loway, the night clerk, when the 'cattli
queen' swished down the steps ' and,
walking up to Bruff, asked If he wit
responsible for the story In the Coq
stitution.
" 'I have that honor,' was his reply
"'Then, sir, I am going to kill you,
almost yelled the woman as she drei
a gun from the folds of her dress.
"This didn't alarm the little newi
paper man In the least, but. lifting hi
hat, he quietly remarked:
"'Fire away, madam; I had rath a
be killed by a pretty woman any da;
than to die a natural death.'
"Bruit won out, for the woma
laughed and retreated upstairs."-
Washington Times.
A Bit of Thackeray Fun.
The following extract Is taken fron
one of Thackeray's letters of Miss Lih
by Strong, a niece of Mr. Baxter ani
nn inmate of the family at the Brow)
House during both the visits of tit)
novelist to America. The letter wit
others is published entire In the Ceo
tury under the title, "Thackerayl
Friendship with nn American Fan
Ily."
"Gome, It is time to pack up th
note, and trot down to the boat Suj
pose I was at New York now. I woa
dor whether it being your birth day ,
should be allowed to vous comprcna
and it being my birth day whethe.
I shouldn't be authorized to do it aj
round: Well now I guess I'd give
hundred-dollar bill to do it that'
thirty three $33 cents a piece I recko)
nnd one cent over: Miss Llbby says '
don't know what yd'a-tnean about cent)
but I know you nre nilklng n grea
deal of noncents. So It is. And hoi
much of life is ditto ditto? Walt til
you are five and twenty years olde
like some people, and then geo. So :
send my love to all of you In th
brown house, or whersumdever th
Shade & tho Summer bas conveya
you, and am of the 8 young ladies et
pecinlly the
"respectable old friend
"W. M. T."
Consistent.
"I was cleaning our silver on Sundaj
when Mrs. Straltlace called on ho
way from church. Fortunately, thougt
she didn't find It out"
"She's very strict about the Sabbath
Isn't she?"
"Yes. She apologized for calling up
on me on that day, but she thought sis
ought to tell me that scandalous si or;
about Mrs. Gidday." Philndelphii
Press.