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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (March 16, 1900)
Jephthali’s Daughter: A Story of Patriarchal Times. By JULIA MAGRUDER... Cr*Tm mrtt> am m* m itt* Iv .Bcar Bonn1! Sos*. CHAPTER II.—'Continued | tbe curtain of ber iCgHwort ; while tbe look of | of tbe yoaag man was even ia the of tbe auaaet the hue of L Samarah tt« that It did and tbe raMrWmem *ud deaiy reminded ber that abe wa» thinking of name one elm beside ber father, at tbe moment of hie return fman hauls, and that was a thing that l»f never happened before She rose in her feet and lew down tbe stairs «* meet Jephthah at the entrance to bis chamber, as tbe body of soJdiers parsed onward down tbe street. late bis arms abe sprang her soft Beah crushed against tbe metal of bis about hia neck; nor would abe loom ber bold whan be bad biased mad foo dled ber repeatediy Ihnt than love tby old father so IndeedT* be ashed “Aad art tbow trembling? Why. maiden, thou art a soldier's child, aid battles are bis daily work Wilt tbow never lose tby nmomusnaas? Tboa lores! tby old father too math, my little one. Tboa iboo idst bare some one else to spend fain ase thee marrttil. with a husband and children of tby own to k*ve “ Bat at those words behold the maiden bom into great sobs, aad *long to bis neck weeping and de claring earnestly that abe wanted ao bashand—she wanted ao love that wwald separate her from ber father. Then did Jephthah soothe aad caress ber fall tenderly, an tit the smiles bad •tailored tbe tenra. and abe took his and led him to bis favorite seat, that be might rest As she stood hoi ting tbe great breast plate In ber little bands, she said sud “Am not I as good aa armor bearer as tbe tall yoaag man tboa sentest here this morning?" Whereat she la—bed. softly and Mushed agaia. "That tboa nrt.“ nnewered Jephthah. fondly “Ko one coaid perform tbe <dbre better than tboa doet do It. But • hat thoughts** tboa of tbe young man A dim**" "He seemetb to be a soldier-like sorted. r*r»lews’y and fell to polish ing with a fold of ber white gown tbe shield she was bolding ~Tbon cnr«wt as little for him. I see. ae for tbe others uf bis bind. bat. Na marsh ase that tboa ever trealest him kindly when be cometh ta tby way But far bis coarsgr la tbe sudden at tach this morning tby father might be with tbse now dead instead of living - CHAPTER III. As It IsM the story of the young J ms s bravery sad srlf-derotia*. Ns marsh’s eyas grew brilliant sad her htusdi came thick mad fast; sad as Jephthal dwelt upon the imminent danger that had threatened both, a iu k an terrthed cam* lata her face that ha said again as he had said aa thy old father too after this, that id roam to »? »-,h JepL'hah sad way ta the great room where mmmr at places at ar trapptngs it transpired that. t. Kamarab la the gardes feeding her he would pass oa eresce to her was holder and with her to see at hi* approach, stand very still BIB hark easiest go os with their Ho dBMhlsd to see her her mouth; sad they as accustomed to him that I Mf ta her without heediag as km Shoulders ssd hcipptsg these* to TWy are earner birds " she Mid on* muraing. •• he stood beside her than She looked up la k Is face sad ‘Hast the* tested them?" he asked had will they, indeed, hear tidings to thee from afar*" "TrulyJ raaaot Ml thee of mlaeowa Ir-fg-- she made answer, "but I knew It la their nature, sad I feel as aursd that if one of my birds should be taken far away it would return to me.** Maiden 1 well believe it.** he re plied. And at these words so gently ^pMMSh k* there caaae into her cheeks again that t rear herons rose-color which he almar or the aeration of kirn. -DenTthnn helieee it*** she made an swer "Then. indy, thee mayst test it stim ~ day. When next thee noeet oa a >ii ran than mayst take one of my whf-e doves with thee, aad we shall •se whether nr not it will return.*' -Se heir maiden, he replied. ‘There Is even now a message I won Id fain by It. had I the courage." he turned and left the wendernaeat hie words la speech. ►be murmured ,f"1 ** *** garden, or aat pus the task of -at for the high priest, and no one had so fine an eye for the blending of colors, nor such deft fingers in handling the brilliant silk and golden threads with which they wrought, as Namarah. But as she sat at work today her mind and senses were preoccupied, so that the silks got tangled in her fingers, and the colors were mismatched in a clumsy manner that none had ever seen in Namarah before. * That evening, when her father Jeph thah came home, there was a look up on his face that made Namarah anxious. When their evening meal was ended, he called the maiden to him. and fondling her with more than his usual lovingness, he revealed to her the care he bad upon his mind. *T hate not told thee of it. child,” he said, because that I refrained to cause tLee uneasiness until the time were come; but of late there hath been great trouble and strife in the land of Israel, and the children of Ammon have made war against it. And in con sequence of this a strange thing has happened unto me. for, behold, the el ders of Gilead have come to fetch me out of the land of Tob that I may be their captain to fight against the child ren of Ammon. But I spake unto them and said: 'Did ye cot hate me and ex pel me out of my lather’s house, and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?* And the elders of Israel said unto me: ‘Therefore we turn again unto thee now. that thou mayst go with us and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our bead oter all the Inhabitants of Gilead.’ Then said I unto the elders of Gilead: ‘If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them before me. shall I be your bead?* And behold they an swered: ' The Lord be witness between us. if we do not according to thy words - • Sow, at he spake, the maiden Na marah had felt her heart within her smitten with a great and mighty fear. "Co not. my father,* she pleaded, hanging about his neck and hiding her face against him. "Did not the elders of Oilead thrust thee out and disown thee? Why goest thou then to fight against their enemies?** But Jephthah answered and said: "These be the enemies of the Lord, my daughter, who have lifted up their hands against His people Israel, and I most even go forth to meet them, strong in the power of his might.’’ But Namarah only wept and clung to him. and said: “Let my words find favor with thee. O my father, and go not forth to battle, lest thou lose thy life, and I be left alone and comfortless.'* “I would fain have thee take my tid ings more submissively, my little one,** made answer Jephthah. as he stroked the masses of her unbound hair. “Thy father is a soldier, and thou art a sol diers child; and I would ha\e thee gird my armor on, and wish me God speed against the enemies of the Lord and His people, trusting in His power, to bring me ba< k. triumphant and vic torious into thy arms again. But Namarah seemed to get no com fort from his words, and answered only: “Do not leave me. Thou art all I have." “My child, my little child.’* said Jephthah. with a mighty sweetness in his voice. *if often grieves thy father’s beatt that it is even so. Thou never knewest a mother s care and love, and though. God knoweth. I have tried to let thee feel no lack of tenderness, yet often It doth trouble me that thou hast on earth no binding tie of love save this to me; and it would even fill my soul with comfort to see thee wed to one who might worthily cher ish thy youth and protect thy tender ness." But Namarah. with her face still hid against him, only shook her head, as if in strong opposition to his words. Child, bethink thee.” Jephthah said, when he had gently kissed and stroked her head in silence for a moment, “it must never be for thee to die unwed, for who knows but the will and pur pose of the great God may be that thou shalt be chosen among women to be the mother of thy peoples deliverer? It hath even seemed to me that in the eye* of the Almighty thy meekness and pureness snd humility may have found such grace, that this great hon or. wherewith one woman Is to be hon ored shove all others, may come to rest upon thee Forget not this, my daugh ter. and order thy mind to become a true and loving wife, as thou hast been to me a true and loving daughter. Whether this glory above all glories ■>ay be destined for thee or not, grieve not thy father's heart by refusing to be wed. so that he may see thee with thy children about thee before he dieth and sleepeth with hia fathers.’* Namarah made no answer, but her fluttering breath grew calm and though she spake no word to signify her ac quiescence in bis desires, yet neither did she gainsay him any more, a thing whereat her father marveled. How | ever, he spake not the thought that was in his mind, but was thankful in the silence of bis heart. After these weak and faint-hearted words, the brave spirit of the girl came to bet again, and she went about her household duties, and particularly the preparations for her fa ther's going forth to war with a courage even greater than her woat. Her father she loaded more snd more with endearments and cares asa. but she ever avoided speech about his coming dangers in the field, except that once she said to him suddenly, and with her head bent low over her work: "Will it be that thou takest with thee thine armor-bearer—the young man. Adina?'* And Jephthah answered: y Ay." "Then,” said she, with her head still bent, “it is well done, for truly he hath said to me that he would shield thy body with his own. But go not into danger, my father. Be careful of his life and of thine own." ’ "Thou speakest unwisely, maiden, and not as a soldier's daughter. Thou knowest that in battle a brave man must not shun the place of danger, but if he trusteth in the Lord no harm can hurt him. Adina also is a man that feareth God, and therefore will we trust to be delivered and brought home in safety." "Amen!" the maiden said, full rev erently. and bent her head more lowly yet, as one who prayeth. The full moon rose o’er Jephthah’s garden on the eve of his going forth to battle, and Jephthah's daughter stood alone and held her heart to lis ten. Her white robe fluttered in the cool air of evening and clung about her slender limbs; and standing there, her pale face settled into a mute repose, she looked like a fair white statue, clad in a wind-blown raiment. No sound disturbed the stillness of the I uight, except the cooing of the doves in their house close by. But, after lonlg waiting, there mingled with this the tread of approaching footsteps. The folds of her white gown trembled on her breast, as if the heart beneath them fluttered. Nearer came the foot steps through the trees, beneath the overhanging vines, until the moonlight revealed the tall form and noble fea tures of the young man Adina. “Is it thou, O maiden?" he asked, stopping a few paces from her. ‘The God of Israel bless thee that thou heardest my prayer, and hast let me speak to thee, before I go to battle. Hast thou no thought, Namarah, of the words I have come to speak?” The doves cooed and gabbled with their little muttering sounds, but Na marah answered not. They stood a pace or two apart—the maiden Nama rah and the young man Adina—but still the silence was unbroken. "Hast thou even brought me here to break my heart, Namarah?” the.young man said. “I love thee maiden, and unless thou'lt love me in return, the God of Israel grant that I may fall in battle, for my life is naught to me without thee.” (To be continued.) HOTTEST PLACE IN THE WORLD R«(1od Where the Thermometer Never Fells Below iuo Degrees. What is believed to be the hottest region in the world is that part of the eastern shore of the Persian gulf, which is named after the Bahrein is lands that lie near it. On the Bahrein island proper, which is the largest of the group, the thermometer never falls below 100 degrees day or night, and often rises as high as 140 degrees in the shade. Only the natives can bear this enormous heat at all, and even they suffer terribly at times, because the fierceness of the temperature varies so little and gives them hardly a res pite. To add to the decided discom forts of the region, the coast is so dry that borings have been made as deep as 1.000 feet without striking water. There is not a drop to be had except in the far interior, and the condition of water carried for any distance in such heat as this may be imagined. Yet the natives never lack for water that is not merely fresh, but actually cool. And they get it in a way that is won derful. They get it by diving into the sea for it. Many years ago pearl fish ers who dived into the waters off the shores of these islands for pearls, which are plentiful there, discovered that immense springs spouted from the bottom of the sea. Accidentally they found that these springs were of sweet water. Ever since then a regular in dustry. perhaDs one of the strangest industries in the world, has been that of diving for fresh water. The divers go out every morning. They take with them goatskins, and, weighted with stones to insure a swift descent, they plunge into the depths. At the bottom they hold the mouths of the skins over a spring, and as soon as it is filled tie it up swiftly and ascend. The skins are hauled up with lines. As there are 75,000 persons in that barren group of islands, the industry of diving for fresh water is a large one. and the divers get rich. The water is about twenty degrees cooler than is the at mosphere on land, so it is a boon to the suffering population, and the lucky divers who get to land first are cer tain oi high prices. In fact, the fresher the water is the more the divers earn, and as the submarine springs are only a mile away from the shore, the water hardly gets time to lose any of its grateful temperature before it is land ed—if one can say that water is “land ed.”—San Francisco Call. When It Rains It Poors. The Hadramut valley. In South Ara bia, though well known in ancient times, is hardly ever visited nowadays, as the natives are a lawless set and very unfriendly toward strangers. They have a curious method of culti vating the land. The upper surface of much of the soil is sand, which is scraped off by long wooden boxes fas tened to camels. Of the sand thus col lected dykes are made around the dis trict that is to be cultivated. Next the soil is lightly plowed, and then the farmer waits for rain. Sometimes rain falls only once in three years, but when it comes it pours in torrents, and the water is held up by the dykes. The crop then is so abundant that even if the rain fell only every third year, enough grain is grown to last the peo ple during the interval of drought. All Hindu. Snobson (to inhabitant of out-of way seaside resort)—“What sort of people do you get down here in the summer?” Inhabitant—“Oh, all sorts, rur. There be fine people an’ common people, an’ some just half and half, like yourself, zur.”—Punch. Love's Playfulness. “And there’s nothing more between us?” he asked. “No, Harry, dear,” she replied, nestling against his shoul der; “I can’t get any closer to you.”— Philadelphia North American. You will never master life's philoso phy till you learn to properly serve Its I necessities. OUR MEDICINE. — . i ■ i •> I don't know why Jay and I were so reckless as to marry. We had noth ing to live on. At least. Jay didn’t make enough for two. He was an electrician, v/ith experimental tenden cies. Mrs. Nora Brandon, who rented a back flat down in the store district, let us have one room of her, and after Jay had finished putting all of his elec trical appliances in it there was a cor ner or two left for the bed and a table with an o.l stove on it. Fortunately, we had a big closet. I stored this as a sailor stores his locker, and so man aged to live with a semblance of or der. We were happy—very. Every morn ing we congratulated each other on be ing alive. We ate our breakfast of coffee and toast merrily, taking turns in the reading aloud from some book from the public library—our only pa per was a w’eekly—and after that we worked until 5. Then we put on our best clothes, and went out to a near by boarding place to dine. We could not afford to go to the theater or the concerts or the flower show or to lec tures, but we Joined the crowds which were going to these places and walked along with them to the door, and then passed on with an air of having some thing more entertaining in mind than the amusements that tempted the mob. Sundays we went to the most beau tiful church in the city, and we were devoutly thankful for many great bles sings. But we were poor. It is diffi cult to exaggerate our poverty. We used to sit before the dismal steam ra diator with our dear old Nancy McMa han and wonder how anybody could be so poor w-ho was not defective in sense or limb. Nancy McMahan, like ourselves, subletted from Mrs. Nora Brandon. She had a room at the end of the hall, and she compounded a hy gienic face powder which she sold from door to door. Nancy was altogether the most in teresting person we had ever met. She had green eyes, so clear and luminous that It seemed almost possible to see through them. Her forehead was high and unshaded by curls of any sort. In deed. her pale hair was brushed back relentlessly from her brow. Her mouth was large and kindly. Her complexion white and wax-like. She had been born in an orphan asylum and her life had been one of the strang est vicissitudes. Her adventures were a never-ending source of delight, and to hear her tell them was our one great entertainment. She had a heart that ached to love, and not finding any thing better at hand she consented to love us. We returned it in kind, and got into the way of sharing everything with Nancy. We hardly enjoyed our own jokes till she had given them the ap proval of her laughter. She knew our hopes and expectations and in our hap py selfishness we overlooked the fact that she had neither hope nor expecta tion. Late one winter after our dear friend had worn herself out with ineffectual tramping of the icy street in the bleak wind, she fell ill with pleurisy, and though we gave her our unremitting attention, pawning some of our trin kets to buy her medicine, 6he died. Nora Brandon aqd Jay and l 6aw her laid away among the poor. “This is but a lodging for the night,*’ said my husband, weeping, “some day she shall lie in a better place than this and have her own headstone.” Not that it mattered to Nancy. We couldn’t help laughing when we found that the dear old thing had made a will, leaving everything to us. She had left Jay all of her furniture and the apparatus with which she had made her hygienic face powder, and 6he had bequeathed me her quaint old clothes and a recipe. The recipe was contained in a letter. It said: “My Dearest Friend: I shall be dead when you take this in your hand, and so I shall not mind having you laugh at me. The recipe which I enclose was given me by a dying woman—and now a dying woman gives it to you. She told me that she had had a dream that this little formula would bring a mighty fortune to some one, but she felt that the fortune was not for me, but for the one to whom I should give it. For seven years I have dreamed that in your hands it would become a great instrument of healing, and bring you wealth beyond your dream of riches. The prescription is for a cleansing medicine which will reach all the secretions of the system. I enjoin you by my love not to delay in your manufacture of this thing. For all the happiness you have brought into my life I shall remain your debt or beyond the grave. “NANCY M'MAHAN." Jay was touched and amused, but from the first moment I believed in the thing. I pawned my violin and got money with which to make a quantity of the medicine, and I tried it on Nora Brandon and on Nora Brandon’s protesting relatives. I had the delight of knowing that dull, ach ing heads became clear, that heavy eyes grew bright, that drooping spirits regained their tone, and lost appetites returned. Then, in spite of my husband’s prot estations, I went in search of a man with money to invest, and I found one —a young Irishman with a patrimony and no vocation. He was one of those singularly alert young men who de velop from his race after two genera tions in America, and he believed in advertising with a fanatical intensity. He caused packages of “McMahan’s Tea" to be thrown at nearly every door In the city. “In a short time,” said he, “we shall see that at least a package is left semi-annually at every door in the United States.” It may seem curious, but returns be gan to come in almost immediately. It seemed like a sort of commercial mir acle. In a short time Jay deserted his electrical experiments. We needed him for an overseer, having more peo ple to manage than we could see to without his assistance. You know what has followed. You know that of all the great villas that pay tribute to the loveliness of the California climate there is none larger nor more beautiful than our3. You know that in memory of dear Nancy McMahan 100 orphan children live here in a home on our ranch at our expense, and have the best in struction we can procure for them. Wo are. indeed, rich beyond our dreams of wealth, as Nancy prophesied. And we do not find our wealth a burden. What we cannot well Invest or use we give away. If we sometimes lose we are not distressed. For does not our proprietary medicine continue to grow in fame and popularity?—Chicago Tribune. CHURCH SMOKING. Inatancea In Which the Practice Has Been Authorized. Although not exactly a popular cus tom. smoking in churches has been and is more largely indulged in than is generally supposed. The custom Is Dutch, that people being most inveter ate smokers and rarely s*en without their pipe. They even indulge it: it in their churches.and spittoons are fre quently provided for the better accom modation of those members of the con gregation who cannot deny themselves the enjoyment of a smoke. A similar practice exists in several churches in South America. Smoking in churches in this country is said to have been prevalent in the last years of the six teenth and the beginning of the seven teenth century. At one time smoking was carried to such an excess in Seville Cathedral that the Chapter applied to the Pope for power to repress the abuse. Urban VIII.. yielding to their wish, issued a bull, which was pro mulgated on January 30, 1642. In Wales smoking in church was Indulged in as late as 1S50. In one church the communion table stood in the aisle, and the farmers were in the habit of putting their hats upon it, and when the sermon began they lit their pipes and smoked, but without any idea of irreverence. It is also stated that when the Archbishop of York was on a visitation in St Mary's, Nottingham, he ordered some of Lis attendants to bring him a pipe, tobacco and some liquor into the vestry for his refresh ment after the fatigue of confirmation, but the rector would not allow It to be done. It was reported recently that at a Presbytery meeting in Scotland an adjournment was made to the church yard, where all the members lighted up their pipes and had a smoke before returning to their deliberations. ESQ. OR MR.; WHICH? A Form of Addrwi Which Is Wotfully Abased. The word “esquire" is perhaps the most woefully misused one in the English language, being used, as it is, so indiscriminately in forms of ad dress. The old Puritan plan of writ ing simply "Oliver Cromwell,” which is used by Quakers to the present day, has much in it to be admired, but most people like a handle to their name, and a youth of 16 will address his chum of like tender years as “John Brown, Esq.” It may be interesting to know, therefore, that only the fol lowing persons are legally “esquires”; All sons of peers, baronets and knights; the eldest sons of the young er sons of peers, and their eldest sons in perpetuity; the eldest son of the eldest son of a knight, and his eldest son in perpetuity; king of arms; her alds of arms; officers of the army and navy ranking as captains and up wards; sheriffs of counties for life; J. P.’s of counties, while in commis sion; sergeants-at-arms, sergeants-at law, and queen’s counsel; companions of the Order of Knighthood; the prin cipal officers of the queen’s house hold; deputy lieutenants; commission ers of the court of bankruptcy; mas ters of the supreme court, and those whom the queen may see proper to style "esquire.” All others have no right to anything beyond the simple prefix “Mr.,” and the present universal use of “Esquire” is nothing more nor less than a piece of general presump tion.—London Daily Mail. London'* Libimrl**. An interesting return has been ob tained a half-penny rate suffices to meet the expenditure. The total num ber of books in use at the various public libraries cf the metropolis is £61,050, in an area of the statutory rate for home reading. 127,272 for ref erence only and 2.624 for the use of juveniles alone at certain of the li braries. Of the total available for home reading 193.132 are works of Ac tion, and 278,499—or fifty per cent— non-fiction. During the last year 3, 893,670 books were issued to readers, of which 3,120,118, or eighty per cent were fiction and 773.553 non-fiction. For reference purposes 554,642 were is sued on the premises in the same peri od and 66,540 to juveniles in the li braries, where there is a department for children. These figures show great preponderance of readers of fiction.— Newcastle (Eng.) Chronicle. deadline**. One of the most important factors in maintaining health in good order is cleanliness. It is comprised in meas ures that tend to keep the organs clean and in proper order to perform all ihelr functions. The cleanliness of the skin and the air (purity of the air) that we breathe in are essential fqr the proper keeping of one’s health. Any impurities that are taken in breathing find their way to the blood, and thus serve so many centers of disease, and are the cause of many infectious dis eases. Again, if the skin is not kept clean the impurities that are to be se creted are unduly accumulated in the blood and tend to give rise to severe and often dangerous disorders, such as skin diseases and blood-poisoning. The giraffe, the armadillo and the porcupine are voiceless. FIGHTING WINTER FIRES. Firemen Show All the UeroUm of Brart Soldiers. What Col. Roosevelt said of his Rough Riders after the fight in the trenches before Santiago, that it is the test of men's nerve to have them roused up at 3 o’clock in the morning, hungry and cold, to fight an enemy at tacking in the dark, and then have them all run the same way—forward— is true of the firemen, as well, and. like the Rough Riders, they never fail when the test comes. The firemen going to the front at the tap of the bell, no lees sure to grapple with lurking death than the men who faced Mauser bul lets. but with none of the incidents of glorious war. the flag, the hurrah, and all the things that fire a soldier’s heart, to urge them on—clinging half naked with numb fingers to the ladders as best they can. while trying to put on their stifT and frozen garments—Is one of the sights that make one proud of being a man. To see them in action, dripping icicles from helmet and coat, high up on the ladder, perhaps, incased in solid ice and frozen to the rungs, yet holding the stream as steady to its work as if the spray from the nozzle did not fall upon them in showers of stinging hail, is likely to make a man devoutly thankful that it is not his lot to fight fires in winter. It is only two winters since, at the burning of a South street warehouse, that two pipe men had to be chopped from their lad der with axes, so thick was the armor of ice that had formed about and upon them while they worked. The terrible beauty of such a sight is very vivid in my memory. It was on the morning when Chief Bresnan and Foreman Rooney went down, with half a dozen of their men, in the collapse of the roof of a burning factory. The men of the rank and file hewed their way through to the open with their axes. The chief and the foreman were caught under the big water tank, the wooden supports of which had been burned away, and were killed. They were still lying under the wreck when I came. The fire was out. The water running over the edge of the tank had frozen into huge icicles that hung like a great white shroud over the bier of the two dead heroes. It was a gas-fixture fac tory. and the hundreds of pipes, twist ed into all manner of fantastic shapes of glittering ice, lent a weird effect to the sorrowful scene. I can still see Chief Gicquel. all smoke-begrimmed, and with tears streaming down his big, manly face—poor Gicquel! he went to join his brothers in so many a hard fight only the other day—pointing back toward the wreck with the choking words, “They are in there!” They had fought their last fight and won. as they ever did, even if they did give their lives for the victory. Greater end no fireman could crave.—The Century. CAUSE OF THE GRIP. A Qawr Theory About London’s Pres ent Inflaensn Epidemic. Of all the many theories about the origin and spread of influenza the lat est is surely the most weird, says Lon don Truth. Some eighteen or twenty years ago occurred the loudest noise ever heard on the earth in historic times. It was the effect of a violent volcanic disturbance in the Pacific, which converted the Dutch island of Krakatoa into fine dust floating in the higher atmosphere, and it is said that every Dutchman swelled with pride at the thought that his country was re sponsible for so distinguished a phe nomenon. The fine sunsets produced several years afterward by the absorb ent properties of the dust were mat ters of common observation. But the dust, if we are to believe the new in fluenza theory, has far more to answer for. In common with other kindred varieties, it affects the breathing sur faces of sensitive people and irritates the eyes, throat, mouth and bronchial tubes in much the same way, we take it, as the dust of various vegetable compounds produces sneezing, asthma, and other inconvenient effects. In that case no wonder we find It difficult to protect onrselves from the ravages of the disease. Apparently we shall have to depend on the efforts of the ves tries to have the atmosphere properly cleansed and disinfected. Failing that perhaps some genius may be able to invent an anti-influenza muzzle or respirator. We will, no doubt, be ready to make the wearing of it compulsory, and we may yet see the unmuzled por tion of the public chevied about the streets by muzzled constables. AIR WHICH WE BREATHE. Important Agencies by Which It I Pn rifled. In common life at the easy average of eighteen to twenty inspirations a minute an ordinary man will inhale and exhale a bulk of air amounting to about 4,000 gallons a day, and while undergoing violent exertion will require much more than this. Air after having been breathed two or three times becomes deadly poison, unless purified by the combination with it of more oxygen. For the necessary supply of this life sustaining element we are dependent, in the city, as well as in the country, on nature's laboratory. Here, by the action of forces that are never at rest, by the constant movement of wind cur rents. by means of rain, which washes down atmospheric impurities and causes them to be absorbed into the earth, by these and other means, the life-giving elements of the air are con stantly renewed. Though one of the most important agencies of atmosphe ric purification, that of trees and vege tation, is. as a rule, wholly granting in a closely built city, the other means used by nature are so far effective as to. greatly counteract the evils result ing from its crowded ptpulation.—Min neapolis Journal. Savin* Him Monay. Mr. Wheatplt—My failure is the talk of the street! At the meeting of my creditors today 1 arranged to pay 10 cents on the dollar. Mrs. Wheatplt (after a moment's figuring)—Oh, Hen ry. isn't that lovely? Then the |50 hat 1 sent home today will only cost you |5.—Life. Thalr Lovln* Frland*. Clara—Did you notice that fine look ing gentleman turn and look back at me after he had passed? May—Isn’t it queer how little it takes to turn a man's head?—Stray Stories. WATERING THE LAND HOW IRRIGATION 13 PROGRESS ING IN IDAHO. Heretofore Arid Beglene Being Bnpldly Transformed Into Gardens—Farmer*’ ■octettes la Many Instnnoea Own the Irrigating Works. (Boise. Idaho, Letter.) Mo«t of the people who farm In the rainfall regions suppose that the irri gation of land is a complicated process and that the art of doing it can only be acquired after years of experience, whereas, as a matter of fact, it is about the easiest and most simplo work the western farmer has to do. In most cases the children attend to it under the direction of their parents, and any boy of 10 or 12 can do a man ^ work when it comes to irrigation. The western farmer is wholly indif ferent as to rainfall. He doean t de pend upon it in the least. The water that interests him is that which flows down Into the valley from the melt ing snows in the mountain ranges. These waters he diverts into great canals which run along the rim of the valley about the irrigable lands and are tapped at stated intervals by what are called “laterals" or sub-ditches which flow from farm to farm and out of which the fsrmer takes the water for bis fields. In some cases the waters of these mountain streams are acquired by the community of farmers their course, each one holding as many shares of stock in the co-operative canal scheme as he owns acres of land, and being entitled to so many inches of water for every acre of his ownership. This is the usual plan. But when the construction of the main canal, owing to engineering difficulties, is too expen aivo a piece of business for the farmer to afford, irrigation companies under take the work and build the canal into portions of the country where large areas of land are to be reclaimed. These Irrigation companions are “com mon carriers" of water and furnish it for a nominal price per acre per an num to the farmer. Sometimes these Irrigation companies own large tracts under their ditch which they sell in small farms with the water right, to settlers at a nominal prices per acre. In other instances they do not own land at all, leaving that to be acquired by the settler under the various acts of congress. Perhaps no portion of the Union is now n aklng such active progress in irrigation development, or is receiving so large a quota of immigrants as southern Idaho. There are millions of unoccupied acres in that state which only await settlement to become as productive as the lands upon the Nile. Efforts arc being put forth by the state authorities to bring the advantages of these lands to the notice of the eastern farmer, sad the several railroads of T the state are engaged in the work. J Perhaps the easiest and the best way to acquire information is from the General Passenger Agent of the Oregon Short Line at Salt Lake City, from whence conservatively prepared pamph lets descriptive of irrigation meth ods and containing reliable informa tion about the various localities now open for settlement, are being mailed free. The time is certainly not far distant when the unoccupied public domain of Idaho will be entirely taken up, a con dition which will be most unfc.tunate to those who delay taking advantage of the rare opportunities now offered. Household Bookkeeping. A prominent Eastern manufacturer, with a 110.000 a year family on his hands, undertook to establish a sys tem of bookkeeeping in his home. He bought a gilt edged, kid covered ac count book and all that went with it. He explained single entry bookkeep ing to his wife, and she agreed to keep the accounts as directed. There were only two entries in the book when the husband banished It. They were: “Received 5250 from M-” “and spent it all.” Shoo, Fly! Street fakers are selling models of house flies so natural that, when they are fastened on a necktie, the impulse of the friend of the man wearing the fly is to brush it off. Then the fly wearer laughs, and—that is the joke. Municipal Bath Houses. Under a state law the voters of New York cities may direct the municipal authorities to erect a public bathhouse. Buffalo provided one in 1897 at a cost of 514.800. It was used last year by 81.793 persons, and its running ex penses cost the city 52,370. The Sympathetle Queen. Rev. Arthur Robins, chaplain In or dinary to Queen Victoria, says of the queen: “Nothing could be more touch ing than the personal concern her majesty has in the condition of every member of her household. Every home of every retainer has something in evidence of the sovereign's sympathy. Not the humblest servant can be sick or sorry without her solicitude find ing some expression of commission suitable to each individual case, an I many is the time that I have seen the royal lady in her own carriage making her own inquiries at some humble suf ferer’s door.” “Facto John” Should Bare It. John Campbell, of Warren, O., a first cousin of the president and familiarly referred to as "Uncle John,’ is a candi date for postmaster at Warren. He is the proprietor of a famous eating house and is said to bear a remarkably close resemblance to the president. His father was a brother of the presi dent’s mother. Run* HI* RtoTator for Fan. William B. Bradbury, the millionaire hotel owner of San Francisco, arouses himself for an hour or more every dav by running the elevator in his hotel. ’ Opening of Myatorloas Boxes. Two mysterious boxes will be opened this year at the British museum. One was left in 1854 by Mr. Douce, who had been keeper of manuscripts, to be opeu ed January 1, 1900, and no one knows its contents. The other contains the HE? .Brou*ht°n. better “ S‘r J<*n Cam Hobhouse. Bjron s friend and three times a cabi net minister. He died in 1869, leaving nis diaries, correspondence and mem oranda to the museum, with directions not to open them till 1900. A woman's conscience is dead in the matter of appropriating hotel towela. (
