Debated Itmade «f Forks Leadat k
Ika Htpocrjrt.
A 60A! MAIM 0 TOM-TOMS
_
After more thee threr yea.* of ail*
ned nmteWf* after accepting every
torar uC#r«d and begging <n tbetr
I ended bnr< • far mure, after more
ibaa Ibreo year* mi the »g*t abject
end bifid *tf< itud* the pipflun state
uAmb bare rfaemd ta make
capita far tV mat elate campaign by
a a as* cm and fuutigk persecution of
tbrie benefactor* The tat that they
Pare ttteard three full year* la elapse
t Ham makiag aay note that rata*
rctaMtoVd hate not beer interfered
• J't that (V a—c»»meat» tied before
they <ame inks poser bate not been
changed la saten amt etiienre of the
inaiaiertt* af the present bluetei and
wteraate There fa prohnhey no great,
at bait no permanent, danger to tt
U the oumpnnMa There alii be a
fr*si beat tag of tom-dams sad a »heie
laa af orders and antta that atU not hr
enforced nr brought to iris 5 anti I after
rustlat shea they atU he gated*
aiopped The pop mate utec taia bate
bars goaded an by the World-Herald,
the aag*-r of vhoae editor has been
t -nosed by the neg*r«i of the popalkat
parry to roscsitr his poser and bu
rner hi* ambMfams He ha* turned
state* #tidem» *ga»ast bis re-cea
egarsturs and is tondir demanding
(Letr perse- n<Wan at the bar af public
cptnian And the poo- little neak
< r.tf tf enai papa list state •»*< ial»
under the stinging last af thetr pa;
'• p-e** are te.ag dr ties. ta *
tad recast t-a hs!f-y *eldsng :ike Uel
outng serf* from a «<«rtibe.d I jeer
£g and grtmanc ing at the railroad
areas M and tn sate thetr lasses, they
dren doom thetr face* ahea they turn
touard the people and attempt to louk
rerkon* and set ere Net* to fsrta.og
tha railroad interest* af Nebraska are
oy far the largest and moat important
.a the State. They ate as mm to a part
of the atate aa aay other inter#*! sad
i re af the g rosiest imports a* e. They
stop Id not hr the sport ml pul sue tan*
ear the target af irresponsible dents
rugue* Common sense a cm id suggest
*hsf aa interest of amb msga-tade
end imptrtaare saonld be dealt nttk
■a a manly, ageare and business-lit*
•ay They ahonid receive open and
c tart Justice (hey should not br am
rnyad by chitdmh tsterference. bat
i ke all others (hey should be regu red
to do ngU Hut there is no manhood.
aarstr fame prefenoe sneai.ng hy
porrlay and fabierol The populist
stats ote< -* # may aaao* sad burry the
railroad companie* for e|e* hot they
• i'tl am do anything that »i!l uenedt
the peupir If they steal anything
from the curpomtMins M nil! be coined
ms petit rs! buncombe for thetr u*n
i *# and nhiV the < ompsaie* may sui
ter (he people nrtll nut he in the least
1*U>f • > < W UU
1* root or Toller B of roinr oppose *
to tke iSMtial kill ohbh t* before
u*:er tfc* p; .n< :p»> purp.M*- «{
oktHk anooaare la to pot Ike gold Mand
*r4 to tke rtotutra He diatikea »*.#
MB tor ortorol mo a— Mat ,« bteflv oo
tfci* Prc'OQOit Vn kr *atoteui lottall).
aod perkop* ttpaaolaoilt •
•004 oor4 io4.fo»tljr for it la tker#
«i1 r»4tt * for ikl* >j£ -1* 200 to
.1* reooe torru rt credit T* be «»k»
1 ooatld like v •** Ike oeootor hum
kkowr laiaod • Hdrlcht *ketk*r tb*?.
k ooy trow Me o ith Aaoriru • rodit.
io there oo* other 'Owotrjr obt k * an
•oil (U or* untie* »t *o» n kick prue*
M oo <a*' All mmr kood* ore bicker
tfcoo ore tkoae of H| Other «<WEIf*
Vohod* I* tfoertioouai oor kot»e*r>
AAd pat oe k*te legi»l*n«o kere tke
at *o'*d porpoar of *b»«h I* to
orvactka oor * rodit and rrlletr* tax
I ae « Mur«4u ruuu pnaa • km
into* Im« to the aerit* of the golf
<4**4tasit ahlrh he epgw—*« He paw)
a gtoaiap ealapt mm the rep«a<4fcraa
iairt) a kWh he ha* left aad ahbh
he la la the hahto mi ieaowarias It i*
the paid laahtri ahlrh »» t..he «auae of
the a4raa*etoeat la the ernait «f the
t'atto4 htatew It la the rrpahlWma
pa*** ahlrh ie reap—nt4r far the *«id
nairttrf ~U there aay other «oaa
try ahlrh <aa *r*l It* «ecBri« «-» at
aa • aa * Xat ate Oat
it haatoa rale
Market* af the *er»4
thaa 4a the Hrttiah «at.eal« aht«h are
Karape* gsh *«4** aararftte* Nobody
atae to raptoto ally «ar«i here «|ki
hawnw, aatxtd* * ill etwr hate a
• haa*e to aarattoa thr mat job'* turn
La hlie the repahltvaa party re
ta eaaftmf af .It* pateraa*rat.
to t jtoaeatiaaaU.v «orre. t un
H*tct* Thr «ie4« af the
to the bathe** m the »4»r««i an t
Meat* to —tfUpited aitopty he
the repiibiW-aa parly to tt«« fcj
aad to i! kef%
Hate to rtoe to > OB.
ptote tharpr af its aCal r*
It la a piy that Teller left th* re
.party 'The «eaatar i» a ta«.u
at >han *.B4 etoil.t? N«
aa the kilter
Mt T» •f rl
•heap hy the fart that la the re ea
• mmmty ill rtlrar H chawe IS! rrpttMl
«*a «4W aa i itoparnf with aaly
■ igtlj man <Iuniirrat*, aa4 aaly SM 01
all | etoaaeat* of th*
atoll aa4 thaar auai
toe , imp frarttoa*
to ana of plane la the Bryaait*
la hie pen-art aAiirthu
nr haw aajr wAtoWaa oa
the CMBVT i polite* He to rut ofl
frmrn alt lamae rtlira atth the lurtn
which taatrrt the aat iaa • 4eatiaiea
aa4 Make M glartoaa aa* pruapefuo*
Man in r he to pcttifif fci«a*e»f la a
to I uihie to hat#
to! **a.t> -ai 4rot;r
partly
of the
hostels. c»f which 65 per cent was rais
ed la the west.
The pioductlon of corn for the entire
country wis 1.924.000.000. of wbtch th?
went rained 1.440 000.000. or 75 per cent.
The out crop amounted to <30.906,000
bishei. of which the west produced 72
per cent.
The farm value of cattle, sheep and
how for tb* entire country was $1
369.972.000. of the west owned
f 1 u55.416.ooo. or 76 per cent.
The west also product* practically
*n of the gold and silver, most of the
copper and cine, and a large ahare
of the iron and other metals. It is
also a remarkable fact that almost
one-half erf the total cotton production
cf the country comes from west of the
Mississippi river.
Flea I y of Haiti.
It only takes a few words to dispose
t the < hirge that there is an insuf
f.< eat amount of gold in the country,
and that is constantly increases in
value.
From 1492 up to 1871 the world's
production of gold was 19.087.823
pounds Since 1871 the tctsl produc
tion has been 13.420.035 pounds.
From 1492 to 1 (471 the annual pro
duction was 50.485 pounds. For the
*» menM •ight year* the annual av
erage has been 462.963 pounds.
It would seem 'bat there is no rtnn
C« of a scarcity of gold.
V tftaaelaa of (lie C nrrsur*.
The total circulation of bank notes
c o February 28. 19"u was |249.434.878.
being an in< re.vse of 86.532.511 in one
year. The high water mark in the cir
• lation was reached in 1*82. when
iBc amount was 8361.880 764. From
that time tc 1891 there was a steady
decline to 8167.577.214 During 1993
4 was increased by the panic scarcity
m the rurrem y. and further expan
r >>n» were trade in the three following
>ears when the bank* subscribed lib
erally for government bonds.
rraapvrtly la It Isa-oaets.
In 1*98 the semi-centennial of Wis
con»in« admission into the I'nion,
there were in the state 10.417 manufac
turing institutions, capitalized at
8244 516 404. and employing 116,269
i and* The total annual output was
>». .*d at 8248.456.164. or a little more
than the total tapital stock. Since that
■ me there ha* been an increase in the
rumber of establishments, and the
number of Lands employed.
t rr.jht kkiparuli lnrrra».iig.
-• r the week ending March 12, 189*.
1 • *r > made a new record, having
:ti.ppcd bv tail 158.232 tons of freight.
I hi* was while the la-itei wheat ship
ments were in progress. This record
was brok-a during the la.-t week in
IVb: ary. 19*** when the freight
rhipment* by rail amounted to 212.
Zlz tons
sheep Valuta.
It - resided that a farmer in Ful
i'H i ijuaty. Ohio. recently sold 25 head
of -beep for tMMJ, being an average of
%•> «« per head. The farmers there
:a> that nnder the Wilson bill period
' hat number of -beep would not have
brought to e*ceed 1125. and that the
owner would have had to look around
r long while for a purchaser at any
(•tire.
(owl Entauiiuw.
In IfTn. three years before the
'et:me was committed, th- Fnited
Ftnte* mined 36.MW.5tjO tons of coal
»n< Great Britain mined 123.6h2,J»35
ions-. In lv!dt the Fnited States mined
244 hum tons, and Great Britain
224 •«•••«««
Itiawwid »i»j* l.ifted
The relief of Kimberley may exert
an mpo.’tant influeme on the diamond
Fade though what it Is to lie cannot
be exactly foie»eeu. The mines now
• ill l»e restored to their normal pro
du< t i ve**»*s * bn h is far altove the
world's normal demand for diamonds.
be n.aiket iv only fe-l with what it
will take prices are not allowed to
fall off ruinously, though they have
-i- ' ate*! through deeper and deeper
stages of de<lme sin« e the abundance
of the Kimberley supply was made
| manifest. It is not known how many
barrel* of diamonds the syndicate
bolds in Its treasuries to be slowiy
mar e!*-u as opportunity serves, but
the sto* k is a big one. and the re
sumption of Kimirerley mining actUi
’ - now likely to take place without
much delay, will Increase it.
t 'Mmi» House Mad* I irrpruuf.
A w uodea bouse tuat would not burn
• *e put to the test in New York the
otter day. The structure had been
ties'**! with some preparation that is
arranted to render wood fireproof,
and the test tender] to bear out the
■ >aim " he experiment was conducted
n ;er the supervision of the New York
c ard of fire underwriters, and the
ImiMIng amt fire departments of New
York Ihe building was two stories
bigh with a birge spate beneath in
• he ij a ft. is set go
mi rs rema ■ t- •
during the test, and suffered no in
*caieoutMre The file was said to be
.'irung enough to burn down any ordi
’-*»> building in New York, but it did
no harm to the prepared wood. lieyond
< hairing it slightly
V w» ‘1 .!»’•” s«,'d *- MtiOtnntl 111
Captain Hugo de Bathe, Mrs. Lang
t • • youthful husliatid. has lieen dun
geicu sljr ill at Cape Town. He is a
*»*r of the staff of General Kitch
• .r i.v *pe« ;«| a. Mgnment of |»rd
I uie-rts and displayed courage and
- •biter |y qualities in the battle of Co
lt i so and it» other engagements in
v .» .» fa he has participated. He art ODi
r^nsed the staff on it* entry into Klm
e iejr, and it was there he was taken
iu.
•
Heaty Ma;r ttalasc*- C laiuiril
A stonemason named Bradv has.
through a lawyer, filed a claim against
the < ity of New York for $11 >68.17 for
wage* mder the "prevailing rate of
wage law. The claim is for overtime
at double rale* for five years, which
amounts to SSjMH.2». and the remaind
ta for the difference lietween the
wage* paid him and the "prevailing
raut.“
l*» tr>»iir him Klre.
When Lftan itice was at a Philadel
I ina theater in lktd. he sent passes one
Bight to -on young men. and when
they arrived to see the show he ap
peared without his makeup and read
them a lecture condemning the out
bursts which had lieen made in favor
ol the south and secession at a time
when the fate of the nation hung in
the balance.
1 be keenness of life in this atmos
pl«re of lore and power is unitnagin
i»bh to those who have never tasted its
•w*etneaa. To experience it fully Is to
j be alive indeed.
CANTON A GAY CITY.
ITS NARROW STREETS GLOW
WITH COLOR AND LIFE.
And Weird PrncMAlon* Add to the
rictureeqneneee—Faaclnatlnc Way of
Displaying Ware*—Life on the River
— la chopping Quarter*.
The city o* Canton is one of the
most fascinatfrjr in the celestial em
pire. Its streets *re most picturesque.
Some of them bear high-sounding
names, such as the Street of Reposing
Dragons, the Street of Saluting Dra
gons, the Street of One Hundred
Grandsons. the Street of One
Hundred Thousand Grandsons, and
the Street of Golden Profits,
the Street of Golden Flowers,
the Street of Ten Thousand Happi
nesses. Others are more simply dub
bed: Old Clothes street. Physic street,
New Green Pea street. Only eight or
nine feet in width, paved but lacking
sidewalks, and impassable for wagons
or carriages, these tiny alleys glow
with color, teem with busy life, and
to the eyes of a foreign devil offer in
numerable novelties.
The streets in the shopping districts
are the most interesting and are lined
by two-story buildings, supporting m
their roofs a lattice work of bamboo
poles, on which rest mats capable of
being moved back and forth as the
weather suggests. At night sliding
shutters furnish protection, but while
daylight lasts the entire front of these
doorless, windowless shops are thrown
open. This arrangement adds gayety
to the thoroughfares, and a shop’s fas
cinations are often doubled by its hav
ing beyond the counter an open divis
ion where the article sold is manufac
tured. In full view men are carving
wood, painting fans and lanterns,
weaving on hand looms, working in
metals, embroidering, all of which is
done with marvelously little elbow
room. the Chinese being remarkable
for their ability to work and live in a
very small space.
One does not find all these Industries
grouped together. Entire streets are
devoted to the manufacture and sale
of a certain article. There are silk
streets, embroidery streets, fan streets,
carved ivory streets. shoe streets
where can be found all kinds of foot
coverings, ranging from a coolie's
cheap straw sandal to the tiny em
broidered shoes with painted neels,
destined for golden lilies, as the com
pressed feet are called. There are
streets all glowing green with jade.
The prettiest of all are the lantern
streets. So beautifully made are these
lanterns, and so absurdly cheap arc
they that it requires considerable self
control to refrain from buvin; them
L. iL. 1__1_
w/ ujv uuu'iicua.
One does not soon tire of the shops,
but many other things in these streets
attract one’s attention. There are
the wise men. or fortune tellers, with
their assisting trained birds, seated
on the corners; the itinerant restau
rant containing such a variety of queer
eatables; the clever prestidigitators,
ready to squat down, and for a few
rash perform wonders; the migratorv
dentist, wearing as a necklace a string
of teeth; the barber, whose home is
a seat on his box, and who, having
shaved a customer, brushing out and
plaiting his pigtail, proceeds in the
name of massage, unmercifully to
punch and pound him, winding up the
performance by vigorously driving
into his victim’s ears a long ivory in
strument which an innocent foreign
devil almost expects to see emerge
through the opposite orifice; the mon
ey changers, who sit behind tables to
which their strings of casai are
chained, and the menders and vendors
of all kinds of things who walk about
with trays containing tools or goods,
as the case may be, slung on their
shoulders.
in^n mere are the processions, such
as funerals, all white scarfs and howls;
weddings all ablaze with scarlet, and
a crackle-crackle of exploding flre
<rackers; joss pidgin processions, with
their roast pigs, baskets of artificial
flowers, unearthly so-called music.
All these, as well as the long trains
which accompany mandarin's chairs,
belong to every-day life, but a great
many days during the year have their
owr: special processions, such, for in
stance. as the fishermen's, character
ized by its lanterns, resembling fish;
Paak-tais. distinguished by stuffed
birds borne aloft on poles, and trays
containing wax figures, representing
historical scenes; the procession in
w hich red giants and* black dwarfs
are prominent; the dragon procession
and the lantern parade.
Several streets are occupied by the
Rung Yuen, or examination hall. This
consists of thousands of tiny brick
buildings. set In rows fifty-seven deep,
in which the competitors for literary
degrees, who every three years flock to
the city, are separately locked. The
furniture of each little cell consists of
one stool and a plank serving as a
table by day and a bed by night. The
student's food is passed to him through
a grated iron door three times daily,
but until his essay is handed in no
other communication with the outside
world is permitted.
Kinzua Viaduct t'omlne Down.
The famous Kinzua viaduct, near
Bradford, pa., which has for years been
an object of curiosity for sightseers, is
soon to be replaced by a wholly differ
ent structure. The bridge is 301 feet
high at the highest point, and until the
completion of the Garahit viaduct was
the highest bridge in the world. The
Garabit spans the Truyere in the south
of France, is 1,849 feet long and at the
highest point the rail level is 401 feet
above the river. It was designed by M.
Eiffel, builder of the famous tower, and
was completed in 1884. The Kinzua
bridge is 2.060 feet long. The valley
of the Kinzua. which this great treble
spans, is one of the wildest regions yet
left in western Pennsylvania. Bear are
plentiful and deer are occasionally
found in this valley.
tznih on th« Audience.
Jay Green—"Was the s.how at the
opery house last night as good as ye
expected it to l>e? They advertised
that it would be "one continuous laugh
from start to finish." Jack Appledry
—“So it was; but the laugh was on the
audience."—Puck.
WONDER? OF V%IND CAVE.
South Dakota Cavern Contains Nearly
W)o Miles of Passages.
The Black hills of South Dakota
possess, in addition to their mineral
wealth, one of the greatest wonders
of the world. This is Wind cave, in
Custer county, twelve miles north ot
the city of Hot Springs, in the southern
portion of the Black hills. This cave
is an immense bed of limestone, a be
wildering labyrinth of boxwood, stalac
tite, stalagmite, popcorn, geodes and
frostwork of glistening whiteness, so
delicate that at the slightest touch It
crumbles in pieces. Prof. Hornhill of
the Smithsonian institution says the
formation of the cave is unknown.
Other geologists incline to the opinion
that it is an extinct geyser, perhaps a
former outlet for the warm mineral
waters wrhich now come to the surface
at Hot Springs and its vicinity. Some
of the formations show the evidence o:
having been produced by water, a
warm mineral water, and some, nota
bly the frostwork, are so delicate that
they could not owe their existence to
the action of water, but must hgve been
formed by a vapor which congealed as
it struck the limestone. The cave is
formed of fissures or crevices, paral
leling one another at distances of from
50 to 300 feet apart. These fissures
range in height from 30 to 100 feet.
They are all connected by side passages
scarcely large enough, originally, to
permit an ordinary-sized man to get
through. There are eight tiers or
layers of these fissures, the lowest be
ing 500 feet below the entrance. The
chambers in the fissures range in size
from twelve feet square to a little more
than three acres. There are eight tiers
of fissures; each fissure is two miles
long; in each tier the fissures are dis
tant from 50 to 300 feet above a space
two miles wide. Placing all the fis
sures 300 feet apart, there would be 55
on each tier, or 110 miles; then multi
plying by the number of tiers, the re
sult will be 880 miles, without counting
the side or connecting passages and the
size of the chambers. There are some
openings which lead below the eighth
tier which have not been explored.
Wind cave has been rightly named.
In every moment of the year the wind
is rushing in or out of the entrance,
its direction being regulated by the
rise and fall of the barometer. About
-00 yards from the entrance, no mat
ter whether coming in or going out,
the current of the wind is always in.
and this inward rush prevails through
out the entire explored portion of the
cave, except in a small side passage
not far from the entrance, out of the
mouth of which the wind comes, seem
ingly, to meet the main current and
go back in the cave with it in an un
varying circle.—New York Sun.
A CLEVER DRUMMER.
UeU No Salary hat Makes Hij Money
by a Novel Scheme.
A western traveling man who makes
big money on the road and yet re
ceives no salary from the five houses
he represents is the envied of all his
fellow salesmen. Bill Burton is his
name. The story he tells is as fol
lows: “Last year I traveled for a
concern that made dining-room furni
ture. I got a fair salary and sold
enough of their goods to satisfy them.
They also paid all my expenses. This
year I hustled about a bit. and after
I had made some calculations I was
able to afford them my services with
out salary, provided they paid my ex
penses. As you know, all furniture
manufacturers are specialists: one
concern makes parlor suits, another
dining-room furniture, another sofas
and lounges, and others make only
beds and bed-room fittings. Yet each
retail store sells all of these things.
I now represent five firms, each of
which makes furniture that does not
come into competition with the prod
uct of the other four firms. Each one
of these five firms pays my expenses,
but none of them pays me any salary.
Each item of carfare, every hotel bill
and all incidental charges are repaid
to me five times over, and it's a good
thing for all my employers. As for
myself, of course, it is good for me.
because when I stay at a |5 a day
hotel. I make more money than if 1
limited myself to the cheaper ones.”
The Shah In Holland.
The shah of Persia, who is to attend
the Paris exposition, is expected to
pass through Holland and Belgium and
visit Queen Wilhelmina and King Leo
pold. The charming young queen of
the Netherlands looks forward to this
event with considerable apprehension,
having been told of various embarrass
: ing experiences of other sovereigns
when they entertained the late shah.
When at Antwerp, on his last Euro
pean tour, the king’s palace, in the
Place de Mair, was put at his disposal,
and the government was obliged to
renovate carpets, upholstery and a
great deal of the furniture. In fact,
; the task allotted to the house clean
ers was no sinecure. His Persian high
ness was so smitten by many of the
wives and daughters of Antwerp that
he was much astonished at the polite
refusal of the offers he made to take
some of them back to adorn his court
at Teheran. There are hopes, however,
that the present shah is better versed
in European etiquette.
A (ieosraplileAl Error.
One of the earliest of our lessons in
geography was that the earth turned
; on its axis. This was supposed to be
a fixed line, but recent surveys and
calculations have placed this among
the uncertainties. Of course, parallels
of latitude are for this reason perpet
ually shifting. To be sure, the varia
tion is but trifling, but it is quite
enough to make a positive statement
of the earth’s axis impossible. The
reason for this is that the poles of the
earth describe a circle about the point
ordinarily given as the ends of the
axis. The radius of the circle is some
thing like fourteen feet. The center of
the circle travels in an ellipse, the
major axis of which is about twenty
five feet and the minor about eight
feet.
The Vtoer’s Religion.
Boer child—Father, if I were carry
ing the Bible in one hand and a gun
in the other and an enemy approached,
which should I drop first? Boer father
. —The enema:, mv sob!
ABOUT HEROINES.
CHANGE THEIR TYPE IN FICT
ION QUITE OFTEN.
Green Eyes end Bed Hair Now all the
Bar* with Romandate — Drees Too
Mast Be Taken Into Consideration
Nowadays.
Heroines of fiction change their typ**
so completely every few years that
one finds one's self wondering if the
readers of long ago wept over the woes
of Amanda Malvina Fitzallen in the
“Children of the Abbey” could pos
sibly enter into the feelings of the
bicycling, golf-playing maiden wuo
stalks, short-skirted, and loud-voiced,
through the novels of today, says the
New York Commercial Advertiser.
Once upon a time every heroine was
beautiful. Then came Jane Eyre and
the fashion of plain heroines raged.
For some years they vacillated 'twixt
absolute ugliness—wedded 'always to
tremendous fascination, of course—
and wholesome comeliness, that de
pended more upon expression and col
oring than Grecian features. At one
i time a heroine could be told by her
golden hair and eyes of forget-me-not
blue. At a later epoch no self-respect
ing hero could bring himself to make
love to a girl whose tresses were not
black as the raven's wing and whose
eyes were other than large and lan
guorous and black as sloes. Of late
the nearest approach to beauty has
been green eyes and red hair. But
these charms have proved quite as
fatal as those of the golden-haired or
raven-tressed sirens of other days.
I Perhaps heroes change, too. Now the
type is changing again. The red-hair
ed. or Anthony Hope style of charmer
is being supplanted by beauties of the ;
first water, but of a style entirely new
in fiction, if not in nature. The de
lineator of one new heroine says plain
ly—and he ought to know, for he made j
her and she is said to be the most
popular heroine of the day—that she
is “a beautiful girl.” Somewhere else
he avers that she is "wonderfully
pretty.” Then he proceeds to describe
her. Her skirts always hang just so. !
uer Den is ever trim, there is never a
pin out of place in her attire and she
is as smart and as trim as a crack
yacht. All this is commendable, not to
say delightful, and the kind of good
things one can't have too much of,
even in real life. But he goes on to
smash all previous standards of man's
ideal of beauty in women and gives
this wonderful pretty maiden traits
which she alone, perhaps, of heroines
of fiction possesses: She was tall a.~
most men and solidly, almost heavily
built. Her hair was * • not golden :
nor flaxen, but plain, honest, yellow.
• • • Her eyes were small—small,
but of the deepest, deepest brown, and
always twinkling and alight, as though
she were just ready to smile or had
just done smiling, one could not say
which. And nothing could have been
more delightful than those sloe-brown,
glinting little eyes of hers, set off by j
her white skin and yellow hair.” She
had a great many other charms, men
tal. moral and physical, and he would
be a churlish reader indeed who would
not fall in love with the small-eyed,
solidly built maiden—yes, even in
spite of the following: Her arms were
large, her wrists were large and her
fingers did not taper.” Is not this the
first heroine of fiction to have thick
wrists and fingers that did not taper?
It is more than likely that Tom Grogan
had both these traits. But her author
didn't boldly say so.
Why the Candle Borne.
We are all familiar with the fact that
a candle burns. But perhaps there are
many persons who have never realized
just why it burns and that a certain
degree of heat is necessary in order to
consume the cylinder of wax or tallow
of which the candle is made. In the
Arctic regions candles will not burn
satisfactorily at or below a tempera
ture of 35 degrees C. The reason for
this is that the surrounding atmos
phere is so cold that the flame is in
sufficient to melt enough of the ma
terial for its own subsistence. The
feeble heat can do little more than melt
out a tubular space around the wick,
therefore the flame is small and weak,
and sometimes fails altogether. The
light, enclosed in a small glass vase,
works better, as the temperature is
somewhat raised by being so confined
and enough wax melts to supply the
flame.
RargUn Oblige m Woman.
An elderly woman returning from
church stood upon the doorstep of her
house in Kiiburn and discovered that
she had forgotten her latchkey. It
was the servant's evening out. And
there are several' bad quarters of an
hour between 8 and 10 on a February
evening. Her dilemma was noticed by
a group of men on the other side of the
6treet. With the inbred courtesy of
nature's noblemen they rushed to her
assistance. In one instant six skeleton
keys flashed in the air. In the next in
stant the speediest operator had open
ed the front door and was receiving the
thanks of the elderly woman, who was
much pleased. But further reflection
diminished her pleasure in this proof
of the influence of human understand
ing on the lock.—London Chronicle.
Another Idol Shattered.
She was a kindly faced woman, and
it was easy to see that she was bub
bling over with love for the little folk.
She walked modestly into the office of
the city editor and inquired: “Will you
please tell me which one of the staff
it is that writes all those pretty little
stories about children? I know he
must love the little folks because he
writes such nice stories about them.
I want to tell him a precious little
story about my darling boy who is
only-•• "That's the man over there.”
interrupted the city editor. "Which
Dne pray?” “That one with the corn
cob pipe in his mouth and swearing at
the office boy.”
They Know One Another.
Mrs. Winterbloom—I feel better now
that I have snubbed that Jones wro
man. Mrs. Peterkin—Do you think it
disturbed her? Mrs. Winterbloom—
Oh, yes. Why, she told a friend of
m:ne that she didn't notice it at all.—
Harper’s Bazar. (
“CON” MEN,
And ttie Simple Wij In Which They
Allay the Popt'i suspicion*.
“You noticed in the papers, perhaps,”
said one of the Chicago detectives here
for Mard! Gras, “that a young fellow
from Kentucky had been beaten out of
a couple of hundred dollars by a confi
dence man last Tuesday night. The
sharper had scraped an acquaintance,
borrowed the money •until he could get
a thous&nd-dollar bill changed’ and
left the poor dupe waiting on the side
walk while he stepped into the St.
Charles to speak to the clerk. Of
course, he never came back, and In
those general features there is noth
ing very remarkable about the case,
but there was one little detail Jn con
nection with it that impressed me as
being highly significant. Before leav
ing his victim on the sidewalk the con
fidence man handed him his overcoat.
‘Just hold this for a minute, will you,
old man?’ he said, and thereupon pro
ceeded to disappear. Now, that over
coat incident was really the meat of
the whole affair. If the young Ken
tuckian hadn't been requested to guard
the garment he would never have per
mitted the other fellow to get out of
his sight until he paid back the $20J
he had borrowed earlier in the even
ing. But the shabby old overcoat,
worth about 75 cents at a junk shop,
inspired him with unlimited confi
dence, and I may say without exag
geration that I’ve known the same
kind of a dodge to be worked success
fully in at least forty different cases.
In every instance the dupe was given
something to hold. There used to be
a noted confidence man up around my
home, known as ‘Smooth Eddie Burns,’
who made a specialty of swindling
countrymen. He always carried an
old-fashioned blue gingham umbrella
with an ebony handle, a very respecta
ble-looking umbrella, and when he ex
cused himself for a moment after mak
ing the usual borrow, he would request
his victim to look after it until he re
turned. They say Burns used to buy
those umbrellas by the gross, and by
the time his career came to a close
you could find at least one of them in
every farmhouse in northern Illinois.”
defended the wrong client
Amualng Blunder of s leading Austra
lian Solicitor.
An amusing incident is reported to
have occurred recently in the district
court of Melbourne, Australia. The
list of cases for hearing included two
charges of a similar character. When
the first defendant was called, a lead
ing Melbourne solicitor announced
that he appeared for the defense, and
for nearly half an hour he strove to
convince the court that the charge
should not be sustained. In spite of
the counsel’s able arguments the court
decided to inflict a fine, and called
upon the next defendant to say why he
should not be dealt with in a like
manner. The solicitor, puffing from
the effects of a vigorous speech, wiped
his brow and leaned back in his chair
with an air of satisfaction that his
client had escaped so lightly. Just
then the name of the second defendant
was called, and the lawyer sprang to
his feet as though electrified. “Great
heavens!” he exclaimed, in a voice
that was audible throughout the court.
"I've been defending the wrong man.”
In his perturbation the learned gentle
man seized his silk hat. and in a di
vided mind as to whether he should
set chase after his late ciient or remain
and defend the man who had just
stepped forward, placed it on his head.
“Hats off!” roared a constable as coun
sel remained on his feet, staring in dis
may around the court. "Your wor
ships.” he said, removing the offend
ing belltopper. “this is my client. The
defendant who has just left the court
did not engage me and has paid me no
fee." The announcement was too
much for the gravity of the court, and
for a moment or two the court room
echoed with laughter. The case was
soon disposed of. and the legal gentle
man then hurried from the building in
search of his quondam client and the
fee that should have been his.
•Inst the Fitting Word.
One of those singers that are delight
ing us in grand opera at present is
less sure of his English than he is of
his voice, but he aspires to talk our
language so that no thought ofhisshall
be balked on his tongue while in Am
erica. For this purpose he carries
a little dictionary with him. and. like
a stuttering man. makes long pauses
while seeking his word. And neither
place nor circumstance does he permit
to interfere with his pursuit of the
fitting word. The other day. traveling
with some friends upon one of our
rapid and jerkily moving trolley cars,
and grasping wildly for a strap, he ex
claimed: “I haf not—na! wie helsst
das denn?”—and he relinguished the
strap to seek the little word book. “I
haf lost my—” and the leaves uttered:
"on your cars I haf lost my—ja! das
ist es"—another wild clutch at the
strap, as the car started ahead—“my
equileebrium."—New York Commer
cial Advertiser.
Queer Shunt.
The duchess of Northumberland has
a shawl eight yards square which is so
fine it can be folded into an ordinary
coffee cup. It is made of the hair of a
species of Persian cat and thousands of
animals lost their beautiful coats to
obtain the material for this particular
shawl. The spinning, weaving and
fashioning of the shawl required many
years of labor. The wool from which
the Bokhara shawls are made is cut
from the breasts of the camels while
the hair is fine and growing. Great
care is taken that not a hair shall be
lost, and it is stored carefully until
enough has been accumulated to spin.
The wool is exquisite and soft, tho
yarn spun from it being dyed in the
most beautiful colors. A coat which
was owned by I-xwis XIV’. was made
entirely from cobwebs and cost year;,
of deft labor. A gown which was
worn by Mmo. de Montespan was made
of spun gold.
Anticipated Churl*#.
Mr. Beach—"Here is a letter from
Charles.” Mrs. Beach—"Read it*
Mr. Baach (reading)- "My dearest,dar
1 ingest mother-” "Great heavens!
The young scoundrel needs more
money again already.”—Tit-Bits.
i
, ■ ' —J
WHITTLING FOR FUN.
Said to B« a HralthTuI Relaxation for
a Tired Mind*
People who flock southward during
the winter as a relief from the cares at
home take on some new and strange
occupations. At present the passion is
for whittling, says the Washington
Post. In fact, it is the amusement of
the hour of the banker, the merchant
and (he tired-out millionaire. But it is
not the same aimless chipping away
of a stick that delights the schoolboy;
very pretty things are made by these
grave designers, paper cutters being
one of the most general. After a num
ber of men congregated at some resort
have been attacked by the craze, it is
amusing to see them starting out to
find the w’ood. They go forth clad in
kniekerbockers and armed with great
jack-knives, as serious as though m
search of the buck of the season. More
prized than any other are the woods of
the laurel and rhododendron. Both are
exquisitely white and receive as high
and fine a polish as satin. Straight
pieces of considerable length are chos
en to be cut and it is desirable that
they should terminate in a fork. The
forked part is left undisturbed in its
natural state for the handle, while the
other end is whittled down into the
blade of the cutter. Various are the
ways of achieving this apparently
simple end and every man finds con
tentment in the conviction that his
own knife and tools are the best. Th*j
final polishing is universally done with
sandpaper and a broken bit of glass.
Knitting needles are also popular
among the things that are being whit
tled. They are finished at the top
with a round ball, w’hich has carved
upon it the initials of the one who h
to be their possessor. The greatest
achievement in whittling, however, 1$
an endless chain that was recently
done by quite an old gentleman who
had gone to the south to rest Wita
in each link rested a little revolving
ball. It was truly a chef d’oeuvre.
Scientifically it is claimed that there is
something about the mechanical calm
of whittling which is most restful to
an overtaxed mind.
DUEL OF CANNONS.
—
Remarkable Contest Between Fieltf
Pieces Daring the Crimean War.
No duels have been arranged be
tween the Long Tom of the Boers and
any of the favorite guns of the British,
but in the Crimean war was fought a
duel between two pet pieces of artil
lery. which, considering all its phases,
probably has not been paralleled in
warfare. One day the Russians sent a
: message to the English at the time a
flag of truce was flying. "Your 58
pounder gun," said the bearer, "which
your people call Jenny, is a beautiful
gun; but we have one as good. We
should like to have a fair duel with
her." The challenge was accepted, and
everything arranged for 12 o'clock next
day. When the time arrived all the
batteries ceased firing, and the two
armies looked on. “Our sailors' gun
attachment,” says Sir Daniel Lyons,
"mounted on the parapet and took off
their hats, saluting the Russians. The
Russians returned the compliment. To
the English gun, as the senior gun,
was given the compliment of firing the
first shot. It struck the side of the
embrasure. Then they fired—a good
shot. too. The third shot from Jenny
went clean through the Russian em
brasure, and up went two gabions. The
bluejackets jumped up on their para
pet and cheered, thinking they had
beaten their opponent. Not a bit! A
minute afterward down went the
gabions and out came the Russian gun
again. Several more shots were fired
from both sides, all very good ones.
Jenny got a thump, but it did her no
harm. At length. I think after the
seventh shot from our side, we saw the
Russian gun clean knocked over. Our
fellows cheered vociferously, and the
1 Russians mounted the parapet and
look off their hats in acknowledgment
of their defeat. All the batteries then
opened again.”
Prince Rupert in Disgrace.
A disaster second only to Xaseby,
and still more unforeseen, soon follow
ed. Fairfax and Cromwell laid siege
to Bristol, and after a fierce and dar
ing storm (Sept. 14). Rupert, who had
promised the king that be could hold
out for four good months, suddenly
capitulated, and rode away to Oxford
under the humiliating protection of a
parliamentary convoy. The fall of this
famous stronghold of the west was the
severest of all the king's mortifica
tions. as the failure of Rupert's wonted
courage was the strangest of military
surprises. That Rupert was too clear
sighted not to be thoroughly discour
aged by the desperate aspect of the
king’s affairs is certain, and the mili
tary difficulties of sustaining a long
siege were thought, even by those who
had no reasons to be tender to his
fame, to justify the surrender. Thu
king would listen to no excuses, but
wrote Rupert an angry letter, declar
ing so mean an action to be the great
est trial of his constancy that had yet
happened, depriving him of his com
missioners, and bidding him begone
beyond the seas. Rupert nevertheless
insisted on following the king to New
ark. and after some debate was de
clared to be free of all disloyalty or
treason, hut not of indiscretion.—John
Morlev, in March Century.
Hotel Rate* In Cape Town.
A hundred pounds a month for a bed
in a three-bedded room! Such is a
sample of the prices now prevailing in
Cape Town. Some ladies in London
who had been inquiring about prices
and accommodation were quoted as
above. According to the London cor
respondent of the Birmingham Gazette,
they were told that they could be ac
commodated for a hundred pounds per
bed in a three-bedded room. Three
hundred pounds a month for one room
is pretty steep. It means that hotel pro
prietors are coining money, and that a
decent sized hotel in Cape Town is
aringing in as good a revenue as a gold
nine at Johannesburg.
Modern Version.
Sunday school teacher—Now. boys
what would you say if you had been
Lot fleeing from the burning city of
Sodom, and you had seen your wife’
Hop and look back?” Little boy at
»nd of class—Rubber!—Washington
Star.
