THIS IN NEBRASKA
EVENTS OF INTEREST OF MORE
OR LESS IMPORTANCE.
THE YEAR WAS NOT A GOOD ONE
Burlington's Net Earrings Show a
it Decrease in Comparison With Form
er Period—Democratic State Con
vention to Meet in Lincoln Aug 15.
Burlington Report Filed.
I LINCOLN — Notwithstanding the
^Kreat prosperity in Nebraska during
^llhe last year the Burlington railroad
■did not make as much money in this
■Jptate as it did the year previous. This
||wear, as shown in its report filed with
Bp>e secretary of the State Board of
^Bssessment, its net earnings in Ne
Hbraska amounted to only $5,395,768.12
Kor only $2,066 a mile for every mile,
Bpnain line and branch in the state. Last
Kyear it made on every mile it owned
Sjiin the state the sum of $2,290 a mile.
No reason is given for this slump
fc in its earnings. Its gross earnings in
* Nebraska amount to $15,863,060.28.
; from which arbitrary allowance of
roads east of the river on freight
business, amounting to $1,776,662.75
must be deducted, leaving a total
gross earnings of only $14,86.397.53.
The road spent in operating expenses
in this state the sum of $8,224,049.60.
while its taxes paid and taxes “ten
dered” amounted to $446,579.81.
The capital stock of the road is
I $110,839,100, and its value is not
| quoted on the market, the report says.
L and has not been on the market for
K four years.
Democratic State Convention.
LINCOLN—The democratic state
convention will meet in Lincoln
Wednesday, August 15, to nominate
■a full state ticket, including three
railroad commissioners. The call does
not include the indorsement of a can
didate for the United States senate.
: but this can come up under the head
of “such other business as may prop
j erly come before the convention." Th“
basis of representation was fixed at
one delegate for every 100 vo'es or
fraction thereof cast for William G.
Hastings for supreme judge. This
will make a con .-ention of 806 dele
gates.
Get Story of Earthquake.
PLATTSMOUTH—Mrs. Isaac Cecil
is in receipt of a letter from a rela
tive residing at San Jose. Cal., which
gives some additional details of the
recent earthquake which wrought so
much destruction in San Francisco and
other near-by towns. The writer re
ports that the handsome residence of
Mrs. Joseph Martin and family, form
er residents of Plattsmouth. was torn
from its foundation by the force of
the shock and moved for a distance
of nine feet. The occupants had a
i narrow escape from death under fall
| ing timbers, but none of them were
r seriously injured.
Fruit Prospects in Richardson.
HUMBOLDT—Opinion seem to be
changing as regards the fruit pros
'• pect in this vicinity, and the latest
; report comes from O! Little, who is a
recognized expert in horticultural mat
ters. He says that after a careful in
vestigation among the small orchards
of the city he finds a certain portion,
ranging from twenty to forty per cent
of the buds are yet in a healthy con
dition. and he therefore predicts a fair
sized yield with the quality under con
tinued favorable conditions much bet
ter than could be expected if the crop
were full.
Assessment Board Meets May 7.
The State Board of Assessment will
meet Monday, May 7. to begin the
consideration of the value of railroad
property, and not on May 1, as some
members of the board supposed. The
1 statutes fixes the first Monday in May
as the day of beginning, and not May
1. as has been frequently published.
A number of roads which enter Ne
braska over leased lines have failed
to make any report, though a penalty
becomes operative after April 15 if re-*
ports are not in. It is understood the
penalty will not be enforced.
Will Ask Aid for Doctors.
LINCOLN—The homeopathic physi
cians of the state will ask for aid for
the doctors who suffered loss in San
[ Francisco. Dr. Erie B. Woodward of
Lincoln, president of the state asso
ciation. will receive gifts. Dr. James
C. Wood of the national association
t wired Dr. Woodward from Cleveland
[ asking for aid.
Bov Accidentally Kills Brother.
SEWARD—A fatal accident oc
curred at the home of M. J. Eicher of
“N” township on Sunday. Mr. and
Mrs. Eicher were away from home,
and the two bovs took the rifle and
went out to shoot at a mark. While
placing the target. In some unaccount
able way. the rifle was discharged and
the boy Bennie was killed.
Farmer Suffers by Fire.
TEKAMAH—The home of Llewellyn
\ Stevens, a farmer living about twelve
miles of this place, was destroyed by
fire. A sewing machine was all that
was saved.
Grain Company Objects.
The Nye-Schneider-Fowler Elevator
' company filed in the supreme court
a petition objecting to the depositions
taken in the case some time ago and
also to nearly all of the questions
.asked the witnesses. The petition cov
ers forty or fifty pages.
THEDFORD—The Burlington depot
at this place burned to the ground
with all its contents. Agent Campbell
: was upstairs and hearing a noise,
which he thought to be an approach
ing train, ran down to find the plat
form was on fire.
Beatrice Refugees.
BEATRICE—Guy Liddicott and Mr.
and Mrs. Leslie Mumford. refugees
of the San Francisco disaster, reached
home from San Francisco. They lost
everything they possessed in the great
fire.
I
NEBRASKA IN BRIER.
The printers of Beatrice have or
ganized a union.
West Point gave over $500 for San
Francisco sufferers.
A block system is being installed on
the railroad at Arlington.
Public schools in Nebraska quite
formally observed Arbor day.
There is said to be quite a number
■ of smallpox cases in Lincoln.
The democratic state convention
will be held in Lincoln. August 15.
] All Nebraska towns did nobly in
| furnishing succor to the earthquake
sufferers.
Congressman Hinshaw has secured
an increase in pension from $fi to $12
i for Lewis E. Wolford of York.
After so many unfilled promises ex
; tending over a number of years. Beat
I rice is at last going to have a new
l Burlington depot.
Attorney McCandless of Wymore,
was in Beatrice and purchased 500
; trees to be planted in the parks of
| Wymore. He selected silver poplars.
I elms and hackberries.
The First National bank of Crofton.
has been authorized to begin business
| with $25,000 capital. Henry Lammers,
j president; H. J. Oswald, vice presi
! dent; Frank Nelson, cashier.
L. A. Kimball, who settled in the
I state of Washington last year, is back
i in Oxford, after spending much time
and money in looking for a better
j home than south-central Nebraska.
Rev. A. F. Ploetz. who was pastor
j of the First Presbyterian church in
j Plattsmouth for more than five years,
i has accepted a call to the pastorate of
j the First German Presbyterian church
! in Lexincton
The state league of local building
and loan associations will meet in
Seward on May 24. Representatives of
twenty towns will be in attendance,
and a committee has been appointed
to furnish proper entertainment.
The norma! quartet will leave Peru
-May 11. for a tour lasting until May
19. They will sing at Weeping Water,
and negotiations are under way for
dates at PapiiLon. Mead Valley, Elk
horn and Elmwood.
While E. E. Day was taking in corn
at Weeping Water, the team in the
elevator became frightened and hack
ed the wagon, and caught Mr. Day’s
right arm between the wagon wheel
and the dump door, crushing the arm
from elbow to wr'st
Dr. Stewart, a veterinary surgeon of
Beatrice, lost a valuable horse from
strychnine poisoning. It was discov
ered that someone had placed the poi
son in the feed box in the animal’s
stall. The matter will be thoroughly
investigated by the authorities.
Tekamah, which voted $10,000 elec
tric light bonds some months ago and
which the auditor refused to register
because the bonds amounted to 5 per
cent of the assessed valuation of the
town, will after all get the bonds reg
istered and be permitted to sell them.
The Curtis Bartlett company, suc
cessors to the Curtis-Van Denberg com
pany of Clinton, la., has filed articles
of incorporation with the secretary of
state and will do business in Nebraska.
The firm deals in lumber and it is
now running an establishment in Lin
coln and in Omaha.
Dr. George Gandy, a Humboldt sur
| geon, cut one of his hands quire badly
j when he attempted to brush his coat,
and struck his hand against an open
lance, which he had thoughtlessly
placed in his pocket. The hand was
cut to the bone in several places and
caused an ugly wound.
The York Brick company, owned
and operated by home capital, com
menced business one year ago, and al
though it has made thousands of brick
it was unable to furnish all the brick
that York bought. This year it has
added to the plant until it is one of
the largest in the state.
Nine of the Burlington freight cars,
which were on a side track east of the
Missouri river, opposite Plattsmouth.
were consumed by fire. The origin of
the fire is believed to have been caused
by sparks from a passing engine. It
is estimated that the loss will not ex
ceed I he sum of $3,000.
M. B. Thompson, president of the
Albion National bank, who has been
confined to his bed for more than a
month on account of paralysis, started
last week for Indiana, the home of
his relatives. A sleeping car was
chartered and Mr. Thompson was
taken the entire journey without
change of cars.
Jospeh Carsh. a young farmer of
near Humboldt, made an unusual
catch a few days ago when in discing
h's field he unearthed a nest of seven
young grey wolves, a species that is
almost exthrot in that section. He
took the animals to the county clerk
and received thereon a bounty of $29.
75 from the state and county com
bined.
Buildings are now rapidly going up
in the new Great Northern town of
Leshara. Two lumber yards, two ele
vators, a hardware store and a butcher
shop are now operating. A bank has
been chartered and will soon be doing
business. The postoffice has been es
tablished, though owing to the irregu
la train service, as yet mail is brought
from Fremont by rural delivery.
Fears are entertained by his rela
tives and friends in Humboldt and vi
cinity. that Dr. George Tucker, who
recently left there for California, to lo
cate permanently, may have been a
victim of the San Franr'sco horror.
Up to this writing they havve been
unab'e to hear from him.
There is a great demand for me
chanics throughout this sect on. says
a Humboldt dispatch, extensive im
provements going on both in the city
and surrounding country. All carpen
ters and stone masons have their
hands full.
John M. Regan, who has resided
with his parents northeast of Hast'ngs
was taken before the insanity board,
and being adjudged of unsound mind
[ by th.t* board was ordered taken to
the Li' ,'oln hospital for the insane.
The "parents of Mrs. M. D. Carey
came to Seward Sunday from Cali
fornia. They started from Merced,
. Cal., at 2 a. m. Wednesday morning
and were nearing Fresno at *5:15 a. m.
when the earthquake occurred. The
shock was so great that the train
swayed heavily, almost leaving the
. track.
Picturesque Career
of Maxim Gorky
Early Life of Novelist One cf Er'cerne Wretchedness - - “The
Bitter” Once a Tramp — Idol cf tie Russian People.
.
Recently there has come to this
country a Russian author whose life
has been as picturesque as any char
acter by his vivid pen portrayed.
Gorky, "The Bitter One,” has himself
dwelt in the "cellar of life,” the mes
sage he brings from the underworld—
and the underworld in Russia is very
deep down indeed—cries from the
heart of things, from the soul.
Maxim Gorky, whose real name is
Alexei Maximovitch Pyeshkoff. jour
neys to this country in the interests of
the Russian revolutionary- movement. !
He arrives in ill health, result of last
year's imprisonment, suffered becau-e
of political offenses.
When the Russian government ar
rested Gorky this last time, laid hands
of violence on the man whose genius
was becoming recognized in many
lands, a united protest was raised in
Europe. In this country Gorky as vet
is not well known, but those fam liar
with his work are most enthusiastic in
their homage.
On the supposition that generally
American readers are unacquainted
with this most modern member of the
body of great Russian novelists, let us
present a list of his published works.
wide, here and there in southern Rus
sia, into Little Russia and Bess
arabia, through the Crimea and the
Kuban district of the Caucasus. At
Tiflis. where he worked for a sea
son as a navvy, he published his first
story. Christian Brinton, writing in
the World's Work, says: "It is im
possible not to feel that the bitter
privations of this forlorn and shabby
Odyssey, the ceaseless heartache and
bodily anguish, were precisely those
factors which contributed to Gorky’s
development. The young man whc
blundered into the office of the Tiflis
"Kavsky” in soiled smock and mud
stained boots knew little of literature,
but a great deal of life. During ail
those years of hopeless, baffled effort,
when he tramped over the sun
scorched or snow-driven expanse ot
Russia he had been studying human
nature at first hand. _t was not mere
ly observation but experience, for he
himself knew the blackest misery and
despair. On one occasion he even
tried suicide, but was unwillingly
nursed back to life on a crude hos
pital cot in Kazan. The bits of coloi
and of character which caught his eyt
or burned themselves into his brain
MAXIM GORKI’.
in iouj appeared me story Masau
Chudra;” and then followed in rapid
succession “Emelyan Pilyai,” "Chel
kash," “Konovalau, ’ “The Orlov Cou
ple.” “The Steppe,” “Malva,” “Com
rades," and “twenty-six and One.”
“Story now succeeded story, each stark
and brutal in its setting, yet each an
apotheosis of pity and of poverty.”
With “Foma Gordyeef” Gorky came to
international fame. “Foma Gordyeef”
was followed by “The Trio,” and his
suppressed work “The Peasants.” In
the field of drama, too, Maxim Gorky
has triumphed, produced "The Bour
geois.” "1 he Night Refuge,” "At the
Bottom.”
Benjamin De Casseres writing in the
Critic declares Gorky is “more than
Tolstoy, more than Turgeneff, the soul
of the Russian people,” and adds: “The
philosophy of non-resistance to him is
the philosophy of cowards. In his
stories he has chanted the glories of
strength—because he has seen the
evils of weakness. 'Red Sunday' in St.
Petersburg made of Gorky a world-fig
ure. In times that try men’s souls, the
’safe and sane’ fly to cover; and—
thank heaven—Gorky is neither safe
nor sane. He typifies the spirit of re
volt—has become the Byron of Russia.’ j
Gorky’s chi’dhood and early man- |
hood were spent in bitterest poverty, i
He was born at Nijni Novgorod ,n 1
1868, son of a poor upholsterer. Early
left an orphan and at the tender mer- I
cies of a bigoted old grandfather, I
misery was his constant attendant. ;
Five months of schooling was all that ;
was allowed, and at the age of nine
the boy was apprenticed to a cobbler.
His duties evidently were not wholly
tuuuucu iu Liit? auup, lur we are iuia i
that one day he was set to making the j
cabbage soup for the family, and that,
not very deft, the youthful cook got
part of the contents of the kettle on I
himself, was very badly scalded. In i
anger the cobbler sent him forth, this I
poor little Russian Oliver Twist put i
out to struggle as he might. '
His next employment was with a '
mechanical draftsman, and later he I
worked with a painter of ikons 1
(sacred pictures); then one day be
ran away. Next we hear of him as j
cook's boy on a Volga steamer. The
cook, a friendly fellow, gave his help
er books to read and encouraged him
to form the reading habit, started
Gorky to pore over any and every bit
of writing he could lay his hands on.
"Treatises on Freemasonry. Lives of
the Saints. Gogol. Dumas, etc., were i
thus indiscriminately devoured while
plying the river between busy gold
domed towns. "‘The boy now dreamed
the wild dream of entering as student
at the University of Kazan, but whefl
he made the attempt was but laughed j
at. Bitterly disappointed, forced to
work, he settled down to toil in a
stifling bakery. But the misery ex
perienced there, coupled with an in
nate restlessness, drove him forth
again; he peeled apples, worked as a
gardener, a railway watchman and
porter, and for a time was clerk in the
office of an attorney. Restless, un
happy, he finally took to the road, be
came a tramo. He wandered far and
formed the raw material of eact
story, each sketch that now flowed sc
treely from his pen. In its outward
traits Gorky's work is reflex, a recorc
of the life he lived. Within it is a
passionate protest against the condi
tions. social and economic, of his na
tive land.”
Shortly after the public be ran tc j
read Gorky’s tales, he became . >opu ;
lar idol. Each of the three cuing
political parties, the Nationalists.
Marxists and Conservatives, claimed
him and made use of his works the
one party against the other. Every
body read his stories and articles, his
picture was seen everywhere.
in appearance Gorky is tall and
raw boned, with a face of marked
strength. A reddish mustache droops
over his large, firm mouth, his eyes
are a keen gray, his low brows are
set in a continual frown. Perhaps the
fancy is not an idle one that he looks
his part—"The Bitter One.” one that
had drunk deep of the gall in life's
cup. Of himself and his co-workers
in the revolutionary movement he
has this to say: “We are not anar
chists—the people interested in this
movement of which I am a small part
We are seeking reforms that must
and will come. The Russian govern
ment of to-day is nothing less than
anarchy and its members anarchists.
There is no law, no order; it is anar
chy pflre and simple under the guise
of organized government, in which
those who are not absolutely debased
are kept in entire ignorance of the
true condition of affairs in our dis
tressed country.”
in 1901 Gorky was arrested for par
ticipating in the student troubles, but
on account of broken health was re
leased and permitted to go to the
Crimea to recuperate. In 1902 the
government rescinded his election to
the Imprial academy. His recent trial
and imprisonment are well known, he
is to-day a world-figure.
The Great Ambition.
This ambition not to be satisfied with
little things is characteristic of men
ot great fiber, and it had a great deal
to do in shaping Beecher's career. If
he had had an ordinary ambition, he
never would have been the power in
the world that he was—he never would
have become one of the first preach
ers in the world. A steady stream
cannot rise higher than its foun.ain
head.—Success Magazine.
Effective Remedy.
It is said that a candidate for parlia
ment at the recent English elections,
while justifying flogging in the army
remarked: “There is no necessary dis
grace in being flogged. I was once
Hogged myself, and it was for telling the
truth, too.” "It seems to have cured ye,’
said a voice from th'e back of the hall
This story was also first told about Prof
Vlahaffy, of Dublin, Father Healy, ol
Bray, making the retort
Men and Luck.
Strange that a lucky man seldom be 1
Ueves in luck. ,
DOCS FOR HOSPITAL SERVICE IN THE ARMY.
"Fritz,” a noble animal of the setter breed, who has come to this country
from the German army to teach American does a new usefulness in time
of war. Ambulance does are now a regular feature of the armies of Italy,
France, Germany and England.
MARKET FOR BURROS
WHERE .THE ANIMALS ARE ON
SALE IN SANTA FE.
Diminutive Burden Bearers Are
Very Useful, But They Are
Not at All High
Priced.
You can buy a burro for $1.25 in This
city. All you have to do is to go down
to Burro alley anywhere from ten in
the morning till late in the afternoon
and strike a bargain with the first
wood carrier you meet. Only make
sure, advises a Santa Fe (N. M.) ex
change, that your eye teeth are secure
when the'bargaining is over, for these
burro punchers of the southwest are
the canniest traders.
Burro alley is burro headquarters in :
Santa Fe. This is a narrow, crooked :
alley, lined with adobe houses. In
the rear ot a curio store, at the end of
the alley, is a corral where the Joses
and Pablos and Garcias leave tneir j
burros after their loads of wood are
sold, and here may be studied Durro
character in all its phases.
Nearly every burro in the corral will '
wear one of the tiny pack saddles
which can be so deftly loaded with
stove wood by the Mexicans who keep !
Santa Fe supplied with fuel. The i
wood is cut in lengths of about two
or three feet and is piled in great :
mounds on the pack saddles. 1- is j
marvelous the skill with which the:
Mexicans can load their tiny burros I
with these great loads of wood. They |
are deftly fastened with a few twists l
of a rope and they will not slip to one ]
side, nor is it possible for tbe burros j
to shake them off.
Many of these hewers of wood,
whose Mecca is Burro alley, walk 40
miles in a day in order to make a
sale that cannot approximate more j
than $1.50. If a Mexican wood haul- j
er is prosperous he will have, say, j
three burros. He will cut a supply of i
woo l far off in the mountains, per
haps 20 miles from Santa Fe. Mid
night will find his burros loaded, with
their packs of wood piled high above j
their backs. Snapping his quirt and j
calling out expletives in Spanish that '
never fail to stir the feet of the lag- j
gards the burro puncher starts on his i
long walk to dispose of his wares, i
Early morning will find him in Santa ;
Fe, for the burros are fast walkers 1
when there is a Mexican behind them.
Once in Santa Fe the burro driver j
walks along the streets until he is
hailed by some householder who has
just run out of wood. There is a min
ute's haggling and an inspection of the
pitch-filled pinon wood on the backs
of the burros. Then the ropes are
jerked, the loads of wood fall to the
earth, and Pablo or Jose pockets his
money and starts back toward Burro
alley Here the burros are put in
the corral and the driver sallies forth.
Early in the afternoon the burros are
driven out of the corral and the home
ward march is begun. The driver
does not reach home until late. His
earnings are small, but he is content, j
He turns his burros out to “rustle” i
for themselves—for nobody ever thinks 1
of feeding a burro—and in a few
hours he is ready to start again on j
the iong walk to Santa Fe.
One can seek, and seek vainly, a sour- j
visaged burro among the thousands of ;
animals that are driven to Santa Fe. i
The burro may be ready to drop under
the cruel weight of his load, but he
looks content. Perchance his master
lingers awhile at the Plaza, in which
case the burro is apt to sink to the
ground, load and all, and float forth
peacefully into slumber. When he
is commanded to get up you wonder
how he is going to do it, under that
great load; but somehow or other the
slender legs get a leverage and the
burro straggles to his feet and walks
off at his master’s bidding.
Trick of Vinyardists.
Vine growers in France market fresh I
outdoor grapes all winter by a new
and curious method. Bunches of
grapes when ripe are cut so that a
piece of the vine five or six inches long
remains attached. A large number of ;
white-necked bottles filled with water
are placed in horizontal rows in racks ;
in a cellar, and the stem of the grapes ]
is placed in the mouth of the bottle,
while the grapes hang outside. The
grapes do not touch the water, but are i
supplied with water through the stem.1 1
The low uniform temperature of the
cellar is favorable to the preservation
af the fruit and water is supplied
iaily to the bottles to make up for the i
evaporation.—Country Life in Amer- <
tea. ]
--• 1
Calculating Han. i
"I don’t like young Dr. Oprates,” re- 1
narked the timid young thing. 1
“No? And why?” t
“The other evening he called, and by ! <
md by he squeezed my hand and said i c
something sentimental, and just as I i
vas trying to look demure and blush I i
liscovered .that he had his finger on : *
ny pulse to see whether or not I was c
■eally affected by hts attention •
iudge. • ^
COMMON INSURANCE TERMS
Technical Expressions Used by
Agents Translated Into
Plain English.
A level premium is a premium which
is the same at every payment: that is,
which beoomes no greater as the policy
holder grows older, says World's
■Work.
The reserve is the excess amount
charged in the early years of level
premium policies to offset the failure
to increase the premium during the
later years. This reserve is invested
by the company, and the proceeds from
it makes up the deficiencies in the
later premium payments.
The annual surplus is the excess
amount paid by the policy holders
above the sum paid out in death claims,
and in expenses of management Dius
the interest earned by the reserve
above the percentage of the require
ments.
Dividends are the portion of the
surplus divided among policy holders.
Deferred diividends are dividends
that are not distributed among the
policy holders annually, but are held
by the company and paid to the policy
holder at longer periods, usually 20
years.
A surrender is the act of a policy
holder in giving up his policy for a
consideration from the company.
The surrender value, or cash sur
render value, of a policy is the
amount the company agrees to pay if
the policy holder surrenders his pol
icy. This is less than the sum that
he has paid in premiums.
A participating policy is one en
titling the policy holder to share in any
dividends that the company man pay.
A nonparticipating policy is one
that gives the holder no right to divi
dends.
An annuity is money paid back an
nually to a policy holder at stated in
tervals after a certain date, in con
sideration of the money that he has
paid into the company.
Installment policies, return prem
iums. gold bonds, and other similar
arrangements are varieties of annu
ities in combination with life insur
ance.
A tontine policy is one on which
the holder receives nothing if he fails
to keep up his premium till he dies.
Term insurance is insurance for a
specified number of years. The amount
for which the policy holder is insured
is paid only in case he dies before the
expiration of the agreed term.
Renewable term insurance is term
insurance with the additional privilege
of renewal of the policy at the end ol
the first term or succeeding terms ol
years without further medical exam
ination.
WAY TO MANAGE WILLIE.
"Don’t,” Said His Mother, and at
Once He Posed for His
Picture.
With a joyous smile the photog
rapher bowed his customers out, re
lates the New York Sun.
"Come again," he urged.
"Thank you!" humbly murmured the
father of little Willie, who had just
been taken.
Father's presence had been dispensed
with during that operation on the
ground that he was too upsetting, still
he had been there the first five min
utes of the attempt, and he was de
cidedly skeptical of the photographer’s
really pining to repeat the expert
[rent.
But he was grateful for the bland
ness of the farewell and turned a re
lieved countenance toward his wife
She seemed singularly calm after what
she must have .been through.
“Do yon think he got him?” he
whispered, indicating Willie.
“Oh, yes,” nonchalantly. “Awfully
cunning pose, too. He was holding a
cin steamboat."
"How in the world did you do it?”
“Oh,” w’ith an easy smile, “Willie
tappened to pick up the steamboat
limself, and the photographer said to
ne: ‘You couldn’t make him hold
chat, could you?’ and I said: 'Certain
y! Do you want him to hold it?’
ind he said he did. So I turned to
A’illie and I said: ‘Why, Willie, don’t
■oj know you mustn’t have that steam
mat!’ ”
“Well?" inquired Willie's father.
“Why, ’ remarked his wife, “of
course Willie hung on to the steam
mat like grim death."
Beaver in New York State.
Although since 1870 the beaver has
ontinuously hovered on the point of
xtinction in the Empire state, there
tati never been a time when the North
roods did not contain at least one
rild colony. I have in my possession
retsh beaver cuttings which were ob
ained within the past five years from
wo different localities in Franklin
ounty, and at present there is in this
ounty, in the waters northwest of Up
®r Saranac lake, a small family—
erhaps two distinct families—which
re undoubtedly the direct descendants
f the original wild stock.—From
Bringing Back the Beaver,” by Harry
Radford, in Four-Track News.
SPRING HOUSECLEANiNG.
Go at the Task in a Methodical Man
ner and Save Unnecessary
Eard Labor.
In spring cleaning, as in many other
things, forethought is the mother of
success, and the careful housewife will
think and plan methodically iong be
fore the actual work begins.
As a preliminary to spring cleaning
it is necessary to have a thorough
turn-out of ail the drawers, cupboards
and storage places. In a modern house
these may not be as many or as am
ple as you would like, but still it is
wonderfui how much you do store up,
so much so that it is quite necessary
to have a turn-out twice a year.
Some people hoard much more than
others. They hate to get rid of any
thing. say.ng as soon as they do givs
this or that away they find a use fo;
it themseives. But you cannot keep
everything, so nut with them all, see
w'hat can be used, and make away
with the rest.
After the drawers have teen emp
tied they ne-d a good clean, a wash,
or maybe a dust out will do, and then
reline with paper. Use white or cream
paper, but better newspaper than any
thing that looks soiled or creased.
If your wardrobe is open in the join
ings and so lets the dust in, it is well
to line it throughout with glazed cali
co, lightly tacked to the wood at the
top and bottom.
This will save all that hangs there
in. The walls of cupboards should be
brushed down an5 whitewashed if
necessary, and when the shelves have
been cleaned put back everything that
has not been condemned as rubbish.
Soap and washing soda are neces
saries that should always be bought
in large quantities for the sake of
economy; and of these you must have
a plentiful supply; but there are ofher
things that must be thought of such
as ammonia, turpentine, whiting and
furniture polish.
Provide plenty of fannel washing
cloths, and silks, linen and cotton
dusters. It is not necessary to use
new material for th.-ae; old woolen
dresses, flannel petticoats, silk hand
kerchiefs, linen aprons and print
dresses can be utilized.
When the actual work begins it
should be done in as methodical a
manner as possible. Begin with the
highest rooms in the house, descend
in order, take halls and staircases
next, and finish off with cellars and
nuthouses. All hangings and curtains
must be well-shaken when they are
taken down to free them from dust.
The most delicate fabrics can be suc
cessfully washed at home by using
soap jelly with a little ammonia and
soft water.
Colored articles must be dried in th
shade to prevent fading. It will gen
erally he found advisable to remove
trimmings, and treat them separately.
The great improvement in appearanca
will amply repay the extra labor.
When cleaning paint u=e warm wa
ter and a little ammonia. Take a
clean, soft flannel and wet as much
as the arm can reach. Wash and
wring the flannel, and rub the paint
till quite clean. Dry the surface thor
oughly and polish with a soft cloth.
If the paint is left damp it shows
the marks of the washing and loses
its polish. For very light colored
paint wring a cloth out of hot water,
dip it in whiting and rub the paint
till quite clean. Then wash it with
2lean water and polish with a wash
leather.
The use of ammonia at cleaning
time is a great saving of labor.—•
Marion Harris Neil.
NEEDLEWORK NOTES.
Where a very accurate straight line
is required the material should not
be torn or cut, but a thread must be
drawn first to act as a guide before
cutting.
In stroking gathers the needle
should be held in a sloping direction
and not upright, or it will pierce
through the material and weaken it
considerably.
If a material has a pattern running
one way only care must be taken
when cutting out a blouBe that the
two fronts do not have the pattern
going in different directions.
As a rule the warp threads which
run the length of the material are
stronger and more firmly woven than
the woof threads, which run from
selvedge to selvedge. Remembering
this, all parts of a bodice which are
likely to stretch, such as sleeves, col
lars and yokes, should be cut the
length of the stuff.
Sleeves which are full at the top
or are fashioned with a puff should
always be made over a lining for a
good fit to be insured and the fullness
to be kept in a proper position.
If a sleeve is made with a long cuff
of lace it is best to mount it over a
lining of white satin, but if a trans
parent effect is wanted chiffon should
be used for the lining, as it makes the
arm look much whiter underneath.
The same rule applies to a lace yoke.
Loosely woven materials or those
which are likely to fray easily are
often a source of trouble to the inex
perienced dresssmaker, for however
much is allowed for Beams the threads
are apt to become unraveled almost
down to the seam stitches. To rem
edy this the raw edge should be over
cast directly the garment is cut out
before any seam is sewed up. By this
means the necessity for wide turnings
is avoided.—Chicago Daily News.
Egg Bread.
Sift two cupfuls cornmeal in a hew!,
=cald it with three-quarters cupful of
boiling water, stir well, then add a cup
ful of sour buttermilk, beat thoroughly,
and when well mixed stir in the yolks
3f three eggs, well whipped,and one tea
spoonful of salt. Pour in a heaping
tablespoonful of melted butter, then add
a one-half scant teaspoonful of soda dis
solved in little water, throw in the bat
ter, and when mixed add the whites of
•be three eggs whipped to a stiff foam.
Bake in a hot oven.
Seeking Their Own.
Japanese agents are said to be in
London rummaging dealers’ shops tor
specimens of old pottery art treasurers,
3f which collectors have taken from
Japan immense numbers in the iast
20 years. They have recovered a large
□umber, but the discovery of their
mission has sent up the prices of Jap
anese ware.