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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1907)
CHAPTER XXXV.—Continued. ‘That is not necessary,” assured Starva. “Let all these candles be snuffed except those in the candelab rum that stands at the head of the staircase. Bring your man, Jacques, to that point and no farther. We shall see him; bift he will not be able to see us.” Fortune was favoring us indeed. Locke and 1 silently bestirred our eaives. Now at last had come the moment for action. But still another grumbled; and still fortune favored us. “That is all very well,” objected Ig natieff. “And perhaps a traitor may strike a blow in the dark. I for one refuse to gratify the curiosity of Kuljn ia this matter.” “But Starva was determined to bare his way. “To prevent that,” he answered, “each of us will lay his weapons on the table at the end of the hall.” There were cries of fierce dissent. Starva silenced them with an angry gesture. “One moment, friends.” he purred. ' Tou do not quite understand. When we first came into this room I sug gested that lots should be drawn, and he who was favored with the lucky number should fire, concealed in the gloom, that none might be sure who had been chosen to snuff out Ferdi nand’s little soul. But since our friend Kuhn’s loyalty has been ques tioned, it is be who shall have that honor, and with Gornji's dagger he shall do the work. And lest an acci dent should happen, or lest his cour age should fail him, Bratiuau and I will keep our revolvers. I think there is none to question our loyalty?” Kuhn had grown frightfully pale; he trembled. But he spoke no word. “By this arrangement,” continued Starva, “the loyalty of Kuhn of Mace donia will be established. And if," he was glaring at Gingaja and Count Piteschti,” there are any mad enough to dream of disloyalty at this late hour, and harbor treachery, they will he powerless. the antique rug. Hratinau’s bullet had struck me. ' , CHAPTER XXXVI. “Honor, My Sword." I awoke to consciousness to find myself in the music room. I opened my eyes languidly. Helen was bend ing over me. "What is It?" I murmured. “Yes, I remember—the fight on the sair case.” “I struggled to my feet, but sank back dizzily, my hands to my aching forehead. “Thank God you are alive, and it is all over!" cried Helen, brokenly. “And Ferdinand is safe?” “Quite safe and unhurt. Already he has left the chateau. Capt. Forbes will tell you everything presently. “I have been unconscious so long? Am I wounded? I feel no pain, only this headache and dizziness." “A bullet grazed your temple—an eighth of an inch more—” She shud dered. “It wounded you only slight ly, but you have been unconscious nearly an hour.” “My usual luck," I cried, bitterly. “It was to have been my chance; I hoped to retrieve myself; and I am winged the first shot. Fate is deter-’ mined, it seems, that I shall stick to my role of coward.” “Don't, don’t ever say that hor Starva's ruse was bailed with shouts of approval. Gornji, Ignatieff, and Gortscbakoff strode to the table at the end of the hall and flung down their weapons defiantly. Gingaja re luctantly followed their example. Piteschtl folded his arms defiantly, standing motionless. “This is child's play,” he muttered, with pale lips. "Nevertheless." whispered Bratinau in his ear, “you will obey, and quick ly. By all the saints, Starva, I think your plan has proved a wise one. Come, sir, we are waiting. Or are you so Ignorant of the rules of eti quette that you insist in taking prece dence over a king?” With a gesture of despair Count Piteschtl walked slowly to the table and left his revolver there. “Now, friend Kuhn, we are waiting only for you!” cried Starva sharply. “I have no arms,” answered the poor wretch, with a sob. “You shall be armed presently,” cried Gornji. “Now, Jaques, you may go. Out with the candles, Gornji and Ig natieff. The rest of you remain quietly as you value your lives. You will find your man defenseless, Jacques. But if he proves trouble some, you have only to call and I will come. You have taken care of Alphonse?” “I '‘have put him to sleep,” he chuckled. As Jaques lifted the tapestry Locke ohoked him into silence. Together we carried him struggling up the hidden staircase and burst into the anteroom of the tower. Not until we had flung him breathless into the room of the safe, and had locked the door, did we answer Forbe's frenzied questions. Locke gripped his arm for silence. “Quick, there is not a moment to lose. Have you arms?” “No,” growled Forbes, ready for ac tion. “In the first room to the right of the corridor,” panted Madame de Var nier. “In the drawer of the cabinet near the door.” rible word again!” cried Helen, pas sionately. “It was your shot that killed Starva. It is you who have saver Ferdinand; it is you who have saved for me the honor of my poor brother so far as the world can know. How can I ever be grateful enough?” “Helena” I cried, passionately, “you remember at Lucerne, on the terrace, when I told you of Willough by’s death, how he had died calling me coward, it was you that pointed out to me a way of escape—you told me how I could Yegain the self-re spect I thought I had lost forever. It was to be a life for a life, you said. When I had saved a life for the life that was lost through my cowardice, I was to stand once more upright among men. Tell me, you de spise me no longer?” "Despise you!” she murmured. “If you knew how I honored you!” “Ah, it is worth while to hear you say that. But you must say more, infi nitely more than that now, dear, to satisfy me. Helena, I thought only a week ago that if I could win your re spect »I should be happy. tBut now I want your love.” “Don't!” she cried in pain .“How can you speak of love at such an hour!” "Then come. And you two stay here. There is man's work below.” We stole silently down the stairs, Ix>cke and myself in the lead, to the cabinet, where both Locke and Forbes chose their revolvers. ‘Do you, Capt. Forbes, make your way along the gallery until you come to the spiral staircase at the end of the hall," I commanded, briefly. "When I appear at the main stairway with Locke, reach the hall with no delay There is a table by the little stairway; there are arms on it; let no one approach that table until Locke or myself have reached your side. Now then, Locke, are we ready?” We had filed silently into the cor ridor. Forbes sped with caution to his vantage ground. Locke was al ready approaching the main staircase when I seized him by the arm. ”1 am going to fool Starva I am going to call for help. He will think it Jacques. As he comes, I shall take care of him. Bratinau is your man. Wait till he shows himself, and mind you, aim straight.” J raised my voice in a cry of dis tress. "A moi, Starva!” My tricjc succeeded admirably. Starva bounded up the stairca^l. . As he showed himself in the light of the candelabrum I fired. He fell head long without a groan. Locke stood at the head of the staircase waiting. I peered down in the darkness below. Forbes’ revolver rang out again and again. The uproar was terrible. "Kuhn. Gingaja! Piteschti! To the staircase:” 1 cried in French. That was the last I knew of our melee. I sank gently to my knees behind “Forgive me. What a selfish brute I am. But by the by—when time has softened your bitter pain—in happier days may I come to you?” “Happier days!” She clasped her hands in quick despair, looking be yond me as if into a future that must be always dark for her. “Yes,” I said, passionately, “there shall yet be happier days for you and for me. Do you remember on the ter race the little l>eacon light In the far off mountains? That was my star. It comforted me then; it bids me hope now; it tells me, Helena, you love me.” “Never!” She withdrew the hand I had held almost fiercely. Her vehemence brought me rudely to my senses. I had been mad to hope. 1 turned slowly from her, groping my way toward the door; for my head was still throbbing furi ously. She stopped me with a cry of dis tress. She clung to me in her eager ness. “You don't understand,” she plead ed. “You have saved my brother’s honor as far as the world <jan know. But this shame that cursheg me this disgrace, can I forget it?” “I would help you bear it.” “Mr. Haddon, we Bretts have been a proud race. Our happiness we share with others. But disgrace we bear alone.” "Don’t say that; you are bitter now, but—” “If you had known me better,” said Helena, quietly, “you would under stand that I do not give to-morrow what I must deny to-day.” . * When I told her of Willoughby's tragic death, I had thought it pathet ic that a woman should be so strong. It was her calm courage that had first awakened my love for her. I must not complain now if she was not to be moved by my entreaties. But this question I did psk: “If I could have proved that‘your brother had not, after all, shown him self false to the motto ot your house, ‘Honor, my Sword,’ would you still have refused to listen to me?” “Ah, if, Mr. Haddon!” For almost the first time since I had known her she smiled; and that faint smile opened the gates of paradise to me. She would not be moved to declare her love for me, but she did love me; I was sure of it. And then suddenly I thought of the words of the Countess Sarahoff when I made my escape by the ladder of stones: “Go, and I swfear by the cause I hold sacred, that, if you can save Ferdinand, the honor of Sir Mortimer shall be saved.” That promise might mean little. It might mean that she would show her gratitude by refusing to make public Sir Mortimer’s dis grace. Or had her words a deeper signiflpance?” ‘But,” I cried eagerly, “nothing is quite impossible. I repeat now what I said to you when in your grief you asked me to meet the banker, I cannot believe in .your brother’s guilt. I cannot conceive how a man whose integrity has been undoubtetd during a brilliant career should suddenly stoop to the shame of taking bribes.” A flash of hope shone in Helena’s He Fell Headlong Without a Groan. pale face, only to be followed by the deepest dejection. “But there are the proofs,” she said, mournfully. “I cannot, would that I could, deny my brother’s writing.” “I must see Madame de Varnier. A few hours ago she held us at _ her mercy. But now we have the upper hand; there are many things she must explain. Whore is she?” “She left the chateau with Ferdi nand half an hour ago.” “Left the chateau!” I cried, aghast. “Why was she not held?” “Prince Ferdinand insisted that she must go at once to Sofia. He has sent her on some secret mission. I think she must be one of his spies.” “And she left no message for me?” I demanded, gloomily. “No,” replied Helena, looking at me in wonder. “Why do you ask?” I did not tell her of Madame de Varnier’8 promise. I knew now that it had been given me quite recklessly to spur me to action. I was mad to expect mercy and gratitude from such a woman. She was too determined on her revenge. I remembered bit terly how she had told me in the tow-' He Swallows 'an Alarm Clock, with Most Unusual Results. While crossing among the South sea islands 30 odd years ago in our pri vate yacht, the Haute Flyer, we were much annoyed by a large Irish setter shark that persisted In following the ship, says a writef in the Minneapolis Journal. During the night the shark would often climb up on deck and tip over the garbage can. At one time Henry Williams, a sailor before the mast, was bitten on the leg by the brute. He aimed a kick at the brute, who growled, showed his teeth, and sunk his fangs into Wllilams’ limb be fore leaping over the rail into the sea. One day the cook, annoyed at his er that she sacrificed friends and eae* , mien if they proved obstacles to her ! plans. j “I had hoped,” I answered, vaguely. ; “now that Ferdinand was saved, that 1 she might in some way be able to show us that your brother’s dishonor is not so great as it appears.” “But could she explain away his.j writing?” asked Helena mournfully. 1 "No; even if she feels remorse for her cruelty in torturing me, it is too late. I have eaten of the tree of knowl edge, Mr. Haddon, and it Is very bit ter. Heaven has reversed my fate and yours. It is I who now have lost my self-respect, while you have gained—” “No,” I cried, bitterly, “I have fail ed utterly in my task. I dared hope for too much. I have dared too greatly in dreaming that I should find happiness in this Castle of Lies.” “But," she whispered, “I, too, have dared, Ernest, and I shall not for get.” "Helena!” I crushed her hands in mine. “Even now I refuse to despair. 1 will find this woman though I search the earth for her. She shall tell me everything, and perhaps even now—” “Not even your love can bring about the Impossible." “But if it could— If by a miracle your brother’s honor were shown to be stainless?” “Ah, if you could work miracles— yes,” she faltered. The door was flung open brusque ly. Locke stood at the threshold, his keen glance bent cynically on me. j “So you are quite yourself again?” He concealed his embarrassment by a gruff demeanor. “So much the bet ter; for you must be off before the dawn, my friend.” "And where?" I demanded aston ished and not a little piqued at his cool ;issurance. “En route for America, if you are wise.” “You are settling my destiny in a rather highhanded manner,” I cried, angrily. “And will you tell me why you dispose of me so summarily?’’ “Why,” replied he, with a quiet laugh, “I have promoted you—” He became suddenly serious, glanc ing uneasily at Helena. “Miss Bret, Capt. Forbes and my self will accompany you to your ho tel presently.- Will you wait here while I say a few words to Mr. Had don?” “But it is not possible that you still mistrust him after to-night?” she de manded with indignation. “No, no," he assured her. “I would spare you from embarrassment; that is all." “Come, then,” I said, shortly. When we had reached the gallery I saw to my astonishment that the hall below was empty. I listened and there was complete silence. “What have Forbes and yourself done with your prisoners?” I demand ed. In my perplexity I forgot to ask what Locke had meant in saying flip pantly that he had promoted me. “They are all gone but two,” Locke answered cooly. He lighted a cigar ette, and leaning on the gallery rail stared down into the hall. “Starva and Bratinau’s bodies are in the din ing-rooms, but their souls have been swiftly ferried across the Styx by old Charon. Nothing reminds us of our fight except the dark stain on the staircase carpet yonder. It was a good scrap while it lasted. Your shot, winged Starva, as you probably know. I settled Bratinau. Forbes peppered away in the dark, and had fair luck. The man called Go on or Geeup, or something like that, got a shattered ankle, and the Servian a rather nasty wound in the thigh. As for the rest of the gentry, three; of them rallied to your slogan and joined me at the staircase; the other two were easily settled with. Yes, it was a good fight, but much too short—especially for you, old chap.” He shook his head despondently. “But your prisoners?” I demanded again, irritated by his superfluous comments. “It was Prince Ferdinand who in sisted on their release.” “Their release!" I interrupted, fu riously. “What incredible folly!” “You remember that Starva and Bratinau were the only Bulgars among the conspirators, and they are dead. The two ringleaders are wound ed badly enough to go to a hospital. Forbes himself has accompanied them there to see that they are not dis charged until one of us is told. Prac tically* they are prisoners. There re mains Kuhn, Piteschtl and Gingaja, the three men who showed that they had some instincts of humanity when it came to the crisis. The other two were arrant cowards; Ferdinand pre fers to consider the three his loyal friends and two others powerless. He has set them at liberty.” “By Jove, his magnanimity or his folly will cost him dear.” “I am not so certain of that,” re sumed Locke, thoughtfully. “It is possible that he has made five friends of five enemies. You must remember that even if he wished to punish the conspirators he is powerless to do this without advertising to the world the intended uprising of the Balkan States.” (TO BE CONTINUED.) Story of South Sea Shark alarm clock—which persisted in go ing off furiously at all hours of the night—threw the timepiece overboard. The shark, always on hand for dainty tidbits from the galley, took the time of day at one gulp. For two days aft er that we heard the clock going in a muffled way from the interior of the surprised shark, who was often seen with one fin on his head and the other'on the^pit of his stomach, evi dently tryinj to diagnose his clock case. We were standing on the stern of the ship one evening watching the shark, who was evidently feeling pret ty sick. Suddenly the clock went off on him and the sailors, counting the strokes, noticed that it struck 23. When the shark heard this, he turned up and died before our eyes. ^MBS.:’. •-• HOUSE CLEANING IN FALL. Cellar la On# Important Point to Bo Considered. The house does not get so dirty during the summer that a general up heaval is necessary for fall house i cleaning, though there is one place where the greatest attention must be given, and t^at is in the cellar. Damp dayB, together with the decaying vege tables and fruits stored in the cellar and the unavoidable dirt which is cer tain to accumulate, makes it really necessary to hang up a red light in that apartment unless the cellar is properly cleaned during the fall. Often the cleanest house will have a cellar in the most disreputable con dition with spoiled fruits, vegetables and the like, making it a hotbed of I diseases. Have the cellar walls swept and liberally whitewashed, clean the floor and sprinkle with lime. Every box, cupboard and hoarding place should be thoroughly cleaned with hot water and soap. If there is any per- ' ceptible dampness, the cellar should ! be aired, if possible, and often this can be overcome by burning a small gas or oil stove in the cellar for one day. No difference how nicely one may prepare canned fruits and pre serves, if the cellar is in a damp con dition everything will mold and in many cases sour and spoil. One day’s work, even though it be arduous la bor, will save the summer’s work represented in the canned fruits, jel lieft, etc. CARE OF WAXED FLOOR8. Fura Turpentine the Beet Thing With Which to Clean Them. Those who have waxed floors In their dwellings know, according to In doors and Out, how invaluable turpen tine is in cleaning them. With sand paper or steel wool, dipped in turpen tine, the blackest coating, which is apt to accumulate in winter on waxed floors not frequently polished, can be easily and quickly removed; and a washing with turpentine does much to brighten up any waxed floor, pre paratory to the application of a light fresh coat of wax and polishing with the weighted brush. As with all other painters’ materials, however, turpen tine is shamefully adulterated, and care must be taken to get only the best and purest from some thorough ly reliable dealer. The usual adulter ant is cheap benzine, and as benzine turns good floor wax a dirty white, turpentine so adulterated has an in jurious effect on the floor. The floor “waxes” made with tallow show less effect from adulterated turpentine, but the wise householder will use only those floor waxes made with bee’s wax and turpentine, with a littlp par affine, but no tallow. Sage and Green Tea for the Hair. Sage and green tea make a hair tonic that has in many instances abso lutely arrested the falling hair that is so noticeable in the autumn, especial ly if women have indulged in much sea bathing without being careful about rinsing out the salt water. This tonic is not injurious, as are so many that contain alcohol and bay rum. It has, however, one decided objection to housekeepers who have a tender re gard for the appearance of Their beds —It will stain the linen unless the hair has been perfectly dried before retiring. To make this tonic take one ounce each of green tea and dried garden sage and pour over it one and a half pints of boiling water. Steep in a covered teapot until reduced one-third. Remove from the fire and let the mix ture stand for 24 hours before strain ing and bottling. In applying this, as in fact all tonics, see that it is rubbed into the scalp in stead of being carelessly put on the hair. Massage thoroughly for at least ten minutes. Onion Soup. Six onions, slice them, put in frying pan with a, little butter, fry to a gold en brown, ttien add a teaspoon of flour; let this get a nice brown, then pour one pint of beef or chicken broth over it. Boil four minutes, put into pudding pan. Put two slices bread on top, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, then a little melted butter over the cheese. Put in oven, let it- brown, serve with a little parmesan cheese in separate dish. Fine. It must be served in dish it is baked in. Par mesan cheese comes in bottles all grated. - To Remove Medicine Stains. Stains made by medicine and lini ment are often obstinate to remove in the hands of an amateur. Iodine marks may be removed by washing the spots with strong ammonia until it fades, after which wash with tepid water and strong soap. Ammonia is equally good for remov ing cod liver oil stains. Fuller's earth made into a paste and thickly applied to the spots will also remove them. Lyonnaise Potatoes. One tablespoonful of butter, one onion chopped fine, 12 cold potatoes cut into dice; parsley, salt and pepper. To the butter and onions add the po tatoes and stir quickly over the open flame for five minutes, taking care that they do not stick to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, add chopped parsley. Serve while hot __ Fairy Pudding. One pint boiling water, stir into this three tablespoons of cornstarch, mixed 3mooth with a little cold water, the juice of a lemon, piece of butter the size of a walnut and one beaten egg. It will thicken^ up nicely in three or four minutes. Then turn into mold. To be eaten with sugar and cream or rich milk. Mexican _Alole. Two tablespoonfuls of blanched al monds, three tablespoonfuls of rice. Grind the almonds fine first, then the rice, then mix; add a cup of sweet milk and cook in a double boiler until the mixture thickens. Add salt or sugar to taste and serve. Sausage Roll. ' Fry sausage, and take off the skin; or, if it is preferred, use sausage meat. Make rich biscuit dough; roll as thin as possible and spread on sausage. Bake brown. Use one link to a roll. It 1b good hot or cold l.*.: '' V ' VALmnAi^o. rm<5T cqai^wg JTAT™» cVE427GY ffl. jRACZT'IC. m mE ROun: This will prove one of the most difficult and the most expensive features of the proposed practice cruise of the Atlantic squadron from its base on the Atlantic coast around the southern point of South America and up to San Francisco. Naval experts at work on the de tails of the coming cruise figure that it will cost $3,000,000 to provide the fuel which will be needed to steam the 16 great battleships, the five or s'x auxiliary cruisers and the torpedo flotilla over the 13,000-mlle course. According to present plans the fleet will set sail in December, and be tween now and that ume the greatest question of all the many relating to the success of the cruise—that of fuel —must be settled and arranged for. Five or six coaling stations at least must be touched between Hampton Roads and Puget sound during the two months and a half or more that will be required to make the mo mentous excursion. Certainly, there will be several colliers waiting upon the fuel needs of the battleships and those abominations of all naval offi cers, torpedoboats, but their supplies will by no means meet the require ments of the fighting machines.^Much will depend upon the supplies ordered weeks ago by the navy department through the consular agents at the coaling stations where the fleet is ex pected to collect during the long and tedious itinerary. That the extraordinary demands upon the usual fuel stores to be found at authorized stations to be made by the great fleet will result in a proportionate increase of price is admitted by the navy department, but unfortunately there is no way of ob taining cheaper coal. Hence it is known in advance that the cost per ton will be from eight dollars to $13 on the Atlantic coast station, while from $13 to $17 may be the price be tween Sandy Point, in the Strait of Magellan, to Puget sound. As most of the warships will consume from 60 to 100 tons per day. it is readily seen how very expensive their trip from ocean to ocean will be. All of the vessels will assemble at Rio Janerio, whether or not coal is needed, for a general survey by Ad miral Evans. After this there will be no stop along the Atlantic coast of South America until Montevideo, Uruguay, at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata is reached. Here there will be another inspection and a general recoaling preparatory to the long voy age to Sandy Point, in the Strait of Magellan. Isolated as Sandy Point is, it is yet a thriving port. Commerce flourishes and many supplies besides fuel will be taken aboard Uncle Sam’s war ships. Sandy Point offers a compara tively safe anchorage, despite the in different reputation granted the strait by navigators. When, the wind sets in strong, however, it will be nec cessary for the ships to up anchor and away, whether or not there Is coal on board. The main danger, and one that is omnipresent, is the “willy waws,” which for centuries have made this vicinity dreaded by navigators. These are a series of eccentric winds which cause ships of the largest di mensions to sail sidewise, although the' torpedoboats may not be particu larly hampered in their movements. Valparaiso, Chile, or Callao, Peru, will be the next stopping places for coal supplies, and here the price of fuel will soar aloft if traditions are observed. Most of the fuel on hand at all the stations is usually reserved for the merchantmen, the latter pay ing a slight advance over the charges obtaining at American or European ports, but when a man-of-war make® its appearance the mercenary dealers immediately increase the cost, be lieving that it is a matter of commer cial acumen to “stick” the nation to which the warship may belong. From these ports the armada will proceed on its way to San Francisco, some of the vessels, maybe, stopping at Magdalena Bay, Lower California, for more coal. Fuel at the former port will not be so costly, but the expense, nevertheless, will be suffi ciently important to make a rare showing in the general bill coming to Uncle Sam. It is not likely that the fleet or any component vessel will be obliged to I put into any port for repairs during j the long journey. “Vulcan” or repair ships will be on hand to supply parts of machinery that may become dam aged. Most of the latter will carry large quantities of duplicate parts, so that any of the usual and ordinary damages incurred at sea may be readi ly amended. Most of the men-of-war can steam between 5,000 and 8,000 miles with out recoaling, so that it will be an easy matter for them to junket along between the established stations. But the torpedoboats will require the con stant attention of the colliers. It is said that their average fuel endur ance is between 1,000 and 1,500 miles. Besides, they will need the constant surveillance of the larger ships, being frail craft and liable to many dam ages. The flotilla will keep close to the coast while skirting down the At lantic and up the Pacific, and may be the cause of numerous delays on the part of the whole fleet. Therefore it is small wonder that the entire naval force reviles this type of vessel. It is the general conviction among the old er officers in the navy that the tor pedoboat has demonstrated that it is utterly worthless in active warfare, and the American sea-fighter is too much of a utilitarian to tolerate the impracticable. Tne first station to be drawn upon for coal by the armada will be St Thomas, in the Danish West Indies. It will be remembered that the Unit ed States government some time ago offered $7,000,000 for the possession of this port and the Danish posses sions in the Antilles—an offer which was first accepted, to be refused later on mature consideration. Very likely the delicate little tor pedo flotilla will find it necessary to put into San Juan, Porto Rico, for fuel, this being the only port con trolled by America in the Antilles, and so hamper the progress of the armada. The next coaling station on the route is Bahia. At this picturesque and historic town several of the smaller vessels will be obliged to stop In order to amend deficiencies in their coal bunkers, although war ships of the greater magnitude may be able to proceed to Rio Janeiro utfth out taking aboard fresh supplies of fuel. The entire fleet will probably average eight knots an hour, which will enable the big ships to keep their fuel consumption at a minimum. Fleet to Assemble at Rio. THE WOMEN AND BASEBALL. _ t One of the Sex Explains Why She Doesn’t Know the Game Very Well. “I don't see that It’s much wonder If women don’t know a great deal about that game of base ball,” remarked a Cleveland woman in the role of an abused wife the other day. “If all men ’ were like my husband it would be a fine chance any wife would have to learn anything besides household drudgery. I think it’s absolutely ab surd the way some men seem to lose all control of their senses and all idea of ordinary courtesy when they get within sight of a crowd of men knock ing a ball about a big pasture. “I’ve always been so bored to death by base ball games the few times my husband has persuaded me to go, be cause I never could tell who was win ning, that I told my husband I wouldn’t go to any more of the old games with him. Then the other day he told me that if I’d go he would just make it his business for that one day to ex plain, the game to'me. “Well, he started in to explain things to me, and his mood lasted just until some one hit the ball, and then he began to shout and jump up and dqwn as if some one had hooked an electric wire to his seat. I thought something Very unusual must have happened and I tried to get him to tell me what he was acting so foolish about, but he just snapped out,v‘This is too good a game. I’ll tell you all about it when we get home.’ And that was all I could get out of him during the rest of the tiresome old game. I’ll never go to one with him again.”— Cleveland Plain Dealer. Otter Almost Stole His Salmon. An unusual incident of particular in terest to fly fishermen is narrated in a letter to the London Daily Mail - from W. Arthur Williams of Bodmin. “A gentleman residing at Dumnere, near Bodmin, was fishing in the River Camel on Wednesday night,” Mr. Wil liams writes. ‘‘He hooked a fine sal mon on a fly, but immediately a large otter darted from under the bank and seized the fish. The fisherman thus had a fish and an otter on his line at the same time, and having stout tackle he was able to engage in a few min utes of exciting fcport. The otter, however, caught sight of the fisher man and dashed up stream. When the fish had been landed by the angler the marks of the otter’s teeth were plainly discernible on the shoulders of the fish. Self-Denial. Self-denial is the first lesson to be learned, and poverty of spirit is en titled to the first beatitude. The foun dation of all other graces is laid in humanity. Those who would build high must «oy - • »t'iub*w Henry. Radium as a Curative. The growing Importance of radium as a therapeutic agent has led the management of the Imperial Uranium works, in St. Joachimstahl, Behemia, to construct a special laboratory for the industrial production of radium compounds. The uranium ores of Bohemia contain higher percentages of this mysterious element than any other known deposits thus far in vestigated. The ores and the residues from the uranium extraction have hitherto been treated chiefly at Paris, where the method of isolating the minute traces of radium was perfect ed by Mme. Curie and her lately de ceased husband'. There will be mani fest advantages in carrying out the ex traction at the place of ofigin, in view of the enormous amount of rock required for the production of a bit of radium. Overfeeding. If I should name the greatest dan ger of childhood 1 would unhesitating ly say, Overfeeding. More babies are drowned in milk than Bailors in salt water.—Dr. Oswald.
