If.
A
THE ADVERTISER.
. AV. I'AIKIlKOTHini.feCO.,
'Mltr I'tvrrhttrt.
TJlllEE FIMIERS.
Three IMIirrfl
went FtrtilHiiM' uwuy
to tho
M roil tu
To tlio Inilililliut
brook whom
tlin Italics
hwIiii;
Uf Ficoklr-il lieniitlc they nil 1II ilri'iiin,
Anil each fell cerlnlil they'd Mm for hltn.
Porinoii will ttimip Irtiiii iiniriiliilr'tlll tilKht,
And cuircr tho fierce iiiom.oh Mtu,
And di Ink til tti tliulr khluiUik.
Tin t- Italic m rolled Into the market plnco,
"1'wnH hoiiio two lniure lifter tho huh went
lloWII. , . ,
Anil ii look of H loom win on I'lieh mnir fnuo,
I'or lit empty bunked they ouch Old rrown.
I'or ini'ii may Itah Inn niuy nut no liltu,
And 1 1 ri (I mid duly it home ut nlvlit,
And Vent tholr wrutli In KroiiuliiK.
Three ItahorK strolled Into the beer fiiloon,
Whom the crowd wit 'round mid tho kub whs
liriKht,
And oiieh willy whtatlod n merry tuiio,
And -Mowed his Itah with iix-uinied delight.
Forineii will Itah. yen, nnd men will He,
And bonxt oleiitrhliiK tho Itah thoy buy,
While InwuMly they're ifioiinlinr. ,
Ilmuit lmt.
T1IK SCI KNCK OK StilSMOMWY.
The Ml ItfiiiiiiUiitilf Kiii'lhiiuuka a
ICi-ciirit,
Zadkiol in his Voice of tho Stars"
for April did not make a precise pre-'
diction of the earthquake reported this
morning, lor though Asia Minor is one
of the regions exposed to mclofio in
fluences through the near conjunction
of Saturn and Jupiter, tho seer located
his earthquake at Cabul. Such a catas
trophe was, however, conlidontly ex
pected by bettor authorities than" Zad
kiol, Tao Szo. Those who have not
given the subject attention will be sur
prised to learn how closely earthquakes
are observed nowadays, ami how fre
quently thoy occur. Prof. Hookwood
noted 00 days betweon July 18, 1877,
and November 28, 1878, on which one
or more shocks were felt on tho Ameri
can continent. Fuchs in 1878 recorded
the unusually largo number of l'J vol
canic eruptions at places far apart and
mostly from little-known volcanoes, and
10!! earthquakes, though this enumera
tion includes as units many complete
periods. One earthquake at Tanna
lasted four wooks; in Catania tho ground
trembled almost continuously from Oc
tober A to November 1!).
Tho year 1871) was marked by a great
number of earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions, many shocks being reported
almost at the same instant from places
widely hoparatod. Thus on tho 8th of
January severe shocks wore felt in tho
Caucasus, in tho Tyrol and in Luxem
burg; on tho 9th, the most violent earth
tpiako since 1808 was experienced at
Aroquipa, Peru; on tho 10th shocks
wero folk at Cologno and throughout
Southern Germany; on tho 11th, more
at Vienna; on the 12tht another violent
shaking at Arcquipa. In the middle of
May eruptions began from Vesuvius;
victim sympathized on tho 23th, pouring
out ashes and lava for a fortnight;
simultaneously a similar outburst
was noted at Goisfugie, Iceland, and
on tho day that yEtna broke into activ
ity a violent eruption of tho Czobanoz
mountain in Hungary, long regarded as
eximci, was curomcieti. ah mo orup-1
:.... ..r .i.n... rii. .....! i. '
uuu ui ji.Liiiv yia luiiuwuu uy uuiikiuu-
ous earthquakes in Sicily until tho end
of Juno, so tho outbreak of tho Ozo
banez Mountain was accompanied by
severe convulsions in Hungary, Bosnia
and Bessarabia, throwing down houses
and trees and opening fissures from
which water poured in Hoods, and cul
minating in tho violent shocks al
Agnim, Juno 21-22, while tremblings
wero observed at Aix and Nassau, May
20-27, and at Hastings May 21. There
after KuVopo had n comparative rest
till about tho 1st of Novombor, when all
tho south and east of Hungary, Servia,
Rouniimia and Hossarabia felt incessant
earthquakes of considerable intensity,
some shocks oven lasting a miuulo. At
tlto time of least activity of volcanic
forces in Europo July 11 three strong
shocks woro felt in Cairo ami near tho
pyramids, something unknown in
Egypt sinco 1857. in Porsia, March 22
Apnl 2, there wero twenty-one villages
dostroyod and liftv-four' greatly dam
aged; of tho 1,200 inhabitants of'Manun
and Turk but fow escaped. Java was
visited by several disastrous shocks be
tween March 28 and Juno 5, its volca
noes ooing also m
China had its turn
active eruption.
Juno J9-July 11,
with tutor-shocks ot sullicient violence,
though not nearly so destructive in
August and Soptombor. There wero
very serious eruptions anil shocks ex-
tending over a largo area in Central
America soon after the new year, after
which the great center of Volcanic ae-
tivity was comparatively quiescent. In
mo lauiuo more woro uisiurinuicos in
lliwitll.k !....... ......... .1!... 1 .. .
the oany part o; tho year, culminating
in tho eruption of Kilauoa in June.
Rut it was in 1880 that the series of
soismio convulsions which had boon I
taking placo in Europe since oarly in
1871) readied their climax. On tho :10th
of December, 1871), several smart shocks
woro folt throughout Switzerland. A
month later similar manifestations took
placo in Germany and Italy.
0 Vesuvius was in full aetioi
February
tion ami four
days later Etna sympathized, as did tho
mud orators at Patorno. Almost week
ly eanio reports of convulsions in vari
ous parts of Europe, Portugal, Spain
and Franco, and, especially, Italy and
Switzerland, the manifestations of seis
mic force becoming more fromiout and
forcible, and extending over a wider
area as auiumu came on, uiuu a uiumi-
nation was reached in tho terrible con
vulsions of November 9-22, allocting all
southeastern Europe from Venice to tho
Rliielc, Sea, Bohemia to tho Kalkaus.
At tho Croatian capital, Agram, watlio
greatest damage done. ThouglHtliorp
woro fow lives lost, hardly a building in
tho town remained uuinjurpd, tho dntu
ngo amounting to sovoral millions of
lloriiiH. Hot springs' burst out of tlio
unrtli, and two active mud volcanoes
wore formed. It Is curious to note that
while Vesuvius had been showing par-
tieular activity during each of the earli-
or periods, and so late as tho fortnight,
October 20 November 10, during the
Agratn manifestations it remained near
ly quiescent. It may be added'that on
tho lid of February, 1881, Agratn was
again visltei1 bynn earthtpiako. Japan
where, by tho way, a most valuable
series of observation has been taken
experienced two severe earthquakes
ono at Tokio in December, 187'J;
another in February, 1880 (Yoko
hama. -'2d; Tokio. 25tli), Mio most vio
lent felt since tho country had been
opened to foreigners. On tho Alert,
which was anchored in tho harbor, it
was thought that tho vessel was
drugging' her anchor in a squall. At
the oeginnlng of May the earthquake
season opened in Asia Minor, tho vil
lage of Holoddi, near Sinope, being on
gtufed by the sea so that not a trace of
its buildings remained. Hut the con
vulsions reached their height toward
tho end of .Inly (.July 28-August -1)
when Sm.M'na and the surrounding
places suii'orod enormously. In ono
town, Menomen, of 1,110 houses, 006
were demolished, and tho seven mos
ques and churches were laid in ruins
In tho six neighboring villages, of t)0(
houses, barnly'half a dozen were loft
standing. Tho earth oponod in 1G0
places to vomit for throe hours llooda
of green water; tho Hermus sank threo
feet below its usuM level; tho streams
of tho Gipyla raugo lost four-fifths of
their water, while at Rotirnabat tho
long-dried fountains Hooded tho plain.
Almost at the same time (July 18-21)
the Philippine Islands became tho
scone of notable convulsions. At Ma
nila not a single public editice was
spared; tho inhabitants wore forced to
fly to the Holds outside, and )120 lives
woro lost. Tho water in tho river rose
.'U feet almost in a moment, and sank
again as suddenly. The shocks, some
lasting more than a minute, wero felt
all over tho Island of Luzon; tho vol
canoes started into activity; tho earth
opened to emit hot ashes and jets of
boiling water. In September violent
shocks throw down pagodas and light
houses near Rangoon and along the
coast of Java. In America tho mani
festations woro unusually numerous
and violent, beginning at San Salvador
January 1-10. Ilopango was destroyed
and its lake, the crater of an extinet
volcano, bolted up witli mud and sul
phurous vapors, a crater being event
ually formed in its center. On tho 4th
the boiling lako in Dominica burst into
fresh activity, and toward "the close of
tho month nil western Cuba was visited
severely " General Grant's earth
quake." On tho 1st of February soveio
shocks woro folt at Vuultti Abiijo and
in Mexico; on tho Dili, a volcanic erup
tion in Santo Domingo had an echo m '
the shape of a smart trcmblcmcnt in tho
Ottawa valloy. On tho Mth of April
San FranciBdo experienced tho heaviest
Bhock known for years. Juno 29 tho
eruption of tho volcano del Fuogo in
Guatemala marked tho commencement
of an era of terrible activity. A column
of tlame shot up to tho height of 500
foot, throbbing with strong regular
pulsations for nearly two hours, sit in
tervals of fifty seconds; tho River Gua
ealate rose suddenly and ran warm.
July 28 much damage was done to Now
Amsterdam and other parts df Guiana,
and August 11 a terrible convulsion
yisited Chili, though, happily, tho loss
of life was not proportionate to its
sovority. Tho shock was folt on the
highest points of tho Andes, whoro the
telegraph wires wero broken and thrown
down, and at Mondoza, east of tho Cor
dilleras, earthquakes occurred on tho
10th and 19th such as had not been
known since 1801. It was about this
time that an earthquake was folt in tho
Azores, followed by tho emergence
front tho sea of a now island of 18,000
square yards area. With tho horrors
of tho earthquake at Casamicciola in
tlto first week of March our readers aro"
familiar.
Tito most notablo and disastrous
earthquakes on roeord, it may bo said,
are those of Italy (520), when 120,000
persons perished, and of Sicily (1G8!5),
when 00,000 lost their lives, According
to Gibbon towards 612 each year was
marked witli tho repetition of earth
quakes of such duration Hint Con
I stantiuoplc was shaken above forty days
'of such extent that the shock was
communicated to tho whole surface of
' tho omp':o. At Autioch a quarter of a
million persons aro said to havo perish-
ed. This period of earthquake and
, plaguo (.r 12-7) was tho poriod when tho
j, superior planets wero in porilielion, as
' tliov aro now. Arabian and Persian
chronicles record 111 oartlinimkns bn.
I . . .. . . . .
twotm tho seventh and eighteenth cen
turies, some lasting from lorty to seven
ty days, and nearly all accompanied
by winds or Hoods, or terrible storms
or lightning and thunder. Readers of
tho "Relations des Jesuitos" will re
member tho great earthquakos ot 1(50:1,
which shook and tosod tho earth for six
months from Gaspo to Montreal, tho
rival of our own earthquake of 1811 in
tiie Mississippi Valloy. Tho sovorest
of the earthquakes felt in this region was
that of Novombor, I7f.r). an echo of the
convulsion that tumbled down Lisbon
and saved tho PombaMinistrv. thromrh
tho fact that tho Ministor's'liouso was
almost tho only ono left uninjured and
his family ono of tho fow not bereaved
ot a member. Hem, in his interest in
! opuscule on earthquakes, estimates thai
mi mi uvurugu two earthquakes a Hay
occur on tho earth. In 1870. ilimnrh
there was no sovoro slno-lo shook. J .'Al
houses woro destroyed or greatly dam
aged in Italy, ninety-eight persons killed
and 22:) wounded. The same shook
may last for years; instanco that of
Viego, in tho Valais, which ondurod
from July, 1855, to 1857.- At Cabul !)il
fsovcro shocks havo boon felt in ono day;
j at Honduras, in 1850, 108 wore counted
in a week, and at Hawaii, in 1808, '2,000
shocks occurred In one month, lloltl,
it may bo said in conclusion, opposes
the theory of a connection between
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and
considers that of their coiuciueneo with
atmospheric phenomena as better sup
ported by facts; for thoy are occasion
ally preceded or accompanied by thick
and widespread fogs at seasons when
fogs are not frequent, by sudden falls of
the barometer and equally sudden
changes of temperature. Their occur
rence, however, in the majority of oasos
coincides with normal meteorological
conditions. Earthquakes are more fro
quent after sunset than in the daytime,
in autumn and winter than in spring.
Tho inlluonce of the irioon is insignia
cant. A'. Y. World.
A Tale of Two Coals.
Tho other day
when the blttobird
chirped, and hired
sang, tno robins
girls began to clean out kitchen wood
boxes, George Carrington Lane, nj'oung
man with long hair and stately carriage
went to u tailor and was measured for a
coat.
Tho cloth win lirond,
And ho win tho price;
Am ii hroiid cloth coat
Tho lit whs to bo nice.
But it wasn' t. That is, tho tailor said
It was tho best lit ho ever saw, nd
Georgo vowed that ho wouldn't bo
found dead with such a garment on.
They argued, reasoned, threatened and
bluffed, and the customer finally took
the tailor and stood him on ids head,
threw Ids goose and shears out of tho
window, and was about to make a pin
cushion of tho poor apprentice, when
the police interfeicd.
"Is the tailor present as a witness?"
asketl tho Court, after the case had been
outlined.
"I am dot tailor," answered a little
man on the second row of chairs as he
stood up.
"Very well; come fdward antl toll
your story."
"Well, sir, my grandfather ho comes
to America oafer lifty vears ago."
"And was ho hung?''
"Oh, no."
"Well, then, wo don't want to hear
any more about him. This man ordered
a coat of you. did hoi"'
"Oxaetly."
"What sort of a coat?"
"Vhell, 1 doan' like to brag all dor
time; but dot coat tit him shut like a
vheol lits a wagon."
"That is, it wobbled all round on
him?"
"Not much! It was dor best fit I efor
I saw. If you look all day you couldn't
find a wrinkle."
' "Judge, that coat seemed , to bo cut
after tho pattern of a schooner's jib,"
protested the prisoner. "Tito sleeves
wero too short, the tails too long, it was
I looso in tho back and tigiit under tho
arms, and a drayman could have dono
as well with hisjack-kidfe."
" Well, you should huvo walked out
' and left the garment on' his hands.
When you picked him up and turned
him end for end and stood him on his
head among the scraps you transgressed
the law."
"I presume so, but I was mad."
"So vhas I," put in tfio tailur. "If T
could have got hold of him 1 make some
mince-meat pooty quoek!"
"I must now lit you with a second
coat. This may not set any bettor than,
the other, but it's the best I can do. I
shall make it ten dollars lino or thirty
days in tho block-house."
"Dot's shplendid dot's bully!"
chuckled the tailor.
"You go homo!" was the stern re
buke. " And remember," whispered tho
prisoner, "when 1 como out of tho jug
I'm going to mop you all over Dotroit!"
"You couldn't mop two sides of mo!"
hissed the tailor in reply; but ho was
very pale and his chin had a livoly
quiver. Detroit Free I'rcss.
Russian Empresses.
Tho Russian Einpro'scs havo al
ways been strong conservatives and op
posed to reform. Tho wife of tho Em
peror Nicholas was almost tho solo ex
ception. She studiously avoided any
acquaintance with political allairs
as
i long as her husband lived. The late
Enif.ro.ss Marie was in this way the ox-
, act opposite to her predecessor. In her
early thus she aspired to a recognized
i inlluonce in Slate allairs. In 159 an
' agent of the French secret police wrote
, from St. Petersburg to Napoleon III.
that the Czar was inundated with letters
i accusing him of being governed bv his
wife; and that it was commonly said
tho priest Bajanof ruled tho Empire,
for that tho priest ruled tho Empress,
and that the Empress ruled her hus
band. Tho Empress and her mother-in-law
wero strongly opposed to tho
emancipation of the serfs. At an in
terview with tho French Ambassador,
tho Emperor, icferring to tho impend
ing emancipation, said that, though tho
nobles now opposed it, thoy would in
tho end find that it was advantageous
to tliomsolvos. The Czaroviteli, who
' died in 1807. and was at tho period in
I question a boy of fourteen, declared
(IUOSI
that
the emancipation woumi never
bring anything but misfortune to all,
whereupon tho Empororsent him out of
the room.
A young lady who wont out to
India with matrimonial intent, and re
turned single, said if she had been a hit
tliero slio would not havo bisew a miss
here.
Small waists are no longor fashion
able and tight lacing is froWncd down
by sensible women. The undertakers
will not like this.
The Horse.
It Is said that the horso inhabited
America during tho post-pliocene pe
riod, contemporaneously with tho mas
todon and mogalonia. The truth of
this statoriicnt can bo easily ascertained
by consulting any well-informed mas
todon or veracious mogalonia you may
chanco to moot.
The horse, however, Is believed to bo
ft native of Asia. Therefore, gontlo
reader, you can aiso your mind on that
matter.
It is said there aro no real wild
horses; but don't you put too much de
pendence on 1 his assertion, or Mid'dlo bo
the consequences.
Ho rears up his young in tho way
they should go; ho rears up himself in
a way that his vhlor doesn't want to
gt).'
Horses are subject to colds, and tho
pony is always a little horse.
King Richard exclaimed: " A horso,
a horse! nly kingddhi for a horse!" At
that timo his crown was in danger.
Had he found a horse, his crown might
havo boon broken.
A young horso is called a colt. Colts
aro revolvers. They dischargo their
load witli a snap.
When a driver wants a horso to get
dowu to his work ho tells him to get
up.
Tho horso is not afraid ot bad 1
weather. Ho is guided by the rein.
Ho is a great cater, and generally
has a bit in his mouth.
His bridle trip usually lasts through
life.
Ho is always to bo depended on,
como wheel or whoa.
Tho horso is covered with hair, but
it is on his neck in the mane. This is
his mauo deck.
The tail is tho horso's after-deck,
Horses can still bo sold at wholesale
after that appendago is gone, but it is
impossible to re-tail them.
Tho horso has no toes. You will no
toes it if lie steps on your foot. Horses
como from tho steppes.
Horses aro always kind and sound.
That is, tho kind that aro advertised lor
sale. Thoro is a pleasant sound about
tho expression.
A horse won't go right unless you
pull him from tho straight course.
Thoy will eat corn. They leave tho
cob, but a cob will not leave tho corn.
Their Hesh is somctiiUos eaten. Tho
filly of beef is reckoned a dainty.
A horso is sometimes called n ehargor.
Stablo keepers aro chargers also.
Tho horse is not very strong. He has
to lay down his ears Svhon ho lifts his
heels.
And when ho lifts his heols look out
for horso scars. Horso cars aro quite
common in our crowded stroots.
When a horso feels his oats you would
best make an oat of it.
A horse has four foot, and wo often
hear of ono of fifteen hands.
You can't stillo his ambition. He is
a kingly beast, and always wears a cor
onet. Ho cares nothing for tho thrown.
You can tell a.horso's agaby his teeth
that is, if you know what his ago is
boforo you look at his teeth.
There aro many races of ' horses, in
cluding tho raco horse.
The chestnut horso and tho reddish
horso must not bo confounded with tho
horso chestnut and horso radish. These
latter aro horses of another color.
Horses aro caught by tho lasso. Alas!
so it is.
Notwithstanding all that is said of tho
licalthfultiess of equestrianism, you will
seldom got a dealer to tako iv horso
back.
Thoro aro several kinds of horsos, in
cluding tho saw horse, the clothes
horse, tho horso shoo and tho horse lly;
but should wo go into tho description
of these it would bo ox-horset'mg.
But perhaps wo had best cud this
sorrol lot of puns. Wo don't wisli to
curry it too far. Our readers might
show a trace of ill-humor, and bo a
little sulky.
Shall wo go on? Neigh. Boston
Transcript.
-
Prescribing Pharmacists.
When an, .apothecary recommends
some particular remedy for your cold,
ho is not usurping tho function of a
physician to a dangerous extent. Ho
may also,givo medical advice aboutyour
corns or your toothache with' out "sub
jecting you to much risk of injury. Just
how far ho ought to go in prescribing is
a dillicult question to settle, Tho
Medical Association and tho College of
Pharmacy of Washington have fallen
out over it. Some of tho pharmacists:
in that city havo taken it upon them
selves to practice medicine as well as
soil it, not hesitating to deal with dan
gerous diseases. Tho doctors reason
ably demand a law against this evil.
Thoy further insist that a prescription
shall not bo made up a second time un
less permission to repeat it is marked
on the paper. Their argument on this
point is that tho use of perilous drugs is
often continued longer than tho phy
sician intondod. Tho apothecaries re
ply that the doctors aro simply looking
out for a multiplication of feosf and that
como pharmacists can cure an unim
portant malady as well as soiYio phy
sicians. Tho best plan when, one is
really sick is to go to a man who has M.
D. after his name Those letters aro
not a guarantee of skillful treatment,
but thoy raise a probability of it.
"You ain't taking any stock in
woman's love, oh?" "No," ho an
swered, despondently, "it's all llum
mory." "Very strange." added his
friend. "You didn't uso to talk that
way." "Perhaps not," ho replied,
"but l'vo been married nearly two
years, and there aro four pair of trousers
hanging up in my closot waiting to be
patched, iiml not a stitch taken in them
;'ot."
,;. "'High Art in Larrtmlo. J
Yesterday a man came into tho Iioom
cramj ollico witli t)ie wild, hunted look
oi.ix married man whoso wifo lias two
majority in the House and full control
of the Senate.
After he had heaved a sigh as largo
as a box car, and scratched his back on
tho oriental hat rack, lie asked if ho
might havo a word with tho high-art
editor.
A pensive blonde, with his feet in tho
waste-paper basket, was pointed out to
him, and tho domestic minority poured
out, his woes:
"I s'poso you manage tho fresco busi
ness for this periodical, and you want
to bring art, ami. frill, and homo deco
rations up to a high standard. Well,
my wife is some on homo decorations
herself, and what 1 wanted was a sug
gestion onco in awhile from your paper
that would seem to tone her up and ele
vato her tastes, as it wore. Sho is away
behind. I want to try and discourage
,her from plastering lite shanty with
Michael Angelo paintings that conic oil
from pencil cans and tobacco pails. It
clashes a little to havo a plaster cast of
Shakespeare In' one corner of the room,
and a picture pooled oil' a baked bean.
can in the other. It brings poetry and
grub too close together. My idea is
that rcstlictics and cold chuck should
not bo brought into immediate contact
in art. Thoy don't liar monizo. That's
why I told Apiamla not to hang 'Moses
in tho Bulrushes' contiguous to her
painting of a Magnolia ham. Last week
she got homswogglcd into buying some
Japanese tidies of a loading brick-a-bracker.
He told her they woro tho
latest thing in tidies, and she bought
seven for twenty-one cents. Wo havo
only threo chairs that aro able to
bq out, anyway, and pno of them is
foundered pretty bad, so four of tho
tidiest had to be nailed up on tho wall.
Tho perspective in these tidies is very
bad. Another thing, tho red llannel
dado on tho sky don't suit me. Then
tho sand-hill crano is bigger than tho
pngoda, or tho corral, or whatever it if.
and tho lire-cracker funny business is '
bad for sore eyes. I havo brought ono
of the tidies along. It speaks for itself.
Imagine a man coming homo tired and
hungry and sitting down on. a tidy that
has the scarlet fever. Think of a home
made desolate with a howling wilder
ness of stump-tail storks standing on
ono foot and trying to think of a big
word. Put yourself in my place, and
try to imagino a home filled with night
mare of red wash bills with picturesque
Japanese Congressmen in their shirt
tails, as it were, drinking tea out of
majolica washbowls. 1 am not a hard
man to please, but I feel as though
something ought to be dono. Of course
it? wouldn't do for mo to suggest a
change to my wifo directly, because she
would put a symphony in navy blue aud.
sago green on my brow with a gothic
potato-masher, but if tho leading paper
lntho country should come out, yoit un
derstand, and say that there had been
a change, and that blue-tailed snipes
and bow-legged Chinamen had gone out
of style, anil warm meals and porter
house steak were growing in favor,
with a leahing toward ham and cgg3 as
homo decorations, 1 think that porhap3
tho old woman might tumble to the
racket."
That is why vo havo published the
abovo interview. We want to do all
thoood wo can. Bill Nye's Boomerang.,
i
Hov the Snake (Jets a New Suit.
" Sqmc people think that snakes only
shod their skins at certain seasons o
tho year." said tho keeper. "That's
a mistake. If they aro well fed and
kept right warm they change their coats
about every eight weoks through the
year." "Does it pain tliemp" "Not
a bit of it. You see the skin of a snake
does not increase in size as tho reptile
grows, as with us. While the old skin
is getting smaller by degrees, a new
ono is forming underneath, and the
other gradually gets dry. When it is
ready to shed, it loosens around tho
lips, and tho reptile rubs itself against
the earth or tho rock in tho cage, and
turns the upper part over the eye and
tho lower part over tho throat. Then
it commences to glide around tho glass
case, all I ho time rubbing itself against
fcomething until tho entiro skin is
worked oil". Sometimes this takes three
days; occasionally thoy get rid of tho
encumbrance in a few hours. 1 don't
bolievo thoy havo a bit of intelligence.
For all I feed them and caro for them,
thoy would as lief bite mo as any
stranger. 1 can handle a good many of
them safely, but it's only tho knack of
the thing not that they won't bite, but
that thoy can't get the chance."
A bachelor too poor to get married,
yet too susceptible to let the girls
alone, was riding with a lady "all of a
summer's day," and accidentally
men's arms, awkward things! aro ever
in the way dropped an arm round her
waist. No objection was made for a
while, and the arm gradually relieved
the sido of tho earriago of tho pressure
upon it. But of a sudden, whether
from a Into recognition of tho impro
priety of tho thing, or tho sight of an
other beau coming, nover was known,
tho lady started with volcanic energy,
and with a Hashing oyo, exclaimed,
"Mr. B., I can support myself!" "Cap
ital!" was tho instant reply. You aro
just tho girl 1 havo boon looking for
tlicso live years. Will you marry me?"
A story Is told of the old gentle
man who always took notes of his min
ister's sormons, and on ono occasion
road them to the minister himself.
"Siopj.-stopi" said ho, at tho occur
rence of a certain soutoneo; " 1 didn't
say that." " I know you didn't," was
the reply; " 1 put that in myself to'
mako sense."
U
