Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190?, January 17, 1896, Image 4
fTffl!" BRUIN'S CURIOSITY. nil Inuulwlllvenciis Ucta Mm Into Trouble. tt llJw'," Not ovou by his comprehensive np petlto or bin rollicking humor Is the strong Individuality of the hlnck bear more distinctively ninrked thnu It la by his Irrepressible lnqulltIvoiicns. This Is a trait In his character that Is constantly loading him face to face with disaster, but Htltl he Indulges In It Is simply out of tho question for him to resist the promptings of his In nate curiosity, and so he Is ever pok ing his nose around where wisdom would urge him not to, with tho result that there Is more benr meat put on tho market annually than thero would otherwise Ik. Mount Patrick Is In Perry county, l'n. It Is a small settlement, whoso only reason for existing Is that tho filcepv old Pennsylvania canal runs through It, and there arc a lock and lock house there. There are wild and wooded mountains near Mount Pat rick, and caring swamp, a large tract where various kinds of vegeta tion spread about In dense, contorted and complicated growth, Is part of tho outlying nelghhoihood. Wild turkeys have lurked In tho mountnlns, and wildcats and foxes tnndo free use of this swamp, as well as the poultry yards of the vicinity, as long ns tho memory of man can reach back; but bears, long ago, seem to havo forsaken tho land, and bruin thereabout lived only In tradition. llriiln llcirlim hi Career, nAnnt.Mit !. l. I nfjimlfi li Shollv, the veteran lock-tender at I Hfnitnt Pnlrlck. wlm wns slttliiL' Iii his ! llttlo shanty nt the lock one sweltering ! day In .lull1, saw the door dm ken, and. ( on looking tin. discovered a big blade boar standing on the threshold, gazing calmly and Inquiringly In upon him. . ho wns not onlv surprised but scared, i and It was nothing to his discredit I that he veiled and howled for help. Tho nolso made by tho lock-tender not only alarmed the settlement, but It frightened the bear. Bruin walked hastily out of the door and shunted away down tho canal. A dozen people, of ns&ortcd sizes and sexes, wero hastening toward Shelly's hanty at the time, nnd, discovering the Inquisitive, bear, started In pursuit of him, although none of them were armed. "When the bear heard the up roar behind him he stopped nnd looked bnck, curious to know what caused It all. Not liking tho looks of the ap proaching mob, he Jumped Into tho cnual, swam across It to the towpath, upon which he climbed. There ho pnuscd again nnd looked back. By that time tho pursuers had gath ered stones by tho armful, and a show er of these missiles was projected against him. Satisfied by this time tha tho rabble wns not moved by any kindly intention toward him, the in qulsltlvo benr hurried down tho tow path at his very best gait. The crowd crossed to the tow path and continued the pursuit. For n quarter of a mllo the bear shambled along, with tho yelling delegation from Mount Patrick following him ns closely as his speed nnd the delegation's courage would permit. As this altogether novel procession was making Its way down tho tow path, William Jerry's team of cannl mules, with their boat In tow, were approaching Mount Patrick from the ether direction. It was feed time, and tho mules' bends wero burled to their eyes In their feed baskets ns they wended their way placidly along. Dlumtor Upou HUimtcr. Tho bear soon hove lu sight of tho approaching mules. He didn't seem to mind tho mules any, and kept right en. Presently the mules got scent of tho bear. Tho bear might not mind tho mules, but tho mules did mind tho ' Dear. They linen up tnclr cars as high as they would lift, tossed the feed baskets nervously alrout, and be gan to renr nnd prance. Tho boy who had charge of the mules was walRlng, In reckless confidence, close at their heels. lie had not seen the bear yet. Tho unusunl spirit of the team, there fore, filled him with amazement which quickly gave way to wrath, and ho began talking to the mules in the gen tle and pious tones characteristic of a director of canal mules. Whllo ho was engaged In Inquiring of his team what In the name of tue dace of perpetual llro they were do ng, and assuring them that If they didn't "geet up' 'he would fall to and The near Hurled the Can Ag-alnat the iiock. hatter their Jackass heads for them, the mules ported tueir noims ana hrought themselves round so that tD5 driver obtnlned n full nud unobstruct - ed vlow of the approaching benr. TTl rolftflRPfl tllSt OJlfi Old-fashioned. mule-boy yell from his lungs, nnd, lumping Into tho cannl, pulled stiff If tz&b w' th! nii Im J and strong for the boat. While he was roll it around on the floor. Col. Park on his wny the mules kept edging er says that ho didn't know what mo nearer and nenrer tho water, in trying ment they might thump It against to avoid the benr, and at last tumbled something hnrd enough for the concus over ono another Into the cannl, where bIoh to explode It, nud Ho thought ho they floundered like harpooned whales, could feel his hnlr turning white. But The hear, tnereupon, turned otr rrom the tow path and took to the woods. , The pursuing delegation stopped long enough to help William Jerry rescuo bis mules from the water This was long enough for the bear to disappear, and he left no irceptlble trail. Toward evenlug of that day one John Gorton, who operated a lime kiln ft couple of miles below Mount rat rick, stretched himself on trio grass, near his kiln, to rest. He turned his hat over his faca to keep tho files off. He had Iain there a few minutes when ho heard something sulllllng near his face. Itcmovlng his hat from his face, he saw a bear standing over him with Its nose so near his that tho big beast's breath came hot on his face. The bear stood there In curious ex amination of the reposing lime-burner, and when ho looked up brnln gave a snort that raised Gorton's hnlr. The yell with which Gorton responded to the Inquisitive bear's snort wns heard by a man who lived ncnrly half a mile down the road. Tho yell scared the bear and sent It on Its way as fast as It could go, while Clorton How over tho ground In the opposite direction. The benr wis followed b yothcrs Into car ing swamp, where Its trail was lost. llruln Tttrna Up AKnln. Two weeks after tho bear's Inspec tion of tho lime-burner, Mrs. Hannah Garby, who lives with her husband and family two miles from caring swnmp, was churning in her kitchen, when she heard a curious noise. On looking around Bho saw a bear stand ing at an open window, through which ho had poked his head, and sun-eying tho Interior with an Impudently In quiring air. Mrs. (Jarby ran out and called her husband, which concerned tho bear so little that he' crawled through the window Into the kitchen, and coolly refreshed himself at a basin of milk that stood on a bench. The bear then went nway, and tho text morning wns found In n neigh boring cfrn field, about which he had been so Inquisitive that ho had pulled up more thnn hnlf of the growing corn by tho roots. Tho owner of the field succeeded In hitting tho bear In ono of his paws with a bullet from a rovolv- or, and the curious licnr went limping away to tho woods. i .. . 1.,r"1". Con"'".la firief. '"c m w a genius arose among the loplo of Mount Patrick and tho outlying country, who declared that he would make the bear the ; victim of his nqulHltlveness i or be willing to forfeit IIIH lJUIll. 1IIIH KUIIIUS WHS V1IIIU1U Vnnstino. He took two double-barrelled shot guns nnd loaded all four of the barrels with buckshot. Going out to the edge of earing swamp, some where within which the bear was then cogitating over his next exploit, Vau stlne placed the two guns side by side over a log. He cocked tho guns, nnd tying strings to each trigger, arranged them so that If tho strings were pulled the guns would be discharged, and they could only bo pulled by standing Ho Snir a llcnr Standing Over Illm. directly In front of the muzzles of the guns. Vnnstlne's genius wns triumphant. Three days after ho had rigged up the Infernal mnchiue to tempt tho Inquls itlveness of tho bear and end his car eer at tho same time, lie walked out to take a look at it. It had been ex ploded. The benr was stretched out In front of it on tho ground. The cn- t,ro t0P ' f tho h,c"a ,,,n1 l)0(m .H,owl) nway. Tho iuqulslto bear of Mount Patrick was as dead as a gate post. FoolfiiK AVI til Nltro-niyccrtne, Col. Parker was putting down a well and had struck the sand along toward evening of July !t. Thero was a good showing of oil, nnd all that the well wanted waB an effective shot of nitro glycerine. The colonel had ordered a supply, and had expected It at tho well f ,at .day, but It did not arrive. The next day was tho Fourth. Tho colo nel's man went off to celebrate some where, and, to his surprise, the team ster came in with tho enn of nitro glycerine. The colonel wns afraid of the stuff, and when the man had put tho can on tho derrick floor nnd gone away, Parker made up his mind to get away himself as soon as ho could. In thoso days bears and wildcats were very numerous In the forests of that pnrt of Pennsylvania. Col. Park er stepped Into the derrick to get his coat, and had scarcely done so when a noise on the outside attracted his at tention. Looking out, he saw two big bears coming out of the brush ,dlrectly toward the derrick. The colonel hnd been brough up not to be afraid of bears, but tho day was very hot. he says, and he wns tired, nnd he didn't feel like exerting himself In ense he should confront the bears and they wero inclined to be ugly. Bo he climbed the lnddcr In the der rick, nud sat on a beam, twenty feet or so above the floor to wait for the bears to go off about their business. It seemed, though, that they had made up their minds that their busi ness required them to make a careful investigation and Inspection of the premises, nnd they shambled right In on the derrick floor. They nosed nbout among the machinery, dangled the I ropes, nnd clattered aboTit wherever I they could push their way. i They didn't seem to be in nny hurry ' at all, and Col. Parker waS" on the J potnt of going down and ejecting ' them, in spite of tho heat and tho ex- ptnn wl.nn 41m lirlnlit Hi. nnn nf nltro-glycerlne caught the eyes of the two benrs. and thov beenn to mish nnd the bears kept right on having fun with tho can. Unit Htuir to l'luy AVItli. By and by ono of them lifted It In his paws and got up 011 his hind feet holding the can oat arm's length, fully six feet from the ground. All he had to do wns to drop the can, and all the colonel's meu would have found on Mi ifT m svto Li If n fAmrdg their return would have been n bit? I holo In tho l' roil ml. i "As the bear stood there holding that can of death," says tho colonel, "his companion stood up on his hind foot two or three yards away and gazed at tho other In an expectant sort of-way. 1 mado up my mlndithat they were on tho point of diverting themselves by having a little gamo of 'catch' with tliat can of nitro-glycor-Ine. I shut my eyes nnd waited for the awful climax that would surely havo followed such pleasantry as that It didn't como. I looked down again. The bears had changed ttaolr minds On IjOokliiK Up Dlftcorered DlK J II tick Itcur. about the game of catch, and wero oncc.morc rolling the can about on the derrick floor." By and by, according to the colonel, a now iicn seemed to strike tho Jolly pair, a hundred yards or more from ti,0 derrick there was a rocky ravine. Ono of the bears rolled the can out of tho derrick, and both of them began to scramble with It on tho ground, competing with one another In giving It Impetus over the rough surface in the direction of the ravine. At every shove the can was liable to bo sent Hying against some ono of tho many big stones that wero strewn thickly on the ground, but by somo good fortune It missed them, and at last the can had been Jostled nnd tum bled almost to the edge of the ravine. The colonel had regarded the dan ger to him from the handling of tho nltro-glycorlne by tho benrs as prac tically over, and ho wns pulling him self together to get down from his perch nnd take to tho woods when he saw one of the bears rear up on his hind feet with the can in his paws. Ho stood closo to a big rock. He raised the can above his head, and Col. Parker snys that he saw at onco that the bear was bound to And out what there was in that can, anyhow. Tho colonel threw his arms and legs nrouud the derrick beam and hung on for dear life. The bear hurled the can against the rock. There was a sound as of twenty claps of thunder rolled Into one. The ground shook and the derrick swayed and rattled. There was a shower of rock and trees nnd earth for acres around. When that ceased everything was as still as tho tomb. Down where tho bears had stood there was a yawn ing gulf. "I got down somehow from my perch," says tho colonel, "and made my way to tho sceno of the explosion. Among all the debris It had scattered about there wasn't any more trace of boar than if those two bears had been soap bubbles that had burst." Tho explosion was heard for miles n round, and it is the ono secret of Col. Parker's life that when he told peoplo wlint had caused the explosion they laughed at him, nnd persist to this day in calling It n profound mys tery. WHAT VICTOHIA WOULD DO. Una ISiiormouM 1'inrer. Though She Never Harm Uae It. As n matter of fact, says London Tlt-Blts, our sovereigns have rarely taken nny active part In politics since George HI.'s time, but they could still do somo very astonishing things If thoy chose. Tho queen could dismiss ovory Tommy Atkins In our array, from the commander-in-chief to the youngest drummer boy. She could dis band tho navy In the same way, and sell 11 our ships, stores and arsenals to the first customer that came along. Acting entirely ou her own responsi bility, she could declare war against any foreign country, or make a pres ent to nny foreign power of any part of the empire. She could make every man, woman and child In the country a peer of the realm, with the right, In the case of males who are of age, to a scat In tho house of lords. With a sin gle word she could dismiss any gov ernment that happened to be in powor. and could, It Is believed, pardon and liberate all the crimlunls in our Jails. These are n few of the things the queen could do if she liked; but It Is not necessary to say that her majesty nover acts In matters of state, except on the advice of the government for the time being. A Peaceful Settlement, A Quake' driving a single horse chaise up n narrow lane happened to meet a young man who also In a sin gle horse chaise ,n ds, lMdshrdetoaoh gl6 horso chaise. There was not room enough for them to pass each other, unless one of them would bnck his carriage, which both refused. "I'll not mako way for you," said the young fellow, with an oath. "I think I am older than thou art," said tho Quaker, "and therefore have a right to expect I thee to make way for me." "I wou't," I resumed the first. He then pulled out a newspaper nnu uegau xo reaa, as ne Sat Still ill lllS ClmlsC. 1116 QUEUCr, ' obsorvlng him, pulled a pipe artaoine tobacco from his pocket, lighted his pipe, and sat nnd puffed away very comfortably. "Friend," said he, "when thou hast read that paper I should bo glad If thou wouldst lend It me." The young man gave up the contest. Troy I Times. She Hud lleen Through It. "Didn't you think that the soprano Bon, 'The Mistakes of My Life nave Been Many,' with a good deal of feel ing this morning?" "There Is no reason why she should not; she's been married tliree times." New York Truth. i AFTER LONG YEARS! In the first cabin they dined sumptu ously and lived a hnppy, idle, luxuri ous life. In the steerage heaven have mercy I how they suffered. MUliccut May shivered whn she thought of it aud wondered why such things should be why some were no rich and some so poor. But one girl, though she was a rich ono, hnd little in her power In that destitute waste of waters. Still, that little Mtlllccnt did. In vain her friends remonstrated. MUliccut had her way. Once a day, at least, Bho penctrnted into the inferno below the comparative paradise of her own domain aud fed thoso poor, parched lips with her dainties. And when, with land in sight, tho Uttlo heiress emptied her purse into tho dark hand of a pcnulleRS steerage passenger and made her, for a mo ment, rich and full of hopo, she turned toward her eldest boy. "Never forget to pray to the Madon na for this beautiful slgnorla," she cried. "Itemeraber, It Is all you can do, and my curse upon you If you for get It!" She hnd given the woman her ad dress, but the poor creature did not como to her. What fate befel her Mll llcent never knew, nnd In time the memory of those classical faces, gaunt nnd mengro from starvation, censed to haunt her. John Blair had met her nnd looked into her eyes, and touched her hand, had uttered those subtle compliments that win a woman's heart so easily, and though he was neither rich nor great, he was the one man to her. Six months from tho dny of their meeting John nnd Milllceut were mar ried, and a happier pair would have been hard to find. Only in one thing did Milllceut prove herself obstinate nothing could tempt her to an ocean voyage. A tour lu Europe was John's anticipated pleas ure, but her experience in crossing the ocean had made her averse to its repe tition. So John, who had no wish to go alone, left the matter to the care of time. At last a boy, almost as tall as himself, called Milllceut mother, and tho nursery wns musical with little voices. Then, older nnd more willing than ever to do anything to make John hnp py, Mllliccnt ngrocd to the European trip, nnd the married lovers took their places In a great ocenn palace and left land behind them. They found themselves In Nnples, and rendy ,one bright morning to do whnt all visitors to Naples most desire to do namely, ascend Mount Vesu vius. MUllcent forgot her unplensant sens ntion when, standing near tho crater, her husband's arm alxmt her waist, she turned nnd looked upon the beau tiful country below. John, glancing nt his watch, counted tho time thnt lay between them nnd their Inn, and they began their de scent. The guide paused and uttered a cry. Before them, risen, as It seemed, from the very ground, stood a group of men, who, without further parley, surround ed them, nnd seizing the bridles of their horses and tying the hands of tho trembling guide behind him, led them away over the rough mountain ronds in silence. John Blair was no coward, but to en deavor to resist such a force would have been sheer folly In a single man. Booty, as he reflected, was probably their object, and his wife's safety was his first thought. Holding her hand In his. he comforted her ns well as pos sible, and flnnlly, with a sinking heart, obeyed the orders of one who seemed to be the captain, nnd dismounted nt the entrance of nn old ruin, Into which they were forced to enter. Then the guide fell to wringing his hands nnd weeping and Imploring tho lndy and gentleman to pay whatever ransom was required. "It Is always a heavy one for Amer icans," he cried, "nnd If you refuse, your cars will bo cut off or you will be murdered outright. As for me, I ex pect death. Somo of these men nro my enemies. I shot ono of the band once." The Inst rays of the setting sun faded from tho narrow window, and darkness fell upon the room. Then they heard the sound of returning feet, nnd presently the unfastening of a door., A figure entered, nnd, going to the fire, which had nearly smouldered out, flung upon It some dry wood, which kindled into a blaze, and by its flame lit two torches which wero thrust Into sconces In the wall. By this light they saw that it was a woman, who seemed to have brought some food for them upon a sort of wooden tray. Site was old, and gaunt nnd bent, but her features had a strange beauty about them, neverthe less, and nwakened In Milliccnt's mind a memory too vague and Indefi nite for words. In another moment the truth flashed upon her, ns the womnn knelt down to deposit the tray upon the floor. She uttered a little cry, a shriller oue re sponded to It, and the gaunt creature lay prostrate before her, kissing her garments. "It Is the slgnoral" she cried. And Milllceut knew the Italian womnn of the steerage. Then It Is thus thnt Giacomo returns a benellt!" cried the woman. "My malediction upon him! But he did not know you ho did not remember, as I do. Walt. You are safe!" In another moment he wns there, and Milllceut knew that they wero safe. Bad as he must have been to have been a bandit nnd nn outlaw, this Italian had retained his gratitude. He fed them with the best he had to give, and led them safely from his fastnesses to a spot where the lights from the city of Nnples seemed to smile a welcome to them. Then he bndc them adieu, and the guide, overwhelmed with astonish ment, conducted them back to their iun. New York News. In mediaeval times the best perfumes wero made In Trnnee nnd Italy, the per fumers of thone countrleu nrqulrlnc n dex terity unknown elsewhere nnd possest-lng many secret methods of manufacture. THR USEFUL HANAJCA. In the Tropica the riant Kurnlahaa I w ot our uavu i.ov Vt.ij. nwn, nni Pnper, Twine, Drc, Wax, somo . . i ' 0VrnS &na nnd Snit. cultivates many thousands of acres In In tho West Indies the dried Icavea Samoa, and keeps at least a thousand and prepared portions of the stem are black people to work on its planta used oi packing materials. Frcsk flons. Two schooners aro always busy leaves aro used to shade young coffas or cacao seedlings In nursery bed, and to cover cacao beans during fer mentation. The young unopened leaves are so smooth and soft that thoy are used as "dressing" for blis ters. In India the dried stalk of tho plantain leaf Is usod as a rough kind of twine, and the larger parts are made Into Binnll boxes for holding snuff, drugs, etc. In the Malay peninsula the ash of the leaf and leaf stalk Is used Instead of Boap or fuller's earth In washing clothes, and a solution of the ash 1 often used as salt lu cooking. In the Dutch Indies the skin of the plantnla is used for blackening shoes. The Juice which flows from all cut parts of tho banana Is rich In tannin, and of eo blackening a nature that it may be used ns an indelible marking Ink. Iu Java the leaves of the "wax banana" arc covered on the under side with a white powder, which yields an im portant article of trade. The ohcs of the leaves, stem and fruit rind aro em ployed in Bengal lu many dyeing pro cesses. In Slam a cigarette wrapper is made from the leaves. Fiber Is got from the stems of many kinds of banann. The most valuable Is the "manllla hemp" of commerce, which holds the chief plncc for mak ing white ropes and cordage. Old ropes mado of It form an excellent pnper making material, much used in the United States for stout packing papers. The miyiilln hemp Industry is a largo ono. About fiO.OOO tons of fiber, ported from the Philippine lalauds. valued at 3,000.000. aro annually ex The manllla hemp plant Is grown ex clusively In the southeastern part of the Philippines, aud all attempt) to grow It elsewhere have failed. Many articles are made from manllla hemp mats, cords, hats, plaited work, lace handkerchiefs of the finest texture nud various qualities of paper. At Wohlau In Switzerland nn industry has been started for making lace and materials for ladles' hats from it. By a simple process It Is made Into straw exactly resembling the finest wheat straw for plaiting. 1'ITY POOR PATTI. Some of the PrlvntlonH She la Forced to UndciRO. Pity the privations of the prima donna! Here is a story of Mme. Pattl which 1b recalled. Once, when she re turned from her dally drive, she was exceedingly thirsty, nnd naked M. NIc ollnl to hnve procured for her a glass of water. NIcollnl was horrified. "What!" ho shrieked. "Ma mlgnonne, you know thnt you are going to sing to-morrow night, and that water will chill your blood! Oh! no; I forbid water." "Then give me a taste of wine," pleaded thlrety Tattl. "Wine!" roared NIcollnl; "Ma mlg nonne, you are going to sing to-morrow night, nnd you know that wine will heat your blood. No, I ennnot per mit wine." "Please, cannot I havo something wet?" pleaded Pattl, with parched lips. NIcollnl pondered long and deeply, and at length with his own hands prepared for tho great singer a soothing draught of magnesia. "1 hear that the other night at the opera," writes a correspondent, "many people flung their bouquots to Pattl In tho excitement of the applause or In delight at her singing. This is Just as It Bhould be, and as It used to be in the old days when Pattl first delighted the Covent Garden public. "Since then we have gone In for 'floral tributes,' nnd tho whole thing Is artificial and meaningless. The floral tribute the great basket of flowers handed up from the orchestra Is an Italian Institution. "The conductor has It ready, and when public enthusiasm reaches fever heat It makes its appearance to in ereaso It. But there must be the en thusiasm. "The Italians are demonstrative; they show their approval, and they show their disapproval, too. If a moral tribute' were handed up lu the cold-blooded way we see so often here, unauthorized and undeserved, tncre would be quite a storm of hisses." New York Journnl. IP Tlin DKAIJ 1ICCOMK ALIVE. A French Scheme to Prevent the Poaalulllty of Prcninture Ilurlal. The unpleasantness of waking up nnd finding one's self lapped In lead and screwed down In hnndRome oak some six feet below the habitable earth has been borne In so strongly upon certain company promoters that the result has been the projection of tho very latest thing In co-operntlve undertaking. Tills is the Mortuary Waiting Room company, which is on the point of being floated In the French capital, with every prospect of success. The amount for suuscrip- tlon Is stated to be !?100,000, and dlvi dends at the rate of at least 100 per cent may, It Is claimed, be confidently looked for. The company undertakes to provide separato waiting rooms of two classes In a large mortuary building. The nl leged corpse will bo comfortably de posited there upon a couch, and care fully looked after till the fact that it Is n corpse shnll hnve been established boyond question. The waiting roonis will be tasteruuy uecomtea, wnn everything about them to welcome the revived tennnt agreeably back to life, but at the same time win nave a cachet of somewhat "severe elegance," as It were, to remind him how nearly, but for the company, he had been dead In tho most terrible ways of dying. Shareholders will be entitled to tho use of a flrst-class waiting rnnm free of charge, and no share- stf-ii-s-sJ-A 2BA?22 him. Tho thing nns eviuenuy neen thoroughly thought out. Philadelphia Becord. At the time of the Schleswlc-Holsteln dlf A,,i,v l'rlnfo Itlamarck raised a lauch br saying there was only one man who fully understood that question, and be was dead. SlitPH of Snmoit. The German eomnanv from which. iu unuKiuK ircsii uaicncs to samoa. and In taking homo to their own Isl ands tho men who have worked out their three years' term of labor. This trafllc in human beings Is called tho "labor trade," and Is the life's blood, not only of tho great German compa ny, but of all tho planters In FIJI, Queensland, New Caledonia, German New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and" the new Hebrides. Tho difference be tween the labor trado, as It Is now car ried on under government supervision, and tho slave trade, Is a great one, but not enough to please sensitive people. In Samoa tho missionaries are not al lowed by the company to teach those poor savages rollglon, or to do any thing to civilize them and raise them from their monkey-like Ignorance. But In other rcsjiects the company is not a bad master, and treats Kb people pret ty well. The system, howover, Is one that cannot be defended, and must, sooner or Inter, be suppressed. Lloyd Osbournc's Notes to Stevenson's "Letters to Young Friends," lu St. Nicholas. MHIe TliltiKH. It Is not worth while for young peo ple to grow Impatient with the little beginnings of things. A page of prob lems carefully worked out, a room thoroughly swept, n neatly arranged wood pile; how far these things seem from the gonl of our umbltlousl And yet the little things well done are tho foundation of success. A humble Il lustration of this truth comes from a Southern state. A certain old bishop, who was fond of finding odd characters In out-of-the-way places, was visiting In a quiet neighborhood. One day, in a walk with a friend, lie came across a cross roads settlement of a few houses. Among them was a snug little shoe shop, kept by an old negro man, which showed signs of prosperity. Interested in tho old cobbler, the blshop stopped for a chat. "My friend." he said, "I would not think so smnll a business as mending shoes would pay so well." "Ah," said the gentleman nvlth him, "old Cato has the monopoly of shoo mending In this region. No one else gets a Job." "How is that, Cato?" asked the bish op. "Just so, marster," replied Cato. "It 1b only little patches put on with little stitches or tiny pegs. But when I take a stitch It is a stitch, and when I drive a peg It holds." Notca on Lions. The tongue of n lion Is so rough that a close look at It will almost take the skln off the looker. It is not safe to allow a lion to lick yor hand, for, if ho licked the eklu off and got a taste or tho underlying blood, supposing it to be there, he would want the hand and everything adjoining thereto. Noth ing more perfect in modern machinery exists than the mechanism by which a Hon works his claws. He has five toes on each of his foie feet and four on, each of his hind feet. Each too has a claw. Nothing nbout a Hon Is without rea son, nnd the renson he has more toes and claws on his fore feet than his hind feet Is that he has more use for them. If this were not so tho major ity would be the other way. The lion is nocturnal by choice. He has no par ticular objection to daylight, but Hkea to spend it In the bosom of his family, or nt least adjacent thereto. It should not be supposed thnt because he roams nbout nt night he neglects Iris family. He roams In order to fill the family larder. He kills to oat ,not for amusement. Ho never bothers small game so long as there Is big gamo within reach. When feeling fit he can take an ox iu his mouth and jump fences nnd ditches like a professional steeplechaser. Westminster Budget. AVhnt One Hoy Knowa. The teacher of the Sunday school class was telling the little boys nbout temptation, nnd showing how It sorao tlmes came lu the most attractive at- j tire She used as an Illustration the paw of a cat. "Now," Fad she, "you have aU seen the paw of a cat. It's as soft as veU vet. isn't It?" "Ves'm," from the class. "And you havo seen the paw of & dog?" "Yes'm." "Well, although the cat's paw seeme like velvet, there Is, nevertheless, something concealed In it that hurts. What Is it?" No answer. "The dog bites," said tho teacher, "when he Is In anger; but whnt does the cat do?" "Scratches." tcplied a boy. "Correct," said the teacher, noddlny her head annrovlngly. "Now, what has the cat got that the dog hasn't?" I "Whiskers!" said a boy on the back seat. And the the titter that ran around tho class brought the lesson to an end. Boston Courier. A Pretty Rxperlmcnt. With so simple nn article as a red cabbage, a very old but pretty llttlo chemical experiment may be made by tho young people, with the result of amusing nnd astonishing thoso around tlieu,t Tlie cn-ects may be strikingly Bhown In this manner: Cut thrco ioavca 0f the cabbage into small pieces. aim, aiier placing mem in a oasin, pour a plut of boiling water ovor them, letting them stand an hour; then pour off the liquid Into a decanter. It will bo of lino blue color. Then take four wine glasses. Into one put six drops of strong vinegar; into nnothor six drops or solution or soda; into a third the same quantity of a strong ;k.K.: s glass remain empty. Fill up the glass es from the decanter, nnd tho liquid poured Into the glaps containing the acid will quickly change to a beautiful red; that poured witn tue soda will bo a fine green, and that poured Into the emj)ty glass will remain unchanged. t V i T i