II8 WINTER KOW.
l-
s
Tis . winter nowydcnr love , "
'iis winter , bitter , ibill and full of care ;
Scarce do tbo hill-lops feel the touch of day
'
Ere tbcy-be fading In the darkened air
Betwixt the sunset and'the gloaming gray.
Bcarcc do tbe dells awaken with the sun ,
So tranced and still , each tangled , snowy
tteep ;
Scarce do iho muflled , tlnldlng waters run ,
So lonely arc the vales through which they
creep ;
Ten years , sweet Mistress , would I give for one
If that could bring tbec bere ,
80lonely arc the fields ; BO silent and so drear.
ii.
, Tis wintcr.now , dear love ,
The thrush sings nof , or sings in other lands ;
Dear Memory la but pain and hope unblest ;
Upon life's threshold chilled affection stands
Like some poor faltering nnd unbidden guest.
fTbe flowers of one sweet summer-time are dead ,
Deep in the snow-drifts buried they arc sleep
ing.
80 soulh S3 is the sun when love has fled ,
Our treasured garlands wither with the keep
ing
I would the frozen earth were now my bed
So thought mickt start no tear ,
So lonely is my life , eo wretched and so drear.
Robert Hums Wihon , in The Current.
MR. THEMISTO'JLES BOBBIN.
.
111 i.
CHAPTER I.
Mr. Themistocles Bobbin and wife ,
sat down to supper one evening , just
one year after their marriage , in by no
means the best of spirits. They had
married hastily , and , not following out
the" old adage by repenting at leisure ,
were impatient in their regret. They
first met one , night at a ball given for
the benefit of the Hood sufferers , and
Laving contributed their mite toward
the relief of those unfortunate people ,
fell , as they imagined , in love with
each other. Four days later they were
xnarried by a little squint-eyed preach
er who failed to return any change
when Themistocles Bobbin handed
Shim with a slight flourish of ostenta
tion a fifty dollar note. Bobbin'had
smaller notes , 01 rather one other of
ithe X denomination , but the report
that he was rather shiftless , having
found circulation , he preferred to of-
Ifer the large note in the presence of
{ the company and then hear the minis
ter the very man who had started the
report say , "Indeed , my dear sir ,
have you no smaller bills ? It is quite
Impossible for mo to change this one ? "
.Then Bobbin would have said , "Ah ,
lot me see ? Yes , here is one , " with
which reply he would have handed out
ten dollars and passed as a capitalist ;
but the preacher made no such re-
raark. He exhibited no surprise.
Thanking Bobbin , he "pushed the mon
ey into his clothes , " as the swindled
( bridegroom afterwards expressed it ,
and soon found his way to the dining
fc-oorn where he proceeded to do injus-
itice to chicken salad and other indi
gestible food.
, Bobbin and his wife did not get
along well together. They were both
inclined to be literary , a woeful atate
of affairs , it must be confessed. Bob
bin made a pretense of practicing law ,
but he never had but one client and he
"jumped his bail , " and , of course , ran
away without paying anything. This
disgusted Bobbin with the criminal
practice. Mrs. Carrie Bobbin was
strikingly handsome. Her great
' .brown eyes were expressive of deep
sympathy sympathy for her own lit-
itle whims and the impossible charac
ters of her foolish little stories.
| "You look gloomy this evening ,
darrie , " said Bobbin while he and his
wife -sat at the supper table just one
year from the time the- preacher had
.pocketed his fifty dollars.
, " 1 have enough to make megloomy , "
she replied , spreading with a lavish
.white hand a pretty liberal "cut" of
ibutter on a biscuit.
, "Haven't lost anything , have you ? "
asked the husband with mock anxiety.
"I'd like to know how I could lose
anything. "We must possess before
"
we"lose. .
"Sententious , surely , but I didn't
'snow but that you had found some
thing while I was down town and had
Host it. "
"Oh I . You didn't
i , see. know but
any only client had run away with the
dish pan ? "
f "Sarcastic , by my green bag , you
are. "
I "Green bag , " she contemptuously
repeated. "I should like to know
what yon want of a green bag. I
ishould think that a green thumb-stall
pvould. be quite sufficient to contain all
the documents needed in your prac
tice. "
i "Look here , I was only joking , but
I see that you are angry. "
, "I am not angry , anything of the
ikind. "
. ' 'What do you mean by that ? Not.
angry anything of the kind. Fine sen-
itence I must say. Is that the way
your pink-eyed heroines talk ? "
' , "Mine talk quite as well as yours
'do , I thank you. "
"Oh , you are under no obligations ,
.whatever. Let me-see , what was vour
'last story ? 'Frost Bitten Geraldine ,
' of the Turnip that wouldn't roll up
Ihill ? ' Is that it ? "
; "Makes no difference , it wasn't re
jected by the editor of a humorous pa
per. "
"Ah , you think you are awful smart.
{ That was a very poor cut at me. I
inever had the editor of a village paper
tto tell me to please send my contribu
tions to a rival paper. "
' * ! wouldn't live with such a beast
as you are , " she said , shoving back
! her chair. You are nothing but a
Orinkey-headed beast , and you know
at. "
J "Now , here , madam , if you think
Jthat I want to live with you , why you
ihave simply made a mistake in the so
lution of a household problem. "
"What did you marry me for , then ? "
"Because we both happened to be
there at the same time , I suppose. "
"Oh , you good for nothing brute , I
wish I never had seen you. "
' "I didn't know that you wished me
such good luck. Carrie , in all kindness -
, ness , let me say that it is evident we
cannot live together. I think that
.we'd better make a move toward get-
jting a divorce. We are both young ,
; and may live to 'forget the unhappi-
'ncss we have caused each other. "
"Do you think we can get a di-
jvorce ? "
"I think soJ' ,
"Then we v ill apply at once. "
OHAITEIl II.
The next morning Themistocles Bob
bin and Ma wife - separated.Two
months later , a decree of divorce was
granted. They bade ach other a
formal good-bye. The beautiful brown
eyes of Mrs. Bobbin were just a little
more sympathetic than usual. "I hope
never to see you again , " fcho said , "J
wish . " '
you every success.
"You are not likely to see me again.
I hope you will prosper. "
Having no business to "wind up' , "
and having about four hundred dollars
lars , Bobbin started out on an object
less "trail. " In a distant town he se
cured work on a newspaper. He en
tered upon the discharge of his duties
with an interest he had .never felt be
fore. He had changed his name and
was now known as William Lagson.
Never satisfied with'an effort , he was
constantly striving to do better. Val
uable books became his constant com
panions. He wrote sketches that at
tained , wide-spread popularity. The
proprietors found that he was increas
ing the circulation of their journal ,
and , in due recognition of his worth ,
they promoted him to the position of
editor. His mind , though , turned to
literature instead of politics. In this
position he remained nearly ten years.
' ' One day he received a letter that de
lighted him. It was from the pub
lishers of a magazine , and it ran as
follows"The stories , sketches and
reviews which you have written for
our magazine have provejl to be most
piofitable to us. You seem to under
stand the literature of the day better
than any man we know , and as maga
zines , like newspapers , are in need of
modern blood , we take * pleasure in
offering you the editorship of our pub
lication. "
He was not a moment in deciding
what course to pursue , for such a po
sition had become the dream , the hope
of his life. Resigning the next day ,
he immediately set out for the publi
cation city of the magazine. Arriving ,
ho was installed with as little ceremo
ny , and with far less apprehension
tfian he experienced when he first se
cured the situation. - One day , about
two weeks after he had taken his
"seat , " he and the business manager
were consulting each other in the edi
torial room , when Lagson caught sight
of a woman who passed the doordown
the hall.
"Who is that lady ? " asked the ed
itor , rather nervously , for ho knew
that she was his former wife.
"By the way haven't you met her
yet ? Her name is Bobbin. She is one
of our most valued contributors. Em
ploys the pen-name of 'Sullarura. ' "
"Is that so ? Why , she's'brilliant. "
"Yes , she is a great success. Here
she comes. I'll introduce you to her ,
but mind or you'll lose your heart. "
"Oh , I think not , " replied the ed
itor.
itor."Mrs.
"Mrs. Bobbin , allow me to present
Mr. Lagson , our new editor or rather
our new editor , Mr. Lagson , this is
Mrs. Bobbin , our most famed contrib
utor. Well , 1 must go down. Excuse
me , please , "
"This is indeed a surprise , " said
the editor.
"Not an unpleasant one I hope , sir.
I trust that our new relationship may
prove agreeable. I should dislike to
discontinue my work for a publication
to which I have become so much at
tached. "
"Please be seated. No need of any
disagreeable forebodings , lassure you.
We doubtless understand the relation
ship of editor and contributor better
than we did the duties of husband and
wife. "
'You have changed your name , I
see ? "
"Yes , and never before was I so
well satisfied with the change. To be
called by my real name now would be
embarrassing to us both. "
"Yet , " she replied-"if you had con
tinued to go by your real name , we
would not have met again , "
"Come , let us not refer to some
thing that is forever settled. "
, "Excuse me for even so slight a
reference. I shall not mention it again.
Well , I am happy to know that you
are so successful. Everything you
write is so charming. "
"A compliment which I appreciate ,
for who is a more beautiful writer than
' ' "
'Sallarura ?
CHAPTER HI.
One after "Sal-
evening , just a year -
larura" and Lagson had met , they sat
in the editorial room. Mrs. Bobbin
was reading the proof of a Christmas
story.
"Are you not afraid to stav so late ,
Mrs. Bobbin ? "
"No , sir. .lean get on a car almost
it the foot of the stairs. I would have
baken these proof sheets home but I
understand that the printers must
correct the galleys early in the morn
ing. "
"You look tired. Can I assist you ? "
"No , sir , 1 have about finished. "
"Carrie , I " she started. "Excuse
me. "
She bowed her head , and the editor
turned to his work.
"Well , that much is done , " she said ,
arising.
"Are yon going home , now ? "
"Yes , sir.7'
"Wait a moment and I will accom
pany you. "
"Ttiat would be quite unneseessary ,
sir. "I am not afraid. "
"Sit down just a moment. "
"No , I haven't time. "
"He arose , and - er regarding her
for a moment , said :
"Carrie don't turn away Carrie. "
She looked at him. "I lee you. "
Her eyelids dropped.
"When we were husband and wife ,
[ did not appreciate your worth. I
had dyspepsia very badly then , Car
rie. "
"So did I , " she replied.
"Love and d3fspepsia cannot har
monize , Carrie. "
"No , they are unfitted for each
Dther's society. "
"I am well now , Carrie. "
"So ami. "
"Little woman , I love you. A
frlory there is about you which I had
not the sense to appreciate. Will you
be my wife ? "
He caught her in his arms. Her
areat ; brown eyes were full of sympa
thy and love.
'Yes , " she said , "but it will be a
strange marriage , for you will have to
change your name. It was all my
fault , ' ' putting her arms-around his
neck.
"No , it was mine. I was always
your inferior and at that time hadn't
the sense to realize it. Let us go at
once and bo married. Then I may go
homo with you , I suppose or rather ,
you must come home with me. Car
rie , " as though he would never tire
of repeating Tier name "your face
beams with happiness or is it the re
flection of my own heart ? Come on ,
love. " Arkansaw Traveler.
Grant's Going : to West Point
"It was a mere accident that put
me into tbo army , " said Grant to his
old comrade. "I hadn't much fight
in me and didn't want to go to war. 3
thought of being a farmer , I thought
of going to sea ; but of all the possible
futures I dreamed of when a boy , being
a soldier was not one of them. I am
not sure I had ever heard of West
Point when my father told mo to get
ready to go for my preliminary exam
ination. This is the way it was : Our
neighbor's boy got a chance from our
congressman to go to West Point. He
went , and failed to pass the examina
tion for physical reasons , I believe.
*
He did not come homo after that , and
the family did not allude to his failure ,
but his mother , who felt very sore
about it , came and told my mother ,
confidentially , what was troubling her.
Mother told father , and father wrote
straight to our congressman and got
the chance for me. Oh , yes , I know
that those who remember my boyhood
can tell about my firing a pistol with
out flinching when I was two years old ,
and crying for more of it , but I don't
think such tendencies were strong. I
never thought of being a soldier. Go
ing to West Point was just the acci
dent Ihave told you. "
"How came you to pass the examin
ation ? " asked my informant.
"Almost any boy can do that , " an
swered the general. "I was 17 years
old , and all that was required was
some knowledge of reading , writing ,
spelling and arithmetic to decimal
fractions. If I was superstitious I
should think there was some fatality
in my going to West Point , for when
the war was over I figured up , and , as
near as I could find out , the little
country village of Georgetown , Ohio ,
from which I went a place of 200
people sent to the war one full gen
eral ( myself ) , three major generals ,
two brigadier generals , three colonels ,
three or four line officers and one pri
vate soldier ! The private deserted , I
think. I had no very easy time of it
at West Point. In a class of more
than a hundred I was behind them in
almost everything. Inever succeeded
in getting near either the head or the
foot of the class. I was within three
of the foot in languages , I believe , and
within five of the head in mathematics.
I was at the head in horsemanship ,
but that didn't count. I graduated as
No. 21 , and was glad to get it. "
"Not a few , " said the general , "who
had to leave school because of a fail
ure to keep up with the class have
since taken commanding positions kin
life , and would probably have suc
ceeded in the army if they had only
got into it. " GroffuVs Letter.i ,
Modern Luxmy in Dress.
Some years ago Tenniel published
a cartoon respecting the disinclination
of men in upper and middle classes to
undertake the responsibilities of mar
riage. On one side was a man of re
fined manner sitting at his club in
dulging in a cigar and the newspaper.
The charactqr figured was precisely
such a one as would have adorned the
household of which he might have
been the chief. The question "Why
do men not marry ? " was answered on
the opposite page , in which a lady in
the same rank was shown all the ex
penses extravagance of modern dress.
These cartoons would be equally ap
plicable at this time. There is no
doubt that the expense of female dress
is one of the serious evils of the age.
By persons of wealth the pressure is
not severely felt. But in the care of
younger sons , and the bulk of profes
sional men , the evil is of serious char
acter. A married woman will find it a
struggle to keep up an appearance on
100 a year for her dress and a maid.
A young lady can perhaps manage
with 40 and her maid , and a married
woman in the country may find 60 ,
quite enough. Such a state of things
is appalling. It means that the large
bulk of the upper middle class , are
condemned to one of two evils , either
to marrv and become genteel paupers ,
or remain single and form associations
which are injurious to society. It is
hardly necessary to say which of the
two evils is frequently chosen. The
public are apt to regard the income of
professional men as greater than they
really are. The majority of young
physicians , barristers and clergymen
have but few hundreds annually. That
they should have been prevented from
enjoying domestic life by "the un
bridled luxury of woman , " is one of
the serious evils of the time. London
.Public Opinion.
Poisoning1 the Children.
Talking will be in vain and laws
will be in vain against gambling as long
as the very children are inoculated
with the virus of gaming. Even at
the Charity Carnival last night , while
the children's ball was in progress ,
they had to have a lottery running ,
one of the prizes in which was a wax
doll.
doll.The
The foundation for gambling is the
desire to get something in exchange
for nothing , to pccket money that
others loose , to acquire something that
has never been worked for or deserved.
A more lamentable spirit to inspire
in young hearts it is not easy to im
agine , and there is none more difficult
to subdue when it is once aroused.
It is surprising that our church people
ple , who encourage raffles and our
charity people , who hold lotteries , do
not see the harm they do. They
would be horrified if it were suggested
that they would serve out gin cocktails
and whisky toddies to their young
friends , gathered around the stalls of
: ' * eir fairs and bazaars ; but the alcohol
would do far less harm than the prizes
.lo. San Francisco Daily Report.
GOV. CLEVELAND.
A. Pen Picture of Our Newly-Elected ObJol
Magistrate A Comparison Drawn Be
tween film and Certain of His
Predecessors.
Gath has been to see Cleveland , and
telegraphs the following as to his visit :
"I was ushered into the executive
chamber without having to present a
card. The room presents , both in ap
pointments and audience , something
of the appearance of the ante-room of
a prime minister or king , when sud
denly the wainsscoting at the rear
opens and there steps in a substantial-
looking man with a firm tread. No
clumsiness of movement , solid , slow ,
but not stiff and he is dressed in black
all over ; dressed rather negligently ,
as if the black suit had been well
worn. He holds his hands toward
his hips and a little behind him , in
an unconstrained yet settled position.
Ho has a portly figure , a short neck ,
and a head of good size ; not , as in the
caricatures of the last campaign , with
a brow noticeably narrow. His hair
is brown , and much browner than the
portraits and photograpb > { jniake it ap
pear. It does not look like black hair
at a distance , and closer by it is seen
to be a medium brown , more sandy
than black. It is pretty thick hair ,
but has fallen off at places , and there
is a large bald spot just behind the
crown of his head. His skin was orig
inally fair , but has the appearance of
one not particular about the diet , and
one who would take beer at night
freely. The skin is healthy , but it is
that "of the German and of the good
liver. He has a mustache of a brown
color , tolerably large. His nose is
something between a Roman and Jew
ish. His forehead is good. His eyes
are of a blue color and not very firm
in tint , as if with a fluid tendency.
They are not disagreeable eyes , but
somewhat cold. The expression of
Gov. Cleveland's face is that of a man
habitued to consider business things ,
and not decide them without a little
anxiety. It is not the anxiety of a
nervous man , but that of a positive
one , who wishes to take a successful
and stern view of the case , and not be
accused of infirmity in his judgment.
You see a face like this in a good many
banks about the time persons are going
in for loans and the president's face is
just half welcoming with a shade to
ward the word "No. " At the same
time Gov. Cleveland moves about his
office like its master , or rather , its
owner. One firm in his position , solid
on his feet , and by weight accustomed
to stay rather than waltz about. He
would turn from left lo right and ad
vance a step or two , then turn to an
other grasp , and perhaps his hand
will fly out for a moment and you hear
his voice somewhat in the throat ,
affable but dry , distinct , and general
ly accompanied with a short , brief nod
of the head.
Not a single sign of the vote-getter
is in that man. He does not look like a
man that ever solicited a vote , and if
he had was rather ashamed of it. He
makes the impression of a person in a
situation where it is easier to coincide
and make a mistake than to shake his
head short and say "No. " Indeed ,
while we are looking at him he is say
ing no. People are going up with their
pardon cases. He says , smiling a lit
tle , shaking his head a little , slopping
a little within a small radius : "A'i ,
not to-day. I am afraid I can not
take up any pardon cases to-day.
What is your case ? " to a conspicuous
man , "A pardon case ? Well you
may come again at 11 o'clock , and I
will try and see yoxt then. No more
pardon cases now. " Then , while
some are waiting and some are going
off , he sits down at a table , and begins
to write ; composing amidst the crowd
as if he were accustomed to it. Intro
duced to any stranger he seldom has
anything to say , unless that stranger
be some equal or party friend , when
he may make a little phrase almost in
monosyllables , intimating that he
knows who he is. Then there is a lit
tle smile , a jerk or two of the head ,
and ho is down at the table again
writing something with his own hand.
I foresee that the question will be
asked whether Cleveland impressed
me as a gentleman. He impressed me
as a Hew York state gentleman. That
is to say , a successful business man in
merchandise or finance. His manners
were those you generally find at the
head of some large business establish
ment. Not a man who wants to sell
you a bill , but who represents the
house , knows its strength , and is in
his business hours while you are look
ing at him. I can not get a nearer de
scription of Cleveland , than to say that
.he reminds me of a strong , self-made
bank president , who has not been
much in courtier life , but whose na
tive courage.and respectable instincts
would acquit him well anywhere. He
has not the shy look you of ten saw on
President Grant's face ; he has not that
clear , moral complexion borne by
Hayes ; he does not tower up like the
soldier school-teacher that Garfield
was ; yet there is something about him
more decided and executive like than
any of these men. He is big enough
to make a physical impression ;
thoughtful enough in countenance to
show that he is no trifler , and can
smile enough to show that he is not
bad hearted. When he settles down
to write you see that business is his
ruling inclination. I fancy that in this
man we have come nearer a commer
cial age than we ever guessed. That
while he has been a lawyer , his true
bent was for something commercial
and executive , and that his official po
sitions , which have always been of an
executive character , have turned the
counting clerk and commercial lawyer
into a factor of public office. The in
tellectual life of the man I should
think to be but moderate and
subordinate to his official career.
Those -who are looking for a
man of many sides , of nervous flexibil
ity , of subtlety of character , capable
under pressure of lofty strains of elo
quence or highly courageous epithets
er words , will probably be disappoint
ed. In him the presidential office for
a time drops away from the delicate
atmosphere of romance , and becomes
a mere hand to execute the laws and
an eye to control the executive depart
ment. Efficiency in the service is what
this man is after. He believes in bring
ing the public service up to something
like a mercantile service. Matters for
eign to his past career ho seems to
have no fondness to discuss. He scorns
not to bo a man of much curiosity.
The literary and the reportorial facul
ties arc hardly there.
Gold Mining : in Georgia.
Recent discoveries in the gold min
ing regions of Georgia in Carroll ,
Murray , and Dahlonega counties , are
such as to revive the interest which
was turned away by the California dis
coveries of forty "years ago , says a
special to The .New York Tribune. The
miners have invested heavily in the
necessary machinery. The mines near
Villa Rica , from which $2,000,000 were
taken in the decade preceding 1850 ,
are now yielding large sums daily.
The Cloption mine has a vein 2,300
feet wide , which grows richer as it is
penetrated. Thirty stamp mills will
be running this winter. The Falls City
mine is yielding rich returns. The
most extensive work , however , is be
ing done by the lErncstino company ,
composed of Louisville people , who
have invested $1,000,000 in machinery.
It is said that $50,000 more will bo in
vested in machinery near Dahlonega
and Nicolsville , so well-known to min
ers of forty years ago , over 200 stamps
are in operation.
The great sensation of the Georgia
gold bolt , however , is connected with
the Legal Tender mines situated in
Cahuttah Mountain , six miles from
Spring Place. For years it has been a
tradition among the- natives that the
mountain was a mass of solid gold ,
that it had bpen worked by Ie ) Sola as
he crossed the continent seeking the
great river. These who had penetrat
ed the fastnesses , reported that evi
dences existed that work had once been
carried on there. An old furnace of
crude design \vas described , and those
who had examined it found nuggets of
5old worth from $20 to $50. One of
the inhabitants of Murray , who visited
the Chicago Republican Convention ,
met there an old New-Mexican miner ,
named Winkles , to whom he told the
tradition. With the spirit of advent
ure characteristic of his calling , Wink
les found his way to the s ot. Ho
'
spent a week in'the mountain , and
when he came back with such glitter
ing tales of gold he was regarded as a
visionary man. His persistence was
such that a few gentlemen formed a
company and gave him a small sum of
money to work on. This was about
six weeks ago. The lands on which
the mines were discovered were pur
chased on conditions and the small
company went to work with a hearty
good will. The mountain has been
penetrated only fifteen or twenty feet
and tunnelling has just been begun.
The deeper the miners go , the richer is
the yield. The first assays which were
made averaged $2.40 per ton , the second
end assay averaged $10 and the third
and last assay made shows an average
of over $100 per ton of ore. 1'he value
increases as the mountain ispenetrated ,
and some specimens will assay $2,000
to the ton.
It is asserted that three other mines
have been struck equal to the Legal
Tender Mine , and men are now buying
machinery to begin work at once.
The Art of War.
In coming to see me ( as ho had done
the day but one before September 2) he
( the duke ) bad chosen to walk from
the station to our house , and without
even a guide. He said he had found
it a rough walk , and the ground inter
sected in a way he had not expected ;
so I said to him : "It seems you for
got to guess what was at the other
side of the hill. " This was in allusion
to a circumstance which had occimed
between him and me some thirty years
before. When traveling on the north
road , we amused ourselves by guess
ing what sort of a country we should
find at the other side of the hills we
drove up ; and when I expressed sur
prise at some extraordinary good
guesses he had made , he said : "Why ,
I have spent all my life in trying to
guess what was at the other side of the
hill. "
I had reminded him of this just as
we were driving across the ravine that
bad impeded him , and he ttrned
around to Mrs. Croker to explain it
to her , adding : "All the business of
war , and indeed all the business of
life , is to endeavor to find out what
you don't know by what you do ; that's
what I called 'guessing what was on
the other side of the hill. ' "
He said the perfection of practical
war was to move troops as steadily and
coolly on a field of battle as on a
parade. "Soult's fault was that ,
though a great strategist , he never
seemed to'know how to handle the
troops after the battle had begun. " '
I then told him that Guyzot told me
of Lannes having said that "Je plus
grand general etait celui que la can-
nonnade faisait mieux entendre , etque
la fumee faisait voir plus clair. "
Duke Humph ! [ A pause. ] That's
only a clever phrase for what I have
just been saying sang froid pres
ence of mind ; but that is not enough :
the mind besides being cool must have
the art of knowing what is to be done
and how to do it. Croker's Conversa
tions with the Duke of Wellington.
Petrified Wood.
The petrified wood which is so
abundant in the United States territo
ries of Ar.zona , Wyoming , and the
Rocky mountain regions is rapidly be
coming utilized by the practical Amer
ican. In San Francisco there is now a
factor } * for cutting and polishing these
petrifactions into mantle-pieces , tiles ,
tablets , and other architectural parts
for which marble or slate is commonly
ised. Petrified wood is said to be sus
ceptible of a finer polish than marble ,
jr even onyx , the latter of which it is
Iriving from the market. The raw
natenal employed comes mostly from
; he forests of petrified wood along the
ine of the Atlantic and Pacific rail-
ivay. Several other companies have
ilso been formed to obtain concessions
) f diffierent portions of these forests ,
geologists will regret the destruction
> f such interesting primeval remains ,
ind some steps ought to be taken to
) reserve certain tivicts in their original
itate. Engineering.
'
Tbe wheat crop of America has doubled dur-
ic the last ten years.
SCINTILLATIONS OF SCIENCE.
Cariosities and" Discoveries "ia the World ol f | j
Progress. I
An application of guncottou is said
to have been made in such a minuet
that it will eventually supersede the
use of steam for the purpose of light
locomotion and driving small machin
ery. Details of the invent' m are with
held until a public exhibition of iti
utility is made. j
Writing from Lynn , Mass. , a corre
spondent reminds the Scientific Amen *
can that , as an instance of a lomurka-
bio flight of an exploded boiler , about
two years ago a boiler exploded in
that city , and the flying portion , de
scribing a circle high in the air , landed
000 feet from where it started.
(
Dr. Gore , in a paper n the elec
trolysis of fluoride , chlorate and per *
chlorate of silver , has shown that a
solution of these salts is readily decomposed -
composed by using electrodes of silvei
and an electric current derived from n
single cell composed of zinc and
platinum in dilute sulphuric acid.
Ostwald suggests that in reactions
which take place under the influence
of acids the rapidities of such reactions
are proportional to the electric con
ductivity of the acids. Svante Arrhun-
ins had at an earlier period , though
the fact was not known to Ostw&id ,
arrived at essentially'tho same resxilt
An interesting experiment to ascer
tain the effect of artificial heat on veg
etation has been made by Barthelemy-
He arranged a number of hyacinths in
glasses in a circle around the pipe ol
a stove , and after some time ho found
that the roots assumed a nearly hori
zontal position , or a direction almost
at right angles to the pipe.
Monuments and statues cast from
refined zinc arc given a sparkling appearance -
. pearance by directing a sand blast un
der steam pressure upon them so that
the sand cuts the surface but does not
adhere to it. A thin film of oxide itf
thus formed , which stands atmos
pheric exposure admirably ; yet the
film is so thin that it scarcely admits
' of ordinary measurement.
The Perpetual Secretary of tha
Academy of Science , Paris , has an
nounced" that the International Com
mittee of Weights and Measures stand
ing for the high contracting parties
to the Convention for the Meter signed
at Paris on May 20 , 1875 , having at ,
last received the adhesion of Greai
Britain and the further accession of
Roumania and Servia , now represents
an aggregate population of 421,440-
396.
396.A
A paper on the movement of Hype
rion , by Professor S. Newcomb , has
been read before the Academy ot
Sciences , Paris. The conclusion ar
rived at is that all the conjunctions of
Hyperion with Titan take place near
the aposaturn of the latter satellite.
The point of conjunction oscillates be
tween 180 dejr. on either side of the
aposaturn during the period of the
revolution of the periasturn of Hype
rion in relation to that of Titan.
With regard to securing pure.health-
ful milk , the following opinion by Pro
fessor Feser , of Munich , has been
quoted by N. Gerber : "It is desira
ble to prevent the scale of milk which
is below a certain standard as oed
milk , even if it be simply the unadult
erated product of single animals re
duced through insufficient and faulty
feedine ; . Ordinances passed for the
prevention of adulteration would bo
powerless if it be lawful that milk may
be adulterated before its production in
he body of the animal by injudicious
treatment and feeding. "
An architect thus recommends the
xiso of copper as a roof-covering in
place of tin : "We always specify the
use of copper for covering roofs , when
we can induce owners to allow us to
do so , on account of its durability , al
though its cost is about $11 per square
foot over the price of tin roofing.
When we reflect that a tin roof re
quires constant repairs , and painting
at least every two years at a cost of 2
or 3 cents a foot , varying as to the
number of coats , the cost of repairs
for six years , together with the cost of
in roof , equals the cost oi copper.
George Lawson , of Dalhousie Col
lege , Halifax , Nova Scotia , writes as
follows on wasps as fly-killers : "In
this part of the world wasps enter
dwellings by the open windows in
summer time and hunt flies unmerci
fully , leaving the dead in hundreds
on the iloorsrready to be swepc into a
dustpan. This occurs only in the
country and where wasps' nests are
nearby. " Westwood quotes from St.
John's "Letters to an American
Farmer" that "The Americans , aware
of their ( wasps' ) service in destroying
flies , sometimes suspend a hornet's
nests in their parlors. "
At the requisition of the prefect of
police , Paris , MM. Dujardin , Beau-
* iaetz , Pasteur and Roux performed ex
periments with the view of ascertain
ing what would be the best gas for
disinfecting rooms in which patients
suffering from contagions diseases bad
sojourned. These gentlemen have
come to the conclusion that sulphur
ous acid gas would be the most effica
cious for sach a purpose , but , instead
of simply burning sulphur , as is usu
ally done , they recommend the burn
ing of bisulphide of carbon as being
the least expensive and the least injur
ious to furniture or articles of metal in
the room.
Taking Precautions.
"Ain't you going to take some of
your clothes off before you go to bed ? "
asked Mrs. Spilkins of her husband ,
who is a prominent merchant of Dal
las , Texas.
"No , I dreamt last night that I had
found the North Pole , and I may have
just such another dream to-night.
I don't care to freeze to death if I can
prevent it. Help me on with this over
coat. " ' Texas Siftinqs.
American capitalists have bought
the pick of the coal and timber lauds
of British Columbia , and are getting a
substantial grip upon the northwest.
Minneapolis capitalists have purchased
a large tract on the Deer river , which ,
it is claimed , is a huge reservoir of pe
troleum , and they are now sending to
the territory drilling machinery and
men. .
