7s the 29th of February a Day ?
The question whether the 29th of
February is legally a day or not has
lately been presented to the couriso
Indiana. There is authority in that
state to the effect that the Jitfth and
29th of February are to be counted
as one day ; but when the supreme
v court so decide. ! it had not examined
an ancient English statute concern
ing leap year , passed in the twenty
third year of Henry III , whijh bears
upon the subject , Accordingly , in
the case to which we refer , the judge
determined to consider the question
de novo , and he came to the conclu
sion that the 29th of February must
be regarded as as day in the contem
plation of the law , at least , as much
as any otherand must be reckoned in
the legal computation of time where
days are considered.
"Is the man who works on Feb. 28
and 29 to have pay for one day
only ? " he asks. "Has a judgment
rendered on Feb. 28 no priority as a
lien over one rendered on Feb. 29 ?
Could a man sentenced to be hung on
Feb. 29 be legally executed on Feb.
28 ? " Of course not. The confusion
on the subject has evidently arisen
from statutes treating of the entire
year as a whole. Thus , there is a
provision in the Revised Statutes of
New York that whenever the term
"year" or "years" shall be used in
any law sentence , contract or instru
ment of writing the year intended
shall be taken to consist of 365 days ,
a half year 182 days , a quarter of a
year 91 , and the added day of a leap
year and the day immediately pre
ceding , if they shall occur in any
period so computed , shall be. reckon
ed together as one day. " St. Louis
Kepublic.
Two Women and a Bear.
Roderick McDonald , who lives in
one of the remote parts of a settle
ment at Molus River , a provincial
town , was absent from home a few
nights ago , having left his wife and
sister as the sole defenders of his
household , says a Vanceboro 'Me. ' )
dispatch to the New York Herald.
Just at dusk the two women , who
were busy about their household
duties , were suddenly attracted by a
bellowing among the cattle in the
barnyard. Without the slightest
hesitation the women armed them
selves with the only weapons on hand
an ax and a pitchfork and sallied
forth. Only a few steps had been
traversed before they saw an enor
mous black bear , that stood aggres
sively awaiting them. At either side
of him lay an ox , which had fallen
under his heavy blows , while the rest
of the cattle were huddled closely in
one corner of the yard bellowing
piteously in their fright.
Mrs. McDonald , excited at the sight
of the dead animals , rushed at the
bear with a pitchfork , thrusting it
deep into his neck. Aroarof mingled
rage and pain followed and with a
sweep of his paw he struck the weap
on from her hands. The other wom
an struck at the bear wit the ax , dis
abling one of the forward legs. Mrs.
McDonald ran for her pitchfork , re
covered it , and the two plucky wom
en then went for bruin hammer and
tongs. Mrs. McDonald wounded him
with the pitchfork in front while her
companion did deadly execution with
the ax. The battle was short and
sharp , and the bear was dead in a
few moments. He was very large and
old. The women had their clothes
badly torn , but beyond a few scratch
es and the fright suffered no injury.
Their First Glimpse of the
Ocean.
From the Detroit Free Press.
There is hardly a day but that
some man comes down to take his
first view of the ocean , and it is al
ways interesting to watch him.
Most of them manage to conceal a
great deal of their surprise on first
beholding the boundless expanse and
the white-crested breakers , but your
real old farmer is no dissembler. One
came down the other day who was
74years old , and who was accompan
ied by his wife , almost as old , and
three sons. The five stood in a row
on the hotel veranda and gazed at
the rolling deep for fully five minutes
before a word was spoken. Then the
old man turned to his wife and said ;
"Well , Sarah , what do you think of
it ? "
"I believe it's bigger'n our whole
farm , " she replied.
"Bigger ! 1 guess it is ! Hain't she
purtyY I've ollus Heard and read oi
the ocean , and here it is at last. It's
a sight worth seein' eh , boys ? "
'Yes , father , answered one , "but I
don't see a whale or a shark. "
"No , nor I , either , but don't be in a
hurry , Henry. Give her time. She's
a big body of water'and has got to
move slow. There's sharks and
whales in there as sure us you are
alive , but give 'em a show let 'em
have a little rope. We've got four
hours to stay , and we won't jump on
her for a swindle until we've given
her a fair trial.
One Kind of Knot.
A correspondent from up the
v country writes that he has oftan ob
served the expression , "a knot of
people , " and he is anxious to know
how many people go to make a knot.
The.term is by > no means'arbitrary.
A dozen persons may be regarded as
a knot , and then again two well dis
posed people and n minister can
make the most delightful of knots.
Bingbnmton Leader.
Rl/als.
i A newspaper proprietor , who is
now a wealthy man tells an amusing'
I story of one of his early venturer
He went to the west when but 23
years old with a capital of only two
or three hundred dollars. He had
done some reporting for a .local
paper at home and had a smatter
ing of the printer's art. Hearing of
a new town in the mountains , a
town of which great things were ex.
pected , he decided to establish a
newspaper there forthwith.
He borrowed some money to add
to his meager capital , and started
alone for the field with his littlehand-
press and typo and paper in a wagon.
The journey was about fifty miles
in length and mostly up hill. The
muddy road made the traveling slow
and difficult , so that it was almost
dark when , on the second day , he
came within sight of the new town
still five miles distant.
Just then , as he pulled through a
slough at a curve in the road , he
overtook a fellow traveler whose old
wagon , to which was hitched a bony
horse , was hopelessly fast in the
mud.
Our youmr newspaper man
promptly unhitched his horse and
and went to the other man's as
sistance. For nearly an hour the
two men " pushed and the two horses
pulled. Finally the horses gave n
mighty tug at the right moment and
the cart , was pulled out of the mud.
Reaching out his hand with true
western heartiness the driver of the
extricated cart , also a voungman of
23 or 24 , said :
"Thank you sir ! I'm ever so
much obliged to you , Time's
mighty precious to me , and I don't
know what I'd have done if you
hadn't come along. I want to get
to the next town just as quick as ]
can. I've got a newspaper outfit in
my wagon , and I hear there's an
other fellow trying to get in ahead
of me. LiVe as not you've been the
means of helping me to get the start
of him. "
Thesurprised and chagrined "other
fellow" says that for a moment he
was wicked enough to wish his rival
back m the mud , but speedily over
coming all such ungenerous and un
manly feelings he said with a laugh :
"Well , I happen to be that other
fellow ? "
"You you are ? "
"Yes , sir , I am. "
"Well , I I say , s'posing wo sit
right down here and talk this thing
over. "
They , encamped together for the
night and after a Full conference
agreed to go into partnership , and
as soon as it was light they hastened
on to the town. There they estab
lished their paper , which was the
begining ot great prosperity for
both of them. Youth's Companion.
Two Clever Paupers Caught.
Fails Dispatch.
Sympathetic spectators gathered
this afternoon around a young man
who fell down in front of the
Louvre in what appeared to be an
epileptic seizure. One ot the by.
standers stepped forward and pro
posed to carry the invalid to a chem
ist's shop not far off and another of
fered to assist. The one who spoke
first took up the epiletic's hut and.
throwing six pense into it , said to
the crowd : "I am a poor man my
self , but if each one of you did as I ,
this unfortunate creature would have
something to relieve his sufferings. "
Impelled by this generous example ,
the crowd showered coppers and
small silver into the hat until ovei
10 shillings was collected. Great
was their astonishment when two
constables walked up and seized
both the benevolent originator of
the alms collection and the epileptic
sufferer. The latter , as soon as he
opened his eyes and saw the police
man , forgot that he was an invalid
and attempted to escape. Th * y were
both taken to the lock-up , and were
identified as two well-known lazy
mendicants , named Garnet and Des-
marets. They had enacted the same
dodge successfully in the Rue Saint
Honore during the forenoon , the
epileptic and his colleague on that
occasion fleecing the charitable to
the extent of 8 shillings. The chem
ist's assistant , who relieved the pre
tended sufferer in the Rue Saint
Honore , happened to pass the
Louvre , while his second perform
ance was goinjr on. Suspecting a
fraud , he told the pojice , hence their
arrest.
Carried it to Extremes.
Jones and his wife had just re
turned from the theater.
Stumblinir around the room , he
had lighted three matches in the ap
parently vain effort to fin'd some
thing.
"What have you lost , my dear ? "
asked his better half.
"A match : I thought I dropped
one as we went out. Ah ! here it js ;
there's nothing like being saving in
small things. " Judge.
A Michigan Story.
Nineteen years ago a Gratiot
county , Mich. , farmer refused to let
his daughter go to a candy pull.
She went though , and remained
away. Recently she drove up to hex
fa hers door , lifted out her eleven
children , coolly took'off her wraps
and astonished her father .by declar
ing that she had concluded to return
and stay home , and hereafter be nn
obedient daughter. Philadelphia
Lederer.
A SONG OF LONG AGO.
A spnp of lonRnio.
' Sinjr it lightly sine it low-
Sing it BO tly like the linping of the Hpa we
uned to know ,
When our baby laughter cpillpd
From the hcnrtH lorevcr fillcil
With a music sweet as robin ever thrilled.
Lptrthe frnprant summer breeze ,
And the leaves of lonint tiPCB.
And the apple budu and blossoms , and the
\vinjB of hone.v bees ,
All pnlpilnte with jjloo ,
Till the happy hnnnony
Brings back each childKhjoy to you and me.
Lcfc the e.vofl of lancy turn
Where the tumbled pippins burn
Like embers in the orchard's ) lap of tousled
gnihfi and fern :
\nd let the wayward wind ,
Still hinging , pied behind
Thecider press the good old fashioned Kind !
Blend in the Bonp : the moan
Of the dove that grieves ulone.
And the uildhirr o the locust and the bum
ble's drowsy drone ;
And the low of cons that call
Through the pasture tmrs when all
The landscape Indus away at evenfull.
Then , far away and clear ,
Through the dusky atmosphere.
Let the \\uilin of the kildee be the only
sound you hear.
Oh , sweet and sad and low
As the memory may kuovr
U the glad , pathetic nong of long ago !
James Whitcomb Itiley.
HIS WEDDED WIFE.
Shakespeare says something about
worms , or it may be giants or
beetles , turning if you tread on them
too severely. The safest plan is
never to tread on a worm not even
on the last new subaltern Irom home ,
with his buttons hardly out of their
tissue paper and the red of sappy
English 5beef in his cheeks. This is
the story of the worm that turned.
For the sake of brevity we will call
Henry Augustus Ramsay Faizanne
"The Worm , " although hereally was
on exceedingly pretty boy , without a
hair on his face and with a waist like
a girl's , when hs came out to thj
Second "Shikarris and was made un
happy in several ways. The Shikar
ris" are a high caste regiment , and
j-ou must be able to do things well
play a banjo , or ride more than lit
tle , or sing , or act to get on to
them.
The Worm did nothing except fall
off his pony and knock chips out of
gate posts with his trap. Even that
became monotonous after a time.
He objected to whist , cut the cloth
at billiards , sang out of tune , kept
very much to himself and wrote to
his mamma aud sisters at home.
Four of these five things were vices
which the "Shikarris" objected to
and set themselves to radicate-
Every one knows how subalterns are.
by brother subalterns , softened and
not permitted to be ferocious. It is
good and wholesome and does no
one any harm unless tempers are
jest ; and then there is trouble.
There was a man once but that is
another story.
The "Shikarris" shikarred The
Worm very much , and he bore every
thing without winking. He was so
good and so anxious to learn , and
flushed so pink that his education
was cut short and he was left to his
own devices by every " one except the
senior subaltern" , who continued to
make life a burden to The Worm.
The senior subaltern meant no harm ,
but his chaff was coarse , and he
didn't quite understand where to
atop. He had been waiting too
long for his company , and that al
ways sours a man. Also , he was in
! eve , which made him worse.
One day , after he had borrowed The
Worm's trap for a lady who never
existed , had used himself all the aft
ernoon , had sent a note to. The
Worm , purporting to come from the
lady , and was telling the mess all
about it , The Worm rose in his place
and said , in his quiet , lady like voice :
"That was a very pretty sell ; but I'll
lay you a month's pay to a month's
pay when you get your step
thai. I work a sell on you that
you'll remember the rest of your
days , and the regiment after you
when you're dead or broke. " The
worm wasn't angry in the least , and
the rest of the mess shouted. Then
the senior subaltern looked at The
Worm from the boots upward and
down again and said : "Done , Baby. "
The Worm took the rest of the mess
to witness that the bet had been tak
en and retired into a book with a
sweet smile.
Two months passed and the senior
subaltern still educnted The Worm ,
who began to move about a little
more as the hot weather came on. I
have said that the senior subaltern
was in love. The curious thing is
that a girl was in love with the seni
or subaltern. Though the colonel
said awful things , and the majors
snorted , and the married captains
looked unutterable wisdom , and the
juniors scoffed , those two were en
gaged.
The senior subalternwassopleased
with getting his company and his ac
ceptance at the same time that he
forgot to bother The Worm. The
girl was. a pretty girl and had mon
ey of her own. She does not corns
into this story at nil.
One night at beginning of the hot
weather all the mess except The
Worm , who had gone to his own
room to write home letters , were sit
ting on the platform outside- the
mess house. The band had finished
playing , but no one wanted to go in.
And the captain's wives were there
also , The lolly of a man in love is
unlimited. The senior subaltern had
been holding forth on the merits of J
the girl ho was engaged to , and the
ladies were purring approval , while
the men yawned , wh in there was a
rustle of skirts in the dark and a
tired , faint voice lilted itself :
"Where is my husband ? "
I do not wisli in the least to reflect
on the morality of the "Shikarris , "
but it is.on record that lour men
jumped up as if they had been shot :
Three of them were married men.
Perhaps they were afraid that their
wives had come from home unbe
knownst. The fourth said that he
had acted on the impulse of the mo
ment. He explained this afterward.
Then the voice cried : "OhLionel ! ' ,
Lionel was the senior subaltern's
name. A woman came into the lit
tle circle of light by the candles on
the peg tables , stretching out hei
hands to the dark where the senior
subaltern was and sobbinc : . AVe
rose to our feet feeling that thinirs
were goinjr to happen and ready to
believe the worst. In this bad , small
world of ours one knows so little of
the life of the next man , which after
all is entirely his own concern , that
one is not surprised when a crash
comes.
Anything might turn up jiny day
for any one. Perhaps the senior sub
altern had been trapped in his youth.
Men ara cripbled that way occasion
ally. AVe didn't know : we wanted to
hear , and the captains' wives were as
anxious as we. It he had been trapped
he was to be excused , for the woman
from nowhere , in the dusty shoes and
gray traveling dress , was very lovely ,
with black hair and great eyes full of
tears , She was tall , with a fine figure ,
and her voice had a running sob in
it pitiful to hear. As soon as the
senior subaltern stood up she threw
her arms round his neck and called
him "my darling , " and said she could
not bear waiting alone in England ,
and his letters were so short and cold
and she was his to the end of the
world , and would he forgire her ?
This did notsound quite like a lady's
way of speaking. It was to demon- '
strative.
Things seemed black indeed , and
the captains' wives peered under
their eyebrows at the senior subaltern
and the colonel's face set like the day
of judgment framed in gray bristles ,
and no one spoke for awhile. .
Next the colonel said very shortly :
"AATell , sir ? " and the woman sobbed
afresh. The senior subaltern was
half choked but he grunted out : "It's
a d d lie ! I never had a wife in my
life ! " "Don't swear , " ' said the col
onel. "Gems into the mess. AVe
must sift this clear somehow , " and
he sighed to himself , for he believed
in his "Shikarris , " did the colonel.
AVe trooped into the anti-room ,
under the full lights , and there we
saw how beautiful she was. She
stood up in the middle of us all ,
sometimes choking with crying , then
hard and proud , and then holding
out her arms to the senior subaltern.
It was like the fourth act of a trag
edy. She told us how the senior
subaltern had married her when he
was home on leave eighteen months
before , and she seemed to know all
that we knew , and more too , of his
people and his past life. He was
white and ashy srray , trying now
and again to brefik into the torrent
of her words ; and we , notinjr how
lovely she was and what a criminal
he looked , esteemed him a beast of
the worst kind. AVe felt sorry for
him , though.
I shall never forget the indictment
of the senior subaltern by his wife.
Nor will he. It was so sudden , rush
ing out ot the dark unannounced in
to our dull lives. The captains' wives
stood back , but their eyes were alight ,
and you could see that they had al
ready convicted and sentenced the
senidr subaltern. Colonel seemed five
years older. One major was shading
his eyes with his hand and watching
the woman from underneath it. An
other was chewing his mustache and
smiling quietly as if he were witness
ing aplay. Full in the open space in
the center by the whist tables the
senior subaltern's terrier was hunting
for fleas. Iremember'all this as clecir-
ly as though a photograph were in
my hand. I remember the look ot
horror on the senior subaltern's face.
It was rather like seeing a man hang
ed , but much more interesting. Fi
nally the woman wound up by saying
that the senior subaltern carried a
double F , M. in tattoo on his left
shoulder. We all knew that , and to
our innocent minds it seemed to
clinch the matter. But one of the
bachelor majors said very politely :
"I certificate
presumethnt your marriage
ficate would be more to the purpose ? "
That roused the woman. She
stood up and sneered at the senior
subaltern for a cur and abused the
major and the colonel and all the
rest. Then she wept and then she
pulled a paper from her breast , say
ing imperially : "Take that ! And let
my husband my lawfully wedded
husband read it aloud if he dare ! "
There was a hush and the men
looked into-each other's eyes as the
senior subaltern came forward in a
dazed and dizzy way and took the
paper. AVe were wondering , as we
stared , whether there was anything
against any one of us that might
turn up later on. The senior subal
tern's throat was dry ; but , as he ran
his eye over the paper , he broke out
into a hoarse cackle of relief and said
to the woman : "You young black
guard ! "
But the woman had fled through a
door , and on the paper was written :
"This is to cettify that I , The AVorm
have paid in full my debts to the
senior subaltern , and further , that
the senior subaltern is my debtor ,
by agreement on the 23d of Februa
ry , as by the mess attested , to the
extent of one month's captain's pay ,
in the lawful currency of the India
empire. "
Then a deputation set off for The I
AVorm's quarters and found him , betwixt - L
twixt and between , unlacing his
stays , wivh * he hut , wig , serge dress ,
etc. , on the bf-tl. Ho came over as
ho was , and the ' .Shiknrris' { shouted
till the gunnes' mess scat over to
know it they might have a share of
the fun. I think wo were all , except
the colonel and the senior sub
altern , a little disappointed that the
scandal had come to nothing. But
that this is human nature. There
could be no two words about The
AVorm's acting. Itleanod as near tea
a nasty tragedy as anything this
side of a joke can.
AVIien most of the subalterns sat
upon him with sofa cushions to find
out why he Itad not said that anting
was his strong point he answered
very quietly. " 1 don't think you ev
er asked me. I used to net home
with my sisters. . " But no acting
with girls could account for The
Worm's displaj- that night. Person
ally I think it was in bad taste , be
side being dangerous. There is no
sort of use playing with fire even for
fun.
fun.The
The "Shikarris" madn him presi
dent of theregimentaUlramaticclub ,
and when the senior subaltern paid
up his debt , which he did at once ,
The AVorm sank the money in sce
nery and dressses. He was a good
AVorm , and the "Shikarris" are
proud of him. The only drawback
is that he has been christened. "Mrs.
Senior Subaltern , " and as there are
now two Mrs. Senior Subalterns in
the station this is sometimes confus
ing to strangers. Rudyard Kipling.
How Mechanics Are Made
Now.
"The way in which men learn
trades in this age of the world , " said
a man who has made a study of the
subject , , "is at variance with the
way they used to learn. In the
old times when a man went to trade
he began and mastered it a piece at
a time. And by and by he could
make whatever he was working up
entire. 1 know a man who works
in a watch factory. He has boon
there eleven years , and all he knows
is how to make a balance wheel.
Aside from that he knows no more
about the mechanism ot a watch
than a man who never saw one.
"Another man I know works in a
wagon fnctoiy. He works on hubs.
Nothing else. Another man works
on spokes , another on the tongue ,
and so on , but not one of them
knows how to put up a wagon as
a whole. The result is if one section
of the labor in a large factory goes
on a strike it throws the whole shop
out of balance. AVhat affects a part
affects the whole. Labor has made
great strides inthelasttwentyyears.
This thing of teaching one mechanic
one thing and another something
else was wisely schemed by some
body. By it , if the plan continues ,
the mechanic will soon be master of
the situation. " Chicago Tribune
Must Get Out of Africa.
From the New York Sun.
Only two or three years ago it
looked as though the Mohammedans
were sweeping everything before them
in Africa , and there seemed no rea
son why they should not acquire a
controlling influence over the natives
as far south as the Zambesi. All this
is now changed. In West Africa we
see the Mohammedan kingdoms from
the Sabara to the lower Niger and
the Benue falling , one alter another ,
into the hands of the Europeans. In
the Egyptian Soudan the Mahdist
dominion is dropping to pieces. On
Victoria Nyanza most of the Arabs
have been slaughtered by Mwan-
ga , their dhows have been destroyed ,
and the survivors have fled into Dn-
yore , where they cannot replenish
their ammunition stores , and near
ly 2,000 soldiers of the British East
Africa Company are fast upon their
heels. Mr. Stanley seems to have
very good grounds for his assertion
that there will not be a Mahamme-
dan in all central Africa , south of the
equator , within the next five years.
Electric Light Bugs.
From the Cincinnati Commercial.
AAThen the first Atlantic cable was
laid scientists asserted that an insect
would appear which would attempt
to destroy it ; and , sure enough , in a
short time an insect not classified by
entomologists began its work on the
insulation material that protected
the cable from the water. The elec
tric lighting systems of large cities
seem also to have developed a similar
condition of things in the form of
what are called electric light bugs ;
and , singularly , each sj'stem of light
ing seems to have its own peculiar
ephemera. The insects do not dam
age the insulation material of arc
lamps , but they do bother the learn
ed entomologists who are kept busy
trying to classify the thousands of
winged things that flutter about the
lights of warm nights.
Objected to the Licker.
Apropos of the present necessity
for the separation of families by the
often continued absence of the hus
band on the road , I know a little anecdote -
dote of a youngster who had seen so
little of his father that he did not
know him , and when , one Sunday
morning , this-same little fellow , be
ing obstreperous , was severely repri
manded by his impatient'fatner , he
when howling to his mother with the
wall , "I ain't goin' to git licked by
that old duffer who spends Sunday
here. " Toledo Journal.
A Dead Flephant.
From ino London
The recent Indian papers describe-
the difficulty attending the disposal
of the body of an elephant at Now-
nree , in Ba'rodn , which illustrates
the Indian saying that an elephant
must be buried where it. dies. It ap
pears that a tame elephant , whiclt
had been kept at Nowsaree for many-
years past , -died. The news was at
once telegraphed to Baroda , and
sanction for expenses incidental to
the burial of the animal was obtained.
The local authorities then held a ,
council as to how the remains should ;
be remove ! to a distant part of the-
town , where they could bo interred
without endangering the health of
the inhabitants. It was suggested
that the dead body should bo'cut up
into pieces , which might then be re
moved and disposed of , but this idea
was rejected. Jt was then resolved
to drag the remains out of the town *
and with that object to pull down :
one of the walls within which the ani
mal had been confined. Hundreds ,
of coolies were pressed into the ser
vice , and a number of cnrpentersv
ironsmiths and other artisans were
engaged to construct a huge car on
wheels to convey the dead animal
But the body , which weighed several
tons , could not be lifted , much less
removed , from the place where it was.
Ararious attempts were made for
three days , but they failed one after
the other. When the authorities saw
that they were baffled in all their en
deavors to move the body , they re
solved to aJopt the suggestion made-
at the outset , and eventually caused
it to be cut into pieces , which were
then buried at a short distance from ,
the place. AVhen the body was sub
mitted to the operation it emitted !
Hiich repulsive odors that Ranee-
Jumrfabai , the adoptive mother or
the Gaekwar , who lived in the neigh
borhood , had to move into another
bungalow.
A Shockiner Sahara Story.
From the Pall Mail Gazette.
The part of the sandy and sultry
Sabara near Biskra has been the-
scene of a tragedy which was caused
by the want of water. Some days-
ago a young soldier named Frossard
was sent from u topographical sta
tion in Algeria to Biskra for victuals.
He was accompanied by a mounted
Spahi , and had two mules. By a.
strange inadventure the little cara
van ran short of water after it had
been in the desert a short time.
Frossard accordingly directed the-
Spahi to leave him his horse and to-
take the mules with him to the near
est oasis for a supply of the neces
sary fluid. The Spahi journeyed on
through the scorching sands for a
day and a night before he came to
the oasis of Gartha , but when return
ing to wnere he left Frossard he lost
his bearings and had to go back to
the oasis. There a small expedition
was fitted out by the local shiekandr
after a long search , the dead body of
the young soldier was found half de
voured by hyenas and jackals. The-
carcass of the Spain's horse was also-
discovered not far away. It appears
that the soldier had killed the horse-
with his sword and then drank its
blood. He had likewise cut out the-
animal's lungs and put them aside ,
but before he could use them as food
he was either surprised by the beasts-
of the desert or succumbed to the in
tense heat , coupled with a return ot
thirst.
Women Poisoners.
Modern historians distrust the
stories of the Roman poisoner Locus-
ta. and of the women who in Italy-
sold aqua tofana as the best means--
of satisfying jealousy or hate or
greed , but the Hungarian tribunals
are trying a case which make- * all
these legends possible , says the Spec
tator. No less than ten women in
the town of Mitrovitz are charged
with poisoning their husbands with
arsenic obtained from fly papers , andi
they are only a section of the women ,
originally arrested or suspected-
They were all apparently taught by
a single woman. Esther Sarac , a lo
cal witch or herbalist , who deliber
ately instructed one disciple and
probably many more. The poison
ings , some sixtjin number.wasdone
with little precaution and cover a
space of more than ten years , during :
all which time a vague suspicion has
been floating about. The evidence
against the women under trial is
said to be overwhelming , and most
ot them have saved trouble by plead
ing guilty. They are all peasants
and probably of a low order of intel
ligence ; but the revelations throw a.
strange light on the true value oK
much modern "progress. " lu Hun
gary , at all events , it does not pre
vent epidemics of crime , though no -
doubt the improvement of chemical :
analysis helps the authorities in detecting - -
tecting and punishing the guilty. . _ -
An Ingenious Beg'gar.
From the Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette.
"For the love of heaven , jr
men , " pleaded a trembling old wom
an , one night , to a group of men on
A7ine Street , "give me 10 cents so
that I can buy a piece of ice. ityson
is sick , aud we haven't had a piece of
ice in the house for him for a week. "
The rather novel plea produced a
number of dimes , and the old woman
walked away , leaving a bunch oi
blessings on the donors of the dimes ,
She was followed to see whether she
would buy ice or not. She did not.
She went into a house and returned
with an empty growler , which she
filled at a corner saloon.