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About The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1890)
A Unit. When I was camplnp on the Volga's banks , The trader Zanthou with a leash of tnnres went by my lent. I know the wily Jew , And ho know mo. Ho muttered ns lie passed , 'Tho last Uathony , und his tuslca are grown. A broken 'scutcheon is a 'scutcheon still , And Amino'g token in my caftan Hcs Amlno , who weeps and walls for hlH return. " Ho caught my eye , and slipped inside the tent. 'Haw , Zanthou , up from Poland , at your tricks 1 JIow veer t ho boura on old Bathony'e towers ? True to the winds that blow on Poland's plains ? " 4'They blto the dust , nay lord , as boast to beast. \Vlieu Poles conspire , conspiracy alone Survives , to hover In the murky air. Jiy lord , Biithony'8 gates lire loft ajar For you to enter , or remain outside : The forest holds the secret you surprlFOd. And men tire there , to dare us they have dared. " * Haw. Zantron. toll me of the palatine. Tlio alv of Jlussltt mako8 a man forget Ho was a man olfowhero : the trumnets'squeal J follow and the thud of drums. You spoKe .As If I were of princely birth : hntkye , Ualtalion is the imino I listen to. " "Tho cranes that plunder iu your fens , niy Lord. The doves that nest within your wo'ls , I Faw riyixjund the Raping walls , and pluuia thclz wlnirs Upon your fathers crave. Do you know this ? " "A lolriiii , Ziinthunso a ulthcied Mower ! You think 1 wore ono In my swoid-hlltoncc ? > .T < ! lliluks thcro N no perfume In thi * flower. "Watch , whiio J illrif , ' It on the .Volga's tide. The chief , mv father , Kent me with a cur o To tr.ivel In llio steppe * , and so I do. The nit1 of Uus'-la make * a man forget Hi ! was : i mini elsewhere , for lovf. or hope. And us ho nmrchcb , ho b comes but thir. H.IW , Zanthon. would you learn the reason why ? Punch en the Caucasus , the northern seas , L-Kik in thof-K-y. or over Crth. then ar k. Ti.e answer wheio will " " every he. "The Tzar ! Elizabeth Siotldard. M'SJITTf ' SISTER , It was a dull , rainy day towards the cud of September one of those dav.s wl.cn earth and sky are grey and dritary. and the rain drops puttering -apiinst the window sounded like human sobs. The clock thai hung gainst tiie wall pointed to the hour ni 3 in the afternoon , and I was silting in our little inner olh'co , looking oiit at the expanse of dull , grey wall that " formed"my only prospect from the not ever clean window , and thinking. I ii.id read every square inch of type in tiu : newspapers. 1 was musing about Kilty Elton and wondering how long it would be be fore 1 should be able to marry her. Dear little Kiltie ! she was as sweet : iid as patient as jt was in the nature of a woman to bi' ; but I knew it was a hard life for hsr in that overcrowded ed milliner's work-room * and I longed to sot her free from the monotonous captivity. She was a pretty , blue-eyed girl of 50. with a dimple "in her chin , : ind the sweetest roses on her cheek. 1 was no poet , yet I think I understood and appreciated all her womanly beau ty as fully as if my heart's thoughts could shape themselves into verse. And it was of them I was thinking when the door opened aud Mr. Clenncr came in. Mr. Clenner was our "chief" a dark , silent , little man , with square stern mouth and clouded grey eyes , which appeared almost expressionless when they were turned full upon you , ttiid 3-et which seemed to see every thing at a glance. He sat down be side me. "Meredith , " he said in a quiet sub dued toue that was natural to him. "didn't you say that you were tired of doing nothing ? " "Yes. sir. " "Well , I have something for vou to do. " -What is it , sir ? " "Something that will bring you both credit and friends , if you "manage it skillfully. I had intended to go my self , but circumstances happened un- towardlv " , and I shall send you in stead. " Bending his head toward me and speaking scarcely above a whisper , he told me the special business on which I was to be sent There had been , it seems , a series of very skillful forgeries lately com mitted , with boldnessTaud audacity that fairly seemed to set the authorities at defiance. For some time he had been in doubt as to the exact perpetrator of the crime ; but after much quiet in vestigation and casting hither and thither , he had detected the hidden spring one Perley Mattison , who had skillfully eluded all pursuit , and was now somewhere in hiding iu the north of England. His whereabouts had been ascertained as nearly as possible .and it was for me to go quietly up and .apprehend him before he should become - come aware of our knowledge of all Jiis movements. I sat and listened to all the various details of our plan , as they were sketched out by Mr. Clenncr. The re- \vard that had" been privately offered was high ; my heart leaped as I reflect ed how" much nearer it would bring ' me to Kitty Elton , nor did the enter prise seem" particular difficult to ac complish. "Do you think you can do it ? ' * Mr. Clenner asked , after the whole thing Jiad been laid out before me. "Yes. sir. When shall I start ? ' ' "Now , within half an hour. " ' "So soon ? " "Yes ; why not ? " I could think of no sufficient reason , except one. which I did not care'to communicate to my superior .the longing to see Kitty once more before J-l started. "Just as you decide , Mr. Clenner , of course. " I said rising. "If 1 take the night express I shall be there early in the morning. " "Yes. and that is altogether the best plan. He will not remain long in any one place just at present , depend up on it , and what you have to do must "be done at once. " All througlr that long night journey I mused upon the task that lay before me. The house to which I was direct ed was quite in the country , about half ti mile beyond the village of Berwood , rand was the residence of Mrs. Matti son , the mother of the audacious forger. If help was needed I was ful ly authorized to call upon the con stabulary authorities at K ; but I .expected to need no assistance. The rosy dawn was just ushering the eastern sky when I alighted , stiff , weary and jaded , from the train. "Can vou direct mo to Mrs. Mtitti- son's place ? " I asked of the sleepy station-master. "Mattison Mrs. Mattison ; I don't , know her , but I can tellyou'whero she lives. Just 3ou follow the main street of the village to a wood , with foot path running through it. Get over tlis stile , follow the footpath , and in a lit tle while you'll see a yellow house the last place in the world where you'd expect to see a dwelling. There's where Mrs. Mattison lives. " I thanked my informant and set out at a brisk walk , carry ing my traveling- bag iu my hand. It was half an hour ere I diverged from the main road , or ruth or lane. The stile at the end of the footpath through the wood was quickly reached , and the littJe yellow house a cream-colored cottage literal ly overgrown with honeysuckles uresently rewarded my search , and , as 1 knocked at the door , a clock some where struck the hour of 7. . A decent-looking elderly woman , in widow's weeds , came to the door. "Is Mr. Mattisou in Mr. Perley Mattison ? " "No. " she answered quickly , with , as I imagined , rather a confused look. I did not believe her , and asked quietly , "When do you expect him homo ? " "Not at present. " Apparently she expected me to go away , but , instead , I slipped into the passage. "Mother. " asked a soft voice at the head of the stairs , "who is it ? ' ' And then , for the first lime , I be came aware that some one had been watching and listening lo our collgquy from the head of the stairs a young , girl , dressed like the mother , iu deep j biack , with very brilliant eyes and a j profusion of jet black curls. "Some one to see your brother. " She came half-way down the stairs , pushed back her curls with one hand and looked at me with her wonderful eyes. Even then her beauty struck me ns I stood gazing at her. "Perley is not at home , " she said , hurriedly , "lie has gone away. We do not know when he will return. " Evidently this mother and daughter were in the secret of Mattison's vil- liauy and doing their best to screen him from its consequence. My heart bled for both of them ; but it was no time to indulge in sentimental pit } " . Speaking as briefly as I could , I told them it was my duty to compel them to remain were they were while T searched the house. Mrs. Mattison sat down pale and trembling. Her daughter colored high. "Mother. " she said , "why do you stand by and listen to such" slanders ? .It is false ? Let this man search the house if he will ; my brother is as in nocent as I am ! " No opposition was offered to my search. It was'eutirely fruitless , how ever ; there was no where any trace of the missing bird. Nevertheless , I re solved to remain there quietly , for a day or two , to see what a little waiting mi < rht bring forth. The same afternoon Clara Mattiso'n came iu as I sat by the window , keep ing a silent watch on all round. "Mr , Meredith , " she said , softly , "mother thinks I have been rude to you. She says it was not your fault , personally , that you were sent here on such a mistaken errand and , perhaps , she is right. I am sorry if I have hurt your feelings. " The prcttypenUent way in which she spoke quite won my heart , and a few I questions on my part seemed to unlock the hidden recesses of her confidence , i She talked at first shyly but after ward with moi-e assurance , of herself , her absent brother and her mother , giving me a thousand little family details - , tails which I almost dreaded to hear. This twilight talk was one of the pleasanlcst episodes of my by no means universally pleasant life , and I was not a little annoyed when it was broken in upon by the arrival of the constables from K , who were to watch through the night. At the sound of their footsteps , Clara rose up. and sat down again , confused and frightened. "Oh , Mr. Merpdith those men. " "Be easy , Miss Mattison , " I said "you shall in no way be annoyed by them. Your privacy shall not be broken iu upon , believe me. " ! "I know 1 am silly , " faltered Clara , ' "but oh , it seems so dreadful ! " ' My orders to the men were simple aud succinct. I stationed them as seemed best to me , and then returned to spend the evening with Miss Matti- i son. And when I was at length left alone I could not help thinking God forgive me how much more winning and graceful she was than poor Kitty , Elton. At last answer came to my report lo Mi * . Clenner. It was short and to the purpose. " | I rend the missive with a pang. Clara Mattison's cheek deepened in color as I announced my departure to her. | "You have been far kinder than we ' dared to hope , Mr. Meredith , " she ' said , ae I held her hand in mine. | "You will think of mo sometimes , Clara ? " The reader will easily perceive from this how our intimacy had progressed. She smiled , hung her head , and , Uik- ing a pair of scissors from the table , I severed one bright , olack curl from ; the abundant tvesses that hung over J her forehead. . j "Keep this , Mr. Meredith , in memory - I ory of me. " Was I foolish to press the jetty ring let to my ,15ps ere I laid it closely against my heart ? Clara evidently thought I was , for she laughed , but did not seem displeased. i Mr. Clenner appeared to be a good , deal annoyed when I got back to town rather an unreasonable thing on his part , for I certainly did all that man could do under the circumstances. i "We have been mistaken all the way through , it seems , " ho said bilin < r his lip.Strange very strange , I never was mistaken before in my cal culations. Well ; we must try again. " I went to Kitty Elton's that night. She received me with a sweet , shy sadness of welcome , that should have made me the happiest man iu the world ; but it did not. Clara Matti son's dark beauty seemed .to stand be tween mo and her like a visible bar rier. When I took my Isave there were tears in her eyes , "Kitty , you are crying. " "Because you arc "changed. Edward. You d not love mo as well as you did. ' ! " what ! " "Kitty , nonsense I was vexed with her simply because I knew the accusation 'was true. But I kissed her ones more , and took my leave , moody and dissatisfied. When I reached the office next morn ing. Mr. Clenner was not there. "Ho has gone to K , " said my fellow detective ; "he wont last night. " ToK ? " . I was seriously annoyed. Did Mr. Clcuner doubt the accuracy of my reports ' ports ? Or did he imagine that I'was unable to institute a thorough and complete investigation of the premises ? "It's very strange , " I mused aloud. Jones laughed. "Well , " he said , "you know Clenner " has a strange way "of doing things. Depend upon it , he has good reasons for his conduct. " I was sitting at my desk two days subsequently. , when "the door glided noiselessly open and Clenner himsel entered. "You are back again , sir ? And what luck ? " "The best. " "You don't mean to say you've got him ? " "I do mean to say it , Ethvard Mere dith. I knew I could not be entirely mistaken. Perley Mattison is in the next room half an hour , from now he will be in prison. " "Whore did you apprehend him ? " "At home in his mother's house. " "But" "He was there all the time you re mained there , Ned , my boy , "you've made a blunder for once ; but don't let it happen again , " "What do"yoti mean , sir ? " For reply he opened the door of the private inner room his own special sanctum. A slight boyish figure leaned against the window , smoking a ci garette , with black curls tossed back from a marble-white brow and brilliant eyes. He mockingly inclined his head as I started at him , with a motion not unfamiliar to me. "Clara Mattison ! " "Yes. " he said , in a soft , sarcastic voice , "Clara Mattison , or Perley Mat- cison. or whatever you may choose to call me. Many thanks for your polite ness. Detective Meredith'niul ; if you would like another lock of hair " I turned away , burning scarlet , while Mr. Cleuner closed the door. "Never mind , my boy ; it will be a lesson to you. " he said , laughing. "Ho made a very pretty girl , but I am not at all susceptible. " What a double-dyed fool I had been ! 1 had lost the reward , failed in the esti mation of my fellow officers and be haved like a brute to poor Kitty and all for what ? I went to Kitty and told her the whole story , and to my surprise , the dear , faithful , little creature loved me just as well as ever. "I won't be jealous of Perlev Matti son , Edward , " she said , smiling what ever I might be of his sister. And , dearest , don't bo discouraged. I'll Avait as long as you please , and you will be a second Mr. Clenner yet. " She was determined to look on the bright side of things , this little Kitty of mine ! But I felt the mortification none the less keenly ; although , as Mr. Clenuer said , it would undoubtedly prove a lesson to me. Perley Mattisou's girlish beauty is now eclipsed in one of Her Majesty's prison nor do I pity him. The stake for which he played was high and ho lost. Evening World. Evils of Promiscuous Bathing. A few years ago stockings were not worn ; now they may be of Vdk or cot ton , and the latest "advices tell us of stockings cut so as to expose the toes , which some newspaper correspondent describes as "ten tiny pink shells. " As I see them thus arrayed or disar rayed , to speak correctly I fear the girl will sobn begin to calculate the effect of what some one lately called "artistic bareness" on the mind of masculinity , and the man to be too conscious of the value of muscle and calf which he exposes. As the mouthpiece of the crowds who come to witness these exhibitions , let me quote the little girl who , in the innocence of her heart , asked her mother "if she might take off her dress and play in her underclothes like the ladies did on the beach. " After the bath these young people settle themselves on the sand for per haps an hour or so , rarely having any chaperon or older person with them. Is it right that an innocent and childish creature should be thrown in to such close and utterly unguarded companionship with one of the oppo site sex ? A girl's purity aud perfect unconsciousness arc her greatest charms , and can wo expect her to retain these graces in such an atmos phere ? You may say bare legs are no more demoralizing than bare shoulders , of which we have a surfeit in every ball room. Granted ; but because we con done one indelicacy are we to smile quietly on all ? Round dances have been the subject of pulpit oratory ; let the moralist and preacher now turn their attention to this rapidly increas ing evil. Ladies' Home Journal. Death Long Drawn Out. It appears from a report on capital punishment which has just been laid before the Parliament of Austria and Hungary that executions in that coun try are carried out in an inconceivably barbarous manner. The convict is placed on the ground , where he stands with a long rope around his neck , which presently jerks him off his legs , aud he remains struggling horribly in the air for several minutes. A con vict is never strangled in less than seven minutes , and often the operation takes a quarter of an hour , aud the poor wretch is usualry conscious , or nearly conscious , during the greater part ef the time. People talk about disgraces to civilization surely this is one. London Truth. Hats in England. The rat plague in Lincolnshire con tinues in spite of the enormous destruc tion of the animals by the farmers during the past few months. One farmer , who scatters poisoned barley about his yards every night , gathered in one day a crop of 1.300 rats. Three hundred rats were killed from ono stack of grain in another place. NECESSITY MADE A TONGUE. flio Story of the Invention of thoEpuei oral ChLaooh Out of the necessity of a universal 'anguago ' for commercial transactions has boon evolved the harsh , discordant Volapuk , yet not generally accepted [ ts only charm , if it possesses any , is in the simplicity of its grammar. It has no horrid irregular verbs , like the terrible aller which is the bete noir of all students of French ; nor has it that iwful subjunctive mood of our own language which the average Kansan and Missourian. instead of letting severely alone , has laboriously wrestled with until they have constructed ono or two veritable provincialisms and which sound , when heard by the culti vated car. like an epitapli in a York shire country churchyard. But years ago. in the early part of the century , the traders of the Hudson Bay , the Northwest , and other fur com panies manufactured a jargon out of the English , Indian , and French lan guage as a means of communication between themselves and the various Indian tribes , whose tongues and dia lects were like a scaled book. The Chinook enabled them to convor.se with the white men. and. convert , also among themselves. It is not a lan guage , because il has no grammar ; it is more cuphonius than Volapuk. but that is admitting little in favor of its euphony. One word , like the French on or fiiire , has a dozen different mean ings , depending upon its relation to another word , easily guessed at in Chi nook , but not so easily in French if one adheres to the irrevocable fiat of the "Academy. " Although I have had no use for Chinook these twenty- five years , I have not forgotten it , and " presume I could carry on"an ordinary conversation without difficulty. To give a specimen of its character I here present the little nursery prayer of "Now I lay me down to sleep : " "Al-ta ni-ka . ni-ka - - mcosum. - tick-ey Sah-a-le syce , close nan-age ni-ka lum- tum. Spo.se nika mam-e-loosc clip ni- ka mit-whit to-molla ni-ka - - , - tick-ey Sah-a-le is-cum ni-ka - - syee qual-isum - , - turn-turn. " Literally"Now I sleep , I want the Great Spirit to watch my soul. If I should die before I get up to-morrow I want the great Spirit to i'orcver keep my soul. " ' 'During the early days of the Penin sular campaign a certain officer of high position and rank sent a telegram to an other officer stationed in Washington , who , like myself , had been "hived" iu one of the posts on the Upper Pacific for years and understood Chinook , iu which jargon the message was written. Of course it was intercepted , as were all suspiciousy [ wordeil messages , and brought to the great War Secretary's office , where cipher experts perspired and grew desperate over it , but could make nothing out of it. Its capture created a terrible commotion ; and awful was the mystery surrounding it ; a plot against the Government it must be , and no effort was spared to trace it to the sender. At last this was ac complished , and its harmlessuess clear ly established ; the weary ofllccr before Yorktown had simply asked his old comrade to send down at first opportu * nity some bottles of good whisky. Stanton overlooked it , but warned the principals not to indulge in such dan gerous pleasantries again. Kansas City Slar. The Bulbul. Throughout India people will make pets of any animals which can be in duced to contribute to their entertain ment. We noticed in Delhi that tha average small boy. as well as children of a larger growth , exhibited a partie ular fondness for a certain little bir of ashen plumage and black crest. This was the famous bulbul of which Haiiz has much to say , and some Western poets also who have senti mentalized about the Vale of Cashmere without even having seen ife. He is usually tethered by a string attached to his leg , and sits upon his owner's finger , or hops about on his arm ; some times too , he adorns a tall perch in front of the.doorway. . A lady at the hotel remarked that "it was touching to see how fond these poor people were of their little birds. " The mystery was soon solved. Returning from a i-rive one afternoon , we passed the colossal gateway of the great mosque , find saw "that the broad and towering flight of steps before the principal entrance was covered with scattered /jroups of people , all intent on some Occupation of absorbing interest. So just and imposing was the arehiteet- 3ral background that the crowd of little figures suggested one of Martin's weird pictures of the Judgment Day. Some great religious ceremony was evidently going on. So we got out. deeply impressed , to obtain a nearer view , vyhen , behold , in the centre of each little group was a pair of these birds in mortal combat ; and they fought as pluekily as the bravest o'f game fowl , and breathless was the in terest shown by every spectator , whether street urchin or shawled and turbaned merchant. Edwin Lord Weeks , in Harper's Magazine. About Men and YTomcn. When a woman gets cross , she gilts cross at even-body. Smile at some women , and they will tell you all the troubles they ever hi'l. : When a woman can wash ilauncls so they will not shrink , sheknoivs enough to get married. A women is never so badly in love that she docs not 'try to find out the cost of her engagement ring. One of our delicate women will never admit that she is hungry ; she will say that she is feeling a little faint. There is only one thing that pleases woman more than to be referred to a * a dove , and that is to hear man referred to as a hawk. A woman never becomes so intelli gent that she learns that it is no pleac- urc to others to hear her coax her chil dren to speak a piece , A man who Attempts to flatter you takes you for a fool. Man , liue the fire , is apt to torment women by going out at night. Boston Commonwealth. Bismarck takes snuff , but when ha docs so Germany uo longer sneezes. THE FORGOTTEN MILLIONS. A. Study of American I-lfo ns Typlllotl by the IimnbltnutH nfTklt. Dosort. The cost of bringing up a family of five or six children comfortably in the town of Mount Desert does not exceed $250 a year if the house , a garden patch and a cow pasture be already provided from savings of the husband and wife before marriage , and if the family , as a whole , have normal health and strength. Very few heads of fam ilies earn more than that sum in a year ; for , although a day's wages in summer is commonly § 1.75 , work is scarce , the winter is long , and few men can get more than five months' employment at these wages in a year. The man and boys of a family'can , however , do much for the common support , even when there is no work at wages to be had. They can catcli and cure fish , dig clams , trap lobsters , pick the abundant blueberries on the rocky hills in August , and shoot ducks Bt the seasons of migration. Wild nature still j-ields to the skillful seeker a considerable quantity of food with out price. Dwellers in a city may wonder how it is possible for a family , to live so cheaply , but there is no mystery about it. There is no rent to pay ; the schools are free : water costs nothing ; tire garden patch yields pota toes and other vegetables , and the pasture milk and butter ; two kerosene lamps aijd a lantern ? upply all the artificial light needed , at a cost not exceeding $2 a year ; the family do all their own work without waste ; there is but one fire , except on rare occa sions , and that single lire is iu a stove which delivers all its heat into the house ; the wife and daughters knit ths family stockings , mittens and mufflers , mend all the clothes , and for the most part make all their own. The readymade - made clothing which the. men buy at the stores is very cheap ( $10 to § 15 a suit ) , being made of cotton with but a small admixture of wool. The cloth is strong and warm , and looks fairly well when new , but soon fades and wears shabby. For children the old clothes of their ciders arc cut down , the wear being thus brought on new places. The" Hessian country girl wears proudly her grandmother's woolen petticoats , and well she may , for they are just as good and handsome as they were sixty years ago. A Scotch shepherd's all-wool plaid withstands the wind and the rain for a lifetime. The old Swiss porter , who is carrying the mounted traveler's valise over the Gemmi , puts on a thicli woolen jacket of a rich brown color when the shower begins , with the remark. "The rain won't wet me. sir ; this coat has kept me dry for twenty-live years. " The American farmer and laborer use no such good materials as these , and therefore they and their children look shabby most of the time ; but their clothes are very cheap in first cost , and , like the cotton clothes of the Chinese , they answer the main pur poses of all clothing. In a city the best clothes of the family must be often put on , in the country but sel dom. Shoes and boots must be bought for the whole household , but these arti cles are also very cheap in New Eng land , and the coarser sorts are durable in proportion to their price. For pro tection from rain the Mount Desert man who is obliged to be out-of-doors in bad weather uses , in sailor fashion , not rubber clothing , but suits of oiled cotton cloth , which keep out not only water but wind , last long , ana cost little ( § 2 to $3 a suit ) . However hard it may be for city people to understand it , the fact remains that $230 a year is a sum adequate to the comfortable and wholesome support of a family of seven or eight persons in the town of Mount Desert , provided that a house , a garden and a pasture are secured to them. President Charles W. Eliot , in The Century. The Color of the Hair. It does not matter whether the color of the hair be the. shining black , now comparatively rare in this country , and evidentfy becoming gradually more so , the rich chestnut brown , with its glossy sheen , the golden strands of which take a thousand new hues in as many different conditions of light , or the pale blonde which , possessing little of color , has still an indescribable glory of its own. Each of these , with all the varying gradations of hues , if properly kept ai.d attractively worn. [ has a beauty of its own , not by any , means to bo despised. Fortunately , i our people seemed to have realized , for a time , this fact. We have had the craze for black , brown and gold ( but just now the sensible American , seems to have reached the conclusion that Nature understands this matter pretty well after all , and that the color she furnishes is the most appro priate. Possibly the faet that black is be coming less prevalent , and the lighter shades are taking its place , may be ac cepted as an evidence of the advance ment of the race intellectually , since scientists tell us that as a nation grows in civilization the color of the hair of its women becomes proportionately lighter. This may be merely scientific theory , but the thoughtful reader will immediate ! } ' recur to the fact that iu most savage races the black hair is a universal feature. However that ma } ' be , we must drop tlie theory before we get to individuals , because , as often occurs , a family of sNters posiessir-g the same traits and dipoaitions and like degrees of refinement , may , iu com plexion and hair , present the most striking contrast. Usually , of course , the complexion , the eyes and the hair correspond in hue. The black hair and eyes and olive complexion are natural ly associated , while in the blond we expect to see the hair and the skin in harmony , with the eye of light blue or gray ; yet this is by no means invaria bly the case. Black hair and blue eyes are not infrequently met , especially among the Irish , and there is some times a combination , such as hair of fiery red. with very light eyes , brows and lashes , combined with an unpleas ant complexion , which renders tne possessor miserable. The texture of the hair depends very much upon its color , and of a normal head the aver age thickness of hair is about 400 to the square inch ; but the blonde is fiu- 2St. with the brown , black and red growing coarser in their order , so that it is estimated that the finest texture fl I elves a total of about 1-10,000 individ- 1 nal hairs to the head. The browa would count up some 110.000 , the black move than 100,000. while the red will fall below 1)0.000. ) These are ap proximate figures ; any one wishing to obtain greater exactness can do so by n little patience , and a careful 'Count. A moderate estimate is that any of our readers , in their morning toilet , will dress from forty to fifty miles of hair in the very few minutes usually given to that necessary operation. As the ordinary hair has a breaking capacity of about four ounces , a rope composed of all the hairs growing from a single well-covered head would bo strong enough to lift t least 25.000 pounds , or about 200 times the weight of the wearer. ' Good Housekeeping. " THE ZODIAC ! An ImaRlnary Belt That Anclnnt Astrono. raers Kxtoudocl Arouiul the Heavens. The ancient astronomers gave the name of zodiac to an imaginary belt extending around the heavens , having for its middle line the ecliptic , which is the line of the earth's orbit , or the ap parent path of the sun through the heavens. The ecliptic forms the cen ter of this belt , which is about eighteen degrees in width , which in ancient times included the orbits of all the l known planets about five in number as well as the sun. The eighteen- ilegree belt of the old-time astronomers - mers , says the St. Louis Jlepublic , will not now'contain the orbits of all the recently discovered planets and aster oids , which are now technically known ns ultra zodiacal planets. The stars in the zodiacal belt were grouped into twelve constellations , to each of which was assigned one-twelfth of the cir cumference of the circle , or thirty de grees. This arrangement made it pos sible to readily define at any time the position of the sun and the planets. The constellations that gave rise to the zodiacal divisions were as follows : Aries , the ram ; Taurus , the bull ; Ge mini , the twins ; Cancer , the crab ; Leo , the lion ; Virgo , the virgin ; Libra , the balance ; Scorpio , the scorpion ; Sagit tarius , the archer ; Capricornus , the goat ; Aquarius , the water-bearer , and Pisces , the iishes. As one half of the ecliptic is north and the other hall south of the celestial equator , that is , \ the line uiiere the plane of the earth'a equator if extended would divide the heavens , the points of intersection of their planes are known as the equi noctial points. The old-time stargazers - gazers regarded these points as fixed and immovable , and therefore , the one f at which the sun crosses the equinoc tial line from south to north was fixed J upon as the first point in the first di ( vision of the zodiac , the sign of Aries. After the sun had traveled 30 degrees eastward in this division he entered tht second sign. Taurus , and thus contin ued his course through all the signs , crossing the line from north to south , when he passed from the sign Virgo into that of Libra. The equinoctial points are not stationary , but move slowly in the heavens , thus the first di vision of the zodiac has been almost entirely separated from the constella tion of Aries , and now corresponds more exactly with that of Pisces. An ciently the signs of the zodiac were supposed to have an abnormal effect upon all animal and vegetable life , but this is now looked upon as rankest superstition. The constellations of the zodiac were arranged by the astrono mer Uipparchus in the year 200 A. D , or thereabouts. Now. Kisses which fall upon the dead's nrto lips , Like dew on ro cs which the llrst Irost nips. Comciill too lute : 'TIs better far to give them while the lips cat speak : The golden chord of life at best is weak ! All ! do not wait. Kind words in cars whose earthly powers art spent , lake sunshine on the tree by lifrhtning1 rent. Can Kive no balm : 'Tis better far to give them while those ears can hear ; For lite has much of wo and much of fcarl And love brings calm. Tt is too late when life's lamp Inirncth low. When 1 Kinds oucu warm are chili as winter's snow. To do hind deeds ; 'Tis better here , where feet are prone to slidei 'Tis better now than wait till eventide- To help their needs. Ah , friendsl dear friends if any such then be Keep not your lorinar thoughts away from mt Till I am frone ; I want them now to help me on my way. As lonely watchers want the light of day it is morn. And though Fomctimcs my heart , o'er semi Eororr n f Longijroodinjr. . weaves some bitterness Ir sougr - ; r . Tis but a ? ! itde "Within life's texture wheie the best sire poor O , close uot up to many faults Love's door ! 1 need 3 our aid. P. F. Hodges. Stringent Liquor Laws in Norway. The bona iidc traveler in Norway appears to sull'er occasional inconven ience from the stringency of the local " liquor laws. Mr. Beyer "in his Weekly News , published at Bergen , has invited English tourists to speak their minds on this subject , and the result is a rather extensive correspondence. One gentleman , who signs with the inap propriate name of "Waters , " writes from Vossevjiugen to tell how his party of English tourists discussed the mat ter , and agreed that a glass of "whiskv today all round' ' would have tended to promote the festivity of their gathering , but even this confessed indulgcr m "night-caps" acknowledges that the Norwegian legislature cannot be ex pected to make special exceptions on his behalf. 'Another thinks that "ina bility to obtain a glass of spirits in a hotel would scarcely deter any but an inveterate dtunkard ' < from pla'nnjng a summer tour in Norway. " While 'J. E. B. " , wiio dates from Odde , suggests that those who , like himself , talie an occasional glass of spirits and water , should carry a supply with them. London Daily News. All TTmlcr "Water. \ f Geologists assert that if the conti nents and the bottom of the ocean were graded down to uniform level the whole world would be covered with water a mile deep. The invention of smokeless powder has ijceu followed bv a counter-inven tion in the shape of "a "smoke rocket ? : to be used lo screen the advance -of 'a ' . * body of troops. It has been tried witii success.