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About Western news-Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1898-1900 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 1899)
THE COMING MAN. il pair of < ref chubby legs IncoSefl in scnrlet hose ; A. pair < rf little stubby boots Wifh rather doubtful toes ; A little1 tilt , a little coat , Cut as ; a mdther can And loilaefore us strides in state The'fflttfre's "coming man. " PVCH , perchance , will read the stars , And search their unknown ways ; Perchance -ihe human heart and soul AVill (5iNn ( to their gaze ; Porchaflc&'tUdir keen and flashing glance Will 1 # a nation's light Those e ds' ihat now are wistful bent On stfntt ' ' 'big fellow's" kite. That brQw where mighty thought will dwell In solemn , secret state ; Where fierce ambition's restless strength Shall war -with future fate : Where Science from now hidden caves New reaiJurcs shall outpour 'Tis knit -now with a troubled doubt , Are I wo , 'or ihree cents , more ? Those lipsHhat in the coining years Will ple ad , or pray , or teach ; Whore whispered worlds on lightning KromtfSrfd to world may reach ; 1' That , Sternly grave , may speak command. Or , smifing win control- Arc1 coaxing now for gingerbread With all 'a "baby's soul ! If Those liancfs those little busy hands t So sOckysmall and brown ; Those han'dswhose only mission seems To jull all order down Who kflows'what hidden strength may lie I ! Within their future grasp , Though how 'tis but a taffy stick In sturdy 'hold they clasp ? Ah , blessings OH those little hands Whose "work is yet undone ! And b/es&lngs on those little feet Whose race is yet unrun ! And biasings on the little brain That Las ? not learned to plan ! .Whatever Iho future holds in store , Go hless iho "coming man. " f lmira Telegram. PERCY. was at work. I We had been furnishing my wife and * f. We thought we had done it cheaply , but a few charming things in the br3c-n-brac line added , at the last moment , had so overbalanced our ac count fihat I felt it imperative to make up a better check than usual that week on the daily paper upon which I earned my daily bread. So I was hard at work. But mj wife had been hard at work , too. She "had been to Paul Jones' sale- It was "remnant day" and she had got a few little things which dear baby ab solutely had to have , besides a few more quite indispensable trifles for her self all of them "dirt cheap. ' ' She had been forced to confess , however , that the week's housekeeping money had been severely encroached upon , and I am afraid I was not enthusiastic over the Jones sale. In fact I took some credit to myself for my silence both over the interrup tion and over the advisability of the purchases ; I did not even endeavor to stop her when she had quickly gather ed up al her little soft parcels aud had deprived me of her presence. Instead of chasing the passing cloud b 1 - from hev sweet eyes as I knew how to < Jo I had even heaved a sigh of relief as the 'dooc slammed after her. But , 0 f there , the bills were hanging over my head , and I had written one para IEp graph ! in So I was hard at work , and within fi sight of the end at last , when a voice fip on the stairs , shouting , "I know my ei way , " made me swear a gentle oath eira under my breath before the door open le ed and one Tej-cy Falmouth stood be fore me. tc He was a college friend one of those tcP who always prevent one from working , of but to whom one is never able to say in nay. tl I smiled a sickly smile of welcome tii and pushed the cigarettes toward him , ai but even as I did so I forgot his offense aiol In sudden alarm at his appearance. tli His face , that was wont to be fresh , is Tvas sallow and gray , and his eye , that isai was always merry , was dull and down to cast. "What's fee matter , old man ? " said inTJ I. "You're down on your luck. " vr It took him some time to bring the di trouble out , even to rue. But at last he la managed it. He was In love. or "Is that all ? " cried I " cheerily. "Well , of ,1 don't be alarmed. I assure you , when ha , you have got over the beginning it ar Isn'-t bad at all. " 111 "It isn't that , " said my friend gloom ei ily , after a pause. $1 "Isn't what ? " I asked. si1 "It isn't that I mind being in love , " fo he explained , "but how am I to keep a wife ? " ag bu My chair spun around again of Itself. do "You ! " I cried almost ' " , fiej'cely. "Why , bu haven't you got $2,500 a year of your own ? " and a vision of the weekly books and the monthly bills swam be fore my eyes and made me run my fin erH gers wildly through my hair. "You're H & nice one te talk ! " re' Percy smiled sarcastically. on "Two thousand five hundred dollars ! " tia ; echoed he. "Why , it wouldn't keep her esi In frilled underwear and short silk pet 111 : ticoats ! " lej I looked grave instantly. "O ! " I mur do mured. St "And It weuldn't " ori keep any of them , said my friend , rising and throwing res his cigarette away as he warmed to his tlo subject. "And one wouldn't wish that ry It should. What man cares to see his Co wife looking a frump , and dowdier sla than other women ? And It Isn't only cit the clothes ; it's the house , and the fur Be niture , and the servants , and every Tl thing. Dinginess is out of date. People ple don't caver up their carpets with washing drugget now , or let their wives go about in linsey-wolsey go-wns or > ] and dust the knick-knacks , or give tnd their friends herring and mutton chops for dinner. Ca nc so fati plus , and you know it. " I sighed. Yes , I did know it more or less. "If I were to marry on $2,500 a year , " continued Percy emphatically , " ! should he in debt two mouths , and my wife and I would have quarreled forever. " Why didn't I smile ? 1 had been mar ried more than two months , and , though I had ceitainly been in debt most of the time , my wife and I had not quarreled yet. But a vision of pouting mouth and tear-dimmed blue eyes rose uncomfort ably before me ; instead of smiling it was I now who sighed. Perhaps ray wife had not brought home small , soft parcels enough from Jones' sale instead of as I had meanly supposed that morniug too man } ' . "But a man can work , " said I , as bravely as I could , drawing ray papers toward me. "Work ! " echoed Percy , bitterly. "That's all very well if you've got brains. I have no qualifications for earning money , and love in a cottage isn't good enough nowadays. " , Somehow this speech restored me to rny balance. ' He smoked another cigaret , and then took up his hat , and I breathed a sigh of relief. "It's a devil of a mess for a fellow to be in , " he said , gloomily. "Yes , " said I , I'm afraid you'll have to find a wife who can work on her own account. There are a good many , of them about nowadays. " | He- looked at me doubtfully. "O , I hate that sort , " he said. "A girl with money's better , but that won't help me just now. " "So I supposed , " said I. And I let him out. I had sworn at his entrance , ' but he had brought me luck. | The words literally flew from my pen when I sat down again ; there was something spurring me on there was a goal in sight that I knew of. Afffl-- when I had put my name to the last sheet and was free I sought it. Upstairs In the nursery my wife sat beside the cradle ; she had our child in her arms and was lulling him to sleep. Her eyes shone as she looked up at me , her face was fresh , and she was as dainty as any man could wish in a 1 plain , white frock ready to welcome , me to dinner after my work. As I bent down to kiss her I said gayly : "I've made up a splendid week , darling ; so you needn't worry about the pur chases. " And she laughed , saying : "There weren't so many after all , you know. Only a few dollars' worth. But I shouldn't have interrupted you while you were making them ! " And then we went together to the dainty meal of her frugal ordering , and I was sorry that I had not been able to explain to Percy what it was that made it "good enough. " Exchange. ARTIFICIAL TREE INDUSTRY. Factory-Made Palms of Life-Lake For mation Are Now Numerous. Tliis is the age of things artificial. A palm manufactory has recently opened a salesroom on Upper Broadway , and * a huge sign lower down on the same thoroughfare notifies the mob that an- other store of the same sort will soon be ready for business. The artificial tree industry is comparatively new and ' it must be profitable. All over town " one ] sees counterfeits. Many of the large stores , and most of the more prominent : hotels of this city , including - ing some of those that are most tasteP.1 ful in their decorations , now have huge palms : in their halls or entrances , and ' even in private houses it is not uncom- moil to find plants with removable leaves. ! The prepared palms , such as are used T to-day , are infinitely more real in ap pearance < than the old artificial plants a few years ago. Many a're so close their resemblance to the live plant T that ] it is hard to detect them as imitations al tions without close scrutiny. The leaves are real leaves , and not constructed out enameled tin , like the old kind , and er the fiber on the trunk is real fiber. It tli only on approaching them and examining - . is amining them that the leaves are seen to be painted and the stalks inserted of into , but not growing out of , the stem. a The price of the manufactured article varies from 50 cents to $25 for the or C dinary specimens , but some of the lauc larger and finer ones amount to $50 , ucw even $100. A small fern palm sprig ucR some fifteen inches high is sold at R half a dollar ; a tree , such as those that inca are seen in the halls of hotels , measur m ing ; , say , nine feet high , and with about ca eighteen ; removable leaves , will cost th 17. The sago palm is a more expen flc sive variety , a tree of five feet selling tliBf for as much as $20. We may rail Bf igainst humbug to our hearts' content , a but , somehow or other , the laugh is sel- w lorn on the fellow who fools us. Pitts- bu inirg Dispatch. re an Work's Great Work. ed The movement in G. A. R. circles to jrect < a monument over the grave of Cc Bfenry ( Clay Work , at Hartford , Conn. , revives the fact that his father was Cl mce confined in the Missouri peniten- tin ; iary on the charge of aiding slaves to sei ; jscape from the State -Missouri to clc : ilinols. When the elder Work was re- all eased , one of the conditions of his par- ) being that he should return to the fla state ! of Connecticut , whence he came su rigiually , and remain there for the las est of his natural life. This obllga- col : lon he faithfully kept. The son , Hen- lie C. Work , was born at Mlddletown , wl 3onn. , and saw the end of American nu lavery while thousands of soldiers and a itizens sang "Nicodemus , " "Ring the ba Jell , Watchman , " and "Marching ca ; Dhrough Georgia. " Ini The Czar's Scepter. Q The Russian scepter is of solid gold , ; ihree feet long , and contains among Its > rnaments 2G8 diamonds , 860 ruble ! fifteen emeralds. > r , The late Prince Bismarck stopped one day at an inn in the Black Forest and called for a cup of chicory. The astonished ; landlord brought him about a gill. "That's all I have in the house , " he said. * 'Are you sure ? " asked Bis marck. "Yes , inein herr. " ' 'Very well , " said the prince , throwiug the stuff , awaj" ' 'now make me some cof fee. " In the time of Nicholas the First , writes Prince Kropotkiu in the Atlantic | , tic ' , soldiers were trained to perform almost , inhuman tricks with their legs and rifles ( to break the wood of the rifle , to pieces while presenting arms . was one of those famous tricks ) , and the , good officer was he who could show ( on a parade a row of soldiers as perfectly aligned and as motionless as a , row of toy soldiers. "Very good , " the j Grand Duke Michael said once of a t regiment , after having kept it for one hour ] motionless , presenting arms , "but they , breathe ! " Two convicts at the French penal col ony of Cayenne , employed as servants ; by the governor , got leave to marry. They went to the mairie , and the lady was asked if she was a spinster or a widow. "Widow , " she said. "Well , " said s the official , "but I have not the certificate of your first husband's death. { " "Really , " said the bride , "I thought . it was not needed. " "Why , it is an indispensable document. " The lady smiled , and referred him to the record of her conviction. "You will perceive , sir , that I was sentenced for j life for having poisoned uiy husband. " They were leaning against the bar- ran in Cassidy's saloon , on Valencia street , the other night , when Flaherty , the hack-driver , inquired of Gallagher , "How are yees on a conundrum ? " "Foine , " was the answer ; "but O'iv not had one for some time. To tell yer der trut' , O'iv been drinkin' stame beer lately. " "O'im not talkin' of drinkin' ; are yees good on gissing things ? " "O'i can giss iunything that walks. " "Well , thin , why is it all the rich Germans refuse ter use green-colored robes in their carriages ? " A pause , and then the reply : "I duuuo. " "Because they think they're Mike-robes , " said Flaher ty. Then the patrol wagon was called. Spurgeon once passed a stonemason , who , after each stroke of his hammer , cursed aud swore. Mr. Spurgeon laid his hand on bis shoulder , aud , looking kindly at him , said : "You are an adept at swearing. Can you also pray ? " With another oath , he replied : "Not very likely. " Holdiug up five shillings , Mr. Spurgeon said if he would promise never to pray , he would give him that. "That is easily earued. " said the man , with a fresh oath , aud put it in bis pocket. When Spurgcou left , the man began to feel a little queer. When he went home , his wife asked him what ailed him , aud he told her. "It is .Tu- das' money ! " said the man , aud , on a sudden 'impulse , he threw it into the jl1 fire. fire.At At a Royal Academy dinner , several artists and literary men waxed enthusiastic - . siastic in praise of favorite painters. "His glorious coloring is a fact about , Titian , " said one. "And his glorious ' drawing ' is another fact about Titian , " cried . a second. Carlyle , who bad been listening ' in silence , interrupted the re marks by saying , with slow delibera ItA tion : "And here I sit , a man made in A the . image of God , who knows nothing about Titian , and cares nothing about I j. Titian and that's another fact about Titian. " Thackeray , sipping claret at B the moment , paused and bowed cour teously . to Carlyle , as be remarked : T "Pardon me , that is not a fact about Titian. But it is a fact aud a lament able one about Thomas Carlyle. " Barou Oppcnheim. the wealthy bank I of Cologne , though a Christian of the I third generation , never denies his Jew ish origin , no matter where he happens be. Lately a French financier , also Hebrew extraction aud a native of little German town , though natural In ized in France , paid him a visit at his Cologne < counting house , bent on a ' large stroke of business in which he needed the aid of Barou Oppenheim , whose financial influence along the - Rhine ] is almost paramount. He sent his card. The bit of pasteboard al most suppressed the real name of the wilier , which was Colin , but added to in the mere C of the Colin a long and al Sowing title , more or less fictitious , ej thus : "Le Barou C. de Point Figuier. " ev Baron Oppeulieira took the card , smiled ill quiet i smile , aud then bade his caller fie svelcome < , aud proceeded to discuss fi fide Business with him. The next day he de returned i the French financier's visit , cli md sent in a card on which was print- a "Le Barou 0. dc Cologne. " cr sa Dannon "Without Smoke or Noise , fti Col. Humbert , a French army officer , of claims that he has invented a cannon * he discharge of which can be neither een nor heard by the enemy. He rn loses the mouth of the gun automatic- ed illy after the shot issues , thus sup- fa ressing not merely the smoke and the Gl lame , but the detonation caused by the sudden rush of air iuto the barrel. This also the effect of reducing the re- oil. The method proposed is to fix on bu muzzle of the gun a metal piece , he yhich carries a shutter worked auto- 001 naticallybythe escaping fumes in such lut manner i as to close the mouth of the OVi mrrel as soon as the projectile has es- poi aped ] from it It is said that when the cia : nveution was presented to the French Minister of War it was not taken seri- j msly ; but the house of Hotchkiss of "I ' uu fame , hi France , saw in it such coi ossibilities that they placed them- ily ielves at the disposition of the inveut- hat and organized a series of tests with COI a gun of 37 millimeters in caliber. The claims made for the device appear ta have been to a great extent confirmed. A committee on artillery is reported to have found that the flame of the dis charge is hardly visible , and the noise much diminished , and while the recoil is yet considerable it is greatly reduc ed. A great advantage of the inventor is that it can be applied to existing guns at small cost. St. Louis Globe- Democrat. HOW DIFFERENT NATIONS EAT. The Numerous Jiliosyircrnsies of Vari ous People " \VIiilc at the Table. The English are admitted by all un prejudiced foreigners to be the most re fined caters in the world. To see a well- bred Englishman go through the vari ous stages of his dinner is to have a lesson in the art of graceful eating. Very different is the behavior of the Russian , who does not disdain to use nature's weapons when he considers the later more convenient than knife and fork. The Frenchman will use a piece of bread in nearly all cases where he should use a knife. The German , on the other hand , plunges his knife into his mouth in a way that is terrifying. The Swede cuts up all his food iiitc tiny pieces first of all , and then , having laid aside his knife , proceeds to take up piece by piece with his fork. The Italian uses a spoon quite as of ten as a fork. He will employ the for mer for vegetables , and sometimes even for fish. The latter use of the spoon is somewhat curious. The Japanese diner uses chop-sticks , a form of implement soinewhst difficult to manipulate without considerable practice , while the Chinaman tears his food with his long nails in a manner thoroughly repulsive. The Greek swallows his meat in huge mouthfuls and would probably devour a steak weighing half a pound in half a minute. Taking a very sharp knife , he divides the meat into four or five great sections , each of which he flings into his mouth in rapid succession. It is not to be wondered at tihat the Greeks suffer much from indigestion. When all is said and done , the English - lish ] beat the other nations in the art of refined eating. Tit-Bits. A Recipe for Success. How is it I have prospered so ? How is h I have struck Throughout the hull of my ka-reer jest one long streak of luck ? Intellijunce , young man ; that's all. I rea son an' reflec'a 'Tis jest reflec'r reflec'n Wen I git up I'm allus sure to dress mi right foot first , Or put my drawers on wrong side out , or hev my vest reversed , For them are signs you'll hev good luck ; an eddicated man Knows all them signs an' shapes his life on a consistent plan. I've strewed oF boss-shoes down the road for soniethiu' like a mile , An' I go out an' hunt 'em up a-cvery little while ; For if you fin' a hoss-shoe , w'y , you're , sure to prosper then ; A fac' that is familyer to all eddicated men. A cat's tail p'intin' to'rds the fire , it is an " awful sign ; I But I hev counteracted it with every cat of mine ; II my cat's tail should p'int that way it wouldn't give me scares ; I'd go in my back entry then an * simply fall up stairs. " It's a good sign to fall up stairs an' coun U teracts the cat ; An' that's the way I shape my life , I bal- lunce this with that. see four crows bad sign I know might w scare a man that's bolder : But I jest wait an'-see the moon rise over my right shoulder. " The moon it counteracts the crows ; ona A ballunces the other , For oue is jest wiped out. you see , an' cancelled off by t'other. hear a dog howl in the night ; it don't Ai give me no dread. ballunce it by gltiif out the right han' side the bed. B Tl An * so I've prospered nil my life by jest a little pains. Intellijunce , young man , ( hat's all , an' intcllec. an * brains. ' 'Tis ignorance that makes men fail. An' wisdom notliin' less - Inlightennmnt an * knowledge , sir , caw bring a man success. -Sam Walter Foss , in Grit. Oil Gun for Use in Stormy Seas stWJ ; The efficacy of the WJ > use of the oil bag calming the waves at sea has been he abundantly . In in proved. many cases of exceptionally stormy weather , how su ever , the area affected by the oil as or he dinarily used has been found insuf he ficient to the or > give ship the protection from the force of the waves that was do desirable. It is roi now proposed to dis charge the oil at such a distance that cai wide circle of thi smooth surface will be . created In which the ship can ride in safety until the storm has spent its ne fury. This plan involves the shooting evi saturated sponges or cotton from a pneumatic gun , which is considered ike preferable to a powder gun , as obviat- ug ' , the danger of igniting the oil-soak- , sponge. The idea is regarded with . "avor in shipping circles. St. Louis , .S Slobe-Democrat. , als Normal Peanut Crop. The normal peanut crop is 4,000,000 u mshels , and Americans are so fond of a I ( nut that they spend upon it $10- fro 100,000 a year. Chemists say the pea- bee contains 50 per cent , of fat and by iver 30 per cent , of nourishing com- bel tounds , and it is commended by physi- sat ians as au article of food. thr Talleyrand's Reply. de : Napoleon once said to Talleyrand : cat wish I had the keys of hell , for I let ould then put you in there. " The re- wa was : "It would be better , sire , hai I should have them , for { "hen 1 lite ould let you out. ' ' km : CHILDREN'S COLUMN. A DEPARTMENT FOR LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS. Something that Will Interest the Jn- vcnile Members of Every Household Quaint Actions and Bright Sayinjja of Many Cnte and Cunning Children. Boys sometimes think they cannot afford to be manly and faithful to the little things. A story is told of a boy of the right stamp , and what came of his faithfulness. A few years ago a large drug firm in New Yoi'k City advertised for a boy. Next day the store was thronged with applicants , among them a queer- looking little fellow , accompanied by a woman , who proved to be his aunt , in lieu of faithless parents , by whom he had been abandoned. Looking at this waif , the advertiser said : "Can't take him ; places all full. Besides he is too small. " "I know he is small , " said the wo man , "but he is willing and faithful. " There was twinkling in the boy's eyes which made the merchant think again. A partner in the firm volun teered to remark that ho "did not see what they wanted with such a boy ; he wasn't bigger than a pint of cider. " But , after consideration , the boy was set to work. A few days later , a call was made on the boys in the store for some one to stay all night. The prompt response of the little fellow contrasted with the reluctance of the others. In the mid dle of the night the merchant looked In to see if all was right In the store , and presently discovered this youthful - ful protege busy scissoring labels. "What are you doing ? " he said. "I did not tell you to work nights. " "I know you did not tell me so , but I thought I might as well be doing something. " In the morning the cash ier got orders to "double that boy's wages , for he is willing. " Only a few weeks elapsed before a show , of wild beasts passed through , the streets ; and very naturally all hands in the store rushed to witness . the spectacle. A thief saw his oppor tunity , and entered at the rear door tf tt seize something , but in a twinkling found himself firmly clutched by the diminutive clerk aforesaid , and after a struggle , was captured. Not only was a robbery prevented , but valuable articles taken from other stores were recovered. Wheu asked why he stay ed behind to watch when all other quit their work , he replied : "You told me never to leave the store when others were absent , and I thought I'd stay. " Orders were immediately given once more . : "Double that boy's wages ; he is willing and faithful. " To-day that boy is a member of the firm. Presbyterian Banner. S Bamboozling : Grauduia. "There never was a grandma half so good ! " He whispered while beside her chair he stood , And laid his rosy cheek , tifa With manner very meek , fa Against her dear old face in loving mood. of PI "There never was a nicer grandma born ; tli know some little boys must be forlorn , Because they've none like you. I wonder what I'd do Without a grandma's kisses- night and ' ' morn ? "There never was a dearer grandnu , there ! " NJ He kissed her and he smoothed her snow- of white hair ; Then fixed her rufiled cap , SLue And nestled in her lap , While grandma , smiling rocked , her old ue armchair. "When I'm a man what things you I'll pa bring ; horse and carriage and a watch and oti ring. All grandmas are so nice ho ( Just here he kissed her twice ) , And grandmas give a good bov every thing. " ca Before his dear old grandma could reply" rhis boy looked up , and with a roguish eye , Then whispered in her ear ve That nobody might hear : 'Say , grandma , have you any more mince AVG pie ? " AVGG -Nebraska State Journal. Bu The Tease. An English paper recently teld the tory < of a cat named M'liss. M'liss vas a tease. When the other cat curls icrself up for a sleep , M'liss will get a position near her , and when she is sure her friend is asleep M'liss gives mo ier a quick tap on the head to wakeu nei , and then she crouches out of sight. runs away. Then when puss curls lown again and falls asleep , she is I oused in the same way , until she of latches M'liss , and there is a fight. But nai his ending does not cure naughty mo .I'liss of her teasing tendencies. The coi text : day she her repeats offenses in tre vident enjoyment. I wonder If you lave ever known any boys and girls tre this teasing cat. ey tllr Words that Have Wandered. Words often have a way of wander- off from their original meaning It bat , while sometimes very puzzling , Is yea Iso very curious and interesting. Who , Vei v instance , would imagine that our riec ord "book * ' had anything to do with at : beech tree ? And yet it comes direct and rom the Anglo-Saxon boc , a beech tree , for > iecause the wood of that tree was used the our ancestors for writing tablets efore the Invention of paper. In the ame way or word "code" is derived , whj urough the Latin "codex , " from cau- woi , the stem or trunk of a tree , be- ous ause the Romans used for writing tab- ousA ; thin wooden plates covered with entJ rax. In fact , the vegetable kingdom tim played an important part In our iterary vocabulary paper , as you M now , being named , from the Egyptian as 5 i plant papyrus , that long furnished tha ancients with their principal writing material ; while our "library , " like the Latin liber , a book , is from liber , mean ing the inner bark of trees , one of the earliest writing materials used by the Romans. St. Nicholas. A Pnzzlincr Problem. "One and one are two , J'ui surej That's plain as plain can be. And one from oue leaves nought , also Is very clear to me. But one times one is puzzling , quite , " Said William Peter Dunn , "For I can't seem to find the way To write down onety-one. " Chicago Record. RECENT INVENTIONS. A Westerner has designed a wagon which will improve the roads Instead of cutting them up as it passes along , the front pair of wrheels running on a wider track than the rear ones and all four wheels having broad , flat tires. Lamp-burners are prevented from falling off from the lamp when un screwed for filling by means of an im proved top , a slot being formed all the way around for the entrance of the button on the end of the wick-raiser as the burner is tipped over. A new safety bottle which will pre-i vent fraudulent refilling has a sealing ; rod of glass with one end bent to cover the stopper after it is in place , the oth er end extending into a well at tha side of the bottle , which is filled with ! cement to prevent removal of the rodj A New-Yorker has designed a com bined wagon , sleigh and boat , which ! has the body formed of a water-tight ] box , with axles underneath for the at-i tachment of wheels , a pair of runner. being hung below the axles to rest on' ' the ground when the wheels are removed - moved An Englishman lias iuveuted a rangefinder - finder for battleships , consisting of ai graduated glass to be inserted in-a telescope giS scope , a horizontal line at the topj ? the glass being adjusted to thcyJfizon. . vtfien the graduations on tii-jevel | with : the boat sighted "will jii&rnte itsi tance. s An improved h2 shoe has a contlll nous < channeljermed in the under sur face of ttyftrcad , in which a curvjft plates are inserted liaviiig projections arranged radially arount the c nter of the shoe to act as calks the ground is slippery , the plated replaced by smooth ones in sum iner. Too Many Monuments. A Washington correspondent of tlm Xashville American says that a party f Southern gentlemen recently visited he national capital for a week of sight- -elng. As they turnort into Pennsyl vania avenue they found themselves next to a saloon. "Let's take a drink , " said one of the party. "We have just had one , " said au- ther. "It would be a good idea to settle on low often we shall take a drink dur- ng our week's stay , " said the third. "Well , " said the first , who just then caught sight of the ever-visible Wash- ngton monument , "let'.s take a drink verytime we see the monument. " "I'm agreed , " said No. 2 , "provided don't take one any oftener. " "It suits me , " said No. 3 , "provided do take one every time we see it. " They were faithful to their plight. Jut they didn't stay a week. Instead , hey took the four o'clock train that fternoon for New York , one them re- aarking to the conductor as they oarded it : "Mosh shingler town. Everybody one daft on Geor Wash ton. Put up lonument to him every shtreet cor- er. Georgie mush been hie bully oy. ' Indian Climbing Plant. In India they have a strange species climber with an extraordinary long ame , botanically speaking , but com- lonly known as the "vegetable boa onstrictor , " which twines about giant rees so tightly as to choke them to eath. Sometimes knotholes in the rees occur just where the serpent's yes would be and the effect is star ling. The Antiquity or .Forks. is said that forks are fully 900 ars old. In 995 A. D. a son of a enetlan Doge , Pietro Orsolo , was mar- to the Princess Argilla , who used the \ wedding breakfast a silver fork a gold spoon. This set the fashion these indispensable articles , and leir : use soon spread all over Europe. Were some people to talk of only hat they really know , their silence ould soon become painfully monoton- . Ohio man wrote a 300-line poem ititled "Come Back to Me" and everyt he sends . it to an editor It does. i Most men arc as anxious to get itch , west women are to.te beautiful.