g
-
y - i - -
w
v -
to be writing these little things and mak
ing up plots for farces Why if i were
a man Pd win the Victoria Cross or die
she adds with superfluous energy
Good gracious if everybody wanted
Vthe V C how would the worlds
ness go on
Im talking about myself personally
she says resolutely
To begin with you would have to be
a soldier
I would be a soldier
You would -want an opportunity
I would make an opportunity
Well I hope you will hear a pibroch
oritwo in the Highlands this year what
makes you think you wont be able to
SO
Oh as for that she says with rath
er a proud and hurt air I am sure 1 am
at liberty to go for anything my people
at home seem to care about me They
dont appear -to be much concerned as to
whether I go or stay
No letters this morning
Oh it isnt this morning or many a
aorniug back I dont believe Ive heard
- from home since I left London and Ive
written regularly to my sister Emily ev
ery Sunday sometimes oftener
Dont you think they assume that you
have withdrawn altogether into the wilds
and that t is no use trying to find you
Or isnt it just as likely that there has
been some mistake about forwarding your
A
v
V
If
vp NtlwiMi tVll i H MflSv
5 fJ
CHAPTER XIX
The top of the morning to you says
Miss Peggy coming marching into the
coffee room and twirling her bonnet by
the strings There is a gay audacity in
her face and health and youth and high
spirits are in her shining eyes
The same to you and many of them
one answers humblyi
I do believe she continues in tones
of tragic vexation that your English
bootmakers are the immediate descend
ants of the people who lived in the Age
of Iron Why French and German boot
makers use leather But your English
bootmakers fix your feet with iron
clamps
So your racing and chasing on Durd
ham and Clifton Downs has found you
out is that it Well youll have to come
better provided to the Highlands boots
with broad toes double soled and with
plenty of nails in them to get a grip of
the heather
I am not so sure about my ever going
to the Highlands she says with some
thing of a change of manner and she
walks along to the window and looks out
Then she returns Wont you go for a
Uttle stroll until they come down It
Is quite pretty out there
This is a command rather than an in
vitation one fetches hat and stick Miss
Peggy whips on her bonnet and ties the
strings and presently we are lounging
about the College Green which looks
very well in the early sunlight And the
junlight suits Miss Peggy brightening
the clear rose of her complexion and
lending a mystery to her shadowed eyes
and making a wonder and glory of her
hair
Has Mr Duncombes parcel of books
come she asks presently
I dont know
Do you think he will succeed as a
writer again she asks in lier careless
way
How can one tell He hasnt got very
far yet
He is very modest about it she says
His simplicity is almost amusing He
doesnt aim at much does he Rather
a small ambition wouldnt you call it
letters and that you will find them all in
a bundle when you get back to town
We shall soon be making a bee line for
London now
Those people have come down she
says discreetly glancing over to the win
dows of the hotel we must go in
It was now for the first time that a
foreshadowing of the breaking up of our
party began to weigh upon the spirits of
one or two of these good folk particu
larly upon Col Cameron who became re
markably glum and silent when we were
counting up the days it would take us
to reach the Thames
In the afternoon it began to get clear
The clouds gradually lifted and there
were gleams of yellow among the soft
purples and grays The still waters of
the winding Avon mirrored every feature
of the bank and further off the skies
were reflected too a shimmer of silver
here and there a breadth of liquid lilac
darkening almost to black under the
trees while over the glassy surface dart-
id innumerable swifts and martens busy
In the still warm moist air By this
time of course waterproofs had been
thrown aside and as we came to a con
venient landing place the boat was stop-
ped as we got ashore all but Jack Dun
combe who was eager to get at his books
Now it was Sir Ewen Cameron who
assisted Miss Peggy to step along the
gang board and when she had reached
the bank these two naturally went to
gether at first walking pretty smartly
so as to get ahead of the horse Queen
Tita was in no such hurry
What is taking that girl back to Amer
ica he asks presently looking away
along the towpath toward those two
Who can tell She doesnt seem to
know herself
But perhaps she is right this small
person continues rather wistfully Yes
even if it is only some vague kind of feel
ing And if she was once over there and
were to come back then we couldnt be
held responsible for anything that might
happen Of course I hope she will come
- back It is very curious what a hold
fvjthat girlgets over one England wouldnt
1e half England to me if I didnt know
-that sooner or later I could look
to seeing my Peggy again
Your Peggy
Yes Indeed she continued boldly
40h any one could set how all you men
liavebeen fighting for her good graces
for a word or a smile or a look but she
YWILLFAM LACK
has kept to me all the time Do you
think she doesnt know what men are
Poor Peggy She seemed most unusu
ally grave when we had all to get on
board again for we were now drawing
near to Bath Not only that but she ap
peared to be at once absent minded and
apprehensive subsiding into a deep rev
erie from time to time and yet anxiously
responding to any remark addressed to
her so that her thoughtfulness might not
be noticed She had no further quips and
questions about Jack Duncombes bundle
of books She took some tea in silence
And then these two women folk had to
be left to themselves for we were now
getting to the end of the days voyage
The approach of the beautiful Queen of
the West by the valley of the Avon is
disappointing in the extreme indeed the
slums here are about as bad as those of
the Totterdown suburb of Bristol It was
abundantly manifest that here was no
abiding place for us again and for the
last time on this trip we should have to
sleep ashore and so when a few things
had been put into the various hand bags
we set off a small procession through the
streets of Bath putting up at a hotel
where notwithstanding our suspicious
want of luggage we were made fairly
welcome and furnished with rooms
That night before we ooparated the
humble chronicler of these events had a
small folded note covertly handed to him
and on subsequently opening it he found
it to contain these words
Shall you be down early to morrow
morning I want to say something very
particular to you rin private PEGGY
Poor Peggy Was it the thought of
going away across the wide Atlantic
again that was pressing heavily on her
heart
CHAPTER XX
This day begun with glooms and disap
pointments then blossomed forth into a
summer like luxuriance of all beautiful
things and finally ended in joy and calm
content Perhaps it was our general im
patience of towns and our anxiety to be
away in the wilderness again that led us
to form so poor an opinion of the appear
ance of Bath but anyhow the morning
was wet and lowering the windows
seemed dingy and the spectacle of a
crowd of people hurrying along muddy
pavements most of them with umbrellas
up to their respective shops and offices
was modern and commonplace and de
pressing This was not what we had ex
pected of the famous Queen of the West
All her former glories seemed to have
vanished away behind the mournful pall
of rain
And then again the appointment that
had been planned the evening before did
not take place
TviVorrhruTr onnmn1 n
r oo
no opportunity of saying a word During
breakfast she was quite silent and there
after when there was a general hunt for
waterproofs and umbrellas she set about
getting ready in a mechanical way At
the door of the hotel she merely said in
an undertone
Some other time I will speak to you
and then went out
Hunting for curiosities proved to be an
engrossing occupation with our party so
that Miss Peggy was enabled to lag a
little behind without being observed
while a slight finger touch on the arm
secured her the listener she wanted The
young lady seemed at once shy and anx
ious there was more color in her face
than usual and when she spoke it was in
a hurried and low undertone
I want your advice said she per
haps you may think I should speak to
your wife but but I would rather have
a mans advice Your wife has very ex
alted ideas she might be a little too un
compromising and If would rather you
would tell me what ordinary people would
say and think
There was a moment of hesitation then
she began to speak rather slowly and
with downcast eyes
Tell me what you think I should be
justified in doing I am involved at home
in a half-and-half kind of engagement
Both families were anxious for it and
and I liked him a little oh yes he is very
amusing and makes the time pass and I
dare say he liked me well enough when
everything was going prosperously Then
you know how my fathers affairs went
wrong she continued with an occasion
al glance toward those other people to
make sure they were not observing her
and there was a change after that Yes
he is very sensible and prides himself on
it Oh I know what his ambitions are
He wants to get among the millionaires
he wants to run the biggest yacht afloat
and to have paragraphs about himself in
the papers That is why he has never
come to Europe he never will come to
Europe until he has money enough to get
himself talked about And then when
my fathers affairs went wrong I sup
pose it was but natural he should begin1
to think twice and although he has never
said he wanted the engagement broken
off no for he is afraid of quarreling
with his own people he has left me pret
ty free to imagine that I can go if 1
choose Oh I am not vexed she coa
tinued Of course a girl does not like
to be thrown over
You thrown over
It is not quite so bad as that for he
writes me from time to time in a kind of
a way and I am left to understand that
he considers the engagement binding if
I wish it Well a girl doesnt quite like
that she added with just the least
passing tremor in her voice but doubt
less it was pride rather than any sense
of injury that was driving her to speak
So I wont you to tell me what 1
should be justified in doing she resum
ed
Oh Miss Rosslyn come along here for
a minute a third person broke in it was
Jack Duncombe I have discovered the
tablet put up to commemorate the illus
trious virtues of Beau Nash Its beau
tiful Come along and I will translate
it for you
So Miss Rosslyn was haled away some
what to the relief of the person whom
she had been consulting For it was
not so easy as it looked to say off hand
what Miss Peggy Bhould do in those cir
cumstances
The beautiful valley increased in
M
rrimB tntj -a wi n v - t - arn r - jm M n LrucKa mi n snjarmtcMmmrmirzMm j - - - i i - -1 fd ynii -
saavr5 sBmxEFmvaMmMMWtoEH 7 iiGijfcKaaBS5SsWE sktvi -
Mk
liness and loneliness as we followed tn I
slow windings of our gallened werway
high up on thuhillside We had all this
world of sunlight and green leaves and
sweet blowing winds entirely to ourselve3
We met with no one Miss Peggy was
up at the bow her throat bare to the
warm brdeze her hair unshielded by any
bonnet showing threads of burnished
gold in the sunligtit Jack Duncombe
was standing beside her with an ord
nance map spread out on the roof of the
house
Then we came to the Dundas Aque
duct which spans the wide vale and here
the spacious view was more extensive
thaja ever the landscape disappearing in
to tender distances of rose gray and light
est green until at the far horizon line
and melting into the silvery sky there
were touches of pale translucent blue
But this aqueduct carried us across the
valley and very soon we had left the
wide open country behind us and were
plunged into umbrageous woods It was
much hotter here there was hardly a
breath of air to atir the shelving branches
that felt their way out into the sunlight
and it was but rarely that the interven
ing foliage afforded any shelter Never
theless these good people would insist on
going for a stroll along the towpath all
except Miss Peggy who at the last mo
ment abruptly changed her mind and
decided to remain with the steersman to
cheer him with her company
This might be a river in a Brazilian
forest said she for the beauty of it
and the solitude
It was not of any river in Brazil she
was thinking she was but waiting until
those people on the bank were out of
earshot
Then she said presently
Have you thought that over
Wes
Her tnext question was not put into
words it was a nervous flash of inquiry
that appeared in her eyes Then she look
ed down again as if awaiting judgment
She had a bit of red hawthorn in her
hand and her fingers were pulling into
small shreds one or two of the dark
green leaves
Well you see Miss Peggy if your de
scription of the situation is literally cor
rectliterally and absolutely
you would be amply justified in tell
ing that young gentleman in New York
to go and be hanged That is what any
man would say off hand and at once
There may be some explanation Letters
may have been delayed You may get
them when you g back to London
And if there were a hundred letters
do you think I dont know jwhat would
be in them she demanded rather proud
ly And as for drifting and drifting I
have grown a little tired of that It is
no great compliment to a girl to put her
in such a position I dare say now if
I were over in America if 1 were to go
to America for even a fortnight 1 could
get the whole matter settled
You really and honestly mean that you
want to have it broken off
Broken off she exclaimed with just
a touch of indignation in her voice It
is he who -wants to have it broken off
and hasnt the courage to say so He
wont own it tome he wont own it to
his family but do you think I dont un
derstand I am not blind And how
ever stupid a woman may be at other
come into the little sitting room about i times in an affair of this kind she can
tne same moment nru aiisr Hpo v h wi j wufo
That is true But on the other hand
if you think that this half-and-half en
gagement should come to an end why
not let it gradually die- a natural death
It seems pretty moribund at present
doesnt it Cease writing to him
He hasnt written to me for nearly
two months
Very well Stop altogether If that
doesnt force him to ask for an explana
tionif he asks for no explanation then
the matter is at an end You go your
way and he his
I I suppose that is good advice and
I thank you she said in rather a low
voice
To be continued
LIKE THE LITTLE ONES
Men Are Fond of the Society of Chil
dren
Theres a very general idea abroad
in the land that men dont care to
board in a house where there are chil
dren said one of the sterner sex yes
terday but that is I believe a great
mistake just as it is an error to im
agine that men generally dont like the
little ones No doubt there are a few
crusty old bachelors in the world who
would be horribly annoyed by pattering
feet and shrill little voices in the halls
and on the stairs but I must confess I
like to hear these noises and I find by
questioning a number of my friends
all young unmarried men that they
do also The children give a sort of
home y atmosphere thats very pleas
ant to even the most comfortless places
Taking one thing with another 1
believe men are fonder of children
than women are anyhow What I
mean Is that more men than women
are fond of them I know plenty of
the gentler sex who wouldnt think of
going to a boarding house where young
sters were admitted and I know just
as many men who seek out those places
and obtain a certain amount of com
fort and satisfaction in their lonely
HvPS in friOTlilc Ttrtfh Via TrnmiiT
sters and spending valuable time rei
pairing sundry broken toys or telling
wonderful stories in which giants fig
ure to an amazing extent
A childs affection is a very delight
ful thing and most men feel flattered
to be the object of even a mild liking
on the part of the small tyrants There
are half a dozen little ones in the house
where I boaid and I am the familiar
fnlend of every one of them Its a
very delightful and absorbing acquaint
ance and Im fast developing into a
story teller of such marked ability that
Ill make d fortune in this way no
doubt after awhile
Not Too Fresh
Stubb The other day there was a
stampede of a dozen ferocious steers
Police and cowboys together couldnt
stem their mad rush Suddenly a half
grown boy appeared on the scene Wide
pantaloons and TJi S N on his cap told
that he was in Uncle Sams navy
When the steers saw that boy they
trotted behind him like so many lambs
PennHow do you account f orythat
Well you tnow all cattle are
very fond of a little salt Ohicago
News
mtmp t
- - v f i V - is -
QUAY IS BAERED OUT
UNITED STATES SENATORS DE
CIDE AGAINST HIM
Deny Admission by the Close Vote oi
33 to 32 Many Republicans Cast
Their Lot with the Opposition Han
na Paired Against Him
The Senate on Tuesday byf agote of 33
to 32 refused Matthew S uaa seat
in that body on the appointment of the
Governor of Pennsylvania V
The entire time of the Senate was de
voted to debate upon the- question many
of the greatest lawyers and orators in
the body delivering speeches As the
days session wore on and the hour for
the final vote approached the galleries
gradually filled until they were thronged
with multitudes while other multitudes
were unable to gain admission The great
throng listened with deep attention to the
brilliant argument of Mr Spooner in
favor of the seating of the former Penn
sylvania Senator and to the dramatic and
ftery eloquence of Mr Daniel
As the big clock opposite the President
pro tempore indicated 4 oclock there was
a hush in the chamber Mr Frye in the
chair announced that the hour for the
final vote had arrived and that the ques
tion was the pending motion of Mr
Chandler to strike out of the resolution
declaring Mr Quay not to be entitled to
a seat the word not Sonators through
out the chamber eagerly followed the roll
call for all knew the vote would be close
The first sensation was caused by the
failure of Mr Pcttigrew of South Da
kota to answer to his name although he
was in his seat When Mr Vests name
was called he voted No in a clear dis
tinct voice thus dashing the last hope of
-die friends of Mr Quay who had ex
pected confidently that the distinguished
Missourian would vote for his long time
personal friend In perfect silence it was
announced that the Senate had denied
Mr Quay the seat which he has sought
for some months past
The following Republican Senators vot
ed against the resolution Bard Burrows
Hale Hawley McBride McCumber Mc
Millan Piatt Conn Proctor Quarles
Ross Simon Teller and Wellington
Pairs were announced as follows the
first named in each instance being favor
able to Mr Quay and the second opposed
to him Pritchard with Gallinger Depew
with Hanna Foster with Kean Lodge
with Thurston Kenney with Caffery El
kins with Chilton Fairbanks with Mal
lory Hoar with Pettus Kyle with Raw
lins
The following Senators were unpaired
Aldrich Beveridge Clark Mont and
Pettigrew
The vote was then taken on the resolu
tion declaring Quay was not entitled to
a seat The resolution declaring Quay
not entitled to a seat was carried 33 to
32 the roll call being the same as in the
previous call
POWERFUL COAL TRUST
Three Men Now Control the Entire
Trade of the United States
A trust was formed by the recent alli
ance of the
railroads and henceforth the absolute
control of the American coal trade both
anthracite and bituminous will rest in
the hands of this powerful combine
While the coal trust has practically
existed for two years and more it haa
never had control of the bituminous situ
ation although J Pierpont Morgan its
ruling spirit has been an important fac
tor in soft coal affairs But now by the
alliance between the railroad interests of
W K Vanderbilt J P Morgan and A
J Cassatt the entire coal situation is so
bottled up that it can be controlled by
the three men named and the final set
tlement of details is now being made
Mr Morgan having gone to London to
sore Mr Vanderbilt for that purpose
In the hands of the
interests is lodged practical control
of the New York Central Delaware and
Hudson Pennsylvania Norfolk and
Western Baltimore and Ohio Chesa
peake and Ohio and Big Four Mr
Morgan has the Reading Lehigh Valley
Erie Ontario and Western and enough
of an interest in the small soft coal roads
to make competition practically impossi
ble
Zola at 21 often went hungry
Attorney General Griggs is a
crack
shot
Ex United States Senator Sawyer is
83 years of age
George Gould has purchased one of the
finest packs of fox hounds in England
President McKinleys favorite game is
chess He is quite an expert player
In the paper mill owned by Gov Crane
at Dalton Mass workmen who become
too old to labor are retired on their regu
lar salary as long as they live
The King of Sweden never touches a
gun The King of Belgium has shot only
once in his life and the Sultan of Tur
key cannot bear to see a gun
The late William Dickey who was a
member of the Maine Legislature for
fifty nine years made the longest record
for service of that kind in the State
Joseph L Mayers State Senator of
Ohio from Coshocton walked to the cap
ital from his home a distance of 1U0
miles to show his independence of rail
roads
Representative Littlefield of Maine
who favors the prohibition laws of the
State was embarrassed at a euchre par
ty in Washington by winning as a prize a
handsome beer stein
United States Senator Nelson was born
in Norway
Maines Legislature ordered a bust of
ex Speaker Reed
Miss Floretta Vining of Hull Mass
owns nine newspapers
Former Senator Ingalls mother is still
living an active life in Boston at the ad
vanced age of 99 years
President Eliot of Harvard is some
thing of a pedestrian He frequently
walks from Cambridge into Boston
Of the twenty five men who have filled l
the Governors chair in Indiana Gov
Mount ia the only one livinsr
CONDITION OF CROP
Improvement Reported in the Appear
ance of Winter Wheat
The summary of the crop conditions
throughout the country as shown by the
weekly crop report issued by the weather
bureau is as follows
The temperature conditions were gen
erally highly favorable but excessive
rains in the Southern States greatly in
terfered with farm work and caused
destructive floods In portions of Ala
bama Mississippi and Louisiana much
replanting will be necessary as a result
of the inundation Farm work has also
been retarded as a result of heavy rains
in the eastern portion of Kansas and Ne
braska and Southern Missouri Rain is
much needed in Montana North Dakota
and over the northern portion of Minne
sota While freezing temperatures oc
curred in the upper Missouri Valley and
middle and northern Rocky Mountain re
gions it appears that no serious injury
has been done
The week has not been favorable for
the rapid progress of corn planting but
preparations for this work have been act
ive in the more northerly sections and un
der favorable weather conditions will
progress rapidly Planting has been gen
erally retarded where not completed in
the Southern States and also from Kan
sas and Oklahoma westward over the
central Mississippi Valley being later
than for many years in Tennessee
An improvement in the condition o
winter wheat is generally reported ex
cept in Michigan and Wisconsin where
plowing up for other crops continue
With ample moisture and favorable tem
perature the crop has made rapid growth
in the central valleys and Southern
States its condition in Kentucky and
Tennessee being exceptionally fine
Wheat is heading in Texas -where a good
yield is indicated The favorable outlook
on the Pacific coast except in Southern
California continues Early sown spring
wheat is coming up to good stands over
the southern portion of the spring wheat
region Seeding is now nearly completed
except in North Dakota and Montana
where from one quarter to one half of
the crop is yet to be sown All reports
respecting the oat crop are encouraging
seeding being well advanced in the north
ern sections
DEATH IN CHICAGO LABOR RIOT
Union Picket Leads an Attack and Is
Killed
In an attack upon non union men em
ployed at the Baker Vawter company
lithographers in Chicago where a strike
is in progress Peter Miller was shot
through the head and instantly killed
by H C Baster superintendent of the
factory John McGuire was also shot
through the right arm and right cheek by
the superintendent and severely al
though not fatally injured In addition
to this affair the labor situation was
intensified by the arrest of George P
Gubbins president of the Bricklayers
Union He was taken on a charge of in
citing riot
The trouble at the Baker Vawter com
panys plant which almost assumed the
proportions of a riot was the outcome of
a strike which has been in existence at
the factory since last January
The Burlington may parallel the North
ern Pacific tracks to Ogden
The Canadian Pacific Railroad agreed
to join other roads in abolishing commis
sions
The extension of the C E I from
Marion to Thebes HI has been opened
for passenger business
It is reported that the Nickel Plate
road will put in service another Chicago
New York passenger train
The Lake Shore has put into service a
new train from Chicago to Boston which
will make the 1039 miles in twenty six
hours
Hereaffer Sisters of Charity in uniform
will be sold half rate tickets by Central
Passenger Association lines without the
necessity of their securing clergy certifi
cates
All the roads from Chicago St Louis
and Kansas City to Colorado will follow
the example of the Rock Island aid run
excursions at half rates to Denver Pu
eblo and Colorado Springs
Chicago capitalists have purchased a
controlling interest in the Munising Rail
way which runs from Munising Bay
to Little Lake Mich a distance of sixty
miles The purchase is incident to the
acquisition of over S0000 acres of Michi
gan timber land
Justice Shiras of the United States Su
preme Court has handed down a decision
that Ashland and not Duluth is the East
ern terminal of the Northern Pacific road
By reason of this decision a large area
of valuable timber land conies into pos
session of the road
Attorneys for six big Western land
grant railroads have decided to sue the j
United States Government for nearly
300000 for carrying soldiers from Chi
cago to San Francisco during the Spanish
American war Immediately after the
close of the war the roads filed claims for
transporting the troops The claims ask
ed for full tariff rates less deductions
of 50 per cent made by the lines which
hold land grants The Government re
fused to recognize the claims alleging
that the railroads were not entitled to
rates higher than are charged parties of
twenty or more persons traveling on one
ticket known in railway parlance as
party Tates In addition to this the
Comptroller contended that the land grant
roads must deduct 50 per cent
The Rockefellers are reported to have
obtained control of the Missouri Pacific
and will consolidate it with the Missouri
Kansas and Texas
A train of twenty five flat cars loaded
with thrashing machines from a Racine
Wis factory was taken west from Chi
itm hv thp Burlincton A Drivate par
and a brass band accompanied the train i
The Central Passenger Association has
decided to adopt a composite ticket with
coupons for both first and second class
passengers m order to do away with any
ii
SSaA - XT
4
ECLIPSE OE THE SUN
PHENOMENON OCCURS MAY 28
AND WILL BE TOTAL
In the Path of Totality the Orb of
Day Will Be Obscured for Nearly tf wo
Minutes The Event Is Attracting
World WHe Attention
The forthcoming total eclipse of the
sun on May 2S is attracting world wide
attention and astronomers everywhere
have long been making preparations for
observing and photographing the phenom
enon Besides making the usual time ob
servations interest largely centers in pho
tographing the corona the coronal
streamers the spectra of the chromo
sphere and particularly the celebrated
flash spectrum appearing both at begin
ning and end of totality Fortunately for
us it will be possible to witness the phe
nomenon from many sections of the Unit
ed States On the occasion of the last
eclipse scientists who desired to study
the sun during the brief period of totality
hurried to western India and many of
them were successful in obtaining excel
lent photographs of the great event
On May 28 the circular shadow of the
moon cast by the sun upon the earth and
about eighty miles in diameter will come
sweeping across the American continent
fonftqv Orleans to Cape Henry Along
the center of the path traveled by this
swiftly moving shadow the sun will be
completely hidden for a period of about
two minutes More than forty miles
away on either side of the track the
eclipse will be partial not total To
witness this astronomical marvel it will
only be necessary
to take up a favor
able position in the
State of Mississip
pi Georgia South
Carolina North
Carolina or Vir
ginia As it has
ueen many years
Wp
POSITION OF THE PLANETS
since an eclipse has occurred under cir
cumstances so favorable to American as
tronomers it will undoubtedly be wit
nessed by thousands of students who
have felt regret that previous exhibitions
have occurred at distances so great as to
prevent them from witnessing the events
An eclipse of the sun that will be vis
ible to us can occur only when the moon
s new At that time she passes exactly
between us and the sun If an eclipse
should happen when she was at her least
distance from us say 222000 miles away
the apex of the shadow would pass over
our heads at a distance of many thou
sands of miles In the first instance the
eclipse will be total along the path made
by the falling shadow In the second
instance the eclipse will be annular as
the moon will be so diminished that at no
time will she be able to completely ob
scure the sun
Prof Langley who is an authority
upon sun eclipses is enthusiastic in anti
cipation of the exhibition that is to be
given next May Such eclipses he
says are impressive and awful to the
last degree and must be seen to be ap
preciated A total eclipse of the sun is
worth a journey round the world to be
hold and repetition does not dull the in
terest
According tq the calculations of Prof
Lumsden the round black shadow of the
moon like a great arm will sweep in out
of space some time after sunrise on the
morning of May 28 This gigantic arm
will come into contact with the earth
somewhere near the Revilla Gigedo isl
ands in the Pacific ocean With tremen
dous velocity the shadow will rush to
ward the mainland and will enter Mexico
near Corrientes at a speed of more than
100 miles a minute In eight minutes it
will have crossed the Rocky mountains
and by 730 central or 830 eastern time
it will have crossed the gulf and entereaC
Mexico Then on it will pass over its
selected path until it is lost again in
-pace
The period of totality of the eclipse va
ries at different points along the track
At the Rocky mountains the spectacle
will last but about thirty seconds and
at New Orleans the period will have been
lengthened thirty seven seconds At Un
ion Print Green County Georgia the
center of the path for the United States
the time of totality will be ninety two
seconds while those who are at the At
lantic cpast just south of the city of
Norfolk will be able to continue their
observations for 105 seconds
While the occasion will be a most in
teresting one to all who are able to wit
ness the phenomenon to astronomers the
event will be of the utmost importance
as there are several questions that they
hope to be able to answer after they
have made their next observations One
of the most important problems relates
to the composition and arrangement of
the various layers of vapor and dust tliat
envelope the sun as with an atmosphere
Another relates to the existence and posi
tion of what is
sometimes called the re
versing layer
Municipal Matters
The City of Mexico has 411 artesian
wells
t
Philadelphia has appropriated 750000
for new bridges
Brooklyn has 31G87 apartment houses
and 500000 tenement house dwellers
It is estimated that gamblers in New
York have been paying over 2000000
a year for protection
An agent of the New York State
RPITIPP VinSJrrl llOC tuum 4 n U1
i - t - 1 wnJn T I u inui iu JW
upjwuuuu i wc i y to mvestigate the municipal civil sei
w I mg car service on second class tickets- 3
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