1 Saved by a Sparrow
0 & i
ERE is an absolutely true story
of a little bird , Just a common
sparrow of the mountain foot
hills , but , possibly , no stranger case
of bird instinct has ever been chron
icled.
One raw , rainy October day , while
tbe engine of an express train was
standing at a "water tank on a lonely
Bide track in eastern Colorado , the en
gine driver was surprised to see a
sparrow fly In the cab window and
perch upon the throttle at the boiler
head. The little fellow made himself
at home , there and set to making his
toilet , for his feathers were very wet.
Not wishing to drive the tiny visitor
away , and with a desire to see how
long he would remain after the train
began to move , the engine driver
reached carefully for the throttle and
suceeded In putting the big machine
In motion without frightening the bird.
After having thoroughly dried him-
Belf the sparrow hopped down from
his strange perch and sat for several
moments In a corner on the engine
driver's cushion , evidently enjoying his
ride , after which , with a chirp , he
flew out of the window and away.
The engine men forgot the Incident
as they dashed on over the foothills
and through the village. Two days
passed ; the engine had returned , and
was again east bound , with the same
engine driver. It drew up for water
at the same tank , and the driver was
astonished to receive another visit
from the little bird. Then they named
him Mike , and at the same place Mike
flew in the cab window whenever that
particular engine passed on its eastbound -
bound trips. It mattered not whether
the train was on time or late , funny
he said to the fireman ; "never stayed
so long. This means something. "
The fireman shook his head ominous
ly.
The train approached a portion of
the road where the track wound for
several miles along a narrow bed on
the side of a canyon , where there were
numerous trestles and small bridges.
The engine driver on the right and the
fireman on the left side of the cab
leaned far out of the windows peer
ing ahead as the dizzy height was be
ing passed over. Suddenly Mike flew
to the engine driver's hand which rest
ed on the throttle , chirped fast and
loud for several seconds and darted
from the engine. The occurrence so
startled the engine driver that he ner
vously shut off the steam and applied
the brakes. As he did so the fireman
gave a cry of alarm , and in another
instant a great mass of rocks and dirt
and trees crashed down the mountain
side and on to the track , carrying with
it a bridge. With a deafening roar the
mass rolled on into the chasm below ,
missing the engine by only a few
yards. Had the train not been stopped
where it was the landslide must have
swept it into the awful depths.
Mike was never seen afterward.
What became of him , of course , no
body knows.
You may call it instinct chance or
what you wish , but the fact remains
that the little sparrow saved the train
with its burden of human freight from
destruction. Chicago Chronicle.
Bob Burdette to Yonnjf Men.
Remember , son , that the world is old
er than you are by several years ; that
for thousands of years it has been so
'
MIKE APPEARED AS USUAL , PERCHED UPON THE THROTTLE.
little Mike knew in some way. He
never made a mistake in engines and
never boarded any other.
You must know that trainmen are
a very superstitious lot ; nearly as
much so as the men at sea ; so it came
about that the engine driver friend
of the bird looked upon him as a mas
cot. He brought little seeds and
cracker crumbs on each trip , and ,
strange as it may seem , the little fel
low soon became so tame that he
would perch upon the man's hand and
eat the dainties. Here was a sparrow ,
wild and free to go where he wished ,
yet tame and happy for a half hour
or more every few days In the cab of
a great , throbbing , roaring , screech
ing locomotive , for neither the shrill
blast of the whistle nor the clank of
the great bell nor the popping of the
safety valve caused him to evince the
hlightest fear.
The season grew late ; frost had come
'jild autumn had put her last tints on
vine and tree and shrub. No longer
were heard along the streams the
mournful cries of the "knee deep. "
The woods had grown still and one
day the engine driver carried the seed
and the crumbs in his vest pocket past
the tank and on to the end of tbe run ,
lor no Mike came to receive his din
ner. He was greatly missed , but the
engine men knew that tneir friend
must have taken flight to the sunny
southland for the winter , and he was
not forgotten through all the dreary
trips that were made across the bleak
country. With the breaking up of cold
weather Mike's coming was eagerly
watched for.
Would he come again. Had he for
gotten his grime-stained friends of the
engine cab ? Could a little bird not
much larger than a man's thumb think
long enough at a time to find his way
back to the vicinity of that water
tank ?
The grass came again ; the trees took
on their summer garb ; here and there
could be seen an occasional bird.
And Mike ?
He came one day. For some time
the engine driver had carried food for
his friend in his pocket , to make sure
that there would be no disappointment.
So when with a peep , peep , the little
sparrow flew in the window of the big.
nauting machine , with as much con
fidence as if he had never missed a
trip , he found his repast ready.
* * * * * * * *
A cold , sobbing rain was soaking the
brown fields of autumn. The streams
were swollen and the railroad track
way soft. At the tank Mike appeared
as usual and perched upon the throttle
of the engine : minutes passed Into a
half hour , an hour , an hour and a half ,
yet the "bird showed no sign of leaving ,
as he had always done before , and the
eiijrine driver grew uucasj' .
"Mike makes me nervous , " at last
full of smarter and better young men
than yourself that their feet stuck out
of the dormer windows ; that when
they died the old globe went whirling
on , and not one man in ten millions
went to the funeral. Don't be too sorry
ry for your father because he knows
so much less than you do. Remember
the reply of Dr. Wayland to the stu
dents of Brown University , who said
it was an easy enough thing to make
proverbs such as Solomon wrote.
"Make a few , " tersely replied the old
man. The world has great need of
young men. but no greater need than
the young men have for it. Your
clothes fit better than your father's fit
him ; they cost more money and they
are more stylish ; your mustache Is
neater ; the cut of your hair is better.
But. young man. the old gentleman
gets the biggest salary , and his home
ly , scrambling signature on the busi
ness end of check
a will drain more
money out of the bank in five min
utes than you could get out with a
ream of paper and a copper-plate sig
nature in six months.
Pay of Turkish Ministers.
A Turkish ministerial portfolio is a
sort of gold-mine to the holder. It is
not the Vizier , however , who holds
the richest claim , though his salary is
$ (56,000 a year , which is also that of
the War Minister. The "plum" of
Turkish officials is the admiralty ,
which is worth $84,000 a year , and the
present holder is stated to have amass
ed a fortune of $12,000,000. The Min
ister of Foreign Affairs has $44,000 , '
and finance comes next with a thou
sand lower , financial ability being ap
parently esteemed in inverse ratio to
the need for It The lowest salary Is
that of the Minister of Mines , though
it is rather higher , than that of the t
n
Premier of Great Britain. The sum is
$27,800. \
A Hnman Can die. 3
Candidate for Mayor 1 have fouad 1
something beside a candle that wi ! ' an
swer ' at old riddle , "Tne longer it
stands the shorter It grows. "
Friend What is it ?
Candidate for Mayor A candidate.
The longer be stands for oflice the
shorter he grows financial ! } ' . Balti
more American.
Japanese Calendars for America.
One of tbe prettiest calendars of the
year hails from Japan. It is bound
with quaint Oriental jingles In a sinail
book which is illustrated by Japanese
artists and printed on the delicate rice
paper. '
IS'.ectricity and Vital Action.
Dr. Loeb says electricity is the un
derlying cause of vital action , but he
has not as yet made a fair demonstra
tion of it.
Nothing succeeds like the officeholder
who is his own successor. to
PRAIRIE CAVERN IN OKLAHOMA.
Interesting : Hole Where Such Freaks
of Nature "Wouldn't Be Suspected.
At a spot eleven miles southeats of
this place In the level prairie upland
is an opening about forty feet in diam
eter and sixty in depth" says the Okla
homa State Capitol. By clinging to its
rocky and precipitous walls a person
may descend to the bottom and there
find the openings to two caves , one
leading westward and the other to the
east. For years this cave has been
known as Rock Prairie cave. It is one
of the most striking natural curiosities
in the Chickasaw nation. The caves
are of unknown length and through
one rushes a subterranean stream of
great depth In places and Icy coldness.
Exploring parties have ventured Into
these labyrinths for hundreds of yards ,
but the danger of becoming lost has
prevented a thorough examination of
the underground passages.
The cave leading westward Is easiest
of access and contains a number of
spacious chambers. The room is about
70 feet square and 50 feet from the
floor to the ceiling. The floor is ob
structed with huge bowlders. The
darkness and stillness are intense. Pic
nic parties sometimes go there , and ,
with a large bowlder for a table , eat
their luncheons in the glare of torches
that cast uncanny shadows along the
massive walls.
Timid persons hesitate in venturing
into the depths of the eastern cave.
The passage stants downward at an
angle that compels the explorer to
crawl and slip and slide for nearly 100
feet before reaching a spot where a
person may stand upright and walk
safely. From the darkness echoes
the sound of rushing water , which
later Is found to be a stream which
runs from 8 to 30 feet in width and
from 6 inches to many feet in depth.
Men have waded in the stream until
the water reached their chins and then
gone in a boat to points where they
were unable to touch bottom with the
longest oars. A farmer carried his
boat into the cave several years ago tc
follow the stream to the end. At a
depth estimated to be 200 feet below
the surface of the ground Is a natural
bridge formed by a huge stone that fell
across the stream. The water plunges
underneath this bridge like a mill race.
A boat can be pulled over the bridge ,
however , and launched on the other
side. About 100 feet below the bridge
the stream widens Into a broad , deep
pool , with a high , vaulted roof. Beau
tiful stalagmites and stalactites adorn
this chamber. Two hundred feet below
this pool the passage is difficult. It
is claimed that this cave has been ex
plored for a mile.
The stream isbelieved to find its out
let at a spring about three miles from
the entrance to the cave. The spring
is of great size and volume and flows
with remarkable swiftness. In the
rainy season the spring boils and
gushes as If choked with a flood of
water that pours from its mouth. The
stream in Rock Prairie cave rises when
there is a heavy rainfall In the sur
rounding country and the Increased
flow of both springs and stream at
such times is taken as evidence that
they are connected.
ESAU THE CHIMPANZEE.
Apes May Gain Brain Power by As-
socintinj ; with Human Beings. '
Esau , I believe , is appearing at a'
London music hall as a member of the
company , and goes through various
antics by way of showing the high
degree of intelligence he possesses.
Those of us who know something of
champanzee ways and of the high
brain type the animal exhibits are not
surprised that an individual ape , here
and there , will go far ahead of his
fellows under domestication.
Only I take leave to remark that a
music hall is hardly the sphere in
which the educational development of
the animal can be duly carried out.
To my mind there is something pa
thetic and calling for pity in the sight
of an ape being made to "perform" for
the amusement of the crowd. The sci
entific side of the matter would be
represented by the further training of t
the chimpanzee in private and the
careful watching of his ways. A story
has been circulated that Esau Is to be
tnken to Germany to undergo an ope
ration on his tongue , in the hope , presumably - .
sumably , of loosening that member and
of giving him a chance otspeech. .
Anything more ridiculous than this
dea could hardly have been conceived.
Esau has his own language > -eady
made. People who expect him to talk
'orget that language is a matter of
brain , not of tongue or muscles only ,
writes Dr. Andrew Wilson in the London -
don Chronicle. Imitative acts might
be cultivated in the chimpanzee to a
surprising extent. If the dog , with a
much lower brain , has benefited by his *
long association with man , one may
well speculate on the development of
brain power which would be possible !
in a champanzee had tnat race had !
the 1 advantage of human companionship - ,
ship for many centuries.
Personal Observation.
"Do you think that riches bring hap
piness ? " said the philosopher. .
"Beyond a doubt , " answered Sen-
itor Sorghum. "I can point out a .
number of members of the legislature
who have been made happy by my
money. " Washington Star.
. -
One Thing :
"And liquid air , " said the girl be-
'
lind the counter on Lexington street ,
'has been proved after all to be of no i
*
use. "
1
" 'Tis sad. ain't it ? " agreed the girl
n the blue waist , "but hot air Is still
effective , dear. " Baltimore News.
When a man thinks he knows it all ,
he Is seldom able to get bis neighbors
indorse his thoughts.
In the dry soil of- Egypt Prof. G.
Elliot Smith finds the brains of most
uon-mumlfied bodies of the cemeteries
have been naturally preserved even *
from predynastic times. The convolu
tions may be mapped , and an account
is soon to be given of the brain struc
ture of Egyptians of different periods.
A file specially designed for work
ing on gun metal is- being used In
French machine shops. It has shallow
diagonal channels , at Intervals of half
an inch , the teeth being on the raised
portions between the channels. It is
claimed that these files , clogging much
less rapidly than others , increase the
work done by about fifty per cent.
No white pigments have been found
in feathers , and the whiteness of white
feathers is ascribed to total reflection
of light from their exposed surfaces.
Some have supposed tbe reflection to
be from air spaces , or bubbles , in the
feather structue , but R. . M. Strong , of
Haverford College , says that the white
effect is powdered glass , upon the
small size of the structural elements.
These have a large number of surfaces
so placed for any position of the eye
that there is a maximum reflection to
the eye. and almost no absorption by
the unpiginenteil feather substance.
To get the eggs of a new species of
mosquito inhabiting a South Carolina
swamp , Dr. W. C. Coker , of the Uni
versity of North Carolina , had to bor
row the aid of a horse. The horse was
driven into the low ground haunted by
the mosquitoes , and when he came out
the insects were found drilling through
his skin. They were carefully re
moved , put in a tin bucket , fed daily
with blood from the hand , and after
about five days , to the doctor's great
delight , they laid their eggs in the
water. It was to procure and study
'these eggs that he had taken all his
trouble. In such homely ways science
sometimes makes its advances.
Astonishing effects as a tonic and
blood-former are claimed by Dr. Nau-
gier , of Paris , for balloon ascensions.
He states that an air trip of two hours
gives a marked increase in the red
corpuscles of the blood , this increase
continuing to be noticeable for at least
ten days afterward , and that five as
censions within six or seven weeks
impart more benefit to an anaemic per
son than three months in the moun
tains. The good results begin almost
immediately , prolonged stay in the
upper air being of no advantage and
possibly harmful. He urges that the
city should give poor people the bene
fits of a change of climate by provid
ing a large balloon capable of taking-
fifty patients daily on an aerial out
ing.
ing.A
A remarkable example of the power
of mimicry possessed by some persons ,
but altogether lacking in others , was
furnished by the late Professor
Roberts-A listen , of England. His
triend. Prof. T. E. Thorpe , recalls
many interesting instances of Roberts-
Austen's singular gift , which was pur
posely exercised only occasionally for
the entertainment of his scientific con
freres at a club meeting. But what
leud % special interest to the case was
Hie fact that Roberts-Austen frequent
ly exercised his power without being
aware of it. "I have heard him , to my
terror. " says Professor Thorpe , "in the
course of a conversation gradually
copy the tones and inflections of a
man's voice , and have seen him re
produce his manner to his very face. "
In such cases there was no conscious
ness of what was being done in the
mind of the mimic , or on the part of
tlu > person imitated , and Professor
Thorpe believes the origin of the un
intended mimicry was sympathy alone.
Cold Water Absorbs Poison.
In connection with the subject of
water there is one peculiar property of
that liquid with which everyone
should be made acquainted , and that is
its capacity for absorbing impurities ,
which increases proportionately the
colder it gets. Hence water that has
,
stood in an insutficiently ventilated
sleeping chamber all night Is not only
unpleasant , but positively injurious to
drink , since it readily absorbs the poi
sonous gases given off by respiration
and action of the skin. An ordinary
pitcher of water , under such conditions ,
at a temperature of sixty degrees will
be found to have absorbed during the
night from a pint to a pint and a half
of carbonic acid gas , and an increase
jf ammonia. Ice water is an objection
able drink at all times , but if it is in
dulged in , the vessel containing it t
should never be left uncovered in sleep
ing ' or sitting rooms , because at freez
ing ' point its capacity for absorbing :
these deleterious substances is nearly
loubled.
The Beating of the Heart.
A person who has lived seventy
years has had passed through his
heart about 075,920 tons of blood , the
whole of die blood in tbe body pass :
ing through the heart in'about thirty-
iwo beats. The heart beats on an aver-
jge seventy times a minute , or 30.-
102.000 times in tl e course of a year ,
-o that the heart of an ordinary man. a
SO years of age , has beaten 3.000.000.- a
)00 times. The heart beats ten strokes ti
minute less when one is lying down tin
han when one is In an upright posl- n
ion. a
If a fool possesses tact and assur tia
ing he will distance the wise guy who
hossesses neither. >
The man who laughs last fails to n
a [
see the joke first. -
Y
A. Honic-Clennins ; Carol.
The melancholy days have come the
saddest of the year ;
The carpet is onthe clothesline , and in
cessant whacks we hear ;
The bedding's in the kitchen , and the
beds are in the hall ,
The pictures are upon the floor while
some one dusts the wall ;
We eat cold meat and crackers from a
wabbly kitchen chair ,
For this is glad houseclcauing time so
free from toil and care.
The neighbors line their windows and a
hasty ce'uaus take
Of all the bric-a-brac we have , and calcu
lations make
If it was bought with ready cash , or on
the installment plan ;
We rescue our provisions from the hasty
garbage man ,
And life is gay and cnreless-like , it makes
one want to'roam
To hie away because the folks are
cleaning house at home.
The melancholy days are here the days
of soap and brush.
Stove polish daubs the tableware the
bat pie on Wagner's bust
Piano holds some frying pans the bath
tub's filled with books
The women folks all ! who could tell
who they were by their looks !
Sing hey ! The glad housecleaning time
the time of dust and soap !
It is a gladsome sight to see through a
big telescope.
' Baltimore American.
White Gjrl Marries n Chinaman.
A few weeks ago Grace Catherine
Williams , a pretty girl of IS , became
the wife of Chan Ah On. a Chinese
student at the
Washington night
school in San
Francisco. Later
she was arrested
upon complaint of
her mother , "and
accused of vag
rancy. The young
woman charges
that her marriage
to a Chinese was
brought about by
GRACE WILLIAMS , cruel treatment
which was inflicted upon her by her
mother and brother. She met Chan
Ah On , and he treated her so kindly
that when he asked her to marry him
a week later she consented , the cere
mony being performed at the Presby
terian Chinese Mission Home.
She frankly admits that she is not
In love with her husband , but that he
has been good and kind to her and
has been sending her § 14 a week since
they were married.
"I am willing to live with my hus
band , as he is willing to provide for
me , or I will go to an institution or go
out and work for myself anything ex
cept go back home to my mother and
brother , " she said.
The Economical Woman.
"Economical ? Oh , yes , a woman is
economical very , " grumbled the ill-
natured benedict.
"She cuts herself down to a miserlj
luncheon in order to save 10 cents ; ant
half an hour later spends 50 cents 01
a collar she doesn't need because "it's
so pretty for the price. '
"She walks ten blocks to save 5
cents and then is so tired and hot that
she spends 10 for a plate of ice cream.
"She says she wouldn't think of
getting a new hat this year because
she got one last year , but she pays one
and a half times the price of a new
one to Im'c her old one fetched up to
date.
"She darns and darns and redarns
her stockings with self-righteous thrift ,
and pays 50 cents for a pair of fancy
shoe strings.
"She haggles year in and year out
with a dull old scissors that would set
a man cussing , and never sees the
economy of having them sharpened or
occasionally investing in a new pair.
"She hoards up all the old rusty ,
bent nails and bits of knotted string ,
and brings them out upon occasion to
induce pounded fingers and profane
thoughts when 5 cents , five little
cents , would buy a whole ball of strong
bwine or a whole pound of shining
nails that would go in straight without
making a man perjure his soul.
"Oh , yes , a woman is economical
very ! But I don't like her economical. "
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.
Does Love Survive Marriasje.
'You can't expect such love as that
"o last , " is an exclamation often utter-
id by worldly and practical people. S
Frequently these prophets are any- 1
hlng but infallible in their predictions ,
jut alas ! they are also frequently cor
rect. It is but natural that love should y
lot retain all the ardent , passionate
element that made the heart palpitate
ind the face change color , during the
courtship days , but it becomes none the
ess sincere and constant As mercy
empers justice , so marriage tempers
ove. e
ove.A long , happy courtship is not an tl
nfallible test of true love , nor is it 'a
criterion for its pe'rmanencj * . It is the
ictual experience after marriage , the a
icquaintance with the worries and
roubles of married life , that decide the
natter. The survival of love after
narriage depends upon both husband
ind wife ; it depends upon the quali-
ies , the powers of realization and to
great extent the home training of fi
iach. Sensible , thoughtful young -peo- 11
*
le should not treat the subject of
narriage lightly , as a mere diversion , C (
'mere romance for a few months or d
rears. Hence they would not be dis-
appointed and grow weary of their
married state. To all others , the
thoughtless , the selfish , or the self-seek
ing , love is not apt to weather the
Inevitable storms and gales of a life
that calls for mutual consideration and
much sacrifice ; In fact , for the highest
and best that Is in one. Mrs. G. Blake
in American Queen.
The Savins Women.
If we are to believe the old prov
erb , which says that "saving's good
earning , " then the earning capacity of
women always has been greater 'than
that of men.
Oh , the saving women of the world !
The women who sit up late making
over last season's clothes to save buying - f
ing new ones ; the women who stealth
ily tiptoe across the floor to turn down ,
the gas when papa dozes over his
newspaper ; the women who darn huge
holes in basketsful of stockings ; the
women who have a cracked teapot or
old pocketbook into which they drop
stray dimes and quarters , taking the
accumulations to the savings bank
with guilty secrecy ; the women who
wash out pieces of carpet to make
them appear fresh and new , who turn . '
the trimmings on their hats , and clean
their gloves with gasoline , and cut | |
down the clothes of Willie , aged 14 , to j
fit Jiinmie , aged 10. Bless them , every
one !
There is another sort of saving
which might properly be termed hoard
ing. It consists in laying down rugs
to prevent the nap of the carpets from
wearing , in putting paper covers on
prettily bound books , in locking up the
little girl's French doll. We read the
other day of a woman who made a
plush cover for the rosewood piano ,
and a linen cover for the plush , and
a newspaper mat for the linen. We
hope there are not many women like
lier. Jn this sort of saving there is
often an admixture of folly.
There is yet another kind. Saving
car fare at the cost of an exhausted
body , saving lunch money and "skimp
ing" the table , just as if you could . !
cheat nature without incurring retrl- *
button ; saving the price of eyeglasses
at the cost of impaired or perhaps de
stroyed eyesight ; saving money earned
by the overstraining of mental and A
physical powers. * '
Woman is not always wise in her
economies , we fear , but the verb "to
save" is certainly feminine. Philadel
phia Ledger. . . ;
Little Hints.
Smart walking gloves are made up
in two colors of kid.
Valenciennes medallions are inset in
the daintiest lingerie.
A good deal of straw trimming Is
used on the new hats.
All-over embroidery is used for many
of the modish blouses.
New fans are made of the bright
plumage of tropical birds.
After the cape Is coming the real
old-fashioned "dolman , " says Paris.
Those convenient robe
gowns now
come in foulards , louisines and taf
fetas.
Black silk stockings come with the
college flags embroidered on the in
step.
The little bonnet for elderly women
has become an unprecedented elabo
ration.
Novel ornaments are the big black
berries and chestnuts fashioned out of
jet.
jet.No
No hair
ornament is smarter than
the plain velvet bow matching the
gown in color.
A Youthful Playwright
Miss Constance Smedley
, whose cur
tain raiser , "The
Honor of a Rogue "
written in collaboration with Mr °
mo Hamilton , will
be seen in this
country next sea
son , enjoys the
distinction of be
ing the youngest
woman that ever
had a play pro.
duced in London ,
the theatrical me
tropolis Of
world , Her first
1IIB8 SMEDLEY. play M
Fordan , " a one act piece In which
'atrick Campbell
scored a marked
: ess about three
years ago. Miss
Smedley is an artist , and the work ot
ier ] brush has been
favorably com.
nented upon by some of the
Antics of London. She is not severest yet
rear * of age , and If she should fail
o become one of the
prominent
play-
vngh s she will disappoint
hosts of
food judges.
B lack velvet P'9sin. " of Black Velvet
gowns are not
peertae o sable I X ?
urban
to jatch , ana the beauh „ , *
U
re so popular.