THE NORFOLK NEWS : FRIDAY , OCTOBER 17,1002 , mI I
CUPID IN A
THUNDERBOLT ; ! ;
The Colorado sun was beating un
mercifully upon her aristocratic oval
face , yet she still clung to the farthest
rock on the little neck of land and tin-
bllnklngly watched her floater , which
never once bobbed. She was not there
because she loved the sport. Even the
frisky mountain trout knew that and
flirted their tails audaciously as they
Bwam under and around her hook.
No ; It was simply because she would
not Join the laughing group on thu
bank , where Randolph Foster , with
kindling ey < H , was recounting IIH ! ad
ventures on a hunting trip with Iluf-
falo Kill In the hitter's big tract of
wild land In the Hlg Horn country.
To Join a mountain party In Colora
do for the express purpose of escaping
the presence and the memory of a cer
tain Individual and then to have that
individual drop unexpectedly and un
invited from some unheard of region
was more than Inice ! Allen's soul
could bear. A fresh burst of laughter
floated neroHS the tiny Inlet , and she
whipped the stream sharply with her
line. Then very cautiously she skipped
from stone to stone until she stood al
most midway In the shallow river be
yond the reach of the merry voices.
She stood there thinking not of the
speckled Huh which she could not
catch , but of a most desirable social
flsh that had once come her way and
then had whisked off again , and all
because well , It was hlM fault. She
would maintain that to the bitter end.
She suddenly realized that she was
wretchedly tired.VeUrlly she folded
her rod , swung It over her shoulder
nnd retraced her steps to the point A
great silence had fallen on the scene.
The catnptlre was out , and the clrclo
of horses on the edge of the picnic
grounds had vanished. They had gonel
And she was alone , miles and miles
from Wagon Wheel Gap hotel. There
were mountain lions In these forest
fastnesses , and three days before she
had seen with her own eyes a great
she bear , with her round , awkward
cub , trailing up the mountain side. She
gasped and clung weakly to the near
est tree.
Then suddenly she stood up very
straight nnd tall. A masculine arm
thrust aside the undergrowth some six
feet ahead of her. A strong , tanned
face followed the arm , and then Ran-
.dolph Foster stood before her.
"I hope you haven't boon frightened ,
Grace , " ho said as calmly as if ho
HKll HAMD WAS AS COLD AS ICU AND
hadn't been delightedly watching her
face through the maze of undergrowth
nnd trees. "You were so interested in
your llshlug that you didn't hear Bas-
corn's call , and the girls were in a hur
ry. There's a hop tonight , you know ,
nnd they wanted to get home early ,
and ns 1 don't cnro for hops I told
them I'd wait till you were ready. "
"Very self sacrificing , Mr. Foster , but
really I'd prefer having been here to
go with the crowd. "
Foster bit his lip.
"I've nothing but a cart , yet perhaps
that's better than walking. " He held
out his hand for her fishing traps , but
she Ignored the courtesy and plunged
after him through the undergrowth to
the little clearing where stood his cart
ami horse.
A mountain cart , not unlike n trot
ting sulky In Its build , is not the most
dignified vehicle in which to ride , es
pecially with a man from whom one
would like to keep at n comfortable
distance. In vain Grace tried to lean
toward her own side of the cart The
very ruts and stones in the road seemed
in league against her.
On one side rose the mountain , with
Its mass of quivering aspen , brilliant
yellow and purple flowers and tinkling
streams , while on the other fell a
ehcer precipice straight to the winding
river bed. On and on they rode In si
lence as unbroken as that of the vroods
nrouud them. He meant to say many
things , but he was waiting for an op.
portune moment , and it came with un
expected suddenness. As they rounded
a bend in the road n portentous dark
ness fell upon them. The leaves rus
tled ominously , and a rock loosened by
'
the pony's hoofs rolled o\er the preci
pice and struck crag after crag with
startling dlNllnetneHM. ( Inice shivered.
"Oh , It's diic of those awful moun
tain storms , and I'm HO afraid. "
Foster whipped up the horse. He
did not dare let her Nee. how alarmed
he really was.
"We've got a few minutes' grace , and
If I remember rightly there's a hunt'
t'f'a cabin Just beyond the next curve. "
Grace clung to Foster's arm , and even
IIH tlio cart swayed dangerously he was
happily conscious of her dependence
upon him.
They rounded the curve , and there In
the dim shadows of the lowering skies
stood the haven of refuge. Foster
broke his knife and the lock simulta
neously and thrust Grace Indoors , then
turned to tether hlH horne to the near
est tree. Ho found Grace cowering on
an upturned soapbox. With a Hhrlek
of maniacal rage the storm burst about
them. Forest giants quivered and bent ;
the lightning swept down the moun
tain side In continuous volleys. The
room was one glare of yellowish blue
light , and Foster , who was standing
close to Grace's Hide , felt her hand
creep Into IIH. ! It was cold as Ice and
trembling. Instantly he was on the
box beshio her , drawing her with pro
tecting artiiH to hlH heart.
"Oh , Randolph , nro we In great dan
ger ? "
"I'm afraid we are , dear , " he nn-
HWered , with conviction , "and we're not
going to let this miserable misunder
standing come between us at micli n
time. "
It was his elmnce , nnd he took it.
"But you know , Ran , you were In the
wrong. If you'd Just admit that , I'd
bo"
Again that awful glare of blue light.
Fnr above them sounded something
like the rending of the earth itself ,
then an awful crunching , grinding
sound , the building shook , and above
the roar of the storm rose the fright
ened neigh of their horse , followed by
n mighty rumble , and silence.
"Randolph , what was It what \yns
it ? " Hhe sobbed.
Foster , white now to his very lips ,
Hlmply held her closer. lie had spoken
in Jest , but surely some awful danger
seemed to have passed by them.
"Never mind , Ran , whose fault it
was. I love you , I have always loved
you , and we're going to dlo together. "
Ho kissed her gently and for a mo
ment felt us if It mattered little what
came next. But nothing did come.
Gradually the storm abated , the black
ness lifted , and Randolph , disengaging
himself from Grace's convulsive clasp ,
threw open the door/ The sunshine
cnmo down gloriously upon the spar-
kllng groundrocks and trees. The birds
twittered cheerily , and the flowers
lifted their heads proudly. A few rods
beyond the cabin lay a huge bowlder
nearly as large as their place of refuge ,
nnd in Its track lay the remains of the
cart The horse had fled. Loosened
by the bolt of lightning , the bowlder
had plunged down the mountain side
within n few yards of the tiny cnbln.
Randolph showed Grace the wreck
age and said cheerfully :
"It's a long walk to the hotel , Grace ,
but we ought to be thankful that we
nre nllve to make It"
With n trembling hand Grace
touched the great rock.
"I don't mind the walk Randolph
with you. "
And Foster , looking back at the
cabin amid the sparkling branches
ttnd the twittering birds said gently :
"I think we'll buy that cabin , Grace ,
and visit It ns a sort of shrine Cupid's
shrine every year. "
A I.lvliiKHIectrle Ilattcry.
One of the most wonderful fish that
frequent American waters is the tor
pedo ray , order rnlhu , formerly torpe-
dlnldnj , a denizen of the deep , often
found on our eastern coast , especially
along that portion of It extending from
South Carolina to Key West The elec
tric apparatua or battery of the torpe
do is his sole defense , and those who
have come In contact with It when in
good working order say that it Is all
sufficient Naturalists compare the elec
tric organs of the torpedo to the artifi
cial voltaic pile. They consist of two
series of Iny.ers , each composed of a
multitude of hexagonal cells , the space
which intervenes being filled with a
jcllyllko substance , so that the cells
may properly be compared to a Leydcu
jar.
jar.Each
Each full grown flsh carries 480 of
these electric battcrioa , the combined
force of which la equal to the power
stored In fifteen Leyden Jars. In other
words , there are about 3,000 square
inches of the creature's body charged
with electricity to the very highest
degree. The upper side of this animat
ed battery Is positive and the lower
negative , the power to use the battery
being in full control of the flsh.
nnd Mnciironl.
"Many persons believe noodles orlg
inated in Germany , " says a New York
Italian arm of the law , "but such Is
not the case , for noodles , macaroni ,
spaghetti and vermicelli arc the same ,
only of different shapes nud sizes. Noodles
dles is n handmade preparation of the
mountains , and nearly every Italian
and German family in America makes
It by hand. Italians never bake maca
roni or paste In any form. The only
way to eat it is boiled. In Italy the
cooking of this dish Is left to the head
of the family , whether he be rich or
poor , if he has the time. The paste is
dropped into boiling water and when
done is drained in a colander. A pot
roast gravy la made , with lima beans ,
tomatoes and mushrooms added. Then
n Inyer of macaroni is put in a platter
nnd covered with the sauce , some Ital
ian pepper and grated pnrmcsan
cheese , then another layer and inoro
sauce , pepper and cheese until the dish
is filled. That makes an artistic dish.
Careless people simply dump the mac
aroni into n deep dish , pour on nil the
sauce , pepper nnd cheese nnd stir ev
erything together. "
A Mrnn TlirUNt.
"Ten thousand dollars for n dn l" he
exclaimed as he looked up from his
newspaper. "Do you believe nny one
ever paid any Midi price , MurlaV"
"I'm sure I don't know , James , " she
returmd-without stopping her needle
work even for a moment. "Does the
paper HIIJ * that much wan paid ? "
"Yes. There'H an article on vuluablo
dogs , and It's speaking of one t'.mt was
sold for $10.000. 1 don't believe It. "
"It may be true , James , " she said
quietly. "Some of those high bred nn-
Imals bring fancy prices , nnd there's
no particular reason why the paper
should He about It. "
"I know that , Maria , but just think
of It , Just try to grasp the magnitude
of that sum In your weak feminine
mind. You don't seem to realize it
$10,000 for a dogl Why , hang It , Maria ,
that's more than I'm worth 1"
"I know that , James , but some nro
worth more than others. "
'She went on calmly with her sewing
while he fumed nnd spluttered for n
moment nnd then dropped the subject ,
qspeclally the weak feminine part of it
The Indian Crentlnii
The earliest Bource for the religion
of India Is the hymns of the Rig Veda ,
the date of which is now fixed nt about
1000 B. C. In ono of these hymns wo
encounter as the creator Purushn , who
Is simply a "magnified man. " A pan
theistic turn , however , Is given to this
conception under the Influence of
which Purusha becomes the "all In nil"
nnd Is Identified with the universe ,
with what linn been nnd what shall be.
All gods , animals and castes are parts
of him. The moon Is his mind , the sun
his eye , from his mouth sprang Indra
and Agnl and from his breath Vnyu ,
space from his navel , heaven from his
head and the earth from his feet. This
emanation theory when freed from its
primitive elements becomes pantheism
pure and simple. In accord with this
view the source of creative activity Is
carried back in other hymns to "do-
Hire. " We read In Vcdlc literature that
"desire Is the seed of the mind. " Mor
ris Justrow , Jr. , in Harper's Magazine.
A Kiilr K
Clerical Customer ( arousing himself
from nap in barber's chair ) Finished ,
eh ?
Barber Yes , sir ; quite some time
ngo.
ngo.Clerical
Clerical Customer Indeed ! Then 1
must have been indulging In n quiet
nap.
nap.Barber
Barber You surely have , sir.
Clerical Customer It was certnlnly
very kind of you not to awaken me.
The rest has done me good , nnd I nm
very thnnkful to you for what was
really n very refreshing sleep.
Barber Don't mention it , sir. It's
only n- fair return. I attended your
church Inst Sunday.
\Vhnt They "Were
At nn exhibition of paintings in Lon
don in one of the galleries hung the
notable picture "Hawking In the Olden
Times. " An elderly farmer nnd his
wife paused before this picture , view
ing It with evident satisfaction.
"John , " said the old lady , "what's
that ? "
John then turned over the leaves of
the catalogue he carried.
"They en' it 'Hawking I' th' Owden
Time , ' " said he.
"Hawking ! Why , what are they
hawking ? " she Inquired.
"I dunne , " he replied , "but I spect
they're trying to sell them birds. "
MISTOOK HIS MAN.
A Cnntlonn American Tourlnt nnd. HI *
Traveling Companion.
A cautious American traveling from
Paris to Nice some years ngo found n
strnnger In the compartment in which
ho had secured a berth.
"Are you Mr. ? " said the stran
ger.
ger.The
The American in surprise answered
affirmatively.
"Ha ! " said the strnnger. "I inquired
at the booking office who wns to bo
my traveling companion. "
The American realized that this was
no ordinary man and soon found him
self almost hypnotized by the stran
ger's commanding eye.
When the man proposed cards , the
American suspected that ho was a pro
fessional gambler. He made many ex-
cuscs , finally saying that bo cared for
none of the games which his compan
ion suggested.
"All right , " was the discomforting
reply ; "we'll play anything you like. "
When the American mentioned an
obscure French game , which ho hoped
the other would not know , nnd found
his suggestion taken up eagerly , he
was more than ever suspicious.
"But , " asked the American , "do you
know how to play it ? "
"No , " was the reply , "but you can
teach me. "
The American now had little doubt
that the man was n card expert , look
ing for a victim , but , as no suggestion
of high stakes was made , he concluded
to venture and after some hours' playIng -
Ing had seen nothing on the part of his
fellow passenger that looked like
cheating.
But when next morning his compan
ion suggested that they play again to
while nwny the time the American
grew suspicious again and pleaded a
headache.
When they entered the station nt
Nice , the man handed the American
his card. It bore the name of Lord
Russel of Klllowcn , lord chief justice
of England. Youth's Companion.
Italian Dee .
Italian bees arc more hardy than the
native and more profitable. They are
more energetic and will gather honey
In partial droughts when natives wll
do nothing. They will gather honey
from blossoms that natives will not
touch. They are stronger on the wing
will fly more directly and swiftly nnt
are not so irritable.
A NEWSPAPER SCOOP
HOW IT WAS OBTAINED WITHOUT
ANY DEPARTMENT LEAK.
Sotirrr * of Information ofVlilcH
tin- Alert ninl Quick Wilted Corrc-
Mlinndcnt In Alun > - 11 riuly In Take
"Every once In awhile one reads In ,
the newspapers of the determination 1
of some one of the high government ,
officials to discover the source of 'the 1
leak' of a piece of news which It was
not desired should be given out at that
lartlcular time , " remarked an old
Washington correspondent , "and with-
out. , giving the solution to the secret
escapes of public Information , as they
vary , I will tell you of one Instance
which nerves to show how news ap
pears In print In what Is considered by
ill concerned to bo a very mysterious
nanncr. Like all mysteries , when un
raveled It IH wondered that It was not
thought of before. My story Is en-
Jrcly a part of the secret sources of
nformatlon which nil correspondents
linve more or less nt their disposal
nnd which often comes from the out
side and not from the inside of the
departments.
"Some time ago the precise time Is
not essential to the story n very Im
portant public matter wns up for de
termination by the president All of
[ .he larger metropolitan dallies were
particularly Interested , ns It did not
linvc to do especially with Washing
ton , and the entire correspondents'
world nt the capital was on the qul
vivo to 'get It , ' Including myself. All
channels which were usually tapped
by the Initiated were found to bo ns
barren as n desert stream In midsum
mer. Telegrams from the home offices
poured Into our various bureaus here
couched In Imperative language that
the news 'must' be obtained , evidently
In the belief that all correspondents
have to do Is to go out , ask officials
for the desired information nnd re
ceive It , coupled with a good cigar and
n bottle of wine. As n matter of fact ,
when officials wish to keep secret n
piece of Information , all possible loop-
liolea of escape are securely padlocked ,
nnd It Is the exception that It gets out.
"I had about given up hope of securing - .
ing a 'beat * in this particular Instance ,
though I was , of course , as vigilant us
ever. The time for the maturing of the
project was close at hand , and any day
It might by official announcement be
come public property. One night as I
was sitting idly in the lobby of an up
town hotel , half dozing In my chair ,
waiting for the appearance of a senator
with whom I had an appointment on nn
inconsequential matter , I overheard ono
of two gentlemen who were sitting be
hind me drop the words 'the president. '
The high backs of our chairs nearly
touched , and by Instinct my drowsy
senses became clear and I woke up.
" 'The president , ' remarked one of the
gentlemen , 'said that it was his Inten
tion to adopt that course Irrespective
of the consequences cither to himself or
the party. '
" 'But you pointed out to him what If
meant to us that he was clearly In er
ror ? ' replied the other gentleman.
" 'Elaborately , ' responded the flrst
speaker , 'but the president said that ho
was convinced that accruing results
would prove that we , and not he , were
in error. '
" 'Then we may as well go back tu
New York tomorrow , ' was the answer ,
and both gentlemen arose and walkeu
toward the cafe , apparently in a very
despondent frame of mind.
"I was nn involuntary listener to this
scrap of conversation , in which , it will
be observed , not n single word was
dropped as to the subject matter there
of. I at once jumped to the conclusion
that the government , through the presi
dent's action , intended to take the af
firmative of the proposition , the news
side of which the correspondents had
so long and earnestly endeavored to
ascertain. With n straight tip ns to the
course of the government the corre
spondent could do the rest , while with
the wrong tip he could not only make
his paper ridiculous , but would in all
probability lose his position ; hence the
care in making a scare head , page wide
story.
"In the furtherance of my conclusion
had the ' ' of the
my paper 'beat' season
the following morning , as I stated the
fncts ns though they came from official
sources , as , indeed , such I considered
them. To my mind , ns a correspondent ,
it was as clear as If the president himself -
self had given me the information. Two
days after n member of the cabinet
gave out officially what I hnd wired
over nnd with it the nnnouncemcnt that
the 'leak' had occasioned much 'annoy
ance , nnd Its source would be invest- !
gnted thoroughly. ' It is hero given cor
rectly for the flrst time. " Washington
Star.
SCRAPS OF SCIENCE.
A scientist who has made n study of
the plnnct dcclnrcs that thcro Is snow
on the moon.
There arc 23 pounds of blood In the
body of nn nvernge grown up person ,
nnd nt each pulsation the heart moves
10 pounds.
While cyclones nnd tornndocs nro dif
ferent phenomena , the former appear
to give rise to the latter. Tornadoes
almost always break out , If nt nil , on
the southeasterly outskirts of a cyclone ,
A period of 5 seconds between n flash
of lightning nnd thunder means that
the flash Is a mile distant from the ob
server. Thunder has never been heard
over 15 miles from the flash , though
artillery has been heard 120 miles.
Sir Robert Ball asserted that every
100 years the sun loses 5 miles of Its
diameter. To allay anxiety , however ,
he mentioned that the diameter of the
sun Is 800,000 miles and that 40,000
years hence the diameter would still
be 8"S,000 miles.
An Idol IVIlli Diamond
It Is n curious fnct nnd ono scarcely
known outside of Himslii , nnd there
hardly ever mentioned , that the fa-1
mous Orloir diamond was once the
right eye of the great Idol Serrlngham
In the temple of Mrahma. Tlil.s proj j
clotiH gem was stolen at about the lie-
ginning of the eighteenth centvry by n
French soldier who had made a pro-
tciihe of being converted to the Hindoo
religion i In order to gain the confidence
of i the prlestH and admission to the
temple. t The Frenchman first sold the
diamond for 2,000. On the next turn
It was bought by a banker of Constan
tinople for 12,000. The banker kept it
until 1774 and then sold It to the Rus
sian empress for 00,000 and a life pen-
nlon. The gem has been In the Russian
royal family ever since. As it Is now
set In the Imperial scepter of Russia it )
presents n flattened , rose cut surface
nnd weighs exactly 104V6 carats.
Vanity Tickled.
During the early excesses of the
French revolution n rabble of men nnd
women were rioting In the streets of
Paris. Lafayette appeared and ordered
n young artillery ofllcer to open fire
upon them with two cannon. The of
ficer begged the general to let him try
flrst to persuade them to withdraw.
"It la useless to appeal to their rea
son , " said the general.
"Certainly , " answered the officer ,
"and it is not to their reason , but to
their vanity , I would appeal. "
The ofllcer rode up to the front of the
mob , doffed his cocked hat , pointed to
the guns nnd said :
"Gentlemen will have the kindness to
retire , for I nm ordered to shoot down
the rabble. "
The street was cleared nt once , for
none could brook the iden of being
classed with the scum of the city.
Why lie AVnnn't Impressed.
The following story is told of n gar
rulous victim of the Johnstown flood
of 1880 , who when ho reached paradise
ascended a cloud that served within
the pearly gates as n rostrum nnd un
dertook to thrill his new made ac
quaintances among the shades with an
account of the disaster through which
he had passed. lie was interrupted
by a gray bearded old man in the
group. "A mere bucketful a mere
buckefnl ! " the old fellow piped.
"Don't waste so much time talking of
n small affair like that ! "
The Johnstown man resented this
nnd hunted up St Peter , of whom ho
nskcd , "Who is that old codger who
seems to think our flood such n trifling
mnttcr ? "
"That ? " said St Peter. "Why , that's
Noah I"
SCIENCE BIFTINGS.
Saturn's largest moon is 2,092 miles
in diameter , slightly smaller than our
own.
Jupiter is one nnd n half times larger
than all the rest of the planets put to
gether.
In size the sun equals 1,300,000
earths , but owing to its smaller density
Its. weight equals only 300,000 earths.
Careful scientific investigations show
that the average speed of the transmis
sion of earthquake shocks is nearly 10-
000 feet per second.
Zinc expands up to the melting point ,
A bar of hammered zinc six Inches long
will expand 1.100 of an inch in rais
ing the temperature 100 degrees K
The sun gives GOO.OOO times as much
lljtht as the full moon , 7,000,000,000
tin Its as much as the brightest star in
the sky and 30,000.000 times as much
as all the combined stars of the Leav
ens.
ens.The
The latest theory in connection with
drowning is that no water enters the
lungs and that heat properly applied ,
with artificial respiration , will resuscl
tate persons who have been under wa
ter for an hour. This feat has been ac
complished by the doctor who advances
the theory.
Theolosry n He Understood It.
Passengers in an uptown car one aft
ernoon last week were very much en
tertaincd and amused by a discussion
of things spiritual by two colored pas
sengers. As the debate waxed warmer
the voices of the debaters grew louder
until what was said was plainly audi
ble to all in the car. After each had
made a confession of faith nnd given
bis views of the means whereby mortal
man could gain salvation one of the
pair blurted out in a tone that Implied
that all his hope for the next world
wns embodied in the words :
"Well. snh. I b'lleve dat what's gwine
to be is sho'ly gwlne to be. "
"Huh , " grunted his companion con
temptuously , "den yo' b'lleves in pre-
meditashun. " Baltimore Sun.
1)1 lint.
"I'm too practical to do as heroes do
In books. Miss Slight , so I'll just ask
you blunib. will you be my wife ? "
"No , than' ' you , Mr. Terse. I myself
don't believe in those silly bookish no
tlons , nnd ns the silly heroines always
say yes , why , I'll tell you bluntly , no ,
sir , I won't ! "
Jn t Cried.
"What makes the baby cry ? " nskcd
the little visitor.
"Oh , " explained Ethel , "our baby
doesn't have to have anything to make
It cry. " Chicago Post
Kulr Warning.
Ho ( nervousl- ) Who Is that tramp
ing around overhead ?
She That's papa. Do always gets
restless toward morning. Town nnd
Country.
Affect * One' * Imagination.
"When n man gits good nn' mnd , "
said Uncle Ebcn , "he's H'ble to 'maglno
he's n volcano when he nln' uuttlti but n
firecracker. " Wnsblngton Stnr.
The hide of the hippopotamus in
some parts Is fully two Inches thick.
HOW THE INDIANS VOTE.
Thry Are Very Deliberate nnil Then-
Have n Simple Method.
The Chlckasaw Indians cast their
vote differently from the way the
white man does It. They meet the day
bolero the election , and none but
Chlcknamws by blood Is allowed to
vote. No white man or Intermarried
citizens have the right of suffrage.
They go oft to themselves and have a
powwow. They decide for whom they
will vote after considering the matter
for twenty-four hours.
The polling place in quite unlike that
of the white man. There Is n great
sheet of paper , white , yellow or brown
as the case may be , about three feet
square. Upon this sheet of paper are
a vast number of cross lines , regularly
ruled off with a pencil. Then down
one side of the sheet of paper are
placed the names of all candidates for
office , beginning with the candidates
for governor and running on down to
precinct officers. At the top of the
sheet are the number of blank spaces
that will be required for the names of
the voters. The judges of election sit
by and pass on those entitled to vote ,
and there Is a certainty that no illegal
votes are cast.
The Indian Is thoroughly deliberate ,
lie takes his time when It comes to
voting. He proceeds to the polling
place , looks carefully over the poll
sheet , and If he is ready to cast Ills
ballot he calls out his name , and the
clerk records It on the sheet Then the
clerk reads off the names of the can
didates for governor. The voter delib
erates awhile , calls out the name of
the candidate for whom he desires to
vote , his vote Is recorded , and the
names of the candidates for the next
office are called out , nnd so on through
the list , till all the offices represented
are voted for.
Thus It Is that every voter knows
exactly how every other voter has cast
his ballot , and there are no remarks ,
no suggestions and no quarrels over
differences of opinion.
POSTAL STATISTICS.
The number of pieces of matter of all
kinds mailed Increased from 500,000 in
1700 to 7,424,300,329 In 1901.
The flrst year's Issue of postal cards ,
1873. numbered 31,094,000 , while in
1901 059,014,800 were Issued.
In 18G5 money orders to the amount
of $1,300,122 were issued , while in 1901
the total amounted to $274,540,007.
In 1853 , the year in which stamped
envelopes were flrst Issued , 5,000,000
were used , while in 1901 the total was
772,839.000.
The registry system was started in
1855 , and in that year the registered
pieces numbered 029,322. In 1901 they
numbered 20,814,501.
From June 30 , 1847 , to June 30 , 1851 ,
4,003,200 postage stamps were issued ,
while in the single year 1901 4,329-
273,090 stamps were used by the people
ple of the United States.
In 1789 there were only seventy-flva
postofllces established , the length of
the post routes being 2,275 miles nnd
the gross revenue oi the department
being only $7,510. The expenditures
were $7,500.
There were In 1001 70,594 postoflicca
In operation , 511,808 miles of post
routes , 400,110,059 miles of mall serv
ice performed. The gross revenues of
the depaitmcnt were $111,031,193 , the
expenditures $115,039,007.
Toad Stones.
Most readers have no doubt heard of
the precious Jewels which the toad car
ries in his brain box , and so called
toadstonos , which were in reality the
teeth of fossil fish , were formerly worn
in .finger . rings as a protection against
poison.
It was thought that the best stones
were those voluntarily ejected by the
living toads ; but , as the latter were not
addicted to freely giving up their treas
ures In that way , it was necessary to
procure the coveted articles by other
means , nnd the recognized method waste
to decapitate the hapless batrachlaa
nt the Instant he swallows his breath.
The feat naturally demanded consider
able celerity , such as could only be ac
quired by constant practice , and it is
not reasonable , therefore , to assume
that although the endeavors to gain
possession of the Jewels were perhaps
numerous , they must have Invariably
been unsatisfactory , especially to the
toads.
Dressing n Hop.
It is told of the late P. D. Armour
that on ono occasion he made a present
of n suit of clothes to each of his em
ployees In a certain department. Each
man wns told that he might order his
own suit and send the bill to Mr. Ar
mour , no restrictions being made as to
price. In order to avail himself fully
of this liberality ono young man or
dered evening clothes costing $ SO.
When the bill was sent in , Mr. Armour
sent for the clerk to vouch for Its ac
curacy and , finding it right , assured
the man it would be paid. As the clerk
was leaving , however , Mr. Armour said
to him :
"I wish to say to you that I have-
packed a great many hogs in my time ,
but 1 never dressed one before ! " New
York Times.
ArUtoorntlo AiitH.
The slaveholdlng ants are of several
kinds and differ greatly In the manner
In which they treat their vassals. Some
make them do nil the work under the
direction of overseers ; others share
their labors , while still others have
fallen Into such habits of luxury as to
be unable or unwilling to wait upon or
even to feed
themselves nnd nre car
ried about and provided with food by
their body servants. In many cases
this sybaritism Is the mere ostentatious *
love of being served. The Incapacity IB
not physical , but moral , and arises
from nn nrlstocratlc aversion to any
kind of menial labor.
