l m Cfltemte mtnial kS ' 53 VOLUME XXV. NUMBER 48. COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA, WEDNESDAY. MAfiCH 13, 189. WHOLE NUMBER 1,296. ; i r f Hh x li Ei A S VERYTHIXG hap pened exactly- as it does in those charming novels which, of all liter ature, arc my fa vorites. I was very late for the train? it. was on hc move; the por ter bundled me in, thing my bag after me, slammed the door, and whis tled. And the lady sat in the oppo site corner of the carriage gathering Vier feet under the seat to avoid my Snirtling bag. She was extremely pretty. "impend upon it." said I to myself :;it oiicc, "she's going to stay with the l.lair.s." For it hud to be so it always is so. I was going to the IHairs, you see. Unhappily, she did not seem in clined for conversation. She was ac fommodating but not discursive as to ihc window; it was hummer, and lliere was no foot-warmer to bridge the gap between us. The annoying girl had :t paper, and buried herself behind it. This was, of course, all wrong. Something would happen ;--fKn, however. , Something did. The lady put down 'the paper And gazed in a puzzled man ner at iicr left glove. I peered cau 'tioiiOy around the edgo of the Hunts 'ijif.ii. Her eyes expressed dottbt and difficulty. I saw what was the mat ter; a button of the glove was undone. I am never intrusive or precipitate. I bided tny time Why, we were hardly ntpage ten of the novel yet! 5he tried to button the glove. The 'glove was not too large; she could not button iL Her brow wrinkled into a perplexed little frown. I love a dainty woman, and a wo man whose life is spoilt by an obsti nate glove-button is just the wife for me. She was bound to ask me to button it in another moment. mil she did not A sudden smile a smile if illumination spread over lier face. She had got it! Of course ilni couldn't button the tiresome thing with her glove on! Who could? With another smile for her own folly, she quietly unbuttoned all the buttons of her right glove and drew it oh. Then :he turned with quiet confidence to !lio left-hand button. Had it not been for the look of the Uhing Vd have kissed her on the spot As I, was and notwithstanding my -interest in racing I allowed the "hint smaii to drop and fastened my yo on her. Her hand was the most lovely little hand I have ever seen small, plumy, tapering, white, pink nailed. 1 dote on a good hand. She buttoned the button of her left -glove with immediate and complete -success, and smiled rapturously; in deed, she held up her hand and sur veyed the job with immense com placency. 1 was smiling broadly my bclf now, because I saw what was going to happen. Thank heaven, however, 1 made no sound! I wouldn't have spoilt it for the world. Her white teeth gleamed radiantly between her parted lips as she gently drew on the right glove. She treated the glove lovingly, working and pull ing and patting, stopping to look now sind again, conducting the thumb with infinite adroitness into its compart ment. Then she gave a final persua sive tug to the upper part, and pre pared to button the glove. ftiie tried the first button, stopped to think. A curious nression stole over her face. - :- v&m SHK LOOKED UP. shook her head. She looked at the right clove. She shook her head again. Her right hand moved toward berleft Was slid going to unbutton the left glove again? As I hope to be .saved she undid two buttons! Then it struck her, and in an in stant her face was all a-laughing, and I burst into a loud peal. She looked up in momentary indig nation, in swiftly succeeding fun, in irresistible sympathy. Then she laughed a low, long, luxurious ripple. "1 ought to have told you," I gasped. '-Uut you see, I hoped you'd undo them all again." lut what am I to do?"' she asked. "What am 1 for?" I returned. "Well, if you don't mind," said she. 1 crossed over and sat down by her. "There is." I observed, starting on the fons et origo, the top button of the left-hand glove, "no man so good that he cannot find a woman too "ood for him "' She lifted her eyes with an ing gaze. mqnir- ! " and no hand so small that it can not find a glove too small for it" "It's not true," she cried. See, I can move all my fingers." "I don't believe vou can," said L "But look!" "I am looking. I can't see them move. Perhaps I might be able, you know, to feel thom." "Do you mind buttoning the other now?" she asked. "It's better than nothing," said I, and began to button it "It was very curious," she remarked, "that I shouldn't have seen that as often as I unbuttoned one glove in order to button the other have " I should "It is just what I liked about vou." ! I interrupted. V . "I must have been thinking of something else." "Of course you were," said I, proudly. "You were thinking of me. But it would have been the same any how. You are a perfect woman." "Have you known me long enough?" "Yes, for anything," said I. "Even to take five minutes to but ton a glove for me?" dTOlM She "It is nearly done," said I, undoing the second button again, "but 1 can't manage this, one. &ov if I had a hairpin I should be the happiest I mean I should be able to manage IK" "I'm afraid my hair will con.c down " "I aai in favor of risking that,' I observed. She gave me a hairpin. I buttoned the glove with it and put it in my pocket. "My hairpin, Dlease," said she, holding out her hand. I -uut am l to get notning out oi it?" I cried indignantly. "The reward of a good conscience," she suggested. "It is not enough." "Oh! but you must give it to' inc." "Well," said I, "I'll give it' to you when we get there." "Get where?" "Why, to the Mail's, of course, flow amused they'll be to find that we've made acquaintance!" "But I'm not going to where is it? the Blairs." My face fell a little, but I recovered in a moment "Oh, well," said I, nodding my head, "you live quite near and we shall often meet I'm going to stay a month. I'm not sure uov it won't be two months." "I'm sure I hope you'll enjoy your self," she said, "and find plenty of gloves to button; but why the train's stopping!" "All right,all right" said I. "We've another hundred a whole splendid hundred miles to go. And it's a slow train at that" "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." "I'm afraid," I returned, "that t am being a little hasty, but n "Unless I am hasty," blie inter rupted, with a laugh and a blush, "I shall be carried past my station." And she folded up her papar and took hold of her parasol. "You're .never going to get out here!" I cried, aghast "You're not going even to the same station?" "I'm very sorry, but the next is my station." I thought for a moment The plot was not exactly what I had expected, but it might do as well. And I need not btatul on ceremony with the IHairs. 1 rose from my seat and took my bag down from the rack. "A wire will put it all right)" said I, with a cheerful nod. "It's impossi ble to leave yon stranded alone at a wayside station like this." "But I live here!" she cried, gleams of wonder and fun in her blue eyes. 'There could be no other reason for getting out at such a place," said I disdainfully. "And I shu'n't be alone," she con tinued. "If I were " "Ah, if you were !" "Oh, well, but I sha'n't be. I'm to be met" "That's rather a mistake," I -ad mitted. "But my husband," said slid. For a moment I said nothing. The train was ncarly'fit a standstiltThe lady louked"ouC"of the window. 'It's nottreating me quite fairly," I obsexjred. . "Yjs, there's George," s8id" she. "Oh, youVe never given me the hairpin." D "l never will," said I, in sad deter mination. i ,"Oh, vou're very " But George was at .the window. I will not attempt to' describe him; I should probably do him an injustice. The lady bowed -Jto me politely. George, from ouide, can have seen notliyig'but a slight, graceful, distant bendfof the head. I saw more: much morf; glcamujfg eyes, white teeth, evrything-jhi the world. And a voice sajd quite m a whisper: V'l wonder if those Bluirs,arc nice!" ThcrjrCvas regret, longing, wistful ness m that whisper. Gcprgc was just ojuside. I could but-hold up iny nairjnn with a romantic air. d the ladv was rann! m, D -iang n: sam l to myscit as vt roHtd out of the station. "It's only a sWbrt story, after all!'' f But it wasn't a bad one. Kpilcpy anil Hysterics. Dr. J. K. Bauduy, the mental spe cialist, was asked, in giving his testi mony in the criminal court in the Lang murder trialr to explain the dif ference between epilepsy and hyster ics, and replied: "If a woman was standing with hell on one side of her and a bed of roses on the other and was taken with a fit of epilepsy sho would bo as apt to fall into lioll as into the lied of roses. If she was af fected with hteries sho would bo mot likely to fall into the bed of roses. "' St. Louis Post Dispatch. A Kisinc Thermometer. "What is it that keeps you busj writing so late in your study every night?" a&kcd Mrs. Yergcr of her hus band. "I am writing the history of my life' "I suppose you mention me m it?' "Oh, yes: I call you the sun shine of my existence." "Do I really throw so much sunshine into your daily life?" "I refer to the sunshine of my existence because you make it hot for me." A ri-e in the thermom eter occurred immediately after tho foregoing conversation. Texas Sift ings. HU Kindly Ieelin;. The natient had loen sick a loni time and the doctor had done his best A . but in vain,and the end was approach ing. "If vou have anything to sav before going," said the doctor, it will be best for you to say it now." "Well, doctor,"' replied the patient cheerfully, -'I have only the kindliest feelings for you, and I am sure you wouldn't lose so good a customer as I have been if vou could possibly pre vent it."' A Itemtnder. "I do nothesitate, Mr. Stay late, "' she remarked gently, "to say that you are a young man of excellent habits, but I ai very much afraid that vou would l spend too much of vour time awav from home." 'Why do you think so?" "Because,'' and she yawned a lit tlo "you spend so much time away from home now." Married Not Mated. " Mr. Candid Chumly How do you and your new wife get on together? Mr. Newlywcd Well, all I've got to say is that I wish my mother-in-law was an old maid Texas SVtings. THE CROWS' REVENGE SAD FATE OF JABEZ BUMTREE OF LOCAL FAME. He Incurred the Hatred of the tttftek Fcathefed Bird or Evil Omen mud They Relentlesly Tanned Illm Until They Iilljr Killed Him. "1 read a story about a pest of crows in Jersey," said a traveling man, "and it reminded me of Jabez Bumtreo's crows. When I first start ed on the road I had what my fellow travelers always called the 'poverty circuit' It included all the small Western and Southern villages arid set tlements, and wheri a man started out Id covet' it he didn't generally get back to civilization for six months. "I had been over night in an In dian settlement and wanted to get to tho next village, some fifteen miles distant, by 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The man with whom I had stopped in formed me that Iko Staples was going five miles in tho direction I wished td take, and he guessed Ike would give mo a lift. So away vfe started, arid fdr tho first tWO miles Ike discussed crops and other things that hadn't the slightest interest for trie. As wo roundOu a turn in the road I noticed a small broken down cabin about a hun dred yards distant. " 'Hello,' I exclaimed, 'who lives here?' "We were directly in front of the cabin by this lime, and I had ni) soon er put the inquiry than Ik6 pulled up his horsdi tiirried to irie; arid after looking- mo over said: " 'Well, by gum! ter think that I driiv a man around that never hearn of Jabez Bumtree! Say, friend, yer an't tryin' ter josh me?' "I assured him that I was not. whereupon he resumed: " 'Well, sir, that man Jabez and his wifo 'Mandy and the littlo feller, Jabez iunior. did somethiii' that seK tlod 'em fot; life. They was druv from place tor place fcr ten years, an' they finally cum ter this olo cabin ter hide. But tho enemy w'at had ben on the trail for ten years smelt 'em out, an' feelin' that they couldn't run no longer they stayed, anJ Jttlifz Uiuri tree. his wife 'Maridy. arid the little feller" mot death like they might have tei years before if they hadn't tried tho jumpin' an' the do:lgin' racket' " 'Dear me.' said I, 'but who chased them like that for so long?' 'Go an' throw a stone in tho olo hut,' said my companion: -Tho enemy is the most retentlist like you ever secri, ah' they still guard the place.' " 'Aha!" I exclaimed, as I jumped from the wagon and picked up a big stone. 'More than one, eh?" " 'A million, b1 jingo!' replied ny companion as I hurled the stone at tho house. It made a great noise and went through tt cracked pane of glass Mid slammed agaihst the wall inide. The next moment there was a terrific squawking inside, and crows began to fly out of every window. It seemed to me that there were thousands of them, and they made tho sky black. They Hew up in the air and began making circles around the house, but didn't go away. " 'Jabez Bumtreo,' ho began, was a blooded colt, an' was a d'rect descend ant of the Bumtrees of New York. They wusn't nuthin' goin' could tell t Jaliez nuthin, an' when he sed he'd marry '.Mandy Hucklo he jes' up ah' done it, an' the Huckles was jes' as good as the Bumtrees, too. The couple was livin' 'bout a hundred miles from this hero spot when Jabez done all that fdolishhess. The little feller was 2 years old then. Now, right back of the Bumtreo barn was the roostin' place of all tho crows fer miles around, an' while Jabez didn't mind 'em much, ho jes" got huffy when ho found they wasa-pickin' at his crops, an one night he goes t out an' throws sticks an' stones in the ' trees till ho drives every blasted crow out. But them crows hadn t no no tion of quittin' that roost. Their fathers an' grandfathers and great grandfathers had roosted there 'fore ever a Bumtree or a Hucklo came across the sky line, an' they'd ba dinged if they'd quit. " 'The king crow 'lowed as how it wasn't right to jieck at Jabez's fields, an' they didn't do it no more, but that warn t what Jabsz wanted. I sed he was a blood colt, an' ho was. He'd ! " " I bwiicu ici uno mum crows oui, an i ho meant ter do it: an' night after night the fight kept on. From stick ter stones Jabez went ter his gun, an' he used ter kill about fifty crows a , night. But still every night found the crows at the ole roost' " I 'An' then the durn fool done i that what settled him. I told yer how that little patch or wood back i er the Bumtree barn was a roost fer , crows fer 200 ycaw. Well, as the mother loves her olTsprinsr. so does ' "' me crm loye uie roosi oi iisanctoier. i ..UH .. ..v. vmuw. ....,. v-v. iuui. can c.x an" chopped down every durn tive in i the patch he committed suicide fer himself an' his wifo an" littli feilcr. The los er home an' about 150 of tho race what Jabez had killed was too much fer tho crows, an' they resolved that the earth warn't large "nuff ter hold the Bumtreo family an' tho crow race. They couldn't 'tack the man openly, an' crows don't carry no gun. But they do carry a gosh darned squawk, and the squawk was the weap on that killed the Bumtrees. They druv them out er the olo homestead and they follered 'cm from place to place. There weren't no sleep fer the Bumtrees nowhere. Wherever they was there was a thousand crows, an' they'd squawk outside the Bumtreo window like all damnation. ."'An't no use tryin' ter tell yer where the Bumtrees went ter in that ten years. They went ev'ry place, an' the old cabin yer passed was where ' they las' come ter fer rest ole man Bumtree, pale an' busted up: Mandy, hollow-chested, and stoop-shouldered, an' the little feller, now growed up, so weak he couldn't barely walk. Every one in the settlement knew they was there an' that the crows was still after them, but no one dared ter do nuthin'. The crows was determined an' no hu man bein' could resist them. Why, the crows what squawked the Bum trees ter their final breath was the grandchildren of the crows what Ja bez druv out er the ole roost by the j cuttin' down of the trees. How's that j ler persistence." An wnen the people in the settlement heard the squawkin' no more they knew that tho crows' duty was done an' the Bumtrees was dead, an' they came over an' attended to the plantin', which was done in the ground under the ole cabin. D'yo know that them Bumtrees was killed by lack of sleep? Every night when they went to bed the sqUawkirt' com menced an in the whole teH years they Wasdyifi they didti't have ,'riuff sleep td niake s gdod night's rest " IMPRESSIONS OF A PARISIAN. remarkable I benomena Observed by a Stranger Within Our Gate. When will foreign tourists stop quizzing their American cousins? Ever since tne days t)f MrS: Trolldpe and Charles Dickens wo hare taken all sorts of hard rap's from our visitors, hut the crown of absurdity must be given to Mme. Leon Grandin, who visited the world's fair and who must have kept her eyes very wide open, indeed to have seen tho things re corded in her recent volume. Here are some of tho ripest plums df ob servation: "The heat lrt Chicago in August be ing insupportable, the nieri dd riot stand oil any ceremony; bul take bIT their" jackets arid vosts which they carry on their arm, and thus they promenade on the most fashionable thoroughfare, wearing simply trousers and shirts." One very frequently meets in tho streets of Chicago and Now York young men or good families carrying their shoes In theif hands.-' "A rehlar'kabie" thing abflut the dresses worri.iri New Y'ftrk is the w'hite aprori, which, many ladies wear at h'dmo and in tho street Of course I do not suppose that these ladies represent the aristocratic clashes in New York, but I met so many of them attired in these aprons that I suppose it is a fashion with tho higher middle class." "Ill hot weather rill the Chicago llofses wear straw hats; with sponges mider thetti. But some 6f theni Wear nioro thati that, even. I saw several horses on State street wearing trous ers mado of blue jeans. Tho neck and back were covered with oilcloth, and tho poor beast's head was adorned with an immense chapeau do Panama." MirtO. Granditl .Made jtther astbte and renidrkable observations on our national life. Shj also records her own chagrin whon, wishing to order "calvo' brains" for her dinner, the dictionary mislid her into asking for "calves' intelligence." Sho finds our women too fat, our men to lean, and she takes with all seriousness tlio re ply of a wifo whose husband w'ciit oiit without his overcoat: "Oh, that's all right: he insured his life last week." What treasures our futuro historian will find in "Impressions d'uno Paris ienne!" MORSELS OF GASTRONOMY Hothouse lettuce is and nice td hav as a rs green, crisp hew barikridte. The strength of the cod fish is as great in cooking as when it swims the sea. Venison can be kept as long as a , rocking chair that used to be grand j ma'.s. j Those who talk most about terrapin j are people who enjoy it at long inter j vals. j It is against the law to shoot part i ridges now, bat not a Violation to eat them. A silver sardine knife and fork Com bined is sdanithirig newtbut awkward to llaridle. The English are jealous df our fine beef, which may be why they Would stop export Ice cream at dinner parties is a back number. Those who regret its omis sion are few. America now cans "French peas," declared to be fully as palatable as the imported. A fricasseed chicken means a fowl that had no lonsrer anv romance or tenderness in it statistic show that as a nation of olive eaters we are coming up to the European record. An exchange says: "I'eaniits are goo:l for acute d-spepsia." Thousands have no doubt of it There ans still nieri who pick truffles carefully from sauc3 or put them on the side of their plate. A fish sufficiently antique for an art museum is well dubbed "poisson" in T .1 l .t 1 t mm LICIlca on tnc nolel om ol Iare' i lie Hunters pudding of a cen pudding of a century ago, with its inace, suet and figs, has b-en revived in all its Centennial glory. GIVEN TO LEVITY. "It strikes ma that he has a good deal of assuranc2 to call himself a boy pianist He must be all of 25." "(nass he is: but he plavs like a bov ot 9." i)eacon Meadows-I hear your son ilslR wlim, nn ,rt. fort f. m. i. v-..... n,...j r a n lege. Farmer Clovcrtop I dunno. V,ii. 1-tSlllll.t UHMtlLWll 1 UUIII1U. IIC ain't showed no signs of it about hum. an my fences njeas fixing puttv bad "How do you likj thi new boarding place?" Old boy Couldn't be improved on: fiere's niver enough of anything for all. ' Great Scott! Why do you li.ee it then? ' "There's nothing left fur hash." Mrs. D'Avnoo I wish you would not spend your time reading those emotional novels. Miss D'Avnoo Oil. tiiis is not emotional a bit. It is pure ly financial. The heroine marries the man her mother picks out It is stated that Mrs. Malanroo re- cennv reportea ol a fane; dress ball held in London that "the crcatest success was Secretary Roosevelt of the United States embassy, who ap peared in the garbaga of a monk.' "The thing that Biggies lacks is sincerity," remarked th2 self-appointed critic of mankind. "What makes you say that?" "He made a resolution to quit swearing and bought a fountain pen on the same day." Mr. Johnly Sam, I understand that your boss is going to get married again. Will he take a bridal trip? Sam Yas, he gwine ter go it agin, but I kain't toie you about takin' a bridle to her. He used to take a hoss whip to de udder one. "It's a great mistake," said a phil osopher, "for a poor man to get into politics unless he is sure he can make a living at it" "That's very true," replied the philosopher's wife, "but it seems to me that a man who could make a living at politics could get rich doing most anything else." AUSTRALIAN RAILWAYS. SOME COMPARISONS WITH THOSE OF THIS COUNTRY. How Oaf Railways ar. Regarded State OWtterahlp- and Management of Rail way. fyinta of SlMllarlt Between Australia And ih ijnited States Rll way BBlldIng Comparison's of kitssMs and Victoria The Earning Capacity and Opportunity. State Railways In Australia. From Journal of Political Economy. The averau-e trrbss earninirs nef train mile in KaiisaS in 1891 were Sl,dS in Victoria, $1,34, btii the iJxbefases Were S-94 in Victoria to S.96 in Kansassh'owi ing a net earning of .48 per train mile" in Kansas to 8.40 in Victoria. This shows operating expenses to be almost 5 per cent lower under private than under public management From the railway managers' standpoint the Kan sas toads show the better results, though, with a mileage three' tittles aa freat, the advantage ought to be with he state owned roads. If the compar ison bf .earnings per mile Of road be made"; th6 result is even itiofe slr'otJgly in favor bf private inafaaqemetit: Ifl 1889 the gross earnings in Victoria were $7,042.20 per mile, a trifle over 10 per cent on the capital invested. Since that time there has been a constant decline in earnings per mile and the returns for 1893 show that each mile of line is credited with a revenue of only 53,832. j)0, a loss of S2l2T0pef mile id five years. Thb gross returns oh the capital in Vested is ntjw less than 8 per fceht tin the reported Value", as against ii. 6 per cent in the United Slates. Cbh4paring the gross earnings, the expenses and the net earnings per mile of road in Victoria and in Kansas for 1692, the year before the extreme depression oc curred in Victoria, the following re sults are obtained: Victoria Kansas ftnlatico In favor . t .. - bf Kansas Gross earnings $.V&".W 5-V'P-w ti-tfj KxpensJjs - 2,wiu..u amu. " '-yj NfetcarhihRs - I.GAI.SQ 1.XU.M :CI.OO With greater gross earnings' and less operating expenses Kansas shbws ft het revenue for each mile of line S321 greater than the state owned roads of Victoria obtain, and that in spite of the fact that Kansas has three times as many miles of roads, in a smaller ter ritory; ,and With a population slightly greater. If the comparison te made between ine runways oi ixansas ana jew couui Wales, in the same way that it has been made with Victoria, the advan tage will be slightly in favor of New South Wales, but Bhe has even fewer fniles of rbad Ulan Victoria, and a ter ritory threfe Or fbrir tiiiics as large, so Ihatthe fc'bmp'aflsbn vbuia be less fair than the one already iiiadfe. Since the ton-mile rates arc not giv'eh for the Victoria railways it will be nec essary to make the ton-mile compari sons (which are the best measure of the price paid by the community for the Service rendered) With the rates In New South Wales. The comWissiohefBOf that colony give tables showing that their rates ale ldwer than thbse in any other colony, so herb agaiii Stale manage ment is given the advantage of the best showing that it can make. The average rate on all freight car ried in New South Wales is 1.03 pence (3.26 cents) per ton-mile, which is pre cisely twice as high as the charge in group X, the l'acificcoaststates, where rates are higher than in tiny other sec tion of the Union. If the comparison be made with the average ton-mile rate for the United States S;l mills, the rates of the best state railways of Aris tralia are found to be nearly four times as high as out avehag! rate's. The New England group cbmfcs next to the Pa cific ih the height bf its freight rates, though its passenger rate is the lbwcst The high freight rate in New Ehglatid is at leasl partially accoiinted foY by Ihe fact the proportion of first class freight is large, whilfe coal, minerals and agricultural products form a small er part of the total traffic than in other groups. Then, too, the length of the haul in New England is less than in other sections of this country. It has been suggested that these reasons, viz., large proportion of high-class freight and absence of long-haul traffic, ac count for the high rates which prevail ih Australia. Ah analysis of the traffic Upon the railways bf NKw SUuth" Wales shoWs that the first explanation does riot hold, for almost CO per tent df ihe freight is coal, which is carried at ari average rate of 1.48 bents per ton-tuile. .r9 cent higher than the average of ail freight ih the United Stales, and more than twice as high as the rates in group III. Indeed, the rate on coal whicn furnishes three-fifths of their traffic, and is carried at a rate lower than any other kind of freight except hay, straw, chaff, an J some other coarse agricul tural products, is higher than the aver age rate of any group except the Taci iic coast states, and is within 1.5 mills of that our highest rate. Oh coarse farm produce the rates have beeh lowered at the demand of the farmers to 1.21 cents per ton-niile. a rate. 31 cents higher than the United States average. The lowest rate is not only higher than our average, but is higher than the average in six out of ten groups into Which the United States are divided for the purpose of railway statistics. It is therefore evi dent that the height of their charges I V cannot be explained as above suggest cd, and the more so because their low rates are given on thrte-fifths of their traffic Since their low rates are so far in excess of the rales on all classes of freight here, it is hardly worth while to make comparisons with their charges on the higher classes of goods, but merely to state what those charges are. On goods and merchandise, which fur nishes 14 per cent of their traffic, the rate is 4. 30 cents per ton-mile, while wool, which is 3 per cent of the freight carried is charged even more, that is ii 1 4.84 cents pcrton-mile. As to the second point in thecxplana a iu u,ccl;uuu po.ut .u uicuud- , uon, mat uie greater proportion m Ion? haul traffic here enables our roads to do the business at lower rates, it does not hold at all. True, the aver age distance a ton is carried in New South Wales is only 00.04 miles to 120 miles in the United States. But for each ton of goods carried the govern ment railways get S2. OS, while the pri vate railways in this country get Si. 00 for carrying a ton twice as far. In other words, they do double the work for half the pay. Bat the difference does not end here, for New South Wales makes a terminal charge in addition to the rates given above, while the one rate includes all charges on the United States railways. If the station charges are properly adjusted the length of haul makes little difference. There seems to be no way of avoiding the con clusion that in Australia the people pay the state four times as much for a given amount of freight service as the people of the United States are requir ed to pay to private companies. The returns for the Australian pas senger service are even more meager than for freight, but they are sufficient to show that rates are no lower there than in this county. In Victoria the travel is divided into suburban and country traffic. The first includes all fiffiL"rb & first-class and 114 cents second-class, fates no ibWer,- If as low, as those ob tained by the subifrbstt traffic of all large cities Indeed, mucli ot or sub urburban traffic is carried at less than 1 cent a mile. On the country lincS Victoria charges 4 cents a milcjirst clasa and 2J4 cents secoud-class. Three cents is the ordinary local rate in this country, while the passenger traffic for the whole United States is carried at an average rate' of $. 142 cents per mile. This brief examination shows that In every particular; unless it be that of holding railway building and the de velopment of the colony in check, state management has proven less eftletent in Victoria than private manasrement has been here. Kailways are built more slowly and at greater expense. Their charges are higher yet their manage ment is less efficient so that the net re turns ate poorer. But it is not fiom the direct effects trt state ownership alone that the policy tfeServes condem nation. The indirect effects appear to be even more pernicious. These may' be classed under two heads: (I) Bor rowing until the state debt is increased beyond any reasonable limit; (2) lead ing ihe beofale to depend upon the gov- crnmeniior empioymeiii nun mB -gard to the product of their labor. Thi Compels the government to continue building after all lines that could be profitably constructed are complctuii. Labor is hoi alone ifl its dependence upon the government I'hS Whole com munity learns to rely upon the govern ment policy of borrowing for a contin uance of its apparent prosperity. A study of the Year Book shows that the total debt, the debt per capita, the Interest charges, and the proportion of Interest charges which must be met by taxation; are Increasing in every col ony. The only check existing is im posed foin without. The debt Will cease to increasfc" when Englishmen re fuse to make further loiinfi. Thus far little has been said of One of the most potent causes of the failure" of this great experiment in state social ism, nanielj', political control, with all that it implies. Until ISM, in Victo ria, ahd later in other colonics, the i-oads were managed by the minister of railways, bt of pubiie work. a politi cal Officer who as changed with every chahge Of gbvernmefit, nnd the usual results followed. In 1SS3 Victoria passed an act ftuttiog her railways in the hands of three cymniitsioners, the chief of whom, Mr. Speight, wan im ported from England, because of his experience in the business management bf rallWaVs. There waB some ditTer eriee Of bjiiibion r.s to the scope of the act, and the extent Of the power with which it clothed theebuirfflSsioMers, but each new interpretation took powir from them and gave it to the minister, first in regard to the building of new jines, ahd later as to the management of existing lines. The commissioners theinfceit'es were ftot Very conservative. They believed ih an annual expenditure bf from two" td four million pounds on milvi'.-irsi nfifl wnritcd lo distribute it equiiably amofig the different parts of the coloiry. They did .lot expect the new roads to pay before 18S5 or 1000, but would not consent to use economy In their construction for fear the roads wdtild be poorer; nnd the people of one section, dVen though fewer in number and able to give the roadless traffic, woUhl nbt be' content With a poorer road lhah ihe state had furnished to their neighbors. Nciber could higher rates be charged on a poor branch line than on a main line where the traffic was heavy. The people might pay for the roads by taxation and allow ail to bs'tegood transportation facilities at the same expense. With these large view.-, of their posi tion and the principles according to which railways should be constructed, the cOiiimissiOner.-, Combined honesty arid a determination, not to any stub bornness, which would hot let them be Swayed bjr politicians or ministers. Tney held bilice for seven years, dur ing which the roads were being rapidly extended,' ilifd they secured many im provements iti nhmrigement But with all their saving, the rate Of net returns steadily declined, the deficits became larger and larger, and this gave the ministry the chance it wanted to get rid of the commissioners and bring the roads under political fflRtiaifeinent again. By the act under which they were working, the commissioners might be removed on the joint petition or both houses, or if Parlimcnt was not in session, they might be suspended by the Governor in Council for inefficiency, mismaHagenieht, or misbehavior, the action to le reported to l'arliament within set-en days after Its opening, with the' reasons iherefor. If neither house petitioned for the reinstatement bf thb commissioners the suspension be came a dismissal. In 1S00, just on the eve of an election, the ministry sus pended the commissioners on a charge of inefficiency and mismanagement. With the suspension as one of the is sues, the government secured a major ity in the next house, but ihe case against the commi-sioncrs was so weak tuut instead of prosecuting the quarrel Which had been carried on with them for some time, the ministry comprom ised by withdrawing the charge and allowing them half of their paluries for the unexpired term if they would re sign. 'I has, for the lime at least, the hort-politicUl management of the rail ways failed because it could not retain the support of the voters who wanted places in the public servkc. Increas ing the amount of work to be done by the government, did not in Victoria, bring the civil service reform which it : . - 1 A.. 1 ...... A. is-vnr-4 IS Supposed VJ JllSlllf, "l iit ii-iianuiu not render it permanent 'Ihe most important test to he applied is surely the economic on.': hat are the results, bosh as regards r.ttes and and return on capita '.' Discrimination, speculation, railway- , . i , 1 .:.,.......... .,,.,.. wreckimr. and other evils which have ment into ill rej v. or control.ed if the inn. t I.e removed present. system is to continrc. But pernicious as they undoubtedly arc. they seen: lei-s harm ful than the snccirat.on borrowing. centralization, and dependence upon roverninciIt for employment and busi- spcr;lv. whic, hr.v prcspcritv. wiiic.i nave accompan ied state ownership in Australia. The evils of the svstcni existing in the United States are so wcil known that it is necessary 10 dr. ell upon them here. Its I eiiefit- seem to be over looked, while the advantages of the other s3steni arc so often held up to view that the casual reader thinks only of the gains which are to be obtained by a change lie takes account of pres ent evils, and compares them with dis tant evils. The object of this article has been to call to mind the forgotten elements in the problem, rather than to discuss the question in its entirety. It isconfident ly believed that a knowledse of the evils v.hicli seem nc cssn-ily to accom pany state management will delay for a long time, if not permanently, any radical change in the exist.ng system. WlM.IASl Hll.I UXIVKIWITV IV CllICAOO. The eyes become bloodshot because, while ordinarily the vebels of the cornea are too small to admit the red corpuscles of the -blood, when in flamed they enlarge and the red par ticles enter and give their color to the white. AH ALPENAMIRACLE. MRS. JAS. M. TODD OF LONG RA PIDS DISCARDS CRUTCHES. Id an Interview with a Reporter She Jtevlews Her Experience anil Tells the Steal Canse of the Miracle. Prom Alpena, Michigan, Argus. have long known Mrs. Jas. M. LoJd of Long Itapids. Alpena County. Mich. She has been a sad cripple. Many of her friends know the story of her recovery; for the benefit of those Who do not we publish it to-day. jfcluht years ago she was taken, with nervous prostration, and in si few months with muscular and Inflamma tory rheumatism. It afiectcd her heart, then her head. Her feet be came so' swollen she could wear noth ing on them; h?r hands were drawn all out of shape. Iler eyes were swollen shut more than half the time, her knee joints terribly swollen and for eighteen months she had to be held up to be dressed. One limb became entirely helpless, and the skin was so dry and cracked that ft would bleed. During thee eight years she had been treated by a score of physicians, and lias also spent much time at Ann Arbor under best medical advice. All said her trouble was brought on by hard work and that medicine would not cure, and that rest was the only thing which Would ease her. After going to live with her daughter she became entirely helpless and could not even rsiise her arms to cover herself at night The interesting part of the story follows in her own words: "I was urged to try Dr. Williams' Pink rills for Pale Teople and at last did SO. In three days after I com menced taklns Pink Pills I could sit up and dress myself, and after using them six weeks I went home nnd commenced working. I continued talcing the pills, until now I begin to forget my crutches and can go up smd down steps without aid. I am truly a living wonder. "Now, if I can say anything to in duce those who have suffered as I have to try Pink Pills, 1 shall gladly do so. If other like sufferers will try Pink Pills according to directions, they will have reason to thsink CSoil for creating men Who are able to conquer that ter rible disease, rheumatism. I have in my own neighborhood recommended Pink Pills for the after effects of la grippe, and weak women with impure blood, ana with good resiius. Mrs. Todd is very strong in her faith In the curative powers of Pink Pills, and says they nave Drought a poor, helpless cripple back to do her own milking, churning, washing, sewing, knitting and in fact about all of her household duties. Dr. Williams Pink Pills contain all the elements necessary to give new life and richness to tho blood and restore shattered nerves. They are for sale by all druggists, or may he had by mall from Dr. AVilliama aidicine Company. Schenectady. N. Y., for 50c per box, or six boxes for $2.50. Announcing the KiiK.-tgvuirnt. An engagement should be announced first by the family of the bride-elect, writes Mrs. Burton Harrison in the March Ladies' Home Journal. This is done cither verbally or informally to friends, or by note to those whom it is desired shall receive early informa tion. The man may at the same time write to those of his friends whom he desires to have share in his happiness and whom the girl's family could not so well reach. Churlish, indeed, would the spirit to withhold interest in a new engagement, and the tcllingof it by the principals almost always in spires a kindly feeling for them in those told. Lovers have, perhaps, the best-founded claim to thinking them selves of first interest to a community of any class of people, and are quite entitled to assume all the honors and privileges of the situation. I.eiel Culture fur rotator. The llural New Yorker began its ad vocacy of level culture for potatoes and corn about IS years ago, and it has not since seen any reason to change. There, in no reason for lulling potatoes except to kill weeds. True it is that potatoes in hills are more easily harvested than those in drills, but this is offset by the difference in yield. Where land is not well drained, we have some reason for hilling, but such land is not well suited to potato ctiltnTc. If the vines are to be hilled np, the sooner the work is done the better. It is then equivalent to planting deeper. Hilling the soil about the stems directs the rain from where it is most needed to where it is least needed. It is best to cultivate shallow until the vines prevent cultiva tion. Two Champion Kater. The editor of the Lincolnton News was telling Judge Ware of a young nan in Lincolnton who not vert- long ago made the following eatables quick ly disappear down his throat: A box pineapples, a box salmon, a box mus tard sardines; si pound cheese and a pound sodsi crackers. That slightly stunned the judge, but after a short time silently spent in bus ily scratching his head he said: '"That is very good; but, young man, you may tsilk about eating, but some yesirs ago I saw a man eat who was an cater. Five dozen eggs, seven ears of corn and two bundles of fodder is what he consumed, and it's a wonder he didn't tackle the house!" AtlantaCon titution. A Itlauiclcft Czar. In a recent article the irrepressible Mr. Stead boasted of enjoying a private conversation with the war, "as fr:nk and full and unreserved as I ever held with any man." It was during a visit to St Petersburg. As Stead had com plimented Alexander in the Pall Mall Jazette at a time when other British papers were reviling him, the czar was induced to favor the journalist with an interview. It was stipulated, however, that it should not last for more than 15 minutes. At the end of that time, the emperor looked at his watch and arose to indicate that the interview should cease. "But, your majesty," protested Mr. Stead, "you have not said a word." "No." said the czar. "You haven't given me a chance." Argonaut No Croond. A professor who used to teach the grandfathers of tiie present generation of students objected to the pronuncisi tion of "wound," as if it were spelled "woond," and his students used to hunt for chances to make him explain his objections. One day he stopped a stu dent who was reading to the class and said, "How do jou pronounce that word?" "Woond, sir." The professor looked ugly and replied, "I have never foond any ground for giving it that soond. Go on." Household Words An Axiom. "Fancy "complishments is all right in dab place.'" said Uncle F.ben, "but folks hab moh need fob shovlin beautiful snow dan dey hab fob recitin ob it." "Washington Star. Better Kvery Vear. Time was when the "plorious climate of California' did uot attract tourists. But year after 3ear the tide of travel sets in stronger and stronger every fall and win ter toward this favored reaion. There is no climate like it on this continent for a win ter resort, and tho usual fine servico on the Union Pacific System has this sea-on been brought to a decree of perfection which leaves nothing to be deired. For further information call on your nearest ticket agent or address K. L. Lomax, General Pass, and Ticket Aeat, Omaha, Keb. Colnmlms- State -Bank! tft.IUfc) Pan bicmt n mi Dencm lata Lias u leal Estate Oslilia, OhiNfA HW Yk ul afl IILIS t IT1AXIII : TIODTI, BUYS GOOD NOTES Aai MsJia Its CastMun wTmb tktv U OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: Leander Gerrard, Pres't, B. H. Henry, Vice Prest, M. BRuaaER, Cashier. John Stauffer. Q. W. Hutsr. L COLUMBUS. NEB., HAS AX Authorized Capital of - $500,000 Paid in Capital, - 90,000 OFFICERS. O. M. SHELDON. Pres't. H. P. II. OEHLIUOH. Vic Pre CLARK GRAY. Cashier. DANIEL SCIIKAM. Ass't Cask DIRECTORS. II. M. Wimlow, C. H. Sheldon, J ox as Welch, II. P. U.OEBLBICTf, W. A. McAllister, Cakl Kiexkb. 8TOCKIIOLD ER9. B. O. Obat, GKRnAKD LOSEKB, Clark Gray. DASIBI. SCHKAM. J. llENRT WURDntAV, IIenrtLobekb. , Geo. w. gallkt. A. F. II. Oehlrich. J. P. Becker Estatb, b UANK KOBKB. Rebecca Becker. Banket deposit; interest allowed on tlra deposits; buy and sell exchange on United! States and Europe, and buy and sell avail-' able securities. Wo shall be pleased to re ceivo your business. We solicit your pat ronage. First National Bank .1, omcKJts. 1 A. ANDERSON, J. H. GALLET. President. Vice Pros'. O. T. BOEN, Cashier. DIRECTORS. . fJ.iilEtaiO, P. AHfifBSOlf. fA001lBIU2f. HEttl R4.0ATZ, 41 SUtesaeat ef the Crailttta at the Clesa f BisIaeM Jalj 12, 1898. BMOtTBCTB. Loans and Discounts. .....f 241.467 ST Real Estate Furniture aad Fix tures. .............................. 16,781 V) U.S. Bonds .jr- 15.2JU Oi Due from other banks... ..137,178 83 Cash on Hand ZLM7 M 59.743 S3 Total... 1333,136 38 Capital Stock paid la I 60.000 00 Surplus Fund 80.000 0) Undivided profits.................... 4.578 00 Circulation 13,500 00 Deposits. .......,...,.. 225.119 37 Total. .1333.196 38 HENBY GASS, .1 CnSTPERTATrER ! Coffins : and : Metallic : Cases ! tW Repairing of all Mind of Uphol ttery Goods. Ut COLTJMBUS.HnBA8XA. Columbus journal IS PBXFABVD TO IOMIIR ABTTniSQ BBQUiaZD OVA PRINTING OFFICE. COUNTRY. HB Wl w. jLfjM Tc sSERSfL