Wi
W
:
1 1
THE VOICE THAT LIES.
Court Mcn'mrnnliers, ft In Snfd, Can
.Unum Detect It.
"Any rhoithuud icportor who has
Ik'i ii dolilg court reporting for n loin:
time can till almost Infallibly Ity his
sense of hcuilug whether ii witness Is
tolling tin1 I rutli," !iiiil an old court
stenographer thu otlii'P day. "It comes
from cxpcilcucc combined with ubnor
null development of tin sense of hoar
lug which all I list rate court and par
liamentary Stenographers pOSSCSS, Tlio
rtciiogruphcr's oars become in scnsl
tlvo to the slightest Intlo.xions and In
toiialloiis of tin- littitinl voice ns n
phonograph roller. There., n certain
ticiiiulotw iiiavtr In tin? tone of u man
or woman wlio'n lying In court tlmt tlio
Men igrnphor cntelics when tlio shrewd
est Jt:ili:ii, lawyers or Jurors quite fall
10 catch It.
"When he's it t 111 head bent over
lih notebook he feeN the Jurrlng falso
into In the voice of the liar every time,
no matter how plausible and convinc
ing the testimony In Itself may sound.
So frequently have I tested HiIh Iden
In tli past llfteen yours or no thnt I
have eoiuo to accept It in certain when
that almost Indistinguishable false,
tremolo Is ulisent from the tone of it
witness' voice that the witness Is toll
ing the truth.
"A few years ngo 1 reported the trial
of u young chap who was accused of
having sand cluhbcd a Jeweler In Ills
store and of looting tho establishment.
The young fellow was good looking.
Intelligent, with a face an frank as an.
eight day clock and an easy, candid,
winning manner.
"1 looked the young chap over before
the trial began, and 1 decided that tho
ncciHiitlon against him was outrageous.
When tho witnesses tcstltled that
they'd Keen him coining out of the
store I strained my cars to catch the
false Intonation In their tones, hut It
wasn't there.
"When the defense opened the young
man was permitted to go on the stand
in tils own behalf. I was nstoulshcd to
11 nd that Ills voice had the lying quaver
in It right from tho beginning of his
statement.
"ITIs words vastly Impressed the
Jury and as vastly chagrined the pro
edition. He undertook to prove kii
alibi for himself.
"In corroboration of this n mnrrlcl
sister tcstltled that her brother had
been at her apartment from .". o'clock
In the afternoon until 10 o'clock at
night, taking dinner with her and keep
ing her company In tho absence of her
husband. Well, she was lying too.
.She had that telltale false ring In her
voice that convinced ine of It despite
her line, frank faco and her obvious re
spectability. "The court adjourned for luncheon at
the end of her testimony. I took
luncheon with the attorney for the
prosecution.
'"Well, what do you ttilnk of this
case?' lie asked me when we sat down.
I guess we don't land him, eh?'
"'He's guilty, I replied briefly. 'lie
was lying, and so was his ulster.'
"Tho attorney for the prosecution
looked nit- over out of tho silts of his
eyes, hut I didn't sny any more.
"When tho court reconvened ho nsked
for an adjournment until nest day,
nnd the Judge granted It.
"On the following morning he had In
court the Janitor of the apartment
house In whhh the prisoner's sister
lived. The Janitor testified that the
prisoner's sister had not been In her
flat from noon until lato nt night on
the day of the sand clubbing.
"While the Janitor ' 'list on the stand
n detective walked Into tho courtroom
with the loot from tho Jewelry shop.
Ho had found It In n satchel In tho
prisoner's sister's apartment that morn
ing. "Thnt settled tho ease, of course. Tho
prisoner's sister broke down nnd con
fessed that sho hnd been endeavoring
to shield her brother."- St. Louis (Hobo
Pomocrnt. Women Who Sooretlr Work Tor Par.
"If you will kindly glvo mo tho ad
dress of tho artist who (minted my din
ner cards I shall ho able to glvo her
more work," said a society woman to
n Twenty-third street stationer.
"I am not nt liberty to do so, mnd
nm," replied tho stationer. "Hut If you
will leave your Instructions In writing
I will hoc that they nro strictly follow
ed." "Hut I want her to carry out somo
Ideas of my own on lamp shades," pro
tested tho customer.
"I nm sorry," snld tho stntioner, "but
wo cannot depart from our rule. Much
of this work h done by women who
would not like to luivo It known that
they work fori pay and who have
pledged us not to dlvulgo their names.
If wo broke faith wo should loso their
services. Home of our best decorative
work Is dotio by convent bred girls
who Hnd It necessary to earn n llttlo
money to get along. We respect their
confidence." Now York Tress.
Odd Superstitions.
If an Infant Is weak nnd does not
grow satisfactorily, It must ho meas
ured for tho "undergrowth," nccordlng
to a superstition In sumo Pennsylvania
Jltiteh communities. A powwow doc
tor, usually a woman, will strip tho
child, measure It with a string tho
same color as Its hair, say somo
"words," bury the string In n secret
place and repeat the performance three
times. The child will get well. There
are dozens of children In one Pennsyl
vania Hutch community that were
measured In this way and nro now
pointed to as examples nnd proof of
the ellleney of the method.
Ashes must not be taken from a lire
place In u sickroom. Tlio death of tho
patient would follow. Nor must tho
bed of a nick person be turned over.
It Is actually true that this last pro
vision Is believed and followed In many
J'eunsylvnnlu Hutch homes In tho old
t uttlcmcut J of tho state.
SKOBELEFF'3 REVENGE.
The Way the Hnaalan General He
pal the Caar'a laaatt.
Hurlng tho Unsao-Turkfoh war tho
day after tho passage of the Danube
had been made good the emperor of
Itussla crossed the river to congrutu
Into and thank his KHant soldiers. In
front of n long, nintslvo Hue formed on
the slope below Hlstova, nwultlng the
coming of thu great white czar, stood
Hragomlroff, Yolehlne and HkobeletT,
the three generals who had been the
leaders of thu successful attempt
Hrugomlroff, tho divisional com
mander, the emperor embraced and
gave him the cross of St. (leorge. He
shook hands warmly with Yolclilue, the
brigade commander, nnd gave him, too,
a St. (iiHirge to add to the decorations
which this cheery llttlo warrior hud
been gathering from boyhood In the
Caucasus and central Asia. Then the
emperor strode to where HkobeletT
stood, and men watched the little scene
with Interest, for It was notorious that
SkobelctT was In dlsfaor with his sov
ereign, and yet of htm tho camps wero
rlnglm with the story of his conduct
of the previous morning.
Would Alexander maintain his um
brage or would ho make It manifest
that It had been displaced by Skolie
leff's heroism. For at least u minute
the czar hesitated as thu two tall,
proud, soldierly men confronted each
other. You could trace In tils counte
nance the struggle between disapprov
al and appreciation.
It was soou over, nnd the wrong way
for SkobcluT. The emperor frowned,
turned short on his heel ami strode ab
ruptly away without a word or n ges
ture of greeting or recognition. A man
of strong prejudices, ho wan not yet
hie to exercise from his mind) the cal
umnies that hod blackened tolhlm tho
character of Skohcleff.
That officer, for tils part, tItwhM
scarlet, then grew deadly pule and
coined to conquer nn luipulso an he net
Ills teeth hard and malntnlnedihls dis
ciplined Immobility. It was nlllugrnnt
Insult In tho very faco of tho uiiiiiy and
a gross Injustice, but Kkohelefflendured
It In a proud silence.
The time soon came to that, gallant
Olid brilliant soldier whenlhe could af
ford to he magnanimous. Ah the cam
paign progressed ho distinguished him
self again and again, softhat his name
became a synonym lu (the army for
splendid daring as wcllliis ror oppor
tune skill.
On Sept. 'I SkoMcff lift en exploit on
exploit devised and ledythu storm of
the Turkish position In) IOfUiiu mid
drove his adversaries out(of thnt ntfong
place. On the following night at his
own dinner table lu thelGornl Ntislcn
headquarters tho emperor) stood up and
hade his guests to honor 'with him the
toast of "Skoltcleff, thoillero of Loft
cha!" It Is not given to many iiau to
earn u revenge no full and so grand ns
that.
l War ItaM a Ifcaric.
Tho inability of tho shark to sclimtlta
victim without turning Itself first upon
Its back must bo a serious Inconven
ience to It, nnd a swimmer with suffl
clent preseucu of mind to awidt his
coming nnd then when he turns to dive
suddenly under him cnn,lsitne the rush
of a shark Just as a uuiutcan avoid tho
charge of nu enraged hull by coolness
aud activity. Man's . a version to thu
shark hero stands greatly In his way,
few swimmers when -attacked possess
ing siitllctent nohiesn nnd presence of
mind to carry the iruanetivcrlnto suc
cessful effect, J altliough many possess
nervo enoughfto itwiilt without flinch
ing tho onset (t the (most formidable of
terrestrial nnUiniUs. -Did wo know more
of tho dotmnttu huvhttn of tho shark,
learn to appreciate it ho virtues that ho
doubtless jhmkhcs, there eim bo little
doubt that, tho uurcusoitfng aversion
thnt In feltftowurd him would' be large
ly mitigated and thutfwo should come
to make duo allowances for tho pres
sure of hunger thnt at t times opcratos
to our own disadvantage. London
Standard.
Tim Man With No Tn lanHlm.
Tho long isolation -ofJapan from the
rest of tho world, no (conducive to In
trospection, has boon highly favorable
to tho development! of tcalam. Japa
nese homes and hahtta, costume and
cuisine, porcolahi, , haequer, painting,
tho very literature ulnjhavntbccn sub
pect to Its Influence. .No student of
Jupaneso culture couldtevordgnoro Its
presence. It hus penncwtcdA the ele
gance of noMe boudoirs nndt entered
tho abode of tho humble. Too peas
nuts have learned' to arrange dowers,
tho meanest laborer to offer Ids snlutn-
tlon to the rocks nnd wuti'rs.i In (com
mon parlance tlio JapaivsospeHk of
ho man "with no1 tea" ilnAUnfwbcn
n man Is lususcoptlblfltoNhaiavrlo
comic Interests of itlm pemdnal oVavnn.
Again they stigmatize itho. untuned
nestheto who, regtinlleswloftho nam
diiuo trugody, rims riot m tJM spring
tide of omiinrlpiited eniiOtlbns' as ono
"with too much ten"Mntfilm. Interna
tional Quarterly.
The I'KnitlfMili beSNOSV
Some years agoian Knglfchmyinr was
coming down thof rlverNlle, la Rgypt,
on a largu bout Usidid'Thgrnn, and
tho birds came nff jfroinjovery.ivlllago
and uto tho grain piled! on tho deck.
The Englishman nskoil tho) Egyptian
captain of the, boat, "Who owns this
grain?" Thu Kgyptlrmi captain snld,
"I own It." Then tlwiHiHHsliinaniaHk
ed, "Why let tho birds, eat up tho
grain?" Tlio Egyptian aifted tho Eng
lishman, "Who inudothofblrdsf The
Englishman nnswensl, '"Uod." The
Egyptian asked wlMtfhior4graln was n
food which God lnten(kd(blrdsito ant.
Tho Englishman surld jit wns. Tho
Egyptian said, "Carvtbol birds sow nnd
raise the grain for Hiemselves?" The
Englishman said, "Thejy cannot'lTlien
paid the Egyptian: "Lutlthcm catAood
has provided enough for both themantl
ut. .-- j , L A
JAPANESE RESTAURANTS.
their Knnitshlnaa, (he mil of Pare
ana the Food.
"At tho entrance to a Japnneso res
taurant one finds a nu miter of tho
wooden 'galtas' (clogs) which the Jap
anese slip off lu exchange for straw
braid sandals," writes a traveler. "Tho
strange thing here about It Is tho fact
that no tuUupa occur, although to an
outsider these clogs all look much
alike. Tho dlulng room Is closed In
with tho regulation sliding doors,
which can bo taken away lu summer,
and opens on the regulation Japanese
garden, with tho regulation dwarfed
trees and temple Incenso burner. As
in most Jnpaneso houses, the celling Is
tow, nnd, while tho writer never bump
ed tils head against any of the cross
beams, six footer might well beware.
The tables are covered with Immacu
lately clean linen, thu chnlrs upholster
ed and with slats across the legs, so
as not to rip oten tho matting. Evi
dently the Japanese who havo been
abroad and those who work in offices
appreciate tho comforts of u chair.
Knives, forks and spoons also seem
to apwal to them. I don't know wheth
er they fully! appreciate tho mission of
tho spoons-4hey seem to think that
the biggest possible noise should lie
tnade wheuioatlug soup. One seems to
try to outdo'tthe other.
"Moving silently on straw sandals,
tho waiter brought me u bill of fare.
Not an ordinary bill of fare. It Is a
piece of Mack lacquered wood, tho
menu written on It with white chalk
la Japanese diameters iouly. If a dish
cannot bo served further tho lluger Is
passed over that iiuuiIkt, and It dis
appears from tlio menu. I logun nt
tho right hand side, remembering that
tho Japanese do always tho opisislbr
from the way wo should do and, lo!
I got a cup of bouillon. It was not
properly salted, hut with n pinch or
so tasted excellent I then' pointed nt
the next vertical column they also
read upside down here- nndtho warier
brought im soup. It wns wan-cd away.
Numlver three looked like n dish of
worms, minute llsh I bcllcw they call
them Minlf on the hotel menu with
their eyes like tiny blackldots. They
are hnked In a bunch nudf with a little
Worcestershire sane. nrotqulto palatu
ble.
"Next an exquisitely cooked i chicken
cutlet, and number Ave was-such a
stenk ns ono could not Improve ujwn
anywhere. I would faint, hao passed
on farther down the llnokor rather to
the left, but' lest I should! Is tempted
to cat too much I asked flbr eiiffoe. It
Is safe to do that. They know no other
name for It here. My bill was 'Ich yen
nlduesen' (1 yen 'At sen), or nltout 00
ecuts i American money! Thlsf Included
plntiof Klrln beer browed InlJapan'
As Rxrpertment.
In Kirertnlu very rcmoto town ainow
bank wnsoitiirted.-It was only a brunch
bank, but that did not dim Its lastcr
or noveltylln the eyes of the bnekwpods
citizens.
Tho first (depositor wns 811 Fox. SI
was n mainof means, but hiW trusted
for the safety of his monoy tohlstyirxn
sock nnd hlsyguu. Now he feltthist, iw
tho leading! citizen of the towiM '"'
ought to enotturngo tlio new enterprise.
lie put In a. thousand dollnrs as soon
as the bnukiopeiHsl.
An hour litter ho came bnck unHna1k
ed how moiH'y was taken out. Thu
method of nuiklng out a check wnsex
philiutl, nnd SI made out ono for 11,
000. The cashier was sunrlsel nMthe
midden wltlulrawal, but paid It with
out remark. SI took his money laud
walked down to a group of meunnd
displayed It. The group entered Into
m warm but low voiced discussion-
lu ten or llfteen mlnutvs SI wa Sked
Into tho bank again and told thofeaah
lor thnt ho wanted to 'deposit afthou
snnd dollars.
"Why, sir, whnt Is tho mattcrfwlth
you V asked thu clerk. 'Ton deputed
a thousand about an hour agoandtook
It out before It hud got cold, and now
you want to put It back again'
"Well, my friend," said 81, taniand
tho tsiya Just wanted to und4mtfhDW
the tiling worked."
The Stery ( a. Oaat. '
In his "Dueling Stories of tlwl Six
teenth Century" Drantome, a EVftuch
writer, says thnt two French' captains,
though old friends, fell out and) fought.
Ono of them wns disabled. MT)ie oth
er, being untouched, observe!: Tlrc,
thaf s enough for old friendai Itko us.
You'd better go nnd attend 1 to your
wounds.' To this tho TunqOutied one
replied: 'Well, you might M'tretl doVa
bit mom for me. Just prcCendKto wi
wounded and wear your 'arm In-nVdlnn.
for a dsy or two, so thnt I needn't bm
considered disgraced noriany Hpjcdtton
of that come up when they 'want to I
recnncllo us-thnt Is, If Ilwirvtve.' And
tho victorious friend snutired'sotno of
tho other's blood on Ms arm andt wont
about saying tlmt ho wnfwoundctl, but
It wns a tnoro nothing, and hex only
wished his friend worofthn same. Tho
hitter recovered with omoidlUlculty,
and tney were
otter-word i ask good
: r a
icatlanrt, ratrt '
friends as before."
Decs Kflnei
That Is whnt a loving butMonwtlmc
rynlrul New York inDfhorlls asking.
"We have nt Inst compfetedhho educa
tion of our son nnd hlr," sho says.
"lie tins been gradunbed) with! sufficient
honors from colk'ge. ,Ho has (been went
uhroad for finish, cultnrniaiad export
ence, and now thut.ho Islhtanoi iiajttn
wo are starting bin? In Utstm'sw ltd.
He tins begun Inn downtown tofllceand
may bo gnlnfng inudli exiierl'ncoi nnd
laying n sound business fisiinlittlon,'
but us far us I cnnitlnd oiit(hcsiicnd
tho greater jsirt off his tlmtoi luUleJclug
postage stamps forn plttiuife iv. wn-ek.
While tho pridolof'tho family 'lsvbilug
this wo nro paying our febttf iFlDO a
month and exiieases, andl nowy ask,
Does education pay ?"-NewA York
EXPENSIVE. PUOWtlKS.
"
The Tnllp Crave In Holland In (tia
nineleenlh Cenlnrr.
Herlng the tulip crnzc In Holland In
tho lust century lu one year the sulci
aggregated lO.OOO.OCO llorlns. Holland
went tulip mad. The bulbs were quot
ed on the Stock Kxchange. Ownership
In them was divided Into shares, Spec
ulators sold them short. At one time
more tulips were sold than existed. At
Lille n brewer sold his trade and good
Will In exchange for a bulb, which was
thereafter known as the brewery tulip.
In Amsterdam a father gave one by
way of dower with his child. There
after thu variety was known as tin?
marrlngeof-my-diuiglitcr. At Hotter,
dam a hungry sailor, happening on a
few, mistook them for onions and
nte them. The repast became as fa
mous as Cleopatra's pearls mid prob
ably exceeded It In cost. At The llaguo
a poor fellow managed to raise a black
tulip. The rumor of that egetablo
feinrvcl spread. Presently he was visit
rd by a deputation from a syndicate.
Tor that ewe lamb of his the deputa
tion offered l.UM llorlns, which he re
fused He was offered lO.iHM llorlns.
Still he refused. Cascades of gold
xvere pouted before his resisting oes.
riually, tormented and tempted, ho
Hticcumbisl. There and then the depu
tation trampled that tulip under their
feet. Afterward It appeared that tho
syndicate had already grown a gout
precisely similar and, unable to bear
the Idea that a rival existed, had au
thorized the deputation, If needful, to
offer ten times the amount which It
paid.
TWO CLASSES OF OAKS.
One Notahle Tor Its Wood, llii Other
Par lis llrllllnner of CiiliirliiK.
The great oak family might be divid
ed Into two classes those that ripen
their acorns lu one season, such as the
white, post and mossy cup oaks, and
those which require two full years,
such us the rod, scarlet nnd black oaks.
To the first class belong the chestnut
oak nnd the live onk of the south. This
latter tree for generations played an
Important part lu shipbuilding, but has
now been superseded by Iron and steel.
The leaf, which Is an evergreen, Is en
tirely without Indentations and Is thick
and leathery. The wood Is very heavy
and strong, has a beautiful grain and
Is susceptible of taking n high polish.
At ono time this wood wns so valuable
that our government paid fjun.ooo for
Inrgo tracts of land In the south, that
our navy might bo sure of n supply of
live oak timber.
To the second class of oaks xve nro
largely Indebted for the gorgeous col
ors of our autumn leaves. The red,
scarlet and pin oaks, with their bril
liant reds, scarlets and browns, are
close competitors with the maple In
giving our American landscapes tue
most wonderful autumn colorings to be
fouud anywhere In the world. These
three trees have leaves which at llr.st
glance are quite simitar, but by care-
fill examination may nlwayi be distinguished.-
St. Nicholas.
IIUeiiHea of Anlmas.
Household pets are susceptible to A
far greater variety of diseases tliau
most people Imagine. Turrets aro
known to 1st susceptlblo to a dlscaso so
peculiar to themselves that It Is called
from the Creek word for parrot, "psit
tacosis." A number of fntul cases In
human beings of what was at first sup
posed to be a malignant Influenzal pneu
monia were In l'arls traced to tho bacil
lus at present thought to be causative
of the parrot dlseuse. A certain pro
portion of parrots are known to dlo
,'j-om tuberculosis. Cats lire known
sometimes to havo tuberculosis, and
that they have In many eases been car
riers of diphtheria aud other of tho
ordinary Infections directly and Indi
rectly Is more than suspected. Kansas
City Journal.
now HparroM n Were C'auaht.
In an old gitmo book published In
England lu 1!0 appeared the follow
ing formula for the lessening of the
sparrow icst: "Take Nome lees of wluo
and hemlock Juice, temper them to
gether and stoop a quantity of wheat
therein for the space of one night. Then
place the samo In a spot where tho
birds resort to feed, and when they
have eaten thereof they will drop down
dend drunk. Too much hemlock should
not be used or there will bo a danger
of poisoning the birds and tendering
them unwholesome food."
Thaekerar'a Moat of Characters.
Some ono w ho has been limiting at tho
list of characters enumerated In tho
last volume of tin edition of Thackeray's
works has calculated that their num
ber totals up to between H.000 and
3.&00. Wo have not checked the esti
mate, but, accepting It us accurate,
ahuro tho dlscovcrer'H astonishment.
Jiondon I'ost,
(luurded.
A mother of four daughters, of whom
one hud recently married, asked a joiing
mant Hitting beside her In tin drawing
room whom she would like for n sou
In law, "And which of my girls do you
most admire?"
fie (fighting shy)-The married one.
I.ui-U)'.
fitriWb-No. I can't get along with my
wife. Tn everything 1 say sho retorts
Hl bug 1u differ with -.oil!" I'cnn You
ure lucky, old man My wlfo Just dif
fers without taking time to beg.
A mncreitt rroMHIii.
Mrs. Murk Httlng What aiu your
cnlekens worth today? New lloj -I
disi't dure tell ye, inu'um. Tho boss
inl iuu-.t only tell whut we're Hellln'
'elllefor
VivvMis.Hr iIim-s the work of couruiit'.
jjehot j
FASHIONING A CORK
FORMIDABLE KNIVES ARE NECCS
9ARV IN THE PROCESS
riie lltit lllnde Muni lie Hlinrnened
After r.iteh I'nrk Is Made How ihe
Hitrk In Sliced, Tared and I'lnlnhril
In ii IIIk London l-'aelorr.
The proprietor of the cork cutting es
tabllsluueut was showing some of hit
customers through the extense work
shops, and because his customers be
trujed sjtnptoms of the interest they
felt the cork merchant offered to glv
a demonstration of the whole process
of turning the rough material Into lite
finished article. First of all. theie was
the nuk cutter's knife to ls Inspected
a formidable affair, with a hcuy bludr
measuring about six Inches ueioss and
with n bevel at least one Inch wide,
The center of the blade was erj
heavy, and the reason for so mud
weight was at once obvious as soon a
the cutter proceeded to Use the knife
Picking up a short length of cork, h
held It tlrmly against n metal knob set
Into the side of a table; then, having
Introduced the sharp edge of the kulfr
Into the material, he threw the whole
weight or his I tody against the bandit
and literally drove the blade through
the cork. Then was no sawing back
ward or forward, nothing but the
steady pressure, yet so tremendously
sharp was the blade that the knife
pushed unceasingly forward, and In
a moment or two the piece of cork lay
lu two fragments on the tloor.
Tho wide beveled edge is necessary
In order to prevent the cork from tear
ing, while the knife hus to be heally
xvelghted to stand the strain of that
amount of pressure. This knife has n
small hole near the back about half
way down the blade; this Is for the
gauge, which Is fastened on by means
of a nut. The gauge Is set according
to the width of strips icqiilred this
width being Mie length of the finished
cork and so Insures each strip being
cut the exact measurement. After the
gauge has been set the w oil; men can
cut up length after length of cork with
out further measuring, for the gauge,
projecting over the back of the blade.
inns along tin freshly cut edge nun
thus causes the next cut to be putiillel
with the one last made. And the audi
ence was Informed that the gauge could
be set to the seventh part of uu Inch.
When the cork hud been cut Into long
narrow strips the cutter took up out
of those same strips and, without niter.
Ing the gauge on the knife, begun divid
ing It into n number of little cubes. The
tlrst cuts (to produce the long strips)
were done across the grain; the others
run with the grain, these lattir being
the way of the finished corfft
"The grain must run down tho arti
cle," explained the self constituted
lecturer, "otherwise t!w cork would
bieak In half. Ro 'first we cut ncross
lor (he length of the cork, then we cut
with the grain for the width of th
cork. Now theso llttlo pieces are ready
to be turned Into the finished article."
Ticking up one or two of the cubes,
ihe cutter moved ncross the floor to
w hen one of tho machines was stand
ing. "I'on't put your lingers near the
blade," he cautioned hastily. "There's
nothing sharper than the blade of this
knife. It's made of the very best aud
hardest steel there Is." Then, Just as the
auditors were about to murmur "Shef
field," he continued: "Made In Franco,
that blade was. The very best steel there
Is." Curiously enough, this Is also the
case with the hull-dressing trude. The
best scissors are nowadays French ones.
Twenty-six Inches of sharp blade
were quite sufllcleut to scare away un
initiated fingers. "Nothing require a
sharper blade than cork cutting. It
must he absolutely perfect, or the stuff
Is torn, nnd If thnt blade goes wrong It
taken me one complete day to grind It
Into order again. A very hard day's
work It Is tis."
"How do you manage to keep It
sharp?" nsktsl one of the party. The
man laughed.
"It Is ground nftcr each cork Is cut,"
ho replied. "If not, the second cork
would bo perceptibly Inferior to the
first one."
So much sharpening seemed to Imply
a vast amount of labor until he pointed
to u coiqde of small dark wheels llxed
to the machine In such u milliner thut
the blade passed along them each time
It was drawn buck. These small wheels
Here of the finest possible emery und
automatically ground the blade after
every cork In turn. No oil was iihisI at
nil, so ho explained, and he then pro
cccdcd to demonstrate tho working of
the muchlne. Pushing a wide basket
close to thu other side of the muchlne,
he took up bis position on the left baud
side, drew a tray of pieces of cork to
him, and, selecting a short length, set
it ugalust a smull wheel which wus
placed almost against the blade and at
right angles to It. Then he pressed
with his foot Usm a treadle, and In
stantly n short point moved forward,
pressing on to the other cud of tho
piece of cork and thus holding It
ugalust the wheel.
When secured between these two, he
iciiioved his lingers, grnspisl the up
right handle of the long blade and
pushed It steadily forward, und In tho
twinkling of nu eye the piece of rough
cork had assumed u familiar aspect.
Tin pressure of the blade against the
cork caused tho llttlo wheel (and with
It, of eoiirs-,, the cork) to revolve, and
lu Its turn this same spinning allowed
tho knife to cut evenly all tho way
around the cork. Ity tlio time the blade
bad been pushed to the farthest ex
tremity of the muchlne the cork had
been neatly pa nil all around. Then the
treadle was I flensed ami the cork roll
ed away with a llual spin Into the bas
ket awaiting It on the other side. It
wus also shown that the machine can
be set to produce any tnKr desired.
Hut the most cm Inns part of tho
trade wus explained when one of the
uudloneo, catching night of a basket
ful of old corks.i demanded the reason
of their presence. From the cork mer
chnnt's account Ittnppenred thnt n Inrgw
trade Is done In reufodcllng old corks
thnt Is to say, those used for wine bot
tles are bought In Immense quantities,
cut down by the machine Into n small
er size nnd sold to the publicans fur
topping pint bottles, Having oncu
bud the corkscrews through them they
are useless for anything else, and, In
deed, there would be a heavy tine for
selling them to chemists, with whom a
large propoitlon of the cork trude Is
curried on, but they ure used for tem
porarily stopping the pint bottles tak
en out of the public houses by children
under fourteen years of age.
The act requires these bottles to bo
securely fastened down, and so sealed
the old corks are afforded a new leaso
of life. For this puipiwe not only Is
the old cork put on the machine and
reduced nil the way round, but a thin
slice is taken off the top and bottom
ns well. This remodeling of second
hand corks Is plcccwoik and paid for
as follows: (Hie and one-half pence per
gross for each of the two cuts aud l'j
pence per gross for the machine work.
Thus, explained the merchant, ho had
to pay 51 '& pence a gross In wages, und
the corks arc sold at the rate of six
penis a gross to the publicans. Out of
the rcMuilnlug '.'' pence he must not
only ui chase the old corks, but also
find a profit. Of course it Is possible
to work up an enormous number of
corks lu an hour, for the woik Is never
rhcckisl. Hack ward and forward runs
the huge blade, the forward movement
cutting the coik, the rcveise one grind
ing It lu preparation for the next
stroke, and the cutter feeds the ma
chine with the left hand, while never
releasing his hold on the handle with
the right.
Some one suggested the possibility
of Increasing the spicd by machinery,
tint nt that the cutter shook his head.
Considering the extraordinary sharp
ness of the blade and the dangerous
proximity to the lingers when the cork
was put Into position, he himself would
take no risk of thut nature, so he aver
red. As It was, his Instinct told him when
anything was amiss, and without stop
ping to think or reason oier the mat
ter he xvould check the blade at once.
but to have n twenty-six Inch blade of
steel moving by machinery he would
rather Iw excused. It was heavy work
certainly, alternately pushing mid pull
ing that blade for hours at a stretch,
tait unless a strictly automatic feed
coukl be nrmnginl to the machine It
would turn tho cork cutting business
Into a fearfully dangerous employment.
The best priced corks are the tiny
ones sold to tho chemists for the ends
of hypodermic tubes mlnnte llttlo
atoms that can bo cut out or almost
any scrap of cork, always provided It
Is or the bist quality. There are not
many cutters who can do such flue
work.- London Olols.
The Neva Free and Froara.
Both n blessing und n curse to St.
Petersburg Is the river Neva. Upon Its
batiks the most mngiilflceiit palaces are
erected. Tho numerous Islands are
parks or pleasure grounds of the peo
ple and are tilled with resorts that aro
thronged during both the winter and
summer months. Theie is only one
permanent bridge, the remaining being
so constructed tlmt they can be re
moved when the stream freezes over,
ns It usually dues lu November, when
the teams and -.vdcstiluus pass over on
the Ice till April. Tho Jockey club
holds Its race mctlugs on tho Ice.
Hut when the spring thaw comes or
when a strong northwesterly wind
blows the water In from the sen sever
al days lu succession theie Is great dan
ger of Hood, for the city Is aot more
than four feet above the uieau level of
the liver. When u Hood Is coining the
inhabitants aio warned by the tiling
of guns. Ice Jains aro icinoved by dy
namite, nuil (he army Is ordered out
with axes. Theie Is no way to prevent
the floods thut come with the winds.
"Mrlriice" In ICverytliliiu.
There Is much confusion lu the pop
ular mind as to the application of such
terms as science, scientific, scientific
ally. A young gentleman from the uni
versity lately assured mo that cricket
Is playisl more sclcntltleally than for
merly and that there Is a premium of fi
per cent In favor of seieutillc whist as
compared with ordinary good play.
A writer In a chess magazine refers to
the royal game us "a science, und an ex
act science too." In a match at draughts
the champion was said to have brought
so much science to bear upon Ibis play
ns to make thirty one drawn games be
fore one won game was scored. In tho
palmy days of the prize ring "the 1'et
of tho Fancy" was said to display more
science than "Hen the Hrulser."
In my younger days I visited Itosli
crvllle gurdens, where a mail dtcsscd lu
Lincoln green offered me bow and ur
rows und Invited me to shoot nt a
mark, observing that "urchcry Is a
pleasing science." Notes ami i.Mierles.
Courtship In Hluikraiinire'a 1'iiuliinri.
Ill Shakespeare's Euulaiel courtship
was not the prolonged and romantic af
fair It Is now. The young folks did
not make and unmake engagements as
they pleased without consulting their
parents. The etiquette of betrothal
xvus almost as formal and as ilgid as
that of marriage is today. It consist
ed of three observances the Joining of
builds, a kiss und Interchange of rings,
all In pnsenis) of witnesses and usual
ly In church. Tho man had to promise
finder oath to "tuke this woman whoso
name Is N. to wife within forty days."
Jt 1m needless to say that under such
circumstances engagements never last
ing as much as six weeks, partners usu
ally ihoseu by tlio parents, marriages
at the age of fourteen and honeymoon
trips unknown there was much less
opportunity than theru Is now for tho
development of romantic lovo. Henry
T. Fluck lu Uurper'ii Mufiuzlne,