THE OMAHA DAILY BEE SUNDAY-JUNE 8. 1890-SIXTEEN PAOJ GREECE IN HOLIDAY DRESS , From Athens to Mcgara Through Ono of Nature's Beautiful Panoramas. THE MOUNTAIN , SEA AND PLAIN , Wlioro llio Atmonplicro Is Iilkc the Nectar or the Go < ln Mcjjnrn ill Jlyth nntl JIlHtnry Tlio Train Dance. Arnnx ? , May 10. [ Special toTnnBnn. ] Easier Tuesday was a rare day oven as days go In the Attic spring time , nnd every note of nature was an Invitation out of doors. Notwithstanding - withstanding her panatlinnrca nt homo , all Athens seemed bent on emptying itself Into the country. Steam yachts were plying from Piraeus thror.h ; the straights of Salamls and ' .ho Bay of Eleusis to Megnra , nnd the Pclo- ponncsian railway reblcd its train service to the same destination. It seemed an English bank holiday TIIAXSI.ATKD 'yro cmr.r.K. With n multitude of them that kept holi day , I left Athens by an early morning train. It Is only twenty miles to Megara as the crow ( lies , but Greek engineers , with a proper re spect for nature's laws , have made It more than thirty. Instead of pushing west through Ibc pass of Daphne , thus securing an almost straight line to Eleusis , tlio railway beam due north some six miles to take advantage of the little valley opening between yKgalcos nud Panics/roin the Attic Into the Elcusin- lan or Thriaslan plain. Leaving the station , hard by Colonns and the academy , wo sped through miles of olive groves be fore reaching the open country. Not far from Menldhl , the ancient Acharnno familiar to readers of Aristophanes , wo swing to the west around Corydallus ( the mountain of the crested lark ) , in which old Aegaleos cads , and Had ourselves close under the rocky range of Panics. Emerging from the valley into the Thriaslan plain , there bursts upon us n glorious view of the bay of Eleusis , the Island of Salamls , and the mountains of Megara : and this view with evcr-cbiinging aspects feasts the eye oven to our journey's end. To say nothing of histori cal association , forgetting even the name of Greece , the way is ono long enchantment. The charm of nature's combinations plain , mountain and sea , with this tender , over- brooding sky nnd an atmosphere that at times seems to hold in solution the very nectar and ambrosia of the gods this charm Is , within my own observation , unique , and fct In Greece it haunts you everywhere. The mountains are always round about you , and there is scarce a mountain which does not re fresh you with sight and smell of the sea. True , the days are not all perfection , but In the mala from October to May they imr.A'rni : or IIAI.M ANII wixn. For this day , at least , the gods seemed bent on making amends to old Megara for her ile- nartcd glory. And well they might , for Mogara is the very Ichabod of ancient cities. Magnificence and meanness , these are the ex tremes of a city history that stretches over 8,000 years. Founded ( according to tradition ) 1100 B. C. , she attained her prime four or five centuries later ; bccitme the mother of great colonies among them Byzantine , now Con- Btnntlaoplo ; sent twenty triremes to Bulamls. aud : f,000 meiiQto Plataca. Standing on the narrow highway from Sparta to Athens she felt every shock of the long conflict between Dorian and Ionian Greece ; and after ages of decline and darkness wo see her pillaged by Alaric in the fourth cen tury and at last practically destroyed by the Venetians in 10S7 , the same unlucky year In which they blew up the Parthenon. So much for history. Of glorious legend old Greece had little that did not at some point touch Megara. She had her own tradition of the delugo. McguroSjSon of Zeus by ono of the Sithnldliin nymphs , escaped Deucalion's flood by swim ming to yonder heights guided by the cry of cranes ( gerauoi ) licnro Mount Genniela. She had her Citluuronlan lion which , after n surfeit of overy-duy Mcgnrians. llnally made a meal of the heir apparent. So King Mcgarcus got out of patience and offered his daughter and his throne to who would slay the beast. Then along comes Alcathoos , son of Pelops , takes the contract and closes out the business before his brother-in-law ( that might have been ) Is half digested. There can bo no doubt of the authenticity of these facts , for Puusnnius , who visited Megara some seventeen hundred years before J was there , saw the templu the lucky lion- killer erected to Artemis and Ainjllo on that occasion. Vet I am bound to admit that an old Mogarian dame to whom I put some ques tions ou thu subject knew 110 more about It limn TIIU AVHIIAOE MIIIHASKAK , knows of Coronndo's invasion. Megara , too , hud her little trouble with ICing Mimis , who , came over from Crete and pulled down her walls. Has there ever been a time when Crete was not making it hot for somebody somewhere ? However , this Cretan spirit must have been under the patrongo of the masses. Wo owe to it ono of the prettiest bits of veritable history. For Alcathoos , go ing about to rebuild hie walls , Apollo lent a baud both hands , In fact , since ho laid down his lyre on a certain stone the while. Paus- onlas saw the stone. There could bo uodoubt of It , for , he says , when ono smote It with n nubble It gave back the notes of a lyre. And thu delighted old globe-trotter goes on to gos sip about the lyric melody of Egyptian Muni tion whoa smitten by the sunrise. Somebody should set Dr. Schllemaun on the scent of that stone. Its recovery would make an epoch la the history of music. But why dwell oa the Megarlan myths of Admstus , of Tereus , of Hyllus son of Her cules , of Hippolytu and her Amazons , of Alc- iiieao , of Iphlgenia ; all their tomus were here. Still I cannot forbear tickling every true Homeric diaphragm with one moro touch of old Pausanlas : And Agamemnon built hero n shrine for Artemis when ho came to pursuado Calchas , who dwelt in Megara , to. follow him to Troy. I am sum every thumber of the Iliad remembers the old seer kindly along of the terrible serpent and the twittering of the swallow-brood. I , at least , felt more at home In Megara on tils account. Far more than from the fact that Hyperion , ton of Agamemnon , was Megara's last king a king so proud and greedy that at last the people slew him aud thenceforth took turns tnuually la ItU.NXlNfl TI1K TOVN THKMSI'tiVES. As the whole territory could have been lost within thu present city limits of Omaha , it hardly required a continental order of statu- umuHhlp. But It Is time to turn from the mythical to the matter-of-fact Mogara , Into which a nine teenth century locomotive Is whirling us as wo dream. A somewhat irregular plain , six or seven miles In length and breadth , with a mountain wall on thrco sldes.and thn Saronlo gulf closing the circuit on the south. A mlle or moro back from the gulf , springing from the midst of this plain ami bearing from cast to west , Is a long , low ridge , cleft apart so as to form two citadels , Such Is the plain and site of Megara , alike In her old magiilliecaco nnd her modern meanness. In the great davs of old parallel walls conni'cted the city with its port , Nisn-a. us the long walls linked Athens and Piiiuus , and the twin citadels must have shone with strength and splendor. Even In Its decline Pausanlas fills twelve- pages of his Perk'gesis to catalogue Its still enduring monuments : the fountain of Tlicagcncs , with Its massive marble colon nades ; Prytanoum ami the council house ; heroic tombs ami trophies ; nineteen splendid shrlacs and temples adorned with master works in gold and ivory and ebony , iui well us the oldest sculptured stones the traveler has ever seen , There were the twelve gods nioii TIII : ciu Lor riuxiTiat : ! * , tlio Muses of Lyslppus , the group of Eros , Hlmeros and Pothos the passions of the soul projected on marbloby Scopas , while Phidias himself had wrought upon the Olympian Xuus , whose fare was of gold and ivory , though thu i-ost was only clay and plaster the PelopoancHlnn war having ar rested the uullnUhcd work. Adding to this account of Pausanlas what IsoeraUvi hud said Jive or six centuries earlier , namely , that Mcgani possessed the largest house * lu Clrcoco , nnd wo have a pic- lure of a great and prosperous and splendid city. Wo can understand how she could so i ; maintain her claim to tiulainis against the powerof Athens -maintain it so effectIvely - ] Ively , Indeed , and so sorely for Athens that the latter had to make It n capital offense for I any citizen to reopen the question , until Solon , feigning madness , fired the Athenian heart to n last victorious cndcavor.D Now , too , wo understand how Mcgarn should have Iwen the mother of comedy , produced ono of the great elegiac poets , aud developed her own school 01 philosophy. Snsarion , Theog- tils , Euclid , were all of Megara , And what architecture and sculpture and painting must have flourished hero Is a nccessarv Inference. Cities nro not built aad beautified from with out , but from within. And what remains of It all ? The mountains nro there , and the plain and the sea. The long , low ridge , cleft In twain , still forms the twin citadel of Megara. But vanished are trophy and statue nnd temple nnd colonnade and stately dwelling. It was thcMcgarlnnsof whom Diogenes said that "They ate ns If they were to die the next day and built as If they they were lo live forever ; " yet the maw of tlmo HAS wonstno THEM nnd all tholr works. Down In the plain Is n railway station. Between It and the acropolis n mass of mean houses , very few of them at taining the dignity of aa upper story and fit for human habitation. Around the little Agora is n long , low , rambling inn , such ns one might find in a secluded New England village , and some cafes , nnd near by a big , forlorn Greek church. The citadel , that shone with marble , Is now terraced with hovels , the flat roofs of ono terrace forming the dooryards - yards of its next neighbor above , and so on to the summit. Streets there nro none goat paths only ; and ono gets delightfully wound up us ho seeks to thread his way through this open-air labyrinth. Once at thu beau of navi gation , however , ho gets his pay. From the top of the topmost houses the prospect is worthy of "Megara the Magnificent. " For God's handiwork endures ; every wrinkle of the mountains , every dlmplo of tbo sea , every smllo of the sunny ovcrbroodlng sky that warmed my heart today did they not tickle the diaphragm of old Calchas thirty centuries ago ns from this spot ho watched the birds In their flight and took their infallible advice nbout following Agamemnon to Troy ! I look off toward the Mountain of the Cranes , and do 1 dreamt there are the Sithnidian nymphs , all tripping it together in the grecu plain below. For a single day TOOK OM ) MEOAIIA. ItU.NUWS 1ICII YOUTH nnd thrills with a spaim of ancient splendor. From n rocky amphitheater unmnrrcu by any touch of art , modern Greece , Europe and America , amiyed in the apparel of the nine teenth century , look on ; and this Is what they perceive : A garden of asphodel nnd anemone and 'none-so-prctty,1 n symphony of color nnd movement and music ; a human harmony that blends with every touch and tone nnd tint of nature. It is impossible to imagine Sithnidian nymphs more exquisitely fitting their environment than tbeso maidens of Megara today as they thread the mazes of the Trata. Study them well , for King Solo mon in all his glory was never arrayed like ono of these no , nor the queen of Sheba. cither. Comely they look and modest and wholesome , and I can vouch their soundness of lung and limb. For , dancing from early morning , I loft them apparently as trcsh at sunset as they were at dawn. Of ball-room beauty there is not u trace bad luck to the ball room. The grace of limb and flush of cheek owe nothing to the dancing master aud the druggist. They come of healthful labor in the fields : for Megara feeds her 5,000 souls in no other way and her wormeu AIIU AM. IIIIEAU Tending olive plants at homo and olive plants n-fleld , no wonder they como to bo 'fashioned after the similitude of n palace : ' or take on some of the flexibility and flavor of the vines they dress ; some of the agile grace of the goats they tend and oven fold under the same low roof which affords their own rude shel ter. And. by the way , the goat of Greece of fends neither nose nor eyes ; he is quite lit lo claim kinship , and not too remote , with the gazelle. So much for the daughters of Megara as works of nature. Contemplate them now as works of art. And I should have reserved Solomon ami Shoba for this crisis , for I quite despair of catching for you even a glint of the glory. My friend Doaao. who took forty shots at them with his Kodak , could do it better ; Rubens alone could do it well. Thcso women who work in the fluids and lodge with their goats an-ay themselves this day of tlio year la purple and line linen yea , in silk and silver and gold , some of them la pearls and precious stones. Here is the type : Headdress of silver and gold gleaming through n silken scarf which falls down the back to the waist in graceful drapery ; jacket of rich dark cloth or velvet , cpauletted aud lavishly embroidered iu gold , showing white vest in front ; short dark waist clinging crimped about the form ; pure white skirt reaching to the ankles ; half-sandal slippers of rich material and embroidery. So for outline - line ; now for n touch of color : The head dress is a sort of national savings bank. It is a helmet woven of nothing in the world but gold and silver coin the trontlct usually of Byzantine gold , all the rest of Greek half- drachmae , which answer closely to our dime except that they are thinner and more artistic. Over this helmet , which really covers the head .instead of perching like a butterfly upon It , is thrown the scarf of white or yellow silk , wonderfully cmbroidcred.with sometimes also a fringe of coin , while a great pendant of coin often falls from the scarf- ends or finishes off the braidcd-trcs'sos at the waist. The white vest , too , is often in effect , a breastplate of gold and silver coin , with now and fien a flashing gem. Such is thu Megnm maiden , AT Till : TOP OK UEIl OI.O11Y , nnd the typo holds good down to the little lassies of ten or twelve , not ono of them with out her silver helmet. How many hundreds of them I saw , ripe or budding. I cannot say but I fancied that half the coined money of the realm was dancing at the Megara Fair not in the pockets of the men , but on the per sons of thu women. And now that wo approach the dance Itself , I have no art to guido mo my education hav ing loft the very alphabet of the subject an Eleusiniaa mystery. I speak of it only as Sitting Bull might discuss the ethics of Aris totle ; It Is In the course aud I cannot get around It. Along this level winding road and overflowing on the grassy plain a great stretch of sHvcr-helmcted women , maidens , girls , lassies ( ripe peaches down to tender buds ) hero a circle with viol and flute at centre ; there a chain of two dozen Interlacing links ; another circle and another chain ; chain nnd circle again till the long stretch ends with the very Smallest lassies that over covcrod themselves with silver and danced upon the green. And what are they dancing I The Mcgarlan gallants in spotless petticoats who look ou with watering mouths and calculating eyes for Is not this a matrimonial fairf will tell you the Train. And now you know as much about it as I do after consulting my Greek lexicons and my Greek friends. At least , of positive knowledge I can only add this : Trata Is a fisherman's boat with its nets doing business In the deep. And its n very good word , both in the first and second intention , for our long chain of dances In its evolutions amid the crowd of onlookers no ono clearing the way swings round and gathers them in somewhat as the selao snares Its finny game. The while they sing u queer piping note for all the world I.IKU TIM : noMiuio : KATYDID. I could not make out u word out it might "ave been : There arc as good fish la the sen , As over yut eru cauyht. I have no doubt In the good old days this paaegyris was a public pairing-off and the maid who were the most money won first choice. With thu advance of civilization and the Megara still looks forward to the middle ages this iiiitvcto caught a slight cold ami now young Odysseus only takes nn In ventory on the siwt and makes his bargain with PuaeloiHj ( or her parents , rather ) after ward. It comes to the same thing no doubt. Penelope dunces In her dowry and the pamv B.vrls is u matrimonial fair. But dance with Odysseus she cannot. In a few Instances only I saw men dancing In u maiden circle , but there Is no touch of hands , ho holds one end of a handkerchief , the other end Is held by bis fair partner. Beauty keeps the boast lit arm's length nml u handkerchief more. I am told the luw enforces this modesty. The old Greeks did not waltz. Had any lewit fellow ventured to ialroduco Unit whirl , they would have made short work of him waltzed him intortho Barathron , no doubt , us the gentle men Xerxes sent for earth and water. It is a pity wo have no Bnruthron. The muu. daneo together , and not to the lascivious pleasing of the Into. It is the un dent p.vrrlilo introduced into Greece by Iho son of Achilles , some say by the Corybantes. O.rigiaully a dunce in arms representing at tack and defense , It was the chief feature of the old Punuthonuca , and Phrynlchus , they say , was once given the chief command of thu athenlau forces because of his skill lu per forming it. Clarke , who saw It danced at Nuupha early in this century , thus describes it : "It consists of men uriucu with sabres uu dsUIcUbi wlio come forward iu u kind of broadsword excrclslso , exhibiting n variety of martial evolutions to the sound of Turkish flutes. " But as I saw It nt Megara It re sembles more its later development ns a DI- onyslac dance , in which thyrsus nnd torch took the place of nrnw. It Is decidedly ath letic , not to say acrobatic , and THE BACCHANTES THEMgELVKS could hardly have otttleapcd ono of thcso Mo- garinn bucks with n glass half-full of rctsl- nato poised on his head. Over and above the public dances which at 3 o'clock were adjourned from the countrV side to the lllllo agora , whore they were still in full swing nt sunset , I caugnt pleasant glimpses of private rehersals. Among them this : Standing on a flat housetop near the summit of tbo main citadel , I watch half n dozen fine fellows practicing the pyrrhle In the adjoining court. As I look on. the young tnaslcr of Iho bouse , n soldier , brings mo Iho Inevitable pitcher of retsluato and In the most natural way In the world In vites me to pucker. Refusal would have been n gross incivility , nnd I proceed to wet my lips. This beverage , a cheap wine with n largo Infusion of rosin , is the liquor of the country ; outside of Athens It is that or water. It is persimmons to the unsophlsll- catcd , nud I could Imagine no better antidote for inebriety. The resin is put In to make the wine keep , and It would keep a long time if it waited for mo to drink it. I am not aware that I have yet seen A Uf.CCK DllUNK , but I saw a few comfortably mellow at Me gara. And I make this note : Whereas , wo know wluo Is a quarrelsome creature ( vide Shakespeare as well ns Solomon ) , n Greek mellow with rctslnato is the most amiable being under the sun. Put n pair of them to- gclher and Ihelr kisses and caresses will as tonish you. The effusion of two boarding * school misses Just united after the long vaca tion Is chilly In comparison. But it is not a wholesome spectacle nor without its lesson for the student of old Greek life. As I thread my way down the Acroplls by the goat paths , thinking nothing but n wheel barrow could navigate them , a vision of the nineteenth century flashes before nlyoyes ; It is a bicycle whirling , an Aus trian tourist through' Greece. That was to Megara a stranger spectacle than Megara to us. Anyway , the moment it ap peared all the Megarian urchins nnd there are shoals of them broke from the Agora and flung themselves pall-mcll after It. And the last I saw of that wheel It was spinning out of Megara with a procession behind it llko that once led off by the Pied Piper of Ilamclia. And so , without waiting to sco the moun tains open , I take the sunset train to Athens In the genial company of the Schllcmanna , and thus round to a happy close a day unique oven in my bright Hellenic calendar. Iitvixo J. MAXATT. The dank and decaying vegetation of re gions newly cleared of Umber , exposed to the rays of the sun , is sure to breed malaria. Dr. J. II. McLean's Chills and Fever Cure , by mild and gentle action will radically cure. 50 cents a bottle. CATAMOUNT He Notched Ills Revolver nnd AVas ft Terror with lln ! Mouth. NonuEX , Neb. , Juno 5. [ Special to THK BEE. ] The discovery near the mouth of the Plum , ou the Nlobrara river , of a skull , thigh bouo and a rusty , water-stained , old style Colts revolver , with twenty-nine notches filed on the barrel , probably reveals the final resting place of William Stcbbius , bettor known to old-timers as "Catamount Bill , " the "high pressure liar of the northwest. " From "Pap" Woodson , a veteran on the frontier , your correspondent gleaned a few facts concerning the checkered career of 'Catamount B. , " etc. , on the "creek , " as the Niobrara was called in those days. "It is about twenty years since I first became came acquainted with 'Catamount , ' " re marked "Pap , " as ho shifted a quarter of a pound of "long green" to the op posite side _ of his mouth. "Ho struck our camp , near Tunnel Rock , on ono of the meanest nights it has ever been my luck to bo out in. It was early in the spring mid it had been rain ing all day. Myself and two pards were sinchcd to the camp-llro trying to keep warm when suddenly ono of the gaukiost looking specimens of humanity that over were legs stepped into the flare of the camp-fire. There was a general movement on our part for weapons , but the stranger unbuckled a smile that made one of our bronchoswho happened to catch a glimpse of it , break his picket rope , and said , 'Don't bo alarmed , gentlemen , I'm harmless ; also d d hungry I' We turned him loose on the grub box and ho oat like a bound boy at a husking bee. After lowering our provisions to n frightful extent he lit his pipe and joined our circle around the lire. I sized him up to bo about thirty years old. Ho was tall , thin and had hair , the color of a sago hen , that straggled down over his shoulders threu or four inches. His face was freckled , and his eyes a mottled gray , and they bulged out like an owl's. Ho had a nose like a hawk and a mouth that seemed to reach from car to car. W en ho laughed It gave a person an uiieom- foiYiiblo impression that unless ho hobbled his juvs ho was in danger of uncoupling his h a d. Ho were a p.iir of buckskin units that InU evidently bsea picked bsforo they ware ripe , and they lacked tlireo inched of making connections with the mociiosins on his feet. A long-tailed coat covered his bony frame and a small coonskin cap was perched oa the side of his head ina rakish manner. Thrust in a rawhide belt was the afterwards famous "notched" revolver. Ho was about the strangest looking duck that had over struck creek. "Catamount , " continued Pap , "remained with ua for some time and then palled his freight up tlio creek. Wo liked the whelp , but ho kept his tongue a wagging so infernal much that wo were afraid ho would hoodoo all the game in that vicinity , and ho was such a spontaneous , vivid and en tertaining liar that wo really hated to see him go. When ho struck our camp ho had seven notches filed oa the barrel of his revolver. Ho returned In a few woelts and proudly exhibited flvo additional notches. And then wo discovered that wo had been entertaining n destroying angel unawares. According to his story , each notch In his trusty gun represented the death wall of a Sioux warrior. Ho gave It out that ho was a bold , bad man from beyond 'way back , and claimed that ho was foaled at the headquar ters of Bitter Crook and cl'ilmo.l that ho had crimsoned both banks of that stream to its mouth with the Hfo blood of many , many braves of the great Sioux nation. If any body doubted his gory tulo ho would show them the notches. 'Cat' got kind of fuzz-llko one day by n sldo remark that old Jono Ecker dovo-talled into ono of his oratorical efforts. Jono observed that all 'Cat' needed to wipe out the balance of the Sioux tribe was a long breath nnd a new flic. "Game was abundant that season , " said Pap , "and wo had our hands full. 'Cat' was with us part of the tlmo and done a little work , but seemed to prefer roving ing around. According to his story ho 'planted' an Indian about every week and had the notches to show for It I "The last I saw of Catamount , " continued Pap , with a far-away look in his eyes , "was late in the fall. Wo were getting about ready to load our traps and plunder and leave for winter quarters when ho mudo us oao of his periodical visits. Ho seemed down-hearted and said ho was not feeling well , and that ho was thinking some of going back to his old homo near Chicago , but hated to return with out the 'pile' that ho came west to mako. Ho loft our ( amp at Tunnel Rock In a few days nnd Blurted down the river In u canoe. If thcso nro his bones , of which I have no doubt , ho made a short trip. How ho met his death I cannot imagine. Probably was taken sick and died here all alone. Poor Cut , peace lo his ashes , nud hero's luck. " California KvuurHloun. Pullman tourist Hleophif , ' ear excur sions to California and Pncillu coast points Icuvo Chicago every Thunsday , Ktui&UB City every Friday vitv the Santii Fo route. Ticket rate from Chicago $17.50 , from Sioux City , Omaha , Lincon or Kansas City Silo , sleeping cur rate from Chicago $ i pur doublu berth , from Kansaa City $3 per double ) berth. Everything furnished oxcoiit mcnlB. These excursions tire porsoimlly conducted by experienced excursion managers who accompany parties to destination. For excursion foldorcon- Ininlng full particular.nnd map folder and time table of Iho Santa Fo route nnd reserving of sleeping car berths , address S. .M. Osgood , general ngont , E. X. . Palmer , traveling agent , A. T. & S. F. railroad , 1303 Furuuiu btreot , Omaha , Nebraska. ANGELS HAVE BLONDE HAIR , But There Are Many BrnnfeHes Who Only Lack tua Wings. M THE TWO TYPES 0F BEAUTY , Diirk-Tjookcil Women tlio More Itov- Ins , Hut the Blomle * Are Jforo Clever Morals nntt tlij Complexion. IS ) } . } I do not think American women have ever properly appreciated one , at least , of the points of Independence oiTcrcd to them by the peculiarly froa condition of Amorlcan Hfo , and that Is , the wldo r.iago of complexion and coloring open to them.- And the reason I say the peculiarly free condition of American life , Is because there Is no other country under ho-ivea whither the children of other lands may so freely resort , and where they miy so easily and so sooa become , not only aJopto-t sons , bat loi\U of the soil and ruloiM of the n-itlon. Tin ollvo- skinncd Spaniard aud Italian , the dusky Q reek and oriental , the yellow-tinted Slav , the nid.ly and choitnut-halrjd nations of middle Europe , aad the paloblosclo ? of So in- dfaavla aad the far north , all , all Hock to America as a haven and a hops , uuloiih brings not only hU national clnr.icter , bat his national complexion , to throw Into TIII : oitiuT niun-iuo bold open by Columbia , wha Invites each of her children to thrust In his or her hand aad pall out whatever fortuao scads htm , or ho is clever enough to secure for himself. Now , Ifvo think of It , hero Is a birthright worth having. How excessively monotonous It must bo to have an inevitable complexion I For a young woman to know for certain that not ono of her b.ibles will bo able to wear heliotrope , or pale groin , or any other of tha blonde tints ; or for a lover to know that ho never can have the delicious prlvlloga of bal ancing the merits of black eyes and blue , gray eyes or brown , unless iutlcrjil ho expa " triates" himself from his own cojutry , wherein all the oy < M are of ono color. Oar American baatity-lovcr Is reduced tone no such necessity , for In oao walk f rein the gates of Central park to Madison square ho will probably meet the gaze of bright , or soft , or smiling , or LIQUID 1IYI59 Of BVKIIY TINT and every shape that the civilized world pro duces , and not Improbably these of sundry savages iato the bargain. And among them all , which should you think lie would bo likely to prefer ? The an swers weald bo as varied as the eyes , but I fancy the larger.proportloa would bo like my own , a simple "i don't know. " I once know an Englishman , of sound opin ions in most matters , who declared that all the wickedness of the world emanated from blonde women. He sntd that so soon as he saw golden tresses and a milk- and-roses complexion ho began to guard himself as ho would hi presence of a lovely serpent. Women of this coloring he declared were always cruel , treacherous , cold-hearted and mischief-mak ing. In fact , ho could not say enough against them , and 1 always suspected ho had had some bitter blomlo experience that had warped his judgment. Then another friend of mine used to aver that the Lydia Thompson blondes of the corps de ballet bleached their locks and iisuumcd the pearly complexion peculiar to that style because the father of all mischief liked to thus lifiii.nstjtn : Tin : MVERV or HIAVN : : . "Then you grant that It is the livery of heaven I" suggested I ou ono occasion , and other persons being present , a free and pretty heated discussion aiose , ' in' which one slue claimed that no artist , no poet , no ecstatic rc- ligieuso had ever imagined a brown angol. "They always have fluffy golden hair taken off their foreheads by the wind , mild blue eyes and fair skins , " remarked a High cliurch young lady who probably had done moro angelic art-study and literature than any of us. "Dij you over see ouei" inn.riro.1 the blonde-hater. 1 'No , but " ' "Did youover sco uny ono that had seen onoi" "No , but " "Excuse mo , but have you any idea that Raphael or Fra Angclico or any of the angel portrait painters ever had an angelic model I'1 "Many of the saints have scon them , " calmly replied the young lady , and n mocking voice tit my elbow remarked : "At least one can hardly fancy satan a blonde. " "O. I can ! " exclalmol another. "In fact , my idea of Mcphistophelca has always been a colorless , haggard complexion , red hair , nnd very palo-gray eyes , with red lights in them , and the thin , dry sort of ligure that goes with that complexion. " And so the ball was tossed from ono to an other , and oa the whole the III.OXDK3 HU > A H.VIID TIME Or IT. Somebody quoted the saying of a young beauty whoso cherubic face is surmounted by a crown of pure golden ball * , whoso rich abundance assorts itself in tendrils mid t\\\K \ \ \ and lovely shining curls , however she tries to dross it , ana who the other day replied tea a compliment upon her hair by saying she found ( t almost impossible to live up to Unit kind of hair. "Oao is expected to bo so heavenly good , you khow , " declared she , In conclusion , and this was cited as proof that the blonde was always accepted as the typo of virtue and perfection ; but some body else at once declared that this spaech showed tbo young lady to bo frivolous , vain , solf-coascious , and I know not what iKnidcs. The some ono audaciously stated that Tennyson sings in "Tho Princess , " ' Hrluht. and lieiee and llcklo Is the south , And fair and true and tundiu'Is thu north , " and the bruno party were dlscomlltted until tsomo ouo picked up a Tennyson and found that "fair" had been substituted for "dark. " And it seems to mo that the whole world Is Just as much at variance on this point as these friends of mine. Certainly , as wo consider the famous beauties and the famous rulers of men and women , wo llud the vote of history a nearly ami evenly balanced ono. * Helen of Troy , they say , was a blonde , and Cleopatra was certainly very brunette. Aspasla's golden hair is celebrated , and Phryno Is always depicted as an audacious blonde , while Penclopo is dark The Roman ladies bent on conquest bleached their locks and dyed them red , and many a matron as well as maid has dyed hor'n dark. But , of course , the true question is : What temperament goes wltli blonde or brunette coloring ! My own experience Is that the dark-skinned , dark-eyed , rather stately women of my acquaintaiuiu are tho3Q MOST IUSII.Y UXDBI1STOOI ) , most easily managed and. prepared for. As a rule a largo brunette is timid , physi cally and morally , self-distrustful , credulous , very uncomplaining and easily contented. Among the fair , small , ' vivid blondes I llud the restless souls who inovo the world , the ardent enthusiasts , the femlnlno "kickers , " as the word has como to bo used , the zouaves of the women's army. 'I'lio blonde has her violent fancies , but seldonva. grand passion ; she expects to rccolvo quite as much as she gives la devotion. self-sarillco and consid eration. Sim Is indeed , often very exacting and not Infrequently tyrannizes very sharply over her so-culled lord , but still shu makes an excellent wife , for she te AUrowd , clover and sees the points of advh'li'tago in the social , business or ambitious career of the connu bial 11 rm a good deal more quickly than her husband will. She is not a very tender wife , however , nor even a tender mother , having too many other strings in hand to give very much attention to baby's leading strings ; but her sons grow up to respect bet1 author ity , and she places her daughters In murriugo or In some vocation with u Una uud assured hand. I do not know whether I llko her or my gentle , docile brunette the host , and I do not know which to call the bt-bt woman , for each is best la her own way. And after all , the great army of women are neither blonde nor brunette , but mezzo tinted , with complexions In early youth of peach and cream , rather than milk and roses , or pomegranate and nimolia , with brown hair of various sbiulcu and grayish blue r-yos , and among these women I discover all thu virtues and all thu vices of both blonde and brunette , and am Inclined to think ttut in tub question , as In so many otlicrs , the truth lies between the two extremes , nnd If I had to ohooso llfty women to colonize some now Island of Hospcrldcs , I should not choose n single blonde or brunette of pure type , bat compose n symphony of mezzo coloring , voices , temperaments , llgttrcs , feeltntr pretty suit ) that thcso would blend In a sweeter and more satisfying harmony than the moro piquant nnd piercing tones of thoblondoor the sweet monotony of the brunette. And nftcr all , wo each ono of .vi bavo personal experiences nnd personal preferences which bins our judgment In this iv- spjct ; wo love this man or that woman , nnd for the tltno we bollevo that Just that style of beauty Is the Ideal wo have alwavs held. Wo haven't , and by and by wo shall smile at our own delusion and flatly contradict our fatuous theories ; but while It lasts , nnd oven perhaps In memory , wo shall cling to the admiration of blonda or bruno In general , because once In particular jvo loved n blonde or n bruno. Another point to bo considered nowadays , however , Is , what Is her natural coloring I For so many persons copy Queen Elizabeth , who had 1UO wigs as well as 100 gowns , and were whatever style of complexion she chose I The ladles of today are not so frank about It , but wo most all have watched some start ling metamorposes in this direction , and I do not ltdow why a brunette who feels herself endowed with a blonde temperament may not express It outwardly and visibly. So. having discussed the question In all Its bearings , wo must , after all , "lay It on the table , " as our legislators do the questions whoso true inwardness lies too deep lor them , and rest upon the conclusion that as It has been , so it shall be , and wo shall all of us con sider that style the most charming which clothes the bolng wo most dearly love. Mus. Kit VC.l TIOX.tL. The commencement exercises at Fairllcld college , Fairlield , la. , begin today mid hist Until .lime 12. Of thu ninety-two teachers in the public schools of Dubuque , In. , eighty-one of them were themselves educated la these schools. Tbo engineering department of the Iowa state university has just received from Hielilo Brothers , Philadelphia , a machine for testing the tension and resistance of iron nud steel , to the extent of 100,000 , pounds. Daring his four months' outing in Europe this year Bishop Hurst ( Methodist ) will visit all the principal universities to pick up ideas for use in his projected universities at Wash ington. Ho is himself an old Hcldelbergcr , and was for years the head of a theological training school In Germany. Mrs. Ada North , librarian of the Iowa state university , in connection with several of the librarians of the state , and In response to a generally expressed wish on the subject , proposes to call a meeting of the Iowa lib rarians at an early date , for the purpose of organizing a state association. Professor Perkins , who occupies the chair of history in the Iowa state university , has just published a poem entitled "Eleusis. " It forms a duodecimo of about a hundred and llfty pages. These who are competent to judge are warm in in its praise and nay that It will make a place for Itself in literature. The most expensive thermometer in this country is in use at the Johns Hopkins uni versity. It is known as Prof. Bowlaud's thermometer , and is valued at $10.000. It is an absolutely perfect instrument , mid the graduations on the glass are so fiuo that it is necessary to use a microscope to read them. The senior class of the Iowa state univer sity is negotiating for a fountain to bo placed on the college campus as a memorial of the class. Classes 'TO and ' 80 planted boulders , but the regents object to any more such mon uments , while they allow a fountain. It will bo dedicated with appropriate exercises ou class day. It Is proposed to publish the results of ; the research of the special students in the de partment of American history at the Uni- verstlv of Pennsylvania In a regular series Of pamphlets. Each detailed topic will bo exhausted , so that no oao of the series will ever present an opportunity for a second treatment. Mrs. Julia .T. Irvine , who obtained the de gress of A. B. nnd A. M. nt Cornell univer sity , nnd who for two years has carried on her work with marked distinction nt Lelpsic , has been appointed junior professor of Greek nt Wcllcsley rollcge. During an intercolle giate contest Mrs. Irvine was the prize win ner of Greek over sixty competitors. During the senior year students in the scicntillo and engineering courses prepare theses which are intended to bo a part of the regular work at the Iowa state university. A subject is assigned and the matter is worked up entirely by the students In the Inbratorics of the university. After being presented they are bound and nro preserved in the library. The trustees of Robert college , Constanti nople , have issued a circular appealing to the friends of Christian education in America to contribute $150,000 for the use of the college. It was expected that President Wnsbbtirn would follow up this appeal with personal so licitation , but long continued illness has pre vented his doing this , until now he is forced to return to Constantinople after having se cured only $2. > ,000. The excavations bolng pursued at Mcgala- polis in the Peloponnesus under the British school of archieology have resulted in some interesting discoveries. Besides uncovering the site of a Grecian theater , the excavators have found in a tumulus a small cylindrical sarcophagus containing bones aud two pieces of a gold ornament similar to these uncov ered by Dr. Schliemimn at Myceiue and elbo- wiierel Harvard university ii to have a beautiful and exclusive possession in a very valuable collection of glass ilowers made by secret pro cess by a Dresden firm named Blateka. Three hundred or four hundred specimens have been already received. The collection , whoa complete , will Illustrate all the families of plants in North America , all economic plants and the moro Important of the lower plants , Including enlarged parts mid sections of liner details of plants for study. Mrs. Ware of Boston Is the donor of this valuable addition to the facilities of the university. SIXti Vl.A litTMKU. The agricultural college professors have figured it out that two little sparrows in ten years will produce an ancestry of yrs,7lO'JSi- ' : fc'JS ' birds. John Tarr , a Westmoreland county , Penn sylvania , farmer , recently found himself the possessor of a six-legged colt , the extra legs extending from the front knees. A pigeon , which is supposed to bo a carrier , came to tColo's last week at Gettysburg. It had a brass baud on oao of its legs , on which is stamped 8IH ! and the letter K. A. P. Gordon Gumming has discovered anew now species of violet on his place near Skyes- villo , Mil. It is a single violet , and the ( lower leaves are a soft white , striped or mottled with light aud dark purple. They nro very fragrant. J. Leverott Story of Essex has a Baldwin apple tree which presents a curious freak of nature. One-half of the tree is in full bloom , the line being drawn exactly through the cen ter of the tree , and the other half showing not a blossom. The grapple plant of the Kalahari desert Is said to bo a real vegetable curiosity. In its general appearance it looks moro like a star- llsh than a plant , and each ray or arm Is tipped with barbs , which , when fastened to the wool of sheep , have to bo cut out , that being the only way of removing them. A thoroughbred Poland-China sow , owned In Mount Leonard , Mo. , recently gave birth to n hairless , ileih-colorod monstrosity , with bead , ears , teeth and ono fore foot resem bling a bull pup , and thu rest of Its body ro- sembllng a pig. All who huvo seen the thing unite in declaring its rescinblunco to the dug family , though its skin is almost human and its body that of a hog. Charlie Iackoy , of Alflmrcttu , Cal. , bus alien lion which for fasting ability surpasses Dr. Tanner. On the llrst Tuesday In February this hen went on her nestwhich was In a hol low log , lor the purpose bringing Into the world another egg. This she succeeded In doing , but to her utter astonishment , when her task was tlnlshcd aud she attempted to make her exit through the siuno bole that had accommodated her whim she desired Ingress , shu could not get sunlclcnt foothold to enable her to reach the nnorturo through which she had catered. At the end of the forty-llfth day Mrs. Lackey found her and roboued her from death. She had lived forty-live days without food or water. She Is now fat enough to tempt the appetite of a Methodist preacher. * The Chain Took a Notion to Stroll. The action of i ehuir , which formed part of u display of furniture ) ou u corner in ono of the important croe-i-towa streets , caused no little- wonderment uuo wlnduy uftunioou not Ion * ; ugo. The DEWEY & STONE , FHirniture Oompaiiij , A magnificent display of everything useful nnd ornnmantnl in the furniture maker's nrt nt rcnaonnblo prices. ARE YOU BUfO5lN G ? If so cnll nnd examine out' fine line of nrt floods , comprising1 Locks. Knobs , Escutcheons nnd Hinges , In nil finishes nnd designs. HIMEBAUGH & TAYLOR , 14O5 Douglas St. , Omaha. ORIGINAL Stove Repairs and Water Attachments For nil stoves nndrnngesof nny description. Gasoline stoves nnd gns burners clenned nnd repaired , work guaranteed , * Uolirrt Uhlle , I'rop. Dniilm fnvo IomitWnrlc 803-810 N. 101 li St. . . UHullla OlO C \ OIKS 0. M. Knfon , Miingr. > KCpall > , Tok-iihoiioOOO. pavement in front of the stoi'o Is smooth , nnd slopes to thoRtitloriit u considerable un lo. Bays the Now York Tribune. This chuir , which had u solid buck , stood right on the corner , and the wind , blow ing squarely agnlnst It , cause 1 It to slide Kontlv toward the gutter. The wind blew steadily , with just sulllelont strength to move the chair tit u "slow pace , The persons who happened to bo looking out of neighboring windows or of passing streot-cara or carriages , and therefore did not feel the wind , could not imagine what had como over the chair , that it should thus gravely and sedately leave its fellows. Even these who wore on the sidewalk , for the most part , never thought that the wind could bo the cause of the phenomenon. A policeman across the wav made up his mind that some thief had tied u thin wire to the chair , nnd was dragging It whore ho could nut it Into iv wagon and drive oil' with It. The olllcer started toward the chair , and just then a clerk who had happened to see the runaway dashed out of the furniture-store , recaptured the fleeing object , and tied it to a sofa. It took the policeman some time to understand the cause of the chair's prank. c An Absolute Cure. The OUIGINAL , ABIET1NK OINTMENT Is only put up In lurgo two-ounce tin boxes , nnd fa an absolute cure for all sores , burns , wounds , chapped hands and allskia eruptions , Will positively euro all kimls of piles. Ask for the ORIGINAL ABIETJNE OINT MENT. Sold by Goodman Drug company ut 25 cents per box by mail UO ccata The wife of Mr. W. U. Chandler , a wealthy retired fanner of Jackson , 1'n. , eloped with Charles Lewis , a former employe of Chan dler's ' the other day. Friends of Lewis held the husband while his wife nnd her lover caught the train. Mrs. Chandler Is yonnjr and pretty , while the injured husband is boriler- niK oa the thrco score nnd ton. WHICH WILL \'OU HAVE ? Light Weight on Heavy Weight ? WE HAVE THBI BOTH. Nowadays , it is wiser to regulate one's wardrobe by the thermometer rather than the almanac. If the morning is sultry , you arc sure to need heavy trousers by evening , and vice versa. To meet the demand of our varying season , we carry a full supply for hot days or cool. cool.A A specialty in extra trous ers. You can afford to be comfortable. Gasoline Stoves , Oil Stoves , Water Coolers , Ice Cream Freezers Wm. LylcDickcy&Co _ 14O3 Douglas Street. Received n now lot o' ox- tru line Virginia Cardinals Beautiful red plumage nnd in full song. 52.50 Each this Week Worth { 3.59 us regular price. Geisler , 16th St. , noiir Howard. GILBHttT BROTHERS , Taxidermists Epcclmeni can be > ent ' afclr br mall or eiprcu Ecuil lor iyrlc * . US n , IGUi BUout , Om/ibo. UIUIM < ll.ll.cllj. itA Coufoiubl. CUSHIONS . lbertftU KiB * < fiti "iu llluilitud l * t * piw-il t w iitiYiM i < ji if.iuauox. u BH J. M , x , nu , j. E , THE SPECIALIST. The Doctor fe iinmrpi'icd In the tmitmcnt of nil forms of 1'rlvntu DlH-nsm. No treatment Ims over been niorupucrcpBfu ! and 110110 liiis ( mil stronger ctulor-c- mcnt. A enrols gnnrnntrcil In the \ crjornt cnsce lit from .Ito 5 iln \vjthmi t thci loan of im liour'i ! time. Tli fo lii limo LOCH iXSS * under Ills trpnlinrnt fof Bai" Stricture or ilimciiltylu relieving tlio bladder , iiionoiinco It n mnit wonilrr- fill tueccsa. A complete cure In n few dnys without ) uiln. Ina'rnnu'nls or losnof tlmo. Amlnllwe k- IICM of thu ttcxunlorgnna tlmlillty or ncrvoiiMieag , In their \vorst forma nud most ( lrei : < lf-il result * nro absolutely cured. And nil FKMAIiB DISKASKH rurcil st homo without Instruments. A wonderful remedy. 110UUS for Imllci from 2 to 4 ONLY. and all Dlfrases of the Skin , lllood , llrurt , Liver , Kidneys - noys nnd Illadder cured. Cured In SO to CO diiyn. Tha most rapid , snfu anil efffOt- l\o treatment known to the medical profeoslon , Every trace of the dlecneo re moved from Iho blood : a complete euro guaranteed. / & * For "man" or "woman" , each 100 B/nSffS&f ! ( & ( tamps ) . Treatment by eorro- * "v1 * * * * for . Hpomicnco Stamp reply. N. i : Con. MTU ANO FAUNA u ST. Open from 8 A. M. to 0 I' . Jf. Kutrnnen ou Furnnm or 14Ui bt. OMAHA. NEO. A. SIMPSON . J. , Bide spring , ! ttachuiont. No horse motion. The oldest nnd largest carriage factor } in Omaha for line work , using tlio cold lirated spring wisher nxlc. Drafts and estimates furnished. Fine repairing a specialty 1100 nnd 1411 Doilgo SI. , Oninlm. LLAH LINE OCEAN STEAFflERS Passage to and from Great Britain and nH parts ot Europe. Montreal-Liverpool route , by the waters ol St. Lawrence , shortest of all. Ulasgowto llOBton , to 1'hllmMnhla. Liverpool to and from Haltlmoro. Thirty Steamers. Clnns oxcelalor. Accommodations unsurpassed. Weekly sailing ! . AM.AN & . .Oon. West , AR'.B. C. J. Sundell , uu Crr. lia La Hallo Ut. , Chicago , 111. NERVE AND BRAIN TREATMENT , Sppclflo for Jlyttorln , DI tno' .Ft ! > . KuiimlBln , WoUe- lulnoK ! , Mcntnl Ii < > prcMlonH < > riciiln nf thu llrnln.re * FUltlntf In liL'niilly nnil leading to misery clccnv anil iltAlh. Prem.it ro Old ARe , llairennesd , Loss or I'owor lacillior sex. Involuntary Lotnoi , nml Hpcrnintnril.cKH. CRUBtxl liy ovcr-tixortlo:1 : of Iho Imun , f etrt liuho or ovciMndtiUfcnco. Each box contalniono month's treat. inent. II a box. or elx for 8 > , crnt by umllprcpnlil. Wllli veil order for ill LOXPH , will > nil purchaser rr.nr.inteo ( o irfnnil money If Iho troltmcnt full ! to ' * ' ' ' " i" ' ' cuii- ( ! " 'onlvbir GOPDMAN DKUG CO. . 1110 Farnam Street , Oinalia , Neb. Buffering ; from thn rrrccw of youthful errors , oarlr decny , iviialliik' wcr.kni'oo , lost inunliooil , i > te. , 1 will tend n valuable treatise ( srnlrd ) containing full particular * for homo curi' . I'llMU of rlmrKO. A nplcndld inedleal work : should Ixt rend by rvfry man who la iirrvoim anil debilitated. Addrens. Vrof. 1' . C. roWLIKniouduaCouu. LATES/ / " I'cm laniKH Oxi.v--l > r. l.cduu.n 1'irlolicnl 1'iMl the French remedy , net on thn muuatruul nyotum and curt ) HtippresHlitu from whntovtT CUUHO 1'romoto invnitrnatlon. Thuso plllanhould mil b'i taken dur- Inif prcKimnuy. Am. I'llI Co. , Hoynlty I'mox. , Hpen- cttr , ( 'liiy I'o. , la ( iunulnoby Hhuiinnn i McCmmcll , DodKOBt . near I1. ( ' . .Omaha ; 0. A. .Mulclier , HoutU Omaha ; M. 1 * . Kills. Council lllults. t. . or : i for 15. Eye anil Ear , Duiker Illock , 16th and Karnuui. Telephone CM. CHICHEOTCrVD CNQLIBH PENNYROYAL PILLS. ntO CHOB8 DIAMOND BRAND , Raft * . iar0 toil ftlwi nlUMa. I.ndlf , * U Ilrujcjclit fur ItUmoiMl llr n < 1u ( rnl IA UIU4 toiM , tialed ttllb blut fltbon , 'J'lib * u * * tiljirr. HtD'l.lc. ' dtp > ) 'or umlovliri n.l "llcllcf ( a * l.utlltiiiHfn tttttf.lif return 114ulL Aamtor > f ' ' ' i'/itiJ ylr'ma ) I > eril andHERVOUB IlKDIUTYi WJlTlKiSi Weakneiaof UodyanaHlnil , EffeeU MlMlliaMlofBrroriorEioeMOlnOlilorYounri II.boil , I.oLI , > u.1IIOllr.llrH..lOfa. ( llo.rlo.ol.rf. tJl IH < ( th < ankAI > , lNIlrilUlrEllIUllt8ll-JinTNUI'flOUr. JljlollltlT u.r.UUf IIU11K TlimTnKNV-li.n.ni. la < V. l u Hull/ from ID dltltt aJ f.fcUn I'ouolrlM. Hrlli lk . MANHOOD rcntnrrd. V rlrof l fur t ! 1'arta t > nlariti < , * llkioTrctilxMut rrc uit'leraul. ' ! it ril.Vt < i < l . idjf..Lvcu.MiiEi. > sTrtLTf , no * iu 1HHU..M. , ; .r. BABY SttRftffi FREE k ny | lu. In Ik. Uiil. . | il. , ' , lei. On br n.nr * it wli'dei.lt | ilt > riit I 0. l > . dliicl from I. U H , < ' > lnr > , nl W. MUUoa m. Chi . (3 I * | : | .J. fMn41 > . | lli | > roi iittr l - liU. Hi UiiMt luiwj la u.i Milt