THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : WEDNESDAY , OCTOBER 5 , 1808 ,
The Widow McClane.
Showing the Reason Why a Poor Husband Is Hotter Than no
Husband at All.
, By ZOE ANDERSON NORRIS.
( CopyrlRht. 1808. by S. & . McClure Co. )
"If that's you , Elvira , " Bald the widow
McClane , "don't stand there with the screen
door wldo open. Come on In. Do you s'poso
I want to bo Hbootn' flics out of the house
nil the rest of the summer ? "
Elvira hurriedly shut the screen door , but
cho was too lato. A fly had flown In.
The widow laid down her sewing and , ad
vancing cautiously , flopped her bluo-chccked
npion. The fly , retreating , lighted on the
screen , where ho buzzed defiantly. With
her left band the widow opened the door on
Inch or so and with her right she made
covert passes at the fly. Her outstretched
fingers traveled stealthily across the screen
and up and down , whllp her largo mouth
sympathetically worked Itself open and shut.
From the street she appeared to bo affected
with a sort of mild Insanity ; but when a fly
was In question the widow McClane cared
llttlo enough for tbo opinion of the people
on the street.
After some further effort she succeeded In
corrallng the fly , flung wide the screen door ,
spread out her flngera and let him go.
Dazed by his sudden release from Imprison
ment , ho remained suspended In midair for
a drunken moment , then winged his way
straight Into the sunlight.
The widow fastened the hook with a
vicious clamp.
"There ! " she exclaimed , returning to her
chair by the window and taking up her
sewing , "If there's one thing In the world
I hate above another , It's flics. "
"I'm sorry I made so much trouble , " said
. , . , .
\ . „ . . .
l '
SHE WAS ALL IN A FLUTTER OP HAPPINESS AS SHE AROSE AND WENT OUT TO HIM.
Elvira , wistfully , twisting the corner of her
oprpn , v . v *
" 'Twa'nt no trouble , " responded the
widow. "Leastways 4not much. Se.t down ,
Elvira. You 'mako me nervous enough to
fly to the moon , standln * there fidgltln' . "
Thus admonished Elvira timidly ensconced
herself in the nearest rocker from which
vantage cround she furtively watched the
widow , whoso grim , weather-beaten face
now bent over her work. Her needle moved
unevenly back and forth until the thread
shortened Itself to a finger's length. Taking
two or three decisive stitches one above the
other , she drew out the needle and bit oft
the remaining thread.
Then she spoke.
"Well , what Is It , Elvira ? " she Insqulred.
A faint flush rose to Elvira's eyes , creep
ing thence to the roots of her hair.
"It's about Joe , " sho'stammered.
"So hols asked you to marry him , has
lie ? "
"Yes1 assented Elvira , the flush growing
more vivid under the sharp scrutiny of the
old woman's eyes.
"If you've como to ask my advice , " said
the widow McClane , "I say , marry him. "
"Ho ain't much account accordln * to what
people tell mo , " ventured Elvira apologetic
ally.
ally."He's
"He's as much account as the ones that's
talkln' about him , I reckon , " retorted the
wldqw. They ain't any of 'cm worth shucks
as far as I can see ; but that ain't here nor
there. He'e a man , an' any sort of man is
a protection to a woman , If ho ain't any
better than just a scarecrow , hung up to
keep away the hawks. The world's full of
hawks on tbo lookout for wlddor women ,
waltln' to peck 'em to death the first
chance they get. I've bin a wldder nigh
onto twenty years , an' I know. "
She attempted to thread her needle , peer
ing nearsightedly through her glasses In
search , of the eye. She bit off the thread
again and again , twirled It into smallncss
between her forefinger and thumb and mud a
additional thrusts ; but It persisted In travel
ing past the eye and threading the atmos
phere. At last she gave a sigh of relief.
The feat had been accomplished.
"My old man' was llko Joe , " she said re
turning to the subject In hand. "He wa'n't
much account , kinder projec'ln * around at
first ono thing an' then another an' not
doln * much of anything after all , but ho
kept oft the hawks. Pore feller , ho had
asthma. You could hear him most a mile
oft a wheezln' an' a wheezln' . Sometimes I
thought It would set mo plumb crazy the
noise he made , but many'a the day since I'd
bin glad enough to hear him wheezln' agin.
That there asthma kept him from doing
pretty much everything he oughter done.
Ho couldn't chop wood for It or bring In the
klndlln' or maka the fires. I had to do all
that. He got so after a while he couldn't
do nothln * but sit in the chimney corner an'
nod ; but s'long as you've got to work any
way , It's kinder good to know you've got
somebody settln' In the chimney corner a
noddln' , to sort of keep you company while
you're at.lt. "
She did not allow her reminiscences to
interfere with her work. The movement of
her needle kept time with the movement of
her lips.
"I've bin watchln" you , Elvira , " she went
on , looking over her glasses at the younger
woman , "over since you've bin a wldder an1
H seemed to me you were goln * over the
same old road I went over. It's a mighty
hard road. There ain't no soft places In It.
J've seen you < ryin' to get along , llvln' with
your sister. I know what that Is. I've bin
all through It. An * there's one thing I can
tell you from experience. "
She paused for an lmprcssvo | moment
and slabbed the air with her needle by way
of emphasis. The needle pointed straight
at Elvira.
"What la It ? " she asked , dodging Involun
tarily.
"If you want to find hard hearts In the
time of troublr , " answered the Widow Mc
Clane , "you don't never need to go outside
of your family , specially If you're pore. "
Her mouth snapping shut with the last
word , settled itself Into hard , firm lines.
Elvira , catching a glimpse of her own red
mouth In the narrow mirror over thd man *
tcl , fell to wondering If she1 would look like
that twenty years later.
"If you've got a little money , " the widow
continued , "it you're independent of 'em ,
you're all right ; but the good Lord help a
wldder woman that's pore. There ain't a
forlorncr creature on top of the earth. Yes ,
I'vo lived with my relations. I've worked
llko a nigger day In an' day out , scourln' ,
clcanln' and scmbbln' , an' then hod the cost
of my keep thrown In my teeth from morn
ing till night If I had It to do over agin ,
I'd go an' hlro out to strangers before I'd
work for my klntolks. A servant Is wel
come to what she can cat an' drink an'
wages besides everywhere In the world ex
cept with her own kin.
"I'vo watched you slavln' over there at
Sarah Ann's , Elvira , cookln' an' washla'
an' Iron' , an" when you was through , In
stead of rcstln' , like any other servant
would er done , tendln' to the baby. I'd
rul'her break rock on a turnpike any day
In the year than tend to a baby whllo
Sarah Ann run around to the neighbors a-
tellln' 'em how she was beln' Imposed on ,
bavin' to take care of her pore relations. "
Elvira gave a little sigh. Sbo opened her
mouth to speak , but the widow was before
her.
and wrinkled and care-worn , sitting there
stitching , stitching , stitching for the solo
I purpose of keeping body and soul together ,
seemed the Incarnation of desolate widow
hood , to the widow. The fear In her cyci
gave place to a smile.
"There's Jol" she cried. "I do believe
he Is comln * here. Ho must cr seen me an *
followed mo. Yes , there ho Is at the door ,
waltln' for me. Good-by , I must bo goln'
right away. "
And she was all In a flutter of happiness
as she rose and went out to him ,
The Widow McClano followed her. She
carefully closed the screen door , again
fastened the hook and looked out at the
two as I'hey nodded gaily over their shoul
ders at her and walked arm In arm
around the corner.
"Ho ain't halt good enough for her , " she
Bald aloud. "He's knock-kneed an * pigeon-
tocd , an * cross-eyed In ono eye , but he's
bctter'n nothln' . He'll kinder do for a
prop. He'll stand up for her agin the world
that's such a hard place for a pore wlddcr
woman. "
Hcyond iho porch a llttlo way two fat hens
floundered In a flower bed. Preoccupied with
her own thoughts she observed them with
out fully awakening to the enormity of their
misdemeanor.
"Anything Is better than betn' a wld-
I dor , " she reiterated , still harping on the
same old string , "anything ! "
She went back to her sewing , but In
stead of finishing it her hands , the largo
bony hands of the worklngwoman , rested
on the cloth and she stared through the
door at the sunlight without. The clock
ticked solemnly on the mantel. Presently ,
with a wheezy premonitory rattle , It struck
the half hour.
A fly spranled and buzzed upon the
screen. The widow , leaning forward , looked
I
sharply at it to be quite euro it was out-
| side. Then , taking up the seam , she began
1 r
r"I
"I was mfehty glad when I BOO Joe h.
nhyln' round after you , " she said. "Mighty
glad. Take him. That's my advice. It
don't make any difference how trlflin' he
is ; take him. A woman has a hard time
alone In the world. It takes a good strong
woman to fight her way through. As I said
( before , the mlnuto her husband dies she's
, common plckln' for everybody. Did you
ever hear of a bank that failed but what It
! had some wldder woman's savin's In It ?
Did a storm ever blow over this town that
it didn't tear down the wlddcr women's
fences an * leave all the rest a standtn' high
an' dry ? An' lawyers ! They're allus layln'
for the wldder women's money , allus ! "
Elvira was amazed at the unwonted gar-
rulousncss of the old woman. Ordinarily
self-contained and seemingly steeled to en
durance , she had not dreamed that In her
heart she kept bottled up such bitter
thoughts. Laying the them across her knee
she ran the back of her thumb nail down
the length of It with a grating sound that
set Elvira's teeth on edge. Her harsh voice
broke shrilly upon the silence that followed
as she proceeded to demonstrate her theories
by pertinent examples.
"Don't you remember the Wldder Dob-
sou ? " aha asked. "How her old man kept
up his life Insurance policies till the week
before ho died , an * then dropped one of 'em ?
I Somehow , I allus thought It was a pity
' s'long aa he had to dlo ho didn't peg out be
fore ho dropped It ; but I reckon It was just
as well as It was. It would er bin all the
| same In the long run. What the Insurance
company didn't cheat her out of the lawyers
| got , EO It was six of one an' half a dozen of
the other. Wldders nln't got no show. They
ain't got even the ghost of a show.
"There was Matilda Lawson , too. Her
husband hadn't bin dead a we k before his
ktnfolks trumped up another will an' took
every blessed cent she had away from her ,
every blessed cent ! Now she takes In wash-
In' for a llvln * .
"By rights a wlddcr ought to bo burned
to death as soon as her husband dies , like
they burn 'em over there In them heathen
countries. It would be a long sight the
best thing that could happen to most of
'em. Look at me , for Instance , settln' here
a-sowln' all day long , an' sometimes way !
I in the night , an' barely makln' enough
I money to kcap a roof over my head at that.
An' what's It all for ? Kor notbln' but to
Ueep the Hfo In my old body. What's the
use. In keepln' life In my body ? Who
cares whether 1 live or die ? Nobody ! "
Elvira made a little deprecatory move
ment with her hand. She would have said ,
"I care , " but , notwithstanding her plaints ,
the widow's stern countenance repelled un
due demonstrations.
"This thing of not belongln' to nobody , "
she went on , "that's the worst of It. To
think you haven't got even & good-for-
nothing man to set down by you of an
evenln' an' talk to you. When things go
wrong , an' they mostly go wrong , If you've
got somebody to complain to It takes away
half the trouble of It. Suppos'n you fall
down an' hurt yourself. Where's your
shoulder to cry on ? Suppos'n you cut your
finger. Who's to wrap It up for you and
tie the ends of the two threads , sayln * he's
sorry for you , even If he ain't ? Suppos'n
the world gets black'n usual , so black you
can't see a sign of day breakln' nowhere , an *
you fall to sobbln' about It. Who's to put
his arm around you an' say : "There ,
there ? ' Nobody. Nobody In the worldl I
toll you. It's a mlghtly lonesome life ; n >
mlghtly lonesome lite ! "
As Elvira sat sllenty listening a sudden
fear sprang Into her eyes. What , since
she had started out over the same road the
Widow McClane had traveled , she should
be forced to travel it to the end ? What It
there awaited her , too , twenty years of
that "lonesome life ? " A sickening thrill
of apprehension shook her. She looked
away from the woman before her , who , old
once more to BtlOch.
I "If bo don't make her a halfway decent
Jjusband , " she said doggedly , as If to con
vince herself , "it's a long bight better than
i boln' a pore wldder and slavln' for her kln-
I folks. A long sight better ! 1'vo bin all
over that road myself on' I know. "
A WONDERFUL SIGHT.
The Tree of Ten Thuunaiia Imacc" In
Thibet.
Of all the wonderful sights reported by
the Jesuit missionaries , Hue and Gobet ,
during their explorations of Thibet , by far
I the strangest is what they have to eay of
, tbo Tree of Ten Thousand Images. They
had heard about this wonderful tree long
before they reached tbo locality of Its
growth , and , as they approached the spot ,
I their curiosity regarding It Increased a
thousand fold.
Hero Is their narrative of the result of
I their examination of the tree :
"It will hero bo naturally expected that
wo nay something about this tree itself.
Does it exist ? Have wo seen It ? Has 'it
[ any peculiar attributes ? What about its
marvelous leaves ?
"Yes , this tree does exist. At the foot
of the mountains on which the Lamasery
stands , and not far from the principal Budd
hist temple , Is a great square Inclosure ,
formed by brick walls. Upon entering this
we were able to examine at leisure the mar
velous tree , some of the branches of which
l.ad already manifested themselves above tbo ,
.walls.
"Our eyes were first directed with earnest
curiosity to the leaves , and wo were filled
with an absolute consternation of astonish
ment at finding that. In point of fact , there
were upon each of the leaves well-formed
Thibetan characters , all of a green color ,
some darker , some lighter , than the leaf
Itself. Our first impression wag a suspicion
of fraud on the part of the Lamas ; but , after
a minute examination of every detail , wo
could not discover the least deception. The
characters all rppcared to us portions of the
leaf Itself , equally with Its veins and nerves ;
the position won not the same In all ; In one
leaf they -ould be at the top of the leaf ;
! In another , In the middle ; In a third , at the
base , or at the side ; the younger leaves
represented the characters only in a partial
state of formation.
"The bark of the tree and its branches ,
which resemble that of the plane tree , are
also covered with these characters. When
you remove a piece of the old bark , the
young bark under It exhibits the indistinct
outlines of characters iu a germinating
state , and , what Is very singular , theao new
characters are not Infrequently different
from these which they replace. We exam
ined everything with the closest attention ,
In order to detect some traces of trickery ,
but we could discern nothing of the
bort. "
The missionaries , Hue and Gobet , might
have remained in Thibet as long as they
wished had It not been for the interference
of the Chinese ambassador there. For some
reason this Individual took a dislike to them ,
and ultimately caused them to depart. The
Lamas worn willing that they should re
main , but It appeared to the missionaries
that their presence might cause disturbance ,
to they quickly withdrew , taking with them
some of the first facts ever gathered In that
mysterious land.
IcnvF Silver Men In Control.
WORCESTER. Mass. . Oct. 4. The demo
cratic state convention opened today in
Mechanics' ball with little of that excite
ment attending It which for the past two
or three years has been the feature of the
meeting of the leaders of the party In this
state. Warring elements were entirely
lacking today and the proceedings were as
a rule of the most harmonious nature
This was principally due to the fact that
those who oppose the leaders now In au
thority had decided to wait another year
before again attempting to obtain control
of the party machinery.
DOING AWAY WITH SMOKE
Clear Sky and Pure Air for Oity Dwellers
Made Possible.
DEVICE THAT BURNS FUEL PERFECTLY
Clcnnllnrnn mill I'nlillc
Comfort Herurcil l > jhe Adoption
of n Mcolmnlenl Stoker it * Sim-
pic n * It In UfCcctlvc.
Winter will soon close In on us again and
with It will cotno the old question of what
to do with our smoke. The smoke nuisance
Is one of the most serious questions that
modern municipalities have to deal with.
Civilization of modern times demands tall
buildings and steam heat , with electric
light and all that sort of thing , and this
can only bo secured and enjoyed by the con
sumption of vast quantities of coal. That
all the necessary power may be afforded as
cheaply as possible In order to allow the
owners of the buildings to stay In the fierce
competition for popular favor , the cheaper
qualities of coal are used as much as possi
ble. This naturally brings about dense
clouds of smoke. la Omaha oncu a visitor
referred to the pall that hangs over the city
during n winter day and the soot that falls
from It as "a. sable snowstorm. " Once on
ordinance to do away with the smoking
ctilmneya was passed. It contemplated the
attachment to all furnaces of some sraoko
consuming or smoke-preventing device.
Many were tried In an effort to
conform to the requirements of the
ordinance , but none were success
ful and the law Is hardly known to ex
ist any more. The Introduction of a perfect
smoke-preventing device , one that not only
pretends to , but actually does , produce such
perfect combustion o * to absolutely prevent
smoke , ought to bd hailed as n boon to hu
mankind. Such a device Is In actual opera
tion twenty-four hours a day In The Bee's
boiler room.
Curling plumes of smoke floating heavily
away from a tall chimney have long been
the figurative evidence of Industrial ac
tivity. Latterly , however , the artistic has
come Into juxtaposition with the utilitarian
and the curling plumes of smoke are ob
jected to. It Is now easily made apparent
that smoke has no direct bearing on Indus
try and that It not onfy mars the landscape
by obscuring the sky but In a direct evi
dence that the fuel Is being wasted. You
will no longer note smoke wreathing
the top of the huge stack of The Dec build
ing. This Is not because The Dee has gene
out of business , nor because It has no longer
use for fuel , but It Is because- The Dee la
keeping up with the march of progress ana
has secured the most Successful of smoke-
preventing apparatus to attach to Its boiler ,
Plant.
What Mnken Smoke ,
Smoke prevention Is only possible with
smoke consumption. A long time ago Aaron
Nutall , who was then an engineer on the
Uurllngton , replied to Gcorgo Challender ,
who was master mechanic at Burlington ; 1
" 'Ow the bloody 'ell are you going to keep
from raakln' the bloody black smoke when
you burn the bloody black coal ? " The
answer to this conundrum has been sought
by many men , and many devices have been
put on the market to fill the demand. Smoke
results solely from Imperfect combustion.
When the combustion Is perfect the gases
that are liberated In the furnnco are con
sumed there , and the only resultants are
heat and ashes , the latter being the non-
combustlblo elements of the fuel calcined
and fused. Perfect combustion depends on
the supply of a quantity of air to the fire ,
furnishing oxygen In the Tight proportion
to the carbon of thft TUcK This varies to
B6mo extent , It being tlie'Uieory that with the
ordinary grade of coa fourteen pouads of
air is necessary 'to consume.one pound of
coal. Practical experience has shown thsU
the amount of air required has been as
high as twenty-seven pounds to one pound
of coal. All sorts of bridge waHa , per
forated and solid , choke arches and com
bustion chambers , hollow side walls , blasts
applied from every available point under
the boiler , steam Jets and the like In end
less profusion , have been tried for the pur
pose of "Increasing the draft , " which In
reality means supplying the excess of oxygen
over what Is naturally afforded from be
neath the grates for the purpose of achiev
ing the object , perfect combustion. Many
of these have been remarkably successful
under certain conditions , but with the best
of them It has been found that where workIng -
Ing conditions are subject to sudden and
violent changes the fucpace docs not read
ily respond , and the smoke results , so
that the nuisance not only exists , but the
extra amount of fuel required Is greater
than If the smoke-burner was not attached.
In a plant llko that of The Bee , where the
load varies BO widely , from the pulling of
a single dynamo to the propulsion of three
or four , with the addition from time to
tlmo of heavy presses to the load on the
engine , the changes are EO sudden that'the
boilers are called on to meet wldo varia
tions of working conditions of a nature
that absolutely defeat the furnace that
seeks to burn smoke by means of hollow
furnace walls supplying air to the combus
tion chamber.
Furnace ( lint llnrim Smoke.
But The Bee has a furnace now that burns
the smoke and responds readily to any addi
tion or diminution of cnglno load. It Is a
mechanical appliance known aa the "Ameri
can" stoker. This apparatus IH attached to
tha ordinary furnace. It-consists essentially
of a hopper Into which the fuel Is shoveled
and a tapering spiral Bcrew , which forces
the fuel forward and upward Into the furnace -
naco above. In connexion with 'this Is a
blast of cold air , dilvun by a fan entering
the furnace along with the fuel. The air
en-tern through tuycro blocks , which have
vents on cither side , so that while the tuel
is being forced forward and upward Into the
furnace It Is being slowly coked In the
trough of the stoker and Is furnished nir In
the right amount to secure the best result
The more volatile gases are hero liberated
and , entering the furnace at a high tem
perature , are quickly Ignited and consumed.
At the same tlmo air Is forced into the fur
nace through the openings In the tuyere
blocks communicating more directly with
the flro than the fuel. Thus the coke which
results from the partial combustion of the
fuel before Its actual entrance Into the furnace
naco Is constantly supplied with the oxygen
necessary to complete the combustion. In
this way the- full force of the fuel Is so-
cured.
The stoker mechanically la simplicity It
self. The worm Is driven by a motor'havlng
the well known "pump" valve motion. All
who are In any way familiar with mechan
ics know how the "pump" valve operates.
When the resistance of the load Is less than
that of the motive force , the piston moves.
With the motor on the stoker a ratchet
la attached to the worm , the fireman fills
the hopper of the stoker , sets the throttle
of the motor at what Is the right point
and the machine does the rest. When the
fuel Is coked or consumed above the load
In the trough , the resistance Is less , the
plnton moves , the worm turns and the
stoker gives an additional supply of fuel
to the fire. The nir blast Is equally simple
of control. Its entrance to the fire Is con
trolled by n simple valve , much as Is the
valve to the tuycro of the blacksmith's
force. The fireman sets the blast In the
notch required and the needed air Is me
chanically forced and mingled with the
fuel. The fan drives steadily along , but
the surplus current Is "wasted" aa Is steam
through n safety valve. The exhaust from
the motor Is led Into the ashpit , and serves
to keep the refuse moist.
Chimney the llent Sinn.
Absolute absence of smoke shows how
well the fuel Is burned , but the condition
of the flues , where the carbon particles
called soot are lacking and an examina
tion of the ashpit show how well the work
Is done. While as yet The Bee's engineer
has made no evaporative test of the effi
ciency of the machine , ho baa tested Its
practical workings In other directions , and
Is fully satisfied with it. It has proven
wonderfully economical In nil essential
respects , especially as regards the quality
of fuel consumed and the Increased evapora
tion of water per pound of fuel. Except when
the flro Is fresh after cleaning , there Is
no smoke. As soon as the fuel becomes
coked the smoke vanishes. In the case
of The Bee the grade of coal used Is what
Is known as "steam. " To consume this
without producing dense clouds of smoke ,
and at the same do It economically and
efficiently , Is certainly a triumph. And this
is just what the American stoker Is doing
day by day and night after night.
DUTCH WKDIH.XG AN OHUCAL.
Other CtirlotiH Custom * of Till * Intcr-
cadiiir Country.
A Dutch wedding Is a portentous busi
ness , relates the London Globe- . Smart
Holland does Its devotions in barnllko
French Protestant churches. The wedding
service Is mournful to a degree , and lasts
two hours. The bridegroom , In full evenIng -
Ing dresa , and the bride , In orthodox whlto
salln , sit upon chairs In front of the black-
t robed minister. He delivers an extempore
address fairly bristling with personalities.
' Meanwhile relatives neb In pews , until
finally every one who can provo the re
motest connection with the brldo kisses
her.
[ Next follows a tremendous breakfast In
French style. It Is "do rlgueur" for all
the friends of itho bride to send her In the
morning a bouquet or basket of whlto flow-
crs plentifully ribboned. With numbers of
thcso a very gay effect is produced , though
the Dutch are lamentably behind the times
In table decoration and posey-maklng. Wltu
the advent of the "hors d'oeuvre" come
speeches. The bride's brother or other dele
gate first rings a small handbell. Then ,
i-ainld a silence broken by the cheerful cllck-
Ing of knives and forks , a health Is pro
posed. Then comes a quaint postscript to
this very ordinary ceremonial. Ladles and
gentlemen must alike rise from their seats ,
and , solemnly filing up to the person
toasted , touch his glass < wlth their own.
After a score of speeches the thing gets
monotonous , but It Is carried out to the
bitter end. Any person omitted would
feel aggrieved. In Holland It Is the family
before everything. A leading barrister was
recently compelled to throw up an Im
portant case In order to attend the birthday
party of an aged father who lived three
hours distant "by rail.
The Dutch are excellent husbands , but
quite preposterously jealous. An English
man who found himself In a party consist
ing almost entirely of assorted couples ,
ventured to pay a Tew compliments and
mild attentions to a charming young mar
ried .woman. Ho even had the assurance to
include her In " general offering of roses
made to the company. The husband was
furious. Ho canceled a previously given
dinner invitation ; and there 'were awful
rumors that , though duels are now very
rare , he desired to challenge the offender ,
who wisely placed the sea between himself
and his would-be opponent.
Babies have a comfortable time enough
In Holland , where the cramping swaddling-
pillow Is replaced by English , layettes. It
Is , however , expensive to know too many ,
for every woman who visits or Is visited by
nurse and Infant for 'tho first time rnuat
give the former at least five shillings.
Mourning Is very long and very strict.
Even the poorest leave off their gold cap
pins and headpieces for more than a year
after the death of a parent.
11C WAS A S1CAX MAX.
Anil G'oiiaeiiiieutly lie ( iot Kven with
Her Ji : t Onue.
One of the mildest-mannered men on earth
Is John Smith of Podunk , though that Isn't
his name or the name of his town , and ho
married Salllo Jones , a red-headed school
teacher , who thought she knew more In a
minute than John did In thirty-seven years
and five months. As the years went by John
became accustomed to life with a superior
woman , aud the four or five times a year
he got even with her in his quiet way ap
peared to reconcile him to the rest of the
performance. The last occasion of an
"evcnng-up" | occurred four days ago , says
the Washington Star. Mrs. Smith was dis
playing her knowledge of war history and
cognate branches.
"Wars , " she was saying , "aro commonly
known among third parties by the nar > ; s of
the two nations Involved , and It Is a rather
remarkable fact that the name of the losing
nation precedes that of the conqueror. Kor
example , < have the Franco-Prussian ,
In which the French people oume near
being obliterated as a nation by the Prus
sians. Then the Chinese-Japanese war In
which the Chinese were utterly overthrown
by the Japanese. So also the Graeco-Turk-
IEU war , with the Turks conquerors at every
point , and , lastly , wo have the Spanish-
American war , In which , though not at nn
end , Spain has met overwhelming defeat
everywhere. Under the circumstances , I
think it may be set down as n rule that
In the vast majority of combinations at
Issue > the loser's name comes first. "
"I think BO myself , Sarah , " ventured Mr.
Smith , with cxtrcmo modesty of demeanor.
"Indeed ! " she rather sneered than other
wise , "have you been reading up on tlru
subject ? "
"Some , Sarah , " ho answered , as ho
handed her a faded little newspaper clip
ping which he had taken from his pocketbook -
book ,
Mrs. Smith read only this much and quit
"Smith-Jones At the residence of the
bride's parents "
Superior Quality is its pass
port to your immediate favor
and cheerful patronage.
VAL.BLATZ BREWING Co.
MILWAUKEE , U.S.A.
For Sale by Foley Bros , Wholesale
Dealers. H12 Douglas Street , Omaha ,
Neb. Tel. 1081
Remember
When anything suddenly recalls the happy'
days of childhood ( "when this you see , remem
0 ' llr ber me" ) we are kindly disposed toward it ,
& but when this sentiment is associated with some
thing that we know ( Battle Ax ) and have
known daily and hourly for years perhaps it
strengthens the bond of confidence and satisfaction.
® Ask anyone who has chewed Battle Ax if
he would change for any other brand.
No matter what brand you have been .chew .
Cd ing Battle Ax is better I
Cde
e © emember the name
O © when you buy again.
WEflK HEN GUREB SYPHILIS OR
AND PinUGHT TO PERFECT
. BA3 BLOOD.
by our lull trsn'.mimt ol Turkish C.pmlca I I
iur . il.00. Klirht iMtrrt , Ujy IotMNenro 1 Eruptions Syphilis Cur cured , never by Turkish faUn.
o.-Uralntmubl * Cured an perfect n TOO
evrrwere. W atke our own uifJidnti I Full , treatment . with Rttaran- , . . f
. | tee eiO.ou ; sincle IIOIM lt.ro.
and you can rely an irettinif well.Vil > iu *
written . ? narant * with full cut * . HlnjI HAHN'S PHARMACY.
nor.ll Khr mull llAH-e m ; nnd Fa
OR OMAMA.
BOILER AND SHEET IRON WORKS
Hrake , Wi
SncccNMorn Wlliioii & Dritke.
Manufacturers bollera. smoke stacks nnd
treechlngs , pressure , rendering , sheep dip ,
lard nnd water tanks , boiler tubes con-
ctantly on hand , Hocond hand boilers
houpht and sold. StiPolal mid prompt to
repairs In city or country. 19th and Pierce.
BDOTS-SHOES-RUBBERS.
rnercan
M'frs | Jobbers of Foot Wear
WESTHIIN AGENTS FOn
Tbo Joseph Banigau Hubbor Oo.
Rubbers and Mackintoshes.
Cor. Kleveiilh & I'uriium Sin. , Ontulin.
F.P. Kirkendall & Co
Boots , Shoes and Rubbers
hleiroonu UM-llCi-1104 JUrnty BtncL
CARRIAGES ,
Estab
lished ,
1858.
Side apnr.c Aittcuaenl Xo Horse Motiou.
Get a Simpson Ilusgy with tbo Atkinson
Spring btst and easiest rider In the world.
MOU-11 UinlKu Mlreel.
CHICORY
Growers Mid manufacturer ! of all fotmi of
Chicory Omaha-Kremont-O'Nell.
DRUGS.
iohardson Drug Co.
902-906 Jackson SI.
1. O. RICHARDSON , PreiL
CX P. WELLE R , V. Print.
T Moroer
Ghemica ! Go.
ll'frt Standard Fhitrmaoeulltal 1'repara *
tloni. Hiieeial Formulae 1'rrpartil to
Order , fiend for Catalogue.
labtratorjr , * iu Howard 8t , Omaha.
Brttce & Co.
sts and Stationery
"Quer * Dee" BpecUltltt ,
Cl { ro , Wlnm and Urnndlei.
1 Cforuw l h nd Haray trt&
DRY GOODS.
Importer * nd Jobber * ol ,
Dry Goods , Furnishing Goods
AND NOTIONS.
CREAMERY SUPPLIES
The Sharpies Company
Creamery Machinery
and Supplies.
pollera. Engines , Feed Cookers , Wood PnU
leyn , Shafting , Beltlnc. Butter Puck-
. , , fze * ° r a1
* > .
M7-C09 Jones St. - - -
ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES.
VA/estes'n ESedrical
vv
Company
Hlc trical Supplies.
Electric Wirlnp Bolls and Gns Lighting
O. W. JOHNSTON. Mir. 1510 Howard Ht.
John T. Burke ,
COXTKA.OTOU 1'OK
ELECTRIC LIGHT
and PO WER PLANTS
24 South 15th St.
FRUIT-PRODUCE.
United Sfafes
u Supply Co. .
r/o8-ino Harnev St.
Steam Pumps , Engines and Boilers. PI
Wind MUIs. Bteam and Plumblnc
Material , JQeltlnc. Kos , Etc.
HARDWARE.
Wholesale Hardware.
O in aba.
L ee-Clark Andreesen
Hardware Co
Wholesale Hardware.
Bicycle * and Uportlnr Goods. 131031-28 Hi * ,
uey street.
HARNESS-SADDLERY.
J H. Haney & Go.
'
* SlTrt-
JIAltNESS , HADUT.K * AND COLL A lit
Jolbtrt of Leather , ttaddlet'lf Hardware , Ettu
Wo solicit your orders. 1316 Howard El
STE AM-W ATER SUP'PLI ES
Crane-Churchill Go.
1014.1016 Douglas Street.
Ifuiuficturtr * and Jobbers of Btttm. On tni
Water Supplies pf