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PLAINDEALEJR. •'"* MT SOI.ID CilKXn I remember well the eve I asked h«r to bo And how I prayed the grace* that my wish she'd V . not decline. think no other mortal ever loved a maid so W' well; k*> I hadn't half enoneh word« my constancy to tell. i- With her my own the future years with «un- ' v Bhino would be bright. i? I * "Without her life would bo to me a dreary, star­ s" . less night. . . , ^ "V $o my lioart went wildly beating and my brain 5 ' - was in a whirl 'e When she placed her hand in mine and said,"I'll BSJ be your solid girl."' ftj JB»e was a fragile creature then of fairy-like de- ^ . ' fiigIJ " ^ I • % little dreamed that now her weight would ? v- double that of mine; 1 ; Jfhat the clinging little woman all so delicato and wan f-,, Would in the after years become a stalwart _ aniaKtn. < ant, still it sometimes happens that auch h ' ' changes do occur, gsf -' And now that she's the more to me 1 can't ' - think less of her. ft'. IHd 1 not love her dearly I should think myself achml. p She kept, her promise faithfully--she's still my eolidgirl. ^ , 1 HHED BY A PARROT. BT ©WIGHT BALDWCS. "stop ti^iefr ?£.'* . Pit-a-pat. Pit-a-pat. . "Halt, or I fire!" The watchman paused beside a lilac f"bush, fragrant with the blossoms of - Slav, and leveled his revolver. ^ . But the fugitive sped on through the »eglected grounds surrounding the old SThorndale mansion. » " Bang! *' As the shot rang out upon the still Bight air, its intended victim looked Ssdf'.- •«. , * \ back. v -- s At the same instant the moon peeped »'**' over the top of a dark cloud, its silver- White ray illumining his handsome, . though startled face. „ "Halt!" shouted the watchman, re­ packing his weapon. .._*•• But not even the whistling of the leaden bullet had brought the fugitive ;t.,.%) terms. He raised a large object to a 5level with his head, and, with marvel­ ous agility, leaped into the air, and dis- I ajppeared from view over a high stone 7 4 wall. From the vantage ground of this bar- - rf' len, the panting custodian of the place V. Was soon Hashing his dark lantern up and down the narrow confines of the deserted little court |\, A muttered curse escaped his lips as pf he saw that his pursuit had been a fail- ^ Wre. • • g*. "Hello, Toml)aley! What are you .doing there?" This hail and question proceeded from : .«tall man who had just arrived at the JX " «treet corner about fifty feet away. "Following a trespasser--a thief, Mr. Graves," was the response. "Open the gate, and be lively about ft!" £,;", "Well?" queried Graves when his "\£.: command had been complied with and 4fe had been admitted to the extensive ; enclosure. "I was in front of the house when I . beard a noise in the rear."' r "Well?" ' * / " I r a n a r o u n d a n d s a w a m a n l e a p i n g IV ' jferom the library window." ^ ' "Ha! a burglar?" "Exactly." j1' "Had he taken anything-?" • "He carried in his hand a bird eage-- the largest of all of them, I think." K "That's strange! Would you know him ?" •gf . "I would, and do." " -. "Who is he?" % ' "Lyne Laird." y "The old man's former secretary ?" "The same. I got a good view of and am sure. What he could want f With a bird cage I can't understand." $ "Nor I, except that it is to cover up , ^ Jpis tracks---destroy a clue of some Ijj&nd." "A clue!" repeated Daley, hoarsely. "You don't mean--" . "That Lyne Laird murdered his for- . ,tter employer and benefactor, Israel ; Thorndale ?" That's it to the smallest £fy punctuation mark." "Impossible!" J "I thought so at first, but facts are convincing things." •Pi- "Hadn't we better give the alarm? j/ He may get out of the city." "No danger. I've notified the police > to run him in. They'll have him by & morning."* . "But what in the world--" "Listen, Daley, here's the case. Three |g:;,.aays ago Old Israel Thorndale was Ipundin his library, where he's slept ^ ti #B?ong bis birds, squirrels, and white inaice, these twenty years, with a knife burled in his heart." , "That's right. I was the first----" Never mind that. I'm called as a ^professional detective to take control of Hie case, and place you in charge of the premises." | ' "And much obliged I " "The lower floor seemed to have been ,<* ' • good deal ransacked, but nothing of a. value was missed. The motive wasn't fs% jobbery, says L" * "That's clear." > - "So I look deeper. Who would be | benefitted by the old man's death? I p!:„.:;'.yfoquei'e." •j] , "Not Lyne Laird!" 't>-» "Don't jump at conclusions. The g«ad man's niece, pretty little Susie ti, _ .1.1" " " mean t • Truax, is his sole heir at law." * "So they say. But you don't ^o accuse her ? Bless you, no! jj? , She's as got>d as she's beautiful. She's 'f*.. »een the light of Old Israel's life since ;sber mother died and she came to live ; - • With him, six years ago." [ f ••• "They says that the old man dis- ijK;, -charged Laird last year, for making love tsf.*. to her." "That was my only clue. An hour *?,' " ®fter the matter was placed in mv hands •* I left the cityv for Keokuk, where she !' * bad been for a month, vHting an old iSchoolmate." . "And you found " "That Lyne Laird Jiad been there for f/L two weeks, but left the morning of the day the murder was committed, ostensi- bly to return to Chicago, where he is - employed as a stenographer. Instead • «f that, he came here: "Thof What was he do- "I see.* "Since my return this evening from Chicago, where I learned that Laird had not been seen since he left on his vacation, more than a fortnight ago, I have found that he was seen here, within two blocks of where we now stand, on the night|of the murder." It will go hard with him, won't it?" "Hard? It will hang him!" Tom Daley had made no mistake. The man who had eluded him was in­ deed Lyne Laird, the accepted lover of the dead millionaire's niece. Taulting a second wall he escaped tiie eyes of the watchman, and was soon a mile from the place. In the busiest portion of the city he entered a large lodging house, and quietly mounted to the upper floor. There he unlocked a door and passed into a small, scantily furnished sleeping room. He placed his bnrdert, a large wire cage, upon the bed, and proceeded to light a lamp. Then he threw himself into a chair. "What do I not owe to Susie?" mur­ mured he. "But for her I would never have imagined myself suspected. She was more than a match for Detective Graves. Her warning, may save me, yet." " Still, I'm in a bad box," he resumed, after a moment's reflection. "It will be shown that I was here the night of"the murder, probably that I was seen to en­ ter the house. Besides this, and my recent visit to Keokuk, the murderer has no doubt left clues purposely to en­ tangle me. If I only had a suspicion of the real perpetrator, all might be well. Polly Ballou, there, is my only hope." He turned towards the cage from which a large parrot was peering forth. "If anything was said, either by the assassin or his victim, its ten to one she will repeat it, continued the young man. "I remember her as something wonder­ ful as an imitator." "Perdizione!" At this word, uttered in the shrill, falsetto voice of the parrot,. Lyne Laird sprang excitedly to his feet, 'Perdizio?ie.r' be repeated. "It's the favorite oath of Mezzofanti, Mr. Thorndale's old partner in' the cigar importing trade. I heard him use it lrequently when he was here three years ago. I always suspected him of designs on the old man's fortune. He's the murderer!" ** "Perdizione!" Neither'Lyne Laird,nor Polly Ballon, pronounced the word this time. It eminated from a man whose dark scowl­ ing face was glowering down from the transom over the door connecting with the adjoining apartment. WTho's there?" came from the.par­ rot. "Pretty Polly," said Lyne, encour­ agingly. "Michael Mezzofanti, you have killed me!" shrieked the bird. "I am saved!" cried Laird. "Perdizionel" " The word was softly hissed out as the dark face vanished from above the door. • " The bird-fancier shrugged his shoul­ ders as if to imply that his art was too deep to be expressed in words. "Have you ever seen this parrot be- ore?" ^ , "Yes, many times. She was mine un­ til three days ago." ; "To whom did you sell herf "To that man." Necks were craned, and eyes fol­ lowed the direction indicated by tbe bony firger of the bird fancier, "Predizione!" hissed out Michael Mezzofap*i, a look of deathly whiteness coming into his usually swarthy face. "The very word he said when I asked a dear price for the bird P dried Polatsky. The executor and legatee of the Thorndale estate made a quick dash for the door, but was intercepted. His identification by the bird fancier, was followed by other and crushing evidence, and he was convicted and executed for murder. The will was proved to be a forgery, and pretty Trurx became a millionaire. "You said it would hang him," half queered Tom Daley the day that Mez­ zofanti paid the penalty of his terrible crime. "I knew better," replied Graves, with an effort at a wise'look. " We detectives can't always give things away. I under­ stand though, that he and the heiress are to be caught in the matrimonial noose soon, which is about as bad." pf; %- "That looks bad. Ing in Keokuk ?" "Paying courtesy to Miss Truax." "No?', , » Yes, and scccessfully, too. He urged ber to marry him at once, but Blie de- fe cliued todo it without her' uncle's oon- . Bent." - "Which he would never have given?" " f<Of ooursa not. So the knight of the makes a double plajr: he eljmi. jttitai toe potent qnoatjoi), and niAk«« 111 b'itle the of ^ ^ firtwfcjiU wiih riiiftstfokft of (he jb' xS'tS Early the following morning Lyne Laird was arrested by Graves the de­ tective. He waved an immediate healing, and was remanded for three days. In the meantime a strange thing came to light. This was the discovery among the dead man's papers, of a will executed by him three years before. With the exception of $10,000 giveu Susie Traux, his entiie fortune was devised to his old-time partner, Michael Mezzofanti, of New Orleans. While this caused a decided sensa­ tion, few were surprised. Mr. Thorn­ dale had been an exceedingly excentric man, and always professed great regard for Mezzofanti, to whom, sinceg|he dis­ solution of their partnership many years before, h° had more than once advanced money. A telegram was at once sent to New Orleans, apprising the legatee of his good fortune, and on the second day he put in an appearance and qualified as the executor of the estate. When the case of Lyne Liard was called, the court room was crowded. A strong prima facie case^^ was made by the prosecution, and the defendant placed in the box to testify in his own behalf. He protested his innocence, and stated that he had called upon the murdered man to beg the hand of his niece in marriage. He admitted that he had entered the mansion the night l>efore his arrest and had carried away a large cage, contain­ ing Mr. Thorndale's favorite parrot, known as Polly Ballou, which, upon his arrest he had left in the custody of his landlady. Why did you do that?" asked the attorney for the State. I though she might be able to clear me of the suspicion I knew to be upon me, by repeating what ever was said at the time of the murder." "I have sent for the bird," remarked the magistrate. "But, your honor," sneered the law­ yer, "a parrot don't understand the na­ ture of an oath." "Who's there?" came from the sub­ ject of the discussion, which was being borne into the court-room. "Pretty Polly," said Lyne, and stole a glance at the tearful, yet hopeful face of his yet constantf sweet­ heart. He saw the encouraging smile upon her fair face suddenly transformed into a look of agony, and noted a gleam of of triumph in the sinsister eyes of the executor, as the bird shrieked out: "You have murdered me, Lyne Laird!" "I withdraw my objection," said the lawyer for the prosecution when the ex­ clamation of astonishment which had swept through the room had been suc­ ceeded by a lnish of horror. "I suppose that settles it," remarked the magistrate sadly, as he took up a pen for the apparent purpose of writing down his judgment. "\Sait, please," said S^sie Traux, and whispered something to her lover's attorney. Without a word the latter rushed from the place. In a lew minutes he returned almost breathless. "This is John Polatsky," said he, pointing to an old man who followed him, "the leading bird fancier of the city. Let him be sworn!" ; Jnst "Fawncy" It, Now; V Tbe proprietor of a fashionable West End hotel does not receive young ladies who are unaccompanied by chaperons, though they all hail from the United States. The other day a saucy young damsel from Boston went bowling along Piccadilly in high spirits and a spick and span new handsom. The "fetching" combination pulled up at the -- Hotel. She bounced in and asked if she could have a room for the night* Before the clerk could twist a smile with which to decorate his regrets that every apartment in the house was en­ gaged, the young lady snapped out: "My mamma will be here to-night from Liverpool. I've telegraphed for her." " O, very well; in that case you can, perhaps, be accommodated," gently sug­ gested the clerk. The new arrival went on, in ft voice tremulous with irritation: "Perhaps you'd like me' to send for my father, too, and my sisters, and my cousins, my aunts, and a grandfather or two." & "Mamma will answer the purpose nicely," the clerk replied with serenity. "O, I'm glad to know that," replied the Boston lassie with a toss of the head. "Because it will appease your suspicions as to who I am. I can show you my visiting card, a certificate of my birth, the pedigree of my family for three generations back, and the vaccination mark on my right arm." The clerk bowed humbly, and the young lady trotted off to her apartment. --Londou Illustrated News. An Old Kissing Game. "I found a peculiar custom tfj> at Sliepherdstown, W. Ya., where I spent my vacation," said a gentleman yester­ day, "which was a novelty. The peo­ ple have what they call 'soups.' A 'soup' is a sort of outdoor picnio. Each person invited brings a dressed chicken. The host provides the vegeta­ bles. The chickens and vegetables aft put into huge kettles, holding ten or twenty gallons, and cooked over opntt fires for several hours until the com­ bination is reduced almost to a jelly. Pepper and other seasoning are intro­ duced. The young folks stir the soup with long-handled iron spoons, walking around the kettle as they stir. When a girl's spoon clicks against the spoon of a young man he is bound to catch and kiss her. As you can imagine there are a good many lively scrimmages around the kettle. When the soup is done it is ladled out into plates and is delicious. The custom is an old one and I was unable to find its origin. A company of Stonewall Jackson's com­ mand was recruited around Shepherds- town and it still keeps up the organiza­ tion. It has a reunion every year and celebrates the occasion with a grand 'soup.' A 'soup' of that company to be properly gotten up should be made of stolen chickens, but the veterans have had to give up foraging since the war and now make a compromise with necessity by going around in squads and robbing each other's lien roosts by a prearranged understanding."--Wash­ ington Post. Expert Testimony. "You have Btudied this case very thoroughly, Doctor Lancet?" asked the lawyer. "Yes," answered the physician, "I have made all possible inquiries in re­ gard to the life of the diseased, his hab­ its, etc., and particularly as to his last illness; and not content with that, I have made a jjost mortem examination of his remains. Yes, sirr I flatter my­ self that I am thoroughly competent to give an opinion of weight on the case." "Well, I have no doubt of it," said the lawyer. "I sent for you to engage your service^ as an expert at the trial. I'll give you your retainer now, if you please." "Thank you. I shall be on hand. Good morning, sir." He goes out, but returns a moment later. "Oh, I forgot to ask you which side I was on, whether I am to prove that the man was poisoned Or died from natural causes. Poisoned? Oh, yes; you can rely upon me." His Name Against Hinu After twenty years of loose living In Bohemian fashion, Ricardo comes in for a legacy of ten million reals. "Now's the time to pay off my credi­ tors," he exclaims. The latter begin to call upon him. One of them, all smiles and obsequious­ ness, remarks: "You see, I have not troubled yon much, and therefore consider my sell entitled to be paid before the rest." "If I rightly rememl>er," says Ricar­ do. "your name is Zoilo Zamora?" "Exactly!" "Then, my good friend, I am sorry to have to tell you that I am paying my creditors in alphabetical order, so that in n-, ,. . . , 4 , , _ j }*• will not be your turn till last."--Mad' JJid you sell birds to the late Israel rid Courier. Thorndale ?" was the first question , Two Opinions. Old Mr. Funds--I can't see, Harry, why you find it necessary to draw your salary in advance this way. I'm sure the other young men in the office ftW saving up money out of theirs, Harry--You're all wrong th«ro, wool* T nevgp knew A uingle one ©f them to have mors ttah cent# in hi# "Yes, many. "Did he buy from you one answering to the name of Polly Ballou?" "Yes. Five years ago." " Would von know it?" "Yes, very." ';Is tlutt the bird?" ^No, surely," • . "How you kBOwf* SOMEWHATV STRANGE. ACCIDENTSlATOtNOmpjjOF BVBBY-DAY LIVSS. * - Episodes and Thrilling Ad­ ventures Which Show that Truth is Stranger than Fiction. HORBIBLE catastrophe Was averted atBellefonte, Pa.,recently, through the prcsnce of mind and brav­ ery of an engineer. The •five o'c'ock tra n over the Be lefonte and La- mont roa 1 was coming in at the rate of forty miles an hour when, on suddenlv rounding a curve, a cow on the track knocked the engine of the rails. Notic ing a culvert just ahead the engineer, Samuel Cherry, put on all steam and the engine, instead of tumbling and wreck­ ing the entire train, jumped e'ean over the culvert and drew the first car across. Tlie engine then rolled down an embank­ ment and is a complete wreck. One car only was overturned and nobody was hurt. The fireman jumped, but the eng'neer stuck to his engine until it stopped and he was only badly shaken up. A TBIAL involving circumstances of an exceptionally romantic character will come before the Tr bunal of Iingnsa, Austria. A about twenty years ago a peasant of the neighborhood, of Bagusa, being no longer able to support his wife, emigrated to the United States, leaving his better half in charge of the village priest. From the first luck smiled on him, and l:e was ab!e to send the priest fifty florins a month for his wife. As h's position improved he increased the amount of his monthly remittances, but the rascally reverendo only handed five florins a month to the wo.nan. Tlr's went on for fifteen years, when this worthy clerical gentleman forged a cer­ tificate of the husband's death and placed it in the hands of his wife, whose death he likewise certified in a forced document and sent it to the husband iu America. Short'y afterward he piously betook himself to Corfu, where he hoped to spend the remainder of his days iu peace, rejoicing in the remembrance of his good works. Fate had decided otherwise. The unfortunate woman, his victim, was forced to get her living by bagging from the passengers of the Lloyd steamers that touched at Ragiua, and her husband sought consolation in remarriage with a rich American lady, by whom he had two children. After twenty years' absence he resolved to make a tour in Europe with his family. He visited Paris, Vienna, Trieste, and finally Eagusa. On landing at that harbor a beggar woman accosted him and asked for alms. They recognized each other simultn neouslv. The beggar woman was his wife, whom he believed to have been dead several years ! The priest has been arrested and will be tried, when in all probability the second marriage will be anuulled. A CHICAGO cloth er and gent's fur­ nisher has created a sensation. He sus­ pended in his show-window a pair of pants and decorated them w'th many placards. One of them read like this : "Why do the newspapers not jump on the deadbeats as they do on the gam­ blers f" A business card was pinned on each leg. One card was that of a real estate man and the other that of'a bro­ ker. On the real estate man's leg Mas a legend, reading : "This man ordered th s pair of pants and never called for them." On tho broker's leg was this: "This man received a similar pair of pants and got away with the boodle." Another placard' read: "Publish the deadbeats for the benefit of othfer to.il- ors," or something to the same effect. All day long this display attracted the attention of passers-by, and at no time were there less than a dozen peopie out in front studying (he placards. Many and varied were the comments of the crowd on Mr. Brawn's method of sham­ ing people into a settlement, but there was one universal verdict, and that was : Any man who would contract for a pair of pants of such a pattern ought certainly (o be published. NEAR the town of Warrensville, Penn., are four remarkable wells within a short distance of each other, on the summit of the mounta'n. Great rocks abound in the neighborhood, and the pi ce is considered the wildest in Lycoming county. Two of the wells are ten feet in diameter, one twelve, and one fifteen. They sink downward t» an unfathom­ able depth. How they came there no­ body knows, but their existance is a menace to the safety of strange hunters unacquainted with the locality, inas­ much as they constitute dangerous pit­ falls into which a careless sportsman might step without warning. Looking down into the wel!s one can fee huge masses of rock jutting out from the sides here and there, anil on these rocks are strewn in great profusion the ske etons ,and an tiers of dear and the skeletons of other animals tlia' have fallen over the brink. These wells have at times been explored for a distance of several hun­ dred feet by means of rope rodders let down from above, but tho invest:gations gave no clue to the mystery of their formation. All effort.4 to ascertain their depth with plumb ines have failed, as the declivity at all points is not perpen­ dicular. Loose rocks and stones drop­ ped by persons from the ladders can be heard echoing and splashing at vast dis­ tances below, with sounds that seem to come from thousands of feet under the surface of the ground. A CALLER at the office of Dr. IF. M. Wilson, of Bridgeport Conn., om morn­ ing recently, was Mr. Julian H. Sterling, artist, journalist, and official draughts­ man of the Housatonic Pailrond system. His mission was to consult the doctor about one of his eyes, which had been paining him intensely for an hour or two previous. Tne doctor ascribed the irritation to the presence of some foreign substance, and when a superficial exam­ ination fai edto locate it, he determined it would be necessary to hike the eye out. To this the i atient agreed. Dr. the purest white, with sturens sur­ rounding the stile in the centre of the flower, which add to its lustre, and makes it appear like a bright star. Its •cent is agreeab'e and perfumes the air to a considerable distance, but it is like mauy other beautiful things 111 this,life, it is of but momentary duration. By sunrise the flowers all fade and hang down quite deca-ed and never open again, it is said the flowers may be preserved if cut off when in perfection and put in spirits of «$ne in a glass tase made air tight. YOUNG MB. MITCHELI,, of Chictlgo, had a strange adventure, the other day. Two men seized him in the suburbs, threw him into a hack, drove him to a hotel where they locked him in a room. Then they brought in a minister and a young women, a stranger to him, and forced him to marry. He tried to pro- tes'., but the ceremony went on, and then he was told to go his way. He left the lio'el and went home in a bewildered state of mind. Mr. Mitchell says that lie would not be able to recognize the minister, the two. men or the woman, but he knows that he is married, and is afraid that his wifo is c rcu'ating about, running up bills in bis name. The young men of Chicago feel very nervous over the affair, and many of them »re afraid to go out after dark. ONUS of the very interesting things eeen at the Paris Exposition are the dwarf trees which tfie Japanese horti­ culturists are showing, and which are attracting much attention. Pines, thu- jes and cedars, said to be 100 or 150 years old, are only eighteen inches li:gh, and with such specimens it would be easy to have a coniferous forest on a balcony. These arboreal deformities are produce 1 by great labor, and if the truth is told about the:r ages this work Of arresting tho tree's development and foYcing it into contorted forms mnst be persis'ed in by several generations of foresters. All this painstaking is hardly paid for b/ the beauty of the resulting abortions, but a look at these trees will explain where the fantastic forms come from which serve as models for the plants we see on the lacquered trays, bronzes and embroideries which comc from Ja^ an. - ' HKNRY STILLMAN, of Woodstock, Conn., Windham county's weather pro­ phet, has made his annual forecast of winter by goose bone. He says the bone shows clearly that we will have an open win'er. The goose bone is accepted by many Windhain county people as a bet­ ter authority than Wiggins, or De Yoe, or even old David A. Daboll, the Con­ necticut almanac maker. In many farm­ houses it will be found hanging in the hall, where it is frequently examined. The true prophetic bone, it is said, can only be obtained from a goose that lins a trace of wild b'ood, and that was | hatched out in the Spring. A bone taken from a goose ha cbed in May by Mr. Stillman shows a row of dots around the keel of it indicating the probable tempe:ature. Tlia darker these spots are the colder the weather is sure to be. It is asserted that tho marks dividing the bone indicate "the three win'er months, December being at the front. THE twelve-year-old son of George Peacock, a farmer living in Winton county, A'a., was bitten by a rattle­ snake the other morning. The boy ran screaming to the house, and told his father what was the matter. Peacock immediately placed his li] sto the wound and attempted to suck ou- the poison. There was a sore on one of his lips, and the poison took effect in it, and before night ho was dead. His effort to save his son's life w as fruitless. He failed to get "out all the poison before it had taken effect, and the boy died about an hour before his father. A BERLIN merchant named Gutmann received recently an official letter from London, informing him that a person, who had gained $5,500 from him in a law suit twenty-eight years ago, had confessed on his death-bed that he had only won his case by perjury. The de­ ceased has, accordingly, in his will, left Gutmann the above sum, plus the legal expenses incurred, and compound in­ terest. The total amounts to $32,000, of which Heir Gutmann has given the odd $2,000 to charit es. A BUFFALO ( arpenter committed sui- cide a few days ago, and left a letter alleging as his reason for the act that, I having been engaged in the carpenter trade for many years, he had decided upon doing something h'gher and bet­ ter. Ihe Bible, he continued, says that '•In my father's house are many man­ sions, and some of them must need re­ pairing. So, having been a good car- and then forced out the eyeball. A cin­ der was found to be the cause of the trouble. This was removed, and the eye replaced in its socket. The opera­ tion was entirely painless, but the fea­ ture about it which struck the subject as absolutely ludicrous was the fact that while the eyeball was laying on his cheek he could see with it the ear on that side, the power of vision being fully retained. With the other eyo he also obtained a full view of the eye that was resting on his o!ieek. The cocaine caused a dilation of the pupil to nearly twice its natural size, and this condition remained for some time after the oper­ ation. MRS. COLONEL GEORGE W. SCOTT, at Decatur, Ga., ha? a night-blooming cereus that has had move than fifty blooms on it this sea on, The other night it had twenty eight flowers in full bloom. They began to open about sun- STRANGE DISCOVERY MADE BY SOUTHWESTERN HUNTERS. An Indian Family In a Cave, Lii- injff on Intimate Terms with jSer- , pents. A A party o# sportsmen from Fort Stock'on, "Texas, whi e hunting ante­ lopes in tke Sierra Cliarrote a few days ttgo, made a most singular discovery. Biding Up a narrow gorge they caught sight of a gigantic rattlesnake trailing his hideous length along the side of the steep crag jut above their heads. Several of the party fired at the reptile, but none of the shots had any effect beyond causing his snakeship to acccel- erate his leisurely movement, and by the time the party mid dismounted and reached the spot, the rattler was disap­ pearing down a fissure in the rook. A volley of shot was sent clattering after him, but some of his pursuers, feeling courageous enough to follow him further, they l ad turned about and were making their way back to the horses, when a human head, protruding from the gap where the snake had dis­ appeared, Attracted their attention. The head Was quickly followed by the body, and a most remarkable person stood gazing curiously after them. It was a man, clad from head to foot in a garment evidently made out of the tough, fiborous grasses of these parts woven together in a mat. This was se­ cured about the waist by a belt com­ posed of the pied, mottled skin of rep­ tiles. This strange being's long, coarse hair hung about his face in straight, black p'eated locks, giving him a most weird, Mpiusa-like appearance. His features were of a brutish, cunning type, while the face was lighted up by a pair of coldly twinkling orbs hardly human in their steady gaze, and which completed the suggestion of a serpent of his entire make up. The hunters, amazed at this singular apparition, turned back and approached the man, who waited for them without any evidence of fear or desire to avoid a Meeting. Mr. K., who was somewhat in advance of the others, called out to him in English, " Good morning," and was answered in Spanish, spoken with a guttural accent. Mr. K. then began to' converse in Spanish with the man, who responded briefly in a dialect of his own, composed of a mongrel Spanish and Apache In­ dian. When asked what he was doing down in that hole, he informed the par ty that ho lived down there and offered to show them his home. The gentlemen felt considerable hesitation about fol­ lowing the rattlesnake into such close quarters, and expressed as much, when the stranger dec ared there was no barm to bo expected from the snake, but paid there was another entrance to his abode that they might make use of if they preferred it. fie then showed them a largo hole in tho mountain's side which they had failed to notice for the bushes that well- nigh covered it. They found themselves, on entering this hole, in a small, globmy cave, in which the^ saw, as soon as the eyes became accustomed to tho insuffi­ cient light, a woman and several chil­ dren seated, or ly ng about on skins. Tiiey were all dressed in tho same rude garments as th'e man, to whom they boro a strong resemblance. They took very little notice of the hunters, exhibiting a sluggishness of movement that would have seemed to indijato drowsiness had it not been for their little, glancing, watchful eyes that gleamed like diamond points in tho dimness of the cave. In obedience to some order of her husband, the woman rose from her squatting position in one comer of the cavern, letting fall from her lap some ob'e t that glided swiftly away to one of the children, about whom it twined it­ self, and who affectionately clasped it in her arms. To the amazement and horror of the gentlemen, this object was the huge rattlesnake which ha l been their guide to this extraordinary place, so unreal and uncanny as to cause them to ask themselves if it were not the cre­ ation of a dream. Tho woman had lighted a torch, revealing the cave swarming with snakes of every description and size. They hung from rocky projections in the roof and sides of the cavern, hissing at tho unwonted light, and glided about from one corner to another. One great shining black monster lay across the throat of a sleeping infant, gently wav­ ing its horrid lioad above the child's month. An older child was eating something from an earthenware vessel, and a large rattler leaning from his penter on earth, he guesed he could j shoulder would swing over and eat from get along in heaven.' He then shot the dish, while the child would strike it with its baro hand whenever its strange messmate seemed getting more than its share. After lighting the torch the woman returned to her coiner,aad the skin on which she had been squatting, and, catching up a snake that was lying near, dropped it into her lap as one might a kitten. The creature crawled up her body and finally settled itself on her bi ea it, reaching up to her mouth as if to kiss her. This last exhibition of an intimacy forbidden by the prejudices of all ages and people was more than the part/ could stand, so they beat a hasty retreat from that joint abode of serpents and human beings. The man acoom- pauied them, offering in trade skins for powder and shot. While the exchange was being made the man in answer to the question re­ lated his history. He is a half-breed Apache Indian,* his father having been a Mexican. Up to the time he was grown he had continued with his mother's people, but committing some offence against their laws--he entered into no details as to what this was--he had to run away to escape their ven- geanoe, and his wild, roving existence having unfitted him for a civilizpd life, he had taken up his residence in this mountain cave. His wife, an Indian girl, had fled with him and here their children had been born. He lives by hunting and Ashing, never venturing far from his underground dwelling. As to the snakes, he says they are gentle, affectionate creatures, which,, if man would cease to persecute them, would be his faithful friends. --[Philadelphia Times. himself. Mr. CARROLL BECKWITH, tho well- known artist, has bought a plot of ground at Onteora, in the Catskil's, where he is going to bui'd an enormous Btudio on a ledge of rocH»tliat juts out from the mountain-side. Mr. Beckwith intends to make this not only the largest, but the most unique studio in the coun­ try. Its principal feature on the south­ ern side will be a window overlooking a valley seven miles across and hemmed in by a range of mountains. THE Grand Duchess Vladimir, who is lying dangerously ill at Peterhof, is to be made the subject of a curious surgi­ cal experiment if the other resources of medical science fail. Professor Beiher, who has charge of the case, will, as a last resort, try tho operation of transfusion, but not by using the blood of any other animal organization. He will instead employ artificial blood, made by him­ self for the purpose, composed chiefly of an albumen, iron and salt solution. THERE was one curious animal exhib­ ited in a pig-pen, at the Westchester County Fair (N. Y.), wh'ch probably attracted more attention than any other thing on the ground. It was a pig with solid hoofs on all its feet. As its par­ ents were perfectly normal and respeet- x ^ able pigs, he ranks as a freak, and will Wilson temporarily deprived the organ j no doubt take his place witklhe ossified of all feeling b. spraying it with cocaine, man and the bearded lady. W. G. MANN, of Harrison Cotfhty, W. Va., discovered a petrified snake a day or two ago, which is quite a ouriosity. It was found imbedded in a solid sand­ stone, about eighteen inches from the top of the rock. All of the reptile was not secured, the tail and part of the head being missing. The part obtained by Mann is about fifteen inches long. A SHAVING match against time took place at the globe toilet saloon, King's road, London, recently. Nellie Wick, aged four years, being. backed by her father to shave five men inside thirty minutes for a silver medal. She began her task at the time appointed, and shaved the five men in twelve minutes, or in less than half the stipulated time. Life's Greatest Pleasure." PITA, the new remedy fatf hydropho­ bia recent'y dieo >vered in Spain, seems to he a name given to the flower stalk , . . of the fttoe, ft plant common in «om© i disposition" to givtfand to be kind to down ftnqI ftvo fttUy expanded by nine ; putrs of Si din. The story am tlmfc its ; others whouW bo inoujcutod find fosttuwl o'cloflk, Tho corolla, or i« from ; virtue* were fli*oovwiid BCoTdMltftUv by in ohildrwi, It 100ms $<1 me that is tbe If asked what, as the result of my experience, is the greatest pleasure in life, I should say, doing good to others. Not a strikingly original remark, per­ haps, but seemingly tho most difficult thing in the world is to be prosperous and generous at the same time, During the war I asked a very rich man to con­ tribute some money to a certain relief fund. He shook his head. "^'Childs," he said, "I can't give you anything. I have worked too hard for my money." That is just it. Bring generous grows on ope, just as being me in does. Tbe Significant Facts About the flrnsf Sotlthern Staple. . • According to the carefully prepared figures published by the Commercial and Financial Chronicle, of New York, the cotton crop for the current season-- 1888-89--ia the largest ever produced in the South. < It reaches six million nine hundred and thirty-five thousand . bales. Tho crop of 1887-88 was something over seven million bales. But in weight this sea­ son's product exceeds that of last by thirty million pounds. To "Sppreciate the magnitude of these figures and to realize the progress made by the South in the culture of cotton, it is only necessary to glance backward. The greatest crop known in the days of s1 a very was that of 1859-60. It amounted to four million eight hundred and twenty-three thousand bales. Dur­ ing the war the industry was paralyzed. After the war the annual yield increas­ ed, with some fluctuations, from two million two hundred thousand bales in 1865-66 to four million six hundred and seventy thousand in 1875-76, and six million fiva hundred nnd fifty thousand in 188S-86. The progress is even greater than appears from these figures, since there hfis been a marked increase in the average weight of bales. As tho Southern States contribute about four fifths of tho cotton supply of the world it will be seen to what extent Eng ish and Continental, as well as American manufacturers, are dependent on them for their raw material. Still more remarkable and insignifi­ cant is the advance made by the South in the manufacture of its great staple. For some time after the war it was a producer, but not a consumer. In 1879- 80 the number of Southern mills was a huudted and sixty four. Thoy had five lr. ndred and for;y thousand spindles and consumed that season eighty-seven million pounds of cotton. There are now two hundred and fifty-nine mills with one mill.on four hundred and fifty thousand spindles running. The amount of cotton consumed during the past yeai excee;l» two hundred and twenty mil­ lion pounds. That is forty mills and two hundred thousand spiudles more tl.an the South had two years ago. It is nearly fifty million pounds more ol cotton than was taken by Southern mills then. It is believed that the cotton crop ol the coming season will exoeed that of the past. Indeed, there appears to be no limit to the productive capacity oi the South. If the annual yield keepe 011 increasing as it has the time is not far distant when the c op will be ten million bales.--[New,York Herald. -yi •r* 'M Tbe BttTglar Couldn't frighten Him. Five years ago, says the Chicago Herald, a burg'ar effected an entrance into'the house of a weaHhy commission merchant and succeeded in getting ftway with a lot of valuable plunder. It so happened ihut the merchant had been at ending a College reunion that night, and did not get home until early morning. Upon nearing the house he nearly ran into a man who was hurry­ ing aloii|j( with a heavy saLchel. A neighboring gas jet enabled him to take a g .H! look at the midnight traveler, bu he thought no more about him unt 1 lie arrived home and found that he had been robbed. Of course Le recalled h H meeting with the man, and the description lie pa . e to the police enabled them to spot the fellow very quickly. Whon the caso came up for trial the evidence was so overwelilming that the burglar saw he had no chance to escape unless he made a bold Huff, so he asked permission to speak to the broker alone. It was granted, and when they faced each other the thief hissed: "do help me God, if you prosecute me and I am sent up, I'll have your li e sooner or later, if I have to swing for it, so I gi\ e you fa'i warning !" But he had mistaken.his man; instead of scaring the merchant this talk only incensed him, and he repliwl: miserable wretch, I'll put you through now, and keep you there just as long as I can for daring to threaten me in this way." And he did, too, for the burglar received a heavy sentence, l ast month the broker was accosted by a seedy iud vidual who called him bp name and wanted to shake hands, But the merchant didn't know the fellow, and refused the salute. Then the man spoke up and said: "I guess you don't remember me; my name is Hendrickson, whom you sent to State's prison five ^ea's ago." "Oh, yes," replied the broker, "you're the fellow that threatened to kill me on sight, whenever you got out; when are you gong to start in?" The man frowned. "That was a bad break, mister. I have learned better since then." "Oh, you have, eh; and now I suppose you want to borrow $10, don't you if" "No, sir, not a cent; I'm in earnest, I've reformed." "Well, then, here's a $5 bill; if you had asked me for a nicnel you wouldn't have got it; now go about your business, and let it be honest." But the man didn't reform. He was arrested in Milwaukee a week after, in the act of lifting a watch, and will do time at Waupun for awhile. Phonographic Wonders. vv • • -- ^ ^ i As a supplementary to Edison's im­ proved phonograph, a Mr. Gneroult proposes to introduce a small ap- apratus that will represent the face and the gestures of the person Bpeak- ing through the instrument. Mr. Gneroult suggests that, while the cylinder of the phonograph is being turned to register the speech, instanta­ neous photos of tho speaker should be taken at equal intervals of one-tenth of a second. Supposing, for instance, one revolution of the cylinder to last thirty seconds, 300 photos wi:l be obtained in that time, which, i^fter being spread out are attached to the sniall apparatus and made to rotate at the same speed as the cylinder. As the photos pass iu succes­ sion bef< >re the eyes of the spectator, the appara us reproduces the movements of the speaker, simultaneously with his words, owing to the fixiety of the im­ pressions made on the retina. More­ over, the precision of these successive images is secured, as there is not a syl­ lable that can 1 e pronounced in less than one-tenth of a ! eeon 1, so that the gestures and facial expression will cor­ respond Awth the sentences uttered by the phonograph. In this way it is pos­ sible to reproduce the text of a speech together with the -gestures and physiog­ nomy of the orator. urn-en to ton Hiolir. iu the ftinun in ft fit. of bydiophobm wliag wav t<» iamrovo the *ov;d Mi K'rill «• M| t. alnA Mitawft Jkk* jfl Mitt JMMlJ MJll ail n i * * :« * * .. i V - •$ - . . a fit of liVdiopnoDift riiiiuig cmtau'e oi wtuoU is brown and inaidn of; upon an ftlof flaa ilmw-yellow oolun tba petnlg of i M»gf eteia. SAYS Joaquin Miller in, the Indepeifr< dent: "The copper mines of Montana to-day are the most extensive, produc­ tive and profitable in the world. 'The deeper we go the better they git,' is the laconic and ungrammatieal statement all along the top of the Rocky Mountain* away up hers to north, And this Rpp]i«» to oonjw minof, ntlvot1 minM) yifv Imm R*R'; t- ri ^ .w 3 i' w .'•V- MS **