Illinois News Index

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 8 Jun 1892, p. 6

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

liiesici , m. • i VlJittlYIE, Edilw ss* ILLINOIS. NEW FAdM'.ONEDOtRl.; laC'Ht and varied knowledge picked npn * female college, of qnadratiis. hydrtMta- fuid penemiintics, very mt; staffed with erudition as yeja »tufl '» leather cushion, all the ologiaa of thaeol- ' •">'• fflgw#, and the knowledges of tfco J»a»t. bad studied the old lexicons of Peruvians •ad Mexicans, their theology,aotL'ropolofy> • « and geology, o'er and o'er; -tfha knew the forms and features ofTtb«- prahis- v.j; toric creatures; Ichthyoitnnw, plMiMM* rua, megaloBaurua. and manv monv describe*the ancient Tuscans and the j- ' Basques and the Ktrasoana, their gridal*t .. '-w «nd their kAttles, and the victuals that ^ they^gnawe»I; *P|tard (liscusa the laarned charmer, the theolcgr of Brahma, and t he scandals of th* Vaa- dals and the sandals that they trod. ^Pbakuew all the miehty giants and the master . minds of science ; all the leaTniBi; lhat'waa turning m thtt burning brain of nian; she couldn't prepare n dinner for a gaunt and hungry H uner. nor get up a decent supper for her poor, voracious papa, for she never VM constructed on the old do­ me* tic plan. , Journal. « COOKIE: r&\ • ' §&'- (ft W mv.-' LV T-' • yu' - • f^ r& •• 4; > v w h o h a s l i s t e n e d t» those bold notes sounding across thi* lanes and meadows without de­ light? The verdure of Spring encora- jvtsses the listener with its fresh tieaaty, the skies are bright with vrarm sunshine, the larks sing rap­ turously, and everywhere there is the promise of coming summer. Now loud and near: now far off and faint as an echo, and the ear is st rained to »<j£tch once more the familiar refrain. Not thus, however, reflected two Ihedge sparrows who were perched on twigs--one on either side of their oest--in a high hedgerow. They rSoolced disparagingly at the nest, and <cfcirped to each other in an animated manner. They were evidently dis- -cussing an exceedingly serious ques­ tion., and one upon which they could not readily come to a decision. T'tie cock sparrow might have mSde up his .mind, but the hen was apparently iirtesolute, and her mate "chirped" vigorously at her with a view to con­ vincing her of the soundness of his arguments. Then they stopped chirp- imi for a while, and contemplated 'their nest and its contents in silence, •mid contents being composed of one bird fast asleep, a bird of much lafger sire than sparrows have ever been ^nown to attain. Only this morning there had been rtmo birds in the nest; one a tiny little sparrow not properly grown for its age, with eyes always wistful, and •earcely strong enough to open its little beek for the food it could but sorely vet; the other this big, clumpy slihing, with greedy eyes and capacious The big bird wanted all the in the nest lor itself, and so it pushed the wee sparrow out, and it had fallen to the ground and was dead; and it lay motionless at the ifbot of the hedge the parent birds •chirped to eaeh other, and sorrowfully new jirrival from between Bob's legs, .pondered ^heir experience of life. 4feeh a happy time they bad had in UwiMing their nest--such sweet an­ ticipations--and now they were con- ftooted by this burdensome monster, who appeared to completely own .jQieir home and them as" well. ©y-and-by the cock sparrow chirped St his mate again with greater vigor ithan ever, and then at last she de­ barred to his wishes, and taking a .foom straed from the ne^t between Aer bill as a memento, they flew away do him good to have a mother to look 4Bgether, never to return. after him." .As to .young Mr. Cuckoo--for that "I am thinking of sending him to ^kras the name of the monster--he j boarding school," said Mr Hopkins. ; atept peacefully on for some time, i Bob spared no effort to tame tteving recently digested a very good "Cookie," as he called his captive, iwsrning meal which the sparrows {and really succeeded very fairly, j t|Od laboriously supplied to him. | Cookie fed out of his hand, perched; Then, awaking, he turned his head j on his shoulder and on his head, and I Cuclcn sgifmis nest and fall downtjl the middle of the hedge, where he floundered about for a while and then waiged himself In so firmly he couldn't move, Ih this uncomfortable position he uttered the most heartrending cries, sufficient to attract the attention of the whole neighborhood, and it was therefore little wonder that a email hoy about ten years of age ran in the direction of the noise, and pushed the hedge asunder with a stick in order tosee what it contained. *jWell, I never!" exclaimed the small boy. aItVa hawk!" "Don't touch; It, Bdh," skid his sister, who was with him. "It will bite you." > . Htob poked at the unfortunate bird with his stick, and young Mr. Cuckoo struggled furiously to get iiway, and ultimately came flounder­ ing down at Bob's feet, where it spawled • helplessly, with its, beak wide open, and "cah-cahed" with all its might. . Little May ran away with a scream, but Bob stood his ground, and watch­ ing his opportunity, seized the bird round its back and stuffed it under his coat Then be marched off for home triumphantly, with little May following at a safe distance, while young Mr. Cuckoo endured the spasms of mortal ngony and kept quiet. Bob:s laiiier was cashier ui the bank at the little town of Honiton, and was a widower. His wife had died when May was born, and at this particular time he was thinking of taking a second wite in the person ot Miss Emily Wallis. Now Miss Wal- 1 is was hot young, and had a great many of those fancies and ways which are peculiar to old maids. She was fond of May, but could not bear mischievous little boys, nor such pets as mischievous little boys are fond of having. She had promised herself many a time to take Bob's reforma­ tion in hand as soon as she should be­ come his step-mother, and to reduce h; ?ts at all events by banishing abominable fox-terrier, which was ai ways snapping at her feet, and mak­ ing her existence a misery whenever she went to see Mr. Hopkins, Bob's father. §he was paying one of these visits when Bob arrived with the cuckoo, and rushed into the parlor to display his prize. "Look at Cookie!" shouted Bob. exultantly, as he placed the trem­ bling bird on the floor. Some one had told him it was a cuckoo. "Isn't be a beauty?" The beauty sprawled on the floor, and "cah-cahed" at the top of its voice, after which it actually spat in­ discriminately at every person pres­ ent, just like a cat. Miss Wallis gave a little shriek. "Bob, you naughty boy," she cried, "take that horrible thing away at once!" Mr. Hopkins seemed amused. "What are you going to do with it, Bob?" he asked. "Tame it," replied Bob, promptly. "Ain't he brave?" he said admiringly, as young Mr, Cuckoo made a desper­ ate peck at the fox-terrier, who was sniffing at him in curiosity, but who promptly retreated, and surveyed the 'Well, take him away," said Mr. Hopkins. "You musn't bring him into the parlor." . Bob made a dash at young Mr. Cuckoo, but the bird flopped out of his reach, and went flopping wildly around the room, to Miss Wallis' great consternatk)D, until Bob Anally secured it and retired. "Edward," said Miss Wallis to Mr. Hopkins. "You are really letting that boy riyi perfectly wild. It will *«Kow; srive me that ring ** o«ce;»* said his father. * , "I haven't it," said Bob, firmly. 4fTtfitr *out your poeketsf" eonj*. mandealifrr. itppkins. ^ ; Bob turried out his pockets but they eotvta ined.no ring. Mr... Hop­ kins was puzzled. He had not con­ ceived, it to be possible that Bob1 could be guilty of, anything . So. hideously wrong, and yet it was evident from* his manner that he knew something about tfie rfne. Mr. 'llopkins knew that Bob had no violent affection, for Miss Wallis, and concluded that ho was carrying out some schema to "paf her out." '•Very well," he said* ,"1 will see if I can cane it out of vouf" '* And he marchod. the Unfortujoato Ji^b up^ stairs and grave him a Tar© dressing. But although Bob cried with the pain, not a word would he say about the ring, and so was sent supperless to bed, sore in body abd in mind. Then Mr. Hopkins had the room thoroughly searched, but no ring could be discovered* ^ Bob'si existent during the neifriew days was a.very miserable oner His father was angry with hita, ^nd IIW not forget to show i^ - W|iyp|s uttenly ignored him; intf ljicwte- keeper frowned, and said, shefh'aa no patience with wicked little 'sftpd that noW.he would have to go 'attjay to boarding-school, as hisfather \fcas sick of the sight of him. Bob's only resource for comfort in his trouble was to spend his time with Cookie, and alas, Cookie began to fade even as the gras& that withereth- He fell into fits (it deep abstraction, and'for­ got to eat anything in order to keep himself "alite; the sins of his • pro­ genitors troubled £im atuch, sr.d the reflection that in all probability, he possessed an Unconquerable hereditary taint calised him t<5 fall into the tJeefp- est despondency. He beheld hini^elf, in inntgination, aiding and abetting in the placing of eggs in ne§ts Which were the property of others, and stood gloomily upon one leg in a dark cor­ ner, and declined to budge." ' ^ Bob ciifessed .him, and talked to himr an4 remonstrated with him in • vain; and one fine morning very early; "when the first bright sunbeams flashed through the window upon the desolate bird, he fluttered his wings, the fire returned for a moment to his, eye as he held up his head and uttered a faint "Cuckoo!" and then he rolled over upon the floor--dead. So Bob found him when lie came down stairs, and carried him o»ttand laid him tenderly on the grass upon the little lawn. . Then he Went straight to his father and said: "Father, I will show you where to find Miafs Wallis' ring." Mr. Hopkins sighed deeply, !'hut without a word followed his son out to where Cookie was lying/ 7 1 • < "It is in bis inside," said ,Bob, pointing to the defunct bird. -Ml saw him swallow it. But 1 wouldn't tell you, because I knew you' Would 'kill himM Mr. Hopkins looked at his son 'in astonishment He laughed ahd ex­ claimed "Well, well!" two or three times; Then he placed his hand "on Bob's head said: "You are a plucky little - fellow. But I think, nevertheless, that Cookie was not quite so valuable. as Miss Wallte' ;ring." ^ r ' And they were happy ever afteK-^- Wav^rl y Magazine: •; COUNTBftFfflf lNO A» ART. : BtlMje to have a peck at the little com- •panion with whom he had shared the I •est, but not Onding him anywhere, I ;«emtimbered that he had pushed him ' owL 1 -t4A good thing, too," quoth young 1 "Mr. Cdckoo. "He was a perfect j •uisance, always wanting the food 1 Ipd. Hello! where are those two' laxy sparrows? I'm hungry!" and he ' to "cah-cah" at the top of his j as no response, however, j hear any amount of chirp-: histling and humnilhg go-1 some little distance, but in j his j>art of the hedge everything! strangely silent. Young Mr. i Cuckoo stumbled to his feet and ( looted around and thinking he saw i Ihe familiar coat of the hen sparrow i although never quite friendly with the fox-terrier, yet managed to endure the presence of that fidgety animal. He could not, however, put up with the cat at any price, and the cat re­ ciprocated this feeling of enmity with true feline malignity. When Bob had actually succeeded in teaching Cookie to perch on the fox- terrier's back while the latter trotted round the little play-room, he thought it quite time to show ofl the result of fiis efforts. So one summer morning, I when Miss Wallis was in the parlor j as usual, he brought in the fox-terrier | and Cookie, and in spite Miss Wallis' j decided objections, proceeded to give j a performance. j Now, the cat was curled up on the i rug in front of the fireplace, and as the dog trotted round with Cookie on .little way off, commenced to make i his back, she arose in her wrath and & sfe. •W K W> am uproar. But it was of no use. Jlothing came near him ^except a •,r«rasp, at whose wicked appearance he ~«fas very much frightened, and made ;.a!»peek at him to drive him away, "whereupon the yellow-coated warrior smiled aggressively around the nest a slew times, but ultimately resolved to mve his sting for a higher order of creation than cuckoos. Jit took some time for voung Mr. Cuckoo to recover hi£ accustomed OKfuanirnity after this terrifying oc- •sscrdiice. and he kept very quiet for jfcaLr be might attract the attention of another wasp whom he observed Skivering about. However, his -{featsghts soon reverted to his appe- , Site, and as by this time it was get- -fcm« dusk, he made the air resound With the most dismal "cah-cahs." An owl came flitting lazily by, and ! attracted by the noise. lie! sirched himself near the nest, and I Hnlred meditatively at the cuckoo, 1 •who lay p;mling,syvith terror, and not [ <iarir.g,to move/ f J "If jou carry on like this," said I the owl, sharply, "you'll meet your j . death in no time. Why don't you get -out af that, you overgrown baby?" .And he flitted off. " | "How am I to get out?" thought ; young Mr. Cuckoo, helplessly. "I ' .•don't, -want to get out, I want some- rthingtto eat." . He made no more noise, however, : and as night came on managed to go ito sleep again. When morning came young Mr. JCuckoo was in a desperate state, and if! there were no signs whatever of any­ thing coming to him in the shape of xjfood. It the mountain won't come -Jl to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain, and so, after several | ineffectual . attempts, *'i TikWM, . ^ -%iin3 young prepared for battle. The fox-terrier, beholding this with indignation, gave a growl and dashed at the cat, caus­ ing Cookie to lose his balance, where­ upon he flew upwards a little way, and then swooped direct at Miss Wallis. The uproar which followed was inconceivable; the growling and snarling of the dog, the spitting of the cat, the "cah-cahing" of Cookie, the screams of Miss Wallis as she rushed frant ieally about trying to get out of the way, the execrations of Mr. Hopkins, and the shouts of Bob in his efforts to restore peace, all blended into one inharmonious, nerve- destroying turmoil which was not sup­ pressed for several minutes. Then, however, cat and dog were driven out of the room, and Cookie stood sulkily in a corner, with ruffled plumage. "That dreadful Yjoy!" emphatically exclaimed Miss Wallis. Then she said, "Oh, I have dropped niy dia­ mond ring!" The ring referred tohad been given [ her by Mr. Hopkins, and he immpdi- | ately began to hunt for it, at the | same time ordering Bob to search un­ der the chairs. Miss Wallis watched the boy with a look that was not very pleasant. At last she saw his face j light up eagerly, and then become : clouded. ' "(live it to me, BOb," sl|t com­ manded. "What?" asked Bob, quickly. "The ring, of course. 1 saw by your face that you picked it, vip " "I didn't pick it up!" replied Bob. "Oh, you wicked boy!" exclaimed Miss Wallis. "Gj,ve it to me this in­ stant." But Bob did not reply. "Bob, get up!" said n sternly, and Bob rose with and guilty looking countenat % |4- , .ifl&atiS.*.•-'•JfcUoSt. -Ja Moqoi Indian Albinos, y There are 6iverai Albinos, gnaOpg the Moqui tribe of Indiana on. the Moqui Reservation in ApncheCounty, Arizona. Some of these Albitlos are pure white with regular Indian fea- tures^--reddish yellow hair and -blue eyes. Others again have pink eyes, which are constantly twinkling as if suffering from some nervous affection. There is one of, the Albino girls, about 12 or 13 years old, attending the government school at Kearn's Canon. She is one of the brightest scholars In the school. Her parents are pure In­ dian and unusually dark colored. I saw another Albino among them, a I man of about 40 or 45 years of age j and small in stature. His hair was j long and coarse and of a light yellow, I eyes a bright blue, with a reddish | crlint, ahd constantly moving. I un­ derstand there are several more of these people among the Moquis. The late Piute Princess, Sarah Winnetnuccai makes mention Of these peculiar people in her book. She speaks pf the tradition among her people that a tribe once existed there having yellow hair and pinkeyes who were cannibals, and were driven by the Piutes and other tribes south­ ward-, presumably to New Mexico or Arizona. They were driven into the mountains and there massaered, only a few being known to have escaped. --San Francisco Chronicle. Stab Endi ot Tlioaght. If the women who look much into mirrors, reflect as much as the mir­ rors do, they might look into them less. A sensible Cupid is unpopular. • The best women don't always get married. Some men who put the most money in the missionary box, put the most sand in, their sugar. Charity always pays dividends. Don't swear to your own honestly in a hojrse trade. Love is the highest multiple;of the heart. We probably should never want to see ourselves as ythers see us the sec­ ond time. Man's clothes are of himself thing apart: they're women's whole existence.--Free Press. The Fsrmsr. a prominent writer; "The average farmer does not work, all told,- more than six months out of the year. During the winter he manages to feed his stock and him self, and that is about During the summer the old motto 'More rain more rest, is applicable, and a little mathematics will show that the farmer manages to let a good many summer days go by wtthmit much, manual labor." i f i j -- , Rsrsllodtn" •( Iktn." Mr. Fort Greene--I have never loved before; why, I've never even kissed a girl before: I swear it. 1 ; Miss Grace Court--There isn't the lightest necessity for swearing, Mr. reene, I knew it as soon as you tried kiss me. --Brooklyn Eagle. SHT+ • ."Tit I'.'t'Wt"; "" • •r' • H' ;' "' •'* : rCAtbarntf In tiu» ftfckaot# w ashing sow. ' Says, a writer in Kate Field's Wash­ ington: j(^ wiill be remembered that thej"e hais been trouble over $2 bills bearing the Hancock head ever since September of j 890. It wasi in that month that one of the counted lu the Redemption Division threw out a notfi for after-consideration. The tin^rs of these women become so sen­ sitive to the feeling of the govern­ ment paper that they throw out in­ stinctively every bill milch does not feel right. Such rejected notes afe afterward cloesly examined, so that the public may be warned. This was a $2 note with the Check letter A, Treasurer Jordan's signature, and a large seal. Shortly after people were told to look out for all $2 bills of this description which should lack a dot over the "i"in "Register of the Treas­ ury" and the period at the end The general public is not able to tell the difference in the paper, and does not carry a microscope abput with it to look for minute defects in engraving, therefore it has to be . given some­ thing distinctive, w&en possible, which it can see. • I say '"when possible" advisedly, for snort !»r the counterfeiters learned of this official bulletin they proceeded to'get out another . issue with this . error corrected. It was still a $2 note with-Hancock's head and Jordan's signature. The seal, too, was large, and of the proper shade to belong with check-letter B. Presumably the only change was in. the check letters. Again deft fingers detectedvthe difference in paper, but this time the most noticeable me­ chanical deject was .microscopical. Each corner oC the note, it wril,l be re­ membered, 4 is embellished ,with, a figure 2, but it is not generally known that each ̂ gnre two is in its turn adorned with several printed "two's" In microscopical letters. In the counterfeit the engraver had some of the minute words backward, so that they Tead >"owt." The public was warned of this. Again the counterfeiter went pa­ tiently to work. His 'last effort differed from its predecessor iq bear­ ing the check-letter C and its accom­ panying small seal. The, microscopi­ cal words were tlxed by bluring the 't" and the"o" so tbat only the "w" was plain, and it took a strong glass to show this defect, but it bore the name of Treasurer Jordan. ^ Another warning was followed by another change. Thi^time the name of. Treasurer Jorda* had ' to be changed to Hyatt, and the> tail of the J could not be wholly eliminated from the margin without risking the total destruction of the valuable plate, so the counterfeiters left it in, and now we have, a brand-new variety of $2 notes. Of course no one knows how long it takes to make a $20 bill with. pen and brush, for none of these wonder­ ful penman have ever been caught, but one would think that so skillful workman could make more money at an honester trade. One thing seems to be certain--counterfeiting runs in families. In one of the pic­ tured groups, four persons out of six­ teen are of-one name and five of another, and I tun told that the two families were nearly related. One l^nch of the Smith family, I regret to say, has been a source of special anxiety to the Government. Their work was mainly done in Canada and all the scoldar of this branch from the great-grandfather down--male and female--have distinguished them­ selves in their own peculiar line. Since the passage of a law which makes it a crime to have in one's pos­ session counterfeits, or eiven nictures of any coin, currency, or Government stamps, there has been a turning into the department of many curios of this kind,, which people haye had in private collections or which banks have kept for their own pleasure or profit. Such things are at present dangerous to have in the house--al­ most as dangerous as dynamjte if one chances to have an enemy mean enough to take advantage of the law. One of the pen-tfnd-brush bills is a $20 note, with Hamilton's head. There are two specimens of this--one is quite fresh and noteasily detected, the other is worn, and shows plainly that it did not wear so welt as a gen­ uine note should. Another method pf counterfeiting is the raising of a note from one de­ nomination to a higher. A few months ago there died in the Colum­ bus Penitentiary Peter McCartney. Many years ago he was arrested for counterfeiting and sentenced to this Penitentiary for fifteen years. He served out his term, and as soon as it was over went straight to New Or­ leans and commenced to raise $1 notes to $100. Within four weeks from the time he left the prison he was back in it again lor another fifteen years. This time died before his time was over. Thus counterfeiting seems not only inherited but an ungovernable pas­ sion. It is a pity that no legitimate use has yet been found for such won­ derful talents. Everybody knows the tale of the man who was in the employ of the Government and was a counterfeiter. It was years ago, when the Govern­ ment put out part of its work by the piece to bank note companies. This man had tno job of making the plates for printing some United States bonds. While making the ordered plates he made a duplicate set for himself, printed the bonds, and very nearly got them on the market. ' When caught he gave us all his plates* dies, etc., valued at thousands of dollars, in exchange for his liberty. Ever since he has been at large under the check of a suspended sentence. Should he ever be caught counterfeit­ ing again the Government has only tO clap him into prison without further trial. Foreigners unacquainted with any­ thing but the general outlines of our paper money are frequently taken in by wh«jt are called "flash notes," 'These are usually made originally for advertising purposes and only become a source of danger when unscrunulous and ignorant persons meet in their vicioity. In an asylum in Indiana­ polis is a man who seems to ha,vegone crazy on reffglon and money. He thinks he can make the iatter, and is allowed to amuse himself by trying. The results ate seat to the jtrteaury. They are "flash notes." , i • *,• ,B O.wr Clmr«hes» ; The jhistory of relIgious worship and of religious buildings In America is, in this aspect of it, as exceptional as it is inconsistant. I presume it would be safe to say that there is no otner land in Christendom were so many places of religious worship bear witness to the inflexible supremacy of the spirit of caste, writes Bishop Potter in the Forum. For what is the spirit of caste if it be not the spirit that in these conditions and relationships which, seeming to exclude dis­ tinctions implying superiority or in­ feriority of persons, insists upon ar- flrming them? And is there any other institution which, in the face of the plain teachings of the religion of Jesus Christ--as where la the epistle of St. James it is said: "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of giory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him,, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there or sit here under my foot, stool, i Ate ye not then partial in .. i . ..*» r. .. .. v.,. ̂ . ' ytjiUiocIt.co aiiii ait/ UoWuic \JL evil thoughts?" (I. e., discriminate from unworthy motives)--is there, I ask, any other institution which, in the face of the plain teaching of its founder, departs so radically and habitually from that teaching as thus given as does the modern pewed church?. Mr. Webster once said that it was an evidence of the divine origin of Christianity that it had so long survived its being preached in tub pulpits. It will , be & strongeif evidence of it if in America it sui^ vive§ the enormous incongruity of the pew system. v StrMta of Coral. Georgetown, in the West Indies, is a city of some little beauty. It is well laid out with wide, straight av­ enues that intersect at right angles. Many of the public, buildings and pri­ vate dwellings are well constructed and han&some. One thing that pre­ eminently distinguishes it among tropical seaboard towns is its reddish brown streets. The public highways of all these cities are made from coral sand, mud and powdered shells, from the ocean bottom. The result is white, glaring streets, which reflect the sun's intensely hot rays, and make everybody feel twice as dis­ agreeable as there is any necessity for. ' In Georgetown this mud, coral and stuff is baked in a large pottery oven, whence it issues dark and grate­ ful to the eyes. It makes a splendid covering for the tops of the roads, hard, elastic and smooth. In the middle of some of the prominent streets canals have been cut, fed with water from a reservoir in the back country. Water lilicis grow in the canals, the length of the entire main street being given up to the de­ velopment of that marvelous plant, the Victoria Regia. Its great flowers, scarlet and yellow, are as big ds a small cabbage, and on its pads, three or four feet in diameter, a child of six Could safely stand. One turns from a plant of this kind as from an august Bengal tiger. There is none of its own world with whom to compare ik AMERICA. VIM (Mwltr Who 6«SI to £uro|Mi Know* Hot What He Mfsseii. "I've been knocking around the world a good deal since I was a boy," said a veteran traveler just returned from a winter in Florida, to a New York herald reporter, "and of late years have confined my peregrinations to the limits of my own country. I find you can get any kind of a cli­ mate in this country you want-- winter or summer. You can get it hot or you can get it cold--you can get it moist or dry--of a low or high altitude--and you can get it inter­ mediate--all within reach of the rail or boat, of postoffice or telegraph. And you can get with all this about all the means of sport and entertain­ ment you can find abroad. There are healthful natural waters everywhere that will compare favorably with like waters abroad for medicinal purposes in alleviating similar suffering. - "You can't name a single disease that yields to foreign treatment that cannot be equally well treated at home. You can't name a single "spring at any European watering-place that we cannot produce its counterpart of the same properties, and we can pro­ duce more wonders in the curative line of waters in a single state than can be found in any foreign country. So far as these magnificent gifts of nature are concerned, therefore, our own land is superior to any other, and there is no reason why an Amer­ ican should go abroad at all. "The other features--the poetry of the past, the historic interest, the society--all these we have, but in a very limited way. Compared with the older European countries in these respects we have practically nothing. Yet there is enough historic interest in the United States to keep a good many of us pretty busy. 1 believe in travel. . I believe in travel abroad, but not to the neglect of our home attractions. From what I know ot the foieign migratory crowd, nine- tenths of them never saw anything and four-fifths of them don't know anything about the attractions of their native land. Going abroad is a fad, largely -a fashionable fad. As soon as Americans scrape a little money together they begin to go abroad to spend it. Mind you, 1 think everybody who can afford it ought to enlarge his ideas by foreign travel, but let our people enlarge their ideas first as to the extent and varied gran­ deur of their own country. THB IN BELGIUM & rtn ft'jra'orloaa Tlmbuotoo. A city long surrounded by mystery is T#ubuctoo in the Western Soudan. By looking on a map of Africa you will find it a little north of the Niger River. A writer tells in Golden Days that Timbuctoo was visited by Eu­ ropeans, but five times in 200 years. The first visitor was Paul Imbert, a French sailor, who in 1G30 was ship­ wrecked on the African coast,.fell IM Mala in Uu*h tod lii"illpi"|ri Belgium 1ms for aotofe f«H» been 7 troubled with civil disorder* arising I out of the.-vexed question of capitals W' and labor, but now the turmoil isdeep^ ll ened by the question of the succession' IS which is agitating king and peasant alike. . • . The King, Leopold I.', In the event * of the absence of direct heirs, has.the right to lateral male lines, liilp^ect to the ap» proval by a two-thirds vote of the Sen­ ate and House of Deputies. As is well known, His Majesty has no sons, but three daughters--Stephanie, widovl ^ of the Crown Prince of Austro-Hun- : gary; Princess wjfe of th<r f Austrian Generalt^ffepe Philipp of ; | Saxe-Coburg, aawfflpiacess Clemen­ tine, who is, ^stilluiuM^arricd. Ac­ cording to thc Qay$&i|£i^ign, princessei - of the blood descendants forever are excluded from the righ$:.. of succession to ̂ the"'crown. Th* . King's brother, the Couilfc of Flah* ^ ders, therefore,;is heir t6"'the throne. ; i, He is,so deaf, however, h£. wiltC; never exercise his rights, evenjltiougli - he should outlive the King. "Prince Albert, the Counts only son since the tragic death of his brother, is to be locked tirxiil as ttiR ftitnrpi snrw-Ksof of King Leopold. But; the Prince, Unfortuiiately, is weak pstd>sic^ly ; donhts are entertained thsit he ; will ' liye. to wear the ropal purple. , * The wishes of His Majesty, tirere* i| forcj to have the question of suc­ cession; settlM in case Prince Albert ^ should die Without male heirs, it natural. No. other Belgian Prince i# available. His Majesty was desirout . of securing a change, in the Constito* tion, allowing princesses of the line tc succeed to the throne, as in ,Unglanct^' Spain, and the Netherlands, but hi® project excited s6» much opposition that he was obliged to renounce i$ * entirely. He dearly wishes, howeVer^ to name the oldest son of, Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg, his grandson, ^ as heir presumptive to the throne, to succeed as king should Prince Albert ' die. The King is bent on carrying through this project, but the Radical! Will have none of the foreign Princo, It is quite likely that the contest ; will result in seriously weakening th€ royal sentiment in Belgium and giv­ ing, an impetus to the already strong Republican current. The Belgian Senate a short time ago recorded its conviction against a foreigner, and it now seems as if Leopold might be the * last king of Dispatch. the little state.|-rP98tff owest prices all obtainable and field seeds. 5 oft for cash • A Plant Grow! ag rrom • (Jstsrplllsr. The curious fungus which is some­ times taken for an insect is a fungus that roots itself in a caterpillar and grows from it, feeding on the body of the insect. Of course in time the in­ sect dies and the fungus then per­ ishes as soon as it? hris exhausted the nutriment i^ the body of the caterpillar. The plant is of the same nature as a mushroom and when it matures it produces spores by which new plants are pro­ pagated in the same wav, attaching themselves to any insect that comes in contact with them in the soil. These curious plants are used as medicine by the natives of some parts of Asia where they are found quite abundantly. The plant when dug out of the ground has the exhausted and dried body of the insect attached to it in the manner of a root, but it is easily distinguished by its shape. The insfect is filled with the substance of the fungus and appears as a part of the plant. A variety of beetle that is found in North America is at­ tacked hv the same kind of fungus; others are found in Central1 America and others in New Zealand, j In the last-mentioned country the fungus is very large and has all the appearance of a mushroom which is eaten as food by the natives. Woadortul Ughia. Every child is familiar with glanc­ ing fireflies, which look so pretty in damp, low places, on a dark night, especially before a summer rain, but do you know that similar insects are used as lights in some parts of the world? In India there is a great lantern fly, which furnishes a sufficient light to read the finest print by. In the Antilles the poorer people do not think of purchasing oil, foi nature has given them a cheaper lamp, to be had for the trouble of catching. In Cuba these insects are enclosed in glass cages, and travelers use them to light their way at night, while the native belles also use them for a curious purpose--they imprison them in wire gauze nets, and weai them instead of jewels in their hail and u^pon their clothing, with daz­ zling effect. ELLA H. STKATTON. Host th* Fit char flant Cat Meat? Notwithstanding the admitted fact that bits of meat, insects and other animal matter are more quickly dc composed in the leaves and othei trap-like appendagesof pitcher plants, sun dews, Venus fly-traps, etc., than- they are in open air, it is question able whether they really eat meat ox exercise any vitality in capturing their insect prey. Many noted scientists are skeptics on this point one of the most noted, Dr. Mostedt, favors the idea that the decomposi tion of insects which have been im prisoned in these vegetable "traps' iscdue to chemical action only. WEEPING will not save you, but ii you are young and pretty It may have some effect. Tin* desert from Tripoli, reached bactoo in 1826 and was there mur- deN|d, leaving no record of his visit. Nothing daunted, Rene Caille, ah adventurous Frenchman, in 1828 started from aenegambia to explore the secrets of the mysterious city. He learned Arabic and the customs of the Arabs, and in the guise of a pil­ grim traveled by slow stages and made\ his way inland through ' various Mo­ hammedan tribes. Finally he reached the forbidden city, where he spent jome time, and when he returned to Morocco and thence to Paris he told ihe story of his travels. v Twenty-five years later Dr. Barth, a German savant, entered Timbuctoo and conflrmenedCaille'sreports. «Then the city remained isolated as before until Dr. Oscar Lenz, another Ger­ man explorer, entered its feonfines in 1880 and from his recently published work it is learned that Timbuctoo is a big market, a meeting place of traders, where the products of the South are exchanged for those of the North, but it is not likely to develop into a large city unless under Eu­ ropean influences. Inhere are, how­ ever. indications that Timbuctoo will soon cease to be a mysterious city, as the French descending the Niger in a gun-boat have twice reached the en­ virons of the town in the past three years. . Bswats ot ths Kodak AHMaTlt. "Talk about all the lies told about fish and fishing," said a friend of mine who knows what he is talking about, "the biggest fish liar is the ko­ dak. If you get a picture of the fisherman and his fish you've got the combination. Just lie down With your feet toward the camera and have a photograph taken of yourself and you'll understand. Your feet will appear bigger and longer than your body. When the fish liar wants cor­ roboration--and he always does want it--he hangs up his fish a little to one side and in front of him. The kodak does the rest. I've seen a five pound "fish look four feet long and like it ought to weigh at least fifty pounds, all by the artistic accuracy of the kodak. To make a fish look large all you have to do is to get it well in the foreground of the object with which the eye makes compari­ son. "Oh, I tell you the kodak knows its business when it goes fish­ ing."--Pittsburg Dispatch. Bssalti of Dlaob«<llONOf» Pome years ago the Rothschilds held a large quantity of cotton in New Orleans, which they instructed their agent in that city to sell when cot­ ton should reach a certain price. The agent, believing that the price of cotton iirould go beyond the figure named by his employers, held on till he was able to sell it at a price which netted $40,000 more than he would have got for it if he had obeyed his orders from London. He joyfully in­ formed his employers of his success, supposing they would share his satis-i faction at the result. Imagine hi* surprise and chagrin when he received a reply, saying, in substance: ; •The $40,000 you made by disooey. ibft your instructions is not ours It is yours. Take it Mr. , yout successor starts for New Orleans to­ day." . / ' | You ea| too murh, and yuu eat too fast. RM)4y for Binaryanojr. In times of danger, though fifty suggestions may be made by as many people, comparatively few of them are of practical use. Recently a girl, while crossing a railroad track, caught the heel of her shoe between the side of one of the tracks and the pave- , ment,/ She was terrified at the situation, and in her frantic efforts to release her imprisoned foot onty | succeeded in pinioning it the more. I There wds no danger of her being rut 0f ei*by the trains, for she was caught on the track used for freight cars, and the yardmaster and signal than [were promptly at hand to flag the locomotive if necessary. She did not realize this, however, and her cries ol •alarm soon attracted a large crowd. *'Pry up the stone," said one. "Yes, run Get a crowbar," exclaimed an­ other by-stander. "Cut the heel ol the shoe," interjected a third, but the entire shoe was caught by this time and the men could not reach to cut the heel. So it continued for flfteei or twenty minutes, each one offering a suggestion and extending sympathy | to the now half frantic girl, who sa» J no chance of speedy escape from hr | predicament. At last an Irif ;! laborer came up and elbowed his w;t$>^ through the crowd. He at onje grasped the situatibp. "Why, mer./ he said, "whyyou unlace the shoe, and let»^6j#dy draw her foot out?" At ,01^1,;^' problem was solved. The wpm;{n was released, and her shoe, •sonttrMlat the worse for the effort ^bftthOduen, was pried from the track ahd replaced upon the foot The.men who h^d been so pro- " liflc of suggestions looked at one an­ other, somewhat fbolfshjy, and at the laborer with admiration. Then they dispersed in various direc­ tions and the episode was over. Where Snadajr ta on Mosdajc. Manilla is one of the most import­ ant ports in the Philippine Islands, but, strange to say, is one day behind all other places of its size in the world. This curious fact is accounted for in this way: Although the Philippine Islands lie;- near the Asiatic coast, they were" discovered by Spaniards who sailed from America. When they crossed the magic line where Sunday changes into Monday, these fiery dons of proud Castiljan ancestors did not revise their calender. When told of this years later, and informed that their mode of reckoning, time was not up to modern notions, they only said that that was so much the . worse for modern notions. Anyhow, the fact remains that these Philip­ pine Islands keep plodding along one day behind the rest of the world, which reckons time by new style. • j '""""Kslslm Cats and • oga." ;:| When there is an unusually heavf i and steady downpour of rain, ac­ companied with high wind, people often say "It raihs cats and dogs." The meaning of the phrase is not plain, but Dr. Brewer accounts for it thus:--Among the old superstitions of Northern folk it was held that the cat had great influence on the. weather. Even to-day when puss is very frisky English sailors will de­ clare that "the cat has a gale of wind in her tail," and other persons will assure you that "it is going to rain." Witches that rode upon the tempest took the shapes of cats, and th» miners of the Harz Mountains call the stormy north-west wind "cat's nose." The dog, like the wolf, is a signal of wind, both animals waiting • on the Scandinavian storn-god, Odin. Sia Father Know. ">-;i Young Billings--Father, where is the land of the midnight sun? Old Billings (thoughtfully)---Tht land of the midnight son?--Brooklyn. TRAMPS do not think well of cities that have no public quarters witb teats on tliem. . 'A .JLf: i d - . X " * V "W mmI

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy