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• a •m mm Checking a Married Patriot M> v fit -f*< A* ^; ?w ffnr^HE studied nonchalance of the • village telegraph operator as he -*• sauntered up the main street of Willow from the depot betrayed tftfr sense of importance with which ffe» was inwardly swelling. This pe- Mfearity was quickly noted by the lit- 9t group of "prominent citizens" gath- taed about the broad doorway of the Bmt? stable to discuss the coming cau- sn and enjoy the coolness which dis- tfUed from the freshly Sprinkled floor. "He walks like a man ready to open <• handsome jackpot with a royal Sash/* remarked "IJokey" Crane, the AviSc« of the peace. Hi!" he called to the operator. -Jou can't make us believe you've got awtrs rericealed about you just by put- Ila* oa sirs. I've about concluded there ain't any war outside the newspapers. Ace? do say its really begun, but I've Sit to see any proofs of it" "Well, you just wait about an hour mf you'll believe It easy enough," re- the operator. A half-dozen tilted chairs suddenly •Might the level of the floor, and as •Mmy voices Inquired: "What's up?" and "Come; can't y* ns the news?" **AJ1 I've got to say is that you'd letter be down to th' station about ftSB if you want to see a sight that awaipn business." And with this the •perator pursued his way' up the dtanrsy street to the postofflce, there to repeat his mission of mysticism. 8a his way back .to the depot he was again waylaid and compelled to»-con- ffess that a special train loaded with Halted States "regulars" was coming tram the West. Most of the men hur- jted home to carry the news to their teeSles. But "Hokey" Crane was •at «f this number. Instead he sought He musty seclusion of his "court- mat,** and there began the prepara- the impromptu speech which l» frit sure he would be called upon to deliver en behalf of the patriotic cNiaess of Gray Willow. In forty minutes the depot platform packed with girls in white, their flushed with the excitement of ttlon; with sober-faced women, nritvsrdiy expectant men and hilar- %rnm youngsters. The shout which ap from this waiting throng as train loaded with troops rushed > the station was the first intimation the actual presence of war that the ears of the orator's wife, straightened up from the devo- I attitude which she had taken be- feer pansy bed, where she was lwihig. The shouting was faint, but tt bad an ominous, forbidding sound, •to could not clearly identify it, as she -back her pink-checked sun bon- Ud listened. Then came the in- danging offthe locomotive bell, Mlewed by the puffing of the engine It pulled out. Intuitively sthe Ifconght o>f war came to her mind, and mm was not surprised, as the train Mtoa into view, to see that the plat- ftfcns and windows. were crowded wttfc yooug men in slouch hats, blue afrfflannB and leggins. The four young Grum occupied positions of perilous wutage on the top stringer of the back jpetset fence, where they were cheer- ltt as only the American boy can anear at his'first sight of real soldiers. Bait their mother did not even call to ttwaa. Her mind was ringing with the Mto word: WarS She sat In her lit- •ffe law sewing chair before the sitting- catra window and began dreamily to torn the leaves of her Bible. The jaieak of the front gate aroused her and *» Inoment later she was unhooking the Mtcen door to admit Mrs. Fink, who ibaed her with unusual fervor and akdalmed: "Ain't it just dretfui. Mis' Crane-- «|k terrible war. I ain't had no realiz- ;H£ aense of it before. But it's comin' tkmte tf all of us now. You'd ought to Itn heard the speech your husband Made t* them heroes at th' train. It jns just splendid. I'd be set right up 9 any of my men folks could talk like he did. I never heard such patriotism --aw* iH ail my born days. An' he's grin't' hold a big war meetin* in th' •pry-house to-night an' raise a com- Tbj. I expect my boys'll enlist, but I of faith anS resignation. The frivolity of hats had been put behind her, as be­ came the jnother of four children. The remainder of that afternoon she spent in her bedroom, the door tightly locked. When she came out there were dark circles under her eyes and her lips were unnaturally white. Her husband did not come home to supper, and the children were allowed to Oat bread and milk from the kitchen table without pausing to wash their faces. Shortly after dnsk they were marching toward the hall with the afternoon's accumu­ lation of soil still undisturbed on their plump little faces. They were clad in their tattered play clothes and their mother wore the most tmseemly work- dress she possessed. In this condition they took a' seat in the war meeting, just as the husband and father began his eloquent plea for volunteers. She heard the young men in front of her TfiK 1TIF1C WOUI.D ENLIST. say: "Of course we're goin' to elect Hokey captain of the company. That goes without sayin'." After the orator had poured forth a stream of martial eloquence for thirty minutes he raised his hand impressive­ ly af»d exclaimed:; "But, my friends, talk Is cheap. Deeds are the things that speak. I have asked but little at the handa of my fellow citizens, but to-night I crave one privilege--and that is th^t I may be the first man in Gray Willow to put my name on the enlistment roll of the company which shall go forth from this village to fight for that glorious banner." By previous arrangement the village band struck into the meas­ ure of the "Star-Spangled Banner," While the audience yelled and stamped. It ,was the proudest moment in Hokey Crane's life. He signed the roll daring the playing of the national hymn, and then called upon all who were willing to lay their lives on the altar of their country to come forward. The audience--the largest Gray Wil low had ever seen--gasped as the mild, timid wife of the patriot orator arose and walked forward to the enlistment table, her unwashed quartet of chil­ dren following. After writing her name she turned to the audience and, In a voice louder than she had ever been able to command in prayer meet­ ing, defiantly exclaimed: "I'd rather do it. tlyin stay at home and take in washing." I want to lead a company of Gray Willow women who depend upon their husbands for support, who haven't paid for their homes and can leave behind a family of small children for the . unmarried young men to care for." What more she would have said had not her pastor hastened to her side and led her gently away can only be guessed. Not a family man In Gray Willow has offered his services to his country since Hokey Crane began the formation of a company. In the ver­ nacular of the little group at the livery stable, that prominent citizen has ever since "been look in' for an able-bodied man to take him out behind the barn an' kick him good 'n' plenty!"--Forrest Crissey, in Chicago Post. . M f : AWXIOTTS FOB WAIt NKWB Foolish Questions. I saw a sweet young mother with Her first-born at her breast; "And what's the baby's name?". I asked , Of her so richly blessed. She looked at me with pity, as She proudly poised her head: "We call him Dewey, sir, of course," In tender tones she said. 0KOft put a straw in the way of their rHHteT their lives on the alta^of their. % **3- Crane was generally referred to ;«r]Mr neighbors as "such a timid little Mag." It €as only under stress of lfpcateat conviction that she was ever to muster sufficient courage to £a revival meetings. She was and gentle, and was generally in the "clinging-vlne" category wires. Although she was still a woman she had put on the of meek feminine maturity--a y^Hittatt purple bonnet with broad strings purple flowers. It was the out- token that »&e recognized the bs of human life and was awajt- ; the Master's call In a proper spirit I met a dainty little girl Who led a kitten by a string, And as I stroked her head, I asked: "What do,you call the pretty thing?" She looked afine with wide blue eyes. And, as she went her way, "I call my kitten Dewey, sir," I heard her sweetljysay. I met a curly headed boy Who had a brindie pup; "And what's your doggy's- nanaa?*, 1- ask4d, "* As I held the ereatufo? ap. He gazed at me in wonder, and He proudly cocked his head: "I call him Dewey, sir, of course!" He pityingly said. I ^topped beside a rustic stile, /And heard a milkmaid sing a song: "And what's your bossy's name?" I asked, The lassie, as she came along. She looked at me in mfld surprise, And, as she strode away, "Why, Dewey is her name, of coo; I heard the maiden say. --Cleveland Leader. ( Thick Skins. Congo negroes are remarkable for their thick skins. A case is mentioned of a black slashed with a razor in scuffle, yhe hospital surgeon broke two needles In trying to put In the stitches, and at last was driven to use a brad awl, - -- --.s The Foil hrii the Trap OitlctlvM.. When wwr began the work of Spanish spies was entrusted to the Secret Service, of which John Wilkie is chief, and an il­ lustration of how it is carried on is the case of Downing, the captured spy who hanged himself in Washington. Chief Wilkie recently gave the details of Downing'# capture. "The Downing case was taken up by us and we disposed of hi up," he began, "in less than one week. I was warned that George Downing, a former sailor oh the cruiser Brooklyn, lhad entered the Spanish spy service. He was lo­ cated on arriving in Toronto. When he went to pay his first call to the attache of the Spanish legation my man was within earshot and beard every word that passed between them. He heard all of the instructions Downing re­ ceived, and when Downing left the room my man met him as if by chance and asked for a match to Hght his cigar. He walked with him to the hotel office, got a good look at him, followed him to his hotel, learned his assumed name, got a trace of his handr writing from the register and later shadowed him to the train. Then he telegraphed me that Down­ ing had left for Washington on the 5 o'clock train, sent me a full description ot him, and when the train arrived here three of my boys spotted him.% They followed him to a boarding house, where he l^ft his grip. Then they fol­ lowed him about town and back to his house. After an hour or so he came out and walked to the postofflce. When he dropped a letter to his Spanish em­ ployer in Toronto through the post­ offlce receiver^the letter fell into the hands of one of my operatives and was brought at once to me, while the other operatives followed Downing back to his boarding house. I opened the letter and, upon reading It, communicated with the War Department, which de­ cided upon a military arrest. Soldiers we!re sent for, and taking a few op­ eratives with me, we went to Down- lng's house. He was still there, and we waited till the extinguished lights told us he had gone to bed. "Then we knocked at the front door. The mistress of the house thrust her head through the window and declined to let us in-till-1 threatened to break down her door. Then, very much frightened, she admitted us. Leaving the soldiers below, I took two of my men, and bidding the landlady go be­ fore, went up to his door. I bade the landlady knock and tell Downing that some friends from Chicago wanted to see him. She could leave the rest to me. She did so. Downing bit at once and we could hear him dressing. The hall was dark, and we stood on either side of the door. When he opened the door he was in the best possible situ­ ation for capture had he been disposed to put up a fight, for he was in the act of putting on his coat and had one arm through his sleeve and the other only half through, so that he couldn't have used either to advantage. I grabbed him by the collar and explained our errand briefly. Instead of fight, he wilted like an Icicle on the Washington pavement In July. Entering his room, we found his effects, the cipher he was to use in tel­ egraphing to his Spanish employer, some destroyed correspondence; in fact, everything necessary to make out a perfect case. He never recovered from his collapse. He had brains enough to see that it was all up with him. We turned him over to the sol­ diers, who took him to the military prison, and there, after a severe attack of melancholia, be committed suicide by hanging." * HOW DREYFUS LIVEf. . A Glitnpce of the ex-Captain on lonely Devil'* Island. The story told is that a Dutch vessel slowly passing near ex-Oaptain Drey­ fus' place of captivity was boarded by some French marineis or penitentiary officials, who asked for the loan of the ship's cook for a few hours. The rea­ son given was that a man who did the cooking in the convict settlement had broken his arm and was in the hospi­ tal. The captain of the Dutch steamer accordingly sent a sailor named Weln- heber to Devil's Island to act as cook for a while. During his very brief so­ journ on the island Wienheber is said to have had an opportunity of observ­ ing how the ex-captain was treated. According to the Dutchman the pris­ oner rose every morning between 6 and o'clock, had a enp of chocolate, a bath, and, If the weather permitted, a walk. While taking the bath the pris­ oner's wrists were tied around with a cord, one end of which was held by a warder. This was to prevent any at­ tempt to commit suicide. After the bath the ex-captaln breakfasted on bread and butter, an egg and a bottle of beer. This meal being over, he read books on military topics and wrote let­ ters atid his memoirs, the epistles al­ ways being sent to friends through the military governor of Cayenne. Drey­ fus is also allowed to play cards with his warders, but not for money, as he is not allowed to retain possession of a sou. At 2 o'clock In the afternoon the prisoner receives bread, roast meat, vegetables, dessert and beef. At 6 In the evening he has supper of cold ham, with more bread and beer. Weinlieber being allowed to draw near the prisoner, Dreyfus shook him by the hand and said, "Greet the out­ side world for me when you return to it" The Dutchman further states that the ex-captain is not in an iron cage, but has the whole range of the island under the eyes of the warders. ttw Showing of Mannf»rtnrio» •««* Mercantile Failure* for the Past Six Month* Prove* that the Country'* Finance* Are on a 8onnd Baaii* Gratifying Exhibit. The record of mercantile failures for six months ending June 30 is a remark­ able and gratifying exhibit. It shows, in the total of $67,444,639 liabilities, the smallest aggregate for five years In eight of the fourteen trading branches. Compared with the first six months of 1897 the record is striking. Then, it should be remembered, the business conditions of the country were feeling the impulse of the change of adminis­ tration, and also the promise of an early fulfillment of the pledges of the Republican national platform. Confi­ dence everywhere prevailed, every en­ terprise was prospering, the depression caused by the four years of the Cleve­ land free; trade administration had been in great part dispelled, and ail in­ terests were hopeful. Bearing in mind the fact that decided improvement was in progress during the first half of 1897, the reduction of 103 in the number of failures and of $24,248,148 in liabilities In the first half of 1898, compared with the same time in 1897, is noteworthy. The present conditions will more strikingly appear If we make comparisons by twelve months periods. The failures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898, were 12,248, while the liabilities were $130,- 083,923, against 13,351 failures and 5154,332,071 liabilities during the pre­ vious fiscal year. The first half of that year showed 6,821 failures and $91,- 692,787 liabilities, while the last half of the year, Jan. 1 to June 30, covering the period of early recovery from the previous depression, showed 6,530 fail­ ures and $62,639,284 liabilities. These figures show progressive improvement. The last t\relve months of liabilities, $130,083,923, are the smallest for any calendar year since 1892, when the total was $114,044,167, and that total was the smallest for any calendar year since 1882. Comparlsolia of the lasl six months period with the same time in 1897 show some notable decreases In special branches. Liabilities of manufactur­ ers indicate a diminution of $15,100,000. Probably the most striking feature of the record is that the failures in bank­ ing for six months were 38 In number and $13,600,000 in liabilities less than for the same time last year. The rea­ son is obvious. Banking conditions were probably never so well establish­ ed as they npw are. This Is due not so much to the bountiful crops of last sea­ son and the enormous addition thereby to the material wealth of the country as to the growth of confidence which re­ sulted from the election of President McKinley and the promise, and later realization, of the enactment of a pro­ tective tariff. Bountiful crops and the marketing thereof at high prices were Important auxiliaries to and by no means primary factors in the wonder­ fully Improved conditions of the banks and of the country which have been so prominent during President SlcKln- ley's administration. The general de­ crease In banking defaults shows how complete was the confidence of the peo­ ple in that administration. Had tills confidence not existed, bank deposits wflwld not have Increased so marvel- ously as they have done, loans would not have been augmented, neither would the banks have been enabled to accumulate such vast amounts of gold as they now possess. Though the record of failures for the second quarter of the current year makes some unfavorable comparisons when contrasted with the same period in 1897, this result Was due to entirely exceptional causes. There was an in­ crease of 142 in the number of failures, but the liabilities were $9,186,802 less. There were important suspensions of manufacturers of machinery, of print­ ing establishments, of locomotive works, cycle concerns and manufactur­ ers of rubber tires. But considering the fact that during this last quarter the country was actively engaged in war, which had a depressing effect up­ on sottie Industries, these failures are not surprising. It may be noted that in the cotton industry, which was greatly depressed last fall and early this year, there are now indications of revival,'tis Is shown by the fact that whereas there were failures of New Bedford, Mass., mills last year. Involv­ ing $6,500,000, only one failure, for $250,000, Is recorded this, year. The country has now entered upon the second fiscal year of President Mc- Kinley's administration. The outlook Is very encouraging for an early res­ toration of peace. The enactment of a bankruptcy law will aid In restoring to activity many merchants who have for years been compelled to remain inac­ tive because of the pressure of old debts. With the return of peace will come increased prosperity, and the rec­ ord of mercantile failures for the third quarter of the current year should show reductions In liabilities even more de­ cided than those which have thus far been reported. V V -Jj Listen ijt% ^onj^n talk five minutes, and ybiiiiggF hehrJutt a shame!" ten times. Drink Called a "Tin Roof." A well-known Twelfth street tavern- keeper tells a good joke which was played on him the other day by three of his patrons. As they Walked up to the bar and were asked what they would have, "I'll take a tin roof," re­ plied the first. "Let's have the same," chimed in the other two. The barten­ der wasfn a quandary, as he had never beard of a mixed drink with such an extraordinary name. "Well, give me a bottle of whisky, gin and apolllnaris, and I'll mix the drinks," finally re­ marked the first patron. After the men had taken three brinks the bartender asked: "Now, why do you call that a 'tin roof?' " "Because it is on the house," responded the trio. ;"Goo<i day," and they slipped oet ot the door.--Philadelphia Record. flgf creditors. It them what th4& 1896 except a Dingley tariff law. The Democrats whom the Chronicle acted With two years ago, but whose cause It has deserted and whose sound money principles it has repudiated, gained in the last Presidential election all they ®et out to gain. Their object was to beat Bryan and Brynnlsm and thus avert a slumping of the currency, a sweeping panic, and a destruction of values. Putting it the other way, the gold Democrats supported McKinley to save the gold standard. It has been sg.ved therefore by their votes and those of Republicans. The gold Demo­ crats, while "revenue reformers," were not concerned about tarfff legislation in 1896. They did not care what sort of a law replaced the Wilson law so long as the gold standard was saved. The Bryanites are still denouncing that standard and threatening to abolish i,t. Therefore those honest money Demo­ crats who met here this week are a^ct- stetent and sensible when they refuse %ote for any candidate who has the "wf to 1" brand on him. Those Demo­ crats are enjoying tlie^fruits of the Re­ publican victory of two years ago In the form of a sound currency, which they would net have If Bryan had been elect­ ed, and which they Will not have if Bryanism ever triumphs. The turncoat Chronicle reviles now the men who have not followed its example and flop­ ped to Bryanism. It will be remember­ ed that Benedict Arnold said some harsh things about Americans who re­ fused to desert--after he had done to.-- Chicago Tribune. Tariff and Price of Wool. Under free wool the price dropped to 12 cents per pound. The present price of wool is due to the protection afforded by the Dingley tariff bill. The market has now nearly reached the point at which wool can be imported under the new tariff. When our unwashed wool has reached the price of about 22 cents per pound the full protection afforded by the Dingley tariff will have been reached. Under the McKinley tariff of 1889-90 the price of wool was 22 to 24 cents per pound, which ^ls the highest point it has reached in1' twelve years. Following this, for a period of two years under Grover Cleveland and no tariff, the price was about !3 cents per pound for unwashed wool. Owing to the Dingley protective tar­ iff the price to-day for unwashed wool is 20 cents per pound, and with the return of prosperous times and the con­ sumption of the enormous amount of foreign wool brought in under free duty during the first half of the yedr 1897 we shall have reached the point where the wool will receive the full benefit of the tariff which will advance the price of unwashed wool from 2 to 4 cents above the present price. This will again revive the wool industry In this country and greatly increase the next year's clip.--Meadvllle (Pa*) Republican. Ml 1 8 CAUaHT* EY. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS SHOW PROSPEROUS CONDITIONS. Sufficiently Striking. The detailed analysis of Great Brit­ ain's over-sea trade for 1897 Is given in the latest issue of the Blue Book. There is a marked increase in Imports, the total for the year being $2,255,144,- 800, and a heavy decrease in exports, the latter aggregating $1,171,098,540. This leaves a debit trade balance of $1,- 084,046,260, while the credit trade bal­ ance of the United States for the fiscal j^ar ended June 30 is in round num­ bers $600,000,000. Compared with free trade England protected America has the better of the argument to the extent of over $1,600,000. Some deductions from thisv mighty sum must be made on account of charges for carrying American goods in foreign ships, Interest and dividends •on American securities held abroad, money spent in Europe by American tourists, and some minor Hems besides; but even after making all these allow­ ances the contrast between the work­ ings of the^two fiscal and economic pol­ icies' is sufficiently striking. Mnit Pay for the PriyhEjie. It is hardly likely that aCny considera­ ble number of Englishmen Indorse the movement to secure a lowering of the American tariff on British goods as a slight token of the esteerii in which the American people now hold their cous­ ins across the water,. Yet tjie vejy fact that the better feeling existing be­ tween the two nations has brought sruch a scheme to the front furnishes an argument to show why a real alliance would be Impracticable. No matter how much we love our English breth­ ren we must continue to charge them for the privilege of selling their goods in our markets.--Troy Times. Abuaiifs Old Associate*. The Chicago Chronicle sneers at the gold Democrats who met in this city * ' A Prime Necessity. The war with Spain has taught us that merchant ships are quite as much a. portion.of the nation's military equip­ ment, when engaged In a foreign war, as are armies and navies themselves, a.nd that trained American citizens who are competent to perform the duties of engineers, seamen and firemen are just as necessary as Is any other portion of our naval resources.--New York Com­ mercial! Unanimity of Sentiment.. The Democratic press of the entire country Is rejoicing over the operations of the Dingley bill, which has done more to Increase ^he prosperity of the country than any piece of legislation '©Vet enacted by Congress. The unan­ imity of sentiment Is something re­ markable.--New Orleans Item. AMERICA'S INVINCIBLE ARMADA. W.'.v'-tfaf' Scores tli* CnbaAt; ' "Well, sir," said Mr. Dooley, "durn thim Cubians. If I was Gin'ral Shafter I'd back up th' wagon in front iv th' dure an' I'd say to Gin'ral Garshy, I'd say, 'I want you,' an' I'd have thim all down at th' station an' dacently booked be th' desk sergeant before th' fall iv night. Th' impydince iv them!" "What have they been doin'?" Mr. Hen- nessy asked. "Pailin* to undherstand our civiliza­ tion," said Mr. Dooley: "Ye see it was this way. This is th' way it was. Gin'­ ral Garshy with wan hundherd thousan' men's been fightin' bravely f'r two years f'r to iiberyate Cubia. F'r two yearS he's been marchin' his sivinty-five thousan' men up an' down th' island desthroyin' th' haughty Spanyard be th' millyons. Whin war was declared he offered his own sarvice an' th' services iv his ar-rmy iv fifty thousan' men to th' United States, an' while waitin' f'r ships to arrive he' marched at th' head iv his tin thousan' men down to Santiago de Cuba an' cap­ tured a cigar facthry which they soon rayjooeed to smokin' ruins. They was holdin' this position--Gin'ral Garshy anf his gallant wan thousan' men--whin Gin'­ ral Shafter arrived. Gin'ral Garshy im- medjitly offered th' sarvices iv himself an' his two hundhred men fr th' capture iv Sandago, an' whin Gin'ral Shafter ar­ rived, there was Gin'ral Garshy with his gallant band iv fifty Cubians re-ready to eat at a minyit's notice. "Gin'ral Shafter is a big, coarse, two- fisted man fr'in Mitchigan, an' whin he see Gin'ral Garshy an' his twinty-five gallant followers, 'Fr-ront,' says he. 'This way,' he says, 'step lively,' he says, 'an' move some iv these things,' he says. 'Sir,' says Gin'ral Garshy, 'd'ye take me fr a dhray?' he says. 'I'm a sojer,' he says, 'not ti baggage car,' he says. 'I'm a Cu- bian pathrite an' I'd lay down me life an" the lives iv iv'ry wan iv th' eighteen brave men iv me devoted ar-rmy,' he says, 'but I'll be durn'd if I'carry a thrunk,' he says. 'I'll fight whiniver 'tis cool,' he says, 'an' they ain't wan iv these twelve men here that wudden't follow me any­ where if they was awake at th' time,' he says, 'but,' he says, 'if 'twas wurruk we were lookin' f'r we cud have found it long ago,' he says. 'They'se a lot iv it in this counthry that nobody's Usin', he says. 'What we want,' he says, 'is freedom,' he says, 'an' if ye think we have been in th' woods dodgin' th' savage corryspon- dint fr two year,' he says, 'fr th' sake iv r-rushin' ye'er laundhry home,' he says, ' 'tis no wondher,' he says, 'that tV r-roads fr'm Marinette to Kalamazoo is paved with goold bricks bought be th' people iv ye'er native State,' he says. "So Shafter had to carry his own thrunk an' well it was fr him that it wasn't Gin'ral Miles', th' weather bein' hot. An' Shafter was mad clear through, an' whin he took hold iv Sandago an" was sendin' out invitations he scratched Gar­ shy. Garshy took his gallant band iv six back to th' woods and there th' three iv thim ar-re now, ar-rmed with forty r- rounds iv canned lobster an' r-ready to raysist to th' death. Him an' th' other man has written to Gin'ral Shafter to tell him what they think iv him, an' it don't take long." "Well," said Mr. Hennessy, "I think Shafter done wrong. He might've asked Garshy in f r to see th' show, seein' that he's been hangin' ar-round f r a long time, doin' th' best he'cud." "It isn't that," explained Mr. Dftpley. "Th' throuble is th' Cubians don't undher­ stand our civilization. Over here freedom means hard wurruk. What is th' ambi­ tion iv all iv us, Hinnissy? Tis ayether to hold our jub or to get wan. We want wurruk. We must have it. D'ye raymim- ber th' sign th' mob carried in th' proces­ sion las' year. 'Give us wurruk or we perish,' it said. They had their heads bate in be pollsmen because no philan­ thropists come along an' make thim shovel coal. Now, in Cubia, whin th' mobs turns out they carry a banner with th' wurruds: 'Give us nawthin' to do or we perish.' Whin a Cubian comes home at nignt with a happy smile on his face he don't say to his wife an' childer: 'Thank Gawd, I've got wurruk at last.' He says: 'Thank Gawd, I've been fired.' An' th' childer go f>nt an' they say: 'Pah- pah has lost his job,' ttu' Mrs. Cubian buys hersilf a new bonnet, an* where wanst they was sorrow an' despair all is happiness an' a cottage organ. "Ye can't make people here undher­ stand that, an' ye can't make a Cubian undherstand that freedom means th' same thing as a pinitinchry sintince. Whin we thry to get him to wurruk he'll say: 'Why Bhud I ? I haven't committed anny crime.' That's goin' to be th' throuble. Th' first thing we know we'll have another war in Cubia whin we begin disthributin' good jobs, 12 hours a day, wan sivinty-five. „Th' Cubians ain't civilized in our way. I sometimes think I've got a touch iv Cu- bla^blood in me own veins."---Chicago Journal. A Japanese Inland. A Japanese custom, described by a traveler, Is for those who are giving a large dinner party to make the salad to order on the spot. The dining-room is decorated with chrysanthemums, and the guests are asked if they would like some salad. If so, they may have red, white, bine or yellow, as they prefer. The flowers are plucked according to the taste of the company, dropped into water that is boiling over a portable stove, and the salad is ready in a few minutes, colored as flowers had been, and tasting all the better for their having been so freshly plucked. Chinese Coal Mines. China possesses the largest and rich- est.coal mines In the world, which are destined some day to play a great role In the world's history. The mines in the Shansi province alone are estimated by Professor Richtbofen to contain 63,- 000,000,000 tons. • West Virginian's Plan. A West Virginian has invented a spring stirrup for horseback riding, which will remove the jar as the and- mal sU ikes the groundpa coiled spring being used to attach the stirrup to the saddle, with a leather casing to, keep the spring from chaflng. Tea-drlnktnu in Great Britain. The United Kingdom consumes 600,- 000 pounds, or about 4,000,000 gallons, of tea every day, which is as much as Is used by the rest of Europe, North and South America, Africa and Australia combined. Arctic Rev:ions. In the Arctic regions there are 762 kinds of flowers, fifty of which are peculiar to the Arctic regions. Tbef; are all white or yellow. The Independent of New York h t» charge Its form so that It will resem­ ble that of the monthly magazines. A revised and enlarged* edition of Instin McCarthy's "Life of Gladstone" will be published Immediately by the llacmillan Company. The Century Magazine has arranged for a series of articles on the present war, somewhat In the manner of its "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War." David Williamson, the editor of the Windsor Magazine (London),* haVllfre- pared a life of Gladstone, the man, as aistingulshed from Gladstone, the poli­ tician, which will be published by &t. F. Mansfield. Mr. Kipling's next volume of dWort *torles will include fThe Ship that Found Herself," "Brefid Upon the Water," "A Brushwood Boy," "The Tomb of His Ancestors," ".007" and several other stories, Felix Gras' new romance, "The Ter- ror," which will be published by Ap­ ple loo, pictures the adventures of an aristocrat in the French revolution. Some characters reappear who vfill be recognized by the readers of M. $r$s' "Reds of the Midi." ) Lieutenant Herbert H. Sargent, who has been appointed Colonel of a regi­ ment of volunteers composed of yellow fever lmmunes, is the author of two excellent books--"Napoleon Bona­ parte's First Campaign" and "The Campaign of Marengo." „ While at Vienna Mark Twain re­ ceived a marked copy of a New York paper giving statistics showing the In­ crease of crime in Connecticut in the last seven years!' He clipped the article and returned it, with this comment on the margin: "This is just the time that t had been absent from the State." When Rudyard Kipling had written "The Recessional," which two hemi­ spheres felt to be one of the very truest and soundest pieces of work done by any writing man in our day and gener­ ation, he was so depressed by its short­ comings of his private conception that he threw the rough copy in the waste paper basket. Thence Mrs. Kipling rescued it. Bnt for Mrs. Kipling we Bhould have no "Recessional."--Cape Times. Ray' Stannard Baker, who formerly contributed to , the Chicago Record "Shog .Tnlks on the Wonders of the Crafts" and "Stories of the Streets and of the Town," is pushing his way to the front among the Writers for the best periodicals. He has written and is under contract to write several stories for New York magazines. His two-part story, "The Incendiary," which appeared in* the Youth's Com­ panion for the weeks of April 28 and May 5, is but one of several contribu­ tions which he has sold to that period­ ical. "The Incendiary" Is a story of the Northern .Wisconsin lumber region and is an excellent example of Mr. Baker's graphic style. It shows the fruits of the young author's six years' training on the Record, for it has all the vigor, snap and directness "of the best newspaper English and none of the banalities of journalese. f : • >*) i \ •>y" "iff vs s 3 <& '-'Si A Wandering Minstrel's Kutn«f. The minstrels of Ireland are not all gone from the highways and byways of Erin. The mournful harp and plaintive pipe may have given way to the breezy banjo and crooning violin, bnt the 3ongs which these accompany are the songs of Ireland still. Down by the rotten Claddagh> wharves of old Gal- way town I came" upon a rapt audience^ says a well-known traveler, enthralled by the dulcet notes of Tim Brennan, the "wandering minstrel of Tipperary" --one of the sweetest singers I ever heard, and one who would have been great were it not for his love of "the cinder In it," as they aptly term the west of Ireland mountain dew. . I had s&n Tim many times before in Ireland. Our trampings had brought us Into the same relations of artist and re­ sponsive auditor many times, . and as be tipped me a comforting wink of recognition, I noticed that his vio­ lin liad been replaced by the temporary, tlibugh ample, musical makeshift of a banjo wrought from the head of an an­ cient Irish churn. In the pause foBpw- ing his ballad, I felt emboldened to toss him back his wink with the qner^ "And, Tim, why didn't you brtfflfthe £hurn with Its head?" "Faith, yer honor," he replied, In a flash, and with a winsome smile, hold­ ing the churn-head banjo aloft so all could see, "faith, I never argue wid a lady--an', yer honor, a bould Irish wooman stud at its other ind!"--Boston Post. -- - W I Wages of Columbus and His Men. A curious discovery has been made in the archives of the Spanish navy--the bills of payment of the crews who com­ posed the caravels of Christopher Co­ lumbus. The sailors, according totheii class, received from ten to twelv* francs a month, Including their food The captains of the three large cara- vals had each 80 francs a month. As for Columbus himself, who had the title of admiral, he was paid 1,000 francs t year. " "" " a -- . ' Brevity of Recent Wars. Recent wars have been remarkable for ttypir brevity. The war between Turkey and Greece practically lasted only three weeks. The war between Japan and China lasted six months. The French declared war against Ger­ many in July, and Sedan fell in the fol­ lowing September. Russia declared war on Turkey April 24. 1877. and on Dec. 12, the Porte requested thejaedla- tion of the powers. -if»i Qneen Victoria's Watche*.^ Queen Victoria Is said to possess some old watches. Among them are two little gold ones, by Breguet, sup­ posed to be a hundred years old. One is a repeater, the other a blind man's watch. Both of these are in constant use, and keep good time. They are about the size of a two-shilling piece and have silver di-sls^ • « , «*?:•• • ... . ;•* People who a jp^|t deal aboa* having the blues, usnaliy have a' great (leal of idle time. k \ . i 4 a