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IH .FAMILIAR SLANG. I Story of Underground Dungeons ANCIENT V""-^ COMMON PHRASES HAVB CLAS­ SIC ORIGIN ancient prisons Jaeath the keep a Norman fort- j lN,4NT the piliee of Venetian doges, f.^gwider what race of beings could r hfcve endured all the squalor, horror and privations which hare been the tot of the unfor- persons confined in these /•ays a writer in the Gentle- 5 Magasine. And yet month by Willi and year by year, they lived on. of all gloomy and terrible dun- those of Mont St. Michel are ps the most hideous and awful. Jhoie who entered them might well their fond adieus to hope and 11b- Few visitors to Mont St. Mich- •W likely to forget this fearful pris- wlthin a prison, BO associated is It horror, cruel tortures and death. « cage is hung in a dark sepulchral staber, nigh the cave-like holes in ie rock which furnished the cells tor distinguished prisoners than those 10 were confined in, the cage. Most I, the sub-structures in the south- zest portion of the fortress were built jjr Robert de Toringnl who ruled as " bot at the end of the twelfth cen- wy. Between the kitchens and the •ftaon is the beautiful crypt of the iguilon designed by Roger II. about •ame period. Passing through this Able chamber with its six massive Oltinins, we enter the prison, and in a in the walls hangs the "Cage de It is composed of thick beams wood, held together by strong iron which would defy the most de- ermlned efforts to escape. Caged tbging birds are allowed to enjoy the unlight which inspires their songs <kd renders pleasant their captivity, int the unhappy victims of the iron were in almost total darkness, lay followed day and year succeeded year, but it was all the same to kern--one continued existence of [loom, torture and hOrror. Such ft must inevitably have shattered In 1749 there lived in tarls a young poet named Deforges or jtestorgee. After the fatal rising of n England, the young Pretender fed France, and found a welcome arid safety In the French capital. Nego­ tiations, however, were made by the English government for his arrest, and the French ld&g yielded to their de­ mands. In the crowded opera house' one evening the last of the Stuarts was arrested, and Deforges was pres­ ent at the time. Indignant at this violation of the sacred rights of hospi­ tality, he believed that the honor of his nation was compromised, and at once proceeded to pour forth his com­ plaints against the injustice of the act in bitter and envenom !̂ verse. His poem began with the lines: People, jadis si fier, aujourd'hul at servile, IMs princes malheureux tu a'es done plus i'asile?^ •- ' The line, "All is wicked in these places, ministers aiid mistresses," es­ pecially aroused the anger of the court, and caused Madame de Pompadour to fly into violent fit of passion. Such plain language was too much for the susceptibility of the kind and his min­ isters. The enraged poet was discov­ ered and doomed to perpetual , impris­ onment id "Le Cage de Fer." For three long years he was confined in this, terrible cell, the floor of which, was only eight feet square; a faint •glimmer of light contrived to find its way through certain crevices in the ceiling, but only sufficient to make the darkness visible. The poor poet endured his terrible,punishment with courage and resignation, and won the heart of his gaoler, M. de Broglie, the Abbe contrived that Deterges should exchange the cage for the Abbey, and released him from his prison. He wisely took great precautions lest the sudden return to the light of day after so long a sojourn in darkness should cause blindness. Nor did the good abbe's kind offices cease. He procured for him his release after five years' imprisonment, obtained for him in the office of secretary to Marechal de Broglie, his brother, and on the deatli of Madame de Pompadour, Desforges becamc commissioner of war. In this case, happily, death was. not the only release afforded to the victims of the iron cage. OF CHIJSfESB 3 3 5 CrRIGIJV "Chinee" Gets Credit For Inventing the &hell Gakme. "It is a curious thing," said a pro­ cessor of the ethnological department t>f a western college the other night, "to trace the origin of some of our gambling games. I was much sur­ prised a few summers ago, while tramping through the forests in the northwest on a shooting and fishing trip, to find the real home of the shell ad pea game. We stayed a few days 1th the Indians of the Sac and Fox tribe, fend were invited one evening to enter a little game of real cards. me of our party had scooped the Indians of nearly all their ready money in the white man's proverbial­ ly better play, when one of the tribe thought to redeem the honor of his what he called the moccasin and ball people by calling our attention to What he called the moccasin and ball fame. It was a curious modification Of the old shell and pea game, and Bplayed by shuffling some baked balls about • the size of hickory under overturned moccasins. The natural clumsiness of the moccasins made us inclined to bite at the game, but really It resulted in the same dis­ astrous results as with the neat Ut­ ile shells in the land of the merry-go- round and racetracks. I was rather JAMAICAN EXPERIENCE. Ignorant K>ttn r«t Ie§ la Box with DNM. For some years after my marriage I lived at Old Harbour, a small place about twenty miles from Kingston. One day, when a visit to my Kingston dressmaker was a necessity, I ordered _ young negro to get upon the rumble and drive me to the tAwn. I paid my visit to the dressmaker, and, receiving my frock, a light summer thipg, from her, I placed it in the box beneath the buggy seat and drove on to my sis­ ter's, where I went to escape the heat­ ed part of the day, giving my boy sir- pence and bidding him see the sights and return at four o'clock. He turned punctually with the grin still in and In due time we reached Old Harbour once more. When I went to take out my crispy muslin I found to any consternation it was a wet, sloppy No rain had fallen, and even then . I turned to the boy: "Solo­ mon, what in the world does this mean? How"--but the look of utter helpless amazement on his face stop­ ped me. "Lor', missis, it am queer, (but not so queer as what done happen to me. Me bought a quattig (l%d.) of dat pretty t'ing dey calls 'ice' to bring home an' show ma sister, an' I put him in dar wid your dress to ikeep him safe--an' now him gone for n' how him get out I dunno wid you sittin* on him ail de tlmqf**-- Harper's Magazine. - astonished to hear the Indians say that the game has been known in thslr tribe for over 200 years, and had ori­ ginated with them. One of our party improvised some little wooden cups that did good service for the trim shells and with some borrowed peas showed the Indians how his pale-faced brothers did practically the same trick, which, of course, was new to them. I am quite convinced that the shell and pea game is a Yankee improvement on the Sacs' and Foxes' moccasin and clay ball game." "Your explanation does not cover the ground; in fact, does not go back far enough," said a well known re­ tired East Indian importer. "The lit­ tle shell and pea game is really Indian In origin, but it is East Indian. Sev­ eral years ago, when I was in North India, I saw the shell and pea game in the street. I thought as the first speaker said tonight, that the game was American in origin, but came from the clever wits of the shrewd Yankee at the racetrack instead of among Indians. It seems the In­ dians never realized the trick's value as a means of gambling. It Is a very old form of amusement among the East Indian nation and is really of Chinese origin." glass. A secret panel on one end of this construction opens by pressing a .button, revealing three or four glass shelves, upon which are arranged house and walking shoes upon trees. The top of this outside end closet Is left uncovered for ventilation. For an apartment bedroom in town this model presents itself as a treasure in­ deed, which none will miss having who can order one made. Th» Immortal fin. Ton cannot hope to accomplish much in the world without that com­ pelling enthusiasm which stirs your whole being into action. You cannot have this soul-energy unless you are in your right place, unless you are in love with your employment. Your work must be to you what his violin was to the great master Ole Bull. The famous violinist had an almost idola­ trous affection for his instrument. He used to talk to it, pet it, caress it. The violin responded to his caress, and with it the great artist swayed mul­ titudes as forests are swayed by the tempest To be filled with the en tliusiasm that wins, your work must be to you your life, your all. This im­ mortal fire kindles sleeping powers, stimulates latent energies, and arous­ es resources undreamed of before. It multiplies ability and often takes the place of talent. - . Knflud VntfatM tit* Oak. It is only too true to say that Oft? state forests have been neglected and mismanaged in the near' past Alloe Holt and the New Forest are instances In point. Then there is Windsor for­ est, which has also suffered in the same way. In many places oaks were being grown where there was no pros­ pect of their ever becoming good trees, The soil was unsuited to these trees, though capable of growing excellent Scotch pines. There are plenty of goods in the south of England, the property of private individuals, where the ground is oak-sick, yet the owners irm V« no attempt to plant any other sort of tree. A tree which is now very common throughout Surrey and other counties Is the locust tree, of Î ftndon Bardstown, Correspondence of the Cincinnati Enquirer: One of the most Interesting characters in Ken­ tucky is Mrs. Winifred Bailey, the woman miller. Mrs. Bailey owns and manages a small water power grist­ mill. The mill is situated on Cart- wright's Creek, a small tributary of the Rolling Fork river, near the little village of Frederickstown, six miles from here. Mrs. Bailey is also known as the "woman hermit" from the fact that she never mingles with her neigh­ bors, but lives alone in a little log cab­ in near the mill. Her only home com­ panions* are a dog and a cat Although advanced in years Mrs.*Bailey is an active woman, and attends to the du- folio wing Winifred's marriage Letton sold his property and announced his Intention Of emigrating to what is now West Virginia, alleging he had pur­ chased an interest in a coal mine there. About this time Bailey decided tQ return to Boyle county to settle up some unfinished business, and then to journey to Eastern Kentucky In search of mules. As Letton's route led him also in that direction, the two men decided to travel together. After tarrying near Danville a few days the two friends continued their journey. On arriving in Boyd county they repaired to the home of a wealthy drover with whom Bailey had frequently transacted busi­ ness. Here the tdavelers separated. band's Innocence, and after his incar­ ceration made repeated efforts to se­ cure his pardon, but they were of no avail, and ten years after his convic­ tion Bailey died of consumption. A few years after the death of her husband Mrs. Bailey received a letter bearing the postmark of San Fran­ cisco. It was signed by a notary pub­ lic and a minister of the gospel, and its contents were remarkable. It went on to say that one Stephen Letton, fatally wounded In a barroom brarwl, had made a death-bed confession, in which he stated that he had' wilfully murdered a drover in Kentucky and had caused the crime to be fastened on one Bailey, a wholly Innocent man, because he had deprived him (Let- n While Tfcere la Sla.jc That Xa Vainr, There I» Also Slang Wblflk "of Aa- elent and Honorable Orl|W* -- Many, Inmplw Are GlTen. ^ V* • ' rnmmmmmmm • celebrated writer has decided that. while there is slang that is vulgar, there is also slang which is "of ancient and honorable origin." The latter kind Is represented by words or sentences thai formerly referred to some legend of classic Interest which legend has ere this passed into oblivion for all but those persons who like to be in­ quiring antiquarians. An example of this is the slang expression, "I must cut my stick," meaning, "I must de­ part" From time immemorial the Irishman, before leaving for some for­ eign country, has cut a shillelagh to bear him company, while it was the custom of pilgrims to the Holy Land to cut each a palm stick as proof that they had accomplished their purpose. So we see that the saying, "He has cut his stick," is not as vulgar as it sounds. Again, the exclamation, "Oh! cut it short" alludes to the mytholog­ ical legend of Atropos, one of the Three Fates, Who cut the thread of life spun by her sister ClothO. How many of us who use or hear the fami­ liar expression, "It was Hobson's choice," are acquainted with the real sort of selection that Tobias Ho>bson offered his guests? This is the genuine version of the tale: The said Tobias Hobson was a Cambridge innkeeper, ties of the mill with only the assist­ ance of a half-grown boy. There is a thrilling story in connection with this woman's life. In 1836 Winifred Holloway was a girl living with her parents near Fred­ erickstown. Her father was a miller, and a highly respected man. Wini­ fred being an unusually pretty girl, in­ dustrious, modest and amiable, natur­ ally had many suitors for her hand. Among them was one Stephen Letton, a prosperous young farmer of the neighborhood. This man was con­ ceded to be Winifred's accepted lover. The Holloway residence was situated near the public highway, and travelers were frequently entertained there During the summer of 1838 a stranger giving his name as Thomas Bailey, stayed a few weeks with the Hollo- ways. He stated that he was from Boyle county, and was In quest of mules, which he was buying for the Southern market. He was a hand­ some man, and, to all appearances, a gentleman of high standing. An attachment sprang up between Winifred and the stranger, which re­ sulted in marriage in the spring of 1837, not before v Mr. Holloway had, however, satisfied himself that Bailey was all that he represented himself to be. After the wedding Bailey took up his residence' With his father-in-law, and, strange as it may seem, a strong Intimacy was formed between him and young + Letton, Winifred's rejected lover. If Letton felt any resent­ ment at his treatment from the young lady, he gave no evidence of it, but continued on the most friendly terms with the entire family. In the autnmn LEFT BEHIND BY THE SEA. • There is in a coast town of Eng­ land an old mill a. mile from the sea, the waves of which at one time lapped Its walls. Siddlesham was once a prosperous fishing village, but at pres­ ent, on the very spot where fish were caught, farm produce is raised. The sea has steadily receded, until now'It ds over a mile from the mill shown in the illustration, which was built with­ in the memory of people living in its neighborhood and is yet in a good state of preservation. The particular feature of this in­ stance of abandonment is that the old mill used to depend upon the com­ ing in and going out of the tide for running its machinery. The arched flood gates are to be seen high and dry in the left hand corner of the illustra­ tion. rii(*r Kktu Mid Gentility. In China long finger nails are a mark of gentility. They are an indi­ cation that their possessor is a man of leisure. When they are excessively long, approaching the dignity of tal­ ons, as tney sometimes do, they indi­ cate that the gentleman--or lady--at­ tached to them has passed the mere gentility line, and has become a full- fledged aristocrat. tn Annam, where the finger nail habit has persii'.sd tork hundreds j>nd perhaps thousands of years, these signs-manual of extreme gentility sometimes attain by care­ ful cultivation the length or six or eight inches, and instances are on rec­ ord where a length of sixteen and even eighteen inches has been it- taiaed. This custom prevails generally throughout what is known as Indo- Chlna, which includes Siam, Burmah, Cambodia, Laos and the Shan states, etc. It is alfco common throughout the Chinese empire, more especially in the southern provinces. It is said that soma of the Anna- mese noblemen never have their nails cut from the time of birth. In such cases, of course, the poor creatures are practically helpless and have to rely on servants entirely for assistance In Die discharge of the most common of- unabie to either clothe or tlves.~~New York Sun. m Before Letton took his leave of Bailey, however, he borrowed a sum of money which he promised to pay on reaching his destination, claiming that his money had all been invested there. • The night following Bailey's depar­ ture from the drover's house it was entered by an assassin, who killed the inmates and secured a package con­ taining $1,800 in bank notes. In order to conceal his crime the criminal set fire to the house before leaving. The building burned slowly and the neigh­ bors were enabled to extinguish the flames and discover the murderous work which had been done. The assas­ sin, before leaving the yard, had torn open the wrapper of the package and thrown it to the ground. This was picked up by the officers of the law, and was the only clew in their posses­ sion. Shortly after Bailey's return to Springfield he received the money which Letton owed him. Detectives suspected Bailey of murdering the drover, because he was known to have been intimate with him and had'stop­ ped at his home shortly before the commission of the crime. Consequent­ ly an experienced officer was put on the suspected man's track and he was kept under constant surveillance for several months. In the meantime Mrs. Bailey's health began to fail, and her husband decided to take her on a Southern trip. De­ tectives followed him. Wherever Bai­ ley paid his hoted bill or offered money for any purpose the officer-secured the bank note which-had been irkthe for­ mer's possession. Vinally the sfeadow- ed man paid out a $20 bill which had a red mark in one corner. The detective immediately arrested him. At the trial the torn wrapper, with its smear of blood, was identified as having been in the drover's possession. The bank note which had been traced to Bailey was also shown. The stain of blood on the wrapper corresponded exactly with the mark on the bank note. A strong magnifying glasg re­ vealed unerringly that the murderer's thumb, in tearing open the envelope, had touched the topmost bank note. Bailey stoutly protested his innocence, averring that the blood stained money had been paid him by Stephen Letton; that he (Bailey) had plenty of money without resorting to robbery and mur­ der; that the drover and himself were the best of friends, and he coul£ have no motive to murder him. But unfor­ tunately for him, he was unable to prove to the satisfaction of the Jury where he had been on the night of the murder. He claimed to have stayed at a' cabin on a byroad some distance from the main road .which he had set out upon, but when the place was vis­ ited by an officer the cabin was de­ serted, and no one could tell the whereabouts of its last occupants. The detectives, to make a record for themselves, had set their hearts on finding a victim. A thorough search was made for Letton", but he could not be found. At his trial, which soon fol­ lowed, Bailey was given a life sen- trace in the penitentiary. Mrs. Bailey never doubted her hus- WAR ton) of the girl who had promised to be his wife. His motives were purely those of revenge, but now being about to die he desired to make what repar­ ation lay In his power. Shortly after this Mrs. Bailey's par­ ents died. Having spent her means in her husband's behalf, she gave up ev­ erything but the old mill and the log cabin, to which she retired to finish her days in solitude. Gasoline-Driven Vehlclea Prohibited. The Pennsylvania railroad's ferry boats are the only craft around New York on which the law against the carrying of gasoline-driven vehicles is enforced. WATERING A STREET IN PEKIN. Every visitor to Pekin has agreed that its streets, or those apologies for roads that serve as sftch, are the worst that ever disgraced any capital in the civilized world. They are dusty in the dry season and muddy in the wet, with, ruts into which the cart wheels sink to the hubs, and would go farther if it were not for the axles, while files of camels and droves of donkeys wander about at their own sweet will. There is no water supply by aque­ duct and no sewerage system within One of the sources of expense in war may be described as "wastage" of material! In the bombardment of Alexandria, between 7 a., m. and 4: SO p. m. the British fleet in a somewhat vigorous fashion deposited 3,165 shells upon Egyptian soil and about 600 Egyptians were killed. This was un­ doubtedly good- shootifag In view of the tact tnftt it took the .Germans, when besieging Mezleres in 1870, at the rate of three and one-half shells a minute, 193,000 large projectiles to kill 300 people, that is to say, 643 sheik: a head, and that the Boers, in the earlier stage of the present war, dumped 2,680 shells into Ladysmith and only killed eight persons. In the Crimean war the total number of combatants was 1,460,500, and they fired 19,000,000 shots, with the result that 51,945 soldiers were killed In bat­ tle of 66,397 died from their wounds; therefore, to all Intents and purposes, 118,842 bullets found a billet and 88,- 181,658 were wasted. In the Franco- German war, where the weapons used were of a superior quality, especially as regards precision, the victorious host of Germans fired off 30,000,000 small-arm catridges and 363,000 rounds of artillery, with the result that 77,- 000 French troops were killed outright or died from their wounds. The wastage, therefore, on the German side amounted to 30,286,000 shot and shell, and that on the side of the French would amount to quite as much. The ordinary man will now have an inkling where money goes in war time. RAISE CITY'S LEVEL. the walls of the great composite city. The water is derived from inadequate cisterns and brackish wells, and is brought around daily in barrels and buckets, while the only provision for the sewage is found in the nigiht carts, which go out of the gates laden with offal and return with fresh provisions from the farms In the morning. Some­ times the city fathers are prevailed upon to sprinkle a small area by hand, as shown in the illustration; but this affords only temporary relief. A KAFFIR KRAAL, SOUTH AFRICA. A Kaffir kraal resembles at a dis­ tance a vast circle of mushrooms or toadstools with the hemispherical roofs of its huts thatched with straw and plastered over until they shine in the sun like glazed tiles. Each hut has a fireplace in its center, aad there is no chimney as an outlet for the smoke, and there is a vast difference between the outside and the inside of the Kaffir dwelling, the aspect .of cleanliness not being so pronounced on close inspection. Out in Caffraria, of Kaffir Land, there is m necessity for providing against the rigors of winter, for it is unknown, the climate of the colony being that of perpetual sum­ mer, so the huts are slightly built and the costumes of the people ajre more notable for scantiness than fqr variety. flM Proposed to Guard Ajcalaat Rep­ etition of Galveston's Wo* The most promising proposal that has been made for the protection of Galveston appears to be the sugges­ tion that the general level of the city, or some part of it should be raised to a level above that attained by the waters in the recent storm. Such a work need be by no means prohibitory in expense, provided It were done on a new site, as yet unbuilt upon. To il­ lustrate this: An acre of land con­ tains 4,840 square yards. To raise sand from water of moderate depth by hydraulic dredges and discharge it through a pipe line delivering on shore can be accomplished for from three cents to fifteen cents per cubic yard. Taking ten cents a cubic yard as a fair figure, we find the expendi­ ture to deposit a depth of ten feet of sand on an acre as only $1,613. The water was from three to ten feet in Galveston when the storm was at its height If the general level of the city were raised ten feet, therefore, all that part so raised would be secure against the dangers of the high tide which accompanies these great gulf storms. At this rate the expenditure to deposit ten feet depths of fill over a square mile would be only a little over $1,000,000, • these figures indicate very clearly the estimating its cost, but it is at least plain and protection of low- lying tracts of land. The local condi­ tions at Galveston will, of course, need to be considered In formulating any plan for protecting that city from further disasters through ocean storms and estimating its cost, but it is at least plain that if the city desires to save itself from, a repetition of the recent calamity It is quite within the resources of engineering to furnish the desired protection. -- Engineering News. S2&-' traveler ctm to request was oMJgt* to take the stood nsaast the door, were so many others sjsrert!»»#l hire. If the traveler objected mount all he could do was to #irit until some traveler had for one, and JSfffemoved this, its next doo&iMttgfcbor nearest stable dpor. "By book and by oeok" is an illusion to an ancient manorial custom, which permitted the neighbor­ ing poor to tfcltttsll the wood thatfhey could reach and pull down from tlie forest trees,using only their shepherd*' crooks. Even Um welMtnown so simple to understand, "that Is to him," proceeds, so authorities ttjr. not so much fnrtn the pleasure we mar all .be supposed to take In the flavor of nuts, as tilt. fact that the Ronians always partailt of them at dessert and considered t&Mto toys for child**. A very common phrase is "pay the piper." Only the other day a traveler (by train was protesting loudly to his companion, *'I soon got out of it when I saw that I should have to pay the piper!" Was he thinking, I wonder, of the famous Pied Piper of Haarifita, who, after freeing the town of ntt aal mice, was refused payment by the citi­ zens? "To take her down a peg" Is nothing but a sailor's direction as to the lowering of the ship's colors. "Pnt that into your pipe and smoke it" Is an allusion to the pipes of peace or war that are solemnly smoked by some American Indian tribes; while to "get the sack" Is a fate that sometimes overtook Inmates of a certain sultan's harem, who were pot Into a sack and thrown into the Bosphorus whoa he desired to be rid of them. An Inkling of Where Cash Go** in War Time.))) It Is fortunate In view of the fact that after the battle of Modder River the trenches in some places were knee deep in cartridge cases, that cartridges are not very expensive, costing the. Royal Laboratory, In the case of .30* Inch cordite cartridges with bullet for small arms# about $20 a thousand to- make, a price somewhat suggestive of stocktaking sales and alarming sacri* fices. In this engagement one bat* tallon of grenadiers fired 52,000 car­ tridges (say $1,040 worth) and a bat­ talion of the Coldstreams 126,000; wholesale value, $2,520. With regard to other weapons, .303-inch Maxims are quoted at about $425, without ex­ tras, by the Royal Small Arms Fac­ tory at Enfield, while a handy Gard­ ner-Galling chamber gun runs t» about $322 when taking a quantity. The 63,712 Lee-Enfield rifles timed out at the same factory cost fll.iO each; 88,853 sword bayonets, 11.70 each; lances cost $6 each, without their flags, which run to 17 cents esch» and cavalry swords entailed an ex­ penditure of over $4- One Utarpt ing item in respect to the war refers to the most of the caress; the backs are priced at $1&J£» the fronts at $14,25 each; but in addition to these there are rivets for the shoulder straps at 13 cents a hum* dred, shoulder straps at 10s 3%d each, and various studs and washers to be bought ere the Lifeguardsman reoslvfcs his gorgeous steel overcoat which he leaves behind him when his port is on the this." was also foreshadowed In the earliest speculations. The approximate size of atoms has been indicated by seversl investigators, but of the shape or ap­ pearance nothing is known. Many bodies are much changed by being finely divided. Tfao Atomic Theory. Prof. Henry Leffman took for a spe- clal subject in bis course on chemistry at the Wagner Institute "The Atomic Theory," says the Philadelphia Times. Most scientists, he said, regard all matter as made up of minute Inde­ structible particles, to which the term "atom" 1s applied. Any combination of atoms Is called a "molecule." This view Is very old, being set forth in some of the Greek writings more than two thousand years ago, but it has been elaborated and investigated with­ in this century. John Dalton (1766- 1844) was the founder of the modern phase. Within the last fifty years the •lew that the particles of matter, es­ pecially In gases, are In constant rap­ id motion, has been generally accepted. <fids. known as the "kinetic theory,' SHAKESPEARE'S MANU3CI»PT» Ko Om Kum the Fate of thm ZeefS, Pitcel^M Writing*. Where are Shakespeare's manu­ scripts? Nobody can tell. Could Nay one discover them and offer these lit* erary treasures for sale a million of money would readily be offered, not only by private collectors, but by the various national libraries and muss* ums eager to obtain relic3 of such Im­ mense importance. Apart from the historical value they would possess Shakespeare's manuscripts would have another supreme interest They woolA no doubt assist in settling the disput­ ed authorship of the plays, says the Newcastle (Eng.) Chronicle. 'They could be compared with the existing specimen's of the great poet's hand­ writing. Would they show the S§me calligraphy as that of the signata|i|v<tf Shakespeare's will, on the Blarfcfflara estate deeds, and the copy of Ftoto** "Montagne" possessed by the British museum? As to the latter toeingkr the actual hand of the master ssme doubt exists, but the authenticity of the former specimens has never heen questioned. Shakespeare's scripts have vanished, disappeared though they had never existed. Oldest Dreeamakei*a MIL The oldest, dressmaker's bill found in the ruins of a temple of tht City of Nipur, and can not be ^wa ||a9 3,700 years old. It contains the names of ninety-two vestments given te lthe temple by the King of BatylMla. Among the items are "twelv*'i^ille robes of the temple, eight robes of the house of his lady, ten pure gold col­ lars, two white robes and four seeatedt robes." It was no doubt the In Babylonia to scent the robep. The document shows what great develop­ ment there was at that early date in the textile fabrics of Cthaldea. ' Bat>le« feabbed wit* OB. teiCrlttany, soon after birth, a child is rubbed with" oil all over the body and head in order to strengthen it and In some cases still a few drops of brandy are laid on t$M lips of the elkild to make it a on. these quaint custfip)^, burs of an egg or coin inftp an Infant for luck on first vitflting it I Insignificant Some Old wive£ that an infant's tutsprr is for life by the perron who lost it After all, these old wives' i are very mum