Illinois News Index

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 16 Feb 1905, p. 6

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jpr - f\~ *;i ' - "':£.\ • y^rwK ;«j. -~j V£V ̂ ---1' >%":$^-y? •$$&• ^*7* THE KAFFIR AND HIS 8NUFF. Jlutt Two Girls. O, I'm weary of young ladies. The kind that blossom In boMBSg % These beauties that are brilliant With languidly-loving looks. Coquettish, kitteny creaturea. I'm worn out, too, with you-- JQit two little girls have my heart-- Eebecca and Emmy Lou. Rebecca with that parasol-- (The sweet little country maid!) Sitting high on' the old stage coach Lays her rivals in the shade. Both went to school and "carried lunch ; Both friends had, tried and true; Ah, they were friends that one could trust-- .Rebecca and Emmy Lou. Won't you be my "nlnt'imate frlendif %, tqc. can guard secrets well, And anything* that j'oU would say • .1 declare I'd never tell. If I were a marrying man-- (I tell this only to few)-- fd elope with two little girls- Rebecca and Emmy Lou. --New Orleans Picayuna. Wayside Inn for Geese. Yeturs before the war Daniel Scott, the owner of "Scotlands" plantation, in Albemarle county, Virginia, began the custom of feeding flocks of wild geese each spring arid summer on their semi-annual migrations. The custom has continued to this day, being kept tap by the descendants of Mr. Scott He had a special garment which he donned when feeding the hungry birds, and in this they invariably recognized him. The children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the first geese must have been well instructed in re­ gard to this "wayside inn," for they always tarry there to get provisions. United States Senator Thomas 8. Martin is the present owner of Scot* lands. The Poor Rat. There are still a few English coun­ try districts left where the worthy men acting on behalf of their fellows as churchwardens find themselves in some little difficulty when their duty requires the issue of notices. But it was with something of a shock that a tourist some little time ago surveyed a parish notice which notified the signing of a rate. In itself the fact was not extraordinary; but the way in which the action of the magistrates had been disguise<tin language was noteworthy. ' Notice is hereby given," it read, "that the magerstrates in ,petty ses­ sions on Wensdy last singed a rat for the releese of the pore." Saved by a Turkey. . As a gift two turkeys and a pair of bantam fowls were sent to a gentle­ man in New York, who placed all four in his poultry y-rd. One day a hawk on mischief bent flew down at the ban­ tam hen, which at once uttered cries of alarm./ A few feet away strutted the turkey cock. "When he heard the danger signal he turned and went for the hawk in gallant style, striking at it with his spurs. At last, with a well- directed blow, he sent the trespasser reeling. Meanwhile the bantam had found shelter, and the hawk soon aft­ erward departed, thoroughly punished. But for the turkey's friendly help, however, his tiny chum would have teen converted into hawk's meat. Spectacles of Long Ago. An interesting collection of specta­ cles is that possessed by Mrs. Wesley Williams of Bowdoinham, Me. More than 100 years old, these curios were the one-time property oY the women of Bath, who were forced by destitute cir­ cumstances to seek refuge in the alms­ house. Many are of odd pattern, with side lights and extension bows. An­ other valuable souvenir owned by Mrs. Wesley Williams is the sword of her great uncle, Col. Samuel . Coombs, a famous officer of the revo­ lutionary war. v Strange "Talking Fish." There is a kind of fish, the "gron. din," well known to naturalists, and often called the "talking fish." It has a sort of feet, and makes excellent eat­ ing. When it is taken from the water It makes a noise more or less loud, which has given it its name (from the, French "gronder," to growl or snarl). This sound, however, is produced by the passage of the gas from the swim­ ming bladder, which the fish can com­ press at will. ' Mail Clerks' Good Work. A mail pouch was brought to the Meriden, Conn., postofflce that had been run over and badly mutilated by the wheels of a railroad train. Some of the mail matter was almost de­ stroyed, but by much work and perse­ verance the bits were put together and practically all of the letters de­ livered to the persons to whom they were addressed. Angles In Water Pipes. It is calculated that one right angle bend in a pipe through which water flows will make necessary 9 per cent more pressure for a given flow than ft .required for a straight pipe of like size and structure. With three sharp bends at right angles, the pressure needed is 13 per cent more than that which is used in a straight pipe. Wade to Catch Fish. At Covington, Ga., the water is so low that It is only necessary* for one to wade out into the stream with a basket to get all the fish he Is look- fag for. Sheriff Sam Hay, with sev­ eral friends, rode to the river one Sight and in thirty minutes raked in seventy-eight pounds of catfish. etiquette That Had Origin h* Self- Protection. In South Africa, amongst the Kafllrs snuff taking is universal, and it is pi grave breach of manners to ask your host for a pinch when you are stand­ ing up. The reason for this is found in the treacherous practices of former times. When one man wished to kill another a favorite device was to ask him for a pinch of snuff, and then, while the unsuspecting victim was fumbling for his snuff box the murderer had a splendid opportunity. As this trick for taking a man at a disadvantage became familiar^ it naturally grew to be a point of good manners to make your request when squatting on the ground, when clearly you were intend­ ing no evil. The Kaffir snuff is made from crude tobacco, grown at every kraal, Which is powered up and mixed with the ash of the aloe, carefully ground on a stone and damped. It is always eti­ quette to ask for snuff, and the donor grants your request grudgingly, lest he should be suspected of pressing upon you bewitching medicine with it. The Russ ia f t at (Special Correspondence.) OVER GRAVE OF STANLEY. A queer mixture of docility and tur­ moil is this vast Russian people, who hate their czar with malignity one moment, and are ready to shed their life blood for him the next. .They are ,Hke great, shaggy, dumb beasts, snarling and showing their teeth when kicked by the one who masters them, and wiaiting for a chance to fly at his throat when he is off his guard, but fearful and cower­ ing before the recognition of his su­ perior power. But let a foreign beast attack their master, and woe betide the intruder; if he is lew strong than they, they will tear him in bits with­ out the least compunction for daring to touch with anything less than rev­ erence the sacred person of their ruler. But aside from this fierce uprising of the emotions, the Russian peasant has no sense of leadership about him. He can work under a head, but with­ out that it , is impossible for him to accomplish anything, and what small; Imiftense Monolith Marks Resting Place of Great Explorer. There is something rough, magnifi­ cent and elemental about the mono­ lith wnich has been placed over Stan­ ley's grave in Pirbright churchyard, Wales. It was Lady Stanley's idea that it should be a great unhewn stone, and as to the inscription she wrote: "I desire simply his name, Hen­ ry Morton Stanley; beneath it his great African name, Bula Matari--the Rock Breaker. For epitaph, the sin­ gle word 'Africa,' and, above all, the emplem and assurance of life ever- & STAN LI Grave of Stanley, lasting--the Cross of Christ." After many, days had been spent in a fruit­ less search on Dartmoor, a large gran­ ite monolith was discovered on Frenchbeer farm. It formed part of a fence on the road side. Three faces had been fully exposed for many years and the owner, Mr. Robert Stark, and the tenant, Mr. George Mortimer, only stipulated that a brass plate should be fixed to a smaller stone stating that from the spot was removed the stone which now stands at the head of Stan­ ley's grave. Turkey Hatches Chickens. Bert Crum, who resides northeast of Sulphur Springs, Ohio, has a turkey gobbler which has succeeded in hatch­ ing a dozen chickens. Not being satis­ fied with the work already accom­ plished, the gobbler has undertaken to raise the chicks and is doing as well as a mother hen could; This <s the second attempt of the gobbler to hatch a lot of eggs, the first at­ tempt being a failure. Seventy-nine years ago Crum'e great-grandfather possessed a gobbler of equal distinc­ tion, the ancient gobbler having hatched a lot of eggs. "Leaven" of the Ancients. The yeast employed by the ancients in making bread was probably of the same kind as the Israelites of the days of the great Pharoah the op­ pressor used, calling It "leaven." This was what is known nowadays as a wild yeast, its germs or spores being afloat everywhere in the air. A bit of dough was preserved out of each batch prepared for the ovens, and when this was added to the next dough the yeast contained in it quick­ ly spread through the whole, only a little being required to "leaven the whole lump." Bees Used Boiler for Hive. The mechanics, while at work on an unused engine and boiler at the cranberry bog of F. H. Burgess at Sandwich, Mass., lately, found that a Bwarm of bees had taken possession of the boiler and packed nearly -every tflbe solid full of honeycomb. Formed Strange Friendship. There is an odd combination of pets in the Biddeford, Me., greenhouse of Charles S. Strout lit a woodcock and a cat. They live in perfect peace, the woodcock growing fat on the worms In the rich earth and the cat keeping place free from mice. Punk Punishment, "la Japanese schools a mischievous boy is made to stand and hold a slen­ der stick of lighted punk till it burns out. If he is caught breaking off the lower end of the stick a second pun ishment is added. 8qulrrels Preempt Maine House. Squirrels have literally taken pos­ session" of the attic of a Bowdoln ham, Maine, house. Entering by means of the water gutters, these live­ ly guests remain over night in their cozy quarters, eating seed corn, and playing tag for amusement. Disap­ pearing at daybreak, they return ev­ ery evening. Russian Village Church, advancement is visible he has copied from his more progressive neighbor­ ing countries. Like a sponge, Russia has absorbed; she has not assimilat­ ed. Whatever there is of a Western civilization in the Russian is a veneer. There is no original progressivenesfe in him, and although he is very apt at copying, his ability stops there. His acquired knowledge does not enable him to imitate similar work, but he becomes competent very quickly to act exactly as he is taught. These are the people with whom the Japanese, light, agile, intelligent, up- to-date, with strategy in place of strength, have to contend. It is a bat­ tle between the bear and the scor­ pion, and the strength of the great animal is as nothing compared with the deadly sting of his foe, though if he held the latter in,his huge Jaw be could crush it in a moment. Contrasted With Japan. There could be no more striking contrast between two nations than be­ tween those two Eastern countries new at war with each other. The brightness and charm, the cleanliness and attractiveness of the little people of the mikado's empire, and of their tdwns and homes, are painfully lacking among the people of Russia. Low, clumsy houses, with rarely an attempt at anything like architecture, some with shingle and most of them with thatched roofs, they are not made attractive by their Inmates. Few. of the houses are made with more than one story, unless it be the space under the roof, which is never used for anything but a lum­ ber-room. Mother, father, children, sons and unmarried daughters (the brides are always taken to the hus­ bands' parents to live), daughters-in- law and grandchildren are crowded Into one little hut, and the dirt and squalor, coupled with poverty, are ap­ palling. The small piece of land at­ tached to the house is worked by the men, and the women, when the op- beria has a horse or a draught animal of some kind. The question of cheap labor in Rus­ sia finds its answer in the manner of living of the peasant and the explana­ tion of his small strength. It is a physical impossibility for him to work as do the workmen in our part of the world. He has not the same stimu­ lus; what he possesses in an inordi­ nate degree Is the passive quality of endurance. He is big, he is strong, but he has neither terseness nor vi­ tality. In this connection it shows very clearly that physical quality is a question of diet and the Russian peas­ ant takes the consequence--and suf­ fers it--of not feeding rationally. The staple foods are sour black bread and salt; sour cabbage soup, milk Curds and salted fish. Together with the usual means of living, that is, the conditions under which .he lives at home, with an unsanitary Iduse and an unsanitary way of keeping him self, the result as it is is, is the only one to be expected. Fires are Frequent*.' - A dreaded enemy Is the demon of fire that™ is incessantly traversing and ruining the country. Crowded one against the other, the wdoden houses* with their thick roofs of thatch are surrounded with ricks of straw and connected by lines of sheds, while wattled palisades envelop the whole village like a net with meshes of fine wood. After, the long summer droughts this agglomeration of branches, old beams and straw dried by the sun is as inflammable as tin­ der. Fire is continually breaking out somewhere. In a single hour the vil­ lage is swept away Ilka a field of dry grass and the peasants, with a truly remarkable resignation to the inevit­ able, proceed to rebuild the village, so as to be ready for the next descent of fire. Once in a while the traditional pas­ sivity of the peasant is broken through by an exhibition of passion against those in power that would seem uncalled for in proportion with the matter under discussion. At such times the strength of the lower class is tacitly recognized and the dissident is allowed -to have his own way. Sometimes, in the streets of a town, a policeman may make objection to the congesting of traffic by two or three drivers of market wagons. At once a storm of argument is raised by the accused ones, bringing to their aid all the other peasants in their vicinity, until the threatening mob as­ sumes such proportions that the offi­ cial, if he does not wish to provoke a serious disturbance, pacifies them, and retires crestfallen from the field. Pocket less. "We can trace many of our sins to Adam," said the breakfast philosopher, "but there is one that we cannot." "What may that be?" asked the hat clerk. "Walking around with hands la our pockets." v Endurance of Runners. "Every one who has read the Ms- .tories of the Incas," writes an English­ man, "has marveled at the tales of the native runners, who were a feature in the civilization of that period. Some of this race of men still remain. When in Bolivia I have often had a telegram delivered at the station, forty miles away, and an answer received and brought back by the same man, all, including the journey of eighty miles, not occupying more than eighteen hours. The man was well content to receive two Bolivian dollars, or 75 cents in American money, for the serv­ ice. I saw a man who delivered a message 200 miles away and brought an answer back, covering within six days and nights 400 miles. As he did this work for a native, his charge was five Bolivian.dollars, about $1.87 Amer­ ican, out of which he provided his own food." Adulteration Always Practiced. Adulteration laws were quite as necessary in the good old days as in the sophisticated twentieth century. Even the adulteration of feather beds The Mill. Birds' Wonderful Sight. The sight of birds is extraordinary. and the simple fact that the eye of a hawk or pigeon is larger than their whole brain gives some idea of what their powers of sight must be, and of how easily they can fly hundreds of mites if tiwy^jiave m4f!» tft guide ttlftlH, - •> ^ portunity offers and permission is granted, hire themselves out to larger farmers to work in the fields along with the men, than whom they are no less able workers. Peasant Women at Work. Lately, with a broadening of ideas in the country, it has been fopnd that village workers are considered more able than those of the towns, and find employment in all the large cities. Field labor is undertaken in this way, and gangs of peasant women may be seen weeding the market gardens in the neighborhood, of the great cities. Too often labor of. this kind is con­ tracted for by a middleman, who ad­ vances the railway fares, feeds- and sometimes lodges, his gang of labor­ ers, and pays them a lower wage than he reCeives for their hire. But though the peasantlives in mis­ ery and squalor, and at certain sea­ sons may be in actual want, ordinar­ ily though he grumbles and objects to his taxes and church oppressions, he would be offended if you were to sug­ gest that, in comparison with the low­ er classes of other countries, he was a pauper. In his eyes the fact that In the Western countries the laborers do not possess land, nor cows, nor even a horse, indicates the most abject pov­ erty. Every peasant in Russia or gl­ and bolsters had to be provided against. October 14, 1495, is the date of a stat­ ute prohibiting the sale in English fairs or markets of these articles or of pillows, "except they be stuffed with one manner of feathers." It ex­ pressly denounced the use of such "unlawful and corrupt stuffs" as "scalded feathers, or fen-down." The last substance is the same as cotton- grass, and was evidently in great de­ mand as a fraudulent substitute in bed-stuffing. In the eighteenth cen­ tury, again, there were complaints against people who bought fen-down at a halfpenny a pound and sold--it among feathers at sixpence. Pleasing Change. "When I first met you," snapped the woman who had been married lor her money, "you occupied a low men­ ial position, and it's only due to me that your present position--" "Is a hymeneal one, my dear," In? terupted her husband, smiling sweet­ ly .^Catholic Standard and Timei. , Still Insinuating. BIS--A man wouldn't expect to tffe cheated in church; now, would he? Jill--No, hot unless he was married there.--Judge. _ Let Her Down Easy. Sibyl--"Mr. Joshem complimented me on my intellectuality last night What do you suppose he meant by that?" Phyllis--"Oh, it was a polite way of admitting that he hadn't the nerve to call JQU a beauty." \ * ,' No Encouragement. ,s 'nl^lt is a serious matter whfeQ love comes into a man's life. . She--Yes, especially when it isn't 'Contagious. >v. • A CINCH. Needs Conciliation. Mrs. Highmore--I was surprised to see you speak to that man. Does he move In society? Mrs. Upjohn-^He doesn't have to. He's the agent for the apartment house we livein. * a Strong Marks,"". "Here's a description of that de^'~' "i faulting cashier: 'About 45 years old, height 5 feet 8, rather stout, blue eyes^ prominent teeth, inclined to bald- ness- "He'll soon be caught It should b» easy to locate a man with stout blue eyes and teeth with a little hair on them/' Lady--Did you ever feel as though you'd like to work? Tramp--Yes'm. I wouldn't mind being a lineman for a wireless tele­ graph company. Ancient Football. Hannibal lined up his elephants and then arranged his army behind them: "Our line is heavy enough," he mused. "And our back field isn't so light, either," he added as he glanced at; the black Carthagenians. Then he gave the signal and plowed through the Roman right guard for a considerable gain. Backwoods impressions. 'Mammy," said the little Georgia pickaninny. "Ah's heahd tell ob dese heah autymobiles so much. What do dey look lak?" 'De goodness only knows!" re­ sponded his mother, "but Ah specB dey looks lak de ol' Nick. Ah've heahd dey all hab horns." A Getaway Artist. 'Fly with me!" pleaded the ardent youth. "But," , said the dubious maiden, "1 am afraid that they* will come after us." 'Let them," he exclaimed in dis­ dain; "I know my business. I was with Kouropatkin in Manchuria." Not Qualified. 'I'm afraid," said the senior part­ ner, "this new stenographer won't do." . 'Why not?" asked the junior part­ ner. "She has no judgment. She writes my letters just ns I dictate 'em--- grammar and all." Insulting. "The landlady is just hopping mad at old man Sharp." "What is the trouble now?" "Old man Sharp tasted the butter" yesterday at dinner and suddenly reached over and handed the landlady two tickets to the pure-food show."-- Cleveland Leader. 8mart Boy. "Boy," said the cautious old lady, how many people are in that ele­ vator?" "Six," chuckled the boy, "and if you get in it will remind me of a card game." 'What card game, boy?" 'Seven up." Art Criticism. Uncle Josh--There was one of them landscape painters around here yester­ day. Uncle Silas--Well, landscape paint­ ing ought to be a good, healthy occu­ pation. It keeps a man out of doors an' give him plenty of fresh air. Please Ask a Policeman. The man who doesn't know enough to lqok sober when a girl says thai she is made with him is sadly .Inex­ perienced.--Boston Globe. But just suppose the girl is mad with him because he can't look sober? Pulled Out. "What has become of Halfback's hair?" asked the man with the ma­ roon flag. & 'Haven't you heard?" asked his fiiend. "Why, his team matched a lady football club and the ladies lost." Auric Astigmatism. Little George--Aw, why can't1 be jomething beside ordinary? Mother--What's the matter now? Little George--A new kid come-to ithool to-day an' his ears ain't alike. Stated in Diplomatic Fashion. The fierce fellow--So you wouldn't #.y that Longfellow was a liar, eh? The mild man--No; but if he were inducting a newspaper I should not frtsltate to assert that he had aa- ex­ tensive news service. ~ Uncle Eben's Thinks. ••When a man has done invas* his feoney in circus tickets an hoss races," said Uncle Eben, "I ain' got much patience wif his indignation 'bout de trusts."--Washington Sttf. - ?• re­ counts in the Indictment. "One argument for allowing the seals to be exterminated is that they eat large quantities of fish." "But the best reason is that they furnish the raw material for expen­ sive garments and eat up money we can't afford to spend. Confound their skins!" ft-.. His Reason. "Do you mean to tell me that yob voted for this administration?" "I do," answered Colonel Jaggers. "It was under this administration, sir,fi~ that the experiments were conducted^ showing the extent to which imported liquor is adulterated, thereby proving ' the superiority, sir, of our native moon­ shine article."--Washington jpMpr. •;Son of His Father*. papletgh--"My wife has a fiook In. wnich she records all the bright things our baby gets off." Smithkins--"Why I had no idea th* little fellow was old enough for that sort of thing," Popleigh--"Oh,, yes. He repeats. . everything he hears me say." Knew Hia Ways. Pretty Parlor Maid--"There is a gentleman at the door, ma'am." Mistress--"Did he give you Ids card?" Pretty Parlor Maid--"No, ma'am; but he Insisted on giving me a kiss. ' Mistress^-"Oh, that is my brother Jack. Let him in." Tommy Had Upset the Ink. Tommy--Ma, lend me a lead pencil Mother--I just left pen and ink on the parlor table for you. What do you want with a pencil? / Tommy--I want to write to the edi­ tor of the paper to ask him what'll take ink stains out of the parlor car- pfct. Before and After Sleeping* . Bailey--What time were you up Sunday morning? Gailey--Four o'clock. Bailey--What! Do you mean to say you got up at that hour? Gailey--Oh, when did I get up? That's different. Half-past 11. * Perseverance. Binks--I wonder why Jones never succeeded. He's a very persevering fellow. Jinks--That's his trouble. He perse­ veres in trying to pick up a penny, while a big rpuud dollar la rolling right past him. Blue Laws. Drummer--So Bacon Ridge is a very moral town, eh? Postmaster--Gosh, yes. Why, the citizens won't even let their cider work on Sunday. ' . No Occasion for Alarm. Percy Moneybags (who is eloping: with Deacon Poorman's daughter)-- Darling, what if your father should overtake us? She--Don't worry about that, Percy- Pa has gone ahead to have the preach­ er in readiness. All Fixed. "Now, dear," said Mr. Polkley, who had just been accepted, "when shall I speak to you father? "You needn't bother," replied the- dear girl, "Pa said he'd speak to you to-morrow if you didn't speak to me- to-night." His Ambition. ' "But you may discover the Pole yourself," suggested his friend. "Oh, no," said the leader of the re­ lief expedition. "I shall be quite sat­ isfied if I . discover the man who went to discover the Pole." After the Scrimmage. "Was Tommy hurt badly, Jack?" "I guess not. He hasn't com­ plained." "What does he say?" ,fc/. "Nothing. He hasn't com® to yet." --Puck. 1 \ > She-^-Did you ever play lootball? He--No, but I once got caught in the crush around a bargain counter. Perverse Woman. Hickory--It's an awful thing to pro­ pose to a girl seriously and then have her throw you down! Slippery--Well, you shouldn't have proposed to her seriously; then she would have accepted you. • insulated. Smythe--I Should think these too* tormen would get some awful electric shocks now and then. Browne--Well, I don't see how. They are non-conductors, you know." Logical Theory. izr~ Singleton--I wonder why some folks think the moon has anything to do with making people crazy? Wedderly--The idea probably origi­ nated with some man during hia honeymoon. 8he Must Be Doing Something. "Eve never went to a woman's club." "No, but perhaps if she had she would not have found time to sample the fruit,"--Illinois State Journal. Misrepresenting the Facts. Harry--I hear Tom is going to leave off drinking and marry an heir­ ess. • Dick--That's just the way facts get twisted. He is going to keep on drinking and marry a snake charmer* Men Outclassed. She--Women may gossip times, but they have better control of their tongues than men have. He--You are right. Men have no control whatever of women's tongue. * -But Lived to Tell It. Upgardson--What on earth used you up like that, old fellow? Been kicKed by a mule, or run over by an automobile? Atom--Both. The one kicked JM* in the way of the other. Wh^e the Student Falls. "How is your son doing at collegef* • "Well," answered the solicitous father, "he does very well in philos­ ophy and the dead languages, but ht i s a m i g h t y p o o r f o o t b a l l p l a y e r -

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