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

GARDNER, A. •Kti M- i*y J. C. Plummer (Copyright, by Daiiy < «Tfae steamer Lanark let go both j|;|Hftchors in Puerto Cabello harbor, for •«fee needed them to hold her against "IP® ugly swell kicked up by the fierce iribbean storm which was lashing Ipto sea outside. When the po& an­ chor went over the bows Juan Mor- a stowaway from Maracaibo, Went over with it. Inasmuch as Juan Ma skulked that work which Captain can had assigned him as a set­ off against a free trip to Puerto Ca­ bello, and had proved himself an idle, ®ood-for-ncfhing fellow, and, further- Iftpre, as it was doubtful if he was "highly valued as a citizen by the re­ public of Colombia, It might have been as well if he had been allowed to drown, but Gardner, A. li„ jumped over the rail and held him aw^y from the ship's suction until a line was hove to liiirt. ' , , For this act he was reprimanded by Chief Officer MacLeod. "Ye have na idea of the feetness of things," he said. "If you'd have lost your leef the sheep would have been short-handed and if the dago had been drowned the country would have had plenty left" "Hi never thought of that," replied Gardner, with an exculpatory" smile. The dripping Juan went into the forecastle without a word of thanks to the man who saved his life, but nobody noticed Juan. The question of the hour was, would there be liber­ ty given while at Puerto Cabello? The bellies of the men craved rum, and the rum of Puerto Cabello is far- famed for its potentiality. The next morning information -was received that the lighters bringing coffee and hides to the steamer would not arrive before the following day, and the men were allowed a run ashore. They returned at nightfall, exhibiting a fine showing of the phases of drunkeness, for, as men­ tioned before, the aguadiente of South America plays fantastic tricks with men's headpieces. Gardner, A. B., was not among those who returned, and when this was reported Captain Duncan was much annoyed and Mate MacLeod swore several Gaelic oaths. When noon arrived with Gardner Still missing he was proclaimed a de­ serter and steps were taken to appre­ hend him. The British consul was no­ tified, who notified the head of Fuer- to Cabello's constabulary who notified his underlings, who did nothing. Captain Duncan was consulting with the mate as to the best plan for capturing the runaway when the sal­ low visage of Juan Morales appeared over the port rail. Disregarding the very uncomplimentary remarks with which he was greeted by the two offi­ cers, Juan stated his business. He knew where Gardner was and, if the skipper would send some of his crew, he would guid? them to his hiding place. Under nb circumstances would Juan undertake to bring Gardner to the vessel Nothing enraged the skipper more than a desertion and, moreover, Gard­ ner was by all odds the best man forward. He therefore agreed to pay Juan a reward of a pound when Gardner was brought aboard the ship. "Mr. MacLeod," called the skipper, "take a hand with you and bring the deserter to the vessel." The mate glanced about the deck and, eyeing me cleaning the brass work about the taffrail, beckoned me to him. "Ye're to gang wi' me," he We were pulled ashore in the ship's boat, Juan rowing his own craft. When we had reached the quay Juan started off, we following. "If that mon had a tail like a dog," remarked MacLeod, ruminatively, "he'd always carry? tt betwixt his legs." Truly Juan, with Iris shoulders hunched forward and with his sham­ bling gait, might have been likened to a dog of the cur species. Juan led us through the town until the dirty streets gave way to a road on either side of which were vast plantations. The even running rows of coffee trees and other vegetation, with their vivid green foliage, con­ trasted markedly with the low, wide haciendas glistening of white adobe. An hour's walk brought us in sight of a collection of some ten or more huts, built of adobe and thatched I with some soft of mats The merest / apology for a village it was and evi- rj dently the abode of poverty. v Juan slunk behind when the village bore in sight, and stopped shortly be­ fore we entered it. He pointed to the nearest row of houses. |r "Onp, tree dere!" "He's in the third housef" «i?v<»d MacLeod. Juan nodded. 1 he said; "he NOW THE BRACELET COCKTAIL. Anrther Fascinating Vision of Metro- it N V , politan Life. bracelet is the latest for women. There are fashionable Women of this city who wear circlets -on their wrists which sometimes con- - tain a Martini dry or a Manhattan, says a New York correspondent. The bracelets have one drawback, it, i said, and that is they will not acc modate the cherry that goes with t: fairy cocktail. The other night a Pittsburg attorney observed a woman of fashion place her lips to her brace­ let He thought that she was paying tribute to her own loveliness, but learned later she was merely refresh­ ing her inner self with a mixture of cordials. The nip contained in a, bracelet cocktail is so small that it cannot be called a drink, but a cock­ tail it is, nevertheless. Of course, the- bracelet is hollow. If large enough.lt holds three thlmblefuls of ready-made, cocktail, and pressure on an almost in- spring permits the * fluid to through a tln^,hole .la tt *1 .. w* VI " ".l *i,. f.« Story Pub. Co.) A sloven, red-haired woman an­ swered McLeod's rap on the door. • "I want to see Gardner," said Mac­ Leod.- The woman made a motion to shut the door in his face, but before she could do so the stalwart form of Gard­ ner, A. B., appeared behind her. "You've found mo," he said, 1 "Yes, and ye're to coma Wl' ine," replied MacLeod. \ Gardner shook hlB head. "Ye're coming, and ye'r© coming Wi' me,"' repeated the mate." "What do you mean, Gardner, you a full rated A. B., deserting from your ship?" "Hit's the first time I' ever was 'unted for by a skipper,** said Gard­ ner in reply, "btjt, I 'ad to do it this time. Come heiCe!" He led us into a back room where, on a not ov^clean bed, lay the body of a woman. "Hp fluffy hair lay on the pillow and her' face was no doubt once attractive, but drink and trouble had much hardened and deformed it. "When I came hashore," said Gard­ ner, "the men started in drinking near the quay and I walked up into the town alone. A drunken woman started to cross a street and a cart coming 'round the corner ran her down. Hi,, picked 'er up and when she told me where she lived I brought her here. She had no need to tell me. who she was. I knew it" ' 1 >. * "Well?" asked MacLeod. "She was my wife!" - The mate stared silently at Gard­ ner, who resumed: "HI married her four years ago. We 'ad a snug 'ome in South'ark and I was sailing in the Black Sea trade, and much of the time at sea. A man who called himself my friend lied to 'er about me, tempted 'er and then ran off with 'er. 'E got her a berth as stewardess on the same ship he sailed on and then he began to drink. Has *e went down he* pulled the poor lass with 'im, and 'e treated 'er like a dog. She told me hall this while I sat by 'er last night, and she died this morning. The dog who brought 'er to this was turned off his ship at this port for drunkenness three months ago, and she 'ad to go with 'im. 'E's working on a plantation near here." "Well," said MacLeod, gently, "the pulr soul has flitted. Ye've done all ye could do and more than mony a mon in your place would, 've done. Come back to the sheep." "Hi'll come back to-morrow," re­ plied Gardner; "the man who did that"--he pointed to the form on the bed--" '11 be here to-night 'E's been sent for and I want to meet 'im." Tough eld salt as he was, I saw MacLeod shudder and his ruddy face pale He seemed about to say some­ thing to Gardner and then, muttering, "It's na' use," seized me b.y the arm and started for the door. As we left the threshold Gardner came out and laid his hand oft the mate's shoulder. "You'll not be too hard on tlfe lass in your ,mind, Mr. MacLeod," he said. "She was very young and that devil tempted her. Then I was away so much." "Ay, ay," replied MacLeod, "but. lad, leave it as ft is and come wi' me." "Hi've something to do yet," retort­ ed Gardner, his voice coming through his clenched teeth. "He'll maun ha' his way," mattered MacLeod to himself, as we walked. "The Laird may help Gardner, or the dell may help the ither. We'll see." Steam was up on the Lanark at four in the evening, but she lay mo­ tionless until dark. Then, like a specter, Gardner clambered up the fore chains and dove into the forecas­ tle. Juan had been hanging about the decks all day waiting for Gardner to be brought on board, and before dark he had been inveigled below and shut up in the steerage. Now he was hustled on deck and the skipper con­ fronted him. "We can't get the man, but my word is passed and you're to get the pound"--he handed it ,to the Spaniard -- 'and now here's the shillings," add­ ed the skipper, giving the informer a kick that carried him off the poop. MacLeod gave him another that sent ftim against the rail, and the terrified dago flung himself over the side into hiB boat and pulled madly for shore. Of the happening at the hut that night Gardner never spake a word, and I beg pardon for my unfinished yarn. But to see that haggard-faced man glaring into the distance as he gazed over the sea it is a badly- equipped mind that could not picture the terrible drama of vengeance that had jts closing scene that night. The skipper half feared there would be an officer waiting for Gardner when we entered the Mersey, but there was not, and he shipped on a Bombay trader. I have never seen him since. shell, which is almost too small to be seen. With one of those graceful movements which appear to be nat­ ural with a woman the drink may be imbibed without fear of detection. A Broadway goldsmith sells numbers of the bracelets every week, and as most of the purchasers prefer secrecy in connection with the transaction they pay a 4'i'etty penny for the dubiously useful trinkets. », • • Pittsburg, Pa.--Professor John A. Brashear of the Allegheny observatory has announced a discovery of one of the^greatest sun spots ever called to the attention of astronomers. He says electrical disturbances will be .expert enced throughout the country soon These disturbances, he further de­ clares, may take the form of a dis­ play of the aurora borealis or tele­ graph and telephone communication may be seriously affected. The present spot is so large that it can be seen through smoked, glass and the scientist says it is one of the most active of solar spots. In his statement of the discovery Prolesson Brashear says: "A very large and beautiful sun spdt or solar disturbance is now crossing the face of the sun and is approaching the central meridian. This is the larg­ est spot! that has been seen for sev­ eral years. Its approximate length is 118,006 miles and it is 30,000 miles wide, covering an area of about 3,500,- 000 square miles. There* is considera­ ble activity in the spot and there may be some electrical disturbances on the earth soon, but this is rather difficult to predict on account of the position of the disturbance in relation to the earth. ; "Besides this great group of spots, there are three other groups to the west of it, and a fourth is just leaving the sun on the eastern side. This great spot can be readily seen by the naked eye with a piece of smoked glass. Indeed, my attention was call­ ed to it by a gentleman who saw it through the morning fog. We have been observing the spot with great interest measuring it and estimating its size. It is a great spot, stretching an eighth of the way across the sup. It comes at a time when it is not usual to expect sun spots and is of greater interest for that reason. Why it now appears is not explained." FARM LABORERS IN DEMAND. Plan Adopted by Empire Stats Supply Needed Help. to New York.--The bureau of informa­ tion and statistics of the New York state department of agriculture esti­ mates that fully 50,000 laborers will be required on the farms Of the state this spring, and through its office in this city is putting into execution a novel plan, which', in a small way, proved highly successful in supplying the demand last year. The department has advertised ex­ tensively both in New York and in Europe for agricultural laborers, and as a consequence is in daily receipt of many applications from men, both single and married, who are anxious to work on the farms of the state. Many applications have been received from Holland and other European countries, where whole families are willing to emigrate If assured of farm employment here. Many immigrants reaching New York are at once engaged by the bu­ reau of farm employment Last year the bureau placed 4,171 farm laborers, and hopes this year to increase the number to the 50,000 which will give the farmers of the state a chance to sleep nights. But an Investigator who a day or two listened to 28 appeals for assistance in two hours spent on two blocks on Fourteenth street, all of them from men "out of work," and then recalled the many appeals of philanthropic and charitable organiza­ tions for funds with which to assist New York's army of unemployed, won­ ders why it should be necessary to advertise in Europe for laborers to relieve a situation within ten miles of Broadway .which 1b little better than that of Kansas at the lime of the wheat harvest. ' ,4 ̂ - ItCMOgnph, copyright, by Underwood & Underwood, N. T. As a result of the great famine anil plague now ravaging China, It Is said that over 1,000,000 natives have already perished. The accompanying photo­ graph shows how some of the bodies of the victims are disposed c,f. - IDIOTS ARE SA VANTS. MENTAL FEATS PERFORMED BY INMATES OF IOWA ASYLUM* One Feeb|p-Minded Bey Is Walking Dictionary, Another a Marvelous rller and a Third Has»$ Freakish Memory. S J ^ . . | ̂ HUNTERS KILL LARGE LYNX. Animal with Tassels on Makes Attack on Men. Its* Ears lUmphls, Tenn.--An animal weigh­ ing 60 pounds, with tassels on its ears, yellowish striped fur and a stubby tail, was shot the other day near Port Jarvis, Sullivan county. The old in­ habitants say that the beast Is a lynx, and the oldest of them swears that he has not seen a lynx in this section since he was a boy, 78 years ago. Since then, he says, with a chuckle, they have been "missing lynx." -James Cooley and Andrew Van Dyke were hunting for foxes which they supposed had robbed their hen­ neries. They came across queer tracks on the snow, then the lynx came across them. The beast jumped from a tall stump and landed on Van Dyke's back. It ripped the heavy clothing from his bac& and lacerated his flesh. Afraid of shooting his comrade, Cooley kicked the lynx in the head with his heavy boots. The beast turned on Cooley, fastening itB teeth and claws in his thigh. Van Dyke jumped up and, placing the muzzle of his gun to its head, blew its brains out. Omaha, Neb.--The Iowa state insti­ tution for the feeble-minded children, located at Glenwood, has „ several "idiot savants," who are regarded as remarkable. One inmate is used as a calendar and date record, another is utilized as a dictionary, another is em­ ployed as a ready rapid calculator and others show the marvelous but unex- plainable traits of the "learned Idiots." Dr. A. R. Schier, assistant superin­ tendent %f the institution, has just made his report, as required by the Iowa law. The most astonishing case he reports is that of John S., taken into the institution when he was 12 years of age, and who has been there 23 years.' He is the mental bookkeep­ er of the home. When the date of any occurrence about the institution is desired as in­ formation John S. gives it. He recalls without error the date of the employ­ ment of any new hand or the entrance or "discbarge of any Inmate. If he has seen a visitor at the home he can recall the exact date of the visit, the condition of the weather at that time and some of the incidents connected therewith, even though it occurred years before any question is asked him concerning it. If given the day of the month, the month and years of any occurrence as far back as 35 years John S. will, without hesitation, tell upon what day of the week the date fell. Asked "how he does it he Replies that he does not know. , Marvelous ability is shown b^ a boy Inmate about 16 years of age. He can neither read nor write, yet he can readily spell any word given him, and as Dr. Schier says: "He has been tried with uncommon words time and time again and never fails to spell them correctly. He is constantly called upon to settle spelling disputes, and is as reliable as a dictionary." Both his parents were insane. G. F. H., aged 18 years, of Danish descent, can multiply three figures by three figures as rapidly as they can be written down. He never fails in his multiplication feats, but his addi­ tion, subtraction and division are not correct. A 17-year-old boy, R. G. L., without education, is able to mold the forms of animals with almost miraculous per- tection. Other figures he cannot make. He was found one day mixing saliva with dust and molding the figures of animals, whicli from his first attempt wfere perfect in almost every detail. ROCKEFELLER GIVES; OIL IS UP. New Profits of $40,000,000 May Offset $32,000,000 Benefaction. Philadelphia.--With the announce­ ment of the proposed gift by John D. Rockefeller of $32,000,000^0 the Gener­ al Education Board comes, notice to the oil dealers and consumers all over the country of an advance in the priGe of oil which will net the Standard Oil company about $40,000,000 addi­ tional in a single year. It is estimated from the figures at hand that fully $12,400,000 of the addi­ tional annual tax must come from the homes of the working class where oil is used for light and fuel. Notice of the advance in the price of( Standard Oil products was received by dealers Thursday, the same day the announcement of the great gift wap made. Although the advance quoted to wholesalers is one-half cent a gallon on oil for domestic use, the public will pay one cent additional, as the retail dealers have raised the price to con­ sumers from 10 to 11 cents per .gal­ lon. The yearly consumption of oil for domestic purposes in Philadelphia is about 15,500,000 gallons. So this City alone will pay an additional sum of $155,000 annually for the cheap grade of oil used for light and heat Unsportsmanlike Prayer. " Old Roman sportsmen sought' "by every means, human and superhuman, to win their chariot races. Douglas Sladen, in his "Carthage and Tunic," tells how the archaeologists have re­ covered various imprecations used by owners of racing chariots and buried in tombs before the* races. Here is an example: "I adjure thee so bind the hands, the head and the heart of Victorious to-morrow as I hold this cock bound. Bind also the members of the horses which he may drive, hinder them from springing forward. Precipitate their driver from the char­ iot, so that he may be dragged across the hippodrome." Where Students Get Even. A-$ifej£re is a time when the professor iias the whip hand of the student; and another when the student can "take It out" of the professor. At least, it is so in Paris. The professor can be "stiff" at the examination; the student can take his revenge at lecture. M. Bartin, professor of Roman law in the university, is, the Newcastle Chron­ icle's correspondent says, accused of being too severe at the recent exam­ inations, and for days now he has found it quite impossible to lecture. The students raise a veritable pande­ monium, and there seems to be no remedy--or, at least, none that the dons care to invoke.--London Globe. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOQOOOOOOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP The Rebuilding of San Francisco. Strictures Costing Over $40,000,000 greeted Sines Earthquake San Francisco, Cal.--The sum of $40,128,753 represents the aggregate of building In San Francisco for which permits have been applied since the middle of last May, when the building inspection bureau resumed its opera­ tions. Of this 21 new office and other buildings represent $3,050,000; reen- forced concrete and other class B construction contribute $2,194,100; brick buildings in general contribute $14,198,549; frame structures, $16,- 387,902, and the alterations of build­ ings gutted by fife add $4,298,202, The report shewing the above totalB has been presented to the hoard ol public works by Building Inspector Horgan. The number of buildings taken up each month and their cost is segregated, and the rapid rebound in building operations is shown by the monthly totals. For May permits were issued for all classes of buildings to the amount of $795,619. June showed a great gain, $1,689,288. The subsequent increases by months were as follows: July, $2,- 389,l^l; August, $4,548,551; Septem­ ber, $6,309,013. October showed a slight decrease over the previous month, $6,046,369. November made a decided gain, $7,233,765. The rains of the past two months show in the final totals, for December, $5*915,290, and January, $5,201,357. 'To Adopt War Balloons Government Will Make Tests; *© cover Best Kind. fcis- important Discovery. A process of plating aluminum with copper by welding methods has been invented in Germany by Herr Wach- nitz. This is regarded as important because one of the obstacles to a wider use of aluminum has been its comparative lack or resistance to the action of many fluldB and its failure to hold paint These objections are removed when it Is covered with a thin plating of copper, while its weight' is, not materially increased. Washington.--The United States government is about to commence an extensive system of experiments with balloons to ascertain what kind of air craft is most suitable for use in the army. Some system will theft be adopted and put into use. Gen. Allen, chief signal officer of the army, has h«en making preparations for the experiments for some weeks, but is now about to launch the actual work of making the tests of various balloons and airships. It is the intention to conduct the experiments just outside of Omaha, Neb., and for this purpose $50,000 of money already appropriated has been allotted for fitting up the fort with all the necessary appliances, including gas tanks and repair shops. Gen. Allen declared his belief that this country was far ahead of any other in the matter of flying machines. Already, he said, there hadbeeh de­ veloped some which would furnish a few surprises. Greek PatriotjDes Apostolos M aw rogenia.Mtlio last of the Greek championp of liberty of 1821, has died, at the age of 114. Maw- rogenis was born at Piraeus ip 1792, and on account of the cruelty of the Turkish government had to flee with his parents to Italy, where he later studied medicine. When the war of independence started he formed a le­ gion of the Greeks studying in Italy and with it served under the command of the great Kolokotrom. He continued in the army for 45 years and- retired as surgeon general. MMUPAOS HAVe MO«J. *HOJI- S'.C; OUGH 8Y8TEW. Locomotive Must Make So much Mile- . age Between "Shoppings"--C©?t of Repairs Noted Through v.':V Records Carefully Kept. : When a locomotive is built it is expected to make a certain mileage before It receives a general overhaul­ ing. When thit overhauling is done it is again required to make a defi­ nite mileage. A modern passenger locomotive is expected, says the Ohio Magazine, to cover 100,000 miles between general "shoppings," intermediate repairs be­ ing made at the various roundhouses. Responsibility for failure of a loco­ motive to perform the work cut out for it is easily fixed by means of a sys­ tem of records. The superintendent of shops is responsible for all power cut out of service on the road and placed inside the shop grounds, and this reponsibility does not end until the locomotive is iready for service again. From the time that it is ready for service until it Is once more cut out for repairs in the shop the mas­ ter mechanic shoulders the reponsi­ bility. * When the locomotive Is ready to leave the shops it is inspected joint­ ly by the shop inspector, under the superintendent of shops, and an in­ spector working under the master me­ chanic. Every workman who has any part whatever in the handling of the locomotive is responsible to his im­ mediate foreman, just as the foreman is responsible to his superiors. In spite of the many intricate parts of a locomotive the company records show less than one engine failure for every 16,000 miles. An "engine fail­ ure" is a delay of one minute or more to any train, provided it is caused by a failure df the machinery of the lo­ comotive. Each of the many locomotives of a big system--790 in one case--has a decided individuality in the eyes of the railroad. At headquarters is known not only the cost of original construction but the cost of labor and materials used in repairs -and the en­ tire expense of maintenance down to' date. The labor of every man who works for even an hour upon a certain en­ gine is charged to that engine, each mechanic recording his labor upon a slip of paper known as a daily time certificate, which in turn is certified to by his immediate foreman and for­ warded to the general timekeeper. The records of the road enable the of­ ficials to show the exact cost of labor and material for each mile that a lo­ comotive travels, or each ton hauled. In the case of collisions or wrecks, where'the fault is not one of defective workmanship or material, the locomo­ tive may enter the general shops for rebuilding, even though it may not have completed the mileage assigned to it, and no responsibility attaches itself to those on whom It would oth­ erwise fall. The locomotive is simply repaired and is allowed to complete the mileage originally assigned it. When a locomotive is brought into the shops for work it is first stripped by the men who comprise what is known as the stripping gang. This gang immediately takes off such parts of the engine as are necessary for the respective job. The parts to be repaired are cleaned in a vat and the* work is then distrib­ uted among the various employes of the machine and blacksmith depart­ ments, each part when repaired to be returned to the erecting side of the shop, to be mounted again on the lo­ comotive by the date on which it is scheduled to go on the road. The dates are posted in a conspicuous place convenient0^ each repair gang. £, EAR RACED EXPRESS TRAIN. His Pound of Flesh. An English debtor has been allowed to pay off a debt of about $80 at the rate of one penny a month. It will re­ quire 200 years to complete the pay­ ments/ The sum was due a money lender, which explains the decision. Passengers on Pennsylvania Line Wit­ ness Novel Sight. Passengers in the observation car on the rear of a New York and St. Louis limited, over the Pennsylvania railroad, were treated to an exciting i;ace between the train and a big black bear Tuesday, says the Altoona (Pa.) correspondent of the Philadelphia North American. As the train came round the horse­ shoe curve bruin ambled down off the mountain and stopped In the road which leads to Altoona, paralleling the Pennsylvania main line for some dis­ tance. Seeing the train coming to­ ward it, the bear turned and fled city­ ward as fast as its legs could carry its great bulk. Passengers crowded to the rail for a better view. The bear had a good start and made fast time, but the limited left it in the rear. For a mile the passengers watched the unequal sp§ed contest, applaud­ ing bruin's efforts. Fl^glinan W. C. Wynkoop saw the last of the bear about two miles outside of the city limits, and it was still running. Wyn­ koop and Capt. John Tressler, an old bear hunter, started for the moun­ tains, in search of the bear after the train arrived here, but failed to find it ilk: * .<.' «r, ""'si •t'L'/rf ^ i-i + i,'-'" ' •; -4 W: Odd Railroad Accident. One of the most remarkable railroad accidents in the history of the Penn­ sylvania railroad happened to one of the big locomotives used in hauling high class freight. The train was go­ ing east at high speed, and as it nearedr Duncannon the front truck of the engine and pilot suddenly flew off and were hurled with a crash against a fence, says an Altoona (Pa.) corres­ pondent of the Philadelphia Record. Engineer W. B. Glazier heard thte noise and felt the jar of the big ma­ chine, but he could not locate the cause. He leaned out of the car win­ dow, but could see nothing unusual. After the train had gone some dis­ tance Fireman Frank Beverlin made an investigation and discovered that the truck was missing. He reported it to the engineer, but he could neither stop nor go back, ?rfid as the locomotive appeared to be w Ing all right they kept right along an took the train Into Harrlsburg on time. What averted a pile-up is a mystery Water Consumed by Engine. The engine of an express train con­ sumes 12 gallons t»f water --'w Tail* traversed. J w^ter ^r each r / 1 % \ f i t Robert Williams. With tireless hands he feeds the coal IB the thundering monster's maw, And hour by hour he trusts his soul to the God whom he never saw, And hour by hour hl's life depends on the care of the other man WhS, scanning the track where it slopes or bends, keeps vigil as best he can. Swiftly the miles go flitting awAy as the tireless mohster speeds, And bravely he labors as best he may, giving the food It needs, And if dangers rise while his eyes are dim as he looks in the flery glare He must trust to the skill and the care of him who watches beside him 'T there. '"V# He may not sit with his arms at rest lM!# watch for the danger sigh, * . He may only hope that they do their best who are guarding along the line; • Hour by hour his work is done and hour •by hour his fate Depends on the care and the call of one who may give him the word too late. The hiss of steam is the sweetest song that evier he Naears or knows, v - - u . • • t Jtie worth of his toiling shows; And in every throb" as they rush along With tireless hands he feeds the coal to the thundering monster's maw, j And hour by hour he trusts his «^ :$%the^ riorl whom he never saw. ,A .*" God whom he never saw.: -S. E. Kiser. OPENING ^ CENTRAL AFRICA. Railroad System to Develop Vast^ln- eral Wealth, Great schemes are afoot for tho opening up of Central Africa by a rail­ way system from the west coast that will eventually link up with the Cape- to-Cairo route and develop a vast area of mineral wealth. The Benguella railway, the first sec­ tions of .which are already opened for trafficyblUB its coast terminus at |*»- iry'M SS" v: U -- bito Bay, the finest natural harbor In South Africa, and already a regular port of call for the Union Castle and other liners. The railway, which i*uns in an easterly direction through An­ gola, will form part of a new highway that in a few years' time will shorten the journey from London to, Johannes­ burg by 3,000 miles. The originator of this striking scheme is Robert Williams, the manag­ ing director of the Tanganyika Con­ cessions, Limited. Mr. Williams is one of the early pioneers of South Africa and an intimate friend of the late Cecil Rhodes. The Tanganyika Concessions, Limited, was registered in January, 1899, to take over a pon- cesslon secured by Mr. Williams in northern Rhodesia, carrying the right to prospect within an area of 2,000 square miles for two years and to lo­ cate 1,000 mining claims anywhere in, northern Rhodesia. .. ^ ^ ik „v. " I -• " * I . * * #- *rr- GETS PASS--"GOOD IN MEXIO&* Disappointment of a Man Whom the ' Railroads Befriended. "Maybe you think I didn't shock this morning," said a Kansas City business man. "You know the railroads have always sent me annual passes. I had supposed that the in­ terstate commerce law had put me on the has-been list. Imagine my sur­ prise when I opened my mail this morning to find one of the familiar little envelopes which usually conceal 2*\ - an annual pass. On the outside was the usual printed line to the effect that it was sent with the compliments of one of the officials of the road, "Sure enough, tt was an annual pass on the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient railroad. You can imagine how elated I was, for I knew if one railroad was sending out annuals the others would. Jujjt then I caught a glimpse of a printed line under my name. It read: 'Good only in the Republic of Mexico.' My spirits , fell to zero again. The Orient had 400 miles of track in opera­ tion in Mexico, but I would have to pay fare for a ride of more than a thousand) miles before I could use my pass." .4' •$*' F«<ite Irish Vralnm^ . Speed and punctuality are, said Amy Griflin, a County Clare lady, be­ fore the Irish railway commission at Dublin, not the strong points of the trains in the Kllkee district of the county. She had heard that on one occasion a lady, passenger had a canary, which escaped from its cage, and the train stopped while she tried to capture tbe bird.--London Daily Mail. h ̂ rs. , v: FPP V The Conductor's Mistake. A conductor on the O'Fallon Park division of the St Louis & Suburban railroad had such a good run of busi­ ness Sunday afternoon tha^ he had difficulty in keeping himself supplied with small change, says the St. Lotlls lobe-Democrat. Many passengers who patronized his car handed" him dollars and bills of larger denomina­ tions in payment of their fares. The conductor, however, managed to get along fairly well until a woman carrying a tiny infant boarded 'bis car. When he approached the woman for her fare she handed him a five- dollar bill. "Is that the smallest you have, madam"?" queried the conductor, fear- ing-another stringency in change. The woman looked at the conduetor and then at her baby, and made this surprising reply: "Yes, I have been married only 12 months." o ^ - - v;; '.I Timber Used for Tl« More than 90,900,000 ties were bought by railroads in the United States last year, involving 3,000,000,- 000 to 4,000,000,000 feet 4t,sound ttm , ber. , ' ; , ^ ,®v.'3 '-itV,'.