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THE DRUM. •, rfr.vt ** MH8 WJilTt OllB *Oh, tbe dim »n ! • ^ There is somo - • IntomiHonin thv i iyr.tt«rtaif9 that .iWilj «r • Tbronrih the de«f. , \ Bti»y palpitating •yllaMesttjftia.u^ou the ear I There *a ft part • . .. Oftbe art .. • \ . • • ;.v . • 'v " ' Of thv taniteMSirohKing heart; , That thrills a something in ub that awakfrni with a start, • V\ 'And In rhvino « With the clime .'• v' >' _ And exactitude of time, w»» marching on to glory of the- melody «ub "" lime. ' ' •*." X y • * ' - ;..7 • m gm Of the breant - . ... . . -- That thy rolling robs <*»«• ,. • Tf> n patriotic spirit as a Continental dressed; And he looms From the glooms Of a centurv of tombs, LliJ.wa li« siiilUtt «tt UndagtoAim living JJIOOUIS. : ^ , mn-pose pure and wise: lifted to a something in Red anT -white, Witli a blur Of stwry light, i it laugh? in silken ripples to the breezes day and nighty • /;"£;?• •^TThero tare deep ^ 4 • !> :,¥ h*',S5»Ai.WN, -«l»a the imirmur, fainter growing, on the silence irt:-»-*sr falls asleep, le tIio prayer „ . , liising there >!<•} ' Wills the sea and earth and air P2K <As a heritage to freedom's BOMB and daughters fj'y'rip' ' everywhere. ; - Jttien, with sound As profound • ..ii, . As the thond<sring resoondt, . " v C o m e t h y w i l d r e v e r b e r a t i o n s & a t h r o e t h a t shakes the"ground, • *v/.\ / >*.um Flnng on high, •• . iL. Like th%fiag it fatten by, . Wings rapturously opwaid till it nestle* ia the «kr- • • y- " $h, the drum! . There is some » . • w ' i L I n t o n a t i o n I n t h y g r a m f ptonotony of utterahce that strikes the' spirit dumb, t Am we hear \ * Through the clear ^ * *! And unclouded atmosphere - palpitating syllables roll in upon the est! ' GIRLIE'S PROMISE. BY VELMA CAWWEIX-UELVIUE. I. . "Promise me, Girlie,®that you will be •rue to me, that you Mill never become p/^he wife of another." "Don't talk like that, Fred. Oh jf | > ^fcon't! I cannot endure it.' ip •• I:" r.* • "*But will you promise me, give me this assurance to make death easier, to Inake it possible for me to leave you, , iflarling ? Oh precious wife, how can I I <lie now when we are so happy ? But - $he promise, Girlie!" "I shall never care forany one again, h-- . Hear, or want to marry." s ^' •*' ~No, and so it will be easy for you to • gratify this last wish of mine. You . fnust promise me; you are mine! mine, • , I say!--and no one else must ever call ,>vS||;;|ou his. Repeat this vow after me, f 'J< Girlie, if you love me: "1 will never ';iv; aggravating the pain; but when a oool, magnetic hand was laid on her forehead Mid a low, soothing voioe said, "Tour head is no better, I fear," she bid to open them a little. A stranger's face was dimly visible bending over her. Vaguelv she wondered who he was. She did not remember having seen him before, and yet there was something restful in his touch and presence, like there is in a mother's for a weary child. With a sigh she closed her eyes again. Weary days and weeks of pain and delirium followed, during whioli one hand alone could cool the f«vered brow, one voice hush the wild ravings. There was a time when ttii had given her up save this same one indomitable spirit. Alone, as it were, he battled with death and came off victorious. But the conflict was not won even when the crisis was past and reason again en­ throned. She was so frail and weak. She reminded the dauntless watcher of a bit of thistle-down, liable at any mo­ ment to float from sight forever. Like a wraith she lay quietly among the pil­ lows, too weak to question or even won­ der who the stranger was who- so seldom left her for any length of time, and who Seemed able to anticipate every want. But when she li»d grown- a little stronger, and he was less 'beside her, she questioned Aunt Millie concerning him. " Why, bless you, sweet child, 'tis he who saved your life. I never saw any one like him before; when the old doctors iand all of us had given you up, he just hung over you night and day. I've seen him reel like a drunken man he'd be that weak and ex­ hausted. For forty-eight hours when you were at the worst he did not eat a bite, only drank a cup of coffee oc­ casionally, . and the day the disease turned he was as white as you are now, I tell you, pet, he's one of God's noble­ men, 111 never forget him while I live." > "But who is he?" whispered Girlio, with wondering eyes. "Why, he's Dr. Mortimore Burt, a nephew of the old Doctor and a partner now. "Ah !" and that was all she said. ':V I W '- M- ra. Winter reigned supreme when once more the little widow could be down stairs, carried there in Mark's strong arms. One evening she sat in the gathering twilight. Outside the flakes of snow came whirling lightly down gradually forming miniature mounds and pyramids above the graves of last year's flowers. Within, an open wood fire crackled and blazed cheerily, filling the room with^a ruddy glow, and shedding a soft radi­ ance over the slender form ill the great crimson chair before it. A loose, white, woolen robe swept the floor and On one thin hand her wedding ring sparkled. The brown eyes were gazing thought­ fully into the leaping flames, but the least bit of a smile parted the red lips. Some one pausing outside the window for a moment before ringing the bell, noted it all. Girlie started and listened intently for the voice that should follow Ellen's answer to the bell. "Oh!" and she sank back in supreme content, it was he, "Aunt Millie is sick with headache, and I was real lonesome," she said al­ most in apology for the pleasure she could not help evincing when the stal­ wart form and smiling face of Mortimore Burt bent over her. "Did you look for me ?" "A little," and she blushed, a little for no possible reason under the sun. He drew a chair near, and for a while they freely discussed her health and everyday topics in general; and then a restraint, never before felt in each other's society, came over them. That they were dan­ gerously happy seemed to simultane­ ously dawn upon the mind of each. There was a silence broken suddenly by Dr. Mortimore's low voice asking: "Mrs. Gleason, do you consider a promise wrung from a person by a dy­ ing friend, binding? I mean an un­ reasonable promise." He had not calculated on the effect of his words. Leaning forward with clasped hands and fluttering breath she gasped: "Why do you ask me that question? Oh! Doctor, who could have told you ? No one heard it--not even my poor, dead boy. Oh! merciful heaven, that I were sleeping by his side! Why did you not let me die?" "My dear child," his tone and address was that of the calm, commanding physi­ cian now, "you must not agitate yourself thus. No one has told me anything, and I had no idea that my simple question could rouse sad memories in other breast than my own. Forgive me, and we will dismiss the subject for the present, or for all time." She leaned wearily back, but there was a look of hopelessness in her face that hurt him inexpressably. "It may be as well," she said, "but someway I'd like to tell somebody about it. Nothing can change the reality now, though, and Gcd knows, and I know, that I refused my husband's last request until he had drifted beyond the $ound of my voice." A sudden light dawned upon the phy­ sician's mind. Possibly here lay the cause of the terrible months of suffering. She had so dwelt upon some imagined wrong to the dead that it had worn her out. "Mrs. Gleason, if your words convey to me your true meaning, it will be best for you to make me your confidant, or perhaps an exchange of confidence may be beneficial to us both. Shall I began?" Smiling faintly through her now fast falling tears, she answered: "Let me speak first lest my courage fail," and then she told in substance what the reader already knows of that death-bed scene, ending in a scene of hysterical weeping; but some how it did not seem so terrible when she had once told it. Dr. Burt was a man of dominant power and convincing logic. He never spoke hurredly or unadvisedly; but when he handled a subject or canvassed a matter there seemed to be nothing left to be said, and his hearers were generally convinced. So it was with Girlie listening to his calm reasoning and assurance. "You did perfectly right to evade making such a promise, and when you , ., , I did make it you were not yourself; in Physician, | fact you were, in my opinion, wholly did what they j irresponsible. Neither do I think . j your husband responsible for the ! "I'm .fraid ifs going bnj the disordered fancy 1 love you and will be true to you?" uie f ' J-oung wife sobbed. _ "Girlie, I believe that you love me Iw.-t 1*9w'» but by and by you will forget me, !'f' 'C ' "Hvill laugh and be gay as you used to be .\|tnd after while love and marry another. f£,>" Merciful heavens! the thought drives : teemad. My wife belonging to another! . jit must not, shall not be! Promise! p'r; Jpromisequick, or----" 7 '.J A paroxysm broke off the sentence • Sfcnd the terrified girl cried out: "Oh, <' * IFred, I promise, as heaven is my wit- I i tiess." ' But the man heard her not, and the t4®iext moment she was alone, widowed f' ,*>n Easter morning. |V. s A little more than a year before Frederick Gleason had married Doro- 1 >, thea Blair (or Girlie, as every one had fsalled her from babyhood), in her pretty western home, and brought her I-.. fbere to his handsome suburban re3i- r ®,roni their first meeting he loved her with all the depth of jfervor of his jealous, passionate nature, , ^sometimes almost appalling her with >> iiis worshipful adoration, at others 1"' kfrightenjier with his unreasoning jeal- . *>usy» bufcyin the main they had been |\ ^ Very happy. She loved him; but had 4 " b?en dying, the extortion of such a : • |>ruuiise as he required of her would ; ftiever have occurred to her. She f*fould have expected him to go on with ; J , life and make the most of it--would Jiave wanted him to. After all, hers f tvas the truest, purest love; most de-"Void of self and selfishness. ^ ' W2ien the will came to be read it was k. > Sfound that everything was hers--so long she remained his widow! •ft*" This proviso made much talk outside, among sympathizing friends; but •.? #o the wife it made no difference; it ^ V * make none since that Easter vow. y?:. - may not have heard, but she had ,<palled on heaven to witness, and doubt- k .• less it was recorded there; and the ^nost poignant element in her grief was Shat he had not given the promise .jooner, when he first asked. "He did not 'shear me; I refused his last request!" jfjvas the burden of her silent moan through weary days and sleepless Oughts. Everything she could do that •he thought he would want her to, she Slid, even fashioning each article of her inourning outfit with reference to hi« .ptnown tastes. " The maiden aunt who had given her 1 & home before her marriage--she being fen orphan--now came to be company for her. Besides these two, there were |n the house a man and his wife, who faanaged the work outdoor and in, and Jwere most faithful to their yOung mis­ press interests. If- Spring and summer passed, and it .fa* '*eemed to Aunt Millicent that Girlie i>fv sadder and more grief-stricken j each succeeding week. "Must he she am t well, for it ain't natural for the young to pine so," she confided to Ellen, the housekeeper. „ . l°°ks, strange; she ought to be worthy UP this time'" rePlied that n. : .? late ^ tall that the younff T TV»r-utrength £ailod entirely, and * Aunt Millicent found her one morning i<sin a faint by the bedside. Mark -'dispatched for the while the two women i-could. "Poor child," said the braiiytrouble; her symptoms are like ' those of a person breaking under some Txnental strain." "She's just grieving herself to death for poor Fred," her aunt declared. In the evening, when he came again Girlie felt, rather than saw or heard' that some one accompanied him. The ' distress in her head was so severe that % jV the room was in twilight, and she could % /f%. lite / of a diseased mind. In health he had never made such a request, I "presume, nor did he make it until everything earthly was fading from view, andjin his last spasmodic effort to retaiujrfs hold on you,;he did ths^t wliiGk^ihfull pos­ session 4oi his faculties he would not have done. And yet,/' he added, "when you hear my story, jha wJil see that I, too, have a superstitious reverence for such promises * Twelve years siî cel met and became Self-Murder by Drags. "When it was stated a couple of years ago, that the cocaine habit would prove worse, if possible, than the morphine habit, the statement was made after consulting a distinguished physician. It was taken up and ridiculed by some medical writers, but the number of vic­ tims is increasing. Many of them are physicians. Any drug that does what these drugs do, anything, in fact, that gives seeming strength or sleep to the system, or deadens the sense of pain, without removing its cause (unless the strength is derived from digested food and the influence of natural forces, and the sleep from normal fatigue) must have the" power to produce a habit, and the habit overthrows natural nutrition. Meantime the statement has been made that "nerve foods" have been dis­ covered whose use is not attended by reaction or injurious effects of any kinds. Medicines are advertised as producing no tendency to a habit; that their use can be discontinued without the slight­ est inconvenience. All these statements, one alter another, prove lies. To take no medicine, no stimulant, no opiate, except when unmistakably and abso­ lutely necessary--then the least possi­ ble quantity to accomplish the re­ sult, and cessation at the earliest possi­ ble point--constitute the only safe rules. The best physicians of all schools know this, practice it themselves, and so far as possible lead their families to do so. The people at large are too ignorant, too much afraid of pain, too unwilling to deny transient enjoyments or to be j governed by hygiene, to pay physicians for wisdom, if they tell them they need nothing but cleanliness, exercise, and moderation. They tur* to the quack, the patent medicine bottle, the pare­ goric, Jamaica ginger (another name for spiced rum), patent gas, or any one of the thousand ways of trying to escape the penalty of continuing to act As though nature's laws were a fraud.--- Christian Advocate. ^ •" r He Slipped. "Why, Jones, you are allbunged up." "Yes; Christmas present "Whv- « 'Pair of slippers^ ""I don't see-- "Banana peel _ Chicago Ledger. interested in a young lady. We friends for a time, but friendship np- idly ripened into lore, and we were ma- gaged. I was attending Ann Arbor at the time, and the plan was that we would be married on the day after I graduated. She lived in Detroit; my home was in a little country village in Illinois. It lacked some ten weeks of the time referred to, when I received an anonymous letter telling me that my affianced was untrue, or, as the letter expressed it, was playing her cards for a wealthy bachelor, with every likeli­ hood of winning. Her letters to mo were much as usual, and I waited in silence, praying Heaven it might not be true. One week before commencement she wrote me asking for her freedom, and saying she did not love me. Taking a sheet of paper I simply penned the words: "It shall be as yon desire." "I graduated in spite of my trouble. In fact I was righteously indignant as well as grieved. "To be thrown over for'money, when I felt sure she cared for me, w&s un­ bearable, and I determined to make her see the time that I would be inde­ pendent. Nerved by this thought, I went home and began practice. Six months passed, when I received a tele­ gram from her father begging mv' im­ mediate presence, as Ciair was dying. Of course I went, and, though the man she had intended to marry was in the house, she vowed she cared for po one but myself. When I saw her remorse, heard her entreaties for forgiveness, felt I her arms about my neck, and her wet I cheek against my own, all the anger ! died out, all the pain and wi-ong %as forgotten. Three days later she died in my arms, with her latest breath extort­ ing a promise from me to be true to her memory and never marry another. " 'It won't be for long, Morfc,'," she said, '(rod then you will come to me. Re­ member, Clair will always be waiting and watching for you.' "That was ten years ago, and I have never been tempted to break my pledge until " He paused; his eyes bent on the delicate, tear-stained face beside him. "Oh, Mortimore!" Involuntarily he extended his arms and the next moment was kneeling by her chair, the slender form pressed to his bosom. "Forgive me, Girlie, for my weak­ ness," he said, as she struggled from his embrace, "I will be on my guard in the future. Your feelings in the mat­ ter shall always be my guide; but re­ member, nothing but your vow stands between ̂ s; from mine I feel myself ab­ solved at last by the presence of this great, overwhelming love. IV. . It was Easter time again. Thrice had the snowdrifts piled above the sod be­ neath which Frederick Gleason slept. : The fair widow, from her place in the choir, and Dr. Mortimore Burt from his pew, listened on that peaceful Sab­ bath morning to the reading of the words: "Butthey which shall be ac­ counted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry aor are given in mar­ riage." Of course the leading point in the able discourse which followed was on the resurrection; but enough was said of the rest to rouse the oft-re­ peated questions in Girlie Gleason's mind: "Am I doing right to wrong the living by a false notion of duty to the dead ? I cannot be any man's wife up there, because such a relation is un­ known. If it is not right for me to ac­ cept love and happiness here,, why was it put in my way ?" Nobly Mortimore Burt had respected the vow made by the woman he loved with all the intensity of his perfect man­ hood. Aunt Millie had well named hjm "one. of God's noblemen." That evening they again sat in the glowing firelight. No word was being spoken when he startled her by the question in a low, weary voice: "Must I wait forever, Girlie? There is no marrying or giving in marriage there." "No, Mort, not if you will take It pen­ niless bride. Yoli know the provision of the will." • "Many Easter tides have come and gone since then, and Dr. Mortimore Burt and his charming wife are sailing calmly, lovingly down the steam of Time together, surrounded by manly sons and blooming daughters. Life is such a real thing, and the hands and heart of the wife and mother have been so full she has never had time or in­ clination 'to regret her broken Easter vow. Table Customs of the Aricients. •' It was one of the ancient customs to recline at the feast; and the banqueting rooms, gorgeously carpeted, Were fitted up with luxurious Couches.-.. Thus Plato --not the philosopher, but a poet of the 8Ame name-- says: $>- ."There the well-drosscd guest* reolia* .v - On couches rich with ivory ftet: And on their purple cushions din®. Which rich Surdinian carpets meet..* And Anaxandridess "Open the supper rooms, and sweeps tb» house And Bpretul the coaches fair." Heraclides says that the Persians were the first who engaged artistic ex­ perts especially to arrange these coaches; and that on one occasion Artaxerxes presented his friend Timagoras, the Cretan, with a tent of great size and beauty, and a couch with silver feet, with an accompanying message, saying: "I send you, O Timagoras, the couch and coverlets and a servant to arrange them, as this is a matter the Greeks know not of." It is related of this same Cretan, that he had so completely se cured the favor of the Persian King, that the latter invited him to a baaquet of the royal family, an honor neve* be­ fore paid to any Greek. - . r -V Here is another cmtom of the anoints, THE STORY OF A GUST. XNTAREMING Sketch of • UkgiilfiMfit SJMMI- m«a of l'lijr*ie»l Manhood. The following history of a remarkable man, which we compile from a sketch published in a Michigan journal many years ago, tends to show that, notwith­ standing the almost universal desire for unusual gifts, it is, after all, the dead level which is safest, since even physi cal strength and noble proportions, when in excess, may so ostracize and »iet apart a man as to make his pre-emi- tence a positive drawback to him The first record we have of Charles Frieeman, the subject of this sketch, is that he appeared among other laborers on a Western canal about the yea* 1840, where his extraordinary strength and stature attracted much attention, _ Freeman is said to have been at that time eight feet tall and to have meas­ ured three feet across the shoulders. His arms where they sprang from his chest Were as large as a medium-sized man's body, and they tapered down to a hand not less than three inches in thick­ ness, while the fists cuuld only be com­ pared to a sledge-hammer in size and strength. His age was then 17 years, and he was still growing in bulk. He received the wages of an ordinary workman, but bis enormous strength made him a most destructive one. Such a Titan should have had giant tools made on purpose for him, for when he siezed an ordinary shovel it went through the, clay like a breaking-up plow, and the handle soon came off if the blade held. An ordinary ax was but a feather in his hand; it sunk to the eye in the wood and the helve splintered. He seemed quite in­ capable of measuring the force he laid out, like ordinary men. When he stood among a gang of laborers the contrast made them look like children. The strolling Indians would stare at him in amazement a few moments, and then with a deep "Ugh" would hasten out of sight as rapidly as their dignity would permit. He was put to do the work of two pairs of oxen; to remove the trunks of trees, cut in. leugths o." ten or twelve feet, out of the way of the diggers. He did not drag it aside as oxen would have done, but, putting his right hand under the end of the log, raising it from the ground, then balancing it across his left forearm, he shot it far out to one side with all the ease that a skilled workman piles split cordwood. And thus, day after day, the giant worked until the canal was finished. Freeman's next appearance was on the boats that plied along the Huron Kiver, in Michigan, where he was at once engine and tackle to handle heavy freight. What others could not shove or roll he would pick up and carry,, or perhaps toss. When the heavily- freighted boat struck on the ripples he often stepped out of the stern and pushed it over: The crew would have scarcely been surprised if he had taken both boat and barge under his arm and marched across by land when they came to long bends in the river. It was not long after this time that some sporting men unfortunately heard of this uncelebrated giant and con­ cluded that there was "money in him." Accordingly, he was persuaded to ac­ company them to the Eastern States under promise of far more profitable employment.: It is not strange that in such company the good natured giant soon fell into bad habits. Unfortunately giants are only men, and the gamblers who cap­ tured poor Freeman made sport of him as the Philistines made sport of the helpless Samson. It is related that at Buffalo they sent him into a dock saloon with a 1,600- pound anchor under his arm, much as a chopper carries his ax, to pawn it for drinks. He got the liquor and the bar­ keeper was glad to treat him for carry­ ing the anchor put again. The giant's new friends soon traveled to the sea-coast and finally sailed for England. They intended. ,to get the advantage of some English champion, but they found that they had an ele­ phant on their hands. A friendly sparring match as an ex­ periment, with a professional boxer, showed that for Freeman a match with any living pugilist was impossible. The giant's face could not be effectually reached. Blows on his body might as well have been planted on a sand-bag, while his blows were given with the force of a pile driver, and, no matter what they met, the obstacle went to the earth. " By the ruse of representing him as large and strong, but wholly ignorant of the science, his backers finally succeeded in making a match with a noted prize- lighter The parties came on the ground, but at the first sight of Free­ man his opponent turned away, saying: "I came to fight with a large man, not with a mountain." The. seconds and referees thereupon declared the match fairly "off." And now the unlucky giant became aware of the worthlessness of his mer­ cenary friends. While there was a prospect that he could win fortunes for them tliey had lured him far away from his home and his few humble friends; but now, finding that no money was to be made, they basely left him alone in fk strange land, without friends or re­ sources. From Michigan to. Ljiverpgol the style of living had been entirelynew to the simple and temperately reared countrymen. Intemperance, late hours, and recklessness had undermined his health, and a pulmonary trouble was developed. His enormous strength soon failed him,' and, unbred for and helpless, he shortly after died of con­ sumption. At this time probably no human being knows his resting plaoe.-- Detroit Free Press. > ' » and one in which we can see the origin .of our menu cards. Each guest, as soon as he had settled upon his couch, was handed a paper upon which was written the name of every article to be served at the feast and in the order in which it was to be served--a convenient, if not an indispensable custom; indeed, in the present day we would be apt to look upon the omission ns barbarous; for what could be more so than to keep a man of moderate gastronomic capacity in ignorance of some coming delicacy, and thus allow him, in the dark, to crowd it out with some previous dish or dishes which he may tolerate rather than fancy.-- Table Talk. w H® Washed the Tiger. When Pezon, the lion-tamer, was at Moscow with his menagerie, he had oc­ casion to employ a moujik, a fine speci­ men of a Cossack, to clean out the cages of the wild beasts. The Cossack did not understand a word of French, and the terms of the contract was settled in dumb show. By way of instructing him in his new duties, Pezon went through a sort of pantomime with the broom, sponge, and water bucket. The moujik watched him closely, and appeared to understand the details of the lessons given. Next morning, armed with a broom, a bucket, and a sponge, he opened the first cage he came to, and quietly stepped in, as he had seen his master step, on the previous day, into two cages of harmless brutes; but this one happened to be tenanted by a splendid but untamed tiger, that *ay stretched on tfte floor fast asleep. At. the noise made by opening and closing the door the creature raised its head, and turned its green eyes full on the man, who, all unconscious of his danger, stood in a corner dipping his big sponge into the bucket. At that moment Pezon came out of his caravan, and was struck dumb by the terrible sight that met his gaze. What could ho do to warn the man of his danger ? A sound, a movement on his part might enrage the great beast, and hasten its attack on the defenseless Cossack. So Pezon stood, awaiting de­ velopments, ready to rush to the scene when the crisis came. The moujik, sponge in hand, coolly approached the tiger,, and made ready to rub him down with the stolidity of a military bootblack polishing his cap­ tain's boots. The sudden application of cold to its hide evidently produced a very agree­ able effect on the tiger, for it began1 to purr, stretched out its paws,»rolled over on its back, and complacently offered every part of its body to the vigorous treatment of the moujik, who went on scrubbing with miglit and main. All the while Pezon stood there with his eyes wide open, and as if nailed to the spot. When he had finished his job, the Cossack left the cage as quietly as he had entered it, and it required the most energetic gestures on the part of the lion-tamer to prevent his repeating the experiment on a second wild beast.-- La France du 2Yord. Dynamite Guns. The practicability of using dynamite in heavy guns is believed to be now achieved by a peculiar method, recently originated, of expelling the projectiles from the weapon. In this case, while the pneumatic principle, which has al­ ready been utilized with so much suc­ cess, is still made available, compressed air alone is not relied upon, but with this is mixed a certain quantity of vola­ tile hydro-carbon, such as the vapor of gasoline. This compresscd mixture is introduced behind the projectile, and the pressure is applied to start it for­ ward in the chamber of the gun. After it has thus moved a certain distance the projectile itself uncovers a detonating fuse and an explosion then occurs, the air furnishing the oxygen for the explos­ ion, and the pressure being increased about eight times. It. is claimed that by this method the required initial pressure is not more than half as great as that involved in the former method. Not so much compressed air is neces­ sary, nor is it essential that the barrel of the gun be of such great length, the highest pressure, in fact, being about 4,000 pounds to the inch, the first press­ ure being not more than one-tenth of that. The detonator is inserted through a small circular opening fronjL the in- interior of the gun. A Tale of a Rat. "I was much interested in a sight I saw down in the cellar last night," said a patient in one of the hospitals of this city a day or two ago to a fellow patient who was confined to his bed, and I will tell you what it was: "As I went into the old unoccupied room, I heard something squealing. Being in my stocking feet I walked in without making any noise, and by the light that was burning dimly I saw a rat standing against a water-pail with something which looked like a piece of pretty thick black cord in its mouth. To my uttef surprise I soon discovered that what appeared to be a cord inthe the rat's mouth was really the tail of An­ other rat. After much tugging and amid much squealing (a great deal of which came from the inside of the pail) the outside rat dragged another over the edge of the vessel. It had rescued one of its fellows from a watery grave. At this moment some one noisily entered the room, and the rats scam­ pered away. I looked in the pail which was about two-thirds filled -with water, and discovered that the rat whose life was saved had been tempted over tbe edge by a large crust of bread which had been thrown there."--New York Sun. Information for the Teacher. The teacher of an infant class in St. Anthony Hill Sunday-school learned something from, one of her own tiny pupils a few Sundays ago. The teacher was explaining to the class the meaning of the word leper, and with great earn­ estness she showed how there were moral lepers as well as physical lepers --that, in short, sin was the leprosy of the soul, a malignant disease permeat­ ing the entire soul, and placing it be­ yond the pale of salvation. After she had enforced this lesson at some length she began catechising her little ones on it. "No, what is it, children," she asked, "that all of us are subject to; that is liable to oome upon the best of us and that we must always be on our guard against ?" One of the little girls raised her hand and coughed "Ahem!" to at­ tract the attention of the good teacher^ "Well, what is it, Lizzie?" asked tb« teacher. "It's worms, ma'm," was Liz­ zie's innocent reply.--St. Paul Pioneer- Press. THE world is on a broad grin when all nature 'smiles.--New Orleans Pica­ yune. ' Mix who have horse sense kftow when to say neigh.-- Boston Courier. Explorations In Greenland. Last July a Norwegian expedition started from the cast coast of Greenland to cross the country to the west coast. The route chosen lay along the paralle- of 65 degrees, 2 minutes longitude, nortl latitude. The distance to be traversed was estimated at about 425 miles. The mode of traveling over the snow and ice was by a Norwegian s/ci, the form and mode of use of which have been many times described iu the Companion. They are snow-runners--long strips of Pine wood without a flaw. (j The ski used upon this journey were about eight feet in length, one inch in thickness, and four inches in width. In the middle was a leather strap covered with wool for the foot, and a slight catch for the heel. 'Jumps of from twenty- five to thirty feet can be made upon these runners without breaking them, and many a Norwegian is as much at IT?6- °n ^en? as an Indian on his pony. This expedition was under the com­ mand of Doctor Nansen, a famous ski- runner. For carrying their provisions they had five hand-sleds of only half the weight of those usually taken m Arctic expeditions. The baggage, which was made as light as possible, consisted of the usual scientific apparatus, a camera, cooking utensils, and provisions. At the rate at fifteen miles a day, the journey was expected to occupy about 30 days. This would have brought the party to the west coast in ample time to take the last steamer to-Copenhagen in September. Unlooked for delays pro- vented theif return home, but reports have been brought of their safe arrival on the west coast. They had, however, been compelled to deviate from the route they had chosen, and reached the coast at a point much further south thau they had intended. The report of their observations will add to our knowledge of the geography of Greenland, but, on the whole, if we may judge from the reports received, the results will be disappointingly small. Many attempts have been made at different times to perform this journey, but all former ones have failed. The most that has been done was effected by Nordenskiold, Who in 1883, penetrated seventy-five miles from the east coast. From this point two Lapps of his party went on in advance one hundred and forty miles farther, making a total dis­ tance of two hundred and fifteen miles. This took them to the very heart of the -continent, if we may call the land a continent. * The Bear and the Lion. What a deluge of state secrets would be unfolded should the archives of the Foreign Office departments of European dynasties ever be given broadcast to the world. For instance, why is it that, in every change of the Cabinet in England, a polite message is sent from the Rus­ sian Embassy to the new Minister of Foreign Affairs directing attention to a particular document in a certain pigeon­ hole in the innermost Chamber of the Foreign Office ? Is it a reminder as well as a revelation of the inexorable British need of a real accord between the bear and the lion--no matter what the ostensible parade of mock antagon­ isms for the delectation of journalistic and parliamentary gobemouches? The Iron Duke--Wellington--gives to us an insight in the last volume of his correspondence, of the trepidation that always followed the recollection of ,the adroitly planned obligations of his country to other nations. Well he knew that, with some of these nationali­ ties, they might as well be in the, hands of a scheming mortgagee, so far as mag­ nanimity was concerned. Therein will be found the mystery of many episodes that have seemed so unaccountably strange to the news-reading public. The causes were remote and recondite; some going back into the last century. One fact appears pretty clear, that Russia--whether in Crimea, Paris, or Berlin--has her own way. No spectrum analysis ever made manifest colors more diversified than will be the revelations on that day of European unmaskings. The freely discussed discoveries of in­ quisition doings will be as child's play in comparison. We shall see what we shall see and need not trouble to order any eyeglasses beforehand to have clear cognizance of what's what. Whether they confess it or not, "the cabinets of Europe are the tools wherewith Russia works." These all-pregnant words were written more than half a century ago by that straightforward diplomat, Sir John McNeile, when recording varied diplo­ matic experiences. Every subsequent event on the chessboard of European doings has borne its testimony to the accuracy of Sir John's opinion. Acorns and Squirrels. At my suburban home in New Haven, a large colony of gray squirrels live in the trees surrounding that and neigh­ boring houses, and iu the late fall oc­ cupy themselves most industriously in burying nuts and acorns, chiefly the latter. It is amusing to see the furtive way in which they operate, and the care they take to quietly conceal the excava­ tion, by drawing the lea,ves over it. Thesaacorns are rarely buried in the firm earth, wluch would freeze solid, but only in the loose substratum of dead leaves, etc., which covers the surface. Then every day after the snow comes, and particularly in the very cold, snowy days of February and March, they may be seen making long leaps through the new drifts, or ludicrously sliding across the slippery crust, and suddenly diving clear out of sight, to reappear in a few moments with one of these buried nuts in their paws. I have seen this time and again, and I do not think they ever failed to go at the first dive directly to the treasure, though the snow might be one or two feet deep above it. I regard it purely^as an exhibition of memory, for I cannotsconceive how smell or any other sense can aid them. I do not suppose, they would have taken the trouble, however, had food been plenti­ ful outside.--Christian Union. Traveling Outfits, Trunk Dealer--I see. Want some­ thing for a six months' tour abroad. Well, madam, in the adjoining build­ ing I have a trunk which I'm sure you will like. Can't get it in tbe store-room; double door is too narrow. I thought of remodeling it and using it for a sea­ shore cottage, but if it will suit you I will let you have it cheap." Dame--I'm not the one who Ia going abroad; it's my husband. "Oh! George, show the lady one of those vest-pocket hand-satchels."-- New York Weekly. vr ft? '• ' „.h, ,v <•- THE Minister--As your guardian, Lucillie, I must insist upon yourregular attendance at devotional services. His Charge--Why, then, guardv, what makes you use such dreadfully dreadful words? You needn't insist at all. I've jgjft a new love of a bonnet and a per­ fect dream of * wrwp, lief go aa not.--Judge. COAPEKSBP FTNSINBSS. THE piece that passeth understanding 'f '\ --a piece of bakery mince pie.--Terre Haute Express. A MUSICAL journal says that Awiaw/Mt 7^ needs a national air. Does, eh? What's1 the matter with the blizzard?--The Wasp. EVE had one • advantage over the modern maiden--nobody ever twitted her with being a tailor-made girl.-- Drake's Magazine. s "Ahd how did Blifkins become in­ sane?" "By absorption. He slept for three months beneath a crazy quilt."-- Boston Transcript A. TOMMY--Say, pa, was there a best" 5 man at your wedding? Pa--I should ;/* remark. There she sits right now. Terre Haute Express. *'"] WHEN Tennyson wrote "The Charge of the Light Brigade" he did not allude J to the bills sent to consumers by the gqa companies.--Munsey's Weekly. y MB. S.--Shall we call on the Wether-' *? bees to-night, my dear? Mrs. S.--No; ' I have nothing to wear. Mr. S. --O, "V "then we'll go to the opera.--Life. * ] A LADY in anxious search for a dye- • • house on North Burdick street inquired If at the Globe Casket Factory if that was'vv" the place.--KalamaZoo Telegraph. ^ THEY say that they have discovered / a an extinct volcano in the immediate vicinity of Birmingham, Ala. It is & pity that it is extinct.--Atlanta (Cfa.) r\ Journal., ENGLISH Visitor --I see very few.' * gentlemen in your country, or people Si helevated above the necessity of work.. American--We call them tramps in thfa " country.--Sturdy Oak. THE late Oliver Ditson left $15,000 f- for the founding of a home for poor ... singers. But the sum is appallingly in- adequate. Fifteen millions wouldd*t house half of them.--Puck. A TEACHER asked a class to write an essay on "The Result of Laziness," and one of the bright but lazy boys in the class handed in as his composition, blank sheet of paper.--Exchange. " SEE here, wife; what did you 'come into this here furniture store for?" "Parlor fixtures." "Eh? I think since Jemima got her new beau we've got all the parlor fixtures we want."--Chicago Ledger. ' " • ogj _ THE English language is very incon- ^ sistent. A man who plunders is a plunderer; a man who makes armors is an armorer; but a man who makes saucers is not a sorcerer.--Pittsburgh Chronicle. ' IT is a great mistake to think when a man goes out between the acts at the theater and comes in working a clove , that he has been out for a drink. He only wants to introduce a little spice into the performance.--Yonkers States- man. ST. PETER--You were a good little boy on earth, and now you enter to your • • reward. Boy Spirit--Can I have a tin . horn and a drum and a horse fiddle? " "O, uo, but you can have a harp and a < w crown." "I wish I'd been bad."--New \ York Weekly. WE print for the first time the private autograph of the Emperor of Germany, to-wifc:s > His , William X Hohenzollem. marck. -- Washinton Critic. GEN. HARBISON'S newiy ^artihased horse, for use in Washington, is named "Bill." He should call him "Senate Tariff Bill,'* and then the Democratic members of the House, no matter how fast their nags might be, wouldn't pasa him.--Norristoivn Herald. THEIR wedding journey: He (pro­ saic)--Let's go to Niagara Falls. She (tender)--O, it's too cold there. Let us hie southward to--to that sweetly- named place in Florida? He--What place ? She (archly)--To Kissimee. (They go.)--Pittsburgh Chroniclb. UNLESS you know that a man is an habitual liar you have no right to call him a liar of any sort. This is a 'de­ cision handed down by an Ohio court. A man who lies a few times is no more a liar than the man who drinks now and then is a drunkard. -- Detroit Free Press. "WHAT a wonderful painter Reubens was!" remarked Merritt at the art gallery. "Yes," asserted Cora, "it ,ia said of him that he . could change s laughing face into a sad one by a single stroke." "Why," spoke up little Johnny in disgust, "my school-teacher can do that."--Harper's Bazar. MAINE husbands have a trick with, talkative wives. A man tells his wife that he is going to Aasangunatauso* gowmongotongo to fish. He then re­ quests all his friends to call at the house and inquire as to his whereabouts. When he returns, the poor woman is exhausted and does not speak again fox a month.--Saratoga Eagle. MRS. HOULIHAN--Phat's de» matter wid yure goat, Misthress Rafferty, that he do be scratchin' himself against the fince all de toime? Mrs. Rafferty-- Shure the poor baste shlipped into otu front room yisterday and loonched afl the Christmas wreaths. They were moighty dhry from lasht year, and 1 suppose they do be ticklin' him.--• Judge. THE NEW SHOES. Ton' know by the way she goes creaking about, Peering down from all possible views - At the two little feet thrust complacently Out, That Folly bad on her new Bhoea. They are neat, they are gay, they are bnttonad up high, And they are lined in a brilliant Mae tint; They are bright as the stars twinkling np is tfct sky, Or a penny just out of the mint. But it isn't for that she's so happy and prottd That she s almost unable to speak; It's because they give out such a loud-- ' Such a perfectly beautiful squeak. * • i --Emma A. Opper. i GROOM (at their first meal ftt hotae}-- Why, my darling, this spread is simplj superb. Bride (enthusiastically)--Yes, isn't it delicious? "And yet you have no girl?" "No, she didn't come." "P had no idea, no expectation at all, ol such a treat. What a treasure you are ?" "You didn't suppose I could be so thoughtful, did you, dear ?" " Thought­ ful?" "Yes, I knew you'd be hungry, and as I don't know a thing about cook­ ing, I engaged Monsieur Bigbili, the caterer, to serve our meals until the gfal came."--Philadelphia Record. s§| An Optimistic View. _ "Did yon hear about Billv Smith's ao> • eident?" asked one traveling mftn ot another. "No: what was it?" r „ "He was caught in a railroad aodk dent." «, "Was he badly hurt?" ' "Yes; he was veiy unfortunate, had an eye put out." •!! "Is that so? Well that's too bad, ain't it ? But, at the same tinxe, titan / is some comfort for him." - "Where do you find it?" vSS "Why, you know Billy was awfoHy - crosa-eyed."--Commercial Traveler, ^ • - •, 51 't'fw ^ " w '-/\l '-AM,! --