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•MBKa'4 THE EV6NINQ STAR. When sunset light s " ' "Oires place to night $ mountain tops aCt$ "•- With light more soft; ID heaven. aloft ppesra the evening tttt. pfc* ;K»f ft* beauty seems, , . . .„ , _,As high it gleams, ; ^ ije lull the heart to ONft. • <, JWe mourn the day, ~'JBat gladly say 'r W« loTe the starlight best ' - "I ; When grieved in heart, ^ ^ Though 'tis our part know more night than day, The star of hope Forbids us mope, Juod cheers with soothing ttj. --Waverley Magazine. . •••••••••••••J Almost a Burglary. S IHHIHIMHHIMS ""t> RS. DRISCOLL had a mind of her own. Some uncharitable people went so far as to say that if she had not had so much mind her husband •Bight have been living to-day. Be that as it nifty, he died and left her sole mistress of a handsome property, with Bo one to oppose her will. *>, She adopted one of his nieces, and fbved her as well as she could love toy one but herself. The niece grew up a winsome lassie, and had lovers, as maidens will. Luckily her choice was her aunt's as ttell, and the day was set for her mar- dage with Harry Wlnship without op­ position, the only condition being that .they should return to Mrs. Driscoll's home after a briof wedding tour. '•Well, Kate," said the stately lady, the day before the wedding, "every­ thing is ready, and I must say that I never saw preparations more complete --not even for your uncle's funeral, poor man! I always meant to give you a handsome marriage portion, so get your hat--we'll go to the bank." -What girl would delay under similar circumstances? The carriage was speedily ordered, and soon stopped before the bank. Except the bant officials, there was in the building only George Travis, one of Kate's discarded suitors, who was getting an insignificant check cashed. Mrs. Driscoll was not slow to see an Opportunity to flutter her sails, as her worthy husband had been accustomed to say. Drawing her check book she smiling- wrote a check for £2,000 and pre­ sented it to the cashier. "Payable to Miss Kate--a marriage portion, I presume. Ah, very gener­ ous of you! Miss Kate, I congratulate yon," said the cashier. "Shall I make tike new book ifl your own name?" "She wants no book--at least not yet," retorted Mrs. Driscoll, sharply. "When i give a thing, I give it I want good. solid money for that check-- feirlght, yellow gold." "But--why--you live fully a mile from a neighbor. Have you--do you think of the temptation?" he said, hesi­ tatingly. "Did I ask your advice?" snapped Mrs. Driscoll. "I am able to take care of my own property, and. if It Will not break the bank, I want it in gold." "Certainly, madam. My conscience Is clear if you wake up to find yourself murdered to-morrow morning. This bank can pay ten times that sum at dteht, madam," was the dignified reply, to which Mrs. Driscoll listened in curt alienee. •The cashier went into the vault'clos- *g the door behind him. George Travis, having counted the money received on his check, went out without a glance at the two ladies. "There! Now I reckon Travis begins to realize what he has lost," nodded Mrs. Driscoll. ---Kate blushed slightly, , "But, aunt," she told, uneasily, •wouldn't It be better for me to take a nftfrfe aoif;&(fairtip a book. •. Darkpeas cam-e. , lights la the house were extit* guished at the usual time. Kate could not' sleep. In vain she counted plowly from one hundred to one. and said the letters of the alpha bet backward. , She heard the village clock slowly •trike the hour 6f midnight, then one, two, and three. Kate's apartment was dark, but the moon shone dimly Into her aunt's room just across the halL Suddenly a form stood in the door­ way, then vanished within. Was it the tramp? Was that some­ thing in his hand a knife? Kate stole softly through the ddbr- way, listening breathlessly. Then she darted into a small room, near Mrs. Driscoll's door. Suddenly the door was noiselessly closed, and a man stood so near her hiding-place that she could hear his hurried breathing. The faint odor of chloroform told why the door was closed. '<{.* What if he gave an overdose? " * ' . Kate loved the stern woman, tiiife notwithstanding her timidity, that thought nerved her to action. She sprang from the room with a shrill cry, clinching both hands In the hair of the Intruder. It is needless to say that be was startled out of what little common sense he possessed. He threw her violently aside with a muttered oath and fled. But he left a generous lock of hair in her hands. Her head struck a corner of the door in falling, and it was dawn When she awoke to full consciousness of what had happened. 4 ; Womanlike, she rushed to see If the Iron box was still safe. It had not -been disturbed. Then she threw open the door of Mrs. Driscoll's room. That lady was unconscious, but breathing evenly. Kate's courage returned. Silently she opened the window, let­ ting the fresh morning air draw freely through the room. Then she crept into her own bed to await developments. Before sunrise Mrs. Driscoll awoke. "Mercy on us!" she screamed. "No- rah did not shut the window last night. I shall get my death of cold. Kate!" But Kate did not stir until her name had been called several times; then she answered drowsily. Get up, child! It's your wedding day, too, and I in danger of pneumo­ nia," called her aunt. ^ j Kate shut the window, and helped the irate lady to dress, touching her hair with dainty, soothing fingers as she arranged it. The household arose and went about its tasks. Visitors came and went. Kate kept her secret well. The cere­ mony was over which made her a wife. The bridal dress was exchanged for a traveling costume. * I shall take the iron bodjafflhe bank as we go to the train, Jajpllme," Kate said as she bade her gowl-by. As you please. I've had my say about it. aud no harm came of it, either," was the tart reply. No one knew of the tragedy which did not take place in the silent watches of the night. No one knew until Kate, nestling in her husband's clasp as the train sped onward, told him the story in her own way anu time. But the hair--did you save It? It Is a clew," he said quickly. I burned It," was the calm reply. **I did not need to save it, for I knew whose it was. I always thought he liked aunt's money better than me* Now I know that he coveted the dowry more than the bride. But the money is safe in the bank, and wasn't It strange that he should be there to sed it deposited?" Not George Travis?" ejaculated Harry. "Yes. Let him go," ishe whispered softly, nestling closer. "Think what ne lost--what you gained, Harry, dear. Let his owa conscience punish him-- if he has aijy, We'll never Igt aunt know. We will keep our first secret book with the money left to my credit? Harry will not be here until to-morrow, and--and think of the risk! It is un­ safe." "How long is vit since I came to be told my duty by a miss of 18?" breath­ ed Mrs. Driscoll, scornfully. "What a Coward you are! If you don't want the money, say so, and I'll let it re­ gain where it is. If you do want it, bold your tongue, and help me take Care of it until I can give you both into faarry Winship's keeping." Further conversation wag prevented by the cashier's return. ; He carried a strong iron box. "Count it!" commanded Mrs. Driscoll One by one the golden coins were counted under her admiring eyes. • "There, that is money! That is like a wedding giftr she ejaculated, in a Satisfied tpne. "Better let me give you a receipt for ft and put it into the safe to-night," suggested the cashier. "Put it into my carriage!" was the •harp order to the bank porter. . The man obeyed and watched with a puasled face the carriage out of sight "She beats all I ever saw," he said. •***1 don't wonder her husband died." 4 Meanwhile Mrs. Driscoll returned ^borne well satisfied with the world and jherself in particular. She had had her own way. -I shall not put this under my pil- iw as I generally do," she said to Kate i**This box is harder than feathers. I shall put it under the corner of your bed." | "Thanks, aunt! Iron is as soft as jfeathers for me to lie on," laughed jKate. 1 "You needn't lie upon that side of the at all," was the cool reply. 'There's a man in the kitchen as says he's had not a mouthful to eat for ten OLD CUSTOMS0 IN ENGLAND. Straus* 8arviv«|« of Middle Age Ob* wmacM. In Lincoln's Inn, London, & belt rings every evening at D o'clock. This Is the ;urfew, derived from old French words meaning "cover the fire." and it Is au «redr for all who live in the Inn to put oat their lamps and fires. Of course, nobody obeys, because the law of curfew Is rather out of date, considering that It was made by Will- am the Conqueror In the year 1008 and repealed In fllO. Repealed or In force, the curfew was rung in West Hain un­ til November, 1800; it is ruug now at Lincoln's Inn, while it Is actually be- iug revived nnd brought into fofrce in some American towns. Another funny old custom is the howling of the town crier, who goes about with a bell announcing rewards for lost dogs or purses, advertising en­ tertainments nnd telling the news. You may hear the town crier any day in Dartmouth and the little boys are not allowed tp annoy him on pain of whipping. Several small English towus have uot yet awakened to the fact that the middle ages are gone and that tbis Is the end of the nlnp&enth century. There are determined attempts at times to revive ancient customs. In 1830 there was actually a tournament held at Eglington castle. Young gen­ tlemen In boiler-plate armor tilted at ach other with lances, while hosts of fashionable people sat under um­ brellas and cheered them. Lady Seymour was queen of beauty and the Emperor Napoleon III. of France was among the ancient knights who jousted for her favors in the lists. It rained "cats and dogs" the whole time, the horses slithered about in the iniul and the gallant;^knights rolled about in the mire, unable to rise again without assistance on account of the weight of their armor. The event Is <aid to have been the most comic in all the history of England. Another ancient and peculiarly Brit­ ish custom is the pealing of church bells. Does anybody remember that it was Pope John IX., in the year 900, who ordered the clamor of bells to frighten away thunder and lightning? There are country places in England now which are quite capable of taking the good pope's advice. I*ook at the way some of the |ustices of the peace serve out the law of the commonalty. A man is savagely pun­ ished for breaking the game laws, but for breaking his wife's head with his l>oot he gets a. gentle reprimand and a small fine. And that Is because so many English justices of the peffcre still liye in thin juiddle ages. ..... SPOILING A HUSBAND. forever. Harry Wlnship was a man. He conld not refuse his wife's first request, and Mrs. Driscoll does not know to this day what danger menaced her.--Chi­ cago Times-Herald. The True Oentlemao. A writer in the .North American Re­ view recalls Ward McAllister's defini­ tion of a gentleman. "My understand­ ing of a gentleman," said Mr. "McAllis­ ter, "has always been that he Is a per­ son free from arrogance and anything like self-assertion; he has considera­ tion for the feelings of others; is so sat­ isfied in his own position that he Is always unpretentious, feeling he could not do an ungentle manly act; as, cour­ teous and kind ia manner to his in­ feriors as to his equals." "Beside this definition," continues the writer, "it is well to place that giv­ en by Emerson: 'The gentleman is a man ©f truth, lord of his own actions, and expressing that lordship in his be­ havior, not in any manner dependent and servile, either on person or opin­ ions or possessions. Beyond this fact, of truth and real force, the word de­ notes good nature or benevolence, man­ hood first, and then gentleness.' " The island of Key West has twenty- five thousand inhabitants on a surface' of only two thousand acres. The average life of a note of the Bank of England Is a little less than seventy days. Notes are never reissued. A given acreage of wheat will feed at least ten times as many people as the same acreage] employed in growing mutton. ' A book published In Japan one thou­ sand years ago notes that at that time good silk was already produced in twen- ty-five provinces of that country. A rare and beautiful sight was re­ cently witnessed at Mount Vesuvius during a snowstorm. The volcano was in eruption, and three streams of red-hot lava were seen spouting through the snow. The world's average wheat crop is 2.500.000.000 bushels. Of corn 2,000,- 000,000 bqshels are annually raised, and of rye and barley, each 2,000,000,- 000 bushels. It is all annually con­ sumed, and it may almost be said that there is also an annual shortage. In 188G we exported 312 locomotives. La 1807 348, in 1898 580, and the con­ tracts for 1899 already exceed that number. It will not be long before American locomotives are used on ev­ ery great railroad in the world, because they are universally conceded to be the best made. Bath robes made of .paper are now manufactured. The kind of material used resembles blotting paper. Whole suits are made of this paper stuff, in­ cluding coverings for the head and feet. One advantage of the fad Is the cheapness of such a garment, making it possible for the porest person to own one. The first thing to be said about lead pencils is that they are not lead pencils at all. Once upon a time sticks of lead were used for making marks on paper and wood, and the name has survived, though nowadays all the pencils are filled with graphite, or plumbago. This mineral is found in Only a few places in the world--in Cumberland, England, along the Laurentian ranges, in the province of Quebec, and at Tieonder- ago. Vt. The largest mines on this con­ tinent are at the latter place. •f^days," said Norah, the servant, appear- ', lag at the door. "The farm Is only a mile further on. Bend him about his business," answer­ ed her mistress. Norah went out. Soon a figure clothed in rags went by the open window. * The man turned and shook his clinch- , ©d fist at the astonished lady. ^ "Of all things! The Impudent thing," she gasped. M "Oh, but, aunt, I'm sure be has heard <' all that we said about that horrid - money!" faltered Kate. , |/= Mrs. Driseoll's face told the concert^ : whfth she felt but she turned ber back Ten Thousand Feet Limit of Depth. Mining engineers agree that the limit to which shafts may be sunk Into the earth with the present machinery and equipments is 10,000 feet. The deep­ est shaft ever dug Is the one now in existence la one of# the copper mines on Lake Superior. It has a sheer depth of 5,000 feet. Dr. A. C. Lane, the assistant geologist for Michigan, in an 'article in Mineral Industry on "How Defep Can We Miner' places the probable limit at-10,000 feet He sees, however, that enormously rich de- posltsf might Jead man to dig to 15,000 feet with profit The element of dan­ ger Is not considered in these calcula­ tions. In conclusion' he says. "The present knowledge cannot foresee reaching a depth of 20,000 feet" More Foreigners than Nattvrs. Wisconsin, MihuescJia, North Dakota and Calicorjlla tystct the four states which by the federal census of 1890 had a larger foreign-born than native- born jnale population pf voting age. Spain's National Flower. The ^iigno|i)et||& tfce national flowtr of Spain. ' ' Exception Worth Noting. One of those positive men who are prolific in maxims for the general, guid­ ance of mankind was holding forth to a group of listeners. "Never tell your dreams," h<* said, "They interest nobody but yourself, and if they have any significance at all they merely Indicate some mental weakness on the part of the dreamer." "Yes," replied one of the listeners, after a pau»e, "what a fool old John Bunyan was to teH that long dream of his about the pilgrims!" \fter this there was another Mid longer pause. HUSBAND can be spoilt by va­ rious methods. He can be to overwhelmed by a thoueand- and-one attentions of love and kindness ©n the part of his wife that he accepts this role of divinity as a matter of course, and becomes the Incarnation of selfishness; or be can be made to be­ come a nonentity by the overbearing conduct of a dictatorial wife, who keeps the reins of government in ber own bands and drives all vestiges of manhood out of her husband. The woman who manages to spoil her husband by the first course of action does so quite unwittingly. She is usu­ ally a good-hearted, affectionate crea­ ture, who is constantly yearning to dis­ play her love by word and by deed. Probably before she married she spoilt her brothers by waiting on them hand and foot. Whether she received their thanks or not was quite immaterial to her. During her engagement her dem- onstrativeness was held In check by natural maidenly reserve, but once married, the old instinct asserts Itself, and she instantly sets to work to squander the wealth of her love by lav­ ishing it upon tl\e object of her affec­ tion. By degrees the lover-like attentions of the young husband grow fewer in number, and colder in proportion. Whereas before marriage be waited upon her, anticipating her wishes with lover-like rapidity, she now waits on herself. Complete self-effacement marks her status. The choicest fruit, the most comfortable chair and the cosiest corner of the room, each Is al­ lotted to the spoilt husband, who ac­ cepts all as a matter of course. He allows her to fetch and carry for him, often without a word of thanks. Truly a spoilt husband, this, and a spoilt disposition in consequence, which exerts a potent Influence on those with whom it Is brought into contact dur­ ing the routine of daily life. This might have been otherwise had a little common sense and self-restraint on her part led her to ejfcact her due share of respect and deYptiW. Snbmita and/Then Kicks. , Rev. E. S. Tead/pastor of tbe Som- erville, Mass., Congregational Church, said the ladies/of his church should take their hats off and, like a good little wife, Mrs. Tead sat bare- headed through t h e s e r v i c e o n Sunday. But she did not like it, and said, naiveJy: "Of course I sr-t bare- headed fhrough the service. What else could 1 do? I am the pastor's M K S . E . s , T R A P . w i f e . T h i n k o f what people would say if I went direct­ ly contrary to Mr. Tead's request All the same, I think it's too bad if we are not to be allowed to wear hats to church, same's we've always bfeon ac­ customed to." The Wife's Portion. It seems to me that no cluss of wo­ men work as hard as the farmers' wives. By this I do not mean the wealthy or even the well-to-do farmer, but the wife of a man who is doing his best to get a living and pay for his home. If the woman Is a true help­ mate she will help in a way by being careful of expenses and see that noth­ ing goes to waste. It Is comparatively easy when there Is a limited number of little folks to be cared for, but the mother of a large family who Is the wife of a farmer in poor circumstances has no rest day or night. While the work Is hard the care presses the most heavily. It seems to me that very few compared with the many really enjoy life; they are so dissatisfied with what they can afford that it takes away the enjoyment of what they do have. A very good way is for the woman to have a certain share of the profits as her own, to do with as she pleases. There is no justice in the wife of any man working hard for the family and trying to earn her clothes besides. There Is no true wife but earns her sup­ port and should have it. She will also consider circumstances and guide her- jelf accordingly.--Orange Judd Farmer. HuHIa ISjrea Sometimes a deaf man /gives" an an­ swer which makes a wonderfully dose hit, although he has totally misunder­ stood the question. "Is your son's bride a pretty girl?" asked an old lady of a penurious and very deaf old gentleman, whose son had recently married the daughter of a prosperous grocer. "No," said the old man, calmly, "she isn't, but she will be when her father dies." Some people never have a good time unless they can find something to "fuss" about A man always looks foolish carrying a white lace parasol over a woman. •-asI low. Use one small, <Kati?i!to# finfgfef or dispense entirely with the luxury of a head rest. Bear the infirmity in mind and walk erectly and sit with the shoul- dres where they should be. Expand the chest and keep the eyes on a level with people's faces. Practice walking about the room with a book balanced on the head and hold the chin up when, reading, with the book plaeed on a level with the face. Have the eyes tested occasionally, and If you need glasses procure them at once. Often the trouble Is but temporary and the use of glasses for a few weeks or months will remedy the eye trouble. A Heroine. She rescued Jas. Young at Atlantic City. To-day she Is the heroine of that city, where policemen take off their hats to her and peo­ ple cheer her as she passes along the street Frances is 12 years old. She was at the wharf when, us the result of bantering by sev­ eral men, James, PBAXCBS- FBBHCH. who Is aged 14, dove off the pier. He could not swim, and called for help. While the men laugh­ ed at him the girl jumped into the water and brought him ashore uncon­ scious. He was soon revived, and the first intimation Frances had that she had done anything wonderful was when Young's parents and 300 neigh­ bors called on her and made speeches to her and gave a purse full of gold to her. What to Kxnect in a rhild'a Love. I do not think we should expect of children the sort of love of which we jurselves are capable. The child's love for the parent and the parent's love for the child are essentially different, and we may only arouse a sort of antago­ nism In the young by insisting upon our right to a self-sacrificing affection. Let as be content with the sweet depend- ance, the demonstrative fondness that Is nature's response to our -nature- prompted bestowal of ourselves upon :>ur children. A degree of sturdy self­ ishness, however, is the prerogative of healthy childhood, and cannot be re­ garded as altogether blameworthy. The l lsrht Khirt. Of coarse, tbe new skirt, fitted as it la without a single wrinkle over the back, when trailing a foot or two In length over green lawn or velvet pile carpet I* ail very well; but how about the half-attempted, half-accomplished version of the dressmaker who just misses tbe right curves and grows creases in the wrong places? Then, In­ deed, the drastic denouement Is obvl ous. Tbe new dresses In her hands be­ come deeds of disaster Instead of things of beauty, and there is much gnashing of teeth over disappointed ambitions. The Woman Who Stoops. The woman who stoops is rare, thank dness, but she does exist as an eye- re to beholders and a discomfort to [erself. Weakness of the system is sometimes responsible for stooping shoulders, but carelessness is the great cause. Poring over books, writing for hours at a time and neglect to aid defective vision with glasses are the main causes. TIM JWre should begin with the pti- How to Clean Lace. Lace plays such an important part In the feminine wardrobe as to make tl\e expense of keeping It clean and fresh a matter of consideration. There are Ways of cleansing it at home that will make It look like new and save you much money if you only have the time and patience to undertake the cleans­ ing process. White lace should be steeped for a few hours, possibly all night, to loosen the dirt. The liquid in which it is to be steeped is water and borax, one tea- spoonful of powder to each pint. After squeezing the lace take a wide-mouth­ ed bottle, nearly filled with warm, soapy lather, put in the lace, Shake it well and change the water until the lace is clean. Rinse thoroughly to re­ move every particle of soap and wind about the outside of the bottle, pulling every little point and scallop into shape. The "Wrinkles of Yonth. Note the women you meet each day and see how many smooth foreheads you see even on young faces. Almost all of the wrinkles and puckers are the result of carelessness--the few excep­ tions are lines caused by pain and suf­ fering. The long, straight lines on the forehead are caused by the senseless habit of elevating *he eyebrows. That is supposed to give expression to the face, when all It really does is to make ugly lines with which need quantities of cold cream and gentle massage to remove. Middle-aged faces are often marked by lines just over the temples, while the rest of the face remains smooth and young looking. They can be avoided by the exertion of a little thought, a little care In keeping the face In repose. And just think how you can rest the poor, overworked muscles by allowing the eyes and mouth to give the necessary expression and serenity to spread itself over the remainder of the features. How Women MaV Rule. Among the more delicate weapons used by women tact is one of the most effective--the power of listening, of brightening at the proper moment, and laughing at the right joke, and of knowing tbe exact temper in which a man is conquerable, and when it is best to let him alone. A woman who possesses this weapon generally rules by that fine instinct which strengthens her oWn position by strengthening her husband's. It is a feminine weapon guided by a multitude of little wisdoms and precautions, and by arts as varied as the sex. It rules a man so gently that he Is kept In constant good humor with himself; nor is he uncomfortably conscious that he has laid down all his own arms before this sheathed sword. If there be any other weapon equal to tact for domestic use, it is silence. In the hour of revolt this force is su­ preme.--Ladies' Home Journal. Xt Leads an Orchestra. Miss Viola Sanford. 25 years old, Is the leader of an orchestra of men in Charleston, S. C. As a young girl she conducted an or­ chestra of men and women. At the At­ lanta exposition she was given a pearl brooch by the ladles. She plays for all the ^ leading dramatic at-i^f tractions that visit Charleston. She tells a laughable expert- MISS SANFOBD. ence with a well-known New York manager, to whom she had been pre­ sented hurriedly as "having charge of the music." Taking It In a literal sense, he brought forth a liberal sup­ ply of sheet music and put It In her care, then remarked: "Little girl, how long before your father will be here?" A Hint. After all. It's a bit cruel to take flow­ ers from their cool resting places in a vlise of water, and choke them to sud­ den death by Wearing them In the hot streets. A good deal more enjoyment can be had out of them by letting them live In peace, and in looking at them cpmfortably encased In a vase of water, Wh^jp a Woman JPaluta, To care for a person who has fainted, lay the person down, keep the head low, loosen the clothing, give plenty of fresh air and dash cold water in the face. Smelllng-«alt8 and stimulants should only be used when consciousness has returned. NEARLY BURNED HIS GENERAL. On® of the Ainnslns Incidents sf Camp Life In Cuba. "I never tqld you, did I," asked a tegular soldier whp has not yet recov­ ered from the wound he received at El Caney, "how near I came to burning hp a brigadier general in Cuba last summer?" J "Burning him up?" repeated the aol- diej-'s^friend; "no, yon certainly never told me that. .'.'Well, the officer that I came near finishing was General Miles--Colonel Evan Miles of the First infantry, you know, but a brigadier general of volun­ teers. Our regiment was In his brigade and this happened one night In July when I was on headquarters guard. 'Headquarters' was a big name for a pretty poor place. There wasn't even a tent, and the general and his aid, a lieutenant, were bivouacking by a fire with nothing but some empty boxes to sleep on--not the softest kind of bed. It grows awfully cold, you know, as soon as the sun goes down In Cuba and the dew chills you to the bone. That night was cooler than usual and I was shivering as I built up the campflre. Because of that, I suppose, I m»de it good and big. ---- General Miles and, the lieutenant lay down on their boxes and went to sleep, and when the fire was started went on my post 100 yards or so away. After I had been there for per­ haps half an hour, walking up and down trying to keep warm, I heard a commotion in the camp. General Miles was shouting, 'Sentry! Sentry!' at the top of his voice. I rushed, up as fast as I could, but even before I got there I saw what the trouble was. „ You never laid eyes on such a roaring old camp- fire. The general was kicking at the box that had been his bed. " 'D--n it, man!* he said, as I came up, 'what are you trying to do--burn me up? You've got too much fire Jiere altogether!' - "Nobody could help agreeing with him on that point. The end of his box was blazing, and his clothes were fair­ ly scorched. The heat had waked him up just before he actually caught fire himself. I hustled around and stamped the fire out when it had spread beyond bounds, and when I got that done I apologized as well as I knew how. Tbe lieutenant was on the other side of the fire, and the wind had kept the blaze away from him. He was sitting up, with his back toward us, so that the general couldn't see him laugh, but his shoulders were shaking well. There was a funny side to it of course, but it might have been serious for me. It looked like the careless trick of a re­ cruit instead of the work of a man who had been in the army as long as I have. The general was very good about it, and, no matter how cold it was, I was more moderate in my campfires after that"--New York Tribune. AT THE PARIS MORGUE. How tlie "Third Degree" Is Worked on Murderers in France. A law that has recently come into op­ eration gives prisoners the right of communication with counsel within twenty-four hours after their arrest says a Paris correspondent of the Lon­ don Standard. One of the immediate consequences of this measure may be to put a stop to those "confrontations" at tHe morgue which are so dramatic a feature of French criminal procedure. With a view to bringing a murderer to confess, he is taken to the morgue and there brought face to face with the body of "his victim. Every artifice Is used to make tbe confrontation as im­ pressive as possible, as it is hoped that the terrible sight he -is compelled to gaze on will so trouble the murderer that he will lose command over him­ self and make a clean breast of his crime in his agitation. When he en­ ters the room he can see nothing, as the stone bench on which the body is exposed is concealed by a curtain. The examining magistrate presses him with questions and then, at what he con­ siders the opportune moment, gives the signal for the. curtain to be pulled back. The murderers who have stood this os-deal without flinching are compara­ tively few. The majority of them ex­ hibit the utmost terror and implore to he taken out of sight of the corpse. There is a chair in the room where the confrontations take place, In which the majority of the most notorious mur­ derers of the last thirty years have been seated. Their names are in­ scribed on its back, pne of the first be­ ing Troppmann, who, just before the Franco-German war, butchered an en­ tire family. French criminal co"unsel have found that these confrontations almost always result in the confusion of their clients, have looked luto the matter and believe they have discov­ ered that the examining magistrate has no legal right to subject a prisoner to this ordeal. For the future they are going to advise their clients to refuse to allow themselves to be taken to the morgue and it seejns that it is a moot point whether the authorities will be able to convey them thither by force. Family Driven Mad. An extraordinary case of madness, In which all members of a family, con­ sisting of father, mother and four chil­ dren, were simultaneously afflicted, has occurred at Stavelot A party of stroll­ ing gypsies, who undertook to tell the fathers fortune by means of cards, de­ clared that he would be killed while serving In the army, and this prediction so impressed him and his family that In the course of tbe same day they all developed signs of wavering reason, aud before long had to be put under restraint. The gypsies, who were the source of the trouble, were arrested by the German police when crossing the frontier from Belgium. Ants and Tbeir Effects in India. Small, soft and feeble as the white ants are, yet by their, numbers and powers of destruction they have In­ fluenced to some extent both the archi­ tecture and the civilization of the coun­ try. To their ravages, which prevent much the use of timber, is in a great measure due the massive solidity of the grander Indian edifices, and by their devouring of papers and documents they have restricted the cultivation of literature; they have rendered the pres­ ervation erf books difficult; they have continuously destroyed the records that would have thrown light on the history of the past--From Haunts and Hob­ bles of an Indian Official. • ; Improving ihe Highways. ! General E. C. Harrison, superintend* ent of the good roads division of the Department of Agriculture estimate* that good roads would save annually to the farmers of this country the ln^ mense sum of $626,000,000. This que* tlon of good roads is constantly grow* lng greater and the solution to th» problem of providing them is receiving | attention now from men who a fe# $ years ago did not tfilnk it worth while to think about It aralL A recent bankr ers' convention, even, did not think II beneath its dignity to pass a resolift* • * tion in favor of good roads. _ .< Wherever a start is made In t&^, ; direction of permanent road improve^ ' ' v ment the work spreads, reaching ogfc farther and farther, and this alone will bring good roads to every section in th# .. st;| course of time. In Illinois roads thq£ are good the year through may bi' found in different parts of the Statit Wbere a few years ago the roads wer» ' almost impassable during the winter, unless they were frozen. ,f Near Kankakee there are ftrst-claag roads made of broken limestone taken . \ from the Kankakee River. These roadt " ^ * were built not so much to avoid mud . alf to make good hauling through sand* * Wh^n other roads are very bad sand roads are firmest and in this case & * very light coat of broken limestone makes a firm road which never works up and makes heavy hauling possible. In Lee County the roads are being im­ proved, and in Putnam there is a con­ stant increase in the mileage of good roads. Most of this work has been paid for by the lands lying along the roads so far, but General Harrison has ad­ vanced views on the subject He holds that roads are public property and that the general public should be taxed for their improvement and the tax for this purpose levied on all property alike1. As the benefits of good roads are en­ joyed by every one within the territory they cover this seems to be only a fair v way to spread the cost of making them.--Farmer's Voice. Drjr-Bot in Wooden Bridges. The effect of paint on wet timber is to retain moisture and cause the so- called "dry-rot." If the timber Is dry and well-seasoned, the better practice is to apply a coating of paint at once. It is, however, a mistake to paint un­ seasoned timber in a bridge until It has stood a year, and the work should be done at the end of the summer, when the wood is thoroughly dry. Because of the tendency of paint to retain moisture, there has been some dispute as to the advisability of paint­ ing very large timbers In a bridge, the tendency of the paint being to increase the dry-rot. Nevertheless, the timber reaches a certain stage, after sufficient seasoning, when to exclude the atmos­ phere by painting tends to Its preser­ vation. It is not considered good practice, however, in wooden bridge construc­ tion, to use any timber more than six inches In thickness. Where greater strength is required, in caps, beams, cords, braces, etc., a sufficient number of pieces, of this or less thickness, should be built together by keys, pack­ ing pieces and bolts, thus allowing a free circulation of air. Over members thus composed should be placed a cov­ ering of galvanized Iron, extending a half or three-quarters ef an Inch down on the timber, and secured by galvan­ ized tacks, preventing the rain from entering the spaces or resting on or around the packed joints. The bridge thus built should be giv­ en one thorough coat of paint the sum­ mer following its construction, and a second coat should be applied the third year. The ends of all timbers, all seats, joints and bearings, should be well and thoroughly coated with white lead at the time of construction.--The Municipal World. Knew Her Boy*s Footsteps. They are telling a story, which may or may not be true about a rising young politician who has unusually large feet. His mother is a lovable old wom­ an and quite deaf. She lives in a flat In the neighborhood of Grant's tomb, In New York, and is ^always delighted by a visit from her son. When the United States cruiser Brooklyn, which was anchored In the Hudson, off the tomb, on Memorial day, fired a salute of twenty-one guns the old lady was observed to start, fix her cap and smooth down her apron. Then she said with a sweet smile: "Georgie Is coming; I hear his footsteps on the stairs." The "Angry Tree." There is a curious tree in Australia known as the "angry tree." It grows rapidly, reaching usually the height of 80 feet. At sunset the leaves fold up and the tender twigs coil tightly. If the shoots are handled, the leaves rustle and move uneasily for a time. If this. queer plant Is moved from one spot to another, the leaves stand out In all di­ rections, like the quills on a porcupine. A most pungent and sickening odor, said to resemble that given off by rat­ tlesnakes when annoyed, fills the air, and it Is an hour or so before the leaves fold In the natural way. The Elder Dock. Tbe elder duck lines Its nest Carefully with its own down. The nest Is robbed of the down by the Icelanders and the duck quickly proceeds to reline her nest suplylng the feathers from her own body. The third time the drake gives his down and this Is allowed to remain. Ten thousand pounds of eiderdown is gathered annually in Iceland and the natives receive for It about $3 a pound, although the trade la carried on through a barter, the natives receiving little or no money. A woman has few friends who do not-wonder, when her engagement la announced, If she used hypnotism. If you want to keep cool, keep busy. There Is no other way. .