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THE McHETOtY PLAINDEALER, McHENRY, TM*. ItiiiHteiMiiiiaiMMiiiUMiiyiMikiiiiliiliMi Courage and >* m By R.RAY BAKBR <Copyrlgh(, 191S, by the McClure Ncwspajmr Syndicate.) lAng before she left Indiana--where She first saw the light of day and subsequently saw the light of some 7,066 days --Catherine Owens had decided on the "three C" policy when it came to matrimony. A man must have courage and cash; then he would stand a chance of possessing Catherine. It was principally on account of her father's health that they had gone out to run the small sheep ranch In a sparsely settled part of Montana, and there, exiled from civilization, Catherine didn't change her views. In fact, as none of the men who occasionally appeared at the ranch seemed to have either of the necessary qualifications, she gradually lost Interest in the subject of marriage and devoted her spare time, which was plentiful, to people in story books. Nevertheless, while she looked with disdain on all the mere male creatures that happened along, Catherine had hopes lingering somewhere within her that the "three C" man would enter her little world sometime. She was twenty-one, and at that age most girls begin to have serious thoughts of wedded bliss. Thus things Mood when a strange young man rode up to the veranda of the ranch house one sunny afternoon and asked what were the chances of being a guest at the supper table. He said the prospects were, If h»» didn't obtain a real meal soon, that he would fall by the wayside before he reached Odessa, ten miles away. Catherine was seated on the veranda reading. Her father was out tending his flock and her mother was taking a nap. "The first real man besides my father that I have seen in the whole year I've been here," said Catherine--to herself. His hair was coal black, as were his eyes, and he straddled his lively bay mount with a jauntlness that captivated Catherine--almost. Hl» hroad-brimmed hat sat rakishly on his Head and he wore a blue shirt, corduroy breeches, cowhide boots, a red bandana handkerchief--everything a cowboy. Is supposed to wear but frequently doesnt except on parade. The stranger even "toted" a revolver In a holster on a cartridge belt around his waist. With a gallant sweep of his hat he Introduced himself as Fred Oarland and dismounted, as though It was a foregone conclusion he would be invited to stay. As a matter of fact, it was. Catherine wouldn't have let him get away. ;. The meal was a jolly one. Garland told humorous stories and proved very entertaining. His speech and manners showed education and refinement; and as Catherine watched him with her big, gray eyes, she became decidedly Interested. After that Garland was a frequent visitor, and it was plain from his actions that Catherine was the attraction. He proved to be a mystery, for he never told where he came from, where he was going or the nature of his vocation. One day, six weeks after they became acquainted, while they were walking in the woods, the conversation took a personal turn. Catherine Intentionally guided it into that channel, for she was curious concerning Garland's past--as well as his present. They sat on a log, and he chewed a piece of grass while she built a house of sand on the ground with the 'end of her parasol. Presently Garland leancfl close to her and said earnestly: "I might Just as well tell you now what's been in my mind since I met you. I'want to marry you." Catherine had been expecting It, rather hoping for It However, she didn't fling herself Into his arms ; Instead, she carefully wrecked the sand house with the parasol. "I don't know," she said demurely. "You see, i don't know anything about you." He hesitated several minutes, twisting his hat out of shape. Then he spoke in a rather strained tone: "It's a rather painful topic. I came of a good family and was educated at Yale; but I guess I was a black 6heep, for I never made use of what I learned. I contented myself with <lrlftlng aimlessly about, existing by doing various kinds of Jobs. Finally landed on a cattle ranch in this neighborhood. Not a very rosy prospect, adinit, but if you were my wife I have an incentive to do something worth while." Catherine was fond of him, she was bound to admit, and she told him so. However, she had taught herself to hold the "three C" creed almost sacred, and she said she would have to reserve &er decision for a week. "I've always said a man would hove to be In good financial, circumstances before I'd marry him," she explained. "Money means a whole lot In this world." She decided, however, while they were walking back to the ranch. A snake suddenly wriggled out from somewhere and colled itself In front of th<»m. Garland grew pale, and his arm. which she gripped in fright, actually appeared to tremble. . He stopped In his tracks, despite her admonitions to kill the snake, and stood idly by while she overcame her own terror and dispatched the reptile with a stone. Catherine scarcely spoke to him during the rest of the walk home. He apologized repeatedly, saying a snake always gave him "the shivers." "It's the one thing I'm afraid of," he declared. "I'd rather face a Uon than a snake. I've seen two men die from snake bites.** She prepared to enter the house. "I can't accept your offer," she said coldly. "A man must have courage to win my affections." Without a word he mounted his horse and disappeared down the road while she stood and watched him and meditated on the cruelty of fate in sending that snake Into their path. Two weeks later the Odessa bank was robbed of $4,000 by a lone bandit, wearing a mask, who appeared suddenly at noon, held up the employees at the point of a gun, seized all the money in sight and got safely away, although several bullets were senf whizzing about his head. Shortly after that the stage coach between Odessa and Bay Springs was stopped by the same man and the passengers relieved of their valuables. When one old man attempted to secrete his few dollars, the bandit shot him in the leg. The next day the Bay Springs post office was visited by the outlaw, who, on account of his daring, had earned the cognomen of "Reckless." The post office paid him a forced toll of $500. One week later Reckless stood amid a clump of trees a mile from the Owens ranch and smoked a cigarette while he adjusted his mask. His horse was tethered to a nearby tree. In the distance could be heard the rumbling of the Brento coach on the way to Odessa. Presently it appeared over the crest of a hill, and Reckless adjusted his belt so his revolver was in easy reach. His eyes on the stage coach, slowly drawing near, Reckless was not aware of the presence of another man. creeping stealthily upon him from behind, until the newcomer threw himself at the outlaw's shoulders. A furl* ous struggle ensued. Catherine Owens was In the kitchen washing dishes. Her mother had joined Mr. Owens, who was watching his grazing sheep. Suddenly the door at her back was thrown open, and she whirled in fright, dropping-a plate to its doom on the floor. A man wearing a mask stood before her. From description she had read of the outlaw she recognized his black gauntlets and his Mexican hat. Reckless!" she exclaimed, stopping back In terror, f. J V He nodded. ' "But what can yon want here?" she cried. "This Is just a sheep ranch, and there's no money to speak of In the house." He answered In mild, quiet tones; "I don't want money; I want you." Thereupon he took off his mask. "Fred!" she screamed. "So you're the bandit. What do you want with me?" Just to marry you," he responded with a smile. She covered eyes with her hands. "Never!" she cried. "Better ten times a man afraid of a snake than a miserable outlaw who shoots old men." Garland laughed and tossed aside the gauntlets and hat "Reckless Is on the way to Odessa In the stage coach with two men holding guns at his head," he said. "I caught him while he was preparing to hold up the stage, and I put on these things Just to fool you. Since I've shown a little courage, will "you have me?" She stared Incredulously at him, but his eyes never flinched before hers, and slowly a smile crept across her face. "I've got to believe you," she said, "because I love you. You don't know how I have regretted sending you away the other day; for I realize lots of brave men are afraid of snakes. And about the money--well, I'll even forget that. Anyhow," she added, "you have earned the $500 reward offered by the Odessa bank." Garland shook his head. "I can't accept It," he replied. "You see, I own the Odessa hank. 1 didn't tell you all my story the other day, because--well, I didn't want to be married Just for the cash I had." Feminine Intelligence. "Why don't you insist on being the head of the house?" "I am the head of the house, but my wife says a head Is no good without brains." " Dead Murderer's Hand.' ( * The most ghastly of all talismans or charms was the "Deed Man's Candle," or "Hand of Glory." Sir Walter Scott, In "The Antiquary," describes it, In the mouth of Dousterewivel, as a hand cut off a man hanged for murder. It was dried, he says, In the smoke of juniper and yew. A candle made of the fat of the bear, Che badger, and a "little sucking child" having been put Into the hand at the | colony would become extinct if sh« did proper planetary time, treasure burled then would never be discovered by any but the true owner. Scott, however, was Inaccurate. The proper recipe la to be found In "Les Secrets du Petit Albert." The hand (which/had to be the right hand of a murderer hung in chains) was blanched In the sun with mystical ceremonies. The candle was composed mainly of the fat of a murderer scooped from under the wayside gibbet, the wick being made of the twisted hair of the criminal. The light of the horrible candle was alleged to have the effect of preventing those who saw It from moving or calling out, and be who held it could ransack with WmM View of the Port of Vladivostok. Outiee of the Queen Bee. It may be Interesting to some people to learn that all the work In a beehive is don£ 'by "female bees. The drones, or males, live on the labors of their more Industrious female companions. Moreover, there Is no such thing as a king bee. The ruler of the hive is the queen, but she is a ruler In name only, beihg guarded and protected by the bees simply because the not lay eggs at a prodigious rate. It 1* not unusual for a good queen to produce her own weight in eggs In a single day, and she keeps this up for weeks at a time. PUBLIC attention has- been drawn to Vladivostok, Russia's great Pacific ocean port, by the possibility that Japan might Intervene to save the Immense stores sent there by the allies to help the Russians In their fight against Germany. Vladivostok or "Queen of the East," as the name signifies, is the eastern terminus of the great Trans-Siberian railway, Marlon H. Danipman writes in the Pittsburgh Gazette-Times. The corresponding western garrison city is called Vladikaukas or "Queen of the Caucasus." At one end. of the long main avenue of Vladivostok stands an Imposing statue of Admiral Nevelskoi, who laid the foundation of Russia's occupancy of Pacific ports; on the statue are Inscribed the famous words of Czar Nicholas I,* "Where the Russian flag has been hoisted It must never be lowered." At the other end of the avenue, where the railroad crosses the boulevard toward Europe, Is a post on which is engraved In gigantic letters the s|mple statement: "Vladivostok to St Petersburg, 9,922 Versts." The mean annual temperature of Vladivostok Is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, although it lies In the same latitude as Marseilles, France, and Buffalo, N. Y. Its bay is Ice bound from the middle of December to the beginning of March; but sea communication Is rendered possible by Ice breakers. Its elevation above the sea Is considerable and there are no barriers to the north to protect It from the piercing winds; while the Japanese archipelago Interposes so as to prevent any advantage being derived from the warm waters of the Black current, the Gulf stream of the Pacific. Splendidly situated at the head of a peninsula about twelve miles long, separating two deep bays, whose shores, however, are completely sterile, Vladivostok faces the western and more important of the two bays in a harbor called the Golden Horn. The shallowest part of the. Itasbor Is 12 fathoms In depth and Is so extensive that 60 steamers of 5,000 tons each could ride there, leaving broad channels for maneuvering for a navy. There are no artificial breakwaters, as nature provided such in a Amssive Island directly athwart the entrance to the bay which acts as p fortress not only toward the angry sea but toward Invading fleets. On this Island the Manchuria sllka or spotted deer are preserved. The Vladivostok harbor Is considered vastly superior to that of Port Arthur, which is 530 miles farther south, except In climatic conditions. More Men Thin Women. The town was founded In I860 and has a shifting population, variously estimated from 75,000 to 120,000, which Includes many soldiers, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. The houses are stone and several stories in height, presenting quite an Imposing appearance in comparison with the small wooden-housed towns of Interior Siberia. Its streets are lively but vastly different from Vancouver, Tacoma and Seattle, on the American side of the Pacific. Pigtailed Chinese In blue, Koreans In white and Japanese In varicolored costumes are mixed with soldiers, sailors and Europeans In civilian garb. There are many more men than women; for most of the Inhabitants are there to amass fortunes and expect to return to their homes and families when they have done so. Living, too, costs very high, which Is another reason for not making It a Washington's Headquarters. General Washington was as well supplied with military headquarters during the revolution «s some of our millionaires are with bungalows. Wherever we go we find confronting us a Washington's headquarters with the Identical chairs that the general occupied while writing his war orders. If the great Washington had spent his entire time In repose he could not have occupied half the chairs that lay claim to the honor of contact with his coattalls, and as for the sabers that bear the original stamp, he must have hired a caddie to tote them over the battlefields.--"Zim" In Cartoons Magazine. Bitter Disappointment. "Now, don't feel downcast" said the lawyer, whose client had Just been convicted of embezzlement. "Five years In .the penitentiary won't seem long, and you will get time off for good behavior." "Say on, my friend," replied the former bank official sarcastically ; "but I know better. I Intended to spend the next five years as a retired capitalist touring South Amer- '• Age-Herald. ' # permanent abode. Seen from the sea the town rleee in terraces. The houses glitter in the sun and give an Invitation to land. Once on shore one is quickly impressed with being in a money-making place and not a place of residence. Cargoes hastily discharged are stacked high In every available place. The streets are crowded with horses, carts and men of all nationalities. There Is one fine street, on which' are the residences of the governor, the commander of the port and many other magnates. There are several fine monuments, one of which Is In honor of the last czar's visit. There are numerous churches, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic and Lutherans; a museum Is noted for Its collection of weapons and costumes of the far East; and the Orient Institute was opened in 1899 for the study of Asiatic languages. The crispness of the air, the newness of everything and the general hustle and*stir are suggestive of Alaska rather than the Orient, were It not for the ponies with their Russian harness and the prevalent ' Russian beards. Piled High With Supplies. All things consumed in the town and all the adjacent territory must be imported, as locally there are only bricks, matches, lumber and a bad beer to be had. No risk of seizure being foreseen, great speculative possibilities being open to traders, and the port offering the best means of sending provisions and munitions to Russia, combined to produce ah extraordinary state of affairs In that faraway city. There Is a perfect glut of coal, kerosene, cotton, flour and munitions of all kinds waiting for further transportation and with no protection. European express trains could traverse the long distance between Petrograd and Vladivostok in less than a week; but It Is not possible to run trains over the Siberian railway at such high speeds, as the road Is constructed lightly, so the Journey requires nine days, and previous to the war was done twice weekly by express tvalns. The fare was more than $275, It Is a Free Port The Importance of Vladivostok lies in the fact that It is the natural warehouse of this vast region, both from a commercial and a military point of view. Russia, China, Korea and Japan are^all Interested in its trade and connected with It by railroad or ship communications. It has been a free port and Russia has been remarkably liberal in encouraging other nations In helping her to build up an evergrowing traffic and develop the resources of a rich inland frontier. Germany is fully alive to the value of this trade, whose value Is eves growing; and when thq war gamble Is over she would like to possess It. The presence of large Korean agricultural communities very near, great Chinese Immigration tide surging In the district, the unceasing activity of the Japanese fishing boats that trade along the coast, the fact that European culture Is not yet definitely established-- all these things appeal to the German mind, with visions of possibilities for the future. Vladivostok Is Immensely strong as a naval fortress, being surrounded by 76 forts on the seaward side, but at the rear there Is a great open country that now lies at the mercy of bolshevlkl sympathizers and German spies. Russia's chief dread has been of nearby Japan; so her fortification of Vladivostok has all pointed toward that power that lies only 400 miles across the Japan sea. a Jackdaw some years ago. and almost miraculously restored to Its disconsolate owner after six months' loss, was valued at $50,000, thus making that neat quite a treasure trove. . Treasure Troves In Nests. To a mouse a bundle of paper money Is simply an Invitation to build a nest Not long ago when the appraisers were going through the tumble-down bouse of an old English miser, they found a family of mice living in a nest of bank notes worth $2,000. That nest In the actual quality of Its building material would be hard to beat; but the diamond ring found in the Best at • Wearers of Chips. 8ome people are proverbial wearers of chips. They are constantly on the hunt for. trouble and, usually. It's to be found around every corner. They think It shows bigness to wear the chip. With the "I'm a bad Indian expression" on their faces they try to bulldoze everybody they can bluff. But the chip Is for exhibition purposes only. Assumed rage and growl Is chiefly for circus consumption and a few vigorous Jar« are enough to bring the chip to earth and the pompous wearer to his senses. Some folks wear chips be-, cause they are not big enough to wear anything heavier. SAW REAL TRAGEDY Balance the Books Properly. When we are setting down the things that are against us, let's set down some of the things that are on our side. A practice of this kind | would be food for all of ua. Movie Spectators Were treated . to Two Snows, r v. »• r • - U the Audience Mfftftt At* meet Be Called a Comedy, Unfeee One Had to Pay for Crushed v Headgear. My seat was directly behind those occupied by the trio who figured In a serio-comic accident that convulsed nearby spectators In a Broadway moving picture theater the other afternoon. I therefore am able to tell Just what happened and give details that must have puzzled persons sitting a little farther away. The two women were loaded down with parcels and small packages when, right In the middle of a thrilling drama they slowly and cautiously fitted themselves Into two orchestra chairs near ,he middle aisle. It was a tight fit, for neither of the Indies could be described as sylphlike in form, and the armfuls of purchased •undies contributed in no way to fa- 'Utate adjustment of the generous • rgo nature previously entrusted to < iich. Parcels of various sizes slid from '!>elr knees Into recesses under the «cats In front and slopped Into the aisle from the lap of one who sat nearest to it. The theater was In semidarkness, and, It was only by the groping of many hands, in response to whispered appeals, that the troubles of diligent hours spent In shopping were returned to them. They then apparently for the first time discovered that the adjoining seat--third from the Side--was unoccupied, and Into It they dumped their bundles and their hats. Quiet In the Immediate vicinity had scarcely been restored when a stout, middle-aged man arrived with coupon calling for the seat they had Just converted Into a sort of family catch-all. Regardless of their exclamations of despair he Inched his way in, while they with frantic haste struggled to clear off the place upon which he was to sit. Peace finally descended again upon the neighborhood, and we had given ourselves up to undisturbed wonder concerning the fate of the film heroine should the villain penetrate her disguise as a French artillery officer, when one of tife package-laden women said to the other: , "Mercy! I promised to be home by five o'clock. Lucy Is going out and I forgot all about It." While the speaker, who sat nearest the aisle, arranged her hat and pierced it with a couple of pins, her companion struggled to convert the fruits of their shopping Into two portable pyramids. Suddenly she uttered a little scream, and then whispered to her friend In nwe-strlcken tones, "I cant find my hat. I believe that man is sitting on It." ' "Gracious goodness,? said the other. "Ask him." "I can't do It," said her friend. "Yon ask'him." Thus appealed to, the bolder of the two turned to the m#n, who appeared to have heard nothing of their conversation, and said : "I think you are sitting on this lady's hat" "I am not doing anything of the sort; why should I?" was the amazing reply she received. "Sit down," cried several voices to the hatted and hatless ones, from whose arms bundles again began to leak. "I am not sitting on your hat ma'am," said the suspected male, "but If It will do you any good, I'll prove It- Then he arose, and from under his ponderous body the hatless woman removed what had- once been a towering millinery creation, with twin pinnacles soaring aloft, but which was now only k pancake of cloth and feathers. A wave of mingled applause and protestation swept that part of the theater, as the shoppers departed, pausing every few feet to recapture some meandering parcel.--Madge Arthur, In Buffalo Courier. B. C. 55. "The -next morning, as treacherous and hypocritical as ever, a large company of Germans, which Included all the principal and senior men, came to his quarters, with a double object--to clear themselves (so they alleged) for engaging In a battle the day before contrary to the agreement and to their own request therein, and also by decelt to get what they could In respect of the truce." This Is not an extract from an account of current happenings In Russia between that country and Germany. It Is from Caesar's history of his dealings with certain German tribes in the year 55 B. C. Replying to the spokesman of these Germans (who had crossed the Rhine to Invade Gaul) the narrative reads: "To this Caesar replied as seemed good; but the conclusion of his speech was as follows: He could have no friendship with them If they remained in Gaul." These extracts from V a famous book are commended to the attention of powers that be.--l^om the Outlook. Powerful Brazilian Porter. Like Mexico, Brazil makes large nse of the human "horse." Much of the moving of freight and of household effects Is done by man power Instead of that of the four-footed beast. The carigadores, or freight carriers, are found In every city and town. They go with their burdens where mule or horse would be useless. No ascent Is too steep for them, no way too rough, no burden too heavy. It Is amazing the strength shown by these human horses In Mexico and Brazil. The most of It, too, lies in the muscles of the back of the neck. Famous London Meeting Pfaoa. Before the war Trafalgar square; London, was the favorite meeting place of the suffragettes. The lions at the column's foot were frequently the platform from which Mrs. Pankhurst and her daughters addressed the London crowd. The shops along the Strand were often given the attention of militant women, with the result that for a long while most of their I windows were boarded and barred. FIRST NEWSPAPER IN BERLIN In the Year 1661 a Weekly journal Was Published, Edited by the Elector's Physician. -US first Berlin newspaper "wis printed In 1661 In the reign of the toector of Brandenburg. The paper was edited by Cornelius Bontekoe, a Hollander, physician to the Elector. Robert Voelker and Ellas Locker, booksellers, were privileged to sell the paper. It was a weekly and appeared Sunday morn leg; the clerks of the booksellers would sell the papers, In winter before, and In summer after church, which was held In the open from May to September. These of the young men who could not get a seat were allowed to climb in the trees to listen to the sermon. With his wife, Louise, and the children and the household, the elector went regularly to church. He would, as a rule, remain standing, while the electress and children would occupy seats under the trees. After the closing prayer the newspaper sale commenced at the entrance gate. Rupert Voelker, .the first bookseller of Berlin, was allowed to give the elector a copy. After church the electress and children would return to the palace, while the elector would enter a palanquin and be carried to the Lustgarden. There he would read the paper, and then give audience to artists and other learned men. One Sunday a man was introduced who entertained the e'lector (who believed In the appearance of the devil In some form or another) with a story which had happened to a farmer at the Berlin gate. "At the Berlin gate," he said, "the farmers horses stopped suddenly. He left his wagon to coax them to go, but coaxing and cursing would not take them a step farther. The farmer turned his head and saw an ugly woman on his wagon, blaspheming God and promising the farmer wealth. Then the farmer said: 'All good spirits.' The woman did not move. The farmer got angry and said: 'Will you ride? Then ride In Jesus' name,' and the woman, the devil, vanished from the wagon." The elector was greatly interested in the story and ordered the physldanedltor to have the story published In the next Issue of the paper as a lesson to others not to be tempted by riches. Current news was not allowed to be published. Court functions and fables would find more favor'wlth the Berliners. A bookseller from Leipzig came to Berlin to publish another paper, which was promptly forbidden by the elector, who considered one newspaper sufficient for Berlin. Welle Doeent'See It Through. An edifying little wrangle between Messrs. Wells and Jerome has been adorning the correspondence columns of the London Dally News. Mr. Jerome wrote something about a "League of Reason." Mr. Wells then saddled Mr. Jerome with the elegant reproach of "slobbering with love and forgiveness about the neck of the kaiser, the crown prince, Reventlow and the Krupp family." Mr. Jerome, very naturally, retorted that he had done nothing of the sort, whereupon Mr. Wells criticised Mr. Jerome for holding opinions which Mr. Jerome subsequently stated he did not hold. After a few more Interchanges of compliments the editor of qur contemporary has printed a further letter of Mr. Jerome's, despite a pressing Invitation of his for further remarks by Mr. Wells, with the Intimation, "This correspondence Is now closed." This embargo places Mr. Wells la the unusual position of being unable to have the last word. Mix Wood and Coal In Making Qaa. At various points in Switzerland and France wood and sawdust are being mixed with coal In making gas, because of the coal shortage. For example, 10 per cent of sawdust Is added to the coal In the vertical-bulb retorts .In Geneva, while as an alternative for the sawdust, logs are sometimes used. In such cases the retorts contain about 260 pounds of coal Instead of 1,240 pounds. The acid products from the wood have caused some trouble because of corrosion, but this has been largely overcome by alternating charges of wood with charges of coal. In another Swiss city, 375 pounds of sawdust Is mixed with 66 pounds of coal In retorts that usually take 990 pounds of coal.--Popular Mechanics Magazine. Brlttsh Geological Pictures. A committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science has been engaged for many years in forming a national collection of photographs Illustrating the geology of the British isles. According to the last report the collection now Includes upward of 5,600 pictures. More than a thousand of these were taken In Yorkshire. A collection of the same character has been made by the geological survey of Great Britain, which has recently published a list of its Scottish pictures. Both the B. A. committee and the geological survey offer prints and lantern slides for sale, and printed lists of them are available. The Tunbridge Wells Natural History society offers prizes for photographs of scenery Illustrating geological fea-# tures.--Scientific American. English Is Bad Enough. Why talk of the difficulty of pronouncing Polish, Austrian, Russian or Roumanian names when ninety-nine out of every hundred cannot pronounce scores and scores of English names? Just think of Bertie pronounced as Barty, Dilwyn as Dillon, Belcolr as Beever, Featherstonhaugh as Festunhaw, Dalzell as Dee-el, Ruthven as Rlwan. And these are by no means the worst cases--San Francisco Chronicle. Perfectly Normal. "How does prohibition work In this town?" "Like a charm, come of the brethren say." "That's fine." "Yes. A great many of our prominent citizens now get up with the same kind of heads they go to bed with."--Birmingham Age-Herald. TO CONSIDER WHEN BUILDING Three Material Points to Be Weighed by Man Who la Planning to Own . His Dwelling Place. There are three points to be weighed in relation to the expenditure of money for a house. First, the initial cost; secand, the amount required annually for maintenance; third, the "marketability" of the investment. Materials' In the order of their durability may be roughly classed as follows : For exterior walls--first, stone, granite, field stone, limestone, saadstone, marble; second, burnt Clay, ' brick, terra cotta; third, wood; fourth, artificially mixed surfacing, synthetic stone, concrete and plaster. The best materials for roof coverings are: First, tile; second, slate; third, asbestos shingles and asphalt shingles;, fourth wood shingles; fifth, tin. " The wall material requiring most Ih- I bor--granite or field stone--entails at J most no carrying cost. Brick and terra ^ cotta are almost equally durable, and where field stone is not plentiful are ' cheaper. Wood is perishable if not cared for but with a liberal allowance for maintenance In the form at paint, will last Indefinitely. The man-mixed materials are, because of the human element, uncertain. Some synthetic stone Is trustworthy-- some not. The same Is true of I plaster surfaclngs. The amount re- ( quired for repairs may be said roughly I to vary as Indirectly as the original / cost As to details generally speaking ^ the cheaper materials, which mean the I lower "first cost," require a larger an- >. nual outlay for upkeep, while the better and more expensive ones, while they increase the first cost greatly reduce the annual burden on the pocket book. D0N7 FORGET FIRE BARRIERS Their Value in the Event of a sible Conflagration Can Hardly Be Overestimated. ^ ' T6o much Importance cannot be given to the problem of fire stopping throughout the house. Whether or not lt'ls demanded by the building laws of the town or city where the building ia being erected, an owner should see to it that this Is done In a thorough and workmanlike way. If don4 properly. It confines a flre, shoqld it start in the cellar (which Is a common place for fires to start), to that part of the house, giving the firemen time to get at it. The partitions being thoroughly stopped, there will then be no need of firemen going through them with their axes. The fire stopping Is composed of ordinary brick and cement and la put In wherever possible In partitions and along the stairways. The point Is to plug up all draughts, thus keeping the flse in one part of the house-- Harry Irving Shumway, in House Beautiful. Dictionary Slavery. The fact is that the highest lingual Intelligence today prescribes no such dictionary worship as that of the petty potentates of schoolroom and print shop. The usage of a people Is what makes and animates a language, and those words become a recognized part of the language which are approved by the leading writers and speakers of the time. But these writers, by habit and education, are themselves prone to dictionary slavery. They hesitate to take up a new word and dignify It with usage. Therefore, when they want a new word which our dictionary doesn't provide they go deliberately to the French I This takes the curse_Qff the crime of coining a new word In English! Aside from the cheap and pedantic practice of lifting words from a foreign language to fill out the gaps In our own, our language has today no constant source of replenishment but slang. Shakespeare went to the root forms of classical literature to secure him his materials for words which the language did not afford. We, because of our dictionary fetish, can go only to the sporting page!--St Paul Old-World Industry. No one exactly knows the origin of lace. Both Flanders and Italy claim Its creation. Probably It was the natural evolution of embroidery. One often hears the term "pillow lace." Of this it may be mentioned that the phrase refers to lace made on a pillow for the reason that It brought the work to a correct height for the maker and also because the lace required less handling in this way. And a kindred much heard expression, "needle point lace," refers to that in which the design Is formed with but one needle and one thread. It has never been well Imitated by machinery, since a machine cannot satisfactorily produce a buttonhole stitch, and this lace is largely formed by buttonhole stitch and like looplngs. Lost a Sale, Too. • *B»e lady with the fluffy ««a approached the shoe salesman anxiously and said: "I want a No. 3 shoe, AA last" And the clerk, glancing at her feet replied: "Yes'm; but perhaps you'd better bring the child and let me fit her direct"-- Richmond Times-Dispatch. ~ Her Helping Hand. Fti* One--What are you knitting now? Second Ditto--Stomach protecto r Fair One--Why stomach protect* I Second Ditto--Because I read the army travels on its stomach. Cold Business. Old Stager--I hear you have the pai representing young Glddybody open I your new play. I hope I'm not too la tor the place? Manager--Sorry, but yon look aboi forty years too late. nil