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McHenry Plaindealer. J. VAN SLYKE, Editor atad Pub. L Vv-,^ . . . ... McHENRY, - - ILLINOIS. A late Idea for ladies' dress gfovee !s frog-skin. They are npprorlate for hops. A Boston woman left $40;000 to sup­ port her pet parrot. Crackers shouldn't he heard of by that bird; it's got a pud­ ding. An Atlanta paper says that "no man should tote a pistol." That's true, too; any dictionary will substantiate that statement. The problem, What shall we do with our ex-Presidents? is no longer a puz- ele. Mr. Harrison' and Mr. Cleveland have solved it. COuld the English have invented mod­ ern football as an expression of the national instinct for grabbing other people's ground? Conduet Is generally an index tc char­ acter, and on the stock market those "working for a drop in prices can always be told by their bearing, v.- . * There's a proposition afoot to estab­ lish a penaS settlement in Alaska. In many respects as wfell as latitude this might be on a line with Siberia. The Missouri man who starred for Washington to duplica'^ Guiteau's tragedy and landed in a Chicago jail may be a '97 model, but he is geared too high? A New York physician advertises to "restore outstanding ears to their nat­ ural position." Gentlemen who hare a few ears still outstanding will do well to bear this advertiser in mind. It is possible to obtain a divorce in Missouri now after one day's residence In that State. Why not abolish the time limit altogether and offer a divorce chromo with every pound of tea? • A clergyman in Milwaukee asserts that "the nude figures on a $5 bill are positively indecent" There is some consolation, then, in the thought that even if one be poor one's morals at least are uncontaminated by the Govern­ ment. On an Eastern street railway were re­ cently exhibited specimens of the old and new passenger cars. The old stage seated twelve persons, inside and on top, while the modern car, which occu­ pies less space, provides seats for for­ ty-two, to say nothing of the facilities for hanging on to straps. The old world vineyards have been of uncertain dependence for years and the output becomes more and more pre­ carious. The end is evident. America will be the world's greatest vineland In the near future. Already the Cal­ ifornia vintage is getting in competi­ tion with the older wines of commerce. It but needs a little more care in culti­ vation and expertness in manufactur­ ing. The world at large has long looked upon attempts to solve the mystery of the icy north as foolhardy and uncalled •for. A certain admiration is provoked by the daring of the mer willing to un­ dertake them, and the -^itten story of those who have been so fortunate as to return makes interesting reading, but the substantial benefits gained have not been sufficient to offset the dread record of tragedy attaching to the full history of polar exploration. In our family of States, as in a house­ hold, there are now and then exhibi­ tions of selfishness and indifference-- even occasional outbursts of anger. But let real trouble come, as in the case of the yellow fever visitation in the South, and discord ceases. Sympathy and aid are quickly offered. What finer evi­ dence that we are one people than this ready response when need arises! In our body politic, as in the human body. If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it Some time ago a naval expert wrote an article for the Pall Mall Gazette of London, in which he said the battle­ ships Massachusetts and Indiana of the United States navy were a match for all the Spanish warships afloat. This may not be an exact statement, but it conveys an accurate Idea of the supe­ riority of our navy over Spain's. Spain has more vessels than we have, but most of them are old and would be helpless In-an encounter with any of our ships. If there ever should be a war between the two countries Spain would be swept off the seas in a week. The tendency of young men in this country to embark in the learned pro­ fessions with no especial aptitude for anything except avoiding manual labor, Is constantly on the increase. It Is greatly to be deplored, for to such fail­ ure Is almost the inevitable result. The trouble with these "young men Is that they do not understand the dignity of manual labor. They do not realize that honors and fortune may be more read­ ily realized outside of these so-called learned professions than in them, and that it is just as honorable to swing a hammer or to hold a plow as it is to make a speech in court or amputate a limb. The Dominion is evidently deter­ mined that the Yukon gold fields shall yield up to it all the revenue which can possibly be gathered, from them, and is now laying a royalty of 25 cents a cord on the cordwood with "frhich the miners thaw out the gold from its icy matrix and cook their rations of side pork and coffee. The logs for their cabins are similarly taxed, and a sub­ stantial fraction of the gold they dig Is also levied upon by minions of her revenue stationed there. These ordi­ nances look rather mean, but we arc not complaining of them and are not likely to institute any of the same sort in reprisal when the golddigging comes around within our own lines. Some time ago a writer for the Farm­ ers' Union asked a very ardent admirer of Prince Bismarck what he thought was the secret of that great man's won­ derful influence. In reply, his German companion said: "Mine friendt, Bis- tQfU-gfc. knows bow bold big tongue in six languages!" No doubt a saga* clous silence saves many a difficulty. But Bismarck has been babbling In bit old age. He has volunteered the opin­ ion that our much misunderstood Mon­ roe doctrine is "uncommon insolence to the rest of the world, and does violence to the other American States, and Eu­ ropean States with American inter­ ests." It is a very difficult thing to be­ lieve that such a great mind could blunder after this fashion. But then when Polonius grows old he will talk! The abuse of the right of petition consists, in part, In an indiscriminate use of that method of reaching a de­ sired end. It Is a truism that the ob­ taining of signatures for a petition is usually an easy matter. Men sign out of good nature, to get rid of importuni­ ty, because they have signed similar documents, and so on, and sometimes the body of the petition is not even read. An excellent illustration of reck­ lessness was recently furnished. A cit­ izen complained to the Governor of a State because a certain criminal had been pardoned. The Governor sent for the papers in the case, and the com­ plainant was found to have signed the petition for a pardon. He had put his name to tlie. paper without reflection, and had forgotten the fact But when his own request had been granted, he indignantly he>,d . the Governor guilty of an act injurious to the public in­ terest! • .'.v.. .... . The state of public sentiment in Can­ ada toward the United States is not of the friendliest nature, if some one, signing himself "An English Visitor," in the St. James Gazette (London), is to be believed. He says: "Prof. Gold- win Smith stands alone as a consistent advocate of the erasure of Canada from the map; and he is without fol­ lowing or influence, except that com­ manded by social position and intellec­ tual eminence. One cannot help admir­ ing his courage in facing the over­ whelming tide of public opinion. His obvious exasperation is the meas­ ure of his failure and the proof of Ca­ nadian independence. The aiiti-Ameri- ean spirit is, indeed, absolute. I have been amazed at its strength and inten­ sity. In some quarters it amounts to an almost fanatical hatred. If those Englishmen at home who have had enough of American abuse and blus­ ter--and I think we are all getting a bit sick of it--want to find themselves in congenial society, they should rui over to Canada, where they will hear sentiments vigorous enough to satisfy the most impatient. Everybody is not equally bloodthirsty; but I verily be­ lieve that, next to a duty on American wheat, the most popular thing in the eyes of Canada which it is within the power of England to do would be to administer to the United States a good ringing diplomatic box on the ears. This is not merely empty jingoism. The Canadians, who have much better opportunities of judging than we have, do not believe that the Americans mean serious business against Eng­ land; but they are willing to abide the issue, even if it should come to that, although they are perfectly well aware that they would be the chief sufferers. At the time of the Venezuela crisis, for two days after President Cleveland's message, Canada expected war; yet there was only one feeling throughout the country--the hope that Lord Salis­ bury would stand firm. They knew the brunt would fall upon themselves, but every man was ready to stand to his rifle and face it. Some may pooh- pooh this as empty boasting. For my part. I have been assured of its truth quite independently by too many calm and thoughtful men not to be impress­ ed by it." About Preachers. A simple young fellow who had been reading, perhaps, "Ingersoll's Mistakes of Moses," or something of the sort, once said to a good old preacher: "Say, preacher, whenever a man who has got a son who is not fit for anything else he generally makes a preacher out of him, don't he?" And the good man replied: "Well, God only had one son, and He made a preacher out of Him." Another one of this class said to a preacher: "Whenever a fellow has an idiot for a son he puts him to preach­ ing, don't he?" The preacher replied: "I think not. Your father didn't make a preacher out of you, did he?" A few days ago I returned to Mis­ souri after a three weeks' tour through the East, and on arriving home I called upon my faithful colored servant, who has lived in our family for thirty years, and who is my loyal, devoted friend, and had him go over the place with me. I talked to him about the horses, cows, the dogs and the yard, etc. Everything seemed in excellent condition. I re­ marked to him finally that I didn't see anything of my chickens around the yard, and asked him what had become of them. "Chickens, Governor, did you say? Don't you know there is a Meth­ odist conference going on here in this town? Dem chickens is smart, and they done took to the brush until con­ ference Is all over and the preachers am gone:" Speaking of chickens reminds me. It is a custom among the Methodist preachers in some of the States to open their annual conferences with a hymn "And are we yet alive to see each oth­ er's face?" In a certain town where a conference was held the preachers were treated with extraordinary hospitality. Every housekeeper had the table groan­ ing with fried chicken and yellow gravy. All th*e chickens were killed off to satisfy the white-cravated epicures. The day after adjournment the even­ ing paper of the town had a picture showing two scrawny young roosters peeping at each other out from under the barn, crossing their necks and say­ ing. "And are we yet alive to see each other's face?"--Gov. Stephens of Mis­ souri. Back to the Old Proposition. Miss Perkinson--My ancestors came over in the Mayflower. Miss Westlake--Indeed! I suppose you were too young, though, to remem­ ber much about it, weren't you? A Misfit Remark, Raggs--Isn't that a "hand-me-down" suit you are wearing? Jaggs--Yes; but it's unkind of you to throw it up to me. The "Scorcher's" Way. .. Walker--The way of the transgressor 1b hard. Ryder--Is that so? I must take a spiQ over }t some evening on yny wbeel. FOR THE YOUNG FOLKSw < -\ --: i THE TUFTED TITMOUSE, His coat is like a wintry Bky When once the sun has set And in the west a^gngle line Of red is smoulcwring yet. Above his black, courageous eye , He wears his soldier's crest; No bitter, rude, nor screaming wind Can daunt his martial breast I met him in a l^afy dell--- \ ) A brook ran sweet and cleiar; As if he called from paradise, He shouted, "Here, here 1" In busy thought the moments flew; I pondered, "Then so near ?" Far o'er a hill his voice replied, <4'T is here, here, here J" In winter's frost we met again, When every leaf was sear. J "Where is your heavenly country how ?" He answered, "Here, here!" --W. C. M'Clelland. SNAKES THAT LIKE THUNDER. One of the wonders of the bare, sandy plains of New Mexico are the thun-der snakes. They are by no means common, yet they are often en­ countered by prairie travelers, es­ pecially before and after thunder­ storms. Flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, which are so terrify­ ing to bipeds and quadrupeds, seem to. have the greatest charm and de­ light for these members of the serpent family. Whenever a thunderstorm comes up they have a regular picnic. They come crawling out of holes, from behind rocks and rotten stumps, and enjoy the fun while it lasts. Their nature is quarrelsome, their character fierce, and they are aggressive in a high degree, although their markings are very beautiful. They are not poisonous, however: their bark is worse than their bite. MEN WHO MAKE NESTS. It seems funny enough to read of men who actually make nests like the birds. Yet such men actually exist both in Africa and Australia. The buslimen of the latter country, who are among the lowest orders of men, do not know enough to, build even the simplest huts, so they gather grass and twigs, exactly as a big bird would do, and carry them to a thicket in the jungle and make for themselves com­ fortable nest homes. Here whole families curl up together like so many little puppies and sleep very snugly. As the bushes grow up around the •est they often jme together over­ head and form a kind of natural shel­ ter, but further than this the bushman has no protection from the rain. There are hundreds of these nests in the ' 'bush," as it is called in Australia, but the bushman, although very ig­ norant, never fails to find his own home again, nor mistakes some other nest for it. And if he is taken away blindfolded for miles and allowed to go he will start straight for home as unerringly as a cat that has been carried from her old home in a bag. Indeed, the bushmen possess this homing instinct to a remarkable de­ gree, and in this respect they are far ahead of civilized man with all his intellect and reasoning power. THE KITTEN AND THE BEAR. Chris Burns, the veteran First Ser­ geant of Troop D, had a kitten which during the summer camping of the troop at the Lower Geyser Basin, made her home within the Sergeant's tent. Here, curled up on a pair of army blankets, she defied the world in general, and dogs in particular. When the latter approached, she would elevate every bristle on her brave little back, her eyes would glow like live coals, and her tail would swell up threateningly. If dogs ap­ proached too near, she would hiss, and exhibit the usual signs of hostility, until the intruders had vanished from her neighborhood. One day, when the camp was bathed in sunshine, and every soldier in camp felt lazy, an inquisitive black bear came down the mountain-side, and, whether because he was in search of adventure or because attracted by a savory smell from the cook's fire, be­ gan to walk about among the white tents of the cavalry command. Suddenly the kitten caught sight of him. Dogs by the score she had seen, but this particular "dog" was the largest and the hairiest dog she had ever seen. But she did not hesitate. It was enough for her that an enemy had invaded her special do­ main. Hissing forth her spite, while her little body quivered with rage, she darted forth at the bear. The on­ slaught was sudden, and one glance was enough for Bruin. With a snort of fear, Bruin made for the nearest tree, a short distance away, and did not pause until he was safely perched among the upper branches ! Mean­ while, the kitten stalked proudly about on the ground beneath, keeping close guard over her huge captive, her back still curved into a bow, and her hair still bristling wit^i righteous in­ dignation, while her tail would now and then give a significant little wave, as if to say, "That's the way I settle impertinent bears." The soldiers, who meanwhile had poured forth from their tents, could scarcely believe their eyes; but there was the bear in the tree and the kitten below, and there were those who had seen the affair from beginning to end. And perhaps the strangest part of it all was that the bear would not stir from his safe position in the branches until the kitten had been persuaded to leave her huge enemy a clear means of retreat! Then he slid shame­ facedly down from his perch, and ambled hastily off towards the moun­ tain.--Lieut. Charles D. Rhodes, U. S. A., in St. Nicholas. AN INDUSTRIOUS COMMUNITY. A celebrated naturalist has been studying ants in Australia, and he tells some very wonderful stories of what he has found. The Australian ants are giants in comparison with the ants that we know, and certainly are very much more intelligent than the ants of our dooryards. They belong to the class known as the termites. They are white and very strong. This naturalist tells us that if they attack a human being they can injure him seriously. Their homes are like mammoth slabs of stone, and look yfety like sandsto/ae. The are always built running from north^o south, and a closeystudy of the ants showed that the points of the compass had a great deal to do in governing their movements. These ants are found in NortlT Queensland, in the interior. One mound examined was a groined columnar construction eighteen feet high. This student of natural history tells us that originally he believes this mound was in tbe shape of a cone. The doors through which thd ants went in and out were about a foot and half from the top, and the grooves made in the side of the column, this naturalist believes, were made by the incessant traveling of the ants up and down the same pathway; and it is this, he believes, that gives the columnar formation. It was evident on close examination that at some time there had been dif­ ferent points of entrance to this home of these ants, and that they had been walled up. When the interior of the mound was examined, it was found to contain a large central court, with hundreds of tiny, cells built in regular order on the inside, resembling galler­ ies, terraced one above another. Con­ nection between these galleries was made by stairways, which, on ex­ amination, were found to be built with architectural exactness. The; cells w ere un if of m in size, an d the interior as hard and. smooth as marble. At the bottom of the moiind were found the storerooms. It was evident that this colony of ants had all gone to the cellar for their provisions. Another strange thing was discovered. On one side of the mound the rooms, or cells, were veiy much larger, and from their construction it was decided that they were intended either for the dignitaries of the colonies or for visitors. The floors of these rooms were perfectly smooth, but the ceil­ ings were round, and at one end was found a carefully raised dais. Another mound examined was in the form of a pyramid, with a winding ascent in the interior, the cells con*- structed around the edges of a huge court. Here there was no evidence of any preparation for the entertain­ ing of officials or visitors of distinc­ tion, but the storerooms of the second pyramid or mound were at the bottom, just as in the mound where it was evi­ dent there was a difference in the social standing of the inhabitants. A great deal can be taught little children who are willing to study these tiny creatures that are to be found wherever we go in the country. A group of little children, now big children, formed a colony of white ants in the center of a little miniature I lake on the lawn of the house where they were living in Connecticut. Probably if you should meet these young ladies and gentlemen now, you would be astonished to find how much they know about ants--the various kinds, how they differ in habits of life, and what different things they ate; and all this knowledge began with these men 5nd women when, as little children, their *4jit)her encouraged them to form a coSmy of ants on a little mound in the center of a pond about three feet wide. \o dolls, or tennis-racket, or express wagon, or dolls' dishes ever entertained this little group as their ant friends did for two and three hours every morn­ ing. They can give you descriptions of how the ants made boats out of a leaf and floated across the water; of their house-building and bridge-build­ ing; of the selection of the food which they ate each day, and that which they stored away for winter use. All this these little people discovered for them­ selves without the aid of books, for it was when they came back to New York in the winter that they began reading the books that told about ants, and they understood them be­ cause they hatl studied, without mean­ ing to, all summer. They had a vast storehouse of information all gathered in play. They had followed the ex­ ample of their little friends, the ants. --The Outlook. TROTTING RACES IN MOSCOW. It is racing day in Moscow. The course is swept clear from snow, and follows the wooded shores with red- painted railings on each side. On one side is a stand, with seating room for several thousand people and a special box with tent hangings for the Gov­ ernor-General, surmounted by the im­ perial eagle in gold. In front of this box, lower down, you see the prizes, consisting of gold and silver cups, vases and ornamental pieces, all in Russian style and taste. The bell rings; the course is cleared by mounted gendarmes, and now the competitors in due order take their places in front of the stand, but,,not side by side, as they always start from opposite sides of the course, with heads also turned in opposite directions. The usual race course hum and noise of the betting men are heard, and increase in volume as the bell rings the second time. They are off! and the fascina­ tion of rapid motion, open air and strenuous exertion throws its spell over the assembly, high and low, for trot­ ting is certainly the most fashionable and beloved sport in Russia. You can­ not recognize people just yet; the green fur collars are raised and reach over the fur caps, leaving only red- tipped noses, beneath which appear never-missing cigarettes. The ladies' heads are almost entirely covered with woolen wraps, so here again you can only guess who is who. To a stranger not investing his money in backing his opinion as to winners, the game might seem monotonous enough, as the horses do not finish side by side, but in the way they started. Yet the Russians think differently--and, besides, is there not plenty of vodka and cavier to be had between the races? , Single horses are pitted against each other, drawing light little sleighs, in which the driver is seated very low down and far away from the horse, owing to the long shafts, intended to give the horse perfect freedom of ac­ tion. A whip is not used, but on the reins are metal buckles over the quar­ ters, which are employed instead, and almost all horses run without blinkers. Sometimes a horse is attached to the sleigh on one side of the trotter, who is between the shafts. He is the pacemaker, and gallops the whole course, whereas, it need not be said, the trotter must not break. Then fol­ low pair horses, harnessed, and lastly troikas with three horses, sometimes four, abreast. Troikas are very bar­ barously gaudy and clumsy things to look at, but exceedingly , comfortable all tlie same.--Badminton Magazine TBE FROGJDOSTRY. NEW YORK EATS MORE FROGS THAN ANY PLACE ON EARTH. A Tank Filled With a Thousand Big Bull­ frogs--Used For Scientific Purposes-- Where the Croakers Come From and How They Are Caught Frequenters of Fulton Market have been much interested during the pact week at the sight of nearly one thou­ sand big bullfrogs swimming content­ edly in one of Commissioner Black­ ford's big tanks. I chanced' to be among the spectators, and with others conceived the popular belief that the frogs had been brought to the market to be killed and eaten. Commissioner Blackford, however, set this idea all awry when I said "frogs" to him. "The live frogs that you see out there," said the Commissioner, "are brought to New York solely for sale ampng the schools and colleges. The frog is a very popular 'subject' in the class room, and there are ever so many ways in which he is used to demon­ strate the circulation of the blood. His vitality is very great, and under a skillful knife you can see the complete working of his heart. Scientists use him for experimenting also. Students or messengers take the frogs away in kettles or boxes and we charge them $3 a dozen. __ "The frogs meant to be eaten are shipped to New York already dressed. That means that we receive the back legs or the saddle packed in ice and ready to sell to the consumer. If they should ship the frogs alive the cost in transportation would be enormous and would make the price so high that only wealthy people could afford^ to eat them." ' "Are there many frogs' legs eaten in New York?" "There is not a city in the world'," said Commissioner Blackford, "that consumes so many frogs' legs as New York." ' "More than in Paris?" "Yes, indeed," replied the Commis­ sioner. "While, years ago, the French, were commonly known as frog eaters," the New Yorkers to-day should more properly be called 'frog eating people' rather than the Parisians. I seldom found the dish on the menus in the restaurants of Paris, while in New York you can get them at nearly every first-class hotel and restaurant. This dish is not common in London, and only a few of the high grade restau­ rants there prepare it." According to Commissioner Black­ ford's figures, fully seventy-five per cent of the frogs for the New York market are shipped from the Ontario district, in Canada. The remaining twenty-five come from the Adi- rondacks and the State of Maine. Frogs are very plentiful in all these districts, and they multiply so rapid­ ly that there is no danger o'f a decrease in the supply for years to come. About six of the saddles of these frogs weigh a pound and retail at seventy-five cents. The largest frogs in the world come from the State of Missouri, but they are scarce and do not figure largely in New York's market. Three of these saddles will make a pound. Great quantities of frogs are to be found in the New Jersey meadows, but they are so small that a pound of dressed legs cannot be obtained from less than two or three dozen frogs. Occasionally a farmer's boy will bring forty or fifty of these frogs to market, but the pay is so small compared with the amount of work required in the hunt that no cne makes a regular business of searching the adjacent meadows. The frog taking season begins about June 1 and continues steadily till Sep­ tember 1. Throughout Canada there are many men who make a regular business of frog catching, while in th3 Adirondacks the work is done by the guides during their spare hours. The animals are caught with a hook baited with red flannel and suspended from a rod about ten feet in length. There is a strange fascination about the red flannel that the ordinary croaker can­ not resist. The moment it is dangled within a few inches of his nose he makes a wild leap at it, with jaws wide open, and is promptly hooked. He is released and placed in a big basket carried on the back of the frog hunter. Sometimes the frog is found to be sleeping. Then the hook is placed un­ der him and a quick jerk lands him. When the basket is filled the frogs are carried to a pen in one corner of the pond near the huts of the hunters, and are kept there until there is a demand for them from New York. They are then scooped out of the pen with a net and killed and dressed. This operation is very simple. The frog is stunned with a blow on the head and immediately the head is severed. The saddle is separated from the body with one blow, and the legs are folded together as one would fold his arms. They are packed in boxes of chopped ice and are ready for ship­ ment. During the summer, months the New York market receives from 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of dressed saddles daily. The retail price then reaches the low­ est notch of twenty-five cents a pound. At present about 2,000 pounds pass through the market every day. As it is Impossible to take the frog during the winter immense quantities of the saddles are frozen during the early autumn and stored in ice boxes. The meat retains its full flavor, and is as good as if it had been killed the day previous. A great many attempts have been made toward tlKk artificial propagation of frogs from t-Be eggs, but none has ever succeeded. Seth Green, one cf the most successful fish culturists in the country, made many tests several years ago, but met with failure. Dur­ ing the past summer Commissioner Blackford received several orders from Prance for live bullfrogs, which were to be used in stocking the ponds in that country, as the supply was found to be falling below the demand.--New York Herald. A Deaf Juror's Revenge. A juror in Worcester, Mass., recent­ ly asked to be excused on account of deafness. " The Judge refused to ex­ cuse him 'v>and he sat patiently through a trial lasting several hours. At its close the other jurors were for convic­ tion, but he voted persistently for ac­ quittal, on the ground that as he. could not hear the testimony be could not vote for conviction, Chinese -Wheelbarrows. The wheelbarrow man wears across his shoulders a strap, which is at­ tached to the shafts on each side. Uoxes, bales of goodB, or whatever the load may consist of, are secured to tbe wheelbarrow by ropes. There are seating accommodations for four peo­ ple, two on each side, and a cushioned seat is provided for the passenger, who generally sits with one leg resting on the front of the barrow and the other hanging over the side in a rope loop, which serves as a foot rest. On the Great Plain wheelbarrows are oc­ casionally seen with a sail set, when a fair wind proves to be a great help to the trundling of the barrow over a level way. Since the institution of cotton mills at Shanghai the wheelbarrow has been extensively used as a passenger vehicle, especially for carrying work­ women to and from the mills. One man can wheel six women for a dis­ tance of about three miles, morning and evening, the charge being Is. 5d. per month. The average earnings of a wheelbarrow man are about 8%d. per day. About 4,000 licenses are issued monthly to the same number of wheel­ barrows plying for hire in the streets of the foreign settlements at Shanghai, where, being under the municipal reg­ ulations; they are perhaps the best in China. Sometimes as many as fifty barrows may be seen in the streets, traveling one behind the other, each carrying two barrels of English Port­ land cement, and pushed by one man. Very frequently a load is carried on one side of the barrow only, and it is extraordinary to see a Chinaman skill­ fully balancing and propelling It. The upsets and accidents, too, are re­ markably few, when it is considered that about 4,000 of these vehicles are in use in the streets, in addition to a large traffic of other kinds.--Cassier'sr Magazine. Making Wax Lifelike. "How long does it take to make one of these?" said the manufacturer in response to an inquiry. "Well, it de­ pends entirely upon circumstances, it it not a mechanical operation, the finishing off of a wax model as true to life as this," and he pointed to the bust of a laughing child, whose rosy neck and bright eyes - were framed by clustering curls. "To make these one must have studied anatomy, as well as drawing and modeling. We begin in the same way as a sculptor would to make a statue. After the wax has cooled the eyes are put In, the face is 'made up,' as theatrical folks say, and the wig is fastened on, and the wooden body is shaped. We make all our hands and feet from life, and they cost about $10. If we have an order for an entire figure we al­ ways model it from life. The life-size wax figures of infants are among the finest thing we manufacture, and they add much to the attractiveness of a show window, as was illustrated last winter, when a Washington street re­ tail dealer displayed one during the holiday season. The head and shoul­ ders, such as are seen in the milliner'ri windows, cost from $40 to $45. The wig makes considerable difference in the price, as we use the best hair, and it is expensive, especially the natural blonde, which is scarce. The children's heads cost $20, or thereabouts. "All the finishing off imaginable," he continued, "would not make a figure stand the test of a season behind the glare of a glass unless the wax has a natural pink tinge. The reason some of the models look so deathly is be­ cause the wax is bad and not properly colored. We use beeswax, slightly colored, and flesh tints are put on in addition."--Boston Transcript. Collar Buttons for Insomnia. A Topeka man was recently troubled with insomnia. He thought that some young medical student would be glad to take his case for the practice there was in it, and a small fee, if any. He sought out a medical student who seemed to have the proper appearance and laid his case before him. "I think this prescription will be just what you need," said the coming practitioner. "Three at a dose." "Pills?" queried the invalid. "Yes, but just the kind you need." "How often shall I take them?" "When you feel .as if you needed them." The patient took the prescription to a nearby drug store and had it filled. The pills were placed in a small box and wrapped up. The man took them home, and, absent-mindedly, tossed them on top of the bureau. He went to bed that night forgetting all about his ailment and the pills. He was unable to sleep, and thought perhaps the pills would bring Morpheus to his rescue. He got up in the dark, groped around for the box, found it, un­ wrapped it, and was surprised to find but three. He took them and returned to bed and fell asleep in a few minutes. He met the young student in the street the next day and told him of the wonderful effect that his remedy had produced. The young hopeful was quite elated over his success. Tha man returned home that night. Dur­ ing the evening's conversation bis wife asked him if he had seen any­ thing of a box of collar buttons that she had purchased the day before. "I put them on top of the bureau," she said, "but the box has been opened and they are gone." Monument in Honor of an Indian. Shabbona, Chief of the Pottawatto- mies and friend of the white settlers, is to have a monument. The La Salle County Pioneers filed articles of incor­ poration with the Secretary of State, organizing a memorial association for that purpose. Shabbona was always friendly to the whites and sought to lead his people into their ways and customs. In his old age he wandered about homeless and often hungry. L. P. Sanger, father of Mrs. George M. Pullman, gave $500 to buy the old In­ dian a little cabin,» but he was too broken in health and reason to ap­ preciate his' good fortune. The Czar's Tenement The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is 700 feet square, arift when the Czar is in residence it shelters 7,000 per- sons. A bumble bee stung Ike Williams, of Catlettsburg, Ky., on the hand. His arm and body swelled to twice their usual size, and he died in forty-eight fcow#. FACTS ABOUT OLD CLOCKS. Suggested by the Sight of .An Ancient Timepiece. A fine old timepiece is on exhibition temporarily in Reading, Pa. It stands majestically back of a plate glass win­ dow--a real, though not an apparent obstacle--eight and a half feet in height, massive, but of perfect sym­ metry and without a suggestion of bulk. It was constructed about 150 years ago by Ziegler of Allentqwn, Pa. The mechanism came from Germany and the pipe organ with which it is equipped from Switzerland. The - cyl­ inders that are a part of its musical equipment are wooden and an in­ disputable index of its antiquity, since these have not been made for a century and a half. They are contained in a mahogany cabinet, about jone yard square, the wood being th^ same as that of the clock. Above the dial stand fortt the fig­ ures of an orchestra, a pompoms collec­ tion of musicians, each holding the in­ strument he plays. Surmounthg these automata is the significant inscription: "Abreise, Quentin Durward." The orchestration occurg eViry half hour, when, instead of the uaial one bell, delicious and quaint airs tbod the. apartment Eyes as well as ers are delighted as the musicians abive the dial raise their instruments intoproper position, make all the motions if per­ forming and then drop them tt their sides again. Each instrument an be recognized in the ensemble, ail the delightful effect is better imgined than described. Thirty-two airs constitute themag- nificent repertoire, which is preanted on vellum in old German and qu$ntly framed, making a most attractivfifea- ture. No more artistic environment for this-work of art could be suggsted than to remain in the possession o the last representative of the familyihat originally owned it. Yet eyes ave looked wistfully and plethoric puses offered their seductive contents atfcis impossible shrine. It may be consolation to reflectlhe great. Caesar was not fortunate inihe matter of timekeepers. A water c|ck marked the flight of his imperial the. It is interesting to note in the progiss of clock-making from that crude ske wherewith Caesar was doubtless ex­ tent, to the highly complex and t>- parently perfect system now in it», that the heavenly bodies were usuay represented. Those landmarks in tp history of clock-making, whose it portance has led to their preservatio either in chronicle or in fact, sho' this comprehensiveness of effort. The celebrated clock in the famoti cathedral at Strasburg describes thi motions of the planets. A clock prei sented to Frederick II. by Saladin iii the thirteenth century marked not; only the hours, but also the course of the sun and moon and planets. A, clock made by an English abbott in the1 fourteenth century indicated in addi­ tion to these the ebb and flood tides. , In the eighteenth century a German 1 who invented astronomical clocks con-/ ceived the still more comprehensive; idea of measuring time in its whole , extent. A hand of universal history I indicates principal epochs of history in the Old Testament and the great events of the future founded on the Apocalypse. Eight thousr^^pi years were embraced in the revolutions. A century hand marks the year of thaB century and makes the circuit in 100 years. This clock also represents • the motions of the planets, and they make their revolutions in the same time and - manner that they actually do In the heavens. The heavenly orbs alone were consulted for marking the pass­ age of time when no other method was known. History of Ivory. The earliest recorded history--we might say prehistoric, the hieroglypli- ical--that has come down to us has been in carvings on ivory and bone. Long before metallurgy was known among the prehistoric races, carvings on reindeer horn and mammoth tusk evidence the antiquity of the art. Frag­ ments of horn and ivory, engraved with excellent pictures of animals, have been found in caves and beds of rivers and lakes. There are speci­ mens in the British Museum, also in the Louvre, of the Egyptian skill in ivory carving, attributed to the age of Moses. In the latter collection are chairs or seats of the sixteenth cen­ tury B. C. inlaid with ivory, and other pieces of the eleventh century B. C. We have already referred to the Nine­ veh ivories. Carving of the "precious substance" was extensively carried on at Constantinople during the middle ages. aCombs, caskets, horns, boxes, etc., of carved ivory and bone, often set in precious stones, of the old Ro­ man and Anglo-Saxon periods, are fre­ quently found in tombs. Crucifixes and images of the Virgin and saints made in that age are often graceful anl beautiful. The Chinese and Japanese are rival artists now in their peculiar minutiae and detail.--Appleton's Popu­ lar Science Monthly. Raising Geese For Market. Goose-raising is another growing in­ dustry in this country, thought not so extensive as duck-breeding. The con­ ditions required are wholly different The goose, being a larger animal, needs more room than a duck, and it must have water and a free range. On the other hand, the care and attention necessary for raising geese are very small compared with the returns, and the cost of food is not nearly so great as for other birds reared for the mar­ ket. A goose at full liberty will gather most of the provender in the shape of grasses, insects and other vegetable and animal material to be found in the fields and brooks. Geese are long-lived fowls. Indi­ viduals have been known to reach forty years, while birds fifteen and twenty years old are not uncommon. They retain their laying powers through life. The ganders, however, are apt to become quarrelsome as age advances. The feathers of the geese are an im­ portant source of revenue and find a ready sale. A goose will average about one pound of feathers per an-' num.---Detroit Free Press. More Deadly Than Cholera. Tashkend is being ravaged by ma­ laria, which is more deadly than chol­ era. It has raged there for years, and leaves the survivors unfit for work. The disease is spreading throughout Russia?} Turkestan and Mwv.