Kawartha Lakes Public Library Digital Archive

Millbrook Reporter (1856), 28 Dec 1893, p. 7

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'38 going 250 fgr the third. It some more, her lap. land patted it and gazed ' fish to it, and L A , rqow *ggin’ arms and jump. L 6- Thei: put it 319d her knee m of bet, hold. I the“ hugged the corner where he shitted round moment. and then bout. Here is a me did with that “g 250 yards : r ”in? seconds. rknee. ’3‘“ hugged it oulder and then 1;) on the seat and 1111me ugh the child and then stood 1"P and than rt-car in Toronto noon. She was r, which Was not $3 of the horns. : lat thou h g thgeNatu§fl xowever, be in- :inly reach the feet. rate information the majority of in size to the isted when the Fons than at pres. this deficiency in FY likely to h‘ rs the heightof sixteen feet,and :rteen feet, but reality. For in- ates that e fem- is no question the tallest of all in was only riv- extinct forms Moreover, if some of the gi- f the secondary ained an unfair t by sitting on -1ike manner, such as walk ffes are not. only ikewise the tall- e ever existed. attained by the rupeds, there is, owever, an ex- groups 0f liv- isting members rpassed in size oremost among now appear to s of the 0:69: The sic-called rhinoceros of be fully equal ancestors: and of the girafl‘e, its predecessors *however, escendants ‘ of me of the ex. hills of northern in statute to 3 nary wild boar, pailes. the giant . in spite of its sifierabiy exag. in size the lax-g. of either the Islands. The ed the remai s e, allied to t e {hich probably feet. in length, if any existing half the small. . morever, we inct types, such odons of South hem with their is instance the discrepancy in rked, but such ,y be analogous have attained at, there lived ich ordiu in- ies woulflave e the cave bear- ed considerably living represen- e-toothed tigers larger than the gal lion. Again, p, and wild oxen Is and other ant- buntry indicate xninct allies of 3 history, it. may lie that the large are decidedly in ing ghe {atel- pox. x1, for instance, eglacial ePoch no me last: 1‘ ASIJIJL v “Certainly: Bin. do not tell you wish to.” _..v nw‘u ; “Now you touch upon a sore spot, Rm. 1 mark, that I am tryina to forget. Y0n :‘ remember the unfortunate toss-up ; in fact. 4 I think you referred to it a moment ago. ‘ and you were justly indignant about it; 3;; the time. Well, I don't care to talk much 9 about the sequel, but, as you know the be. : ginning, you will have to know the ead,l because I want to wring a second promise ? from you. You are never to mention this i episode of the toss-up or of my confession; to any living soul. The telling of it might 5 do harm, and it couldn’t possibly do any! good. Will you promise?” “Certainly. But do not tell me “files: _A_ _‘__L L- J, , § I “’To whom are you engaged ? A; I: understand your talk, it is to Miss Bart; lett. Am I right?” i “ Right as rain, Benny. This fire is? dying down again. Say, can’t we postpone‘; our fracas until daylight? I don’t want? to gather any more wood. Besides, one of 3 us is sure to be knocked Into the fire and 5 thus ruin whatever is left of our clothes. ' What do you say 2” “ Say ? I say I am an idiot.’ “ Hello ! reason is returning, Renny, ,1 perfectly agree with you.” ‘ “ Thank you. Then you did not pro- . posejo Marâ€"to Miss Howard 2” i “There,” he said, “that’s better. Now let me have a. look at you. In the name of wonder, Renny, what do you want to fight me for, to-night '3” “I refuse to give my reason.” "Then I refuse to fight. I’ll run, and I can beat you in a foot~race any day in the week. Why, you’re Worse than her father, Be as least let me know why he fought, me.” ‘ “ Whose father ‘3” 3 “Kitty’s father, of course,-my fatal-3‘ father~in-Ia.w. And that’s another Ordeal 1‘ ahead of me. I haven’t spoken to the 014% men yet, and 1 need all my fighting grit: for that.” ' “ What; are you talking about '2” “Isn’t my language plain ? It usually . 2â€" l) Yates gathered up some ffiéilgrâ€"ncifililanaged to coax the dying embers into a blaze. u'l‘).-.m ” LA .. :2] (“L n 1 u -- "Then stop talking, if you can, and da- fend yourself.” ' “It’s impossible to fight here in the dark. Don’t flatter yourself for a. moment that I am afraid. You just spar with yourself and get limbered up while I put some wood on the fire. This is too ridiculous.” “ No, Renny, no. My wants are always modest. I don’t wish to fight at all, espe- cially to night. I’m a. reformed man, I tell you. I have no desire to bid good-by to my Eest girl Winn} black eye to-morrow.” 7‘ Do you want me to strike you you ire rgudy I” “ 0h, go_awa.y. You’re dreaming. Von’re talking in your sleep. What ‘5 fight? To- nighfi ‘2 Nonsense ‘2” ' V “ I half believe you are right, Mr.Yates," said the professor, rising. “ I will act on your advice, and, as you put it, see how it feels. My conscience tells me that I should congratulate you and wish you a long and happy life with the girl you haveâ€"I won’t say chosen, but tossed up for. The natnnl man in me, on the other hand, urges me to break every bone in your worthless body. Throw off your coat, Yates.” “ Oh, I say, Renmork, you’re crazy.” “ Perhaps so. Be all the more on your guard, if you believe it. A lunatic is some» times dangerous?“ “You state the case with unnecessary seriousness. I think that an occasional blow-out is good for a. man. But if you ever have an impulse of that kind, I thyink you should give way to it for once, just to see how it feels. A man who 13 too good gets_ conceited about himself. ” “ Do you think, then, that if a. mafia impulsey 18 to do what his conscience tellsv him Is wrong, he should follow his impulse and not his conscience. 9” ing. The trouble with you, Renny, is tint you are too evidently ruled by a good and well-trained conscience, and naturally :11 women you meet intuitively see this and have no use for you. Alitble wickedness wou1_d be the making of you.” “ You look it. Well, Renhy, congratn' late me, my boy. She’s mine, and I’m hen), â€"which is two Ways of stating the 381110 delightful fact. I’m up in a balloon, Rennyo I’m engaged to the prettiest, sweetest, an most delightful girl there is from the At' lafi‘tic to the Pacific. What d’ye think of that? Say, Renmark, there’s nothing 9!! earth like it. You ought to reform and gom for being in love. It would make a man. you. Champagne isn’t to be compared toxtu Get up here and dance, don’t sit here likea bear nursing a sore paw. Do you com': preheud that I am to be married to the‘ darlmgest girl that lives '2” “God help her !” “That’s what I say. Every day of her life, bless her ! But I don’t say it quite in fiiat tone, Renmark. What’s the matter with you ? One would think you were in love with the girl yourself, if such a thing were possible. ” “Why is it not possible '2” “If that is a conundrum I can answer it the first time. Because you are a fossil. You are too good, Renny,therefore dull and uninteresting. Now, there is nothing a woman likes so much as to reclaim a man. It always annoys a woman to know that the man she is interested in has apflt with which she has had nothing to do. If he is wicked and she can sort of make him over. like an old dress, she revels in the process. 3 She flatters herself she makes a new man of him, and thinks she owns that new man by right of manufacture. We oweit to the sex, Renny, to give ’em a chance at reforming us. I have known men who hated tobacco take to smoking merely to give it up joyfully for the sake of the woman they loved. Now, if a man is perfect to begin with, what is a dear ministering angel of a woman_to do with him? Manifestly, noth- 1 “ Of course it’s I. Been expecting an)“ body else ‘3” ‘ “ No. I have been waiting for you: and thinking of a variety of things.” “ Vhl‘ ‘MI’ 14- WA" D-‘___ -‘_~n¢fflo Yates stood for a. moment regarding the dejecjegi attitude of his friend. z; Hello, old man,” he cried, “ you m" the most ‘ hark-from-the-tombé ’ appeamce 1 ever saw. “ What’s the master ‘2" Renmark looked 11 “Oh, it’s you, ig i ‘3” IN THE MIDST 0F ALARMS: BY ROBERT BARR, IN“LIPPIN00TT’S MAGAZINE.” CHAPTER XIV. usually 3!? Renmark agreed with him, but did not “5 turn in. He walked to the friendly fence, 9" laid his arms along the top rail, and gazed 9!} at the friendly stars. He had not noticed 1' how lovely the night was, With its impress- ?! ive stillness, as if the world had stopped as 3“ a steamer stops in mid-ocean. After quiet- -" ing his troubled spirit in the restful stars, 1" he climbed the fence and walked down the 3‘ road, taking little heed of the direction. “d The still night was a soothing companion. m‘He came at last to a sleeping village of 1d wooden houses, and through the centre of 5' the town ran a single line of rails, an , 'iron link connecting the unknown faihamlet with all civilization. A red “ls’and a green light glimmered down 33 the line, giving the only indication that a train ever came that way. As he went a '7 mile or two farther, the cool breath of the ‘1 great lake made itself felt, and after cross- m ing a field he suddenly came upon the ‘1‘ water, finding all farther progress in that :5} direction barred. Huge sand dunes formed the shore, covered with sighing ines. At ,, the foot of the, dunes stretche a broad ‘ beach of firm sand dimly visible in contrast a with the darker water, and at long inter- “ l vals on the sand fell the li ht ripple of the gilanguid summer waves gunning up the , !beach with a half~asleep whisper that be- : came softer and softer until it was merged fl in the silence beyond. Far out on the '° dark waters, a point of light, like a floating " star, showed where a steame: was slowly making her way. and so still was the night that he felt, rather than heard, her pul- sating engines. It was the only sign of life ' ivisible from that enchanted bay,â€"â€"the bay re! of the silver beach. 0,! Renmark threw himself down on the soft sand at the foot of a dune. The point of light gradually worked its way to the west, following, doubtless unconsciously, the star} rs!“ empire, and disappeared around the} g’headland, taking with it a certain vague [1 sense of companionship. But the world is olvery small, and a man is never quite as ”much alone as he thinks he is. Renmark is heard the low hoot of an owl among the trees, which cry he was astonished to hear .. answered from the water. He sat up and “listened. Presently there grated on the ffsand the keel of a boat, and some one {stepped ashore. From the woods there emerged the shadowy forms of three men. l Nothing was said, but they got silently ,into the boat, which might have been ,lCharon’s craft for all he could see of it. E; The rattle of the rowlocks and the plash of ;fears followed, while a voice cautioned the lr a.‘ .‘e rowers to make less noise. It was evident that some belated fugitives were eluding - the authorities of both countries. Renmark ; thought with a smile that if Yates were in {his place he would at least give them a diright. A sharp command to an imaginary 'company to load and fire would travel far on such a night, and would give the rowers Ia few moments of great discomfort. Ren- imark, however, did not shout, but treat- J ted the episode as part of the mysti- . {cal dream, and lay down on the ’sand again. He noticed that the water ‘ in the east seemed to feel the approach of day even before the sky. Gradually the 1 {day dawned, a slowly-lightening gray at 1 i first, until the coming sun spatteredafilmy ‘ 4 cloud with. gold and crimson. Renmark 1 ;Watched the glory of the sunrise, took one 1 élingering look atthe curved beauty of the l ; bay shore,shook the sand from his clothing. 1 ( < iand started back for the village and the l camp beyond. “ You can’t expect me to give any infor- mation that. will get 9. friend into trouble, can you Zâ€"especially as he has done nothing.” “ ThEt’s as may turn out before a. jury,” sai_d_9ne_pf the asgisjuqys. g1 safely, ' “ Hello 2” he cried, “ you’re up early. I have a. warrant for the arrest of your {fiend : I suppose you won’t tell me where e is '2” The village was astir when he reached it. He was surprised to see Stoliker on horse- back in front; of one of the taverns. Two asaistants were with him, also seated on herses, The constable seemed disturbed by the sight of Renmark, but he was there to do Ins duty. ___ v .5.un cvo “It strikés me Sioflu’ve become awfully funny all of a sudden. Don’t you think it’s about time we took to our bunks? It’s no- ” v “ Nothing 818;: v hunt, that enough? It Was more than enough for meâ€"at; the time. I tell you, Renmark, I spent a. pretty bad half-hour sitting on the fence and. thinking about it.” “ So long as that ‘2” Yates rose from the fire indignantly. “ I take that; back too,” cried the Pro- fessor, hasyily. “ I didn’t mean it.” .. w en, 3’ “ Exactly. I see you can credit it. Well, I couldn t at first, but Margaret knows her own mind, there’s no question about that. gay! she’s in love with some other fellow. [found that much out.” “ You asked her, I presume.” “Well, it’s my profession to find things out; 31ml, naturally, if I do that for my paper it 13 not likely that I am going to be behindhand when it comes to myself. She denied it at first, but admitted it after- wards, and then bolted.” “You must have used great tact and now that you mention it, ,I “ See here, Renmark, I’m not going to stand any of your‘sneering. I told you this was a. sore subject with me. I’m not telling you because I like to, but because I l have to. Don’t put me in fighting humor, 1 Mr. Renmark. If I talk fight I won’t be-! gin for no reason and then back out for no reason. I’ll go on.” “I’ll be discreet, and beg to take back all I_s_a.i<l._ What else '3” ate. :W{ , ,“w no can: about it, but it is better the land lies, take. Not 0 yes, I proposed to Margaretâ€"first. She wouldn’t look at me. Can you credit that?” “I 401;“: exact] y yearn .to tglk about it: I wefiildiz’b have believed it of you. You a newspaper-man? You a. reporter from ’way back? You up to snufi‘! Yates, I’m ashamed “ Well, I’ll be-â€"-” but; speech seemed to havegfailed him ; he could get. no further. He stopped at the fence and leaned against; it, gazing for the last time at the t-enb glimmering whit-e, like a misshapen ghost, among the sombre trees. He had no energy left to climb offer. "(‘Wefilflâ€"j‘m a chimpanzee,” he muttered to himself at last. “(the highest bidder can [lave m9, wiph no _u1_)_set gripe. _Dick gates, As he walked alone down the road he i reflected that Margaret had acted very 1 handsomely, and be resolved to drop in and wish her good-by. But as he approached the house his courage began to fail him,and he thought it better to sit on the fence, near the place where he had set the night before, and think over it. It took a good deal of thinking. But as he sat there it was destined that Yates‘ should receive some information which would simplify matters. Two persons came slowly out of the gate in the gathering darkness. They strolled to- gether up the road past him, absorbed in themselves. When directly opposite, Ren- mark put his arm around Margaret’s waist, and Yates nearly fell off the fence. He held his breath until they were safely out of hearing. then slid down and crawled along, in the shadow until he came to the side-i road, up which he walked, thoughtfully l pansing gavel-y few _moments to remerk, ., And he finished his sentence with a. prac- tical lllustration of his frame of mind. “ The idea! I haven’t a. word to say against Margaret; but, compared with my gigâ€"37” “ She is a lovely irl,” said Kitty, en- thusiastically. “ wonder, Dick, when you knew her, why you ever fell in love with me.” “ She’s rather a. nice girl, is Margaret,” remarked Yates, with the air of a man Willing to concede good qualities to a girl other than his owu, but indicating, after all, that there was but one on earth for him. “ She said she was sure I should be happy, and she knew you would be a. good hus- band. ” W'henVYates kissed Kitty good-night at the gate he asked her. with some trepida- tion. whether she had told any one of their engagement. “ No one but Margaret,” said Kitty. “ And what did she say ‘2” asked Yates, as if, after all, her opinion was of no impor- tance. h. w. .. uaawl mum, wuu I the Bartletts. If ‘1' were on I’d h You look tired out.” y aveanap. “ I am,” said the professor. Renmark intended to lie down for a few moments until Yates was clear of the camp, after which be determined to pay a. visit ; but Nature, when she got him locked up in sleep, took her revenge. He did not heal ! §toliker and his satellites search the prem- i ises, just as Yates had predicted they ‘ would, and when he finally awoke he i found, to his astonishment, that it was nearly dark. But he was all the better for his sleep, and he attended to his per- i sonal appearance with more than ordinary ‘ care. i Old Hiram Bartlett accepted the situ- i ation with the patient and grim stolidity of a man who takes a blow dealt him by a ; Providence which he knows is inscrutable. ‘ What he had done to deserve it was beyond his comprehension. He silently hitched up his horses, and for the first time in his life drove into Fort Erie without any reasonable excuse for going there. He tied his team at the usual corner, after which he sat at one of the taverns and drank strong . waters that had no apparent effect on him. He even went so far as to smoke two native cigars ; and a man who can do that can do anything. To bring up a daughter who would deliberately accept a man from “the ~ States,” and to have a wife who would aid and abet such an action, giving comfort and support to the enemy, seemed to him traitorous to all the traditions of 1812 or any other date in the history of the two countries. At times, wild ideas of getting blind full and going home to break every breakable thing in the house rose in his mind, but prudence whispered that he had to live all the rest of his life with his wife, and he realized that his scheme of vengeance had its drawbacks. Finally he untied his patient team, after paying his bill, and drove silently home, not having returned, even by a nod,any of the salutations tender- ed to him that day. He was somewhat re- lieved to find no questions were asked. and that his wife recognized the fact that he was passing through a crisis. Nevertheless there was a steely glitter in the eye he un- easily quailed under, which told him a line had been reached which it would not be well for him to cross. She forgave, but it mustn’t g_o_ any fur ther. _’ 7 ,fi----. urn-NW ‘0 lobe me out to Fort Erie to-mght.” “ Do you think it will be safe to put it off so long ‘2” “ Safer than trying to get away during lthedny. After breakfast I’m going down to the Bartlett homestead. Must have a talk with the old folks, you know. I’ll spend the rest of the day making up for that interview by talking with Kitty. Stoliker will never search for me there, and now that he thinks I’m gone he will likely make a. visit to the tent. Stoliker is a. good fellow, but his strong point is duty, you know, and if he’s certain I’m gone he’ll give hls country the worth of its money by searching. I won’t be back for dinner: so you can put in your time reading my dime novels. I make no reflections on your cooking, Benny, now that the! vacation is over, but I have my preferences, ‘ and they incline towards a final meal with l e d be roused the reporter and told him of 31.211}; meeting with Stoliker advisin him to et, back to New York wiéhout defiy. g Yates yawned sleepily. “ Yes.” he said, “ I’ve been dreaming it all out. 1’11 gets father-inJaw to tO’oe 'me 011‘.) to Port Erin 9,. “Ln“ n tent. He prepared breakfast withgm turbing him. When the meal was he roused the reporter and told him 4 meeting with Stoliker, advising him ‘ back t5 New York without dab... 7â€" ... u we cAuepD as a. spectator. That is a}? {he in? formation I have to give.” - Stoliker turned to his assistants, (1 nodded. “What did I tell you?” he 3.31:3. “We were right on his track.” “You said the railroad,” rumbl d the the man who had spoken bef g e ore. “Well, We were within two miles of him. Let us go down to the lak e and see the traces. Then we can retur 8. man 0% o . I don’t say who the man wasg, m3 303;; nothing to do with the matter in any way except as a. spectator. That is all ‘ formation I have to give.” Stoliker turned to his assinfnnh “AJJ‘J n...- If yon 1 of a Wfoot other A San"; Francisco despatch says :â€"-For some three months about 300 unempzoyed men have been camping on the sand lot for which the Government paid $1,250,000 last year for a postoflice site. They have been allowed to run a soup kitchen and to cook food which they begged thrOughout the city. Near by, on the same lot, the Sal- vation Army had a camp. Within a. week these unemployed men have been offered work sweeping the streets, but refused to accept because the pay was only $1 a day. They said these were Chinese wages and any one degraded labor who accepted them. A score of these men were regularly supplied from the Palace Hotel kitchen, but yesteru day when they applied for the usual cold [ meats, the manager asked several to work, 1 } ofi‘ering $51 and board. They all refused, iwhereupon be shut off the free rations. ‘ The worst of these unemployed are led by \Villey and Fry, two professional labor agitators. They have been warned to vacate the postoifice lot and they will be evicted in a few days if they do not move. They counted on getting a Thanksgiving dinner, but the public has become so dis- gusted that no one will contribute any more. These worthless bummers fill the streets and their begging has become a nuisance. The Nova Scotia. ship J.Y. Robbins is reported ashore near Hakodace, Japan, and will probably become a total loss. She was owned by J. Y. Robbins, and others of Yarmouth, N.S. The vessel and freight were partially insured. Six anarchists have been expelled from Buenos Ayres. Armor may be substituted for guns, guns for fuel, so that the saving in one direction may at once be utilized in another. The advent of hard-surfaced armor will demand that the calibre of the main battery be main- tained;foruntilprojectilesofgreaterstrength can be produced, the only way to overcome Harvey armor is to crush it with an over- whelming blow. In addition to this,it will undoubtedly be found that all armor under the constantly-varying angles of impact in battle will furnish greaterprotection than is considered possible when judged by the re- sult of normal impact on the provingground. For this reason again, the larger calibre of the gun must be maintained, and this,in its turn, determines the great size of the battle ship of the future, subject to the restrictions which have been indicatedâ€"UV. T. Samp- son, Captain, United States Navy. Rather Beg than Work for a Dollar a Bay In the main, however, I venture to think that the battle ship of to-day has a sound reason for all her principal features, and the type will persist. The stability will continue to be carefully protected by verti- cal armor. Many of the accidents, both in battle and in times of peace, to which great ships are liable, will be diminished by the adoption of liquid fuel. The main battery will be mounted in turrets furnish- ing complete protection to the guns, and. as far as possible, to the machinery for their manipulation, and for the supply of ammunition. The secondary battery will be protected in proportion to its importance, while every gun position, with its crew, will be protected against machine and rapid gun fire. The time will never come when we shall cease to demand higher require- ments in the battle ship. Fortunately, all requirements are interchangeable. The battle ship of the future will, like 8.1 human contrivances, be of gradual growth, resulting from the adaptation to her usel of improvements and discoveries in many branches of science. Under the crucial test of war it may be found that many mistakes have been made. If I should venture to point out one of these, it would be the multiplicity of devices which every branch of physical science has contributed to over- crowd our ships. Not that they do not admirably serve their purpose, but I fear that we, as sailors, are growing to rely upon them, and will be lost when the rude shock of battle breaks our electric wires and disar- ranges the delicate machinery upon which we’noxy depend_in a. thousand ways. The Hard-working Little Animal at Least as Industrlous as lhe Ant. } A mole’s life is by no means a gentlemanly sinecure, according to the Cornhill Magazine. He has to work harder, in all probability, for his pittance of earthworms than any other animal works for his daily bread. H is whole existence is spent in perpetual raising and removing large piles of earth by sheer force of muscle. In order to sustain such constant toil and to replace and repair the used-up tissue the mole requires to be al. ways eating. His appetite is voracious. He works like a horse and eats like an ele- phant. Throughout his waking hours he is engaged in pushing aside earth and scurry- ; ing after worms in all his galleries and tun- inels. The laborer, of course, is worthy of his hire. Such ceaseless activity can only be kept up by equally ceaseless feeding, and so the mole’s existence is one long savage ‘ alternation of labor and banqueting. His heart and lungs and muscles are working at such a rate that if he goes without food for j half a day he star ves and dies of actual in- 1 anition. He is a high pressure engine. His 1 drinking is like his eating ; immoderate in i all things he must have his liquor much and often. So he digs many pits in his tunneled ground and catches water in them to sup- ply his needs at frequent intervals. He doesn’t believe, however, in the early closing movement. Day and night alike he drink! every few hours, for day and night are all alike to him. He works and rests by turn, after the fashion of the navvies em. played in digging tunnels, or measures his time by watches, as is the way of sailors. GO TO THE MOLE. TBOU SLUGGARD ‘to bottom in your company. Go bacbto New York, and let the youngest reporter in from a. country newspaper scoop the day~ hght out of you. To think that this thing has been going on right under your well de- veloped nose and you never saw it,â€"-worse, never had the faintest susplcion of it,â€" thrust at you twenty times a day,--nea.rly got yo 3r stupid head smashed on account of it,-â€"¢nd yet bleated away like the innocent little lamb that you are, and never even suspected! Dick. you’re a. three-sheet- poster fool in colored ink. And to think that both of them know all about the first proposal!-both of them! Well, thank heaven, Toronto is along way from New York.” ARE THESE AMERICANS? The Battle Ship of the Future- [THE 1351).] The cheapest way to get rid of rotting tree-stumps, if there is no suitable means of pulling, is to bore a one and a quarter inch auger hole down the centre of the stump about eighteen inches deep, and put. in one and a. quarter pound of saltpetre, fill the hole with water, and plug it tight. In the spring take out the plug, pour into the hole a half-pint of crude petroleum oil, and set it on fire. The stump W111 burn and smoulder to the ends of the root; leaving nothing but ashes. On the island of St. George, one of the Pribilof group in Behring Se'a, the breeding of blue foxes has become very profitable. They generate rapidly, and when an island of good size once becomes well stocked it is impossible to deplete it, as the law provides that they must not be shot, but trapped, the restriction being imposed mainly to keep them tame. Cattle shipped from Chicago to Phila- delphia are denied water during the whole trip. On their arrival in the Quaker City, just before being sold they are given all the water they can drink, and excessive thirst makes them absorb about sixty pounds 01 fluid. This the purchaser buys as beef, as the animals are sold by weight. The Turkish Sultan lately decided that his 167 Wives should be vaccinated. A doctor was called to the harem, and he stood on one side of a. temporary wooden wall, through which a hole was bored, no outsider being ever permitted to gaze upon the faces of the Sultan’s wives. The arm of each excited woman was passed through the aperture, and the doctor vaccinated them all without getting a glimpse of their faces. While making some excavations beneath a. church in the Prussian town of Anger- burg, the workmen made a horrible discov- eryâ€"a. small walled-in space in which they found a. human skeleton a. broken chair, and the remains of a helmet and a. pair of boots. The walls bore marks as of finger- nail scratches, and there was other evi- dence that; some person had been walled in alive. The little toe is disappearing from the human foot. At a. recent meeting of the French Academy of Science, it was demon- strated that in the last two centuries the average size of the toe has decreased so much that instead of three joints it has most frequently only two, and that in ad- dition the nerves and muscles that control it are slowly becoming useless. A rainmaker now operationg in India has an apparatus consisting of a. rocket capable of rising to the height of a. mile, containing a reservoir of ether. In its descent it opens a. parachute, which causes it to come down slowly. The other is thrown out in a. fine spray, and its absorp- tion of heat is said to lower the temperature about it suficiently to condense the vapour and produce a. limited shower. A lady physician attends the Queen of Corea, and receives pay at the rate of £5,- 000 a. year. When the queen is sick the salary stops, and of course the physician,at such time, feels almost as wretched as her noble patient. . A frog cannot breathe with its mouth open. Its breathing apparatus is so arrang- ed that when its mouth is open its nostrils are closed. To suffocate a frog it is neces- sary to prop its jaws so that they cannot: shut. In Germany, when the vote of the jury stands six against six, the prisoner is acquit- ted. A vote of seven against five leaves the decision to the court, and in a vote of eight against four the prisoner is convicted. Clusters of clover, if hung in a. room and left to dry and shed their perfume through the air, will drive away more flies than sticky saucers of treacle and other flytraps and fly-papers can ever collect. Beggars swarm so in Malta. that the only way to avoid being pestered by them is to put out your hand and anticipate them with their own whining “Give me some- thing,” “Me plenty poor man,” “Me very large family.” Statistics Show; that 23,010,000 inhabit.- ants of the United States are maintained by agriculture, 15,620,000 by manufac- Lures. Mr. Sims Reeves, it isleaid, reeeives 308. per hour for teaching at the Guildhall School. This is in addition to the fees he receives from pupils. There are said to be 698 newspapers and journals issued within a radius of six miles from Charing Cross, London. Some of the healthiest children in the world are found in the Scottish Highlands, where shoes are seldom worn at an earlier agg than tyvelve and thirteen. ---- vvvm â€"It is send thai: £58}; leaves, spread among furs .and woollens, will protect them from moths. Three persons are crematEd, on an aver- age, every week at Waking, England. Thirteen million four hundred thousand Bank of England notes are issued yearly. An oculist says that scarcely one in (well. ty of watchmakers suffers from weak eyes. The Czar's R‘oyal yacht, the Polar Star, cost over £1,030, 000 sterling. Two-thirds of the old now in use in the world was disoovere during the last fifty years. Pawubrokers are not allowed to take wine and spirits in pawn. The catgub in tennis rackets is made from the entrails of sheep. Only9 pai- 7éewz1fltiv of cases of amputation are fatal. England has 4,000 idle clergyman. Women of rank go bareheaded in Mexico. Most workers in Switzerland labour about eleve‘n hours a. day. , The island of Malta. is‘the most densely populated spot on earth. BBIEP AND INTERESTING-

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