McHenry Public Library District Digital Archives

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 25 Jan 1893, p. 6

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Tw, de spring sin a-comin', ii- ' Can't you hear do blurbii J hnm*pKhp fa de andttrhruoh down by do can*? H v • Cant yon «e« de sun am abiniu' ? Whir de lasy hours AID dioin' 'Jj- *'-' PB ds lemon blossom# bloomin1 in u» W« FoTitnblne am allreveilin' ^ « ! Whar do olo hen hawk nr' wb«lln*;- (alldmAtny distant stretches ob . • An'tie air am nil aflutter Wid a joy r«> lijucau uttar, , ? 5 i- , Sat In our hearts we feel it, YOU an' £, > w • Can't yon nee de ole mule whinm# An'rte litrl* pickaninnies fw a-ieariu' out each oiler's hairin giear ; Can't you see de bayou baskin Without a thought ol) askin. _ What de meiaiu' ob dig glory jus «>UM DO T Ciui't tou ses de durkies smilin . Wid a kinder bumpsbus gollin ? . :v i ;» For it'aeettiu' nearer wate'umllon t<W»» Can't you Bee down by deliver s. Green an" white de willows kiver. ;Aa' golden tassels tremble in de lime? I Can't you--honey, dearest Linda-- -1. Don't yon feel jus' eot o'tendaf Don't you think it's spring dat am fren'? For de rioebinls am combinin" An' de sle py winds am jiuiu'-- _ Don't you think we letter follow, honey, BM» --Wew Orleaait Picayune, ate th plate. "That night the goblin beat the farmer cruelly; so he did every night till the farmer found out the cause and carried up a fresh plate «f broth. Then he let him alone. And now you know all about it." .. The farmer was slight. iSjlmilld by he began: "There Is a good deal about it that £*ion't like, Michael." "You asked my advice, and I've given ft," said the old man. "Pov­ erty and want have come upon you; this is the only way to escape them and become a rich man, and if you use your wits you'll be able to'cheat the devil of your soul besides." After that Sunday the farmer was never to le seen in the village. He neglected his field work and his crop, such as it was, was spoiled. His house looked desolate and forsaken. Meantime the farmer sat in his smoky room, with the door bolted and the window curtains drawn, working diligently day and night at his goblin by the light of a pine torch. He had got together all that was needed for it, including even the Orite upona tntr? a yout»T fatfmef\s j^istafts with which an old woman 100 whole harvest had failed, his hav was | years old had spun. me <!• iowr'l RUINED BY ASIIU^TT. >\ '/spoiled, aud hi# cattle had died, so 'that he could not. even do the work t.;4,-"^ue his landlord* f / , One Miaday he was sitting sorrow- •. 'fully at his door as the people passed He put all the pieces carefully to- cether, set the jug on the broomstick, fastened on a piece of broken glass for a nose and painted the eyes and mouth with red paint. Then he fjy the churph. There came up to ! wrapped the body in colored tags, as s* ; .-^tiira one Michael, an old tramp, of ^L-iSi-honi it wa« said he could suck the - ,' -Ifcows dry, call down hail on the crops jfV . 1 ^fcnd bring disease on men. Thanks - to his reputation, he was never sent " Jtway empty-handed when he came P ; -tegging. . •' . • J? "Good day, farmer teaKi he as he JKV'Came up. * . %:•- •••' r Hl "V*% •'Good iucfc • *9* the a/i- , '£• ' ]|*er- * • ' , "What's the matter with you?" -r asked the old man. "You look mis- :<?*' arable." ' . " r, *'? - • "Yes, things are going ill with me. V " » ' But, at least I am glad to meet you. ^/I'olks sav you can do a lot of mis- •*"" / . chief, but that you are a clever man. perhaps you can help me?" i V ! • J *'Folks think I am bad because ^ ' <*- u they are bad themseives, 'replied the lylli J»ld man. "But what has happened 5T" Vk, to vou«» ;Vi/ ' i'v J '• The farmer told him all his mis- 1- ,"*• ^fortunes, and then the old man said: ;'!V •'Would you like to escape from ;--'j^7our present poverty and become a £v*kWch oian at once?" ' T1 4II wish with all my heart I could," ' '• ,Jcried ther farmer. $ 7 T h e n o l d M i c h a e l h i u g h e d a n d s a i d : £ f "If I were as young and strong as 2 |»*. you. if 1 were brave and not afraid of the dark, and if I knew how to hold J' * ,v* tongue--well* .1 know what I'd - . ,rL < da" »- «Tell me what, you mean. I'll do ^ ^ anything to get rich, for as things J* "Vv, are« niv life is a burden to me." Sf-i Then the old man looked cautiously ' ? k '* round about him, and said softly: - /fi "Do you know what a Shratt is?" P.<' ; ; The farmer answered in horror: "I £>-* f don*t know, but I have heard dread- f V . ful things" } " "I'll tell you. then. It is a creajfc- he had been told to do; and all the time he thought with horror that now he had the power to call this uncanny creature to life and that he should have to keep it beside him all his dav» But when he remembered the riches it was to bring his abhorrence sub­ sided. " The goblin was soon finished, and next Thursday after dark, the farmer carried it to a cross-road in the forest. There •'Where is my supper What will you take and leave me in peace?" J "Whele Is my supper?" Gfi my supper quick;. I'm hunery." "Just wait, rii give it to you di­ rectly." ? . The» farmer seized a pino torch which was burning in . the chimney corner, rushed out like a madman and lockei all the doors from outside. It was a cold autumn night, and the wind blowing through the pines sounded like strange,, wailing voices. "Now burn and roast!" cried the farmer, throwing the burning torch on to the thatched roof, so that the whole cottage was soon in a blaze. The villagers were soon awakened i by the glow of the flames, and flocked to the scene of the disaster. They wanted to put out the Are and save what they could, but the farmer thrust them back, saying: "Let it alone! What do I care about the house if only be perishes? He has tormented me long enough: now it's my turn to turture him, and then things may come right again." The people stared at him in amaze­ ment. Then the house fell in with a crash, and the fanner cried loudly: "Now he's burn't!" At that moment the goblin, visible to the farmer alone, arose unhurt from the smoking ruins with a threat­ ening gesture. The moment the farmer saw him he fell to the ground with a dreadiul cry. "What do you see?" asked old Michael, who had just come up and was standing close beside him. " But the farmer gave to answer. He was dead of fear. --Longman's Maga­ zine. upright, sat down on a stone and watched it But, every time he looked at it he almost fainted with terror. Every put! of wind went through his mar­ row, and when an owl hooted in the distance he thought he already heard the goblin groaning, and his blood froze in his veins. When the day broke at last he took the.goblin and stole cautiously home. -- The second Thursday he did Just the same At last the third Thursday night came, and now the charm was to take effect The wind howled and the moon was hidden behind thick clouds when the farmer, at dead of night, reached the cross-roads with his gob­ lin. He set it upright, as before, but thought as he did so: "Suppose I were to break it in a thousand pieces, go home and work hard and steadily. I need have noth­ ing to do with the powers of evil." "But I am miserably poor," he an­ swered himself, "and this creature will make the rich. Come what may, things can't be worse with me." He looked around anxiously, turned trembling to the goblin,dropped three Th« Umbrella Ordered Off. •' * Some oracle has uttered the prophecy that the umbrella will not be in use much longer. It is alleged he set his goblin | that it will be superseded bv gar- sS-j-ik > • 'jL- ments impervious to rain and which will be a sufficient protection against storms of every character. When the umbrella disappears a great bur­ den will be lifted from the minds of many people. The difficulty of keep­ ing track of umbrellas has been vhe means of tilling the lupatic asylums, and the inadvertent possession of an umbrella which did noihelong to him has dragged many a man under a dark cloud of suspicion and social ruin. When there are no more umbrellas there will be no temptation to steal them, and the last and most fruitful cause for crime will be swept off the face of the earth. It will be a head­ long and agreeable advance toward that millenium to which we are all looking and some are expecting. The abolition of the umbrella will alsct re­ move one of the temptations a man has to make himself ridiculous. It is uncomfortable enough to be caught out on a clear day with an • umbrella --and no system of weather prophecy has ever been able to provide against this--but that is a feeling of ecstasy compared with that a man has when he is caught out in a storm without [ an umbrella, and the weather reports ?•: r ure that any man can make for him­ self, but it must be dune so secretly that no human, being sees him. Its body is a broomstick, its head a broken jug, its nose a piece of glass, ,and its arms two distaffs with which j a woman 100 years old has spun. Ah thes«i things are easily got J f "On three Thursday evenings you ; ; must go all alone to a cross-road, set! you goblin upright and say the words I will teach you. On the third Thurs­ day the goblin will come to life." "Heaven deliver us from evil!" cried the farmer. "Oh, you're afraid? Then I've said too much already." "No, I'm not afraid: go onin "This goblin is, then, the servant of him who has brought it to life at * the cross-road. It lives in his house, in the garret, and must do whatever he bids it. No one can see it but^ts ]• master. It brings him money, corn and hay as often as he likes; but not more at once than a man can carry." . "But, if you know all that, why - have you never made one of these admirable treasure-bringers for your- '< self instead of remaining a poor man v all your life?' , "I have made up my mind to do it * a hundred limes, and I've begun to do it a hundred times, but my cour­ age always failed. "A frieii I of mine who had one. used to talk to me about it, but I was ' too timid to follow his example. My friend died, and bis masteries* gob- Jin lived a long time in the village here, and played the per>ple many a trick. "Once he tore a woman's yarn all to pieces, and when thev found it drops ot blood from his finger upon j quite frequently bring on this dilemma. Still intenser feelings of resentment, however, are held - by the man who is caught in a storm with nothing but a cane. Having a cane in a sthrm is the only thing worse than nothing. What a lot of bad language that man will be saved when the umbrella is no more. There will be less danger on the pub­ lic highways as well. People will be able to go along the streets without the danger, not always present of being run through by somebody's carelessly handled umbrella, or hav­ ing their hats dragged off, or their eyes picked out, or suffering some other more or less undesirable un­ pleasantness. There will be a great deal more room in the town for legi- I timate and proper uses when there j are no longer u&brellas to take up j so much of it. Let the umbrella go. 111 is a fraud anyway. If it isn't dis- | abled when most needed it is more ! than liable to turn itself inside out j in a fit of contrarinessr In the ' hands of most people it is almost as j safe as a dynamite bomb. Few ever j did understand the art of managing I it The world will be far more i peaceful and life much more secure | when there are no. longer umbrellas to upset the general tranquillity.-- ] Philadelphia Press. it and said the charm which the old man had tajight him. ! Suddenly the moon came out from j behind the clouds and shone down on i the place where the farmer was stand-! ing before his goblin. The farmer was petrified with horror when he saw the goblin coming to life. The creature rolled his eyes hor­ ribly, turned slowlv round and round, and when he again came face to faze with his master, asked in a croaking voice: "What do yon want" This was too much for the farmer, who was already half mad with fear. He fled as if for dear life, not caring whither. The goblin ran. rattling and gasping after him, and kept cry- ing: "Why did you, or ing me to life if i you are to forsake me now?" But the farmer ran on never looked behind. Then the goblin seized bis shoulder in his wooden grasp and cried: "You have failed in your bargain by running away. You have pledged yourself to the devil and now you'll gain nothing by it. You have set me free. I am no iQnger your servant, out I will be your tcrmenter and plague you to the last hour of your life. M The farmer rushed madlv into his cottage, but the goblin, invisible to all but him, followed. From that day forth the farmer failed in whatever he undertook. Nothing but weeds grew in his fields, his cattle always died, his roofs lltilviriitc. Mir in, and when he took hold of any­ thing it broke in his hands. Neither man nor maid would enter his service, and at last every one held aloof from hitn, as though he were an evil spirit, . , . „ ^ .bringing ill IUCK wherever he ap- out and wfere going to throw the yarn \ peared. ~ away, behold there lav a heap of golu j Harvest had come round again and under it. After that the goblin dis-, the farmer was a mere shadow of him- appeared self, when oneday he met old MichaeL • , j t^?r,VwaR not^^n^ 11 The old man greeted him and looked wished so much as to have a goblin j mockingly in his face. "Oh, it's you!" cried the farmer. m §rfe-®: sptc of my own: #but now I am old and gray, and don't think of such things. "i have courage enough," said the farmer; J 'but wouldn't it 1 e better to talk it over with the minister first?" "You fool! You "mustn't talk it over with any one, but least of all with the minister, for when you call the goblin to life you make over your soul to the devil.-' The larmer started bacic in horror. "Don't be so frightened, said the ] old man. "To make up for it, you ' will have a long life and everything 1 heart could wish. And when you feel that your last hour is near i you may still escape from the; claws of Satan if jou are clever •s enough to get rid of your goblin." "How can I do that?" ' "If vou set him a task he can't perform you are quit of him. But you must set about it cleverly, tor it's not easy to get the better of htm. •The man 1 told vou ot wanted "I'm glad to have fallen In with you. Where are your promises, your riches and good fortune? I have sold my­ self to the devil, and I'm in hell al­ ready. And it's all your fault." "Softly, softly," said the old man. "Who bade you play with the powers of evil, if you were afraid? I warned you earnestly, but at the last moment you slunk away like a coward, and thereby freed the goblin from his ser­ vice. If vdu hadn't done that you ttfttitod to 2,700 lards and Capable of ftr* lag 12® Bound* per Mli*i*t«. Her von Mannlicherof "Vienna, has completed a new weapon whoso "Are results" are amazing. Some strictly confidential trials of the" new rifle urere made in August last by the mus­ ketry experts of the Austrian army, but no one else was permitted to test or even examine it The reports of the Austrian experts are satisfactory in every respect and a correspondent of the London Times is in a position to describe in detail the weapon and its capabilities, haviug heen afforded an opportunity to inspect and test it at the branch establishment in Wahringofthe Stever Small Arms Manufacturing Company. The length is forty inches. The weight, is slight­ ly under that of an ordinary repeat­ ing rifie. Its bore is 0.5 millimetres in diameter, the same as that of the latest Mannlicher pattern adopted by the Roumanian and Italian govern­ ments. Compared with the former Mannlicher s eight Millimetres, this is, indeed, a considerable reduction of bore. But the inventor favors the smaller size on account of th<? in­ creased velocity obtained and the re­ duction in the weight of the car­ tridges. The weapon is sighted up to 2,700 yards, point blank to 500, with the "culminating point" in the latter trajectory at five feet from the ground. The breech action is in­ closed and guided in a cylindrical tube called the breech receiver, c>f a similar diameter to the barrel in its outside coverings, The t.rivger mechanism is so constructed that the shots may be fired in the most rapid Buccession or at any desired inter­ vals. The mechanism, therefore, is simplicity itself. - We descended into a big underground vault and fired bullet«. or, rather, poured them, into sandbags. A touch of the trigger of the automatic repeater, and the breech bolt flew back into its closed position. Then followed five pierc­ ingly sharp explosions, and the empty clip dropped ringing from the maga­ zine on the floor. The exolosions seemed instantaneous. With a stop watch the correspondent timed them and found that they occupied a single second. Barely one and a half sec­ onds to come down from the "present" to the ' 4ready" position to insert an­ other clip, and then five more shots banged forth in the same limit of time. No cartridge jams. The mechanism is too sound and simple for that. In the harids of its in­ ventor the rifle can discharge about 120 rounds per minute. The barrel be­ comes hot, but not so l*ot as to render the rifle useless for a time. Should the exceedingly simple mechanism for automatically operating the breech bolt become deranged the rfHe can still be used as an ordinary repeater. It might tie a risk# experiqpeht to place in the hands of a,so!di«r a rifle that can expend in one minute J00 rounds out of the supply of 150 that be carries in his cartridge • pouchqs. On shipboard, however, when, for instance, sailors on an ironclad have to repel a torpedo boat attack, the the rifle is expected to prove extremely erviceable. The men could, with plenty of ammunition lying beside taem, pour out bullets like a hail- The Flrat OaUooniat ' • The first aeronaut who fell victim to his desire of exploring the upper air was Pilatre de Kozier, who, a few months after the balloon had Ieen in­ vented, declared his purpose of ascending in one and allowing it to take him whither it would. The French Kihg, however, frowned upon the project and sent Pilatre word that the experiment should be made by sending two condemned criminals. But Pilatre indignantly refused this offer. What!" said he, "shall vile crim­ inals have the glory of being the first to navigate the fields of air? Never, while Pilatre de Rozier draws breath:" He agitated this subject lentil the With That even honest>doctors may some­ times disagree is an evident fact, and in literature as in medicine, thereare two sides to a shield. When Prof, fell | E II. Palmer, was teaching Oriental languages at Cambridge University, England, he received a note, badly written and incorrectly spelled, ask­ ing if he cculd "read the enclosed document." The document proved to be a paper written in Persian, and presented no difficulty whatever to the professor, who sent it back, 6aying that it was a warrant or ticket for certain goods, setting forth, in the name of Allah, the quantity, quality, and make of the stuff. A day or two afterward another letter came from the same cor re spondent It contained a ten-pound note aud the words ,"Dear Sir. HooraY-for old Cam' bridge! This was what the Oxford chap said it was." "This" proved to be a copy of the "Oxford chap's" translation. "This very curious and most inter esting document," he wrote, "appear* to be a copy at an ancient Persian 04 QiitGfcljr, while he waited, as his Highness wished to wear it the same afternoon. Within half an hour the tailor had completed the job and handed the cloak to the footman, who straightway disappeared in the di­ rection of the Dolgorouki Palace. Later in the afternoon the tailor was astonished to see the Prince's valet enter the shop and ask for the mas­ ter's cloak, and only then realized that the liveried individual who had called upon Mm in the morning with the missing sleeve was a clever thief who had first stoleu the sleeve with the object of being able to subse­ quently obtain the entire coat, which is valued at $15,000. No trace has yet heen ' found of the missing gar­ ment Wonders of Olden Times. Klneveh was fourteen miles long antf eigiiL miles wiue, the whole city surrounded by a wall 100 feet high, so thick as to furnish ample room for three chariots to be driven abreast around the top Babylon was fifty miles within the walls, which were seventy-five feet thick and of the same height as those of Nineveh. This monsoer wall had twelve open­ ing, or gates, which were closed by enormous brass shutters every even­ ing at sundown. The Temple of Diana at Ephesus, which was about an even hundred years in building, was 450 feet to the first support of the reof. The largest of the pyra­ mids was originally 481 feet high and 853 on the sides, the base covering eleven acres. The stones, which arc in 208 layers, average sixty feet in length. Qne account says that 350,- 000 men worked twenty years in fash­ ioning the Titanic pile. The famous "Labyrinth of Egypt" contained 300 rooms or chambers and twelve halls. Thebes, Egypt at the present time presents ruins twenty-seven miles in circumference. The remains of many ot the buildings, such as colnmns, arches, etc., are of such gigantic size that no known modern machinery ™o"!c! lift G(juul to the task of tukinsf them down, to say nothing of pu^tjuoc them iu their present positions. Bull-Fighting in Spain. Bull-flghting statistics show that the Spanish sport does not decline. Judging irorn the taurine statistics bull-fighting is not decreasing in Spain. During the present year the number of first-class bull-fights in im­ portant cities has been 289, the bulls killed being 1,594. There have also been 307 fights of young bulls (novillos), in which 1,407 were slaughtered. Of the chief flght3 twenty-six took place in Madrid, thir­ teen in Seville, twelve in Barcelona, and eleven in Valencia. Two men-- picadors--were killed; of the espadas and banderillos sixteen were more or less seriously wounded. In each course from six to eight bulls are killed, but recently in Madrid, Tn a fifiht which extended two days, eighteen were finished off. On some days a dozep; horses, or even •more, are gored tb death. Ribbons .Rod and 1)1 tie. Ill the suburban restaurants of Paris, more thah a century ago, the guests used to be amused by pretty maidens from Savory,dressed in their national costume, who were allowed to sell light refreshments such as pastry, sausages, and so forth. Tney were .distinguished among themselves by tfie broid ribbons'which they wore at the shoulders: the Belle Marianne sported coraon rouge; but the Belle Fanchon was known by her cordon blue. She married a restaurateur, and became subsequently a most ac­ complished cook. The story of Louis XV. having jocularly conferred the blue ribbon of a French Order of Chivalry on a dish which had pleased his palate is a apochrvphal as the tale of Charles II. knighting a joint of beef, which, by the way, should be properly surloin, and not sirloin. Bitten bjr ft Beheaded Turtle. entire Court became interested in his ^ ^av*en restaurant-keeper favor, t.hpn nt, ia«t. th« Kin* i bought a large turtle the other day. and then at last the King yielded, and Pilatre, m November, 1783, made a perfectly successful as­ cent Benjamin Franklin was a wit­ ness of the spectacle, and said, when someone asked his opinion of it,-- "I have seen a child born, which may one day be. a man." Two years after, another aeronaut crossed the channel from Dover to Calais, and Pilatre spurred on by jealousy, declared his purpose 4f cross­ ing it in the opposite direction, i His friends endeavored to dissuade The turtle was' beheaded as usual, and about an hour afterward the restaurant-keeper picked up the head to look at it. The mouth was open, and he thoughtlessly put his thumb and forefinger into it Instantly the jaws shut down upon them like a vise, and had to be pried open with iron instruments before the unfortunate victim could be released from his painful iwsition. His thumb was nearly bitten off and his finger dread fully lacerated. He says that he will him from ,the project, believing that! nofc P"1 hi.8 fingers Into a turtle's Hari • i„ mouth again even if it is dead.-- the machine Had not been sufficiently perfected, but nothing could calm his enthusiasift. In June a balloon was ready, but it may easily be seen that Pilatre was not very confident of suc­ cess, since he pushed back an army officer who would have stepped into the car with him, saying gently,-- "Monsieur, in our present enter­ prise we are sure of nothing. I can­ not accept you, if I would conscience at peace." The balloon rose majestically and tended at once toward the sea. Pres­ ently it turned, but again drifted back 1n the direction of the water, j again Orleans Picayune. A Street Arab'M Wit. A herculean «cots Grey, passing along Pr.nces-street, Edinburgn, one day, stopped at the postoffice, and | called on a street arab to shine his j boots. I The feet of the dragoon were in have mv proportion to his height, and looking at the tremendous boots before him, the arab.knelt down on the pave­ ment and called out to a chum near by: "Jamie, come owre and gl'es a Then it is probable that Pilatre en- ] hand; I've got an army contract, deavored to descend, in order to reach would have been a rich and happy jpcriptlon, probablv taken from a tomb man, as I foretold." "But you never saw the awful face of the goblin coming to life," said the farmer shuddering. ••Oh. fool that I was to let myself be led astray by you." "I didn't lead you a«tra;»rX only told what I knew." t f "Then help me now.* • ' - "Help yourself; I can do washing, i I have more reason to complain of i you than you of me. I didn't de- or a triumphal column. It is, how­ ever, very incomplete. It reads as follows: 'In the name of God. This was erected by [name. uncertain] ia the year [uncertain]. It is one thou­ sand four hundred and seventy-five long and seven hundred and thirty broad, and it--' Here the manuscript abruptly ends." She Observed. She is one ot those dreadful tflrls to get rid of his goblin, so ho set him ] fraud you, but where is the provision | who observe everything new in musi to fill a cask with water carried in a *leve. But the goblin carried water, and carried water, and never stopped till he had fllle 1 the cask with the drops that clung to the sieve." ; t "Then he died without, getting rid fi^the goblin?" ?v®"Well why was he so stupid? But one thing I must tell you: you must fe$d your goblin well to keep him in 1 good humor. A famier once put a plate of broth in the attic for his for my old age that you promised? You are the cheat, not L" "Well, never mind that now. Show me how to escape; tell me what Jo da 1 will do whatever you bid me." "No," said the old man, "1 know no more. I must remain, a beggar, and it is your fault." With these words he turned and left him. The farmer hastened to his cottage, where he now lived all alone. There sto ifl the goblin ina corner. He re- goblin, as he had always been accus-1 ceived him with an augrv grin and tornm. to do. A servant noticed it, | said: cal or scientific circle^ and she springs it upon her fiiends at inop­ portune moments. This is what she did the other evening: Young Screcchim had just sung one of his favorite airs, and there was the usual applause, after which the girl who observes said: "I heard the other day that a don key brays in a perfect octave. Slngu lar, isn't it?" Ahd she wondered why no one broke the silence that settle 1 on the company. a more favorable current of air, but in ODening the valve, according to one account, he unfortunately made « rent in the balloon itself. Instantly he was dashed to the ground, a dis­ tance of several thousand feet, and A Hot-Water Slot Machine. Paris is now supplied with a novel sort of fountain for furnishing hot water to the people. An automatic machine is used, to which the water is conducted by means of subter- was found there, dead and frightfully j ranean pipes It runs through a mutilated. He is still one of the heroes of' France, and an ingcrintion to 'his | memory may be read on the spot where be'made his fatal attempt t Shrewd Russian Raseal. There aie some shrewd rascals in -Russia. The Marquis de -Fontenoy •ays that Prince Dolgorouki oh leav­ ing an entertainment at the Winter Palace not long ago found that a sleeve of his fur coat had been cut off in spite of the watchfulness of the attendants. The next day the Prince sent his coat to the furrier with or­ ders to tit a new sleeve in lieu of the one that had been stolen, t At* couple of hours afterward, and before the taiio^ had had time to find a new piece of sable sufficiently fine to match the fur of the cloak,a servant dressed in the livery ot Prince Dolgorouki en­ tered the store bearing the missing sleeve, stating that the police had Just recovered i^ and that he had been •ent by the Prince to have it sewed coiled-up copper tubing 300 feet long, add is heated during its progress through this by gas, which is turned on by a coin ejuivalent in value to 1 cent The amount of hot water sup­ plied is about eight quarts. Bnr 1» Was Found and Wfiat It Coutalaatf --A Crowded Structure. After we had inspected the younfc hawks a neighbor of mine offered to conduct us to a quail's nest, says the St Nicholas. Anything in the shape of a nest is always welcome. It is such a mystery, such a center of in­ terest and affection, and if upon the ground is usually something so dainty and exquisite amid the natural wreckage and confusion. A ground nest seems so exposed, too, that it al* ways gives a little thrill of pleasura­ ble surprise to see the grcup of frail eggs nesting there behind so slight a barrier. 1 will walk a long distance any day just to see a song sparrow's nest amid the stubble or under a tuft of grass. It Is a jewel in a rosette of jewels, with a frill of weeds or turf. A quail's nest I had never seen, and to be shown one within the hunting ground of this murderous hawk would be a double pleasure. Such a quiet, secluded, grass-grown highway as we moved along was itself a rare treat Sequestered was the word that the little valley suggested, and peace the feeling the ruati evoked. The former whose fields lay about U3 half grown with weeds and bushes evidently did not make stir or noise enough to dis­ turb anything. Beside this rustic highway, bounded by old,mossy stone walls and within a stone's throw of the farmer's oarn.the quail had made her nest It was just under theedge of a prostrate thorn bush. • 'The nest is right there," said the farmer, pausing within ten feet of it and pointing to the spot with his stick. • Ina moment.or two we could make out the mottled brown plumage of the sitting bird. Then we approached her cautiously till we bent above her. She never moved a feather. Then I put my cane down in the brush behind her. We wanted to see the eggs, yet did not wast rudely to disturb the sitting lien. She would not move. ~ Then [ put down mv hand within a few inches of her; still she kept her place. Should we have to lift her out bodily? Then Miss EI put down her hand, probably the prettiest and the whitest band the quail had ever seen. At least it startled her, aud off she sprang uncovering such a crowded nest of eggs as I had never before beheld. Twenty-one of them! a ring or disk of white like a china tea saucer. You could not help saying how pretty,how cunning, like a baby hen's eggs, as if the bird were playing at sitting as children play at housekeeping. If I had known how crowded her nest was I should not have dared to iisturd her, for fear she would break some of them. But not an egg suf­ fered harm by her sudden flight, and no harm came to the nest afterward. Every egg hatched, I was told, and the little chicks, hardly bigger than bumblebees, were led away &¥ the mother into the fields. s * d&L. Churn*. There have been several thousands of patents Issued on churns and "the best" churn is yet open for invention though there are good churns made. The work of producing gopd butter does not depend wholly on the churn. The proper temperature for churning*, the ripening of the cream, and th<s mode of handling the churn whten the ttofk Is being performed, are the pat­ ters which affect the quality of but­ ter. • " . THE following play upon woras is said to be the utterance of an emi­ nent judge: "Marriage is an insti­ tution intended to keep women out of mischief and get them into trouble. ' 'At:.,, .... The Curse or Australia^ The kangaroo plague, says Herd- wick's Science Gossip, ha6 always been a great nuisance to the Austra­ lian squatters, for 6n an average these animals consume as much grass as a sheep It is stated that on a sheep run of 60,000 to 80,000 acres 10,000 kangaroos were killed annually for six consecutive years, and yet their numbers remained very formid­ able in the locality. In the colony of South Australia hundreds of thou­ sands of kangaroos are slaughtered annually for their skins and the bonus offered bv the authorities. The num­ ber of these marsupials in New South Wales in 1889 was estimated to be over 4,000,000, and yet about 500,000 kangaroos and 650,000 wallabies were destroyed in the colony in that year. A bonus of 16 cents for each kan­ garoo killed is offered in Australia, hence the colonists are gradually ex­ terminating these native animals. Over half a millionskinsare annually shipped to England and a large num­ ber to North xVrnenca, to be con­ verted into leather. The maCropidse include several kinds of kangaroos and wallabies. The progress of the settlement in Australia has driven these animals from the more densely populated parts of the Australian continent, but in the country and unsettled districts they are still numerous enough to cause very con­ siderable damage to the natural grasses. So serious has been the injury thus wrought that the colonial gov­ ernment and runholders pay a small sum per bead for the destruction of the kangaroos. How to Stop a Fit or Hlfflimtli". "Why don't you stop that hiccough­ ing?" said a gentleman to a friend who for some moments had been sub. jected to the annoying conyulsive movement of the diaphragm. "1 wish I could," gasped the vic­ tim, "but it's no go? A fellow tried to scare me--said my coat was on fire --knew it wasn't--swallowed,;,nine times nine swallows of water-t-no go --feel like a washed out hand engine," he ejaculated angrily, having told his woes in disjointed utterances and be­ tween coughs. "Well, you're a chump," remarked the flrst speaker. "Come with me.*' And he led his friend into an adjoin­ ing saloon, says the New York Her­ ald. "No, not here," said the other; "people will .surely think I've neen 'drinking." But his protests were in vain. Hi9 friend led him to the bar and ordered a heaping spoon ful of powdered sugar. "Come," he said, "swallow this all at once." The victim did so slowly, and found to his intense surprise and relief when the operation was com­ pleted, that his hiccoughs had van­ ished. "Now, remarked the first gentle­ man, "for teaching you that remedy I'll take just one with you. It is not a part of tne process, but it's worth the price, isn't it? As for the sugar, I have never known it to fail to cure aven the most stubborn cases of hic- coughs." . Jay (iuiilil's Retort. The dav after Black Friday 5fr. Gould's old partner, Henry N. Smith, shaking his finger in Mr. Gould's face, shouted: "I'll live to see the day, sir, when you have to earn a living by going around this street with a hand- organ and a monkey." "Maybe you will, Henry; maybe vou will," was the soothing response; "and when I want a monkey, Henry, I'll send for yott." Jfifct Originated on lslabd Many Year* A$<r. The origin of the expression '"'ib eat crow" caused a dispute in a We# York club-house one evening recently* and one whitebeaded old pofifctciaii subsequently accounted for it in this Vay to a Tribune reporter: "Years ago," he said. 44a soldier stationed on Governor's Island wato- dered up into the cltv and out updft the pasture lands iust north of Cham­ bers street to have some fun. There he spied a crow hopping about aniotjg the cows, and he instantly aimed l$s gun at it and shot it dead. As he did so a ragged little boy, who had been watching him, dashed off with a wild yell in the direction of k distant house. The soldier laughed at what he thought to be the boy's terror at the report of the gun, ana laying H down carefully at the root of the tree he went to pick up the crow. After that something else attracted his at­ tention and he did not think of hte gun again till he heard an angry Voice behind him and "turning around found himself gmmse straight down the barrel. XTurlons'Dmvchihn'fii^ at the other end. of the guts., file soldier had.shot the Dutchman's pet crow, the boy had borne test imony to the deed and now for the penalty. "Sparing you a recital of the heated conversation which followed, the re­ sult was that the Dutchman spared the soldier's life only on condition that he would straightway eat the crow he had shot The soldier argued vehemently, but to no purpose. Be finally secured permission to pluck the crow and cook it a little over a Are made with a few chips. Then he began to eat but before he had eaten m'ore than half bf the carrioa bird he became so sick that he swore he wou!d rather be shot than finish it The Dutchman's wrath seemed to be appeased by this time, how­ ever, and he restored the soldier his gun and bade him begone. The soldier took the gun. but instead of begoneing he instantly took aim at the Dutchman's head and vowed to blow his brains out if he did not at once eat the other half of the crow. The Dutchman was compelled by fear of death-to swallow the rest of the loathsome flesh, and then the soldier departed, leaving the injured Dutch­ man ready to burst with rage and chargin. Tne latter swore venge- a nee, and next day appeared on Gov­ ernor's Island and made complaint to the commStidafit that One of the soldiers had wantonly shot his tame crow. The commandant told the Dutchman to pick out the offender and he should be punished. The, Dutchman pointed to a; soltUer not far away and identified him. y! ' *Calling the soldier to him the commandant said sternly: 'Did you ever see this man before?' pointing to the Dutchman. " 'Yes, sir,'replied the soldier, with a laugh in his eye, 'I diced with him yesteroay,' 'This answer so amused the Dutch­ man, besides reminding him of how all his friends would laugh at him should thfe story get out that he re­ fused to push the complaint against the soldier, and 'to eat crow,' mean­ ing to suffer anything mortifying or humiliating,, passed into4a proverb from that day." t •i *'4 Carving. The carving of fish demands cafe and experience, or the flakes will fall to pieces. A piece of the back and belly of salmon ought to go to each portion. The head pieces of all fish are considered the most delicate. A piece of the roe should be served with every portion of shad or mackerel. Fowls must l;e held firmly, breast up, and the wings and legs should be removed with a sharp knife without turning the fowl. A piece of the breast should be attached to each wing. Cut the breastbone in such a way as to leave it covered with white meat and the brown skin. The side bones must next be removed, the car­ cass divided in two from the neck, and the rump cut off to form another portion. Never disarticula,te the legs and wings. , , The sirloin of beef Should be cut in thin slices, a portion of the upper part and the tenderioin going on every piaffe. (Jut with the grain of the me^t not against it^ or the rich gfayy will be lo^jfc. • Cut a leg of mutton across the middle bone, proceeding toward the thick enti. Do hot cut muCton to®t | thin. • ^, ., , - . £ Hams are best carved by cutting long, thin slices through the thick part to the bone. Circular, thin siices may be cut by runninurthe point * of the knife in a circle in the middle. A third way is to cut thin slices from v the knuckle upward. . Tongue must be cut very thin. Ths center slices are the most delicate; a>-' piece of fat from the root should be given to each person. The tip and root may®be grated or pounded for 0i potted meat Loins of veal are cut from the small end, a piece of the kidney ang fat going to each portion. ^ A haunch of venison should be " carved in slices down to the bone from the broad end upward. The saddle of venison should be cut in thin slices from the tail up*i ward, each side separately. » If loins are properly jointed bv the butcher before cooking the carver's duties will ke greatly simplified.-^ Baltimore Sun. 1ft / 1 Mot th© Santo Old i i The man was standing at his store ~ . door on Jefferson avenue talking to a A stranger . •; ' 'Se£ that. Jjglyacross tibe.^street^ i? he said. ' -"• ' ^ y "Yes," was the brief reply. 1 "Isn't very handsome,*is she?"j|4 ^ "Her beauty won't kill haEw guess." "^7 "Well, it's queer how things go ioV this world," said the man retrospecV) ively. "Twen-ty years ago she was / one of the prettiest girls in Detroit,.; and I was one of dozen fellows who I tried to marry her." / "Same old story," observed tbfi stranger; "some other fellow not hali' the man you are got her?" fA "No, he didu't either." "No?" ••No, I married her myself,'and s is coming over here now for 925 toge 1 new fall hat with," and the mai_ imiled as if be were glad ot it---Fre#^ Vresa

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