McHenry Public Library District Digital Archives

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 4 Oct 1893, p. 6

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MoHKNBY, v?*4v L®P*f -V ILLINOIS tWt ffiVENTOR AT HOME. $ Hfe BMW# • sntwwa contriv*»o«fc* tin air. ; Cut* thing I •Apw>a>B»aaBMgMBeforli<miftag swywhw, $!' s.o®«* hf lliiUn» tbeWawu which boloogsd &*..• • •• ."-'li towiwdniii.. «• - ftamllwnrfrl .,. • • Kr?f - *, vVoMless thirfcsMt TMCV HUMvlth-•§,. ^i.,4 ? ost repair-- gfcu . .pf*-M ̂ Didn't car*.. f|' ^ * »«madeapip« totaptlMhMtiaMtetiM ig->,v . |fn eftlth, ¥' &• _ Pig feat! .:' ' " jm»,. ®> eook the food of all mankind,nun mw «»<»• fe,,. I4; , ' «ftd so forth, r-\t~ 4H.<- i_ * Great feat I " .', •*'C "/ » "jBIs Wife who hud no kitohu gM to SooMfac «m»u. . i*4 «• wn.8 nielloed-- " - ' ,* r BnMaM'l, • W ; « l,v-; *hs«bowe<l the «mpty coal t*B,fc«fc tO soeh thlrK* lie was blind, -• • 8 ton* blind! vttomsifa a belt for hlt«hll| ' tfcs world, tb* uto cl '1 %• hi •• . . Largs thtngt '• J.i, ^.ipjr which all hom sara, steam cars, and expnsa tral&a could be whtrlMt, ' k UnpiiMraUeled contrivance! »nt he wtuhtet wheel the baby half » rod actoe* the lot. Small tot I " Jb woofclnt inottlt hie miidrt hrsifi withsnoh :" a trirlal thought, OoNiMtt ' lad made a mighty lfiw to the stars, , * onprwcedented conception I XO toeo* heat from Jnplter ana Uranus asd • • Mara, Annperhniaaa mimde t »nt his unall boy trcuM Ut aOM oflfn falc kitoben b3«ak and baie> No wood then! IT his father ran the plaueta ha ahOQld ton a. ̂ aoce to spare, = ••• r.- - lasfe ̂ - _ Small affair t C'C Globe. • t-i-- : - » • - ,7 SAW A HEAD OF DEATH ^ 'Vf ;f. . . M , t j f, A; ;fK:> This is a story that Dr. Clarke For- Ifcer told us after dinner: I had had "i| A i busy morning--some twenty pa- % tiento, one on the heels of another-- ; And now that the last had departed, 5.1 and noon was long past, I began to f ^ think hungrily of my luncheon. But Just as I got up to leave my con- Jei / salting room my servant entered •nd handed me a visiting card, upon Vhich was engraved the... name "Mr. Alexander Carathwaite." 5-There can be but one Alexander Carath­ waite," thought I, "and be is Alex* i&der Carathwaite, the famous iron Ifcmg and millionaire." //'• "Show him In," I said to my serV- »:%nt*< • % The person who presently seated & 4*im<3lf opposite me struck me as a ' •: ,. Singularly healthy looking invalid-- •-^V; > Jtall, robust, with a clear, ruddy skin pj 'i~.".j./ ! and a bright, gray eye. However, i *S - 1 "Whal is the trouble?" 1 asked. "ir jKJ "Well," he answered, "it's a queer i , st*. - case: but to put it briefly, I'm afraid IT6"" X- the trouble's here," and he tapped j. ^;r < his forehead. ^ "Let me hear your symptoms."a fifes "It's a long story,'* said he, **and I ^ - must begin at the besinntng." f V. Therewith he plunged his hand in- i,: ; . , to an interior pocket of his emit and . * brought forth a small tissue paper r < X -pareel. "This," he explained, as he x " f, unwound the paper, "is rather a val­ uable antique It came as a present to my wife the other day from the Earl of Salchester, whom we enter­ tained when he was in America a year or so ago. As you see, it's a mir­ ror. The glass is believed to be a specimen of medieval work, and the £- r frame is unquestionably a magnifi­ cent Ijit of Cinque-cento." The whole affair was no bigger than a lady's band. The glass, un­ usually thick and fluted round the edge, was veined and spotted aoA bleared over with a fine bluish mfst, v like the eye of an aged man. The . V frame was indeed magnificent Oval ', ~:V?f *n shap^ and apparently of pure gold 6 v ^ --so soft, at any rate, that you could V have indented it with your flnger- "*4%. nail--it was sculptured with no fewer than Ave exquisite nude female figures, disporting themselves in fan- tdstic but graceful attitudes amid a! probably Venetian. pcrience before? |it0r tended vhftt you saw an oblect jastl)pfore you that in reality had no existence?" "Never in my life." "Is your digestive apparatus feu good shape?" "In such perfect shape that Fn> never conscious of possessing such, a thing.'* . ;,Let me feel your pulse." His pulse was firm, regular, and proper in time. "Show me your tongue." His tongue was pink and clean. ••Open your eyes wide and look towards the light" His eyes were steady in their gaze, the pupils contracted readily, and the lid drbpped spontaneously upon my approaching my finger. "Did you tell your wife what you had seen?" I asked. ' '-No; I didn't want to alarm her. She noticed that I stared at the thing in rather a startled manner, but I laughed it off." I was silent for a while, toying with the mirror, and wondering what the case might mean. "Well, what do you malce it out to be?" he inquired. "Oh," I replied, "I can't say as yet. I haven't sufficient data. The trouble may be in your optic nerve, it may be in your liver and it may be elsewhere stilL I should h^ve to put you through a lengthy examination. And just at this moment I am too tired and too hungry to begin one. If you will give me time to eat some luncheon, I'll be in better trim." "Oh, certainly, certainly. Only, can't you tell me at once whether you think I am going to lose my reason?" "I hardly think you ai«e going to lose your reason." I replied. "And now, if you will excuse me far a lit­ tle, I'll go down atatrs and take a bite. Perhaps yon would like a chop and a glass of wine yourself?'" "Oh, noi thank you; no thank you. 1 shan't be able to eat with any ap­ petite until ih}s fear is off my mind." •f^hllel sWajlpw|&.fny•hasty lunch­ eon 1 Ihohght the Jaaatter over. It puzzled me a good deal, but suddenly, as 1 was folding up my napkin, an idea struck me which, I hoped, might clear the whole matter up Rejoining Mr. Carathwaite In my ofrce, X said to him: *"1 tiave come to the conclusion that this is a case for a specialist If you like, I will gs to a specialist with you." '•I am quite at your orders," he re- •pooded. **Po you think it's the brain or the eye?*' , "I hope it's neither, but the spe­ cialist will tell us." We entered my carriage and were driven down town to a famous curi­ osity-shop in Seventeenth street, just west of Union square, the proprietor of which, Mr. Maverick, is esteemed, as everybody knows, one of the most learned authorities in antique curios in America. "Here we are," said 1, getting out of the carriage 44Will you come?" , "But, what are you going in here for?" questioned Carathwaite. "To consult our specialist," said I. My patient looked mystified, but he followed me Into the shop I presented my card and asked to see Mr. Maverick. In another min­ ute we: were closeted with him in bis private office. "Will you hand Mr. Maverick your mirror?" I demanded of Carathwaite. Maverick took the mirror and looked it over. He studied the frame through a magnify!ng-glass. "This is a bit of work from the hand of Etienne Delaulne," he announced presently, "one of the most skillful goldsmiths of the sixteenth century. I don't know where you got hold ot it, but I may tell you that it is infinitely valuable I have never seen a finer specimen of Delaulne's handicraft, nor one in a better state of preserva­ tion." "And the glass?" I queried. "We are especialiy interested in the glass." "The glass," said Maverick, "is I must examine profusion of delicately chiseled fruits and leaves. Three of these figures reclined upon tinv golden couches, in each of which was set a lustrouBi&by: it a little" He went to the window and began to scrutinize the glass, twisting it about and peering at it from various the other two rode upon ccnvent'on-! angles. "Ah, yes; I thought so," he alized lions and each lion bad a pearl' exclaimed all at once. "Come here, between his teeth. At the base a pair of dolphins twisted their tails 1 t together and formed the handle. Book Mark • Xftwfwr HlsCase. A lawyer; defending a promissory note went to lunch, Leaving his books and citations on the table in the c^arttoom. The opposing counsel snekked back into the room and changed the places of all his book marka In the afternoon the lawyer, taking up his books, referred the court to his authorities. His lord­ ship noted- every volume and page carefully and took the case under consideration. In rendering his opin­ ion, he said: "I was inclined after hearing the argument of counsel for defendant to nonsuit plaintiff, but I find after re­ ferring to the authorities quoted by counsel none of them bear on this case, and I am led to think that the gentleman has willfully been trying to insult the court. "He has referred me to an action ofr an Irishman who sued the proprie- tor of a monkey for damages for bit-1 ting him, to a oase of arson, one of : burglary, two of petty larceny and j three divorce cases,' none of which bear on an action to recover on a promissory note. ' "Perhaps the grossest insult to the court is referring to 'Duckworth vs. Boozyman,' an action charging de­ fendant with breach of promise. Judgment for plaintiff, with costs." The lawyer never knew what the matter was, and to this day thinks the judge was out ot his mind-- Pearson's Weekly. A Straight Shot. Congressman was telling Th* stories: "It was on me* once," he said; "I had a friend who was dry as a hu- morest, but not always dry as a hu- morest, but not always dry as a drinker, and when he was full he did foolish things. One of these was to buy a jackass for $500 and when he sobered up and knew what he had done he sold him back to the seller for $400. Naturally the loss of. a hundred made him sore and he did qot like to be twitted abuot it One day I saw him on a mule waiting in front of a store and i spoke to him. He was just full enough to ^e seri­ ous" - .. '1 'Hello,' 1 said, and he responded with a nod. •• »You are a judge of that sort'of animal you are riding, arn't you?' " 'I don't know that 1 am particu­ larly so,'he said earnestly. "'I thought you were in the busi­ ness.' " 'No, I ain't,' " 'Didn't you buy • jack for $500 not long ago?' "The crowd that had gathered, giggled, and he looked more serious than ever. "'Yes, I did,' be answered sol­ emnly. •"What did'you do with him?' I asked with a wink at the crowd to be ready. "He looked at me solemnly. '• 'I helped elect him to Congress,' he said, without a smile, and the howl that went up made me seek shelter in the nearest place that could be found.--Free Press. panytOff their &%• with au tdiotio winlc or facts are, the.. interest, and the usefulhtia ot a paper depend in no small degree upon the selected matter, and few men are capable for the position who would not them­ selves be able to write many of the articles they, select A sensible edi­ tor desires considerable select matter, because he knows that one mind can­ not make so good a paper as five or six. • » - They Must Rave Hud Object LMMNM. The Listener does not know whether or not to believe this story, which comes to him from the coun­ try, about some city children. It sets forth that old Mrs. Hayrick, who lives on a farm, was receiving a visit from her little nephew and niece, Johnny and Mary Peters, from Bos­ ton. They played merrily enough out of doors, but presently there came a very stormy day when they were not permitted to plav even in the barn. Mrs. Hayrick thought the children would be very hard to amuse, but they announced at once their in­ tention to play "papa and mamma" in the dining-room, and seemed to enjoy the anticipation of it very much. Their aunt watched them through the kitchen door. They ar­ ranged themselves on opposite sides of a small work-table, whereon Mary had placed some dishes, and beg^ to play that they were eating their din­ ner. "These potatoes are a little raw," said Johnny, presently. - - "I don't think so,"answered Mary, archly. "And now that I've mentioned It, the beefsteak is pretty badly over­ done," Johnny went on, in a cross tone. ••William! how can you?" ekclaimed Mary. "I suppose you think its good enough for me, anyway," said Johnny. "It's too good--that's what I think --for such a brute!" , "And what put it into your held to mix the bread with vinegar?" "I didn't!" "Who did, then?" "You mean--mean thing!*? - And Mary setting down with SO much violence that her aunt feared, it wouldbreak, rose and rushed out of the room. « ^ - Both children seemed to regard the game 0/ "papa and mamma" as a very good pastime; bat found it rather tragical. ' mk. m\ Upon a scroll at the handle end were incised the date, 1561, and the in­ itials, E. D. "It is a beautiful piece ot work." •aid I, laying it aside, "and I envy you the possession of it But what has it got Ii» do with your visit here?" "Everything," he returned. "It's this way." He paused for a moment, then he went on: "Last night, after i dinner, I picked that little mirror up and I said jokingly to my wife, This, I my dear, is a magical glass. If i; hold it over my waistcoat, thus, and ! fou look in you will see straight 1 through into my heart and behold | the face of the woman I love.' So i Mrs. Carathwaite laughed and looked, »nd of course she saw ber own faee. n>en to carry on the farce I said, •Now let me see whether it win show me the face of the man you loveJ And, always laughing, I held it over her Lreast and looked in." "Yes?" I prompted, as* be paused •again. "Well, doctor, instead of my own faee, what I saw reflected in that glass was a grinning death's head--a skull. 1 saw it just as plainly as I 6fie you now. I looked at it steadily, without moving, for, 1 should think, three minutes. It never varied. A human skull in absolute detail--eyes, j the story." gentlemen," he called to u& . He held the glass off at a certain oblique angle and inquired, "Now, when I hold it like that, What do you see9" Carathwaite simply uttered along, low "Ah--h|--b!" "Why, I see a human skull," he said, "a most perfect irbage bf a hu­ man skull I would swear it was the genuine reflection of a real one. How it gets there 1 can't for my life im­ agine." "Ah, that was the art of the Ven­ etian glass-workers," said Maverick. He crossed the room abd took down from a book-case a volume entitled, "Manual Arts of Mediaeval Italy." He ran over a few pages, . found his place, and read aloud: "Venetian looking-glasses of the sixteenth cen­ tury were often ornamented with grotesque designs--serpents, skele­ tons, skulls, sometimes crucifixes-- produced in.' the coating of quick. ! silver in such a way as to be visible ! only at one angle of vision, and then i to give the effect of a reflection of ' some exterior object""" I "Well, doctor," said Carathwaite, ' smiling rather sheepishly, when we j had regained the street, "you have ' e ected a speedy cure. What's your !fee?" "1 can hardly ask you a fee since ' your trouble W$s all in the mirror," I said. ."1 will take it out In telling Scotland's Banking System. Probably in no other country In the world are banking facilities so ex­ tensive as they are in Scotland. In every town, large or small, there is a branch of one or more of the great city banks, and even every village with the least pretension to size can boast of one. While in England there Is a bank, or Dranch bank, to every 10,000 population, in Scotland there is one to about every 4,000. It Is obvious that this extensive system Of branches is well calculated to gather to one center the savings of the community. The banks are not proud, and thev accept at Interest deposits of sums as small as £5 and allow current accounts to be opened sometimes with trifling balances which in England, as a rule, would be looked at askance and probably turned over to the savlngs banks. The depositors in Scotch banks who have not more than £100 to their credit, on deposit receipt or on cur­ rent account, comprise about three- fourths of the whole number. The result is that the aggregate banking deposits of a comparatively poor country, with few sources of natural wealth, and with a population of lit­ tle more than 4,000,000, exceed £93,- 000,000. And it may be observed that a sum equal to perhaps one-third or one-half as much again has been placed on fixed deposit by Scotch de­ positors with the banks doing busi­ ness in the colonies of the empire.-- The Forum. sm nose, teeth, even the very seams be­ tween the tones, perfectly distinct. . I'm not a superstitious man, but I confess the sight gave me the goose- fleshy If I were superstitious 1 don't know what I might think. I'm not! he calls upon that notorious humbug, a drinking man either, or else I j Blank.--New York World. The1 gratitude of millionaires is very like that of kings, I have never seen nor heard from Mr. Alex­ ander Carathwaite again. When be needs mcdical attendance or advice should believe it was a touch of deleri- um tremens. As it ieN 1 am at an utter lose to account for it in any way except on the theory that it's the beginning of some mental disease." He spoke nervously, and looked at me ankiously when he had done. Be was plainly In a white funk. ••Humph! You say you saw it steadily for two or three minutes?" ^ ;|||puiredi;"-.^ I,: • / KV' 5, ' •"Yes." . • ... . 1 • > "ThendW^jt afaappear***•<£ & ; 'L'V ' "Itdid not disappear till I moved. ^ |: Ajft soon as 1 moved the death's head / ' disappeared, and I saw the reflection i M * ' «f my own face." , * &v y •'And your general health?" ^ ̂ "k* if'/*. "Tfki, :#§T; Stupidly Obedient. Harvard Lampoon has another story, new or old, of the traditional unimaginative servant Butler--There's a man below to see you, sir.. May berry--What did you tell him? Butler--itcld him you told me if it was a larly, to say you were in; and if it was a man, to say you were out. Mayberry--What did he say tl^en? Butler--He said to, ̂ 11 ypu,that he »a a4n<i«r. f* v "v.i t:' How They Make Insect-powder. There are few people who have any idea to what extent the flowers of- Chrysanthemum cinerariiefolium are cultivated in Dalmatla, for the sole purpose of making the powder whicn has such a reputation as an in­ sect-destroyer. The whole of the supply of these flowers has hitherto been derived from the Austrian province of Dal- rnatia and the neighboring State, Montenegra Trieste is the market to which these flowers are brought* and from whence they are distributed to the average annual value of $200, - 000 to $250,000. The plant is one that is easily cul­ tivated in any kind of soil, and al­ most in any climate. Within quite recent years it Is said to have been introduced into Australia, California, and South Africa, In eacb of which its cultivation on an extended scale, for commercial purposes, is contem­ plated. In the neighborhood of ifcr- lin it is also stated that the plant is grown largely, but up to the present time Dalmatia is the chief source from whence Europe and America draw their principal supplies. The harvest commences at the beginning of June, and in fa e of the re­ port that the plants had suffered Imaginary Conversation. A social philosopher, writing in the Chicago News-Record, seeks to main­ tain the superiority of men over women by some rather novel consid­ erations. He is far from making out his case, but one portion of his argu­ ment is more or less ingenious. If a man wants a suit of clothes, it never occurs to him to get samples of the goods and then run around to all the other tailor shops to see if he cannot find a better bargain, or some cheaper material that will "look just as well." It1 never occurs to him to "talk the subject over" with his friends. He relies on his tailor, the same tailor whom he has patronized for yeara Imagine a man meeting two male friends in a street-car and producing a lot of samples, saying: '•O Charley, I want to show you some samples I got of my new coat. Now, don't you think I'm too dark to wear that color? But it's so cheap!" Then Imagine Charley and Frank inspecting the samples and giving their opinion! "Yes," Charley would say, "but that's old. Why, tbey wore goods like that all last year. John Je­ rome bad some trousers just like that" At School. Henry Fa wee to, the blind Postmas­ ter General of England, was a studi­ ous boy at school, preferring rather to steal into a grove with his books than to spend his spare time in the playground. Yet he was no prig. Some of the letters written from the dame school where he was sent when a little boy prove that he did not add to the general tranquility of the place. He wrote to his motheh "Mrs. Harris says that if we go on, we shall kill her; and we do go. on. and yet she doesn't die!" At the age of 8 years he was sent to another school, near Salisbury, and here he was not especially pleased with the place or his occupations. "I have begun 'Ovid,'" he writes. "I hate it. This is a beastly school. Milk and water--no milk! Bread and butter--no butter!" Years alter he used to tell how be asked at dinner, soon after his arrival, for "more meat, well ddne, no tat and plenty of gravy!" Neither master nor pupils needed to be told that this was a "mother's boy," accustomed to having his wishes gratified. An AWw Wallroad Wber* Travelers Work Their Passage. The first railroad built in the in­ terior of tropical Africa was the little line ninety miles long which connects the towns of Kayes and Bafoulabe on the Senegal jttiver in • Senegambia. Steamers run up the Senegal from the ocean to Kayee, where the elver becomes unnavigable; and the rail­ road line to Bafaulabe is the first .section of the extension ol steam fa­ cilities to the Niger River, wbich in time will give uninterrupted steam communication between the ses and the Upper Niger. A while ago a gentleman who traveled over this railroad said that it was in a very shabby condition. At one part of the line a force of 100 na­ tives, supplied with long ropes, wns employed to give a helpful tow co trains. Lieut Jaime of the French navy, who made a name by his trip to Tim­ buktu in a gunboat, confirms the re­ port that the natives are used for dratt purposes to eke out the insuffi­ cient power of the locomotives. He says that several times during the journey the locomotive or one of the cars was derailed, and hours were lost in boosting them upon the track again. Once in a while everybody on the cars would jump off in order to take a pull at the tow line or apply their shoulders to the train. Though the condition of this little railroad is something to excite hilar­ ity there is no doubt that it is the be­ ginning of an important railroad en­ terprise. The line has now been sur. veyed all the way to the Niger River, and, wittfout stopping to repair the section of the road now in operation, engineers and workmen have begun to grade the line beyond Bafoulabe, and in the course of a year .or so it will be advanced thirty or forty miles further toward the Niger River. It will be an important event whan this railroad is completed, for then Timbuktu can be reached from every center of civilization by steam;and by the time the railroad reaches the Nigei there Is little doubt that white.men will be admitted freely into the fa. mous and fanatical city which so long has excluded foreign intercourse. The last white man to enter Timbuktu was Dr. Lentz twelve years ago. This month the news comes that Col. Archinard has completely estab­ lished the sovereignity of France in the great country of Macina. south ol Timbuktu, and has placed on the throne one of the royal heirs, who who can be wholly controlled by French iafluences. The most important result of this great success is that Archinard has thus opened a way by the Niger to Timbuktu, for this city is dependent, commercially speaking, upon Macina. The French expect to induce the Chief of Timbuktu to accept a protec­ torate, and as they now control the region that gives to Timbuktu all the commerce and wealth it possesses there is no doubt that Timbuktu will be forced to come to terms and open its gates to the world. An Elizabethan Mariner#!, > Martin Frobisher, a Yorkshire man and an English navigator of Queen Elizabeth's day, greatly desired to distinguish himseir. The only thing in the world that was left yet undone whereby a nota­ ble mind might be made famous and fortunate, he thought, was to find a northwest passage to India--a fa­ vorite dream of his time. For years he sought means. At last he obtained command of tvfo small barks, sailed westward, and dis­ covered the bay in Baffin's Land, near Hudson Strait, which we call Frobisber Bay. He thought it was the desired passage. Some black earth he brought back was called gold, and excited all England. Many people, including Queen Elizabeth, hastened to furnish hiin a fleet; and he sailed a second time, and returned with shiploads of the supposed ore. But it proved to be worthless. Again he was equipped. This last time a colony went with « vwivuj TVVUV __.LU t^e scverity of^ the past; Queen threw "a chain of faire gold" about the neck of Frobisber, as he was A DOG consigned to~a New York- amusement manager has a baritone voice and can sing eight songs. Most of them are barky-rdles. ji winter, the crops are looked forward to with some anxiety.--Gardener's Chronicle / A Word fbr the Scissors* • Some people, ignorant of what good editing is, imagine the getting up of selected matter the easiest work in the world to do, whereas it is the ^nicest work done on a newspaper. If 'they see the editor with scissors in 1|is hand, they aie sure to say: "Eh, that's the, way you are getting up your original .matter, eh?" afeom- set sail upon bis third voyage, in 1678--St Nicholas. ~ Is a cemetery adjoining a small town in the State of Vermont there is a tombstone bearing this legend: "Sacred to the memory of three twins." OUR idea of a man to be envied is one who can laugh heartily over something funny that ha^oened three #r tour years ato. Plants and OlaciejA* Various facts indicating the curious persistance of life in spite of great cold and other unfavorable conditions have from time to time been men­ tioned in The Companion. Another instance is furnished . by recent dis­ coveries concerning the plants of Greenland. Greenland, everybody knows, Is covered with an immense glacier, or sheet of ice. Its present condition must, in many respects, closely re­ semble that in which the northern part of the United States was during the glacial period. But wherever a little soil oare of ice affords a foot­ hold, vegetation appears in (Green­ land. The plants grow close to the ice, and various circumstances concerning them have led to the conclusion that when plants are caught and burled under an advancing ice-sheet tbey are not entirely destroyed, but some ol them retain their vitality for an in­ definite period, and upon the retreat of the glaciers begin to f row and flourish again. ' This is contrary to the old idea that vegetation retreats before the ice when a glacial period is coming on, and follows it when it retiree northward. Shrewd Management of the Paris Police. The Paris police are shrewd fellows --psychologists in their own small way. They know the precise mo­ ment of stupor which follows the surprises of sudden arrest Tbey never summon a man to yield. Tbey begin with the running cord. Practi­ cal mechanics makes them willing to give as much freedom as may be to their prisoner's limbs. If he is bound In one limb he is as securely their prisoner as though they had tied him band and foot So far has this knowledge been put in practice, says one of the Paris dailies, that when an arrest has to be made extempore and the policemen are without their usual instruments, they calmly cut all the button* from the man's trousers and, grasping him by each arm, start htm briskly to­ ward the station-house. His hands, meanwhile, are too fully occupied with keeping his trousers from fall­ ing about his legs and tripping him to the ground to allow of his at­ tempting to escape. Lifb In a Yankee Village. The men in Martha's Vineyard lose their lives through the perils of the sea; the women live on. The vil­ lages are largely made up of old wo­ men. Within a block are three. Two axe sprightly young things of 83 and 87. Both do their own work, including washing and ironing, and taking part in church meetings and surprise parties. The third, who is over 90 and begins to feel her years, keeps a girl She has never re­ nounced the vanities of lflfe. Each spring she has her black silk dress made over in the fashion to go pay her taxes In. She only goes out three times a year. Once to pay her taxes, once to pay the subscription to the Vineyard newspaper, and the third time to lay in her winter coal and wood. These errands are occasions of importance in her hamlet, and worthy her best appearance.--Even- la eld--f la Connection with the !M|>, VJetorl* Catastrophe. Every Bsitiial) man-of-war carries its quota of midshipmen, whose ages range from 13 to 20 yearn Though so young they are already officers, and are frequently intrusted with import­ ant duties, says Harper's Young Peo­ ple. A few days after the late disaster to H. M. S. Victoria a midshipman arrived in London bearing Admiral Markham's official report of the un­ fortunate event. As the costodian of such important documents this young gentleman's passage was made as swift and easy as possible. Arriv­ ing at Calais, on the coast of France, too late to catch the regular boat he chartered a special steamer for him­ self alone. Again, at Dover, on the English side of the channel, there was no express train scheduled to start for air hour or two after his ar­ rival, so the youthful dispatch bearer ordered out a special train, in which he covered the distance to London in about an hour, and drove direct from the railway station to the admiralty. Having delivered his documents, the bearer ofg,ber majesty's dispatches became a simple "middy" again, and when he left the admiralty he prob­ ably ordered a cab with a mildness that must have contrasted strangely with the importance of his air when ordering out a special train at Dover. Doubtless this lad was selected for the work because of his proved trust­ worthiness, and doubtless he was greatly envied by his less fortunate comrades. But who among them did not envy the record of another mid­ shipman in the great catastrophe of the lost Victoria! His name was Lanyon, and bis duty was to attend the admiral on the bridge. When that gallant and Ill-fated officer real­ ized that his ship was doomed, and that a few short minutes must send her to the bottom, he gave the order for all hands to save themselves. Not until that moment was discipline related, and then in obedience to the command the brave sailors did their best to save themselves and one an­ other. But not so the admiral* He clung to the bridge, and by his side stood the brave midshipman. It is said that the admiral realized that the blunder was his, and that it was not worth while to prolong life when his career had been so terribly wrecked. But the boy was young and had no responsibility; he had everything to live for; but be thought it his duty to stand by bis superior officer in time of peril; and perhaps he remembered Nelson's famous signal, "England expects every man to do his duty," so he remained on the bridge, and the bodies of the un­ fortunate admiral and his heroic joung companion have not yet been found. The Correspondence of 3,500 Year* Ago. We have become possessed of cer­ tain very Important indications as to the early civilization of Palestine by means of clay tablets. Not that the knowledge so attained is altogether new or that it conflicts with that which has been deduced from yet earlier Egyptian records. It is well known to scholars that Thothmes ill., when be defeated the league ot Hittites and Pnuenictans at Megiddo, in 1600 B. U, (a century before Amenophis 111. acceded,) reaped a spoil which indicates the advanced civilization of Syria, including not only the precious metals and chariots painted and plated, but also objects of art having high aesthetic value; and that he found corn, wine, and oil abundant in the country, and many hundreds of walled towns in which there were already temples of the gods. Such evidence has, however, been slighted by those who regard the early Hebrews as savages, and who think that though placed in the very cen­ ter of the ancient civilized world be* tweeu the Egyptians and the Assyri­ ans, they were nevertheless, unac­ quainted with any arts, and uninflu­ enced by surrounding culture. The new discoveries insist on quite another understanding of their ancient his­ tory. It is surely a lesson of humility that the modern student should learn from such discoveries. Voltaire was no doubt a writer of great originality and acumen, though, from our present standpoint*, wonderfully ignorant of antiquity. He finds it hard to be­ lieve that Homer's poems could have been written down 500 B. C., and as­ serts that papyrus had not been in- vented in Egypt in the time of Moses, though we now possess in the maxims of Ptah-hotep a manuscript as old as the pyramids. We find, on the contrary, that not only in Egypt or in Mesopotamia was the art of writing known in the time of Moses, but that the inhabitants of Palestine also could pen a brick epistle, which in the space of a few inches contained as much informa­ tion as can now be condensed into a sheet of notepaper. Such letters were neither heavy nor bulky, and could be carried in the turban or in the folds of the shirt bosom just as easily as paper letters are now so car­ ried, with the additional advantage th*t they were Imperishable, as is witnessed by the fact that tbey are now being read 3,400 years after they were written.--Edinburgh Review. Better Bargain. A once famous English barrister dearly loved lords and ladies of high degree, and took such pains to seek their company that ho occasionally received a social buffet for his pains. On arriving one day at Hamburg he learned tbat a distinguished mem- member of Parliament was staying at the hotel which he bad selected. He at once called the waiter, and offered him balf a napoleon, at the same time requesting that a place might be reserved for him, at table d' bote, adjoining that of the noble lord When dinner was served, however, he entered the room and found tbat the seat was already occupied. He summoned the waiter. "Why was not that place reserved for me?" he demanded angrily. "Well, sir, I'm very sorry," replied the waiter. "You gave me half a napoleon to place you near his lord­ ship, but be gave me a napoleon to put you on the further side of the table!" „ • FOR one reason we would like to be a woman, we would like to wear a •hirt waist in summer. How many landsmen know ho î̂ log boolt ift written ttgt v t u C It seems just as couptHMttefr as double entry bookkeeping wheu^one' does not know, but tfftar * little careful attention and study it's as easy to keep a log book as txfeat hot gingerbread. There is a Iis2let­ ters arranged, and they lootk like ao much Greek to the uneducated. The letter b, for instance^ stands for blue sky, whether there be clear or bazy atmosphere; o indicates cloudy or detached opening clouds, d* denotes drizzling rain, a small f fcg, capital F thic«c fog, g gloomy, dark weather; h bail, 1 lightning, and in misty or bazy so as to interfere with the view. The letter o represents overcast or when the whole sky is covered with one impenetrable cloud. Passing showers are noted by the letter p, arid q indicates the weather to be squally. Continuous rain is indicated by ah r, snow by an s, and thunder by a t Any ugly threatening appearance' in the weather calls for the letter u, and visibility or distant objects, whether the sky be cloudy or not is represented by the letter v. A small w is wet dew. A full point or dot under any let­ ter denotes an extraordinary degree. As an example of how the letters are used take q p d 1 t This reads very hard squalls and showers of drizzle* accompanied by lightning with very heavy thunder. Numerals denote the force of l&e wind. *A cipher indicates calm, 1 light air, 2 light breeze, 3 gentle breeze, 4 moderate breeze, 5 fresh breeze, 6 strong breeze, 7 moderate gale, 8 fresh gale, 9 strong gale, 11> whole gale, 11 storm, 12 hurricane, This system of abbreviation is gen­ erally adhered to on all merchattl vessels.--Geographical Magazine• Metal for Shot. : The metal tor making shot be very carefully prepared. Tin Is commonly found as an allow of lead, but if there is so little as one poudd of tin in six toasot lead the material will not produce shot; it will only yield oblong slugs. Pure lead will " not make shot It must have with it a proportion of arsenic. The latter has somewhat the same effect upon ' lead as lard or butter has on pastry; it makes it brittle. To begin with, the metal is put into a pot with thirty pounds of arsenic to each ton of lead. The mixture is heated to a cherry red, which signifies about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit The al­ loy thus prepared is made into pigs ot 100 pounds each. One of these pigs is melted together with 1,000 pounds of pure lead, and thus Is ob« tained the material required for the shot Not long ago a sensation was made in the newspapers by writers who as- sertei tbat game killed witb shot that were loaded with arsenic must be poisonous. Of course, nothing could be more absurd. The effect of this mineral on the metal is to cause the latter, when melted, to form it* self naturally into globules like quick­ silver. When the m n at the fur­ nace wishes to ascertain whether his molten stuff is heated to the right, temperature, he throws a little of it upon cool iron. If correct it splits * into a lot of rolling globules, resemb­ ling marcury. All being in readi* nesss, he skims off from the top of the melting pot a quantity of the im­ pure stuff tbat floats on the surface. He puts a layer of this in the bottom t of one of the saucepans. When partly cool, it is of a putty-like con­ sistency. It is very porous. Now, the operator holds the sauce-- pan over the central shaft, wbich is boxed in with planks all the way to the bottom of the tower Looking | down, one can see a faint shimmer of | the water in the well far below The f workmen with his ladie pours some | of the pure lead alloy into the pan. | It makes its way through the porous stuff on the bottom of the utensil and forms a little drop atevery open­ ing in the perforated bottom. Th« ^ drops fall down vbe well, followed by ^ others as fast, as they can form, lie- * | log liquid drops, tbey are absolutely = spherical when they leave the sauce­ pan. The man keeps on adding melted lead with his ladle as fast as i% is required, so tbat the shower ol 1 metal drops Is continuous By the ^ time they have fallen 100 feet ot | more through the air they have cooled | and hardened so far that the impact, , - of the water does not alter thill ' shape.--Washington Star: ^ Talent. ^ The value to the world of any | natural gift or talent depends on two separate powers--that of producing | excellent work, and that of bringing it to the notice of tbo§e wh6 can ap* ; predate and use it Very few pet*. .- sons unite these two capabilities in themselves. It is a rare thing to find a man or a woman having-a marked talent in some one depart­ ment, and also the tact the judg. J ment, the knowledge of the world . Jjj needful to make the' most and the •. M best of it Many indeed have a lim­ ited share of each, and may to that degree be successful in their pursuit*; but the highest and finest abilities in : productions usually so fully absorb the performer that he has ne-ther ability nor inclination to push them into public notice. Thus it often happens that special^ excellence Is hidden from the worla, and society is deprived of its beneficent results. , '^4 • . ' Not in Sight.. ; v if you are in a strange place awl ^ 4 am sensitive about appearing rldicu. lous, it is a good rule to be slow of speech. What looks mysterious will Fg very likely be soon cleared up if you | have a little patience. A southern gentleman was called ' to Charleston on business, according to Harper's Bazar, and went as was natural, to one of the p;lncipal hotels, where he asked for a nice room. The clerk called for a colored por- | ten and said, "Take tbls gentleman I to Na 15." "Yes, sab," said the porter: and J With a pompous air be picked up the | valise and led the way to the eleva- * tor. Entering, he set the valise on ^ the floor, and said, "Walk in, sab." J- The gentleman walked in, and looked around in amazement *. y "Is tbls the best room you can glv. J ml' ,u» • v -• ,• .v:- •' • • x * 1 "p,.- ^ JMV ? 5 "i'A ; *V.r . - ! & 4*4 ^̂ 4 If* j .4.'j,t*.i.JmaaJtor. .•?&. ..h

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