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rmx f e- »* m-c* m i m ' *f^% >-' ' i-w1. i#:. w&> •nBraBraaMBBBnssBBBwsBBHKBn UNDERGROUND RAIL* T n n BBSS m 3B IllDMKMBER that multitudes of birds were singing, buttercups and daisies were in bloom, and the misty globes of dandelions had gone to seed--for I picked some to blow away at one breath for luck. So It must have been on a June morning, in the year 185--. that I went over to play with the Sherman boys, and thereby met With a memorable adventure. Finding the boys at leisure, a game of *I-spy"--or as we had it, perhaps by Inheritance from our English ances­ tors, "hi-spy"--was presently arranged. We were "counted out" by our favorite formula, "Wire, brier, limber lock, sli geese in a flock." and ft fell to Tom's lot * Beforerlte loud announcement of the first ten of the hundred--which he was so rapidly counting that there was but a continuous mumble between the tens --Jim. Billy and 1 scattered in search of hiding-places. I was at no loss to find one, for I knew every uook and corner of the premises; and as neither of the others went that way, I tiptoed up the stairs that led to the hayloft over the stable. This place afForded a good on (look to the "gool," as well as a good hiding place. As I waded through the hay to the darkest corner, the figure of a man started up before me, nearly taking the breath out of me, so sudden and unex­ pected was the apparition. He seemed DO less startled than I. and when, in the dim light, I made him out to be a negro, I guessed that be was a fugitive slave before his dialect made it appar­ ent, as he whispered, anxiously. "Say. chile, is dis yere Mars' Abum Thome's place?" That was the name of my father. Who was a zealous abolitionist, aud whose house was well known by friends of the "cause." and suspected by enemies, to be a station of the Un­ derground Railroad, concerning whose dusky passengers, often seen by us be­ tween their mysterious coming and go­ ing, my sister and I early learned to keep our own counsel. It struck me at once that this fugitive could scarcely have made a greater mis­ take than in coming to the Sherman barn. Only a little while before I had heard neighbor Sherman declare to my father that it was as clearly his duty to give up a runaway slave as to deliver a stray horse to its owner. So 1 answered my interlocutor in a tone as cautious and more alarmed than bis own, "No, no! It's the next house. But thee cac't go there now! Sherman's folks'll see thee! Thee must Tie down an' let me cover thee up with hay, an' don't stir till I come for thee after dark. I'm Abraham Thome's boy," I said, seeing that he hesitated a little. Thereupon he lay down, saying as he did so, "I'se willin' 'nougb to rest, but j I'se powerful hongry, chile." I carefully covered him with hay, hoping there was a good chance of his; being safe from further discovery, for I the horses were turned out to grass,1 and no one was likely to visit the loft for hay. I had barely time to smooth off the covering before Tom Sherman sang out, "One bun-derd!" and the warning. "One, two, three, look out for me!-' I stowed myself where he would be •ore to find me before he could stumble on the hiding-place of the negro. Tom i to neighbor Sherman's, and all being quiet about the premises, I at once made my way to the loft, where I found my man just on the point of setting forth alone, so Impatient was he of a longer stay Jn the dangerous precincts. We had crept cautiously downstairs and around.,the barn, not drawing^a free breath till we got it between us and the house, when we heard a team driven rapidly to the door, and voices in low, earnest conversation. Then some one ran rapidly up the stairs to the loft, and presently returned; where­ upon the team was driven away in greater baste than it had come. I did not understand it at all, and only felt sure that we had started none too soon. It was bright starlight, so we skulked along' fences, which led us a roundabout way, till we came near our house, waiting among the pear- trees of the gardeu. The kitchen door was open, nay father standing in it, in silhouette against the candle-light, speaking In an earnest tone to two men who stood a little out­ side the threshold. Other figures stood at intervals around the bouse, very steadfast and alert, except one who seemed to be looking In our direction. "I tell you there's no one but my own family in my house," I heard my father say. One of the men replied, "That's all very well. Mr. Thome, but I can't take your word for it, when there's a nigger in the case. We shall have to search the house." Then, with a terror that seemed to melt my leg-bones and" take my heart ofuiy body, I' realized that oar house was beleaguered by slave-hunters. The two men at the door pushed in past my father, while the others stood more hut heard that be reached Canada with out further adventure. A few days, later I happened to heal my father thanking neighbor Sherman very warmly for what he had done, and the response of the latter was: "Sho! Abr'am, don't never say a word about it. I wouldn't for All the world have it get out 'at I harbored a runaway nigger. Why, they wouldn't never call on me agin to helj} ,ii<$tch 'em.?*--Youth's Companion. .*v , G U N C O T T O N . r N' YOU TEL.L ME NUFFIH1. Detail* of the Manufacture of « Vio­ lent Explosive, The use of gun cotton In the charging of torpedoes and for other purposes has become so enormous that some account of its modern manufacture Is of inter­ est. Pure raw cotton or ordinary cotton Waste, which is commonly seen in all places where machinery is used, is steeped in a solution of one part of nitric and three parts of sulphuric acid. It is the former that renders the sub­ stance explosive, the latter being used only to absorb the water, thus permit­ ting the nitric acid to combine more readily with the cellulose of the cotton. After being soaked several hours in the acids the cotton is removed and passed between rollers to expel from It the non-absorbed acid. The cotton is then thoroughly washed to remove any acid still remaining which would de­ compose the cotton if permitted to re­ main in it. This washing process is a long oner requiring machinery which reduces the cotton to much the same condition to which rags are reduced in a paper mill--a sort of pulp. If it is to be used in the manufacture of powder the cotton is still further pul­ verized and is then thoroughly dried. If it is for use in torpedoes it is com­ pressed into shapes thac make it easy to pack ^ato torpedo heads.. The form varies greatly, sometimes being disk- shaped, sometimes cylindrical; again it is in flat squares and again in cubes. The gun cotton when not compressed is light, about the weight of an equal bulk of common batting. Terrible as it is as an explosive, a brick of it when wet may be placed upon hot coals, and as the moisture dries off the cotton flakes and burns quietly. When dry, however, it will explode with great vio­ lence if exposed to a temperature of about 320 degrees. It is usually tired by detonation, or an Intense shock, which produces a more powerful effect than heat. In the tor­ pedo the wet cotton is detonated by the explosion of dry cotton in a tube, which is fired by a cap of fulminate of mer­ cury, which is, in tnrn, fired by the/im­ pact of the torpedo against the bull of » vessel toward which It is discharg­ ed.--Chicago Record. alert. The man who was looking our way moved toward us as directly as if he saw us, though the negro and I, by a common impulse, crawled quickly be­ hind the trunks of two pear-trees a few feet apart On he came unerringly, until he was right between us, and I made out dis­ tinctly the tall, muscular form and red- bearded face of our neighbor Sherman. I expected to see him pounce upon the crouching figure of my companion like a tiger on his prey, and wondered if a sudden attack in the rear by a 12-year- old boy could be of any avail. He turned neither to the right nor to the left as he passed between us, nor paused as he whispered with sharp dis­ tinctness, "Go back to my barn and lay low till I tell ye!" A few paces beyond us he turned spied the other boys, and I got a safe about and passed between us again, re­ run to the "gool," so that he had no oc- peating the whispered injunction, and casion to search the loft. Hence I felt going back to the house, took post there, easy concerning the man for the pres- loudly enjoining vigilance upon the ent, except that I was at my wit's end for means to relieve his hunger, and grew so abstracted over the problem that I attracted the attention of my companions. "What makes you look so down iu the mouth. Tommy?" Bill Sherman asked. "Oh, nothin'," 1 answered, evasively; and then a happy thought struck me. "Only I'm so hungry. I b'lieve I've got to go home and get something to eat. I guess f didn't eat as much breakfast as I'd ought to this morning." The explanation might pass with others. The negro crawled away In range of his tree, on his hands and knees, as stealthily as a cat, and I followed aa nearly as I could in like manner, till we gained the cover of a fence, looking back from which we saw the light shin­ ing from successive windows as the searching party moved from room to room, while the figures of the besiegers were dissolved and blotted out in the gloom. ' ' j We made our. way back to the Sher­ man place with cautious haste, now those who had not witnessed my per- i startled by., a ground-nesting bird burst formance, but it was not needed by my playmates, for at the suggestion of hunger, each became aware of liis own pangs--it being now near 10 o'clock. /'Hurrah for something t'eat!" cried Tom. "Come on!" and he led.the wav ing up from the grass before us, now making wide detours to avoid some dim object, which proved to be a harmless cow or stump, till at last we reached the left and lay down upon the hay, with a welcome sense of securitv in tortbe kitchen door, where an appeal the Place which I had lately deemed so for relief was promptly responded to dangerous. by good, motherly Mrs. Sherman, with a double slice of bread and butter and a doughnut for each of us. I made a pretense of eating, not with­ out an effort refraining, from the real­ ity, till Jim Sherman began to count and the rest of us to scatter to cover. Then I crept noiselessly up the stairs aud gave all my lunch to the negro. It Then as we rested and by degrees re­ covered natural breathing, my com­ panion explained in whispers the mys­ tery of neighbor Sherman's behavior. "'Long in the arternoon I was layin' kivered in de fodder a-wlshin' mighty hard for night an' suffin* for to eat an'* I heard somebody come a-trom- pling up de stairs, an' he begin pokin' bpanisb Wooden Ballets. It is well known that Spanish soldiers in Cuba were poor marksmen, but great surprise bas been expressed, says the Scientific American, at the remark­ able lack of execution which character­ ized their fire at Guantanamo and San­ tiago, and an officer of the United States gunboat Montgomery has been able to throw some light on the matter. He visited the Maria Teresa after the destruction of Cervera's fleet In search of souvenirs. He found a large!" num­ ber of Mauser cartridges In groups of five ready to go Into the magazines of the guns, and if the entire Spanish army and navy were equipped with that kind of ammunition both Cervera and Toral were amply justified In sur­ rendering when they did. The car­ tridges consisted of a metal shell load­ ed with hair and a sprinkling of pow­ der. The bullet was of neither brass nor lead, but of wood. Some army con­ tractor had imposed on the ordnance bureau of the Spanish navy, but to what extent the wooden Mauser bullets were used will probably never be known. Old Age Pensions In New Zealand. New Zealand, which has prided her­ self for a good many years on "ad­ vanced" legislation, and which is often held up as one of the most progressive countries in the world (though a Brit­ ish colony), is about to inaugurate what may be called an old age pension regime. The Legislature of the far-off colony recently passed an elaborate bill, mak­ ing provision for pensions to persons in straitened circumstances who are over 65 years old. The pension amounts to but $90 a year, or about $1.75 a week, and no one who has an income of over $5 a week or property worth more than $2,700 will be en­ titled to it. Twenty years' residence in the colony and ten years'*exem- plary conduct are requisite in order to secure this state gift, which is sig­ nificant, not so much for the amount as for the precedent which it em­ bodies.--Boston Globe. made me hungry to see him eat, and 1! de fodder, an', me des nat'aly shakin' felt that I was making a great sacrifice 1 w*d fear, ontw^l fust I knowed he hove for the "cause" in which my father Was de fodder clean-off'n me. A mons'ous so earnestly engaged. I big, f'erce-lookin' man he was. wid a "I wish thee'd come to our house in- i re(1 baird--same man he was that came stead of here." I whispered to the ne-; to we-uns ober yander, an' he holler at gro. as he sat up under the tent of hay. I me- *What ypu doln' here? You's a ravenously bolting the bread and but- runaway nigger, dat's what you ts!' ter. j "When I try for to speak, he say, - "Tell ye what, honey." he answered, ! 'Don' 5*ou tell me nuffln'. I don* wan' afffcr a struggle to swallow a large ! to lK'ar a worll out 'n yo' head. You mouthful, "from what de folks tol' me had anything to eat since you ben where Jr was stayin' yist'day, dis yere , yere?' an' I tol' him bow yon done fotch was deyrtace, nigh as I could make out! a little speck. In de mtawnin', an' he in de dim o' de mawnin'--dis yere was | went an' fotch ine a heap o' whittles, de place." I an' he tol' me to lay still under de fod- "Well, we can't help it now. All thee j der'ontwel de dark come on' an* den go can do is to keep still till night." to de 'uex' house an' not come back The Largest Loaves of Bread. The largest loaves of bread baked in the world are those of France and Italy. The "pipe" bread of Italy Is baked in loaves two or three feet long, while in France the Joaves are made in the shape of very long rolls four or five feet in length, and in many cases even six feet. The bread of Paris is distributed almost exclusively by wo­ men, who go to the various bakehouses at 5:30 a. m. and spend about an hour polishing up the loaves. After the loaves,are thoroughly cleaned of dust and grit, the "bread porter" proceeds on the round of her customers. Those who live in apartments or flats find their loaves leaning against the door. Tbeu Jim shouted warning, and I heard him coming cautiously up the stairs before my man was down and covered up again. But covered he was before Jim found me, and we rushed pell -mell for the "gool." - When the game was ended I went lK>me, hungry enough, but quite un- aWe to enjoy my dinner, for fear of the discovery of the runaway. I told my father of him at the first opportunity, ,aud he was as anxious as 1, as his countenance showed. yere no mo', 'cause he ain't gwine for to have no runaway niggers youn' his place. Deen he kiver me in de fodder, an' dat de las' I seen him ontwil he come on we-uns ober yander. Oh, he'i a n»ighty curious man, dat he is." I quite agreed in his opinion of neigh­ bor Sterman. since he was acting in so unexpected a manner. We lay quietly for an hour before we heard a cautious step ascending the stairs, and then neighbor Sherman's guarded voice, "If there's anybody I wouldn t have neighbor Sherman j here, they can go over to Thornfe's now The coast is clear." With that he went downstairs, and we presently followed, and went over to our house, where all was quiet after t£e futile search. J On the following'night my father car­ ried the fugitive t<^ $be next station find him for anything, but thee did the best that could be done, my son, and there's nothing for It but to wait till dark." Jjg; The commendation comforted me, vt^nd I proved myself a valuable trench­ erman at supper. nea me rugiuve to the next station ' After nightfall I stole across the fields ( northward, and we'-^w no more of him, * --V.. r' *• DAUGHTER'S PLACE1#!1 liOME. O, NE of the sweetest things a girt ean do is to receive friends gra­ ciously, particularly at home. In one's own house a cordial manner is peculiarly fitting. Do not stand off in the middle of the room and bow coldly and formally to the friend who has called. Walk over to meet her, give her your band and say pleasantly that you are very glad to see her again. A daughter's part is to assist her mother on every social occasion. Apart from and more Important even than her manner to a guest who drops in for an hour or a day is the manner, of a daughter to her father and mother. The father returns to his home aftar a wearying day at business. He Is tired in body and mind. Coining back, as his latchkey turns in the home door he throws off care. He is joyous at the thought of the dear ones be will meet after bours of absence. His young daughter, in a pretty gown, with the bloom and freshness only girlhood wears, should be ready to give him the attention he loves--the kiss, the cheery word--to help her mother and the rest In letting her father see now much he is loved at home. Men give up a great deal for their families--their time, their strength, the knowledge they have gained in life's experiences. They spend everything freely for their home's sake, and the home sfhould pay its debt In much outspoken love. Books and Book Shelves. " Books arc very susceptible to the conditions which surround them. Like human beings the temperature of the room affects them to a very serious de­ gree. A degre& of heat or dampness which we would find unpleasant or'un- wholesome, if long continued, will prove harmful to them and be resented. If kept near a stove or radiator, the covers will warp; if too near 4 win­ dow that is often open, dampness and dust will injure binding and leaves, especially in these days of open book cases. A book is the readiest of in­ animate things to show neglect or ap­ preciation. Of all things don't put your books on high shelves so you will have to climb, for in that case It. Is apt to go unread, but there Is some­ thing worse about it. If a book has a nice binding it is sure to be ruined on a high shelf, because as the beat rises It will dry up, rot and destroy the leather. Gaslight, which gives off its sulphureted hydrogen, and the ordin­ ary taerosene lamp are mortal enemies of all bound books which stand on high shelves. Then again the finer particles of dust rise, lodge and stick to the book, obliterating the pretty gilding. During the winter evenings one in­ sensibly thinks of cozy corners in which to rest and read after the toil of the day. Such a corner, with book shelves combined, is presented. The back and seat of the settee are uphol­ stered and furnished with pillows, the ends give shelf room for one's favorite books, and the drawers are convenient for magazines, while.the lamp is near and yet ha$ a solid resting place. Cultivate a Pretty Walk. To be thoroughly graceful long steps and quick, short steps should be equal­ ly avoided, remarks a French woman. A stiff walk is also very ungraceful, and that is the great fault of English girls. They walk too stiffly and take too long strides. Spanish women have a very pretty walk naturally, as also have Italian country girls and all ac­ customed to carry weights on their heads. To exercise walking a. weight on the head is a very good lesson. The French are also very graceful walkers. Study your Walk, girls. Take dancing lessons to begin with and then repeat your lessons before your long toilet glass. A pretty walk is a beauty in itself, and every one who will can.ac- quire this beauty. Do It, then, at once-- now--without another day.--New York Herald. Specific for Seasickness. Bright red spectacles accompanied by internal doses of calomel form a new German specific against seasickness. It is deduced from Epstein's Inveatiga tions on the influence of color on the blood veeels in the brain. Seasickness is due to lack of blood in the brain, while red sends blood to the brain with a rush. By looking at one point for some time through the red glasses the patient Is cured radically. Before expressing your honest con­ victions these days, you must lock yourself in a room and plug up the key hole. 5 Up to date, the women members of a certain church have tried every known means to raise the church debt except by putting air bags und^ir It. Confidence often begets confidence- men. Potters are not the only people who make family jars. SKTIKK WITH BOOK SHKI.VKS. married--in public, says a writer in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Love between man and woman be­ ing the one strictly personal thing in the universe. It seems meet that its gentle manifestations should not be accompanied by a brass band. Un­ married couples, I will admit, are often put to severe straits, and there may be good excuse for two sitting in public on a chair that was built for one. But what must we say of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, who lovey dovey on the house­ tops? We know they are married, and this is seeming proof that they prefer the society of each other to all the world, so it seems superfluous for Mr. Smith to softly pull his wife's ears and say ketchy, ketchy, ketchy, on the veranda when company has been in­ vited. But really, I do not think Mr. Smith errs in this matter as much as the lady--she is the one who says at the dinner table: "My ^wnest-own, is oo feelin' bad all over? Poor little eofty-goofty!" They have little jokes between themselves, shy whisperings and "y«»i knows," that mystify and put at unrest all the onlookers in Venice. It seems to me that if I loved a wo­ man very much, and between us there was an absolute understanding, , It would not be necessary to reassure each other at the opera. Twists of two colors of velvet make a pretty foot trimming for a plain gown. All close sleetes are made with an upper end under .form, and must have a few gathers at the elbow. Knife-plaiting and the old-time fluting, as well as graded ruffles, will be used for dress trimmings this winter. If you are stout and your dress skirt rolls up in front and on the hips, you have fitted It too snugly around the abdomen, and made the band too tight. Chiffon ruches should be made on the straight of the goods, using the cross­ wise length. Bias ones are bard to han­ dle and never look so well. The light colors in chiffon can be cleaned by skill­ ful persons. Seams down the front of the dress skirt will not be as much worn as heretofore, though a gown of striped material may be made that way It the stripes are run Into Vs, keeping the angle in perfect line. AH ruffles of silk or wool should be hemmed by hand, unless stitching is a feature of the trimming on your gown. Ruffles are made once and a half In fullness for the space on which they are to be sewed, and ruches should be made twice the space If of sheer goods. No good dressmaker has a seam down the middle of the back of the waist, neither does she have small darts about the hips to make the skirt fit smoothly; all the fullness is carried Into a small space at the back. They also put a small cushion of curled hair just below the waistband in the back of the skirt, and invsxiably the waist and skirt are held together by means of two strong hooks and rings. Blected Public Attorney. Acceptable Favors. Friendships are very often ruined by the unwillingness on one side or the other to accept favors. This trait is particularly noticeable In the character of school girls, who, though they may be united by many congenial ties, are yet forced apart, because the poorer one foolishly Imagines that she ought to make some return for the pretty gifts, invitations, or tickets for concerts or theaters which her friend loves to shower upon her. She feels acutely that she Is unable to make any return, and so refuses the good times and by so doing she not only deprives her friend of the greatest delight, but also loses many opportunities for pleasures which she may never have the chance of enjoying again.--New York Press. The Libelous " They Bay." The one term, "they say," Is respon­ sible for nine-tenths of the lies which repetition and familiarity finally con­ vert Into seemingly bona-fide evidence. One usually hears an exciting bit of gossip launched forth with these words, while at. the same time the speaker adroitly shields herself by de­ claring that, personally, she does not know it to be true. The man or wo­ man who thus screens himself or her­ self le nothing short of a coward.-- Woman's Home Companion. Love-Making in Public. Very much In the way of sad com­ plaint has been written on the unloving ways of married couples, says the Phil­ istine. And now I wish to vary the monotony with a small protest against loo much loving on the part of the The*voters of West Branch, Mich., at the last election, chosfe Mrs. Minnie L. Abbott for the, office of prosecutlOg at­ torney. Good Manners Proclaim a Gentleman. Good manners are a social obligation, and a young flian should never make light of them nor pass them over as unworthy of notice The extreme manners of the fop are silly and un­ necessary, but the way a well-bred man deports bfmself Is always worth a young man's closest study. Good manners mean comfort for others and the recognition of little social rights, which to pass over is to degenerate. Etiquette book* cannot instill good manners. One'# deportment comes from within. Few men are born with­ out an intuitive knowledge of what is wrong or right in deportment. It is simply experience that develops the quality. To b«i good-m&imereti gener­ ally means to have consideration for women of every rank In life, and that is a quality wihch young men cannot possess too strongly.--Ladles' Home Journal,, The Invalid's Pillow. A small fluffy pillow which can be rolled into any shape Is a great comfort on top of a larger pillow or bolster, and may be made :lo fit closely to the aching point A frequent careful punching from the sid|ee leaves them fluffy and soft again, and this beating of the pillows may be done quite effectually Jn a quiet manner. A noisy stirring action Is sometimes more try­ ing to a weak person than the hard pillows.--Woman's Home Companion. When a lot of men go coon hunting, and don't catch anything, they say the dogs wen no account. RECENT INVENTIONS. _ ^ A colorless Ink for use In writing on postal cards, etc., Is made by mixing together sulphuric acid and water, the writing becoming permanently visible when the paper Is heated. To secure corks in bottles without use of wire bales a short nail is Insert­ ed in a hole, formed in the neck of the lk>ttle at the time it is cast, entering the side of the cork and holding It fast until withdrawn by a hook. A Callfornlan has patented an attach­ ment for shears used in cutting flowers, consisting of a pair of metal plates to be clamped on the blades to shut and grip the stem as it is cut off, holding it until released by opening the blades. To prevent animals from swallowing their food in a hurry an Improved man­ ger has a spring partition suspended from the top, which permits only a small portion of the food to fall at a time, pressure on the partition to get larger mouthfuls shutting off the sup­ ply entirely. Ia a recently patented bicycle saddle the'frame is pivoted at the end of the post to tilt forward and backward, an adjustable colled spring being attached to the point of the saddle to allow It to swing back until the tension of the Spring balances the weight of the rider. To retain shirt bosoms In place a Southerner has patented a device com­ posed of two strips of flexible webbing crossing at the back, with fasteners at the end which clasp the edges of the bosom and draw It against the body to prevent it from bulging out. Yankee Gold for Titles. M. de Royer, who is recognized as one of the leading authorities on questions of heraldry and genelaogy in France, draws a fantastic picture of the mil­ lions of American dollars which find their way each year into France by means of marriages between American heiresses and Gallic nobles. In one year alone--it was not the year of the Gould-Castellane wedding--he demonstrates how 100,000,000 francs, that is to say $20,000,000 found their cway in this manner Into French pock­ ets. If M. de Royer is, however, to be believed, heiresses always get their money's worth. For he asserts thfct al­ though there are about 50,000 French families who make use either of titles or of the nobiliary particle of "de," there are less than half of that number whose claims to any nobiliary prefix are genuine. „ Nor does M. de Royer stop here. How many of the families with authentic nobiliary prefixes, he asks, have re­ mained really noble in the sense of de­ scent? Each masculine introduces Into the noble family 50 per cent of plebeian blood, and when in a number of follow­ ing generations there has been a se­ quence of unions of this kind, how much of the blue blood is there left at last? American women, therefore, marry­ ing French nobles would do well to make sure that they get the bona fide article before parting with their money or risking their future happiness. The Qldeat Forename. In ancient times people had one name inly, as Adam or David, and in order to distinguish persons of the same name ft was the custom to affix the descrip­ tion "son of" Isaac or Jacob, as the case might be. Thus we get Solomofi ben David among the Hebrews, and Evan ap Richard among the Welsh, to quote two examples. Although the ar­ gument that those names were not strietly "fore-names" is not within weight, yet it Is reasonable to accept them as such, seeing that the appella­ tion had to be supplemented by anoth­ er for the sake of distinction; we are, therefore, entitled to include them within the scope of the question. * Adam and other early Biblical names are regarded as the oldest for obvious reasons; but excluding these the choice falls upon Marmaduke; which is the mod­ ern rendering of the ancient Chaldean Maruduk and Merodach, the god who Interceded constantly between the an­ gry Ea and the humble Damkina, his father and mother. The Romans used both forenames and family names, and of the former, two that date back about twenty-five hundred years, are still with us, namely, Marcus and Lu­ cius, represented in modern tongues by Mark and the feminine Lucy. The old form "Marcus" is still retained in some families. o Her Son. Of course, every young mother thinks her baby the center of the uni­ verse. Apropos of which the Atlanta Constitution tells a story of much point. There have been several boy babies born in Atlanta In the past few months. This is not intended as a star­ tling piece of news, because their arriv­ als have been duly and appropriately chronicled, but it is'only stated as the basis of a little joke. Seme days ago four of the happy young mothers, all of whom had fine boys at home, met In one of the dry-goods stores. AH of them completed their purchases about the same time. As they were all leaving the store, in speaking distance of each other, a fresh young clerk, in an effort to be pleasant, fired the stereotyped question at one olj them, "How is the boy to-day?" In an instant four beam­ ing faces were turned toward blm and four pleased voices answered in chorus, "Oh. he's all right, thank you." The clerk fainted. One Cause fbr Poor Teeth. A recent article in the American Kitchen Magazine gives as the opin­ ion of a dentist that the poor teeth of children are often due to lack of ex­ ercise. Much of the modern food given to children is in the form of soups, purees, and mush made from cereals, and not enough work is given to the teeth in mastication to draw the blood In large quantities to, them. It does not, therefore, give up its strengthen­ ing qualities in sufficient quantity to make strong teeth. The dentist rec­ ommended that things hard to chew be glv$n to the children. Making It Brighter. The Good Man--What have you ever done to make the world a brighter place? Overloaded Walking Delegate--I've done a good deal. Organized more'u twenty metal-polishers' unions durin' lash year." The child labor laws are being rl||id- ly enfor^yn ||lchi W • J Toiedo Is to have the gaeaifest fAtte- glass factory in the world, Probably the cheapest railcoad fares in the world are to be fouhd4n fltarftser- land. ..,. '% Indianapolis painters werettocked out because tbey boycotted a flttta that em- ployed men who owed the union money. Twenty-five years ago the fJnited States produced ,70 per cent, of the cot­ ton of the world; to-day she produces 8§ per cent, of the world's cotton. London bas taken up the experiment of ., municipal street railways. The south London tramways have b6ea bought by the County Council fer $4,250,000. , The movement for the etftnteUsbcaliit of the ten-hour day for bakers and the abolition of the prevailing system ef boarding journeymen is now Cairljf^en foot Mexico's Imports are growing at the rate of more than a million Mexican dollars a month and more than half ef this substantial Increase is <ram the United States. T. V. Powderly, ex-(3ranfl. Master Workman of the ' Knights ofi f>abort sued and recovered fli judgment! of $4,225.73 against the organization at Washington, D. C. A tin factory situated on SuJo. Branl, an Island in the Bay of<.iSinga!06re, turns" out monthly 1,200 tons of tin more than the product of Cornwall and more than that of Australia. A movement has been inaugurated in Pittsburg by trainmen in the interest of better wages. The demand has been placed In the hands of a grievance com­ mittee. and will be presented to rail­ road officials. Indiana now ranks second as a State In which fruits and vegetables afj& packed, Maryland being first Indiana second and New Jersey third. Indiana now manufactures 25 per cent of the canned goods manufactured In this country. The most successful of the compa­ nies which make machines for setting type paid its stockholders more than $2,000,000 in cash dividends in the year ending Oct. 1. In the short period since August, 1894, it lifts distributed $5,365,000 'in that way. According to a report of the London Board of Trade on the cost of strikes in Great Britain in 1897, just Issued, the labor difficulties in the year named involved an aggregate loss of 10,000,000 working days, 230,000 persons being thrown out of employment A very interesting and far-reaching decision was recently handed down by the Indiana Appellate Court in connec­ tion with the issuing of checks and cards by employers for labor done. The decision is one of the most sweeping In its results of any yet promulgated by a court, for under the ruling an employe who bad been paid by the check or coupon system could, if be saw fit, re­ pudiate such payment, sue and recover ~ his money In cash. , 't Solved Only Half the Problem. A Scottish paper tells a story^ of Sandy Mc , a Forfarshire farmer, who had been spending an hour or twe in the evening with a friend a couple of miles away. It was a moonlight night, and Sandy, after partaking free­ ly of his friend's hospitality, was rid­ ing quietly home across the sheep pas­ tures on his "guid auld mare," when tbey came to an open ditch, which his mare refused to cross. "Hoot awa, Maggie," said the rider, "this winna dae. Ye maun jlst gang ower." * He turned back about a hundred yards, wheeled round, and gave the mare a touch of his whip. On she went at a brisk canter; but as tbey reached the edge of the ditch she stopped dead and shot Sandy clean over to the other side. Gathering himself ap, Sandy looked his mare straight in the face and said: "Vera weel pitched, indeed, ma lass. Bit hoo are ye goin' to get ewer yer- ® sel\ eh?"--New York Tribune. -- If «ne you must be a liar, be a statistical and you will never ho caught at It. A Rich Beggar Sent to Prison. Charles Brockwitz came to America from Russia twenty years ago and soon afterward became a beggar. Then he destroyed his sight by deliberately gaz­ ing open eyed at the sum About two years ago Brockwitz was arraigned in a police court, charged with begging. He was sent to the Island, when th magistrate heard the truth about him Whining, tearful, still posing in his pro fessional character. Brockwitz calmly drew a bulky bundle from his rags am passed it to his uncle. The police Inter cepted the package. It contained $3,00C in currency. Many times since Brock wits has beer arrested for begging. Magistrates ol kindly nature frequently disenargec him or Inflicted a small fine. If the fin< were less than $5, this very model , o mendicancy would always pay it- drawing a nickel or a cent at a tinn from his ragged clothes and moaninj piteously over every coin. If the fin* were more than $5 he would take It alternative in "days." Brockwitz is salt to be worth at least $50,000. The polic say $100,000 would be nearer the mart --New York Journal. .•'art Queen Wilhelmtna. The National Magazine tells thi story of Queen Wilhelmina: **Tvro o the court children were missing^on^ day, and grave fears were entertainer as to the probability of their havin been kidnaped. A prolonged and can ful search resulted In finding no trace of them, and two attendants were ai rested as suspicious characters. O further Inquiry It was learned ths these two childreu were last seen pia; ing with the little Queen the prevtoi day. On questioning her as to the whereabouts she said they were tockc up in an old cellar that could be reacl ed from the courtyard. It seemc they refused to do her bidding, and s exercising her prerogative as cbl< executive of the kingdom, she 1jjid In prisoned them for rebellion." Living by one's ^its has beea recttt (Beaded aS ah anti-fat remedft'* *