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stretched out on the floor of our ambu­ lance, my head splitting and bound in bandages. Near me, with his arm m a sling, was Mclntire. As we werd"drlven along Somers poked his head into the wagon and complimented me on my stand and the skill "shown in choosing the position from which I had worn out the reds. I was too sick then to say anything, but when they talked of rec­ ommending me for a Congressional medal for my first fight I rebelled and told the regiment how I had made a d d fool of myself. Mclntire wears the medal, and I have this scar as a memento of my first setto With old Chi­ huahua."--Chicago Chronicle. SOME QUEER TOURISTS. An Animal Census. The latest enumeration of the animals known to science includes no less than 386,000 recognized species. The real number is believed to be very much larger. It has been estimated that of instcts alone the earth harbors 2,000,- 000 species, but the late Prof. Riley re­ garded even that estimate as far too low. According to his opinion 10,000,- 000 would be a moderate estimate of the number of insect species! The number of individuals is, of course, incalculable. Malachi U. ' 7. > ' • " " ..." • ' , • * •' < ' IS closely-cropped beard and mustache were whitened' by the snows of many winters,, but his eyes were still bright with the fire of manly vigor and his frame as upright and supple apparently as when he left West Point to take his first gazette. Long years had elapsed since that time, when a raw subaltern, pos­ sessed as they all are, with the belief that his presence was needed to im­ prove the morals and discipline of the service, he tad taken the train for the Southwest, where his regiment was dis­ tributed among the various frontier posts which at that time dotted the sand-covered plains of the territories. Many a brisk fight with hostile Indians d several pitched battles with them d seen him at the head of his platoon troop, but all that was over as he od before the fire-place and calmly oked his after-dinner cigar., Still full of martial ardor, he was on the 6helf, Father Time having registered the statutory number of years against him only a short time ago. He is on the retired list. His bronzed face is seamed with scars. They cross the wide forehead, made wider by the scant foliage which time has left, and mark that feature with furrows which add greatly to the stern and forbid­ ding aspect. Yet he is as gentle as woman and noted for his kindly cour­ tesy to-the young. Major Cornwall, U. S. A. (retired), is a fair type of the ancient warrior, full of years and reminiscences. All that Is left to indicate his calling is the Loyal Legion button in the lapel of his coat and' the unmistakable air which the military man cannot divest himself of. "Major." said a young friend, for the old warrior much affects the society of his juniors, "pardon my curiosity, or rather let it be my excuse for seeming Impertinence, but I have often wonder­ ed in what desperate conflict you re­ ceived that scar on your forehead." "That, me boy," was the reply, as the major passed his hand over the indi­ cated spot, "as you say, is the record of a fearful fight. No offense, not at all. I am always delighted to talk for Vmy young friends, but, someway, I •j never felt proud enough of that fight °to tell it around the mess table. Gad, sir, as nearly as I can recall, I finished a bad second that time. Still, it was a beautiful fight, if I do say it myself." i "It was, indeed," murmured Colonel Herrick, also retired, who was a mem­ ber of the party at the club that night. "Tell us about it, major," was the eager demand of the group, which now numbered half a score. The old sol­ dier's yarns were always interesting, and the boys, as he called them, never missed an opportunity to get him to talking of his youth when in the ser­ vice. "Hang it all, I didn't figure in that affair to any great extent," was the testy retort, as the major shook his grizzled head. "You tell it, Herrick." "Not much," growled the colonel, lighting a fresh cigar. "It's your yarn, and if it is ever told, which I don't be­ lieve will be the' case, you will reel it ise to work for the same corps. Of course I had little to do with where I should go, but it fell out that when I was commissioned I got orders to re­ port to the commanding officer at Foit Bayards in New Mexico. I thought this pretty tough, but it was nothing compared to what followed pot so darned long after. Well, I left the- Point the biggest idiot of all the young fools who leave impressed with the be­ lief that a field marshal's baton is the least that he could expect in the ser­ vice. I joined my people, and as luck would have it found that I was one of the regiment to which Herrick had been assigned. This made it easier lor me, as he introduced me to the regiment and everything was lovely. We were me feel chilly to think of It. Well, that Indian.found a spot" where my little force could lie hidden and If attacked could keep under cover, while making evety bullet count. So we "silently struck camp and stole away like a lot of thieves, hunting for safety. J'Did we make that hole? Not with­ out a scrap. We had only about 200 yards to go, but we had scarcely gone half the distance when ping! and my cap flew into the air. I stooped to get it--we were dismounted--and another shot sung out where my head would have been )f I had been erect. We formed in square and the men speedily got ready for the charge which seemed inevitable, but it did" not come. Those Indians just kept up an annoying fire until they saw where we were going to. and then they cut loose with a volley which nearly swept me off my feet. 'In with you, sir,' screamed the ser­ geant, as he gave me a shove and sooii afterward followed with the boys, some of whom showed signs of being hit. I found myself in a natural stronghold, covered on all sides from pluuging fire, closed in so that the enemy could only approach by one narrow way and safe as long as my ammunition held out. Water there was none, and the sergeant was the, first to deplore this. • "Well. I placed my little force as well as possible, told them not to waste a shot, and then sat down to wait ioi" daylight and the conflict which my fool hardiness had brought on. It came before. We had just got in readiness when the sergeant held up a warning finger and crept out to the moutn of om fortress. He kept his body "arof illy screened, and waved for me. I went to him and found the reds massing for a charge. The old trooper said 'his was the best possible indication 'hat they knew exactly how many men I had. I ordered up a few of the boys, and then we waited until the dusky forms got out into the moonlight. I saw it was fight, and made up my mind to leave my marks. As the leading files "WE RODE AT THOSE INDIANS WITH THE YELL OF DEVILS." bachelors and were quartered near each other, although he got his grade since I saw him and now wore a bar in his shoulder strap. "It would have been all right if it had ended there, but it didn't. Not long after I joined, our squadron--we were in the cavalry--was ordered to Flagstaff, A. T., as dismal a place at that time as ever happened. You see there was trouble with roving bands of Apaches all the time, and the old post, abandoned now, was heavily garrison­ ed all the time. This order took our major with the four troops away from Bayard into the region of the heavy forests and hills south of the Grand Canyon of Colorado. Well, from that time on it was field duty nearly all the time. I was sent out to scout and tpy on the Tndians, and but' for my ser­ geant, a veteran Indian fighter, might have been left there to bleach my bones as a second lieutenant. One of my fool tricks--you see, I thought I knew it all and disputed the wisdom of a sugges­ tion of my sergeant's while away on the plains and got myself and little command in a devil of a fix. It makes me tired now when I think of it. "This is where Herrick gets into the game once more. I was out on this scouting trip and kept on going, when it would have been better to turn back. I thought it would be great fun to round up all the redskins in Arizona "EACH PICKED OUT HIS MAN AND LET DRIVE.' off. I had but little to do with it, any­ way." "The devil you didn't!" said the ma­ jor. "Confound your obstinacy, don't you know that if it had not been for you I would not be here to-day?" "This is growing interesting," said the first speaker. "Boys, the major's story. Silence for the major's story." "Well, I suppose I must," growled the major. "Here, George, fill up all 'round," and the major settled himself comfortably and smoked in silence un­ til the grog had been served and dis­ posed of. Then he took his cigar in his fingers, leaned far back in his chair and with half closed eyes commenced ! as follows: "You see Herrick and I were at the Point together. He was a first class­ man when I was a 'pleb.'" "Never mind me, Malachi," said ihe colonel. "I have nothing to do with it, or, rather, our experiences at the Point have not." "May be not. Who's telling this story. Well, then, I did save you from getting 'skinned' once." In spite of the col­ onel's winks and waves of his hands as he deprecated the remarks of his old comrade. "No use denying it, I did. Well, while we were not of the same class, we be­ came great friends and when Herrick left for the regiment he made me prom ' ' ' ' ' 1 • ' ' • * - with half a troop. That's where I missed my guess. I was years wiser when it was all over. We trailed the band I was sent out to scout for two or three days and saw them safely in the lava rocks. It was my business to lo­ cate them where they had reason to be­ lieve we could not follow and then re­ tire until I fell back on Spmers, com­ manding B troop, Gordon's and my own, K troop, or rather the balance of mine. I knew these fellows were on my trail somewhere, though where the Lord only knew, so I decided to push on and have it out with the reds. You see, I wanted stars and other trap pings before I knew the value of an empty strap. "I think the Lord loves a fool. That's the only hypothesis to go on in this case anyway. Well, we marched ahead, in spite of Mclntire's protests--he was my sergeant--until what he feared ac­ tually happened. We went into camp one night and saw the watch fires of the red devils all around us. We were trapped, instead of trapping the other fellows. Then I had sense enougn left to listen to reason and on the sugges tlon of Mac I sent a Pueblo out to find a good place to make a stand. It was all off if this could not be done. I had twenty rounds and fifteen men to go against 400 or 500 reds. Yah, it mikes rose over the hills until they were fully revealed I ordered the men to fire. "Each picked out his man and let drive. The effect must have been fear^ ful, as the men were picked shots, and they wasted no lead that night. Tliiy fired regularly and steadily half a do;:- en shots each, and the attacking party melted away. They replied, but we were so well covered that we suffered no loss. Thus the night wore away with desultory firing on the part of the In­ dians and the sharp replies by my good fellows whenever an Apache was indis­ creet enough to get in range. Then a new danger arose which nearly cost us all our lives. "As the firing continued the smoke of the carbines was driven bacK into our den. This was a good thing for the men at the doorway, for it cleared their vision for another shot, but it nearly choked the other men to death. It filled the little chamber after a while, and I saw that unless some means were devised to get it out, the dread of all Would be realized, we would have to abandon the only position which held out any hope of rescue. Still we could not stop, as that meant death for all in its most horrible form. Well, to make a long story short, we were coop ed up in that hole for the better por­ tion of two days. Three of the men were dead, Mclntire had a shattered bridle arm, and the scouts were lying in front of our position, mute evidences of the fate which awaited us as soon ns our cartridges failed. "Finally I concluded that, with no water and the men almost insane from thirst, it was all over. I decided to make a dash and go down fighting in the open. I asked the men to follow me and they all, shouted their approval. We masked our intended movement as well as possible and rushed out to the plains with a yell of defiance. A rat­ tling volley fell around us, but fortu­ nately the surprise of our dash prevent­ ed the Indians from taking accurate aim and a few unimportant flesh wounds were all that were received. I was drunk with despair and so were the men. It was certain death we Ml elieved, and we rode at those Indians with the yells of devils. "I shall never forget the shock of our contact, We rode down the first lines, but were too weak to force our way through their entire column. The car­ bines were emptied at half pistol dis­ tance as we charged, and the heavy re volvers made sweet music as we ad vanced at a furious gallop. Then there was the shock of the meeting and we knew that we were making our last stand. The bright steel circled around (the heads of that band of desperate men and the enemy toppled and fell in windrows about each horse. The men shouted, yelled and laughed as they fought on with the fury of demons. They were going down too rapidly, however, for that unequal contest to last long. I was blind from a slash across the forehead and cut away with all the strength of my arm, scarcely knowing what I was doing. I seemed to bo in some horrible dream, where blood was water and I was trying to swim out. The waves rose higher and higher and I was being rapidly, engulfed in that red flood. "Suddenly I felt a sharp pain as if a redhot iron had been drawn across my forehead, there was a wild shriek, the rapid thud of horses' feet,, and I fell to the ground in a faint. I was told later that I was down and an Indian had commenced the process of scalping me, when the troops rode down into that struggling bunch and Herrick's saber swept off tlie head of my assailant. "I don't know much about the suc­ ceeding events. When I came to I was "PICK UP" FOR UNCLE SAM. Millions of Dollars of Unclaimed Money in the Treasury. - There are millions upon millions of dollars in the treasury paid in from dif­ ferent sources which belong to citizens of the United States. To this wealth the postoffice department, through the money order office, contributes largely. A few years back the postmaster gen­ eral deposited with the treasurer nearly $3,000,000, the money from uncashed orders which had accumulated since the office was started in 18(33. At first no effort was made to restore this un­ claimed money to its rightful owners, but the letters of advice, turned in as unpaid by the postmasters from all over the country were kept, in case a de­ mand- should be made for their pay­ ment. This money remained.; to the credit of the money ordfer office, show­ ing a large profit for the service. This policy was subsequently changed, and. now the office endeavors to refund the money to the remitters by a draft drawn on the treasury. This rule^ob- tains in case of money orders less than ten years old. Letters of advice older than this are destroyed. Every year about 1 per cent, of the money orders issued are not cashed, leaving from'$80,000 to $100,000 un­ claimed, which is deposited in the treas­ ury. There are many reasons to ac­ count for this large number of money orders not being cashed. In some in­ stances orders are filed away with oth­ er papers and forgotten. More fre­ quently the letter containing the order is lost or stolen, and the order never reaches the addressee. This is true of the orders made out to the large shops which do not receive the order or the accompanying, letter containing orders for goods to be shipped, owing general­ ly to the dishonesty of employes. There are cases, too, where men have used the money order office as a bank and have made out orders to themsehes which, owing to sudden death or other cause, have never been claimed. It is difficult, however, to explain why such large sums remain unclaimed, for in case an order is lost a duplicate is easily obtained. Application is made by either the remitter, the payee or the office of payment, and a duplicate is is­ sued with only the delay necessary to comply with the forms. A year ago the department made a ruling that du­ plicate money orders could not be is­ sued in less than three months from the time when an application was filed, but this was found inconvenient, and this order was rescinded. Didn't Approve. "What am your opinion ob dis 'man­ ual training' dey talk ob introjucin'g into our schools, Uncle Samson?" in-, quired Mr. Marc Antony Washington, in a respectful tone, of his nearest neighbor. "I habn't gibben de subject de full benefits ob de probnostieations ob my mind, yet, sail," repliedJUncle Samson, promptly, though a close observer might have noticed a puzzled look on his sable countenance at the moment he heard his neighbor's question; "but on de whole, I don't approve ob it." "Is dat so?" said Mr. Washington, in evident surprise; "now I thought you'd be right down pleased to hab your Louisa's Joshua get dat manual train­ ing." "No, sah," said Uncle Samson, grow­ ing secure in his own mind, as he went on, "not so long as his maw and me is alive, I don't approve ob manual train­ ing in de school for Joshua Romulus. He am a mighty servig-rous chile, dat's true, but his maw has got a good strong arm, and dere's consid'ble power left in mine jTet, sah, and what manual training dat boy needs, his maw or me will gib him right here at home, yes, sah!" Thousands of Tons of Dust. According to the estimates of Mr. J. A, Udden, who has studied the remark­ able phenomena of dtist and sand storms in the arid regions of the West, every cubic mile of the lower air dur­ ing an ordinary "dry storm" contains at least 225 tons of dust, while in severe storms of this kind as much as 126,000 tons of dust and sand may be contained in a cubic mile of air. Dust storms sometimes last for twenty or thirty hours. Shielddnc Off- Lightning:. It is reported that an official inquiry recently made in Germany concerning the effect of telephone wires on atmos­ pheric electricity, showed that a net­ work of such wires extending over a town tended to diminish the danger from lightning during thunderstorms. Reports were compared from 900 towns, of which 560 possessed telephone sys­ tems, and the conclusion drawn was that a network of wires lessens the dan­ ger in the ratio of 1 to 4.6. Termites Destroy a Cable. The French Academy of Sciences was informed last summer of the destruc­ tion of an electric cable in Tonquin by the attacks of termites. The cable cross­ ed a marshy tract and was enclosed in tube of lead. The insects bored holes in the tube and completely destroyed the insulation of the cable. It has been proposed to guard the cable against future attacks by enclosing it in an en­ velope of cotton and jute impregnated with sulphate of copper, which, it is believed, wotild prove a fatal poison to the insects. Iceland's Earthquakes. The terrible earthquakes which have recently occurred in Iceland, beginning in the last week of August, have been more severe than any that have shaken that island since 1784. In the extent of country affected they are the greatest ever known there. During the worst shock landslides rushed from the moun­ tains, huge rocks fell from the steeper peaks, pastures were buried, farm houses were destroyed--though fortu­ nately with very little loss of life--new geysers were formed and old ones ceas­ ed to flow, and deep chasms and fis­ sures opened in the ground. It is re­ ported that the natives earnestly hope that one of the great volcanoes will break into activity, as they believe that would put an end to the earthquakes by relieving the subterranean stress. Large Block of Granite. Recently a block of granite weighing 1,217 tons was used as the pedestal of the equestrian statue of Peter the Great at St. Petersburg, having been trans­ ported four miles by land over a rail­ way and thirteen miles in a caisson by water. The railway consisted of two lines of timber furnished With hard metal grooves, between Which grooves were placed spheres of hard brass about six inches in diameter. On these spheres the frame with its load was easily moved by sixty men, working at the capstans with treble-purchase blocks. Another large block, measur­ ing 30x16x14 feet, was a few months since taken out at the Craigneth qual­ ifies, near Dalbeattie, Scotland. Its weight was estimated at 650 tons. An Awful Risk. Two impecunious Scotsmen came upon a saloon. They had only "sax pence" between them, so they ordered one "nip o' whusky." They were hesi­ tating who should have the first driuk when an acquaintance joined them Pretending that they had just drank one of them handed the new-comer ths whisky, requesting him to join ,them in a drink. He drank, and, after few minutes of painful and silent sus pense, said: "Now, boys, you'll have one with me?" "Wasna! that weel managed, mon?" said one to his pal afterward. "Ay, it wai's," said the other, solemnly; "but it was a dread fu' risk!" _________ Little Sister (studying her grammar lesson)--How can you compare the words "beautiful girl?" Big Brother (alraent-mindedly)--Positive, you call comparative, you propose; superlative, she accepts.--Baltimore News. Black Men in Perain. Old inscriptions and carvings have shown that there existed in ancient Persia members of a racq of black-skin­ ned men, who possessed features resem­ bling those of Africans. The origin of these people, as well as their apparent disappearance in modern times, have furnished puzzling questions for eth­ nologists. Some have supposed that in prehistoric times the greater part of Southern Asia was occupied by a primi­ tive black race, of which only vestiges emained when the empires of Baby­ lonia and Assyria arose. Lately de­ scendants of the black men who fig­ ured in the early history of Persia are ^believed to have been found by the Russian explorer, Doctor Daniloff, dwelling among the mountains near Shiraz, east of the Persian Gulf. These people, although they still form an in­ dependent group, mingle with the sur- ounding population, as in ancient times, and find employment at long dis­ tances from their home. Some of tliem are to be seen in the city of Teheran. They Go Abroad as Cattle and Keturn as btvells. WliiW hosts of people look over the passenger lists of the lucky ones who are able to go abroad and envy them way down In their hearts, there is a class of men Swho make frequent trips across the ocean which would hardly excite envy, excepting by reason of their peculiar privileges. This class is humorously called "cattle chamber­ maids," because of the fact that those who belong to it give their attention to the live cattle that are exported from this country to Europe. The men who do this are the riffraff of the world and when here find it difficult to earn more than enough to keep body and soul to­ gether. But when they are lucky enough to get one of these "chamber­ maid" jobs they feel like millionaires, for they get more money a day for the trip than they could get on shore in a week. There are a number of Chicago stock yards men who do a large business ex­ porting cattle, and they always have a gang of fellows around waiting for the first chance to go, out With a cargo. The average time of these trips from Chi­ cago to London is about fourteen days and the price paid the attendants is $30 gold. The chambermaid is at no ex­ pense whatever. He is fed, but, oh, SUcli feed. It is worse than that of the animals he looks after. There is always gang boss and he it is who dispenses te "grub.l* Ordinarily this is boiled fat pork and bread,, with only water to drink. The pork comes from the kitchen " i-a great pot or tub. The boss stabs chunk of solid fat with the long han­ dled fork, almost a pitchfork in fact, and hurls it at one of the "maids" with some choice specimens of billings­ gate. It is caught much as a dog catches chunk of meat in his mouth and no attention is paid to the liquid grease which flies in every direction. The fat pork is followed by a hunk of stale bread, and a drink of water finishes the repast. But what care these fellows for the fare and the labor going over.. .-They know there will be joy and pleasure hen their destination is reached. Once landed In Liverpool or Southampton they are given their $30 in English gold, this so they will spend it in England, and a return ticket good for ninety days from date. Then at once begins a season of riot­ ous living. The first thing is a fiasliy suit of clothes and a walking stick and then off for London.- The old hands know better than to "blow in" their money on expensive eating. They have become familiar Avith the "coffee pal­ aces" to be found all over London, where they get an imperial quart of coffee for one penny and a "bun," equal in size to an average loaf of bread, and thus for two pennies they buy all they can possibly eat. On certain days, when they feel like luxuriating, they may perhaps spend threepence on some dainty like a dozen shrimp, but even With that extravagance indulged in every two or three days the $30 will not last a long time and give plenty of op­ portunity to soak themselves with " 'alf and 'alf." These chaps always stay until the money is about gone and then back they come to Chicago, where the glory of their London clothes soon becomes dimmed as they loaf around the cattle pens at the stock yards while waiting for another chance to .act as chamber­ maids to a drove of cattle.--Chicago Chronicle. For Exploring the Sea-Bottom. A spherical box containing compress­ ed air, and large enough to hold three or more persons, has been invented by an Italian named Corzetto, for the pur­ pose of exploring the sea bottom. It appears, however, that the invention is not yet a practical success, for when Mr. Corzetto> accompanied by two of his friends, entered his sphere and was lowered to the bottom of the Bay of Spezia recently, the apparatus for caus­ ing the sphere to rise to the surface failed to work. Unable to help them­ selves, or to communicate with the outer world, the three men remained on the sea bottom. In the meantime the long submergence of the sphere had been noticed, and a diver was sent flown to find out what was the matter. At this time the sphere had been lying on the bottom nine hours, and an equal length of time elapsed before it could be lifted to the surface. When it was opened the inventor was half aspliyx iated and his friends were unconscious, but all recovered; and Mr. Corzetto is not discouraged. "Skorcher's a perfect wreck." "What ails him?" "The doctor says he has bicycle heart, bicycle head, bicycle face, bicycle eyes, bicycle teeth and bicycle knees/'--Chicago Record. When Ashing is good It is 'surprising how many idle people can be found to take Advantage of 1^ To Make Them Laugh. Some of the superstitions of the Chi­ nese have a humorous turn. They have an impression that when there is long drought it is because the gods are either angry or in a bad mood, so they dress a dog in a comical way and lead him through the streets. All the people laugh, and It is supposed that the gods cannot help laughing too. After that, no matter how long after, It is sure to rain, and this proves that the Chinese theory is correct. We don't see anything so sad in fall­ ing leaves. Leaves never fall until they are dead, but some people fall while they are still alive. Nearly every woman knows a man who Is the slowest man on earth. He Remembered. People who attempt to change th€ pronunciation of what they consider ar undesirable name are apt to find theii way beset with difficulty and trials. "And so this is Jonas Hogg's wife?" said Uncle Sim Porter cordially, as he took a shawl, a heavy bag and three parasols from the newly arrived visit­ or and led the way out of the Cranby station to his comfortable old buggy. 'Well, I'm glad enough to see you, ma'am. I never knew your husband much, but his brother William is aboul like a son to ma and me. William Hogg is a first-rate fellow, and when his folks wrote to ask if we'd take you to board till you got youi stren'th back I says to ma, '1 reekor anybody that's connected with William Hogg and his folks will be welcomed by us.' " "My husband is always called Mr. Hogg," said the traveler, languidly but firmly, as she prolonged the o as in oh. "Is he, ma'am?" said Uncle Sim, with­ out any trace of irritation at this re­ proof. "Well, I'll try to bear that in mind." He certainly did bear it in mind, but his manner of introducing his boardei to the neighborhood caused a flush tc rise to her face oil several occasions. "This is Mrs. Jonas Hogg," he would say, carefully lengthening the o and looking at the lady in question as ii for approval, "wife of William Hogg's brother. You remember William Hog: most likely? I've told Mrs. Hogg what a favorite he was with all the folks found here, and of course her hus­ band, Mr. Jonas Hogg, being William Hogg's only brother, makes everybody feel almost ^s^if they knew him, in spite of the nanie being pronounced different!" There's Money in Rats. When Louise Michel was in prison 3he was permitted to have three of her cats with her. But she soon dis­ covered tliat she would have the1 com­ pany of other animals as well, for some rats paid her a visit. Their first visit ended badly for them, as the cats attacked them and Blew one and wounded another. Mdlle Michel nursed the wounded rat, and her kindness made the other rats iur friends. They "called" upon her twice every day and behaved excellently. She found them respectful to the old, kind to the unfortunate, and full of family feeling. The governor of the prison sent them food from his table, and sometimes came himself to see the. Mdlle. Mich­ el's example of treating these crea­ tures with kindness was copied , by other persons, who agree that the rat' is a capital animal for the showman. A Russian trained a number to act as sailors upon a miniature ship, the rigging of which they climbed very cleverly. He found them more teach­ able than dogs, which is saying a good deal. ' You never bad a friend who did not I talk about you.. A Lohdo.T^. Aaper says the shilling edi­ tion of Wilfifetm Watson's Armenian Bonnets "has gone like wildfire." With­ in a week of publication, ten thousand copies were sold. Stephen Crane's "Red Badge of CMir- age" has at last caught the attention of the American public, and during the first week in February the publishers were unable to supply the demand. Its English success Is still unabated. The young poets of Paris have elected1 as successor to Paul Vcriaine in poetical sovereignty Stephane Mallarme, trans­ lator of poems of Poe and author of "L'Apres-Midi d'un Faune," whose por­ trait by Whistler is a masterpiece; Since Alfred Austin was appointed poet laureate several thousand cople® of his works have been sold; but the curiojfi^act is noted that many more Copies^ff his prose works than of his books of verse, have had purchasers. Mrs. Emily Crawford, the well-known Paris correspondent, contributes to one of the March magazines a biographical sketch of Alexandre Dumas the elder.! The article is a succession of anecdotes of the novelist, presenting him in a .very picturesque light. An account of the Bohemians and "sponges" who, took advantage of his prodigality is in­ cluded. . ~ "Perhaps," says the London Book­ man, "it is not generally known--cer­ tainly it cannot be known to the writer of an article in the January Blackwoodi --that Mr. Thomas Hardy endeavored1 to withdraw his novel of 'Jude the Ob- scuree' from Harper's Magazine, actu- " ally requesting that firm of publishers- to cancel the contract. But It was found' to be impracticable to do this." Paul Meurice has undertaken the ed­ iting of Victor Hugo's correspondence. Victor Hugo was as punctual as Mr., Gladstone in answering communica­ tions addressed to him. No subject, from Paris drainage to the Romanic movement and French politics, came amiss to him. His letters will prove an invaluable memorial of his time. Among his manuscripts has also been found an unpublished melodrama. *• Mme. Stepniak has announced her in­ tention to prepare a record of the life and work of her husband. It has been * arranged that Prince Krapotkine shall edit and arrange the Russian section ofi the Memoir, and Prof. York Powell, Mr.j • Edward Garnett and Malatesta, thej Italian anarchist, will contribute chap-, ters, respectively, on "Stepniak as ai Critic," "Stepniak as a Political Writ-) er" and "Stepniak in Italy." Food of Snakes. During the last few months uoniof of the gentlemen connected with the. Museum of Natural History at Paris; have given to the world various in-; teresting results of their observations,1 says an exchange. < The learned professor at the mu­ seum, Leon Villiant, describes the diet) of a serpent more than 20 feet long,, which has been on exhibition at the Jardin des Plantes since the month* of August, 1885. Up to the end ofi 1S95 this reptile had eaten 50 times.! The largest number of times in one! year that the snake took food was' in 1886, when he ate seven times. Nearly always the food consisted of; the flesh of goats, old aud young.! Three times, however, the repast was' composed of rabbits and once of a goose. The feedings of the serpent,; which will eat nothing but what is alive, offers an uncommon spectacle,' and many persons request to have no­ tice of the times when the creature feeds, so as to witness the feeding.) Yet the lightning-like rapidity with; which the reptile seizes its pvey pro-j duces a powerful impression. Apropos of the volume which can, by, means of distension, enter the stom-i achs of serpents, Prof. Villiant -relates* that a French viper was once put in' the same cage with a horned viper. As these individuals, although bciongiagi to different species, were of the same, size, it was supposed that the rept lesl would live amicably side by*side. Nevertheless, the horned viper dur-i ing the following night swallowed his* companion in captivity, and in order) to accommodate this prey so dispro-j portionate to itself, its body was dis-i tended to such a degree that the scales,: instead of touching each other a lit-; tie, as in its normal condition, werei separated, leaving between the long!-! tudinal rows of them a> space equal to: their own breadth. All the same, di-| gestion proceeded regularly and ;het viper did not appear to liavje buffered! in the least. The case of thefeobya that, swallowed a brother cobra, by mistake,| at the zoo, affords another example ofj this extraordinary capacity for the ac-: commodation of food. Microbes Devour Sewage. A novel disposition of sewage is made, at Exeter, England. The method con-l sists of four tanks, a fourth of the sew-i age passing into each. Light and airi are excluded from the tanks; putrefac­ tion and decomposition are rapidly set! up; the microbes multiply and the solid! portions of the sewage are consumed! and the outflow from the tanks is notli-, ing but slightly colored water, which,! after passing through filters, loses all| color and taste. No chemical is used.i and no attention to the. tanks of any! sort is needed. Each filter bed auto­ matically cleanses itself by being out of! use for a short time. Burning Meteors. It is supposed that meteors begin toi burn when they are within about 125i miles of the earth, and that combustion; Is completed and they disappear at! from thirty-five to fifty miles above the: earth. When we see a falling star,, therefore, we may consider that we, have watched it through a flight of; about 100 miles before it flnaHy burns, out and disappears from view. India Ink. India Ink is made by some secret pro­ cess which is closely guarded by Its In­ ventors, the Chinese. < When women darken their houses,! and light the gas, In giving afternoon: receptions, it Is to disguise the facti that their carpets are badly worn. J ' ' % . >. >--v'te# • x. < i y Wm