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VOL. XXVI. PITTSBORO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C., THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1904.
NO. 45.
nHoldehhutsi
Copyright ISPf, by Kobbbt BOsneb's Sous."
; CHAPTER IV. .
Continued. ' .
1 In this unprofitable occupation I
pasted I know not how long, until,
doubting whether I should be awake
in time to keep the promise I had
made to conduct my aunt Gertrude
over our old house no brief task, for
it contained thirty or more rooms and
.was a maze to the uninitiated I hur
ried to hod, and was soon in the tor
ments of the most chaotic dream
which has ever disturbed my brain. I
beheld gorgeous barbaric palaces set
in delightful climes; processions of
men magnificently apparelled, of
which the principal figures displayed
an amazing profusion of jewels; vast
heaps of gold coins of strange mint
age; quaint jars filled with precious
stones which gleamed and sparkled;
and dimly lighted vaults in which
fierce men, bearded and turbanned,
were inflicting horrible indignities on
defenceless women, strangling some
with bows and beheading others with
scimitars. These scenes were pre
sented to my mind as in a phantas
magoria, the last appearing so intense- 1
ly real in its horror that I shrieked at
beholding it, and rushing at a hideous
old Turk, who was firmly ' grasping
the hair of a kneeling girl while he
swung his scimitar around the bet
ter to strike her neck, I awoke, bathed
in perspiration, and was spared the
sciomachic encounter.
The church clock struck four, and
the glow in the Eastern sky was as
yet but feeble. I was intensely re
lieved to find myself once more in my
usual frame cf mind, amid my usual
surroundings. My terror vanished on
opening my eyes and discovering my
situation; but the dream had made an
impression cn my mind so deep that I
could not disengage my thoughts from
it; neither could I in any way account
for it. I had never been subject to
oneirodynia, nor had I recently read
or talked of oriental magnificence and
barbarity. I was powerless cither to
account for the dream or to dismiss
it from my mind.
. After pondering the matter for three
hours or more I arose, and dressing
myself with the same fastidious care
as on tha previous day a habit which
I had resolved to henceforth cultivate
I descended into the breakfast-room.
My father and uncle were, standing
by the window engaged in earnest
conversation, and old John was busy
at his sideboard. My uncle at once
stepped towards me and eeized my
hand, which he squeezed rather hard
er than I considered necessary or com
fortable, and having wished me a good
morning, informed me that I had been
the subject of his conversation with
my father.
"I am afraid you find Holdenhurst
a very dull place when you can findi
nothing more interesting to talk of,"
I remarked.
4,Xot at all, not at all," said uncle
Sam. -1 will tell you all about it be-;
fore I leave."
"Breakfast is quite ready," said my
father, "and we may as well have It
at once, although it wants some min
utes to eight. Mrs. Truman will take
her breakfast in, her room."
At this we all three took our seats
at the table.
"Why, Ernest, my boy, what has
become of your color?" asked uncle
Sam. "Yesterday you were a typical
little Englishman, but this morning
you appear as bloodless as a New
York dude,"
I related my dream. Uncle 'Sam
laughed immoderately at the recital,
and pushing bis chair somewhat furth
er from the table, swayed himself to
and fro and roared.. My father's face,
too, wore a broad smile which merged
into a laugh as I proceeded.
"Did you read the 'Arabian Nights'
just before you went to bed?" my
father inquired.
"'Arabian Nights!'" echoed uncle
Sam, interrupting me as I was about
to reply; "why, if he were in London,
I should have said that he had been
to the Alhambra, witnessed the ballet,
got drunk, and been locked up for the
night. Ha, ha! I'd give a thousand
dollars, and sup on pork and cucum
bers for a mouth, if only I might
dream that dream."
"It seems to please you, Sam," said
Esy father.
"It does. If I had not become an
American, I would have exchanged my
nationality for that of Turkey or Per
sia, my Christianity for Mohammedan
ism. Boundless liberty and absolute
despotism both appeal to my taste.
Besides, they are not so different as
tome people suppose;" extremes meet,
you know. The quasidiberty enjoyed,
r the quasl-despotism suffered ex
press it which way you will by Eng
lishmen in England, would be Intoler
able to me. By-the-by, I'm not the
fci'St Truman who has renounced his
Native nationality, am I, Bob? Didn't
that old ass of an alchemist, who spent
twenty years of his life in trying to
extract gold from everything that did
lot contain it, become a Turk?"
"You mean old Roger," fcaid my
lather, thoughtfully. "Yes, I believe
e did; but Le must have reverted to
" nationality of his fathers, if nrA
lo
faith, fer jjvcd WSUy
21 .NoueU
WALTER BLOOMFIE
years in this house after his return
from the East, and died here near the
close of the seventeenth century."
"Who was Roger Truman?" I asked,
looking up.
"An ancestor of curs, who died
about two centuries ago. He was a
younger brother, who left home when
he was about your age. After travel
ing for some time in the East, he en
tered the service of the Sultan of Tur
key, who made him governor of a
province. He returned to England,
after an absence of many years, and
took up his residence here, in his
brother's house. Very little is known
about him. . He survived his brother,
but continued to live here with his
nephew. He lived the life of a recluse,
spending all his dajs and some of his
nights in the crypt underneath the
house, where he had established a la
boratory. He used to amuse himself
with researches in ' chemistry. I be
lieve some of his old bottles and things
are there now."
It cost me some pains to conceal the
great interest which this information
had for me, and I am not quite sure
that the earnestness of ifliy attention
was unobserved by my uncle. Indeed,
I always felt as if that astute Individ
ual had power to read my thoughts,
and was never quite at my ease in his
presence. However, I adroitly changed
the subject of conversation; but my
thoughts were still of Roger Truman
and of what my father had said of
him, and I resolved to open the cop
per box which bore his name immedi
ately after breakfast.
Uncle Sam was a restless man, and
would not sit at table for more than
half an hour if he could decently avoid
doing so. He was, of course, quite un
restrained by the presence of my fath
er and me, and had therefore no soon
er swallowed his breakfast than he
rose and asked his brother if he were
ready to accompany him on a walk
around the estate; which, he observed,
would afford a good opportunity for
discussing certain proposals he had
to make. My father agreed, and I re
tired to my room to open the copper
box.
I had no key to the box; nor would
probably a key have been of any use,
for the lock was much corroded. By
the aid of a strong hunting-knife and
the exertion of as much force as I
could command, I prised open the lid,
and the whole of the contents fell out
on the floor. To my great disappoint
ment, an examination proved these
to consist of several neatly tied bun
dles of manuscript and a manuscript
book, discolored by age and of mouldy
odor. While I was engaged in ex
amining these papers with closer at
tention than tbey appeared to be
worth, old John entered my room to
inform mo that my. aunt was waiting
in the drawing-room for me to show
her ever the house. Carelessly throw-'
ing the box and its contents Into a
drawer, I followed the sTervant down
stair 1 CHAPTER V.
.
HOIiDEKETJSST HALL.
soon as I reached the corridor
As
which led from my room to the stair
case I perceived my aunt waiting for
me on one of the spacious landings
which mark each flight really a room
and partly furnished as such, being set
out with seitees and the walls adorned
with paintings, armor and ancient
weapons.
She was dressed for walking and
wore a tightly fitting dress, which did
not reach the ground by two or three
inches, and a large Gainsborough hat.
As she stood looking out of the open
window, her small gloved hand grasp
ing her umbrella while she thought
fully tapped her boot with the ferrule,
I noted her -well. Undoubtedly my
1. nt Gertrude was Vfery beautiful. If
features and figure of classical pro
portions, height somewhat exceeding
the average, delicate complexion and
iarge eyes, capable of tender and va
ried expression, entitle a woman to
so considered, then my opinion
might not be dissented from.
She was regarding-the green mead
ows which lay at the back of our
house typical Suffolk meadows, inter
sected by a shallow stream fringed
with willows, and dotted here and
there with red cattle and was quite
unconscious of being observed. In
one particular only was my first im
pression of her changed. I had thought
she was about thirty, but it now
seemed impossible that she could be
so old.
My aunt was too observant of the
peaceful English scene before her to
notice my approach, and I had to call
her attention to my presence by wish
ing her a good morning.
"I am quite impatient to explore
your wTonderful old-house," she said,
after we had exchanged the usual for
mal greetings, "but pray don't allow
rae to interfere with your ordinary
daily engagements. Your uncle and I
don't return to London till Monday, so
there remain two more days for me at
Holdenhurst. Another time will suit
me nearly as well, if you aro busy
now."'
-1! am never-busy," I replied,, "and 1
rarely make engagements. I have
vers few friends, and no enemies so
far as I know. Nearly all my time
since I left school has been passed at
Holdenhurst walking and riding
about the place and reading, and play
ing to father."
"What is it that you play?"
"The pianoforte. I am very fond of
music, and so Is my father."
"You must play for me this evening.
I am n poor pianist, but some, people
think I can sing," said aunt Gertrude. ,
I replied that I should be delighted
to do so.
While this conversation was In pro
gress we had walked as far as the en
trance hall, which I thought was the
best place wherein to essay my skill
as showman. This hall was a large
square apartment with floor, walls and
ceiling of dark oak. Opposite the great
door, and distant from it about twenty
feet, was an enormous fireplace with a
chimney piece of white marble fantas
tically carved, surmounted by a por
trait in oils of a red-faced middle-aged
man clad In a leather jerkin, with col
lar of preposterous width, and a flop
hat of such liberal proportions that an
Italian peasant might have envied It,
supposed to represent the founder of
my family. He looked little enough
like a man who would ingratiate him
self with his king or anybody else, but
as I subsequently heard my uncle re
mark, it is probable that Henry VIII.
was a better judge of women than
men. On the right and left of the fire
place were wide staircases which led
up to corridors. The walls were near
ly covered with pictures, chiefly fami
ly portraits, relieved here and there by
weapons and deers' antlers hung in
various devices. Doors led out of the
bll into the dining room, library and
two parlors or reception rooms, and
from these doors to the great entrance
door were laid narrow strips of carpet
a highly necessary precaution, for. as
some people have painfully learned, a
frozen lake is not more slippery than
a polished oak floor. Indeed, I well re
member when I was a young boy the
amusement I derived from peeping
over the banisters of the staircase to
see my father receive his guest, the
newly appointed Bishop of Norwich.
The Bishop was a fat man. Intolerably
ceremonious, and with an ever-present
consciousness of his newly acquired
dignity, but he was unacquainted with
the qualities of polished oak floors.
Scarcely had this divine crossed our
threshold ere he lay on his back, bran
dishing his legs rhythmically in the
air, until restored to 'perpendicularity
by the united efforts of my father and
old John.
My aunt was greatly interested in
the pictures, and asked more questions
about them than I was able to answer.
tNearly half an hour Avas spent exam
ining the entrance hall, and I had to
statc plainly that at this rate of pro
gression a day would be inadequate
for the accomplishment of our task,
and to suggest that we paid less at
tention to each object of interest. We
then wandered into the library, care
lessly turned over the old parchments
which still lay on the table, and looked
at the caligraphy and seals; examined
the covers of many books and the title
pages of a few treasures, all of them,
such as would excit the admiration
of the most phlegmatic of bibliograph
ers and move not a few of the tribe to
larceny, including a perfect first copy
of Grafton's Chronicle, copies of
Shakespeare's plays printed when their
author was yet writing and acting in
London, early copies of Spenser and of
most of the Elizabethan dramatists,
as well as many old Bibles, products
of the early printing presses of "conti
nental Europe.
These books, worth, as I afterward
learned, nearly as much money as the
entire Holdenhurst estate, did not in
terest my aunt as much as I had ex
pected, and we quitted the library and
Went into the drawing room.
''What a beautiful face and how
cleverly painted!" exclaimed my aunt,
pausing in front of a portrait by Watts
which had the place of honor in our
drawing room. "I was studying it
just before you came down stairs. Of
course it is your mother. You are very
like her, Ernest."
The obvious inference from my
aunt's sentence and her use. of my
baptismal name for-the first time dis
concerted me greatly.
On many occasions had I suffered
from a natural proneness to blushing,
but surely my self-consciousness had
never been so acute as at this mo
ment. The blood mounted quickly to
my face. I could feel its warmth and
realize the absurdity of my aspect,
but was unable to think clearly, and
not knowing what to say, remained si
lent. My aunt noticed my confusion
and further remarked
"Why, I declare, you resemble her
more than ever!"
I think my aunt must have repented
having caused me so much confusion,
for she suddenly turned the conversa
tion, and inquired if any of my moth
er's relationswere living.
I confessed my inability to answer
this question positively. "My grand
father was a very unfortunate man,"
I said. "He had a large -family, but
lost his wife and all his children ex
cept" one before he was fifty. Dislik
ing the home where he had suffered so
mueb. about five years ago lie dster
mined to settle in New Zealand, and
we have had the farm he used to oc
cupy still waiting for a tenant. He
wrote to my father to inform us of his
safe arrival there, but he has never
written since, and my fathers letters
to him have been returned by the post
office as undeliverable."
"And what about his rcmaoing
child?"
To be continued.
"I am glad," said -Willie's manna
proudly, "to hear that my little boy
c-ncse to apologize rather than to fight.".
"Sure," replied Willie. "The other fel
low, yas a good ileal feigei thaa mc.'r
In Egypt dogs are never permitted to
enter the dwelling of a Mohammedan,
and if one is found in a mosque it is
Immediately killed.
On exposure to the light the emerald
improves in color. When peans are
kept in the dark they lose their lustre,
but regain it in the sunlight.
At, Manchester, N. H., the earth
quake drove the rats from their
haunts. They must have thought it
was tjie Pied riper come to town.
Llovd Conway, of Baltimore, Md.,
has issued a challenge for a talking
contest, open to the world. He says
he is the champion talker, and he m-
sits that he can speak 0o,040 words
in an hour.
A small boy, whose father and moth
er, Mr. and Mrs. Kerchew, were stay
ing with him at a Chicago (111.) hotel,
became lost. When found he had for
gotten his name4 but remembered it
Avhen he heard a man sneeze, and was
restored to his parents.
The smallest French soldier at pres
ent serving with the colors is an artil
lery man belonging to the Third Col
onial Company at Lorent. He is em
ployed as a joiner,( under the director
ate of the naval artillery, and is only
four feet six inches high. lie took
voluntary service for five years and
could only contract this engagement
with the assent of the Minister of
War.
"Why He Jumped.
"Speaking of the curious explana
tions that aro made in courts of jus
tice, and the resourcefulness of men
who are confronted by the rather un
pleasant prospect of a sentence of a
long or short duration, reminds me of
a rather novel case which came under
my observation some time ago,'; said
a man who frequents the courts of this
city, "and the particular case I have
in mind shows how desperately re
sourceful a man may sometimes be.
The charge against him is of no par
ticular moment. The act he had com
mitted waS to plunge headlong into
Bayou St. John, that romantic stream
which winds a rather sluggish way
.into the lake in the lower part of the
city. He was pulled out, and before
lie could thoroughly realize what was
happening to him he was" dripping
along a public highway with a robust
policeman swinging on to his aim. He
was lodged in jail and it became nec
essary for him to make some sort of
explanation to go 011 one of the city
records, and this is where the fuuuy
part of the business comes in. The
Recorder put the question to him blunt
ly: 'Why did you jump into the bayou?'
The fellow hesitated a second or so.
'Well, Judge,' he finally said, with
more confidence than you can imagine,
'I just wanted to find out what was
at the bottom of the bayou. The ex
planation was clever, and even orig
inal, but the Recorder was not inclined
to accept it, so he entered a small line
against the man." New. Orleans
Times-Democrat. .
The Mi6singr Itegret.
A very amusing and characteristic
story of the late Princess Mathilde is
going the rounds. The Princess was
dining at the home of M. and Mme.
Ganderan with some of her most de
voted friends. At the hour set for din
ner one of the guests, Gerome, the
great painter, had not arrived. They
waited a long time, and then suddenly
the Princess cried:
"By the way, I received a telegram
to-day from Gerome, who is in Cadiz,
asking me to give his apologies for not
being able to come to-night."
"But, Princess," exclaimed Mme.
Ganderan, "why did you not tell us
about it earlier?"
"Why, my dear," returned the Prin
cess, "I am just beginning to feel hun
gry." Abont Ginseng.
If this Russo-Japanese war solves
the long unsettled problem of ginseng
it will do something for the mental
relief of the world. For ages the ques
tion has rattled down the corridors of
time "What do the Chinese find of
therapeutic value in ginseng?" That
they have most implicit confidence in
its virtues all the rest of the universe
knows. Americans have begun its
cultivation on an extensive scale, and
enormous profits are made. The wild
ginseng of Manchuria is in great de
mand, and of extraordinary value. A
single plant, fifty years old, is worth
$610, Victor Smith, in the New York
Press. ,
Nice Present. .
"To-morrow, Maria, will be your
birthday, and I want to give you some
appropriate present. What shall it
be?" '
"Whatever your kind heart may sug
gest, John."
(Next day). "Maria, you -know how
your poor back has suffered from pull
ing oft my boots in the evening? It
will not puffer any more, my love. See!
I have brought you a nice new boot
jack, which I can use hereafter in
stead." .
Xot in Love Because She Jilushee.
You may know if a girl likes you by
the way she behaves when yoxi meet
her. Don't be takenjn by the mere
fact that she changes color. Girls do
that from a thousand different causes,
and there is no reason why she should
be in love with you merely because she
blushes. Health.
Cheese Custard. -
Grate three or four ounces of cheese,
beat three level tablespoonfuls of
butter to a cream, beat two eggs, mix
the cheese and butter together, then
add the beaten eggs and one table
spoonful of milk; beat these all thor
oughly, then, into a buttered dish and
bake in a quick oven -until firm in the
centre; serve as soon . as removed
from the oven. .
Meat Souffle.
-4
Put twO level tablespoonfuls of but
ter in a frying pan; when it is hot add
two tablespoonfuls of flour; stir this
until smooth; then add gradually one
cup of cold milk; stir this over the
fire until boiling; then add a table
spoonful of salt, a little pepper and
one cup of any chopped cooked meat
or chicken, and the beaten yolks of
two eggs; let this cook for one minute;
put it away until cool; then beat the
whites of the eggs and add them
carefully to the meat mixture; turn
this into a buttered dish and bake in
a moderate oven twenty-five minutes;
If chicken is used a little grated nut
meg-is an improvement.
Devilled Salmon. -
From new canned salmon remove
all the skin and bones. Make a cream
sauce of one tablespoonful of butter,
one heaping tablespoonful of flour and
a cupful of cream. Add to this sauce
half a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of
cayenne and a grating of nutmeg. Stir
it until smooth and thick. Draw to
ward the back of the stove and add
the yolks of three hard boiled eggs
that have been well mashed. Take
from the fire and add one teaspoonful
of lemon juice, one. tablespoonful of
chopped parsley, and then the flesh,
broken into small flakes. Add a little
more seasoning if desired (it should be
highly seasoned) and turn it into a
buttered baking dish or into individual
shells. Sprinkle with buttered bread
crumbs and bake in a quick oven
until quite brown. This fish can be
served cold with a cucumber .sauce
made as follows: Grate a peeled cu
cumber after scraping out the seeds;
squeeze it in a cloth bag to strain out
all the juice possible. Then mix the
pulp remaining with a cupful of may
onnaise. This should not be done until
just before it is served, or it will thin
the mayonnaise too much. Serve.it in
a little gravy bowl with the fish.
ttlNXS' FOr THE
.1 Housekeeper
When making a pudding, don't forget
to make a pleat in the cloth at the top
of your bain, so as to allow the pud
ding to swell.
When making soup or stew with Old
vegetables, add one teaspoonful of
sugar, which will sweeten them and
make them taste like new.
To clean tinware, first wash the tin
thoi'oughly with hot soapsuds, wipe it
thoroughly dry, and then scour with
flour and well crumpled newspaper.
The hands can be cleaned better with
warm water than with cold, but they
should always be rinsed afterwards
with cold water, as this keeps them in
a better condition.
A good polish for stoves is made of
one tablespoonful of powdered alum
mixed with the stove polish. The
brilliance that this polish will give to
a stove will last for a long time.
To keep sponges soft and white
wash them in water with a little tar
taric acid in it, then rinse in plenty of
cold water. Take care not to put in
too much tartaric acid, or the sponges
will be spoiled.
Stains may be taken off an en
ameled bath if it is rubbed well with
rough sand moistened with vinegar.
This will always clean enameled pots
end pans, no matter how burnt or dis
colored thej- may be.
When 'a spoonful of borax is put
into the last water in which white
clothes are rinsed, it has the effect of
whitening them. Before it is added to
the rinsing water, the borax should be
dissolved in a little hot water.
Borax is a useful thing to have in
the kitchen. Add a little to the water
when boiling out enameled saucepans,
and it will help to cleanse them. Ifr
added to the water dish cloths are
washed in it will help to keep them a
nice color.
Peanuts, almonds, Engli&li walnuts
or pecans may be used for these nut
bars. Prepare the nuts by removing
the inner covering and chopping them.
Grease the bottom and sides of a broad
shallow tin pan with fresh butter, and
put the nuts into it, spreading them
evenly. Put one pound of graunlated
sugar, with half a teacupful of water
and a pinch of cream of tartar, into a
kettle and boil until thick, but not too
brittle. Pour the syrup over the nuts
and set aside to cool. When slightly
stiff mark off into wide bars with a
sharp knife, and let stand several
days, when it will become soft and dfi-licious.
Humor rg
In Wall Street.
Ia modern speculation
Your language yon must chooae.
It's an investment if you win,
But gambling if you lose.
Washington Staf,
Measure of Wealth.
"How rich is he?"'
"Well, he's rich enough to hate p
pendicitis." Chicago Post
Without Any Question.
"Was his failure absolute?" "
"Absolute! Why, he tried suicide
Without success!" Town Topics,"
Mean.
"So they eloped in an automobile?"
"Yes; and the Justice who married
them fined them for scorching." Mo
tor. The Important One.
"Did she consult the groom in fixing
the date for the wedding?"
"Oh, no; only the dressmaker.' Chi
cago Post
One Out of Ten.
She "Professor Henpeck, of Yale
vard College, speaks ten languages."
He "He hardly gets a chance to
speak one at home." Chicago Tribune,
Vivid Imagination.
She "So you are a professional hu
morist? How delightful it must be to
earn a living writing jokes!"
He "Yes er I always imagined it
would be." Chicago News.
A Poor Sho-w.
"How did you like the matinee yes
terday?" "Not a bit. The girl I went with
talked so fast I couldn't get a word
In edgeAvise." Houston Tost.
i
Too Surprised.
Mamma "Uncle liiram has given
you this nickel, Willie. Now, what do
you say?"
Willie "I'm loo surprised to say any.
thing." New York American.
Educated.
Crawford "Newrich and his butler
look so much alike I can never tell
them apart. How do you distinguish
them?'.'
Crabshaw "The one that acts like a
gentleman is the butler." Indianapolis
Sentinel.-
A Jump.
His Sister's Caller "And you say
your sister is skittish and nervous? I
suppose she would jump at a mouse."
Willie "I don't know 'bout her jump
ing at a mouse, but I heard her tell ma
that she would jump at a proposal
whatever that is." Indianapolis Sen
tinel. v Wfc't
itf 3,
Perennial.
'T ennnnso T.izy.iA Olfetimer is alad it
Is leap year," said the soft-spoken He!-1
oise.
"I don't suppose it makes much dif
ference to her," replied the mellow
voiced Irene. "She has been jumping
at every chanceshe saw for fifteen
years." Judge.
Days of tho Week.
"What are the days of the week 2"
asked the teacher.
The little girl pondered deeply for a
moment.
. "Big dinner day, washing day, iron
ing day, baking day, the girl's out
day, last school day and play day.'
she answered finally. Chicago Post.
A Benefactor.
"Scribbler ought to get rich out of
that novel he has written."
"Is it so good?"
"No, but it will supply a great de
mand-' There seems to be a tremen
dous wave of insomnia passing over
the country, and less than two chapters
of it ought to put to sleep the most ob
stinate case on recoru." Detroit Frea
Press. a r.
Natural Progression.'
Mrs. Ascum "How about your ser
vant girl? The last time I was here,
you know, you complained about her
being so very slow."
Mrs. Hiram Offen-"Ob, she's pro
gressmg."
's- tv
Mrs. Ascum I es.'"
Mrs. Hiram Off en "Yes; she's get
ting slower and slower." Philadelphia
Press.
A Cynical Snpgestlon.
"So that young woman has jilted
you?" said Miss Cayenne.
"Yes," answered the confiding young
man.
"And you are suffering acutely from
regret?"
"Iam."
"Well, cheer up. If she had accept
ed you it might have become a chron
ic attack of regret." Washington Star,
Transparent umbrellas are a' late
novelty in Loudon. The substance of
which they are made has the color of
ivory, and its constitution is a secret
of tti"e inventor. Collisions are thuf
rendered unlikely. 3- ' "
The most obvious chauges on the sua
are those ..marked by spots, and it has
been long understood that the cycle
of eleven years in which these spots oc
cur, corresponds to a similar cycle in
rainfall on the earth. More recent ,
study, of solar influence, says Lockyer.
show that it is the prominences in
stead of the spots that are chiefly asso
ciated with atmospheric and magnet
ic disturbances on the earth. 1 '
Meteorit is Ihe name given to the
new metal of W. Rubel, a Gorman
chemist, which is said to be aluminum
hardened by a chemical process. Tho
specific gravity is practically the same
as that of aluminum; the metal is not
affected by weak acids, the atmosphere
or sea water; it can be cast like iron,
and has eight per cent, greater tensile
strength than cast iron; and it can be
recast indefinitely. It can be rolled
cold, is nearly as conductive as cop
per, retains a high polish, and can be
plated. -
Olona, the textile of Hawaii, i found
to have promising qualities. The plant
belongs to the nettle family, it resem
bles ramie without the troublesome
resin of the latter, and it flourishes in
tropical forests at a height of 2000 feet.
The fibre proves to be extraordinarily,
fine, light, strong and durable. A rope
of ordinary size appears like silk and
has the strength of a ship's hawser,
and strands no heavier than twine are
as strong as wire. Nets aud fish lines
resist the aetion of salt water, having:
been used for scores of years without
loss of strength. Garments from the
fibre have the delicate texture of silk,
are practically indestructible, and may
last a lifetime.
THE PAY OF HIS YOUTH.
A Glance at an Karly Photosrapti Killed
His Conceit.
When Mr. Porson, the prosperous
dry goods merchant, went to see his
New Hampshire relatives on his way-
to the White Mountains, many things
which amused and pleased him were
shown to him. ; '
"Why I hayen't seen a wreath of
pressed, autumn leaves or a bunch of
wax flowers for thirty-five years," he
said, genially. "I'd forgotten there
were such things. And if here isn't
the family album with gilt clasps!"
"I guess there are some folks in that
album you'll remember," said hi
cousin Lavinia, opening the book and
laying it on his knee while she bent
over his shoulder to act as showman.
"Recollect that. first face?" i
"That's Aunt Lucy," shouted the
visitor, "and that's you next to her,
with those corkscrew curls!"
"They were natural," said Miss La
vinia, shai"ply.
- "And there's Cousin Abijah, as stiff
as a ramrod," continued the city man,
"and William! Now,' I'll leave It to
you, Lavinia, if you ever saw any
thing greener than William in that
picture unless it's Sam here in his
Sunday clothes?" '
"There's one picture I've always con
sidered about the greenest of the lot,"
said Miss Lavinia, as with unerring
fingers she turned to the faded photo
graph of a thin, sharp-featured boy
with bulging eyes, and a pair of enor
mous hands dangling at his sides.
The dry -goods merchant looked at
the features . of this discouraging
youth, and a slight color grew and
spread over his usually self-satisfied
countenance.
"Lavinia," he said, closing the album
with a snap that nearly caught his
cousin's finger, "I think I'll go out and
see the cows." ,
The Good Boy.
"Now, children," said the teacher, a
she distributed the flower seeds among
the little ones, "I want you to plant
these in pots, and when they begin to
grow don't fail to tell me. I'll give a
prize to the one who reports first."
At 5 o'clock oue morning a few
weeks later the family with whom the
teacher boarded was aroused by .a
loud ringing at the door bell.
The man of the house got out of bed,
thrust his feet into a pair of slippers
and, went to the front door.
Who's there?" he asked.
. "Tommy Tucker."
"What do you want?"
"I want to see Miss Adair."
"What's the matter? What do you
want of her?" , ,
'.'I want to tell 'er something."
"Won't it keep till daylight? Can't
I tell her myself?"
"No. It's somethin' she wanted to
kpow just as soon as it happened, and
nobody else can't do it."
Tommy was admitted and shown
into the parlor.
Miss Adair was awakened and in
formed that a boy wanted to see her
on business that admitted of no de
lay. v.
She', dressed herself hurriedly aud
came" down.
"WhS Tommy!" she said, "what on
earth brings you here so early? What
has happeiied?"
"Teacher, mine's gro wed. "Chicago
Tribune. $. .-.
Smallest Soldier.
The smallest conscript at the latest
drawing for service in the French
army was Joannes Chabaud, of Verpll
liere. His height is two feet eleven
inches, and he weighs sixty-seven and
a half pounds. His age is twenty-one.