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VOL, XXVI. PITTSBQRO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. O. THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1901.
NO. 47.
0?
or mi
vi 1 r
Copyright mt, by Kobkbt Bonxeb's Sons.'
, CHAPTER VI.
" Continued.
Luncheon over, I sought to create a
divert ion by reminding my uncle of1
bis engagement to examine the Hold-j
jenhurat deeds. He seemed very pleased
.with my attention to his wishes, and;
tet once followed me into the library ,
my father and the other two guests'
adjourning to the drawing-room. It
.was then I learned that uncle Sam
had been in the library with my father
in the morning, and had looked
through some of the deeds. He spent
the whole of the afternoon in com
pleting his examination of them, talk
ing to me on various subjects mean
while, and amusing me greatly with;
his blunt candor and his unsparing
jcriticism of village communities in
England. His strictures upon the
lev. Mr. Fuller were no less amusing
than severe, and my sides ached so
much, from continued laughter that I
.was much relieved when at last he
rose and said:
"There, my boy; I have done. Re
ylace them carefully where you took
them from, until I send your father a ,
steel safe worthy to contain them.
They are very interesting and ought
to be carefully preserved If only for
their historical interest. By-and-bye,
your father told me just now that he
has invited yet another parson to dine
here this evening the Vicar of Hold-
enhurst Minor. You know him, of
course."
I replied that I knew him very well
indeed.
"I would rather be at war with
twenty brokers for a year," continued
uncle Sam, "than talk with a parson
for an hour. In a small company it is
Impossible to ignore an individual
member of it, .and I could never listen
to anything from a parson without re
plying to it except in church; and I
have often been tempted to do so
ihere. I am afraid I shocked your
father somewhat at luncheon; though,
Goodness knows, I said nothing either
untrue or unreasonable. I speak as I
think, and hope always to do so. How
ever, I intend to be as reserved as my
nature will permit at dinner to-day."
This declaration was a distinct re
lief to me, though in no case should I
have much feared a meeting between
my uncle and the Rev. Evan. Price.
The Vicar of Holdenhurst Minor
was a youthful bachelor, and enjoyed
an income of 90 a year. There being
no vicarage in the parish, the reverand
gentleman lodged with a. farmer,
whose two daughters made it the chief
business of their lives to please him.
Indeed, the competition among the fe
male community of Holdenhurst Minor
and thereabouts for the smiles of the
Rev. Evan Price' was very keen, a
condition of affairs to which the rever
end gentleman owed many substantial
Benefits. Probably no man in Eng
land was better provided with slippers
than the Rev. Evan Price; and there
was a rumor that his name was re
corded in the last will and testament
of at least one wealthy old maid. The
smallness of his income was balanced
by his popularity, which was based
upon his fine athletic appearance, his
affable manner, his skill as a cricketer,
and the brevity of his sermons. He
had a great many friends and no ene
mies, and on less than a hundred a
year contrived to live better than
many another man with an Income ten
times as large.
CHAPTER VII.
CONSTANCE MABSH.
The visit of my uncle and aunt: to
Holdenhurst was soon ended. Uncle
Sam tried hard to induce my father
and me to accompany him to London
for a few weeks, but father would
not consent to such an arrangement.
Several farms on the estate had been
for a long time without tenants, and
we were working them ourselves by
the aid of a steward. The first week
of April had now arrived, and my
ratner did not feel himself justified in
leaving the place. He agreed, how
ever, that I should go to London with
my uncle and aunt and remain their
guest for three weeks, it being further
arranged that on the termination o5
my stay in town I was to take my
father's place at Holdenhurst, while
he, in his turn, visited his brother,
that our interests in Suffolk might
not be left entirely to the care of de-i
pendents.
The liberality of uncle Sam aston
ished everybody with whom he came
into contact during his stay in Suf
folk, and It would exceed the limits
of this chapter to recite his benefac
tions, but it is essential to the purpose
of these memoirs to refer to a few of
the moreremarkable.
In addition to clearing off the large
mortgage upon the Holdenhurst es-
tate he paid to the credit of my fath
er's banking account no less a sum
than 5000, "for present use," as he
aid. He advocated the laying waste
of every farm in both the Holden
liursts and converting the entire estate
into a large park. "That done," said
he, "and the hall thoroughly repaired
and partly refurnished, the place will'
b- worth living in for six or eight
Wtks in each year."
To the first of these proposals my
if" : "
WALTER ? BL'OQMFIELD,
taaner aecunea to agree, whereupon
uncle Sam remarked that he consid
ered him a fool, but the proposal to;
renovate the hall was accepted. Any
unfavorable Impression which unclei
Sam might have created on the mind
of the Rev. Mr. Fuller at their first
meeting was speedily removed when
next they met, and my uncle an
nounced his intention, if permitted byi
his brother, of restoring the church1
of Holdenhurst Major, an ancient edl
flee much decayed. The necessary
permission being at once given, uncle
Sam said he would have the church
examined by an ecclesiastical archi-j
tect, and order" the restoration to'be
made at once. "I don't suppose the
job will cost more than 1000 or,
1500," said he, whereat Mr. Fuller
dropped his lower jaw on his white
tie, aghast at the presence of a man
who could talk so arily of such large
sums of money.
The moment of our departure having
arrived our comfortable old carriage,
drawn by a pair of greys, stood ready;
at the door, old John among whose'
duties was numbered that of a coach
man sitting on the box. As uncle
Sam, aunt Gertrude, my father and I
passed through the hall my uncle hes
itated and stopped. "Where are the
servants?" he asked, and being told
they were in the kitchen he desired
them to be called. Our entire domes-;
tic establishment, consisting of four
women and a boy, responded to the in
vitation. Hastily giving two sover
eigns to each of the women and a half
sovereign to the boy he stayed not to
hear their thanks, but handed his wife!
into the carriage. Uncle Sam and I
followed, the driver cracked his whip
and the horses walked slowly down
the path as we waved our hands to
my father, who stood outside the
house in the porch.
It was some minutes before the hall
was lost to our view, and to the last
moment it seemed to engage my un
cle's attention. "There, Gertie," said
he, pointing to the old house from
which we were now rapidly receding,
"to think that it was a mere accident
a woman's feeble will that saved
me from spending my life ia that
place!"
I was surprised and not altogether
pleased at hearing my home where
no effort had been spared to make our
guests comfortable spoken of In this,
contemptuous manner, but concluded
from my uncle's munificence that he
was an extraordinarily rich man, ac
customed to the best of everything
the world could supply, and conse
quently quite out of his element in a
Suffolk village.
"Don't you think, Sam, the anti
quated appearance of the old hall will
suffer from the repairs you are going
to make?" asked aunt Gertrude.
"Not a bit In the world. The main
structure won't be interfered with."
"I think I would prefer it as it is, If
it were mine."
"All old places have to be repaired
some of them pretty much and often,"
said uncle Sam, selecting a cigar from
his case. "I don't doubt but Queen
Anne would have some difficulty in
recognizing Windsor Castle If that
lady could come to life again to look
at It; it is continually being patched.
As for Westminster Abbey, I question
if a handful of the original structure
remains. A small snuff-box would
contain the dust of all the Pharaohs.
Everything substantial is transient
'and passes away. Human nature
alone is unaltered and unalterable.
Consider that parson Fuller. Two
days ago he could hardly disguise his
horror of me; yet when I offered to re
store Holdenhurst Church did you no
tice how his tongue fell out of his
mouth as if he wanted' to lick my
boots on the spot? I suppose the poor
chap hopes for a commission from the
contractor. Well, I'll see that he's not
disappointed."
"Sam, Sam, how you do talk," said
his wife reprovingly; then turning to
me as I sat silent with folded arms,
"I am afraid, Ernest, it will take you
some time to understand your uncle.
He's awfully cynical, but those who
know him best like him best." t
r forget what answer I made, but
certainly I was not disposed, to con
verse much. The novel experiences of
the last few days, and speculations as
to my visit to London engrossed my
thoughts. Though I had more than
completed nineteen years of life I had
seen little or nothing of the world.
Eleven of those years had been passed
in a school at Bury St. Edmund's, with
the exception of the interval between
Friday night and Monday morning
each week, which was spent at home.
During the school holidays my father
had been accustomed to take me "with
him to the seaside Lowestoft, Yar
mouth, Aldborough, or some other of
the summer resorts on the east coast
and occasionally to London. My ac
quaintance with the world being
comprised within these narrow limits,
and the present being the first occa
sion on which, in the Ordinary sense of
tha phrase, I had left home, I was
moved to contemplation. Particularly
did I regret my defective education
defective because of the idleness of
my nature and my love of reading poe
try and fiction. I had been well and
carefully taught, but was never able
t acquire more than a smattering oU
Latin, Greek and French, insufficient
to enable me to read with interest a
book in any of those languages. En
lish I had mastered fairly well, ant
developed some facility in Its compo
Sition; while for music it was acknowl
edged that I had more than ordinary
ability. I was painfully conscious
that my mental equipment wag a very
poor one, and wondered whether my
uncle would keep much company dur
ing his stay in England, what sort of
people his friends were, and in what
manner they would regard a young
gentleman of such slender attainments
as mine.
Both my uncle and aunt endeavored
to make me talk, but they were not
very successful In their efforts, and
little more was said before our car
riage jpassed rapidly through North
gate street, Bury St. Edmund's, and
dashed into the station yard there.
'. Uncle Sam was the first to alight.
"See to your aunt and the luggage
there, Ernest," he said, and then ran
up the stairs three steps at a time.
: "He Is always like this when we
start on a journey," observed aunt
Gertrude, as I assisted her out of the
carriage, "We have ten or twelve
minutes to spare, and during that time
he will despatch at least that number
of telegrams. I have never known him
to content himself so long without
business as during his stay at your
house."
The luggage had been labeled and
put into the brake, my aunt and I
were comfortably ensconced in oppo
site corners of the first-class compart
ment which had been specially re
served for us, and the train began to
move out of the station before uncle
Sam emerged from the telegraph
office. But he was equal to the occa
sion. Jumping lightly into the car
riage he shut the door with a slam.
and seated himself as far from us as
possible. Begging his wife to enter
tain me as well as she could, he pro
duced a large pocketbook and pencil,
and at once became engrossed in some
study, nor did he again open his lips
until we reached London.
The changeful weather exhilarating
sunshine alternating with gloomy
clouds from which descended heavy
showers of rain greatly Interested
my aunt, who for my edification com
pared the climates of England and
North America 1 as our train sped
through the low-lying Essex meadows
Like most Americans who visit Eng
land she was uncomfortably affected
by the chilly dampness of our climate,
and visibly shivered, though she was
enveloped in a thick wool rug. Though
our acquaintance had been so brief, I
had developed a very real regard for
my youthful American aunt, whose
kindly consideration and uniform gen
tleness excited my admiration. As I
scrutinized her delicate features I
noted their wistful expression, and
experienced a feeling akin to pity for
her for I instinctively felt there could
exist no bond of sympathy between
this gentle lady and her husband.
No other part of England is so de
pressing as the horrid region between
Romford and Liverpool street through
which the Great Eastern Railway
Company conveys its London-bound
victims. Between those places the
senses of sight, hearing and smell are
grossly outraged, and when the un
fortunate traveler finds himself once
more on terra firma he staggers like
one awakened from a nightmare, his
limbs stiffened by the close packing to
which they have been subjected, and
his mind and stomach disgusted by
the abominations he has seen and
sniffed.
It was with great Telief we alighted
from the train. A splendid carriage
awaited us, into which we at once en
tered, our luggage being piled upon a
cab which was to follow. Dark clouds
had gathered in all around, and the
rain descended in torrents as we drove
westward out of the city. At a few
minutes past 5 p.. m nearly four hours
after we left Holdenhurst Hall our
carriage turned out of the main road
into De Vere Gardens, Kensington,
and drew up in front of my uncle's
house there.
It was a large house, furnished as
luxuriously as possible, illuminated
throughput by electricity, though here
and there was an oil lamp which shed
a subdued light on the objects around.1
Everything in the place seemed abso
lutely new as I have no doubt it was
and the best of its kind obtainable,
the evidences of wealth on every hand
contrasting strongly with my com
fortable but unpretentious home in
Suffolk.
The footman had just closed the
door after admitting us, and I was de
voutly hoping that I might neither see
nor be seen by my aunt's sister before"
had had an opportunity of making
myself tolerably presentable which
could certainly not be the case with
any one immediately after a seventy
five mile journey on the Great East
ern Railway when the young lady of
whom I was thinking tripped lightly
flown the etairs, and throwing her
arms around my aunt, embraced her
tn a manner which drove me wild
with envy. The next minute, how
ever, Miss Marsh was herself seized
by uncle Sam, who held her gently but
with an iron grip while he gave her
more kisses than I had presence of
mind to count. When at length he de
sisted, he pointed at me, saying,
"There, Connie, my pet; I have
brought you home the husband I prom
ised you. What do you think of him?
Looks innocent, don't he. Con?" Then,
turning to his wife, "Suffolk boy8
make the best husbands in the world,
eh, Gertrude?"
To be contirtariL
1 am glad," said WillkV mamma
proudly, "to hear that my little boy
chose to apologize rather than to fight."
"Sure," replied Willie. "The other fel
low was a good deal bigger than me."
AflBTPITT WHEAT 3
JlUlllUUJJlUllAlb jj
Good Orchard Treatment.
In central New York there is a fourteen-year-old
orchard that has always
been managed on an exceedingly sen
sible and profitable plan. The branches
are trained to the spreading habit
.which opens the tree to the air and
sun. For about eight years the or
chard was plowed and planted to
crops, which require thorough culti
vation like corn, beans and potatoes.
Then it was seeded down with alfalfa
and inoculated. This developed a very
thick sod which is cut three times a
year for hay. This hay is fed to stock
and then the manure is all hauled
back again and spread around the
trees. Under this system the orchard
has made a very remarkable growth.
Manure For Clover Lands.
Considerable has been written in this
department in favor of spreading the
manure on the farm during the winter
as fast as it is made, provided the
weather will permit. Undoubtedly
this method of disposing of the manure
for the benefit of the crop applies to
any soil that is reasonably level, but
its good effects are more noticeable
on clover lands than elsewhere in the
experience of the writer. On every
open day during the winter the- ma
nure is carried from the barn and put
on the clover until such fields Lave re
ceived all needed.
The result is that the clover gets an
early start and when it is to be plowed
under for the corn crop, we follow clov
er with corn in the plan of rotation,
it is two feet high and all that it has
gained from the manure is turned
back to the 'soil for the benefit of the
succeeding crop. This is sensible ar
gument, is it not? Try it and see how
much greater profit is made from the
manure supply.
Good Pruning.
Luther Burbank, writing in Rural
New Yorker, says that every expert
enced nurseryman trims all the small
side roots off his nursery stock before
planting. This is a universal custom,
and in my experiments I have found
that seedlings and very young trees
should always be treated in this way
under all circumstances. A youn
seedling tree which has had its roots
cut off to within a few inches of the
collar, and the top almost wholly re
moved, will in all cases make a far
better growth than the one planted
with all its roots, even if the top
should be removed. Of course, it is
necessary to remove the top in pro
portion to the amount of roots re
moved, and strange as it may seem, it
is especially necessary to prune the
roots short when they are to be plant
ed on land that has little moisture
near the surface. For trees havii
many side roots divide their forces in
starting in all directions, instead of
making a good, substantial main tap
root, which the closely pruned seedling
will always proceed to do. Though of
universal application, these facts are
I especially applicable to dry climates
like California and Texas.
A One Horse Drag.
At this season of the year, when
many farmers put in some time in re
pairing and overhauling farm ma
chines and conveniences and in figur
ing on new ones, it will be worth while
to consider the following from Orange
Judge Farmer:
Of the many tools introduced for pul
verizing the soil none is cheaper and
less used than the drag. Some farmers
term it "block," "leveler" or "clod
masher." Its use can begin with a two
or three horse size immediately after
breaking, when it levels the land, so
tooth or disk harrow can do most
' HOMEMADE ONE HOUSE DBAG.
thorough work, and this same form
does admirably preceding grain plant
ing of all types. But it is the one
horse style used immediately after
the cultivator in growing crops where
the nicety of work proves it one of the
most profitable tools.
In early cultivation it gently hills
the plants, doing away with an enor
mous amount of hand hoe -work, and
leaves the surface in its natural level
condition, insuring uniformity of depth
of future cultivations. During dry pe
riods it is invaluable. All other tools
loosen the surface, while the block on
previously well fined land packs and
jars the earth to the depth cultivated,
retarding evaporation without injuri
ous root disruption. A one horse drag
similar to that shown in the above cut
can be made Dy any one at very small
cost. It may be modified or improved
to suit one's fancy. Connecticut
Farmer.
Moisture ia the Soil.
The relations of oil and water to the
soil may be better understood by some
easily made experiments, which any
one cam undertake. If a pot, pail or
any suitable vessel is filled with a cer
tain weight (say, 100 pounds) of per
fectly dry soil (dried in an oven), the
heat, of course, changes the soil mois
ture into vapor and drives it off into
the air. If this dry soil is weighed
several days later it will be found a
few pounds heavier, the increase being
due te water absorbed from the air
by the soil, just as happens wit
quicklime or salt. If the room is
closed and water boiled on the stove
until the room is filled with vapor, the
soil in the pot may gain an increase
in weight. This is called the hygro
scopic moisture of the soil, deriving its
name from having come from a va
porous condition in the air, where its
amount can only be measured by
means of an instrument known as a
hygroscope. This hygroscopic mois
ture enters into the very fibre of the
soil particles, rather than attaching
itself merely to their surfaces as does
capillary moisture. If a fine spray is
now thrown on the soil in the pot the
tiny drops would be eagerly seized by
the small particles of soil, for, while
the soil cannot gather and condense
more of the vapor of water from the
air, and associate it with its own par
ticles, it at once shows a strong at
traction for water in the liquid form.
The water and the surface particles
seem to desire the closest touch with
each other, and, as water is a mobile
fluid, it spreads out over the surfaces
of the minute soil particles, enters in
to the pores within the particles and
fills the capillary spaces between thorn.
A hard rain packs the ground, the
moisture, however, going into the
ground that has been loosened instead
of flowing away. Water will evapo
rate from the ground during warm.
dry days, and as the moisture from
the surface is lost that from below
rises by capillary attraction to take
its place. Millions of small tubes are
formed, through which the water is
drawn upward, and to prevent the
loss the tubes should be broken off or
sealed at tae top. This is done when
the surface soil is stirred to the depth
of an inch, the dry earth serving as
a blanket to keep the moisture in the
soil. If a shower comes and again
dampens the surface the stirring of
the soil should be repeated. Philadel
phia Record.
Handling Unruly Hogg.
Any one who has tried it will testify
that it is not an easy task to handle
a stubborn hog, and most hogs are
stubborn. If one has occasion to do
this work the device shown in the cut
is simple and effective. Take a strong
rope about the diameter of a clothes
line and about ten or twelve feet long.
From this cut off three feet and tie a
loop in each end; then tie the remain
ing piece in the centre of the looped
piece and bring the loop over the suout
of the hog after slipping the loops in
the first piece over his hind feet. Have
HALTER FOB TJXBULY HOGS.
a ring in the long looped piece and
through this slip another rope also
looped so as to come over his neck, as
shown in the cut. This rope may be
heavier than the first one, and if the
animal is unruly and strong the end
which is shown over the back of the
hog extending to the hand of the one
who is driving it, may be slipped over
his rump and into the lower loop and
tied, leaving the long loop in the driv
er's hands for better control. The il
lustrations show clearly how the con
trivance is constructed. Indianapolis
News. - r
Dairy Wisdom.
Results simpiy show what kind of
a man is behind the cow so look out.
Give once or twice each week a few
apples, potatoes' or carrots to give va
riety. Watch the bowels and if they.
are constipated give a little more lin
seed meal.
Cows should be fed and milked at
the same time each day and in the
same order. They quickly form habits,
and any interruption or disappoint
ment is quickly noticed by the lessened
product in the pail.
The food of heifers must be such
that it will nourish all parts of the
body. They may manage to live on
hay, but they will be stunted in size
and will never equal their dams,
though the sire may be of a line of
the best butter makers. Besides that,
their constitutions will.be weakened,
and they will be subject to every epi
demic that comes around. 4 - '"
Stretch a wire the whole length of
the stable behind the cows. Attach a
snap with a ring on this wire and hang
the lantern in the snap. It can then
be pushed along where the most light
is needed. - A similar wire should be
placed in front of the cows. A lantern
should never be placed on the floor.
If accidentally overturned a disastrous
fire is the inevitable result.
Too much stress cannot be put upon
the manner in which cows are treated
in the stables. A cow soon comes to
like, or dislike, a person who cares
for her, according to the way im which
she is -handled. Pet your cows, talk
to them, calling them by name. They
soon learn to come at call and to ex
pect a pat or a gentle stroke. Good
feed will.be lost on a cow that is cru
elly or carelessly treated. A differ
ence of twenty-five per cent, in pro
duct has often been known to take
place between cows that were equally
good. They were fed the same, but
treated differently.
0 Ti
Baked Bluefigh.
Clean, wash and dry the fish; mix
half pint bread crumbs with two
tablespoonfuls melted butter, add half
teaspoonful salt, a speck of pepper,
and stuff the fish; then put it in a
baking pan; baste with melted butter
and add half cupful boiling water;
dust the 'fish thickly and bake In a
quick oven for threequarters of an
hour, basting several times; serve with
tomato sauce and potato balls.
fc-'- . &
Asparagus Soup.
Boil two bunches fresh, tender as
paragus in water with one slice of
onion and one tablespoonful salt
thirty minutes; throw away the onion;
remove the asparagus and cut off the
tender part- and pound to a paste
with a little water; add to it a lump
of butter rolled in flour and one-half
teaspoonful sugar; mix over the fire
until it melts; now add all to the boil
ing water in which the asparagus was
cooked; then beat the yolk of an egg
in half a pint of cream or milk and add
to soup; season with salt and pepper.
and as soon as it comes to boiling
point strain and. serve; cut one stalk
of asparagus in thin slices and add the
last thing. . . j - ' "
Chop Suey.
Bone a small chicken and cut the
meat into half -inch strips; peel and
slice an onion; soak a dozen mush
rooms in cold water a few minutes,
then drain; cut up a stalk of celery
and six Chinese potatoes, washing
them well first; prepare the rice by
putting a cupful into boiling salted
water, and when the grains are soft
drain the water off and set the sauce
pan in the oven to dry the rice; cook
the chicken in a big spoonful of hot
butter well done, but not dry; add the
sliced onion and fry to a nice brown;
add the mushrooms and a small cupful
of Chinese sauce (this sauce takes the
place of salt); add a cup of boiling
water and cook fifteen minutes; stir
in the celery and cook ten minutes;
add the potatoes and cook three min
utes longer; rub a spoonful of flour
smooth in a little cold water and add
to thicken; boil up once well and serve
with the hot rice.
Hints for. the.;
Housekeeper
Cut-steel buttons and buckles may
be polished with powdered pumice
stone slightly moistened and applied
with a soft brush or cloth.
To blacken tan leather boots and
shoes, rub every part of the boots well
with a juicy potato cut in thick slices,
and when dry, clean in the usual way
with blacking, taking care to put the
blacking well on.
To fill cracks in plaster, mix plaster
of paris with vinegar instead of water
and it will not "set" for twenty or
thirty minutes. Push it into the cracks
and smooth off evenly with a table
knife. What to Eat.
Milk can be sterilized at home. Ab
sohitely clean bottles are necessary.
Soak them in soda and hot water be
fore using, and scald just before the
milk is put into them. The milk
should be perfectly fresh. Fill the
bottles, cork them tight with anti
septic cotton, lay them in cold water;
heat slowly to the boiling point, boil
for an hour and let them cool in the
water. Do not uncork until the milk
is to be used.
Boston baked beans are now served
as a salad. The quantity of oil to be
used depends on the quantity of pork
used In cooking the beans, and for se
dentary people It is well to omit the
pork. In this case three or four table-:
spoonfuls of oil may be used for a
pint of beans. Stir into it half a tea
spoonful of paprika, a few drops o2
onion juice and two tablespoonfuls of
vinegar. Mix this through the bsans
and turn them onto the serving dish.
Cover and let them stand half an hour
in a cool place. The salad maj- be gar
nished with pimolas and slices of tiny
cucumber pickles, and a . teaspoonful
of finely cut chives may be added if
sired.
It is almost time to begin to think
of moths, for the time to remember
them is before the first one appears.
With these pests prevention is not
only better than cure, but it is
absolutely essential. -Moth balls, tar
paper, the most expensive cedar
chests, are useless after one wretched
Insect has found a lodging in a gar
ment. Therefore, before the moths ap
pear, take the necessary precautions.
Beat and brush furs and woolens, not
overlooking a single pocket or fold,
and, when perfectly certain that not a
moth or an egg is there, pack the
garments away where moths cannot
reach them. That is the whole secret.
Furs should be sent to cold storage,
Trhich is safe and cheap. As a matter
of precaution, it is well to reserve one
closet, which line with tar 'paper,
covering the cracks around the door
and stuffing up the keyhole. Hang or
lay away winter garments in here,
and enjoy an additional feeling of security
Steel Koads. t ,
jOjy r the time of. the year
l V when the frost is coming
O A O out of the ground and
X & nearly all the roads in and
C around our country towns
are long lines of mire one cannot help
wondering, when considering the sub
ject of our highways, why the Gov
ernment is not quicker to respond to
the appeals for aid in their improve
ment, and why it does not push the
adoption of a system of roads that
will last for long periods with but
slight expenditure for repairs.
. Nearly seven years ago the office of
Road Inquiries of the Department of
Agriculture conducted experiments
with steel rails for use on country
roads, and made arrangements with
a large steel works for the rolling of
suitable rails for this purpose. At
that time the eight-inch rails for a
mile of steel roadway weighing about
100 tons, could be purchased for about
$3500, and the price has not increased
much since. A. sample steel road two
miles in length between Valentia and
Grao, Spain, had then' been in use
for five years under exceedingly heavy
traffic, and had shown splendid re
suits; yet the United States did not,
and has not as yet, profited by this
experiment in an ordinarily unprofit
able foreign country, and we have to
day no steel roads for commercial pur
poses save the short section in Murray
street, New York, laid about a year
r.nd a half ago. As fcr the foreign ex
ample mentioned, during the time it
has been in use, the annual cost of
maintaining the roadbed has been
$3S0, againrrt $5470 yearly expended to
keep the flint stone road which pre
ceded it in repair. The average traffic
over this road is 3200 vehicles per
day. This example of a steel road and
its lasting qualities is not the only one
abroad, but it is the most noteworthy.
But aside from the "permanency of
such a road, and the slight expense of
keeping it in repair, the greatest ad
vantage that it offers is the reduction
in power required to haul loads over
it. Tests have shown that while it re
quires five time as much power
pull a given load on a loose gravel or
dirt road as it does over good mac
adam, and ten times as muck power
to pull the same load through loose
sand or mud, on steel rails only one-
sixth as much power i needed as on
macadam. This great reduction in
power, and consequent diinisliment of
wear and tear on draft horses, is all
the more valuable in that.it is perma
nent and lasts throughout all sea
sons; so that the farmer is not obliged
to figure on a greater loss of time and
fatigue of his horses at one season cf
the year than at another. If self-propelled
vehicles are considered, these
need not be nearly so powerful as
they would otherwise have to bo, and
they can be operated with great econ
omy. The importance of a special
track for self-propelled vehicles . Was
recognized in the early days of tbe
locomotive. Such a track was built
and improved until the steel railway
track of to-day was finally developed.
Now that the self-propelled vehicle
has again come on the scene in the
form of the automobile, it has drawn
attention to the needs of good roads
for all vehicular traffic, since the in
crease in power needed to pull a ma
chine through the mire can no longer
be . "whipped out of a horse," but
must be drawn from u large reserve,,
and, in the case of the electric auto
mobile, can be accurately measured on
every machine. Thus, when it is
brought directly to one's notice, and
the total mileage of the machine is
greatly reduced because of it, and the
owner sees his expense account rap
idly rising, and demands a better
highway. This demand is soon to be
fulfilled by private corporations,
which have recognized it, and have
devised systems of steel roads , that
can be built at no greater cost than
a macadam road, and maintained at
far less expense. It is to be hoped
that the supervisors of roads in the
various States will investigate the
steel roads more thoroughly, and that
trial sections may be built for the
purpose of comparison with the best
macadam roads. Scientific Ameri
can. Good Koads Getting Into Politics.
The contest for nomination to Con
gress between Lieutenant Hobson, tlx
li&ro of the attempt to bottle up Ce-r-vera's
fleet at Santiago, and Repre
sentative Baukhead, of Alabama, lias
attracted wide . attention. But .it is
not generally known that the ques
tion of National aid to road improve
ment was one of the leading issue?
in the campaign. Lieutenant ITobson
strongly opposed the measure as un
democratic and unconstitutional,
while he talked in favor of great ap
propriations for the uavy. Mr.. Bank
bead, on the other hand, argued that
to aid the States in improving llK-Ir
roads would be a better and w;ju
use of the National revenues. Tl:'.
argnineut took with the voters ;i::T
Mr.. Baukhead won the noiuiiiniion.
The Pennsylvania .State Republican
Convention has declared in favor of
the National aid proposition; also the
Republican Slate Convention in Ten
nessee. Danish Apartment Hotel.
In Copenhagen an apartment house
has been opened containing twenty-five
suites of four rooms each. There i?
only one kitchen and meals are sent
up by the dumb waiters. The cost ol
a suite, with meals and care of the
tooms, is about $225 a person a year