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VOLUME XIX.
ELIZABETH CITY, N. C., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1887. NUMBER 16.
Ml
1 Natural gas displaced in the year
1886 no less than 6,353,000 tons of Coal
valued at $9,847,150, a fact which goes
far to explain the comparatively small
increase in production of coal contrasted
with the far greater increase in the pro
duction of iron.
Boston 6ccms to be the paradise for
female" stock-gamblers. At one of the
bucket-shops patronized by the fair sex
over a hundred ladies can be seen daily
gesticulating wildly with cheer, sob or
laugh, as the case may be, and occasion
ally also fainting the last resort of
lovely woman.
Frank G. Carpenter writes from
' Colorado that the state has now 1,000,
000 acres of fine agricultural land re
claimed -from the desert by irrigation.
There are 4300 miles of canals in the
6tate. For years the cry of Colorado
has been for an artificial supply of water.
This need has now been supplied, in
good degree, by large canal corpora
tions. A society called "The Indirect Vege
tarians" has been organized at Madras,
India, the members binding themselves
by terrific penalties only to "eat the
meat of such animals as live on vegeta
ble food," and they pledge themselves
to continue such abstinence throughout
their lives, except under medical advice
it should be thought necessary to do
otherwise. '
A computation just made on good data
shows that there are in England now
about 3,000,000 working women, of
whom one-half are in domestic service;
further, that half the working class
families in the country are partly or
wholly maintained by women, who are
widows, or the wives of sick or drunken
husbands, or the daughters of aged,
afflicted, or dissolute parents, and that
. most of these latter work at extremely
low prices.
Olive Thome Miller in writing about
the "Pets of the Household" in Haqier's
Bazar, says some very pleasant things
about rats. Tho rat is described as an
intelligent beast, scrupulously neat in
his person, affectionate and playful. The
writer of the foregoing will not enjoy
the following true story, says the Epoch:
In the house of a New York family now
in the country, a rat was caught the past
summer. The two servant girls were
afraid to drown it and therefore cruelly
allowed the rat to starve to death in the
The dog messenger corps for the Ger
man army is being carefully trained just
now by the Schwerin garrison. Swift
and intelligent dogs arc chosen, and are
taken out by the patrols regularly to the
outposts, where pencil notes are tied to
their collars, and the dogs are despatched
back to a given point. When any of
the garrison are manoeuvring at night
the dogs accompany the advanced senti
nels of the bivouac, and arc taught to
witch for and bark violently at the faint
est sign of any one approaching the
camp.
Here are three persons so old as to de
mand attention. Nicholas Itabo, born in
Lorraine in 1792, a member of the grand
army of Napoleon, now living near Belle
ville, 111., and so vigorous that he
walks tho Btreet without a cane,
reads without glasses and shaves him
self; Stephen Withington, of Hud
son, Mass., nearly 101 years old, blind,
and fast losing his mind, and Mrs. Mar
garet Arnold, of New Holland, Ohio,
who on July 4th was 110 years old, and
who while bodily quite well is failing
mentally.
The European wheat crop, according
to our Government reports, promises
' more than an average. The Russian
and Austrian crop especially are of fine
promise. That of Spain is mediocre.
In Germany, France and England re
r ports are generally favorable. The
' India crop, harvested a few months ago,
will be 2a, 000, 000 bushels less than tho
preceding say 238,000,000 bushels.
Australasia will produce-probably 15,
000,000 bushels more than in 1885-86,
or 37,000,000 bushels. The product of
. the world promises to be quite as much
i as for each of the two preceding har
vests. According to the Boston Post "Golden
trout are found in but one place in the
world that is in the brooks of Mount
Whitney, up near the banks of everlast
ing snow. They have a golden stripe
down each side, and are the most beau
tiful fish that swim. Those who saw the
first specimens of these trout that were
brought down from the head of Whitney
creek thought that they were made up
for show that stripes of gold leaf had
Iccn glued to their sides." Fine scales,
however, do not necessarily make fine
lih, and it may be that the golden trout
wculd be good for use only in a glass
globe.
The ranch cattle business in the West
is just now at the lowest point in its
history. A .prominent observer in the
West says : "Fully seventy-five per cent,
of the ranchmen, or what we call the
longhorn cattlemen, are practically bank
rupt, and the banks are merely holding
them up in expectation of an advance in
prices. The days of the cattle king are
over, and the ranchman will soon be a
thing of the past. The depreciation of
prices has ruined, them, and they can
never hope to regain their footing. Foi
several years the business has been car
ried on at a dead loss, and they have
been compelled to sell their stock at
prices far below their value. in order to
rajse money to continue, "
The Doctor.
The doctor is a useful man.
Constructed on a noble plan;
He's sometimes fat and sometimes leaa
ASid sometimes just half-way between,
But none confers more blessings than
The doctor.
The doctor goes and lingers where
Men's moanings freight the fetid air;
Where'er he can he gives relief
To sickness and as well to grief.
Ah, ill could we poor mortals spare
The doctor.
He may some stately palace own,
All silk inside and outside stone;
But lull, in counting human woes,
1 Like some base-burner stove he goes,
And never sleeps so far as known
The doctor.
We may not know him when this shell
Of clay befits the spirit well,
- But when the spirit doth protest
Against the clay that doth invest,
Our grief in confidence we tell
The doctor.
The doctor is a generons man.
But people cheat him when they can;
They have their health restored on "trust,"
And pay him sometimes when they must,
And swear no bill is bigger than
The doctor's. i
Columbus News.
A BRAVE C0WABB.
I remembered I woke up very early
that morning, with that dim sense of
something important being about to
happen which so often inserts itself into
the brain of the partially-aroused
sleeper.
Without opening my eyes, I began
drowsily wondering what it was. Did I
expect my commission? No; that ar
rived three months ago. Was I to join
my regiment? No; I had already done
that, and was now settled in barracks in
a small Irish garrison town with an un
pronounceable name. Then I remember
I dozed off again, only to start up and
wonder what on earth it was.
The start did it. " I opened my eyes,
and knew it was the 24th of June, the
day our fellows had arranged to give
their picnic in Arrangounick Wood.
Of course I had gone to sleep thinking
of it, dreamt of it, and now all my plans
rushed into my brain; how that I, Lieu
tenant Eric Maurice, H. M. Forty-eighth
Royal Blues, stood pledged at any rate,
in my own mind on that day to gain
for my own the kindest little heart, the
merriest blue eyes, the rosiest lips in all
the Emerald Isle.
That all these belonged , to Norah
O'Cregan I need not tell you; for if you
have ever heard of that military town
of Houstgoron, you have heard, too, of
Norah.
Once I had fully comprehended all
that was before me, I jumped out of my
bed' into my tub, singing, whistling and
shouting, as is my wont during tha pro
gression of my toilet. Walls in barracks
are notably not of the thickest, and I
received many interruptions to my song
"When and how shall I earliest me-e-et her!
What are the words she fir-r-st shall say?"
"Bother youl" shouted Tompkins
from the room on the left, and crash
came a boot hurled viciously against
the wall.
"By what name shall I lear-rn togree-ether?
"You idiot !" this from Williamson
the right, accompanied by tapping, as
of a brush. "Can't you let a fellow
sleep?"
"I know not now, but shall kno-ow some
day."
At this juncture my door was burst
violently open, and in came Tompkins
himself in an unbecoming state of un
dress and another boot held menacingly
up in the air. This, however, he drop
ped when he saw me already dressed and
fixing a crimson rose-bud in my coat the
exact shade of the silk handkerchief
whose colliers showed knowingly from
my pocket.
"Whew! whew!" he calmly re
-marked, seating himself On my bed. ' 'Is
that it? Poor fellow 1" And he slowly
inspected me from head to foot. "Don't
you think," he continued, "that flower
leans a little too much to the left? It
mujht fall out, you know, and then al
the heavy work would fall on the hand
kerchief; you can't expect it to do the
business unsupported. But stay, dear
boy; alter nothing. As yon are, you
are "
But here I left the room. This man
always irritated me almost beyond en
durance, and I never could understand
how any one in this wide world could
find amusement in his foolish remarks,
1 looked at my watch, liood gra
cious 1 It wanted still three hours to the
time we were to start. Breakfast might
be made to last one, but what to do with
the other two rather puzzled me.
went outside and walked up and down.
but was soon driven in again by seeing
Tompkins' ugly face watching . me with
a broad grin from his window.
However, the time passed somehow,
and I saw no more of Tompkins, and be
gan to hope that after' all he was not
' coming with us. This hope lasted unti
I was seated on the drag, when sudden
ly I heard his loud voice as he mounted
the steps to the top.
"Never know if I feel most like a cir
cus or a bank holiday on this thing," he
was saying. ,
And as his head appeared over the
seat opposite me, and his eye caught
mine, he paused, put up his eye-glasses
"and slowly surveyed me from my feet
upward, until his eye rested on my rose
bud, when he gently waved his hand to
intimate that it inclined too much to the
left, burst into a loud guffaw and sat
down.
This added to the annoyance I already
j. vx nil. iiimig w w 1 j J-
XksM Jfcat JTf at oj J2rijf tb9 frfoyl
arrived at the scene of the festivities in
anything but an enviable frame of mind.
But soon I saw Norah standing with
some friend in the shade of the trees,
and the sight of her fresh, sweet face
seemed to act like magic on my spirits,
and blow all the cobwebs, away. Heed-
ess of the impudent smile on Tomp-
kms's lace that greeted my stair oi
pleasure I made my way quickly to her
ide, and the shy, sweet smile that wel
comed me more than repaid me for my
late annoyance.
"They start at once for the ruins," j
said. "Will you come, too?"
"I want first to finish my Bketch,"
she Answered. "I want to put in some
cattle, and hear there are some fine oxen
near. Could you show me the way?"
Now, I think, if Norah had asked me
anything else in the world I should have
jumped at the chance of doing it for her
sake; but to face bullocks! From my
infancy I have had an inborn dread of
the whole race ; even the homely and
succulent cow of commerce is not ex
empt from my dislike ; while the mis
named "monarch of meadows," the un
mitigated bull, fills me with a feeling
that hardly falls short of absolute terror !
I did not answer; I could not.
"Please do not come, if you would
rather go with the party to the ruins,"
Norah continued. "I will ask Captain
Tompkins."
It was enough. Hardly considering
the consequences, I exclaimed, "I will
come with pleasure."
We started.
"What magnificent creatures!" she
cried, when she reached the field. ' 'Oh,
and what a number."
There certainly was, and more than I
cared for. Behind, before, on either
hand they stood, grazing, or lay down
chewing the cud.
"Oh, do come closer! I must get
that lovely group!" exclaimed Norah.
It wa3 a group of four ferocious-look
ing beasts, one standing, the rest lying
in various attitudes around. One, a
great black animal eyed us steadily, and
slightly altered his position the better
to see us. Norah sat down ; I reluct
antly did the same.
"Would you sharpen my pencil?" she
asked.
She was looking at me curiously. I
fancy she half -suspected my nervousness;
so, putting the best face of matters, I got
out my knife and held out my hand for
the pencil, and, as she held it toward
me. I forgot all but her own sweet self
and seized the little hand tenderly. She
snatched it hastily away, and I think
now she thought, as doubtless my atti
tude suggested, that I was about to pare
her nails.
"I think, Mr. Maurice," she said
gently, "I could manage better if you
would not mind going the other side of
the bullocks and attracting the notice of
that black one in the other direction.
They are looking the same way and it
looks so stiff. If you held out some
grass to him or switched your stick
about, it might keep his attention
fixed." f
I rose slowly, and cautiously found my
way to the other side.
It was quite needless to do anything
to attract that monster's attention; his
eye was on me. As I moved, so did he ;
and, as I sat down, he turned his head
right around, the better to watch me.
I was turning hot and cold by turns. -
' 'That will do nicely, thanks. Keep
him in that position for a few minutes,"
called Norah.
Then came a silence, broken only by
the beating of my heart. The suspense
grew unbearable, and the perspiration
began to pour down my face. I drew
out my handkerchief to wipe my heated
brow, when, with an angry grunt, the
animal began to rise. I saw my fatal
error; the handkerchief was rftd!
Rapidly the brute gained his feet and
with head bent low advanced toward
4MsV It was too much. All, all was for
gotten but the fate that seemed before
me. I sprang up I blush to own it I
turned around and I ran !
Thud, thud came those hoofs behind
me. Nearer came that snorting breath
till I almost thought I felt it hot upon
my neck. Faster and faster I flew
nearer and nearer came that frantic
beastl -
Just then I thought I caught a faint
voice on the air "Pray drop your hand
kerchief I" I did, for I found in my ter
ror I have been waving it from side to
side as I ran. Almost immediately the
tramping Of hoofs ceased; but without
pausing to look behind I made straight
for a fence just in front of me, which
having vaulted, I found myself safe at
last.
Then the whole absurdity of my posi
tion burst upon me. The ridiculous
figure I must have cut before Norah, the
contempt she must feel for my coward
ice ! Oh, what would I not have given
to be able to wipe the last half hour out
of my life !
After a great deal of consideration as
to my future 'conduct, I determined to
face the party at lunch, when I could
Judge if my late exploit was. known.
When I joined them, they were all seated
on the grass. I noticed a decided pause
in the conversation as I approached.
Tompkins was busily helping Norah to
some strawberries. His head was turned
away from me, but when he saw me up
went that detested glass, and the usual
inspection began. When his eye gained
the level of my pocket, where the hand
kerchief so lately had shown itself, he
looked suddenly full in my face and,
calling to the carver, said : "Brett, Mr..
Maurice will take some beef."
:A roar of laughter f oUowed thwsaUy.
. mt '
wjWV ft U- va feTO .Iffl
mortified, humiliated, and, without
power to face it out, rose hastily and left
them, returning at once to barracks.
I knew I had lost Norah O'Cregan.
How could she ever care for a man
whose conduct must have appeared so
contemptible t
My life after this incident was not a
happy one. As far as I could I passed
the time alone, pondering how to re
trieve the lost ground, and hailing with
delight an opportunity which soon after
offered itself of changing into another
regiment, which was ordered abroad on
immediate active service.
' '
Time passed and once more I was on
my native soil. We received a perfect
ovation when we landed in dear old
England.
Tel-el-Kebir was the subject of every
one's thoughts, and sick and ill as I was
my cheek flushed with honest pleasure
as handkerchiefs were waved and wel
comes shouted. '
I was faint and dizzy; my arm had
been amputated at the shoulder and I
suffered acute pain, but it was a proud
moment to me, all the same.
I was invalided directly after, and
weeks were passed in the sick ward of
Brighton barracks.
One day the door was suddenly thrown
open and some of our fellows bunt in.
"Cheer up, cheer up, old man!" crisd
one. "Hear this, " skimming through a
paper he held in his hand. " 'Conspic
uous bravery, V. C Why, it's worth
dying for I"
And as their- cheery congratulations
poured in upon me I felt it was worth
living for.
I began to mend rapidly at this, and
was soon able to go down to the sea in a
chair.
One morning, as I was lazily lying
back drinking in the fresh salt air, I be
came conscious of a figure standing by
my chair. I opened my eyes.
"Norah!" I cried "Norah!"
Neither of us spoke for a few mo
ments as I gazed fondly on her blushing
face.
At last she said, "Oh, I am so sorry,
and yet so very glad, so very proud !"
"Then tell me you do not think me a
coward now !" I cried eagerly.
"How could I? Oh, do not ask me
such a question!" she faltered.
And as her eyes rested on the empty
sleeve that was pinned across my breast
I saw they were full of tears ; and so
were mine, but they were tears of joy,
for as my hand closed on hers, I knew
that for all time Norah was my own.
Stories of Cats.
A St. Louis cat with only three kit
tens went out and brought in two young
rabbits, and a few days later added a
pair of young coons to her family.
An engineer on the Wabash Railway,
whose train has yet to meet its first ac
cident, attributes his good luck to a cat
that has been his constant companion in
the cab for a year.
Dr. Snow of Danbury, Conn., has a
cat and parrot that are firm friends.
The parrot escaped from the cage and
flew out of the window, when the cat
exhibited the greatest distress, and on
the Doctor's return from a call made
plain to him by her actions what had
happened.
A cat belonging to a Boston family is
used to traveling, being taken to the
country every season when the family
goes. This year she had a kitten thai
she was anxious about, and as soon as
the approaching immigration appeared
she packed her little one into a partially
filled trunk lest it should be overlooked.
New Yprk Sun.
An Effectual Treatment for Warts.
It is now fair !y established, says a
writer in The Medical Press, that the
common wart, which is so unsightly and
often so proliferous on the hands and
face, can be easily removed by small
doses of sulphate of magnesia taken in
ternally. M. Coirat, of Lyons, has drawn
attention to this extraordinary fact.
Several .children treated with three-grain
doses of Epsom salts morning and even
ing were promptly cured. M. Aubert
cites the case of a woman whose face
was disfigured by these excrescences and
who was cured in a month by a drachm
and a half of magnesia taken daily.
Anoiher medical man reports a case of
very large warts which disappeared in a
fortnight from the daily administration
of ten grains of the salts. Medical
Press. "
A Blind Boat Builder.
It is a positive fact that Herreshoff
the boat builder, is totally blind ; but so
sensitive and acute to his touch that he
an pick out different sheets of draw
ings, and seems to be able "to make his
ears perform the function of his vision.
He stems to be able to carry a plan in
mind's eye and to follow in imagination
his lines as well as others using their
sight. Several others in his family are
also blind. New York Times.
Cariosity.
Mr. Popinjay Woman's curiosity
amuses me.
Mrs. Popinjay Aha, by the way,
what's the stain on your hand?
Mr, Popinjay Paint, I was coming by
Blobson's fence and just touched my fin
ger to it to see if it was dry. Burling
ton Free Press.
Not Missed.
"And so your father has gone to a
missionary station?"
"Yes; we are quite alone now."
"Don't you miss the directing ljsud of
.householdn us !'
jffh, mother didn't go 1 - -
TURKISH SCHOOLS.
Teaching the Young Idea in the
Ottoman Empire.
The Branches Taught In Pri
mary and Normal Schools.
Not until a Turkish child reaches his
sixth or seventh year does his education
begin and his first day at school is cele
brated with ceremonies that are unheard
of ia America, says S. S. Cox in Youth's
Companion. No other such ponies are
to be found as the spirited iron-gray
ponies of the east, and one of these is
gorgeously caparisoned for the new pu
pil, who is met at his father's house by
all the school, dressed in holiday
clothes.
A priest makes a short prayer, the
child is placed upon his pony, and the
pupils, males and females, are formed in
double line. The procession moves,
singing hymns as they go, with the little
hero of the day following, and thus he
is initiated into the new world of learn
ing.
In the primary schools boys and girls
ae educated together. The teachers
are taken from the priesthood, and from
the graduates of the theological univer
sities who have learned to read the ' 'Ko
ran," which is written in Arabic, and
which all good Musselmcn must learn
how to read. Persons of this class of
teachers are consequently stringent re
ligionists, and some of them are quite
fanatical. If the pupil does not acquire
much discipline or information pertain
Ing to modern material progress, it is
because the twig is not bent in that di
rection.
A primary school is composed of one
with three divans for tho pupils, and a
scat for the teacher. The pupils sit
cross-legged in a line on the divans
holding their books on their knees and
reciting all at the same time, in a loud,
sbrill voice. They learn'grammar and the
four rules of arithmetic.
When they are able to read from the
Koran a little, they take up writing, and,
as there are no writing tables or desks,
thev hold their copv-booksi in their
hands. This is all they education they re
ceive in the primary schools. -
Besides the primary, there are four
superior schools, except the military and
naval schools, and the school of medi
cine, established in 1830, and outside of
these no education is to be had. Wealthy
men engage European teachers to help
their children in the study of languages
and modern science ; but the common
people have to satisfy themselves with
the little that is to be obtained at the
primary schools. If any one is astonished
that the governing class in Turkey
generally talk French, and often Eng
lish, Greek, Italian and German, it may
be stated that the Turk ha3 an aptitude,
like the Russian, for tongues, and makes
his necessity the mother of his study.
During the reign of Sultan Abdul
Med j id, some thirty-five years ago, an
effort was made to spread normal schools
throughout the Empire, but without
success. It is only during the reign of
the present Sultan that the matter of
education has been earnestly taken up.
In the course of eight or nine years, the
Administration of Public Instructiou has
established throughout the Empire in
Europe, Asia and Africa, three hundred
and eighty -eight primary and normal
schools, and last year there were twenty
thousand and ninety-three students.
Besides these, there are eighty pri
mary and normal schools in Constanti
nople, in which there are five hundred
and forty students, two hundred and
seventy-five being in the free school, the
only one in the empire, and six hundred
and thirty-four in private schools. The
programme of the studies is divided into
four years, and the pupils must recite by
heart, beside writing down the lessons,
which include calligraphy, arithmetic,
history, grammar and theology. More
time, however, is given to the study of
the Koran than to anything else.
No account of the education of young
Turks would be complete without some
reference to the storytellers of the East,
who have as much influence as the pro
fessors of mathematics and history. In
the early training of the child by its
nurse and tutor, wonderful stories are
told to him to inculcate moral and reli
gious truths, and by them he is taught
that he must not be afraid of death;
that he must not be astonished at any
thing, no matter how strange; and that
he is not obliged to say anything in con
versation that will be against his own
interests.
Only Eleven.
A New York gossipcr says: The ob
tuse Englishman at a dinner party is
Larry Jerome's natural prey. With the
utmost gravity he pumps him full of
the most astonishing circumstances of
his career as warrior, editor, hunter,
fisherman, yachtsman, statesman, guide,
TJhiiosopher- ana mend. "I came of a
large family" is his customary preface.
"There were ten of us boys, and each
of us had a sister."
"Ah, indeed!" the obtuse Englishman
remarks, "twenty of you."
"No," says Uncle Larry, scornfully;
"eleven.
(Juite a Coincidence.
Papa Why so pensive, my daughter?
Eloise Jack Buffington has just re
turned all my notes, and everything be
tween us is ended.
Papa Quite a coiflcjdenqes myjdear,
One of his was : returned to me thja
morning- prote6ted.Tid-Bit&,
The Ylnrfar Plait
'The tough, leathery substance, com
monly called 'mother,' which forms in
vinegar," says Popular Science Monthly,
"is one of the many fungi whose spores
float in the air, settle as dust on exposed
objects, and fall into exposed liquids,
ready to grow into a bulky plant when
conditions favor. - The exact position of
the vinegar plant among fungi has not
been settled. The plant develops while
the vinegar is making; that is, while the
percentage of acetic acid is increasing,
and . its presence tends to hasten the
operation. It grows on the surface of"
the vinegar, and if not disturbed will
cover the whole surface, conforming to
the shape of the vessel. "
Manufacturers of vinegar get rid of the
'mother" as soon as possible. The pop
ular notion that the presence of
"mother" shows that the vinegar is mads
of cider, and is of good quality, is not
well founded. The vinegar plant ap
pears in vinegar made of molasses, and
it is really as undesirable in vinegar as
mould on bread. The little wriggling
creatures that swarm in some vinegars
have been credited by some uneducated
persons with being the life of the vine
gar. The fact is that their presence is in
no way beneficial.
These eels are developed in most fruits, j
and hence readily find their way into j
vinegar made from fruit juices. Vinegar !
which contains them must contain some j
mucilaginous or albuminous matter, or
the eels would have no food, and could
not exist. They need air, also, and they
have been observed engaged in a curious
struggle with the vinegar plant at the
surface. The plant tends to prevent
their obtaining the requisite supply of
air, and the eels were seen combining
their efforts to submerge it. They may
be killed by heating the vinegar to 128
degrees, or by adding boracic acid. The
presence of the vinegar plant, vinegar
eels or other foreign substance i3 liable
to induce putrefaction, especially if the
vinegar is weak. .
A Snake Farm. i
The Omaha Herald is responsible 'for
a description of a snake farm, which it
says is situated at Galton, 111. The farm
it says, consists of forty acres of virgin
prairie, owned by Col. Dan Stover, and
is a short distance from town. There are
thirty-seven mounds of earth on the farm,
prepared in sufch a way that the snakes
use them for nests, and there are about
ten or twelve nests to the mound. The
Colonel says each nest turns out about a
dozen rattlers each year, so that his
stock is increasing rapidly, lie has a
contract with a Philadelphia patent med-
rm that is making a rheumatism
cure, and furnishes them with 250 snakes
a year at $2.25 each. No snake less
that four feet long is accepted. List
year 768 snakes were sold, his customers
beinsr scattered through a number of cit
ICS.
As much care is taken of the young
snakes as if they were lambs. The new
ly hatched snake, if not properly cared
for by their mother they are taken to
the Colonel's home, located in one cor
ner of the lot, and there fed by the
children who catch bugs for them about
the garden and street. Sometimes the
eggs are hatched out under the stove. A
half dozen very large snakes with their
fangs drawn are kept about the house as
pets. They are excellent mousers,much
better than cats, the Colonel says. The
Colonel wanders about his farm, taking
no other precaution against the reptiles
than to wear a pair of thick boots. When j
a reporter called on him the Colonel I
complained that the neighbors did not j
come to visit him very often, and that :
his wife didn't like that very much, for j
she waa fond of company, but, on the
whole, since there was plenty of money
in the business they were well content, j
The Origin of Opera.
The ancient Greeks and Romans had
both tragedy and comedy, but no opera.
The latter was introduced in 1600 in
order to celebrate the nuptials of Henry
IV. and Maria De Medici, and the play
it 1 , J3 .f 1
oi XiUryuice was renuerea oy singers. ,
Under the patronage of the court this!
combination became highly popular, j
In 1710 Italian opera was performed in j
London and was at once keenly assailed
by those who opposed what they con
sidered foreign trash. In order to assist
in ridiculing this innovation Gay wrote
the "Beggar's" opera, which had a great
run. Both Pope and Hogarth united in
satirizing the Italian opera, but it held
its place, and is now a permanent feature
in the British stage. The Italian opera
was introduced in America in 1826 by
the Garcia and Malibran troupe, the first
performance being the "Barber of Sa
ville." Troy Times.
Profit In Old Corks.
t Where do all the corks go? They
come ashore by the million. . Those that '
are not thrown into the sea by improvi
dent barkeepers are used over again.
The careful barkeeper saves his corks,
one by one, until he accumulates a bar
relful, which he sells for $5 to men who
select the good ones and dispose of them
to bottlers. The bad ones are ground
up to make linoleum. If not irredeem
ably bad they are trimmed down and
"made as good as new" for use in smal
bottles or phials. There was a time when
waiters pocketed the corks pulled from
bottles of costly foreign wine, and for 2
or 4 centa apiece sold them to parties
whose champagne vineyard are in
Avenue L or New Jersey ; but something
like a safeguard has lately been thrown
around the better class of foreign, wines,
..4.adherilno3rii nftt.much -demand pr
aiikftlP ite plying": utyNew
York Times.
A Million Dollar Diamond
It is a matter of uncertainty what
mine furnished the largest polished dia
mond in the world and how it reached
England is somewhat uncertain. But
Mr. O. F. Eunz gives some account in
Science of this unusual treasure, and
speaks of the sensatioa caused by it in
the great diamond market' at Hit ton
Garden, London. After considerable 1
time had been spent in trying to find a
capitalist who could afford to buy .such
a gem, it was at last arranged by a for
mer resident of the Cape mines to form
a company 6f eight persons, who bought
the stone together for 45,000 cash, on
condition that if they should dispose of
it, each should receive a ninth share in
the eventual profits. It was then decid
ed to cut the Btone into the largest
possible brilliant, 6till preserving a good
shape, and Amsterdam was selected as
the place where the gem could best be
cut il was accordingly sent to the pol
ishing mills of Jacques Metz, who erect
ed a special workshop for the purpose.
In order to better obtain the brilliant
form of cutting, a piece was cleaved off
which furnished a 19 carat diamond,
and was sold to the King of Portugal
for 4,000. The cutting of the large
stone, which was commenced on the 9th
of April, in the presence of the Queen
of Holland, took about twelve
months, since, instead of being cut
by abrasion with another diamond, as
diamonds are usually cut, it was polished
down on the scaif ; and a irrcat amount
of time was consumed by the cooling of
the stone, as it heated after an hour's
running on the wheel. The cutter of
the stone was M. B. Barends. ; The stone
in ! its finished condition weighs 180
carats, and is a beautiful, perfect, steel
blue diamond, and is the largest bril
liant in the world.
It is 1 9-16 inches long, 1 11-64 inches
wide and. 15-16 of an inch thick, being
exceeded in size by one diamond only,
the Ovloff, belonging to the Russian
crown, which weighs 194 3-4 carats, but
is a large deep rose, and not a brilliant.
The Victoria exceeds the Regent in
weight by 44 1-8 carats. The Kohinoor
weighs only 106 1-16 carats.
The form of the Imperial is not entire
ly even. On one side of the girdle there
is quite a flat place, a natural unpolished
surface, necessary, in cutting, to pre
serve the large weight of the stone. It
is, however, a perfect 58 facet brilliant.
The original weight of the stone was
457 1-2 carats. 8 1-C0 ounces troy. The
stone today is held by a London syndi
cate for 200,000, or about one million
dollars.
A Bogus Army.
During the war with Spain last cen
tury, when England carried the fighting
into the Spanish possessions in South
America, a funny incident happened
near Carthagena. This city was at
tacked in 1741 by the British fleet and
aimy, and one night, after a furious
bombardment, a regiment of soldiers
was landed near one of the chief forts,
the officer being ordered to watch the
foe, and to summon aid if the Spaniards
threatened an attack in force. Between
ten and eleven o'clock he sent word that
four hundred of the enemy were coming,
but by the time that more troops had
been got ready to assist him a message
arrived that the Spaniards had ' retired.
Then the alarm was raised ag$n, and
again contradicted, and so it lasted
throughout the night, to the great fa
tigue of the men. The officer in com
mand at last grew tired of these move
ments, and the next time a message
reached him he sent an officer with in
structions to inquire into the matter.
The advanced guard then showed him
what looked like a body of men in
white dresses (the Spanish iuniform) and
wearing black hats. Suddenly they dis
appeared. On a further march forward
they as suddenly came in sight again,
and once more vanished. The astonish
ment thus caused was tremendous; but
the mystery was solved at daybreak.
l ne source oi all these alarms was
! founi
!
to be a grove of manchineel
tree8 whose bafk white gpaQ.
iards had cut them down to within five
feet of the ground md thea burned the
top8 of the stumps, thus making them
wear, "black hats." In the uncertain
light of an often-clouded moon these
white tree stumps appeared and reap
peared, and quite upset the soldiers, ' as
has 'been seen, with their peculiar be
havior. Little Folks.
Could Live On Air.
: There was a pretty little wedding the
other day on Madison avenne. On the
way back from the church the young
bride hid her head on her newly made
husband's shoulder and burst into tears.
"What is it, my darling," he whis
pered. !
"I never told you I could not cook,"
she sobbed.
"Don't let that trouble yon, Angel.
You will be required to cook scarcely
anything. I am a' poet." Truth.
Basiness Activity.
"You have a lively set of clerks," he
said to the proprietor of the establish
ment. "It must be pleasant and profit
able to have employes so full of energy
and vim."
"Yes," responded the proprietor, "we
Close early to-day and they are getting
ready to go home." -New York Sun.
He Saw a Cool Deed.
"I saw a cool deed this morning,"
marked Fangle at the supper table.
re-
"What was UP asked his .wife, with
n Apr inTjresi -i.
J "TJhe fttie' ican' ice-house,'
the wretch. life.
"replied
Beautiful Hindi.
My mother's weary hands!
Tbsu praises let me speak, -They
have held lovss golden bands,
So long they are thin and weak.
They are tremulous now and slow;
But, to me, they are just as sweet
As when, so long ago.
They guided my baby feet
They have old and wrinkled grown;
But, to me, they are Just aa fair
As when they clasped my own
' And folded them first in prayer.
They have tolled thro patient years,! .
While no one praised their deeds.
They have wiped most bitter tears.
And supplied unnumbered needs.
They have heavy burdens borne,
When manhood's strength has failed;
They have soothed the hearts that mourn.
And Inspired the hearts that quailed.
The naked they have clad;
The hungry they have fed;
With tender touch, and sad,
They have laid away their dead.
Mother's hands are thin and old;
But their every touch I'll love,
Till they clasp the harp of gold
That awaits their touch above.
HUMOROUS.
The gardeners in India are all
BudQ
hists.
There is very little serf bathing In
Russia.
Market report Onions stronger, milk
weaker.
Unsatisfying food The "provisions"
of a mortgage.
Hanging is too good for a painting
that is badly executed.
A very appropriate diet for oarsmen
in training is oysters in the shell.
Although tho hen is proud of herlittlo
ones, yet she does love to sit on them.
The body of a fish is a great puzzle,
because you cant make head nor tail of
it.
Pug dogs arc going out of fashion, and
their naturally sad expression is deep
ening. It is said that drummers who travel
with rubber goods are always stretching
the truth.
Life Is full of disappointments, and a
man realizes it a while after he has
planted some bird seed with tho idea
that he was going to raise canaries.
A little girl wasn't far wrong when she
told her teacher, in answer to the ques
tion, "What is the worst thing about
money?" that it was "'cause we ain't
got any."
Before marriage the question a. gir
asks her lover most often is: "Do you
really love me?" After marriage the
query becomes, "Is my hat on
straight?"
Drawing room car: First Porter (in a
hurry) Another wash-out! Second
Porter (excitedly) Where, where? First
Porter (as he disappears through the
next car) On the clothes line!
An embarassed young man who had
just been married by a clergyman, not
knowing how to express his gratitude,
in handing over a small fee said: "I
hope to give you more the next time,"
He had an auburn haired girl and
promised to take her out riding. Sho
met him at the door when he drove up in
a buggy and exclaimed: "Hello, Ready?"
She misunderstood him and they don't
speak now. "
Pedestrian Madam, a boy who I am
told is your son has just thrown a 6tono
at me, causing a wound that is very pain
ful. What are you going to do
aboutit? Mother I don't know. Have
you tried arnica?
"What are you crying about, Johnny?"
asked Mr. Fizzletop of his little boy
Johnny. "I can't boo -find boo-my
candy horse," and then the poor little
fellow broke down completely. "Where
did you put it?" "IIeat it up."
isa ,
Pig and Kitten.
A correspondent writing to Nature
from Pollokshields, Glasgow, says: "My
children and their governess, when staying-
in the north of Ireland lately, wit
nessed the following curious display of
feelings in animals not usually credited
with feelings. A boar pig was ia the
habit every morning of going to tho
basket where a blind kitten of about six
weeks old was kept, allowing the little
thing to creep on his back and then
taking it about and caring for it
during the day. The kitten got its food
at the same time as the pig, and at the
same trough. In the evening the man
who saw. to the animals used to carry
the kitten back to the basket to pass
the night."
How He Knew.
Inquiring youth So you are the great
patent medicine manufacturer and patron
of astronomy?
Rochester doctor I have that honor.
"I have called to get a few points on
the subject of debate at our club. Tho
question is: 'Was the .moon, ever in
habited ?"'
"It never was."
"You are sure of it?" -"Certain.
I have examined its rocks
with the most powerful telescope and
haven't struck a liver cure advertise
ment yet Boston Beacon.
The Wealth of Nations.
! It is estimated that the wealth of the
following countries is increased annually
by the sums named : Germany, $200,000,
000 ; Great Britain, $325,000,000 ; France,
$375,000,000, x and tho UaitBdri gttles,
!$87&K)0O,000.YnTbe .iCaitj gf&tei
world, and asheyefigure&show.jU
wealth is increasing the mo6t rapidlj '