North Carolina Newspapers

( I - ' . i i - il. ... . . . , : - """ Itutham Record. 1 II. A. LONDON, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, 1,50 PER YEAR Strictly in Advance. -rt-i."i'..SOtOrt0.n Breta'sJDouble trap C-'V ry HELEN (CorjTightyliy Robert Bonner's Sons.) CHAPTER XIIL NEMESIS. As Carlos Monteri determined to fin 3 cut where the girl Inez had gone in the company of a stranger, he knew the only way to accomplish his object would be to follow the station-master's advice and make inquiries at Brent wood Park. So in that direction he bent his foot steps. Lingering around in the hope of seeing some of the servants whom he could question, he was finally re warded by the appearance of the but ler. Beckoning him to come down to the gate, he stood awaiting his ap proach. "Well, sir?" asked the butler. . -' 'My man, would you be kind enough to tell me -where Miss Danton has gone? I wished to see her on impor tant business and was on my way here when I saw her, in the company of a strauger, get ou a train. I must know her destination in order to send a tele gram to her." "Why, sir, she has gone to reside vith her grandfather, so Mr. Eric told me, not five murals ago. It seems that he just leavnsct of her existence, and sent the gentleman to take her to him. The place is known as Raven3-' mere. You have heard of it no doubt, sir," "'Oh, yea," returned Carlos. "Here, my man, take this for troubling you. You needn't mention that I inquired fov Miss Danton, because Mr. Brent wood might think it strange I didn't make my inquiries of him, but the fact is I have no time to lose, so I ci-iked the first- one I saw, and that was you." l."Yes, sir, I understand," returned the butler, ai he pocketed his fes. "Good evening, sir." "By Jove!" ejaculated Monteri, as lie turned away to retraca his steps. "Eavensmere! Of course, I know whero it is, and have often heard it spoken of, but I never once thought of connecting the names. I wonder how ifc all came about, anyway. Danton, (if Ravensmere, grandfather of Breta Danton! Well, surely, Inez is play ing a bold game, but I must have a linger in the pie. So here goes for my gripsack and Bavensmere. " He quickened his footsteps, and upon reaching the farm-hous9 where he had besn boarding ever since his advent to the viciuity of Brentwood Park, he packed his gripsack, paid his expenses to the woman who had be9n kind enough to accommodate him, and sefc out for tho station to inquire when the nest train stopped there. He found that the nest would not arrive for thirty minutes, so he wandered around outside for a while, and then seated himself in the waiting-room. At last, to his great satisfaction, for he lid not have an over-supply of pa tience, he found himself seated in the car bound for F.avensmere, not two hours behind Cecil Doniphan and his companion. Inez knew that he would find where sae had gone and would follow her, but she did not think he was so close on her track as he was. He was the one person whom she really feared. He had sworn to kill her, and she felt that in the end he would keep his word if she did not forestall him by turning the tables on him. When he first made his appear ance at Brentwood Park she thought her end had come, but for reasons of his own he did not attempt to harm her. Perhaps he saw a better way to revenge. Reaching the neighborhood of Itaveusmere, Carlos Monteri did not make his presence in the , vicinity known to Inez, but set out to look for lodgings at a convenient distance, saying to himself that he would wait several days until she had gotten set tled m her new position as grand daughter to a wealthy old man. j ' 'Ah " he murmured. ' 'Here's luck . for me, certainly. And it's time for! something to turn up, for funds are j not abundant just at present. As soon j as I find a place to sleep I must writs j a letter to Nita and tell her not to let : her prisoner escape under any circuni- j stances, as it would ruin all my plans. 1 It will do the girl no harm to ba j locked up as long as she gets plenty! to eat, but her incarceration will doj me lots of good, or my name isn't; Carlos Monteri." I He finally obtained a room at the 1 Morning-Star Inn, and before retiring! he penned the letter in question, so that hs could mail it the first thing in vhe morning. ! His first intention was to stop at the house of the woman he called Nita and inform her of his movements; but he decided that he could write to her after reaching his destination, which would do just a3 well as seeing and speaking to her, for she never dis obeyed his commands. - I .. CHAPTER XIV. ESCAPED. Breta Danton had been an inmate in the house of the woman Nita for a week, st5.il she found no chance of making her escape. The door was always kept locked, and it was almost impossible to make an' attempt to leave by way of the window, for therel was no friendly vine or portico to am her in reaching terra firma. Although the woman treated her Lmdlv. it was natural that she should long for freedom and the protection J VOL. XXII. PITTSBORO, CHATHAM V. GREYSON. Several times she had made up her mind to tear the bed-clothing into strips by which she might descend from the one window in the room. But the woman kept so close a watch on her that even at night she was afraid to attempt it lest she be caught in the act. She still hoped, however, that the woman would be less watchf al. What puzzled her most was why the man Carlos should lock her up in that house. Wliat was his object, she asked herself again and again, and at the end of the week she was no nearer to a solution of the acts of Mr. Carlos Monteri than she had been when she awoke from the stupor when she was first brought there. But at last, fate, or what you will, came to her aid. All day the atmos phere had been heavy; but when night approached, the clouds seemed to gather into one solid mass, and what was feared came to pass. The clouds burst, and such thunder and lightning! The woman Nita cowered back in a corner, in fright at the wild war of the elements. At each peal of thundei she would shiver and cover her face with her hands to keep out the glaring lightning. But not so the girl confined in the upper room. Although she was of a timid disposition, a storm had no ter ror for her. And now, she told her self, was the time to make her escape, if possible. Tearing the sheets of her bed into strips, she tied them together until she had what she thought enough to reach the ground. Whatever noise she made in her preparations was drowned by the roaring of the storm outside- However, she raised the window as cautiously as possible, and as she did so the cold rain dashed in her face. But not heeding that, she securely fastened the impromptu rope to the old-fashioned post of the bed and then to the bureau, which stood near the window. Having done that, she prepared to make the descent. It would be useless to say that she was filled with misgivings as to the success of her daugerous attempt. "Will the cotton bear my weight?" she murmured to herself. - " At any rate, this i3 my only chance of making my escape, and I must make the most of it." Climbing out on the sill, she grasped the line and let herself down, while with difficulty she held on to the sill with one hand, half fearing to lest tho coiton break and hurled to death below. "Courage!" she murmured slowly began the descent. let she go. be as As she she found out that the cotton wa3 strong enough to bear her weight, she felt less afraid of falling to the ground be neath her. She was half way down when snap! went tli9 impromptu rope and Breta Danton, in another instant, lay on the earth beneath, breathless, stunned. For fully five minutes she must have lain there, while the storm still raged and the raia dashed upon her, soaking her clothing. Slowly consciousness returned, and with it the thought that she must hasten lest her escape from the room be discovered and she bo returned to captivity after her perilous attempt to gain liberty. The fall and the effects of the rain seemed to Lave shocked her nerves, and it was with difficulty she made her way from the vicinity of the house where she had been a prisoner. She did Jiot know which way to turn. The occasional streaks of light ning showed her nothing save trees on every side. Hurrying onward as fast as her limbs would carry her, she prayed that she might come in sight of some habitation where she could seek shelter until morning, but as her steps became slower and slower, it dawned npon her that her strength was giving ant, and that, lest she obtained help soon, she ,would 3ink on the sodden ground beneath her. - Nevertheless, she went on and on, aot regarding the fact that she was soaked to the skin by the downpour ng raiu which had not abated a par ;icle since it first began. But at last she gave out. She could go no further. With a last effort to go onward, ehe jank on the roadside .with a moan. ' 'Oh, Father in heaven ! Must I die jut here in the storm, after all? I jannot go any further my strength lag failed me. If I could only have reached shelter before giving out like :his! Have I escaped from that house only to find death awaiting me? I feel bo faint, and my head seems to be whirling. Oh, mamma! I am corn- lag to you! I am dying, I feel am eo cold so cold and sleepy 1 it, I I am coming, mamma, I": The words sink into a moan, and Breta Danton lies still, with the storm aging around her, and only the dark sky above her. Has her soul indeed joined hei CHAPTER XV. EMC MEETS HIS FATE. "Hey, there, Jock! What's that lying over there by the roadside?" called out a gruff voice. The man ad dressed as Jock turned his horte, and looking in the direction indicated by his companion, exclaimed: "By Jove! It's a woman or a child. Come, let's investigate. , A case oi foul play, no doubt." D'inwv.nting, they approached, the still figure, and bending over it, th man Jock remarked: "She's a beauty, and I see no mark of violence. I don't - believo she's dead." "Ah, no!" placing his hand on her wrist. "The pulse is beating feebly. Hand your flask over, end I'll give her & draught that'll bring her around-.-' "What are you going to do with her, Jock? Take her to camp ?" "Why not?" returned Jock. "She's in do condition to leave here and who knows but there may be a reward out for her? She has evidently run away from home. I thought at first that there had been foul play; but there hasn't. And she hasn't been robbed, for she has her jewelry on. She has either run away or been driven out. It remains to be found out which. She ha3 a fine face, and I feel certain that she belongs to tho upper class." "Well, Jock, tho whisky doesn't seem to revive her." "Her pulse is beating more rapidly. But come help me on my horse with her, and we'll take her to the old wo man and have dry garments put on her. Why, she must have been lying out in the storm all night, for it has not rained since two o'clock, and she is soaked clear through." ' Having placed her before him on his horse, holding her limp form with one arm, they turned in the opposite direc tion from which they were going when they discovered her. They had not gone far, when they were met by a gentleman on horse back. Seeing the burden they were carrying, he called out : "Hello, my men! What have you got there?"- The men halted, and the one who was unburdened doffed his hat. "A poor young thing we found half dead by the roadside up yonder,' with a backward motion of his head. "She was soaked clear through, and we are going to take her to camp to see what wo can do for her." Eric Brentwood, for it was he, drew his horse close up to that of Jock, and peered into the lovely white face of the unconscious girl, as she reclined in the arms of the coarse-featured man who had found her. "How beautiful fche is!" he said, as a queer thrill passed through hiin. a feeling of divine pity for the help less girl who had been exposed to thj fury of the storm. "You will call a doctor at once?" questioned Eric. "The old womau is the best doctor hereabouts. She'll bring her around, sir." "I dare say. Bat, my men, sup pose you bring her to the park. It would be much more comfortable for the poor little thing there." "The camp is near," returned Jock, "and we'll see that she's made com fortable." "Well, here, tako this, and get whatever she needs," passing him a crisx ncte. "I feel a great pity for her, and I'll call around this evening and see how eho is. I wonder who she is, poor child!" ng the face that has awoke feeling in his heart. mi gazing at eo strang9 a It seemed as if he could not take his gaze away from her, but he knew he was detaining the men, so with a last look at the beautiful protile, he con tinued on Ws canter which he was went to take early every morning. And that morning, after the rain the night be fore, the air was so refreshing and in vigorating that Eric Brentwood had como out even earlier than usual. As he left the men with their beautiful charge, Lis heart wa3 filled with strango ertions. Pity for the poor child, for he could see that she wa3 not over eighteen, combined with a feeling that he coald not define. Only this he longed to see her again to learn who she was and how she became exposed to the mercies of so severe a storm as had raged the night before, "J wish now," he murmured, "that I had insisted on their taking her to the pai'k, but they didn't seem to care to relinquish her to my care. Why, I wonder? Surely that coarse-visaged gipsy hasn't fallen in love with her! If I thought that but no; that surely isn't it. However, I intend to keep a watch over her until her friends ore found, for there is no trusting those gipsies." Late that evening, Eric Brentwood started out for the gipsy camp. He met the man called Jock outside, and asked: "How is the young lady?" "Afraid she going to have a spell. Don't seem to be oi time. " sensible anv length "I would like to see her," said Eric. "Well, sir, come in, as you were so kind this morning." Eric followed him into a tent, where moid crone was sitting, making a iasket, and on a low cot reclined the igure of the young girl who had iroused suoh a strange interest in the leart of the master of Brentwood Park. The old woman bowed to Eric as he entered, and pushed forward a rough tvooden stool for him to be seated. "Sit down, sir," said Jock. "It's the nearest thing to chair that wo have." He took the proffered seat close to the couch of the girl. As he did so, she turned her head restlessly, and eye looked into his with a half-con scious expression. Unconsciously she held out hand, as if in pleading, and Eric, her sec- ing the movement, took it m his. "Who are you?" she asked in a low tone. "My name is Brentwood Eric Brentwood," he answered, with a smile, as he held her hr.ad more close ly lest she would take it from him. . To be continued. A poet indited a sonnet lobis sweet heart, entitled, -"I kissed her sub rosa," The compositor knew better t than that and set it up, "I kis$ed her Sb-nosa." Fun, COUNTY, N. C, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER AMERICANS EAT LOTUS. IT IS NOT A BAD SORT OF FOOD, EITHER, PERHAPS. Xho Agricnltural Department Is InrcgtU gating the Matter Other Asiatic Vge tables That .May Bo Introduced II ere X.ily Balbg as Food Wile? CbesttfwU. The discovery that there are lotus eaters in this country must be credited to experts of the Department of Agri culture at Washington who have ascer tained the fact incidentally to a special investigation which they havs been making in regard to Asiatic vegeta bles, writes Bene Bache in the Detroit Free Press. Now that the Pacific CVeau has become an American lake, and Yankee enterprise is on tho alert to gobble up whatever -may be avail able for use on the other side of that large pond, it is considered worth while to find out whether they have any food-plants over there that would be a welcome addition to those already utilized in tho United States. The commission appointed by Secretary James Wilson to look into the subject ha3 learned that there are many such, aud has verified its conclusions by cooking and eating them, as well as by analyzing them in order to deter mine how much nutriment they con tain. One of these p'auts is the lotus, the roots of which are largely eaten by orientals in San Francisco, being im ported from Canton, and are on sale in the markets of the Chinese quarter through the late winter and spring months. They are reddish inside and are boiled for the table usually, though sometimes are consumed raw. A kind of "arrowroot" preparation is ttade from them also. In China parts of tho blossoms are used for the toilet, the leaf stalks furnish lamp wicks, the seeds are employed for soup and as a remedy for indigestion, and the roots become an important article of food in times of famine, fifty per cent, of their substance beiug starch. The Egypfaas, too, obtain a valuable flour from the seeds, roasted and ground, and bake it into bread. EXPEr.IMEXTS WITH THE LOTUS, One reason why tbe economic use fulness of the lotus is so interesting is that the plant has been introduced into !his country within the last few years, for ornamental purposes. Experi ments in its cultivation have been in progress for some time in various parts of the United State?, aud have been unexpectedly succeesful. It is found to tolerate tho severe winters u-f the -middle East, and the short but hot summers give it an ample season to perfect its beautiful flowers, which somewhat resemble gigantic roses. In tho grounds of the Department ol Agri culture at Washington i3 a pond that is oao great lotus bed in July and August of cash year, the maguificent blossoms attracting much admiration. In California and the Southern States there are many districts specially suited to the plant, which is an aqua tic, aud in the great iuterior water way of tho former, comprising the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, it coald scarcely fail to bo successful. The identity of the vegetable, pos sibly only mythical, consumed by the Btoried "iotophagi," or lotus-eaters, who were rendered by it forgetful of homo and friends, has been much dis puted. Certainly it was not the same B3 the Ictus here described, which anciently in Egypt was a sacred em blem, intimately associated with re ligion and poetry. The Egyptian plant, indeed, was a prevailing motive in the designs of early painters and eculptors of that nation, and to this day it survives conspicuously in archi tecture as, for example, in the cap itals of columns. It was then, as it is now, of importance as a food-producer, not only in the region of the Nile, but also among Asiatia peoples. From the view-point of the Govern ment experts, the easiest way to ex amine Asiatic food-plauts was to buy them in San Francisco, where many of them are always on sale, being im ported for' consumption by the Chi nese. A visit to the markets of the Oriental quarter ia that city reveals to the eye of t non-resident much that is both strange and interesting. Most of the carious rOots, green vegetables, seeds, etc., making up the stock-in-trade of the slant-eyed groceryman are wholly unfamiliar, some of them being brought directly from Canton, while others, though grown in Amer ican soil, are Asiatic in origin. They afford a subject of study from whieh. it is believed, much may be learned that is cf value. It is not without reason that the Chinese are said to understand better than any other peo ple the art of obtaining from a given area of land tho greatest 'possible amount of food material, and one way in which they accomplish this is by utilizing a large variety of food-plants. iair BCI.ES A3 roor. In this country lilies are considered as of use only for ornamental purposes, bat ia Asia the bulbs and also the flowers of several species have long been used as articles oi food. Both the Chinese and the Japanese eat them habitually, and one kind fur nishes the hairy Ainos of the island of Yezo the northern limit of the Mikado's empire with their chief vegetible diet: 'From early December to late in August tho bulbs of an edible lily, imported from Canton, are found in the Chinese markets of San Fran cisco, where they are sold at ten to twenty cents a pouud? What seems to be the samo species rnay also be ob tained in a dried state throughout the year, and both this and the fresh bulbs are known to the epicurean Celestial as "pak-hop." These bulbs were analyzed by the experts, who found them rich in starch aud even mora . nutritions than pota toes. When eimpiy boiled xthey are very palat&ls, and it if hsU-red that Americans might easily acqnlre a taste for them. One notable point in their favor is that when dried they are quite as good for tablo use as in the fresh condition. It is not likely that they could bo. grown - la this country as cheaply as some othet vegetables, but they miht serve a a luxury, liko lettuce. Indeed, the Chi nese regard them more as a delicacy than as a standard article of diet the price being proportionately high. By the Japanese they are considered as an especially desirable food for iu valids and convalescents, and when utilized for this puipose the bulbs aro only slightly cooked audat-a eaten with Biigar. OTHE3 OSIEXTAX. rOOD TIilXTS; The so-called "watev chestnut" : n widely used in Chiua and Japan as a food plant and in those countries is highly esteemed. It grows wild ia watery places, aud in some regions so profusely as not to require cultiva tion. Tne edible tubers aro sweet, juicy, aud resemble the chestnut ia flavor. It is believed that the plant would thrive well in humid portions of the Southern States, or ia the in terior valley of California. The Asiatics have some very odd cabbages, the most notable of which resembles a head of lettuce rather than an ordinary head of cabbage. This is the famous "Shantung cab bage," named after its native province in Chiua, which, though loug ago brought to the attention of seednien aud gardeners, have never been iatro dnced in this country. It i3 described as delicious. The seeds cf the lotus aro used by the Chinese as we use chestnuts, being eaten raw, boiled or roasted. Ia order to render them palatable, it i3 necessary to' remove the dark-green germ3, which are so bitter that the saying "bitter as the germ of the lotus seed" has . passed into- aa Oriental proverb. Among other valuable Asiatic food plants are millet and the soy beau. The former is a cereal, of the first rank, cultivated on an enormous scale in both India and China. T'aj latter forms au important part of tho largely vegetarian diet cf t!ie Chiaeso aud Japanese. It has been cultivated for many years ia Europe, and is be ginning to be extensively grown ia the United States, though maiuly for forage. Is resembles a pea rather than a bean, but i.- very different from any of oar peas aud beans. The Fai'.bfuJncss of tlie JLUejiliHnS An old elephant ia'isvi into battis on the plaius of lu iia was a standard bearer, and carried oa hi- l'.aje baci the Boyal ensign, tho rallying-point; of the Pooua host. At the begiansu of the iiht ho lost his mastsr. T"J "mahoot," trj driver, had just give a the word to halt, when ho received a fatal wound, and fell to the ground, where he lay under a heap ot" s!ai;i. The obedient elephant stcol still while the battle closed around bin and the standard he carried. He never stirred a foot, refusing to ad vance or retire, as the conflict became hotter and fiercer, until the Mahrattas, seeing the standard siiH flying steadily in its place, refused to believe thai they were being beaten, and raided again and again round tho colors, and all this while, amid tbe dia of battle, the patient animal etood straining its ears to catch the eonud of that voice it would never hear again. At length the tide of conquest left tho field deserted. The Mahratta.3 swept on in pursuit of the flyiag fos. But the elephant, liko a rock, stood there, with the dead and djing around, and the ensign waving in its place. For three days and nights it remained where its master had givea the command to halt. No bribe or threat coald move it. They then sent to a village, a hun dred miles away, and brought the mahout's little eon. The noble hero Ecemed then to remember how the driver had sometimes given his at thority to the little child, and imme diately, with all the shattered trap .pings clinging as he went, paee-i quietly and slowly away. Siberia a Great Vav FIcl l. In Siberia the ermins catch haj fallen off largely within twenty years. On the other hand, tho figures of th.s first half of the present decado of years show that the catch of sable, otter and red fox, as well as that of many other leas valuable furs and skins, ha3 greatly increased. This means simply that Siberia has been the least hunted of tho great fur fields. With the iucreaso of popula tion and means of transportation tho product marketed is growing larger, for the time ha3 not yet arrived when the field is overhunted. Thus Siberia is to-day the most important of the land far preserves. It may be that Fuissia, heeding tha lesson taught by the virtual extinction of the fur animals in her own northern forests, will endeavor to prevent the same fate from befalling the Siberian fur trade. New York Sua. AT here Costly Furs Are Fount! Tli9 costlier furs coma from tliS temperate and cold parts of the earth., and the most expensive, a3 a rule, are the product of tho sub-Arctic and Arctic regions, where Nature protects animal life with the thickest ami warmest coverings. A few kinds cf monkey skins, together with the skins of lions, tigers audother large cavai vora, are about the only contributions of $ub-tropical and tropical countries to the fur and skin trad. Far mer chants look to Canada and Siberia tc supply the larger part of tao most esteemed furs derived from laul ani mala. Franca Fal!- Sbort. Twenty-five years r.g. Francs wa; able to put as mauy fcoi.Hor i i ti: , field as Germany. u-uay u i hort by aboa$ 1,Q3?.QW a.a. 16, 1899. NO. 12. MEALS ON TRANSPORTS. fE?DIN3 UNCLE SAM'S TROOPS WHILP AFLOAT. - DcTo!optnenfc of an Adequate System Flifjity of Good Food For I! very Man Our Methods Co:miderc;l tbe. Cast in tUo World Tito Mess OulUt. Tho system which has been per fected by the Government for .leading troops on the United States trans ports i3 considered the most adequate ia the world. This is the more won derfal because it has" been perfected in. a year. The methods employed at first were crude, and involved a great deal of unnecessary hardsMp. A year ago the troops sent- to Cuba, aud even to the Philippines, had only travel rations, which consisted prin cipally of corned beef and hardtack, with nothing hot except coffee. It took several hours to distribute the rations for each meal, so that the men were irregularly fed, and not uncom monly were obliged to wait till noon before they had any breakfast. This state of affairs is practically ended, aud while much depends upon the in dividual ability of the ship's quarter master, certain effective regulations are universally carried out. The United States Government owns twenty-three transports. The finest of these are the Sheridan, the Sherman, the Grant, the Logan and the Thomas These five great ships are exactly alike,' d55 feet over all and of 531)0 tons each. They are capable of carrying two thoasaad ;n lhted men, besides nearly one hun dred oiiicers in the cabin. There trej three messes oa board these fhips t'je cabia or officers' nica?, the crew's,. mes3 and the mess of the enlisted oaen. In plyiug acrcs3 the Pacific to Manila, a one month's trip with only one stop fov coal at. Honolulu, a per fect, system, not only iu the provision ing but ia the daily feediag of this tremendous passenger list, is an abso lute necessity. The messes of the officers and of the crew are served regularly, and are equal in tari ty and. quality to those of almost any of the Atlantic liners. The great problem which has been successfully solved is the feeding with equal regularity and with food of good quality to two thousand enlisted men. A long, narrow galley has been built amidships on the mes3 dsck at the right hand side. Here are sec four meat boilers of' 110 gallons ca pacity each, four vegetable boileis of tifty-rlvo gallons capacity each, and two coffee boilers containing 150 gal lons apiece.; Four regular cooks take charge of the cooking, which is done entirely by steam; a detail of four foldiers gives them daily assistance. Twelva men are also detailed to peel potatoes and prepare the vegetable?, and twelve more as a fatigue party to bring supplies -from the storerooms, ?.ad, taking into consideration the local amount of supplies consumed each day, this duly is not a light one. Besides the cocking galley, it has been found necessary to establish a butcher shop, where the refrigerated meats ara taken from the cold storage rooms, cut up and issued to the cooks. Three regular butchers and three de tailed from among the soldiers- are kept busy hero daring tho day.: EOW THE FOOD 13 S3UV2D. The mess calls for the men are at G.20 a. m., 12 in. and 5 p. m. Im mediately ten men from each company form ia line in regular order, each detail being provided with from six to ten buckets of fourteen quarts' capacity, allowing at the least seventy quarts of food for one hundred men. The cooks in the galley fill the buckets with meat, vegetables and coffee, and then they aro carried to tha mess tables, where tha'food is issued to each member of the, com pany, who is waiting in line with his ia plate aud cap. As each man is served he moves ou and generally ;oes t.) the upper deck to eat. The .ness deck, where the galley aud mess tables are situated, corresponds to the uain deck, aud is just below the" spar ox upper deck. After all are served the first time, the men begin to return or '.'seconds," as they call itarid aro sei-vs l jn-d as plentifully aga.n. ' . a Idition to the food booked in iia i 1 y the men have fresh bread 'aorntnjr fyu 1 nisdit and hardtack at loan, The bread is issued separately v the mess table?, and the inen re eivd s tvitu the rest ot the food. In order to keep the supply of bread s vvi to the demand there is. a squad f twelve bakers on board, .four.: of .vao.u are . at work all night. : The . ab-u rauje are use.l, the bakeahop einj near lua cabia galley. As the an a,ra iu use for the cabiu cook-:igJdiu-ing the day, all the baking .mfc ba.doae at night. The regular ."ariujht" army float- is used, 2i00 mand nf it ev?ry day. It is baked ,.i -urge biscuit?, which the men call "cobs-," and they eat two or three of these at a meal. Hardtack is issued it the rate of 2300 pounds every three lay?. Tqa fresh bread is piled on -helves in a large cage which occupies me centra of tli3 mess deck, from which it U issued to the mess details moaning and night. AV A3DXDANCC OF GOOD FOOD. A few figures may convey an idea oi the generous provision - made : for each maa.;on board. The regulation concerning the field or travel ration are disregarded, each man being al lowed to kav9 practically as much as ho wants and a much greater variety than the1 prescribed ration". He has t'reslt meat twice a day, au allowance of one and one-fourth pounds for each oiau. The vegetables comprise car .otf, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, rice md cabbag. Oatmeal is frequently iven out m the morning, and at night rrtf kind of dried fruit, such as aihe;j. prune' and apricots;' some- .:mV3 pickles iu addition The fol KATES ADVERTIGI HQ One square, one insertion One square, two insertion) One square, one month MO For lvger advertisements liberal cox. tr eta -will be made. lowing amounts are often issued from the storeroom in a day: Sixteen crates of potatoes (1600 poauds),100 pounds of onions, 1000 pounds of carrots, 4QJv of turnips, 15G5 to 2500 pounds of meat, 1400 pounds ofJsalt meat. Eight pounds of coffee is allowed to every -100 men over 150 pounds a day. T sweeten thisover 200 pounds of sasat is 'issued daily. Each company has two mesa tables, and this facilitates the quick distribu tion of food. It often happens that every man is served at the eud of twenty-five minutes. Forty minutes is the longest time consumed; in th distribution of the food. .'..Everything used is of thoroughly goo3 quality, and it is only necessary to see tho men eat to realize that it is'appetizing. - The comfort of the men is also con sidered between meals, eight hundred pounds of ice being issued three times a day at 11 a. m. and 4 aud 7 p. tn. , It is placed in great casks of fresh water, which are conveniently sitnated on the spar deck, fore and aft. The mess outfit issued to troops and carried in the haversack consists ot two tin plate?, knife fork, spoon and cup. These plates are two shallow to use comfortably on board ship, so each man when he comes on board receives a round tin plate of more than an inch in depth, which ho uses daring the voyage, at the end of whica he cau either keep it or throw it away. The facts and figures here given re fer particularly to the Sheridan, one of the five great sister ships which, with the exception of the Logan, carry troops across the Pacific, and are rua on practically the same principles. Although many of tb.9 other transport have not the facilities for carrying out the new system ia iH entirety, they are all comfortable, and present a striking and happy contrast to army transports of a year ago. When tha Sheridan stopped at Malta on its first voyage to the Philipgines tho Englili officers wero forced to." admit that iu this instance at least the United Stater transported her soldiers with more com?orb than Great Britain. New York Tribune. Curious InconsislcBcies of Women. As the sterner ses is fond of remark ing, women have many curious incon sistencies. Nevertheless it mast bd admitted that the impeachment Unoi witliontfounclatiou. Take for instance tho matter of "tipping." The nio5 philanthropic and geaerou3 oi women even, almost iuvanal:y givo mcau liv tle tips, and if it is possible to avoid it, never give any. At a woman'. luncheon counter recently, one of th few exceptions to the rule left a coin on the counter after having paid her score. "Voa havs forgotten this," raid the waitress, pushing it over to her. "Oh, that is my tencent tip," re turned the other laughingly, but with out taking it. The attendant picked it up, seemed doubtful what to do with it, and finally walked over and dropped it into the firm's cashbox. "Evidently tips are" not common here," soliliqnized T,he donor, as Bhe watched the proceeding. I forgot it was a women's counter! "I have never considered the mat ter of tips," remarked a fashionable woman recently. "I always noticed my husband gave something to the waiter when he dined at a restauranfv but I never inquired what it was, aad it has so happened I have never gone alone to such places. Not long ago, however, when I had a luncheon on, my cook fell ill, and rather than post pone the party I transferred by enter tainment to the Waldorf. It was quite au elaborate luncheon, and we ha I four waiters, and when I left I gave them a quarter apiece, which I consid ered an adequate tip, but I saw at once by their faces that I had committed aa error according to their code. "What should I have given?" I asked my husband afterward. ; Why, a dollar at least, for such a luncheon as that,' he answered." New York Tribune. The Interealla; W.itr-Ou eS. -The natural homo of the water ousel is the Rocky Mountains. Hei not known anywhere else oa this con tinent; and he Joves the monntaia stream, with rapid? and cascades. In deed, he will ereci his oven-like cot tage nowhere else, aad it must b3 a fall aud not a mere ripple or rapid. Then from this point as a centra or, rather, the middle point of a waver ing line he forages up and down the babbling, meandering brook, feeding chiefly, if not wholly, oa water in sects. Strange to say, he never leive the streams, never makes excursion t.i the country rouud-about, never flie over a mountain ridgo or divida t reach another riliey, but simply pur sues the winding streams with a fidelity that deserves praise for its very singleness of purpose. No "landlubber" is he. Shonld be wish to go to another canon, he will simply follow the stream he is on to its junc tion with the stream of the other val ley; then up the second defile. His flight is exceedingly swift. JHis song is a loud, clear, cheerful strain, the very quintessence of gladness as it mingles with the roar ol. the cataracts. New York Post. Crop Mortjraces In Forto Rico. In Porto Rico, as in other West Indian islands, the custom of mort gaging crops has prevailed. Once a year the planter eoes to a banker or private money lender aod borrows enough to enable iiim to employ labor and cultivate. When bis crop ma ture he repays the loan,-togetber with interest at the rate oi-Un cv twelve or even twenty per ceftt Now that the hurricane 'has destroyed bis grow ing canes or fruits ho finds himself with a heavy mortgage on his land and no money to go ahead and plant again. Thus the planter suffers, the laborer suffers aud the whole eg" i tli9 island sailers 1 it- -. Hi i li". ;r. f! ; U.j h. k ill fit if if it: t - : ' H U j