GZlwtlxtmx gsmnrtl. BATES or Cljatfjata flecorb. II. A.. LONDON, KDIT01J AND PROPRIETOR. ADVERTISING rl TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, U50 PER YEAR Strictly in Advanc. Om square, one Insertion One square, two insertion One equate, one month SU9 VOL. XXIV. P11TSHOKO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C THURSDAY, MARCH 20, .902. NO. 31. Urrer will t ou be made. A NOVEL. f3v fiQrs. SlizrtVclli (?. tOinlor. (ISABELLA CASTELAK.) (OnpTrighl. 1 nd by cnAnKK vur. ''"Yes, in ro.NTisrrn. iudeed, whnl a charming in a.'. your papa is, Mr. Stanley! Dour old Kentletunn! 'Jill 1 mot tin) Pari ( Windermere, I roully felt a little timil shout mooting noblemen. In my in Dooont ignorance I couldn't quite ree oguizo that they who liUo other pe -plo; but your pupa quite cured me oi that feeling, Mr. Stanley. Ami then your brother, Lord Appleby ! Ho is r. most dolightful person." , "Ah! Wo are 11 delightful family altogether. Miss (inyc." said tho IIo:i. Ularonoo Stanley, goo.l humoredly. "Yes, Mr. Stanley, you nr! it do lightful family; nii l I. inly Appleby nd tho dear little fo.iy, the now heir to Windermere, mi 1 cvou dear ol.l Toddlokms!" ' "Ah, iudeed! Tli'M-o you have the vlvautngo of mo, Miss (lave. Yo.i see it is ninny years F.iiieo I left Png laud, nml my brother was not yet married. I hopo tho ilenr little box is quitrt well. I Uuo.v untiling that would distress 1110 11: ire tli.iu any ac eidont to him. lint, 'dear old Toddle kins!' Now, who ii Toddlekins? That is a mouther of the Stanley fam ily with whom I nut nut lit all ac quainted." , "Why, of course; bcenuso I bn etowe 1 that that name upon her my self. Toddlekins i i the old-maid hit ter if Lady Appleby." ; "Really, I hud quite forgotten her! And by that name, too! Rut, since yon iiavo bestowed it o:t her, I nm quite charmed to make her aequaint uce." "Rut r!io hasn't forgotten you, Mr. Btanley. Ah, no! You nro iuite n hero to her, and she h:n a picture) of you about which (die is quite hilly. Hue. has it net up in her room like a aint iu a shrine." .. "A picture of me!" exclaimed Clar ence Stanley, an I his hand closed convulsively upon the miniature ho had been holding, lie was conscious of th) violence of his ow n grasp, 1111 1 ho felt tho old and worn bingo of the fruits amp. II v provoking! Do lores would be distressed at tho nee; but, and he was vjry anxious to do nothing that might nanny hor. Mary Hamilton, vaguely conscious thtt soinothuig like a duel of words was taking place botwo-u Clarence itu.l this now acquaintance, but quite unable to gne-is at the meaning oi' it, had takoil llerthn Sefton to the other side of the room to meet Dolores, and tbo threo girls stood there, exchang ing commonplaces an 1 feeling uncom fortablo. Jiertlia was wishing that eho bod not brought Olive, and xvou dering at her curious manner toward Mr. Stanley; Volly wns thinking that Olive (iaye was "queer," and Dolores was waiting an opportunity to pet back her mother's miniature without being obliged to nsk for it, ami feel ing that she could not endure to have it looked at and spoken about by tlie.-e utraugers, even though they were Marnja'x friends. Olive (iaye alone was perfectly serene. " 'A piet'tro of you!'" nho was Key ing, repeating Stanley's last words, "Why, yes, that is not very surpris ing, I am sure. Why shouldn't dear old Toddlekins have it picture of you if she wants one; and n most excellent picture it is, Mr. Stanley. Now, 1 don't think you at all like your papa, or like Lord Appleby; but I veeog liizod you at once by that picture when I saw you last niht. Oh! How did you like the opera? Wasn't it lovely? I just doto ou music! Do you?" , Claronco declared fiat he, too, doted on music; and then ho said how flattered ho felt, that. Miss (biyo had recognized him from his vctem blanco to his picture. Mary Hamil ton now camo toward them to intro duce Dolores to Miss (iaye, and Stanley felt that ho was at that i.io nteut almost in lovo with Polly pretty, innocent, frood, honest, little Polly. I He took immediato ndvautago of this slight diversion to retire to a little distance in order to examine how much mischief had been dune, to the miniature. He found that tho caso was not broken; the slight, snap he had heard was caused by pressure ou what was evidently a secret spring in the back of tho case; a'.nl, as this had yielded, apiece of parchment, yollow with age, had dropped out of it aud Bow lay in the p.ii'u of his hand. Clarenco cast ono quick, startled glance toward Dolores, aud saw that she was standing with her back towards bim, talking with Olive tiaye. His heart gave a great bound of triumph. What was it? lie could scarcely reprefi his excitement, so great was his kngiug to get uway "hero he could examine this slip of parchment at his leisure. Ami yet, perhaps, it might prove of no value ut all. At ony rate, it would bo well to return the miniature nt oneo, and so rouo no suspicion iu IK lores, who prob ably knew nothing of the secret con tained in it. He watched his oppor. tuuity, and presently succeeded in placing the miniature, in her hand iu such a mauuer as to attract no atten tion to it. She gave him a swift, grateful look- a look that Hashed like light from her deep, dark eyes and which i-etit a strange elect ri "al quiver through tho heart of Clarenco Stanley. Rut ho waa scarcely coustioun of it UftUBRT B.tSNPK'S SoN.1.) then, though he remembered it after ward. His id i ml was on lire for a single glance at the slip of parchment 'ue held iu hin hand. He felt he could not restrain hi i curiosity any longer, and, under e iver of examining a book which he had taken up from a table, he went over to n window. There he o curd the parchment, and laying it wiihiu the open book, he read the Urst lino written across it read it slowly, for it was in the Spanish language translating it carefully, word by word: '"Helow is given, i;i cipher, the secret of the hidden treasure of the Meudoas, buried iu tho Santiago Ca :on," CHAl'TKR "isxowi.rinii: is rowpR." As the full sigiiiiicanee of tho first Words sank into the mind of Clarence Stanley, he becamy dizzy with the possibilities of future wealth that rushed into his excited thoughts, for he knew that ho possessed iu that slip of parchment the key to almost fabulous treasure. True, tho secret was concealed in it cipher that was ot the most intricate character, but he. was not the man to bo batlled by any thing of that sort. He knew that all ciphers were made ou certain rules; and, besides, having a natural talent for puzzles of every description, he had often amused himself by tho work ing out of various ciplmrs and crypto graphs; and by then re-arranging and transposing them into more dif ficult fi mis than before, this was mere p'ay. In all arithmetical or algebraic problems, there are certain family resemblances easily recogniz able to a mathematical mind; it is tho same iu cryptography, or any other species of mental gymnastics; ami Stanley felt himself easily master of the Mtuation. iiuo the excite ment of having t'lta secret ill his possession ntVi eted It. in so power fully that ho was oMigtd to exercise tho greatest control over himself in order not to betray his feel ings. He was, however, a person of resources, oud startiing situations were not new experiences to him. lie folded tho parchment, took nil old fashioned wallet from his pocket it wallet hearing his name and the coat of arms of tho Stanley family, and having opened it, he placed tho pre cious document in the inn, ist pocket. Then with fjreut delihei a i ion he re turned the wallet to its former place, and closing the book he carelessly re turned it whence he hit 1 taken it. No one had observed him that he perceived at a glance. Mary Hamil ton, who hud always been, as her com panions had said, "a very girly girl," wns, for the moment, entirely occu pied by her two callers and by Dol ores. Rut when Rett ha suddenly de clared that site mid Olive had made n very long call and must now bring it. to an end, Clarence Stanley found himself included in tho hiibbuh of good-bye aud fnrewell remarks that presently ensued. Ho took advan tage of this to bring his own visit to an end; and notwithstanding mi im ploring look from Polly, he took his departure, promising to see her ou the next day. He went directly to bis hotel, and as soon as ho bad reached his room he locked his door, Fat down at a writ-i'lg-table oud placed tho parchment with its cryptograph before him. As ho sat tluie, poring over its secret characters, he scarcely looked like the sumo man on whom Polly Hamil ton hud fixed all her hopes of future happiness. The whole expression of his faeo was changed. Tho bright and debonair look that characterized him in society was gone, and all his latent capabilities for evil camo to the surface. Rut tho predominant ex pression was eager, greedy, hungry love for gold ; and ns ho studied tho mysterious characters ou the parch ment, there was but ono thought in his mind that ho would master its secret and become the sole possessor of tho wealth of tho Meiulozas. That ho would find tho cipher a dif ficult ono to interpret he hud, of course, expected; but he hjcii learned that it wns more than diihVult; it might even prove impossible. Never hail ho Fecit such characters. How should he begin to interpret them? Was each character a letter, t.:; d, if so, to what mysterious language did they belong? Or was each character a symbol, and, if so, what did the symbol indicate? Hour after hour he i pent over the parchment, turning it hither and thither iu every direction md looking at it from every point of view. There wero twelve characters; l hut was the fust discovery. Wb.Vj twelve? There wero twelve signs ot the zodiac, twelve months in the year, twelve tribes iu Israel, twelve apos tles. What wns the mystic, significa tion of twelve? Had it any? He be :it'.i copying the characters, tracing them ouo by one, with laborious utiu uteness. i'They wero certainly not letters; they wereyes, surely, they wero fragmeuts of a picture! Ho took several pieces of paper and traced each one of the characters sep arately mi a pieco of tho paper, and then laid then side by side, to catch tlmetleet; b"1 this told him nothing. "If I lii.il it pair of scissors!" be thought, gazini; helplessly about the room. "Ah! How welcome would be the feitfht vf a wumau's wvik- basket nt teis moment! Tl tluij nothing I can mnmige with?'' Ho rose from Hie tab!,! and began walking aimlessly snout, till, catching sight of his dresfiiig-ca'c iu the inner room, bo went toward it with tin ejaculation of triumph. 'My nail-scissors! What was T thinking of, not to remember them?" Aud snatching up that implement of his toilet, Mr. Stanley again sat down to tho solution of his cryptograph. With great care ho cut out from the nieces of paper tacit carefully traced character, and then he cndi avored 'o lit them together. Ag'.iu mil igaiu ho trie 1 and failed. The mys terious scraps of w hat seemed to be a picture of something had no moaning by themselves, still less had they any when ho lai I th-.'iu si b by side, above, helow nothing. With a groan. h leaned back in his chair and lookc 1 up at the ceiling. Then he gathered up the scraps of paper in his hands, and looked vindictively toward the grate, iu which, as the alter. ioou had been chilly, still burned a bri'tiit lire. Ho was ni the point of crushing tho papers in his hands to throw them into the grcte, when ,i sharp knock sounded on his door. Clarence Stanley slnrted slightly, uud opening the drawcrof his table, swept into it the fragments of paper he ha I s care u!ly cut out, and o.t top of that the niece of parch .ueiit with its well kept secret. uiekly locking the drawer, he t imed impa tiently t the door, on which now sounded a second and loud-r knock. "Como in!" ho cried: and as t'.io handle was turned ineiVectually, he hastened toward the doo1', unlocked it and flung ii open, "f had torgolten the door wns locked," he said, with a s irl of inso lent impat ienee toward everything out si. It! of it, and then, in it sharp tone to the servant who stool waiting, "well, what do you want?" "Some o:ie--a--a u'cutlciuan to ree you, sir," answered t'i.e man in a hesi tating way, as he tendered a ;:-). which Stanley tool: ; and. w illmut look ing at it, he said : "Oh, all right ; show liim up." As ho glanced on! nft-r the servant, Stunloy observed thatihe hall lights were already burning, and ho realised that ho must have been engaged for hours iu the efloi t to read tho mys terious cipher, without even suspect ing tho approaching du.-k. He poked his lire viciotu ly, so that it sent out a myriad of bright sparks ; aud then hav ing lighted several gas-burners, he glanced at the card he still held iu hi ' hand ami exclaim .1 : "Why w ho the tb.uee!" The name on the card wns: ; ruor. nixai van tam:i.. : And before Stanley had recovered from his amazement, the owner liho namii stood, bowing, iu the doorway. "Oh, come in!" ex-daimed Stanley, testily. "If f had read your ii.imi first, "l don't think I should have had you come, up, but finee you me here, perhaps you can be u-eful. Shut the door, nod lock it, too; I don't want to be disturbed." The person to whom tin"-o curl words had been address";! obeyed tho concluding direction with the air of u slave who acknowledges a master; ami, coming forward, he dropped into a chair to which Stanley pointed witfl insolent indi. Terence. Professor Van Tassel wns a small, Inrk, slender man of an uncertain age that, according to circumstances and the hour of the day, might have be mi variously guessed at anywin.ro front thirty to lilt v years. lust now ho looked about forty; pale, with sunken hecks, Iougish. straight hair, miuut and hungry, with large, wild eyes and an inexpressible appearance of loss. No one that ever looked at him an t was capable of putting into thought the effect produced by his appearance could have failed to be conscious of this curious sense of loss w hich he car ried about with him like an atmosphere; to some it was pitiful, to others ridicu lous, and to others still, aud by far tho greaterini'iihc'-, it was perfectly inex plicable. To Stanley, who understood it perhaps even bettor than tho victim himself, it brought a sudden feeling of triumph, as he thought of many ways in which he could make this wretched being useful. "Well, old fellow, how did you find mo out?" bo asked, in a jocular tone. "Ry what you call 'accident, 'Carlo what call 'a leading.' I was led to lounge about tho hotel door though I knew not for what - till T saw you come along the street ami enter Ibis house. Hy asking it ques tion here and there ami spending my last few dimes among the waiters, I learned that you had been staying here for some time, that yon had re turned a day or two since from Chi cago, and tii.tt you wire siill paving court to the pretty San i'raueisvau girl whoso father will makehis sen in law as well as his daughter a million aire." to r.n rosrivi in, e.Servlef" IiiHlm.l nt Hello. In one of tho new apartment houses in town they have adopted a plan which does away with the rule "Hello" which came in with the tele phone, and which conservative per sona have never been able to use with out an apology to tlifinselves for its luck of elegance. Hveiy room in tint houso is connected w it Ii tin" o'.:ic by telephone. You ring the b '!l, put the receiver to your ear, and a respectful voice sayf, with a rising iullectio i, not "Hello," hut "Service?'' Wash ington Post. Th Iiib Vurr V .ir sli-retum-.... A Russian remedy f--r i-.isomu'a is to have a dog sleep iu tin" mom, and preferably iu tho same ) 1. It may be through a scn-. of companionship, or one of security, or it may net sue (eslively; ut any laic. It i "aid r.t limes to pii.v.t of v. due when other uuaiis. fail, -Public IKnltU Journal. .&iVXBlJD?ET ltfinoriif. When Mddml goes to simp she takes II. r sweetest smile alone. Ail I .1 -lie counts her change she mnkca .Me isi'y wil h her sunns. Hut. soiled .-mil lutU'lel all to banish, Me- Imis hack linns' to Ii et i:.cn; e lie Imunlit n lot of tr.isli The f.nih.-li only (jet. I'lii'-aiM Record -Herald. rorguvn 111. Fneutli.. "And he ilicd in peace with nil the world." ' Yes. lie even forgave the doctor who attended him."-J'.altiuiore W orld. AtlMM'llitlB. Clarn "It's a thrilling story, isn't If;" Maud "One of tin- most thrilling I ever read. 1 couldn't skip more than half of It." - Dei roil free Press. I.noltlni; Out Tor ('oiiifort. II";ii'.v-"IIow can a man tell when he begins to g-t oMV" lulu: "Well, a man has begun to got. ol.l w in u In- iiliils nut that ho would rather sit by the lire limn go sleigh riding." - Detroit 1'ree Press. t''.nroiil':ii;iliK. I'liicnologisi "Ami (he hump of ac quis:' ivi nes " ( holly "Ah! I have a bump of ac quisitiveness!" His Friend -"Rail Jove! Cholly, may be you're going to many Miss ii'otiox!"- I'uck. I'mircUng llliu AHrr a 1'anliinn. Riirgkir-"'i'ake off that coat ami vest." Victim -"Riii I shall get chilled if 1 di.-robe.'' I'.urgkir- jii'.i won't. I'll keep y.iu I'lycrei! wiili this gun." Chelsea i.Mas.-O li.iz.etle. Wont I'rrim ilu Wttiiilerer. Hear Tom-"Here it is three weeks :i"ier Cliii.Min.is, and as 1 write this I sit wiih my window open. Think of '.niil,- that b::ek iu old New Rutland"' -- .linUc (ii'litlrineii. "Von don't know how to make love!" sneered the Ceiillcman of the Old " No," laughed the (hiilleman of the New School. "I have all that to the w,mi. n. I have need only to make money! " Life. Au .Mil Story. Castleton "Willie, for a younger hiviher, you don't seem to have much curiosity about your lister and my self." Willie--"No. I did when the fellows first came, but now I guess I've seeu all there is to be scou." Detroit Free Pre.. Tlit" llciiliiii; Touch of Time. Mrs. Dash - The idea of Mrs. Hash having society aspirations; why, hei father was a huckster." Mr. Dash "Yes; she's entirely too forward. She ought to hang back until people have forgotten it. Now, in our case, my th ai', il was your grandfather who was a huckster." Detroit Flee Pre as. Coal. 'You doii'i get such poetry as was written in days gone by," said the re gretful person. "Of course you don't," answered the smug modernist. "There Is no further demand for it. There is so much ilays gniie by poetry already ou the market thai there is no further de mand for it." Washington Star. A I elil Iti jiiiiiiler. "Dcre ain't much sympathy iu dis world, an' dat's a fat k," said Meander im; Mike. "1 took tlat policeman into i i ' eenli'b nee. 1 tohl him dat l had km! all tie troubles extant; dat I was a collection of sorrows." "Wlril .lid he doV" 'lie leiiokcd nic over ntf den said il was aliotu lin e fur him to lake uo foiled i-hi." - Washington Slur. Tli" Coiivi'titloiiHl llollMr. Tho boy litially foiilhicil to me IliJit he was coining lo New York, and with .l.oO iu bis pot kct. "You ore tempting Fate!" I es I'luimcd, oud tirurtl him by ull means to throw' the hall dollar into the hay, as we crossed over on Hie ferry. J'.ui ho was brave, and declared he would sin eei. I, in spile of conventionalities.- Puck. hen in lln I'ttilrtl. Here," said lh" president of the sired railway company, "you'll have to look lor another job. We must make a change." "What's the trouble? We haven't had any strikes lately. I've succeeded iu kcepi'-.g the men satis-lied on low wages, uud I've been cutting down the ni her operating expenses right along, haxtn'l 1';" es, but I've just been inspecting tin. i ;ii. and 1 '.lie I that the straps iu mo t id' Iheui ai' marly .is good as xt. You iiiuM u" The illredors'll ttexer stand ilia:, " - Chicago Kevord Undid. ' " WHEN TO WIND YCUR WATCH. Rrgular Trenliiicnt 1 -yi-iilliit lo Accuracy nf l-'llie Tiilifliif f r. "My watch has developed a most mnoying irroirularliy," remarked n rery businesslike woman. "It lost and rained time by turns until I conceived the disagreeable Impression of having (mid a tlrst-class price for a third-class trtlele. Full of resentment. I posted iff to the dealer In chronometers from whom the watch hud been purchased md accused him of having trcand me unfairly. "He opened my timepiece." she con tinued, "nnd having examined its in ternal economy very closely, remarked: It's simply a ease of unconscious ni di. v lo a faithful but sensitive friend.' Those liiile workers lhai tirelessly tick thing, even when I heir owners are isleep. are worthy of far better treat ment than they receive. Fully liim ly iiine per cent, of the people who t arry watches never give them a thought. "Take, for instance, the simple pro N'ss of winding a watch. There is a right and a wrong way of tlo'.ng II. Whether It be by key or a stem, it -lioiihl bo wound in lln" morning. Torn slowly and avoid all jerky iimveim ins. l'he watch will then work best dining the day, as the spring will exert iis strongest traction power, whereby the ?xternnl jostllmrs Indicted on the ivalch by your daily works and walks ire fairly eiiunlerbalaiiied. When a ivul eh Is wound at niht it has only the weakened spring to offer as re sistance to the jerks and jobs of the laylime. The morning xviiuliug also lessens the danger of breaking the mainspring, v.liieh, being no longer at full tension al nighi. can stand the :old better. "All watches keep heller time as tin" result of regular habits, Imu'l lay it loun one night uud hang it up the next. Keep it in the same position as icarly ns circumstances will permii. hi second -class wait lies ihe r.ue dif ference between Ihe horizontal and verlieal position is oticn ipiite signiii ant. Nor should yon hang your watch on a mill where il can swing to ind fin like n n'li 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 n i . It will cither sain or lose a great thai while in Hint position. "The difference in temperature be tween your breast or a man's waist ?oat pocket and a wall, lh.ll may be nearly nt Ihe freezing point, is about seventy-seven to eighty eighl degrees Filhl-nheil. ami a xv.U. h should Ihere lore never be suspended or laid against 1 cold surface. Sudden changes in h: temperature of the alinosphere are tho Muses of most mainsprings breaking. The watch wearer should clean his or her pockets frequently, carefully brushing out all dust and fibre, for .here never was a joining made light enough to keep out all tlii-st. This gets Into the oil which has thickened xviili lime, and necessarily prodm-i s irregu larities of rate. Kven wiih the great est care a watch should be cleaned .nice in eighteen months', and every renr would be belter. I!.v thv. time th,. .ill dries no nnd mixes with metallic lust; it grinds away on the work- lik" r-niery. When 1 tell you ihat a wat.-h licks ,'!VMi:i times in one day. yo.i can compute the gigantic task it performs 'n n year. Treat your watch reasona bly, and it will appreciate stidi tare, md -will serve you faithfully a a friend Iu need." "-Washington Star. Slippery Siilrirulkf:. Slippery sidewalks that have be, n 'ho rule for the past few mornings have tended to bring ot:t emphatically me of the peculiar sides of human nu lure. No matter how much Ihe fall injures a man physically, it seems as nothing to the damage to his seli'-is icem if perchance his misfortune hup liens to be tvilln sscd by some one else, l'he first thing ihe inn'oi innate tines after picking himself up is to iook nil ibollt him xvlth an Idiotic smile on his face just as if he look ihe whole thing as it juke, bin anxious to see if anyone has seen his Uimhl". If there happens to lo some one near by who has wiinessul the fall the smile vanishes ami there is a display of temper that is lmlit roits. It is h s hat. that suffers. It is p.'iinded iu-i-teitd of hni'diod. as If thai hai was responsible for th,. humiliation. ; as if he could gel sipiaie with Ihe Im, by a rough-house" sort of In i:-iii;i". if, however, no one is iu sighl. an.', no face is seen at it window, the i!tii..r lunate goes his way nfier a few pre liminary limps, as if the ihing was a innller-of-course incident thai n.u; b taken gootl natiiri'tlly iu fninumn with the other trilling affairs of a lifeiii.ie. The result is aboio the s;iiuo when a sol i, slushy snow hall, hill li d by a mischievous boy, finds its mark mi ihe broad back of an otherwise digiiifed person.- Washington Siar. Animal. Stimrtlinr. Kill Tin in .riven. You often- inore's ihe pity! hear about men killing theinselvt s. bin did you ever hear thai animals i.iUe their own lives? There Is a Florida beetle that dies in one's luuui ihe ii.Mant it is caught, front excitement, maybe, vml a sea cucumber, akiti to the siai lish. that gels so iiind when xeii tiis Hull il that It throws out all its dit live organs. The crab often ilnn, away a limb, if in any way ii is in.-o. useless. It Is easily tlmie. In lie trail's upper arm there is a huh groove, and when he grows exeiieti ami xxauts lo jerk off his arm. he jerks il back and off it conies at ih little grooved ring. There is a kind of lizard that drops its tall iu He grass when the captor draws near. Tin Inil squirms on lo attract attention while Mr. Lizard slides out of sighl The fox will gimxx off a paw lo release himself from a trap, ami the "man lis." all insect, biles oil' its loo when captured A dug xvill sonu l Iim s vi n v. himself lo death al his muslt-r's grave. .Many xx i It I animals refuse to cat x hcu naufiUb-Chicsgo Ifccwd-Uerald. I'.i'i'f lying Attention Mow. Til rllR paramount importance of ' I 1 this class of internal im J ' provclnciits begins to receive Ihe intention which the bene fits that, will How therefrom demand. Iu Illinois ami four Southern States, through whii h the Illinois Central Rail road passes, Ihat company nml the National Oood Roads Association have recently constructed twenty miles of eatlh. stone and gravel mails In the presence of thousands who desired to learn the art of road building. Con ventions on l'oatl building have been held in Louisiana. Mississippi, Tennes see ami Kentucky. The South has realized that lands, however fertile, foi'esis however vast, ami minerals though rich and varied, have but little market value xx In n inaccessible, ami such tiny really arc xvlthout good roads loading to and from lliem. The late liulfahi F.xpnsll loll brought together large numbers of men who had made good mads the subject of dis cussion at meetings held there, and great interest was taken and much cnihilsiasiit :irotised. It was math; known ihat Ihe Federal iovernmeiit had established un otlice. known as :iu Olliee of Public Itnad Inquiries, in the Department of Agriculture, and thai experts therefrom have constructed mails In a dozen Western ami South ern Stales as object lessons, which work was done wider the observation of thousands of Interested settlors. 'l'he employment of the idle on mails during periods of business depression, the utilization of prison labor, ami the appropriation by special tax of a spc cilie sum annually are objecls worthy of the serious consideration of every farmer, wagon maker, bicycle manii faeiuror ami merchant in lh mniry. Not. only these classes, but every resilient of a county is directly or indi rectly lffccloil by the lack of good roads. Rad mails increase the cost of fuel, provisions iiiul all commodities; thai need to be transported and de prive people of health illltl comfort pleasant drives over gootl roads pro mote. In view of the fact Ihat nil arc affected by the question, imne should neglect to assist In devising ways and means to bring about such essen tial improvements. There should be a gootl mads i lub at. every county scat, with members from every loxvn iu the county, who would confer with i heii' neigh' iii's on market days, ami iu.ee a month there should I a general .Reeling ft.;- comparison of xiews and lisiribmiou of literature on the subject. Circulars and reports should be pre. r.irctl from the National Contl Konds Association ami from the olliee herein before referred to connected xvlth the Department of Agriculture nt Wash ington. D. C. The members of Ihe Legislature ami the supervisors should be asked, from time to time, what they have done, or are doing for good roads, ami if found lo be negligent, a commit tee should be appointed to Spur t hem on in t he good work. cll reliance, ministry nun vigilance on this and iu all things are essential to success. Ry organization, education! and agitation the necessary legislation j can be secured, but not otherwise. i f,ttrriiipnt iif llleliwavft. Much credit is given by Mr. Marlic Dodge. Director of the Vnilod Slatef Oii'n-e of Public Road Inquiries, to what be calls "the rellcx intluenre of the bicycle and the automobile" for forming the public sentiment which If crystali.ing into the bcllerinont of b ghways in nil pans of this country ami Camilla. Writing in the .Municipal .louinul and engineer, Mr. Dodge says that many States which formerly re fused lo spend any money on road im pi'incincii's are mov. iu response to the general demand, making generous ap propriations, ami Ihe prospects every v. here arc encouraging to those Vv'ho for years pn ached lo thaf ears the etiinoluy of these expenditures. He also tells in detail of the admirable missionary nml; done In the South by means of the "Oootl Roads Train," which, tarrying tight carloads of Hip best ami most important roatlmakiiig machinery ami a par.y of export oper ators, roadmakors and engineers, has been slowly moving from toxvn to loun, giving in each a practical illus traiion of the speed and cheapness with which l hose who know how and have the proper utensils tan ereati highways up to modern requirements. The train was made up in Chicago through the co-operation of the Na tional Association of (iood Roads, the Illinois Central Railroad and several manufacturers of road making ma chines. It slatted in April, and by the middle of duly exhibition"1 bail been given nml informal ion imparted to large numbers of deeply interested ( it Incus iu New Orleans. La.; Natchez, tirecnsville, iranaila. McCoiub Oily, and Jackson, Miss ; Jackson. Tciin.; I.onis iHe, llopkinsville aud Owens I onaigii, Ky., ami F.llingliani, ill. Al iuot of these places two miles of specimen l'oatl were made, usually in less than two days, and the almost in variable result of the demonstration was tbo formation of a local society to push forward the good werk. Workmen. Unfilllng'1 In London. London oxvns at the present tiun completed duellings containing ovc; I ."iint nm lilt His, eiceletl solely for Hit bent in el the working class. din housing st heme, the largest ever al I templed in Loudon or elsewhere. In volved the txpeuditure of MIO.OW, BRICANDACE IN MACEDONIA. Inl vrrnitl Atluiiraliou For tlin Men Wtia ICol nntl I'liinttri'. The bandit Is Ihe Macedonian hero. The admiration of him Is iuhreil. fireek Independence was won by bnudils in ured to lighting and marches, not by townsmen. The Crock National cos tume today the resplendent uniform worn the the King's crack regiment of "ICtizoiies" is that of the Albanian brigand. Macedonia spasmodically hopes to be redeemed from Islam as was (i recce. Iu a country where pov erty Is the sole safeguard against plun der, the brigand is the only hero, and he is the only dandy. He comes into Ihe seuil-weekly market, where tho xvnmeii chatter over their wans, or strides through a railway car, known by everybody, with his snoxv xvbiie ftistanella standing out about him like a ballet daneie 's skirl, his lieavlly-las-selled cap. his embroidered tunic stiff with gleaming metal, txvlrling bis fierce niustaehols. The romantic young envy 111 Oi ; their elders at hast recognize In hint a familiar bunion. lie Is popular. The world hears nothing of Ihe bri gands unless they disturb Kuroponns. Willi natives their methods arc drastic. The famous Nicko mice took from Lar issa two children of different families, whom he held for ransom at ."'in and b"l Urns, respectively. The wealthier parents t oth clued their child. The other pair xv-ro very poor. They sent fi f t y liras. wit li humble apologies. Nicko reiiirneil the money, lty heroic efforts the distracted people scraped together 1" bras; again Nicko re turned them, giving in a peremptory message three days lo furnish the en tire sum. When the three days bad passed he sent hack Hie child cut into four pieces. Kismet! It was fale! Nothing was done. Seventy or eighly dollars for a un live. .Slno.iioo for a foreigner -that is about ihe scn'm anil Hi" measure of the land's poverty. This same Nicko look from the heart of a village, no one hindering hlni, Mr. and Mrs. s.viigc, liritish subjects. He scut Mrs. Syngo to Consul i !i neral Hlunt. In Salmilea. to say that Hie ransom was lixetl at tfliMi.Ooo. Women are seldom taken by brigands; it Is Ihe theory, natural enough In the Fast, Ihat a Woman cannot walk or ride well enough It) slaiiti hasty inarches. Resides, iu JI.icc tlonhiu circles, there is still no doubt lo which is the important person, Hie head of Ihe family. When bandits steal women it argues tin education iu Western ways. .Mr. Sy ngo xvas well treated ami fed hearlily; if occasionally Nicko would smile wickedly and draw Ids linger across his throat iu panto mime, it was but Ihe custom of tho foiuiiry. lie was polite enough In ne gotiating by mi sscnger xvlth Mr. Rlunt, issumliig all the airs of a belligereut. party. Iu the end Rlunt got Synge off fnr .'S'.O.OtHi ami forty gold (?) watches bought for each in Hm Sahulica market. Rlunt's kavass took the money into the mountains and met Nicko, who bit i. ml tested every coin of the gold. I bl owing out a few light, pieces. The watches were all acceptable. That ended the transaction exnept that the kavass nearly came to bUxvs with Nicko because the latter wouldn't fee him for his trouble iu carrying Ihe money. The Kra. Tlie Seat of the Soul. . Professor Lombard, of Ann Arbor, Instructor of physiology in the Cni xersity of Michigan, believes that he has localcd the dwelling plavo of Hie soul iu Hie spinal column. He has arrived at this conclusion aflwr many mouths of experiments with frogs. Results of experiments seem to in dicate that dea 111 through the medium of Hie bralii tines not terminate the con trol of the muscles. The professor produced before bis class a live frog, from which he removed the brain. It was then suspended by Its under jaxv. An hour later a drop ot acellc acid was touched lo Its foot. instantly the frog began to Jerk and twitch lo get away from the stings of the acid. Twenty four hours later a tiny bit of liber paper saturated xvith it ciil xvas placed against the body. The frog kicked XVillt both legs Illltl tlls lotlgtd the paper. Placed upon its back. Ihe paper was shaken off. I'.veiy I i im. ii was placed on any pari of Hie body tile legs sen I il living. Professor Lombard calls this activity '"reason movements," and will con linue his experiments for the purpose of ascertaining how far the reasoning instinct may go. New York Times. Hoof IHiellcr. In !Snw York, Perched high tip in midair, atop the lolly olliee buildings, are liule homes ns quiet ami secluded as though liny stood beside some country lane, in stead of directly above throbbing, h'lf ryiug, maddening Rroadway. Suxeial years ago some inventive architect dt -vised the plan of locating carctakcrrt ami their families ou the roofs of tho buildings of which they have charge, 'l'he plan xvas so satisfactory in every respect that it has been very gciicially followed. Within an ana of a few blocks iu the doxvnlown district dozens of families are living thus, above the eaves oi Ihe tallest buildings in tho world. They form a quaint ami littel esling colony.- Ledger Monthly. Flntltnjc h liravo Wltlt nn F-kr. The Mian tsze, a Irils' in Asia, xvill not bury a man until they have first tested the ground wiih an egg. This operation is curious. While Hie body is being pr pared for burial, u number of Mian ts.o, including th male relatives of the deceased, go out to the appointed spot, bearing a large basket of eggs. Stooping down, one of the natives lets an egg drop softly on the ground. Its breaking ! considered an ill omen, ami another spnl is selected III Ibis way the parly of ten wander about for hours, dropping eggs until one strikes a piuce where the shell dews not viuck, (""Xl"sWS " " iiitt'M'liiMirfl,ltfn'i;M