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Editor and Proprietor,
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THE SPLENDID SPUR
OR-
THE ADVENTURES
By ARTHUR T.
CHAPTER VI.
(Continued.)
There was a whole town burning
below. And in the streets men were
fighting, ' as -'could be told by their
shouts and the rattle and blaze of
musketry.
Now; the town was Marlboro and
the attacking force a body of royal
troops sent from Oxford to oust the
garrison of the Parliament, which
they did this same night with great
slaughter, driving the rebels out of
the place and back on the road to
Bristol. Had we guessed this much
ill-luck had been spared us, but we
knew nought of it, nor whether friends
or foes were getting the better. So
(Delia being by this time recovered a
little) we determined to pass the night
in the woods, and on the morrow to
give the place a wide berth.
Retreating, then, to the hollow (that
lay on the lee side of the ridge, away
from the north wind), I gathered a
pile of great stones and spread my
cloak thereover for Delia. To sleep
was impossible, even with the will for
It. For the tumult and fighting went
on and only died out about an hour
before dawn, and once or twice we
were troubled to hear the sound of
people running on the ridge above.
To we sat and talked in low voices till
t'awii. and grew more desperately
hungered than ever.
With the chill of daybreak we start
ed, meaning to get quit of the neigh
borhood before any espied us, and
fetched a compass to the south with
out another look at Marlboro.
But before an hour had passed by
we were captured by a troop of rebels
mil taken to Bristol, where I was
searched and my letter to the Kins
taken from me by Colonel Essex.
You are now to be ask'd to paes over
the next four weeks in as many min
ute. : as would I had done at the
time! For I spent them in a bitter
cold cell in the main tower of Bristol
keep, with a chair and a pallet of
Ftraw for all my furniture and noth
ing to stay my fast but tho bread and
water which tha jailer a sour man, if
over there were one brought me twice
a day.
What concerned me most was the
cold that gnaw'd me continually these
winter nights as I lay thinking of
Delia (whom I had not seen since our
capture), or gazing on the patch of
frosty heaven that was all my view.
Twas thus I heard Bristol bells, ring,
lug for Christmas in the town below.
Colonel Essex had been thrice to
visit me, and always offer'd many ex
cuses for my treatment; but when he
came to question me, why, of course,
I had nothing to tell, so that each
visit but served to vex him more.
Clearly I was suspected to know a
great deal beyond what appear'd in
the letter; and no doubt poor Anthony
Killigvew had receiv'd some verbal
message from His Majesty which he
lived not long enough to transmit to
rie. As 'twas, I kept silence; and the
Colonel in return would tell me noth
ing of what had befallen Delia. '
One fine, frosty morning, then, when
I had lain in tli'u distress just four
weeks, the door of my cell open'd,
and there appear'd a young woman,
not uncomely, bringing in my bread
and water. She was the jailer's
daughter, and wore a heavy bunch of
U?ys at her girdle.
"Oh, good morning!" said I, for till
now her father had visited me, and
this was a welcome change.
Instead of answering cheerfully (as
I look'd for), she gave a little nod of
the head, rather sorrowful, and an
swered: "Father's abed with the ague."
"Now, you cannot expect me to be
sorry."
"Nay," she said, and I caught her
looking at me with something like
compassion in her blue eyes, which
mov'd me to cry out suddenly;
' I think you are woman enough to
Jike a pair of Jo vers."
'Oh, aye; but where's t'other half
Of the pair?"
"You're right. The young gentle
woman that was brought hither with
me I know not if she loves me; but
this I do know I would give my hand
to learn her whereabout and how she
fares."
"Better eat thy loaf," put in toe
girl very suddenly, setting down the
plate and pitcher.
'Twas odd, but I seem'd to hear a
Sob in her voice. However, her back
was toward me as I glanc'd up. And
next moment she was gone, locking
the iron door behind her.
I turn'd from my breakfast with a
sigh, having for the moment tasted
ihe hope to hear something of Delia.
But in a while, feeling hungry, I
plck'd up the loaf beside me and
broke it in two.
To my amaze, out dropp'd something
that jingled on the stone floor.
"Twas a small file; and, examing the
loaf again, I found a clasp-knife also,
and a strip of paper, neatls' folded,
hidden in the bread.
"Dear Jack: .
"Colonel Essex, finding no good come
of his interrogatories, hath set me at
large; tho' I continue under his eye,
to wit, with a dowager of his acquaint
ance, a Mistress Finch. We dwell
in a private house midway down St.
Thomas street, in Redeliffe; and
she hath put a dismal dress upon me
(Jack, 'tis hideous), otherwise uses me
S9 ill, Bvt'tafcc car of thyself, my
VOL, XXVtt,
&
OF JACK MARVEL.
QUILLER COUCH."
deare friend; for tho' the Colonei be
a gentilman, he is press'd by them
about him, and at our last interview I
noted a mischief in his eye. Canst
use this file? (but take care: all the
gates I saw guarded with troopers
to-day.) This by one who hath, been
my friend: for whose sake tare the
paper up. And beleeve your cordial
loving comrade. D. K."
After reading this a dozen times."
till I had it by heart, I tore the letter
into small pieces and hid them in my
pocket. This done I felt lighter
hearted than for many a day, and
(rather for employment than with any
further view) began lazily to rub away
at my window bar. The file work'd
well. By noon the bar was half
sever'd, and I broke off to whistle a
tune. 'Twas:
"Vivre en tout cas,
C'est le grand soulas "
and I broke off to hear the key turn
in in my lock.
The jailer's daughter enter'd with
my second meal. Her eyes were red
with weeping.
Said I, "Does your father beat you?"
"He has, before now," she replied;
"but not to-day."
"Then why do you ween?"
- "Not for that."
"For what then?"
"For you oh, dear, dear! How shall
I tell it? They are soing to to "
She sat down on the chair, and sobb'd
in her apron.
"What is't thy are going to do?"
"To to h-hang you."
"The devil! When?"
"Tut-frit-to-rnorrow no-horning!"
I went suddenly Aery cold all over.
There was silence for a moment, and
then I heard the noise of some one
dropping a plank in the courtyard be
low. "What's that?" '
"The gug,gug "
"Gallows?"
She nodded.
"Ycu are but a weak glrVVsald I
meditating.
"Aye; but there's a tlorea troopers
on the landing below."
"TheD, my dear, you must lock me
up. ' i decided gloomu?, and tell to
whistling:
"Vivre en tout cas,
C'est le grand soulas- '
A workman's hammer in the court
below chim'd in, beating ou' the tune,
and driving the moral home, I heard
a low sob behind me. Ihe jailer s
daughter was going.
"Lend me your bodkin, my dear, for
a memento." v 1
She pull'd it out and gave it to me.
"Thank you, and now good-bye!
Stop; here's a kiss to take to my
dear mistress. They shan't hang me,
my deai-."
The girl went out, sobbing, and
lock'd the door after her.
I sat down for a while, feeling dole
ful. For I ' found myself extreniely
young to be hanged. But soon the
whang whang! of tho hammer below
rous'd me. "Come," I thought, "I'll
see what tba rascal is doing, at any
rate," and pulling the file from my
pocket, began to attack the window
bar with a will. I had no need for
silence, at this great height above the
ground; and, besides, the hammering
continued lustily.
Daylight was closing as I finished
my task, and, pulling the two pieces
of the bar aside, thrust my head cut
at the window.
Directly under me, and about twenty
feet from the ground, I saw a beam
projecting, about six feet long, over
a sort of doorway in the wall. Under
this beam was a ladder, and a great
coil of rope rested by the ladder's
foot.
Now up to this moment I had but
one idea of avoiding my fate, and
that, was to kill myself. 'Twas to this
end I had borrowed the bodkin of the
maid. Afterward I had a notion of
flinging myself from the window
as they came for me. But now, ag I
looked down on that coil of rope lying
directly below, a prettier scheme struck'
me, I sat down on the floor of iny
cell aud pulled off my boots and stok
lugs. 'Twas such a pretty plan that I got
into a fever of Impatience. Drawing.'
off a stocking and picking out the end
of the yarn, I began to unravel the
knitting for dear life, until the whole
lay. a heap of thread, on the floor.
I then served the other in the same
way; and at the end had two lines,
each pretty near four hundred yards
in length, which now I divided into
eight lines of about a hundred yards
each.
With these" I set to work, and by
the end of twenty minutes had plaited
a rope if rope, indeed, it could be
called weak to be sure, but long
enough to reach the ground with plenty
to spare. Then, having bent my bod
kin to the form of a hook, I tied it to
the end of the cord, weighted it with
a crown from my pocket, and clam
bered uy to the window. I was going
to angle for the hangman's rope.
'Twas near dark by this, but I
could just distinguish it on the paving
stones below, and, looking about the
court, saw that no one was astir. "I
wriggled first my- head, then my
shoulder, through the opening, and
let the line run gently through my
hand. There were still many yards
left" that could be paid out, when I
heard my coin tinkle softly ou the
parement. , -
MTTSHOllO. CUATI1AM COUNTY, N. C. THURSDAY, MA RCIl 16.
..Thenbegaii my difficulty; . A dozeH
times i pulled, my .hook across the
coil before it hitched; and then a full
three-score of times the rope Hipped
away Def ore I had raised it a "dozen
yards. My elbow, was raw, almost
with leaning on the sill, uud I began
to lose heart and head, when, to my
delight, the jodkin caught and held.
It had fastened on a kink in the rope
not far from the end. I began to
pull up hand over hand, trembling all
the while like a leaf..
At last I caught it, and, slipping back
into the room, pulled it after me yard
after yard. My heart went loud and
fast. There was nothing to fasten it
to but an iron staple in the door; that
meant losing the width of my cell,
some six feet.
This, however, must be lisked, and
I made the end fast, lowered the other
out of the window again, and, climb
ing to a sitting posture on the window
sill, thrust out my legs over the gulf.
Thankful was I that darkness had
fallen before this and hidden the giddy
depths below me. I gripped the rope
and pushed myself -inch by inch
through the window, and out over the
ledge. For. a moment I dangled, with
out courage to move a hand. Then,
wreathing my legs r.round the rope,
I loosed my left hand and caught with
it again some six inches lower. Aud
so down I went.
Minute folloAved minute and left me
still descending, six inches at a time,
and looking .neither above nor below,
but always at the- gray wall that
seems 1! sliding up in front of me.
The first dizziness was over, but a
horrible aching of the arms had taken
til 3 place of it. 'Twas growing in
tolerable, when suddenly my legs, that
sought to close round the rope, found
space only. I had come to the end.
I looked down. A yard below my
feet the beam of the gallows gleamed
palely out of the darkness. Here was
rr.y chance. I left my hands slip
down the last foot or so of rope, hung
for a moment, then dropped for the
beam.
My feet missed it, as I intended they
should; but I flung both arms out
and caught it, bringing myself up with
a jerk. While yet I hung clawing, I
heard a footstep coming through the
gateway between the two wards.
Here was a fix. With all speed and
silence I drew myself up to the beam,
found a hold with one knee upon it,
got astride and lay down at length,
flattening my body down against the
timber. Yet all the while I felt sure
I must have been heard.
The footsteps drew nearer and
passed almost under the gallows.
'Twas an officer, for, as he passed, he
called o.:t:
"Sergeant Downs! Sergeant Downs!"
A voice from the guardroom in the
barbican answered him through the
darkness.
"Why Is not the watch set?"
"In a minute, sir; it wants a minute
to six,"
"I thought the Colonel ordered it at
half past five?"
In the silence that followed the bar
bican clock began to strike, and half
a dozen troopers tumbled out from
the guardroom, some laughing, some
grumbling at the coldness-of the night.
The officer returned to the inner ward
as they dispersed to their posts; and
soon there was silence again, save for
the tramp tramp of a sentry cross
ing and recrossing the pavement be
low me.
All this while I lay flattened along
the beam, scarce daring to breathe.
But at length, when the man had
passed below for the sixth time, I
found heart to wiggie myself toward
the doorway over which the gallows
protruded. By slow degrees, and paus
ing whenever the fellow drew near, I
crept close up to the wall, then, wait
ing the proper moment, cast my legs
over, dangled for a second or two
swinging myself toward the sill, flung
myself off, and, touching the ledge
with one toe, pitched forward in the
room.
The effect of this was to give me a
sound crack as I struck the flooring,
which lay about a foot below the
level of the sill. I picked myself up
and listen'd. Outside the regular
tramp of the sentry prov'd he had not
heard me, and I drew a long breath,
for I knew that without a lantern he
would never spy, in the darkness, the
telltale rope dangling from the tower.
In' the room where I stood all was
right. But the flooring was uneven
to the foot, and scatter'd with small
pieces of masonry. 'Twas one of the
many chambers in the castle that had
dropp'd into disrepair. Groping niy
way with both bauds, and barking my"
shins on the loose stones, I found a
low-vaulted passage that led me Into
a second chamber, empty as the first.
To my delight, the door to this was
ajar, with a glimmer of light slanting
through the crack. I made straight
toward it, and pull'd the door softly.
It open'd, anu show'd a lantern dimly
burning, and the staircase of the keep
winding past me, up into darkness.
My chance was, of course, to de
scend, which I did on tiptoe, hearing
no sound. The stairs twisted down
and down, and ended by a stout door
with another lamp shining above it.
After listening a moment I decided
to be hold, and lifted the latch. A
faint cry saluted me.
I stood face to face with the jailer's
daughter.
The room was a small one, well lit,
and lin'd about the walls with cups
and; bottles. 'Twas as I guess'd, a tap
room for the soldiers, and the girl had
been -scouring one of the pewter mugs
when my entrance startled her. She
stood up, white as if painted, and
gasp'd:
"Quick quick! Down here behind
the counter for your life!"
(To be continued.)
The worst about the people who
make fools of themselves is that they
seem to enjoy It so thoroughly.
Who Shall Pay? V
N view of the numerous
methods of paying for high
way construction how pro
posed, it may be well to
ask what principles should
govern the selection o a
method. There is great variety in
methods at the present time, and they
do not conform even remotely to any
rule or set of rules. ." The road ques
tion has been largely-' aloeal one, but
the expansion of means of communica
tion, the improveineutMu road vehicles
and methods of propelling theur, the
rural free delivery and the general ad
vance in rural conditions and demands,
are rapidly making the question one
of more "widely extended importance.
The present article will be confined to
a consideration of . some of the princi
ples underlying the application of aid
from the National Government to the
building of highways. It is prompted
at this time by the character of some
proposed legislation.
In the years following 1S11 the
United States Government constructed
the National road, wbicb while sec
tions of it Avere never completed, may
be considered to have been 700 miles
long and to have cost' $7,000,000, the
National Government paying the entire
expense. At that time this read was
essential to the development of the
country west of the Alleghanies, and
its construction by the Government
was justified on that account. The
cost of repairing the road was notySo
easily obtained from the Government,
and a proposition to collect such cost
from traffic over the road by means of
tlls was vetced by the President, on
tho constitutional ground that it im
posed duties on interstate traffic, an
interpretation which would not now
be made. The doctrine of sovereignty
of the States prevented further ex
penditures of this sort for many years.
The increasing power of the central
Governiii.2t: and the insidious influ
ence ci such growths as the River a ad
Harbor bill, much of which is merely
an annual raid upon the Treasury, have
worked together to reduce the objection
to National expenditures for local pur
poses. The Government CiCL not pay any
further attention to the question of
read construction until the establish
ment of the office of rubii(f Road In
quiry, abcut ten years ago. This i.u lit
is in line with najy other ivisl..Jii5 of
departments in the Govaritjai-iur. mt'.oe
in securing and dist:.jutla;j imTui na
tion regarding road bui!;1ins and jxu
tenance, educating the pa iplo m: it
respect, and its appropriations not emi
nently proper expenditure off yibaic.
money. Eut row comes the Brirrx;-jw
bill, which goes further than a?.v -'ciox
measure in its application of Naiinrai
funds to local uses. It makes vj ya
text of promoting interstate commerce,
but proncses to appropriate money for
roads on application cf States, counties
or townships, the only check upon the
character cf the read to be improved
being the opinion of the director of the
department. Its advocates point to the
river and harbcr and the .public build
ing appropriations as cno reason for
the new raid upon the Treasury, say
ing: "There are many rural districts
that Lave no great rivers or great har
bors or creat cities which entitle them
to public buildings, but there is no
district but ha3 many miles of public
reads that need to be permanently im
proved. Lot the people csk for it and
they will receive the assistance which
they dsire and deserve."
As an additional argument tbey point
to the appropriations made to Porto
Rico and tho Philippines, thus: "It is
a remarkable fact that the United
Statc3 Government has already appi'o
priated C1,COC,000 to Porto Rico for
road building and another $l,00C,OC6 to
the Philippine Iclandc; and the Secre
tary of War has just made an anpeal
to Congress through the President of
the United States, who ttrongly in
dorses that appeal, to have C3,0O0,0C0
appropriated for tho uso of the Philip
pine government.'" .
It is generally recognized that these
new dependencies of tho United States
must, for tho present at least, be treat
ed in a paternal manner cimilar in
theory to the treatment of the Indians,
and that, while special .appropriations
may very properly bo made for feeding,
clothing, housing and schooling In
dians and Filipinos, r.nd for local Im
provements which they are unable to
make a similar exhibition of paternal
ism with reference to the States of the
Union should be strong'y resented as
a reflection upon their ability and an
insult to State pride, as well as a vio
lation of one of the fundamental prin
ciples upon which the fcrni of the
union of States is based.
It is hardly probable that so serious
a departure from 'the unwritten con
stitution, even if it is not a violation
of the letter of the basis of our Gov
ernment, will pass the representatives
of the people in Congress assembled.
But the subtle influence of the special
appropriation ,0! National funds under
Ihe cloak of legitimate measures fcr the
Improvement of navigation, the provis
ion of. buildings for doing public busi
ness and the pensioning of thevdefend
ers of our country as well as special
provisions for our dependent wards at
home and in our new possessions,
seems to have blinded the eyes of pub
lic officials, of societies intensely inter
ested in road improvement, ol citizens
genemlly, to the true import of such a
measure - . '
The rapid improvement of our roads
in these days of extension of steam and
tlectric roads is not worth tbe aban
1
VII 1 11
donment of so definite and so valuable
a principle. -
One argument of the supporters of
the bill is that the work of the office
of Public Soad Inquiry "is inthe na
ture of Natforial aid" afid tuaf'tliere
Is, therefore, nothing new iri principle
in the bill recently introduced in Con
gress by Colonel Browulow, of Tenses
see, providing for National aid of a
more extensive and substantial char
acter." The assistance of tbe Govern
ment in the way of educational woffc is
very different in principle and practice
from the assistance proposed in the
bill, and its value aud its entire con
formity with the principles of our or
ganization are recognized by all. The
fact that it is given cannot by any
stretch of reason or imagination be
twisted into approval of the proposed
extension. The simple statement of
the quotation shows this to any student
of the principles of American govern
ment. It may be admitted that the Govern
ment, in aid of interstate communica
tion, may build or assist in building
through roads between centres in dif
ferent States, though many will deny
the power of the National Government
to do this, but this expressly is not the
purpose of the bill, which would not
prevent the application of National aid
to the least valuable road of a moun
tain township if the opinion of the di-.
rector did not stand in the way. A
proper measure offering Nir.onal aid to
road building is not impossible, and
will receive ample support.: The ob
jection made at present is to the form
and the violation of established prin
ciples iu the present bill. The principle
of a proper measure can best be con
sidered together with the question of
State aid. Muuicipal Engineerings
Good Kia'la in Bondara.
During the last year road building
has been the chief feature of public
activity in Honduras. Because the
country has had no safe or convenient
highways, the interior districts have
been greatly retarded iu their develop
ment. To remedy this a new wagon
road fes been built from Tegucigalpa,
i"ie capital, to San Lorenzo, on the
Crast. The grade of this road varies
" twen six and twoper cent. In
many places the road is fifty feet wide,
on a foundation of lava, and covered
with finely beaten rock. Side ditches
i'un along the way, and nearly all the
bridges and culverts are of stone.
Across the large rivers no bridges have
yet been built. The length of the road
will be about eighty-one miles. When
it is all finished, it is the intention to
use one side for a trolley J'ne for elec
iric freight and passenger cars.
Abundant water power is available for
supplying motive force.
THE CHINESE EMPRESS.
1 A Deicripllon of tho Kuler of the Far
j Eastern Nation.
She sat upoua divan covered with
.'figured Chinese silk of a beautiful
7o!k-of-egg color. Being low of stat
. lire, her feet (which are of natural
tize, she being a Manchu) barely
touched the ground, and only her head
and shoulders were visible over the
table placed in front of her. She wore
a Chinese coat of r. diaphanous pale
blue silk material covered with the
most exquisite Chinese embroidery of
vine leaves and -grapes. ! Round her
neck was a pale-blue satin, ribbon
studded with large, lustrous pearls,
pierced and sewn to the ribbon. Her
head was dressed according to the
Manchu fashion, the hair being parted
in front and brushed smoothly over the
ears, caught up at the back and draped
high and wide iver a kind of paper
cutter of dark green jade set crosswise
on the head. The ends of this paper
cutter were decorated with great
bunches of artificial flowers, butterflies
and hanging crimson silk tassels.
Her complexion is that of a North
JtaliaD, and being a widov, her cheeks
are unpainted and unpowdered. Her
piercing dark eyes roved curiously
about' among her surroundings. Her
age is sixty-eight, out her hair being
dyed jet-black and mos:: of it artificial,
her appearance is that of a much
younger woman.
Her hands are long and tapering and
very prettily shaped, but they are dis
figured by the curious national cus
tom of letting the nails grow inordi
nately long. The nails of the two
smaller fingers of the right hand were
protected by gold shields which fitted
to the finger like a lady's thimble and
gradually tapered off to a length of
three or four. inches. As Described by
jady Susan Townley, in Her "CbiuessT
Note Book."
WORDS OF WISDOM.
Character determines condition.
Feeding malice is fostering murder.
Men differ not so much in their faith
as in their phrases.
Excess of wealth is cause of covet
ousness. Christopher Marlows.
Good humor is the health of the soul;
sadness is poison. L. Stanislaus.
Faithful, dutiful work is the surest
way to an honorably life. Georga Ev
erard. Angels' songs last longest to men
who are most anxious to repeat them
to others. "
It's a good deal easier to catch t he
preacher's erroi'3 in pronunciation than
his appeals for the collection.
When God has buried your sins it is
a sin to dig them up again, even though
it be only to show them to your friends.
X.argest Beehive.
The biggest beehive in the world is
a natural one in Kentucky, known as
the "Mammoth beehive." It is in real
ity a huge cave, the main compartment
of which is 150 feet high, the flow
covering ten acres in extent,
-WW
iSOS. NO. 3!.:
Humo r 'of
Thee Alaskan Poles.
flow do you move your poles about?"
We queried. "Do you float 'em!" -The
chief replied with gleeful shout,
"Oh, no! We merely totem' 1
Ancient.
Sharpe "One of our great professors
says that football players are crazy."
Whealton "Has he just found that
out?" Chicago News. ;
The Difference.
Tenderfoot "There is a mfference,
then, between East and West?"
Westerner "Yes. In the East they
pinch, aud in the West we lynch."-1
Chicago Journal. '
Professional Courtesy. .
'I manage to keep my boarders long
er than you do," said the first landlady.
"Oh, I don't know," rejoined the
other. "You keep them so thin that
they look longer thauthey really are."
Chicago News.
His Behavior.
He (at the reception) 'N enrich
doesn't behave as if he belonged to
the best society, does he?'.
She "No, indeed. He behaves as
if he imagined the best society be
longed to hinx" Cjiicago News.
Applies to Many.
Denham "It's a good thing for some
people that this country never re
stricted immigration."
- Benham "Why?"
Denham "They'd have been rather
short of ancestors." Chicago Journal.
Geological.
Edyth "I'm surprised to hear 01
your engagement to" old Bullyon. Was
he the only man with sand enough to
propose?"
Mayme -"Oh, no; but he was the only
one with rocks enough to iutelestne.'
Chicago News.
His Bequest.
De Style "What did your rich undo
leave you when he died?"
Gumbusta-"Nothing."
De Style"Didn!t he say anything to
you before he passed away?"
Gunbusta "Yes; he said nothing was
too good for me." Criterion. -
A Complication.
Veterinary "So your new bull pup
is sick, WThat seems to be the matter
withjhim?"
Owner "A little of everything, I
guess. While we were away this af
ternoon he chewed up and swallowed
the dictionary." Detroit Free Pre
Katnrally,
Oldpop "How did you sleep last
night?"
Newpop "Between .walks." New
York Press.
Too Eaiily Moved. . .
Newman," said the editorr will
never do as a critic."
"No?" queried his assistant.
"No. I saw him last night at the
premier performance of that new com
edy, and he actually smiled three or
four times." Philadelphia Public
Ledger.
She Didn't Respond.
"You are the first one to whom I
have shown this poem," the young poet
went ou. "I was wooing the muse last
'night "
"Poor fellow!" replied .the editor,
handing back the manuscript. "It's
too bad she rejected you." Chicago
Journal. " "1
Quite So.
Mrs. Nearbye "I'm glad jou've got
such a good servant."
Mrs. Hunter "Good?"
Mrs. Nearbye "Why, yes; your hus
band, says she works like lightning."
Mrs. Hunter "Exactly. She leaves
ruin and disorder behind her." Phila
delphia Public Ledger. '
Certain of One Thin.
"Well, "little boy," said the kind
hearted dentist, "does the tooth hurt
you?" '
'?! don't know whether it Is the tooth
or whetheiwt's just me," groaned the
boy. "But Tm blamed sure that if
you'll separate us the pain'll go away."
Chicago Tribune.
In Boston.
Mr. C. De Puyster (to " stableman
from the WestV-"Extrica,te this quad
ruped from the vehicle. Donate him
an adequate supply of nutritious ele
ments. And -when the aurora of the
morning illuminates the eastern hori
zon I will award you an ample compen
sation for your amiable hospitality." ,
Stableman (to hostler) "The guy says
to give the nag a mit full of oats.
He'll chuck you two bits in the morn-ipg,"'-CJaclanatl
Commercial-Tribune
S
t
il)t, Chatljam tttcorb.
RATES OF ADVPTISINBr
One square, one insertion . . , .$1.00
One square, two insertion 1.60
One square, one month ' 5,1 2-50
For Larger Advertise-'
ments Liberal Con
tracts will be made.
A pike with a benign bony tumor on
one of its gill covers is among the
specimens that have been submitted to
the .English Cancer Commission. The -growth
was as large as a good sized -chestnut,
and the fish was much ema
ciated, weighing less than a pound,
though eighteen and a half inches long.
Whether matter undergoes any
change of properties on being charged
with electric current, has been a sub
ject of experiment. The xesults have
been practically negative. Mr. Paul It.
Heyl states that when carrying a heavy
current the change la the tensile
strength of iron cannot exceed half of
one per cent., and the melting. point
of tin can hardly "be changed two de
grees.
The idea that moss grows thickest
on the north or east side of trees seems
to have been disproved. A French
botanist, Leon Bedel, now concludes
that mosses prefer the parts of the
tree that retain most moisture, beiug
thus more abundant on rough or
cracked parts, on the upper part of a
branch or inclined trunk, on knots or
bosses, at the folk , of branches and
at the base of the trunk.
N Radiant, the invention of two Eng
lish engineers, is claimed to increase
the efficiency of -gas tires as remark
ably as the incandescent mantle adds
to the light. It is a product of the
wacte of chemical works, replaces as
bestos or fire clay balls and causes
the gas to burn brightly and complete
ly, trebling the . heat.. ; The material
can be had in any quantity at no great
er cost than lire clay.
The . action of water as an anaes
thetic is illustrated in some recent cases
brought to notice by Joseph Clements.
In one case five hemorrhoids were in
jected with distilled water when they
were removed in fifteen minutes with
out pain, and the patient at ouce re
turned home. In another case two
fistules were opened and scraped, one
after the injection of water and the
other without it. The last operation
was exceedingly painful. The action
of the water is declared to be the same
as that of solutions of cocaine or other
drug a filling of the interspaces of
tbjfe. tissues, thus temporarily suspend
ing intercellular respiration aud par
alyzing the local nerve centres.
OVERPRODUCTION OF FOODS,
v
Canned and Dried Preserved Fruits and
Vegetables in Abundance.
There has been an extensive overpro
duction in some lines of food, notably
in certain sorts of preserved fruits and
vegetables, both canned and dried.
Last year there was an excessive pack
of certain vegetables, and again this
year, so that prices for some staple
articles have been forced below the cost
of production. The preserving Industry
has spread into nearly every State iu
the Union, and so extensive has become
the demand .for preserved foods pre
pared in the factory that there is good
ground to fear tbe supremacy of the
home kitchen. It never will be entirely
removed, but its work has been greatly
diminished and is destined to be still
further lessened by the factory, where
the highest skill, scientific methods, the
prevention of waste, greater command
of raw materials enable it to supplant
the work of the home kitchen generally
in charge of incompetent cooks In great
cities or. inexperienced housekeepers iu
other places. .
The line of prepared foods is won- .
derfully complete. It is in evidence in
the partially cooked cereals used at ,
breakfast, in package tea, and coffee,
in the sauces, condiments, pickles, "
jams, jellies, mince meat, plum pud
ding, soups, preserved poultry, game,
meats, fish and-other articles, even to
corned beef bash "such as mother used
to make," sliced smoked beef and pre
pared codfish, the use of the lattez
saving the trouble of cooking salt cod,
filling the house with rn unsayory odor,
the bother of shredding and enabling
the housekeeper to prepare dainty flsh
balls, in a very short time. Prepared
soups have resulted in their almost uni
versal use, the-consumption having in
creased enormously. One firm turns
out 1U,000,000 to 18,000,000 tins every
year.
Some idea of the magnitude if th
production of preserved foods may bf
obtained from a few facts which show
that this year, there were nearly 11
000,000 cases of twenty-four tins each
of sweet corn put up iu different States;
over 0)000,000 cases in three States,
Illinois, Iowa and Maryland, 'canning
corn being a comparatively new indus
try in two of them.N The production ol
tomatoes is fully as large as of corn,
averaging 9,800,000 cases of two dozen
tins each annually. Of peas, over 72,
000,000 tins are preserved.
Of salmon there is an average annua
output of 4,300,00 cases, or l'0,400,00(i
tins, and besides that king of the fl6D
family we have mackerel, trout; oys
ters, clams, and,inany other sorts, nol
to mention clam chowder.
Justified Inclination. - .
A. lady recently stopped at. an East
End open-air butcher's stall and pur
chased a joint at 3d. a pound; She re
turned -ghor fly after and compJaiued
that it was saturated Tvh naphtb
from one of the butchsr's lamps.
"S'wtlp me!" remarked the butcher;
"you gels don't want much not Vtrf!
You've got a wing rib off a bullock
what was bred by King Edward bis
self for. threepence a pound, and now
you ain't satisfied! .You're askin' too
j much, mum. If you want,your Sun-
day's joint flavored with heau-de-CoI-ogne
you'ir have to spring ?auotUpr
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