North Carolina Newspapers

)t Chatham Btcorb. Sl)t Cl)atl)am Rccor&4 RATES OF ADVERTISING - On iqtiare, pn Insertion $1.00 O01 square, two insertion 1.50 On square, one month 2.50 For Larger Advertiser merits Liberal Con- " tracts will be madef H. A, LONDON, Editor And Proprietor, TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, $1.50 Per Year. Strictly on Advance VOLN. XXVIII. PITTSBORO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C, THURSDAY. MAY 10, 1906. NO. 39. (TO irar X 1 1 IV II rr a a i a k a a a a a a r OR THE 'VV: SEARCH FOR THE BISQEST DlflflONb 1H THE WORLD. ' By FRANK BARRETT. CHAPTER X. Continued. I am not a coward, yet I "own that the terror of the following minutes tlirills me now as I look back upon it. The impenetrable darkness, the silence, rendered only more intense by contrast with the perpetual tic-tac, tic-tac, tie tao, tic-tac of the watch behind me, were made terrific by the awful uncer tainty of my position. I stood there Awaiting for the attack, until, the suspense growing intolera ble, I felt that I must end it by shout ing aloud to Brace, and precipitating the struggle. "I will wait five minutes longer and m more," I said to myself, resolving to calculate the space fairly, and with due allowance for false impressions. I calculated that two minutes . had jmssed, when I fancied that I heard the bed creak behind me. Was this one of the false impressions I had promised myself to guard against, or was the sound caused by the man mounting upon the bed oehind me? The hair bristled upon, my head as I thought, and drew my head down into lay shoulders, for, as surely as if my eyes had been turned that way, and the full light of the sun shining in the room, I knew that the man was be Liiid me upon the bed. I drew a deep inspiration, resolved to shout my loudest to Erace, but be fore the sound had j assed my lips a towel was drawn tight upon my face, and my bead jerked back against the post behind me. A fold of the towel gagged me completely; it was with dif ficulty I breathed. I struggled, but in vain, to wrench myself away; a quick and sure hand had knotted the towel. I threw up my hands to tear the thing off; in an instant they were enveloped in the thick curtains, and though the fellow had not sufficient strength to tie them down to my side, he at least tafiled my attempts to free my head. I drew my feet from the ground, hop ing that my weight would drag my head from the towel; I only succeeded iu drawing the knots tighter, and half strangling myself. As I could not release my head I got ruy arms down and tried togseize the rascal's feet, but he kept them beyond my reach; yet I got something by the attempt, for, in groping about, I laid my hand upon the knife which he had thrust in the bed, to have free use of Lis hands, the better to overcome the resistance of my arms. I should have had no hesitation in ham-stringing the rascal if I could have got at his legs, but as I could not do that I determined, if possible, to keep the knife out of his way. I felt by the horn handle that it was the one Van Hoeck had given me, and knowing the trick of the blade I shut it up and slipped it Into my pocket. "Now," thought I, "if only thews and Fiuews are concerned we will see who tan get the best of it." And with redoubled efforts I Strug-. KiC'u to tear down the bed curtains that tampered my movements, and, mad dened by the diniculjy of respiration I threw such force into my efforts that ihe pole upon which they hung crunched under the rings and finally c.une rattling down about us. Would that the lamp had been near to be tn-a-Iiecl by the fall! The noise was too slight to be heard at a distance. My left hand being free. I felt again for the knot of the. towel that bound iiie to the post. A bony hand grasped ray wrist, and dragged it over my shoulder, and the next moment I felt something pressed under my nose, and a liquid trickling through my mustache onto my lips, it had a sweet taste and a strong smell of apples, that mounted at once to my brain. I seemed to be no longer' touching the ground, but whirling round and round through space; my arms dropped .by iuy side. I knew that I was powerless, yet I retained a certain kind of conscious ness. I Vl-as sensible that the difficulty of breathing na longer troubled me. I knew that the man was binding my arms to the post, and I remember thinking-, in the bemused manner of a 1-aii intoxicated person, what a fool he must be to bind me when I could no longer make resistance. I was perfect ly conscious when he began to tie my lc"t the post below, for I had then sufficiently overcome the effect of the ''Mate to think of resistance. I tried to struggle and to scream, but to no Purpose; my will had lost all power ver my muscles. And this -terrible potency remindedme of Vanlloeck's haif-uttered simile: "Cramped in a wfan, and the clods falling falling!" hat astonished me was the surpris !uo tacility with which the man exe cuted his Work in the darkness that ioen prevailed. He seemed to have " flifiieulty at all in finding the ends of le sheets v.ith which he bound me, -Jd knotting them securely. And when 1 tvas safely pinioned he unbuckled the strap that bound the Great Hesper to '".v wrist, without having to seek for : the tongue of the strap, as I myself, t:i:ght have bad' to do. "Well, that's gone," I said to myself, now he has the diamond, he will V too." t i:;u hfl had not yet finished. And af 3 brief interval, during which he might have been buckling the Great Hesper upon his own wrist, I heard a sound that I knew only too well. Click! It was the spring that locked the long blade of my clasp-flnife when it .was opened! - " CHAPTER XI. That sound warned me that the end was neai Not content with taking the diamond, the scoundrel intended to have my life to remove the possi bility, if possibility existed, of being identified as the thief by me. He set about his work with devilish circumspection. 1 "heard The. metal rings clink as he took up the fallen curtain from the floor, and folded it, and the bed creak as he got upon it. As he approached from behind, he steadied himself by setting one hand upon my shoulder, and his bony knuck les touched my chest as he arranged the stuff over my breast. I knew what that meant; it was to prevent the be traying blood from spurting upon his arm. In the pause that followed, I fancied he must be turning up his sleeve, as a butcher does who has a beast to slaughter. A thousand thoughts whirled through my mind in that brief space, but a great awe came upon me as I felt his hand firmly grasp my left shoulder, for then I realized that I was on the very brink of eternity. A feeling of regret for the ill use I had made of many days for the loss of Edith, and the world which she had filled with joy and hope; a deep and tender wish for her happiness, and the welfare of the companions that had toiled with me to win the Hesper, took the place of terror, and. it wras with something like resignation that I awaited death. As he grasped. my left shoulder I felt him lean over my right, and the next moment he stabbed me. "lie had not used, sufficient force, for the knife point stuck in one of the ribs under my left breast, and went no fur ther. He pulled the knife out and tried again, but this time the blade scarcely punctured my skin. Then, seeing that the thickness of the doubled curtain was too great an impediment, he unfolded and rear ranged it, passing his hand over my breast and pressing his fingers here and there to ascertain Whether he had got it right for his purpose. It was then that, my nature revolting against this barbarous refinement of cruelty, I prayed like Samson for strength, and made one more effort to break my bonds. The twisted sheets and firm knots withstood the strain, but the effort saved my life. The calculating vil lain knew I must exhaust my strength In a few minutes, and would not risk breaking his knife or getting smeared with my blood as I writhed. And presently my force gave out, and, all hope leaving me, I ceased to struggle, and was callous to his touch, when he once more touched my shoulder. But in that moment of dread silence, when his knife must have been raised to strike the final blow, the door han dle turned, and I felt his grasp relax nay, his fingers tremble as they lay on my shoulder. There was an interval of a minute, and the door handle turned again, then a voice, that I recognized as Lo la's, spoke in a low tone outside. "Are you there you?" A moment's pause, and she added "You ain't sick, are you?" She had come to my door and heard me writhing against tho'post. What would the rascal do now ? His hand still trembled. It gave me cour age, for it showed that he feared dis covery, and I knew he would not risk 2iis own neck for the mere pleas ure of killing me. I put out my strength again, making the bedpost snap" under my. strain. - "Shall I sing out?" Lola asked, a little louder, and with an accent of alarm. The hand slipped from my shoulder and down my arm as the villain stepped from the bed. His position was geRng more perilous. If Lola "sang out" there would be little chance of his making off with the diamond. I had loosened the towel that bound my head and gagged me. I wriggled about furiously, worked the folds out of my mouth, and got my chin above it, breathing freely for the first time since I had been tied up. At the same moment I heard the key turn in the door, and' I knew that the murderer intended to let Lola in and silence her. . "Take care, take care!" 1 shouted as loudly as the towel that still covered my face would permit. Another wriggle, and I felt that the upper part of my face was uncovered. Moreover, I distinguished a long gray patch before me. The curtain of the oriel had been drawn back; the light had sensibly Increased during the time occupied by 'the events I have nar rated. I almost fancied I saw the silhouette of a man's figure against the gray ness. It moved, and I was sure that my eyes were not deceived; it dis appeared, and almost immediately afterward I heard a fall upon the ter race below. The man had dropped down a distance of fifteen feet from the window a drop of not more than six feet for an ordinary man hanging from the ledge. The feeling of relief, combined with exhaustion caused by my frantic ef forts, was- too much for me. I was giddy and sick, my eyes closed, the sweat stood cold npon my face, every muscle gave way and quivered, only the bonds upon my body kept me from falling. "Y'ain't hurt, are you, dear?" were the firs: words I heard. It was Lola's voice, very gently and tremulous. "No; you have saved me," I said. She gave a little moan of delight, and her hands, which had been busily lugging at the knots, stopped in their work. She threw her arms about my neck, and, pressing Tier face against my breast, sobbed. CHAPTER XII. Brace's door was unlocked. He to all appearance was sound asleep with his face to the wall. I shook him, and as he turned over I said: "Get up; the Hesper is lost." "Lost! as how?" he asked, sitting up. "Stolen taken from me." v "Where's Israel?" I told him of Van Hoecks terrible presentiment, and the circumstances under which he had left the house. "We will find him, pardner," said the Judge, in his slow, sententious manner, which was quearly at vari ance with his speed in hurrying into his clothes. "We will find him, and see if his presentiments will go as fur as to explain what's become of the dia mond. Let up what has happened, pardner. Reel it off. I am all awake." I narrated briefly the events of the night while he completed dressing. Lola, standing by the window, listened in silence. There was just enough light to reveal the inisehievious exult ation that sparkled in her eyes. "Here's a Vigilance Committee job if ever there was one," said the Judge, hastily lacing his boot. "I ain t lighted on anything so much like Californey since the good old days. Now, sir, if you air ready, we'll hunt up Is rael, the prophet. He's got to tell us somethin' about this than we know on." It was striking five when we quitted the house. The Judge "left me to look about the garden and its vicinity for Van Hoeck; he himself struck out at once for the wood, taking Lola with him. The girl would have stayed with me, but her father -had her hand in his, and there was no getting away from that grip. After exploring the garden, I took the path that led to the lodge, as be ing the one that Van Hoeck frequently walked in when alone. The lodge keeper was not up, but, passing through the open wicket into the road, I came upon a laborer trudging along to hi? work with a pick upon his shoulder, and a tin flask in his hand. It was then half-past five, or a little later. "Have you passed a blind gentleman-en the road?" I asked. "I ain't passed 'im," he answered; "but as I come by the cross roads I see some 'un as looked gen'leman like, kind er fumbling his way along the road down by Marley bottom." I knew the cross roads; they were nearly two miles distant. It was In comprehensive to me how Van Hoeck had strayed so far from the Abbey; but tlie laborer's description left little room for doubt that it was. Van Hoeck he had seen, and I started at once in the direction indicated. I could not see Van Hoeck from the cross roads, but on turning the angle of the lane at the foot of the hill I perceived him feeling the way with painful slowness on the side of the hedgerow a hundred yards in advance. Hearing my step, he turned, and, rec ognizing it, came to meet me. Ho seemed to forget the danger of making a false step, and advanced with eager quickness his whole body partaking the expression of anxiety imprinted on his features. "Is it you, Thome?'.' he called. - "Yes," I replied. "What has happened?" I waited until I got up to him, then putting my hand on his shoulder. I said: "I have bad news for you, Van Hoeck." He trembled violently under my hand and opened his lips to speak, but no sound came; his condition -was pit iable, and to keep him no longer in suspense, I said: - "I have lost it." It has Tjeen taken from me." "Who has taken it?" he asked in a thick, husky voice. - "I cannot say. I could not see the man who robbed me." , He was silent for a time, and then his feelings found expression, at first in execration, then in incoherent sen tences, broke up with words of Dutch where the English tongue failed to give sufficient force to his anger and mortification. "He assailed me with every kind of invective, accused me of cowardice, of complicity in robbing him, of I know not what baseness and heartlessness; indeed. It seemed as though the blow had deprived him of reason for the moment. At length, when his passion was somewhat ex hausted, he said: "And what is your defense?" I took his arm, and as I led him up the hill toward the cross roads, I went over the story once more. When I was telling him how Lola had come to my rescue, he stopped me. "That is a lie!" he said, "for she has. been with me." "Impossible!" I exclaimed. To be Continued. Manitoba Is pre-eminently the prov ince of wheat . A Useful Dressy Gown. Dainty womankind likes a soft, fluffy gown. Crepe de chine is a very good materiel to use for matinee or room gowns. It washes perfectly and is light and soft to the touch. Other materials in which these garments are seen are pongee, surah, louisine, cash mere, light wools and flannels. Capes at Wedding;. At a recent English wedding the bridesmaids wore cavalier capes of white satin lined with rose red velvet. These were slung from the shoulders and held in place by straps of rose red velvet ribbon fastened to the waist. Their hats were ivory white beaver, trimmed with loops and bows of rose red velvet ribbon and large white os trich plumes. They carried sheaf bou quets of red flowers. Their gowns were ivory white satin having near the hems of the full skirts silver gauze and ecru late threaded with silver. The bodices had guimpes of ecru uet appliqued with Mechlin lace motifs. Striving For Beatify. Let every woman strive for a beauty which all will recognize as being gen uine through and through. That which is superficial will fade and pass away, leaving a flood of disappointments and unhappy memories, while the true beauty will prove a "joy forever." She who possesses this gift will be blessed. And yet it is not a gift, for beauty represents the ultimate result of sincere striving for the .best In life, for the noblest in character, sweetness of grace and purity of soul. Every woman may possess these divine attri butes if she will. The way is open and mankind will smile approval if she chooses to become the woman beauitful. The "woman who thinks" will shape her life to this course and will call to her aid the supreme source of strength and wisdom. An Index of Character. A small, well-rounded chin, with mobile and red cushions of flesh upon, indicates a pleasure-loving owner. If dimpled, all the more so, for dimpled chins belong to coquettes. People with dimples love to be petted and loved; like admiration and praise. Generally fickle. Usually this chin is healthy, recuperative and long-lived. Broad chins signify nobleness and large dignity, unless vertically thin, when, if with it there be thin lips of bloodless kind, you find cruelty. Square chins with little flesh denote firmness and executive ability. These make good haters. Long, . thin chins are poetical, un stable and delicate in constitution. Such people are subject to bowel de rangements. If thin through the angles of the mouth, too, they are prone to tuberculosis. Generally short lived, The "tittle Woman This is undoubtedly the day of the lit tle woman; but before going farther, let us clearly understand what particular fraction of femininity i3 implied' in that term. On this point the little woman herself is naturally the best authority. But here a difficulty crops up. No woman who is not tall will admit that she is a little woman. If you endeavor to thrust littleness on her she will draw herself up to her full height, and with an eye glittering with latent greatness, declare that' she is of that average height of which every reasonable woman is so immeas urably proud. A little woman, there fore, is a woman of average height. She is a pocket Venus, who may have blossomed into a library edition by U.e time she has come to the end of this eulogy. She is womanliness concen trated, energy incarnate, cleverness compressed, the essence of elegance, and the precis of prettiness. . As for the energy and vivacity of the little woman, what need be said? There is a dash about her impossible to larger women. Nor must personal magnetism be overlooked. It is emi nently characteristic jof the little woman. Vegetable Diet. For the cook who wishes to substi tute vegetables for meat, a knowledge of food values is imperative. Some vegetables are perfect substitutes for meat. You might grow strong and vig orous on them, while if you made a wrong choice, your family would slow ly starve to death.. All the grains, such as whole wheat, rice, barley, oats, corn, are perfect substitutes for meat. They have the same nutritive value without the wastes of animal flesh. Nuts, cheese, peas, beans, lentils, rais ins, figs, bananas, are meat foods. To matoes, onions, celery, asparagus; car rots, beets, spinach, apples, are all val uable and important articles of diet, but if you attempted to make them the basis of your dietary, your family would either starve or strike. Many vegetables have medicinal value which If more widely understood would di minish the need for drugs and the doc tor. Raisins, grapes, asparagus, spin ach, lentils, carrots, contain considera ble iron. They are valuable for anemic people. Celery, onions, carrots and let tuce' are nervines and should occur frequently in the diet of the high strung nervous person. They may be served in a variety of ways, together Dr separately or in combination with jther foods. With the addition of milk and butter, they become nutritious. Carrots are delicious in combination ivlto ce'ery cr v5Tt cv baetsf j?a? take the place of meat always. Two eggs equal in food value the quantity of beefsteak usually served to one per son. Harper's Bazar. A Marriage Compact Unquestionably the root of many domestic troubles -and marital con troversies may be traced to the loose ness and vagueness of the marriage contract. It formulates no definite and practical modus vivendi for the con tracting parties. Even the "obey clause" is either omitted altogether or is no longer taken seriously. The mutual rights and duties of married life are left to be determined by com bat and compromise, arbitration and conciliation. If the two parties got together at the outset and drew up a form of agreement" to govern their partnership the chances of controversy and disruption would be greatly di minished. Here is a project for re form upon which the anxious students of the divorce problem might well con centrate their efforts. The path of reform has already been blazed by a foresighed couple in Den ver, Col., under the guidance of the mother of the canny bride and the father of the groom. 'The bride's mother drew up an agreement, or. rather, a catalogue of don'ts, which she asked the groom to sign. The lat ter submitted the draft to his father, who framed a counter pledge for the bride to sign. The concordat possesses high sociological interest. The groom pledged himself, in part, as follows: I will not smoke in the bedrooms. I will not join more than two secret -societies, and will spend at least two nights a week at heme. I will not pretend to have business downtown that calls me away right after supper. I will not conceal business condi tions and financial conditions from my wife, pretending to be afraid she will worry. I will not quit dressing well, and run around looking like a tramp, say ing, "I'm married now, it doesn't make any difference," but promise, if able, to buy at least two new suits of clothes each year. I will not insist on choosing the names for all the babies. I will attend to the furnace myself or hire a man to do it. I will not re fuse to discharge the cook. I will not complain or get sarcastic if the meals are disarranged or bad, and. finally, I will go to church with my wife at least three times a year. And the bride promised, among other things: Not to Invite all my friends to visit, and not to exclude my husband's friends from the house. Not to join more thai2 three women's clubs or insist upon reading my papers to my husband. Not to keep pet dogs. Not to pick out some other man in the neighborhood and hold him up as' a model. Not to complain of feeling siek, tired out and nervous oftener than is neces sary. Not to go shopping more than three times a week. Not to drag my husband out to even ing parties when he comes home tired out and worried. Not to insist that the baby gets its 'temper and bad traits from its father's family. Not to insist on trying to economize by doing home repairing, painting, or making home furniture..'. Not to tell my husband the short comings of the servants every evening at dinner; not to insist on talking to him while he is reading the paper at breakfast; not to ask him to suggest what to have for dinner, and finally, not to insist on buying his clothes. '. filing- v Fashion has the scarf-habit. Never were so many beautiful, filmy scarfs seen. Prettiest of all are the printed chiffon affairs. A sailor shape in eyelet embroidery on snowy white linen had a wide scarf of pink satin xibbon tied in the back and falling in long ends. Many debutantes of the season count a Renaissance lace and a white Span ish robe among their treasures. These may be worn with vari-colored sups of silk. The broadest distinction exists now adays in the gowns we wear, and the occasions on which we wear them- A dinner gown and a ball gown must not be confounded, and this means more gowns. Candled Oracjje and Xemoa Pee!. We would like to know if any one has ever tried the following method of making candied peel? . If any one has a method of her own we would like to have it for our readers. E. L. L. says: "Soak the peeling twenty four hours in salted water. Place in fresh, cold water on the stove, let come to a boil; turn off this water and put on fresh boiling water. Let it cook until tender, then boil Jn thick syrup made of granulated sugar. Let the syrup cook aU out. being careful not to burn; place on the platters to dry. This is fine for fruit cake, mince meat, or to season common loaf cake. It will keep any lengi.U of W9, it pi?-??! L With the Runny Revised Maxim. Early to rise, ' And early to shop, . - - Makes daddy's bank account Take a big drop. " ? Must lie Old. ' 'She don't look so old." -. . .. But I can remember when she had la grippe." Trying, First Chicken "You seem nervous." Second Chicken "Why, yes. I've just seen a cousin of mine running around with his head off." , The Gesti dilatory Langnage. " "Ah, bon jour, monsieur." "Oh, talk English it's too cold for French to-day. I want to keep my hands in my pockets' Woman's Home Companion. He Doesn't Cdant. Caller "There is Mr. Henpeck at the window, and you tell me there isn't anybody at home." Maid "Sure, then, an' Mr. Henpeck isn't anybody at home." ? Impediment. Prue "Why don't you break the en gagement if you find you no longer love him?" Marjorie "I've just discovered that he wants to break it himself." Puck, It Often Happens. "I understand you played a solo at the musical last night?" "No; merely an accompaniment." "Why. nobody sang." "True. But everybody talked." Louisville Courier-Journal. 4 Difference In Fupils. "It costs a good deal to get a thor ough college education, doesn't it, Henry?" asked one of his friends. "Naw!" responded the husky young athlete. "It ain't costin' ma uathin'." Chicago Tribune, jf' . -4f'An Awfnl Warning. "Men of the Strap-hanging Age. (From a print of the period, J995.), Funcb. J'"' Had tbe Dust. .. ' "Was there much dust "on "the trip coming through?" said Ms friend to the new arrival. "I didn't notice any," said the other, "but the porter found fifty cents worth on my clothes." Detroit Free Press. After Christmas. r " " Rivers "Brooks, you've heard that familiar saying, 'Give a man rope enough ' " - Brooks "And he'll smoke himself to death? O, yes, I've heafd that, and I have often wondered who the pretend ed friend of yours is that's trying to kill you off." Chicago Tribune. DliROPOinted "Don't you know," said the young man who thinks he has musical tal ent. "I sprained my throat the other day playing the cornet." "Yes," replied his landlady, "and the neighbors sent their sympathy until they heard the truth." ' " "What truth?" "They thought you had sprained the cornet." unica go isews. i Habit - ' " Hicks "He was at one time quite prominent in Wall Street financiering, wasn't he?" Wicks "Yes, but he's settled down now as a gentleman farmer, raising fine cattle and all that sort of thing." Hicks "Well, well! How, entirely different from his old work." Wicks "Oh, not entirely. He wat ers bis stock, of course.Philadelpliia Press; . "T" investigation Called Tor.' ' Julius Caesar "When dey fcit .00 investigatiorui' de lniquitable Life I wish dey'd disillusionize dis yere telle graft company." Marcus Cicero "Wot dey done, Julius?" Juliu3 Caesar "Dey done saldindls message, 'Money sent by telegraph. My ole boss done sent it, too. But when I open de eenvelop dsvs .'' v -put in it, Sftb!'WJu?f i. 1 11 1 ij . 1 1 ft SCIENCE (p Recording bird migrations, Otto Her man, a Hungarian ornithologist, is sur prised to find that swallows take 103 days to complete their passing from Gibraltar to Lulea, iu Sweden. The tails of comets are found by Professor Barnard to be- shaped by several causes in addition to the sun's repulsion. Short, straight minor tails, issuing from the nucleus at consider able angles to the main tail ficeni to be due to an eruptive force of the comet itself. If Mars and Saturn reflected the same proportion of the light which falls upon their surfaces the smaller v and much, nearer planet would look three times as bright as the much more distant and much larger Saturn. As a matter of fact there is no great difference betweenthe two. It is in ferred from this fact that the visible surface of Saturn consists of clouds, since no surface of laud aud water would reflect so much light as that planet gives. " - M. de Wilde has a new method cf separation, from which ha expects great results. He treats ocean water with a concentrated solution of salt of tin, which transforms the gold into purple of Cassius, au oxide of gold aud tin, and this is fixed, by hydrate of magnesia, which is liberated from the sea water on adding lime water. The hydrate of magnesia has been' charged with as much as fifteen per cent, of gold, which is removed with cyanide of potassium solution. That electricity is soon to replace the manual labor of the housemaid is the prediction of Colonel R.E. Cromp ton. the English electrician. It is ca pable of washing dishes, kneading dough, chopping meat aud even doing the family washing, as well as' many other things. The ussj of the uioto to compress air may give a cold stor age room for every man's house. Do mestic motors have been greatly cheap ened and electric lighting companies are profiting by selling current for day use at reduced price. The radium clock' described some months ago by the Hon. R. J. Strutt is now manufactured by a London chem ist. It consists essentially of a small glass tube in which a twelfth of . a grain of radium is supported b" a roil of quartz in an exhausted glass vessel, the lower end of the tube containing an electroscope of two aluminum films. Treatment with phosphoric acid ren ders the surface of the glass conduc tive. The positive charge received from the radium expaud3 the leaves of the electroscope until they touch the sides of the tujbe, when they are dis charged to earth and the leaves fall together. This is repeated st inter vals of one minute, the estimate being that action will continue several thou sand years. NEW CREATIONS IN PLANT LIFE, ' The Remarkable Work of r-uibsr Jiur. bank, the HotttonUurii. Much has been written in the. news, papers and la tbe magazine about the work of Luther Buvbank, who has accomplished such wonderful results in the breeding of plants and the Im provement of old species and the cre ation of new species of fruits, flowers and vegetables. A new volume by W. S. Harwood contains the most com plete and comprehensive account of Mr. Burbank's great achievements, his methods of work, and his personality. The things that he has done are little short of miraculous, aud not the least miraculous phase of his work is that he has accomplished in a few years what, it takes Nature, unaided, gen erations and centuries to bring about. He has made a daisy six inches in dia meter, that will grow anywhere from the Arctic Circle to the Equator; a potato that is recognized as the best in the world; a fruit, made by crossing the potato and the tomato, which grows upon the potato plant, and which is "fine eaten raw out of hand, delicious when cooked, and excellent as a pre serve.". He has bred a calla lily with the perfume of a violet; a dahlia with Its disagreeable odor replaced by the fragance of tbe magnolia; the plUm cot, which is a combination of the plum and the apricot; a plum without a pit; blackberries without thorns; a full list of his creations would 'fill pages. Perhaps his most remarkable achievement is the creation of a thorn less edible cactus, which promises to redeem our desert lands by providing a crop which will grow without irriga tion and will furnish palatable, 1 nu tritious food for cattle and for man. New "Tork Outlook. . ., Golf at Sea. Few of the older sports are now in dulged in at sea. The exceptions are quoit pitching and shufdeboard. Sea golf is fast driving shu ffl aboard fro m the list, and athletes at sea" view the suggestion of ring pitching with aLout as much contempt as old-time poker players accord the idea of playing cassino. Golf at sea is more or less on the shulieboard order, except that the field is bigger and the pastime more exciting. Sntcid Fails : Asks Damages. ., Because a revolver which he had Just purchased to commit suicide missed fire twice, Paul SchlardumoC San Bernardino, Cal., has begun suit against a hardware firm for the prkr of the weapon aud damages for its fail ure to kill him. He says he will post puuft further attempts on bis life, until hi izv ? suit is tried. I! 31 '1 i i i! Pi ' ' VI.. H ;! r 1 .v'