North Carolina Newspapers

( ml v THE- AN EXCELLENT ADVERTISING MEDIUM. Official 0 Organ of Washington County. ,Y ... v?IRjRST OF ALL-THE NEWS. Job Printing In ItsVarious Branches, Circulates extensively in the Counties of Martin, Washington, Tyrrell and Beauf? J.OO A YEAR IN ADVAXCE. " FOB GOD, FOR COUNTRY, AXD TOR TRUTU." SJXIi) COPY, 5 CENTS. VOL IX. PLYMOUTH, N. C., FRIDAY. FEBEDARY 25, 1898. NO. 23. tlJSli mm . f , I' i I: X RILEY'S LUCK. Riley was a lazy fellow, Never worked a bit. All day long In some store corner . On a chair he'd sit. Never talked much too much trouble Tired his jaws, you Bee. All of us were making money; "Jest my luck!" says he. Some one offered him ten dollars If he'd work two days; Hiley crossed his legs and looked up At the sun's hot rays. ' Then he leaned baok In the shadow, Sadley shook his head ; "Never asked me till hot weather; ' Jest my luck!" he said. Riley courted Sally Hopkins Iii his lazy way; When he saw Jim Dodson kis3 her "Jest my luck!" he'd say. Leap year came, and Mandy Perkins .Sought his company; Riley sighed, and married Mandy; -Jest my luck!" says he. Hiley took his wife out fishing In a little boat, Storm blew up and turned them over; Mandy wouldn't float. Kiley sprang Into the river, Seized her by the hair, Swam a mile unto the shore, where Friends pulled out the pair. Mandy was so full of water Seemed she'd surely die: Doctors worked with her two hours 'Ere she moved an eye. They told Riley she was better; Doctors were in glee; Riley chewed an old pine splinter; "Jest my luck!" says ho. Detroit Free Tress. The Other One. BY VIRGINIA LIN D ALL DUXBAIt. , "Every marriage is hazardous, but T can conceive of no greater risk than was taken by that same handsome, mild-mannered woman." Judge Watson was speaking of a smiling, elegantly-dressed lady, whom he had just bowed out of his office, and to her carriage. "She doesn't look to who had gone through trials iu life." me like one many severe "I am thinking of the chance she took, and what might have been. The story is worth listening to, although, perhaps, I will tell it badly." , "Let's have it, by all means," I paid. "Very well," answered the Judge; "take a cigar, and while we are smok ing, I Avill try to tell you the story." "The lady who just left has a twin sister who is now abroad. When they were girls together it was impossible to tell them apart, and when they grew to young womanhood they wire literally as much alike as two peas, and, their mother was the only one aside from themselves that could tell which was which, when they were abroad in the same attire. They used to play jokes on the young men, for, being so much alike, this was easy to do. They were pretty girls, and had scores of young beaux, ready and willing to have all sorts of pranks played upon them, for just the sake of their companion. "Howard Gleason was especially attentive to Maud, and he admits that he sometimes made the mistake of embracing the wrong sister when he happened to meet her suddenly in a poor light. "The father, old Mr. Wardlow, was rich and proud, and only knew that Howard Gleason was courting one of his daughters. Now, Howard was not blessed with this world's goods, and old man Wardlow was ambitious for his daughters; so he very promptly issued an ultimatum. The young mau could have neither of the daugh ters, until he had made a fortune, or at any rate, not until he had laid the foundation for one. "Maud wept and urged upon her father that he had money enough for both, and though the old man agreed that this was true, he was obdurate, and refused to budge from the position he had taken. "Howard was proud and plucky, even if he was poor; he wasted neither time nor words. He soothed his sweet heart, and then went straight to the mining regions of the west, where so many have sought, and found the smiles of fortune. Maud was to wait for him, and she promised to be faith ful, no matter hoAV long the time of waiting might be. "The father had also commanded that there should be no correspond ence between the young people, dur ing the time of Howard's absence, and this condition was respected by both. "The months crept by wearily, and to the young man working so hard for the woman he loved, this time seemed interminable. Day after day, and week after week he toiled uneheered by any roessflgo from the woman for who"" " K Sometimes lie felt ., " H-'t pledged word, l.jploring her to Wvsnly enough "-faithful. ; to his ' ' 'self: be vt was half-owner of a mine that prom ised to become one of the richest in that country. Then he determined to go back home and tell the girl of his heart of his good fortune. He would be his own messenger in carrying the glad news, so without a word, he put his things together and started east. "Of course, having no correspond ence with any one in town, no one was aware of Howard's good fortune, and when he arrived at his old home he came unheralded. He took only suffi cient time to brush up a bit, and then he started for Mr. Wardlow's. Ar rived at the house he knew so well, and the afternoon being warm, he found nobody about, save the oid gardener, who was looking after the flowers. " 'Where is your mistress?' Howard asked. "The old man hesitated. "'Can't you understand English?' Howard said impatitently. 'Where is your mistress?' " 'She's she's in the grove, sir, a-reading,' said the old man, bowing obsequiously, and without more ado Howard went to seek her. You can perhaps imagine the meeting. He came suddenly upon a fair young crea ture swinging in her hammock under the trees and reading. Coming up quietly behind her he caught her to his heart, as he covered her face with kisses. "Then he held her off at arm's length and said: " 'Maud, my darling!' "While she answered, 'Howard!' and hid her face on his breast. "Howard had waited sufficiently long for his wife, and so they were quietly married the next day, and left at once on their wedding tour." Here the Judge ceased his story, and sat silent, puffing at his cigar, so long that the other said: "Well, I don't see anything so very 'risky' in that." The Judge smiled and then went on: "Wait. It was the 'other one' that Howard had married. Maud hadsuc cumbered to the charms of a foreigner, had married and gone away with him. The 'other one' loved Howard had al ways loved him, and when she saw that he mistook her for Maud of course she pitied him. When she found, too, that he had not the slightest notion of the true condition of affairs, she con ceived the idea of marrying him her self, and explaining to him afterward. After much coaxing, and because she believed that her daughter's lmppi ness depended upon it, Mrs. Wardlow consented to the plot. When they re turned from their wedding tour. Howard's wife told him everything. He's a sensible fellow and was quick to see that what had happened was all for his happiness. "Five years have gone by, and to this day he has never quit thanking his stars' that he didn't marry Maud, but married 'the other one!"' St. Louis Star. SOME BEAUTY RULES. Modern Recipes for Attaining; Good Looks of Various Kinds. To Get Thin Eat a great deal of chopped meat without any potato in it. Drink little fluid of any kind except strong tea. Exercise a great deal with- out drinking and. do not eat bread, but ter, or candy. Lemonade, acid drinks of all kinds, and saline mineral waters are excellent. Drink a glass of cool water before breakfast. To Get Fat Eat vegetables and sleep after each meal. Go to bed at 9 o'clock and lie in bed half an hour after you wake up. Laugh a great deal. Drink water by the pint or the quart if you can. Drink weak and sweet tea with plenty of milk in it. Take cod liver oil and sweet oils as much as you can. Eat until you feel as if you would burst , at the table. Put plenty of butter on your bread. This will guarantee a gain of five pounds a month, and,' if you can sleep a great dea!, of double that amount. To Have a White Skin Eat no meat at all. Become a vegetarian; they al ways have beautiful skin. Once in six weeks or so eat a meal of fresh meat. This does away with the tendency to scurvy that curse of the vegetarian. Drink as much water as you can, eat little grease, and touch no tea or coffee, lour breakfast may be oatmeal and oranges; your dinner fruit, nuts, fruit tea preferably quince tea graham muffins, cauli flower croquettes, marmalade, and dishes of stewed vegetables. The diet is not so bad when you get used to it. In large towns you will find one or two restaurants catering to such as you. To Become Very Muscular WTalk a great deal, carrying soxething always in the hands. This develops the arms. To roil a hoop might be good if one were brave enough to do so in public. Practice lifting a little every day. Never strain or tire yourself. Eat meat, drink milk, and practice bending backward, forward, and side ways every day. At night rub about a tablespoon of brandy or rum into your skin on the under and tender part of the arms. To Have Plump Hands Bub them vith sweet oil night and morning. 1 vercise them by rubbing together. r wear tight sleeves or snug p One's Feet Small This is 1 v, The first eiga that one has I passed youth ia the tendency to wear a larger pair of shoes and this is necessary. The feet spread and really grow. To remedy this wear shoes as long as can be managed, but not as wide as seem necessary. Never wear old slippers around the house, unless they are snug in the width, and be careful of corns. These never necessary while the chiropodist exists. To Have a Fine Golor Wash the face with the juice of preserved straw berries in the winter, and in summer rub a ripe berry on the face. For a smooth, WTiite Skin, With out Dieting Bathe the face daily with buttermilk. A preparation of tincture of benzoin and rose water is excellent for whitening purposes. There are very good prepared creams, but these are never cheap. Do not go under a dollar for them if you want them com pounded of fine and pure materials. To Have One's Garments Sweet Scented Make sachet bags and slip them in the linings of dresses. They will, if good at first, keep their scent for a year or more. Fold the bodices of the scented gowns and lay them away in air-tight boxes. This fills them with scent. Philadelphia Times BUILT BY THE. WINDS. Holland's Vigorous Battle Against the Advancing Sea. Appreciating the fact that the high chalk cliffs of England are no protec tion against the sea, the Dutch engi neers did not attempt to place an arti ficial vertical. wall against the waves and the storm tides, but coaxed the sea to deposit its sands on the shore and, so build it up, rather than throw them inland and then, hungry for more, eat into the shore. They be lieved it best to satisfy its appetite, but induced it to toy with the sands, which its own flood currents and waves bring from other shores, and from the offing depths. The Band thus depos ited blows, in the gales, over the in land country. The engineers induced it to stop and build a barrier for them against the sea. One of the heaviest dikes along the coast was built by the winds themselves. The sand formed between the jet ties becomes dry in sunny weather, and the surface is blown ashore when the wind is in that direction. It was desired to build a strong dike to con nect with the sand dunes. This was accomplished by setting in the sand, in rows about aioot apart, tufts of the dune sea grass near by. The tufts were placed about a foot apart sim ply little handfulls of grass; the place for each tuft was dug out with the hands, the tuft set into it, and the sand pressed around it. The whole surface of the dry, sandy beach above high tide was covered with this plan tation, and, just back of it, at the highest point of the existing sandy area, one or two rows of reeds were set into the sand, their tops cut off, and the stalks left standing about four feet above the sand. The sand, drift- along over the surface, catches and in one windy day will almost bury the tufts of grass and stand up a foot along the rows of reeds. Then another plantation was made, and another, un til a massive dike was built up to the height of the adjoining dike. In high storm tides the waves will eat into the toe of the slope and pull down the sand, but, by the same process oi building, the dike is again restored to its former size. Engineering Maga zine. The Siamese King's Country Home. The country palace of the king ol Siam is called Bang-pa-in. About forty miles north of Bangkok, on the Meinam, are two islands, separated by a narrow channel not 150 feet wide. On the smaller of these is a Buddhist temple and college, and on the othet is the country residence of the king of Siam, which consists of three build ings the official, the private and the Chinese palaces. Each is separated from the other by canals, with which the island is intersected, and which, in places, are enlarged into small arti ficial lakes. Sluice gates are provided between the canal and river, which serve to maintain the level of the water in the former, and also for flushing; for, although some seventy two miles from the sea, the tide rises and falls between three and four feet. Through these pass the boats contain ing the ladies of the household, who, to escape public notice, are landed a few feet from their apartments. The Ko-pia, or landing stage, is a wooden gangway,hinged at both ends, and resting on a pontoon anchored in water deep enough to allow large launches to moor alongside. At the top of the bank is a band stand, close against a portico of classical design, which forms the entrance to the offi cial palace, and looks down a narrow strip of walks and lawn, shaded by mango and tamarind trees. On the occasion of a grand fete, this was the site of an enormous device that was used for an electric light illumination. Better Than a Queen. "Your lot," said Sprockett, "is ten times better than that of a queen. Yet you complain." "I fail to see hownt is better," re sponded the nagging spouse. "Bead the papernL The Queen of Holland is not nAlowed to ride a wheel." Philadelphia North Ameri TOLD OF THE ALLIGATOR. HIS FRUGAL FARE AND LONG SLEEP IN WINTER QUARTERS. Another Hibernator That Gets Along Without Breathing -Ability of the Sanrl- ans to Go Without Food Their Most Vulnerable Points. Commenting on an article in the NeyrYork Sun concerning hibernat ing animals, an old South Carolina hunter, and consequently a close stu dent of natural history, remarked that the naturalist who was quoted had omitted the greatest' hibernator of them all the alligator. "The alligator," he said, "is cer tainly one of the most remarkable of all hibernators, in fact, perhaps the most remarkable. It is the only am phibious animal I recall belonging to that class, and if it is a fact, as stated by the naturalist in the Sun, that all the animals he mentions begin their long winter's sleep on empty stom achs, the alligator is the exception to the rule. With the first black frost thousands of these hideous creatures, from the twelve-inch yellow and black yearlings of the previous spring's hatching to the sixteen-foot monsters that can pull down a horse, retire for the winter. Alligators abound in salt and fresh wrater rivers as far up as tide water extends, and in the ad jacent inland swamps from North Carolina to the Gulf. While they may wander many miles during the sum mer from the spot of high land where in the spring the huge nest of 'the fe male was made and the bushel of eggs laid for the sun to hatch, in the fall the alligators return thither. Near their nest is their hole. "These holes are sometimes, if the saurian is an inhabitant of an inland swamp, dug like a well in some wood, but more often the mouth of the hole is beneath the surface of the water, the excavation extending under the bank. With his powerful feet and claws the alligator digs almost straight down from eight to twelve feet; he then makes a horizontal' passage for some distance and finally takes an up ward turn, coming to within a short distance of the surface of the earth and above the level of water in the swamp or marsh where he may be. He now prepares a place sufficiently large for him to lie at full length out of the water. Here it is that he takes his long winter's sleep, and as no air can penetrate to that point, he must do without breathing. "But the alligator does not go to bed on an empty stomach. Nature requires something to be in his stom ach, but nothing in the way of ordi nary food not even the leg of a horse or a whole hound would last for many days. So for the sake of comfort his 'gatorship swallows a piece of wood. Almost anything of suitable size will answer the purpose, but the most palatable tid-bit in this section seems to be a lightwood knot. Alligators have been killed in the early spring with remains of one of these knots in their stomachs beautifully polished. The animal probably takes in this hard substance just to stay his stom ach, for it can probably live longer without food, even in its active state, than any other creature. , There are stories, some of them authenticated, going to show his remarkable powers in this direction. A hunter catching a small one in the woods while the alligator was making his way from one pond to another, cut a slit in the tail, and passing a rope through it put the other end over a limb and hauled the alligator up in lynching style until his head was several feet from the ground. The captor intend ed to return for his prize the next day, but something interfered. Sever al months afterward he passed that way and was astonished to find the creature still alive. "In another case one summer an alligator about four feet long was caught near a gentleman's house and thrown into an empty barrel, where he was forgotten. The next spring, or eight months after, the barrel was overturned and the 'gator brought to light. He was not only alive, but had grown about six inches. He had grown, however, in the curved shape of the bottom of the barrel. His tail just reached to his mouth, and he could only run in a circle, presenting the most ludicrous spectacle. In a week or two the back became some what less rigid, and the 'gator was set at liberty. "While on the subject of alligators let me contradict a statement I have seen in print dozens of times. In fact, so invariably does it accompany an alligator story that I am led to doubt whether the authors have ever shot one of the creatures. The eye is not the only vulnerable point. If it was very few would ever be killed. The eye is small and presents a poor, indistinct target. It is doubtful if, with the best sporting rifle made, with the usual open sights, the finest shot on earth could hit an alligator's eye oftener than once in ten times at forty yards, offhand. The difficulty about killing alligators is that they must, if shot in the head, be hit in the brain, and the brain is exceedingly small for the size of the animal about as large as the palm of one's hand and high up in the head. A load of buckshot tixi at an allie-ator. aimed to strike between the eyes, will, if the shooter is on anything like a horizontal line, glance off as from a steel plate. If one shot should strike the eye and fol low up the channel it would enter the brain. The same load delivered per pendicularly, driven by modern pow ers, would Bmash through the skull. Any good rifle, from 32-calibre up, will send a bullet through the skull of any alligator and smash the brain pan. But the fatal shot for a shotgun is the side of the head, behind the eye. There are no tough bones there, and turkey shot at close range would be effective. If the 'gator is out of the water, sunning himself on a bank or tussock, as is his delight on hot sum mer days, with mouth wide open to catch flies on his tongue, a load of heavy shot just behind the shoulder will reach the heart and lungs, pro ducing instant death. If a shot pierces his lings, the creature will not remain i nier water." ICE SKATES OF CLASS. Much Taster Than Steel Blades, and Ex tremely Slippery. "I believe the death knell of metal and wooden skates has been rung." said one of the largest skate manufac turers to the writer recently. "Several practical inventors have been experimenting on these articles for years past, and the latest result is a skate made of glass, hardened by a recently discovered process to the con sistency of steel. The entire skate is of this substance, the upper part re sembling a slipper, open behind, with a split 'lace-up' heel-cap. "Among several advantages stated are, that they are much faster than steel blades, and so extremely slip pery that they will run almost equally as well over rough, snow-covered ice as upon smooth, and also easily over inequalities, broken twigs and other obstructions. : They are made very sharp, and owing to their extreme hardiness, it is impossible to blunt them; and, unlike steel skates, they 1 never want grinding, and cannot rust. "These 'crystal skates are really beautiful in appearance, being nearly transparent; the substance also has, while in the liquid state, been various ly colored. They have already been privately tested. A famous skating champion recently tried a p&ir at the Niagara ice rink, using mahogany colored ones, to avoid attracting atten tion, the time being hardly ripe for , exhibition. .A private trial has been made in Paris at an ice rink espe cially hired for the occasion, several ladies among them a celebrated con tinental lady skater taking part; their skates were colored blue, crim son, brown, etc., to match their cos tumes." Pottery Gazette. Life-Saving Telephone Lines. The total length of life-saving tele phone lines is, it is stated, nearly 1000 miles, and there are more than 200 telephone connections at life- saving stations, half way places, light houses and other points in connection with the service covering the Atlantic coast from Maine to Hatteras Inlet, N. C. Linemen's work on the coast is not a pleasant duty, the trips being long with dangerous inlets to be crossed, and there is but little shelter on the beaches in stormy weather., The one man who has charge of the, 100 miles of the North Carolina sec-' tion has to make most of his trips on muleback. At some points on the coast of Cape Cod the half-way places are connectod by telephone with the main line. The designation of "half-way" is applied to a place about midway be tween two life-saving stations, where the patrols meet and exchange checks during the night watches. The object in connecting the half-way places is to enable the patrols to send in an alarm of wreck or report vessels that may be in distress in the vicinity of the half way place without having to run back through miles of loose sand, and per haps in the face of a gale, to notify their station. Many a time when, in the old days, this had to be done, the ship and crew were under the water before help arrived, that now would have been saved. This telephone service is also used iu calling tugs to go to vessels in dis tress at sea, to notify owners and underwriters of disasters, to watch disabled vessels, and in isolated places to call up a physician or substitute patrols in case of sickness, etc. Every section is connected with some tele phone office where telegrams can be sent and received. New York Times A Parson's Rabbit Hunt. Parson Uzzell and 128 other hunt ers returned recently from the Lamar slaughter. About 3850 rabbits were killed. They will be shipped to Pueblo, Denver, Central City, Black Hawk, Boulder, Cripple Creek, Bald Mountain and other points. Parson Uzzell has received applications from so many parts of the state that he says 100,000 would not more than fill tha bill. Denver republican. A Tender-Hearted Girl. ' Old Million My deaf Miss Young- thing, if you'd only marry me 1 could j die happy. i Miss Yoiingthing Why, Mr. MM- ' lion, if you were dying, I'd marry you j in a minute. New York Weekly. CUBAN MAIDS AND MATRONS' Old Time Restrictions No Longer Ob served In Havana Society. Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Springer, whose husband wis attached to our legation in Havana, has excellent opportunities of observing society in Cuba and in Leslie's Weekly site tells something about the maids and matrons of the "Gem of the Antilles." "Slender, graceful Cuban maids, f with smoothly plaited tresses, blade as the raven's wing; large, lustrous, dreamy black eyes; clear, pale com plexion, resembling the waxen tint of the lily, have their pretty ears filled with dreams of love before they quit the schoolroom. Their peculiar train ing, restricted sphere as well as early 2 maturity for in the tropics a girr blooms into womanhood in her thir teenth or fourteenth yea? maybe tjio reason why their thoughts turn tadve before they have discarded theijdolls, braids and short dresses. The strict watch maintained over the tender buds, the cast-iron rules of etiquette which prohibits them from too great indulgence ia athletic sports or out door life, which a northern maid en joys, precluding romantic ideas and rendering her less susceptible to ten der passion, which is fostered by a se cluded existence, may be the reason why Cuban girls look forward to mat rimony as a release from these irk some bonds. The romantic manner in which courtship is carried on tends to keep alive their illusions, for lovers usually Avalk up and down before their lady love's dwelling like a sentinel on duty, because they are debarred from calling on a maiden until they are formally engaged, and then they can only seeher in the presence of the family, or exchange tender nothings under the Argus eyes of a mamma, who keeps a strict watch over her off spring. "Many years ago no gentleman was permitted to touch a lady's hand, but he would bow deeply before her; while nowadays shaking hands is even more common than among our own people. It used to be the height of impropriety for a bride to be seen un til the expiration of eight days after the wedding, and she would keep in -strict seclusion during that period, while now the bridal couple do not shun society. One of the customs still prevalent is that no gentleman can escort a lady as far as the next corner, although his hair were snow3r white, if she were not a member o his own family. -1 However, greater intercourse with foreign nations, more extended travel for Cubans are cosmopolitan have tended to modify many of their cus toms. There is a peculiar feature in. Spanish law which favors lovers. Pro vided a suitor can support a wife, no matter hew low his social condition,' and how inferior to that of the girl he loves, if she is willing to marry him hi spite of her parents' opposition he can appeal to law, the judge removes her from her own home to a friend's house and the marriage takes place. "In Hceor dance with Spanish law, no man attains his majority until he is 25, and up to that period he cannot marry without his parents authoriza tion. The Chamaguey district is noted for the beauty of its women, famed for their statuesque, Juno-like forms of generous proportions, regular fea tures, radiant black eyes, luxuriant tresses, cream-like complexion, soft, caressing accent and charming man ners, which render them very fascin ating. But under these feminine at tributes is a strong, determined will. "The usual order of Cuban beauty of a typical type, has large, dreamy, languid, dark eyes, mouth with soft curves, somewhat like Cupid's bow, red lips, colorless complexion for roses never bloom on Cuban maidens', cheeks-and their skin rather resem bles the jassamme or lily in opaque whiteness black tresses and a grace ful, willowy form, often compared by Cuban poets to the native palm tree iu gracefulness and beauty. But there are blondes in Cuba, and they are par ticularly charming as a different type of beauty, derived from a strain ot northern blood, either from Castil" ian, German, French 6r Irish ances try; for many of these people have ini termarried with Spanish or Cubans, and their northern origin is 'revealed in their descendants, their complexion and traits somewhat modified through, being born under the blazing rays oi the tropic sun." The Defendant's Pleading. In a rural district in the west of England there lived an eccentric old farmer, who was continually appeal ing before the magistrates for allowing his cattle to stray on the highway. During the hearing'of his case for a similar offense upon the last occasion he elicited much laughter from ths presiding "gentlemen on the bench" and others. The chairman, addressing the de fendant, asked: "Do you plead guilty or not guilty?" 1 " "Well, yer 'onour, I expects as I be guilty, but don't be too hard on a reg'lar customer." Spare Moments. Since the beginning of this centnrj no fewer than fifty-two volcanic island have arisen out of the sea. Nineteen of that unmoor Line since disappeared, and ten are now inhabited.