ANIMAL LIFE.
In Maryland sparrows have been
known to raise six broods in one year.
- In England there are seldom more than
three broods.
Ostrich farms are profitable. Birds
are worth $100 apiece, and a good spec-
imen yields about $25 worth of feath-
ers at a plucking.
Cats evince, as is well known, a cu-
rious emotional disturbance when in
the neighborhood of valerian plant, of
which they are very fond. It apparent-
ly produces in them a species of intoxi-
cation.
There are records of elephants that
have lived for 200 years, and an age
of 150 years is not regarded as so very
old for an elephant. It takes about a
quarter of a century to get the elephant
to full maturity.
A French anatomist has analyzed the
skeletons of 86 chimpanzees, gorillas
and orang outangs and asserts that he
has found in them bone diseases like
those which afflict mankind and in
about the same proportion.
He Was Satisfied.
A farmer entered an office in central
New York and sent this message to a
woman in Canada: “Will you be my
wife? Please answer quick by tele-
graph.” Although he waited the rest
of the day, he got no answer, but the
next morning he got a night dispatch,
sent collect, but favorable. The opera-
tor in expressing his sympathy said,
“Little rough to keep you in suspense
so long.”
“Look a-here, sonny,” the farmer re-
marked, “I’ll stand all the suspense.
Any woman that’ll hold back her an-
swer all day to a proposal of marriage,
jest so thet she kin send it half rate at
night, is economical enough to make
up after I git her for all the loss of
time and injury to feelin’s I’ve suffered
waitin!”—Exchange. :
Beef Tea.
It is the suggestion of a trained nurse, |
whose beef tea was most acceptable to |
a patient to whom in any previous ill-
ness it hag, been repellent, that the
beef should be broiled before the juice
is extracted. A thick, lean, juicy steak
from the round is broiled over a clear
fire perhaps two minutes on each side,
after which it is cut up into small
squares, put into a saucepan, covered
with cold water and set on the back of
the stove, where it should steep, not
boil, for fully two hours. Remember
not to add the salt until the dish is tak-
en from the fire and serve it hot unless,
of course, it is to be offered as cold or
iced beef tea.
De a ar de
Tried and Convicted Too.
Politics in the west, even more than
in the east, says the author of “Life
and Sport In California,” is a profes-
sion. I remember two men who were
candidates for the office of district at-
torney. One had served before; the
other was a young man conducting his
first campaign.
The veteran was speaking in a small
town, and after setting forth his own
claims he spoke as follows of his oppo-
nent: : 2
“I understand that Mr. X, is in every
sense a worthy and honorable man,
but I ask you to remember that he has
never been tried—he has never been
tried.”
“That’s so!” exclaimed a voice.
“You've been tried, old man, haven't
you—and convicted, tuo, you know?”
After due inquiry it appeared that
the veteran had been, indeed, indicted
for horse stealing and convicted. He
was not elected.
Norway Fairies.
“Like the Japanese,” writes William
E. Curtis in the Chicago Herald, “the
Norwegians are very superstitious,
and as in Japan the forests, the moun-
tains and the gorges are peopled with
fairies. Nissen is the good fairy of the
farmers. He looks after the cattle par-
ticularly, and if he is well treated
they are healthy and the cows give lots
of milk. To propitiate him it is neces-
sary to put a dish of porridge on the
threshold of the cow stable on Christ-
nas morning. Whenever the family
moves this invisible being goes along
with them and sits on the top of the
loads.”
Reason For Dislike. :
Wife—Mr. Black has no more taste in
the matter of dress than a giraffe.
Husband—Why do you say that?
Wife—Because his wife had on the
most beautiful gown last night, and
when I admired it he said he thought
it was dreadful.
Husband—But, my dear, he had to
pay $500 for it.—Detroit Free Press.
Of a Large Class.
Simkins—Bilkins junior strikes me as
being a very promising young man.
Timkins—Yes; more promising than
paying.—Chicago News.
Sensible.
Mr. Backward—Well—er—yes, since
you ask me, I was thinking of consult-
ing a fortune teller.
Miss Coy—To find out whom you will |
marry, eh?
Mr. Backward—Why—er—yes; I—
Miss Coy—Why not ask me and save
the fortune teller’s fee toward the price
of the ring ?—Pearson’s.
ET
A TRAIN TAKES ITS OWN PICTURE.
Allen Ayrault Green, a young pho-
tographer of the University of Chicago,
wascalled on recentlyto take a Buincy
for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad of their fast Chicago-Denver
train, The Burlington's NumberOne,”
while in motion. After several unsuc-
cessful trials with the usual apparatus,
he made an electric switch, attaching
it to the rail so that when the engine
.struck it the circuit was closed. This
switch communicated through a metal-
lic circuit to a set of dry cells, and
thence to a shutter-release. The
shutter- release was a complicated
machine, consisting of a pair of low-
resistance coils, acting as electro-mag-
nets on closing the circuit and attract
ing the armature, it in turn commu-
nicating with a series of levers so
constructed as to minimize the resist-
ance of the stout spring it was to
release. The instant that the engine
struck the switch it closed the circuit,
and instantly thc electricity commu-
nicated with the high-speed shutter
and the picture was correctly regis-
tered on the center of the plate.
Thus the Burlington's train took its
own picture while running at full
speed, and jt may seem odd, yet it is
true, that a railroad locomotive has
at last joined the great army of
amateur photographers.
esas
Keeping at It.
There is a very old but very good
story about a boy who was engaged
one winter day in putting a ton of coal
into a cellar. His only implement was
a small fire shovel. Noticing this, a
benevolent old gentleman expressed
surprise and commiseration.
“My son,” said the gentleman, “you
surely do not expect to put in all that
coal with that little shovel 2”
“Oh, yes, I do,” replied the boy cheer-
fully. “All I have to do is to keep at
®t” :
There is a lesson in this story for
young and old, and it is exemplified in
the lives of the great men of the world.
It is a mistake to suppose that the best
work of the world is done by people of
great strength and many opportunities.
“Keeping at it” is the secret of success.
—HExchange.
\
Noancommittal About His Health.
Robert—Oh, I suppose Tom is all
right, but he is so close mouthed. For
instance, when I saw him today I ask-
ed him, “How are you?’ and he gave
‘me an evasive answer.
Ricbard—And what was that?
Robert—He said, “How are you?'—
Boston Transcript.
The most disastrous times have pro- ,
‘duced the greatest minds. The purest
, metal comes of the most ardent fur-
ace, the most brilliant lightning from
he darkest clouds.
Simplicity Itself.
“There are only two points in sue-
cess.”
“What are they?”
“Work and keep other people from
working you.”—Chicago Herald.
|
FIVE LITTLE FOXES.
Among my tender vines I spy
A little fox named—By and By.
Then set upon him quick, I say,
The swift young hunter—Right Away. i
Around each tender vine I plant i
1 find the little fox—I Can’t. 1
Then, fast as ever hunter ran,
Chase him with bold and brave—I Can,
No use in trying—lags and whines
This fox among my tender vines.
Then drive him low and drive him high,
With this good hunter, named—I'il Try,
Among the vines in my small lot
Creeps in the young fox—I Forgot.
Then hunt him out and to his pen,
With—I Will Not Forget Again.
A little fox is hidden there
Among my vines, named—I Don’t Care,
Then let I'm Sorry—hunter true—
Chase him afar from vines and you.
—Sunshine and Shadow.
Relieved.
“That must be a pretty bad tooth-
ache to swell your face like that. Why
don’t you see a dentist?”
“I did call on your friend, Dr. Pull-
em, yesterday, and experienced great
relief.” s
“You must be mistaken. Pullem has
been out of town for a week.”
“I know. I feltrelieved when I found
that out.”—Philadelphia Press.
No Established Credit.
Credit Man—Sorry, sir, but we can-
not open an account with you because
of your financial standing.
Rubbton—What’s the matter with it?
Credit Man—Why, you've always paid
cash.—Brooklyn Life.
The Highest Court. >
The Denver Times says that whe
Tom Bagnell was justice of the
peace at Altman, the highest incorpo-
rated town in the country, standing
12,000 feet above the sea level,
he had occasion to fine a disorderly
character $10 and costs.. The victim of
the operation of justice objected to the
finding of the court and announced
that he would take an appeal.
“What? Appeal, would you?” asked
the astonished court. “You can’t come
any o’ that, now. This is the highest
court in the United States, and you
can’t appeal.”
<
An Alphabetical Ad.
The Schoolm
of the London Times in 1842: “To wid-
owers and single gentlemen—Wanted
by a lady a situation to: superintend
the household and preside at table.
She is Agreeable, Becoming, Careful,
Ty
=
Schoolmaster has discovered this -
rtisement in an issue |
FLOWER AND TREE.
Pruning to excess or too frequent or
too long is weakening to the tree.
| When a branch is removed, the dut--
ting should be close, leaving no stub.
The apple, pear, quince and thorn
can be grafted one on another, with va-
rying success. 2 44 :
Wormy fruit in the orchard is best
disposed of by the sheep. They eat all
' without making any choice, as pigs do.
| Planting a few trees every fall or
spring, as may be convenient, helps
| materially to keep up a supply of good
fruit.
| The cherry, peach, apricot, nectarine
and almond require a light, dry and
, warm soil, but may be grown on loose,
sandy soils.
Saltpeter is recommended as a quick
acting fertilizer for flower beds that
seem to be languishing, especially
, those that show small and pale leaf-
age.
| Peach and plum trees are both less
liable to diseases when grown in the
poultry yard. The trees will make a
better growth and at the same time
afford shade for the fowls.
Geraniums that have been used for
, summer bloomers will not flower again
| until the late spring months. Gerani-
‘ums for winter blooming should be
grown especially for that purpose by
| keeping the flower buds nipped off un-
til August.
Love at First Sight.
We talk of love at first sight, but
! what shall we say of people who have
never seen each other marrying and
being not unhappy? “Courting,” said
an Irishman. “is like dying—sure a man
must do it for himself.”
| In some countries—as, for instance,
Sweden—this is not the case. There the
marriages of young people are made
for them by their parents, and they
only begin to court when they are wed-
ded. This sounds wrong and absurd in
theory, but it often works well in prac:
tice. Indeed young people ask the ad-
vice of their parents much too little
about that which is perhaps the most
serious and important undertaking in
life—marriage. ‘Loo many of them are
like the young lady who said she hoped
she might be cut into ten thousand
triangles if she did not know more of
everything than did her mother. So
they consult-no one and insist on gain-
_ ing experience at a great cost to them-
selves.—Philadelphia Ledger.
To discover whether or not there is
arsenic in your wall paper take a frag-
ment of it-and put it in a solution of
ammonia. If arsenic is present, the
liquid will assume a bluish tint. a