THE COLUMBIAN. BLOOMSBUCL km.
EVA'S
STEPMOTHER
ooQoo
"I snail never forget you," said
Bra Challoner. with her dark, fresh
face bathed In tears and her black
yea swimming amid a mist of them.
"You shall always remain, though
Hundreds of miles separate ur, Kate,
the dearest friend that I have ever
possessed:"
Eva spoke thus on the day of
graduating; lrom hoarding school.
She and Kate Broome were bidding
each other a long farewell. Kate s
protestations were not so warm as
fcva's, for hers wa. the calmer as al
no the stronger nature of the two.
Vhn Kva returned to the spac
ious country home In whtcli her ear
liest childish days had u'cn passed,
she had a feeling of intense loneli
ness. iShe missed boarding school
and she missed the dear face of Kate
Broome, her idol and Idea..
fcva s mother had died In her
childhood, she had been the only
offspring of Mrs. Challoner's youthful
union. Kva loved her father, and
per hups If he had been at home dur
ing the present period 6he would
nave felt far less lonely.
At first Kva and Kate correspond
Hi with great regularity and !re
luency. in one of her letters Eva
onndentiaily wrote:
"It makes me sad to have papa
way Tor so long a time. But now
tnd then, Kate, another wretched
'bought enters my head. It Is a
-nought that fills me with actual
lorror. 1 have a dread lest papa
nay marry again. You can t lmag--ne
how i destt-st the Idea of a step
mother. 1 shiver, now, as I write
.ue word.
"Mrs. Russel Ogden, a distant rel
ive of ours. Is now in Washington,
nd she writes me quite often. The
jther day she had a sentence In her
etter which set my heart beating. It
referred to papa, suggesting that of
course the chances of his marrying
jln were decidedly strong.
"Now. Kate, as 1 know you are go
g to Washington before very long,
want you to promise me that you
fill keep a sharp eye on papa dur
ag your visit there. Tell me, if he
s devoted to anybody, and, in that
aae, Just how devoted. You will no
Wubt move In the same social c!r
4es. l)o not forget my Injunctions,
ow; there Is a dear, good girl."
Kate Broome did go to Washlng
t. not long afterward, and there
he met, for the first time, the fath
r of Her dear friend. Challon
r was very much courtoi in Boclety,
nt deservedly so; ha was brilliant,
raiented and han-!:orae.
Kate said netting whatever about
er friendship with his daughter on
er first meeting with Mr. Challoner.
1e somenow had a curiosity to ob
rve this famed politician, as one
horn he believed a perfect stranger
Jth to him and his.
Kate was never what la termed
good letter-writer, and she now
?glected Kva shamefully. She
;und that she could not go to balls
id receptions and at the same time
rrespond at all faithfully with Eva,
nd she now wrote her friend an oc--sional
scribbled sort of note, say--g
so.
Meanwhile Kva became miserably
nurt. and almost wholly ceased writ
g to her friend.
But one day Mrs. Russell Ogden
jpnt her from Washington a com
uicatlon that burst upon her like
l actual bomb-shell. Her father
as reported to be engaged.
Mrs. Ogden could not give the
nie of the lady as absolutely cer
'in. She had heard It but then her
emory for names was so peculiar.
Kva's relative then went on to say
at gho had met Mr. Challoner and
a new fiancee together on Pennsyl
::nla avenue that very day. At the
Jd of the letter came a postscript
ilch rcn thus;
"1 have remembered the ladVs
''me. It is Brush. But of course
-nr father will write you Immedl
.ely." Kva Mas in a perfectly wild str-.te.
e next mall brought a note from
r father, telling her of his engege
ent to a Mrs. Browne, and promls
g that he would very soon write
. r more fully.
The note was in her father'3 pro
rblal handwriting, which was so
eglble as a rule, that only those
ost familiar with Its dark ways
uld make it out.
Kva was by no means sure whether
title was "Mrs." or "Miss"
owne, though the "Browne" part
imed indisputable.
Kva now wrote her father a pas--.
inately reproachful letter. She
jmed him for being a heartlens.
uel parent. Sne spoke with bitter-
i rebuke of her dead mother s
. mory.
It was the sort of letter she had
; i possible right to send. And It
as followed by three weeks of dead
ence on the part of her father.
At the end of these three weeks.
e unhappy girl was In an almost
operate condition. She longed to
k her father's forgiveness, and
i pnae restrained her..
At last one morning a telegram
me to Kva which ran briefly thus
"1 was married a week ago in L
r wife and 1 will arrive at the
mettead this afternoon or evening
--THEODORE CHALLONER."
poor Kva passed the rest of the
day in the most miserable suspense.
At about 6 o'clock that evening she
heard a enrrtaga stop before the
front entrance. After that, with
beating heart and failing limbs, she
slowly descended into the lower main
ball.
Here her father met her. He kiss
ed her as if nothing had happened,
making no reference whatever to her
upbraiding letter.
"My wile hns gone Info the sitting
room," he said, and quietly drew
Kva toward t hat apartment.
A lady came forward to
meet Kva, though as lamps
had not yet been brought
and the chamber was tilled with the
deepening dusk, the lady's face did
not dawn upon Theodore Challoner's
daughter until she was quite close to
it. And then a great surprised ex
clamation burst from her Hps.
"Why, Kate Broome," she cried;
and an Instant later she had kissed
her dearly beloved friend on either
cheek. i
"Not Kate Broome any longer."
was the sort, tranquil answer. "1
nm Kate Challoner now. Perhaps
you can t realize It all at once, Kva.
and perhaps you won't like it when
yo i do. but I've come to live here as
your siepmother."
"You:"
Kva stared at the speaker in mute
amazement for certainly ten seconds;
and then, with a sudden outburst of
tears, she threw both arms around
Kate's neck.
"Oh, it seems like a dream," she
sobbed. "It's too good to be true!
After I expected some horrid, elderly
er-ture who would be a tyrant to
me. No. no; I shall wake up soon.
It can't be!"
"Yes; but It certainly is," said
Kate, with her rare, brilliant smile.
"You see, Eva, I only found out in
the most sudden way that your fath
er cared for me. He wrote you im
mediately after our engagement a
short note, if you remember, saying
that he would explain hereafter."
"And calling you 'Mrs. Browne!' "
exclaimed Eva. who was still in tears.
"That was the fault of his bad
handwriting, he meant to write Miss
Broome."
"And 1 suppose now," continued
Kva, "that Papa's reason for not af
terward writing and telling me every
thing was" i
"Your bitter, unjust, unfeeling
note, Eva," said a grave voice in the
doorway, which Mr. Challoner's
stately form was Just then darken
ing. "I understand," murmured Eva,
penitently. "But rou forgive me,
papa, don't youT I acted hastily,
impulsively, and I had such a hor
ror of a stepmother, you know. Kate
is a very, different afTalr. She will
be a comfort a downright delight!
We shall have glorious times togeth
er. And I shan't be Jealous a bit,
papa, of her love for you. But I
hope that both of you can spare me
a little love."
"We promise to spare you a freat
deal," said Mr. Challoner, kissing
Kva. And Kate with another kiss
for her new stepdaughter, softly re
peated his words.
The Unknown Palisades.
The edge of the world, if such a
thing may be, lies hardly a rifle shot
away from one of the centres of the
world itself the city of New Ycrk.
The Palisades, those mighty walls,
whereon the annals of the centuries
are graved what an edge of the
world their lip presents to him who
cornea, perhaps at night, to their
rough-newn elevation! In no P)ace
other than this jear proximity to
man and one or his greatest cities
could a physical feature so profound
ly, vast and impressive be hidden
from the world; and yet the Pali
sades are al.nost, unexplolted and un
known to the globe-circling, sight
hunting public that rearly traverses
the continents or seas to gaze at
things less wonderful In some dis
tant held oi Nature's marvelous
achievements. For little does any
onu know of these Titanic walls who
has merely seen them from tho Hud
son. Were they somewhere off in
a land comiiarntivelv InnnncoihU
reached by a transcontinental thread
of steel, the guide books would be
rich in their pictured grandeur and
man would rove far to exnlore them.
Harpers Magazine.
Tit for Tat.
"No, 1 don't believe In exnenslve
practical Jckes," said a San FranciBCo
business man, "except by wav of re
taliation.
"Now last year I received a tele
gram from a friend who was travel
ing in Italy, it came collect and cost
me Beven dollars; and when I opened
it all I read was, "Thank you, I am
wen.
"Then I Ballled forth and sought
me out a cobblestone a nice large
cobblestone weighing about eleven
pounds. And I wrapped it in excel
sior, pink cotton and white rfaper,
and 1 boxed It up in a handsome box;
and 1 sent it by express, collect, to
my facetious frVend far across the
bounding billows.
"Ana when he had paid his little
115 and had opened the box in St.
Petersburg, if I remember rightly, he
round In addition to the precious con.
tents a note from me that explained.
"This is the load that rolled off m-'
heart on receipt of the news of your
gooa Health." Woman's Home Com
panlon. When yoi-r wife ceases to go
through your pockets it is not the
sign of the mllleniura. Lost curios
ity is the sign of lost love.
OF
A DEEPSEA SHiP
After Stranding on a Chinese Is
land During a Three Year'
Voyage, Reaches Port -
CREW'S WENT TO HUNT FOR HELP
The Mate and Four Sailors, After
Hazardous Journey Through Jungle,
Reached a Settlement and Dis
patched Tug to the Rescue.
Brooklyn, N. Y. Closing a three
years' voyage, which threatened to
end with leaving the ship Comet's
bones to blench on the rocks of P.anka
Island, Capt. Davis berthed his ves
sel In South Brooklyn late Wednesday
and discharged the miscellaneous car
go of Chinese goods stowed beneath
her hatches. The Comet left Philadel
phia In July, I'.tOa. for Kobe, Japan,
with a cargo of case oil. After several
trips back and forth between Kobe
and San Francisco, the ship loaded nt
Singapore for New York and sailed
Just before Christmas.
Everything went well until Decem
ber 2G, when squally weather was en
countered. For two days the ship
pounded along through a lumpy sea.
December 27 fell black ns soon as tho
sun went down. The Comet struggled
along under shortened sail, plunging
and rolling In the cross seas. Shortly
before ten o'clock the boom of break
ers was heard dead ahead, and duly
reported. The ship was eased off, but
the sound of breakers came from
every hand, and, suddenly, with a
grinding crash, the vessel brought up
standing. The breakers lifted her,
forced her forward her full length,
and again she 3truck hard and fast
Soon after the squally weather abat
ed, the sea, never very high, fell away
to a long rolling swell, which left the
ship high and dry save for her rudder,
which was buffeted by the waves.
After an examination of the vessel
and ascertaining the shlD's situation.
Capt, Davis decided to Bend a life
boat Tor help. First Mate Charles Hay
ward and four men volunteered for
the venture. Provided with food, com
passes, spare sails, and the shln'a
chaft, on which were marked all the
data of the voyage, the life boat was
towered away and the crew laid a
course for Java.
Later events showed that, caueht
in strong currents, the ship had drift
ed from her course and had been
drawn Into a narrow channel .between
three islands where the swift current
had dashed her on the rocks. The
life boat made good weather of it. and
Just before daybreak the sound of
neavy surf betokened near approach
to land. Hayward spread the shin's
chart out on the Btern thwart, and by
the light of a ship's lantern tried to
make out his position. Just then a
swift current caught the boat, swing
ing it In shore and ht?adon to the
heavy rolling surf. The boat, tossed
about like a chip, was swamped.
The mate and one man who was
astern were washed overboard. The
two men forward leaped out, and all
four managed to fight their way to
the beach. The lifeboat, battered and
ruined, was dashed up on the rocky
beach, and the men managed to save
some spare sails, the ship's compass,
and the oars. With the airs and can
vas they struck up a shelter tent, un
der which they huddled until daylight
Chilled and bruised with their tight
in the surf, the men were In despair
when the daylight showed them a
rocky shore with a seemingly Impene
trable swampy Jungle stretching In
land in every direction. The mate
and one of the crew, a Dutchman,
started out to explore, and after forc
ing their way inland a mile or two,
found a native sback inhabited by a
Chinaman who could talk a little
Dutch. Under his guidance the four
men made their way ten miles through
the Jungle to a small settlement at a
Chinese tin mine, from which a narrow-gauge
railway took them to Ulln
Jo. Here they were able to telegraph
to Java and thence to Singapore for
help.
Meanwhile those on the stranded
ship were in suspense. Although in
no immediate danger, there was the
possibility any day of a storm coming
up, in which case the ship would cer
tainly break up. For live days Capt.
Davis and his crew on the liuni isoned
ship strained their eyes looking for
help to come out of the sea. Fre
quently the smoke of passing steam
6hips was seen, and efforts made to
attract attention of those on board,
but no attention was paid to the sig
nals. Rockets sent up at night met
no response.
Finally, on the sixth day'a tug from
Singapore came to their aid. After
several hours' pulling and hauling her
captain declared he could not drag
the ship off. The tug was sent to
Blinjo to take oft the mate and his
crew, with instructions to telegraph
to Singapore for more help.
Hayward, the mate, Insisted on the
lug going back to the shin ni
ing another try to pull her off. This
was don.e, and after twenty-four hours
hard pulling the big vessel was final
ly floated. She proceeded to film
pore for repairs, finallv sail in fmm
there a, second time January 12 for
ivw i urn;
AMAZING YARN
THE EXPECTANT HAND.
N'o Charge Made, But a Present of
Money Not Refused.
In recording an lltnes of his grand
father, Gen. John Watts De Peystcr
telis an amusing story in connection
with Indian hemp. It Is printed in hla
biography by Mr. Frank Allaben.
Indian hemp was recommended as
a remedy during my grandfather's ill
cess, but where to get It was tho
question. Finally some one said It
was grown in the garden of old Mr.
Henry Brevoort, who owned a large
plot on the east side of Broadway, ex
tending through to the Bowery above
Tenth street. Tlraco Church stands on
part of this ground.
Doctor Dlbby gave me some money,
told me to Jump Into his gig, drive up
to I'.revoort's old low-storied cottago
house on the Bowery, and tell tho
owner that I wnn'ed pome Indian
hemp for my grandfather, John Watts.
I was to use diplomacy If necessary,
but not to return without it.
' I trotted along brlt-kly, roused Mr.
Brevoort from a nap. stated my case,
found no demur, and got tho Indian
hemp, which he dug up with Ms own
hands.
"How much am I to pay?" I ques
tioned. "I never sells It," Mr. Brevoort re
plied, "because If I takes money for
Indian hemp, it weakens the vartoo."
' I stated that I was ordered to pay,
and we discussed the matter, walking
across the garden toward the gig,
which I had left on Broadway.
I had made up my mind that I had
met with a disinterested Christian,
had replaced the money in my pocket,
and had my foot on the gig step, when
1 felt a brawny, sunburnt, freckled
hand restraining me, and heard these
words whispered in my ear: "I never
sells Indian hemp, for that weakens
the vartoo, but if I gives It, I never
refuses a present"
I extricated the money confided to
me, placed it In the expectant hand.
hurried homo and related my story,
and I have heard it laughed over
many times. .
Newsboys.
It Is good to hear that measures are
on foot to help the poor little New
York newsboys, writes N. N. Moore
in N. Y. Home Journal. I don't mean
newsboys as a class, for they are gen
erally an independent and self-respecting
set I mean the tired little fellows
who beseech one to buy an evening
paper at about the hour when the
morning paper is coming off the press.
There Is said to be In this city no
municipal regulation as to the age of
the children who are permitted or re
quired to do this sort of work. There
certainly ought to be. Boston licenses
and I believe uniforms Its newsboys,
and New York ought to have followed
Boston's example long ago. Some of
these boys are too bright to be left to
grow up on the streets at night The
other day a lady stopped to talk with
one of these waifs after her escort
had bought a paper. "How many pa
pers have you left?"
"Six, ma'am."
"And how much have you trade to
day?" "Fifty-two cents since two o'clock."
"And do you sell papers In the morn
ing?" "Yes'm."
"When do you sleep?"
"Oh, I gets a snooze now and then.
I don't sleep much."
"But don't you know that you must
sleep If you want to grow up to be a
big, strong man?"
The little mite looked keenly at the
lady did he size her up for a Sunday-school
teacher? and then said,
"Does God sleep?"
That boy might be a Charles O'Con
nor If he had a chance.
How the Frog Changes Color.
The chameleon changes his hue
with his environment. A short time
nno who could venture to point out
all tho molecular and ethereal vibra
tions whereby the chain of action is
made complete between external en
vironment and peripheral tissue
change? Yet Sollaud found that the
pigmentary changes by virtue of
which the frog harmonizes itself more
or less with the color of its environ
ment are governed by two sorts of
nerves. It results from the action of
two reflexes, both originating in the
retina; and by his Investigations he Is
Bbie to map out the paths from the
brain to the periphery by each of the
reflexes. Now let us picture to our
selves the delicacy of this process.
First, the green foliage, causing vibra
tions in the ether in certain wave
lengths, sets up certain molecular vi
brations In the retina, which, trans
lated to the brain, issue forth at the
periphery In such form that neither
the skin nor the pigment granules In
it are changed Irreversibly, but cer
tain molecular combinations are made
for the time, or certain Intramolecular
changes of the atomic structure are
set up in the pigment for the time, by
virtue of which a proptectlve color is
given to the animal.
Census of the Bison.
lae Journal of the New York Zoo
logical Society gives a census of the
American bison, according to which,
in place of all the hundreds of thou
sands of those animals which formerly
roved the plains, only 2,047 were
known to be in existence on January
1, 1908. Of theso, 069. were In captiv
ity in the United States, and 41 in
Canada. Since that date the Pable
herd has been sold to Canada. '
Mother Knows.
When children r told what a
smart man their father is thev look at
their mother as it asking her if they
lor STEALS WOMAN'S HAT
Makts Nest of It and Owner's Cat It
Impaled on the Pin, Meeting
Tragic Fate.
Jacksonville, N. J. When Big Ben,
a crow that has been hero for the last
five summers, made his reappearance,
Mrs. Joslnh Spraguo had no thought
that his advent presaged the loss of
her new hat and her favorite houBO
fat Mrs. flpraguc bought a hat In
Paterson nbnut two weeks ngo. It
wasn't radlcnl In shapo or style, but
It was a bright, attractive pleco of
hendgenr. und one of Its appurten
ances was a Ion pin, with a shiny
silver knob at the end.
On Friday afternoon Mrs. Sprnguo,
returning from a visit, laid her hat on
a chair on the front porch. Three
minutes after It was missing. She
heard a noise on tho porch when she
wan In the house, but It was slight and
she could not believe It had anything
to do with tho disappearance of tho
lint Besides, her hired man, wlo
was at work In the garden, had seen
no one enter or leave the house. The
hat disappeared ns mysteriously as
If the wings In the trimmings had car
ried It away. Yesterday morning
Trlxle, the cnt, which never wnndered
far away, also disappeared. Mrs.
Spraguo began to believo there was
something uncanny about the house.
She and several neighbors made a
thorough but vain search for both t'.io
headpiece and the household pet. To
day tho hired man, who was In 'the
woods back of Mrs. Sprague's homo,
folved the mystery. On a high tree
he noticed a gray plume floating
above above a basket-like affair that
seemed to bo fixed between two limbs
twenty feet from the ground.
The hired mnn shinned up the tree,
and found Mrs. Sprague's missing hat
and cat A tragic fate had befallen
Trlxle, however, for she was Impaled
on the long hat pin that stuck through
the hat. The man scrambled down
from the tree with the dead pussy and
and the hat In his arm. As he did
so Big Ben, the crow, and a bird with
duller plumage, evidently his mate,
circled about him with angry cries, as
If to prevent him from making off
with his trophies. The presence of
the two crows showed that Big Ben
stole the hat so he and his mate would
have a ready-made nest The death
of the cat Is easily explained. It Is
presumed Trlxle, v ho had no rever
ence for Big Ben's rights, espied the
crows In their new nest on the night
the hat disappeared. Stealthily climb
ing up the tree, the cat must have
made a spring for the crows. He
reckoned without the presence of the
sharp hat pin. The badly clawed con
dition of the hat indicated the cat
struggled deperately to escape before
it died. Big Ben and his mate sat dis
consolately on an upper limb of the
tree to-day. finding it difficult to make
up their minds to begin the building
of a real nest. Mrs. Sprngue, too, Is
disconsolate for the loss of the hat
and the cat In the same day.
CANADIAN SLAIN BY WALRUS.
Extraordinary Encounter Caused
Death of Sergeant Donaldson.
Ottawa, Ont From a report which
has reached the Mounted Police Do
parement at Fullerton, on Hudson
Bay, whose death was reported In a
recent message from the north, met
bis end In an encounter with a wal
rus off Marble Island.
The sergeant, with Corporal Reeve
and an Indian Interpreter named Ford,
were making their way from Churchill
to Fullerton, traveling in a small sail
boat which 5a used for this hazardous
trip. Near Marble Island they en
countered walruses anu killed several
of them. They had towed some of the
bodies to their sailboat, but on ono
of their trips a walrus attacked them
and put a tusk through the bottom of
their dingy.
They stopped the hole as best they
could with a Jacket and pulled for thu
shore. Wlfn nearlng it, Donaldson
sr't that he would swim the rest of
the way, as the boat was filling, but
in Jumping out he upset it Reeve
hung to the boat and reached shore.
Donaldson was rever seen again, and
it is thought he was attacked and
pulled under by a walrus.
REMOVED TUMOR FROM BRAIN.
Eerlln Surgeon Lifted Forward Lobes
to Excise Mass the Size of An Egg.
Berlin, Germany. One of the most
extraordinary operations recorded lh
the history of surgery has been suc
cessfully carried out at the Kaiserin
Augusta Hospital by Its chief surgeon,
Prof. Krause. It was the extirpation
of a tumor which had grown from the
hypothysls of the brain, a gland situ
ated in the very midst of the skull.
The patient was a woman, 35 years
old. The tumor was reached by form
ing a very large skin and bone flap
on the right forehead and temporal
region. The tumor was larger than
n hon's egg, and was burled more than
three Inches deep in the substance of
the brain. '
Nevertheless the whole tumor was
successfully removed by ' lfitlng the
anterior brain.
Silk Hat Is Losing Caste.
Paris, France. Paris hatters have
declared in solemn convention that
the silk hat is slowly but surely going
or.t of fashion; Is no longer worn by
men of fashion except on ceremoalal
occasions; that its decline is marked
even In London, where It has so long
been a badge of respectability, This,
tney reason. Is the case In Paris main
ly because beeears. ?uiriea mi tv.
ers of the pestering fraternity in!
rans iook upon the wearer of a silk
hat as fair game.
A FIRE THAT WON'T GO OUT,
Phenomenon Exhibited at Rail ay
8tation In Scotland.
It Is not generally known thai a
Scotland not more than three miles
out of Glasgow, tht.-ro Is a fire ratfoj
at a railway station, which has bees
guing on for months, and, notwifh
standing that tons of water have been
poured upon this Insidious fire. It ran
not be put out. It seems Incredible,
but It Is nevertheless true. The do
till:) aro as follows:
Several mouths ago a waste piece of
ground close to tho station was ws'it
ed by thr? railway company as a sidiiii;
Tho level of this ground was ton low,
so triickloads of refuso were "dumped"
on It to bring It to t'.io necessary Icwl.
A l.irgo proportion of this refuso en
sl.ited of rotting vegetation, and In l!n:
course of a llltlo time It hetcl to
such an extent that combustion ri
In n nil stnrted not only u sniolderiri;
fire, but flames ac tually burst throu:;h
the ground.
Attempts were made to quell this
fire, and It waj thought, after sevrril
weeks of hard work and tons of wat r,
that it had been put out. What 1133
the surprise, however, to see It bn :ik
out afresh In another place and niv.ri r
tho station. Fears then began t be
felt for tho safety of the station bniU
Ings, especially ns tho main douMc
line to important coast und couuir
towns led through It.
Fresh energy was then brought t
bear, and much more water was pour
ed on this fire, which seemed to b.no
Its stronghold In the bowels of ihn
earth, but from tho volutno of s!v.m
and smoko Issuing from innumerable
crevices It was seen that the flro dem
on was resisting all efforts and wm
slowly creeping nearer and nearer to
the foundations of the railway stutloi
' It was now whispered and soon bo
came known that tho station had ori'.;
Inally been built upon a sort of 3ha)e
which came out of the mines In Inn
near neighborhood years ago. Theso
Rhale mounds have been known to take
years burning right through, and tho
stench from them Is anything but
pleasant
Now, when It became known that
the fire referred to was gradually eat
ing Its way to the foundations of thn
station, a mild sort of alarm began it
be felt, not only by the railway com
pany, but tho aristocratic passengers
who dally use this suburban station.
For the mines have been worked out,
and hundreds of beautiful villas hava
arisen out of their ashes so to speak.
The Are gained ground every day.
until by and by it reached beneath one
of the platforms, and any day there
after might bo seen the novelty of a
crowd of poople waiting on a platform
from the chinks and crevices of which
were arising In many places Jots of
steam from the Are below. Such a
volume of water was kept continually
playing upon it that actual flame a
were prevented from showing above
ground; but any casual observer could
see tho evidence of the great heat
below.
In time It was observed that the
foundations of the station were set
tling and cracking and twisting lit
many placei, and all sorts of efforts
had to be resorted to to keep tla
bu ldlngs from being permanently in
jured. At this present moment as
111 ;so lines are being penned, tho firo
has reached under tho main line of tho
trnck and It is one of the curiosities
of tho neighborhood to see the Jet of
steam and smoko Issuing from be
tween tho sleepers.
It Is a foregono conclusion that thu
fire cannot be extinguished, and it is
being left to have Its own sweot wa
and burn Itself out. Wlien this will
hanpen nobody knows, as there Is a
larso part of the foundation of the sta
tion not yet reached; and as this has
be n going on for many months, it is
quite probable thai thli fire In 'he.
bowels of the enrth will go on sainir!i
under tho station until the buildings
Mr ble about the passengers' ears.
Tit-Bits.
A Eismarck Silhouette.
One of the prjnclpal treasures of the
Hanoverian Corpi of Gottlngen Is this
silhouette of Bismarck, which wbj
rriarlo during his' resklenco as a s.u
lent It shows the afterward famom
lender wearing tho cap and badge of
hi.? corps. Tho picture was the wort
of a fellow Hanoverian who deveV
oped considerable artistic talent, but
who, history say?, went antray at th
very opening of his career and found
It neoeasary to first flee hla native
town, and then. In poverty, take hu
own life.
Each new member of the corps 1
now formally introduced to the sil
houette as one of the most Important
possession of the body, and it occn
pies a conspicuous position at dinner
and other functions of the corps.
Our Idea of an unpopular man I
one with a fad for collecting bills.
Australia has a huge public debt,
amounting. t. $27$ for WW mai. wo
man and cbjlij. while the I'nlted Btatei
showa only U per capita.'-.
Jpff