MISDIRECTED LETTERS. tloxt of Thriii PnjMt Through the 111\ 11 >■« of the **llllnil Reader" of the Dead Letter Oilier. Among the hundreds of women in the government office in Washington come stand preeminent in their line of work. Mrs. I'atti Lyle Collins, the expert at the dead letter office, is perhaps the best all-around woman in office. In the first place nature gave her a brave equipment, add to this a liberal education, great linguistic ability, wide knowledge and years of experience, and you have before you the little southern woman who is called the "blind reader" of the dead letter office. This is because there is nothing writ ten so blindly, but she is able to de cipher it. The mail matter which finds its way to the dead letter office is of several kinds, but the only kind that comes m \ MRS. I'ATTI LYLE COLLINS. (Expert at the Dead Letter Office at Wash ington, D. C.) into Mrs. Collins' hands is that which comes under the general head of "mis directed." This means letters which are wrongly addressed or those which bear an illegi ble direction. It is curious to note that there were received during last year 20,008 letters which bore no address whatever. The general appearance of these envelopes, as well as the nature of the contents, indicates, that by far the greater por tion of these errors of omission were not made by casual and infrequent users of the mails, but were the result of haste and want of deliberation by persons more or less completely ab sorbed in business. Money orders, checks and bank notes are frequently mailed without the sender's name and address within, and in an envelope with 110 address what ever. After making every effort to dis cover the owners of these, the United States treasury finds itself the richer annually b\ £511.000 from this source. Letters bearing imperfect directions come directly to Mrs. Collins, who has become so expert in her work that there is seldom anything too "blind" for her to read. When it is remembered how many foreigners who are totally unaccustomed to the language write in it, and how many illiterate who are able to do little more than to make their mark, use the mails, one is not surprised at the great number of let ter- which come into this department. But these are not the worst people Mrs. Collins has to deal with. Tin writer of the ultra fashionable hand gives her. as a rule, more trouble than the iliiti rate or the foreigner.—St. Loui- Kepublic. I.esMon in l*ol 11 ii-n I Keoiioni > . Those good folks who are so prone to grumble and croak over women's ex travagance in dress and the deplorable waste of money spent on costly mate rials and beautiful costumes will, it is to be hoped, see matters in a slightly different light through the medium of Miss Hamilton's will. This lady was a well-known dressmaker of England, and dealt with the kind of materials and dresses which these foolish persons call extravagance. Yet at her death the other day five hospitals benefited to the extent of SL'OO,OOO. It is a liftle curious to think that this munificent bequest was made out of the proceeds of wom en's so-called extravagance in dress, and as a practical lesson in political economy it certainly deserves atten tion. \t li t llic lied Wax RoiiKh. Archbishop Temple, of Lngland, on one occasion stayed all night at the residence of a clergyman whose wife was absent. On leaving, the host po litely expressed the hope that when next his lordship honored the house Mrs. Temple would accompany him. "No, thanks." said the archbishop, shortly. "Mrs. Temple doesn't like to rough it." The clergyman's feelings were deeply hurt and lie complained to his wife 011 her return. "Surely, you didn't [nit the bishop in the pink bed room'."' she cried. The clergyman ad mitted that lie did. "Oh, then, that's it! I put all the silver in the bed. -\ o wonder he called it rough!" To strain the Face, l'lace a large wash bowl filled with boiling water 011 a low stand, put a large towl over the head so that none of the steam may escape. Steam the face and neck thus for 15 minutes, and with the fingers pinch and press everv part until it is as red as a lobster. Bathe tln» fa take the risk of being Ibid a longer one. — W ashington (.la.J Demo crat. Many Like Him.—"What kind of a tenant is he? ' asked the prospective landlord. "Well," replied the landlord who knew him of old, "if the house is a new one, he -will lie all right for th« lirst year, but the nest he will want it entirely rebuilt." Chicago Evening Post. .Tack—"l hear you saved the life of a woman who lived »n the building that burned up yesterday at midnight." Alack— "Yes; I kept her out till two a. m."—Town Topics. "There goes a man who pays taxes on every dollar's worth of property that he owns, and ha never complains about it, either." "Excuse me for a few minutes, please." "Where are you goin« in such a hurry?" "I have a gold brick that I want to dispose of.and if you have spoken truly concerning that fellow across the street 1 think I may have found a purchaser."— Chicago Daaly News. Weak Advice.—"Aim high," cried the clericaJ visitor, as he endeavored to rouse the moral ambition of the bright-faced Sun day school lads and lassies before him. "Aim high!" "Nob much," interrupted a small boy on the front bench; "that's what th' Spaniards did, and see what happened to them!" —Cleveland i'lain Dealer. So Different.—An old Scotchwoman was walking to church with her family. The Auld Kirk minister rode past at a tremen dous rate, and the old lady said to her chil dren.: "Sicean a wey to be ridin', and this the Sawbath day. Aweel, aweef, a gude man is marcifu' to his beast!" Shortly aft erwards her own minister rode past just as furiously, and the worthy old wifie cried: "Ah, there he goe»! The Lord bless him, puir man! His heart's in his wark, an' he's Mger to be at it."—People's Friend. Alabastlne, the only durable wall coat- | Alabastlne can be used over paint or | Every church and schoolhouse should be ! Alabastlne packnpes have full dlreo ln«, takes the place of scaling kalsomlnes, t paper; paint or paper can be used over j coated only with Alabastlne. Hundreds tlons. Anyone can brush It on. Ask paint wall paper and paint for walls. It can be j Alabastlne. Huy only in five pound pack- jof tons used yearly for this work Genu- I dealer for tint card. "Alabastlne Era" used on plaster, brick, wood or canvas. 1 ages, properly labeled; take no substitute. I tn« Alabastlne does not rub and scale oft. i free. Alabastlne Co., Gramd Rapids, ARE GREATLY PLEASED WITH WESTERN CANADA. W. It. # Milburn, John ITolmes, M. R. Dagger, E. L. Stetson, of Buena Vista County, lowa, report as follows of the Canadian North-West as to its situa bility for farming, and the advantages it offers to the agricultural immigrant from the United States: "We carne here solely to look up improved farms and, if suitable, to select such as pleased us best. We have not visited the home stead districts at all, though we believe them to be very inviting. Our inquiries have been confined solely to the district around llartney, Deloraine and towards the Souris River in Manitoba. Our im pressions of all that region are in every way satisfactory, and we have decided togo ba*'k to lowa at once, and, having disposed of our several interests there, to return to Manitoba in the month of March next, and, effecting our purchase of improved farms, which we find we can do at reasonable rates, immediately begin farming. We are greatly pleased with all that we have seen in that part of Western Canada. The soil we find to be more than e<<}ual to that of our own country for wheat-growing, and the other conditions of climate, schools, markets, etc., are all that we could wish for. "To show what an energetic man can do we may mention that we found one such at llartney who had rented a farm on shares, receiving two-thirds of the returns as his share of the crop. When he came to sell his own produce he found that his two-thirds, when con verted into cash, was enough to buy the farm he rented out and out, which he accordingly did, and is now its owner. It is our intention to induce as many of our friends as possible, who are prac tical farmers, to remove from lowa to this country, where we believe there is a better future for the industrious man than is now to be found anywhere on this continent. We are well known in our part of the State of lowa, and we invite correspondence from its resi dents in all parts with regard to this region of Western Canada which we have visited, and to which we intend to return." AN ORDINARY OLD COIN. Oat It Served to llrintr Out the Fall ings of Weak Humanity, "Say!" said the street car conductor to a mild-mannered man who was deeply en grossed in his newspaper. "Say, young fel- Jer, I don't want this quarter. 1 can't use it." The mild-mannered man continued t<*> hold out his hand for bis change, but paid no other attention to Hie conductor. "See here!" yelled t'he conductor, getting red in the face, "you can't pass no quarter like that on me. It's slick. 1 can't take it lor more than 20 cents." The mild man looked up and said: "I'm ' sorry, because you gave ine that very quar ter yourself last night, and I've been laying j for you since. Well, give it here." He took the quarter and gave the conductor a nickel. As he took the quarter from the conductor he suddenly dropped his newspaper and gave'a chuckle. "Well, well!" he exclaimed; "here's luck. , Bless ine it that isn't an 1532 quarter with ; 11 stars and an arrow. It's worth 82." He slipped it into his pocket with evidence of much satisfaction. A hungry-eyed man in the corner, who had overheard the conversation, jumped up and said to the conductor: "Isn't that the very quarter I gave you yesterday morning? 1 missed that quarter. It was a pocketpiece and a valuable coin. 1 remember now that 1 gave it to you. 1 de mand it!" he said, looking fiercely at the mild man. "If you are a gentleman you will give it to me." ' "It isn't yours. You never gave it to me. My wile gave me the coin by mistake; it's part of a collection that's been in the fam ily since 1827!" yelled the conductor. "1 tell you it's mine," said the hungry-eyed man. Thus they wrangled and quarreled all the way downtown. "No," said the mild man to a neighbor, as he stepped from the car. "It's only a plain, ordinary old shiny quarter that I've been trying to pass off for a week. We were all lyinu;. It's worth about 22 cents." —Chicago Inter Ocean. Two Valued Opinions. A prominent western railway man, in speaking of the passenger service of the New York Central, says:"lt begins right, ends riiilit, and is right in the middle." An officer of one of the transpacific steam ship lines says: "There is no train service in the world comparable with that of the New York Centrals Lake Shore Limited." The best is the cheapest, and the best is always best. The New York Central stands at the head of the passenger lines of this country and has fairly earned the title of "America's Greatest Railroad."— buffalo Commercial, February 14, 1899. Knox—"Miss Blythe has gone over to the vast majority." Wheeler —"You don't mean to say she has bought a wheel?" —Town Topics. Aik l'oiir Dealer for Allen's Foot-Cave, A nowder to shake into your shoes. It rests the feet. Cures Corns, Bunions, Swollen, Sure, Hot, Callous, Aching, Sweating feet and In growing Nails. Allen's Foot-Ease makes new or tight shoes easy. Sold by all druggists and shoe stores, i!sc. Sample mailed KKEE. Address Allen S. Olmsted, Le Roy, N. Y. Proof of It. "So you think there really is something j in hereditv, after all?" "1 do. Voung Mundsley, who is trying to get up a north pole expedition, is the son of a woman who used to be an inveterate house hunter, not because she could have used a house if she had found one, but for the mere love of the thing."—Chicago Even ing News. Confrliinß l.cada to Coninmpllon. Kemp's Balsam will stop the Cough at once. Goto your druggist to-day and get a sample bottle free. Large bottles 25 and 50 cents. Go at once; delays are dangerous. Father—"Tommy, stop pulling that cat's tail." Tommy—"l'm only holding the tail; the oat's pulling it."—London Tit-Bits. I can recommend Piso's Cure for Con sumption to sufferers from Asthma. —E. D. Townseud. Ft. Howard, Wis., May 4, '94. The newly-organized coffin trust is doomed to failure. The members will be siiFe to run things into the ground.—Town Topics. THOUSANDS HAVE KIDNEY TROUBLE AND DON] KNOW IT Swamp-Root, Th: Great Kidney Restorative and Healer. ITS MARVELOUS SUCCESS IN ALL KIDNEY, BLADDER AND URIC ACID TROUBLES, To Prove for Yourself the Wonderful Merits of This Great Discovery, You may Have a Sample Bottle Sent Absolutely Free By Mail. "What jour kidneys need is a gentle, liealiupr, tonic influence, tliat will soothe their irritability anil gently regulate tlieni. The only thing that will do this is Dr. Kilmer's Swamp-Root, the ideal Kidney Restorative. It used to be considered that only urinary troubles were to ba traced to the kidneys, but now modern science proves that near ly all constitutional diseases have their beginning in the disordc* of these useful organs. What more natural ? The Kidneys filter and purify the blood. When they don't your whole body ■ must suffer. If you are sick, doctor your kidneys,! because as soon as they are well they will help all the other organs to health. The mild and extraordinary effect of Dr. Kilmer's Swamp-Root, the great kidney remedy, is soon realized. It stands the highest for its wonderful j cures of the most distressing cases and is sold by druggists in fifty-cent and one-dollar bottles. Make a note of the name, SWAMP-ROOT, Dr. Kilmer's Swamp-Root. You may have a sample bottle of this famous kidney remedy sent free by mail, postpaid, by which you may test [ its virtues for such disorders as kidney, ! bladder and uric acid diseases, and uri- j nary troubles, obliged to pass water frequently night and day, smarting or irritation in passing, brickdust. or sedi ment in the urine, constant headache, backache, lame back, dizziness, sleep lessness, indigestion, nervousness, skin trouble, anaemia, Bright's disease, neu ralgia, rheumatism, bloating, irrita- i "DON'T BORROW TROUBLE." BUY 1 TiS CHEAPER IN THE END. s SiIKIMIMIftiiMIMIMISIWIMIWIWIMIWIMIMIMItmMIMiaiIMIMItIIWIWIMIMIWIWIMIMIMIMIMIMiaiIWIWIMIMIMItnStM Ui!V! r ¥' should carry a complete H jfi jJ B . "fJjy line of ■ ■ ■■■ <■ _ ... , _ "Jlf wife had iilroplFi on brr fa tp, bul Q P ase l..! ® he be,!n taking CASCAKKTS antl they o r o,uill b ° hoot Ball have all disappeared. I had been trouble# | r3QC nnarfC J e i m i! lnK tho flrst 1 have had no t oubl# Cricket j with this ailment. We cannot speak toe high* Afklatin Croquet : ly of Oasearets." FRKU WARTMAN, HlMlclll/ Boxing j 6708 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. Athletics SlippliCS Sweaters CANDV Always a demand for them. FFLJF HART jA Write for our catalogue. A*h A. C. SPALDINC & BROS. New York Chicago Denver W W rnrr nniurnol U H W HII ll| H\ j Pleasant. Ptlmtable. i'otent. Ta»te Good D« | || | | 111l 11 ! | \ Good, Never Sicken. Weaken or Gripe. 10c. ibc, olio. 1 ill ill IIULVIJJU ••• CURE CONSTIPATION. ... ! lU'llat Rißfd; Caapaay, Ckleip, Nutrnt, flaw York. 114 PjSB?»P*JjnNO-TO-BAC I*7l ern rarmda and Infor- , J I 'nation as to liow t< I C | secure them can be hud on application to Su [ perintendent of Immi RKADEns OF THIS PAPER gration, Ottawa, C'ana DKSIIII.NG TO BUY ANYTHING INNKS. N"o. 1 Merrill Block' Detroit, Mich i N » TS COLUMNS 1 SHOULD INSIST UPON HAVING WHAT THEY ASK FOB, REFUSING * CHINA* 0 BREEDERS ALL SUBSTITUTES OR IMITATIONS. 1 caii secure a sample pair of our ! Famous 0.1.C. Hogs j A. N. K.-C 1738 i ?m7« M onfe an a nA'iZi'zSSi ,SI '%s |>PO PCV NEW DISCOVERY; sire. L B SILVER rn Wr l/IW-rr O ¥ quick I-HW an.l ouren worßi finmm 112 St'm. nh«« w*. Book of testimonials anil I«> Iluyn' I rrut« Cleveland, Ohio. mtiUt Free. OK. H. 11. uKBEVti SONS, Mai (, Atluuta. ti*. ] bility, worn-out feeling, lack of ambl» tion, loss of flesh, sallow complexion. If your water when allowed to re main undisturbed in a glass or liottlo for twenty-four hours, forms a sedi ment or settling- or lias a cloudy ap pearance, it is evidence that your lcid nej's and bladder need immediate atten tion. The great discovery, Swamp-Root, has been tested in so many ways, ia hospital work, in private practice, among the helpless too poor to pur chase relief, and has proved so suc cessful in every case, that a special arrangement has been made by which all the readers of this paper who hav« not already tried it, may have a samplo bottle sent absolutely free by mail. Also a book telling-more about Swamp- Root and containing some of th» thousands upon thousands of testimoni j al letters received from men and wom en who owe their good health, in fact, | their very lives, to the wonderful cura tive properties of Swamp-Root. Be surt | and mention this paper when sending | your address to Dr. Kilmer & Co., Bicg jhamton, N. Y. 7