'"SS SUNbAt THE PITTSBURG-' DISPATCH JULY 6, i89L . 17 Sw tML beautiful building, and Jftt!Mi fliVste had never heard of it-bei i ., ,t rft av TBAXSLATED FOB THE DISPATCM A good, old miller, who was about to die, sailed his three sons to him and said: "My iear children, my last day has come, and I mji be with you only a few more hours. All the wealth Iposscss is the old mill, a don key and a cat These are yours to do with, is you think best." Soon after the miller died and was laid to rest. Then the eldest son divided the prop erty. He kept the mill for himself, gave the donkey to the second son, and there was nothing left for the youngest son, Edwin, xcept the large gray cat The boy was vcrv much dissatisfied with his share, and said: "What can I do with a cat? If it were made of gold it would be of some value; but I cannot even sell its fur. The bet thing for me to do is to drown it" The rM heard these words, and creeping irom his place behind the stove he stole up to his master, and looking piteously into hi? face said: "Do not depKe me, kind master, nor allow me to be killed; for I can bring great fortune to you. Only give me a bag; then buv me a ha't and a pair of boots, and you will see that your share of your lather's wealth is the best." Edwin laughed hcartilv at this speech, but replied: "Vou are a sly animal, and who knows but that you might bring me some luck." The hat and boots were purchased, and dressed in these the cat took his bag and began his travels. He first went into the field and thouskt: "Now. I will try to catch a rabbit, tor I am told that the King is verv fond ot stewed rabuit. He then stretched himself out as if dead, and directly several rabbits hopped near, gazing curi'oush at the strange sight of a -at dressed in liat and boots. It was not long before the cat had the unsuspecting auimaU in his bag, and was making his way to the King'spalace. When he reached the gate the servants laughed loud and long at the cat dressed in such a costume, and they willingly led him to the King. AVhen lfe had come into the royal presence, the cat took off his hat, made a low bow, and said: "Your Majesty, my master, Co'jint Have nothing, has sent me to you wiih this pris ent, which he begs you to" accept." The Kin took the rabhits, and sent many thanks to the kind Count A day or two later, the cut came again with "squirrels, which he said were a present to tfie King from Count Havenothing. This time the King sent not only thanks, but a purse of gold, which the delighted cat carried to Edwin, who greatly praised him for his shrewdness. For "several months the cat carried gifts to the King and always re ceived in return some rich present fbr his master. One inorning, the cat said to Edwin: "To day I shall make your fortune for you; but you must do "exactly as I say. The King isgoinc to ride with his daughter past the mill, and when his carriage comes in sight, vou must jump into the millpond." Edwin had nsw such confidence in his faithful servant that without asking why. promised to do as he was told. The miller's m watched all day for the King's, carriage. Late in the afternoon he saw it approach, and as it drew near, Edwin jumped into the stream. The cat stood on the bank, .and cried: "nelp, help, the Count Havenoth ing has fallen into the millpond and is drowning." The King recognized the cat's voice, and remembering the many gifts he had re ceived from the Count." he sent his servants to rescue the man, whom he thought to be drowning. When the servants had pulled Edwin out of the water, and had returned to the carriage, the King said: "Go to Count Havenothing, and tell him that the King sends him an invitation to ride iu the royal carriage." But the cat said: "Your Majesty, my master has just been taken from the pond, and, although nothing would give him greater pleasure than to ride with you, he -ould not appearbefore you and the Princess in his dripping clothes." The Kins then dispatched a servant to the castle for a princely suit with which to adorn the voung Count. When Edwin, dressed in his courtly dress and attended by his faithful servant, appeared, the Princess tliontrht him the most handsome youth she liad ever seen, and the King repeated his invitation for him to ride with him. While Edwin, the poor miller's son, was riding in company with the ruler of the land, the cat sped like the wind over the road until he came to a large castle made holly of gold and precious stones. In the gardens sparkled crystal fountains, and the rich perfume of choice flowers filled the air. Here lived an old magician who was skilled in all magic arts, and who was a cause of terror to all the people of the surrounding country. His wealth, was much greater even than the King's, and his palace was the grandest in the world. The cat entered the magnificent building, and went directly into the presence of the owner, who was a 'ittle, old man. bent almost double from bending over books so much. His thin, gray hair hung dow n over his shoulders, his and his face was vellnw and wrinkled We I ana nis iace was v enow ana wrinkled, lie l looked up as tnc cat came in, and said angrily: "How dare you come here to dis turb me?" The cat took off his hat, made his best bow, and said: "I do not come to disturb you; but I have heard what a great man you arc, and I simple wished to see you." The old man was v ery much "flattered by these words, and rcp'lied: "Yes, I am a gieat man: but I did not know that cats had heard of me." "There is no creature who lias not heard of you," returned the cat, "and I thought Iierhaps if 1 came here dressed in my new tat and boots, you would perform some of your magic arts for mc." "I shall do so with pleasure," answered the old man. "What shall I do first" "Ilune heard," said the cat, "that you ran change j-ourself into any animal j-ou wish; but I do not believe it." "Of course. lean," cried the magician, "and if you dare to say that I cannot 1 Bhall kill j oil at once." Instantlv the old man vanished and in his place stood a large lion shaking his main and roaring furiously. The cat was so frightened that he sprang out of the win dow and ran as fast as he could toward the gate. Itut the old man laughed heartilv and cried: "Come back. Xoir will you believe that you have heard about me?" The cat came back and said: "I have seen you become a raging lion; but can you become so small an animal as a mouse?" The magician made no reply; but a mo ment later a tiny mouse was running over the floor. Quick as a flash the cat seized and killed the little creature. Then he cut about among the servants and told them that their old master, the magician, was dead and their new master, Count Havenothing, would toon arrive. The faith lul cat then stationed himself at the gate, and watched for the King's carriage. AVhen the royal party came near hd. said: "Mas ter, everything is in readiness for your guests.'" Edwin felt that he could trnsthis servant, and he said to the King: "Thisus my palace. Will not you and the Princess stop here to The King looked in astonishment at the wondered that he ire. He herrtTeil in uc uowa me interior, ana, witn the cat as their guide, the three wandered thrnnirn t1i marble halls and rooms, whose walls were studded with sparkling gems. Prom, that time Edwin, who was alwavs thereafter known as Count Havenothing, j uPhis residence in the golden palace, and a few years later he married the Prin cess, the King's beautiful daughter, and for the rest of his life was a happy, wealthy ma- The faithful cat, who liad brought sucl luck to his master, was given one of the best rooms in the building, and on ac count of the kind attention which he re ceived from both his master and the serv ants, lived to a good, old age. Edwin's two brothers never became rich men, and they both wished many, many times that they had chosen the despised cat instead of either the mill or the donkey. Paysie. SOME ENIGMATICAL NUTS. Panics for the Uttlo Folks That Will Keep Their Drains Busy for Slost of the "Week ir They Solve Thein Correctly Home Amusements. Address communications for this department to E. E. CHADBOUBif, -hewiston, Maine. 1613 THE rCZZLEAJP THE TRIAGIXS. In the accompanying diagram, four equal and similar triangles aro constructed by means of nine equal straight lines. Now, with three more equal straight lines, construct a figure containing two more equal and similar triangles. J. H. FrzAsniE. 1611 KIXQS. Who'll be king of the jokors. That bravely banish the blues? Who'll be king of the smokers, ' That relish Nicotian dews? Who'll be king of the urchins That brighten the travelers' shoes? Who'll be king of the toilers? The king of the lazr crew? The king of the speculators? OAhe lovers who meet to woo? Wlfiill be king of the drunkards? The beggars we know have two. Who'll be tho fisherman's monarch? There's one lor tho milker of nies. Who'll bo king of the cowards? Who'll be king of the spies? Who'll be king of the cravens? AVe know there is one for the wise. Who'll be king of the sailors? Of the pirate hordes thnt rob? Who'll be king of the orators? Of the babies who crow and sob? Who'll be king of their mothers? ur tne restless, riotous moo? "Who'll be tho king of the timid, In doubt what to do or say? Who'H'be king of the postmen ' Who honestly earn their pay? And -since there's a king for the sullen, There is surely one for'the gay. W. Wilsox. 1G13. BBAVADO. Of all the stories of foolhardiness I over heard, tho story of the young mau who took a leap trom St. haul steeple seemed the greatest when I first heard it, but second thought convinced me that it was only an ordinary bceurrence.nnd the only result was, after a general shaking up, a trial to the pul sation of his heart. Ethyl. 1C1C TEAXSrOStTIOX. t Though Patrick was clever, good-natured, and brisk, he Was fond of a one full of brandy or whisky; He shunned the straight path that we learn has but few in. And two at full speed down the broad road to ruin. Till blest Father Matthew's Society caught him, And to a full sense of his misdoing brought him. He saw all his danger, its woes, and its ter rors, Signed the pledge, and most manfully three all his errors; Grew steady and business-like, and of late Has bought a neat cottage, and flno four estate, To the joy of his good little wife who de clares "There's no yire' man than Pat to be found anywhere." ir. Mr. Cook one for all tho elite of tho citv, To-day his position is subject forpitv? He's an order that seems for a puzzle in tended; Erasures, corrections, and Uvo strangely blendctl. The writer s contusion, now three on tho reader. But he must get it right 'tis from Alder man Feeder. With his finger be four the irregular scrawl Till he starts at the sound of a clattering iP' Boggles,the clumsiest Walter alive Thls moment has broken his fn.rtt i This moment has broken his favorite. nW Then his clerk has made up an account, and it's wrong: He must six it himself, and it's ever so long. He'd some seven of fine strawberries prom ised at noon. Three o'clock, and those berries have gone to the moon For all ho can tell ho is ready to swoon. JL C. S. 1 61T DZCATTTATIOy. An all of tea, At close of day, Docs not agree With me, I say. For, likea fa.rf, I lie awake, Till hours are passed, When it I take. BtTTF-r. Sweet. 161S MT COKFESSTOS. When I was a small boy, oh, a very, very small boy, I didn't like to stijdy. If, on looking my lessons over, they seemed hard, I would close the book with, a bang and declare I never could get them. When on the playground, ir the games didn't go on Just according to my mind, I w otild lcavethe game with tho momentary intention of never playing with the boys again. When I grew older I announced that the practice of medicine was my choice of professions Mv friends all exclaimed tlmf. rf n i, i jjmii-ssums nun was mo one lor which I was naturally least fitted. Why? Ethvl. 1s19 chahade. "When summer comes," said little Jack One blustering winter dav, "I'll gi e up all my in first games, And in tho fields I'll play. "I'll find tho two to all the nests Tho birds build in our1 grove. But I will never, never harm The birds, I dearly love. "I'll plant somo pictty flowering vines And train them o'er the all Ana will enjoy the fragrant blooms Until the Irostsof tail. in." 31ns. E. 1620 TRANSFORMATION. A total term wo hero have sought, That adjectively means make warm or hot; Transform it, as wo here now do, And lo: a true "lacefactori'' springs to view.' Asriao. Z 1621 HAU SQUARE. 1. A celebrated epic poem of the Hindoos' 2. Expiation. '3. A preacher. 4. One who maintains that the soul is the proper princP pie of life. 5. Slanders. 6. Wrong. 7. Quiet . An insect. 9. A letter repeated. 10. A vowel. (J. Becs. 1C2J TRAKBP0S1T10X. The first is man's good friend and servant That must be owned by the observant. Transpose, and what you now do make You always And by sea or lake. ' Bitter Sweet. riUZES. TOE JULY. They are three in nurnbor, and will de light the winners. They will be awarded the senders of the best three lots of answers for the month, the solutions, as usual, to be forwarded in w cekly installments. AKSWERS. ICOt To appear amid inconsolable cranks, who insist on pouring their sorrows into one's car is unbearable. 1G05 Champ-i-on. lfiOS The battle of "Waterloo. 107 Flint-lock, shot-gun, pistol, riflo, can non, revolver, musket. 1603 Clan-g. KXW The dial of a city clock. 1G10 Car-a-van. 1611 Beast, host. 1G12 Crust, rust. THE GAY SWEET BILLY. How the Meadowlark Changes His Koto With the Seasons A Good Bird Up North, hut Ill-DIannered in the South Ills Habits. WRITTEN TOn THE DISPATCH.! O the Meadow lark is the bird for me, lie sits on top of the walnut tree, And sings aloud with a voice of glee, "Sweet Billy, Sweet Billy, come out to me." But lato in tho fall. He changes his call, And sings "Sweety Bill," in a mournful tone, As though Billy had gone and left him alone. The meadow lark, sometimes called "old field lark," or "American starling," is best known to country boys and girls as "sweet Billy," from the fact of his uttering these words so plainly when he comes to us from the South early in April. He is one of our most beautiful birds when he first comes, with his bright yellow shirt and black bosom, but toward fall, the black breast be comes of a dull grayish color, and it is then he changes his brisk notes of "sweet Billy" to a plaintive, long-drawn-out "sweety BilL" The lark is one of the farmer's best friends, as he never eats fruit and very rarely disturbs grain when growing, al though he occasionally eats the grains of oats or rye which he finds scattered in fields at harvest time. His regular diet is insects of different kinds, beetles, ants, etc., and like the red-winged blackbird he is very fond of cutworms, which he destroys in great quantities after the fields are plowed lor corn. Thcv beuin buildintr earlv in Mav: both male and female helping make the nest which is built on the ground and composed of dry, wiry grass made very compact, to which a hidden and almost winding path is mute, and generally so well concealed that the nest is only to be found when the bird is frightened Irom it Their nests are very cosy affairs, each one having a roof over part, if not the whole of the nest, under which my lady lark sits protected from both sun and rain. Many a time, when school "let out" have I spent happy hours hunting through the old pasture field for a lark's nest and when I found one, with what joy I canied home the four pure white eggs, with spots of red dish brown, and added them to my collec tion. They are gregarious birds, for most of the year, going in flocks from place to place, and only desert their wandering life when raising their young. I have sometimes seen, lnte in the fnll 100 tr mnrp enllpptpfl ?n i ( field making preparation to leave for the aouiu. une Dim js usuany percnea on a tree near by as a sentinel, and the moment a gunner approaches he gives the alarm and the flock is on the qui vive in an instant. They are so shy that it is very difficult to approach them, and when shot at thev are secured only by guns of long range. Their flight is a peculiar, hovering one, the wings moving in short, almost imperceptible vibra tions. A few larks often stay with us through the winter, and when deep snow is on the ground they visit the barnyards and if not molested become very tame. Although so harmless a bird in the Northern States, when the lark goes South he loses his good manners and becomes quite a thief. Audubon says that in the Carolinas many planters agree in denouncing the lark as a depre dator, alleging that he scratches up. oats when sown early in the spring, and is fond of plucking up the young corn, wheat, rye and rice. John Burroughs one of our best authori ties on birds speaking of the "return of the birds," says: "The swallows live and chat ter about the barn and build beneath the eaves; the partridge drums in the fresh sprouting woods, the long, tender note of the meadow lark comes tip from the meadow, "and he counts them the happiest days of his life, when a bare-foot boy and free from care, he wandered through the fields and meadows And listened to the yellow-breasted lark's Sweet whistle from I i tin le grass. Aunt Clare. AH OHIO LEGISLATOR'S YA2N. His Tarty of Poker Players "Were Fright ened by a Skeleton Gambler. Cincinnati Enquirer. Scott Bonham tells the following remark able story, and as he is an attorney and member of the Board of Legislation there can be no doubt as to its veracity: "Some time subsequent to 1849," said Scott, "my self and several young fellows caught the gold fever and concluded to go to California and become millionaires. We reached the Eldorado in good condition, and upon the advice of an Indian purchased 300 acres of land supposed to contain a vein of the coveted metal. After a fruitless searchfor three weeks in the bowels of the earth, we returned one Saturday afternoon to our shanty, and after supper sat down to a social game of poker. "We played all Saturday night, all day Sunday and well into Sunday night, when a terrible storm arose. The thunder crashed around us until our cabin seemed tottering on its trail foundation, but still we contin ued to play until the war of the elements grew so terrific that one of our companions rose from his seat, saving he would play no longer. He had hardly left his place when a flash of lightning more intense in its brill iancy than any before caused us to pause in our play, when glancing at the face of Jim who "sat opposite the vacant chair, my blood almost stopped circulating at the look of horror on his countenance. His eyes seemed fixed with a glassy stare, and fol lowing the direction in which he looked, I saw a sight. Seated in the chair just vacated was a skeleton, holding in its flesh less fingers five cards, while before it on the table were three or four 6tacks of checks. 'Look,' I exclaimed in a hoarse whisper. The others did so, and with one impulse we all jumped from our seats and dashed through the door into the storm that was still raging. Huddled together under a large tree we passed the night, and from that day to this I've never plaved a game of cards." . Saving the'Shado Trees. St. Douls Globe-Democrat. "The surest way to keep worms out tof shade trees is to bore a half-inch hole in the trunk just at the ground and pour in coal oil and sulphur mixed to about the con sistency of fhiil syrup. In a week not a worm will be left on the tree, and if vou pull off a leaf and offer it to the hungriest caterpillar in, town he will take a bite and then squirm about as though it made him sick at the stomach. To Imprison a language. The Bowdoin scientific expedition to the land of the Esquimo secured before its de parture from Mr. Edison the latest and most improved form of the phonograph, and by its means the , Esquimaux songs and lan guage may be caught and reproduced. WORK OF ZEPHANIAH. His Biography Is a Blank, but Some thing Is Known Abont Him. HE WAS A FEARLESS -PREACHER. It Was a Sinful Timein Which Ho Spoke His Burning Words. HIS SERMONS APPLICABLE TO-DAY rWRITTEN FOB THE DISPATCH. The last 12 books of the Old Testament tall into three divisions, according to the times in which they were written. Some were written before the war, some during the war and some after the war. The war was a pretty long war. It lasted about 300 years. There were two campaigns in this war, in one of which the chief en emy was Assyria, in the other Chaldea. The main event of the first campaign was the destruction of the city of Samaria by the Assyrians, and the carrying away of great numbers' of the population of the northern kingdom into captivity. The main event of the second campaign was the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, and the carrying away of great numbers of the population of the southern kingdom into captivity. Then came up another mighty nation, or combination of nations, and laid hold upon this Assyrio-Chaldean power and put it down the Medes and Persians. And this new power permitted the exiled He brews to go home again; and 60 the long war was over. Fonr Natural Divisions. It might be better, perhaps, to say that the last twelve books of the Old Testament fall into four divisions, rather than three. Some were written before the war, some during the Assyrian campaign, some during the Chaldean "campaign, and some after the war was ended. This is the order of the books, according to this division: (1) before the war, Amos and Hosea; (2) dur ing the Assyrian campjign,.Micah, Nahum and Zephaiiiah; (3) during the Chaldean campaign, Habakkuk, part of Zachariah, and Obadiah; (4) after the war, Joel, part of Zechariah, Haggai, Malachi and Jonah. The prophet whose life and writings we are to study to-day lived just as the war changed from one campaign to the other. In his day Nineveh was destroyed, the power of Assyria was destroyed with it, and the Chaldeans of Babylon were just beginning to he the rulers of tie East. The prophet's name was Zephaniah. Who knows any thing about the prophet Zephaniah? No body knows very much about him. We go to the commentaries hoping to learn some thing, and we read in the very first sen tence this: "The biography of Zephaniah is absolutely blank." What Zephaniah Tells of Himself. And yet we do know something about Zephaniah, after all. He tells us two things about himself, plainly. He tells us the names of three or four generations of his ancestors, and he tells us the name of the King in whose reign he lived. Now we will have to take these two facts, and use them, if we can, as the naturalists do, who find two bones and studying them diligently are able at last to make a picture of a whole animal. Out of these two facts we are to construct a biography of Zephaniah. Zephaniah tells us that his lather's name was Cushi, and his grandfather's name was Gedaliah, and his great-grandfather's name was Amariah, and his great-great-grandfather's name was Hizkiah. Queer soundincr names, they seem to us. And as we don't know anything about the people to whom these names belonged, they don't, give us very much information. "But Zephaniah was evidently proud of them. A man does not set down'the names of his ancestors to the fourth generation unless he thinks them personages ot considerable importance. Some think that the Hizkiah of this list was Hczekiah the King. In that case Zephaniah had royal blood in his veins. And Jn nnyi case; it isplain that he was a man of good family, possibly a man of wealth, certainly A Man of Position. All the more honor, then, to Zephaniah for these plain-spoken sermons of his. All the more honor to him ior speaking out against the princes and the judges, and the priests and the prophets of his day, and taking the people's side against "them. More commonly the plain preacher in such troublous days is a man of the people. He comes from tne fields like Amos, or from the villages like Micah. He is a poor man. The rich are naturally conservative. It has been said that no man is so timid of change as the man who owns two millions. People in high position are naturally conservative. Naturally. I say, for everything is going on exceedingly well with them. They need no bettering. They are not deprived of their rights, nor ground down into the dirt; they are not starving in tenement houses. Well done, Zephaniah, to sympathize with the sorrows of others as if thev were your own, and to preacli the indignation of God against the evils of your time! One of the best things about the days in which we live is that men of wealth and position are awake to the wrongs which ycx society, and are giving their best thoughts and their best dollars to get them remedied. Darkest England and the Way Out. Zenhaniah is giving 1.000.000 over in England to help the man who purposes to search London "with candles," as the prophet says, and to bring light into its black corners. The best friend of the people to-day is Zephaniah. If he only knew the real way to right the people's wrongs, they would get righted fast enough. Our nineteenth century Zephaniah recognizes that the people have wrongs, and that is itself a great step in advance. Zephaniah goes on from telling us the names of his great-grandfathers to tell us another and more important name, the name of his King. He is writing, he says, in the days of "Josiah, son of Amon. Kinsr ofJudah." Now, think of a King of JuJah being the son of a man named Amon! For Amon was the name of one of the great deities of Egypt. Josiah's grandfather, then, named his son after one of the Egyptian gods. That was almost as bad as if a man in this Christian country were to name his son Judas. It was a defiance of all right religious sentiment. Take that short name and hold it up, and you can . look through it, like a telescope, into the land and the age in which Zephaniah lived. Wrote Before the Reformation. , For when Zephaniah says that he lived in King Josiah's day, and then proceeds to preach this fierce, scathing, perfectly re lentless and unsparing sermon which we find in his book, it is at once evident that he lived before the reformation. You re member about that reformation in the days of King Josiah. You know that it had the queerest kind of .beginning. It began with the finding of an old book in a church cellar. Thev were clearing out the temple, after a whole generation of neglect, and under a pile of rubbish they discovered a dirty, mouldy old roll of parchment, and when they picked it up and began to read it, be hold it was the Holy Bible! That was a discovery, indeed! In all the land there was but one Bible, and that was lost. And here beneath this pile of rubbish the Bible was found. It had even been for gotten that any such book was in existence. And when they read it, whv it went straight in the face of all the habits of the time. It forbade men to'steal; it forbade men to com mit murder; it forbade idolatry; in short, it forbade nearly all the respectable customs of the day! And the result was Josiah's reformation. But Zephaniah evidently wrote before there was any reformation. Now, this reformation occurred in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign. Amon, his father, had reigned only two years be fore he was murdered in a court conspiracy. Zephaniah, then, must have lived a good deal of his life in the day of Anion's father, Manasseh. The-Character of Manas: eh, -u nugei uacicto tneman-wno namea his son after an Egyptian god. Zephaniah I JNow we get back to the man-who' named was born during Manasseh's reign. Man asseh has been compared to Julian the Apostate, and the comparison is an apt one. His father was the good King' Hezekiah, who had Isaiah for his father confessor. He may have- been brought up. like' Julian, with unwise strictness. No doubt he was disgusted with the substitution of cere monial for righteousness, which he must have seen about him. Anyhow, he had so much religion, good or bad. in his boyhood that when he came to be his own master he cast it" off. He not only cast it oft, but he pursued it with a bitter hatred. He invited into his kindom all the paganisms, and necromancies and superstitions of all the surrounding na tions. In the valley of Hinnom, in a place called Tophet, close by the Jerusalem walls, was a brazen image of Moloch, a relic of the daysofAhab. This was repaired, and the furnace at its feet was again lighted for human sacrifice. On the flat housetops of the city a host of little altars smoked with incense in adoration of the stars of heaven. At the strectcorners, in brick ovens, women baked cakes in honor of the unclean goddess Astarte. The temple worship stopped. The sacred vessels were used in the service of BaaL The great altar was broken down and two new ones built, one to the sun and the other to the moon. The name of Jehovah was erased from all inscriptions. The Holy of Holies became a lumber'room. A Season of Persecution. Manasseh began a general persecution. Day by day the prophets of the old religion were hunted down and ordered off to death. The nobles who held to the old ways were hauled down irom the rocky crags which stood about the city. At last came Esar Haddon with his army of Assyrians, fresh from battering down Samaria, and they took Manasseh captive, and carried him to Baby lon. And so the reign of terror ended. Through all this had Zephaniah lived; amid such scenes had he grown up. Even when he wrote and preached, there had as yet been repentance. The priests still said their prayers to BaaL The altars smoked on all the housetops. iu sucii an aire, in suuu u xauu, jepiiauiaii preached his sermon. The occasion of the sermon seems to have been the approach of tome great danger. Away off on the horizon they saw the armies of some fierce invader. Who it was nobody knows. Perhaps it was the Scyth ians. Out from behina that long barrier of mountains, Himalaya and Caucasus, which parted the civilized world of that day from the uncivilized, advanced the Scythians, the first of the fierce Northern tribes to march upon the South, the precursors of the Gauls and Goths and Huns and Vandals, Who Invaded Koine. - Down they came, urging their swift horses along the Syrian sea coast, bound for Egypt, and being bought off by the Egypt ian King, rode back again beyond the mountains. Perhaps it was the Chaldeans, about this time throwing off the Assyrian yoke, destroying Nineven and threatening the West. Probably it was the Chaldeans. In them, anyhow, Zephaniah's preaching found fulfillment. Scythian or Chaldean, the dust of their armies was seen on the tar horizon, and everybody was afraid. Then Zephaniah preached. That was a gooa time to preach. When all goes well people sometimes seem to miss the meaning of life altogether. The small obscures the great. The transitory is taken to be of more interest and conse quence than the eternal. But let trouble come, let the sky get black overhead, and the future blacker yet along the path; let pain come, and failure and distress, and affliction; let death come. And people who have never thought before, begin to think. It was only when the famine touched him that the prodigal son looked back toward home. This is the benediction of disaster, that it makes people think. Zephaniah preacned in a good time. What Zephaniah Had to Say. Zephaniah's sermon, as it is preserved for us in his book, is a dreadful sort of sermon, a day-of-judgment sermon. Indeed, il fur nished the suggestion of that day-of judg ment hymn of the Middle Ages, the "Dies Irae." "The great day of the year is near," cries the preacher," it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord; the mighty man crieth there greatly, that May is a day" of wrath, a day oftroubie smd actress, a' day of wasteness and desola tion, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm, agains) the fenced city, and against the high battlements." The sermon rings with the indignation of God. God looks down upon the earth, and He sees three sorts of people those who are on His side, a pitiful few; those who are against Him, Baal's priests and their fol lowers; and those who try to be on both sides at the same time, "that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malchan," too. These neutral people He counts among His enemies. God looks down upon the earth, and He sees not only this little land of Syria. Some people seemed to think that. God sees ail the earth, and There Is Evil Everywhere. There is Egypt in the south and Assyria in the east, there is Philistia also along the sea coast, and Moab and Amnion on the other side of Jordan. These, too, the Lord sees and will inevitably punish. All evil, the whole earth over, shall perish before the fire of the anger of God. All evil, whether it be away off in darkest Nineveh, or right here at home in Jerusalem, among our princes and our judges, and our priests, and our prophets, and our people. God is right oeus, and no unrighteousness can abide in His presence. That Is a hard lesson. But it is true is it not? It is a bitter kind of preaching, and we don't preach it so much in these days, perhaps, as we ought to. But it is true, as true in Pittsburg as it was in Jerusalem. There is such a fearful truth, to be well considered bv all thamjhlful men as the indignation of" the righteous God. There is such a certainty as inevitable pun ishment. And an equal certainty, thank God, of in evitable love. God hates sin, but he loves us. If we turn to Him there'are no words to express the gladness with which He will . receive us. Zephaniah knows that, too, and preaches it. And the day-of-judgment ser mon cmls, as it ought to end, with praise and promise, and the inviting of the bene diction of God. ' Geoege Hodges. WONDEEFTTL TWIN SISTEBS. The Bohemian Freaks That Are Attracting So Much Attention. Tall MaU Budget. A remarkably interesting phenomenon was shown last week at the office of the Figaro newspaper to a very limited number of specially invited guests, 'comprising the most distinguished medical men of the metropolis. Among the laymen present were Lord Lytton," M. Munkacsy, Senor Kuiz Zorilla, and M. Clemenceau. The phenomenon consists of twin sisters joined together at the lower part of their bodies. They were born in Bohemia, and are 14 years of age. They are not united by a mere ligature, like the Siamese brothers, but resemble rather in their formation Millie-Christine, some years ago exhibited all over Europe. Millie-Christine, however, had only one stomach, so that the two sisters experienced the feelings of hunger and thirst at the same time. It is not so with Eosa and i Josepha, who, having two stomachs, have distinct tastes in the matter of food and drink. M. Maurice Lefevre a member of the Figaro staff, who introduced the young ladies, told an amusing story of how, after they had tasted champagne for the first time, both were ill. Josepha made up her mind she would not touch the dangerous wine again, and she has kept her word, whereas Eosa still indulges in the beverage she prefers. "When one was ill the other was very angry at having to go to bed, and insisted on feeding in her usual way. They are thus quite different beings so far as sen sations, inclinations, mind and heart are concerned. The children are quite pretty; they are healthy in appearance, and they appear to be very amiable and good tem pered. On their way to Paris a curious question was raised. The officials wanted to reckon them by heads, whereas the man ager insisted on an opposite decision, and he game tare. gained his point, so they came" for a single SAYED BY A SHADOW. The Walking Tourist Almost Killed by a Colorado Convict. FIGHTING A WILDCAT AT NIGHT. A Beautiful Young Greyhound Picked Up in Camp as a Companion. AN ODD AFFLICTION OF THE FEET CW KITTEN FOR TJIE DISPATCH. WAS a good deal older than the youth of the Grecian myth when I fell in love with my own shadow, and it was not, as in his case, because of its beauty, but for its usefulness. Had I been one of those people who are "so thin they have to walk twice to make a shadow" I should not be writing now; for on that pretty No vember day, just out of Canon City, there was no time for the second walking. That event recurs oftenest to my mind as an in stance of what very slender threads they sometimes are by which our lives hang. Had it been a cloudy day, or had it been just as bright and the sun an hour higher, or had a certain road run south instead of west, or had it been fringed with gross instead of level dust," my tramp and my life would have ended together very ab ruptly. Leaving the rifle in Canon City, I started early to explore the Grand Canon of the Arkansaw, whose bluff portals open a couple of miles west of town. Nearly midway I noticed a huge stone building against the side of a white hill of limestone, half hid den by the clouds from a score of limekilns. I had talked with no one in Canon City, and had no idea what this building was; but at nearer approach the sight of watchful, hard looking men pacing up and down, here and there, with six-shooters on their hips and double-barreled shotguns over their shoul ders, told the story as unmistakably as words told me later. Working the Colorado Convicts. Swarming' about the kilns, delving in the hillside, and engaged at various other works, were hundreds of fellows in telltale stripes of black and white. It was the Colorado Penitentiary, containing at that time 350 odd convicts mostly murderers and "rust lers" (horse thieves) all of whom worked outside the walls by day unfettered. Never having seen prisoners thus loose, I grew interested, and trotted like any other fool along,the sidewalk, gazing curiously at the vicious faces of the 100 jailbirds who were at work on the two-foot wall at my very side. It did occur to me that my ap pearance caused considerable excitement among them; but I could not take the hint, though their faces wore the very look of hungry wolves. I was walking westward, and the morning sun was behind my back two trifles for which I have since been grateful. A group of convicts rallying to some work a few hundred feet to the south caught my eye and turned me half back to the wall. As I stopped to gaze at them something seemed to drag my eyes down to the light, smooth dust in front of me, and there was something that for an instant made A Play for Liberty. my heart stop beating:. It was only a shadow a clear, sharp, long shadow thrown beside my familiar own the shadow of a larger burly figure swinging a heavy stone-hammer above my very head! That silhouette on the sidewalk will never lose one clear cut line in my memory. I had been stupid before, but I was awake how. To spring half-way to the middle of the road with a tremendous leap Whose half I could not cover now, jerking my forty-four from its scabbard even while in the air, and to "throw down" on the convict with a savage "Halt!" was the work of an instant and none too soon. The fellow and his mates sprang back to their work with looks of baffled rage, and one of the mounted guards came up in such a dash that he nearly rode me down. Two six-shooters were buckled to his waist, and his hard face wore an ex pression which was anything but pleasant. They Wanted the Revolver. "VTiy you infernal blankety-blank fool," he snapped. "Don't you know no better'n to sashay along in reach o' them fellers, with a gun stickin' out handy like? There's 19 life-termers in thet gang you was a-huggin' up to so, an' thet pop o' yourn meant life an' liberty to any one on 'em thet get his hooks onto it. 'Bout quarter 'fa secont an' your head would 'a' been mush, an' we'd 'a' had a break fur the hills. Now git out into the middle o' the road, an' keep ez fur from anything striped ezyou know how. Git!" I shivered a little and "got," and found no latut with the dust in the miuaie ot the road. Ordinarily I do not like strangers to address me as brusquely as did the fortified person on the black horse, but under the circumstances it would hardly have made me resentful had he shaken me. To guard this great body of desperate ruffians there vwere 38 guards on foot, armed with double-barreled shotguns (with nine buckshot in each barrel) and 45-caliber six shooters. Three mounted patrolmen, with out guns, bnt carrying two big Colt's re volvers apiece, were constantly riding about the entire place. In the little stone sentry boxes.along the high tvall which en closed the small yard of the "pen" were several expert marksmen, each armed with the finest long-range rifle ever manufactured, with telescope sights, and good in such hands to bring down a man at 800 yards every time. But, despite these desperate odds against them, the unarmed convicts sometimes made a break for liberty. Only a few months before this, 14 o'f the worst desperadoes working on the limestone quarries had "jumped" their "walking boss" with rocks and hammers. By almost a miracle he es caped serious injury from their first volley of missiles and saved his revolvers the ob ject of attack. Despite the ominous cries of "halt," and the click of his six-shooters and a dozen farther guns, three ofthe party started like goats up the precipitous rocli. Two turned.back-as the buckshot began -to '"St "ijr patter on the cliff around them, bnt the third, a gritty murderer, kept on. Under that deadly fire he gained the top of the great gray ridge and looked across into the rocky fastnesses of the great ranee. In two seconds more he would be out of sight and safe for he could reach the canpns long be fore any pursuer. And just then, there was a little white puff from the corner watch tower, away down there in the valley a full 1,000 yards away; and the mountain echoes caught up and bandied a spiteful "crack!" The convict leaped high into the air with a wild shriek, and fell back dead upon the sunny rocks, j Grand Canon of the Arkansaw. For the unpleasant experiences of the morning the later hours fully repaid; and among the glories of the Grand Canon of the Arkansaw I forgot all about stripes and Stone-hammers. It is a very small rannn beside some I have seen; but a very noble and impressive one,, with a savage grandeur all its own. For nine miles the wild little river seethes over the granite debris at the bottom of a gloomy chasm it'has cut through the Bocky Mountains. As the Greenhorn range rose on the slow upheaval of the world's inner fires, the tireless stream kept carving, chiseling, gouging, polishing with the flinty tools itself had broitght for un known miles; and when the flat strata had changed to a contorted sierra, the rugged channel kept its place far down toward the level of the outer plains. The mountains beetle 3,000 above the howling torrent, usually inaccessible slopes, but sometimes In savage cliffs which overhang the very stream. About midway of the canon is the famous Iioyal Gorge, with sheer walls a thousand feet in air. The Denver and Bio Grande Eailway, bound for Salt Lake, fol lowsthe river through this whole canon; and in the Koyal Gorge hangs to the ver tical cliff by great iron rods andA-shaped spans. After exploring the canon from end to end I returned to Canon City, resumed my rifle, and struck off by a little trail into the Greenhorn mountains in quest of game. The striking miners of Coal Creek were just then scouring the country, and killing even the bluejays to stave off starvation; so my hunt was fruitless. Nightfall caught me away up in the West Mountains without food or shelter. Just as I was preparing, however, to dig a hole and crawl in out of Rude Atcakeninsj. the cold I spied a little cabin on the nex t hill, and was soon there. No one was at home; but the door was unlocked, and the pick, gold-pan and drills told me that the owner was a miner and so that the house was free to use by a stranger. A Battlo With a Wildcat. Along in the night a great uproar over head brought me to my feet in sleepy alarm By the dying coals I could see two savage eyes above me, glowing weirdly. It must be a cat of some sort nothing else could have got to the rafters. My rifle stood in a corner; but the ponderous .Remington was at my belt, and I "turned loose" into the darkness about those two little angry balls of fire. There was a blood-curdling screech and something came crashing to the floor and began scrambling toward the window, evidently crippled. I pulled the trigger again, but there wa' only a dull click the magpies on which I had been tidicing that afternoon were avenged. But a 44 makes a terrible shillaleh; and with the crazy zeal which at times catches the least courageous hunter, I clubbed it and "waded in." It was rather a one-sided fight, for those blows would have felled a horse. Once the plucky brute caught the butt in his teeth and raked my duck coat with his cruel claws; and both, as the novelists say, "will carry the tears to their dying dayl" At la't a lucky whack settled my unseen foe and I blew up the fire for light on the subject. It was a wildcat, as I suspected but such a wildcat. Though he was now dead as Adam, his size actually terrified me. Had I dreamed of his proportions I would have crawled up the chimney sooner than face him. One who has scraped au intimate ac quaintance with the bob-cats and lynxes of tne Maine forests hardly cares for' a hand-to-hand struggle with a cat twice their size, and I had not then learned that the Bocky Mountain variety, though far larger, is far more cowardly. AVith his long, milk-white teeth, his needle-pointed sickles of claws, and his marvelous agilitv and muscularity, this fellow would have cleaned out a room full of men, armed how you will, had he known his talents. My bullet had broken his right foreleg at the shoulder, and the first crack over his head with that trip hammer of a revolver practically settled the question. He brought me supper as well as excitement, for he had killed a hen. I cleaned and cooked the aged bird, and chewed her tough tissues till nearly day light. As for the cat, I "packed" him some ten miles on my shoulders next day for the sake of weighing him; and a ranch er's scales showed h m up at 53 pounds. His beautiful mottled hide still serves mo as a rug. m xeet uoc -xoo longn. Coming down through Pueblo, and thence striking southward, I was sorely troubled by a strange affliction. Did yon ever hear of feet getting so tough that the very toughness made them sore? That is exactly what ailed mine. The hide on my heels was as hard and almost as thick as a mule's hoof, thanks to the constant walking in a climate so exceptionally dry, and where this horn-like sole abutted on the tender skin ofthe ankles there came cracks three inches long and excruciatingly deep. It took several days of careful treatment to heal these peculiar and painful "wounds." It was section supper time as I strode up , to the section house at San Carlos, and the men were just lifting the handcar from the track. A beautiful young grayhound flew out at me savagely; one ot the laborers gave him a curse and a lift with his heavy brogan. The dog had been left there friendless at the death of his master. If I wanted him I could have him. Of course I wanted him; he was too young and handsome and spir ited to be left to the abuse of those two legged brutes. How little I dreamed then what that careless mercy meant of the pleasures, the privations and the deadly dangers we were to go through together, this slender black dog and I; or of the awful experience that was to mark our parting, and leave with me some ofthe brightest and some ofthe saddest memories of a crowded life! "Shadow" was his name thenceforth, and he was the truest shadow that ever followed. Two hours later he did me the only ill-turn of his faithful young life. Coming around a spur I found myself within 100 feet of four fat antelope. But just as I pulled trigger, Shadow saw them too, and made a terrified leap aside. His cord was tied to my wrist, and he jerked the rifle so that the ball struck 100 yards from aim. I had still time to drop one or two of the antelope as they ran straight from me, but doubly frightened at the report, the poor pup kept up such a dancing and howling at the end of his rope that I haul to give it up. And so, empty-handed and footsore, we came late to the town of Spoons the Mexican hamlet of Cucharos. C. F. Lujiiiis. IK A THE.COST OF A MATCH To Be Greatly Eednced by a New Way of Getting Phosphorus. METAL SHELLS FOR CORPSES. Electricity Sow to Be Used to Lessen tlis Danger From Fire. AN UTPROYED PE0CES3 OF PLATING MVKirriCT tor the dispatct.J The large and increasing demand for phos phorus, not only for tho manufacture of matches, but for its subsidiary application in the onranlc syntheses which form ona branch of modern chemical industry, and in the production of many of tho phosphor alloys that havo recently come into vo;;ue, has made the question of its econominal production of much commercial import ance, as well as of technical interest. la the method of manufacture at present gen erally employed, tho chief cost lies less in the raw materials than in that of thoclanc and labor necessary lor the production of phosphorus for them. Electricity has been, introduced Into this process with increased yield and decreased cost. The new process is quite simple, consisting merely In feeding in tho raw materials, pass ing the current between suitable electrodes, and collecting and condensing the volatized phosphorus in the usual way. When it is remembered that formerly mineral phos phates had to be treated with sulphuria acid, the liberated phosrphoric acid sep arated from the calcium sulphate prodnced at the same time by nitration, the solution, of tho former concentrated by evaporation, mixed with charcoal and heated strongly in small retorts, before reaching tho stage to which the mere application of current; now brings the raw material, the immense advantage of the new treatment will bo seen. The most important feature involved is the application of heat in the very spot w here its usefulness is greatest: doing away at one stroke with the clumsy practice of external firing at present employed in this and many kindred industries. Hotel Annunciators Oat of Fix. We very seldom realize how useful one of the modern inventions is nntil all of a sudden accident or fate deprives us of it. Take for instance the ordinary hotel annunciator. One or two seasons ago the biggest hotel up in the Catskills was completely paralyzed, so to speak, by the sudden breaking down of its annunciator service. It was around tho Fourth of July, and the house was full. Things were going on pleasantly, when snd. dentl; y noc a single pnsn uiuion wo orked. and the with the halls and corridors became alive angry guests wno wanted to gee to the desk and find out whv their call, made about 50 times, had not been answered. In desperation the manager sent; a man on horseback across to the nearest: electrician, and meanwhile a doctor and the man In charge of the soda water plant tried to expostulate with the furious guests. Ac last one or two electrical engineers spend ing tho Fourth in the bouse volunteered their son-ices, and soon found out that thra battery had never been refreshed. In many of tho hotols now, the proprietors nre intro ducing dovices by which any one ot say, 250 wants can be immediately signaled from the room to the ofllce. One device abolishes altogether the big board of annunciator drops. It consists of a circular arrangement: by means of which the number calling makes its bow at a little window, this being etTccted by the revolution of discs on which the numerals aro painted. In this way tho annunciator no longer takes up as much room as a circus poster or a painting to ba bought Dy congress. Electroplating the Bead. A method of preventing the decomposi tion of corpses and animal tissues in gen eral by tho electro-deposition of metals on the same has been going the rounds of tho scientific press of this and other countries This 13 not by any means a new idea. A correspondent has called attention to tho number of times that history has repeated Itself in this process of turning corpses into metallic statues, and in doing so has un earthed a patent of about 10 ycaH ago. In which the process is set forth in the follow ing quaint terras: "I proceed as follows with the cadaver after it id placed into my hands In order to proauce the desired result: First, I commence by closing all the organs by means of molders' wax. Then I cause tho body to assume the." position it is to retain and metallize it with a solution of nitrate of silver, which is spread on tho previoujly greased surface of the body. The latter is then placed In a bath of sulphate of copper, and I proceed in tho same manner as in ordinary galvano-plating operations. After the subject is galvanized I polish it, and ic can then be bronzed, silvered or gilded. Tho body is thus kept from putrefaction, and it always preserves the same traits and all tho finish possible." The Future of Storage Batteries. There are few electrical appliances that elicit such widely-varying opinions from electricians as tho storage battery. Soma stoutly hold that for traction purposes tho accumulator will never be reduced to a commercial basis, while others just as em phatically maintain that it will inevitably be the almost universal source of power for city electric lines. Be this as it may, tho storage battery will unquestionably come Into general use for lighting in the near future. As a reserve when tho machinery breaks or is at rest, and us a regulator w hen running, It insures that tho consumer is never left in the dark. Buildings have been known to have been lighted for five or six days by storage batteries, whllo for tem porary lighting, for concerts, balls, etc., they form a convenient method of install ing, at a short notice, tho electric light, while dispensing with the noise of running machinery, accompanied by tho ordinary amount of smoke and dirt. Extinguishing Fires by Electricity. ires have once In a while been caused by electricity, and it seems strange that tho very source of danger can now bo utilized as a cure for the ill that It may create. The systems of automatic sprinkling generally adopted are open to many objections, and are often found uncertain in action Just at the moment when they are required. The main difficulties which have hitherto stood in the way are now overcome by the use of an electrical sprinkler. This modification comprises the use of a motor and pump. and a complete system of "sprinkler"' pipes, which can be so arranged as to cover every ?artofthe building it is desired to protect, ush buttons are placed in convenient posi tions on every floor, and these start tho motor and pump and open any valves which may be required for tho extinction of tho Are. It is an immense advantage to thus be able to gain control of large masses of water and to localize the flow. Modern Scientific Instrument!!. A curious illustration has been afforded by the new electric railway to Stockwell, Eng land, of the sensibility of modern scientific instruments. An automatic record is kept at the Koyal Observatory of earth currents and magnetic disturbances. These are usoally of an atmospheric origin, or the re sults of variations in terrestrial magnetism; but, strange to say, since the opening of the underground electric line the registering needles at Greenwich have been regularly thrown into vibration exactly at the periods when the trains aro running. As these are different on Sundays and weekdays, there, seems little doubt that this is the truo cause of the disturbance. Tho railway tunnel is over two miles from tho nearest earthplate connected with the observatory; bnt the currents set up are sufficiently strong tu make very distinct deflections. A New riating Process. A plating process, which exhibits many radical improvements on existing methods, promises to come Into extensive use in Eng land. The object of the process is to give the baser metals, by electrolysis, a more ex pensive or more ornamental coating than is usually given; a coating, moreover, that will not readily tarnish or corrode. This can be deposited to any required thickness in an adhesive form, and will not crack or peel off; it is as hard as nickel hut far more elastic, and not porons. The process is found peculiarly applicable to the metal fit tings of yacht cabins, as the metal treated can bo kept bright much longer than that ordinarily used. Chandeliers similarly treated will resist heat much longer than otherwise. This process appears destined to havo a wide range of usefulness, inasmuch as it possesses special advantages in dental applications, not only for instruments, but for mouth plates. A w Kind of lnsnrance. For '25 cents you can insure yourself and family against any bad results from an attack of bowel complaint during the sum mer. One' or two doses of Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera and Diarrhoea llemedy will cure any ordinary case. It never fails and ' is pleasant and safe to take. No one cam afford to travel without it, srsu .1 .
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers