) 17 1 p 13 ANTS AID DWARFS, About Whom the Liars Who Have Visited Southern South Amer ica Write Prolifically. THE 12-F00TEKS ARE ALL GONE. "Whisky and Diseases of White Men Hare Tbyed Havoc There as Well as Among Other Savages. HOW TI1E SO-CALLED HGMIES LITE. Kissrraries Pont Talk of Eadts as TTann for That Is Where Tlity AVonld Lite to Go. rcOKKtspoxoExa: or the disfatcb.1 Fo-ta AoratAS, Patagojoa, Nov. L "Who h.s not heard marvelous tales of the plants of Patagonia, and of the dwarfs that live jn across the narrow channel on the islands of Terra del Fuego? So much non sense has been written and told about these people, ever since the first white men found them (iu the year 1520), that to this day the "world ptssesses few actual facts concerning them. Yon remember how Don Pigafetta, the champion liar of Magellan's expedition, described the Patagonians as "Of that big genesse that our menne of meane stature could reach up to their waystes," and all the early explorers that followed felt bound to fee and describe as amazing things as their predecessors had done, while a few of them went even farther in their laudable efforts to keep up European interest in the New Worli Begarding the rtature of these giants, there is an amusing discrepancy in the statements of celebrated travelers, ancient and .ATjr Sir Franc: Drake, who caraj here in 1Z testified that the Patagonians were "not taller than many Englishmen. Schouten, the German exp-'orer, declared them to be "liv"ng skeletons, 10 or 11 feet long." D'Orbign, the French scientist, wrote in 1829 that he "never found any ex ceeding 5 teet 11 inches." Fitzroy and Darwin computed their average height to be 6 feet; and Cunningham, who made them a careful study only about 20 years ago, tays he found one chief who measured 6 feet 11 inches, and Eaw few of less stature than 5 feet 10 inches. An Average of Seven Feet. Captain Mavne' Reid, whose delightful book called "Old People" stands next to "liobinson Crusoe" in the estimation of rail.ions of boys, wrote these words about the Patazomaus: "Twelve-foot giants can no longer be found. They never existed, except in the fertile imaginations of the old navigators whose embodied testimony, nevertheless, i: is difficult to disbelieve. Other and more reliable witnesses have done way with the Tians: but still we are unable la reduce thi stature of the Pata gonia to that of ordinary men. If not actual g;anti, they are -very tall, many of them standing 7 feet in their boots of guauaco leather, few less than G feet and a like few rikins nearly to fi. These measure ments are definite and certain: therefore, if viot positive piirts, it is safe to consider the PaUgon'an's a anions the tallest of human beings perhaps the very tallest that exibt, or over tilsied, upon the face of the earth." One of tht mot vivid rcene in memory's picture gallery one that still stands out, distinct and clear, amid a multitude of raisty shapes and half obliterated facts of" u-creaier importance is mat ot a mis sionary lectun, on a long-ago Sunday after noon, when the Fpeaker impressively said: Talcs of tho Veracious "Missionary. The poor giants of Patapoaia, though nearly twice as tall as anybody In tbia church, ir not in this country say from 9 to 12 feet 1 ijrh have neither minds nnr hearts In proportion to t:.eir bodies. They are among the most fierce and degraded people on earth they aro cannibals who feast on the bodies oi their enemies, and on ship wrecked sailors and other foreigners who happen to lal' into their hands. At other times tliev subsist on raw iish. But when tho streams are trozen, as they are during a Cicatcrpart of the year, and no fish aro to be aad, they eat all the old women of the tribe; nest thei devour their horses, if need he: and lastlj , but onlv to save tnemsetves from starvation, sacrifice tl.e beloved dops to the cnoinng pot. The people of Terra del Fueoare even more uziy, beimr dwarfs, no: mere than turee or four leet tall, with enormously swollen bodies, largo heads, short and crocked limbs. They filo their Trout tcetl. sharp like those of a dog, and devoa.- their lood raw; and. though they lire ii. a climato to cold that water freezes every ni-rht m the year, thev build no coases, and wear no clothes whatever. May heaven forgive the reverend gentle rian his ignorance for I don't believe he deliberately slandered the heathen. He merely gave us the commonly accepted opinion in Europe and America, gleaned, tirdoubtedlv, from some standard Encyclo pedia of Universal Knowledge! But at any rate, our youthful imaginations were ex cited and generous pity aroused, that every tin bant belonging to every child in the Sunday schoo' was ruthlessly broken and all oar hoarded pennies dispatched to the poor Patagonians through the pockets of the missionary. their Southern brothers, perhaps because farther removed from cililizatiou, they are treacherous, quarrelsome and cowardly to a degre. But they are not beggars they liTe by the chase and by plunder, bartering to unscrupulous white traders for rum and trinkets. Cider and a Drink From Beans. Then there are the Chenna Patagoncs, who inhabit the higher altitudes, who differ both in language and phjsical aspect from the other tribes, and are less lazy and er ratic. They are sometimes called Manzan- eros, because their headquarters are at a placed named "Las Manzanas" (th&apples), where Jesuits formerly had a mission ami planted a good many apple- trees. They own sheep.cattle and horses in the sheltered valleys of the Cordilleras, and make verv pood cider from the apples ihat the old friars planted. They also brew an intoxi cating drink from beans of the Algarobj, which is in demand all over the country. Of course the term "Patagonian" is en tirely unknown among the Indians. Their true name, collectivelv and individually, is Tsonecas, and by it all the tribes call ttieni- seives. xiie word i'ata-gines, meaning "duck-footed men," refers to their peculiar footgear. The lower limbs are encased in boots without soles, or rather long gaiters, made or guanaco skins, with the'beautiful yellowish fur turned outward. The leg is covered all around from below the knee, the far passing over the top of the foot and around the heel, leaving the toes sticKing out. Xm trifling circumstance obtained the appelation by which a vast territory and all the people who inhabit it are known to the civilized world. The flaps or "uppers" of the gaiters extending loose ly across the top of their feet, exaggerated in breadth by the long hair on the edges, give the wearers the appearance of having paws or patas. When Masellan's men first saw these Indians they were unable to account for the peculiar appearance of their feet and the bncrht vcllow fur ution their legs and called them "duck-footed." Tho Savaze Idea of tlm Deity. The Southern Tsonecas as yet I have seen no others dress in the rudest fashion. A large, square rug of guanaco hides, sewed together, is fastened (fur side outward) around the body under the arms, and ex tends about to the knees. Another rug, .with a slit in the middle through which to fiass the head, falls over the shoulders. The ong, stiff, unkempt hair is partially held in place by strips of cloth, which are often large enough to form a kind of cap, or tur. ban. Low down in the scale of humanity as they look, it appears that they have some redeeming qualities. For instance, thev do not practice polygamy like most Indians, and they beliee in the immor tality of the soul. Did you ever notice that the character of a man, whether his skin be white, black, red or yellow, can be pretty acurately told by the sort of God he worships, or rather by the attributes with which hi own imagination invests a su preme being? The Tehuelche deity is not "an eternal spider weaving webs to catch tho souls of men," nor a revenseful being who intends to torment any of his creatures. His name is Coche.and'hc is of a very tender, loving and forgiving disposition. He is waiting for his children in happy hunting grounds ukaojju iue lannesi nm oi inns, wnere ne has prepared all good things necessary to their happiness. The "good thimrs" mean a plentiful supply of food and furs, unlimited wine (of which beverage they are inordinately fond and pur chase quantities of poor stuff from the Chil eans), no storms nor darkners. and above all no more cold weather. On the latter point, the missionaries who go among them are obliged to be extremely carefuL To their antarctic imaginations the old-time hell of actual fire that weused to hear about presents far more attractions than the or thodox heaven. OUR BOYS AND GIRLS. A BIRDIE. Little Girl Who Believed in Fairies. WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. BT MIlS. FBANCES I10DQS0X BtraNETT. 0 mm HE was a little girl I knew when first I was married, and I shall al ways remember her as she was then, when she was 7 years old and we were intimate acquaint ances. She was in fact at that time the only very intimate acquaint ance I had, though I knew a good many people. We were about the same age, though it is true I had lived some time longer than she had. But there was something considerate about Birdie which made me feel that after all they did not make so much difference between us those few years which had been entitled to me to be "mar ried. She was much more mature and serious in some ways than I was, but that probably arose from her greater experience. She was the mother of a most interesting family, and I had not yet been introduced to Boy and the Socialist It was indeed through a member of the family that we became such intimate friends. are all right but if they catch cold and it strikes in, it's the most anxious thing. "Would it disturb her if I went and looked at her?" "I should be very glad if you would look at her," said Birdie. I saw her mamma and the Major glance at each other as we left them, and the Major's humorous eyes looked in a very quiet way more humorous than ever, hut he did not laugh at all. I discovered after ward that he never disturbed Birdie's be- -"&, :rvr-d. &. - I&&Imj; Tailing About Fairies. liefs and fancies, or treated them with any disrespect which would spoil them for her. "You see she is flushed," I said, having looked at Miss Anna. "If you keep her warm and give her hot things to drink, I dare say she will have quite a beautiful lash before night. I had a wax one once who had searletina, and I think I saved her life with hot camomile tea." When I went away Birdie and I were no longer acquaintances, but friends, and our inenusnip was destined to be a very inter esting one. At first Birdie lived in the country and I in the town a few miles away, and during the hot summer months my visits to her home used to be a great relief to me. The air was so much cooler and fresher there, and there were so many tall trees and so niueh shade. Her house was built in the midst of a beautiful grove of pine and oak trees, and it was chiefly while wandering Trr ,.&""" BIRDIE CEOSSED THE EOOM AND GAVE ME A SECEET SMILE. A. Ten Plctnre of Captain Iteld. Let ns see what Captain Beid has to say about the "dace-footed men," glancing over here his chapter on the giants and making and there an extract: Lef us paint tho portrait of the Pata gonian himself. He wears no hat, but suffers his Ions black hair to hang loosely over his shoulders, oi tnoiofrequently gathers it into a knot upon the crown of hit, head. To keep iww aniyiiii jijio uis eves ne usually wears a narrow strip of fcuanaco skin around his forehead, or a plaited band of the lmlr of the fame animal; but although he possesses ostrich feathers at dis cretion, ho raielv iudulses in a plume he knows he is tall enough without one. Over his shoulders and hanging to his heels, ho wears a loose man tle of guanaco skins, which is of sufficient width to wrap around hie body and meet over his breast, shojld he feel cold enough to require it; but he otten throws his man tle entirely aside to give him tho Ireedom of his arms, or more generally ties a girdle around it and leaves the upper part to fall back fiom his shoulders and hang over tho girdle. Perhaps his ample garment has something to do in producing the exagger ated accounts that have been given of the stature of the I'j.tagomaus. Certain it is that a man thus appareled looks taller than he otherwise would and pre sents altogether a more imposing aDnear- ance. 1 he dure, in his civet caf'kaross" and the Pawnee Indian, in his ro'oo of shandy buffalo hide, loom very large upon karroo and prairie much larger in appearance than they renlly are. Itis but natural, therc- iuru, in hi: fore, to suppose that the I'augoman, attired s ions, straicbt sruanato nmnrln nn. tvs wi iusi, nm s-Ky, stanaiug upon the summit of a conspicuous cliff would present a truly gigantic aopearancc. PAiMEB. Wabd. TWO B1VAL STATES. TT'iUtj's Ilzvor Amonj Giants. As you Ujay imanine. that which most Interests us just now in Punta Arenas are the Patagonian Indians, parties of whom strangle iu almost daily a: this season of the year to exchange their guanaco furs and ostrich feathers forprovisionsaadthe worth less triukets thas delicht their souls. The "giants" seem to be all dead and the race far gone in its decadence. It is the old stcry pitifully trje wherever the red man has adopted the white on peaceable terms as his near neighbor that whisky and disease soon make sad havoc among the former. The once sturdy Pataeonian, like his cousins in North America, 'eems to have acquired all the vices of ci ihzation and have omitted its virtues, his highest ambition now being to get enough to eo, drink and smoke with the least possible labor. He hangs around the ranches to pick up what is thrown to him reh and the dois in the line of food, and de pends upon stealing aud begging for whisky and tcbacco. It should be remembered, however, that there are several distinct nations ol Pata gonians not counting the Araucanians on the north nor the Firo-landers on the south and that each nation has distinguishing characteristics. Those above referred to are the southern Tehueloches, who slouch about the country from Santa Crui and Punta Arenas. Who the Giants "Were. The "giants," if there ever were any Patagonians deserving the name, were found among this tribe, who are much taller and mare slender than any of their neigh bors, and have a different complexion, being red like the Xorth American Indians, rather than muddy brown, like the South American. They are cxcessivelv dirty, In :v and treacherous, fond of personal adornments made out of bones, shells, beads and silver, (gold, strangely enough, they do not like), and are ready at any time to barter all their earthly possessions wives, horses, even the few garments tliat cover their nakedne s for a little "fire water." The "pampas Patagones" so called be cause they inhabit the vast pampas, or plains ot the ii(1b are subdivided into lour tribes, known respectively as Puelches, or "Eastern people." the word Puel mean ing east, chi people; the Picunches, picun meaning north; the Pechucnches, or "pco .!A .f v -:-- -.-..1..... ...: : irje; and the Iianqueles, or ihose who dwell oiaong tue iiustie beds, irom ranquel, a tnisne. Bates of Growth of Georgia and Ohio The Latter in tho Path or Empire. Eaa Francisco CalL 3 A contrast between Ohio and Georgia is instructive as illustrating the growth of States. Georgia has the advantage over Ohio in age and size. It was one of the 13 original States, whereas Ohio was admitted in 1802. It has an area of nearly 60,000 square miles, while Ohio has only some thing over 41,000. The agricultural capac ities of Georgia are larger than those of Ohio, though in parts they have remained undeveloped, and in other parts they have been handled so unthriftily that they are partially exhausted. Ohio is fairlv fertile throughout It possesses, while Georgia does not, rich mines of coal, with some iron. Georgia has 125 miles of tea coast; Ohio has none. "When the Union was formed Georgia had some 80,000 inhabi tants. Ohio was a wilder ness, which the Government was vainly en--J ucavonng to people. At tne Degmning of the century some 45,000 persons had been induced to settle there. Georgia had doubled her population in the first decade of independence and counted 162,686 in habitants. In the ensuing decade Ohio took a prodigious leap and increased her number 500 per cent, but Georgia still kept the lead bv 20,000 souls. The rush of people into the Northwest, as it was then called, continued in the next decade. In 1820 Ohio contained 581,000 people, while Georgia only showed 311,000. Ohio never lost the lead alter that. Georgia continued to increase, but in a diminishing ratio. The decennial increases were: From 1820 to 1830, 50 per cent; from 1830 to 1840, 25 per cent; from 1840 to 1850, 35 per cent; from 1850 to I860, 11 per cent; from 1860 to 1ST0 (the deca-le of the war), 10 per cent; from 1870 to 1880, 30 per cent; and now, according to Mr Porter's census, 19 per cent from 1880 to 1890. The decennial increase in unio since 1820 has been: From 1820 to 1830, 62 per cent; from 1830 to 1840, 62 per cent; from 1840 to 1850, 29 per cent from 1850 to 1860, 19 per cent; from I860 to 180 uearly 15 ner cent: from iSTntnissn .0 per cent; and now, from 1880 to 1890, nearly 15 per cent. Georgia thus appears at the present time to be increasing in population f ster than Ohio lor the first time since the war. It is a well-known fact that the development of manufacturing in dustrv around Atlanta and tho increased acreage planted in cotton under emanci pation are drawing new settlers both from the Xorth and the less thriving Southern States, while Ohio has been losing a suf ficient population to the Northwest to nearly offset her normal gain from Xew England and Europe. r v- ; : jr, Ssitt& ' i'v i&n.m WSms Thoun not quite so degraded as J ibffie' O. It was through Miss Anna, who had been stricken with the measles, and through an incompleteness in the matter of rash which was supposed to be "striking in" instead of "coming out," was giving her parent the gravest anxiety. Miss Anna was not a voung lady, as might at first be supposed. She was a large doll, and though she looked young, she was quite advanced in years for a doll for she was 18 years old. She had been the doll of Birdie's aunt, she was universally admired and respected and her head was made of china. The first tim-1 saw her I had driven out to see Birdie's mamma at the charming house in tne country wnere tney lived. think that as soou as I entered the room I saw Miss Anna, and observed that she was an invalid. She was lying in invalid state upon a sofa, her kid arms were care fully tucked away under the shawl that cov ered her, and her blue china eyes were fixed rather staringly upon space. Evidently she was concentrating all the energies of a gigantic china intellect upon her illness, whatever it might be. (Ihave since thought that probably fearing its effect upon her complexion, which was extremely red and white she herself had determined that the rash should not "comeout") Having a strong private affection for dolls (I find it even increases with years. I can not to-day pass the windows of Lc Petit Naiu Bleu in the Boulevard des Capucines without loitering) I could not help casting an occasional interested glance at the sofa while I talked to Birdie's mamma and the Major ("the Major" was Birdie's papa). But suddenlv my interest was greatly in creased. The door opened and a slender, delicate iittiegin came in, and, seeming to think that as the grown up people were talking she would be unnoticed, went with the most serious and absorbed little face to the sofa. She was a very pretty child. I think I can best ex plain what she ex pressed to me by using a French word, and saving that she looked spirltuelle. She was very slight and moved very soltly, she had fine brown hair, which hung loose, a pure, fair skin with a faint rose-leaf color, and a delicate small face with the clearest innocent golden-brown eyes I ever saw. All the unusualness and charm of the small face one could not see in the first moment. One would always Eee a pretty, refined child, but it was ouly after I knew her well that I explained to myself what her unique charm was. The clear eyes had the beauty of a crystal pool in the deep forest, a pool which had never been disturbed and had never reflect ed anything less sweet in nature than sun light filtered through the trees, and friendly little birds chirpping as they came to drink and bathe their wings, such childish, dream ing eyes one loved them as soon as she lilted the long curled lashes. She was busying herself so antiously about the sofa that I glanced questioningly at the Major. "Oh, that is Birdie," he said, with a kind ly and slightly humorous smile. "Birdie, come and shake ha-ds with Mrs. Burnett." Birdie crossed the room and gave me her hand aud a sweet little smile. I kept the hand in mine an 1 gave her a smile in return, but I tried to mJce it sym pathetic, because I recognized a once that the case of the invalid on the sos-iwas not one to trifle with. I saw it in Birdie's countenance. "I am very glad to see you," I said. "Tour papa has talked to me about you. But I am sorry you have illness in your family. I hope it is not very serious." I was not laughing at all I would not have laughed for worlds in that rerious lit tle face. I tried quickly to imagine that I was 7. and that I was right in the midst of a belief fbat my favorite china child was ill. and I knew it would disturb my feelings very much If I were suddenly called from her bedside to shake hands with a bride who made light of me. And in one second I saw in Birdie's clear gold-brown eyes a look of relief and ap preciation. She made friends with me on the spot, without any further preliminaries. "I am alraid it is serious," she said, looking back at the sofa. "Miss Anna has the measles very badly, and you know some times the measles turn out dreadtully seri ous." "Yes," I said, "the danger is, yon know, if thev take the least cold. If vou can iust get them through without taking cold they j Birdie's Idea of a Fairy. under their shadows that we had our most interesting conversations. It was there I found out one of Birdie's prettiest fancies which ended in our spending together one of the most delightful mornings of my lite. It was a lovely summer morning and we were rambling about together gathering a flower or two as we talked or stopping to watch a bird or bending down to examine some interesting little insect in the grass. I had, indeed, gathered a good deal of infor mation on various subjects because the "Major," who had been a Confederate of ficer, had become a professor in a well known Southern university, and he and his iime daughter, who were great friends, were in the ha.bit of exploring the, woods in a happy sort of way together, so Birdie really knew many things about birds and inects and rocks and flowers. She had been saying something to me about a certain kind of tall, swaying grass I admired, aud she quietly stopped, tied the long blades together, and bent them care fully down in the part where the knot was. "What are you doing that for?" I asked. "Ah 1" she answered quite simply, lifting her clear eyes with a smile, "it is for the fairies." "For the fairies ?" I said. ""Well, you see," she said, glancing round at the wind-swept, sun-dappled field flowers auu grasses, "mere are so many ot them here. Thev live in the countrv, you know; they don't like the town to live in they only go there to see people they are fond o'f Riverside" (that was the name of their country house) "is full of them, and they are so fond of swinginsr. So when I come out I tie the tops of the long grasses and bend them over. It makes & little swing, you see." I saw that it did, and I saw, too, that she had not a shadow of a doubt that it would sway to and fro with the light weight of a fairy before it had time to wither. "I do a great many things for them," she said. "And they are so glad and they do so like me." "Let us make some more swings," I said, kneeling down and beginning to look for tho tallist grasses. "And tell me what other things you do. Do you know them the fairies, I mean?" "Ah, I know them," she answered, busv ing herself with another swing, "but "I nave never seen them. I just do things to make them happy. You see thev are so tiny, tiny, tiny, that it isn't easy to see them. They think we are giants, and they are rather frightened of us until they know we are their friends, and they run away and hide in flower cups and under leaves and in the grass. They know now that I won't hurt them, so perhaps I may see them some day. I hope I shall. I never do anything that might make them afraid of me, and I am always trving to please them." "I wish I could see them." I said. "I al ways did so want to see a fairy." "They are so prettv." she said. "Thev are dressed in clothes made of flowers, or spun out of sparkling spider's webs, and they have diamonds made of dew drops nnd sometimes their ball dresses are spun out of sunshine, and moonshine, and that Ugh, white morning mist." Nothing could have been sweeter or more perfectly simple and natural than her hap py sincerity. She spoke of the fairies as it she were speaking of humming birds or butterflies or bees. I felt as if they might be swarming about us at that verv minute. I tried to pretend to myself that it was true, and I succeeded pretty well, too. I al ays liked fairies, and it was delightful to kneel there in the warm scented long grass and talk and act as if they were real. "Have they balls and ball dresses?" I asked. "But of course they have, because I've read about them." "They are fond of balls," she answered. "They dance every night there is moon light They have asked Miss Anna to their balls they are not afraid of her they mum sue is a sort oi relation. "Did she ever go?" I inquired. "Well, no. She's small" compared with us; you know, but she is big compared to fames, and I think she was afraid she might tread on some of them, and that would have spoiled all their party." "So it would," I replied. "But it would have been nice if she could have gone and sat down carefully, and just looked on Then she could have told you about it Now we have made swings enough, what could we do next?" "I have just thought of something very important," said Birdie. "There is a full moon to-night, and they are going to have a grand ball in the grove before the house, and I was going to prepare their ball room under the oak tree that has a hollow in it They use the holjow for a bedroom to take of! their things in, and if any--of them bring badies they want very soft moss to lay them on." .. "D2 tney hng their children some times?" I asked. "Tey do just now. Eoseleaf and Blos som both have babies, and fairy babies are B tiny they don't leave them alone because the least breath of wind might fclow them away." "We left the fairy swings and went to the oak at once, and began to work in the -most earnest manner. First we cleared awav all twigs and fallen leaves and bits of pebble from under the tree, and made a charming smooth place to dance on. Then we made a fine moss carpet n i .or'erea' i' witn fresh leaves, and as a finishing touch we made moss seats to rest on between the dances. The supper room required much more work. First we had to nno a piece of "diamond stone," as Birdie called it, wh.ch was the riirht sliane and size and white enough and sparkling enough to make a table. She said the sparkles were really diamonds, and the fairies did not like chairs or tables without diamonds. The plates and dishes were made of small curled rosepetals, and the cups for the fairy wine (which was dew, Birdie told me) were the cups of the tiniest flowers we could find. It was very pretty when it was all finished, and then we prepared the bedroom in the hollow of the tree. That was carpeted with leaves and had moss beds and pillows for Koseleaf and Blossom's, babies. Indeed, it was all so charming that it made me wish to be a fairy myself, but inat was nothing new, because I had always wished I was a fairy. Birdie was quite sat isfied when we left the tree, and on our way back to the house we talked in the most animated way of what the fairies would say when they saw our preparations for them, and what they would do, and how much they would like us for being so friendly. It was a charming moraine wh'icb I shall never forget I had many charming morn ings with Birdie. Our friendship grew more and more intimate, and at the end of the summer her family left their homes in the country and took a house in town, which was just on the onnssite side of the atrept from mine. But before that I had a delightful visit from Miss Anna. Birdie and I pretended that she was obliged to visit some fashion ablemineral springs after her measles. So I carried her to my house in town and kept her there. I think I wrote one or two let ters from her to her mother descrihine her gay life at Montvale or "White Sulphur. xui tne trutn was tnat -Miss Anna was really with me and I was making her some new things to wear. I remember there were some pocket handkerchiefs among them, and when she went back to Riverside she was neatly dressed and her mother found her looking very well and much improved by the mineral waters. It was after her family had taken possession of the town house that I nearly made a fearful error in speaking of Miss Anna to her mother. Birdie was sitting in a swing in the gar den and I was on a low 6eat near her, and in speaking of Miss Anna's many accom plishments, I said: "She is the nicest doll I ever knew." Themost startled expression came into her sensitive little face, and she put up her hand as if to stop me. "Oh. don't. Mrs. Burnett." he exclaimed. "Oh, please hush! Never say she is a doll. I never mention the word before her. It would hurt her feelings sol" "Would it really?" I said. "I'm so sorry I said it She didn't hear it, though. She is in her room asleep." "Miss Anna doesn't know she is a doll." said Birdie. "She never dreams it. She thinks she is just like us, and I could not bear to have her find out that her head is made of china or that it seems like that to people who don't love her. It isn't china to me and neither are her arms kid but then I'm her mother." Never again was I guilty of inferring that Miss Anna was a doll never so long as I knew her. I should not mention it now only I know she never reads imnen. nnH my dear little Birdie, who must be a grown tip young lady by this time, would under stand how far I am from meaning any dis respect to her dear old china memorv. It interested me very much to read after ward in one of Miss Phelps'booksof a little girl who expressed exactly Birdie's idea, and I wondeied if perhaps Misa Phelps had notheard it from a real child as I did. It was very absorbing when Boy was in troduced to Birdie and Miss Anna and my self. Birdie's experience as a parent was very useful to me in my first Venture, and she had a verv good opinion of Bov, though 1 think we were both quite frank In admit ting that just at first he was more big than exactly beautiful. I went abroad the next spring, and when I kissed Birdie for the last time I thought we should be intimate friends again in about two years. I wrote a story lor her while I was awav. She and her brothers and sisters published a little paper in their own house and asked me to write them something. I sent it to her from London. It was called "Behind the White Brick." and has since been published with other short stories in a book. But since those days chance has placed us almost at different ends of the world. Birdie must be by now a grown-up young lady. Eemembenng her delicate spirit uelle little face and translucent golden brown eyes, I feel sure she is fair to look upon; remembering her pretty, innocent fancies and tender beliefs, I am sure she must be lovable and sweet. When I think of her, as I often do, knowing how many tender things seem to fade away as we grow from a child to a woman, I cannot help say ing to myself wistfully, "I hope she stfll believes in the fairies, and I hope because she is so gentle and tender she sometimes sees one." body stalled with sawdust, and dolly goes off to the factory, where the more artistic work is dope. Her limbs have the proper tint, her body is as true to nature as neces sary, but her head is still bare, her cheeks are gray, and her colorless eyes express no intelligence. -An expert workman in the factory, hold ing dolly by. the foot, dips her head and shoulders for a moment in melted wax, and she emerges from the bath the composition wax doll of commerce. When she is suf ficiently dry she passes into the hands of agirl operator, who quickly paints the pink tinge upon her cheeks. Another girl adds the blue eves, still another the eyebrows and eyelashes, and so she goes through the hands of a row of girls, one girl for each tint, the whole process taking about six hours, for there are delays while the paints are drying. In six hours six girls are ex pected to paint 10 gross, or nearly 1,500 dolls, complete. This requires rapid" work, and the girls receive about 51 75 a week each. Flowing locks of mohair are fastened to the head, and dolly is ready to emigrate to 4-merica. xsssss-- c- -zzssgsJ? - m t 555" "" --Zr ' M MDMFV Awn nicer d i Mr; mtm amh umrn m usin.! nuts uii IL.IUIIU mi.ii rML yvuvirv. -s WRITTEN FOBTIIE DISPATCH - 'BIT jfiL. COJSTJLTST IDOITLE, I '& A.ttsnyr .WCvr". A STORY OF LOVE, Author of "White Company," and Many Other Long and Short Stories of Great Literary Merit. ODD FACTS ABOUT SXAKES. None or tho Large Ones Aro Poisonous The Battlers Are the Largest How the Fanes Are Drawn Cutting tho Artery or tho Tolson Bag A Narrow Escape. WEITTEN FOE TUE DISPATCH.! LL snakes are natural ly vicious, but they are not all poisonous. None of the larger varieties are poison ous, and you can al ways tell a poisonous snake by the forma tion of his head, which is shaped round; back of the eyes there is a high lump, rising from inside the head. The harmless snake has a long head, and it kills bv crushing, whiie a poisonous snake darts at you. The ana condas hardly ever bite, and in Brazil it is quite common for a householder to keep a few of them around his residence for the purpose of killing the rats, which are a greatpest in that part of the world. Among the poisonous snakes there is the variety known as the coral, which is found in Venezuela. Any one bitten by a coral snake dies in the most horrible agony, his blood bursting or oozing out through the pores of his skin. Any snake that meas ures oyer seven or eight feet is not poison ous; in fact, I do not know any that grow over six feet long. The rattlesnake is the largest poisonous snake we have in this country. Then there are the deaf adder, the black water snake, the moccasin. These are about the only poisonous snakes we have in the United States. The men who call themselves ""snake charmers" do not handle poisonous snakes. If they have a rattlesnake they extract his fangs, and in that way render him perfectly harmless. This operation is easily per formed by means of a silk handkerchief, which is waved in front of the snake, who snaps at it viciously, when the handkerchief is suddenly pulled'away, bringing the fangs CHAPTEP. L 'If you please, mum," said the voice of a domestic from somewhere round the angle of the door, "number three is moving in." Two little old ladies, who were sitting at cither side of a table, sprang to their feet with ejaculations of interest, and rushed to the window of the sitting room. At the other side of the road were three large detached villas, each standing in its own little square of grasi and flowers. All three were equally new, but Xos. 1 and 2 were curtained and sedate, with a human sociable look to them; while Xo. 3 had ap parently only just received its furniture and made itself ready for its occupants. A carriage had driven up to the gate, the cab man had descended, and the passenirers within were handing out the articles which they desired him to carry up to the house. He stood, red-faced and blinking, with his crooked arms outstretched, while a male hand, protruding from the window, kept piling up upon him a series of articles the sight of which filled the curious old ladies with bewilderment. "My goodness me!" cried Monica, the more wizened of the pair. "What do you call that, Bertha? It looks to me like four batter puddings." "Those are what young men box each other with," said Bertha, with a conscious air of superior worldly knowledge. "And those?" (he had been a widower for some rears) info the peaceful atmosphere of Norwood. There was thus bnt one villa unoccupied, and it was no wonder that the two maiden ladies watched with a keen interest, which deepened into a dire apprehension, the curious incidents which heralded the coming of the new tenants. They had al ready learned from the agent that the family consisted of two only Mrs. Westmacott, a widow, and her nephew, Charles Westma cott. How simple and how select it had sounded! Who could have foreseen from it these fearful portents which seemed to threaten violence and discord? "Well, at least, Monica." remarked Bertha, as they sat over their teacups that afternoon, "however strange thee people may be, it is our duty to be as polite to thera as jo tne otner. "Most certainly," acquiesced her sister,' "Since we have called upon Mrs. Hst Denver and upon the 3Iiss Walkers, we must call upon this Mrs. Westmacott also." Half curious and half fearful they knocked at the door of No. 3, which was instantly opened by a red-headed page boy. Yes, Mr. Westmacott was at home, and she led the way into a very handsomely-appointed library, with three great cases of books, and upon the fourth side a long yel low table littered over with papers and scientific instruments. "Sit here, and you there," she continued. "That is right Now let me see which of von is Miss Williams and which Miss Bertha Will iams?" "I am Mis3 Yilliams," 63id Monica, still r - ' THE CH-GAP WAX DOLLS Process of Manufacture in Germany From the Plaster Jtlodels Up. rWEITTEN TOR THE DISPATCH.! Nine dolls out of ten are little German girls. In whole districts in Germany the country people spend the winter in making dolls, tilling their fields in bummer. The cheap wax doll, commercially known as "composition wax," such as may be bought at retail in this country for twenty-five cents, furnishes perhaps tho best idea of how dolls are made. A "modeler," who has nothinsr further to do with the making of dolls, makes plaster of Paris models of & Extracting a Rattlesnake's Fangs. with it Or, you can cut the artery that feeds the poison bag and thus destroy the source of supply. This is a rather difficult operation, however, although I hare often had occasion to perform iton rattlesnakes. Something, generally a piece of cork, is put in the snake's mouth o keep it open: the teeth of the reptile become imbedded in the cork and you have a chance to cut the artery. Taking the teeth out of a rattle snake is like pulling feathers out of a bird; thev will form again. Snakes shed their teeth just the same as a cat sheds its claws. Another point about snake charmers. Alter you have handled snakes for a con sideraole length of time they become very quiet To a certain extent you can make a pet of a snake as you can of many other animals, and as i nave said, the larsre varie ties seldom bite; handling them seems to deaden them. Snake charmers keep their animals well fed and they become so slug- fish as to offer no resistance when they are andled carefully. It is very fortunate for the snake charmers that the largest aud most showy reptiles in the world are not poisonous. Small boa constrictors are w orth 15, larcre ones 5150; very large specimens, 5300. The Indian boa constrictor, a very large, showy reptile, about 25 feet long, commands a big price, one only ten feet lohg being worth 575 or $100. The other day I was bitten by one of mr snakes; he got hold of my forefinger. In such a case you thrust your finger down his throat. Do not attempt to pull it out, be cause their fangs project backward. After thrusting the finger back for a while he will begin to choke and open his mouth, when you can pull your finger out. The right way to grasp a snake is to hold him firmly wun one nana juse Deiow the head. DOITALD BUKNS. WHEEE TOYS AEE MADE. , vi ;. .Yifctf 4.1fe v .v.. " -3 c.JM. H?.7- I II M (P&?, i? '.fry -r-:, .. .ItxVvs A-ttST?' ?L t5" T.X'-ZiX. SHE HAD HIJI WTTII BOTH HASDS. If & German Peasants Making Dolls. the styles of heads and limbs most in de mand, and sells them, singly or in sets to the peasants who make the dolls. Through out the winter, father, mother, and all the larger children unite in making papier mache casts from these models. The legs and arms are dipped in flesh colored paint, and the painted shoes are put on ivith brushes. Thn vnrinn narts. to gether with the head, are'fastened to a cloth Tho Most Come From Over the Sea, Prance Furnishing tho Best. JWElniX FOB THE DISPATCH.1 T is an open secret that Santa Claus brings the greater part of his vast stock of Christmas toys from Europei Germany being his favorite collecting grounds. But he encourages Amer ican industry in a few directions, nota bly in cheap me chanical tovs. The tin railway trains and tin horses and steam boats that run when wound up with a key are made in great quantities in Brooklyn by machineryjand the cast iron toys of the same description are made principally iu New York. When he desires an expensive mechanical toy, however, he goes to France for it; to Saxony for his Noah's arks and all the other carved wooden toys; to Nuremburg for his toys, tin trumpets and magic lan terns; and to Thuringia for his toy china tea sets. Back and Thumbscrew Were scarcely more torturous than the twinge of rheumatism. Not only la it one of the most aRonizlnjr, but most ohstlnate ot complaints In its chronic stage. Forestall the untold agonies it inflicts with nostet ter's Stomach Bitters, the finest blood de purent In existence. Dyspepsia, constipa tion, biliousness and malaria aie also com pletely eradicated hy this comprehensive medicine. Two great bottle-shaped pieces of yellow shining wood had been heaped upon the cabman. "Oh, I don't know what those are," con fessed Bertha. Indian clubs had never before obtruded themselves upon her peace ful and very feminine existence. These mysterious articles were followed bv a nair of dumb-bells and a tennis racket Finally, when the cabman, all top heavy and bristling, had staggered off up the garden patli there emerged in a very leisurely way from the cab a bie, power fully built young man with a bull pup under one arm. He extended his hand as if to assist some one else from the vehicle. The only thing which his open palm re ceived was a violent slap, and a tall lady bounded unassisted out of the cab. A3 she turned slowly round, and the sun shine struck npon her face, thetwo watchers were amazed to see that this very active and energetic lady was far from being in her first youth so far that she had certainly come of age again since she first passed that landmark in life's journey. And yet she was very handsome. Her features were as firm in repose as those of a Greek bust, and her great dark eyes were arched over by two brows so black, so thick, and so deli cately curved, that the eye turned away from the harsher details ot the Jace to marvel at their grace and strength. Her hair, black but plentifully shot with gray, was brushed plainly back from her high forehead, and was gathered under a small round felt hat, like that of a man, with one sprig of feather in the band as a concession to her sex. A double breasted jacket of some dirk frieze like material fitted closely to her figure, while her straight blue skirt, untrimmed and UDgathercd, wjs cut so short that the lower curve of her finely-turned legs was plainly visible beneath it, terminating in a pair of broad, flat, low-heeled and square toed shoes. The cabman, red and heavy jowled; came back from his labors and held out his hand for his fare. The lady passed him a coin, there was a moment of mumbling and ges ticulating, and suddenly she had him with both hands by the red cravat which girt his neck, and was shaking him as a terrier would a rat Bight across the pavement she thrust him, and, pushing him up aeainstthe wheel, she banged his head three several times against the side of his own vehicle. "Can I be of any use tp you aunt?" asked the large youth framing himself in the open doorway. "Not the slightest" panted the enraged lady. "There, you low blackguard; that will teach you to be impertinent to a lady." The cabman looked helplessly about him with a bewildered, questioning gaze, as one to whom alone of all men this unheard-of and extraordinary thing had happened. Then, rubbing, his head, he mounted slowly onto the box, and drove away with an uptossed hand appealing to the universe. The lady smoothed down her dress, pushed back her hair under her little felt hat, and strode in through the hall door, which was closed be hind her. The cottage from the window of which the Misses Williams had looked out stands, and had stood for many a year, in that pleasant suburban district Field by field the "estate of old Mr. Williams had been sold to the speculative builder. A broad road was driven through their quiet do main, and three villas began to sprout up on the other side. With sore hearts, the two shy little old maids watched their steady progress and speculated as to what fashion of neighbors chance would bring into the little nook which had always been their own. In" a few weeks the card had vanished from number one.and it was known that Ad miral Hay Denver, with Mrs. Hay Denver and their only son, were about to move into it. The news brought peace to the hearts of the Williams sisters. The Hay Denvers had hardly moved in before number two also struck its placard, and again the ladies found that they had no reason to be discon tented with their neighbors. Dr. Balthazar Walker was a very well known name in the medical world. He moved himself, his -scientific instruments and his two daughters palpitating, and glancing furtively about lA dread of some new horror. "And you live, as I understand, over at tho pretty little cottage. It is very nice of you to call so early. I don't suppose that we shall get on, but still the intention is equally good." She crossed her legs and leaned her back against the marble mantel piece. "We thought that perhaps we might ba of some assistance," said Bertha, timidly. "If there is any thine which we could do to make you feel more at home " "Oh, thank you; I am too old a traveler to feel anything but at home wherever I go. I've just come bock from a few months in the Marquesas Islands, where I had a very pleasant visit. In many respects the Mar quesas Islands now lead the world." "Dear me!" ejaculated Miss Williams. "In what respect?" "In the relation of the sexe. They havsj worked out the great problem upon their own line, and their isolated geogiaphical position has helped them to come to a con clusion of their own. The woman there is, as she should be, in every way the absolute equal of the male. Come in, Charles, and sit down. These are our neighbors, the Misses AVilliams. Perhaps they will hava some beer, i'ou might bring in a couple of bottles Charles." "No, no, thank you! None for us!" cried her two visitors, earnestly. "No?" I am sorry that I have no tea to offer you. I look upon the subservfcncy of woman as largely due to her abandoning nutritious drinks anj invigorating exercises to the male. I do neither." She picked up a pair of 15-pound dumb-bells from be side the fireplace and swung them lightly ner head, "lou see what may be done on beer," said she. "But don't you think," the elder Miss Williams snggested. timidly "don't you think, Mrs. Westmacott. that woman has a mission of her own?" The lady of the house dropped her dumb bells with a crash upon the floor. J'The old cant!" she cried. "The old shibboleth! What is this mission which is reserved for woman? All that is humble, that is mean, that is ;onl-killing, that is so contemptible and so ill-paid that none other will touch it All that is woman's mission. And who imposed these limitations upon her? Who cooped her up within this nar- sphere? AVas it Providence? Was it nature? No, it was the arch enemy it was man. "Oh, I say, auntie!" drawled her ncDhew. "It was man, Charles. It was you and your fellows. I say that woman is a colos sal monument to the selfishness ot max" Terrified as they were by this snddeu tor rent of words, the two gentlewomen could not but smile at the sight of the fiery domi neering victim and the big apologetic rep resentative of mankind whi sat meekly oeanng an tne sigus oi his sex. J.he lady struck a match, whipped a cigarette from a case upon the mantelpiece, and began to draw the smoke into her lungs. "1 find it very soothing when my nerves are at all milled," she explained. "Von don't smoke? Ah, you miss one of the purest of pleasures one of the few pleasures which is without a reaction." Miss Williams smoothed out her black silken lap. "It is a uleasure." she said. with some approach to self-assertion, "which Bertha and I are rather too old fashioned to enjoy." "No doubt. It would probably make vsu very ill if you attempted to. By the wayhI hope that you will come to some of our Guild meetings. I shall see that tickets are sent you." "Your Guild?" "It is not yet formed, but I shall lose no time in forming a committee. It is my habit to form a branch of the Emancipation Guild wherever T go. It is only by"organ ized resistance, Miss Williams, that we can hopQ to hold our own against the selfish sex. Must you go, then?" " Ye.?, we have one or two other visits to pay," said the elder sister. "You will, I am sure, excuse me. I hope that vou will find Norwood a pleasant residence.' She came to the door with them, and as they glanced, back they saw her still stand.
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