.THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH, .SUNDAY, AP.EIL 17. 1892.
21
AN IMAGINATIVE ROMANCE OF ARCTIC
WRITTEN FOE THE DISPATCH
BY HERBERT P. WARD.
SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
In n. sleeping car Journeying from tlie West to Chicago are six chance acquaintances
Millionaire Tanderlrn, ot Cnicago: Prof. Wilder. Inventor of the Aeropole: Sergeant Will
twig, -who was with Greelyand with Loct-n ood on their Polar expeditions; Royal Sterne, a
technical institute student; Jack Hardy, who is going into real estate in Chicago, and Fred
erick Ball, an astronomical tutor. Out of a jesting remark a serious expedition to the
Xorth Tolo in Prof. Wilder's airhip is arransed. Jlillionniio Vanderlyn famishes the
money. Wilder the conveyance, Wllltwig the experience, and the three younger men the
enthusiasm. Just as they start officers arrive to serve an injunction on Wilder. The action
is brought by Hennepin, who claims the airship is his invention. After some exciting ex-
Serlences the offlceis are persuaded to desist. The airship gets off, and when .over Lake
lichigan Sergeant Will wig remembers that he left his supply of matches in Chicago.
CHAPTER IV.
A MOMENTOUS TOTE.
The party rose to their feet .They looked
vaguely about them. They acted as if they
had forgotten where they were. II now oc
curred to Boyal Sterne for the first time
that this was different from a Pullman car
trip across the continent. Jack Hardy
listened to the moaning and whistling of the
air through which they cut; at first he
could not account for the weird.noises. The
tutor, ever mindful of the scientific view of
the situation, sprang to read the register of
the anemometer.
"How many matches have you gentle
men got about you?" asked Sergeant
Will twig, walking unsteadily toward them.
He had not yet accustomed himself to the
motion ol the aerial vessel. Mechanically
each hand dived into its own series of
pockets and brought forth matches, each
after its kind. The Sergeant took them
carefully a nd laid them in row before him 1
on the table.
"Now, gentlemen, search againl The
number we have decides whether we make
a halt or not"
A subsequent exploration of the nooks
and crannies that every man carries about
his person brought forth six matches more.
The four sat about the table and solemnly
counted them, There were exactly 3
ahead. This seemed to puzzle the birds,
but they cheerfully responded to the extra
strain. "
"Seventv-two knots!" shouted the tutor.
"That's a pretty fair record. Work them
np gradually to eighty!"
The geese, as yet unsuspecting the ca
pacity of the new leader, kept on right
cheerfully, although a couple in the far rear
had begun to lag a little behind. The
"Aeronole" now imperceptibly increased
her speed. The leaders responded "easilv,
yet one could notice a sense of surprise in
the way they craned their heads from one
side to another. Thev were now going at
the rate of 82 miles an hour.
Three more birds dropped out, leaving lL
These began to wonder and to work. The
passengers could now notice a grieved ex
pression stealing over the faces of the two
leaders. They began to utter plaintive
"Honks!" which were not hard of interpre
tation. Thev cried, as if in plain English,
"Hold up! hold up!"
The men were now becoming excited. The
exact speed of the wild goose has sever
been precisely ascertained; but it has been
credited with 100 miles an hour. JThree
more dropped out as the wind-gauge read 85.
"Jump her to a hundred!" shouted Boval
Sterne with enthusiasm. "I'll bet on the
right-hand one to standout last This beats
yacht racing all hollow."
In the spurt that followed all Tint thrnt
fell back. The geese that were left were
evidentlv the picked crew of many naviga
tions. Their pride and reputation were on
trial. They no longer cried for a respite;
St
v
"J
THE JHD-AIE BACK WITH WILD GEESE.
They looked at those slender bits of wood,
so innocent, so destructive, and so friendly.
The petroleum heater was not yet lighted,
nor was the cooker. These had not been
designed to lieht by electricity. And now,
the sacrifice of even one match to this
necessary work took a moment of resolution.
DeLong's struggle with his last match on '
board the steam launch "Juniata," in 1873,
occurred to Sergeant Willtwig's mind.
A matchless exhibition is a defeated ex
pedition. How start without the means of
warmth to explore the polar regions, where
the invisible sphinx protects her ice-bound
mystery? What is the worth of tons of
coal or food in those secret places where the
mercurial thermometer freezes, without the
magic spark that chall convert inert masses
Into energy?
The chief knew this, and yet the brave
explorer, trusting to his courage and good
fortune, to his star and to his indomitable
will, preferred to brave the worst rather
than delay his enterprise. To an airship
subject to a "writ delay might mean
fustration of the entire scheme.
"What shall we do, gentlemen?" asked
the Sergeant soberly. "Let me explain.
More polar expeditions have been wrecked
through uncongeniality and disobedience
than through starvation or cold. I am
the head, and you must obey me implicitly
as though you were mv subordinates on a
man-of-war. But I shall frequently consult
with you, as in the present instance. In
such cases, the opinion ot the majority
shall rule. We left Chicago atli Chicago
lies about on the 42d latitude; that is, she is
situated about 2,880 mills from our destina
tion. We are traveling at the rate of 200
miles an hour."
The tutor now rose and consulted the
anemometer, the result of which he noted
down. They all looked at him question
lngly. "How fast?" asked Professor Wilder from
the engine-room, only a few feet awav.
"She marks 194 miles an hour. We are
now traveling swifter than man or bird has
ever traveled before, he added solemnly.
The Sergeant did not answer; he was im
mersed in gigantic calculations.
"Iiook by Jove! A race! See!" Jack
Hardy, who had been peering out of the
window, made a motion to the rest
They rushed to the window and exclaimed
in wonder. Ear below them, a thousand
feet or more, shone the large Lake Michi
gan. So great was it that it seemed like an
ocean. Ahead and to the westward could
be faintly distinguished 'the connecting
waters of Lake Superior. But beside them
and lollowing the airship was a large flock
of birds. By their frightened "Honk,
honk!" they were easily distinguished.
Prof. Wilder had reduced the "Aeropole"
to one-quarter speed, and the geese easily
kept pace with this new wonder. The birds
inspected It They pecked at it Thev
gibed at it Then, apparently coming to
the conclusion that this was some new
leader, they formed behind the airship in a
capital A.
The men had now gone to the stern win
dow, commenting on this unique aerial
eight
"Now, put on a little more steam! I'll
bet on the birds!" cried Boyal. The two
leading geese were only 0 feet behind, and
one could almost note their eager, tense ex
pression. A touch, and the air vessel shot
they saved their energy for this tremendous
speed. Their wings increased in stroke.
Their necks elongated. Their thin legs
stuck out further behind. They presented
the minimum resistence to the'air. Their
eyes began to bulge. One could imagine
that their breath came short But their ex
pression of astonishment was as ludicrous
as it was pathetic.
A hundred and ten miles and only two
remained. The tutor jotted down notes,
while Jack Hardy shot the wild geese with
a "kodak." j At 120 one dropped back. He
fluttered in a dazed way, and then turned
aeiinerately with an injured air. The orig
inal leader of the flock remained to fight it
out Besolutiou was in his eye. He seemed
to gain upon the airship. Eor fully ten
minutes longer nature pitted itself against
man in this novel duel.
"One hundred and fiftv miles!" shouted
the tutor.
As he spoke the gallant bird, with a
mighty effort, spurted again. It approached
its mysterious leader. It came within 10
feet of the window where the men stood.
It glared in and recognized man. Then it
uttered a despairing "Honk!" as if at last
it understood its false situation. TJncon-
product of man's genius than the Aeropole,
even if he did say it, and that Prof. Wildor
was the foremost man of the age.
At this crisis Jack Hardy, feeling the ab
solute necessity of a smoke,reached forward
to the table for a matsb, and thoughtlessly
struck it on his boot. The chief heard the
familiar crackle and darted like a tiger at
him.
"Give it to me, sir! Obey at your peril 1"
He took the burning lucifer from the
astonished Hardy's hands, carried the light
tenderly, as if it were the Kohinoor, across
the floor of the car, and, while the rest
watched him, transfixed at the sobering
sight he lighted the petroleum heater and
then the lamp in the Atkinson cooker. He
shut the doors tightly, to keep the slightest
breath away from the lamps, and then
handed the almost extinguished match back
to Mr. Hardy.
"There! tight your cigar now. It s the
last match used without my written instruc
tions. Sealed in a tin box, the matches
shall be carried about my person."
"How. continued the Sergeant, "we will
take a formal ballot We have on hand
EXPLORATION. I 31 matches and two stoves lighted, neither
i ui wuicu, wim tne care we snaiioesiow upon
I them, ought to go out for five months; we
nave petroleum in abundance to neat tnis
car, and to cook as long as we shall be able
to stay in it The question is, shall we
take even the slightest risk and proceed on
our journey as we are, or snail we descend,
exposing ourselves, perhaps, to Ignorant
ridicule and attack, and our sole source ot
hope and safety to possible wanton, preju
diced destruction?"
He stopped for a moment, and then for
the first time since they had started, lighted
a cigar, as if in graceful apology, at Jack
Hardy's cigarette. He was fiercely excited;
so were his companions. They followed his
example, and soon the fragrant whiffs
brought a certain quiet to their nerves.
The peculiar advantages and disadvan
tages of the Aeropole were, of course,
untried. Not even the daring inventor
had realized the terrible perils that this
expedition involved. He had more cour
age than he had imagined. In such
a new venture, the ratio of uncertainty far
outbalances the valud of the certainty, let
in this comfortable, warm, even cozv car,
they are like the travelerwho did not know
that the train had passed.safely over the
tottering culvert at the rate ot 80 miles an
hour, until the next station had been safely
reached. Their verv ignorance increased
'the chances of their ultimate success.
"When may we expect to get there?'
asked Jack. The ardent tutor was about
to open his mouth to answer, when he saw
his chief preparing to speak, -
"That is easy to calculate," said Sergeant
Willtwig authoritatively. "If the Aero
pole maintains a speed of 200 miles an hour,
we are due at the NorthPoIe at 4 o'clock
to-morrow morning, according to Chicago
time. If we only average 150 miles, we
shall be delayed until a trifle after 6 in the
morning; we shall then arrive between 6
and 9. gentlemen. We shall accomplish in
less than 24 hours what centuries of treasure
and life could not do."
ladeed, so steady, sn swift and so straight
was the motion of the airship that it seemed
as if the chief's words were about to be
come verified.
&.MW ..v.., .u nunc V vud nsu'jjauucu
walls, cold blasts began to chill the car. The
party had been gone hardly over an hour
and a halt, and the thermometer, fastened
without and read from the window, had
dropped nearly 20. The tutor even
affirmed that he could watch its gradual
descent
"I vote we keep right on," said Boyal;
"we've got matches enough, and expect to
be back in a week. The heater can't go out
Keep Jack's hands off the matchbox, and
we'll get on all right"
"Then, gentlemen, we will record our
votes on paper. This is too serious a ques
tion for an informal ballot Mr. Ball has
been commissioned bv me to keep the rec
ords of this expedition, as well, as to act as
assistant engineer. He will take your votes
and count them." The Sergeant nodded at
the astronomical member of the expedition.
The tntor, with a gravity commensurate
with the situation, took the slips and read
them. He announced a unanimous vote to
go ahead.
"Very well, gentlemen," said the Ser
geant "It is our mutual will to proceed,
and we do so at our mutual risk. Ood
help ns!"
"I, for one, shan't turn in to-night," in
terrupted the tutor with a preoccupied air.
He was reading the barometer. Their
altitude was constant at about a thousand
feet
"What the Dickens do yon mean?" de
manded the astonished real estate agent
of the young scientist
The tutor smiled. "It means that as we
approach the north we enter into longer
days. The Aeropole will outrun the night
We have left darkness behind us until we
return. About the pole, you know, there
is no night this time of the year' This
fact,' so patent to the Arctic explorer, was
new to Jack Hardy. Boyal smiled patron
izingly. He had forgotten this fact, but did
not think it necessary to say so.
"Whew! That's blamed queer," was all
that Jack Hardy could find to say. He
looked out His watch marked 2:30. He
gazed at the sun. That orb of dav, which
poets assure us hasten in its declining
course to the west, had refused to decline.
It stood still.
"That is s stunner," said Jack. "We
beat the sun. My Aunt Maria would have
given her fortune to have been invited."
"Now, gentlemen," said Sergeant Will
twig after this information had sunken into
the minds of what we might call the lay pas
sengers of the airship, "the routine of the
exhibition will begin. You will oblige me
by each putting on his Arctic clothes. I
will assist you if necessary. At the ratio of
our present progress the temperature will
lower uniformly at the rate of 8 degrees an
hour; that is, supposing it is 50 degrees be
low zero at the pole. By 6 p. m. we shall
be over Hudson's Bay. To escape the fog
we wili rise to an altitude of 10,000 feet.
The temperature will be correspondingly
lower. While we are clad in furs, it is my
order that the thermometer in this car shall
not rise over 55 degrees."
The members of the expedition found it
natural now to obey the slightest order
from their experienced head. Too soon the
terrible cold would steal upon them, unac
climated and unprepared. It Is a well
known fact that in the high latitudes where
the normal temperature is far below zero,
men experience the discomfort of too great
heat when the thermometer rises over 50
above. Arctic explorers have been badly
sunDuruc wun we sun smning upon them
when the thermal column only showed 8
above the freezing point On the same
principle, though in an inverse degree,
some of Stanley's porters perished ot ex
posure and cold, when, in the snow-clad
range of Buwenzori, the mercury fell bare
ly to the line of frost.
"Whe-ewl" gasped Jack Hardy, putting
one hand to his head and the other to his
heart "How queer I feel."
"Well, so do I," groaned Boyal, smiling
grimly, with pale face.
"What can it be?" asked the tutor, with a
mind for the science of it
3b J3 Continued Next Sunday.
OUR BOYS AND GIRLS.
. MUNICH'S PUPPET SHOW.
Fapa Schmld'a IJttle Theater for Boys and
Girls Comic Figures Manipulated by
Means or Strings From Above the Stage
The Flays Fat On.
rwBimjr roB m sism.tcb.
Munich, Aqril 4. Of all the enjoy
ments that the Bavarian capital can offer, I
would miss least of all the hourt spent with
Papa Schmid and his ideal little theater.
It is situated in a rather unfrequented part
of the city. On entering the hall the
spectators find that the other end is con
cealed by curtains, in the midst of which a
miniature stage is placed, elevated about
four feet from the ground and illumined by
tiny footlights. In front of this stand are rows
of chairs that once a week are crowded with
gay children, who see so many of the fairy
tales they have read realized on the stage.
But not the young folks only patronize
the place, also grown-up people, in particu
lar the artist population are frequent visit
ors. Even IiUdwig L. did not disdain see
ing it and laughing heartily at the merry
goings on of the smallest of all temples
consecrated to the muses. Although Papa
Schmid is more than 33 years in his profes
sion, he is not one born and bred in it, for
he bought his stock in trade from the heirs
of the Bavarian General, Wilhelm V. Hay
deck, also knpwn as a battle painter of some
importance, who had made a large collec
tion of figures and accessories in leisure
hours and gave private performances to
amuse himself and his friends.
Exquisite Down to Details.
Papa Schmid's company is very large,
consisting of more than 1,000 figures, many
of whose neads are carved by well-known
sculptors and, in originality of expression,
can rival with the make-up of any character
actor. It was never too great a trouble for
Papa Schmid to run about all day in the
streets ot Munich, in order to induce an
artist to make a doll's head of special beauty
for him, or to search for a fine piece of
cloth for the dress coat of one of his marion
ettes. The costumes aim at a brilliant pic
tonal efiect rather than historical accuracy.
Every piece of clothing for his actors and
actresses which are not more than a span, is
exquisitely finished, hemmed and lined, as
for a grown-up person. Even the button
holes are not forgotten. Many of the tiny
ladies' robes are hand embroidered. All of
them are kept and handled with the greatest
care, hung up in little cloth bags labeled
with their names. Their faces and hands,
are cleaned and freshly painted whenever it
is necessary, not only like ordinary dolls,
but with great skill and the patience a
sculptor might use who desires to color his
statues. '
The mechanism of the figures is highly
ingenious. Kasper, the leading part in all
plays, who has to perform numerous parts
ot grotesque agility, is a marvelous piece
of workmanship. It would detract from his
glory if the other occupants of the stage
were constructed with equal ingenuity. He
cannot only nod and shake his head and
raise his right arm so that it forms an angle
with the body or is elevated above the head,
hut he can also dance, fold his hands or
cross them on his back' and imitate a drunk
ard. Of Katper there are two or three dozen
copies in difierent costumes. His numer
ous companions are equipped for the sta
tion in life to which the wisdom of the di
rector has predestined them and are al
ways equal in the demands of the situation.
Mechanical Perfection of the Figures.
The heroine can raise both hands in sup
plication; her cruel father can spurn her
from his feet with emphatic gestures; a
policeman in the costume of Frederick's
time pursues a tramp with outstretched
arm, ready to sieze his victim at the first op
portunity, who hastens away looking back
now and again at his pursuer. The night
watchman can raise his lantern to the face
of any passerby and knock the ground with
nized by Jhe audience, and so the number of
monologues and asides are gleatly reduced.
You see at once by the. villainous face that
the puppet is bent on mischief. How
ever Insinuating he may try to be, the vil
lain still preserves his fiendish scowl, the
heroine, in the, very depth of her despair,
always bears 'the same placid smile) the
hero wins his bride and challenges his ene
my with an unalterable smirk, and the
father curses and is reconciled to his daugh
ters without any change of countenance.
This makes tpe performance indescribably
grotesque, and the more tragic the incidents
the more amusing it becomes. Only a play
with a strong dramatio unity will bear such
treatment Grillparzer. one ot the most
successful German dramatists, once wit
nessed a performance and exclaimed:
"Why we dramatists can learn what ac
tion is from these pnppet plays!"
The repertory moves with preference at
the realms of German fairy tales like
"Little Bed Biding Hood," "Bluebeard,"
"King of the Forest," "The Proud Hildet
gard." "The Sleeping Beauty." "Cinder
ella," "The Seven Bavens," "Puss in
Boots," etc.
A Complete Stage In Miniature.
The great technical demands which these
fairv tales with their annirltlons. transfor
mations and magio fires make on the little
theater are worked with marvelous skill.
All that can be seen in theatrical machinery
in visiting the Berlin or Munich opera
houses is found behind the scenes at Papa
Schmid's, only that everything is in minia
ture from a well regulated system of traps
to flving machines worked as" faultlessly as
if a famous stage machinist had constructed
them. There are dragoons who spit fire
and all sorts of demons with glaring
eves. The light enects, sunsets,
thunderstorms and snowfalls are
most realistic, like a little rival of the
Meininger stage. How exquisite the
scenery is painted by the best landscape
painters Munich can boast of will be seen
for instance in the house of the burgomaster
in one of the "Kasper" plays. It is a little
odd-shaped house with a slanting roof of red
tiles, overgrown with vines and a veranda
ornamented with flower pots. It is perfec-
tion-in every detail; there are the tin eaves,
a holy virgin standing in a niche in the
wall, a bird cage hung on the shutters and
linen put out to dry from several windows,
of which several can be opened; the burgo
master speaks from one of them to the
passersby.
In spite of the spectacular effects, the
pieces in which Katper tartfari appears are
the favorites. He is a stout, beardltss little
fellow, with a red nose, red hair and cun
ning eyes; he is generally dressed in yellow
trousers, a red jacket, a white shirt, with a
large lace collar and a green pierrot hat
He is the representative of South German
humor, an exceedingly good natnred goblin
of epicurean views ot life, always inclined
to eat and drink and play all sorts of funny
tricks, but also able to indnlge occasionally
in a remarkably deep and surprising philo
sophical conversation.
One of the Popular Characters.
He is 'generally the servant in the play,
yet likes to pass tor his master, gets into all
sorts of difficulties whereby the poor fellow
has to sutler greatly of hunger and thirst
until at last he is aided by some super
natural power. He even appears as Dr.
Faustus, tne same puppet play which sug
gested the idea to Goethe of writing the
greatest dramatic poem of modern times,
But in many plays Kasper is the leading
personage. He roams all over the earth.
In "Kasper Among the Savages," forced to
be a sailor he is shipwrecked on a foreign
shore where he enters the service of a
scientist, bu is hindered in the accom
plishment of his duties by .being taken
prisoner by the savages, who invite tne
scientists to partake of a dinner, where
Kasper is to be served as roast meat Al
ready the horrible song preceding the im
molation had been struckup and the canni
bals are dancing around the burning logs
when Neptune makes his appearance and
bears Kasper away on a dolphin after elicit
ing from him the promise never to drink a
mass of beer again, nothing stronger than
water. How little the rogue was in earn
est about the promise is seen in the follow
ing monologue in the Bavarian dialect:
"After all I am only playing a trick on
the Waiiermaver. I have sworn that I will
never drink one mass, of course not one hut
as many as possible, for one mass never
proved sufficient for me."
Other plays are Kasper as professor, as
Sortrait painter, as a heroic knight in the
ark Middle Ages, Katper among the Chi
nese, Americans, Indians, Patagonians, etc.,
etc.
THE BOY'S SPRING GAME.
He Win Soon Be Boiling Marbles and Her
Are Two New Games Points About
Shooting Everybody Flays for Keep
Nowadays.
IwarrrzH tob ibi disfjCtch.i
"How do yon play marbles?" I asked a
small, ragged and happy boy the other day.
"For keeps," he replied with a look of
pity at my ignorance, and then he went on
with his game.
Marble playing is for keeps now, as it
has been since our great-grandfathers were
boys, and the games have changed very lit
tle In character. Perhaps this maybe ac
counted for by the fact that the marble sea
son in this temperate zone is so short that
each spring the old games are taken up
with a zest which would be unknown were
marble playing an all year round affair, and
that this dulls the inventive faculty of
youth. This year, however, marks an inno?
vation, and in telling boys how marbles are
played I am able to describe two new games
just introduced from the Northwest
The first thing to know in playing mar
bles is how to shoot and what to shoot with.
To shoot properly a boy must hold his mar
bles properly. Bend the forefinger so that
the tip nearly ouches the lower edge of
ring taw. The first playefshoots his taw
into the first hole if possible. If he suc
ceeds he shoots from the onter edge of that
hole into the next, and from that into the
last He is then the winner and the con
tents of the bank belong to him. Then the
boys fill np the bank again and the second
player takes his turn.
A straight run is seldom accomplished,
however. When a player misses a hole he
lets his taw rest where it stops and gives
way to nnmber two. The second player
may either shoot at the first hole or at the
taw of nnmber one, but he cannot kill him
by hitting the taw nnless he has been in
one or more of the holes. If, however, he
has made the hole and afterward hits num-
HOW TO CATCH BUGS.
fittkcjDepav
H ft st
?J
The Position for Shooting.
One Match the Leu.
quered, its heart burst Unwilling to turn
back alive, at the rate of over two miles a
second, it gave up its tired ghost .Like a
projectile it hurled itself to the waters be
lowa black flash a Japanese firework it
vanished from sight
The passengers on the Aeropole dis
cussed this instant enthusiastically. Men
have risen before this, in balloons, so high
that the rarity of the atmosphere precluded
breath; but never before had man directed
his flight with such facilitv and such mar
velous lateral velocity. With one accord
they went up to the distinguished inventor
and did what is onlv left to men in times
of silent emotion. They shook him by the
hand.
Boyal Sterne, who for a young man was
well traveled, acknowledged with an air of
harmless conceit, as if he had discovered
the fact, that there was no more wonderful J
ODD BELIEFS OF CHILDSEK.
Spitting on the Under Side of a Stone to
Bring Wishes and Cores.
The superstitions of children at the South
as used in their little games, "telling for
tunes," etc., are very interesting. For
instance, in some parts of the South in the
game of "tag," if the boy or girl giving the
"tag" is quick enough to say, "Ticky,
ticky, tag, my tAg's poison, you can't get
my tag till to-morrow after sundown," that
girl or boy is under a "spell" and is exempt
from "tags" until the time specified, after
which the "spell" is oft
In making a wish which they are-anxious
to have come true they nick np a stone that
is imbedded in the ground, spit on the un
der side and replaceit, being careful to fit it
iii jua u was; oy so doing they think
thev will "get their wish." The same
method is used for curing toothache, but
first the gum around the tooth is pricked
until it bleeds. Warts also are removed in
this way. They believe that a toOth that is
extracted should always be buried; other-
us ue vuiuujf one win ue a aog s tooth.
l- ' t r
I i "-j)y S 1 ifflM)),)
I
sV vWfcni
1J
m
CKm- V 1 1 Ur
How the JBgjret Are Worked.
Hamlet With Some Variations.
Also "Hamlet" is played, based on the
English tragedy. Here all the psychology
and poetry are strnck out At the conclu
sion the Queen, Hamlet and Ophelia escape
uninjured. Po'onius, who has been wounded,
even slain, limps in on crutches to bless the
marriage of his daughter with the new King
of Denmark, and Laertes, having repented of
his faults, seems to be in a fair way to re
cover when the curtain falls.
And who has written all these puppet
plays, which resemble so much the early
English drama in the constant intermixture
of humor and pathos? The majoritv of
them have Count of Tocci for author. They'
were written in rhyme and have won a
standard place in German literature. Also
the other authors are well known in Ger
many; these are Dr. Harless, Baron von
Gumppenberg, Franz von Kabbell, who did
not think of laurels and tentiemes when
they wrote the plays, but only of further
ing the interests of the puppet show in
every possible way. They also induced
first-class composers to write dramatic musio
soieiy lor tne use ot tnese plays.
New plays, however, are failing. Tocci's
genuine humor and deep understanding of
the soul of children was nniaue. inimitable.
i Many of the young dramatists who were
wining to serve an apprenticeship as poets
of the puppet show, however talented thev
might have been, could find no grace before
the audience, which desires nothing but to
be amused, and can hardlv wait for the next
performance, from one week to the other.
JtUCHABD UOTTHIEL.
his halberd. The Siiberbauer can walk
angrily over the stage, threatening intrud
ers on his fields with the stick, and lift a
tiny jug of beer to his lips. Knight Zinsm-
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dunfl can draw bis sword and swing it feroci
ously. Barbele can pat touches to ber hair
and bodice and spread out her skirts in the
most coquettish manner. The inferior per
sonages are more restricted in their move
ments, and thns are very properly prevented
from diverting the attention of the audi
ence from the chief business of the play.
Every figure is handled by one of Papa
Schmid's helpmates. The black strings,
connected with the wrist, knee or any other
particular part of the body, and fastened to
a wooden frame work which is held in one
hand, while the strings are worked with the
other. Papa Schmid's assistants are se
lected mostly from all classes of society
which gives a peculiar charm to the reading.
Even actors have often volunteered to read
a leading part, but Katptr Papa Schmid
generally reserves for himself, as well as a
number of other favorites, whereby ha
shows much skill in modifying his voice.
Never Change Their Expressions.
The personal attractions of the marion-
ttes are exactly, in proportion to their
moral characters. This saves a great deal
oi irouDie, as neiiaer saint nor sinner can
appear witheut his truo nature being reoog- ,
1
the palm of the hand. Hold the tip of the
thumb under the second finger, which is
also bent The marble rests between the
tip of the forefinger -and the joint of the
thumb, as is shown in the accompanying
illustratibn. When you get ready to shoot
snap out the thumb smartly, and the mar
ble will be shot out as from a popgun.
With practice it will go equally as true to
the mark.
Flaying for a Position.
The knuqkle of the forefinger should
touch the ground, where it should be held
in a stationary position until the marble is
shot Be careful in aiming. As a rule aim
an inch in front of the marble you want to
hit Ton will strike it on the bound. Never
roll your marble along the ground. Let it
describe an aro of a circle. If yon shoot so
as to hit the mark squarely your marble stops
short and the mark is set spinning away. In
some shots this is desirable. In others K is
better to give your marble a twist in send
ing it out so that you can carrom on the
mark as billiard players do. This often
times gives you a good position for a second
shot The twist is caused by placing the
back of the hand upon the ground insteadif
holding it upright, as is done in making the
square shot This position also gives greater
force and sureness of aim. Plumping is
done by holding the hand above the ground.
In some games this is admissible, but not
in all. No shoving is ever allowed. It is
as unsportsmanlike as shooting birds on the
ground or catching fish with a net
It is always well to be careful about the
marble yon shoot with, which is called the
"taw." It should be a trifle largerthan the
brownies and should be considerably
heavier. I never saw a glass alley .that
amounted to anything as a taw. The best
one I ever had was an old china alley which
had not ,been glazed after it had been
painted and therefore was not perfectly
smooth.
The Common Kind of Games.
Now as to games. The simplest is played
without a ring. One boy puts down a
marble on a certain spot and his opponent
shoots at it from a fixed distance. It he hits
the marble, it is his; but if he misses it he
himself puts down a marble and lets his op
ponent have a chance. This is kent un until
one of the boys loses his store or tires of
the sport
Bing taw, or square, or half moon, as it is
variouslv called according to the shane of
the in closure, is played in a variety of
ways and it is the commonest of all games
with marbles. Any number of boys may
play it, but three or four are the best num
ber. Mark out a ring about three feet in
diameter and draw a line afloat six feet
away from it From this line the boys
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The Common Game.
ber one's taw, then he wins from it owner
all the marbles he has won since the game
began, or if he has not won any, onemar
ble as a penaltv. No player can kill an
opponent until he has made the first hole,
but he can shoot at an adversary's taw and
drive it away from its position.
Spanning, or thumb-and-finger, is plaved
by two boys. One shoots in any direction
he chooses and any distance. Hi oppo
nent tries to hit his marble or, in tailing to
do that, he leaves his marble so near to his
adversary's that he can span the distance
between them with his thumb and little
finger. In either event the loser pays a
marhle. Then the crame iroes on as before
until the winner loses, when the tarns at
shooting are reversed.
Some Other Games TVlth Marbles.
Lagging, or stone fence, is played by
throwing the marbles against a wall and
letting them rebound. The first player
leaves his marble where it falls. His op
ponent follows, and if his marble rests
within a span of the first, or if it hits it, he
wins.
These are the chief good games that have
been played and are recorded up to the
present year. They are simple, fair, and
require skill
The new games have made a decided hit
Here is one oi them:
Draw two rings as in double-ring taw.
Place a marble for each player on the inner
line equally far apart The players shoot
in turn from the outer circle. The object is
to drive the marbles into the outer ring and
not beyond it If a player shoots too hard
and drives a marble beyond the outer eirele
he puts it back again. If he does not drive
It out of the inner circle he lets it stay
there. In both cases he forfeits all the
marbles he has won or gives a marble from
his stock if he has won none. He loses his
turn, but is still in the game. The forfeited
marbles are placed In the inner circle. If
he is hit by an opponent his loss is the
same; he is killed and his marbles go to the
successful shooter. The player can leave
his taw where it stops or take it np, and,
when his turn comes again, shoot from the
outer circle. It is a safe plan to shoot from
without the outer circle, because if he
leaves his taw within it he is apt to .conn
in range of a rival player. This game re
quires great skill and is susceptible of a
high degree of interest
Here's Another New Game.
The other new game is played as follows:
Draw a circle as in single ring taw, and in
the center dig one hole as in "three holes."
The game is begun precisely the same as
ring taw. Each player places a marble on
the ring, but none is put in the center.
Each player must send his marble into the
hole and have It remain there before he can
knock a marble out of the ring. He shoots
after he has made the hole at any marble he
may choose from the edge of the hole. Any
marbles which he may knock out of the
ring before he has gone into the hole are re
placed and be loses his turn. If he is hit
before he goes into the hole he is killed and
forfeits one marble. If he is hit after he
has gone into the hole he is also killed and
forfeits all the marbles he has won to the
player who hits him.
It often happens when four boys are play
ing that all the taws are on the ground long
before the first player has made the hole,
but as no player can kill an opponent until
he himself has gone into the hole, the shots
are chiefly aimed to drive each other awav
from favorable positions. Of course, each
boy keeps on shooting until he misses.
Benjamin JSobxhbop.
Pro Eiley, of Uncle Jerry Rusk's
Department, Writes.
IMPLEMENT OP THE CAMPAIGN.
A Bottle, With Poison in the Bottom of It,
Is the Death Chamber.
SCIENCE OP STICKING THE PHf3
rWJUTTEX TOR TBI DI3PATCH.1
For collecting insects in a general way
one should have a butterfly net, a cyanide
bottle, a vial or two
of alcohol, a number
of pill boxes, or other
tiny boxes, and 9
cork-lined box to ba
swung over the)
shonlder. An um
brella is one of the
most useful auxili
aries. The net can be
easily constructed by
the collector himselC
The frame should be about a foot in diameter
and can be made of stout brass or iron wire.
The net itself, if it is be used for butterflies,
should be made of muslin, mosquito netting
or bobbinet It should be 18 inches deep
and taper to a rounded point After the
butterfly or moth is captured, a twist of the
" S1 Hf
we-
F0BITIHZ8 IB THE M00I.
handle will throw the bottom of the net
across the top, and the specimen is pinned
through the meshes of the net
A very much stouter net of cheese cloth
with a shorter bag is used for beating bushes
or sweeping grass and low herbage for bee
tles, bugs and caterpillars.
The cyanide bottle is for the purpose of
killing insects after they are captured. One
is snown in is'ig. 3.
Take a wide-mouthed
glass bottle, a two
ounce bottle or one
somewhat larger, the
wide mouth being the
essential thing, and 1
place m it two or three
lumps of cvanide of J
potasium each half an
inch in diameter. Then
mix in a vessel a small
quantity of plaster of
pans with enough
water to make it semi
fluid and pour this
into the bottle until it
covers the lumps of
cyanide for about af
quarter of an inch.1
The bottle is leftonen!
for an hour or two un
til the plaster is thnr.
onghly dry, is then corked and is ready for
use. Insects dropped into the bottle will
die in a few minutes and can then be re
moved to the pill boxes, or pinned and
tusk into the cork-lined collecting box.
The umbrella should be held upside down
under the branches of trees, which should
then be strnck sharply with a stick held in
the other hand. The insects upon the branch
will fall into the umbrella, from wh ch
they can be removed to the cyanide bottle.
How to Pin an Insect.
All mature insects should be pinned If
theyare large enough. Nearly all should
be pinned through the middle of the thorax,
which Is the body segment to which the
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" IBf 151
A BED OF PBETTY FAHSIES.
I
Ton Can Get Two Hundred and Fifty Seeds
for Haifa Dollar.
If yon wish a pretty little flower bed you
wili find pansies the most responsive of
flowers. My seedsman sells a paDer of 250
seeds for 0 cents. These are mixed, and
would be enough for your garden. But if
you wish to select, there are, for instance,
Snow Queen, the most exquisite lustrous
pure white with small golden eye; Lord
Beaconsfield, delicious light purple melting
to silvery white at the edges; Emperor
William, nearly pure blue; the mahogany
colors, which word gives you no idea of the
splendors of the old reds and black purples
of these large velvety flowers; the fawn
lnlfiM in a rhnneand Kiia at (vaIiI anrl kftnvai
the Trlmardeans, immense flowers and 4
superb in ail colors. ' But there is simply
no end to them all are gorgeous.
BITALS THE SKY OF DAWK.
1
Of All the Popples the Shlrleys Are Host
Satisfactory to Grow.
The Shirleys, crown of all beauty among
the poppies I I hardly think the mortal
lives who would venture to try to describe
the beauty of the Shirley poppies I They
are every shade from the purest white to
the deepest black red through every shade
of rose, pink, cherry, carmine, scarlet,
crimson and their delicacy in every
blossom has something ethereal, spiritual,
divine about it The texture ot the petals
is thin as fine tissue paper, so that if you
put a red flower behind a white one it
flushes through the veil; the white is the
most delicate of all, but all have this
diaphanous quality. There is nothing
aming flowers so like the sky of dawn as is
the Shirley poppy bed.
make their first shots. Before shooting,
each boy puts a marble near the edge of the
ring, equi-distant one from the other. To
decide who shoots first the contestants shoot
at a line. The one whose marble stops near
est to it wins the shot The first shooter
puts an additional marble In the center of
the ring to make the game fair, because. the
first snot carries considerable advantage
with it
The game is begun bv shooting in turn
from the line at the marbles in the ring. If
a marble is knocked out of the ring the
marksman pockets it and has another shot
from the spot where his taw rests. He con
tinues in like manner until all the marbles
are knocked out or until his taw stops with
in the ring. In that event he is "dead"
and he puts back in tbe ring all the marbles
that he has won and one more by the way
of penalty.
Details of the Game.
The only exseption to this rule is when
he happens to be ' the last player to shoot
and his taw dies in the ring after tbe last
marble has been knocked out In .that
event the death amounts to nothing and the
marbles are his the same as though his taw
had not stopped within the ring. If the
player misses at any time he leaves his taw
where it rests and the next boy shoots. If
a player hits his opponent's taw he kills
him and takes from him all the marbles, if
any, which he has won during the game. If
a player kills his last opponent he tabes all
the marbles that remain In the'ring, as well
as all which have been won, and the game
is ended.
Sometimes a half-moon or a square are
used instead of a ring, but this makes no
difference in playing tbe game. Sometimes
two rings are used, a small one inside of a
larger one, tbe circles vbeing nve or six leet
apart. In this game, which is called donble
taw, the players shoot from any point they
mav choose on the outer circle at the
marbles which are arranged in the inner
eirele as in single ring-taw, and no one is
allowed to kill an opponent until the last
boy has had one shot In all varieties of
the game this rule is observed: When a
boy has knocked all tjie marbles out of the
ring, and does not remain in it himself, all
the players put np new marbles, and the
next boy in turn shoots, the winner of the
first bout shooting last
Shooting for s Hank.
Tbe next game in popularity to ring-taw
is called "three-holes." Three holes, two
inches wide and half an inch deep, are dug,
with hard, rounding sides. They should be
in a line about three feet apart Three feet
from the first hole a line is drawn to shoot
from. Each playerputs into another hole,
which may be called the bank of deposit,
three marbles as forfeits or.stakes.
Tbe otder of (hooting is determined as in
An. Old Superstition for 'Which the Giant
Orb Is Made Responsible.
Children, especially of the South, have
many ways of telling fortunes by the moon;
the most popular one is this: When the
new moon is seen for the first time three
steps are taken backward, and these words
repeated:
New moon, trne moon, true and bright.
If I have a true love, let me dream of him
to-night,
ir I'm to marry near, let me hear a b'rd ory
If I'm to marry far, let me hear a cow low.
And if I'm never to wed, lee me hear a ham
mer knock.
Then the flight of the turkey buzzard is
always noted, especially of flying alone, and
the bird is addressed thus:
Hall, hall, lone tnrkey buzzard,
Fly to tbe East, fly to the West,
Fly to tlie one that I love bestl
Let me know by tbe flap of the win?
Whether he (or she) loves me or not
The bird's direction of the flight is noted;
also the motion of the wings. If they flap
it is considered a true sign that the lover or
sweetheart is true.
ITBSX TELEQBAPHI0 MESSAGE.
It Was Sent Over Three Miles of Bonnet
Wire January 6, 1838.
Stephen Vail, the son of the Alfred Yail
so closely identified with early telegraphy,
says that on May 1, 1844, his father tele
graphed from Baltimore the news that
Henrv Clay had been nominated for the
next President Mr. Vail also says that the
first real message transmitted by telegraph
was sent over three miles of bonnet wire,
stretched around the walls of a large room
on the second floor of the now historio fac
tory at the Speedwell Iron Works, Morris-
town, a. J.
The date was January 6, 1833. On that
day a new set of instruments was put up
and tests were made in the presence ot dis
tinguished guests. All persons were then
convinced that Mr. Morse and Mr. "Vail had
laid the foundations ot a wonderful dis
covery. But it was not until five years
afterward that the bill appropriating $30,000
for their invention passed the Senate and
was signed by the President
CAH'T SUPP0ET THEMSELVES.
Indians Who Will Z,ose a Fat Thing If
They Make an Effort to Lire.
The biggest appropriation made by the
Indian bill now under consideration in Con
gress is for the Sioux 23,000 of them who
get $1,798,000 in cash annually. Besides,
each individual receives every day 3 pounds
of beef, half a pound of flour, half a pound
of corn: and to each 100 persons are given 3
pounds of beans, 4 pounds of coffee and 8
pounds of sugar. All this is according to a
treaty made in 1877, which stipulated that
the allowances in money and provisions
mentioned should be kept np until these
people "shall be able to support them
selves." There doesn't seem to be any prospeet
that this looked for period will ever arrive,
for, as Bed Clond once remarked to Carl
Schurz, "We can't afford to support our
selves, under the circumstances, and we
aren't going to."
Hunting for a New Dress.
A very pretty custom is common among
the little girls of the South. They search
under the leaves of the woods for the little
blue flower they call "Innocence," which
comes in the early spring, and if they find
one they will surely have a new dress be
fore another week.
Zyf
legs and wings are attached. Bees, wasps,
butterflies, moths and grasshoppers should
be pinned in this way. Beetles, however,
should be pinned through the right wing
cover, as shown at Fig. 4. All Insects
should be mounted at the same height on
the pin, and so that the pin shall project
just half an inch above the specimen, as
also shown by Fig. 4.
Butterflies and moths should always have
their wings spread before they are dry
where this is possible. They should be
pinned on the spreading board so that the
top of the bodv comes just to the surface of
the board. The wings sh'onld then be
spread out on the board with fine pins and
fastened flat with strips of paper or bits of
glass, as shown by Fig. 5. In this position
they should be leflj lor several days unlil
the body has become perfectly dry. Dragon
flies and a few other insects should also
have their wings spread in this wav.
Insects which are too small to pin should
be gummed to the points of little cardboard
triangles, and the triangle should be pinned
at the same height as if it were an insect
This method ot mounting is shown by Fig.
6. The insects should be gummed on the
left side (the triangle pointing to the left),
with the head forward and the back away
from the pin. Very small beetles, however,
should be gummed on the abdomen. The
aim in all cases should be to hide as little of
the body as possible.
Every specimen should be labeled with
the date on which it was captured and the
exact locality. It there
are any further facts
which are worthy of
notice they should ba
inscribed in a note-book
under a number corre
sponding to a number
label, which should also
be placed with the spec
imen. The specimen
illustrated by Fig. 6 is
jg properly labeled. In
"fSusing fine pins it is bet
ter to have a pair of pin
ning forceps, such as is shown by Fig. 7, as
with these the pins can be inserted into the
boxes without danger of bending.
All caterpillars and other early stages of
insects should either be kept in alcohol or
reared to the mature butterfly or beetle
as the case may be. For this purpose they
should be kept within aganze inclosnre
over a food plant or in a cloth-covered jar,
with a supply of food. More elaborate
breeding cages 'can be constructed if desir
able. Many moths fly only at night, and these
are collected either by attracting them to a
sweet bait or to light A mixture of brown
sugar, or of molasses with beer or rum,
smeared on the bark of trees or on fence
boards, may be visited at night with a
lantern with tolerable certainty of finding
that it has attracted night-flying moths.
C V. BrtKT,
Entomologist, Department of Agriculture,
IT. S. A.
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