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B. F. SCHWEIER,
THE 005STITUTIOI THE UHIOH AID THE EffTOECEMHJT OF THE LAWS.
Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XXXII.
MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY, PENNA., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1878.
NO. 41.
WHAT MIKES A NOBLEMAN?
I deem tbe nu ft nobleman
Wbo acta a noble part.
Who sbowa alike by word and deed,
He bath a true man's heart,
Wbo Uvea not for himself alone.
Nor joins the selfish few ;
lint prizes mors than all things else,
Tbe good that he can do.
I deem the man a nobleman
Wbo stands up for the rij-ht.
And in the work of chanty.
Finds pleasure and delight;
Wbo bears tbe stamp of manliness
Upon his open brow.
And never yet was known to do
An action mean and low.
I deem the man a nobleman
Wbo strives to aid tbe weak ;
And sooner than revenue a wrong.
Would kind forgiveness speak ;
Wbo sees a brother in all men.
From peasant nnto king ;
let would not crush the meanest worm.
Nor harm the weakest thing.
I deem the man a nobleman
Yea ! noblest of bis kind;
Wbo shows by moral excellence.
His purity of mind :
Who lives alike through good and ill
Tbe firm unflinching man ;
Who loves the cause of brotherhood.
And aids it all he can.
Unjustly Condemned.
On the 13th of January, Wl, the
people of Moscow, in Russia, were
startled by the news that Count Adolph
Xostikoff, a young nobleman, and the
prospective heir of vast estates in the
central part of the empire, hail been
found murdered, shortly after day
break, near a small garden bouse be
longing to the country seat of Voleslar
Staniroy, a wealthy merchant of Mos
cow. The unfortunate -oung gentleman
had evidently been stablied to death in
the garden house itself, for not only
had his warm life blood stained Us
walls and floor, and the tell-tale crim
son jtHit led all across the snow to the
outer gate of the garden, where lie had
sunk to the ground and expired but
there was also found in the garden
house a small pointed knife, the blade
of w hich was blood-stained. It was
evidently the instrument with which
the startling deed had been committed.
The police authorities were speedily on
the spot, and so were the relativesof the
murdered man. In the pockets of the
Count XostikofTs coat were found two
crumpled notts signed "Alida," and
threatening him with the direst conse
quences in case he should not surren
der certain letters. Jtwasat once as
certained that these two notes hadlieen
written by Alida, the young daughter
of the proprietor of the country seat,
Voleslar Staniroy.
She was sent for .and became intense
ly agitated Um Iteholding the stiff,
frozen corpse of the count.
Are these notes in your handwri
ting '?" asked the highest of the police
officers present.
"They are," she replied, iu a feeble
voice.
"When did you see the deceased
last?"
"About 8 o'clock last night," she an
swered, blushing to the roots of her
hair.
"Where was that?"
"In the garden house," she whis
pered, almost inaudibly.
"IK you know this knife ?"dcuiauded
the officer, exhibiting to her the blood
stained knife.'
Alida Staniroy cast a wild glance up
on it; then she uttered a shriek and
fainted away.
Her father, who caught her in his
arms, murmured iu despair:
"It is my daughter's knife!"
When the young girl had been re
stored to consciousness, she succeeded,
by a remarkable effort, in regaining her
presence of mind.
"This is certainly my knife," she
said, rapidly, "nor do I deny I wrote
these notes to Count Xostikoff and met
him at the garden house last night, but
I swear most solemnly that he and I
parted company without any ill-feeling
towards one another, and that I had
nothing whatever to do with the assas
sination." As she uttered these words the beau
tiful girl laid her bauds upon the cold
corpse, and then, lifting her eyes up to
heaven, exclaimed, in a thrilling lone:
"Adolph, my. slain lover, couldst
thou but speak, thou wouldst at once
testify to my innocence of thy murder!
This was very impressive, but It did
not convince either the officers or the
friends of the deceased.
The former took Alida, whose firm
iess seemed almost wonderful under
the circumstances, to the parlor of her
father's house, and summoned thither
the other inmates ol the latter. Among
them were the coachman, Ivan Duli
zurok, and Alida'g French maid, Marie
Verin.
This maid was a prepossessing young
woman of twenty-five, and endowed
with the most insinuating manners.
She seemed to watch the proceedings
with the most painful anxiety, and re
peatedly spoke words of encourage
ment to M'lle. Alida.
The latter w as asked to state what
her relations to the deceased had been.
She answered frankly but modestly :
"Count Adolph had, for two years,
been my sacred lover. This was well
known to my father, who disapproved
of it, because he said the count was a
bad man. I asserted the contrary, and
frequently had altercations with my
father on the subject. On the day be
fore yesterday, my father told me I had
almost every night interviews with
Count Adolph it the garden house, and
that he would put a stop to this inter
course. and that lie would prove to me
that the count was utterly unworthy of
uiy love. He made me promise to
abandon my lover if he should adduce
sufficient convincing proofs U the above
effect. I agreed to this."
"Did your father furnish any such
proofs?" inquired the officer.
Alida hesitated a moment! Then she
said slowly:
"I took them as such at first."
"What did they reler to?"
"I refuse to answer that question !"
she said, firmly.
"You must answer it!" rejoined the
oincer.
"1 shall keep silence even though m
silence should lead me to the seaffold."
The officer waived the question, and
then told her to proceed with the rest
oi tier narrative.
"What my father told me," she con
tinued, "I am free to confess filled me
with intense indignation against my
lover. I wrote to him those two notes.
insisting iijmhi the return of all the let
ters I had written hi in. In renlv he
solicited an interview with me at the
garden house. I consented to meet him
there. He arrived between 7 and 8
o'clock in the evening. Our interview
was long, and at first, quite stormy.
However, his protestations of love, and
what he said besides, overcame my in
dignation. I finally promised to re
main true to him, and we parted in the
most affectionate a-anner."
"But how do you account for this
knife of yours being found in the gar
den house under such suspicious cir
cumstances?" asked the examining of
ficer. "I am utterly at a loss to under
stand how it got there, I generally
kept it on the writing desk in my bou
doir. It is horrible beyond expression
to think that this knife of mine should
have been used for s.) fearful a purpose.
I am utterly bewildered about it."
Her language and mien were appar
ently those of a jicrson tellsng the
truth. But what about all the suspi
cious circumstances which certainly
poiuted to her as the Count's murder
ess.
Her father was next examined. jje
confirmed all his daughter had said
about her altercation with him in re
gard to Count Xostikort, but he, too, re
fused to reveal the charges he had pre
ferred against the loer's character.
Then Ivan Dulizurok, the coachman,
was called up.
"I knew the count very well," said
he, "in effect, I carried Mile. Alida's
notes to him, and brought back his an
swers. I gave him those two notes and
he gave me another in which, as he
told me, he begged her to meet him at
the garden house."
"How came he to make such a confi
dant of you?"
"Because I watched frequently w hen
they were in the garden house, so that
no one disturbed them."
"Iid you see him last night?"
"I did."
"Together w ith M'lle. Alida?"
"Yes ; she had told me to watch and
prevent any one'coniing near them."
"Did any one come?"
"Yes, Marie Verin, Mademoiselle
Alida's maid."
"Did you speak to Marie Verin?"
"Yes. I caugjt her stealing up to
l lie garden house. I asked her what
she was doing there. She answered
that master had sent her out to watch
his daughter. She became very angry,
and threatened that M. Staniroy would
have me flogged if I Interfered w ith
her. This frightened me and I ran
back into the house."
The French maid in her testimony
made some startling disclosures. She
answered the questions of the examin
ing officer at first with seeming reluct
ance, and did not become a more wil
ling witness until she had been threat
ened with severe puuishment. Then
she said, with a very glib tongue :
"Well, as I cannot help it, I will tell
all I know, although I am very sorry
for M'lle. Alida. M. Staniroy asked
me last night to watch the garden
house, as I had often done at his re
quest. About 8 o'clock I saw the count
enter the garden house, where he was
shortly after joined by M'lle. Alida. I
could hear distinctly what they said.
MTle. Alida called him a perfidious
villain, and said she. had thought of
murdering him. He begged her to
calm herself, but she seemed to work
herself into a perfect frenzy, and then
( heard him utter a low cry, and say,
'Alida, how could you do this?' At
that moment I was interrupted by Ivan
Dulizurok. with whom I had words.
Not desiring to quarrel with the fellow
any more. I returned to my room and
went to bed."
"You did not hear or see M'll. Alida
return to the h -se ?"
"Xo; I was awake a good while yet,
but did not hear her."
"Did you communicate what you
heard and saw to M. Staniroy?"
"Xo; he was not at home."
Things began to look very black for
Alida Staniroy. Her father broke into
loud lamentation. She herself remained
calm.
"1 did not know," she said, with a
disdainful glance at her French maid,
"that Marie Verin was acting the spy
towards me. But I must say that all
she said about my interview w ith count
Adolph is true, except that the count
did not use the words : 'How could you
do this?' Alll can do is to reiterate
the protestation ot my perfect inno
cence of this foul murder, no matter
how suspicious everything may look
for me."
All this was very sad, but w hat were
the officers to do but to take the young
lady to jail on a charge of murder? Al
ida accompanied them willingly. Her
fortitude excited the surprise and ad
miration even of her jailers.
The affair created naturally the most
profound sensation in the ancient capi
tal of the czars. For a week no one
spoke about anything else. Notwith
standing the seemingly overwhelming
circumstantial evidence against Alida
Staniroy. opinion was greatly divided
on the subject; and among those who
doubted her guilt, none were more out
spoken than those who were acquain tea
with her and her murdered lover. The
latter character had been none of the
best. Alida Staniroy, on the other
hand, was known as a superior woman,
endowed with a good heart and splen
did intellect. She was by no means an
impulsive creature, and there was no
apparent motive for Ler committing so
heinous a crime. The supposition that
Count Xostikoff had committed suicide
was refuted by the nature and position
of his wouuds.
The trial came off on March 22, 1871,
and notwithstanding the efforts made
by the eminent counsel of the fair pris
oner, the court found her guilty, and
sent her to perpetual banishment to
Siberia. There was a heart-rending
scene in court as this terrible sentence
was pronounced. Alida's father flung
himself on the floor in a paroxysm of
despair, tearing his gray hair and -ut
tering the most piteous cries.
The daughter turned pale, but said
in a firm voice: "Innocently con
demned !"
Well, she was sent on to Irutsk,
whither her father accompanied her,
and nothing was heard from them un
til quite recently an event occurred
which put an eutirely different face
upon the sombre affair.
On the 19th of Xovember, 1873, there
appeared before the chief of police of
Moscow a young woman rather flash
ily dressed, and bearing in her face a
troubled and careworn expression.
It was Marie Verin, formerly the
maid of Alida Staniroy, and the princi
pal witness against her at her trial for
the murder of Count Adolph Xostikoff.
She had evidently gone to the bad, and,
indeed, had become, since the convic
tion of her mistress, the inmate of a
house of ill-fan.e in Moscow. She told
the astonished dignatary the following
shocking tale:
"M'lle. Alida told the truth. She
did not murder Count Xostikoff; I
killed hi'u myself. After leaving the
coachman in the garden, I went to
M'lle. Alida's boudoir in order to get
a shawl, because it was very cold in the
garden. I saw her knife ou her wri
ting desk, and took it with me for pro
tection in case the coachman should
meet me again in the garden and insult
me. Then I went back to the garden,
but I did not find anybody there. At
the garden house Count Xostikoff, who
was just going to leave the place caught
sight of me. lie hastened towards me,
and before I w as able to resist, dragged
me into the garden house. There he
tried at once to do violence to me. I
struggled as best I could, but no one
heard my cries. He was very strong,
my dress was torn, my strength was
aboi.t giving way, and then I drew the
knife and struck him twice with it. He
staggered hack with a cry, and I fled
hurriedly back to the house. My re
morse since M'lle. Alida's conviction
has been intense. I have led a wretch
ed life ever since. I hope God will
forgive me."
After investigating the ca.e again
very carefully, the criminal authori
ties came to the conclusion that Marie
Veriu told the truth. The matter was
communicated to the emperor, who im
mediately pardoned Alida Stauiroy.
Strategy.
The keeer of a lager beer saloon in
Rochester, X. Y., was the other night
put to his wit's ends to keep up tho
well-earned reputation of the establish
ment for good order. Two young men
entered arm-in-arm, their noisy manner
bowing that they hadbeen drinking too
much. Approaching the pair, Mr. R.
shook hands with each of them and said,
"See here, John, will you please excuse
me for a moment, I want to talk with
Jake." John consented and Jake and
Mr. K. retired to a short distance from
him, when Mr. Readdressing Jake, said,
"See here, now, Jake, you are a gen
tleman and a friend of mine; now, John
is a little 'off" to-night and you see the
style of people here, and won't you do
me a favor by taking him home?" Jake
replied, "Mr. R., John is ugly some
times, and he might get angry with me
if I propose to him to go home before
we get some beer. K. then said, "Oh,
well, I will fix that all right ; ycu stay
right here, and I will go and see John."
Going to where John was standing. Mr.
R. said. "John, you are a gentleman
and a friend of mine, Jake is a little 'off"
to-night, and won't .you do me a great
favor by taking him home?" John
straightened himself up and said, "Mr.
R., you are right; I'll do it." Mr. R.
then said, "Then go ahead, and call to
see me again." The two friends then
approached each other, each of them
persuading the other to go home, and
left together, each happy in the thought
that he was doing a great kindness to
his companion.
Fearl Fishing on Ceylon.
Xo sum of money, however large, no
temptation held out would be sufficient
lystrong induce thedi vers todescend into
the ocean unless two shark charmers
were present, who, as they believe, by
means of their charms and potent spells,
can prevent the finny mousters of the
deep from injuring the pearl seekers.
One of these im posters goes out in the
pilot's boat, and remains at the head of
it, muttering a prescribed form of in
cantation as each man descends to brave
the perils of the vasty deep. The other
shark charmer remains on shore, where
he is shut up in a room in a state of nu
dity till the boat returns with the di
vers. A large brazen bowl is left with
him, filled with water, in which are
placed two silver fishes, and it is affirmed
that the moment a shark appears in the
vicinity of the divers, these fishes agi
tate the water, and if an accident is
about to happen one fish will bite the
other. When he perceives such indica
tions, the charmer immediately " blinds
the shark " with a potent spell, and thus
compels tbe creature to abstain from in
juring tbe divers. These shark charm
ers reap an abundant harvest during
the fishery, as tbe natives believe that
unless they are liberally remunerated
they will exert their powerful spells to
make the sharks injure them, instead
of compelling the monsters to remain
quiet until the pearl fishery is over. It
is rather singular that, although sharks
are frequently seen by the divers, an
accident rarely happens, and number
less fisheries have taken place without
a single avoidant ooeurring.
Important Tie of Natural Gas.
The petroleum product of Pennsylva
nia now readies the fabulous sum of
eighty millions of dollars per year,
while the exportation runs to about
sixty millions. Until recently, or at
least within a few years, but little use
has been made of the natural gas w hich
has discharged into either the open air
or been burned in huge torch lights
through the oil regions. In Beaver
Falls, a manufacturing town of con
siderable note, located about thirty miles
west of Pittsburg on the Fort Wayne
and Chicago Railroad, one well was
put down about sixteen years ago for
oil, and struck gas at about 1,100 feet in
depth, whence it poured continuously
until about two years ago. when it was
leased, cased up, and brought into use.
This induced the Harmony Society to
put down more wells in different locali
ties, all of which give out liberal sup
plies, some as high as one hundred
thousand feet every twenty-four hours,
which is now being used in nearly eve
ry manufacturing establishment in the
tow n. About one-half of the gas used
for lighting the town conies from these
wells; it is also used under the gas re
torts for heating (five in number). The
large cutlery works use it in 49 heating
furnaces; the hinge works, in three
large heating furnaces; the pottery
works, in two large kilns and two very
large furnaces for drying ware; the
shovel works, in one large heating fur
nace ; the file works, in seven large an
nealing furnaces: the saw works, in
one very large heating furnace, 14 feet
long by 11 yt feet wide, which is run to
a very high heat. It is also used in one
forging furnace. Two drying kilns for
seasoning lumber use it. Audit is also
introduced into dwelling houses, heat
ing furnaces, and stoves and cooking
stoves, and is exclusively used direct
from the wells for lighting one large
dwelling. Other wells are now going
down, and everything indicates the ex
clusive use of the gas for all heating,
illuminating, and manufacturing pur
poses. Its value is really incalulable
in working steel. It is said to be fully
equal to charcoal, if not superior, there
being no base substance like sulphur or
other matters so damaging to its quality.
A remarkable feature about it is, that
men work right along in a room filled
with it, take it freely into their lungs
in short, breathe it as they do air; and
it apptars rather healthful than other
wise, w bile manufactured gas is actu
ally dangerous to inhale. The flame
is clear white and gives an intense heat
with very little smoke. There seems
no diminution in the supply, but the
gas is in all probability being constantly
produced down deep in the earth.
Hunting- the Hippopotamus.
The Sclmumaiui-Kciche party took
twenty llomraiis with t!iem last Sep
tember, and pushed on to the region of
the Atbara the Setith, and the Salam
rivers, tributaries of the Xile. When
ever they met a native they inquired
about the Assints, the native name for
the liipMotamus. Whenever they
were told that males and solitary females
were in the "tools near by the party
pushed on. They w ere of no use to the
hunters except for flesh meat for the
natives. The meat is similar to beef,
and without any disagreeable flavor,
but the party were looking for females
in company with young ones. They
saw niiny hippos in the rivers, either
swimming in the centre or wading in
the reeds near the shores, feeding on
the reeds or on the roots of the same,
digging for them with their large pro
tuding horu. In the night they were
seen going into the woods, where they
feed on the young and tender leaves of
the trees, or their tracks were found
where they had come up out of the
water on their way to tbe fields of corn
or dhurra, cultivated by the X'ubians
near their hut towns. The paths made
by the hippo when coming out of the
water is a longitudinal groove, w ith
holes at the sides one foot ami a half
deep and about a foot in diameter. The
holes are the impression of the clumy
feet of the beast, the groove of its slid
ing belly.
But while the hunters saw the hippos
at a distance and tracked them almost
every day, it w as found very difficult to
attack one. They once watched a
female hippo three weeks but so wary
was the creature that, knowing it was
watched, it evaded the hunters in
the adroitest manner, leaving no trace
when it came out of the water, and
keeping quiet with its baby w hen in the
bushes. At last a Homran got within
ten paces of the animal as it showed Its
back above the water of the river. He
threw a hippo lance into it, and then
the sport began. The hippo lance,
or harpoon is composed of soft steel,
and falls out of the groove as soon as
the instrument has jwnetrated the skin
of the hippo and the animal moves, but
a long rope fastened in holes in the
harpoon below the grapnal hook is held
in the hunter's hand, and allowed to
run out of the coil to its full length of
twenty-five feet or more. At the other
end of the rope is a piece of ambatch
wood lighter than cork the lightest of
all known substances in fact and this
floats on the water when all of the rope
is outof the hunter's hand In the frantic
gyrations and racings up and down the
river of the wounded hippo. All this
took place quicker than it takes to tell
the story. When the female hippo was
wounded by the Homran hunter of the
Reicbe porty. The old hippo first dash
ed into the water, but soon rose to tbe
surface, and the Homrans pursued It
with harpoons and the Germans with
elephant guns. When the hippo was
fired at it first it tried to escape, but a
large ball striking against the softer
part of the skull, it became infuriated,
seemed to lose all sense of danger,
rushed up the bank out of the river,
attacked a Homran, tearing a piece of
flesh out of his thigh with its great pro
tuding teeth, and would have killed
Schau-nann, who bad fired the ball, if
the Homrans had not closed around it
and despatched It with their swords.
But when the Homrans hunt the hippo
alone they do not use firearms at all
When the animal makes off with the
block of ambatch wood they patiently
watch it for about an hour. Then they
jump into the water (they never wear
any clothes on a hunt), and try to get
the block. They swim like fish, dart
ing hundreds of yards under water, and
fearless of the crocodiles they pursue
the wounded hippo guided by the am
batch block, and seizing the rope by the
block they drag the animal near the
shore and if it rises to the surface give
it another dose of harpoons. When the
hippo keeps iu the middle of the stream
where, although the ambatch could be
reached by swimming, it could not be
worked with sufficient force for want
of leverage, the Homrai.s fasten two
ropes across the river, oue slack and the
other tight. These catch the ambatch
and hold it until the Homrans lasso it
from the shore and dragthe animal in
this way to the land. Schanmann says
the Homrans are such expert sw immers
they will keep near the harpooned hippo
following the ambatch ; and he has seen
more than oue jump up on the back of
the animal, catch weapons thrown by
theiu on shore, and inflict deep wounds
with them into the bodyot the strug
gling creature. The hippos are much
more afraid of a man ou foot than of
one or many on horseback. They will
attack a horse sooner than they will a
man.
The Reiche party, with their Homrans
had more luck this year in their hunt
than they ever had before, bringing
back 102 animals and birds from the
hunting groundsof the Xile tributaries,
besides many more which they killed,
eating some and leaving others to be
eaten by the natives or other animals.
On the way back they killed many
crocodiles, and iu the stomach of one
large bull crocodile, about fifteen feet
feet long, they found a young hippo.
Considering that the you ng hippos calv
ed some years ago in London weighed
99 'j pounds each one day after birth,
that crocodile must have had a severe
job gulping down that calf hippo in
Africa. It was not cut or chewed, but
simply pressed dow n into the stomach
of the crocodile.
When the bunting party begins to
move back the hippos and other young
and the dangerous animals are placed
in strong wooden boxes, perforated
with holes, and are carried by camels.
The camels go single file one after the
other, with long bars running from the
sides of each camel, and fastened to the
saddle of the one in front and to the
saddle of the camel in the rear. The
boxes in which the animals are then en
closed are put on the bars and fastened
securely in the middle between the two
camels. Besides the captured animals
the party had to transiort from the
Homran ci untry 80 or 90 goats, to fur
nish milk to the young ones. It takes
the milk of 23 goats for one baby hippo.
The hunters brought several dozen goats
with them all the way trom (he country
of the Homrans to Marseilles, in France,
but as the railroad company there
charged 43 francs apiece for transporta
tion of the gouts through France, they
sold them iu Marseilles for 10 francs
apiece, and fed the young animals from
that 'iuie forth on cows milk and eggs.
That is the diet at present of the young
hippos that live in the large tank in the
Aquarium where the whale first and the
seals afterwards made their home before
these odd strangers from Africa came
to be the nine days wonder of young
X'ew Yorkers.
Poisoned Spears
Mr. Layard, in a letter from the Xew
Hebrides, a group of islands north of
Australia belonging to the Praguan
group, w hose inhabitants are extremely
savage and think nothing of making a
meal of a missionary, thus describes
the dreadful poisoned spears of these
islanders, made with long carved points
of human bones. These points are
made from the leg-bones of either friend
or enemy, a thigh-bone being split into
four point, while a shin-bone suffices
for only two. The natives are very
particular about the selection of them.
They sav that the bone of a person
under twenty are too weak and spongy.
From twenty to forty they are at their
best. After that age they become too
brittle. Some spears have as many as
two hundred and fifty points and splin
ters fastened on them three or four
vastly exceeding the others in size,
being in fact the main points. A frag
ment of one of these remaining in a
wound is almost sure to produce fatal
results, as the cellular structure of the
bone, is, of course, impregnated with
the virus of the body that has decayed
around it. They are used for arrows,
also, barbed for the purpose of being
fixed in the wound, long enough for
the poison to mingle with the blood.
Naughty Papa.
About noon lately, a portly, digni
fied gentleman chanced to meet his
daughter, a handsome, stylish little
miss, wearing a jaunty velvet hat, and
with her hair rolled up in the shape of
a Vienna bun, sauntering down Vine
street under the escort of a young man
dressed with excruciating scrupulous
ness and exceeding t&ste. The old
gentleman stopped his daughter, and
without noticing the confusion their
meeting threw her into, commenced to
talk about the weather, her shopping,
etc. She listened dutifully a moment
or two, and then remarked, referring to
her escort, "Papa, this is Mr. ."
Papa, however, paid no attention to
the young man, but kept on talking.
Again she said, "Papa, you didn't hear
me ; this is Mr. ."
Yes, yes, my girl, I heard you,"
said the old gentleman, with an impa
tient wave of the hand. "I heard you,
and I don't care to know Mr. ."
Tbe immediate departure of that
young man in a very shrunken up con
dition was one of the funniest sights of
the day.
England's crop of w heat is rated at
11,500,000 quarters, leaving 13.000,000
quarters, or 104,000,000 bushels to be
Imported.
The first successful attempt to as
cend Mount Blane on the Italian side
was recently made by four Member of
the Italian Alpine Club.
Foods.
The two great duties which food has
to perform in the system are to maintain
the heat in the body and to supply ma
terial for its growth aud renewal
Hence foods are divided by writers on
the subject into carbonaceous or heat
producers. and nitrogeneous or
muscle-makers. This division, how
ever, is arbitrary and of only partial
application, since nearly all carbona
ceous foods contain nitrogen, and
nearly all nitrogeneous foods contain
carbon. In lean beef, which ranks
with nitrogeneous foods, there is more
or less fat or carbon, and in vegetables
richest in nitrogen, as beans, peas, cab
bage and onions, there are sugar and
starch. So that all foods are more or
less nitrogeneous, all foods are more or
less carbonaceous, and those terms are
used with relation to food simply to in
dicate what quality they possess in the
greater degree. The chief function of
the three carbonaceous foods sugar,
fat and starch is to keep up the ani
mal heat, and if more of these sub
stances is used than is necessary for
the purpose, it is stored up in the body
and produces corpulence. Hence all
foods containing large proportions of
these elements must be avoided by those
who do not wish to increase their
weight. In the potato, for example,
the composition is, for every huudred
parts, water 75, nitrogen, 3.1, starch
18 8, sugar 3.2, fat 0.2, salts, 0.7. It
will be seen that the proportion of
starch is nine times as great as that of
nitrogen, and the sugar also ex
ceeds the nitrogen. Wheat flour con
tains 100 parts, water, 10.7. phosphates
0.96, nitrogen, 2.4, albuminoids, 15.4,
starch, 6s.4, cellulose, 9.8. Wheat
flour, therefore, contains more wheat
in proportion than potato does, but the
conversion of a large part of the starch
into dextrine by toasting bread neutral
izes in a degree, its fat producing qual
ity. Then, as four-fifths of all we eat
supports respiration, there must of ne
cessity be in our food four times as
much carbon as there is nitrogen. The
wheat alone will supply this suffi
ciently for persons lending to fatness,
so that the starch iu the potato is sur
plus, and should, therefore, be de
clined. In new milk, though the con
stituents vary with the kind and quan
tity of food given t the producer of the
milk there are in every hundred parts,
water, SO, nitrogeneous matter,. 5.5,
sugar, 3.8, fat, 3.5., salts 0.GG. So add
ing the fat and sugar together, they
exceed the nitrogeneous matter, ami
hence milk ranks among the carbona
ceous foods. But from the lime it con
tains, milk is the growing food, and
better lor children than any other food,
since its constituents are blended in
just the proportions required by the
growing child. Milk is also very grate
ful to men and women of large osseous
deve.opmeiits w ho are not inclined to
corpuleuce, while small-boned and
plump ersous complain that it makes
them "bilious." An esrz wciirhina
1?A ouiiies contains 15.23 per cent, ol
carbon and two per cent, of nitrogen.
In the classification referred to, egir
would rank with carbonaceous foods.
but they are so rich iu the various
salts required by the body, that they
are permitted, even in the diet of cor
pulent people. Ou the scale of nutri
tion beef has always been regarded as
the kind of flesh which gives the best
nutriment to the eater, while mutton
and poultry are softer in texture and
more delicate in flavor. Fish is richer
in phosphorus than flesh, but on the
whole less nutritious. It is recom
mended, however, that fish form a part
of one meal every day. Xext to fi?h iu
nutritive qualities, eggs deserve men
tion, and then comes caseine or curd,
which is strained from milk, but exists
also in seeds, as peas, beans, almonds.
Of all vegetables, peas and beans rank
highest iu nutritive qualities, as they
contain from twenty-three to twenty-
five per cent, of nitrogeneous matter.
Of the grains, oats are richest in nitro
gen; w heat conies next, and then, in
order, maize, millet, rye, barley and
rice, the latter being the least nutri
tious seed in extensive use. Fruits are
nutritious to a greater or less degree,
but are valuable chiefly for their flavors,
the relish which they give to food, the
acids which they contain which pro
mote digestion, and the various salts
which render them peculiarly grateful,
not to the palate alone but to the whole
body. It is impossible in the space at
command to do more than outline the
subject. What has been said is in
tended to answer inquiries already
made and to stimulate research in those
who read. In the preparation of this
article Edward Smith's book on
" Foods," which is a volume in the In
ternational Science Series, has been
consulted, also Pereira on " Food and
Diet," and also the articles on various
kindred topics in the cyclopaedias. To
these we refer those who wish to pursue
these inquiries further. In all these
books the chemical composition of arti
cles treated of is given, and there are
tables showing comparative values of
foods with respect to their power to
produce heat in the body, to promote
its growth, aud to restore its wasted
tissues.
The True Cinderella.
In true Cinderella history there are
no fairy god-mothers, no mice and no
pumpkins. A wise old eagle takes all
the management of the slipper, and we
call in fancy see him carrying it over
the silver sands and dark pyramids of
Egypt, without greatly taxing our be
lief.
Rodolphe a pretty name, to begin
with was the fairest lady in ail Egypt.
She bad a dainty foot, an j wore jeweled
slippers, and all the people gazed upon
her with delight when she walked as
though she were a goddess or a fairy.
She went out to bathe one day among
the white lilies of the Xile. While she
and her maids were sporting in the
water, a great shadow passed over them,
and they saw an eagle alight on the
bank where their clothes had been left.
Presently it arose with something in it
talons,and wheeling through the golden
hazes, became a speck in the clear sky
When Rodolphe came up the bank,
she found that one of her jewelled slip
pers had been carried away, aud she said
to her maids. " The eagle has taken it.
And the maids said, " Then it will
bring you luck. The eagle is a bird of
good omen."
So Rodolphe hobbled home with a
light heart, one of her slipperless feet
crushing the lotns blossoms. Her maids
laughed at her, but she said, " It is good
luck, for an eagle has taken it."
Far away up tbe Xile lay Memphis,
with her bright-winged temples and
palaces; a city seventeen miles in cir
cuit, the seat of the Pharoahs for nearly
a thousand years, at this time the capi
tal of Egypt. Here were the splendid
temples of Isis, Serapis, and of the Sun,
and the throne was then filled with a
Pharaoh who had overthrown eleven
other Egyptian kings.
His name was Psammeticus. His son.
the Pharaoh Xecho, slew Josiah, king
of Judah, B.C. 610.
He w as sitting in a cool portico of his
palace toward evening. The crimson
sun was blazing low on the hot sands of
the desert, but cool winds tripped with
light feet along the dimplng waves of
the X'ile, and fanned the king as they
passed. He arose, walked into an open
court, when a great shadow passed
above him.
He looked up, and beheld with de
light and awe an eagle descending, and
wheeling above his head, with some
thing sparkling in his talons. He looked
upon the bird as a messenger from the
un.
He lifted his arms for joy. Just then
the eagle began to ascend, dropping the
glittering treasure from his talons into
his bosom.
It was Rodolphe's jewelled slipper.
The next day Psammeticus issued a
proclamation which caused all Mem
phis to wouder. Whoever would find
the mate to the jewelled sliper, which
the eagle had brought to the palace,
should be loaded with riches, and taken
into the service of the king.
Rodolphe heard the great news. She
believe that the eagle was indeed a
messenger of the gods to point out
her destiny. So she came to magnifi
cent Memphis to answer the proclama
tion of the king. With one slipperless
foot she ascended the grand porticoes
of the Pharaohs, and stood before the
king with downcast eyes, lifting her
drsss just above her dainty feet a per-
lect vision of beauty. Of course Psam
meticus immediately fell in love with
her, and married her, and made her
queen of all Egypt.
There was great joy in all the dazzling
temples of Memphis when the marriage
was consummated there was dancing
did music, and strewing of flowers. All
Egypt was happy.
How a Chrrk was Cashed.
It wouldn't do for some of the de
faulting bank cashiers to live out in
Kansas City, Mo. There is a policeman
out there known as Long John. He
belongs to one of the oldest and most
respectable families, but he was a way
ward youth, aud got away with his
share of the estate .early in life. Then
with commendable pluck he got on the
force, straightened up, and has been a
faithful and temperate man ever since.
As often as he drew his pay he went to
a certain bank and deposited whatever
he could save. He continued this fru
gal way of living until he had saved
about $700. Xot long ago when one of
the solid institutions of the Chicago of
the West went down, and the "bosses"
of the Institution were "regretting" in
tears to their enniless depositors,
Long John walked up to the President
and said : "Look here ; when I was a
wild boy you used to talk to me about
saving money. You told me to follow
your example. When I ran through
my part ot the estate you got me on the
police force. You told me to put what
money 1 could in the bank. I did it.
I worked hard as a nigger, and saved
II I could. Xow I am as poor as when
I commenced. And you have nothing,
you say, to pay me. I want my money.
The great bankrupt banker placed his
hands on Long John's shoulder and
spoke to him sadly: "My boy, this is a
great tribulation. I have lost every
thing and I cannot"
Long John took the hand of the
banker from .his shoulder and said : "I
lon't want any crocodile tears from you.
Every cent I put in your hand I work
ed for like a nigger, and you know it.
I would sooner be dead than lose if
Xow if you don't pay me that money I
will blow your brains out here on the
pot." And he placed a revolver
against the banker's head.
In ten minutes Long John had bis
$700 and the great penniless banker
was begging him not to give it away
lest the example might be repeated.
Iso Water.
Five gallons of ice-water per man is
the quantity allowed each day to the
miners in theComstock lode. The heat
is so intense that a man can work bu . a
tew moments at a time, and he not only
drinks copiously of the ice water but
pours it freely upon his person. Editors
who are writing nonsense about the
evil effects of ice water will be puzzled
to account for the healthful condition
of these miners, who alleviate tbe ex
hausting heat it often rises to 110 and
116 degrees by this means without in
jury to health. Frequenters of Turkish
baths drink ice water freely with the
thermometer at 160 to 180 deg. without
injury nay, with positive benefit.
Among the causes of death in hot weath
er Ice water is never mentioned. And
think of the myriads of human beings
who are relieved and comforted by its
use during tbe torrid season. It is ab
solutely wicked in pandering to base,
uncomfortable, and unwholesome ap
petites to say anything against ice
mater, because tbe only other recourse
people then have is to alcohol insome of
its protean forms.
There were lf0 miles of tunnel in
Great Britain in 1877, which cost about
$50,000,000.
A Modern 4host Story.
Among the many recollection of my
long travels the following Incident was
a great puzzle to all at the time it took
place, and is still shrouded in profound
mystery. After a delightful tour in
the sunny land of Portugal, we wished
to leave for Liverpool, and took tbe first
steamer which touched at Lisbon. The
"Marathon" appeared to be a fine vessel,
and It was only after being a day on
board that we found that she could only
make seven knots an hour, as she had
yards of sea-weed banging from her
keel, and was going into dry dock on
reaching Liverpool to be cleaned. The
company on board was pleasant, al
though the vessel was crowded. I
begged the purser to see if I must have
a companion in my cabin, that it should
be some one nice and agreeable. He
said there was a nice young lady. Miss
Mary S , going home with her
mamma and younger sisters. She
seemed a bright, cheerful lassie of about
fourteen summers, and we became pretty
good friends and chatted together, while
looking on the fine coast of Portugal,
becoming more and more indistinct
every moment. Most of the passengers
soon had to retire into the secrecy of
their cabins, but we held our own, and
enjoyed the breezes until 4 p. m. when
we assemble at table,- after which we
did a little star-gazing, and mooned
away our time until 7 r. -, when we
retired. Miss Mary asked me if I had
any objections to take the bottom berth.
I said it was immaterial to me so we re
tired. 1 slept soundly until about one
o'clock, when I was awoke in a fright
by what seemed to be the clasp of a
clammy cold hand clasping mine, as it
dropped over the edge of the bed. I
awoke very easily ; so I sat up directly
and asked Miss Mary if she had touched
me, and if she was ill ? She answered
with a grunt, and I had to shake her
before 1 got a reply. When I did, It
was a startling one. "What!" said she,
has that ghost come to you ? I had h
leave this cabin, w here I slept alone,
on that very account; but they told me
that as you were coming it would be all
right." We had no more sleep that
night; we looked, and talked, and con
jectured, all to no purpose. In the
morning I told the Captain, and he said
the young lady bad complained and said
she would not sleep there again. He
gave orders to a steward to turn the
whole cabin out, for, unfortunately, it
was the only vacant one on the ship. I
went to look on ; there was not even a
rathole to be seen ; I asked the steward
what he supposed U could be, he
answered in a must lugubrious tone;
"I don't know miss, our cook died on
the way from Xaples to Leghorn!"
What connection he could see between
the death of the cook, and our ghostly
visitant, I could not discover However,
having seen with our own eyes that
there was nothing in the cabin, we
thought we would to able to rest in
peace so we passed the day merrily,
although tbe Marathon was anything
but a satisfactory boat, we felt as if we
could walk as quickly as it weut, aud
then she had a cargo of iron ore, which
the rollers of the Bay of Biscay caused
to move about terribly, and then I heard
that ore of any kind aud cattle are the
worst cargo to have in a storin ; they
both shii't around so much. Well, night
came on as usual, and we retired with
out a thought to mar our slumbers. We
again slept well, and again about the
same hour tiie sensation of the clammy
hand awoke me roused Miss Mary,
and by the silvery rays of the moou
shining in upon us, we looked around
and at each other in auaz.-ment. I told
the Captain at breakfast and said we
would not sleep there again. He weut
round aud aked some gentlemen if
they would change cabins with us; but
they did not like the idea. As all he
could do was to let us have a light all
night, he did so, and to our delight we
slept until morning undisturbed. That
was the third night. The next night I
went to sleep quite comfortably and
awoke with a fearful weight on my
chest, put up my hand and felt some
thing warm, soft and furry. I flung it
off and it scratched my arm from elbow
to wrist. It disappeared and I saw that
it was a cat. This was not an appari
tion, for they do not scratch. Some
poor cat had hidden itself on board, and
attracted by the light, had entered our
cabin by the small opening of the win
dow. That was easily explained, but
the mystery of the clammy hand re
mains a mystery to this day.
Prison Life in I'nncs.
There are twenty-one central prisons
in France for prisoners with sentences
of five years and over. The cell system
is adopted in prisons for the detention
of prisoners not scut up for more than
a year aud a day, but iu the central
prisons as many as 100 sleep in one
ward, certain of their number being re
sponsible for the preservation of order.
The dormitories are lighted, and there
are openings from the galleries through
which the guards may inspect them.
By day the men work in attliert, fifty
or a hundred in each. Shoes, chairs,
woven fabrics, buttons, umbrella
ferules, Chinese lanterns, etc., are
manufactured, and such light work as
glossing paper, sewing copy books and
making hair ornaments is done. The
work is let to contractors by a tariff fixed
by the local Chamber of Commerce, to
prevent any undue competition with
free labor. Half of the profits of the
prisoner's work goes to the State; he is
allowed to spend a quarter in procuring
special articles of diet, etc., an 1 the re
maining quarter is paid to him on
leaving, so that a discharged convict
often finds himself with from $100 to
$300 cash capital. A large proportion
of the prisoners use this in setting
themselves up in trade or in procuring
passage to other lands. These rewards
of Industrial labor, together with the
industrial training itself, constitute
together the main ami tolerable effectual
counterbalance to the otherwise grave
evils of association. The element of
hope Is always prominent In French
prisons, and it is the sheet-anchor of
their admlni-tratkm. A visitor to La
Sante, at Paris, observed in the first
cell he inspected a table on which lay a
pipe of tobacco, a hall bottle of wine
and a Lovei.
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