UNANSWERED PRAYER& Iik some schoolmaster, kind la beta stern. Who beurs the children crying o'er tbei lute 'And calling "Ht-lp me, master, Jet blj I nt. Since iu his silence and refusal lies -Their self-ilevclopment, so God abide I'nhcediug many prayers. He I" nut deal To any cry sent op from earnest hearts; lie bears and strengthens when lie must deny. lie sees n weeding orer life's hnrd sums. Kill, should lie dry our tears and give the key. What would it profit ua when school were done And uut one lesson mastered! What a world Were this If alt onr prayers were granted! Nut in famed Pandora's box were such vsNt ills As lie in human hearts. Sboald onr de sires. Voiced one by one, in prayer ascend to God A lid come back aa events shaped to our wish. What chaos would result! In my flerco yoota I sighed out breath enough to move a leet Voicing wild prayers to heaven for fan cied boons. Which were denied, and that denial bends My knee to prayers of gratitude each day Of my maturer life. Tet from those prr.yers I rose nlwsy reeirded for the strife . nd conscious of new strength. Tray on. nad heart! Tlmt which thou pleadest for may not be given, But in the lofty altitude where souls Who supplicate CJod'a grace are lifted, there Thou shalt find help to bear thy future lot . Which is not elsewhere found. Ella Wheeler Wilcox, In the Cosmo politan. WEDDING GIFTS. Pooh! rrcspnts!" wild the Old Mar ried Man to the bridegroom. "Don't think you'll get what you want. I'll tell you my experience. "As the time for our marriage drew near I used to call at the house every available evening and whisper confi dentially to the curly head which exact ly fitted my shoulder that I was the luckiest fellow on earth. On dtie oc casion Anes sighed and murmured dreamily tlmt that was Just what she elr. "That was on the Sth. "I in the lL'ili I stopped in a minute at noon to see if she loved me as much aa at 1 1 : 1 r the night before. She replied that she did -that love was unaltcr- aide but that she must hurry upstair:-. now or the dressmaker would get hei i-kirts flute-slmpcd instead of organ lped. "On the l !th the present began to ar rive also the relatives. It became nn unsettled problem which of the two were more numerous. Aggie had cousins once removed. I had several urn les and aunts. AH were well off; In fact, it was a curious coincidence that we were the only poor branches on our respective family trees. I was in nn insurance ollice Bro insurance, not life insurance and when I hud coiu muulcutcd to her the news of my re cent promotion she had declared in the face of her family's unaccountable preference for Henry Walker (irhu was not so good a fellow as I am ly uny manner of menus) that to he Mrs. Joseph I.oiinsbury and live In ft small hoi.;e on a very small Income and bliss was precisely her Ideal of existence. So we were not marrying ana specula tion; nevertheless, since marriage comes so sci lorn in ones lite, we had hopes that our moneyed relatives -vmild d the handsome thing. "They did. First came a complete net of knives, forks and sions in a polished wood case. They were from the eoiirin Aggie had been named for. 'Such a seiis'.Me pieseiitP said her siotlier; 'they uill Inst a lifetime. " Vcs.' said I. 'it will take us a good while to wear all those out two at a time.' " "I oti t you suppose were ever tug to entertain any company, J asked the girl of my affection, tupping me on the cheek with one of the fori.s. "'l ite same night I had a note from her saying. 'Pen rest Joe, you ought to see tlieloiciy after dinner conVe spoans Second Cousin Mrtly has sent no two alike. Orange plush case. Isn't It ex citing? Don't tell, dear, but I almost wish they'd been something else, for I think sonic the girls are going to give nie spoons.' Tho rest of this letter was lot interesting to you. "This was i he beginning of an ava lanche of spoons Charter Oak spoons nutmeg six. ns, soldiers monument upoons, witch spoons, bust spoons, por trait spoons (I called these hist our picture gallery, and suggested that they should he framed In ribbons and hung In the parlor). One of our friends sent a pair of salted-ulinond spoons, hoping that wo would exchange them if they were duplicated, but it turned out that those were the only fines we had. The sugar spoons were all marked. There were lvo of them. "It is a time honored custom in on. ofTlee when one of us it married for the rest to combine' and buy a picture; and you could generally tell what year a man's wedding came off by a glance at his parlor wall. Williams, who was married In 'Si, had 'Far Away;' Brown's, a few years later, was 'The Three Kates.' Ours was, of course, the latest thing out. It had a sliver frame. "As the days went by and pieces of silver piled up on us I was more than once reminded of the couple whose courtship was conducted In Brown Ingese. and who were fitted out by their admiring friends with a Brown ing tea set. with quotations around the edge. "Oh. the little more, and how much It is!' The Fords had a run on china, hut a good deal of it got broken j w.'is etchings; they had enough for cv- j ery room in the house only, they never had a house; they boarded ever since they were married. Finally the climax came, when my obi I'ncle John sent us a solid tea set. I hadn't expected any thing 1 1 -i 1 1 lum. unless perhaps a Bible of a Wcl.sler':. 1 iialiiidged. for he did n't enjoy giving anything away. Aggie was getting too tired to be very on- I tliusl.-istie. I.i't her mother was delight ed, and it w.-iij no use thinking that I void I ji.: t us s.m u have had tb-j c .:.c . 'I i. is i.iiikeji Ma. de.ir else ruon thati 'iu ie l-'ifdi hail.' said her slater. " 'One In.iidi'ed and two,' said Aggie " No, dear, Utt 10" came this morn ing.' "'Oh. I know I shall never get this list ruht!' exclaimed Aggie, diving for lei I d.i ii i hook. -l.ook out. or you'll be handing thai Look to the parson for a prayer-liook,' -li.l I. " ouldn't be a bit snrprised.' 1.I1. iin.iWered, smiling; Aggie could sinil I iii u she was tired. 4t til 11 St it';'''1' palhi i 11. we were married. A iii.n easie r hen It's over ui.i. jkrt. At'-'.' 1 said, aa the carriage door 'slammed on ns. If It ever happens to na again, let's leave out the heathen au- oerstitlons.'. . - I know It,' said Aggie. 1 begged them not, but they would smuggle some In. See any In my hairT " 'Some In your hat brim I brusbeo her off, and she setr.ed the newspaper I had carefully brought along to look like an old married man, and conjured with It a minute, holding It out by an Improvised handle. 'Here aha said, the very chllden In kindergarten know how to make paper dustpans now brush the carriage seat.' When we got out I gave the hack man a dustpan of rice with a bill on top. There, burn It,' sid I. Did yon see him chortle In his Joyr said Aggie, giggling; 'Joe, do you feel like a married coupler " Lota,' aald I. "Our ten days In Washington hao only one bngle the blank book. Aggie aald she must finish her notes. AU I could do waa to sit by and fret, and put on the stamps; and she told me I hindered her more than I helped, and she was awfully glad to have me .round. It made her feel better. "We began housekeeping in a cheer fal way In a little house en a new street, it was something like to come home to one's own dinner table. We had so much silver that It looked funny with our plain china nobody bad given a lot of Ice-cream sets and things. I tell you, marriage Is a lottery when M comes to wedding presents. I liked seeing Aggie's face In the sugar bowl, though. Every night the little maid (linimrted, to lire up to the spoons) brought them and all the rest upstairs on a tray and we packed them away In the chest we had made and a pretty penny It cost, with Its combination lock, which went Into the end of the closet where nobody could get at it. One night we came home at 12 from reception, and as we stole upstairs not to wake the sleeping handmaid, Aggie so sleepy herself that she tripped on her wedding gown and I had to hold her, we came upon the whole array on the floor outside our door. " 'Isn't it Imposing? so safer said 1, but Aggie said, desperately, 'I Bhan"t care anything about going out even ings any more If I've got to put that silver away after I get home.' 'Let ir stay there.' 'Oh, I can't Mamma thinks we're o careless. We don't appreciate things enough. She says, If anyone had given her such elegant things when she was married she wouldn't have dared to close her eyes!" 'l alee more than that to keep mj eyes open.' But I helped Agnes shove the tray under a chair, and drape the train of her wedding dress over It. " 'What on earth are you doing, Ag gle?' I asked, on coming in for dinner i.ne day. All I could see was one foot md a fsl.li t rullle in the closet. "Aggie scrambled up enough to eaten mi' round my knee. Oh, Joe, I'm so vlad you've comeP " 'What is It? You're ready to cry.' "That's what I like about yon; you don't have to bo explained to. Henry Walker wouldn't have known I felt 'ike crying if I'd screamed It at hluiT lliat made me ri-el pretty gooi. (though dinner wasn't ready). 'But what? ' " 'It's the silver! I came up to chang, the forks and spoons so they should get worn alike, and I've shut the papei with the combination In the chest, and I can't remember what It was.' "I get down lieshle her. It was hot ter than Mexico In that closet. I turn cd and tried the lock. To you keep your dresses out of my way, they tlckh the luK'k of nsy neck. N'o good. 'Well I guess we'll use the old forks to-day. id I; 'I don't believe they'll fad away yet awhile. " "Oh, I'm so sorry but they're ev ery one shut up iu that chest.' So wt laughed. What else was there to do: It was funny when Iteming came lioim with me to tea we'd asked him soim days before. It wouldn't have liecn funny with some girls. The table look e.l principally white china, and tin kitchen knives and forks didn't g round. Kver cut omelet with a pew ter spoon? It is great. "It wasn't piite so funny when three hot days bail gone by and we had near ly smothered sojourning in the closet, and no news of the combination. 'Don't tell mamma! pleaded my wife. I be gan to think I should have to call In a locksmith, when one evening Aggie startled me by Jumping out of bed Trying, 'I've got it! I've got It! " 'Got what a nightmare? ' "'I've got the combination! I've been working on It all the time, and it Just came to me In my sleep. Get right up. Joe, and hold the light, and mind you don't set anything on fire.' In another two minutes the .-font of the chest felt down, and behold our houshold godsl 'If anybody wants to steal them be tween now and daylight, they can, that's all,' said Aggie; 'but I'm not go ing to shut that lock again to-night for anybody!" "In the fall there was burglar scare about town, and Agnes' mother came over and gave her a lecture upon lock ing the windows. She said we really ought to have a burglar alarm. To please her, I had one put in. Election night I went down to town telling Ag gie not to sit up for me, for I should wait for the returns. It was 1 o'clock wheu I opened the front door very softly, not to disturb Agnes. 'B-r-r-br-ke-plunk." I forgotten the alarm. "Before I had time to say a word ot even turn down my coat collar, my wife appeared at the head of the stairs. She pointed a pistol at me. Her hair hung loose, and she was In her well. lever mind; but she looked distraeting y pretty. " 'If you come one step further I'll Irel she cried. " 'It's Joe, Agnes,' said I, meekly. " 'I don't believe Itl Take off you iatr "I took it off, and made her a low w. 'Don't shoot your husband; he's lolng the best he can.' "Agnes laughed hysterically. "Oh, Top, I was so frightened.' "I rushed upstairs and caught her. 1 took away the pistol, and wrapped her rp in her dressing-gown. 'Do yon think yon ought to appear before burg lars In this costume? I Inquired. She dusheil. 'I never thought of that. " 'And to think you should point a itol at your own husband.' "It wasn't loaded, Joe.' "Agnes I-oiinslmry,' said I, 'do yoi. i ican to say you were so rash as to aim at me with a pistol that wasn't haded? " 'But I shouldn't have fired it. any way; it wasn't cocked.' "Well, this ends the watchman burg lar alarm business.' said L 'We've had aNiut as much of It aa we want. To morrow we 11 decide what sliver we j want to use every day, and the rest shall go down to the bank.' j "We're able to breathe now. The sll ver stands on the sideboard, and as yet i --oliody has carried It off; if they do I gnes' mother will say she expected ' t. for we aren't the careful people they 1 Mil to be in her generation. Once In , while Aggie quarrels' with me be ' uiise some dish or other that would make a show for company Is at the bauk. and I don't see my way clear to bring it home tinder my arm, 'you can have them all home and trust to luck if you'd rather,' I say. " 'I'd rather they were at the bank. because then I should have tbem, you know. " 'Don't see It,' said I; 'but If s Juat at you say.' . "When our anniversary came around we had a present and a note from one of Agnes' elderly f rlenla. The note ran this way: "My dear Mrs. Lounsbury: We send you our best congratulations on your anniversary. My husltand will have his little' Joke, yon know; and, as some one told him that the Lounaburys bad bad so much silver given them on their wedding that tt wasTJ positive embar rassment to them, he says you ought to be ashamed of being such plutocrats at your age, while the older generation has not even accumulated souvenir spoons, and sends you this little gift to remind you of tho fact "Oh, Joe! It's silver! for I bad punched a hole In the paper. "No, it isn't It's a pudding dish, or for oys ters, yon know. How kind. And plat ed, too. It didn't cost much, Joe, did itr " 'A few dollars, I should think.' " 'How good! Perhaps even less. Joe? "Perhaps so; lfs rather light weight' "Isn't it delightful? We'll have some oysters In It to-morrow night, and ask them over to tea.' 'I should feel dreadfully to have that taken,' I heard her murmur that even ing. ' 'What for? ' 'Because it's such a comfort to have one thing that you don't care whether It's stolen or not.' 'You're getting sleepy, Aggie. But I know one thing that 'goes on, goes on forever.' "What? "Our storage rent I reckon In a few years we'll have paid for the whole outfit, and then we'll fetch It home and keep open house for burglars wkth t clean conscience.' " 'Don't be ridiculous, Joe,' said my wife." Xew York Tribune. PLAYED HE WAS A STATUE. (tonary John Ioe Envied the Lot of the Bronze Figure in the Park. Poor, hungry John Doe sat on a bench in the New York City Hall park ruminating over the vicissitudes of life. It was parching hot, and John had Just removed his outer garments. o that be sat in his red undershirt and HOE POflINO as A STATt'C trousers, gazing up vacantly at tho bronze statue of the martyr Xathau lale. 'What a soft snap that feller's got anyhow," he presently remarked. Ktniulin' there nil day long, wid tin) trees a shadin bun, notliln' to do, no cop to make him move on, not bin' to at, notliln' to drink" there the chain f thought suddenly censed "nothin to drink! I'd be a statue myself if It wasn't for that What a snap It would .ie." And then speculation ripened Into ac tion, John proceeded over to the base Of the pedestal. "I'll try it" he said. "Mr other encasements can wait." A tat broker mopping the perspiration rom his chubby cheeks hurried alone up Broadway. He glanced from tight to left and his eyes rested complacently nn the leafy greenery of the park. Sud denly he halted. "Shades ot A tie Lincoln," he gssped, awe-stricken. On the bronze pedestal whence Hale, the martyr, had looked down over the passing show was perch ed a figure n figure grotesque in Its simplicity. Nothing more strange, in deed, than poor, addle-headed John Doe, his arms folded heroically across his red undershirt And yet he was attracting the rapt attention of n throng. So he played the statue faith fully, until a park policeman yanked him down by the foot and took him off to the station. DEFENDER OF BULUWAYO. Capt. John 8. Nicholson Who Com mands the British Forces. Capt John Sanctuary Nicholson is the officer now in command of the British forces at Buluwayc. beleaguered by the rebels. He Joined the Seventh Hussars twelve years ago, and attained the rank of captain in 1891. When Gen. Good enough waa the commander at thu captain Kicnoi-sox. Cape he appointed Nicholson successor to CoL II. C. O. Plummer, the firs! commissioner sent to take charge of the forces of the Chartered Company. The regiment in which Nicholson Is an otii cer was formerly stationed in India The rising of the Matabeles has givei. his position a gravity and responsibility that were not anticipated. Anxious to Know, Doctor Don't be alarmed. I wa; sicker than you are a year ago and witl the same trouble. To-day I am wel and hearty. Patient (anxiously) Oh, Doctor, tel me who was your phyMclan. Water bury American. Never say, "That is one thing I woulr not stand." The people will laugh a you when they see yon standing It i few weeks later. USE OF THS SENSS3. tlablt aaj Experience Play a Part is tteeins; and H sarins- If we sk ourselves Just how it -is hat we see. bear and receive Impres sions from the senses, we shall aoou tiscover two things. The first Is that ie explanation 'we see with our eyes," we hear with our earj," etc.. Is not iUite satisfactory. It is easy enough to explain how certain rays of light laiplnge on the retina of the eye, and ertjilu waves of air on the drum of tha nr; but how these purely physical things are converted into purely psy chical things of sight and hearing no one can explain. Our second discovery will be that K Is not by the eye alone that we see, or by the ear alone that we bear. Mem ory, or, rather, experience or habit, -.days a .great part In all sensations. though we do not often notice It unless Mir attention Is drawn to the fact. by some circumstance that nuts experience at fault and thus produces a sense- ilusion. Have you ever noticed, for Instance. how experience helps you to recognize the position of sounds) If one made a noise at a little distance from yon, you could instantly tell from what direction it came, because experience has taught you to Judge of this matter through the very slight difference In the Intensity of sound In your two ears. An expert- cent will readily prove this. Sto? up the left ear firmly with cot ton-wool, and go Into a dark room with someone else who carries a bell. Let the other person strike the bell In dif ferent parts of the room, yourself re maining still. Xo matter where the hell Is, It will always seem to you to sound on your right side, even though It mny actually be near the left ear. Persons deaf in one ear can never tell whence a sound comes. It takes twf ears to do this. PHENOMENAL SPRINTER. (lawkeye People Think Tbclr Man Hush Will lie Another Cram. If the young sprinter from the Grln- nell College does not prove to be an other John V. Crum iu the athletic world ho will sadly disappoint an entire State. Iowans are sure the handsome follow who created such a sensation before one of tho biggest crowds ever assembled In Marsha lit own will prove to bo one of the fastest sprinters Amer ica has ever produced. There seems to lie good ground for the confident ex pectations reposed in the boy from Waterloo. At the State championship meeting at Marslmlltown he performed with great credit to himself, winning the four sprinting events handily in time that stamps the new man as hav ing a brilliant future on the cinder path. lie ran fifty yards In 0:0.1 2-. ItsO In 0:10, 200 In 0:20 3-5, 220 in 0:22 3-3, and closed the day by romping away from his field in the quarter milo event In 0:5.1. That Is a day's work that even the wonderful Wefers might well be proud of. Rush has beeu in training for running less than one yenr. and the events mentioned were the first big games he ever attended as a com pet I tor. He Is the son of a prominent traveling man of Waterloo, and is the Ideal athlete in appearance. He Is feet 10 Inches tall and weighs about l.r0 pounds in good condition. He has a perfect style, which conies natural to him, nnd in action on the track looks like a runner who has been In the sport for years. This Is all the more remark able from the fact that he has never hail the advantage of Iwing handli-d by a trainer of experience, who could advise the young man of his faults. He Is exactly 21 years old, and what hf knows about sprinting he picked up by seeing others perforin. One. Way to Pnt It. Many of the sayings and doings of the Southern negro, that find their way into print may be apocrypha, but enough are known to lie true to make sood his claim to humor. A gentleman discussing coon-hunting relates an in cident, In Forest and Stream, that lllu rates this characteristic drollery. The party, consisting of hunters, dogs, axes and torches galore, had been hunting for a good part of the night without any luck whatever. Finally, tho dogs treed a coon. It would take some time to fell so large a tree, and ono of the nejrroes volunteered to climb t and ascertain the whereabouts of thr roon. All agreed to this, and sat around to await developments. Soon after the negro had disappeared among the branches, a peculiar sound was heard from the top of the tree. It was a kind of mixture of negro and coon dialect Some one ventured tho remark: "Bill, have you got that coon?" "Yes, sah," was the reply, "I'se gov dis here coon; but I wish you'd send some o' dom darkies up here to help me turn him loose." Dtssaae Tftalteve In a BTIiiataa Or. Atrnew's Cure tor the llesrt rivrs perfect relief in all eases of Organic or Sympathetie Heart Disease in SO minutes, anil siieetlily ef fects a cure. It Is peerless remedy for PiU pitntinn. Shortness of Breath. Vmotlierine r-pells. Pain in Lett Side and all smiptmos of a Diiensi-i llt-Hrt. One done convinces. If your dnnnrist hnant it in stock, ask hia to procure It tor soa. It will save tout lite. The Princess of Wales lately ordered for her own use a bicycle of a pattern that has been practically out of use for ten years. BCY tl.no worth Dobbins Floating-Borax Soap ol rnnr gr ci-r. si-lid wiappcni to llobblnn Soup Mt'r '., rhliadelnhlJi, l a. They will st-ml on fiee of ehsrae, i ontMpe paid, a Worcester M-kul HlctlmisrT, IMS I-saes. bound in cloth, profanely Illustrated. Oiler good until August 1st only. Mrs. Catherine Brophy, of Frank ford, Penn., claims to be 103 and does her own housekeeping. FITS i toppe1 Iree by Da. Kurf Orcat Kfsvb ItbTosca. No nts alter tint day's nte Marvelous cures. Treatise ami fiiw trial bottle lee- br. Kline, ft'.l Aicbsu. 1'lilla- Airs, Bertha O. Lamine, of the Weet inghouse works in Pittsburg, Penn., is tne only woman electrical engineer in the country. I can recommend Paw's Care lor Consumption to sufferers from Asthma . D. Towbsuhd, i L Howard, Wis.. May 4. IK. It will surprise a good many well- informed people to learn that Gen. Lew Wallace revives higher pay for his writings than any other living Ameri can author. William Black, the novel writer, is also a portrait painter, an enthusiastic botanist and an ail-around sportsman. I J. It ART. AN I HI UII. C(0)fi)(0 my Just think every bottle of Hood's Sarsa p.trllla contains 100 doses. This is true wily of Sarsaparilla The One True Blood Purifier. All druggists, ft. Hood's PHIa cure biliousness, headache. FOR LITTLE FOLKS. COLUMN OF PARTICULAR IN TEREST TO THEM. floasetbiaa: that Will Interest the Jw venile Members of Every Honaehold Quaint Actions and Bright Sayings of Muy Cute and Canaiaa; Children. Waso't He Mean? One day a gay young rooster Was scratching In the gronnd, Jnst after a brisk, summer show'r. And a big, fat worm be found, fie placed his claw npon it, then , Ills head he upward threw. And to his hens he loudly called "Come! Cock-a-doodlc-do!" The hens they came a-running. As eager as could be, And each one thought "Now here's a treat I'm very sure for me." But when that rooster they had reached He gave a wink or two. Gobbled the worm himself and ctowpj. "Go! Cock-a-doodle-doo!" -M. E. ' The Flower Dolls, , "I wonder If I could nnd two little cirls who would help me weed the flower beds this morning?" said Aunt Mary, as she s.ep- ped out on to the side porch where Margie and Ethel were playing. "Oh, I should like to, auntie" said Ethel, "and I know Margie will help. too: and you'll let us have some mar guerites and fuch- sLi3 to make those euto Cower dolls, like those you taught ns to makt last week, won't you?" "Yes, Indeed. I will." The time passed quickly to the little girls, for Aunt Mary told them stories, nnd just as they finished the last bed, the dinner-Iiell rniea. After diuner Aunt Mary gathered a dozen marguerites, and the same num ber of well-formed fuchsias; while sho was busy getting the nowers, Ethel ran to her room, and got a nuinlier of pins, and the bottle of ink, nnd pen, and Margie went to the kitchen to get sev eral broom straws Aunt Mary then trimmed off all tin Ktnmcns of the fuehn.a but two, which -vcro left for feet. Margie cut off all the petals of eacl marguerite, leaving them as a margin, for the ruffle of the little cap, except two, these petals were left for strings. As soon ns she had finished ou Ethel mark oil eyes, nose nnd mouth on the center of It, wi:h pen and Ink. When this was done Aunt Mary tmt a broom straw through tho tuba of ihe fuchsia for arms, nnd connected the luiiil with the body with a pin, and this finished a dozen of the cuteut little tower dolls which looked like this. Margie nnd Kthel were delighted, nnd rarrW their dolls to the garden wall under the shade of the large maple. Here they played until their Uncle Will nsked them to take a drive. They nurrieii orr, nnd It was almost tea line when they returned. Remembering their flower dolls, thev rah to get them; but tho hot sun had come beating down on thein. and each little flower lady had drooped, and grown weaker nnd weaker until she had died. Household. A Birthday for the Potato. There is talk In England of having birthday party for the potato. It Is Just 300 years since the first potato plants were taken from this country over to London, and the same year Sir Walter Raleigh planted some of fhem In Ireland. Everybody eats potatoes nowadays, and yet for nearly 200 years the plant was only a curiosity. Occa sionally potatoes were served on some prince's table as a great delicacy, often candied like fruit or spiced. And high lords and Indies wore the flowers as or- iihiik-iiih. 1 1 ih ma in rnnr nmnanov t n n r.rcnr hnd to cnmnol tho ft, ,e bio - - ... . . v. ;jr dominion to plant potatoes. Now they ire only too glad to do It A Tat that Bhlnea In the Dark. What would you think of a manu factured cat that scares away rats and mice? Well, a clever inventor has re cently made such an animal. It Is of metal, built exactly the size and shape of a cat and painted with a kind of paint that shines In the dark. If this metal cat Is placed In the pantry the rats and mice straightway ran to safer homes and don't come back. How Long la a Bicycle? If yon have a friend who Is a great bicycle rider ask htm off-hand when he Is out of sight of his wheel how long a bicycle is. First, he'll look puzzled, and then hell make the wildest kind of a guess. It's almost as puzzling as the question: "How high is a Derby hatr Did He Get Hia Whipping Tom, Dick and Harry got Into trou ble one recess. It was strictly against the rules to throw stones, yet they hnd been caught In the act by an angry old gentleman whose orchard came up to the school-house yard. Worst of all, he had seen a stone from the hand of Tom smash through the glass of his One conservatory. So the guilty three expected severe treatment when tho principal Invited them to a private in terview. Tom was the oldest and worst oi thorn. Harry was an Innocent little fellow, misled by the example of the others. Dick was usually well-behaved. but bad gone wrong for once. The teacher said: Boys, you have broken two valu able things, this gentleman's glass and one of my rules. Tou deserve severe punishment and perhaps yon will get it, but I intend giving you a chance to escape. Each of you may guess foi himself whether hi fa to ht punished or not Those who aaarwer wrong will be punished, those wo answer right will be spared, so be careful what you say. Henry, yon may guess first" Harry looked op timidly and ventured to sayt I foaea joa Till not whip me, sir." "Very good, ay bow; yoa have an swersd correctly. I ahaQ have to let yon oft. Go to your aeat Tom, yonr turn." Tom thanrtt be IttA leaxqad some- thing Jr na try's success, so ha aald. with a bold grin: ' "I gueas yon wont punish me, either." "Wrong. So, yon sea, to keep my word. I shall have to whip you, much as I dislike to do It" And na lata tne ruler on with a right good will. that one would think he nally enjoyed t - "Now, Richard, what do you have to ay" "I gness I am to be punished, air. Now, here la the Question: Aa the teatfoer waa bound to keep his word. did he punish Dick or not? If he did. Dick had guessed right and should not be punished; bat If ha did not, Dick had guessed wrong and the teacher would have to punish him. Did Dick get his whipping! A Question of Chlnta. Sims Beeves, the English tenor, has Just been recalled to the public mind in singular fashion; for, at the age of 74, he has emerged from hia retirement. and gone again npon the stage. In the entire history of musical an there la no other case of so long and ao successful a career aa hia. Neverthe less the kindliest critics agree that be should not have Invited comparison of the voice he has with the voice be had. Reeves was always the most eccen tric and perverse of singers. Innumera ble stories are told of his audacity In breaking engagements. In 1803 CoL Mapleson had announced him to sing In London, and on the first day of the engagement received a telegram from Itcevcs, who was on his way to town expressing his surprise that he had been advertised for that evening when the engagement was for the following one. The manager at once hurried to Reeve's house, and learned that dinner had been ordered for half-past 7. He told the butler that the time had been cliangcd, and that the meal must be served at midnight Instead. He then went to meet the tenor, who was ac companied by hia wife, at the E us ton railway station. While Mrs. Reeves busied herseli about the luggage CoL Mapleson got thes tenor to himself, and explained his difficulty. "But it Is quite Impossl- Me for me to sing this evening, waa the answer. "I have ordered my dinner at home." CoL Mapleson explained that he ha& postponed dinner for a few hours, and that a light meal was being prepared for him in the dressing-room of the theater. Tho suddenness of the propo sition seemed to amuse the tenor. He laughed, and actually gave a half prom ise that If bis wife consented, he would sing. At that moment bis wife ap peared, and the matter waa explained m her. It's all nonsense," she exclaimed; Mapleson Is willing to ruin you by forcing you to sing." She then went on to ask how any one could possibly think of such a thing. when the chintz and crumb cloth of his dressing-room had not been arranged. It had always been her custom to hang the walls with new chintz, and place a fresh damask cloth on the floor, on the nights when her husband sang. and on this occasion the sacred hang ings had gone to the wash. That set tled the matter, and Reeves did not sing that night Destruction Caused by Ragpipe-s. A Scotch Highlander, dressed in kilts and carrying a set of bagpipes nnder his arm, appeared at Bar Harlior the other night and next morning at 8 o'clock strolled i:p Main street In search of a good place to try the bags on the natives. It la years since the uncanny music of the canny Beot has been play ed there, and It had a wonderful effect. the first tune causing no less than five simultaneous runaways among horses and the wrecking of two wagons and sets of harnesses. The bagpiper stopped In the middle of the tune to see the fun nnd after he saw the destruction that one tune had wrought he let the wind out of the pipes and took the 10:30 o'clock boat for Bangor. Josulp is a pleasant way of criticis ing yourself. No man ever did a thlny that you arc not liable to do. Half the mistakes of this world are made by people who think they are correcting mistakes of others. An Effect Mi seed. lie I shot him In the Rockies. She What fierce eyes he had I He Oh, they are only glass. She I see. Tou had the advantage of him. Life. Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia, n ... BBVS an h neyliah nAnra.AnA ' . . wwrouu a.eni " y resects than some of the kings and emperors oi r.urope, ANNA IVOR'S .REQUEST. Personal letters reach Mrs. Pinkham by thousands; some asking advice, and others, like the following, telling' of what Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetabla Compound has done and will ever con tinue to do in eradicating those fearful female complaints ao little understood by physicians. All womb and ovarian troubles, irregularities, whites, bearing-down pains, displacements, tendency to can cer and tumor are cured permanently. " I feel as if I owed my life to your Vegetable Compound. After the birth of my babe I was very miserable. I had a drawing pain in the lower part of my bowels, no strength, and a terri ble backache. Every day I failed. My husband said if I wonld try a bottle of your Vegetable Compound, he would get it for me. The change was won derful. After I had taken the first half bottle I began to have great faith in it. When I had taken three bottles, I waa well and growing stout. It is a pleasure for me to write this to yon. I only ask women in any way afflicted with female troubles to try it" Mas. Ass. Ivob, Pittaford Milla, Rutland Co., Vt When you come in hot and thirsty, HIRES Root. heen &y c5N RsW " ' SS.SBBSBBaBaSBBBBBBBBBTsTsa HEALTH IN OLD AGE. OU UDT FINDS TBI TKDI aotratca; or titauti. a Biasrtera Iatereattas: latarvlew Vitfe a Vmy. a? Seveaty-twei Tears, Was Tells a KmlM. Steey. Frorm thu Union, Port JerviM, jr. T. Bat a short time ago, la a distant part ol the country, we heard of a cure by the use of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills, whioh seemed almost marvelous, and more recently anoth er substantial evldenoe of their value reached oar ears. Being of aa Inquiring tarn ol mind, and wishing to know just how much there was la the story, a reporter was sent to Interview the person said to be thus ben. Ilted. If the narrative as it had reached out ears was true. It was only simple Justice to let it be known If It proved untrue, It would be well to know it. The parson alluded to above as having been thus greatly benefited by the use ol Pink Pills U Mrs. Jane Hotalen, of Haines, villa, N. J.. a pleasant hamlet iu Sussex County, about flifteen miles from this office. tne reporter naa no dimoulty in nailing Mrs. Hotalen. It was nearly noon when we readied nor pleasant home, a double house, one part of whioh is occupied by her son. She is a pleasant-faced old lady, looking to oe about stxty-nve. but is in reality seventy- two yean ot age. After a few preliminary remarks la explanation of the call, she was asked if she had any objection to giving us the details of the ease and how she came to try this now famous remedy. "Mot at all, sua she. "If my experience in be of any good to others. I am sure thev are welcome to it it can do me no harm." "when were you taken siok and what waa tne nature or tne maludyr was asked. "It was about two years ago. The trouble was rheumatic in character sciatica, they called it and It was very painful indeed. Tho difficulty beean in my hip and extuudeJ the whole length ot the limb, crippling me completely. I suffered Intensely from ll and the ordinary treatment gave me not the slightest alleviation. I was under trot tmeut about a month as stated, but nv worse in stead of better, and was hint becoming dis conragea. "What brought Pink Pills to your notice?" tllr sou called my attention to an article in a paper in which it was stated that a Mr. Struble, of Bronohville, a village lu this county, had been greatly bonelltod by their use, and suggested that it would be a good plan to try them. But I was skeptical iu re gard to their value in fact, I had no enn fi ll' nee in their efficacy and rather lauirhed at the suggestion. But the trouble increased and 1 was badly crippled. A few days later my son waa about to visit a neiii boring town and suggested again that it might be well to try this much-talkud-of remedy, and I then consented. He bought me a box of them and I began taking them at onoe. At the end of a week I noted a marked improvement, and by the time I had taken the first box I was able to walk with out a cane. I continued their use. takine several boxes, and am, as you see, in a very comfortable state ot health." Have you had any return of the trou ble?" Not as vet. though at my time ot life. seventv-two, it would not be surprising if I should have. If it comes, I should at ouce begin the use of the pills. I i-uppose I in herit a tendency to troubles of this kind my mother dlej from them." "Old you ever note any ill effects from the use of Piuk Pills?" "None w ha ever. They never disturbed my stomach in any way or caused me any annoyance. Neither did 1 find it necessary to inereaie the done, as the directions any may be desirable, I nm able, as you see, to attend to my own work." The reporter thanked Mrs. Hotalen for lift eourtoeyand bade her good day. Jtisnt often that one can witness such a complete recovery from such a pertinucious trouble At such an advanced ae, and such iustuncee cannot fail to produce a profound impres sion. Readers of the Cmoa may rely on the absolute accuracy of all the statements here given nothing has been exaggerated, noth ing withheld. Dr. Williams' Pink Pills contains. In a condensed form, all the elements necessary to give now life and richness to the blood and restore shattered nerves. They are an unfuiling specific for sueh diseases as loco motor ataxia, partial paralysis. Ht. Vitus' dance, sciatica, neuralgia, rheumatism, nerv ous headache, the after effect of la gritpo. palpitation of the heart, pale and sallow complexion, all forms of weakness either In male or female, and all diseases resulting from vitiated humors in the blood. Pink Pills are sold bv all dealers, or will bo sent pist paid on receipt of price. (50 ceius a box, or six boxes for 2.60), by addremiiia Pr. Williams' Medicine Co., Hcbeuecta.iy. N. I. CIGAR WRAPPERS FROM MEXICO Their Use Not Yet Increased by the Present Trouble in Cuba. There Is a growing Idea among smok ers that owing to the trobules in Cuba, there will be a scarcity of Cuban leaf tobacco, which will soon affect both the quality and quantity of domestic clear Havana cigars, and a rumor Is prevnl ent that already many of the so-called clear Havanas are covered with Mexi can tobacco, and that it cannot be de tected by experts. The best-informed persona in the trade deny this rumor. and state that most of the large Ameri can firms have enough Cuban tobacco to last them for a year or more, and that there la little or no tobacco In Mexico suitable for the fastitdious smoker. They say, also, that Mexican tobacco is detected easily at sight, and while it may be possible In future years to produce tobacco for wrappers which will compete with the Cuban article. It will be a long time coming, ns up to date no effort has been made by the Mexican growers to cater to this mar ket The Mexican leaf is thicker and duller In appearance, without the rich gloss of the Cuban variety so attrac tive to American smokers. What Is still more to the point, it rapidly de teriorates In appearance after being worked up into cigars. Still another reason Is that all the available Mexi can wrappers worm anything are called for by the Mexican trade, one firm of which Is said to be under con tract with Englishmen for 500,000 !lgars every two weeks. The government statistics also give an Important hint In this matter. The total export of filler tobacco from Mexico for 1813 was only 48,451 pounds, of a value of $11,460; In 1894, C7.840 pounds, valued at $18,507, while the total amount of wrapper tobacco for 1895 was but thirteen pounds, valued at $7. This country. Imported from Cuba in 1898 21,694,691 pounds, valued at $8,940,058; In 1S94, some 14,578,000 pounds, valued at $5,888,964, and in 1805 some 20,147,000 pounds, vslued at $7,238,474. The total amount of im ported wrapper tobacco from Cuba paying duty into the United Stntes treasury during 1895 was 28,130 pounds, valued at $38,320. These are the facta In the matter, and as Boon as Mexican tobacco begins to come In for use on domestic-made clear Havana cigars its arrival will be shown in the weekly tables of Imports published In trade and shipping organs. What is very likely is that the consumer of I la v ana? -cigars will soon have to face a darker tobacco on his cigars than h? has been wishing for lately. New York Sun. Until. The Bishop (to young widow) My sister, I dare say you find comfort in the thought that you made your husband happy while he lived. Young widow Yes. Poor Jack was n heaven till he died. Plck-Me-Un. The Boys Brigade. The total membership of the Bovs' Brigade for the United Kingdom Is XV- 000 lads, with 2,800 officers. "A fieod Tale Will Bear Telling Twice." Use Sapolioi . Use A POL SO Catds Ballevea aa One short mff of the breath th roars the Blower, supplied with each bottle of Dr. Asoew'a Catarrhal Powder. dilTuios this Pow der over the surface of tlie nasal paasaces. Painless and delightful to use. It relieves In stantly and permanently cures Catarrh. Ilay Fever, Colds, Headache, fore Throat. Ton sil it and Deafness. If your drmmist UAaal tt iu slock, ask him to srocure k for raw. A button-ball tree over 100 years old, and 100 feet iu height, in Lssex, Conn,, bas a ennant bush growing between two of its branches. In the past ten years the bush bas produced fine fruit. Cure Guaranteed by 1K. J. n. MAIKB, lOM arch tiU, rHIU.,ri. ae at once: no opera tion or delay from busineu. Consultation free. Indorsements ot physicians, ladies and promi nent citizens. Send tor circular. Olice hours 9 A l. to UP. M. A Gaelic society for the study of the Irish language has been - established among the students of Trinity Col lege, Dublin. In the Tuam Aew$ one tradesman advertises his wares in Gaelic, Impoverished llloud causes that tired feeling-. Hood's sarsaparilla purifies, enriches and vitalizes the blood, Living new life and increased vigor and vitality. Hood's Pills sre easy to take, e4j to operate. Cure indigestion, biliousness, headache. The project of erecting a monument to the late (Jorioan novelist Uustav Freytag at Wiesbaden has been prac tically abandoned for lack of sympathy with the project K. B.Waltliall & Co., Dniirrrlsts. nurso Cave, Ky., say : Hull1 Citiarrrt (Jure cures ever one that takes it." Solil by ilrurnrirttd, 7j- Among the reforms of the new Kitch en Committee of thn British House of Commons will bo the substitution of waitresses for waiters. Mr. Window's s-ooliiln-? rvrnp for ehtldrstk Iretiiinr, soltvn the sum, reduce luUsin al lien, slluvs isiu. cure wind colia Jc -x oiUj. Miss Alice Botchschild's collection of roses is valued at $50,000. Gladness Comes With a better rndcrsfcindlrg of the transient natnrs of tin. many phys ical ills which vaniali befors r-ropei ef forts gentle e:Tii-ts pleasant efforts rightly d'renlod. Thoro i3 ccnifcrt in the knowledga that so mar.y forma of sickness are not daa to enr acUial dis ease, but simply to r. locstipated condi tion of tho system, whi:-h the pleasant family laxativs, 3yrurof Figs, prompt ly removes. That is rrhy it U the only remedy with ni;L.Mon3 of families, aiidia cverywhers estiamed eo highly by all who valua arocd health. It beneficial effects are da 3 to '..lis fact, that it is tho ono remcd j which 'pi-mot?s internal cleanliness, wjllio'il actiiitatiag tne organs on whioh it acta. Itis therefore all important, ia order ta pet its bene ficial effects, to noto tvhen you pur chase, that you have the penuine article, which is manufactured by the California I'itr Syrup Co. only, and said by all rep utable druggists. I in thoT eniovmcnt of rood health. and the system is regular, then laxa tives or other remedies are not needed. If afflicted with anv actual disease, ona may be commended to the most skillful physicians, but if in need of a laxative, then one should have the best, and with the well-informed everywhere, Syrupof Fias stands hijrhest and is most iarirelv used and gives most general satisfaction. "Sometime ago," said Clifton Arna parger (of Paris, Ky.), County Attorney of Bourbon Co., Ky., "1 saw the advertisements of Bfpans Tubules iu tho Louisville Courier. Journal, and believing it was the remedy I nocdod, I determined to -get soma or the Tabulns. There was no name attached to the advertise ment, so I wrote to the publishers ot tho Courier-Journal and was referred to the lupous Chemical Co., 10 Spruce St., New York, from whom 1 obtained a box for 60 eents. I had boon greatly troubled with stok hoadaohe, but since I afcured Bipans Tabuies, whenever I togln to foel symptoms of sick headache or soar stomach, I take one or two Tabuies and escape all the terrors of a splitting hoadaohe. One taken after eating has aided my digestion and mado mo feel like a different poison, I And I now can get the Tabuies from a local druggist. (Signed). Curros AassFAaacn, September 13th, 1895." ample vial, 10 c? rata. n9W SQADAYSUHLtffs ik la the l.-,.lit, i .-fc-,r erotic ,.! ai lor .rTr! sr. LK BMIlolr. SlijSS: B. T. aOK.AS, FOR FIFTY YEARS 1 MRS. WlNSLOWe SOOTHING SYRUP l wenry-bio (Jru . b ra tt9 I 'X 'Cr