W. M. CHENEY, Publisher. VOL. VIII. Nebraska farmers are insisting thai railroad property in that State ba assessed for taxation at its actual value. Stanley says that if he could get 500G two-gallon jugs into the heatt of Africa they would buy him 10,000,000 acres oi land and 500 wives. i The Argonaut thinks it causa for won der that "New York State alone is in the enjoyment of ten litigations over wills made by rich men, the suit in each case being brought by the children against their stepmothers." According to Harper's Bazar, Miss Mattie Mitchell, daughter of Senatot Mitchell, has the reputation in Paris ol being the most beautiful American woman who has ever been seen in that beauty-loving and beauty-drawing city. Berlin is the poorest capital in Europe. The richest man there has an income of only $025,000 a year, yet passes for a Croesus. Only three other persons in Berlin have incomes exceeding $250,000. Nine receive annually above $150,000, and 102 above $30,000. There are only 926 persons whose incomes amount to SIO,OOO. The experience of the Omnibus Cable Company, of Philadelphia, should dem onstrate to all street car companies, re marks the Aryonaut, the advisability and necessity of roof seats on cars. The Broad street line there has its roof full nearly all the time; the seating capacity is almost doubled; the same weight in rolling stock avails for almost double the patronage; and the better view at tainable on the roof attracts many women as well as men. "Uncle Sam has a liberal appreciation of printers' ink," says the New York Commercial Advertiser , "and is not dis couraged even by the necessity of print ing cords of speeches that nobody will ever read, and which Congress itself is justifiably unwilling to listen to. Tho Government Printing, Office iu Washing ton now employs 60 J compositors and ninety pressmen, making it the largest printing office in the world. The annual amount of work done is about $3,000,000. The Public Printer has lately applied foi land enough to give the establishment a whole block." Says a writer in Chatter: "The othei day, as a royal train of Pennsylvania parlor cars pulled out of the Jersey City (N. J.) Depot, a gentlemanly man carry ing a huge bunch of flowers made his way from the rear of the train to the foremost car, the smoker. Pressing al most upon his heels was a rather rough looking fellow making the same journey. It happened that as I raised my eyes I saw behind that bunch of flowers a pair of shining steel handcuffs connecting tht gentlemanly man's wrists. It would be interesting to know whether it was the convict's idea or that of his keeper to put flowers to that strange use. But to my mind there was something very poetic about it. Kainy seasons often tempt one to envy the climatic privileges of countries where rain-showers are limited to the winter season of exceptionally humid years, re marks Dr. Felix L. Oswald, in tho New York Voice. Nor would it be impossible to reconcile those privileges with the ad vantages of vegetable productiveness. The hydraulic rock-blasts of California quartz miners fling a heavy jet of water to a distance of 800 yards—or nearly halt an English mile; and it is by no means inconceivable that with a modification of that apparatus a large plantation could be sprinkled from end to end in a few min utes with water drawn from an artesian well or a perennial desert-river, like the Nile or the Rio Grande. The latest fad among the school chil dren of New York city is to ask people they meet for a bow of the head. Aftet school hours hundreds of youngsters, both boys and girls, can be seen passing along the streets on their way home with paper and pencil in hand. They accost every one they meet and 6ay "Please give me a bow." If the question is not un derstood they sometimes say "Bob your head" ov "Duck your nut." When the bow is given, as it generally is, wonder ingly, the youngster marks one stroke on ♦he paper. When 100 marks, represent ing 100 bows, are obtained the children bury the paper when no one is looking and at the same time make a wish. At the end of four days the paper is un •arthed, and then, they say, the "with Cta&vs comes true." SULLIVAN REPUBLICAN. JLIFE. Oh Life! That are thou? Thou comest like the morning light, Thou fadest like the flower at night. Thy days by Heaven's light made bright, Or others dimmed by darkening clouds, Or troubled ill that on us crowds. Or darkened mystery that enshrouds Life. Oh Life! what art thou? A troubled sea of ceaseless storm, By passions ranked in every form, With days to cry, with days to mourn. Or else the thoughts to pleasures bend. Through paths of joy our way we wend, It matters not, the same's the end Of Life. Oh Life I what art thou? A bitter vale of gnashing tears. With days of hopes, of joys, of fears; With daysof youth, then failing years, An empty struggle after fame, A ceaseless striving for a name, Days of glory, days of shame In Life. Oh Life! what art thou? A passing shadow, a fleeting dream. One glance behind that mystic screen. Of Heaven's mystery one faint gleam— Thy race is run; then comes a fall. Then comes the awful funeral pall. The tolling bell, the grave, that's all Of Life. —Marcus Brandt. ADAM HOLCOMB'S WILL. BY HORATIO ALGER, JR. Adam Holcomb was dead at last—dead after seventy years of money-getting, and the grave had closed over him. He had no children, for he had led a single life, induced, so it was said, though nothing was certainly known, by an early disap pointment which had warped his nature, and made him lead a solitary life, given up to Mammon alone. Adam Holcomb was dead, and as yet no «ne knew what disposition he had made of his money. Three (lays after the funeral, the next of kin and possible heirs were collected in the office of the lawyer, who was the custodian of the will and privaie papers of the deceased. They were few in num ber, for the family was not a large one. There were but three, and these three may be briefly described. First came James Holcomb, a nephew of the deceased, a man of portly form, and an air of importance. He was a prosperous city merchant, already in possession of abundant means, but he had uo objection to having them in creased by a legacy from his uncle's hoarded wealth. He was a vain, selfish, worldly man, all his thoughts centred upon himself and his own family, who had never been known to give a cent for any charitable purpose. Next came Harvey Holcomb, a cousin of the last named, and about the same age. He was tall, thin and angular. He belonged to the legal profession, in which he had managed to pick up con siderable money, though his reputntion was none of the best. He was consid ered tricky, willing to undertake any cause, however disreputable, for money. He was married and had a family, for whom he provided in a grudging manner. He, too, had nourished sanguine hopes of finding himself much better off after his uncle's death. Last came a young man, presenting a strong contrast to the other two. He was of light complexion, brown hair, clear blue eyes and an attractive face. He was barely twenty-tive years of age, very plainly dressed and with a modest mien, which prepossessed one in his favor. He was the son of old Adam Holcomb's youngest sister, who had mar ried a poor minister, and her son, Alfred Graves, was studying medicine, for which he had a decided predilection. But he had been cramped by narrow means, and was even now teaching a country school, hoping to obtain enough by this means to pay for his next course of lectures. He had applied to each of his two rela tives present for a small temporary loan, to help him complete his studies, but without effect. He had been courtly refused by both. He had come hither to-day, as a mat ter of form, without the slightest ex pectation of benefiting by the will of his late relative. He had known but slightly, and never received any encouragement upon which he could build a hope. Yet if he could but receive a legacy of even S3OO, he thought, it would help him materially. That was the amount which he had vainly sought to borrow of the merchant and lawyer, now present with him at th« reading of Adam Holcomb's last will and testament. The merchant and lawyer conversed while waiting for Squire Brief. "Have you any idea, cousin, how much the old gentleman had accumu lated?" asked James Holcmob. "I have heard it estimated at a quarter of a million,"was the reply. "Quarter of a million!" repeated James, slowly. "That is a large sum. I hope he has not been unjust enough to squander any of it on charitable socie ties." "I hope not. That would be a great piece of injustice to his relations," said ths lawyer. '•He never dropped anything to you about the disposition he intended to make of his property, did he?" "Not he. He was a close man, v-e-r-y," said the other. "I once tried to worm somethiug out of him, but didn't get much satisfaction." "What did he say?" "He Mid ho thought of endowing an LAPOKTE, PA., FKIDAY, JULY 18, 1890. •sylum for fools and lunatics, and that X could tell whether I was likely to be benefited by his so doing." "Ho, ho!" laughed James, shaking his capacious sides, "he got you there, eh?" "I don't see it," said the lawyer sourly. "You don't appreciate the joke, hey?" "It was a foolish piece of impertinence. However, everybody knows what the old man was, and 1 let it pass. If it had been any one else, I would have given them as good as they sent." "But you were afraid it would spoil your chances, eh?" "As to that, I have no idea. There is no question that we ought Xr> be joint heirs." "True," said James. "That would give us an eighth of a million apiece. That would satisfy me." "How about Alfred's chances?" quer ied the lawyer, glancing sharply toward that part of the office where the young man was quietly seated. "Oh, he'll get nothing,"said the mer chant contemptuously. "lie belongs to a beggarly stock, and a beggar he'll re main to the end of his days. Going to be a doctor, I hear." "Well, I wish him joy of his profes sion, if he ever gets into it, which is somewhat doubtful. He wanted to bor row three hundred dollars of me the other day." "And of me. Did you let him have it?" "Not I. I've enough to do with my money without giving it away. Of course he'd never have repaid it." "No, I suppose not. The coolness of some people is refreshing." "Well, I take it for granted old Adam was too shrewd to lavish any of his money on such a fellow." •'Trust him for that." The young man was engaged in read ing a volume he had taken up, and did not hear this conversation. It was in terrupted by the entrance of Squire Brief. Both the merchant and the law yer greeted him with deference and cor diality, as a mat) whose words might bring them prosperity or disappointment. Alfred Graves rose in a quiet and gentle manly manner and bowed with the courtesy which was habitual to him. "Gentlemen," Squire Brief said, "I hold in my hand the will of your late relative. 1 will at once proceed to read it." Of course his words commanded in stant attention. All bent forward to listen. After the usual formula, came the fol low item "I give and bequeathe to my nephew, James Holcomb, the sum of five thousand dollars, to be held in trust for his children. "To my nepliew, Henry Holcomb, I likewise give the sum of five thousand dollars, to be held in trust for his chil dreu, to whose sole use the income shall annually be applied. "To my only remaining nephew, Al fred Graves, I give the sum of two thou sand dollars, to be appropriated to his own use, as he may see fit. ''l set aside the sum of two hundred thousand dollars to establish a public library in my native city, one-quarter to be appropriated to the erection of a suita ble building, and the remainder to con stitute a fund of which the income only shall be employed for the purchase of books. This library shall be named from me the Ilolcomb Library." Here the notary made a pause. The merchant and lawyer sat with looks of blank disappointment and anger, which they made no attempt to conceal. "He had no right to defraud his rela tives in this way," muttered James. "It is a miserable imposition," echoed Henry Holcomb, to put us off -with a niggardly live thousand dollars." "For my part, I am satisfied," said the young man."l have received more than I expected." "O, yes, it will be a great thing for a beggar like you," said James sarcasti cally. "I am no beggar," said the young man proudly. "Gentlemen," said the notary, "I have not finished reading the will." "My faithful old dog, Scipio, who is now somewhat infirm, I trust one*of my nephews will be willing to take home, and treat indulgently for the sake of the master to whom he was attached." "That's cool," ejaculated James. "As for mc, I don't choose to be bothered with the dog." "But," said the notary, "since your uncle has given you a legacy, are you not willing to incur this slight care and ex pense?" "I must absolutely refuse. Mrs. Hol comb does not like dogs, nor I. More over, uiy uncle has treated me too scur vily for me to inconvenience myself much on his account." "Then will you take him?" asked the notary turning to the lawyer. "Not I," said he, shrugging his shoul ders—"the dog may starve for aught I care." "And you, sir?" turning to Alfred Graves. "I will assume the charge of Scipio," said Alfred Graves. "It is a slight ac knowledgment for my uncle's legacy." "You may find him troublesome." "That will make no difference. While he lives, he shall be comfortably cared for." "What a model nephew!" said the merchant, sarcastically. "Good young man!" said the lawyer with a sneer. "Gentlemen," said the notary, "I will now read the codicil." The two elder men looked at each other in surprise, which changed into dismay and rage as they listened. "To that one of my nephews who shall agree to take charge of my dog, being yet unacquainted with this provision of my will, I bequeathe the residue of my property, amounting, as near as I can estimate, to one hundred thousand dol lars." "You knew of this!" exclaimed the cider men, turning wrathful faces toward Alfred Graves. "Not a word," said the young man. "I am as much astonished as you can be." "No one knew of it except myself," said the notary. "I congratulate you, Mr. Graves, on your large accession of wealth." "I receive it gratefully. I trust I aliall make a good use of it," said the young man."l hope now to repay my parents for the sacrifices they have made in my behalf." "If I had but known," thought the merchant with bitter regret, ■'! have thrown away a fortune." "And I," chimed in the lawyer rue fully. But there was no help for it. The deed was done. The two disappointed men left the house, feeling anything but grateful to tin; uncle who they persuaded themselves had cruelly wronged them. But there was a modest little home that was made glad by the news of Alfred's goon fortune. And in his hands the money has brought a blessing with it, for it has been made a fountain of good deeds and charitable influences.— Yankee Blade. History of Sleeping Cars. The first sleeping-car was invented by Theodore T. Woodruff, who got up his model in the office of James Tillinghast, at Rome, N. Y., in 1854, the latter at that time being in the service of the Rome and Watertown Railroad. Mr Woodruff endeavored to interest Mr. Tillinghast sufficiently in his invention to advauce the cost of securing a patent from the Government, but he did not have sufficient faith in its possibilities and declined. The model which he con structed in Mr. Tillinghast's office was carried to Springfield, Mass., in an old fashioned bandanna handkerchief and submitted to Mr. Watson, the car builder, who, notwithstanding an almost univer sal expression of disapproval by his em ployes, built a trial car, whieh made its first trip on the New York Central and Rome and Western Railroads, and later was taken to Cleveland, Cincinnati and other Western cities. This car afterward became the property of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad Company on whose line it was regularly run. Woodruff sold the right to build and use his sleeper on the New York Central railroad to Mr. Webster Wagner, and on the Buffalo and Erie road to Mr. George Gates. The "Gates" sleepers ran from 1859 to 1873, when they also passed into Wagner's hands. Pullman sleepers were intro duced in 1864 or 1865. he having made a number of important improvements on the productions of his predecessors. It was abcut 1862 that Wagner and Gates built their first car, having the same general features as those now used.— Railway Age. Origin of "Mascot." The word "mascot" was introduced into literature by means of the comic opera "La Mascotte," written by Audran; but it seems to have been a term in com mon use long previously among game sters and sporting characters generally in France. It was used to signify some object, animate or inanimate, which, like the luck-penny, brought good for tune to its possessor. The word is further traced back to the patois of Provence and Gascony, where a mascot is something which brings luck to a household. There is but little doubt that it is etymologically derived from the word masque—masked or concealed —which in provincial French is applied —as ne coiffe is in more polished French —to a child born with a caul. The caul is a thin membrane which some times covers the head of an infant at birth, and has from the earliest times been regarded with superstitious feel ings. The child born with it was es teemed highly fortunate, and was be lieved to be destined, not only to be lucky himself but to be the source of luck in others; and the caul itself was esteemed a charm of great virtue, and high prices were often paid for its pos session. Thunderstorm Honrs. The remarkable fact, that thunder and lightning seldom occur over the ocean except at night is shown by the recently issued meteorological report of the Chal lenger expedition. During the voyage twenty-six thunderstorms over the open sea were encountered, of which twenty two occurred during the ten hours from 10 p. M. to BA. M., and only four during the ether fourteen hours of the day. O! the 209 reported cases of lightning with out thunder, 188 occurred during the ten hours from 6 p. M. to 4 A. M. The fol lowing are the hours of the maxima of these phenomena in the summer months over land and the open sea respectively: Thunderstorms over land, 2 to 6 p. m. ; lightning over land, Bp. M. to midnight; lightning over the open sea, 8 p. M. to 4A. M. ; and thunderstorms over the open sea, 10 p. M. to BA. M. A lecturer upon physical culture has recently decided that "there is no rule for the size of a perfect foot."— Ex. "What is the matter with a twelve inch rule?V — Botton Commercial jUvlktin, 1 Terms—sl.2s in Advance; $1.50 after Three Months, HOUSEHOLD AFFAIRS. HOW TO KEEP OIL-CLOTH. Oil-cloth is generally considered expen sive for a kitchen floor, though many continue to use it. If so, they can make it last much longer by careful washing. Soap, a harsh brush or a mop should never be applied to an oil-cloth. If it should happen to get very dirty use a soft brush and scrub the way of the lines. But to keep oil-cloth clean ordinarily,the rule is to wipe it first with a damp cloth and then with a soft, dry one. A very nice way to clean it occasionally is to wash the oil-cloth by first rubbing it over with a cloth wet in equal parts of milk and water; then to take auother cloth, wet in warm water, and go over it again, and then finally with a soft, dry cloth. But the cleanest, brightest-looking oil cloth I have ever seen was simply rubbed over when needed with a greased rag. This made it look well, kept it from cracking, preserved the paint, and it lasted for years. The rag may be dipped in a little kerosene, if one does not object to the odor, which will pass off, how ever, in an hour or two. — New York Newt. PICKLES. When making pickles u And knocked the sages down. Then the sages of Hindustan They killed the ready-made man. Who had done them up so brown. Vly moral all may scan, It's just designed to show That the making of a perfect man Is a process rather slow; The perfect fellow Needs time to mellow,' And plenty of time to grow. —S. IK. Foss , in Yankee Blade. HUMOR OF THE DAY." Squadron of evolution—Darwinites. A chest-protector—The baggage-mas ter's check.— Lampoon. The difference between a liar and a hypocrite is that the liar is not always in curable.—New York Nctcs. Talking of a national air, the strongest this country is able to furnish seems to be the cyclone.— Philadelphia. Times. "We are now convinced that the only reliable ground hog is the common do mestic pork sausage.— New York Herald. Stone walls do not a prison make Nor iron bars a cage; The walls are brick, the bars are steel, In the progressive age. Washington Star. Cadley—"What is it your little boy calls you?" Marlow—"Pretty papa." Cadley—"lsn't he rather young for sar casm?"— Harper's Bazar. Young Man—"How much money have you saved in your bank?" Smart Youth —"lf you give me a quarter, I will have just a dollar."— Once-a- Week. When lovely Tomen stoop to folly, And trieß to make her daily bread. What power c in soothe her melancholy When her husband calls it chunks ol lead? —Texas Siftings. An old sailor at the navy yard to marked that there is one advantage in Arctic exploration. In the face of the gravest perils one can always keep cool. —Boston. Herald. There is no particular difference be tween the shop girl and the saleslady; but the differences between them and the floor-walker are often something awful to behold.— Puck. "I believe," cried the baseball batter, "I've a right to fame and pelf," So. gritting his teeth with firm intent, He struck out for himself. —Philadelphia Times. Peddler—"Can I sell you some patent cement, sir?" Mr. Seedic—"Cement? What do I want with cement?" Peddler —"Well, you look as if you was broke." —Boston Courier. A popular soprano is said to have a voice of fine timber, a willowy figure, cherry lips, chestnut hair and hazel eyes. She must have been raised in tho lumber region.— Norristoien Herald. That quadruped that Mary owned Had a naughty style of buttln'; The youthful sheep lammed Mary so. She sold the thing for mutton. —Plunder. Farmer's Wife—"lf you will help beat this carpet, I will give you something to eat." Dirty Davidson, the Tramp (haughtily)—" Ma'am! I'm a gentleman I I never beat my way."— Toledo Blade. "How's your family?" "Pretty well, thank you." "Any of your daughters married yet?" "No, and I can't under stand why they don't go off; they use powder enough, goodness knows."— Boston Courier. One day, when Senator Evarts was Secretary of State, he was entering the levator at the department togo to his office, and looking around on the crowd of passengers, remarked: "This is the largest collection for foreign missions that I ever saw taken up."— Argonaut. ...