SULLIVAN DSSI& REPUBLICAN.
W. M. CHENEY. Publisher.
VOL. XI.
"Bio birth registers show that "Eu
lalia" will be a propular name this
season for new voung ladies.
ill (lie Chinamen in tho United
State* canu from one of the eighteen
provinces of the Celestial Empire—
most of theui from one corner of that
province.
\sswriing the working ago to be
from twenty to sixty years, and count
ing only male workers, 440 persons
in this country live on the labor of
every 100 workers.
A foreign correspondent calls atten
tion to the statistics of suicides in tho
German array as illustrating more
vividly tli in words could the intolera
ble horrors of the irou discipline of
lie/man militarism.
t ——————
The Russian city of Baku, on tho
western const of tho Caspian Sea, is
railed bv the natives the "town of
fire." It is the greatest, petroleum
renter in the world. The sight upon
which it is built as, indeed, the whole
Caspian Sea—rests upon naphtha.
Appendicitis, the medical term foi
Inflammation of a small intestinal ap
pendix, the use of which no one has
been able to discover, has become so
common that physicians are advocat
ing its removal from all infants as a
preventative measure, like vaccination
!
Frederick .1. do I'cyster, President
of tin St. Nicholas Society, of New-
York, tli< qninteseenco of Knicker
bocker gi utility, declares in a recent
interview that it is more important to
be a member of the St. Nicholas So
ciety than to control 100,000 miles of
railway.
The noiseless London hansom, with
Its india rubber tired wheels, must, in
future, carry bells to give notice of its
appoach. Ho many accidents have oe
rurre 1 through pedestrians not hear
ing the noise of approaching wheels
that the commissioner of police has in
troduced this new regulation.
A writer in the Atlantic Monthly de
clares the American desire for gregar
iousness is our National vice, and he
goes far to prove liis point by many il
lustrations show ing the eagerness with
which people crowded into cities and
towns, and their refusal to accept good
employment if it requires residence in
the country.
The total taxable wealth of the city
<.f St Louis is #284,291,800, of which
84.">,348,030 is 011 personal property.
The real estate valuation was made in
1802. The assessment of personal
property was made this year. This is
the plnn of the office, the two classes
of property being assessed in alternate
years. The totals on personals show
an increase of over $4,000,000 over last
year.
A new cannon hasjustbeen invented
in Germany which is expected to revo
lutionize the artillery of all Europe.
Knipp.it is reported,has offered $750,•
000 for tlie exclusive right to the in
vention, and the inventor, Herr F.lir
lcir.lt, has refused the ofi'er. He pro
poses to establish u plant of his own
fur turning out his guns. It will be
the most rapid firing cannon in the
world, so far.
Bees and birds court the society of
man- that is, they seek the localities
where fields and gardens abound, for
tiny fare better when human industry
extorts from the soil the products
upon which they subsist. A Maine
1» culturist says it is the rarest thing
in tho world to find bees away from
the settlements or from openings
where flowers grow. It is in the small
patches of forests they are oftenest
found and generally not far from the
edge of the woods. It is the same with
birds. There are no song birds in tho
northern Maine wilderness and scarcely
anything that can be called bird life.
Birds cluster around towns and villages.
The trustees of tho University of
Pennsylvania have asked the city of
Philadelphia to deed twenty-five acres
of a tract of land known as the alms
house property to them in trust for use
an a botauieal garden. They promise
to convert the land within five years,
and that the garden shall at all times
be open to the public. The property
is not used for any purpose at tho
present time. The trustees have in
view the erection on the. tract of a
museum of science and art to cost
«.-.(>0,000. Work on this building
would be;;in as soon as the garden was
thrown open to tho public. The uni
versity does not ask for any pecuniary
aid from the city in carrying out the
plan, but a number of citizens have
already promised contributions of
s.")o*>o. and it is stated that there will
1 no difficulty in raising the fund
etiied.
More than two-thirds of the mal<
prisoners in the State's prisons of tin
various States are under thirty year
of age.
Germany has one postoflico to ever
1774 inhabitants. In proportion ti>
population the United States has twice
as many.
Montana is larger than New Hamp
shire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, New York anil
Pennsylvania put together.
The average weight of 20,000 Bos
ton men was 142 pounds; women, 123
pounds. At Cincinnati the average
of the same number of men was 151
pounds; of women, 131.
In the United States the average life
for farmers is sixty-four years; for
lawyers, fifty-two; merchants, forty
eight; mechanics, forty-seven; sea
men, forty-six; laborers, forty-four.
Mrs. E. I). E. N. Southw'orth as
serts that she is the author of the first
continued story ever published in the
United States, which appeared in the
Washington Era forty-five years ago.
It wan called "Retribution," but it
seems never to have overtaken her.
There is at the Executivo Mansion a
so-called "eccentric file," on which
all letters from palpable cranks are
put. Most of these contain threats
and warnings. This file has been
kept ever since the episode of Guiteau,
who wrote many such notes before he
shot President Garfield.
Doctor Ernst Hart, the editor of ill
British Medical Journal, who is now in
Chicago, says:"l consider Chicago's
water supply the best of all the great
cities in America. The greatest danger
was done away with when the old in
shore intake was abolished. But tho
city will not be absolutely safe until
the two-mile crib is abandoned and tho
four-mile intake used exclusively."
According to Eugene Field "a charm
ing feature of life at tho World's Fair
is the utter indifference to tho rest of
the world which possesses one immedi
ately upon entering Jackson Park. Ho
who enters there leaves all else behind.
Household cares and business considera
tions are instantly forgotten. It is
epidemic—this glorious, health restor
ing, brain-resting, heart-strengthen
ing enthusiasm!"
The conquest of arid America lias
but fairly begun and will not be com
pleted for some time in the nameless
distant future. Water is taken from
rivers and streams by means of dams,
pumping devices and canals ; vast areas
in the mountains arc covered by well
constructed reservoirs; springs, see
page and drainage sources are utilized;
and even tho underflow —that hidden
and comparatively inexhaustible foun
tain—is being tapped in miiuy localities.
Artesian wells, counted by thousands,
and underground tunnels and channels
are flowing, and being constructed,
almost everywhere. That sustaining
element of plant-life, water, is sought
and secured by men of enterprise and
capital.
A writer in London Truth suggests
that an association of girls be formed
who shall pledge, themselves to pro
pose to any man whom they may con
sider desirable for a husband. He be
lieves that proposing should not be
limited to men, and that men, who, as
ho claims, are naturally more bashful
than girls, often remain single because
they have not the courage to propose,
and, as a consequence, many girls are
liusbandless. But there is this differ
once in favor of the present order of
things: If a man is refused, he soon
forgets it and in u few days is ready to
ask another girl to marry him, while a
girl who had suffered a failure would
first cry her eyes out with embarrass
ment, then turn cynical and never look
at a man again.
It is the opinion of men familiar
with the character of the Navajo In
dians, declares tho Argonant, that a
war with them will prove to be a seri
ous business for tho Government. Tho
tribo numbers about thirty thousand,
of whom nine thousand are fighting
warriors. The reservation where they
are intrenched is rough and difficult,
and contains many passes where, ac
cording to one authority, "two Indians
can hold tliQjr ground against the en
tire United States Army." The Nava
joes liavo troined their ponies togo
without water for two days, if neces
sary. The whole tribo is armed with
tho most approved repeating rifles,and
the bucks have been storing ammuni
tion for years in anticipation of trou
ble. The Navajoes have a perfect sys
tem of signals nud scouts, nud are al
ways informed hours in advance of the
movements) of troops < ' a
them.
LAPOKTE, PA., FKIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1893.
DAWN,
}ut of the scabbard of the night,
Dy God's hand drawn,
Flashes his shining sword of light.
And lo—the dawn !
—Frank D. Sherman, in the Century.
A STORY OF HINDOO MAGIC.
EARS ago I sat
h~\ ff one day on the
- ' ifei J/ <leck of a ves
]\ bp ' '. V ' U K its
moorings be-
i\ i fore Calcutta.
* ' intend
lumVUllHWll Jpij7 ed at first to
'jfmjl/111/Jf jl K° out to Gar
| *~~~ Hhawmut was
discha r g i n g
and taking her new cargo, but illness
in the family of the friend with whom
it was proposed I should stop had in
terfered, and I decided at last to re
main on board.
I was the more willing to do this, as
close beside us lay the vessel com
manded by a friend of mine, whose
wife bad also decided to remain on
board while in port. Tho Fox lay
closely enough for us to call to each
other from our decks, and nearly every
day we spent together. If I could not
goto the Fox, Mrs. Kiug would take
her little niece and come on board the
Shawmut. I had my baby boy with
me, and little Nera, my friend's niece,
who was about three years old, would
spend hours swinging with him in his
hummock, which was hung from the
spanker boom beneath the awning,
that the baby might get what little air
was stirring during the heat of the day.
Nera would lie there for hours and play
with baby if he was awake, or with
her doll if he slept.
Capttain King came aft to where his
wife and I were sitting, and said:
"Would you ladies like to see one of
the best of the native jugglers? I have
been talking with the comprador about
it and he savs he thinks he can get one
to come off to-morrow if you would
like to see him. According to what he
says the fellow is far beyond anything
in the way of magical performance that
you have ever seen."
As neither of us had ever seen any
thing of the sort, of courso we were
eager to have the juggler come aboard,
and the Captain return to tho hatch
way and made arrangements with the
comprador to fetch him the next day.
Mrs. King and I talked of nothing else
during the rest of the afternoon. We
rubbed up our little knowledge of
jugglers' tricks, recalled the stale
stories of Beeds planted and grown into
a treo within a few moments, of the
boy packed irto a basket and the
basket cut into ribbons, with an ac
companiment of smothered shrieks
and groans from the mutilated child
within, who afterward appeared in the
background, safe and sound, and all
the other accounts of the stock tricks
of the Indian jugglers of which we had
often read.
We decided tlmt this particular
magician would be at rather n disad
vantage, for he would be working on a
solid deck instead of in the sand, and
iu an entirely unknown place, where
ho could by no possibility have made
previous preparations to deceive his
audience.
Next morning the Captain told me
that the juggler would come on board
late in the afternoon. Mrs. King, as
usual, came to spend the day with me,
and we sat on deck all day. We felt
sure that as we had been there on the
day when the performance was first
proposed, and all of the following day,
there had been no chance for any trick
to be played beforehand, and that,
therefore, we were to have a genuine
performance, whatever it should be.
There could be no chance of deception
by hollow floors or easily moved sand.
Late in the afternoon, or rather
early in tbo evening, we saw a small
boat glide tow ard us, in which sat a
tall, slender form clothed in the white
native robe, with arms folded and
head bowed upon his breast. Beside
him sat ft slight form, whether male or
female we could not at that distance
distinguish, but we supposed it was the
boy who in all the stories wo had read
was ono of the most important proper
ties for the magical performance.
There were no baskets in sight, and
but little else in the way of furniture
for setting the stago for the coming
show. Ihe boat came alongside, and
her passengers were standing iu our
midst almost before tho boat had
touched tho foot of the ladder, I think.
The juggler was the finest looking man
I ever saw. He was considerably over
six feet tall, and was formed like a
Greek god. His snowy robe wrapped
around him left his arms and one
shoulder bare, and liis long, slim
hands were as perfect as bronze cast
ings from an artist's master work. He
had tho brightest eyes I ever beheld,
but in their depths shone alight which
made me shudder with —not fear—but,
well, 1 could not tell what tho feeling
was, but I knew it was decidedly un
pleasant to meet his eye for more than
a moment. On comparing notes with
my companions afterward i found
that they had all felt this same strange
sensation. It was not fear, but none
of us could give it a name, though all
experienced the discomfort in greater
or less degree.
As the strangers reached the deck
>ve saw that the figure which we had
iteen sitting beside the man in the boat
\vas that of a young girl. She was
almost as fine looking 11 specimen of
her sex as the mar. was of his.
They lost no time, but proceeded
with their preparations for our amuse
ment. The man disdained to speak to
Us at all, but gave his directions to the
girl, who repeated whatever it was
necessary for us to hear in alow melo
dious voice. They asked for several
ill. w . among others a till cane basket.
it which Mrs. King and I smiled at
joch other; a slender line, a pan of
ishesi anil some other little urtieles
ivhich I have forgotten now.
The line, which was lian<le<l the man,
ivas our spare signal halliard, and after
swinging it around his head a moment
lie seemed satisfied and laid down be
side the mat which he had spread upon
the deck. This mat was of woven
sfrass. like thousands of others we saw
every day.
The only thing which he had brought
with him was a long slender sword and
ii small crystal globe, which seemed
filled with some liquid clearer than
water, with a sparkle and shimmer in
its depths even when nothing jarred
the globe to account for the motion.
After a short time the man squatted
down upon his mat and his strange
eyes gazed at each one in the circle
surrounding him for a moment. As
ho looked straight into my eyes I felt
a most unusual chill and shudder pass
through my veins. I was not a nervous
woman, and this heart-cliill was a new
experience to mo. His gaze passed
slowly around our little circle, linger
ing for a moment as it met some eyes,
and passing rapidly over others. I
thought he pausod longer as ho gazed
into my face than he did at any other,
but that may have been imagination.
When he had completed the circle ho
raised the crystal globe and held it
poised upon one hand and spoke some
words to his young companion in the
strange musical tongue in which he
had carried on all his conversation
since coming 011 board. She turned
from him and repeated to us his
words: "Tell the strangers to each
think of the dearest one in his own
far-off land and to look deep into the
magic crystal if he would learn what
that loved one is doing at this in
stant."
We each fixed our attention upon
the globe, and I wondered what my
sister would think if she could see me
sitting here before this strange Indian
looking into the depths of a glass of
water (if water tho globe contained),
and wishing that I could really see her
for but one moment. As these thoughts
passed through my mind I gazed
steadily at the globe and saw the con
tents glitter and ripple as if moved by
some wind which we felt not. Slowly
across the surface passed a dim cloud,
which grow rapidly more and more
opaque.
Then suddenly I saw a corner of the
old familiar dooryard in my far-off
home. The big maple tree grow into
form before my eyes; its leaves flut
tered and swayed in an tin felt breeze.
The green grass beneath its branches
waved and tossed as if it felt the fresh
air of morning pas-iug across its ver
dant face. A slender form came swiftly
out of the dim haze which filled in the
background to the picture. It was my
sister, and a look of wonder shone in
her hazel eyes as she seemed looking
straight across the thousand miles of
water which divided us. I started up
and the picture failed away. I saw
nothing but the Hindoo si matting be
fore me, holding the crystal globe
aloft and watching the faces before
him with a keen intentness.
He sat silent for a moment, then
rose to his feet and began his perform
ance by giving us some of the less im
portant tricks of the juggler, all the
time his eyes roving from face to face
as if ho would read each heart to its
depths, and I for one felt sure that he
could so read mine, for I could feel his
gaze sink deep into my brain. I was
half afraid of him, but wholly de
termined to do nothing to break up the
sitting.
After some minor trieks of sleight of
hand and of the commoner class of
legerdemain, lie sjioke to the girl in a
harsh, quick tone. ttho brought out
from under her voluminous robe a
small, flat silver salver, which I noticed
was entirely covered by an intricate
pattern of engraving. This the man
put carefully down upou tho exact
centre of his mat, and taking from his
bosom a small silk bug, he scattered
the contents, a white powder, upon
the salver. He addressed tho girl in
earnest tones, and then took his seat
again upon his mat, with his head
bowed upon his breast and his hands
gripped closely together as if ho was
making some desperate effort or was
bearing some terrible agony. Tho
girl lighted a small taper which had
been among tho articles they had
brought with them and put it down
beside lier master. Then sho also
stood witli bowed head and clasped
her hands for a moment as if waiting
some signal from her master. She
waited but for a moment, for with a
shudder ho raised his head and spoke
to her in a quick, shrill voice.
She in turn repeated to us his request
that we should promise that, no mat
ter what happened, wo would none of
us move from our place. If we should
move no one could tell what terrible
accident might happen. Of course we
all promised, more or less readily, and
the man, to mako sure of our obed
ience, beckoned us to sit closer to
gether in a ring almost touching the
mat upon which he sat. We did so,
laughing and crowding together, and
when wo had taken tho required posi
tion he spoke to tho girl, who imme
diately caught up tho signal line and
proceeded to arrango it in a ring sur
rounding our little group as we sat
around our entertainer.
As soon as she had completed her
task she tbok her station within the
ring, and, dropping her outer robe,
stood in a closer fitting undergar
ment, which left her slender liinbs un
covered from knee to ankle, from wrist
to shoulder.
When she had taken her place the
man arose, and, muttering some in
eautation in a musical undertone, he
walked around outside the ring formed
by the rope and scattered the ashes
over the line, covering it from sight.
He then took his place again within
the circle, p.nd after the girl had agnin
i;.r v •,\1 "pon us thai under 110 cir-«
cumstances were we to move, the man
took the tape in his hand, and, hold
ing it high above his head, seemed to
be invoking some power which ho be
held in the air above our heads. He
then stooped and touched the tlame of
tho taper to the end of the rope which
encircled us. The flame crept along
tho cord, and wherever it lighted a
change took place in the substance of
the cord. It began to writhe and twist
in a very lifelike manner. The flame
crept around the circle, and the slen
der line which we had all Been taken
from our own signal chest was sud
denly turned to u twisting, gleaming
serpent, which coiled and twined
around our circle, hissing and darting
out its fangs at every motion. It was
one of tho most deadly of the many
venomous serpents of the country, and
we shrank together with horror.
"If the strangers sit silent nothing
enn harm," said the girl, with a warn
ing gesture.
We sat still—we could do nothing
else —and tho juggler stood erect and
began again the melodious chant which
had accompanied his scattering of the
ashes. But then it was inarticulate ;
now ho seemed demanding aid from
j the higher power (or lower, as you
choose), and his eyes were "lighted up
until they seemed burning coals, and
I wondered that they did not scorch
my face when he glanced at me.
He raised the silver salver with its
contents, and, holding it high above
his head, waited for a moment in
| silence.
A flush, and the powder 011 the salver
burst into flames. He lowered it to
the deck, and the flames died away,
leaving behind a mist of smoke, faintly
fragrant, which settled lower and
lower around us until we viewed all ob
jects through its dim haze.
I glanced behind to the hammock
where the two children were lying to
see if they were frightened, but baby
was sleeping and Nera was swinging
and humming to herself as she played
with her doll. She lay with her head
upon baby's skirts and he had one
little hand buried in her hair.
* All this time the serpent had twisted
and writhed around us, and the Hin
doo had kept up his low, wailing
chant. The girl stood with bowed
head close beside him, and the smoke
seemed to bend and twine about her
form until it grew dim and seemed to
wave and sway as if in a breeze.
Then all at once she raised her arms
and slowly, softly floated upward on
the cloud waves like a leaf rising on
the eddying winds. The chant grew
more rapid, the smoko more dense, but
still through its vaporous waves we
could see the lk'ht form floating up
ward, still up until it was lost to sight
far above the tops of the masts.
Louder and louder chanted the Hin
doo. The smoke rose even thicker
and more dense. We had lost sight of
the girl. All eyes were turned to the
spot where she had disappeared far up
above our heads.
The Hindoo stood erect in the midst
of tile circle, his form swaying in
rhythmic measure with his chanting.
He held his hands higher and his voice
took on a deeper tone. Then from far
up in the blue void above us we saw a
tiny spot scarce visible against the
azure sky. It floated downward.
Nearer it. came, until we could see that
it was the form of the young girl.
Lower, still lower, she came, and we
could see that she held a burden
clasped in her arms.
The smoke grew more mistlike as
she descended, until it vanished. She
came down with the same swaying,
drifting motion I had noticed when
she ascended. Soon she was below the
mastheads, and in a moment she
floated just above our heads. Then, to
my horror, I recognized the burden
she bore. It was the form of my baby.
She held him closely clasped in her
arms, and before I could move she
had floated across and laid him in the
hammock, where I had seen him calm
ly sleeping but a few moments before
wo saw the girl floating upward in the
midst of the smoke. Before I could
move she stood again before the Hin
doo in the centre of the circle. The
powder in the salver had ceased to
smoke. The line encircling our group
was again nothing more dangerous
than iv simple hempen rope. My nerves
had been so thoroughly unstrung by
the sight of my child dropping through
the air when I had supposed him
sleeping safely by my side, that I did
not care for further exhibitions of the
wonderful power which the Hindoo
possessed. They received their re
ward, gathered up their effects, and in
a few moments were rowing toward
the shore.
When wo were a little calmer, and
could compare notes, wo found that
every one had seen the same wonder
ful-sight—the girl, with empty arms,
float away out of sight, only to de
scend herring the child on her bosom.
The 01 v tiling which differed in our
several pericnces was in the flrst
vision. When the crystal had been
held u 'us to look into each saw a
different ,-cturc. Each saw the one
of whom he thought when told to send
his mind back to his best loved friend
at home.
I linve not the time to give the dif
ferent pictures each beheld, but in all
the other wonders of the hour each
saw the same surprising sign. Wo all
saw the twining serpent; every eye
had seen the same picture that met
mine of the floating girl ascending
alone to return bearing the infant in
her anus. If one had been deceived
all had been—all in our group, that is,
for when in talking it over I turned to
Nera and said, "Who took baby boy
out of the hammock, Nera, while we
were busy with the man?" Nera
looked up in wide-eyed surprise and
answered: "Why, he didn't be tooken
up, auntie. I lied on him dress all the
time so him couldn't fall out, and we
swinged all the time the man stood up
and preached."
Terms—sl.oo ill Advance; *1.25 after Three Months.
"But, Nora, did not yon see the
pretty girl fly up in the air?"
"No, her stood right still all the
time. Her kept watch of big man
when he swing liim arms, but her not
fly, her not do anything."
There you have it. They say now
that tho camera shows just what Nera
said she saw that day. Men of science
are about agreed that the mysterious
power of the Hindoo juggler is noth
ing more or less than hypnotism, and
that would account for Nera and the
camera seeing things as they are, not
as they appear to those who have
yielded their minds to the strange
power of tho Hindoo. San Francisco
Chronicle
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.
The Chinese hand is small, slim and
with square phalanges.
A map of tho smokes of Paris has
been recently prepared by 51. Foubert
of the Tour St. Jacques.
The first nickel-steel crank ever cast
in this country was turned out recently
at the Bethlehem (Pa.) Iron Works.
The largest spider of the world is the
migalc of Central America, which, with
legs extended, is sometimesttfteen feet
in diameter. It preys upon birds and
lizards.
The only two foods which contain all
tho substances necessary to human life
are said to be milk and the yoke of
eggs. A man can live in health on
these two foods.
In Now Zealand a species of parrot
is found that, finding its food entirely
on tho ground, has lost its power of
flight. It differs from the rest of tho
family only in this particular and in
being almost voiceless.
A submarine vessel named Gustave
Zede has been launched at Toulon,
Franco. Its movements resemble those
of asw imming whale. It is easily sub
merged when required and the naval
experts present declared it a complete
success.
The telephone has lately been
arranged for the use of divers. A sheet
of copper is used in place of the glasses
in the helmet, and to this a telephone
is fixed, so that tho diver, when at the
bottom of tho sea, has only to slightly
turn his head in order to report what
he sees or to receive instructions from
above.
A rat of the mountain streams of
central Peru enjoys the distinction of
being the only rodent that utterly
discards a vegetable diet and
lives wholly on fish. The animal
has been named Ictliomys Stolz
manni, and tho only known specimen
was obtained l> v v a Polish collector in
1891 and has been placed in the British
Museum.
A technical paper gives the following
rule for determining the number of
tons of rails required to lay a mile of
track: Multiply the weight per yard
by eleven and divide the product by
seven. For example: Take a seventy
pound rail; seventy multiplied by
eleven equals 770, which divided by
seven gives 110, the number of tons
(of 2210 pounds each) required to the
mile.
Doctor Gnllipe reports to the French
Academy of Sciences, after eight years'
investigation, that nil stones, such as
gravel, found in tho human body are
produced by microbes. Microbes ore
tho authors of that chemical decom
position which results in calcareous
deposits. Healthy organs may contain
these parasites, for so long as the
humors of the body are in a normal
state they produce no bad effects.
When the system becomes diseased the
microbes produce the deposits which
develop into gravel or stone.
Insects do not breathe through the
nose and mouth. Down the body run
two main pipes. These pipes send out
branches to right and left like a net
work, extending to the extremi
ties, even to the ends of the
antenna) and to tho claws. Each
main tube receives tho external air
through nine or ten spiracles or
breathing-holes, placed at intervals
along the sides of the body. Tho
spiracles nro made water-tight and
dust-tight by a strong fringe of hair,
which completely guards the entrance.
200 Inches of Rainfall Per Month.
Cherra Punji, in tho Khasi Hills,
Assam, British India, is the "pole of
the greatest known rainfallin othei
words, it is the wettest region on tho
face of the earth. Mr. Blandford, at
a meeting of the London Meteorolog
ical Society, read a paper entitled
"Rainfall at Cherra Punji" in which
he presented incontestable proof of
the extreme moisture of the country
in question. The records go back for
nearly sixty-five years, but prior to
1872 are rather incomplete, there be
ing soveral whole years in which no
JTcord was kept. Carefully compiled
data from these weather journals,
however, incomplete as they are, prove
that quite frequently during thj sum
mer, say from May till September, the
rainfall for a single month ranges
from 100 to 212 inches! Think of it!
Nearly eighteen foet of precipitation
in thirty .lays. Colonel Sir Henry
Yule's register for the year 1841 shows
that there were 204 iuehes of rainfall
during the month of August. That
was something phenomenal even for
Assam, however, and is not taken into
account in the deductions made above.
—St. Louis Republic.
The Peculiar Penguin.
The "birds of a feather" that "flock
together" do not belong to the penguin
family, as they are entirely destitute
of feathers, having for a covering a
skin of stiff down. Another penguin
peculiarity is that it swims not on but
under the water, never keeping more
than its head out, and, when fishing,
coming to the surface at such brief
and rare inteivals, that an ordinary
observer would almost certainly mis
take it for a tish.— Courier-Journal.
NO. 4!s.
THE MAGIC MIRROR.
Dim clouds across tho field there float,
And shadows slowly form, combine
And Rather shape. A tiny boat
I see, tossed in the foaming brine.
O rower, wait! Urave rower, stay!
Nay, boat and rower fade away.
Again the dim clouds gather o'er.
And slowly shapo a battlefield,
And, dead or living, wounded sore,
One lies beside a broken shield.
O warrior, eanst thou heed or hear?
Nay, for the visions disappear.
Fling down tbo shining surface baro :
An idle tale it tells to me.
The shadowy form I image thero
I trace in earth and air and sea.
Earth, sea and air, from pole to polo
The magic mirror of my soul!
—May Kendall, in Longman's Magazine.
HUMOR OF THE DAY.
Garden truck—The wheel-barrow.
Truth.
A believer in cold water—The ice
mau. —Truth.
The zebra in the most uncomfortable
of all animals—except man.—Puck.
As n rnle the giant stands pretty
high in the show business.—Buffalo
Courier.
The Arab never leaves his home.
Ho always takes it with him.—Bing
hainton Leader.
The greatest dead-head scheme over
devised—the Chinese deportation pro
ject.—Philadelphia Call.
"Did Smiggs marry his wife for her
money?" "No, it was for her father's."
—Chicago Inter-Ocean.
"Friend—"Well, Psleuth, how is
the detective business?" Old Psleuth
"Looking up."—Chicago Tribune.
It's a wise man who keepeth his
own counsel. Yes, but a wiser one
who can sell it like a lawyer. Truth.
It is unquestionably true that some
of the greatest diplomats of the age
are light «ing-rod agents. Detroit
Free Press.
The trapeza performer's business is
precarious at best. He should always
have some good thing to fall back on."
—Troy Press.
A man is always more truthful in
his opinion of his second baby than of
his first. Women call it more brutal.
—Atchison Globs,
No longer we'll wait
They are here in their glory,
The fisherman's bait
And the sea-serpent storv.
—Washington Star.
"Colonel Bloodygeld's old war traits
still cling to him." "How so?" "I
dined with him lat.t night, and he gave
the waiter no quarter."—Philadelphia
Record.
Droptin—"How'd you happen to
call your paper the Sun?" The Editor
"lt was started principally to make
things hot for a few people. " —Buffalo
Courier.
"Who arc those giris playing four
handed pieces on the piano?" "Ono
of them is the daughter of the hostess."
"And her accomplice?"—Fliegende
Blaetter.
"Well!" said the philosophic fisher
man, as he drew his line out of the
water, "I lost the fish, but I .suppose
I nm entitled to are-bait." —Washing-
ton Star.
Old Lady (anxiously)—" Does this
train stop at Liverpool?" Guard
"Well, if it don't, ma'am, you will see
the biggest smash-up you ever heard
of."—Tit Bits.
"Cholly, dear boy, don't you think
you are taking cold here?" "Oh, no;
my man always attends to those things
for me; very clevah fellow ho is."—
Chicago Inter-Ocean.
"Have you received nnv pie yet?"
said one offlceseeker to another. "No,
but I've received provisions of another
sort." "What sort?" "Cold shoul
der."—Pittsburg Chronicle Telegram.
We went out fishing yesterday,
And fished with care and thought
By night we had a splendid mess—
Which some one else had caught.
—Kansas City Journal.
Vickars—"Did you hear what
Thompson said about you? lie told
me that you were tho biggest ass ho
had ever met." NVickars—"He told
you that? You?"—lndianapolis J our
nnl.
The young melodramatist, tolling
the story of his play to the manager,
said: "As the robbers crawl in at the
window the clock strikes one." Man
ager— "Good ! Which one?"--Boston
Globe.
"Squibbs is perfectly foolish about
the safety of his baby, isn't lie?"
"Why do you think so?" "Well,
every time the nurse takes the baby
out for an airing there is a policeman
with her. "—Amusing Journal.
Spencer—"There is only one way of
getting ahead of a lit' J insurance
company, and that is to die.' Fer
guson— "No, there is one other way."
Spencer—"What's that?" Ferguson
"Don't insure."—Brooklyn Life.
Papa—"So you lot tho Mulberry gil l
get away with all the class honors, oh?
lam almost ashamed of you!" Sweet
Girl Graduate—"Oh. well, if I were as
homely as she is I should have gone
in for that sort of thing myself."—ln
dianapolis Journal.
Wliera Men Play Second Fiddle.
There is a considerable tribe of peo
ple among the Kasia hills, in tho east
ern part of Bengal, who consider the
female the superior of the male. The
former everywhere and in everything
assert their superiority. The men do
all the housework and perform all sorts
of duties usually given to women in
our part of the world, while the wives
attend to the more serious affairs of
life. Even the ownership of proptrty
descends only through tho women. As
a matter of course, the girls of a family
are held in high esteem, —Pittsburgh
Dispatch.