Anti-suffragists claim that almost as mauy women as men take oat li ceses to sell liquor. New York state has now 61 countier instead of 60, as heretofore. Th« new oue is named Nassau, and com prises that part of Queens not in eluded in the metropolis. It is easy to imagine the spirit o; the brave old Farragut looking down with an expression of approval on the work of his former lieutenant ii Manila bay. Dewey learned his trad« nnder the hero of Mobile bay. t A writer in the Electrical Reviev inclines to the opinion that as the electric motor superseded the horse car, so the jterfection of paving will ultimately do away with rails aud cur rents altogether, and automobile vehi cles rule supreme. There are still a great many foxes in Connecticut, but not as many as tbere were a little while ago, 286 hav ing been killed in Tolland and Wind ham counties since November 1 last. One man in Coventry has bought the pelts of them all, aud also 100 from Hartford couuty. The machine-made American file has come into such sharp competition witb the European hand-made implement that legislation against the American production may soon be expected. One Indiana firm recently shipped in a single order to an English cych manufacturing company 618 dozen files. The same concern ships largelj t > France, Germany, Russia, Austria, Norway and Denmark. English diet affords an example o) the antiquated mode of life iu Eng land. Nothing could be more primi tive than the preparation of English dishes. They consist of a huge fat piece of bu 1 >ck. sheep or pig. If th« meat is lean, as in poultry, fat is sup plied by haunches of bacon. Th» motto of these conservative islauden is: "What our forefathers did and flourished on is good enough for us.'. It is a trifle discouraging to the New York Tribune to hear that Russiar sympathy has been given to Spain be cause the United States is friendh w ith Great Britain. This country if friendly toward Russia too, and re members and appreciates Russia'i friendship for it when that friendshij was of inestimable value. But tore tain Russia's friendshij), is it neces sary for us to quarrel with every na tion with which Russia is not on the best of terms? The postoflice department has beer Q favorite roosting place for newspapei men. Benjamiu Franklin, the first postmaster general, belonged to th« noble profession of newspaper mak ers. Amos Kendall left an editorial desk to become postmaster general ir Van Buren's cabinet. Montgomery Blair, Lincoln's postmaster genera), was an editor, and Thomas L. James, our best postmaster general, perhaps, began life as a newspaper man. Now we have as postmaster general C'harlei Emory Smith, one of the ablest anc most successful editors in theconntry Fays the Chicago Times-Herald,— British naval experts have not hesi tated to confirm the general belie' that the chief superiority of thf American navy lay in the fact that OUJ seamen are more thoroughly drilled in the art of handling the guns of thi modern navy, and that our ensineerf are also better trained in operating the complex and powerful machinerj of the modern battleship. The Yanke« has been noted as a good marksman ever since he shot at the Britishers who marched up the redoubt at Bun ker Hill. That reputation was still more firmly established when he tilled the British ship Guerriere full of holes in the war of 1812, while th« British gunuers sent their shots intc the sails of the Constitution. Careful measurements by govern ment engineers have revealed the fact that twenty thousand second-feet of water iu'e lost from the Missouri rivei in its-course from one point in Mon tana to another some hundred miles or so down the stream. This extraor dinary leakage,enough to make a'very considerable river of itself, has been somewhat of a puzzle to scientists] but the recent success of Dakota farm ers, away to the east and south oi these points on the Missouri, in sink ing artesian wells shows where it haf gone. As geologists had declared that there would not be any water ir these Dakota lands, and tbe flon proves to be remarkably abundant, II is believed that the farmers hav« tapped the water which leaks from th« big hole in the Missouri river away up in Montana. It begins to look as if the most seri ous obstacle in the way of college athw letic contests this year might be thi departure of a majority of the for the war. The more important German jour nals have ceased to attack the United States, as the result of a hint from the government. They now recognize that the German interests lie with the fortunes of the Americans. When ' the Gordon Highlanders went into action at Pargai, India, it appears, from the confession of one of the wounded pipers, that each of the six pipers sent ahead played a differ ent tune. In spite of this the Gordons followed them. Out of the three and a half millions who form the population of inner London, one million and a half, representing 300,000 householders, pay more or less frequent visits to the pawnbroker, and some thirty million articles are annually pledged within the above area. Speaking of the rapidity of thought an English scientist says that "if the skiu be touched repeatedly with light blows from a small hammer, the brain will distinguish the fact that the blows are separate, and not a continuous pressure, even when they follow one another as rapidly as one thousand in a second." There has been a very marked in terest shown of late in Europe in American-made shoes, as evinced by consular reports, and through the newspapers. The shoe manufactur ers of the United States are taking special pains to make a magnificent display in this line at the Paris Expo sition, various houses having sent out circulars stating facts iu regard to space, privileges, etc. The partition of China will throw open to the world its vassal state Thibet, a country famous for its churl ish and cruel inhabitants. The Chi nese yellow book describes it with comparative detail, and says that it is very poor, but is rich in minerals, which none is allowed to use. Strange to say, the womeu of the land enjoy more freedom than their sisters in China or India, and are said to be comely and intelligent. The records declare that Thibet was more populous and prosperous in ancient times,when it paid a handsome tribute annually to the Chinese kings or emperors. The historic pen which, guided by the haud and brain of the president of the United States, traced the name of William McKinley beneath the declaration of war between the Amer ican Republic and the kingdom of Spain is now the personal property of William Alden Smith, congressman from Grand Rapids, Mich. The pen is doubly valuable because it was used by the speaker of the House, and the president of the Senate for the same purpose. The war bill was signed first by Mr. Reed, who gave the pen to Mr. Smith, who took it to Vice- President Hobart. The final scene was made by President McKinley later in the day, and the pen was then given to Mr. Smith. That daring exploit of Lieutenant Fremont, in landing in Cuba recalls that of Lieutenant Hunter, familiarly known at the time as "Alvarado" Hunter, who,during the Mexican war, arrived off the town of Alvarado, in California, and, without waiting for the co-operation of the laud forces, which had not yet arrived, summoned the town to surrender, and had the American flag floating over it when his supports arrived. He was court martialed for disobedience of orders, suspended, and shortly afterward pro moted to a higher position in the ser vice. He took desperate chances, and was successful. If he had failed he might have caused the miscarriage of the whole expedition. Says the Buffalo Commercial:— Most people will be surprised at the statement that Great Britain is now importing golf clubs from America; but it is a fact, according to the state ment of Charles S. Cos, an English man long resident in America, who, on his return home, stated that he hail no difficulty in obtaining orders for 8000 clubs from the larger dealers in golf goods in Scotland nud England. The reason for this is asserted to be that the American clubs ure better made and better finished than those that can be obtained at home at any thing like the same price. The in formation is surprising, because golf is a novelty iu the United States, scarcely a generation old, while it has flourished in Scotland for centuries. Coals to Newcastle would have seemed o feeble simile to sending American golf outJHs to Great Britaiu, * CEORCINA. The little lady shakes her head. Oh, you may trust the fickle vane And TOWS that she will never wed; That only points to veer ugalu, But even while tbe tale ebe tells, But not the dainty little bead There comes a sound of wedding-bells I Tbat shakes to say sbe will not wed. Charles Henry Webb, in Beribner's. "DOWN-RIVER." 2 * TALE LIRE. £ HrWVW'IFTVVVVWVVVVT'giyTTVW 4 The starry emblem of freedom, float ing from a tall Hag-staff 011 the parade ground at Fort Bufo:d, swayed grace fully in the afternoon breeze. The small expanse of turf that sloped down to the swiftly-rolling Missouri was dotted with trim buildings which had seemingly won a martial appearance from their occupants. A chill was no ticeable in the air, though June reigned, and countless mosquitoes reigned also, hovering in dense swarms over the willows near the river's edge —mosquitoes whose spiteful sting was altogether out of proportion to their size. Even the stoical Indians from the Gros Ventres village, two miles north, just over the boundary line in Montana, were visibly affected by these übiquitous pests and wared eugles' wings before their impertur bable grave faces as they stood upon the banks while a cargo of military supplies was being unloaded from a "down-river" boat. Hither and thither, across the pa rade-ground,figures in blue were mov ing slowly—soldiers with tbe dull, apathetic countenances characterizing so many troops upon the northwestern frontier. But today there was a bright ening of faces, a quickening of steps, for the "down-river" had brought let ters from the States and home. An unusually generous mail, too. Several men laughed when they saw Zaek Braytou with a deeper bronze 011 his cheeks and a letter in his hand. He had never been known to receive one since the coming of the company to Fort Buford. He was a tall, awk ward fellow, one of those shambling men who suggest some mistake on the part of nature in choosing material too hastily. He stood now just outside the gymnasium,the letter fluttering in his grasp, the torn envelope crushed in one strong hand. He had read it over twice and was beginning at the first page again, mumbling it indis tinctly: "You and me ain't so much 1o each other as husband and wife oughter be. Jf we had, you wouldn't never have gone away. I've kept si- | lence a long time, waiting for you to , say you cared, but you don't say that yet; and now it's my cough and the j strange feelings all over me that | makes me write. The doctor says it j won't be long—and there's little Jim j and the baby* —" He stopped suddenly and crumpled j the pitiful scrawl in his brawny list and pushed the back of h a hand across I his deep-set eves. "I don't know rightly what I'll do," he began, desperately, and then he straightened up as a comrade ap- ! proached, laughing. "Lots of news, Zaek?" he queried in a teasing way. The man looked at his interlocutor with a dazed expression. "How's all the folks?" persisted the soldier. A puzzled expression settled 011 Zaek Brayton's face. He dug one foot doggedly into the turf. "It ; warn't her fault—never!" he mut- ! tered. "Olio! It was a lover's quarrel, hey?" quizzed the soldier. "No; it warn't no quarrel," fiercely replied Zaek, and then he as suddenly strode away. Ten minutes later Zaek Brayton stood more awkwardly than ever be fore the highest authority in the fort. That officer had received pleasant news from home, and he unbent his military dignity to a surprising decree and was chatting merrily with several subordinates. "Well, my man?" was his remark when Zaek's presence was noticed. The private saluted awkwardly. He began to speak in a low, hesitating voice. "Beggin* yer pardon, colonel, but I've got a word I'd like to say—least wise, if—" "Talk to your captain," interrupted the officer, recalling his dignity now. He was tired of hearing complaints, and there had been too many of late. "Not as I'd oughter bother you,sir; bnt the fact is—" "Well, speak out; whit is it?" said the officer, with some show of impa tience. A dull wave of color arose in the private's face. He had never seemed so ponderously awkward. "My wife," he began,huskily; "she is sick, an' I 'lowed maybe you had a wife, colonel, an' you'd know how—" "Where is she?" "Back in Missoury." "And you want a furlough? It's impossible, sir. If we heeded half the requests we shouldn't have a sol dier left 011 his post. Don't you sec, my good fellow?" "Yes, sir," replied Zaek, simply. When he was clear of the quarters he leaned against a post as if needing support of some sort. Yet Zaek was a strong man certainly. The soldiers quizzed him a good deal, in a rough manner,at mess,about his love-letter. He did not utter a word in reply, but there was an un usual look of determination settling down upon his uncouth features,form ing into hard lines they had never no ticed before. The days at Fort Buford are long in June. There is no evening. In this high latitude the sun cheats you out of the evening hours and sets at nearly 10 o'clock. A detachment of troops were assisting the steamboat roustnbouts in unloading military gup plies. At dark, flambeaux were flar ing from the boat's guards, by the light of wbjch they completed their labors. Then the bluecoats marched back to the barracks, preceded by a train of government wagons. A few roustabouts, huddled npon the boiler-deck, were grumbling unit edly about some trifle, as Missouri river roustabouts have a habit of doing. The night became very dark at last— so dark that even had one been looking in that direction he would not have notifced a man who crept out of the willow-bog and, step ping cautiously into an Indian "bull boat" at the wharf,drifted off with the swift current, under cover of the friendly shadows. In a few moments, at best, the man's absence from the fort would be dis covered. It was one chance in a hun dred, but Zaek Brayton took that chance and floated down the river. The lights of the steamer receded in the darkness; not a sound broke the stillness save the plash, plash of his paddle. Bending forward, straining his eyes to catch the first glimpse of danger in whatever form, the current bore him 011. "Only for her—her and the chil dren," he muttered under his breath, while his eyes grew moist. He wiped them hastily, as though anyone could perceive his weakness. On—on! The water undulated greatly under the boat as he floated 011 its broad, dark bosom. Now the current set in near the shore,and mys terious sounds were borne out to him from those wild forest depths—sounds neither man nor beast could make. A lone owl hooted dismally from a tree top. Instantly the woods seemed alive with strange responses. He felt awed and heaved a sigh of relief when the current bore him far out into the stream once more. With the first flush of dawn the sol dier guided his primitive craft to the shore, drew it up out of the water and managed to hide the unwieldy bulk in the bushes. He looked at the stretched buffalo skin with a flection, thinking what a good turn it was doing him. All day he lay concealed in the vicin ity, not a mouthful of food entering his lips. With the gathering darkness he was soon afloat, bound for "down river" and the old Missouri home. He could scarcely tell the number of days after a while; he did not care to keep account. All he desired was to escape those who were doubt less pursuing him. Wandering In dians gave him food when he dared seek it. He held his breath when he passed the forts and settlements 011 the river banks in the night. He even fancied that the beatings of his heart could be heard on either shore. "If F.lviry knowed how it war," he said to himself, "she might be a-prayin' fur me, as she uster." The thought gave him renewed courage. He bent to the paddle with a giant's strength, and the bull-boat went along faster than the current,yet could not keep pace with his impa tience. At length he began to chuck'.e grim ly with sa'isfaction. Hour by hour he felt that he was Hearing home. In dian wigwams 110 longer dotted the plains. Dark objects loomed up on the hills, which he knew to be school houses or churches. Steamboats fa'sed more frequently, and he was obliged to use great caution in avoid ing them, although few ever remained out in the river late at night. Still he chuckled, for every hour lessened the danger. They would never look for him so far down river, surely—they would think he had fled toward the in terior. "Tomorrow night," he assured him self, "I'll leave the river 'and tramp for it." His face brightened; the sky, the river, the plain took up a new expres sion of hopefulness.and the remainder of that night his paddles dipped un ceasingly. "P'r'haps she ain't quite so bad off as the doctor thinks, arter all. an' I kin take care of her now; an' I'd just work for her." He dropped the pad dles a moment as a pleased smile crept over his bronzed face. "Ah! the chillern has growed like sixty,in course." The heavens seemed to don nil an swering smile, the east bursting into a rosy glow, while the distant hills and rolling prairies assumed new and delicate tints < 112 beautiful summer life. "It ain't the wust sott o' world,artev all—it can't be so bad az ull that," he went on, disconnectedly. Yet all aroumt him the river rushed in a discolored, rapid flood. The "June rise" was sweeping down from the northern mountains; the unsightly saud-bars lay concealed beneath the dashing waves; logs, trees, debris of various kinds, went whirling past. Once the carcass of a buffalo—shot needlessly by some passenger on an up-river boat, doubtless—bore down against him, and he was obliged to push away with his paddle. "How they must a' growed!" he re peated to himself,cheerily. It seemed as though he had been away a cen tury. His head drooped, as a succes sion of homely incidents passed through his quickened brain. A village, with its white-spired church, rose from the nearer bauk. The boat.cnrried around in an abrupt bend sud suddenly deflected from it« course by a strong eddy, hea led di rectly for that shore. The wary voy ager,yielding for one instant to a sud den sense of security and repose, sat with drooping face and made no re sistance. There was a sudden shock. The lit tle boat bumped violently against a \ snag, and some one cried out from the I guards of a steamboat at that moment i preparing to push out into the stream. | The startled soldier lifted his head and sat as though petrified. A detach ment of United States troops met his bewildered gaze. (Suddenly he seized the paddle with frantic haste. Would Elviry never know how he had tried? An officer was standing on the lower deck. "A deserter, by Heaven!" he ex claimed to the sergeant at his side. Then, in a stentorian voice, he com manded: "Pull in shore, if you value your life!" But the man in the boat paid 110 at tention. He began to push out with rapid,energetic strokes. How clumsy the craft seemed to him then —how slowly the distance widened between him and the dreaded foe! Cold beads of perspiration glistened on his face. The morning sunshine, flooding the river with gi lden beams, showed clearly his tense, agonized ex pression with startling vividness. If he could only reach the other side! Then Elviry and the children— "Halt, you fool!" Znck Brayton pulled away with the unreasoning, desperate energy of de spair. There was a hurried order, the tramp of feet on deck, followed by a fiery flash and the sharp crack of mus ketry. The deserter arose to his full height in the toppling canoe. His hands clutched the air, and then his stalwart form sank into the rushing, turbid waves of the Missouri. Only the little boat, aimless and un guided,drifted 011 toward "down-river" —and Elviry.—New York News. UUAINT AND CURIOUS. Greece has 152 newspapers. Australia sends cocoauut oil to Eng land. Thunder can be heard nine miles away. Persia has only women carpet weavers. All beggars ia Italy must be duly licensed. Gloves made of frogskin are the lat est ndvelty. France gathers a window tax on more than nine million houses. A map of Jerusalem in mosaic, over 1500 year old, has been found in Pal estine. The River Jordan makes the freit est descent in the shortest distal ce of almost any stream. The entire collection of coins and medals in the British Museum consists of nearly 250,000 specimens. A pair of lovers in New Jersey who have been engaged since 183!) have just issued cards for their wedding. There is a clock in Brussels which has never been wound b F human hands. It is kept going I y the wind. From 1868 to 1881 it is estimated that no less than 31,000,000 buffaloes were slaughtered on the great plains of the United States. Nearly 1,200,000 pouuds of colors are used by the United States gov ernment annually for printing paper money, revenue and postage stamps. Veneer cutting has reached such perfection that a single elephant's tusk, thirty inches long, is now cut into a sheet of ivory 150 inches long and 20 inches wide. In the great volcano district of Ice land there is a whole inountai 1 coin posed of eruptive clays aud pure white sulphur. A beautiful grott > pene trates the western slope to an nukn iwn depth. The new British battleship I npla cable is to cost over #5,00.1, mo ', the largest sum ever spent in tlie build ing of a man-of-war. The armor plates alone will cost jf750,000, and the guns nearly as much. In the reign of Elizabeth the wear ing of hats was considered a sign of luxury. By an act of Parliament every person above the age of seven years, and under a certain degree, wa a obliged 011 Sundays and holidays to wear a woolen cap, made in England and finished by some of the fraternity of cappers. Envelopes cannot be tampered with to remove their contents in the mails without revealing the theft if a new safety device is used, which consists of a piece of material to be inserted in the envelope directly under the ad dress, which becomes damp and blurs the writing when the back of the en velope is steamed or soaked to open the fiap. Evaporation of t'anaua*. The American consul at Nicaragua re ] oi tsthat experiments are being made there to deve'op an industry of evap orating bananas, and that a trial ship ment has been made to this country. If successfully establishe 1, this indus try will be of the utmost importance to many Central American states. The men engaged in the experiment, ac cording to consular reports, have no practical knowledge of tlys business of drying the fruit, but if it/was taken up by men experienced in/the manufac ture of machinery bud appliances adapted to the evaporation of fruits, a modification to suit this case could easily be devised, and there would be an immense demand for such machines immediately. At present there are millions of bananas yearly thrown away or alio ted to rot 011 the ground because they aro to j small or too ripe for shipment to the United States. MISTER SOJSW MAN. I ain't got time ter fool wid you, Mister Bojer man; \ Never did look good In blue, Mister Hojer Man. 'Sides dat, I got my wuk ter do- Feed myself and fatnbly. too: Ain't got time ter fool wid you, Mister Hojer Man! Go 'long now. en fight yo' fight, Mister Sojer Man; Fling dem bombshell lef en right, Mister Sojer Miin. . Got ter hoe dat cotton white, J Keeii dat uutgrass out er sight; Go long now. en fight yo' light, Mister Sojer Man! —Atlanta Constitution. HUMOROUS. He—l m saddest when I sing. She —Well, Low do you suppose I feel. First Mormon—And what has shaken your belief in polygamy? Second Mormon (with a sigh) —My four wives. First Critic—There's no excuse for that man trying to play Hamlet. Sec ond Critic—Yes, there is! He's get ting paid for it. "Tell the class what an island is, Sammy." "Yes'm; an island is a ' body of land surrounded by United States battleships." Governess—l never in my life saw a little girl so wilful, exacting, cross and unreasonable as you are. Little Girl—l dess 1 takes after my step mother. , Governor of the Prison—What is the cause of this unseemly delay? Jailer—That expert headsman you en gaged from the college is sterilizing the axe. "Some are ready togo to war the moment they are needed," remarked the observer of men and things, "and others the moment they are not needed. '' Watts—They tell me that there are more than 50,000 tramps in this conn try. Dismal Dawson—Don't you be lieve it. More'll half of 'em is only imitations. "That widow who sued for SIOOO damages because a man hugged her has been awarded #l." "How Mas that? Did the evidence show that she edged up a little?" "Sometimes," said Uncle Eben, "er young man dat hub a lot o' push makes de mistake ob applyiu' it all ter de bicycle ob pleasure 'stid ob savin* some foil de wheelbarrow of neces sity." Hicks—Dumleigh is not w hat you would call a brilliant conversational ist. Wicks—Xo; bill? then, there is one thiug in his favor. He is never troubled by having people plagiarise his good tilings. "My son," said the aged politician, "it is better, especially when you are talking about the enemies in your own party, to use only soft and honeyed words. They are much easier to eat, should occasion nrise." "Excuse me, but it seems to me that I must have met you before. Are you not a brother or u near relative of Major Gibbs?" "Xo, Im Major Gibbs himself." "Ah, indeed, that explains the remarkable resemblance." Doctor—You must give up drink ing. and Mr. Sickly—l never touch a drop. Doctor—And stop smoking. Mr. Sickly—l don't smoke. Doctor—Humph! that's bad: if you haven't anything to give up, I'm afraid I cau't do much for you. Lawyer Banks—De Cree, I saw a man today who had just got back from Alaska with §IO,OOO in gold strap] e.l about hi) waist. De Cree—Why didn't he carry it in his pockets? Lawyer Banks—l guess his wife was with him. Toi'toisex I'acil im Gems. Brazilian l>eauties\ire said to wear fireflies in their hair, which give- n chance to poets of rhapsodizing on h stellar crowns of its ebon night. But what bard could sing of the reptile gem which an ingenious jeweler of the Rue Royale of Paris has invented foi his fashionable customers? This is a jeweled tortoise. The little live crea ture, no bigger than a five-franc piece, is kept prisoner by a slender gold chain eight or ten inches in length, so that it can ramble over its lady own er's neck and shoulders. Not being of itself a thing of beauty.it has beauty forced upon it and is compelled tobeni a precious jewel on its back. Does it hurt? The Parisian Society for the Protection of Animals sent to inquire, but found the small creatures appar ently contented and torpidly happy. They may not have been conscious that they had risen in the world's es teem from a crown to §lO or SI 00, but they are perfectly aware that their feelings had been no whit wounded. The gems which adorn them are, id fact, arranged in a platinum setting, which is clasped to the margins of the carapace —a dorsal shield composed ol bone and horn, which does not sutler from neuralgia, as it has no nerves. Of course, it is the proper thing to be shocked at this freak of fashion as a new French enormity, but the beet society has not adopted it. As for.the cruelty of it, it may, perhaps, surprise the tortoise to be remove 1 from its native mud and moisture, but could hardly annoy anything soplaeid and purpose less.' It does not suffer at the hands of its decorators, as do ladies who have ears or noses or lips pierced foi beauty's sake. Koyal Family of Hoxew. Boxing is a favorite sport of tli6 Danish-royal family, Prince Valdemai being the best boxer among theu. When he challenged the late Emperoi 111 of Russia, howerer, he met more than his match. King George o) Greece is also skilled with tut gloves, v The present Emperor of Russia, o.t I his travels around the world, used tc,| have a bout vitli Prince George ol I Greece every morning on the bridgt i if the steamer.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers