THE BRIDGE AT COLENSO. Colenso is on tbe line of the railroad running from Ladysmith to Pieter maritzburg and Durban. The key to Colenso, and likewise one of the most vulnerable points on the railroad, was tbe bridgo crossing the Tugela River, upon which stream the city of Colenso is situated. This bridge has been the subject of much anxiety to the London War Office, owing to the depend ence of the position upon its safety. The bridge is built of iron lattice work and tubing, supported by piers of masonry. Colenso is in Natal, seven teen miles south of Ladysmith. ooooooooooooooooooooooccog 1 fcaha, favorite game g g of [tilipino (7hildren. § 8 How It is Played, o oooooooococooooooooooooooo Children are a happy lot almost anywhere, and the Filipino picka ninnies are no exception to the rule. They laugh aud shout just like other children and play their games. Some thing like "tag" is very popular, and then there is a play called "laha" in Tagalog, which is the lauguage of the country folk aud the fishermen and all the natives who are not living in Spanish families. Laha is the game some of my little neighbors were playing Saturday after school, writes Harry A. Armstrong, the Manila correspondent of the Chi cago Record. I went to take a pict ure, and when they saw the camera there was a scattering, and it ap peared as if I had broken up the game. But this was not so, for pres ently the lively troop came back. One little girl, however, was very tardy aud the others waited for her. After awhile she came, all dressed up in a "htisa" cloth gowu, which trailed out behind. Over her shoulders she had thrown a pina shawl. She seemed very proud of her tiuery and her poses appeared very self-conscious, but per haps that was due to the stiff gown, which reached to the ground. The accompanying picture shows her and her gown as the children threw the shoe to see who should "stand." The toe of the shoo was to tell, audit fell pointing to Eness, a graceful girl of eight years, and full of life and sport. •>, • ' 0 ' —-» Eness ran to the center of the square ami sting her challenge, which sound ed very much like "Tobegoutobegon t'diegon," but when repeated slower for my benefit it sounded like "to be gone," thrice repented. The square in which the game was played was something like the accom panying diagram, only it was in the sand and the "laha" Hues were made by a bare foot. When the toe of the phoe declared thatEness was"it" the rest gathered about her—Bitruana and Bralsidis audOlihay and Vahedis. Then Eness sh'outed "Tobegontobe gontobegon" and the other girls darted awny to their corners. The game was for Eness to touch one of the others as she passed over the "laha" lines, and then that one should be out of the game. The last one caught should "stand" the next time. A.ud I want to say that it was just a jolly play, and one out of which each player got lots of exercise. .First Bitruana sidled up to the line and Eness made a dash at her, and as she did so Olihay skipped across on her side, and when Eness darted back that way. Yahedis and Bralsedis crossed sidewise and Eness was where ehe started. Each girl screamed with excitement, but the hand of Eness did not touch anyone, and all straightened up to catch breath. Euess was probably the most sup ple one there and she danced out to ward Olihay, crying defiantly, "To begontobegontobegon!" but Olihay took a backward step and was out of harm's way—in the part marked "safe" in the diagram. This gave Bitruana a chance, and she flounced Lei- pretty skirts across the line iust as Eness reached the limit on that side, aud she screamed at her narrow escape, Eness was back again to the center, and tliis time she caught Bralsidis fair and square. There was a slap on the shoulder and a cry of delight from Eness as Bralsidis slowly walked over to the shade of one oi the nipa huts. From here she joined the shouting and jumped up and down in TYPICAL QUARTERS OF UNCLE SAM'S FUTURE MILITARY OFFICERS. i excitement as one of the players slipped past "laha." Shortly she was joined by Olihay, and after awhile by Vahedis, and Bitruana was darting about to keep out of reach of Eness. At last she was caught and it was a panting pair of girls that sought the shade. After the photographs had been taken Bitruana slipped into her house and changed her stiff gown, and when she came out she was clad as the others. It was with much vigor, and little, if any, restraint that she danced in the centre of the field and cried "Tobegontobegontobegon," and then sidled off to the right, while she kept her eyes on the left line. Suddenly she whirled like a wink and caught Olihay as she was crossing from right to left, not knowing that Bituana was looking. So the game went on, and this time Vahedis was the last and by and by she was caught. I & i jf' I I Pi ** I s <& I * $ * i THE "LAHA"OKOUND. (The one who "stands" may run anywhere on the (lark portion, but usually stands In the contre, ready to run in any direc tion.) The little girls named live in bamboo huts with their parents, who are fisher folk, and who, to be close to the bar, have built their huts in the back yard of some wealthier person. The little girls often go out iu the surf and enjoy the sea to the fullest extent, for the Filipino children learn to swim early in life. Wasted Effort* "When my wife, gets to jawing," said tho man with the frayed cuffs, "I preserve a dignified silence." "Yes, I heard about it," said the man with the blue overalls. "I heard yoar hired girl telling our hired girl that you was the best hand at settin' round an' sulkin' she seen."— Indianacohs Journal. | Simplicity of (Sadet Life $ | at West Point Academy, | Spartan simplicity is the predomin ant feature of cadet rooms at West Point. They are furnished alike. There are no decorations in one that cannot be found in all the others. A millionaire's son has no more privil eges than the poorest lad whose brains and physical perfection seoured hii? appointment. No furniture or ornaments are al lowed in rooms except those called for by the regulations. Everything in a cadet's room is purchased out of the pay he receives from the government. No ornaments are allowed on the walls, but a few photographs may be plased on tho top shelf of the clothes press. Each cadet must- make up his bed after reveille. Mattresses and blankets are folded neatly and piled against the head. Shoes are lined parallel on the floor by the side of the bed. An alcove furnished with hooks provides a place for uniforms. The hooks are numbered for each garment. Nigh clothes and one clothes bag for each cadet hang on pegs next to the bed. A small clothes press, having four shelves, stands against the wall near the door. This press holds the remaining belongings of the occu pants. The mantel ornaments consists of a neat frame giving the hours of in struction, copies of the army regula tions, U. S. M. A. regulations, blue book, and a small mirror. At the foot of the bed is a washstand, with two bowls aud a few toilet articles. Ou the trausom of the alcove is each cadet's name, which must also appear over his clothes press aud pegs. Guns have a separate rack. Two cadets occupy a room. The selection of room mates is left to tho cadets themselves, the authorities claiming uo jurisdiction. Each cadet takes his turn as room orderly weekly. The orderly is re sponsible for the general order aud cleanliness of the room. He must see that the ventilation is perfect, that the lights go out at taps. Upon him rests the responsibility of dust appearing on the shelves. He must not allow his room mate or any visitor to stand at the window in shirt sleeves, and whatever is done in the room he stands accountable for. Formerly cadets were compelled to scrub the floors of their rooms, but civilians are now employed for that purpose. Thi is the only -evidence of luxury that as cropped up at West Point during t. e century of its exist ence. Two Stories of Lawyem. The logic of wit is tho most destruc tive logic that is employed against er ror. This was aptly illustrated at a public reception given a few nights ago, at which a learned lawyer, who is slightly lame in his right foot, was present. The advocate overheard a lady say to her companion, "That is Mr. C , the lame lawyer." Turning around he replied, "No, madam, I am a lame man, but not a lame lawyer." An amusing incident occurred in one of the common pleas courts the other day. The lawyer for the de fense was making a very lengthy cross examination of an old lady, when he was interrupted by the judge with the remark: "I thiuk you have exhausted this witness." "Tea, judge," she exclaimed, "I do feel very much exhiusted."—Philadel phia Call. I>rylng Clothes by Balloon. One of the large lauudries in the suburbs of Paris has adopted this means of hangiug its clothes up to dry above the contaminated atmosphere of the French metronoli.* TO MULTIPLY WITH THE FINCERS An Ingenious System llitd in the Fclioo of Poland. A Polish mathematician has inventec an ingenious system whereby larg< sums may be multiplied on thefingeri with much less trouble than with per l MULTIPLYING i | 6BY fc ■ ( or poncil. The system bears the name of its inventor, Procopovitch, and has been introduced into the schools throughout Poland. A little study of the illustration will enable any one to do sums. Children are required first to mark the numerals on the endsof their fingers that they may remembei them more readily, but adults can get along without this aid by memorizing the position of the numbers. The system is not used for multi plying numbers of less than six, since such problems can readily be done mentally. The fingers are numbered as follows: . 9 BY 8 The two thumbs represents o>, the index fingers each represent 7, the middle fingers 8, the ring fingers 9, »ud the litle fingers 10. To multiply auy two of these num bers the fingers representing the multiplier and the multiplicand are placed together. Beginning with the lingers placed together, one counts the number of fingers, including these two and moving toward and including tho thumb. The sum will be the num ber of tens, or the first numeral of the product. A certain number of fingers still remain below the fingers which have been joined. Tho fingers remaining on oue haud multiplied by the num ber remaining on the other will give tho number of units, or right-hand unit of tlie product. In multiplying 8 by 9, for instance, the middle fingei of the right baud is placed against the ring finger of the left haud, as shown iu the illustration. Counting the number of fingers above I 8 E>Y6 those placed together and includiup these, we obtain seven fingers, or 70. There are now remaiuiug two fingers on the right hand and one on the left, which wheu multiplied give two These two, added to tho number ol tens, give 72, the product 8 by 9. The New Government Printing; Office. The new Government Printing Of fice will cost about 8-,000,000, and it is said that even after its completion it will not be large enough to meet thn demands upon it. The new building will be eight stories in height, aud its floor space will be about nino acres. The floors will sustain a load of 55,- 000,000 pounds. The building will be constructed in such a substantial manner that the eutire space can bo tilled with paper aud books without injuring its stabilility iu any degree. Access to the various floors will bo ob tained by twelve electric elvevators. The building will be lighted with 7000 incandescent lights. A refrigerating plant will furnish cold filtered water on every floor for driking purposes. A large crematory will destroy all tho refuse material, and this will aid iu heating water, etc. It is hoped in time that Congress will appropriate tho money for modern typesetting ma chines, but it is probable that when the census is complete and the repotts published, the equipment of the cen sus printing office will revert to the Government Printing Office.—Scien title American. 111. Impartiality. "Whatl want to see," remarked th< man' of theories, "is an equal dis tribution of wealtl^" "That's exactly what I want tc see," answered the lnau with so much money that he could never find tiim to count it. "Did you ever meet try partner in business? He's a fine man I'd like to see all the wealth iu ex istence divided so that he'll have out half and I the other." The Men Who Shout. The men who are too anxious t< fight before the battle opens are oftei conveniently absent when the firing begins.—The Pathfinder. In consequence of the law allowing wild ducks to be killed nine months t year, those birds are said to be on the point of extermination iu the marsher of Miohigau. ANCIENT BOLIVIAN CHAQUI3. Trained Itunner* Who Carried Newi With Amazing Swlftne**. When the Spanish invaders entered Bolivia, writes W. E. Curtis in the Chicago Record, tliey wondered at the manner iu which their movements were anticipated i y the natives. Every act appeared to be instantly communicated over the entire enipite almost as swiftly as if sent by tele graph. After a few mouths they dis covered that there was an organic a tion of runuers who carried the news with amazing speed over the snow covered mountains aud across the scorching sands. They were known as the chaquis and were selected by reason of their physical qualifications and trained for speed aud endurance. When they became incapacitated by age or accident, they were given loss I arduous duties in the army or the court. As the Incas had no written lau guago, their mesFages were always ora', so the memories as well as the muscles of the cliaquia were trained. Sometimes the Inca communicated with his subordinates iu other parts of 1 the country by signs —a ring, a piece | of molded clay or a leaf might be | transmitted—which meant nothing to j the man who bore it or to the people ! who saw it iu his hands, but was very , portentous to him for whom it was iu j tended. As proof of the speed of the | ?haquis it is said that the royal table I at Cusco was often served with fresh j fish caught in the sea tifty or sixty ; hours previous—a distance that now ! requires from six tote i days travel |by railways and stage. Along the ' highways and the mountain trails, at j frequent intervals, were established station houses, usually erected upon ' hillocks aud other points of observa tion from which the approach of mes i sengers could be detected. As oue arrived, heated and breathless, a fresh | ahaqui would be ready to receive the : message and carry it to the next sta tion without an instant's delay. The chaquis still exist, but they are no longer organized and there is littie use for them. Iu time of war they ' are useful, as they have many of the instincts and much of the skill of scouts, aud being familiar with the byways as well as the highways are ablo to slip through the lines of the enemy without danger. Home years ngo I saw a chaqui of the name of (Jtialuapambo (bird chaser), who was very swift of foot and almost incapable of fatigue. He had been employed • for several years by General Caseras, then president of Peru, and had car ried a messuge 250 miles without rest or sleep through the enemy's country and had returned with the auswei within a week. The chaqui never carries food with him, l.ut depends entirely upon the cocoa leaf, n >r are his movements im peded by clothing. He goes as near ly naked as possible, but carries a poucho aud paints his legs with a vegetable dye as a protection against I oisouous vines aud aud the bites of insects. Novel Fl.hinc for Shark". This being the season of tish yarus -John Ritchie, who has for years con ducted most of the shorthand work at national conventions, sprung this story at the Press club: 1 "About the funniest thinglsaw," he said, "was while on a vessel down off Hatteras Inlet or some point near there. One day we rau into about 40,000,000,000 sharks. There was a lot of them, aud I wonJered if they weie all there for me. I do think sharks give everybody a sort of creep ing feeling. We had some fuu with them. There was a | a 'senger on hoard who had some experience with the beasts before. He we it to tho , cook aid got him to make a lot of duinpliugs. He came on deck wi.'i ' three or four dozen of them and be ! gan tossing them to the sharks. They I snapped them down eagerly. Now : you must bear iu mind that these balls in coming from the cook had ; time to cool on the outside so that as they slipped dowu the shark's throat he did not notice anything out of the ; way. But tho inside of that ball was like a fiery furnace, and in a iniuute after it had bei*n swallowed the heat ! began to act. I don't believe the eis anything hotter than hot dough, and if not exposed to the air it keeps hot. Well, you should have seen those : sharks jump and pluuge and throw 1 themselves I never saw anything like it iu my life, aud, while I am al ways opposed to cruelty, it doesn't I seem as if there was any harm iu do ling anything to a shark."—Chicago | Times-Herald. Gift of H Fnmoii* Flag. One of the most interring charac ters iu Martha's Vineyard, Mass., is ! Mr?. Harriet Pe ecca Stafford, or j "Mother Stafford," now 80 years old. 1 In her cottage in a room devoted to I patrfotic relics and antiques. But the ! pride of her museum —the ensign of I the Bon Homme Richard—is there no more for she his presented the pre oious flag to the United States govern ment. One of her heirlooms is a gold wed ding ring worn by her grandmother 118 years ago Harriet Rebec a wore this ring herself in 1855, when she became Mrs. John Barnutu Ames, and the ring is of such potent virtue that sbe couldn't resist wearing it again when .lames Stafford proposed to her. James Stafford was the sou of Lieu tenant Stafford, who rescued the flag from the British iu the tight between the Bou Homme Richard and the Ser apis, when the intrepid Jones told the British captain to siuk him if he could, adding by way of emphasis: "If I Mist goto the devil I bad rather strike to him than to yon." It was through the marriage with v r. Stafford that this genial old lady came into possession of the flag.— Boston Globe. F'OR THE HO'JSEWIVCS. I'm DHIHJ> < U)>l)onr<lA. Damp cupboards and rooms can b« made <liy hii i airy by placing a basin of fiosu 1i in where the moisture pene traits to the detriment of food, linen, etc. 'i'lie liaie quickly absurbes the unwholesome humidity and the reme dy need only be repeated every now uud then. In living rooms, which are not to be depended upon as being as dry as would be desirable, it is ad visable to place saucers containing salt under sofas, etc. This will ab sorb the moisture in a wonderful man ner If thoroughly dried, the salt can be used again lor the same pur pose. llr w t» Wnuli Silk. All colored silks should never 1:# steeped, but washed and ironed as expeditiously as possible, to prevent the color going. Squeeze it in warm, soapy lather (not hot) until clean, rinse in warm and then in cold water. To the latter add one tablespoonful of salt and the same of vinegar. This is done to preserve the color. Squeeze out tightly, fold evenly aud roll in a clean cloth; beat well between the hands. Iron at once with a moder ately hot iron, under muslin, until nearly dry. Fiuish without the mus lin. White silk must be steeped in borax water and then washed iu the same way as colored silk except in the last 1 insing water a large oonftil of methylated spirit is put to each pint of water iustead of salt and vine gar. The methylated spirit imparts a a gloss to the silk, and should it be liked stiff, put one teaspoonful of pre pared gum water to each pint of rins ing water. To CIPHII GEM*. Talking of gems reminds one that comparatively few people ever think of cleaning them, but allow them to get extremely grimy nud then send them to a jeweler. This accumula tion of dirt is very injurious to the stones. Every few months all rings, brooches and such articles as are in j constant use—less frequently for those seldom worn—should be brushed with a toothbrush which Ims been dippe I j in eau de cologne, if the netting is open it must be brushed from the 1 aclc. Then lay the article in a heap of boxwood sawdust which has been slightly heated 1 eforehand and leave them for some thirty minutes. Gold | < hains may be washed in soaps ids, drying them on a soft towel by pull -1 ing the chain backward aud forward, lut cure must Ie taken to pull it in ; the fight way of the curb or link. These may also 1 e placed in sawdnsi, | the particles of which can be easily j blown away afterward. The least I damp be ween the links is very likely j to cause them to wear more rapidly. Uncorking a Hot tic. A wise woman fat watching her i daughter's erlorts to remove a cork | (not a stop2>er) from a bottle. Seeing that the cork was about to break she quietly took the matter into ! her own hands, and, with a gentle . touch or two, suo.i had the I ottle ready I for use. | "You did not know the law of j corks?" she said, smiling at the girl's astonishment. "Do you 'owiealize that when a cork is put ii: o a bottle the fingers twist in the same diie.tioii a screw is turned, aud at the same time push it home? This tatises the fibres of the j art of the cork in the bottle neck to twist aud contract aud squeeze themselves spirally into a smaller space. When the cork must come out, to turn it in the opposite diiection untwists aud expands it and i makes it hard to move. If you would j Le successful, just, turn the cork in ox ' a Mly the sane direction as you did ut j first. This contracts it still further, 1 and then it is an easy matter to lift it j out. "If the cork should be held by any | sticky mixture it can easily be loos ened by plunging the I ottle head first j into hot water. This melts the glue ! like snl stance, aud a little gentle tin ! gering will set the cork free, to be i turned as described." As everyone knows how provoking i it is to have a cork broken short in a I bott'e and how prone corks are to this | bit of perversity, the above hint may ] Ie of value if carefully remembered. | Chicago Times-Herald. Her 1 Frizzle I Beef with Eggs—Put into | a saucepan one cupful of milk anil one j teaspoofnl of butter; ald a cupful of i finely i hopped dried beef; cook live ; minutes, then add two well beaten ' and stir till the sauce thickeus. 1 our the mixture over slices of fried I rend or toast. Callers' Cuke for Teas—Take six eggs and their weight in sugar, Hour uud b tter. Beat nil well together ill A clay b iwl for half an hour and add liie grated rind otone lemou; cut a.ter ! rolling the i aste into sniall lozenges | and i like in a ino.leiate Oven a yellow i brown. These, keep in u tin cunuister I nicely. Brains with Tomatoes—To one can of tomatoes add one ihopped onion, one bay leaf, one tablespoouful of butter, one dozen peppercorns, a little nutmeg and salt to tnste. Put two s of 1 ruins iu a baking dish, pour over them the straiuid tomatoes, (over with breadcrumbs moistened in melted butter and bake until browu. Heriuga Fritters (French) Five gills of water, sugar to sweeten, four ounces of fresh b.itte , the rind of a I lemon grated to powder, and a pound (or more if needed, according to the I absorption) of tine sifted flour. Beat | half an hour, add a gill of orauge flower water, theu chill the mixture and beat in one at a time live eggs. In the .reason seringas picked free of any grass are put iu the paste. Fry in hot fat. draiL an I dust with powdered sugar, 112 erve with lemon.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers