Mem who danced with the Queen bid fair to rival In multitude the nurses of George Washington. 3efore Count Zeppelin makes a suc cess of his aerial ship he will have to remodel it. He now confesses that he cannot make it fly. Since Spain lost her colonies she has turned her attention to sugar beet culture, thus her home industries have been beneflted by her losses abroad. The muster roll of one of the com panies of Concord Minute Men, once offered to the town of Concord for $25, was sold in Boston the other day for 10 times that amount. The popularity of Earl Roberts is likely to restore the goatee to favor on masculine chins in England. It fell Into disuse after cavalier days and stayed out until Louis Napoleon re turned it to vogue. The Adirondack guides have struck against the danger of the modern small bore rifle in the woods. This weapon sends bullets far beyond neces sary range, and should be barred from the forest, where it is likely to kill people who are out of sight. Professor Lee, the well-known as tronomer, seems not to put much faith in the sun, as he has calculated that in the next 3,000,000 years it will freeze to death. This is sad, if true, but there should be some interesting American to invent something, if only another sun, with which to avert the calamity. English girls are growing so tall, thanks to athletics and an outdoor life generally, that Lady Violet Greville expresses alarm for the future of the sex if they continue ta increase in stature. Even now they dominate the men in height to such an extent that they are correspondingly diminishing their matrimonial chances. The habit of considering the Mor mon church as essentially an estab lishment of Utah in the far west is rudely broken by news of 1000 con verts reported to the conference of the southern states within the past year. This conference covers Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida. Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The Rev. S. Baring-Gould (who among other interesting things wrote the "Onward, Christian Soldier!" hymn which Sullivan set to music) is credited with being the most prolific of English authors, the British Mu seum showing 140 titles in its cata logue under his name. Andrew Lang comes next with 130 and Dr. Furnivall, who won a boat race at 75, is third with 120. It is noticed in England that pen manship is rapidly deteriorating, even among clerks who have ample leisure and opportunity for good work with the pen. One of the busiest of Ameri cans, Thomas A. Edison, writes rapid ly in a hand that is described as "like copper-plate, every curve fully formed and distinct." This expertness is a sur vival of the inventor's early experi ence as a telegraph operator. According to a recent writer on "Municipal Baths in England and the United States," out of 304 towns in England and Wales one-third maintain one or more of these establishments. Of these 45 have a population less than 40.000. The loans sanctioned for the purpose in the last 12 years amount to over $7,000,000. In tho United States, out of 17 of its largest cities, municipal baths are found in only seven of them, aggregating 12 establishments, as against 75 in Lon don alone. Chicago has four free pub lic baths, Boston two and San Fran slsco one. New York's free floating baths are for summer uso only. It looked at one time as if the In ternational marrying fad would never •lie out, but If reports are true It may soon go the way of the bicycle craze. It Is stated that but two English dukes remain In tho matrimonial market, and neither of them can be consid ered eligible, one being almost a luna tic and tho other an Invalid. Inter national marriages have not, as a rule, been prolific of much happiness to the brides. Money and titles can not guarantee happlnesH. The titles have a glamor for a certain class of rich people, but as an Investment they oftener bring loss of money with mis ery than they do wealth and happiness A contented person la rich and happy The American girl does not make any mistake by fitting herself to become the wife of a sober. Industrious and well-educated Amerltau. lty marry log In her own social sphere hei iham rs of happux as are 100 fold better than If she marries out of It ftbiuad. There were no speeches at Verdi's grave. There are no orators who could have put into words what the silence said. The agitation of the question of public ownership of franchises has adder- at least one new word to the vocabulary—municipalization. Clarence Mackay has ordered in Paris a $17,000 automobile "to beat anything in America." American in ventors and manufacturers may have something to say about this. It is a fact of disagreeable signifi cance that one out of every 300 people living in New York state is an inmate of either a private or public hospital for the insane. We seem to be living in a too cerebral age. The ornithologists of Great Britain and America have just finished a spirited discussion which has lasted for more than a year as to which is the largest bird that flies. The prize has been awarded to an American bird, the great condor of the Andes. The second prize has been given to the fierce harpy eagle of the Philip oines. The length of a generation is usual ly considered 30 to 35 years. A statis tician has recently worked out rec ords of eight generations in New Eng land starting with 1037 and he finds the average length just about 33 1-3 years, making three generations? to the century. It is conceded that for other races or countries the figures might be different. A nation that is fettered by having one man in every SO a soldier cannot hope to keep industrial and commer cial pace with one that is free, having only one in 800 a soldier. It is to a reform of their own domestic systems that European powers would best look for relief and for prosperity, and not to mere antagonism against the successful rival whose success is in great part due to the fact that it has avoided the evils which they have cherished, observes the New York Tribune. Pennsylvania is a wonderful state. Its manufacturing interests are diver sified and cover every article of hu man consumption from the raw to the manufactured. In this state, power and transmission reaches over IGOO good, live, wide-awake, growing con cerns of a rating, according to the best commercial agencies of $25,000 or over. They are all users of machin ery, and the constant orders for sup plies must be something marvelous. Did you ever stop to think that in Pennsylvania there are nearly as many factories as are contained in that part of the United States lying west of the Mississippi river? There is still a queen in England. Alexandra, the queen consort, so long known as the Princess of Wales, is possessed of an exceptionally good measure of that gracious quality known as "the wisdom of the heart," and there is no doubt that her popu larity will be only little less great the world over than was that of her illustrious predecessor. The influence of the reigning sovereign in Great Dritain must, generally speaking, be exerted indirectly—that is to say, it is a social rather than a political force. King Edward's winning and ingratia ting consort is splendidly endowed for the position of a royal helpmate. The peppermint-oil crop was the leading feature in some neighbor hoods of central New York a few years ago, and brought more money Into the hands of the farmers than did Ihe apple crop. But now the pepper pint crop is mostly a thing of tho past In that section, and the mint stills are kept in operation by the crop of a few acres near them. The beet-sugar crop has driven the mint crop westward, for the farmers find It more profitable to raise sugar beeta. Ten years ago every community in central New York had a resident who was getting rich by stilling mint, but (hc3o same mills are now falling into disuse. Cutting a slice out of Western Florida to be annexed to Alabama, in ordor that the heavy exporters of the latter st*te may more readily control their shipments of timber, coal and Iron through the fine port of Pensaco la, Is a fasclnatlni; project of commer cialism which Is now engaging the at tention of influential citizens along the Kasti rn Gulf coast. The two state legislatures must agree, and congress must thereafter consent—conditions which thus far have proved Insuper able obstacles to the consummation of the scheme. Hut business, which high authority has declared to bo "stronger than law." may be also stronger than »ui.|tut statu boundaries. rA A AA A SERPENTS OF SALVATION. > 3 E 3 The Ordeal of a Night in a Texas Cabin. Jf < ► BY GWENDOLEN OVERTON. It was partly noble and heroic self abnegation which prompted Macintosh to constitute himself the saviour of Barclay; but it was also partly hope of winning the hundred which the rest of the mess put up and which would enable him to pay, by several months sooner than he would otherwise have done, for the carved ivory crop, the silver spurs, and the gold cross-sabres, and other trifles of the sort that he had bestowed upon Miss Cunningham in happier days. Thu3 is the pure metal cf our finest actions ever com bined in the coining with base alloy. Macintosh had been in love with Miss Cunningham for some time, and was so still, though now he had noth ing to hope. He had had reason to believe at one period of the negotia tions that he found favor in her sight. Then Barclay had come upon the scene, with pull, prospects, and ex ceeding good looks, and from the moment that he presented himself as a rival for the notice of Miss Cunning ham, Macintosh began to lose heart, realizing that, besides being far less blessed in personal appearance than the other, he had nothing to expect in the future beyond promotion and fo gies, in the natural course of death and years. He put his faith to the test how ever, and when it proved definitely ad verse, he did not go into the world embittered and scowling at Barclay, and making a spectacle of himself generally. He even continued to put the horses of his troop at Miss Cun ningham's disposal, though now she rode no more with him. Yet, for all that, he himself would have been more than human had he not experienced a certain secret satisfaction at seeing one placed there —and that by Bar clay himself. This thing came to pass surprisingly soon, and in the following manner. . Barclay and his lady had a quarrel one day, and, whether it was a relapse to habits of his past life "(for Barclay was a civil appointment) or whether it was merely to drown despair, certain it was that the lieutenant hired him self down to the officers' room and drank more than was good for him — considerably more. This was, of course, in the old days, as many as 25 years ago, before the service down to the last, least commissioned officer, had reformed. Then, finding perhaps that though naughty, whiskey —even sutler's whiskey—was nice, Barclay took to drink regularly and all at once; and for a period of several months, except when he was on duty, never drew a sober breath. His brother officers shook their heads in decent sorrow and said that the poor fellow was going the way of many a better man—since it is always the brightest who have gone before us. and the dullest who are left behind. Now there is one thing which every one has probably observed regarding the man who is in his cups the best part of the time, which is, that besides being the special care of Providence, the war department looks after him tenderly, and his wife is generally his adoring slave. Miss Cunningham was not Barclay's wife as yet, to be sure, but she would have liked to be, so it came to pretty much the same thing, and in propor tion as his vice took stronger hold upon him, he took stronger hold upon her heart. Then her parents inter fered, and what with their opposition and menaces, and Barclay's entreaties and promises of amendment after each new fall, the poor girl had a very bad time. Every one was sorry for her. The older officers got at Barclay and pointed to hideous examples of what his end would be, and to the graves of youths and of old men, who had done as he was doing, which dotted the face of Texas and of the territories in general. Barclay was sorry, sincerely sorry. He pledged himself to reform — and straightway sinned again. And there, where all others had failed, Macintosh stepped in and achieved success. He had been off on a hunting leave, and had got back to the post just in time to report and dress and go over to the mess. Bar clay belonged to the mess, but he was not there, and Macintosh, looking around, asked where he might be. "Sick," said the adjutant laconi cally. "Meaning " "Exactly so." Macintosh opined that it was a con founded shame, and worse, and some one else suggested that It would not matter so much if the absent one were only killing himself, but that he was killing Miss Cunningham as well. "I don't know," objected Macintosh; "Barcay's a pretty decent sort him self " "Which," interrupted the adjutant, "Is both magnanimous and true." "And" —continued Macintosh, un heeding—"and there are fellows who could be a lot better spared. As far as I've observed this Is his only fault." The adjutant was of the opinion that he made up for a good many lesser oues with it, and that it was one, more over, which might not be cured. "Oh!" said Macintosh, more by way of offering opposition than from con viction, "I don't know about that." The others asked If he had ever heard of a bona fide case of reform where there had not been a back-slide. "Of course." they argued, "fellows have been known togo on the water wagon, and to turn over a new leaf, aud all that when th«m was a girl In view. Any man. nearly, will *wi_.tr off when he's in love, but when he's in love and can't swear off, he is in a very bad way." And they went onto point out at length how the subject of dis cussion might end up all at once In a general collapse, to which finish the air of the country was favorable, or, on the other hand, might last to a green old age, rank, and the retired list. "You can't most always tell," de clared one. "but. so far as I'm con cerned, I should like to see him die off early enough for Miss Cunningham to get over it and forget all about it." "I," said Macintosh, "had rather see him cured." "You," observed a captain, with ad miration, "must have been drawing on the post Sunday school library. Come off!" Whereat all the contrariness of Mac intosh's nature was aroused. "I would," he insisted. Then an idea seemed to strike him. "And I'll bet," he added, "that I'll reform him, too." "Angels have trod there," they as sured him, "but it would be pictur esque to see you rush in. And, by way of incentive, we'll bet you a hun dred to ten that you won't." Macintosh took it, and two months was set as the limit of time in which he might show the finished article. "Provided, always," he stipulated, "that the C. O. will give me another hunting-leave inside of a week." This the commandment —the matter being presented to him —agreed to do. So Macintosh told Barclay of certain magnificent hunting grounds he had discovered on the last trip, and worked on his imagination and his sportman ship; and they started off together, on horseback, with their bedding wrapped in rubber ponchos, and provisions on a led-horse. Macintosh did not want a private or any one else along. Barclay, being in a state of new and keen repentance, abstained from tak ing a flask along, but Macintosh did not believe in foolhardy heroism of that sort, and his saddlebags held two. Their way led across an all but in terminable waste of chaparral. The first day out Barclay drank water. But he stood it in silence until they halted at noon under a mesquite bush. Then Barclay gave a great groan: it was so nearly a sob that Macintosh shuddered. He asked what the trouble was, but he knew very well. "I'd give my eternal soul —if I haven't already—for a drink," he said. "I don't believe I can stand it, old fel low ; let's go back." But Macintosh refused; he had come out to be gone eight days, and he was going to stay out. "You're two days from the post, anyway," he reasoned; "and you'd either be dead or over it before you sot back." So Barclay had no choice but to keep cn. Macintosh said nothing about the llasks in the saddle-bags. He was keeping those for possibly a more ur gent use. At nightfall they came to a settle ment In a gulch between two bare foot hills. It was a deserted settlement, of mining origin to judge from a forsaken shaft or two. and if it had ever had a name it was forgotten now as had probably been the pony whose skele ton —the legs still hobbled —lay across the entrance of the one street, which ran along the bottom of the gully and was lined on either side by a dozen or more shacks. "We can put up in one of those houses tonight," Macintosh said cheer fully. "I did when I was here a few days ago." Barclay, who was in a very bad state by now, and whose nerves were agoniz ing, looked dubious, and said that he would prefer to sleep outside under a poncho, as they had done the night be fore. "The places are probably alive with centipedes or skunks or some thing," he complained. Macintosh had a career of falsehood opening before him for the night in any case, so he entered courageously upon it now. He said that the house he had gone into had been singularly free from anything of the sort, that it had been very comfortable, and that a roof where you could get it was in dubitably better than the stars. So they cooked their supper and hobbled their stock, and when the moon rose they took their bedding rolls and went into the shack, which appeared to be in the best state of repair, and which had, in the town's life-time been its most flourishing saloon. Macintosh lit a candle, and set it on what remained of the bar. If Barclay had been in a condition to notice any thing besides his own woes, he would have seen that Macintosh's face was white and his looks anxious. But he only unwrapped the poncho with shak ing hands, and begau to spread It in a corner. Then he Jumped back and stood looking, terror-eyed into the shadow. There was an ominous, sharp sound, that died away. "Say, Macintosh." he quavered "there's a rattler in here." Macintosh crossed over to him and laid his hand on his houlder. "1 guess not, old fel low," he soothed; "turn In and you'll feel better In the morning." Barclay insisted upon the snake, with angry oath-i. It rattled again as he went a step nearer. "Don't you hear It?" ho ursed. Macintosh shook his head pityingly, sadly. And <u*t then something dark and long went sliding slowly over the floor. The reimatlon which stole up Mai Intosh's back to the roots of his *'«• not "t "Hill ' "'Juf-'UUj 11," said Barclay, his voice breaking and high between rage and sheer scare, "get that candle and look, if you don't believe me." Macintosh went for the candle, walk ing clrcultously to avoid something colled and beginning to stir, and there by disturbing yet one more, which rattled, too. Barclay turned around with a spring. "Perhaps you didn't hear that?" he de manded. "Hear what?" asked Macintosh, patiently. He brought the candle, and Barclay took it in his hand and put it almost at the raised and darting head of a rattler. "Maybe you don't see now," he triumphed. Macintosh felt like dancing as the tenderfoot does when the cowboy shoots at the floor beneath his feet. He wondered if his and Barclay's leggings and boots were surely fang proof. His teeth clicked together, but lie only reached out and took the candle away. "Come to bed, old fel low," he insisted, once more; "you'll be all right by daylight." The sympathy of his tone worked Barclay to frenzy. He got into the middle of the room, fairly staggering. The candle, held high in Macintosh's hand, threw a circle of vague light, in the circle were no less than eight snakes—some coiled some mov ing, some raising evil heads, some writhing away into the gloom beyond. "Do you mean to say you don't see those?" His hand swept an unsteady circle. Macintosh steeled himself, and said that he only saw the floor. The other stared at him wildly for a moment, then gave a howl of terror that froze the blood in Macintosh's tempes and made him wish that he had left Barclay togo mad in his own chosen way. Horrible thoughts began to come to him of what would happen if the fellow were togo insane here in the midst of the desert, in a for saken settlement with only hundreds upon hundreds of rattlesnakes every where around. "Get me out of this—oh. get me out of this!" pleaded Barclay, starting for the door and stopping short with a hiss of fright as a snake shot up its head and rattled. Then, in a patch of light which fell on the wall, a centi pede, big and fat and long, began to crawl, slowly at first and more swiftly. His eyes fixed themselves upon it, glassy, and he stood perfectly still, his breath coming in sobs and gulps. When the crawling thing had disap peared into a crack he turned deliber ately about. His face showed livid and aged and lined. "On your word of honor, Macintosh," he said, with pain ful quiet, "are none of those things here?" "What things?" said Macintosh. He looked forward over the seven or eight hours of darkess yet to come, and wondered whether he oi Barclay would go mad first, or, if not that, then which would first be stung. But there was no way out of it. now, no way but to make an eternal enemy, a fool of himself, and a fizzle of the whole attempt, not to speak of losing his bet. Besides, he was doing a good act. So he got Barclay up o'.i top of the bar, and he lit one candle as another burned out, and all through the night he kept alternately poking up the snakes and insisting that there were no snakes (here, the while he laid quieting hands on the trembling form and looked about him to see that no centipede or scorpions should come near. He could have given Dante and Milton pointn. But when morning approached he led Barclay, a broken, quiverng man, out into the empty street, and caught the horses and saddled them, while Barclay sat huddled on the ground. As the day began to break he turned to him. "Would you like togo back, now that it's lighter, and see for your self that there was nothing in there?" he asked. If Barclay were to accept. It would spoil the whole thing probably, but that had to be chanced. "No," said Barclay, and smiled wan ly. "I'll take your word for it. Only just get me home." So they mounted and turned back by the road they had come, for it had got beyond all question of Barclay's handling a gun. As the sun rose, how ever, his courage rose also, inch by Inch. And at last he spoke in quite a normal way, so that Macintosh drew a long breath of relief. "See here, Mac intosh," he said, "I'll make a bargain with you. If you'll never tell this on me, I'll never take a drink again." And he kept his word, and Macin tosh won the hundred, and eveiybody was happy all around. Barclay and Miss Cunningham were married and lived happily evermore. Rut Barclay ascribed his reformation to his own power of will. Miss Cunningham to her influence over him, and the others were divided between these two views. And Macintosh got no credit from anybody—as is usually the case with reformers —and it was probably just what ho deserved. —Sail Francisco Argonaut. Old It <*€'»l (I* • IIII mI in VVhlh. One of the most interesting llterar* finds was the discovery in Swansea castle, about 50 years ago. of the orig inal contract of affiance between Kd ward of Carnarvon. Prlnu of Wales, and Isabella, daughter of Philip the Fair of France, dated at Parts. May 20, 1303. It was previously known that when Edward II fled from Bristol for Lundy and was driven by contrary winds to land in Swansea bay, he de posited a number of the national ar chives In Swansea castle for safety. When the records of the castle were seized It Is probable that thu docu ment mentioned was left behind. The discovery was made by Mr. Oecrge (Irani Frauds of llurrowa Lodge, Swansea, '"firdlff \V«t-t«ra Mail. THE OBEAT DESTEOYEB SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. A Wise Answer A Chapter of Horror* Typical of What li Occurring at tli« Opening of the Christian Twentieth Century—Pitiful Sights In Police Courtl "How near could you drive without fall ing To the edge of a precipice, Ray?" Asked a master of yore when engaging A man to be coachman one day. There was more than one applicant wait ing, And hoping to fill up the place. The first that was questioned made an swer He should wont but a yard or two's space. Then tne second* who wished to outrival This boast, and to show off his skill, Said he'd drive within a few inches Of a crng or precipitous hill. But the third said when asked, "I can't tell, sir. For you see 'twould be with me like this, I should try to keep far enough from it, And make sure that 1 safety don't miss." And the master commended this answer, Saying, "You are the servant for me; For myself, and my friends, and mj horses, Will be safe in your hands T can see." The storv is old, but the moral It teaches is fresh as the May; And the man who would trifle with dan ger, Is the man who is loser to-day. Strong drink! What a precipice awful, That hides —yea. in spite of its glow; Its terrors more dark and more fatal Than the climbers of Alpine heights know, And yet, alas! still men seem trying To get close to its edge as they can; Though avoiding it wholly and fully, Is the wise and only safe plan. And he will be gainer and winner Who follows the steps of the one Who believed, for himself and for others, It were better all dangers to slum. —Faith Chiltern. The Fruits of the Saloon. A year ago we published in the Advo cate the following statement of City Mag istrate Clarence W. Mead, made by hint from the bench; "There are seven police courts in the Borough of Manhattan. Take rum away and 1 am certain that two courts will be sufficient to do all the work." A few days ago the New York Press printed a most pitiful story, that of a man utterly given over to drink, and who had drawn his fifteen-year-old son down with him, until tne pair stole a horse to get the money to buy liquor. The father took the proceeds of the theft and went on a lonp debauch, and the son arraigned in the police court begged to be sent to the El mira or some other reformatory in order that he might be freed from the life to which his drunken father had brought him. A still more sickening sight is reported by the Philadelphia Press as having been witnessed in a police court of that city. Three sisters, the eldest but twenty years of age, stood before Magistrate South with bitter smiles on their faces recently while their old mother was sent to prison. Ella Callahan, the eldest, was asked to testify. "Ella! Ella!" said the old woman, half tenderly, "you ain't going to have your mother sent to jail?" "Why not?" said the girl, bitterly. "What else are you good for?" "My girl!" suid His Honor, remonstra tively. "1 niean, Judge," said Ella, "it" she was put into a dungeon, where she would never see daylight, I'd be thankful. As lar back as J can remember she was al ways getting drunk. She's made me cry with shame more times than I want to re member. It's been a terrible thing, not Duly to n.e, but to my sisters, the young jirls there, Judge." She pointed to Mary and Anastasia Cal lahan, the first seventeen years old, the Jther a slender girl of fifteen. "When we were little children," she continued, "mother was drunk so often that we were sent to St. Joseph's Home, n Spruce street. The Sisters of Charity were very good to us. They brought us an well, and we've always kept respecta ble. I've been working with Mrs. Kiley it 910 North Forty-eighth street, more than ten years, and the other girls have worked and we helped to keep a home at 1031 Winter street. We tried hard to get 3ur mother to stop drinking, but she wouldn't. Then the girl began to sob. "Do jou want my sisters to testify?" asked Ella. "No, I've seen enough," said His Honor. "I'll send her to the House of Correction for a vear." And these things are done at the open ing of the twentieth century in a so :alled Christian country. Yet who cares' —New York Temperance Advocate. The ItosHchleter Temperance Sermon. The I'osschieter case is ended. Public opinion, based on newspaper publicity, has secured nistice to the criminals. Pub lic sympathy, expressed through news papers, has found emplovment and a liv ing for the murdered girl's sister. I he unfortunate victim lies in her grave. 11l another grave—the prison of the State —the four murderers are confined to spend long years of regret. 'lhere remains of the case now but a memory—and a moral. That moral is a temperance sermon. It is short, and, for that reason, good. Ilere it is: In their prison life the men will be de priv ' of alcohol, three of them for twen ty ' <. one of them for ten years. T» . <j(<-ranee will be forced upon them. Had they chosen a temperate life of their own accord, not one of them would have known prison life. Ihe crime would not have been com mitted. Drink made murderers of those four men. And. sad as it is to say, drink was the indirect cause of the unhappy young wom an's death. I hi' poison that killed her was in one of the drinks accepted at the invitation of her murderers. Drink made the four men murderers, and drink made the Woman a victim.- New York Journal. Ilraina In Four Acts. How many young men who are actor* ir the fir*t part of thu drama have ever re hearsed in thought the parts lliey mav take in the Inst three acts? Act 1 Before the bar of the saloon. Art II Befote the bar of the court Act lll.— Before the bar of the prison. Act IV.—Before the bar of God. Christian Standard. Tlie Crusade In llrlef. The war on intemperance in Prance is getting warmer. When a man blushes for hard dunking the t ITort concentrates itself in the mid dle of hi« face. Cituinnati is now claiming to lie tha Creates! whisk) market ill the world. Tin whole»ilc trade there announces that the year will lie the heaviest the city has evel bad. The Congressional Committee brought nut some Tacts in 112 regard to the West Point Military A*ademv which sbo»« that li>|uor is consumed aiuuug the stir dents 114 large uuatilitim.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers