The Fulton County news. (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, December 27, 1900, Image 3

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    REVERIES OF A BACHELOR.
f irm drnr of U days "gone
'iSfShich I cherish now I
tllPV teiiOI Ull. Wlblll'lVU Nlfllr
vow.
wi, from giddy head,
''LlVa glint of gold;
Cinn.y heart until
'IP'" ... I....,rt OM.U- CCi III.
- mold of her pretty foot;
,.ffirof pink;
jwlialit in the olden days
:'-1'""kby"nk- -Newton
Tho scarlet strand of a rihhnn, worn
And faded by passing time;
It glowed sownrmnt her snow-white throat
When life mis a joyuu.i rhyme.
A kerchief dninliJy edited in lace
A bit of n flpotU's thin;
What subtle sense of a living love
Its delicate odor brini!
What treasures dear of the dav agone
Are these which I cherish now!
Y hat loves they tell of the withered past
Newkirlt, in Columbus State .Journal.
TljE ROMANCE OF ELIZABETH).
ER name,
Elisabeth Fried-
I hPlm. was Herman. Ilor blue,
6 ,.yp8 and flaxen bnlr nnd her
M- nihle were Uermnn. But
nothliKt of the Teutonic re
brr ninnncr, nnd her wny of
st her work and executing
'.linee sfeps across the kitchen
.be thouulu Mrs. 1'rntt was not
, did not Indicate Teutonic sol
f character. Mrs. Pratt was
,t first that she would not do by
ans. pni'tlcHlnrly w,le"' 011 tI,L'
fvcnlntf "f Elizabeth's onxnKe
he found a youiiR man In the
j whose nlinost pnlnful elcanll
J itlltnens left no doubt of his
''. of "beau." Still, Elizabeth
i , he conducting herself with
aost propifety, nnd tho younjr
ftenrly. so Mrs. Trntt Bnld notli-
thp time.
int day, however, she thouffht
jM mention It, nud she Bnld, Id
motherly sort or wny, ttint
not want that young muii there
it any rate. Elizabeth lniiKiied.
dtbnt she did not want nun ton
either, nnd she thought that
weefc was too often, bo Mrs.
ifent nway feeling BntlHtled. So
he work was concerned she cor-
tiad nothing to complnln of. Of
the jtlrl was a new broom, but
,y she took hold of things, the
i nnd tliorougnness vvuu
iher were done, anil the nent-
d order that seemed to descend,
it flat were exceptional. Mrs.
sid been suffering from n long
,f trannlent Incompetents, who
ieil her brow with care nnd
tliree hairs nenrly grny. She
It apprehensive, though, aud
'Wing wns incrensed when In
of the afternoon she found
ih out on the bnck porch chat-
Lnntly with the Janitor, who.
rather morose, middle-aired and
.! mun lie was, nppenred to he
; the conversation Immensely,
rait snld she could hardly be
it he was tho same man wheu
It saw his face. A little Inter she
II more surprised. That was
lie jnultor came up from the
it with n bucket ol hot soap
mop and his hose and bega;i
.onsly to scrub off the porch.
hs something he hud never dono
until the I'ratts made three
compliiinls and a threat to
ctqf the buildlnc-, and as the
Vai Ills' office Inconveniently
ft'! down town, and It Is tiresome
I omplainliig nnd threatening to
the time, the janitor had had
la way after all. Mrs. l'rntt
j help expressing her wonder
iw domestic.
veil," said Elizabeth, smiling
, "J kess ve don't have nny
'that troubles; I hnf toldt him
t clean It right nvny und keep
" As If that was all she had
(veiling Mrs. Pratt heard a
'' laughter proceeding from the
and, having some natural foiu
iriusity, she went out to see
F happening, n was another
id shiny young man witting on
wary tubs nnd swiuglng his
liile Elizabeth swung hers
at on the table and ate candy
i Paper bag. Mrs. Pratt went
:' the parlor In a frame of
Htold Mr. Pratt that ho would
' tall at the Intelligence office
inoiiilug und see If ho couldn't
P another girl,
what's the trouble, now'?"
'rati
f 'he's got the second one 'n
one Isn't enouth for her,
taP'y will not have thut sort
joliig ou every night, anywuv.
l carry ou with youug men
'toe and give nroner utieulioii
'"It, uud, besides, it Isn't prop-
tyouug girl. I spoke to her
festeiday, and that seems tc
Sooi It did."
here," suld Pratt, "per
u't thB giri-g fttuit at ,,11. To
Hhould say thut It wusn't;
i'W tlmt ih yourstdf."
''know anything of the kind."
Ton dou't. x know It was
l!!?lit tlmt I pvhp wint tn see
f! Jluu't find some one there.
' that you told me that you
"''l' It, so I'm making the
ame for the girl."
'l,t Sllld III' wnu lull; III" iiiiil-
A lie didn't make iillowancoa
1,1 It wasn't anything of the
'""); hut she was mollllled to
xlt''it, uud suld she would
"Ishltlld's iidvlpo mill wait
'Idle hefu'e she did anything
"'id that she had come tc
"Jtlie next morning, for tlw
''" ou lime and evurythi.ig
M7 euukej tnut even Plan
, hl Hutisfuetloii, and as h
'"e Prutt Is hard to satisfy
t tlm. Then the BUlise,(
VOL', duulliiL' wuNlilnir n in 1
' ull na WU Uone ax It 1
1 7 u" those thin its. mi
I,, f KllzuliutU whrstled 111:
f'Uiat
IlUlIli
way from thut timiV
w (lone to perfection!
"t tneu unmii with i-mru.
t I'll... . "
. -"nuutm never let then
"'"a )iuk ,i .1..
I on. . . .
1 '1 week, and It seeiui;il
, - iurn lull ou the on
f, Prutts had coiupiiny
accorded the mjec.:I
a,- auuUay afleruro
u girl uiauaKL'd tbei
i-rti i
niystei-y to her, nnd Pratt said that If
It was n mystery to her It must bo a
mystery Indeed.
Then substantial benefit were de
rlvcd from the pretty little ninid'f
kunck of managing. The porch was
acrubbed even oftener than was lie.
essary and If imylhlng went wroii(,
In rlie tint Elizabeth had never to ash
the Janitor twice fo tlx It. If anything
that the grocerymnn or the milkman
brought to the house was not, what
Elizabeth considered It should be, thai
groceryman or milkman or other man
took It back with absolute entliiislnsii
nud was forthcoming with the proper
nrtlcle within (be shortest possible
space of time. It was simply marvel
ous.
Sometimes Mrs. Pnitt felt It her
duty to remonstrate with the girl con
cerning her coquetry, but Elizabeth
only laughed. She wns always laugh
ing. "It does dem good," she said. I
keep dem ail kesslng im,l ,i ,i,,y i,
have. If (ley did not like It dcy vould
not come any more, so It Is goot for
dem and goot. for me."
When Mrs. Pratt told her husband
Ubout this he was seriously concerned.
"I should have thought you would
have known better than that," he said.
"Just as lung us she keeps the crowd
going we nre nil right. If she had one
sternly I should be scared. Let her
alone; she's nil right. And I think, by
the way, that we might manage to put
another dollar a week on her wages."
That, Mrs. Pratt said, was Just the
way you might expect a man to look
at such things Just as long as he was
comfortable he was willing to wink nt
Iniquity. Nevertheless the lady did
begin lo think that she might have
said too much and the prospect ol
Elizabeth settling to oue "steady,"
marrying nud leaving them, was not
pleasant. So she felt impelled to ex
press to her domestic the hope that
she would not let one of those younc
men run nway with her.
"You needt not bo a'skeered."
laughed Elizabeth. "Now, I hnf a
goot time, and If I marry veil, I hnf
seen some people who hnf married nnd
I am not In a hurry. I hnf my goot
time Urst, anyway."
Sotnol lines one of Elizabeth's bonus
dropped off, either discouraged or dis
missed, but there was always another
to take his place, and It afforded the
Pratts quite a little amusement to notJ
the change. One evening Mrs. Pratt
went Into the kitchen nnd found n
newcomer, who seemed to be of a dlf
fereut stamp to the others not su
clean or nent, nnd older, but a good
looking fellow enough, und of n
breadth and stature that seemed to
make the kitchen shrink. Ho rose to
his feet at the lady's entrance nnd
made an awkwnrd bow, nnd Mrs.
Pratt uotlced for the llrst time that
Elizabeth blushed. For two or three
weeks this giant called nt his appoint
ed time; thin he (nine twice in oue
week. The second time this happened
the I'ratts heard voices raised In auger
male voices und then I he sound of a
ncuille and a scream from Elizabeth.
Pratt Jumped up uud ran laid the
kitchen Just as the outer door slammed
and found Elizabeth uiih the hloom
lied from her face confronting her lat
est admirer, who stood with his back
to the door scowling at her.
"What docs this menu 3" deniunded
Pratt.
Elizabeth began to cry and the giant
stood sullen und silent.
"Whatever It Is," continued Pratt,
''I won't have It.. (Jet out of this hound
and don't you let mo Und you here
ngain. I don't want to have any trou
ble with you, but I told you to get out.
Now get."
For an Instant tha big man hesitated;
theu he turned, and with a parting
scowl at the girl opened the door and
got. Pratt attempted to question
Elizabeth, but she would do nothing
but cty, and at last he gave II up aud
went back und told his wife that hu
thought EllzulH'th's management had
failed for once and two had called nt
the same time, with the result of the
survival of the liilcst. It Is ptobal le
that, he was right.
They expected that Elizabeth would
Hie a, week's notice," but she did not
and no more young men culled. On
the succeeding evening Pratt thought
he heard the sound of a si niggle out
side, and, looking out of the window,
lie saw a ruin (dagger over backward
Into the weeds at the side of the hoi se
and limp nway. Two or three days
later he met one of Elizabeth's former
callers with a preen shade over his eye
and a strip of ulicklug plaster on one
side of his cheek and another adorer
with an unconcealed black eye. lie
fancied at another time that he recog
nized the burly ligure of the lalesl
walking up and down Ui front of the
house. Taking all these clivunistnnnw
into consideration, he dime to the con
clusion thut Elizabeth was blockaded.
Tho surrender i-Mue only too noon.
Elizabeth for awhile went about her
work In a listless, weary fashion, and
she forgot things nud did not whlsth
any more. Then she took extru even
ings out nird began to grow more
cheerful. Then oue day she went to
Mrs. Prutt nnd told her, with tear
and Binlles, thut kbe was golug to gvt
married and would have to leave. "Uuf
If It wus not for htm," she, said, '-'J
wouldt nefer leuve you at ull; but he
will haf It bo and I must do it."
"Why dou't you Wnlt. you willy girl 7"
buid Mrs. Praft- "You have got plenty
at tlmo yet. Wake lilui wait."
'Oh, btlt you (lo not kuow him. And
thtru are tliree children, uud he says
I muit marry him now, uud 1 raunt."
H wiib the big man, It appeared, ami
pour Elizabeth Una tfeeu 'uimbU to
"keep him kr? sing" nnd to "miike hhd
bchnfe." She h ul found her fate und
ber master. "Three children nnd that
brute," said Mis. Pratt to herself;
"poor girl!"
Pratt, soon nPer, meeting the bride-groom-elect
congratulated him warn.lj
on his good fortune, with sincere
praises of the ;lil. The "brute" re
plied. "Ob, yes, she Iss goot, but (le-.-c
is a lot of nonsense nlioiit her she will
hnf to vorget If she lives mlt me."
So Pratt, too, went nway sighing,
"Poor Elizabeth!" Chicago Ilecord.
TREASURES OF THE WHITE HOUSE
A Iprrlpllon of Hoinn nr ilifl Arllll
I'lecen of l'lirnltuie and r.rle-n-Hrnr.
"The Art Treasures of the White
House" Is the title of nn article In the
Woman's Homo Companion dealing
with the brle-a-brac that has been ac
cumulated In the Executive Mansion
by the Presidents. In the beginning cl
bis article Mr. Fawcelt says:
"There nre doubtless in every large
clly In the country larger nnd Inove
valuable collections of brlc-n-brnc nnd
art furniture than that to lm found In
the private apartments of the Execu
tive Mansion, but It Is n question
whether there Is In the length and
breadth o? the land any other half so
Interesting, l'arlly Is, of course, a
universal chnrnctcrlstlc of the artistic
gems scattered through the home of
the Presidents, but better than that
Is the fact that almost every piece is
fraught with memories nud associa
tions that make It. n prized possession.
Of the whole number probably half
are the glfls of kings uud rulers tok
en of appreciation from friendly na
tion and the remainder, having ben
fashioned especially for tho Whlb:
House, have no duplicate anywhere,
(dse In the world.
"This nccumulatlon I not the pro
duct of any particular administration.
President Arthur had, perhaps, inor
of I be collector' spirit than has been
Inherent in any other man who has
been muster of the While House, und
certuiuly bo made more additions to
its furnishings than any oilier of .ts
occupants.
"Any expenditure which the Presi
dent himself makes for pictures or
statuary or brlc-n-brnc or furniture,
unless specially provided for, must
come oui of the fixed appropriation
which Congress makes each year for
the maintenance of the White House.
Mr. Arthur chose to spend the major
part of his 'allowance' In the manner
which has been outlined. Mrs. Mo
Klnley, on the other hand, has pre-.,
ferred to devote the rntber modest sum
to beautifying her temporary home in
other wnys, nnd thus we find all ubout
tho house new mirrors, freshened dec
oration aud oilier evidences of re
furnishing. Mrs. Cleveland udded
more new flowers than brlo-.i-hrac,
and Mr. Hayes found her hobby In
pretty table china rather than lu the
treasures that nre purely ornamental."
Alvay WnU-heit (lie Trail.
Senator Shoup, of Idaho, never sits
with his back toward a door. If he
goes Into the Senate restaurant for a
midday meal he seeks a place about
the board where nny one entering tho
room will face his stalwart ligure nnd
keen blue eye. Likewise when be
suits himself In a committee room,
where several men may be gathered,
he picks out a chair where he can keep
a clear watch ou the trail by which he
entered. It Is simply the force of
habit. For thirty or forty years of his
eventful career lie lived with a gun In
his hand. A Pennsylvnniaii by blrlh,
he, nevertheless, took part In the stir
ring life of the frontier at an early
age. For many years his home was in
n log cabin, with only one window nnd
one door, and where, when lie was
within, it was a matter of reasonable
caution to keep an eye on the ap
proaches. During the Civil War per
iod he served almost continuously as
a scout ulong the base of the Uocky
Mountain in New Mexico nud along
the Cunndlau, Pecos and lied rivers.
So thoroughly accustomed did he be
come to this that the habit of the scout
and frontiersman clings lo him uncon
sciously after a decade of service iu
the United Statts Senate.
Cuutrlit a 1'ImIi uud Owl op One I.iue.
II. M. Wullon, a reliable citizen of
Wilkes, relate a most remarkable In
stance, a follows: Harry, sou of Mr.
Walton, set out a hook and line on the
creek ueur hi home aud left It over
night. The next morning he went to
hi line, and to ills great astonishment
found a good-sized tlsh on the line nud
a large hooting owl tangled up In the
Hue und Hunting on the surface of the
water. The owl" had been drowned,
but the tlsli wns alive and still pulling
ou the line. The fishing line had been
wrapped about the owl several times,
which placed the night bird complete
ly in the fiower of the llsh.
Mr. Walton- theory Is that (luring
I he night the owl In seeking food
found the fish fastened on the line and
undertook to mnke a menl off him. In
the struggle the lish Jumped over tho
owl, wrapping the Hue about him, ren
dering him helpless und the frequent
dins illlo the water drowned the bird.
Atlanta (Ca.) Constitution.
Working the lletnl of the Family.
It Is a wise boy who knows how to
work ills father, und lu this precious
age most boy are wise. Louis' father
works lu Omaha, but Louis himself
lives wilh his if random In Western Ne
braska. Like most noys do, Louis
writes to his fond father only wheu
he waul money or something new iu
wearing apparel. Last week he wrote,
enumerating a number of articles be
needed. Among other things he wrote:
"Plume kctid me some stocking.
You better send bicycle slocking, be
cause they lat longer than the other
kind. Are you going to neud me a bi
cycle on iny birthday to wear with uiy
blcyclw stocklugs'" Omnhu World
lleruld. - , ,.
How lo I. mm Vour i''r!eanV Income,
' Uo you know how to dlscovr u
tninr Income? Ask him what he
tliijiks u comfortable Income should bu
und divide hi auswev by two. TWt
U the rule ,'lveii by u Ilnrvurd pwi
feasor of ecvnouilcii-u siuwd iuau!
I Uuistou vuruut
THE TKAIN-BOY PASSING
CAUSES WHICH LED TO THE UNDO
ING OF THE RAILROAD "EUTCHER."
An Inlereni Inij ntol rielnrpwqnp Type of
Former Diiy Fol-blililen fo Work on
Motne HallroniUOni llml n l.iiern.
five llunlnnfm, 'ov Hun hy fllg Flrmfl.
The American trnln-boy like the red
man nnd the bufl'alo and other Inter
esting specie of a picturesque period
in the history of this great continent
Is passing away. He can no more
withstand modern commercial meth
ods Hum the red man or Hie burfnio
could withstand the civilizing Influ
ence of the repenting rifle nnd the six--'iooter.
And nt his passing, nttenllo'i
may be called to the fact that another
time trodden avenue to fume nnd for
tune has been closed t'l the present
generation of American boys. Few
youth of to-day will bo able compla
cenlly to lean back In the opulence ol
old nge nnd tell their grandchildren
the story of how they began life n n
newsboy on nn accommodation train
To-day there are many such old men
almost a many. In fact, ns began their
march to success on the low-pnth of
the canal men dtsllugiiishcd in s I
once, In llnance, in law, in the prizr
ring, who can point proudly to their
boyhood nnd attribute nil they liav,
necompllshed In life to the :;!,irt they
obtained as n railroad "butcher."
Hut present-day methods and Inno
vations not only have made the ancient
bos of densely over-populated tig Im
possible ns a stepping stone to future
greatness, but they have pretty if
fectually stopped the Industry ns n
means of every-day livelihood. Within
a comparatively short time a number
of trunk lines have dispensed wilh
the -trainboy altogether. In his place
small slands nt different stations along
the road have been substituted. A
these stands the passenger may pin
chase the .same ware formerly soY
by the boy on the train. The rallron,!
men say that the new system which
is similar Id that now In use In Eng
land and on the Continent Is more
economical lo Ibem and far less an
noying lo their pa Irons.
"We were driven to It," said the
general passenger agent of one of tlci
roads which now operates Its trains
without the assistance of the "butch.
cr." "At first we made certain rules
with n view to restricting what seemed
to have become a necessary evil of
railroad travel; but these rules wen'
violated, and we set. led the problem
linally by doing away with the serv
ice entirely. The fault. I think, lies
In the system employed by the com
panies which control the business now
All their boys nre paid on a commit
slon basis, and when they get to
making too much money the amount
of their commission Is cut down. Nat
urally the boys nre going to iiinke up
the deficiency on their own hook If
possible, and they resort to some un
worthy means 1o accomplish It the
selling of 'fake' packnges of Illegal
literature is one of the most common
tricks. As a matter of fact these
package really contain nothing but
harmless advertisements, but that, of
course, does not exonerate the boys."
Even on roads which have not given
iqi the service entirely rules have
been made which greatly restrict the
young "butcher's" method of doltr;
business. lie is no longer permitted tc,
entice buyers by leaving his magazines
and boxes ol candy in t hi- laps of pas
sengers, nor Is he allowed to make
more than a certain number of trips
through Hie train lu the course of his
run. The conductor have orders lo
enforce these' rules rigidly, and when
they are broken the offender Is re
ported to his superinteiiilcnt, and eid
er lined or taken off that run. All the
business nowadays Is coin rolled by a
few big companie:;, nud the train-hoy
Instead of being independent m-r
chaiils. dealing lu their own stock
purchased Willi their own capital, arc
merely agents, selling goods on a twen
ty per cent, commission basis. The
news-stands in till (lie large railroad
stations, which carry precisely the
Fame slock, have cul deeply Into the
"butcher's" I'l-uitls, uud It is admitted
that only boys with exceptionally Li
cm live, runs can average more tha)
ten dollars a week. All of '.hese condi
tions naturally have conspired towun!
Hie "butcher's'' undoing. As in many
another calling, it kccuis to him that
the honor uud glory is ull behind.
There are train-boy now, old and
gray und buhl, und still In the servic?
who cuu recall the glad opulent days
when It was counted as nothing ro
"knock down" sixty ami eveuly dot
lars a week. Those were the times
twenty-five nnd thirty year ago, when
the boy either worked for theinselvep
or were employed by some retired con
ductor or brakeman, who had gone
into the biiKiiiefh on tin money he had
accumulated fn.in the rallro:.(l, and
who gave t'.ie "butchers" half of all
the prollls. In those days the train
boys bold, in lessci degree of cours.',
the dazzling position in the social
world which ihc Mississippi ltlver
gamblers occupied. They made their
money easily - and In a gnat many
Instances in ilelinusl,v as the gamv
lers-iind iliey were spenders. Many
of them were "cappers" for the tbre.-caril-nionle
men wl o liilesled tii.i
trains twcniy llve years ago and re
ceived as their rewind Ihc "hold back"
chock w hich ,sw- given liicn for cas,i
Jiiretj. Soinciinfcs these check aniouui
ed to tliiny or forty dollars a week.
The Utile oval tlg-hox was iu Hie
height of lis activity llien. and wr, -tile
''hiilchorV' chief source of ro
('line. The boxes which were inure
than ordinarily bad were called nlghi
:lgs, and were sold under the feeble
rays cf the oil lumps,
There was uc. staled prii e at which
the newspapers and ihc magazines
were tn be hold, mid il a boy could get
one dollar for a lifiy-ccni magazine
he merely "kepi l lie change." Fre
quently the privilege lo sell goods ou
certain trains was grained to boys il.;
a reward for some service the rail
roud. Tills was the case over iu Long
Island, where two brother named
Carpenler discovered the ' trestle at
.lamalca I'.nyim tire one I J iter winter
night, uud ran two tulles thniuth Hie
storm and the da) hues lo the nearest
telegraph olticc, and arrived there in
liivc to snip He passenger train niKll
Ing towurd the burning bridge from
Hie oppesile dii'ction. For 'year these
krtvlhcr held I he uewM franchise on
Jr.uivl
nil Long Island rains, nnd lived as
men of menus should live. Another
similar case was that of n boy who
rnn buck and fingged a train on nn
Eastern rond, nnd averted what must
have been n terrible accident. For
this net he received the privilege of
"butchering" on tho, speclnl fast ex
press running between Pltslmrg and
Philadelphia nt the time of tho Cen
tennial. It I snld that the boy aver
aged more than $'!0 n day for the en
tire season, and w hen lie finally retired
he had a large capital and invested It
well.
To foreigners this shrewd, bright
eyed, business-like little merchant. He
essentially n product of the New
World, bus always been an object of
grent Interest. A distinguished French
man, In writing Ills Impressions of
this country, deemed Ibo "butcher
worthy of n chapter nil to himself, nn.l
once, when the writer was sent lo "in
tervlew" Hubert Louis .Stevenson and
nsked him the old stereotyped ques
tion a to hi Impressions cf our cus
tom and inslllutlons, Mr. Slcvcnson
replied:
"I think your Institution nre splen
did, nnd I think the noblest of tin in
nil is your train-boy."
Then he told of nn Incident he had
witnessed when crossing the plains in
t.n emigrant train. One of the emi
grants was taken ill and had fall-n
from bit sent Into the aisle. The train
boy came through, nnd roughly pushed
the man one side, cursing him stoutly
"And within two minutes." said Mr
Stevenson, "I saw that youth slip ibe
biggest pear be had In his basket Inro
Hie sick man's hand, nnd yet lie newr
stopped swearing at him. I have since
come to th conclusion that he wn
merely one of your big. rough, noble
hnarii'd Western men in miniature."
New York IV.st.
NAMES ON HOTEL RECtSTER.
Clerk Millie Them tlip Sill,rit of n
1'h llnaopli iciil Talk.
"Jurtiy how few men lake the
trouble to write their names legibly on
a register," retcrked the man behind
the counter at one of the big hotels in
New Orleans, according to the Times
Iiemocrnt, of that city. "Look at this
page, nud (his, und this! How many
signatures do yen see that you can
read offhand and be certain you're
right No ,, jf, f0,. i'i i,ti xuW
look ngain and note the number of
mere scrawls that nobody could possi
bly decipher.
"A great many guests make that
kind of chicken tracks on a page mere
ly lo be thought important. They have
an absurd idea that a bad signature
Indicate a person of consequence."
"But bow- about fellows who can't
write?" nsked a guest who had lis
tened to the clerk' homily. "Don't,
they sometime make a scrawl for a
bin IT':"
"Yes, I've known that to bo done,"
replied I lie clerk, smilingly, "but not
often. A man who can't write llnd.t
It very dlflleult to make even a scrawl,
nnd he generally gets out of register
ing by throwing the blame on the pen.
'I can't use a thing like I his,' he will
Ray. "Haven't you got a broad stub?"
Nothing In the rack will answer, ami,
knowing by this time how the land
lays, I volunteer to register for him.
Hotels entertain a good many people
who can't write, nnd the Imd-pen com
edy Is enacted quite frequently Of
course the' clerk has to be very cnrei'ii;
not to let the guest suspect that he Is
on the dorge, for such folks are very
sensitive about their educational infir
mities. "I once knew a man who pah! f!-.'0i)
a yea:' solely to keep hotel clerks from
knowing thai he couldn't vrile his
o,vn name. He began life 's a day la
borer, drifted out West and made a
foitune through leasing n supposed
worlhlcss mine lu Montana. When he
accumulated about S1iK).(lil(i lie miM
oul and started to travel nnd have a
good time. lie was naturally shrewd,
but lie ii'id never had a particle of
schooling, and dodging registers at
new hotels became the chief worry of
his life. At first he used to He up his
hand lu n handkerchief and pretend it
was hurt, but he realized that the
trick was pretty transparent, and at
last lie employed a young newspaper
man at $lili) u month to travel with
him ns his 'secretary.' The ex-miner
never sent or received any letters, lie
didn't care for reading, and the secre
tary' one and only duly was to sign
hotel registers. They would walk to
gether, und the young chap would say,
deferentially: 'Shall I do the register
ing for us both, colonel?' 'If you
please,' his boss would reply, nnd he
would thereupon write: 'Colonel
uud secretary, Montana.' Then he
would go off nnd plnv until they got
ready to leave tov u. It wa the soft
est Job in the uulverse. He held it for
several years."
he and Hie uionii a she thai we have to
H 'cein II." Thus
t'linlom InlluenriM I-stiiciing?.
Pomologlsts, like botanists, tiud it
Impossible to enforce the rule of
priority lu name of fruits nud (low
ers, lu' trulls the names uf I'.artlclt
for a pear nud Telegraph for n grap;
have not been cnanged In spite of the
efforts of leadlti ,' pomologUtii aud po
niologicul so.'lelles lo support prior
lunar. Those who lead In thes-.' good
efforts forget that iJie only law for
languii.-e is the law- of custom, in a
famous ,-ramni.ir we are told "Hie
English language requires Hie pro
noun 'it' for all imiiiiniiiie ob'cclH, Inn
custom lind so lirmiy liiade Hie sun a
she thai w e have lo
il wr 1 ever lie. To
secure Hie uihipildii (u a nor name re
former must liesilr llc'inselvcs be for
custom gels possession of the held.
Median's Mouilily,
Wh'eltihH 'lU-j;iukituy ut Kca,
The use cf wilder, tclcgn-'.ph.V ell
ships Is now gvttlng to bo very colli
iiKin, Oue of Hie latest ventures of
this kind was I he trial of the system
( n one of those huge icc-breaklng tug
l hat operate lu the Oilf of Finland.
This vessel found Itself aground .c.
rock not long ago nnd Kigxuillcd by'
wireless ltJegrHphy lo a jmiut thirty
three mile away tor relief.
An Jllualou,
No inn n evev reineuibvs whs) be
saUl vi lieu he proposed. I'l'be ivanon i.-i
hat r.ion men dou't pr-Yione, only t'm
..ll ,..,,L-,.. 11. .i.i, l,,.U,,.f. .(,..
J, II t IIKiniD I lt' l.,1 rt ,t. IM1 J . -
Now York Pi-en.
HOUSEHOLD MATTERS.
To Store Onion.
Onions should be kept In n cool,
niry loft or room during the winter.
Spread them out thinly and examine
every few weeks, removing nil decay
ing one. The thick-necked or bndiy
rlpeued one should be used first, us
(hoy will not keep so well.
nelglnn Hoop.
Weigh, after peeling, two pounds ot
turnip nnd cut them Into dice. Sim
mer for twenty mimics In one quart of
water, with four ounces of butter, a
lessert spoonful of sugar, pepper and
snlt. Then add a cupful of flour,
blended with a quart of milk. Iloll
for twenty mluueg and serve with dice
of fried bread.
Not I'Kttloe.
Nut pntties nre much relished by
,'hlldreu, nnd nre not frowned upon
)y the ndult of the fnmlly. They nre
Jiislly and simply made, needing ono
(gg, one cup each of butter, sugar.
Jour nnd finely chopped nuts, together
Aith a pinch of alt. Heat the egg un
ill very light, add the sugar, and bent
nce more; then stir In the flour nnd
nit until smoothly mixed. Irop Iu
ipooufuls on a greased tin nnd bnke
n a moderately quick oven to a dcll
:ate brown.
A Wejr to I'rrierve F-EK.
A valuable new reclio which keeps
?ggs in a good condition for mouths,
ai'd doe not taint them: Tnke a
jhnrred box or ensk, cover the bottom
with a thick lnyer of old, shelled corn
-corn from Inst year' crop. Stand In
this the eggs on the little end, allowing
n slight separation between them.
Continue the layer of corn nnd egg
until the top 1 reached; let the last one
of corn be several inches deep. Cover
tightly nnd set In a cool, dry place.
The superiority of the corn He lu It
being thoroughly dry, and It I free
from nil heat nnd moisture usually
the destroying elements.
8liii,ilcHt Way to Can C.rnpcu.
Select the grape not too ripe, pick
from stems carefully and pack In cans
as closely ns may be without breaking
the skins, make a sirup of half a cup
of sugar nnd a cup of wnter, nnd pour
over the fruit; If this amount of sirup
does uot Hush the can add more water
until It does, then put the top on cnu
without screwing down, set the can
In a boiler, upon folded towels, pieces
of lath, shingles, anything to keep the
enns from touching the bottom of boil
er, pour in water quite hot to conm up
on the can some two or three Inches,
place the cover on the holler and place
boiler over the fire, bring water to a
boil and let It boll for nn hour, remove
the enns, put on the rubbers, screw the
tops down nud put away. U rapes put
up till wny retain their fresh, dell
clou taste, nnd are so easy to pre-
' serve thr.t the veriest novice cam- '
fail.
I'oarhml I-'kro l'ro-enrute.
Wash nnd dry tliree large tomatoes;
cut off the two ends, and cut the to
matoes lu two; dry each slice gently.
Hnve ready mixed three tablcspoou
fuls of flour with one teaspoonful of
salt, one snltspoouful of black pepper,
two cloves of garlic chopped One, and
oue tablespoonful of paisley. Tut a
thick coat of till mixture over each
side of the tomatoes. Put lu n frying
pan three tablespoonfuls of olive oil;
when hot put the tomatoes In II; cook
them on each side for four minutes,
not fust. Put each slice iu a very
small earthenware egg-platter; keep
warm In nn open oven; then pouch six
eggs, one by one, each lu one pint of
boiling consomme. Cook them two
ni I n II les.
Dress each one in the small platter
over the tomato, pour over one teu
spoonful of hot glace de vlainle or any
good gravy left over from roasted
meat. Send nt once to the table very
hot, Harper' l?azar.
Iloiiai-hotil Hint.
A mixture of glycerine and starch Is
txccllcut to npply on stained bands.
Salted almonds or peanuts are some
time chopiH'd uud put on chocolate
loafcake.
Linoleum and oilcloth can be re
stored to their original polish by wash
ing them in milk.
Stewed figs served on rice wilb
cream make an appetizing change for
the breakfast cereal.
To polish plate glass und also to pre
vent it becoming frosty lu winter,
wipe with a soft cloth.
Fnded fabrics colored with snlllno
dyes will look ns bright ns new if
sponged with chloroform.
Save the raveling cut from new
tablecloth before hemming, as they
nre useful In mending thin places or
hole in other cloths,
A pretty centrepiece lo be worked on
fine lineu shows Home most natural
looking strawberries tumbling out of
the Utile woodeu quart basket of the
green grocer's stand.
A preventive of frostbitten plains is
secured by linking one flower pot In
side another. A plant thus guarded
will siand a much lower temperature
than one In a single pot.
Quite the richest and newest cush
ion covers to lie worked are the Orien
tal deslgut to be executed III cross
milch a work which will be appre
ciated by the old fashioned embroid
erer. It is poor economy to keep n raw
onion after II is cut nnd a part ha
been used. A cut oulou ubsorbs every
thing from the air and from other ma
terlal near it, nnd is quickly miida un
fit for use. '
Fish should never lie turned while
boiling. Put the Inside next to the
coul uud allow it to cook until thor
oughly done. Then turn and Jiut
brown the skin side, tnkiug care thut
it doe not orch.
A rustic how'-sbupvd brunch two or
three feet iu leng.li, suspended from
the wall by a cord tied at ell her. cud,
furnishes a convenient and not inar
tistic support to linny tin' ilaJly or
weekly paper over. Iu Uilo vuy a
number of paper muy bu tiled without
liitcritifc tliu table.
INSECTS ABB USED,
Um ladnetry la lia Is CartoW
Kiutnaae.
A report of the assistant director of
igrioulture In Assam deals in detail
srlth tha lac Industry there. Lao oo-'
eurs In Us natural statu In the various'
parts of ths forests of Assam, as wU
ts of Burma, but chiefly la parts Ot
the Khasl and Garo hills, and the ex
port la recent ycnr. hi averaged 16.
500 maunds, or something over 60
tons, but In ;oin of the forests, ow
ing to the ravages of the Kolaasar
epidemic and depopulation, the pro
duction is declining. The production
In Mantpur is not sufficient for the
local needs, and quantltio of the laa
are sent there from the Kubo valley
ot Assam. The lac Is all sent away
from Assam In tiie frude form, or
stick lao; shell and button lae are
made, to some extent, but lao dye Is
not now prepared anywehere In As
sam, and lacquer wares are only pro
duced In two places, no that tuis onoe
considerable linhmtry would seem t
De dying out. The black laquer of
Mnnlpur Is really not a lao prepara
tion at all, but only the Juice ot a
tree sent from the Kubo valley. Ia
Assam the lac la usually collected
twice a year, first la May and June,
and then In Octobor and November
The first is mainly used for seed pur
poses, whllo the second forms the ex
port A few days after the collec.oo.
pieces of stick lac containing live In
fects aie tied on to the branches of
the trees on which the next crop Is
to be grown. The usual plan Is to
place the lac In small bamboo baskets
nd tie these :n the twigs of tho
trees. The Insects soon crawl out, and
pread over the young branches, on
which they prompt! begin to feed,
md secrete the reln. This Is allowed
to go on for abcut six months, when
tho lac Is collected; but If the secre
tion has been defective or insufficient
the Insects remain undisturbed for an
other six months London Ttuiua.
ftntMiNAL virtue.
Spain's Quear Law Pmranta Raaoo a
Kojraltr Iron I'orlL
There Is a Spanish luw that no suu
)e't shall touch the person of tho king
or queen. Alfonso XIII., king of
Spain, nearly suffered a severe fall
from thlj rule In his childhood. An
aunt gave him a swing. When ha
used It for the first time the motion
frightened htm, and he began to cry.
whereupon a lackey lifted him quietly
out of It, and so, no doubt, prevented
htm from falling. The breach of eti
quette, however, was flagrant and
dreadful. The queen was obliged to
punish It by dismissing the man from
his post At the same time she show
ed her real feelings on the subject by
appointing him Immediately to an
other and hotter place In the royal
household. In another case a queen ot
Bpaln nearly lost her life In a dreadful"
way owing to this peculiar rule. She) -bad
been thrown when out riding, and.
her foot catching In the stirrup, sha
was dragged. Her escort wodM nob
rltik Interference, and Bhe would have
yjen dashed to pieces but for the
heroic Interposition of a young man,
who stopped tho horse and reloased
her from her dangerous position. A
soon as they saw she was safe, her
escort turned to arrest the traitor who
had dared to to.ch the queen's foot,
but he wau not to be seen. Knowing
well the penalty be had Incurred, ho
made oif at once fled for his Ufa
and did not stop until be had crossed
the frontlor. Answers.
Shooting Slurs.
According to Camllllo Fla-nmarlon,
a well-known authority, what are call
ed "shooting Hlars" are small bodies,
welching at moot a tow pounds, and'
consisting nia.nly of iron and carbon.
They traverse space in swarms and
also revolve around tho sun In long
elliptical courses llko comets. When
tlice little 'bodies enter the sun's orbit
they are dellected toward the earth and
great iiuiii1k.t8 of them are seen In
single night. Their brightness la duo
to tho heat engendered by the energy
of their motion. Their speed is enor-
I nious, Vit kilometers a second, while
the speed of tho earth on its orbit l
only 5 kilometers a second. Conse
quently when a shower of them ap
proaches Hit earth In the direction op
posite to its course, tho initial speed
is 72 kilometers a second; when they
follow on its course they gain 18V4
kilometers s second on It Their
mean rate of approach Is between 30
and 40 kilometers a second. The fric
tion engenders a temperature of 8,004
degrees, Celsius, subject to which they
burst Into flame.
MARKET QUOTATIONS.
HALTIMOKK. Fi.ock. llnltlmorti
Hunt i'utent, 4. (ill; High Crude, Litre,
4.10. Whicat, No. 2 Uod, Cog.
No. 2 White, 4:i4 . Oats, Southern
ami Pennsylvania, '.'ivu '.'7. Km, No.
'., .'lOnm. Hay, Choice Timothy. JU-OO
alG fiO; Good to Prime, l.VIMl'u'LYuO.
SniAW, llye in" curloiids. 10.5Uu 11.50;
W lieut lliocks, T.IHl u 7.1 T)0; Out lllocka,
7.oOvi8.00. Tomatoks. Stud. Nn. 3, .80;
No. !, .tW. I'kas, Standards, 1.10u)L40;
Seconds, .80. Cults. Dry Puck, .80;
Moist, .70. Utnus, C'itv Steers, ,10
. 1 0 a ; City Cons, IHI j-.l'li1.'.. Potatoes,
liarhiiuks, .fiOtf .,'. Omkns, .-l.Yui.fiO.
Hon I'ltoni'cT, Shoulders, .08i.08.';
Clear lihsider, .OS.'ftf , (l'l; Hum. .US'
.ll"; Me Porkj per barrel, l.YtlO.
Laho, Crude, .01; liest refined, .OHV
Ki'TTKit, Fine Creamery, .'ll'iii 27; Under
i'inu, ..Ti'tf.'.'t); Creamery Holts, ,'.'i;
.'.'7. Ciikkhk, N. Y. Fancy, Aid. 12;
N, Y. Flats, Ala.ViU; Skim Cheese,
MVi'timH. KwevHtule. ..'5i2G; North
Carolina, .VO'.VJl. Kivk I'oultht,
Chickens, per lb., .07'1.(J8; Ducks, .01)
a.0!;" I'urkejr, .07.0S. Tohaoco,
.Md. J.,ierfoiH, l'50d'J.fi0; Sound com
mon, :i..r04.r0; Middling, 6 007.00;
Fancy, 10.1 K)a I ii.UO. Bsur, mt Hoove.
B.-ro-a 5.H0. riiiKKi-, ).(() 4. 00. IIom,
'i.rhjti.oo.
NKW YOUR. Ft.01 , Southern. 3.85
4.I0. Wiipsit, Na. 3 Med, .77.7d.
w.-.i...... r.r. ",... v v.. -t
.4.W.4l. Oats, No. X, ..tivf.'.'lifi IJ-ct- f
tkii, fclate, .lli.!;4. 1'ik;bs Klulu, .'Hit
.110. Cure. Smte, .lti"i .li.
rilll.AI'KM'IUA. -- Fi-ot'tt, South
em, .'l.Kw.-i.-O. Whkat, No. 2 Med, .7".
'i).7.l. Com.. N. 3. Ai-u A'i'i. O.cr .'
No. i!, . .'10. Hi.iTKH, Mute, .-Oj
I'.'S. Loos, l'eiin ft., .SiiuV-'o.