c wst
THE COUNTRY STORE.
Does titer liv a littl urchin, (rowing np I
imuv me iArm.
IWho ran corn the honest pleasure or re-
sist the breezy charm
Of a jolting drive with "father," while the
horses pick their way
Over April's chirping runlet, or the an-
tuinn's binding elay?
For tho drive ia to the "Corner," and the
team drawn up before
That abode of life and color which its
patrons call "the store."
In its depths are plow and harrow, while
"their pictures on the wall,
Boldly done in green and scarlet, apeak in
eulogies of all.
On the shelves are rainbow ginghama,
voven stout for little boys,
CluiriDi boots for Sunday service and to
swell the schoolroom's noise,
Shining tin and loops of harness could a
sity shop hold more
In its prim and ordered quarters than this
bulging country store?
Then the rlienta that it gathers! Men of
wisdom moat profound
Captain Abel's "most a hundred," and has
sailed the map around ;
Jolly, self-professed old loafer, drawling
out a traveler's tale
.While the despot of the post-bag shuffles
calmly through the mail.
Politics and social matters, local newt sad
weather lore
Occupy this humle senate grouped about
the country atore.
Then, perhaps, the boy grows weary while
the graybeards wag away,
And his copper-toed tormentors feel amiss
this working-day.
Wistfully he eyes the roadside, wlrc the
waiting horses atamp
toitrr brush, or even get low enough
to stun Denial with a blow OH the
head.
But Jerome dropped his pistol bark
waning nnrses sismp, I - - , . .
Till the gift of father'a enny rubs again I In Its holster. He would take no
Aladdin's lamp.
For within one ancient show rasa bristle,
bright as precious orej
Yellow stick and crimson lozenge quite
the treasures of the store.
What is this? The years have hastened,
and a man, grown stout snd gray,
Sfepa acmes the rounded threshold aftci
many a homeock day.
Tailored cloth in place of gingham, careful
clip for mother's art
Change the outward man's sppearance, but
they cannot change his heart.
To a hopeful beat it quickens as he pauses
in the door
.Scarcely has a feature altered in the well-
remembered store.
Now he knows another reason, as he gazes
up and down,
Why they say God made the country while
His children made the town.
Quiet life has brought these neighbors to
an age of placid grace.
And a seaman, scarcely younger, drones
alons in Abel's place.
In this Cld Home Week the townsman,
back to haunts he used to know
Wonders how ha could have left them.
since they grip his heart-strings so;
And among the kindly faces and the
quaint, piled stock of yore,
He is still a wee farm-urchin, come with
"father" to the store.
Jeannie Pendleton Ewing, in Youth's
Companion.
UNCLE SAM'S BIO GUNS.
THE "LINE-BACK'S" CALF.
L
By CHARLES TENNEY JACKSON.
1
J
Fleet as a scared fawn, the little
red calf darted under Jerome's rlata
and fled into the bunch of cattle
rounded up on the parada grounds.
The guarding vaqueros raised a laugh
at the discomfited cowboy; the red
calf had twice eleuded him.
The rodeo "boss" lifted the Cres-cent-H
branding-Iron the range
mark of Jerome's employers from
the fire and tossed it Into the dust.
He took up the "scissors" Iron of tne
Dry Creek outfit and gazed at It
reflectively.
'Well, whose calf is It?" he asked.
"You two will have to settle It."
Now to tell the parentage of a
buerfn.no, that the eyes of no man
have seen until the round up, will
baffle even a boss of the rodeo.
Young Teddy Jerome was positive
that the red calf belonged to a "line
back" cow that had Mason's Cres-cent-H
mark. Bernal, a truculent
Mexican half-breed vaquero from the
Dry Creek ranch, swore that tho red
calf's mother was a gaunt old "long
born" with the scissors brand on her
flank.
"Look!" shouted Jerome, angrily,
drawing In his rope. "It knows its
mother It's ours!"
Tho disputed calf was dodging
among the swaying cattle that the
cowboys held on the parada space;
It nudged close to the line-back
then was through like a streak of
red to the side of the Dry Creek cow.
Bernal and some of the riders
laughed. Young Jerome was nettled,
but not shaken In his belief. Ho was
the only man from his employers'
ranch at tho rodeo, and felt the re
sponsibility of getting every calf that
was rightfully due him. Bernal had
already secured one that Jerome
thought waB his, but the wild moth'
era had so nearly weaned their off
spring by the end of the season that
doubt might well arise.
"You and Dernal will have to set
tle It," repeated the rodeo boss.
"Now cut out another calf from the
bunch lively! "
So the branding went on; the huor
fanoB, one by one, were cut out,
roped, and dragged to the branding
lire to be identified and marked with
any one of the dozen Irons that were
hot in the embers. Bernal and
Jerome were among the cowboys who
rode about the wild herd. Every
few minutes it was augmented by
other terror-Btrlcken steers which
the vaqueros were beating out of the
brushy gulches leading down Into the
main canon where the rodeo was held.
It was rough, dangerous work.
Even leather "chaps" and sombreros
could not protect the riders from the
thorny mesqult, nor could tho surest
looted pony guarantee them from
broken bones on the steep hillsides
Since daylight the rodeo hands littd
held a bunch of tame valley cows on
the parada grounds to serve as a
buffer to the wild steers that charged
down tho canon. Young Jerome was
behind these cattle, plying his quirt
and yelling in the singsong fashion
of the cattlemen to stop the pressure
Dut from up the canon a shrill
"hy-a-hy-a" announced the arrival of
another bunch of cattle driven out
by the workers. Straight Into the
uneasy herd on the parada grounds
charged two dozen fierce steers; the
mass broke before the Impact, and
the riders were swept away amoi-.g
frightened groups of cattle.
Jerome flew over the rocky creek
bed In pursuit of a score that gained
the brush before he could turn them.
But one by one his trained cow-pony
headed the fugitive.). He saw Bernal
riding before half a dozen of the cat
tle, and when the American went to
bis aid, all but three bad been turned
back to the parada.
But these three, charging wildly
ovor u thorny ridge beyond the riders,
happened tp be the Hue-back cow
with Mason's mark on her flank, the
old long-horn that bore the scissors
brund, and the fleet red yearling that
bad no brand at all. Bernal turned
In the saddle to laugh derisively at
his younger rival. Tho Mexican was
reputed tho best man with a rope In
'Northern Arizona.
"Your calf ha!" he called. ' Jer
ome, who rope ueera he have heoni,
eh?"
"No," shouted Jerome, "It's Ma
son's calf! I'll not gamble It with
any man! Its mother Is that Hue
back, and you know It, too!"
But. the calf kept so Impartially
with tho two gaunt, flerco mothers
that one might well have reserved
Judgment. They piuuged over a
bri.shy knoll, und Bernal, with a
twist of his Spanish bit, turned his
pun . to cut across their path.
The move suddenly crowded Jer
ome off the narrow trail, so that bis
animal went flounderlug down a steep
pitch of loose lava rocks on the hill
side, and before he oould gain the
ridge the three fleet ualUe and the
reckless Mexican had disappeared In
a little canon.
Jerome was angry at his comrade.
He was the youngest man at the
rodeo, and his skill as a cattleman
had twice been discredited by some
unfortunate chance to-day. Bernal
would have some sarcastic remark
about his horsemanship now, when
they rode Into camp; he had crowded
Jerome out of the chase purposely.
The Crescent-H ride felt his repu
tation was at stake; he could never
yield the disputed ownership of the
red calf before his fellows at the
rodeo now. He clattered along In
tho dust which the Mexican bad left
In the arroyo.
A hundred yards up the canon a
riderless cow-pony dashed past Jer
ome so fast that he barely recognized
It as Bernal's pinto. The American
reined In to scan the rocky canon-bed
In astonishment. Where was the
dark-skinned vaquero with his won
derful skill In riding and roping? A
cowboy unhorsed on the range Is like
a fish out of water. Some evil had
befallen Bernal.
Jerome rode rapidly on. The ar
royo opened out on a steep gravelly
slope on one Bide, which ran down a
hundred yards to the edge of a sheer
precipice. Over this cliff It was a
drop of two hundred feet to the
creek-bed, whence came the shouts
of the men and the bawling of the
calves on the parada grounds. The
cowboy stared down this slope in
surprise. The arroyo ended here; on
one side the rocks barred the way, on
the other was the sloping stretch to
the edge of the cliff. Bernal was
not to be seen.
Tho cow with the Dry Creek brand
suddenly clattered past Jerome, be
ing turned from her flight by the
unscalable rocks beyond. Then, half
way down the slope, the cowboy saw
the red calf flat on Its side, roped
about Its forefeet, helpless and
stunned, with Bernal's long rlata
trailing back in the soft lava rock
and dust. Farther down was the
line-back cow, making furious
plunges on the very edge of the
canon, grinding the rocks with her
king horns.
Jerome stared at her, a reassuring
satisfaction rising even through his
wonder, for the Crescent-H cow was
in all the savage fury of a wild moth
er protecting her offspring. No cat
tleman would doubt for an Instant
to whom the red calf belonged, If he
saw this frantic maternal solicitude.
The scissors-brand cow had thought
only of escape. But how came the
ralf to be roped and abandoned, and
where was Bernal?
Jerome sat in his sweaty saddle on
top of the terrace-lllte top of the hill,
watcblng tho line-back's exhibition.
A wild mother cow's rage Is to be
approached with caution. A man
might dismount, secure the rlata, and
then drag tho calf up the slope, while
the cow was raging along tho edge
of the cliff below; Bhe could hardly
charge up through the soft crumbling
lava stuff in time to reach him. Ber
nal must have gone over the cliff
in some fashion; he was Inevitably
killed, If such was the case.
The gaunt line-back cow was on
her fore knees, scraping her horns In
a clump of greusewood that grew on
the edge of the cliff. She threw bits
of froth over her sides at each sweep
of her head; she bellowed at each
futile plunge of her horns Into the
bush, and then Jerome saw what so
excited her animosity,
Dernal lay half over the chasm,
clinging desperately to the grease
wood roots and the crevices of the
rocks, und the frantic mother was,
at each plunge, tearing his support
from tho soil.
Jerome whirled his pony on the
narrow flut to come nearer to the
spot. He shouted at the Mexican,
whose head and shoulder he could
Just see. The rest of ths man's body
actually appeared to hang over the
precipice.
Denial heard, and turned his head
focbly.
"Loco! loco!" he cried. "Shoot
lieera! "
Jerome's slx-shoter was In his
hand at the suggestion. But he hesi
tated. It was a long distance to use
a revolver; he might hit Dernal, or,
If he simply wounded the enraged
anltuul, he would In nowise assist
her vUtlrn. And if a bullet struck
her dead she would plunge squarely
upon the Mexican and carry him
down to the rocky creek-bed two hun
dred feet below.
"Shoot! shoot!" shrieked Bernal,
In a crevice of the precipice.
It seemed as It the terrible horns
were smashing his very knuckles as
he clung to the greasewood. The
animal almost lay In the hole she had
torn out of the loose soil on the edge
of the die. At any moment she
might dislodge the test root of the
chances with Bhootlng the cow. He
spurred his reluctant pony over the
flat, and was plunging down through
tte sltdlng lava stuff to vard the edge
of the cliff. The red calf struggled
feebly In the rlata as Jerome's pony
stumbled past It. The rider had
hoped to draw off the mother, but
she would not be enticed from her
victim. A man dismounted will In
stantly arouse the savage instincts
of the range cattle In the Southwest;
the old line-back seemed bent upon
revenging all the wrongs of her kind
upon the unfortunate Mexican.
Again he called upon his compan
ion to shoot the animal. The grease
wood was cracking; there was noth
ing else to stay his fall. Bernal's
body simply lay In a crotch of the
bush pulled down over the cliff.
But Jerome spurred his snorting
pony in a half-circle about the cow
some yards away. Then he unloosed
his rlata, measuring the distance.
The line-back's head was so constant
ly down In her efforts to get at the
Mexican that roping was no easy
feat. And In tho struggle she might
go over the cliff, dragging horse and
rider after her, for there would be
no time to escape If she fell.
Already Bernal seemed to be slip
ping from his laBt clutch. So, gath
ering In his bridle-reins, that he
might urge the stout little pony for
ward It the throw was good, Jerome
sent the heavy llatn whirling down
the slope. The maddened cow bad
just bowed her neck for a final sweep
at the brush when the rope struck
her. She threw bark her head, and
the rawhide fell clear about her nose,
tightening with a jerk. Jerome'!
spurs sent tho pony up the slope In s
desperate plunge, and the cowboy
was plying his quirt and yelling as
the lino grew taut.
The line-back cow was upreared;
then sho toppled and rolled, fighting
tho line, almost to the edge of th
cliff. It was a critical moment; once
tho brave little pony lost his feet 1
the loose, treacherous rock. Then he
was up, making plunge after plunge,
until the heavy animal at the end' of
the line was choked Into helplessness.
The heaving body of the cow lay
with her hind feet over the cliff in
Bernal's face, when Jerome at last
stopped the trained pony with a sin
gle word. But the wise brute still
hung forward, keeping the line tight.
His rider dismounts, and ran to
help the Mexican. Ben.ni was weak
enough as he staggered up the slope.
Ho had roped the calf, but a broken
cinch had given him a hard fall on
the rocks, and he had scrambled up,
to find himself dismounted and pur
sued by the cow, maddened by the
bawls of her offspring.
"I jumped behind the bush on tho
edge of the canon," said Bernal, as
he watched Jerome releasing the sub
dued line-back and her calf. "Dat
cow push dat bush clear over the
edge. She tear it to pieces! Dat
calf yours all right. I wouldn't have
heem. I tell the rodeo boss I put
the Crescent-H on heem myself!"
Youth's Companion.
TRICK OF SUFFRAGE.
Long Ranges and) Improved Accuracy
of Fire.
A few weeks ago the American So
ciety of Mechanical Engineers was
Invited to follow up its session in this
city by n visit to Sandy Hook, where
tho United tSates Government has a
fort for the permanent defense of the
harbor of New York, and also special
grounds for the testing of new can
non. Tho party Included six hundred
members. Though the visitors were
not permitted to learn certain secrets
of the War Department relative to
the protection of the country from a
foreign foe, they had a good chance
to see some of the guns which would
be employed In emergencies.
Muoh the largest cannon ever built
for the United States has a calibre
of sixteen Inches. This was not fired
for the visiting engineers, but they
had a good look at It. The monster
takes a charge of 640 pounds of pow
der and throws a projectile weighing
2400 pounds, or considerably over a
ton. Up to the present time It has
been discharged only five times. Tho
ottreme range of the piece Is said to
bo twonty-one miles, but It would do
no particular ' damage at that dis
tance. Its best work would prob
ably bo limited to a range of eight or
ten miles. Tho slxteen-lnch gun Is
mounted on a "disappearing" car
riage, as are most of the heaviest
guns employed for coast defense.
An Idea of the appearance of the
disappearing gun carriage can bo de
rived from the accompanying pic
ture, which shows that type of
mounting applied to a six-Inch rifle.
As will be perceived at a glance, tho
gun Is sustained by two enormous
levers, which are hinged at both top
and bottom. It Is thus possible for
the gun to occupy two positions, one
higher than the other. After being
fired the gun swings backward and
downward. When It has been loaded
It can be raised several feet without
altering the aim. This arangement
allows the gunners to load the piece
while It Is out of sight behind th.e
parapet, but to bring It up again for
actual service. The gun carriage can
be rotated so as to sweep the horizon
from right to left, llko tho older form
of artillery mounting.
The visiting engineers saw two
rounds fired from a six-Inch rifle and
one fromaten-inch gun. They also ex
amined the twolve-lnch gun provided
With a style of disappearing carriage
unlike the others and invented by
General Crozler, chief of the ord
nance bureau of the army. Explain
ing the wonderful advances which
have been made In the last five years
In practice with these guns, ono of
formerly, using two guns alternately,
the ofllcers present stated that where
a shot could be fired every three
minutes and fifty per cent, of the
shots would be hits at a range of
4000 to 4500 yards, now tho guns
aro shot with 100 per cent, accuracy
at a range of 7000 yards, about four
miles, with an average Interval be
tween tho shots of only forty-three
seconds.
Another Kind of Memory.
In the Hewitt family it was Frank
whose wonderful memory was held
up as an example to tho other chil
dren, and Mabel who was alternately
chlded and pitied for her forgetful
ness. Therefore a remark nade by
Great-Aunt Hewitt when she went to
the city on one of her rare visits
caused considerable surprise.
"You ought to have trained that
boy of yours better!" said Miss How
ltt, with considerable sevorlty. "How
in tho world ho can be so forgetful
when there's Mabel for an example
I don't see for the life of me!"
"Mabel!" echoed the mother. In
amazement. "Why, Mabel has the
poorest memory In the family! It
she has an errand to do, we have to
write It down for her, and in school
she can't remember dates or rules or
anything without an awful struggle.
But Frank why, ho never forgots
anything Iio'b once been told."
"Yes, he does," said Great-Aunt
Hewitt, testily. "He forgot wbloY;
was my chair In the Bitting room ev
ery day of the two months those chil
dren were at my house, excopt when
I managed to get it ahead of him.
I've seen Mabel rout him out of it
day after day, and he looked just as
bewildered every time.
"It's all very well for the boy to
have a head crammed with rules and
dates and figures, but there's another
part of bis memory that needs look
ing to, and mighty hard work it'll be
to get It In good order, If I'm any
judge." Youth's Companion.
Discovery of Nubian Manuscripts.
While examining some shoots of
parchment bought at Cairo for Cop
tic manuscripts, Carl Schmidt made
a discovery of much Importance to
philology and history. The repeti
tion of the word "Uru." which
among modern Nubians means king,
convinced the German savant, who Is
nn authority on Coptic and the early
Christian archaeology of Upper
Egypt, that tho text was Nubian, a
language which, although no
longer spoken, Is still wrltteu. The
manuscripts date from the eighth
century A. D,, and are translations
of Christian works In which frequent
references to St. Paul are made. One
manuscript is a collection of extracts
from the New Testament, and the
other a hymn of the cross. The reek
original of the hymn is not known.
When the documents are deciphered
philological science will be enriched
by tho knowledge of the language
spoken by the people of Nubfa before
the Invasion of Semitic tribes, and
the mysterious Inscriptions on many
of the Egyptian monuments may be
read. Scientific American.
Baffled But Determined.
While Mr. Graham calmly and de
liberately opened the morning paper
and ran his eye over the headlines
his wife looked volumes of reproach
aud Impatience.
"Can't you tell me about that fire
yesterday before you read everything
elBo In the paper?" she asked at last.
"Certainly, my dear, certainly,"
said Mr. Graham, when she had re
peated her question. "Er here it
is.
" 'At four-thirty yesterday after
noon the great boiler at Stafford's I
burst. The scene which followed baf
fled all description.' "
"Is that all It says?" demanded
Mrs. Graham, as her husband's eye
seemed inclined to wander over the
page.
"No," said Mr. Graham: "there
are three full columns of descrip
tion on this page, and It says 'con
tinued on page six.' " Youth's Companion.
Tho Family Honor.
"Bobby," asked the teacher of the
class In arithmetic, addressing the
question to one of the younger pu
pils, "how many pints are there in a
gallon?" "I've forgot it again,
ma'am," said Bobby, who found it
hard to commit to memory the tables
of weights and measures.
Thinking that perhaps by turning
from the abstract to tho concacte
she might succeed better In stimulat
ing his power of recollection, the
teacher tried another tack.
"Bobby," she said, "your father is
a milkman, Isn't he?"
ma'am."
now, think as hard as you
can. He sometimes sells a gallon
can full of milk, doesn't he? Just
o. Well, when he does, how many
pints of milk are there In that gal
lon can?"
"It's all milk, ma'am!" indignant
ly exclaimed Bobby. Youth's Companion.
"Y.-s,
"Well.
Chopped Off His Finger,
From Singapore comes the story
of a Chinese cook who had been ad
dicted to gambling, but repented his
evil ways. Finding that his debts
were accumulating day by day, he
went Into the kitchen and chopped
off the forefinger of his left hand as
a self-punishment and warning to
himself that he must relinquish this
evil habit of gambling in the future.
He became unconscious through the
pain, but was brought round again
In a few minutes.
Talked in Her Sleep.
A Paris woman who was arrested
for picking pockets, and who pre
tended to speak an unknown lan
guage, betrayed herself In her sleep.
When brought before tho magistrate
she was Interrogated by Turkish,
Russian, Polish and Hungarian in
terpreters, but none could under
stand her. The magistrate ordered
her to be kept under strict surveil
lance. In her sleep she talked fluent
French, with the true Parisian accent.
Cupltl Versus Sport.
Although weddings uro many at
this season of the year; engagements
are few. The masculine mind Is too
much taken up with sport, aud the
delights of a "warm corner," when
the long-tailoU birds are sailing over
head in nut numbers, or the pleas
urable excitement of cub-hunting,
which is only a promise of greater
Joys to como, occupy It to tbe ex
clusion of all softer emotions. Tbe
Brows.
Committee Asked Enthusiastic Wom
an to Remit.
Mrs. Anna Bagley, who is visiting
In this city, was once an enthusiastic
woman suffragist In Wyoming. Her
enthusiasm In the cause of her down
trodden sisters has waned almost to
the vanishing point. She cast just
one vote "for Theodore Roosevelt
for President," she says In the pride
of her heart and It. came noar cost
ing her $75. She declares It Isn't
worth the money.
Wyoming, It must be remembered,
Is In the vanguard of American States
in the march toward the universal
franchise, in that Commonwealth a
woman Is every bit ss good as a man,
or better, and. moreover, she can
prove It. She may not be able td
chase a jackrabblt or coyote through
the sage-brush quite so fast as her
bucksklnned lord, or cut such fancy
figures with a lariat at a "round-up,"
but when It comes to wielding the
ballot she will admit no Inferiority.
Mrs. Bagley, while holding a posi
tion under the State Government in
Cheyenne, exercised her right of
suffrage with due solemnity. Soon
afterward she moved to Great Falls.
Mont., where the fact that she had
once voted, mentioned casually dur
ing nome small talk, became knowu
among her friends. Mucn to her sur
prise, Bhe became a heroine and had
thrust upon her honors she had not
counted on. The women of her im
mediate circle made much of one who
enjoyed the full political rights thus
far dented them, and at a little dinner
sho attended she found herself osten
sibly labelled. "Montana's Only Wom
an Voter." There It was on her menu
card In letters so big and bold that
there was none so blind she could not
bear witness to the fame of this
guest. She bore her distinction mod
estly somewhat diffidently, in fact.
After the lapse of a year or so Mrs.
Bagley had called to her attention
tho fact that another election was
about to be held In Wyoming, and the
State with a big "8" needed her.
Feeling sure of her party loyalty, the
managers of the campaign wrote to
her, offering her transportation if she
wished to return and cast her ballot.
This was1 declined with thanks, and
she resigned herself to life In Mon
tana, where the electoral sovereignty
of mere man Is absolute and undi
vided. But Bhe continued to be an
earnest believer In woman's rights
until until she wbb rudely awakened
to the fact that, her suffrage Idol had
feet, not of clay but of mud.
The blow was delivered In this
wise: Mrs. Bagley received from the
head of the Wyoming Campaign Com
mittee a letter reading something like
this:
"Dear Madam We beg to call
your attention to the fact that a cam
paign is in progress in thin State in
which Is Involved not only the very
life of the party but the whole cause
of good government. If not the safety
of tho Nation Itself. We find our
selves pinched for funds with which
to pay necessary campaign expenses
and an allotment of the amount nec
essary has been made among those
most interested in the success of the
party. Your share has been fixed at
$75. Please remit by check or money
order."
Mrs. Bagley rubbed hor eyes, and
tho beautiful dream of the political
oquallty of the sexes vanished. Chi
cago Record-Herald.
I
It Is now possible to see and hear
plants grow. In the apparatus of
two Germans the growing plant Is
connected with a disk having In its
centre an Indicator which moves vis
ibly and regularly, and this move
ment, magnified fifty times over a
scale, shows the progress in growth.
Magnet windings of uninsulated
wire are said to have proved feasible
by the use of aluminum wire, the
natural oxide upon which forms nn
effective Insulation for moderate
voltages. For over 200 volts, paper
wound wet between tuo layers Is ef
fective, and for higher potentials, ex
tra oxidation has been secured by
dipping in a chemical bath.
HOXfJ OF THE MUHKKAT.
It Is reported from Paris that Pro
fessor Behrlng has discovered a new
method of sterilizing milk without
boiling It or destroying any of Its
essential principles. The method Is
based on tho powerful qualities of
German perphydrol, simply otygen
ated. One gram per litre of this
substance is sufficient to destroy all
noxious germs. Milk thus sterilized
can bo kept a long lime.
According to recent investigations,
tho peculiar flavor that pleases smok
ers Is largely duo to the activity of
certain bacteria while tho tobacco is
undergoing the fermentation stage
of curing. Dr. Sueshsland, a Gorman
scientist, has cultivated germs
taken from fine Cuban tobacco while
fermenting and introduced them into
Inferior varieties of German tobacco.
When the latter was cured connois
seurs could not distinguish It from
tho best Cuban brands.
De of muskrat am sleek en fat.
His mest am in its prime;
Oh. watch him swim et rle riveh rim
When de red moon staht to climb.
He sniff del trap, de triggeh snap, A
Ah heah do doah go slam:
En Ah ketch det sinnah fob to morrow
dinneh
His meat am sweet es ham.
Pemtis luh his 'possum.
All baked wid velliili yam;
But mus'rst meat
So fat en sweet
Am good en::f ioh Sam.
De Cnnnel say when he rum mail way,
"To cook det thing's a crime;
Ah'd mtheli eat a bahn rat's meat
Den a niua'rat eny time."
Aunt C'hloc smile en afteli while
She sen's a dish so sweet,
De Cunnel chew each rich slire fro
En tSiink et's chicken meat.
Bemtis luh his 'possum,
All lull. A wid vrllah yam;
But mus'rat meat
So fat en sweet
Am good enuf fob Sam.
Puck.
Borings 1000 feet deep In New
Orleans have encountered nothing
more solid than mud, sand and a
little thin clay; hence tho problem
of making safe foundations for the
piers of a gigantic railroad bridge
whlqh Is soon to be built across the
Mississippi near tho city is a hard
ono for engineering science. The
piers will rest on timber caissons,
each measuring over sixty feet by
126 and 140 feet high. The bot
toms of these caissons will be 170
feet below the surface of the river.
For Those Who Would Be Strong.
Everybody seeks health nowadays,
although all are not successful In
finding It. At tho same time, the
amount of euro which most of us
take must surely have some effect
on the longevity of the race, and
certainly the average age does seem
to be increasing.
The following rules Issued by tho
New York Board of Health for the
guidance of consumptives might very
well be followed as nearly as possible
by all of us:
Never sleep or stay In a close
room.
When Indoors remain in the sun
niest and best ventilated room one,
It possible, which has no carpet.
Have at least one window open
In your bedroom.
Have a room to yourself when pos
sible, and at any rate have your own
bed.
Go to bed early and sleep at !east
eight hours.
Avoid draughts, dampness, dust
and smoke.
Keep your feet warm and dry.
Don't wear a chest protector.
If you have to work, take every
chance to rest that you can.
Avoid eating when mentally or
bodily tired, or when In a state of
nervous oxcitoment.
Eat plenty of good and whole
some food. Washington Star.
"MOMENTUM IX VARIATION."
Umbrellas in Bed.
Mr. Barnard, M. P., has conducted
nn inquiry on behalf of the Herts
County Council ut King's Langlcy
Into the housing question. It was
stated that at Chipperfleld It took a
man two years to find a house, and a
woman had to walk eight miles to
her work because she could not get a
lodging nearer. In another case um
brellas had to be held up In bed when
It ruined, and young people could not
Harry because theri! was nowhere for
them to live.- London Chronicle.
Explanation of Growth of Useless
Animal Organs.
In many animals thore arc certain
organs which, useful In their earlier
stages, have apparently been so great
ly developed as to become rather
hindrances. The horns of certain
deer, for example, useful as weapons
of defense when smaller, have be
come so large as rather to handicap
the animals In the struggle for life.
The huge overgrown teeth, or tusks,
of certain of the boar family may be
cited as further examples. These are
sometimes explained as organs whic h
have been more useful in their pres
ent stato under former conditions,
and which have persisted through
heredity. In the American Natural
ist, however, Mr. F. B. Loomls brings
forward another explanation. He
thinks the growth of such organs in
due to what he calls "momentum In
variation." As a variation proceeds
In a certain direction It acquires, like
a body moving under the action of
gravity, a momentum which may
carry It past the stage of greatest
utility. This factor in evolution, Mr.
Loomls thinks, has not been assigned
tho Importance It deserves.
Other evolutionists, however, have
suggested that when an animal or
plant has once started to vary In a
given direction, It acquires a tendency
to go on varying In that direction.
And this, although the word momen
tum Is not used, agrees with the
above theory.
"Mrs. Baker gave a party for
babies under two years old." "Wa
it a success?" "Howling." Life.
Daron "Is that a popular sons;
your daughter is playing?" Egbert
"It wns before she began playing
it." YonkerB Statesman.
We're shorted up our words a few, I
The scheme is far from twaddle:
Progressive young folks say "ekiadoo,"
Our griindsires said "skedaddle."
Detroit News.
He "Everything in this bouse
looks run down!" She "But, dear,
you haven't seen the bills this
month!" Detroit Free Press.
Rantlngton "Frohman wanted to
present me this season." Manager
(Frostvllle Opera House) "Gosh!
Couldn't you make yourself present
able?" Puck.
The Western Senator had pur
chased n home in the East. "Do you
intend to abandon your State?" he
was asked. "Not at all," he replied.
"I need It for purposes of mileage."
Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Professional Humorist "Wit
should never seem forced. Now, I
never try to be funny." His Vls-a-VIs
"Oh, but you should, Mr.
Woodshine. One never knows what
one can do till one tries." Puck.
The Vicar's Wife "I'm sorry to
see you're not paying into our coal
club this year, Ooodenough." Good
enough "Well, mum, you see
well, it's like this 'ere. I lives right
be'ind the coal yard now!" Punch.
"You keep a cook, of course,
madam," said the polite agent, who
was trying to sell a new kitchen
utensil. "No, I don't," snapped the
woman. "The best I can do is to
give ono employment." Cleveland
Pre&3.
Full many n spurt of fame in other days
The verdant meadows und the cornfields
hide;
Full many a baseball hero gathers in
Your nickel when you take a street car
ride.
Cleveland Press.
"I ran't see anything of special in
terest In that manuscript of yours,"
said the publisher to the aspiring au
thor. "I didn't anticipate that you
would," replied the author. "But I
thought possibly your readers might
have more intelligence." Milwaukee
Sentinel.
His Resolve. "When ) m first
enierc-d politics," said the you:.-; n U
who 1b looking for knowledge, "did
you get out with the determination
to win at any cost?" "No," an
swered Sorghum, "I set out with the
determination to win at as little ex
pensa as possible." Washington
Star.
"Yls, ma'am," said Brldgut, "I'll
be l'avin' ye. I don't like that snip
of a dude that does be callln' on Miss
Mabe! " "The Idea!" exclaimed her
mistress. "He doesn't call to see)
you, so what " "I know ho
don't, ma'am, but I'm afraid some
o' the neighbors might think he
does " Philadelphia Press.
Jews and Charity.
It Is stated that moro than a fifth
of London Jewry are In constant need
of charity doles a curious und pain
ful commentary on (ho popular
phrdse, "as rich as a Jew." How
admirably the .lews who can afford it
respond to the needs of their poorer
coreligionists Is indicated by tbe very
striking fact that the value of en
dowments of metropolitan Jewish
charities Is now within easy distance
of the magnificent sum of 1,000,000
sterling. Jewish Chronicle.
An Unexpected Bite.
One of the queerest experiences In
catching trout that any man ever had
was that at Moosehead Lake by an
Attleboro sportsman named Will
lams. He was standing on the apron
of the dam at Wilson's, fishing In
the quick water below, and had met
with fair success. Near the shore,
on his right hand, In a little eddy,
ho noticed a barrel lying on Its side
In several feet of water. He wan
dered what It was there for, and was
so curious that he left his fishing and
went down to examine. He found
that it was au old molasses barrel,
and was lying so that lie could see
the bunghole.
Of course, the barrel was full of
water, und the man had no Idea there
was a tiBh inside of It, but just for
curiosity he dropped his hook
through the hole, and no sooner had
It landed there than the water was
boiling, and the fisherman knew ho
had a trout on the other end. He
played hlni until the fish was tired,
and when he came to land him he
could not get him through the bole.
He secured a saw and sawed a piece
out of the top of tho barrel near
the hole. The fish came out. It
weighed three pounds, and was one
of the handsomest squaretalls caught
In that section this year.
One of tho guides said that the
trout must have gone into the bar
rol when small, and had lived on
bugs and wormi which had taken up
their abode inside. Maine Sports-
i man.
I
He Was Right.
"See here," feebly complained the
victim, after tbe accident, "I thought
you i aid It was perfectly safe to go
up ltu that old elevator?" "Well,"
replied tbe elevator man. "so it was
safe to go dp; you see, the dangerous
part of it was comln' down." -Philadelphia
Press.
For Justice's Sake.
A ChlcusC lawyer tells of a justice
of the pence In a town In Southern
lndiaua whose ideas touching the ad
ministration of justice were some
what bizarre. On one occasion, after
ull the evidence was in and the plain
tiff's attorney had made an elaborate
argument, tbe defendant's attorney
rose to begin his plea.
'"Walt a minute! " exclaimed the
Court. "I don't see no use it your
proceeding, Mr. Brown. I have got a
very clear ldeu now ot the guilt of tbe
prisoner at the bar, and anything
more from youweuld have a tendency
to confuse the Court. I know he's
guilty aud I don't want to take no
chances." Harper' Weekly.
Ijogic is Logic.
The Irish Intellect is more often as
sociated with wit than with logic;
but an Irish workman recently si
lenced for a moment the upbraiding
tongue of his foreman by a display
of something which bore Just enougb
resemblance to logic to confuBe tho
hearer.
The workman enjoyed leaning on
his hod and making shrewd observa
tions much more than he did stirring
about, and the cry for "Mort! Mort!"
fell on dull ears.
"Why don't you attend to your
hod and keep that man going?" de
manded the foreman severely, when
Patrick was enjoying one of bis fre
quent periods of rest.
Patrick raised bis Rod with a lels
urely movement and turned a pair
of twinkling eyei on his accuser.
"Sure, now," he said, easily, "If I
was to keep him going all, tbe time.
Bora a thing 'he'd say at all, at all;
an' It he didn't say anything I'd be
thinking he wasn't there. An' If ha
wasn't there, Borr, what would he be
wanting of morthar nnuyway?"
Youth's Companion. '
A Direct Appeal.
A story is told of a New Yo k car
conductor who had once been In the
ministry, and who retained some of
his former ways of speech In his new
calling.
He bad been at tbe front of the
car collecting fares, and when he re
turned to his platform a well-disposed
person told him that a man
bad boarded the car at Houston
street and had lound a plr.ee Inside.
Tho conductor stepped Inside the
doorway, and ran his mild gaze up
und down the car, bin could not ba
sure which of the tightly packed pas
sengers was the late arrival.
"Will the gentleman who got on
at Houston street please rise?" ho
asked, calmly.
Tbe gentleman ro.-o Involuntarily,
and with a bow and a "Thank you!"
the conductor collected his fare.
Youth's Companion.
Butter in Arnocaia Is made fa
churns suspended by rope from tbe
rafters aud shaken from side to side
by tbe women,