i
f Six Days in a Swamp f
V M By T. C. WIDOW. aMUMMIMIg
(Th anTTior IN tTiroo frieod ftrrTnrwi n plnAfiurv-trlp down n Florida river from $
nmn v tribulations ere tbey flnaUr rBVbpl omliration 1
source to month Joanper tbmt b'l ne
fxiMMtttt-m wiui tnnt u
Ifut liopelceely Uwt In a vut twnmp. And nmWwpnt
It was (Imply became no one had
ever before rowed down the river
from source to mouth that wa were
f" keen to make the attempt. It
may aound odd to most people's ears
to talk of rowing from the source of
a river; but Florida rivers are very
different from others. As a rule,
they rise full-fledged from the lime
stone rock great, boiling, gushing
fountains of transparent water of
such volume that In some cases It Is
actually possible to run a stern-wheel
steamboat to the very pool In which
they appear.
The Weklva River rises In this
way, but Altamonte Spring, which Is
Its source, Is a comparatively small
one, and when we lifted our eighteen
foot cat-boat from the wagon we had
serious doubts as to whether she
would fit Into the little pool at all.
But there was no choostng our
launching Bpot. The spring was the
only place where we could reach the
water, for beyond It the river plunged
at once Into thick "hammock" (hard
wood forest) and was lost to view.
It was Hobson's choice, and after
much maneuvering the boat slid down
the steep bank and floated like a cork
In the centre of the bubbling pool.
We piled our goods aboard and
Jumped after them. A shouted good
bye to our negro teamster and we
were off.
There wore four of us who started
on that lovely March morning. Three
Franks, Myers, and Marshall
were Americans; the fourth, your
humble servant, an English orange
grower. Our Idea was to make a
very plcaBant little picnic of the ex
pedition. Twelve miles below Alta
monte Spring another river, the Clay
Springs Run, Joined the Weklva.
Five miles up the Run was a settle
ment where we had friends. We
meant to make this place the first
night, sleep there, and start .efreshed
next morning for the mouth of the
Weklva, where it Joins the St. John's.
The latter part of the journey we
reckoned we could do In two days,
making three in all. How sadly mis
taken we were In our calculations
we were to discover to our cost.
The first part of our journey was
distinctly exciting. Tho stream, far
too narrow for rowing, ran deep and
swift in a series of the very sharpest
curves so sharp that, in spite of the
best efforts of the man in the bow,
the boat constantly charged the high
bank In a bull-headed fashion, which
half filled her with loam and leaves
and made her occupants sit down
with emphatic bumps and still more
emphatic language.
Suddenly there loomed up a dead
trunk, lying right across the river
from bank to bank. There was noth
ing for It but to cut through the ob
stacle. Myers sprang out with an
axe and the chips flew in a white
showbr.
So did the nnts. The half-rotten
wood was the home of hordes of
large red ants, which bit like fiends.
Before the boat could be pulled clear
sho was swarming with tho fierce
little warriors, nnd long after the
trunk had parted and the boat had
passed on Its way we were busy pick
ing' ants off ourselves and sweeping
them overboard.
For some hours this sort of thing
went on, the river gradually growing
in size, but still too narrow and
crooked for rowing. Sometimes a
log had to be cut through; sometimes
tt'wns necessary to life the boat ver
a half-Bubmerged trunk. The Uanks
were high and heavily wooded and
the sunlight glittered down through
a tracery of delicate foliage. The
trees were all hardwood live oak,
water oak, bastard uak, bay, red gum.
and magnolia, the latter forest giants
sixty feet high and filling the air
with scent from white blooms the slzo
of dinner-plates.
Soon after luncheon n scratch re
past of biscuits, cheese and peach
cider the boat suddenly left the
hammock and glided iuto tho mazes
of a great saw-grass swamp.
Saw-gra3s Is a purely Florldan
product. Ten to twelve feet from
root to summit, its blades aro grey
green In color, wide and stiff, with
serrated edges which cut abominably
Nothing .short of an alligator can
penetrate It; Its groat height and
thickness make it imposible to force
a boat through It. It covers nun
dreds of square miles in South Flor
Ida, and many a life has been lost
In Us tangled recesses.
In the saw-grass the river spread
out Into a maze of shallow channels
and here our troubles began. We
tried one after another, and over and
over again grounded or ran Into blind
alleys and were forced to return.
Once we drove the boat hard
aground. The bottom was fair yel
low sand. Myers and Marshall pulled
oft their boots and sprang overboard
to lift her. Instantly they were both
up to their knees and sinking fast
We in the boat had to pull like grim
death to haul them out ef tho patch
of treacherous quicksand which they
had happenod on. Fortunately, by
the use of our mast we managed to
pole tho boat back Into water that
would float It.
The sun -was low before the dark
green, headB of oypresses loomed
abovo the tall vegotatlon. In an
othor ten minutes we had left the
grass behind us, and with two men
at 'the oars weru pulling down a deep,
placid creek between two rows of
giant cypress trees.
Tho place had a curious resem
blance, to the aUle of a great cathe
dral. The floor, placid brown water;
the columns, giant grey trunks rising
many feet before showing a branch;
overhead great limbs with heavy In
termingled foliage formed a inagnin-cently-archod
root. To add to the
Illusion, long tralla of grey Spanish
moss hung motionless in the breath
less a'r, giving tho appearance of tat
tered banners depending trout the
vault above.
From the bases of the monstrous
trunks huge knees and buttresses ex
tended far out Into the water, gnarled
and twisted Into a thousand fantastic
shapes, and curiously resembling
those peculiar rocks seen where a
lava stream has met salt water.
Here we saw for the first time what
was later to prove cur worst enemy,
that curious weed the water-lettuce.
The top of the water-lettuce bears an
exact resemblance to Its garden
namesake, but below Is a huge mass
of roots. It floats on the water, and
gliding gently down the slugfelst cur
rent until It meets some obstruction,
gathers In huge rafts, which finally
block the whole stream from bank
to bank. These rafts rot, and upon
them grow forests of other weeds,
until at last the river is entirely hidden.
It was growing late. There was
now no longer any hope of reaching
the Clay Springs Settlement that
night. We realized that we should
have to camp. But where? That
was the question, for there was no
longer any solid land to camp on.
On either side lay miles of Impene
trable swamp, deep black liquid mud,
tangled creepers, and rotting vegeta
tion; the only Inhabitants nUlgators,
snakes and turtles.
Every one was longing for a cup
of hot coffee, so we landed on a great
cypress buttress and lit a fire. Alas
for our hopes of hot supper! The
wator was Just beginning to boll
when the buttress, which was hollow,
burnt through, and Are and kettle to
gether fell hissing Into the black
water below. Worse still, the cy
press trunk Itself took fire, and wo
had to sheer off rapidly and tie up at
tome distance away.
We had no means of cooking in
the boat, and made a miserable meal
on biscuit and cheese. Meantime the
Are had got a good hold on the cy
press, and we were treated to a mag
nlflcent spectacle. Tho trunk of the
ancient giant was hollow, like the
buttress, and under the furious
draught the Aames rushed up It with
a loud roar, spouting In crimson pen
nons from every knot-hole and throw
ing a red glare upon the still, dark
water and sleeping forest. Bats and
weird night-birds swooped above, and
every now and then a great branch
cams crashing down Into the river.
We watched for an hour or more,
and then all of a sudden the blazing
shell collapsed and fell with a hissing
roar into the depths below, throwing
up a wave that washed clean over
our stern.
We baled the boat out and tried
to sleep, but an eighteen-foot boat Is
narrow quarters for four men, and to
add to our miseries every mosquito
and most of the sandflies in South
Florida had gathered to the feast,
and we had no nets to protect us.
We smoked till we could smoke no
more; then, cowering under the sail,
slept a painful, half-suffocated sleep
til the first gray light of dawn, when
wo ate a few biscuits and started
again. We passed one spot where it
would have been possible to land and
cook breakfast, but would not stop,
so sure were we or reaching day
Springs in time for midday dluner.
But soon we struck raft after raft
ot lettuce, some so thick that every
yard had to be painfully cut through
with a brush-hook, and midday found
us still In the Weklva Channel, with
no Blgns of the Clay Springs Run to
be Been anywhere.
We became uneasy; we began to
fear that we had passed the mouth
of the Run. The trees were so thick
and the blind channels so frequent
that this was more than possible.
If we had done so the outlook was
serious. We had plenty of food ot a
kind, but it was uncooked. You can
not eat flour, hominy, coffee and ba
con without cooking them. And
though there was wood enough in
sight to cook for n nation, there was
no ground on which to light a fire.
The river was high for the time of
year, and the water stretched back
as far as we could see iuto the lm
penetrable swamp on either Bide.
The farther wo went the worse the
conditions became. The river was
so choked with lettuce that most of
our time was spent painfully chop
ping our way through great floating
islands. The odor from the rotting
masses was sickening, and tho river
water, which was all we had to drink.
was thick and filthy.
Our surroundings were most de
pressing. Everywhere we beheld the
gloomy cypresses rising out of a
morass of mud and water, but no life
except tho brown water-snakes which
writhed among the weeds, and the
alligators and turtles that floated
Idly In the stagnant stream or lay on
logs at the edge. No sound reached
our earB save now and then the thun
derous hammering of a great Ivory
billed woodpecker somewhere far
away In the forest.
Towards five o'clock It began to
rain a thick, flue drizzle. The sky
grew raptdlv dark, and we were final
ly forced to tie up to a log. This
time we lit a small fire In our frying
pan and managed to toast a few
Slices of bacon, but we could not boil
water to make coffee.
Another night of misery passed
slowly by. Bull alligators bellowed
at Intervals, and twice wo were wak
ened by the long-drawn, piercing wall
ot a panther somewhere In the dis
tance. A more creepy sound I never
wish to hear. But we were all tired
out,, Bnd alept at last even In spite
ot the mosquitoes.
Morning dawned dull but fine.
There was some talk among us ot
"trying back," but It was at last de
cided to keep on. We felt sure that
we were now a long way past the
Clay Springs Run and hoped to reach
the St. John's before night.
Vain hope! After hours of strug
gling with over-Increasing weeds we
ran into a bank of slime which barred
farther progress. There was no need
to inform one another what bad hap
pened. Somehow we had left the
main stream, and, for how long none
ot us knew, had been working down
TbTtna backwater: There was noth
ng for It but to go back.
It was nearly three before we were
certain we were In the main stream
again. The current was so nearly Im
perceptible that it was most difficult
to avoid the Innumerable blind chan
nels. By this time we were all suffering
from the effects of the putrid watei
and Myers was really 111. Fortunate
ly I happened to have a bottle of Ja
maica ginger with me. which proved
Invaluable. f
A third night approached and we
had not the faintest Idea where we
were. Just before dark we ran Into
a tremendous bed of lettuce. Half
way through it the boat's bow struck
something solid. It was a cypress
log, lying Just below the weed. The
boat had to be lifted over It. and the
work fell to Marshall and myself. I
shall never forget how supremely un
comfortable I felt m1 stepped over
the side and clung with my bare toes
to the rounded, stlmy log. We had
seen scores ot moccasin? (poisonous
water-vipers) In the veed beds.
There was more than a chance of
treading on one ot these sluggish but
deadly reptiles.
Or suppose I slipped! There was
twelve feet of oily water below the
log, and, once under the wood,-the
strongest swimmer In tho world
would be helpless.
It took all our strength' to lift the
boat and slide her over the obstruc
tion, but It wait done at Inst, and Just
as It grew pitch-dark we cleared the
lettuce and floated Into a wide lagoon
In which bull-frogs croaked dismally
and every now and thon a heavy Ash
rose with a sounding "plop!"
Hero we made another fruitless at
tempt xo light a Are. By this time
all the biscuits were gon'e, and we
made a miserable meal of slices of
bacon toasted on the embers In the
frying-pan. We were very thirsty,
but only dared to drink a' few drops
of tho brown, fllthy water.
The fourth morning found us
much the worse for wear. Our faces
Were swollen out of all recognition
by Insect bites, and personally I had
an ugly feeling of sinking weakness.
But tlsero was no use complaining
forward was the word, and we pulled
on, taking flfteen-mlnute spells at
the oars. Hannlly the weeds were
no't so thick, and our hopes rose.
Suddenly the boat emerged' from
the endless arches of cypreBS, and',
their place was taken by a forest of
tall cabbage palmettoes. The under
growth changed, too; It was as thick
as ever, but not so lofty. Wild
grape-vines matted It, and a flock of
birds of the starling tribe rose and
winged chattering across the water.
Hurrah! Here was land at last!
Mud, certainly, and of the blackest
character, but still firm enough to
bear our weight. Joyfully wo pulled
ashore, but the brush was like a
quick-set hedge. We had to chop a
foothold before we could land.
Franks was the Arst to leave the
boat. An odd, whirring noise came
from the thicket, and he sprang back
hastily. Marshall sifatched nj a gun,
and as tho heavy report rolled down
the silent river a Ave-foot diamond
rattler writhed In Its death agony on
the mud.
"I reckon that was close enough!"
was all Myers said. We were too
hungry and thirsty to mind even a
rattlesnake, and in Ave minutes a
Aro was crackling. Our kettle was
gone, but we boiled water In the fry"
lng-pan, and I never tasted anything
so good as that Arst cup of scalding,
mllkless coffee, strongly flavored as It
was with smoke and bacon-grease.
Then we set to work to cook some
limpkln which we had shot the pre
vious day. They were birds very like
our moorhens and excellent eating.
We devoured them half raw, and the
next thing was to make bread, which
we baked In our ever-useful frying
pan.
We ate every bit of the first batch
hot, and then cooked some more
After that we made up the Are and,
sheltered from mosquitoes by Its
kindly smoke, lay and rflept till past
midday.
We were different men when wo
woke, and ready for anything. We
felt sure we coulc' not now be far
from the mouth of the river, so do
elded to push on at once. We had
.bread and cooked bacon for another
twenty-four hours, and before that
time we should certainly reach St
John's.
But our troubles wero not yet
over. A mile or two farther on the
river split again Into half a score ot
channels. Twice we took a wrong
one and wasted hours. Night caught
us in a worse place than ever, and
quite unable to And ground for a Are
rhe longing tor hot coffee drove us
to build a raft of logs and try to
light a fire on thlB. It was moBt
tedious work, for we were now again
among cypresses, and their branches
were high out of reach, so that we
had to depend on floating stuff. But
we persevered bravely, and at last
got a tiny Are to burn. It was hardly
started when, with v. sudden rush
aud hiss, down splashed a heavy
shower, wetting us to the skin and
putting out the feeble blaze. There
upon we crawled under the sail and
ate dry bread and cold fried bacon.
Next morning Myers had a bad at
tack of ague "chills and fevdV" as
we call It in the South. We knew
that we had to get him out of the
pestilential air of the swamp or the
consequences might be serious, es
pecially as we had no quinine. We
worked like Trojans, and more by
luck than good management kept
the main channel.
After a time the river grew nar
rower and deeper, and suddenly I
caught sight ot a live oak among the
cypresses, and gave a howl of delight,
for this tree was, a sure sign of land.
We pulled like furies, frightening
cores of alligators, which rolled off
the logs on which they had been lying
basking uud splashed Into the dark
brown water.
Ten minutes later we were ashore
on a very good Imitation ot solid
ground. We slung up a hammock,
put Myers Into It, and two ot us be
gan the serious business ot cooking,
while Marshall took a rod and set to
work to lib 1 1
Those Ash could Sever have seen a
bait before. It was pure slaughter.
First a three-pound black bass, then
a great red-throated bream nearly
as big as a dinuer-Dlate. the choicest
pan-fish In Florida waters. Then
more bass, then a cat-flsh, and next a
great black, ugly, slimy mud-flsh.
weighing all ot Ave pounds. In half
an hour we had more than we knew
what to do with; 'but Marshall still
kept on. Suddenly he gave a yell.
"Boys, here's the father ot all the
Ash!"
Sure enough It was a monster!
The stout bamboo bent double. There
was no reel, so Marshall had to trust
to the strength of his heavy tackle.
But the brute, whatever It was, was
too much for him. With a sharp
crack the line snapped In the middle.
What the Ash was we never knew,
but there are cat-Ash up to thirty
pounds In these waters and bass up
to A f teen.
Filleted bream were already sizz
ling In the pan, and when we sat
down to breakfast I verily believe we
Anlshed three pounds of Ash apiece.
Even Myers revived enough to eat n
little.
Then, as In gorged contentment we
lounged and pulled at our pipes,
there suddenly resounded through
(Tie silent forest a deep, hoarse hoot.
It was the whistle of the St. John's
River steamer!
Our troubles were over at last.
Next morning, after half an hour's
pulling, the cat-boat glided out upon
the wide bosom of the 8t. John's.
We hoisted our sail, and by nightfall
bad landed safely at Sanford. the
head of the South Florida Railway,
where we put our weary selves and
our battered boat on the train and
were carried rapidly homewards
through the pine-forests and orange
groves. The Wide World Magazine.
Human "Ace of Spades"
Tale of Catherine Thevenln,
Who Fascinated French Court
Typewriting and Stenography
By EDWARD WILLISTON FRENTZ.
Great numbers of girls who.
through lack of early advantages and
education, are wholly unfitted for the
work, havfc been tempted to learn
typewriting and stenography simply
rm a short cut to being called Miss
8ralth" or "Miss Williams" rather
than' "Jennie" or "Pauline."
No girl should think of learning
this trade who has not had at least a
thorough high-school training; and
If, either In school or out ot it, she
has been able to glyo time to the
special study of English composition
of grammar and rhetoric and the
correct use of capitals and marks of
punctuation so much tho better.
Nowadays in the high schools in
most of the larger towns one Aads
fairly competent instruction In type
writing and stenography; but if this
la not provided, a course in some
typewriting school is advisable.
The tuition will cost, on an aver
age, four dollars a week, and living
expenses must be reckoned in addi
tion. The term may be anything.
from ten weeks to twenty. The more
reputable schools Ax no time limit,
but grant a diploma or certlAcate
whenever the pupil is able to pass tho
examination.
It Is, ot course, possible for a
bright and persistent girl to learn
the trade by home study and prac
tice; but In such cases there Is al
ways danger of acquiring faulty An
ger methods, which later on will be
found a serious handicap to speed.
A good commercial typewriter should
be able to write in shorthand from
one hundred to one hundred and
twenty words a minute and to pro
duce about sixty words a minute on
the typewrites.
Having mastered her trade, the
young girl faces the difficulty of se
curing a position. At the start, the
school where she has studied will bo
of assistance If Its standing and repu
tation be good. Applications from
employers are constantly coming In,
and an effort is made to provide the
right person for tho right place.
Wages at the start are almost sure
to be low. From six to eight dollars
Is the usual price for beginners, and
unless the girl shows ability and ap
titude, that is likely to remain the
price. Ability an-', aptitude mean not
merely tho power to reproduce the
sounds which tho employer utters,
but the knowledge of how to correct
poor English, when to begin and
when to end a sentence, where cap
itals should be used, aud how to
punctuate. It also means a grasp
of business terms and unfailing ac
curacy. Girls too seldom understand that
a letter Is a contract, for the fulAl
ment of which the employer may be
held responsible; and that a little
carelessness on the typewriter's part
may cost him thousands of dollars.
The really desirable positions In
this trade positions which pay flf
teen, eighteen, twenty, twenty-five
or even forty dollars a we,ek are
held by girls who are much more
thah mere typewriters and stenog
raphers. They are virtually private
secretaries, fully cognizant ot their
employer's business, keeping tracV of
his engagements, and helping h'lm to
meet the needs of the hour. Such
women are In constant demand, at
high salaries, because they are inval
uable to any employer.
Girls who Intend to follow the oc
cupation of the typewriter and sten
ographer would do well to study
French, German, Italian or Spanish,
or all of them'; for tne ramifications
of modern business lite give special
advantages to those who are compe
tent to conduct the business corre
spondence of a general importing
house Youth's Companion.
The "Papaw" of the United States.
The two cultivated and six wild
spectes of eastern North American
shrubs and small trees, to which the
name "papaw" Is commonly applied
by tho Americans, are spectes of Asl
minla (natural order Anonaceae)
closely related to the sweet sop or
sugar apple of the tropics. The two
cultivated species bear attractive
flowers and edible fruits. One will
grow in the open in New York State.
The true papaw ot the tropics, Carlca
Papaya, is not in any way related to
the above-mentioned species. It la
called in the United States "molon
I papaw for the suke of distinction.
fit grows in the open only In South
Florida; but Is frequently grown la
conservatories north ot the frost Hue.
Agricultural News, Barbudos.
Real estate In New York City is
valued at $5,800,632,132, according
to the figures ot the Assessor
Georges I tp, i his Indefatl
gabl researc. 1Jug, old mansions
and old document, nas just revived
one of the Aspaslaa, of the Louis
XVI. days, who, had she been gifted
with as much brains as beauty, could
have left absorbing memoirs of the
memorable personages who made the
early days ot Marie Antoinette's
court the mirror of mirth and loveli
ness that captivated Edmund Burke.
By laborious research through masses
of police and other archives Le Norte
traces the woman who set the gal
lants of Paris agog to a little village
In Burgundy. Her name was Cather
ine Thevenln, but she was known
from Paris to Petersburg as the "Ace
of Spades." ("IAs de Pique.") Just
why Is not explained, unless In allu
sion to her extraordinary fortunes.
At fifteen she tired nf her wooden
shoes, and one fine day quit the pa
ternal cot for adventures In Paris.
She became known to the "editor" of
the police department as Mile. Du
fresnoy, In 1772 sojourning in demure
splendor as one of the "extra dan
seuses" of the opera. It was fortune.
If not fame, for any ordinarily good
looking girl to be of tho opera In
those carnival tlmesof gallantry. The
"soft brown hair and roguish eyes" of
Catherine were mentioned to tho
Duke of Richelieu, and that Alcl
blades having confirmed the verdict
by a nod and a dinner, the young
woman's fortune was made. Riche
lieu was In his seventy-eighth year.
and he Was known from end to end of
Europe as the most dashing gallant of
the century. He not only bore one
of the greatest names In the renlm
was adulated by Voltaire as the hero
of Majorlca, where he beat tho Brit
ish under Admiral Byng, but still
more, while hts army was assaulting
Port Mabon invented the "dressing"
called to this day "mayonnaise."
To spite his son and heir, the pro
fligate Duke de Fronsac, Richelieu
married In his Beventr-elghth year a
bride of twenty. Celebrated by Vol
taire and conceded every grace, ac
complishment and grandeur that mor
tals enjoy, the Duke, who couldn't
sign his own name, was elected mem
ber of the Academy of the Immortals,
and read an address said to have been
written by his friend Voltaire. He
preserved activities and prowess In
competition with his younger rivals
by a "treatment" which seems to
have fallen Into disuse when he died.
He kept on one of his domains near
Paris a herd of cows, and every night
he caused a calf to be slaughtered.
When he retired 'his body was wrapped
In the warm Aesh of the calf, and
from this astounding blood absorp
tion ho retained tho vigor of yoath
until long past three score and ten.
He was on the verge of eighty when
he eclipsed all the younger gallants
at the opera ball, when Marie Antoin
ette was present. In the masque of
"Cbphalus," dancing "like a boy of
twenty." He bore a debt of three
millions with such serenity that his
creditors hadn.'t the heart to disturb
him. Hence when this Imposing per
sonage allowed It to be known that he
thought l'As do Pique pretty the gold
en youth of the court hastened to
squander the fortunes of their fam
ilies to please the Burgundtan maid.
At the very time that the Count
d'Artols, the King's brother, was
credited with too much brotherly af
fection for Marie Antoinette the
Prince was really patronizing' the de
mure l'As de Pique. Her salon be
came the supreme height ot fashion
for the Dukes, Marqulsos and Princes,
who, quitting the Trianon hurried to
tho Catherean shrine. Cagllostro,
then in his highest flight of wonder
making, was seen at tho Pique's Lu
cullian dinners whero'the brother of
the King did the honors. Ono day
Paris was bewildered at sight of a
coach with six white horses In which
sat a ravishing creature that the
plain folk supposed to be the Queen,
since the Queen alone had the right
to ride behind six steeds. The Pique
received the reverential courtesies of
the people with affable smiles aud
only learned when the police visited
her in the evening that the etiquette
of the monarchy reserved that Btyle
of equipage for royalty alone. Her
chief aim seems to have been to ac
cumulate money. When the crash of
her cortege of Princes came with the
Revolution Bhe showed a callous In
difference to tho great folk who bad
aided in her fortunes. She was seen
during the Terror with a pike In hand
marching with the harridans who sur
rounded the guillotine, and when the
Directory succeeded tho Robespierre
regime she became one ot the person
ages ot Barras' dissolute court. Dur
ing the Empire the police lost sight
Of her, but In 1825 she appeared In
tho royal olty of Fontalnbleau, to the
wonder ot the citizens. She sold her
palace In Paris to Baron Louis, the
Minister of Finance, and, with about
a half million dollarsln securities and
fabulously interesting bric-a-brac, set
tled at 11 Rue Royal, not far from
the palace of Fontalnebleau.
For years she lived in this man
sion, the wonder, terror and despair
of the town. She lived entirely alone;
she did her own marketing and on
such occasions would ask any stout
young workman she mot to aid her In
carrying her basket. This was to be
protected from robbers, since the
whisper of her wealth was one ot the
standing tales of the town. Foun
talnbleau never forgot the day that
Mme. Thevenlon suddenly quit the
hermit role for a tew hours. Charles
X., who had been Compte d'Artols,
had come from Paris to hunt In the
royal forest, and Catherine, engaging
a suite ot servants, caused her an
cient barouche to be brought out with
a hired team. Decked in faded splen
dor she joined the royal cavalcade
into the forest to the inexpressible
umazement of tne courtiers. At a
certain point In the forest the regal
company massed. There were the
gorgeous bodyguards, the huntsmen,
the dames of the court, all the spleu-
dor kuown to the King's court. The
ancient chariot making Its way
through such a grand cortege elicited
cries of wonder, and naturally the
King was piqued at the strange spec
tacle. Some one whispered the I trau
ger's name In the King's ear. He
turned Ills horse's head and dashed
over to the aide of the chariot. It
was fifty years since he had laid eyes
on the face, but he recognized the
l'As de Pique. The sight horrlAed
him; he blubbered out:
"Ob. mademoiselle, how old you
have grown!" He turned his horse's
head and made away as If he had
seen a spectre. Afterward It was
said the King undertook to make
amends for his display of loathing.
He recommended the outcast to the
Church dignitaries at Fontalnebleau,
but she distrusted them, sure that
they were moro Interested In her
money than her soul. Strangers .
from all over the kingdom visited
Fontalnebleau to get a glimpse of the
hag who dwelt alone In the big man
sion. But she rarely showed herself.
8ho received remittances regularly
from Paris, and these, to the delight
of the small boys, wero conveyed on I
a wheelbarrow to the hermitage; j
that Is, small saeks of gold. Even
Parisian journalists as late as 1850
made the Journey to Fontalnebleau I
In order to get the ex-AspasIa to re
count some of her memories of a half
century before. She could have made
thrilling "copy," for she had seen the I
guillotining of the royal family, the
noblesse; she had seon and probably
OH Versed with Robespierre; she had, !
In fact, been part of the last days of '
the Monarchy, all the Revolution, all j
the Empire, and was still hale. If not
hearty, under another Napoleon.
Many attempts were made by rob- !
hers to penetrate her fabulous treas-
ury; only one succeeded and the booty
hardly encouraged others. The hag
had firearms within reach of her bed
and at the fireplace where she cooked
the small dally ration allowed herself.
With her lawyer a Parisian chronl
quer obtained entry to thehouse. The
hag, pistol In hand, opened the door
and then seated herself by tho filthy
fireplace, nodding to the lawyer to do
as he listed. There were many and
large rooms, every one filled with
such objects of fine art as now cost
fortunes, even the Imitations. Heaps
of the most exquisite Sevres china
were scattered about, some of tne
dishes used for the most ordinary
needs. The list of the paintings and
statuettes rivals an auction at the
famous Parisian or London collectors'
sales. Titian, Rubens. Vandyck, a
dozen of the most valued masters
were represented by canvases em
ployed to stop the windows' There
was a half ton of crystal, which alone
ought to have been a small fortune.
Gobelin tapestries were used as mats,
cameos of some of the most celebrat
ed statesmen and worthies of the
century wore flung about like so
much waste paper. The woman her
self was wrapped In frayed lace of
wondrous fabric, but so foul that it
would have been taken for the most
squalid rag. The secret of the scene
was that Catherine was unable to
read or write, and hadn't the slight
est idea of the precious stores she
had accumulated In her youth, when
dukes and prlnceb vied with each
ottew in sending her the treasures of
tBolr palaces. A few weeks after this
visit, In 1'853, a butcher boy passing
the house saw a Gorgon head thrust
through the window and heard a
shrill voice crying for help. He Aed
In terror. But, as he told the story,
some of the neighbors thought it
would be. only Christian to see what
was wrong la the mysterious house.
The hermit was found dead beside
the chimney place, bo unutterably
filthy that it was difficult to get any
one to handle the corpse. It was ex
pected that the sale of priceless ob
jects described by the chronlquer in
the Parts press would bring a for
tune. But tho public shrank from
even visiting the sale. Cameos ot
Marshals of France, princes of the
blood, scores of the great noblesse,
were knocked down for sums like a
dollar. The wholo collection didn't
bring $6000, though single objects
since have brought as high as 50,
000. The hag's body was burled de
cently, but her heirs from the distant
Burgundy village were so shamed ot
tho kinswoman that they had never
kuown that they permitted the body
to be thrown into the paupers' ditch
when the term that the grave was
paid for expired. Philadelphia Bui-lotln.
f iariii t - ilia
Over flve hundred thousand people
are employed In Italy In rearing silkworms.
No goods that bear trademarks In
any way resembling a crescent can be
landed In Turkey.
In Wisconsin a deer-hunttng li
cense holder gets two tags with his
license, entitling him to shoot two
deer.
After a flight of 500 miles ova
land and sea, a pigeon bought by Mr.
J. Urban, of Tunbrldge Wells, Eng
land, arrived at Its old home at Co
logne. Bee-keepers In the Isle of Wight
are threatened with the extinction of
tho Industry, owing to a mysterious
disease of a paralytic na'ure which la
attacking the Insects.
The cultivation of rubber Is now
being taught In the schools of West
Africa. Every village Is obliged to
plant a certain number of acres in
rubber trees. In the Congo State
JTr. Ouenther Bays that 12,500,000
rubber trees have been planted.
On being asked why they had not
informed the court that they had
come to an arrangement before their
lawyers had spoken, the litigants In
a peasants' dispute at Thurgovle,
Switzerland, remarked that, as the
lawyers would have to be paid In
any case, they had allowed them to
earn their fees.
America's Gilded Youth.
It is the ambition of many a well-to-do
father in these days to shield
his son from the struggles and priva
tions that marked his own career.
The man who had to work from 5
o'clock in the morning till sundown
on a farm or associate with ignorant
and brutal laborers In menial callings
or deny himself all the luxuries and
many of the so-called necessities In
order to get ahead in the world, says:
"My boy must never have such a hard
time as I had; bis way to success
must be made smooth before him by
the advantages he will have over
those that I had;" and ho plans la
make It easier for blm.
Yet It Is one ot tne most familiar
factB in life that this affectionate am
bition of the rich father tor his boy.
falls of realization. Almost every
newspaper that falls from the press
tells the melancholy story ot a rich
man's son who has disappointed the
hopes of his family and whose princi
pal services to humanity has been to
serve as a warning to those who come
after him. We kuow what the glided
youth with a fabulous Income does
with his money and himself. Hts
patrimony aud his vital forces are
consumed in the mad pursuit of
pleasure in some new or extravagaut
form. Indianapolis Star.
Japan's Peace Program.
It is Interesting to note that JaV
an's policy utter the war Is clearly
indicated ..y next year's budget to bo
one of "economic and peaceful de
velopment." Harbors and rivers are
to he improved, aud education (par
ticularly technical education) en
couraged. estraluster Gazette.
It Is often asserted that Paris wears
out people so that they cannot reach
an old age. This assertion Is most
emphatically contradicted by the sta
tistics of the last census. Its Agures
go to show that the city alone, with
out the precincts, has 10,509 persons)
over eighty years of age, a rate con
siderably higher than the mean rate
of France. Six hundred and twenty
persons had on the day of the census
passed the age of ninety, and eighty
nine were centenarians. Twenty-four
had passed the age of 100, and six
were more than 102 years old.
That the camera reveals much that
the eye falls to discover Is Indicated
by the case of a Chicago woman who
recently sat for her photograph. On
receiving the proof she took it back
to the photographer and complained
ot a number of small spots on the
face which marred an otherwise per
fect picture. The photographer was
at a loss to account for this, an ex
amination ot negative faMlng to give
the slightest clew to the source of
trouble. Several days later an erup
tion of spots broke out on the wo
man's face, which proved to be the
Arst outwai-d symptoms of a severe
attack of smallpox.
FRIGATE BIRDS.
Enormous Winged Birds of the Trop
ical Seas.
After an Interval of a quarter of a
century the Zoological Gardens again
possess a specimen ot the frigate bird
( Fregata aqulla). Visitors to the
gardens will notice the great spread
of the wings, equal to that of a
swan's, and tho comparatively small
body.
"It Is a beautiful sight." says Pro
fessor Newton, "to watch one or more
of them floating overhead against the
deep blue sky. the long forked tall
alternately opening and shutting like
a pair of scissors and tho head, which
is, ot course, kept to the windward.
Inclined from side to side, while the
wings are to all appearance fixedly
extended, though the broeze may be
constantly varying lu strength and,
direction."
Tho frigate bird Is a native of trop
ical seas and rarely comes to land ex
cept during the breeding Beason. It
has the habit, unusual among sea
birds, ot nesting in trees, large com
panies of them building together in
the tops of the tallest mangroves.
I.Ike the cormorant and the albatross,
the frigate bird lays but one egg. It
lives by Ashing and nlso by robbing
other Ashers of what, they have
caught. In plumage the frigate bird'
is brownish black, with metallic
green and purplo rcfloctiouB. The
dilatable throat Bac In the male Is ot
bright scarlet, while the female, of
a duller hue, has a white patch on
the breast. London Globe.
The first copper cet was coined la
New Haven lu 1887.
A Squash Story.
Here Is a pretty good story told by
Senator Clark, of Montana, and which)
certainly would quality him as a
member t the Ananias Club.
"That's a pretty big squash," re
marked the Senator, while gazing on
an Indian Territory specimen. "It
reminds me ot a squash that was to
have been exhibited at ono ot the
county fairs back home. The man
that raised It was au enterprising
fellow, and he had found out In some
way that by feeding milk to a squash
vine tremendous squashes could be
raised. So he raised this one and It
was a whopper. He bad to drive a
long way to town over rough roads
and unfortunately In unloading the
squash It dropped to the ground and
burst. What was tho owner's sur
prise to find that tho milk which had;
accumulated in the squash had been
churned Into butter. He was a re
sourceful man, so ho entered the but
ter among the dairy exhibits aad
took a prise with that. You cau't
keep some men down." N. W. Agriculturist.
The Hallway Signalman.
The railway signalman is, in fact,
an uuapplauded prodigy. He per
forms, In a necessary privacy, the
klud ot feat which blindfold cheaa
players like Mr. Blackturne and
lightning calculatora like Jacques
luaudl perform iu public. He has un
der his sure and powortul hands the
keys of life and death. PaU Matt
Magazine.
1