FIRST CHEAP WATCH
The Story of the Famous Old
Long Winding Waterbury.
SCHEME OF AN OLD COBBLER
How the Connecticut Shoemaker'* Idea
Was Taken Up and Worked Out—A
Timepiece That Came to Be Known
All Over the World.
In a small country town in Con
necticut lived a cobbler. He was a
poor man and a peculiar one. The
boys called him a "gene," and some
thought lilro crazy. Hut ho kept on
in the even tenor of his way, living
his own life and thinking his own
thoughts. One of these thoughts was
that he could make a watch that would
have only three wheels.
A watchmaker out of a Job heard
of the cobbler and called at his little
shop. This was the beginning of the
famous Waterbury watch, which was
the first cheap watch to lie manufac
tured. It is now a thing of the past.
But its cheap price and its remarka- i
bly long "wind" (It was a stem winder)
were known around the world.
The Waterbury was named for the
town where it was made. It had more ,
than the three wheels that the cob
bler had planned, but the little old |
shoemaker's idea was the original i
germ from which was evolved the
successful cheap watch.
Having got the idea, the purchaser j
of the cobbler's rights found that the
first difficulty In his path was lack of
money. He looked about for a man
with money enough, nerve enough and ;
imagination enough to lead him to ren-!
der the financial aid without which
no first step could lie taken. He was
found, because it was a Yankee with
an indomitable will that was looking
for him.
"How much money will it take and
how long a time do you want before j
YOU can begin to make your watches j
in sufficient quantities to make the
thfng a success," he Inquired.
"I will bo frank with you," replied
the inventor. "It will require $25,000,
and I shall need eight months for
preparation."
"Go ahead," said the daring capital- j
Ist.
He weut ahead. He met unexpected
difficulties and had spent s2iio,ooo and
used up twenty-eight months before he
turned out a single watch. But the
capitalist never faltered. Then the
factory, for which every piece of ma
chinery had to be invented and spe-'
cially rnnde, turned out its first thou-,
sand watches.
Not one of thein would go! Among
other things, it was found that the
sheets of brass out of which were,
stamped the wheels of the watch had
a grain somewhat like wood. The !
wheels cut out round would not stay!
round.
This difficulty being remedied, a sec
ond thousand watches were made. A
large number of these went, but the
percentage of "stoppers" (watches that
refused togo) was still too large. j
New study, now experiments, how
ever. finally perfected the cheap little
timekeepers to the point of perfection i
that only about 10 per cent were stop-!
pers. The good watches were tested j
in six positions—lying on the face, on i
the back and in four positions on the
edge. The maker of each part stamped ;
his mark on the part he made, so that j
if fault was found In that part he
must make it right.
Then came the question of selling the
watches, and over SBOO,OOO was spent
In the years of its vogue In advertising
the Waterbury watch. Some of the
methods used were interesting.
A negro minstrel troupe were paid to i
open their show by saying. "We have
come from Waterbury. the land of
eternal spring," referring to the long
time required to wind the Waterbury j
watoh.
One day the owner of one of these I
timepieces was winding it on the train. |
Across the aisle a traveler noted that,
his neighbor was winding his watch, j
11 caused no thought until a second I
look and then a third showed the wind
ing still under way. Then the astonish
ed man spoke. "Excuse me, sir. but
are you winding a watch?"
"Yes," said the winding owner, "and j
I'm tired of It. You wind awhile, will |
you?" This led to explanations and ro- j
suited in the ordering by the stranger, j
who had never before seen a Water- j
bury, of (50,000 watches for the use of I
h!s business house in its China trade.
The great business went on, and |
large sums of money were made in it. j
Ail over the world people were buying j
these watches, so cheap were they. J
All over the world people laughed at j
the "long wind." The old backer of]
the enterprise had died, and one of his
KUCCC- frit l:i "''••lliM't |,<«|
son In traveling In son or. ri >'" pa"t I
of lli'i - ary v.ns asVod il the '.'ale- j
bury !:i- ciime from wis t':<> [ in* • 1
w'.ie: ■ the watch with a long wind j
was
"An:!." said the man."l .'->:n wan* !
the p; r of!'■ |.;!J ! j
al» ut r I i if the earth '.. : : > rti ,
bit'on led Mm to try t i i . , . -;o l
we'.ch. The new field lie out: I
Was 1 v this time occupied I' 'lie t
succi f' l competitor- and af'ci g.. t
ting i':*o t oi,i»!ess indebtedness oil
Waterbury Watch company died in j
the house of those who should have
been its friends.—John F. Simmons in !
New York Tribune.
Pat and the Lava.
An Irishman, having returned i . i I
Italy, where he had beoti with ! '
master, was asked In the kitche I
"Now, then, Pat, what Is the lava ! |
hear the master talking about?"
"Only a drop of the crater," v.:is
Pat's reply.
No Advance Copies Given Out.
Gwendolen What did Archie sa.v
when he proposed to you? Esmoral
tla—He won't say it until next Thuiv
day night, and It won't be released be
fore 12:30 a. m.—Chicago Tribune.
The wrestlers and athletes of India
develop great strength by living on
milk, a little goat's flesh and plenty of
food made from flour.
Nothing Is farther from earth than
heaven; nothing Is nearer than heaven
to earth.—Hare.
AN EPISODE OF WAR.
The Only Coward Evans Ever Saw In
the Naval Service.
After Admiral Evans had been BO
| Grievously wounded in the attack on
Fort Fisher during the civil war he
i was picked up by a marine named
' Wasmouth and carried into compara
! tive shelter. Wasmouth was killed a
j few uiiuutes later. Evans' own nc
! count continues: "After Wasmouth
1 was killed I soon fell asleep, and when
I awoke it was some time before 1
could recall my surroundings. The
tide had come in, and the hole in
which 1 was lying was nearly full of
water, which had about covered me
| and was trickling Into my ears. I
! could see a monitor tiring and appar
> ently very near, and tlie thought came
[ to me that I could swim off to her if I
only had a bit of plank or driftwood,
but this 1 could not got. It was plain
enough that 1 should soon bo drowned
like a rat in a hole unless 1 managed :
to get out somehow. Ilea J and wound- !
cd men were lying about in ghastly j
piles, but no one to lend me a helping J
hand. IJy this time 1 could not use j
my legs in any way, and when 1 dug i
my hands Into the sides of my prison
and tried to pull myself out the sand
gave way and left me sliil lying in the
water. Finally I made a strong effort !
and rolled myself sideways out of the I
hole.
"When I got out 1 saw a marine a
short distance away nicely covered by
a pile of sand and firing away deliber
ately at the fort. I called to him to
pull me In behind his bar of sand, but !
ho declined on the ground that the fire
was too sharp for him to expose him- j
self. I persuaded him with my re
volver to change his mind, and in two 1
seconds lie had nie in a place of safe
ty—that is to say, safe by a small mar-'
gin. for when he fired I lie Confederate
bullets would snip the sand within a
few inches of our heads. If the ma- :
rine had known that my revolver was j
soaking wet and could not possibly be ;
fired I suppose I would have been
burled the next morning, as many o;h
er poor fellows were. As soon as 1 '
could reach some cartridges from a j
dead sailor lying near me I loaded my
revolver, thinking it might be useful
before (lie job was finished.
"When 1 was jerked in behind this j
pile of sand I landed across the body i
of the only coward I ever saw in the ;
naval service. At first I was not con- j
scions that there was a man under me,
so completely had lie worked himself
into the sand. Ho was actually below
the surface of the ground. The moni
tors were firing over us, and as a shell
came roaring by he pulled his knees up i
to his chin, which hurt me, as it jostled j
my broken legs. I said: 'Hello! Are ,
you wounded?' 'No, sir,' he replied: 'I j
am afraid to move.' 'All right, then,' I
I said, 'keep quiet and don't hurt my !
legs again.' The next shell that came ;
over he did the same thing and the
next notwithstanding my repeated cau
tions. So I tapped him between the '
eyes with the butt of my revolver, and
ho was quiet after that."
A REAPER RACE.
The Feat That Made William N.
Whiteley Famous.
In the early days of the exploitation
of various reaping machines a field i
demonstration. usually competitive,
was a necessary occurrence. H. N.
Casson in"The Romance of the Reap
er" tells the following story of William
N. Whiteley, "the Charlemague of the
harvest field:"
Ho was as tall as a sapling and as
strong as a tree. As a professor in the i
great school of agriculture he has nev- ;
er been surpassed. He could outtalk.
outwork and generally outwit the men
who were sent against him. lie was a
whole exhibition la himself.
"I've seen Bill Whiteley racing his i
horses through the grain and leaning
over with his loug arms to pick the |
mice's nests from just in front of the
knife," said an old Ohio settler.
The feat that first made Whiteley fa
mous was performed nt Jamestown. |
0., in 18C7. His competitor was doing j
as good work as he was, whereupon he
sprang from bis seat, unhitched one j
horse and finished his course with a
single surprised steed pulling the heavy
machine.
His competitor followed suit and sue- ]
ceeded fully as well.
This enraged Whiteley, who at that j
time was as powerful as a young Her- \
cules.
"I can pull that reaper myself!" he
shouted, turning Ills second horse loose j
and yoking his big shoulders into the
harness.
Such a thing had never been done be- j
fore and has never been done since,
but it Is true that In the passion of the
moment Whlteley was filled with such
strength that ho rau the reaper from '
one side of the field to the other, cut
ting a full swath, a deed that, had he
done it in ancient Ureece, would have
placed him among the Immortals.
That ton minutes In a horse collar
made $2,t)00.000 for Whlteley. ilis an- '
tagonist, Benjamin 11. Warder, was
filled with admlratlou for Whlteley'a
prowess and at ouee proposed that they
should quit fighting and work in liar
mony
"( ;\i> nil? the right to make your
reaper, ami I'll pay you .*."l apiece for
all I ( .1 said Warder.
"It's a liar-; iin," responded Whlteley. ;
And so there arose the first consolida
tion iu the harvester business.
A Maharajah's Revenge.
A maharanee of N.'paul eorumitted
suicide in horror at the disfigurement
which an attack of smallpox had
caused In her features. The mahara-
Jah, who was passionately attached to
her, first wreaked bis vengeance on
the physicians who had attended her [
in her illness. Then he flew at higher j
game. Out of the great temple he
brought the idols, placed loaded can
non before them and bade gunners fire j
In terror at the proposed blasphemy, ;
they refused. Thereupon the mahara- |
Jah hanged several of them. The sur
vivors then submitted, and the guns
were fired nnd the Idols blown to [
pieces.— Mlssionsblatt.
A Big Difference.
Mrs. Crimsonbeak—See how nlceiv
that team of horses go along. Why
can t man and wife trot along pleas
antly together like that? Mr. Crim
sonbeak \\ ell, you see, there Is only
one tongue between those two horses.
—Yonkers Statesman.
LONDON GAMING DENS
The Way the Police Descend Upon
Them In a Raid.
SKILL, CUNNING DARING.
Absolute Secrecy Is Maintained by th«
Officials, and the Policemen Ar«
Kept In the Dark Until the Last
Moment—Getting Into the Club.
The police have recently carried out
some sensational raids on big gaming
clubs, and it may be Interesting to
learn how these raids are effected.
This is h' #• it is done In London: As
soon as ,no detectives' suspicions havf
been confirmed they apply to the com
missioner of police for a warrant to
enter. The warrant authorizes certain
officers mentioned by name to entei
the club In the name of the king. Or
dinary policemen are not permitted to
carry out a raid, but the detectives
can call upon them for assistance at
the critical moment.
Absolute secrecy Is enforced right
up to the moment of entry. There Is
no excitement at the station on that
day, and the men on duty have no sus
picion of what is in the wind. Flans
of the house are drawn and carefully
studied by the raiding officers, for the
doorkeeper of the club is prepared at
the slightest alarm to send a warning
to his customers, and every vestige of
gambling apparatus will mysteriously
disappear and the raid fail. A careful
ly planned ruse, therefore, has to l>e
evolved which will disarm suspicion.
During the day a body of "reserve"
policemen wljl receive a communica
tion from the station that they will be
required to parade at a certain hour
and tlioy meet with no Idea of what is
expected of them. They are drawn up
lu line, and after names have been
called over they are dismissed from
the station one by one, with the in
junction to be in the immediate neigh
borhood of a certain street in a couple
of hours and not to get rear the spot
before the prearranged moment.
The first officer to appear on the
scene is the ono in charge of the raid.
He is always disguised and ijsuall.v
looks like a well dressed man about
town. He passes the club carelessly,
but it is sufficient for him to learn
from a confederate inside that gaming
has commenced. A policeman then
saunters to the corner of the street
and stays there as though ho were on
"point" duty. Then, not till then. Is
the Information of the precise club to
be raided secretly conveyed to the at
tacking force In their liidlng places,
while the club, unconscious of its im
pending fate, pursues its gambling.
The first difficulty to surmount is to
get past the burly doorkeeper. If this
is not successfully done the raid will
end IK failure. Presently the sound of
a drunken song Is heard in the dis
tance. and two apparently rough look
ing men come staggering along. As
they near the entrance to the club they
l>ogin disputing and soon come to
Mows. "I'lie doorkeeper peeps through
the wicket and orders the men away
One of the men rushes at the wicket
and challenges the doorkeeper to "come
outside like a fnan" and at the same
time shouts out something about the
character of the house. The combat
ants continue fighting, and the officer
at the corner comes along and orders
them away. The men return, however,
to"have It out with the doorkeeper."
The noise increases, attracting home
ward bound gentlemen in evening
dress, who gather round and urge the
men on.
The doorkeeper by this time becomes
alarmed, for the rowdy crowd will
frighten away his clients. Ft-rbnpe
,lust at this moment a member of the
club arrives and seeks admission. The
door is opened with the utmost cautiou
to admit him. Before he lias time to
fasten it the two officers hastily secure
the member and rush upstairs. The
two combatants were disguised police
men nnd the onlookers detectives.
As soon as an entrance luto the club
has been effected the constable at the
corner sounds his whistle, and before
the sound has died away the whole
neighborhood is alive with police. It
the house boasts of a trapdoor on tht
roof, the (lash of lauterns will be seen
up there, the men having been con
cealed among the chimney pots since
it was dark. The front door Is secured,
and the police form a guard around
the house, so that escape is impossible
Meantime the scene upstairs is one
of the wildest excitement. The gam
biers. Intent on business, had not no>
ticed the scuffle lu the passage, and
the first intimation they get of the
state of affairs Is when the door Is
thrown open and the officer in charge
calls on them to regard themselves as
his prisoners. Then they realize tlieit
position. The tables are overturned
and card counters and money roll all
over the floor as the members endeavor
to escape. They make for the street
door, but, balked in this direction, hur
r.v to all parts of the house to hide.
The crestfallen members of the ciuh
are conveyed to the station, each in
the custody of two officers. Then the
house is searched for the gaming ap
paratus. Every inch of the place is
examined, for gamblers have remark
able contrivances whereby they can
hide their apparatus In the event of
being raided. Tops of tables are knock
ed off. flooring taken up and wall?
searched for secret cupboards. Yards
of chalked string are regarded as
;<rlzes, and with these and more appar
ent proofs the rase Is ready for tlif
magistrate. The evidence is laid be
fore him, and the proprietor and mem
bers are charged and the sentence
passed or a heavy fine imposed on the
prisoners.—London Tit-Bits.
"Fig Leaf Silk" Style In Paris.
Fig leaf silk Is the newest dress ma
terial now being used by Paris mo
distes. It is claimed to be more dura
ble and liandsot::. r than the ordinary
silk which comes from mulberry
trees. The raw mntcial for the now
silk Is made by a s; -s of silkworm
In Uganda which 11- J son fig leaves.
Saw ft.
"There's l>enn a conflagration here."
said t'unaso l iplciug at a tall building.
"llow do .vo-t know?'' asked I'angle.
"I saw the fire escape."—Kansas City
Independent.
THE PLOWING MOH
Ancient Superstitions of the Till
ers of the Soil.
SACRIFICES TO THE GODS.
Customs That Were In Vogue Among
the Romans of Old Ceremonies
That Are Observed In India and
China—Rites of the Siamese Farmers.
The formal inauguration of the plow
ing season is very ancient and still is
observed in some parts of the world.
Among the Romans by the Institution
of various religious festivals connect
ed With agriculture the seasons came
to be regarded with a sort of sacred
reverence. Before the old Roman put
the plow into the ground he went to
the temple of the goddess of earth,
Tellus, one of whose priests performed
certain propitiatory rites. Virgil in his
"Georgics" advises the Roman hus
bandman to observe the signs on heav
en according to the crop he desires to
produce. The time to plow for flax,
barley and the sacred poppy was when
"balance has equalized the hours of
day and sleep and halves the world
exactly between light and shade. When
Taurus ushers in the year with his
gilded horns and Sirius sits facing the
threatening bull Is time for beans. For
wheat and spelt the Pleiades should
hide themselves from your eyes with
the dawn. Many have begun before
Maria sets, but the desired crop has
baffled them with empty ears." But
first of all the poet admonishes the
farmer to "honor the gods and offer
sacrifices to Ceres."
In India there are certain days when
it is unlawful to plow. Mother Earth
is supposed to sleep six days in every
month, and on such days she refuses
to be disturbed in her slumber.
In northwest India the cultivator
employs a pundit to select an auspi
cious time for the commencement of
plowing. Great secrecy is observed In
some places the time selected is in the
night; In others daybreak is the cus
tomary time.
The pundit goes to a field, taking a
brass drinking vessel and a branch of
the sacred mango tree, which Is efflca
clous In frightening away evil spirits
that may haunt the field. Prltliivl, the
broad world, and Sesha Naga, the
great snakes which support the world
are supposed to be propitiated and
reconciled by this ceremony. The pun
dit satisfies himself as to the direction
In which the great snake Is lying, for
it occasionally moves about a little to
ease Itself of the great burden of the
broad world which it carries. The
pundit then marks oiT an Imaginary
line. Five (a lucky number; clods of
earth are thrown up, nncl water is
sprinkled In the trench five times with
the sacred mango bush to insure pro
ductiveness. Caution must be exercised
lest the charm be broken and prospec
tive fortune Imperiled. The fanner
must remain secluded during the fol
lowing day; no salt must T>e eaten, no
money, grain or fire given away.
Among the Karnas before plowing
the farmer makes a burnt offering of
butter and molasses in his own field
and again at the village shrine.
The Chinese begin plowing on the
first day of their solar year. Anciently
the rites which were celebrated by the
Chinese at p! iwlng time were elabo
rate. but rationalistic sovereigns elim
inated one expensive religious rite aft
er another until nothing was left ex
cept the imperial net of homage to
heaven and earth and agriculture In
the ceremonial plowing.
The Siamese observe a rite called
Itaakua about the middle of May.
which is preliminary to the plowing
season, and It Is not proper for any
one to plow until the ceremony is
over. The court astrologers determine
the time for It- On the day fixed by
them the minister of agriculture, who
Is always a prince or nobleman of
high rank, goes with a procession to a
piece of ground some distance from
the capital. Where the festivities are
to take place a new plow, to which a
pair of buffaloes are yoked, is in readl
ness, decorated with flowers and leaves
The minister guides the plow over
the field, closely watched by the spec
tators. who are especially interested
in the length and folds of the silk of
his lower garments, because the pros
perlty of the season and Its character
istics. wet o.' dry. are to be predicted
from these iis he follows the plov. II
the robe risi 3 from his knee there will
be disastrous rains. If It falls below
his ankles there will be a drought. If
the folds reach midway between knee
and ankle the season will be prosper
ous.
After a proper number of furrows
have been turned old women strew
grain of different kinds in them and
bulls are released from the yoke and
allowed to feast upon the seeds. The
grain which the animals eat most free
ly will lie scarce next harvest, and that
which they refuse to take will be aliun
dant.
In Yorkshire it was considered un
wise to disturb tlie earth with plow 01
spade on (Jootl Friday.—Exchange
A Shipwreck.
Muggins, gazing intently at a (lead
dog, in a resigned tone at last said:
"Here is another shipwreck."
"Shipwreck! Where?" blurted out
Juggins.
"Where, my dear friend?" quoted M
"There Is a bark lost forever."
Juggins growled and passed on.-
London Fun.
It Is Impossible for a man attempt
Ing many things to do all things well.—
Xenophon.
No Witnesses.
"You are charged with stealing nine
of Colonel Henry's hens last night
Have you any witnesses?" asked the
justice sternly.
"Nussah!" said Brother Jones hum
bly. "1 s'pecks I's sawtuh peculiar
dat-uh-way, but It aiu * never been
mall custom to take wi.nesses along
when I goes out chicken stealln', sub."
An Imposition.
Magistrate —So you acknowledge
having stolen the overcoat. Anything
more to say? Prisoner— Yes, your
honor. I had to have the sleeves r*-
lln»M Punch.
TRAPS FOR MARINERS
Some Points of Peril That Are
Dreaded by Seamen.
MERCILESS KENTISH KNOCK.
This Real Davy Jones' Locker Is a
Vast Cemetery For All Ships That
Are Gripped by Its Relentless Sands.
Sable Island's Fingers of Death.
The exact location of Davy Jones'
locker is not shown on any ocean chart
extant, principally because It is a state
and not a place, hut If anj- one ocean
death trap deserves the title It Is the
Thames estuary. The British naval
department has a chart upon -which
It marks the position of wrecks with
n black (lot On this chart the Thames
mouth tract Is a solid black spot. So
numerous have been the wrecks that
the dots run together. The point
where the black dots actually pile one
on top of another is the Kentish Knock,
and tills Is tlio place among all of the
ocean's danger spots that deserves the
title of Davy Jones' locker.
At the Kentish Knock it is not keel
shattering rocks of piercing points of
coral that wreck the ocean travelers.
It is sand, treacherous, clinging sand,
that grasps the doomed ship with a
grip of steel and holds it (Irmly while
the angry sea beats it to fragments.
Many a vessel posted at Lloyd's as
missing would be duly accounted for
if the Knock sand would give up its
booty. There is no hope for ship or
man when Father Neptune asks toll at
the Kentish Knock, for the nearest
laud is twenty miles away cud the
nearest lifeboat at Margate, thirty
miles away.
The sands of the ocean are far more
dangerous than the rocks. The saml
banks extend over more space, there
fore offer #ore points of contact than
the rocks, which usually rise In one
Blender pinnacle. The waters flow over
them in smooth waves, and there are
uo warning breakers.
Next to the Thames mouth tract in
point of danger is the Ilngll, the salt
water river ou which Calcutta stands.
The most trying part of a large vessel's
voyago from New Tort? to Calcutta Is
the last few miles of this calm river.
In this strange river In windless weath
er and flat, calm water vessels have
been lost, dashed to pieces on the ever
shifting sand banks by the force of
the tides. The sands grasp the keel of
the marked vessel, and she stops, but
the tide moves on with relentless force,
and the helpless ship Is carried over
on her beam ends. She careens over
and founders with all ou board. One
of the worst shoals In the Ilugli bears
the name James and Mary. It was
the name of a great Indian merchant
shipwrecked ou the sunken sand banks.
Another danger point dreaded by the
master mariner has neither sand nor
rocks, but a great submarine waterfall.
In the English channel there is a point
just beyond the Shambles banks where
there Is a sudden drop in the sea bot
tom; channel tides sweep over
the hanks and down this sudden drop,
creating rapids equal In fury to those
of Niagara. The American ship Georgian
foundered in Portland race, the name
by which this danger point is known,
and nil hands wenf down with her.
Ships bound to New York from Eu
rope pass quite near a deadly hidden
shoal which runs out from Sable is
land, lying off Sable can<\ in Nova
Scotia. The shoal runs out for miles in
five directions like the fingers of a
great hand reaching out for what it
can destroy. When the gales blow,
heavy seas boom upon the shoals with
sufficient force to shatter the stanchest
vessel afloat, and when the wind ceases
the beaches are strewn with wreckag
and the bodies of those who have per
ished. The distance from the shore is
too great and the surf too heavy for
the life savers to reach a struggling
vessel, and few lives are saved at this
point. Ten vessels have been wrecked
in this trap in a single day.
The rocky danger points in the ocean
have nearly all been tagged, and light
houses have been erected ou the most
dangerous—all except one. There is no
lighthouse on the Virgin rock, and
there never will be. Out in the mid-.Yt
lantlc a giant pinnacle rears its head
up from the ocean floor and endeavors
vainly to reach the surface of the sen
It is too short- by about eighteen feet
There it stands with its sharp point
hidden by the ocean waves, waiting to
pierce the bottom of some unsuspecting
vessel and send It down to join the pile
of ships' ribs and dead men's bones
that litter the floor around its base
The waves seem to be in league with
the rock, for if a vessel of light draft
tries to pass over its head the waves
shoot it down into a trough at the bot
tom of which the point of the rock is
waiting to rip out her keel.
These danger spots, however, are but
annexes to the real l>avy Jones' locker
the Kentish Knock, that cemetery o;
ships and men where dripping ghost
of master mariners and their men lilt
over the ruins of their vessels.- B. n
Wlnslow In I.os Angeles Times.
Can Walk Backward Only.
1.. 11. Shroyer, a farmer in Blatch
ford county, Ind., was recently un
hitching his team in the barn lot when
a colt kicked him with both feet on
the legs. Shroyer attempted to walk
and found that he could not advance
forward at all, and only by backward
locomotion could he make his way to
the house. lie Is still unable to walk
other 'han crablike.
Island Refuge For Eider Ducks.
Through the efforts of the Ameri
can Audubon society a perpetual lease
has been obtained from the state of
Maine of a small rocky Island off the
Hancock county coast to be used as a
bird reservation, says a Boston dis
patch. It will be used as a refuge for
elder ducks and is the last place on
the coast where they now breed.
The Boiler's Reasons.
Mother—Don't tease me, Johnnie.
Cau't you see I'm In a lot of trouble?
The boiler has sprung a leak. Johnnie
—What makes It leak? Mother— Be
cause It's my day at home, your father
has asked two men to diuner, the cook
has left, and the butcher hasn't come
with the meat. Now run and play.—
Brooklyn Life.
THE BOTTLE TREE.
A Life Saver For Cattle During the
Australian Droughts.
"It was like a real bottle, thirty feet
high, covered with the bark of a box
tree and with a gum tree growing out
where the cork ought to be."
Such was the way in which an .Eng
lishman described the first bottle tree
which came under his notice, and truly
one who does not know the tre* Its
sudden appearance In his pathway,
often in the midst of dense scrub, must
make a vivid impression.
The lower part of tho trunk is thick
and cylindrical, decreasing in size to
ward the top, Its shape being that of a
gigantic living bottle, from the neck of
which spring the only branches and
leaves that the tree possesses. In this
respect it carries to an excess the pe
culiarity of most Australian trees—
namely, their lack of branches for a
considerable distance up the stem.
Tho bark is of grayish color and Is
very hard, says the Philadelphia In
quirer, but the wood inside is soft and
moist The latter can be chewed in
the same way as sugar cane, but as it
lacks its sweet, pleasant taste it Is
rarely used in (his way. This peculiar
characteristic of the tree, however,
makes it a valuable food for cattle.
Indeed, during tho long droughts
which occasionally visit Australia hun
dreds of settlers have to thank the
bottle tree for saving them from ruin.
Sometimes for more than a year and
in the inland districts for still longer
periods scarcely a drop of rain falls.
Every blade of grass is dried, tanks
become empty, creeks no longer run
and in many cases dry up altogether,
as do nearly all water holes and la
goons; cultivation is Impossible, and
fodder for cattle and horses is extreme
ly difficult to procure. Then the bottle
tree comes to the rescue. Every scrub
Is searched for these living bottles,
and everywhere is heard the ringing of
axes as the strange, attractive trees
are laid low.
As soon as the trunk has been strip
ped of its bark the cattle are brought
to it if within easy distance, and there
they remain till neither leaves nor
wood is left. In places where the
settlers have no scrubs of their own
they will drive many miles In order to
obtain a wagon load of this great treas
ure.
Sometimes instead of allowing the
animals free access to the tree the set
tlers cut the trunk into strips, put the
strips through the cutter and thusj
make a substitute for proper chaff, /
Inmiuivlnsta during R djoCght,
except for fnrfckfy peaf/ and the foli
age of trees, cattle are fed on these
living bottles alone, and they have
been the means of saving large quanti
ties of stock.
It seems strange that In the absence
of ralu these trees should retain their
moist Interior, as the majority of oth
ers look dry and drought stricken.
But throughout all the bottle tree
flourishes, lifting its dark green leaves
toward the sky, whither the farmers
and turn Jonglnc f>yes*"ln
hopes of tiie wished for l'afn
When the dry season ends and the
land in a very few weeks is covered
with fresh green grass, the work of
the bottle tree is done. But, mindful
of Its past usefulness, no farmer un
less under absolute necessity fells this
tree, and It may often be seen stand
ing In solitary grandeur, Its strange
shape outlined against the blue sky.
while the land at Its base has beef,
put under cultivation or has been con
verted into grazing grounds for the
cattle.
_ BROILED OWL
The Feeling In Camp Before and After
the First Nibble.
I told the guides that it would be
better to begin supper right away in
order that we might not get too hun
gry before the owl was done. 1 thought
them slow In their preparations for
the meal. It was curious, too, for 1
had promised them they should have a
piece of the bird. Del was generous.
He said he would give his to Charles;
that he never really cared much for
birds anyhow. Why, once, he said, he
shot a partridge and gave it away, and
lie was hungry too. He gave it to a
boy that happened along just then,
and when another partridge flew up
he didn't even offer to shoot it. We
didn't take much stock in that story
until It dawned upon us that he had
shot the bird out of season, and the
boy hnd happened along just in time
to be incriminated by accepting it as a
present. It was better to have him ns
a partner than a witness.
Wood was gathered then, and the
Are blazed. The owl's breast—fat and
fine it looked—was In the broiler and
on the lire. There It cooked—and cook
ed. Then it cooked some more and
sent up an appetizing smell. Now and
then I said I thought tho time for it
had come, but there was a burden of
opinion tlmt more cooking would bene
fit the owl. Meantime we had eaten a
pan or two of trout and a few other
things, the bird, of course, being later
in the bill of fare. At most dinners I
have attended this course Is contem
plated with Joy. It did not seem to be
on this occasion. Eddie agreed with
Del that he bad never cared much for
bird anyway and urged me to take his
share. I refused to deprive him of it.
Then he said he didn't feel well and
thought he really ought not to eat any
thing more. I said grimly that possi
bly this was true, but that he would
eat the owl.
It was served then, fairly divided
and distributed, as food is when men
are on short rations. I took the first
taste—l was always venturesome—a
little one. Then Immediately I wished
I had accepted Eddie's piece. But
meantime he had tasted, too- a miserly
taste —and then I couldn't have got tho
rest of it for money.
For there was never anything so
good as that breast of young owl. It
was tender, it was Juicy, it was as del
icately flavored as a partridge almost.
Certainly it was a dainty morsel to us.
who had of late dealt so largely In f.sh
diet. Had we known where tho rest
of that brood of owls had flown we
should have started after them then
and there. —Albert Blgelow Paine in
Outing Magazine.
Novel Use For Elephants.
Elephants are being employed In
Paris as "sandwich men" to advertise
a music hall in the Champs Elysees.
A TURBULENT GHOST,
Noisy Nocturnal Rounds of an
Invisible Visitor.
QUEER DEATH OF OLD JABEZ.
The Uncanny Incident That Disturbed
the Quiet of an Old Virginia Home.
A Nightly Tramp That Never Ceased
Until the House Was Demolished.
"I am not exactly prepared to say
that I believe in ghosts," said the old
gentleman from Virginia, "but at the
same time, in view of certain things
that have been told me by persons
whose reputations for veracity do not
admit of a doubt, I caunot allow my
self to ridicule the ideas of others who
do believe in an occasional return to
earth of the dead.
"There Is one case iu particular that
1 know of personally and that can be
vouched for by a number of citizens
in the upper counties of my state, and
that is the case of old Uncle Jabez
Martin, who knew a number of well
to do farmers iu Fauquier as well as
in Spottsylvania, Rappahannock and
other counties in the northern part of
the state. 'Uncle Jabe,' as most every
one who knew the old fellow called
him. had considerable of the nomad In
his disposition and led a wandering,
pastoral life. lie was always willing
to work when any one needed his serv
ices and did a good deal of rough car
pentering in return for a 'meal o'
wlttles atul a shakedown,' as he ex
pressed It, and as he was pretty well
known in the land of his pilgrimages
it was a rare occurrence when he was
not given a welcome.
"If old Uncle .Tabe thought more of
one family In the state than he dki of
another it.was the Greens. Virginia,
as all know, is full of Greens. An es
timable crowd they are, and nearly alt
of them consider themselves as relat
ed In some degree of consanguinity to
the others of that name. 'The Greens
of Virginia is the finest tribe of that
name in seven states.' was the con
stant boast of Uncle Jabe, and above
and beyond any other Green anywhere
he placed Marse Dickie Green of Fau
quier, and that Is where my ghost
story, if will please to consider It
as such 4 begins.
wild night in the month of Oc
, fbWr not very long before the war the
' old wanderer made his appearance at
Squire Green's. Mr. Green was called
squire by virtue of being a Justice of
| the peace. Jabe wanted his usual
| 'meal o' wittles and shakedown,' and
j It was at his service, as usual, and
' after a good supper he sat on the back
1 steps of the house, smoked his old
I pipe for awhile and then went to bed.
"Squire Green was engaged in some
| work that kept him up until midnight,
: and as tho clock struck 12 he bgnrd a
i heavy sound on the stairway-. j' t see
' one was coming down the
1 steps Vltty heavy irons on tho legs,
i The sound was carried to the door,
which was opened noisily and theu
! closed with a terrific crash.
"Thinking It strange that old Jabea
J Martin would bo guilty of making
j such unnecessary noise, the squire
! rushed to the door and openod it. The
moon was shining in all its beauty,
and everything was perfectly calm and
nobody in sight. Itack again weut the
surprised squire and up into the attic
chamber, where Martin always slept
when he made bis calls. He found
everything calm and quiet there. It
was the quiet of death, for old Uncle
Jabo was lying supine on his back,
with his glassy eyes staring right up
to the ceiling, where the squire left
him until the morning.
"When he related the circumstances
in the morning it seemed that every
other one of the house had been dis
turbed by the uncanny noises. The
strange part of it is that next night
the same sounds were heard again,
even to tho slamming of the door, and
an investigation proved that there was
no person to make them. There were
no cowards in Squire Green's family,
but the noises disturbed theu, and
when they were heard, as they were,
frequently at midnight they became so
used to them they would simply re
mark that 'Uncle Jabe was tramping
again' and goto sleep again.
"Friends and neighbors who knew of
tho ghostly exercises were averse to
staying all night iu the house, and the
darkies couldn't be bribed to come near
the place after nightfall. The sounds
never ceased until after the house was
torn down, and even its demolition,
which it was hoped might reveal the
source of its strange and grew some
sound, failed to present any explana
[ tlon. There are folks living today In
j Fauquier county." said the relator of
the ghost story, "who can, jiud I have
i no doubt readily will, testify to the
truth of what I have made mention
of."—Washington Post.
A Striking Misapprehension.
Officer—Excuse me, madam; there
I goes eight bells. It's my watch on
I deck. Mrs. I.ansman—Well, 1 don't
| blame you for keeping your watch on.
' deck If it strikes as loudly as that.—
iili!
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