It is estimated Hint the United plates linn fully '2,000 separate railway Companies. The Slato of Oeorgin 1ms developed jrreatly since tlm war, tin- estimate flow reaching tlm total of 8251, IKKt, 124. London ran boast of more parks llnd commons tlmn any other city in tilt) world, and the number in being Constantly augmented. Mux Meyer, a Bavarian writer, es timates tlint investment iu electrical improvements pai I n prolit of from W to 10 percent in the years IS'.W-vH. "Hunger" says Carroll 1. White, the labor expert, "has caused more Jnen to commit petty crimen than any thing else. Of (!,0."S homicide in 18110, ft, 1)0(1 Im.l no trades." There are hull' a million Swedes in tlm country, nml they uro said to he richer on the average than tho Ameri cana. The Swedes, hi a rule, tu BoWr, industrious nud extremely eco nomical. Francis Wilhird wants to Know why Iiioii aro not more beautiful, ami, ac cording to the New Orleans I'louyutie, n good many young men, ntiil oi l ones, too, spend hours a day trying to olvn the mime problem. The inilroiul compunicH have or tlereil 2",00ll freight ears t Ilia year at A cost of $10,lilD,OH0. If thu crop turn out well even thin re-enforeement Mill hardly meet the demands of If vivmof and expanding bti.sines. T. Piorpont Morgan bii given $2'i,00l) to erect n atone sanitarium at Liberty, S. i'., for consumptives. Hoon tbero will lie many hospitals of this type, where the best way of treat i tiff tuberculosis em lit) put in prac tice and no doubt many liven navel by timely use of tho best medicine, food and regimen. It's a fur cry from the Montana gold mines to tho gold fields of South Africa, but the latter seem to Ito at tracting much of the attention of min ers at the former. The railroad and hteaniHliip companies ore extensively advertising in Montana "excursions" to the Capo for goldscckcrs. Wheth er or not many miners are making this long prospecting trip is not apparent. Home of the scaling schooners that abandoned soil fishing because ot thn iinsatiaTaetory condition of tho busi ness iu recent years have engaged, din ing this and lust season, iu hunting Hint otters along thu northern l'ncilic const.. This is more, uncertain of re sults, perhaps, thau scaling, but in tho event -of success it is vastly more profitable. One schooner was very HneeesfcTul this your, soma of the single Hkius it secured selling for from $'250 to $:!fi0 ouch. Fruiiklin, who drew the lightning, was a professional politician, not a professional scientist. Morse, who invented the telegraph, was merely an amutc'nr. Watts, who invented the steam engine, was uot a professional machiuest. Nearly ull the great dis coveries in photography have been made by amateurs. - And so in nearly " linos, remarks tho New York World, it is tho man vb-.the. work; hot the man who lives by it, through whom progress comes. Wur in these modern day is not necessarily very dangerous to human life, it appeals. During tho tou mouths' fighting with China, Japan lost just (528 men. . Thu Elbe went down with over half that many, and it wus all over iu twenty minutes. We aro accus'ouied to shudder ut the hor rors of wur, but n vessel go -a down, u theatre burns, a mine caves iu, kill ing dozens anil scores and hundreds of people, and the whole is soon for gotten. Tho ruliin of hiiuiuu life de pends, largely on tho stress that is laid on that life. Hard times seriously depressed the marriage inurket iu thu Northwest during the pusttwelvu months and the fact has beeu at tested iu u curious way, rnlutus tho New Y'oru Sun. It in stated by the public school authori ties of the stute of Washington that fewer vacancies of teuohurs' places ooourrred during the year than during number of years past. Vacancies usually occur through the touchers getting married, aud very few were married lust year. Iu a number of cases it was related that yonug w omen who werp engaged to be married dur ing the year had beeu compelled to. assume unexpected responsibilities through the hard times, aud so hud postponed the eveut ', while the infer ence is that the hard times also infill euoed lots of young men to continue courting another year or so. , The Two Mahlens. Long years ago, It mums to t A little maiden played with m); Her soul was full of mirth an I J y, Anil I a hearty, healthy hoy. Through all the golden sumtrr-r ilax I fused her In all sorts ot waiSj One ilav I caught her In the mow, Hhe cried, "Oh, don't lie foolish nw!" t put my arms around her waist. Iter lovely lips 1 loliget to taste; She K'il.1 the while my fan to in-xr, "Nnwynlt, or I will call papa." T.ong )ms have passc.l : upon Try kti'0 Anutlier maiil"ii plays with me j A little irlrl nne-thlrd her sl-X Vet still nhe has her in th"r's ej , IMr mother's xolee, her in ithr's wilst The 4;i:ii i red lips I long-' 1 t I.!-'.-. And now through all the dr.'.i y hen- Of vapid seMV's and enil"ss II wrs A voice e. enes gently from afar: Now Quit, or I will call pap i." ( hlMu liljat''h. THE WIDOW'S ARRIVAL, It was "steamer diy" at Sitka, nml ntuid all the joyous stir and excite ment that th monthly boat brought was one forlorn, unuuppv man, Tom Iouglas watched his friends as they cigerly opened their letters and listened with assumed interest to tlm bit i;f news they were attxiotts to share for at Sitka the population t linings to the wharf when the sti timer's whistle is h.'.ir.l and waits thecomiug of the ship and tho distribution of the mails. The people crowd into the till v postolllce on the dock uud watch impatiently for the longed-for home letters. Hut Tom's home, letter was uot a comfort to him. "Well, sho is really coming," he thought, "a month from to-day, if the steamer is on time. I will be a married tnim worse luck. How can lever tell Natulia, dear little girl! I wouldn't willingly hurt her tender feelings for a milliau dollars, as hard up as I am," and Tom whistled ruefully. Tom Douglas was n naval ollicer, and before being stitiono 1 at Sitka ho had been on duty a w inter in Wash ington, where he plunged into society with that gay abandon that oulv a sailor knows, for after three years at sea a young fellow is quite ready for the rush and whirl of the gay capital. All houses were open to tho handsome Lieutenant, but there was one where ho was especially welcome. Tho hos toss was a pretty widow of some twenty-six or twenty-seven years of age. Her husband, who had died soon after their marriage, seemed not to have laid n very strong hold on her affec tions, for after mourning him deco rously for a year she blossomed into tho gayest of tho gy, and her house became a ceuter for the young ollieers who had beeu the friends of her hus band. It was there that Tom spent most of his time. He dropped in during the morning and discussed the newest gos sip or the latest magazines and came in for a cup of tea iu the afternoou aud remaiued till her oozy parlor wsa empty save for himself and her. "Are yon going to the assembly to night?" he would ask. "Will you be there, Tom?" Mrs. Deeriug had such a good-fellowship way of using her friends' llrst names. "Yes, I presume so," "Well, then, I am going," the little widow would itly - And that was the way the winter passed Tom ruuuiug in at all hours, privileged to smoko or to read, to talk or listen, the most indulged of all her callers. When his orders came for his immediate removal to Aluska he put the document iu his pocket and went, as usual, to the cheery home of Mrs. Deeriug. He told her the news and was really surprised and fluttered by her reception of it. She took both his huuds in hers, uud the tears guth erod in her bright eyos, "Oh, Tom," she suid, "I huta to huvo you go." Now, it never had occurred to Lieutenant Douglas before, but at this moment tho idea did coma to him that ho was iu love with tho widow. He drew her to him uud kissed awuy her ti-urp, and before ho knew it hj was engaged to Alice Deeriug,- He soon left, ufter arranging to have Alice join him later in the sum mer, but owing to the losiof u distant relutive, the heir of whose modest estate she was, her couaiug hud been greatly delayed. It was now more thau a year niuce she and Tom had purted in Washington. Iu the mean time Tom had wuiled away his leisure hours in the somewhat narrow circle of Sitka sooiety, but iu that narrow bound he had found a fair Russian flower that he kuew bloomed for him. Though Tom had not made love to Natalia ho was too ' honorable for that they huJ bdu together con stantly, aud each knew distinctively what was iu the. other's heart. "I believe I'll go uhd tell Natalia all," Tom Continued to muse, "right now, for, of course, as a gentleman and dflioer 1 am bound to keep my word, and my word is given to marry Alice, hang it 1 I wish I had never been born. She, too, poor girl, may discover that my love has somewhat cooled. If it ever was love it never was the sntne feeling I have for dear little Natalia, bless her loving heart." So Tom went to Natalia and told her that lie was engaged and another mouth would see him married. Hrr delicate face whitened, but con trolling herself, she said: "I congratulate you, Mr. Douglas." Then bursting into tears, she turned away. The sight of her teors was too much for Tom. I'.mbraciug her ten derly, he said : "I love but yon, Na talia, darling. Oh, that I hnd met you llrst I Mv fondness for Alice whs but a fleeting thing, and my love for yo't w ill hist forever. " l'ressing warm kisses on her lips he held her close. "Leave me, Tout. It is right for you to keep your word, but you should have told me of your engagement be fore. We had In st part now. (lood- "Hut can't I come to sec you, Na talia, as usual?" "Why, certainly not, Mr. Douglas. It would only be painful, for we can never from this time forward be any thing but the most formal of friends." Tom was touched by the simple dignity of the young Kiissiuit girl, whose ipiiet lifo hsd been spent by I the seashore under the shadow of tho mountains, far from tlm noise of city or town, so ho bowed to her will. Their parting was a heart breaking one to both. "Natalia, I can't bear to leave you. I must have von, dearest." "There, go now. This is ouly fool ish." "Well, thou, let me kiss you for the last time, darling," pleaded Tom. Natalia put up her little tear stained face, and Tom silently ki.-sed her and weut away. That mouth passed only too ipiick ly for poor Tom, who looked with dread toward the coming of the steamer. He studiously avoided Na talia, denying himself the regular afternoou walk to the Judiun ltiver, which is the eveut of the day to ull the white people at Sitka. He kept close to his rooms when not on board ship, cursing tho mistake of his life, which was soon to make an unwilling bridegroom of him. To Natalia, whose soft browu eyes were red with weeping, life seemed a dreary blank now that the daily visits of Tom had ceased. There iippenred in her mental horizon nothing for which to live. She wondered how sho had existed before he came to Sitka. But then she had been busy with her lessons, and now, iu the idea of her old fashioned father, her simple education was complete, and it was time for her to mory one of the Rus sian lads who sought her hand. Tho next "steamer day" Tom Doug las was seen rushing madly to Na talia's home. Tho neighbors, who, of course, hnd noted his long absence, wore greatly surprised. "Natalia! Natalia!" he cried, as soou as she came into the qtiaiut draw ing room to receive him. "I've come tirwli yi. ti to be my wife. Dearest, say yes at once." "Why, Tom, are you crazy? What bus become of Alice?" "Well, by Odorge, Natalia, she is married! Just think of it muiried! Aud I am the happiest man on earth. A pardoned couvict's feelings of relief are not to be compared to mine. You see, soon ufter sho left Washington she met an old sweetheart whom she hud cast oft' to marry Mr. Deeriug, whose position and prospects scorned better. In the meuu time this fellow had made a fortune, and as ho was on his way to Alaska for a pleasure trip they decided to make it also a wedding trtp and break tho news to me iu pur sou. -Hither awkward, you might think, but I congratulated them with it!l my heart and thanked my stars for freedom. Come, little girl, put on your hat and I'll take you dowu to thu steutnor to see the bride, aud I'll in troduce to her my fiaueee, becauso you say 'yes,' don't you dear?" "I suppose so, Tom, but it's all ao sudden. Shall I wear my leghoru hat?" Chicigo News. iiookinr Huckward, "I'm afraid," said the bicyole girl, "that we are getting altogether too original in oiir ideas of costumes.". "Its worse thau that, replied her mother. "We are getting positively aboriginal. " Washington Star. Iu L union and other large cities sitmmjr outing for poor children are more popular thau over this year. Strangest Insert In the World, The aweto, as the Maoris, or na tives ot New Zealand, call it, or the hipitalls virescenn, as naturalists term it, is found in New Zealand, and is a vegelnble caterpillar of from three to four inches iu length, and so fr.r sci ence has not been able to say whether it is a vegetable or nti insect. It is always found at tho foot of largo myr tle trees that have beautiful red flow ers on their stems, and a beatilifut creeping clematis n white ns the snow. Tlm Maoris call this tree by tho name of rata. The aweto buries itself among the roots of the rata, a few inches below the ground, and there lives uutil it is full grown, when it undergoes a most wonderful change. The spore of a vegetable fungus, termed by naturalists sophoeriit ro bertsil, fastens itsulf to tlm neck of the catarpillar, just between the head and the first ring, and then grows up wards to the height of from six to eight inches. Many people assert that there is never more tliuu one stem, but such is not the case, for some have been found with two stems, although very rarely. The stem shoots up out of tho ground, above where the catarpillar is living, about two or three inches : below the earth it grows into the aweto, until it (ills up every possible space within the outer skin without changing the form of the insect iu the slightest wav whatever, but simply substituting ii vegetable matter for nnimal matter. As soon as this takes place both thu plant and the caterpillar become dry and hard and die, but retain exactly the same form ns when alive. The whole hits a brown color, aud the in sect appears a wooden caterpillar. with n huge horn standing up from the buck of its nock. How the cater pillar manages to propagate its species no otio csn tell. Usually the cater pillar becomes a chrysalis, the chrys alis changes into a moth, the moth lays eggs mid these eggs again become caterpi liars, and so on without stop ping. Many reasons are given why the plant shoots up from thu back of the nick of the aweto. One is that the aweto has aslimy substance oozing out from its neck, which, while the aweto is boring nt the foot of the rata tree for its only food, catches the seed of the fungus und holds it fust there till the latter begins to grow. When it has sucked all the vegetable lifo out of the aweto il must naturally die, for it finds no other nourishment. The aweto is often found iu largo num bers. Varying KabilaUs, Over parts of tho great eipuitoriil region of calms iu the great oceans there is almost constant precipitation in heavy showers, rain fulling on the average about seven hours out of the twenty-four all the year rouud. Thore ar however, some notable exceptions which qualify this broad general state ment. At tho Island of Ascension ouly two or three inches of lain full iu a year; aud there are numerous islands iu the l'ucitlc, near the equa tor, which are practically rainless, as is evidenced by their possessing de posits of guano. Tho other chief ruiuy regions aro those localities where moist winds meet mountain ranges, and tire forced upward, purling with their moisture during tho ascent such as the Khasia Hills, the Western ti limits, the western coasts of the Brit ish Isles, of Norway, North America, Southern Chili, and of Now Zealand, which are exposed to winds, blowing over extensive oceans and depositing their moisture on tho llrst coasts they meet. ' The iiiiuless regions of tho globe owe their uridity to the fact that tliev are shut oil' from tho influence of moist winds by high mountain chains. Tho chief of these nro I'pper Kgypt, tho Sahara, the Desert of (lolii, and tho const of Tern. The driest piueo iu tho world is probably thut part of Egypt between the two lower fulls of the Nile. Ituiu has never boou known to fall there, mid tho inhabitants do uot believe truvelers who tell them that water cuu fall from the sky. The great trade winds at the starting points of their paths are the cause of drought and barrenness, but where they cross laud at thu termination of their course they give out bounteous ruin supplies. Tho contrasts thus ottered are very striking. Thus, some parts of the Moroccan Sahara uear tho head of the northeastern Atlantic trade wind, do uot experience a shower for perhaps twenty years at a time; while the same wind, when it reaches the coast of South America, produces a raiufull representing a depth of twenty feet of water in a year. The Oentleuiau'a Magazine. The Uuiled States produced iu 18!)0 over two-fiflhs of nil the silver mined iu the world, the ti ixt silver-producing ootiDtry being Mexico. TOU THE HOI SK WIFE. Ot.t) VtnOIMIA KP.TCItt'P. Take one peck of greeu tomatoes, half a peck of white onions, three ounces of white mustard seed, one ounce each of allspice and cloves, half a pint of mixed mustard, an ounce of black peper and celery seed each, and one pound of brown augur. Chop the tomatoes and onions, sprinkle with salt and let stand three bonis; drain the water off; put in a preserve kettle with the other ingredients. Cover with vinegar and set on the fire to boil slowly for ono hour. St. Louis Btiir-Siiyings. APPR ( OMforr. A l.A FKANCH. Cut ii) half a dozen sour apples, put iu a preserve kettle with the juice and rind of u lemon uud three cups of water ; set over thu lire to hi.il until tender; take np uud strain, return the juice to the kettle with half n pound of sugar, und let cook for two minutes. I'cul eight largo cooking apples, remove tho roro carefully and drop the apples into the sirup. Let simmer gently until tender and clear ;talii from tlm kettle (ill the cen ters with orange marmalade, lay care fully iu a compote dish. Boil thu sirup slowly until thick. When the apples arc very cold and tho sirup cold pour it over. Set on ice until chilled before serving. New York Recorder. HH.K-lttSIVI IlllPAK. Ono cup of lukewarm water, one half cup of corn tucitl and a pinch of salt. Mix and lot stand over night in a warm place, in summer a kitchen cupboard will do. In the morning strain the water from this (which should be foamy by this time if kept warm enough) and add enough warm water to half till a quart bowl. Theu thicken with flour nud set the bowl iu a Ki ttle of warm water. About the right temperature at this season ot the year is lOo degrees. In two hours it should be light enough to till the bowl, ult hough I have had nice bread when it took four hours. Two quarts of milk or milk unit water, one table spoon salt and n little sugar with your quart of rising must be stirred to a thick batter in a largo pan, giving plenty of room to rise. This should be placed over your kettle of warm water and allowed to get very light. It should rise iu an hour, but be sure it is light if it takes two hours. Mix into loaves. This makes four iu my bread tins. Make them just still enough to liandlu easily und put iu a warm place again to rise. This, if nil the time it is not allowed to get be low 10."i degrees iu temperature, should be iu about forty minutes. Wheu the loaves begin to crack a little at thu sides they should be put in a moder ate oven and b iked three-quarters of an hour, or until the top uud bottom ore nicely browned. I have had excel lent success with salt rising by this rule aud hope it will be definite enough to suit H ty. The secret of this kiud of bread is to keep it warm enough aud out of ull drafts. Ameri can Agriculturalist. HOl'SKHOliU HINT Salt sprinkled around tho edgos of the room, is a preventive of the car pet bug. Thu most economical way to carve a hum is to begin ut the kuucklo and slice upwards. Ants dislike tho odor of tatny or camphor. They will not frequent shelves washed iu alum water. , The tea canister tdiould not bo left uncovered, us the ten loses its flavor nud strength wheu exposed to the air. Line ull boxes, drawer.-, an I trunks iu which woolens are packed with newspapers. Moth millers do uot liko tho sceiit of printer's ink. Wheu anything boils over in the oven it should liu allowed to bum to u chur, us it theu may be easily scraped oil' uud brushed out. The oven should then bu thorough- aire 1. If an ouuoe of uluui is nddod to tho water iu wiiic'j up.'oiii an 1 drosses ore rinsed, they will bo rendered al most itiflniiinuhlo, and dinger of their catching tire, while ut work over an oil stove is much lessened. Save your empty spools. For hooks they are much better thau un ordinary nail. Slip u nail through the spool, selecting oue with a heud large euotigh uot to slip out ot tho hole.and thou drive the into the place whore the hook is wuuted. Buttons will fly off of active chil dren's clothing. A good way to pre vent this is to sew a small piooo of cotton ou the wroug side, with tho same stitches used for fasteuiug ou the button, or a small flat button may bo used in place of the cotton. MlKXTUIt SCRAP. The sting of tho black' scorpion in much more dreaded than that of tho One thousand tons of soot svttlo monthly on tho 110 square miles of London. Corals are not found within tlm rango of l ivers flowing into the ooau as fresh water is fatal. Huxley's tables show that the human body is mado up of thirteen different elements, of which live are guses and eight solids. Sixty head of blooded stock have been killed on account of tubereulosia at tlm Massachusetts State College in the last year. It is announced that two eximplen of the polar hare have just been added to the collection of tho Zoological Hj eiety, London. An enormous shark, weighing, it is said, about a ton, nud measuring 15 feet in length, was recently landed by an Aberdeen, (Scotland) trawler. A few days ago, at IMetuvillo, Wis., near Palmyra, a number of crows at tacked a turtle thut was basking iu the sun, aud succeeded in killing it. Tho white rhinoceros has become nearly, if not quite, extinct. There are two stuffed specimens iu I'.nglsnd, and one in the Capo Town (South Af rica) museum. Sodu-propelled engines aro now be ing used on some French railways. The invention is based on the princi ple that solutions of caustic sod, which have high boiling points liber ate the absorbing steam, and work noiselessly. An electriu fire-alarm now being introduced in Switzerland' acts auto matically through the expansion of a metallic rod under heat. This makes an electric connection, nml it is said that the alarm is so sensitive that it is pnt in operation by holding u lighted match near it. Running sixty miles an hour, a train of 351) tons, with the full breaking weight of the train utilized, und thu rails in tho iun.il favorable condition, could be brought to n full stop in 0 )0 feet; at eighty miles per hour, iu 1,(100 feet; at (') miles per hour iu 2,025 feet; and ut 100 miles per hour iu 2,500 feet. Large Catch of Turtles, The sloop Wsterwitch Captain W. M. (Ireenleaf, uft-r a tbr-je weoits' cruise, returned to Jupiter laden with turtles of almost every description. Their catch consisted of twenty of tho hawkbill variety, fifty loggerheads averaging from ti ft y t three hundred pounds, mid three green turtl. s, tho smallest of them weighing about fifty pounds, while tiie largest will weigh fully 5'JI) pounds. This oue will bu kept alive at this place until Mr. Oreenleaf . can flud a purchaser for hi in. Mr. Oreenleaf stites that this turtle at Key West would brin twenty cents per pound grosr. The sloop was anchored ulongsidit the dock when (he work of butchering the entire lot of turtles begun. Sev- erul bushels of egs were removed from these turtle. Th meat wis quartered up and a considerable quantity sold to the eitizeus who con gregated in great uuiubers about tho dock. The remainder of the meat was put up in pickle, which, Mr.' O.-eauleaf says, will sell readily at about eighteen cents per pound. The shell of the hawkbill turtle, which is taken off the scales from the back, sells from JS to $10 per pound. A'oortt thirty six pounds of this shell was procured from theo twenty turtles. Jackiou villa Citizen. A Horse Cunning I'actorj. Tho building erect id juit below Lisintou by tho Western Packing Company fora horse ah ittoir is rapidly npproucbing completion. The foun dations for tho engiues uud boilers aro all in, and thu machiuery is ou th ground, nud should be iu p'.aoi in a fuw days. Thu buililing an 1 plant uio ou au extensive scale, and will probably bo ready for operation soon The first shriek of tho whistle will sound the death knell of 9,0')) cay uses uow roaming tho plaius of East ern Oregon and eating good grass, which might better be turned iuto beef und mutton. Mr. Switzler, who raised these horses, as he has many thousands before them,' will uow re tire from tho business, aud has ex pressed his intention ot buyiug a bi cycle, aud, if he likes it, will perhaps start a bicycle factory. He says that the bicycles have driven tlu horse to the sluughter housd; bit when some thing newer has run out the bicyole, it cuunot be utilized for uauniug, as tha . horso uow is. Portland Oregon ian
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers