Word of AiIvIcp. 'Tie the custom to prntn of the sadness, The sins and tho sorrow of llfo i But I'd rather speak of the gladness And bounty with which It Is rlfo ; For the darkest of cloud hits Its lining, The hardest of liibor brings sleep 'Neath the. rocks there Is gold for the mining, And pearls may be found In tho doep. Is It better to slpof llfe-s nectar, Of purposely drink of Its nail? Would you willingly walk with a specter, If angels would come at your call? Would you rather have sunshine, and light ness, Or darkness an 1 gloom, In your dreams? As for me, I would cherish tho brightness With which tho whole universe teems. Look around and behold the earth's glory The mountain, the river and plain ; For they tell us nn expilslto story, The burd'-n of Nature's retrain. How the Father of love, In his kindness, Has given us more than we know ; Tho" we throw It aside In our blindness, Wo reap of tho pain which we sow. But. to harvest the b st of life's treas.ire, One lesson miU early be learned, Thnt we give to ea"h other a mea-niro Of what our best efforts have earned. Then, my children, I pray you bo ready To search, as you go. for the flowers, And to sham whnt you have with tho needy. For thus you'll have blessings In showers. A. E. Itoss in Independent. A MYSTERY IN WHITE. "It's not more than n year ago,"inid the veteran detect ivo when asked for n story, "that I hail tho strangest expe rience of my career. That's Baying something, for, while I'm not one of these men in novels who can put on half a dozen disguises in an eveuing or look nt a little heap of cigar ashes and identify tho man who smoked tho cigar, I'vo seen n great deal that's way out of tho common. "A gentleman named Denzil called at my office one afternoon to employ ray professional services. I knew him by reputation ns a stern, grasping, money-making man who loved noth ing but bis possessions nnd his beauti ful daughter. On her he had lavished wealth, but had saddened her life by preventing her marriage to n manly young chap who was n lilting match for her in appearance, attainments and disposition. Ho was fast making a record in the world of business, but it was a rich old bachelor who had passed tho years of romance nnd en joyment that Deuzil had elected to have as a son-in-law. Even under the threat of disinheritance the girl would not yield to this mercenary arrange ment, the result being a strained state of neutrality which loft both aspirants for her hand without any npparout hope of getting it. "My callor went direct to business. 'I'm a constant aud heavy loser be cause of the theft of money aud jewels from my own houso,' ho told me. 'Things that are of tho most value constantly and mysteriously disappear. Now don't start off with tho usual questions about the servants. I have taken pains to tost their honesty for years and they are abovo suspioion. I am completely in tho dark, without any theories to embarrass you or any xplanatioua to help. You have the whole job without a ray of light thrown upon it, and if yon find the thief there will be no haggling over the fee. It will be worth much to me to get this worry off my mind. Burglar that make no noise or marks and leave one's houso shut up aa tight as a drum tend to shatter a man's nerves. "I went at once into the country and neighborhood where Denzil lived, pretending to look for a bit of land where I could build within easy reaoh of the oity. I put up at a little road aide tavern much frequented in the evening by farm hands. I was toon interested in their gossip about a ghost whioh they deolared had been seen at different times and by different people. Their awed tones and scared faoes fitted the subjeot, and there seemed to be some substantial founda tion for the uncanny story. One husky young fellow who did not look as though he would be easily frightened told of his euooanter: " 'I war a gittin' home kinder late of Sunday night, an' just as I kirn to the woods ayond ole Denzil'i I mighty near bad a oerlission with th' ghos'. It warn't no white oow er gray boss er sheep er nothin' else as war flesh an' blood. It whizzed by me jist like it war flyiu' low an' orful swif on a broomstick. A feller's got ter bolieve bis own eyes, hain't be f I war never soberer in my lifean'never so skeered. I bet my footprints war twenty feet apart th' res' of the way home, fur I bad a idee that thar pesky thing war a sailin' 'loojg jist ahind my ooat tails.' "I beard like experiences from sev eral others, aud in some way oonneot- ed the 'ghost' with the Denzil rob beries. For two nights I stood a dreary watch iu the woods referred to with pat making any disoovery. Tbt third night I recoived a shock. It was in tensely dark in the shadows of the trees, and as I sat at the root of a big oak some white object glidod swiftly and noiselessly just above tho centro of the road. It made the cold chills run over me, though I have no pa tience with those who toll of visits or communications with the departed. "I was determined to enlighten myself and seonred a good saddle horse as companion of my vigils. The second night the 'ghost' flow by and I galloped in its wake at all tho speed my horse could command. A mile ahead the 'appnrition' swerved to the right of the road and ended our mad race. Tying my horse in a fence corner I crept nearer. Slowcly I made out that tho'ghost' was a woman of stately proportions wearing a dain tily milled night robe. She leaned for a brief time over the hollow stump that had been her evident destination nnd then turning mounted her flying machine, which was a modern bicycle, aud went scorching back over tho conrno she had come. Again I fol lowed and did not atop uutil I saw her disappear iu tho side door of the Penzil house. Hastening back to tho hollow stump I explored the interior." "And found tho stolen property, of course," interrupted a listener. "Not a sign of it I could discover nothing that did not naturally belong there. Failing to find tho thief in tho 'ghost,' I beenmo a member of tho Denzil household, ostensibly as his private secretary. My first discovery was thnt tho 'gliosf was the bontttiful Miss Deuzil. She was a somnambu list, aud iu utter iguorauca of tho weird night rides she had taken. Hut when told of them tho explanation was an easy one. When she nnd her young lover were children, that hollow stump had been the postollloe whore their ardent missives were mailed and called for. The momory of those days was a delightful one to her, and the strange mentor of her unconscious action prompted her visits; to the old spot. "My next important discovery ex plained the mystery I was employed to solve Watching secretly iu the hallways, I saw old Duuzil, with eyes wide open and set, come out of his chamber, climb the stairs to tho attic, unlock an old dusk stored there, open a secret drawer and deposit money as well as jewels. His action showed me that his daughter's habit of moving about at night was an inheritod one. The next morning ho gave me a tor riflo blowing up a. a careless, incom petent and worthless dctectivo who could not catch a thiof when in tho house with him. I was more inter ested in that charming daughter of his than iu my case, and a scheme flashed into my mind as if inspired. " 'Mr. Denzil,' I said, 'can you stand the shook of knowing that your daughter is seriously threatened with the loss of her mind because of brood ing over separation from the man whom you say she shall nover marry, and that because of her montal infirm ity she is innooontly robbing yon un der a delusion that iu no othor way can she provide for the future happi- noss of herself, and that young ohap sho honestly thinks, poor girl, she is going to marry ? " " 'It's a lie," he roared, 'a miser able plot. You're discharged.' ' "I did not take Miss Denzil into my plans. I secretly transferred all the stolen weath to the old stump, had a trusted offlaer on guard and then told the old geutleman that I oould prove all I had said and insisted on the right to vindioate myself. He and I watched at the primitive postofQoe till bis daughter came and repeated tho eon duot I have described. Then we brought out the concealed treasures. Denzil was beside himself for fear be might act too late. He sent post haste for the young Iover,made a handsome settlement, insisted on an immediate wedding and bad me as one of the guests. Did ever matchmaker do a slicker job than I did?" Detroit Free Presi. Saving the Bison. The reproduction on a large scale of the all but extinot American bison or buffalo of the plains has been de cided upon by Mr. Henri Menier, the millionaire chocolate manufacturer of Paris and new proprietor of the Island of Antioosti. He has purchased a young buffalo oow, whioh was for some time kept in captivity by a Qaebeo dealer in furs, and his agents are now in correspondence with the proprietors of the few remaining prU vate herds of this noble animal, with a view to the purchase of as many as possible of thorn for breeding pur poses. The intention is to ship them this autumn to Antotoosti, where they will be turned loose npon the island, and be per nutted to roam at will throughout its 1 10 miles of longth and 35 of width. Mr. Menlor forsoos the time when the only remaining herd of wild buffaloes that iu the Yellowstone National Park will have disappeared through the lack of protection on the part of the Btato authorities of Idaho, and be lieves that the only practical means of preserving their race to posterity is to reproduce them in their natural condition and upon as large a scale as possible, on an island like Antioosti, where thoir slaughter is impossible, slnoe nobody but its proprietor can shoot or hunt upon tho island. Not only for the purpose of stock ing his island park with tho grandest of big game and of being in a position eventually to dispose of stock for other preserves has Mr. Menier undertaken his new scheme for the wholesalo breeding of buffalo. lie has not over looked tho commercial promise of tho undertaking, having found that deal ers are now asking $80 to $100 each for buffalo skins that twenty years ago could bo had iu abundance for $9 aud $10 apiece. Moose ore also to be carefully nur tured on Auticostl. These animals are rather difficult to obtain, and only two or three are so far ready for shipment to their inland home. By next spring it is hoped thnt the herd will have been increased to fifteou or twenty, and thnt the caribou upon Anticosti will be in excess of a hundred head. New York Sun. A Hi? Haft or Log. The biggest raft of logs ever floated into San Francisco Hay, containing nearly 600,000 linear feet of piling, will be towed down from the Columbia Hivor by the Southern Paciflo collier Mineoln on her return to this point. Tho piling will bo used largely for tho construction of the ferry landings of the new ttuiou depot aud for sea wall extensions. The great raft has already been built at Stella, on the Columbia ltivor, nnd will be Inuucbed in a day or two, It is constructed on the oigar-shaped plan and forms a structure 500 feet in length, with about fifty feet beam and thirty feet depth. It will draw twenty live feet of water aud contain 500,000 linear feet of logs, and if the latter were laid out in a straight line, ends together, they would form a rail 217 miles in length, aud be sufficient to build a pontoon bridge seven piles broad to the Farallouos, if such an undertaking were possible Between llfty and sixty tons of chain have been used iu the construc tion of tho immense raft and it is stronger and better built than any log raft ever launched in tho world. The piles aro principally of fir and spruco aud have been carefully se lected. Tho raft was built aud is being sent down the coast by Bains & Robertson. They sent down the last big raft towed by the Mineola, but the Southern Puoilio Company backod them in tho enterprise. Now they aro speculating on thoir own accouut. San Frauoisoo Chronicle. Why Koers Fight Well. Having many chances at success proves of ton a disadvantage, Oouoral W. F. Molynoux, u fighter in the Transvaal, tolls in "Camping in South Africa aud Egypt," about going to the house of a Boer, upon the lattor's in vitation to become his guest on a deer hunt. The goueral arrived on horse back, accompanied by one servant. Dismounting, ho carried into the bouse a bag containing what would measure a peck or so of common cartridges. The Boer looked at tho bag in aston ishment and exclaimed : "You Englishmen must be very rich. Cartridges oost sixpence each here." Rather mystified, and doolaring that there are poor Englishmen, General Molyneux asked, "Where are your cartridges?" "In thia," replied the Boer, tapping his double-barrel. "Then you don't intend to do much shooting?" "Well, two-spring-buok are as much as I can carry." "Suppose yon miss?" "Nobody misses when a cartridge oosts sixpeuoe." The sequel was that the Boer got bis two deer, one for eaoh cartridge, while the General fired five shots and got one. Harper's Bound Table, A Serious Matter. Young Wife What? Do yon mean to say yonr brother and bis wife have given up housekeeping and gona to boarding? , Husband Yes J but what difference does that make? Young Wife Ob, nothing, only in about a week or so they'll be droppiug in every other day to meals. Now York Weekly, A MYSTT.HT. They went n-berrylng today. Aud took their baskets, too, fear llttlii roly-poly May And curly-headed True. They Journeyed homo with tired f"0t Just when the dny was done, And oh, the berries were so sweet! And oh, they had such fun! Ami such a lot they said they found Across the meadow-brook, , Thoy fnlrly crushed them ou the ground With every step they took. And every llttlo finger-tip A crimson frult-staln wore, And each bright llttlo rosy Hp Was rodder than before. And thnt Is why it puzzles ni) That In the baskets hero Not oue small berry can I see. Now don't you think It's ipteer? Youth's .Companion. BIRDS BTOLE A SEST. Nature tells a talo of a pair of roc ks, evidently young birds, that strove iu vniu to build a nest. The wind each tituo blew tho foundation down while tho rooks,which fly far for nest mater ial instead of taking those close nt hand, were away. At Inst, despairing of building n homo by legitimate means, they fell upon a complete nest of another pnir while tho owners were absent, tore it to pieces aud built a new nest foundation that would stand the wind. Then they made a super structure in tho clumsy nnd inexperi enced way that young birds always do. Atlanta Constitution. THIS) ELETII AST COULD CSE THE HOSE. Duchess, the ponderous elephant of tho Central Park menagerie, was very kindly treated to a shower bath by hor mate, Tom, recently. Keeper Suyder has daily turned the hose on Tom nud Duchess during tho hot weathor. The cooler weather recently was deemed a sufficient means of low ering tho temperature of the beast, and Suyder did not thiuk it nec essary to give thetn a shower. The elephants were allowed to graze iu thoir little pasture buck of tho cage. Suyder was engaged in water ing tho grass of tho pasture, when Tom, perhaps solicitous about tho health of his amiuKlo mate, snatched the hose from the keeper's hand nud directed tho stream ou tho head of Duchess. The latter raised her huge trunk and gave vent to a deufouiug snort of pleasure. Seeing that she appreciated the bath, Tom continued to let tho water pour on her, until the keeper by numerous prods of his hook, recaptured tho hose. Superintendent Smith says thnt all the auitnals at tho Zoo have passod through tho hot weather fairly well, although somo aro much weakeued by the heat. New York Witness. CHILDREN IN THE GREEN HOUSE. Onoe upon a tiuio there were six little children who lived iu a one-story greon house; it had a green carpet on the floor, and the walla and ceiling were green, too, but one Btrango thing about this house was, that you oould not find a single window or door iu it. At first there was plenty of room in side for the babies in their greeu dresses; but they soon grew so largo and plump that they wore dreadfully orowded, and couldn't even turn around. But they were suoh peace able little things that they never quar reled, or said hateful things to each other about taking up too much room. At last it became so hot in the green house that the children really didn't know what to do ; they longed to go out, but didn't know how to get out They kept on growing, all the time, till finally their beads were close up to the ceiling, while their feet were on the floor. They pushed so hard, that there was aotually a tiny break in the wall, and a stray sunbeam who was longing for a frolio, popped inside. But be was a frisky sunbeam, aud his clothes were so glittering, that be made the children's heads aobe, and they begged him to run out. Day by day the opening in the green house widened, and Mr, West Wind passing by, said to himself: "How those silly children cling to that old shell I I'll make then leava it in a hurry." Then be shook the green bouse so hard that the ohildren fell out on the grass below. It wns so soft nnd cool that they did not mind the fall in the least, but buforo they could fairly look about them, a terriblo monster with two puffy little creatures with her, who walked ou stilt?, enmo up to where the children lay, aud looked down upon them. Then tho big monster cried : ''Cluck, cluck I my dear, here is such a flue breakfast for us." Then tho frighteucd children were soizod and swallowed, greeu dresses and all, by tho hungry hen nud her chickens. For the childrcD, you must know, were peas, and their house was a big green pool. Suubeams. THE TOtINO OF WATERFOWL, In tho Irish sea rock fowl of nil kinds are very numerous, nud vessels going north pass large numbers ol guillemots and razor bills swimming far out at sea. Iu August these ore uccompnuiod by their young, often less than bulf-gruwu, nud still covered with down. The little guilemots are "launched" very soon after they aro hatched, aud unless tho old birds curry them up to thj rocks ou which they rooht, iu the same way as they are said to carry them down, they must ispjud their uights, ns well ne their days, upon the sea. Young wild ducks are so light aud active that they seem nble to rttu ou tha surfuco of tho water. It is hardly credible that they can do so, us a "water bont juau" does, without breaking the "sur faco film," but they certainly can make n dash for a short distauco with their feet on tho water, nnd the whole of their body out of it. In catching iusecis ou tho water they rival the dexterity of a young partridge on an anthill. There is very little doubt nlso that, like youug tlsli, they live largely on the microscopio eutomes truca, which come as a kind of a malum iu the wilderness to nil aquatic creatures. Mr. St. John once found a whole brood imprisoned iu a water hole in tho heather. Tho sides were stoep, nnd it was evident that they had fallen iu nud had beeu unable to get out. There were sigus that thoy had been there for some time, but they were all in good ooudition,aud it was surmised that they hud lived ou insects whioh had fallen into the water from tho Kurrouudiug heather. Probably they had largely supplemented this by de vouring the water fleas aud other en tomostraca brod iu tho pool itself. Young coots, water hous, water rails, grebes aud swans ore almost as clover as the youug wild duck when in their downy youth. Later, when nearly fledged, nnd oven when able to fly, they ore much less adroit. They lose thoir cleverness together with the beauty of babyhood, and pass through a stupid half-fledged period us "flappers." Even their nerves go nmiwH. In parts of Iceland the line of flight of theyoung swans is marked by the natives, who assemble and when the flocks pass over yell, shout aud Kcreatn at the birds. Tho youug swans become perfectly rauddlod, and mauy of them simply closo their wings, leave off flying, and drop to the ground, when they aro caught. Lon don Spectator. Whore tho Toothpicks (onio From. In Harbor Springs, Mich., there is a large and flouruhiug wood tooth pick industry, says the Northwestern Tribune. White birch is exclusively nsod in the manufacture of toothpicks, aud about 7,500,000 are turned out duily. Tha logs are sawed up iuto bolts each twenty-eight inches in length, then thoroughly steamed and cut into veneers. The veneer is out into long ribbons, three inches in width, and these ribbons, eight or ten at a time, are run through the tooth pick machinery, ooming ont at the other end, the perfeot pieoas falling into one basket, the broken pieces and refuse falling iuto auother. A Hummins; Choir. A hot-tempered down East parson was for some time disturbed by the members of the choir. Finally be found a way of quieting them. After the long prayer one Sabbath be an nounced a hymn, as usual, and added : "I hope the entire congregation will join in singing this grand old hymn; and I know the choir will, for I heard tbeni bumming it during the prayer." Philadelphia Amerioan, An appeal bas been issued to the Massaohusetts sohools for contribu tions toward purchasing the James Russell Lowell estate in Cambridge for a publio park, SCIENTIFIC SCHAI'S. Zoologists say that nil known spo cies of wild animals are gradually di minishing in size. The tidal waves that wrought snob, destruction in Japan are said to have traveled at the rate GOO miles an hour. Thirty years ago, there were only two dozen explosive compounds known to chemists; now there are over ft thousand, A deapntch from Lowell Observa tory, Flagstaff, Arizona, announces that the polar snow of Mars has been observed in latitude 75, longitude 80, about two degrees in diameter. A party of four, nndor the direc tion of Mr. T. A. Mobley, will start from Lacomb, Alberta, to explore northern Canada from Edmonton to the Arctio Sen. The trip is to occupy two years. ' Street sprinkling nnd the benefits to bo derived from it are being urged upon tho city of San Antonio, Texas, where the dust is such that bouses have lnrgely to bo kept closed and clothing is spoilod sometimes after a few days' wear. To cure earncho, take Ave parts of camphorated ohloral, thirty parts of glycerine, nnd tou parts of sweot nl mouds. A pieco of cotton is saturat ed nnd introduced well into tho car, and it is also rubbed behind the ear. The pain is relieved as if by magic, nnd if there is inflammation it often subsides quickly. Professor Tserascky.tho well-known astronomer of Moscow University, the Novoo Vreniya says, has for some time past been conducting experiments in solar heat. With thi aid of an enor mous mirror said to be the largest iu Europe aud a number of othor mirrors placed in a certain way, Pro fessor Tscrascky has beon able to ob tain such euormonshcat that it melted the most refractory chemicals. Tho ohomical process by which tho green color is produced iu the leaves of plants is almost entirely dependent ........ !!..!. Tl.. A , 1 1 1 11 i . A wax, aud floats about in the colls 01 the leaves in the form of minute gran an- ules. Light is indispensable for the formation of this pigment, and in the absence of light tho cells of plants are) unable to secrete or form it. Cubans Making Wooden Cannon. Tho Cubans, who aro lighting Spain to gain independence, aro obliged to use all sorts of thiugs for weapons. Rifles, cartridges, and powder are brought to them from the United States in little ships which sail from Florida. Sometimes large vessels are lifted out iu Now York which, if they escapo the Spanish war ships, bring large quantities of arms aud ammu nition to the Cubans. But the revolutionists are in great need of oannon, aud, as thoy cannot get the real kind they make some out of treos. In the interior of Cuba grows a tree whioh has a winding grain. That is the fibres of the wood go round instead of extending length wise. The wood of this tree is vory toagb and it is almost impoasiblo to split it by ordinary means. When the Cu bans want a cannon they out down one of these peculiar trees, saw off a five foot length, about one foot tbiok, and remove the bark. Then they burn ont the bore with red-hot orowbars or pieoes of iron pipe, and this burning inoreases the toughness of the wood. While some of the soldiers are burning out the bore others out green oxhide into a long strip by commenc ing at the oentre andoutting in spirals toward the outer edge, just as an apple is peeled. One end of the rawhide strip, which is about three inches wide, is spiked to the breeob of the wooden cannon and a lever is attaohed to tha other end. Two or three stout negroes grasp the arms of the lover and slowly turn the wooden gun. The band of green hide is kept under a strain, and in this .way the oaunon is wrapped in one of the toughest materials in the world. The first layer of hide is wonnd to the mnzzle of the gnn and then baok to the breeob, and so on, bock and forth, until a number of layers of rawhide are wonnd on. The gnn with its rawhide wrapping, is plaoed iu a draught of dry, hot air and allowed to harden. When thia prooess is oomplete the Cubans have oannon whioh oau be fired 100 times before it is useless. The wooden can non shoots scrap iron, round stones, and fire-hardened clay balls. Chi cago Record. Franoe's silver coinage ooutains only forty per cout of its face vulue in silver.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers