The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, April 15, 1903, Image 8

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    LIABLE"!!) lLrLOi)E.
HARMLESS HOUSEHOLD GOODS THAT
ARE REALLY DANGEROUS.
Inctr and Chlornte of Potash I
Wicked Cnmblnnttnn, and Floer
llnat and Ory Air la Krnnaht With
Uannrer Vddltlra of finnonttnn.
At the promises of nn English !
pnny there occurred some time ngo a
disastrous fire which completely gutted
on enormous building nml caused lossei
aggregating Jois','""'. The fire vni at
tributed to mi explosion of malt.
Any fine Inflammable dust when
mixed with n certain proportion of dry
nlr will explode. There won a provloui
similar accident In n New York candy
niiiiinfnotoi'.v. A terrific explosion
which wrecked the entire building wm
discovered to lio dim to the fnct thai
particles of fine lolng sugar lind boon
n I lowed to Invade the room where the
furnaces were.
An einlneiit nnthority on explosive
declares tluit ninny of those accident!
In conl ml lies usually nttrilmted to fire
dump hnve I n caused by dry conl
dust suspended In the galleries having
been nccldentiilly llrel. Even so nppnr
ently nn Iiiiiocent n substance ah flout
becomes fcnrfully explosive when
mixed Jn suitable proportion with dry
nlr.
Another substance thnt linn proved tc
be extremely dangerous when Htored It)
In rite quantities In chlornte of potash
A disaster Home yenrs ago Inn big Lon
don factory proved the destructive
powers of this simple remedy for colds.
Sugar nml chlornte of potnsli mixed
form nn explosive which hits been tried
for blasting purposes, but so dangerous
a compound Is It thnt nny explosive
containing these Ingredients is not like
ly to puss tho government tests in till!
country.
A Rood mnny yenrs ngo It wns dis
covered thnt cellulose soaked In strong
nitric ncld changed from n substance,
no more hnriiiful thnn paper to n fierce
explosive. The number of materials on
which nitric ncld will work a slmllnr
transformation is nlmost endless.
Wood, pnper. straw, conl, pent, pitch,
starch, sugar, ten tnn, vhosphorus, Iron,
nine, copper mid magnesium nro only n
few thnt ponld be mimed.
One of the best known mid most ter
rible of these mixtures Is nitroglycerin,
which Is m!::i; l.v nitric ncld nml com
mon glycerol mixed together and al
lowed to fall Into a stream of water.
Dynamite Is nothing more thnn nitro
glycerin absorbed by some spongy sub
tance. Alum, nsbestus, plaster of par
Is. sawdust, bran, meal, even dried and
pounded potntoes, hnve been employed
for this purpose, but the substnnce
most commonly employed Is what Is
known ns "klesel guhr," or Bpongy
enrth. This Is the kind of clay formed
of niinuto fossil shells, great beds of
which ore found In Germany and oth
er pnrts of the world.
Guncotton. which wns first made in
1841, is the form of nltro compound
usually employed In war. It is manu
factured from ordinary cotton waste
treated with n mixture of nitric and
sulphuric acids.
There Is one very curious point about
guncotton. It cann'ot be made from
raw cotton in the bale; waste cotton Is
necessary for Its manufacture. It seems
as If the blenching to which manufac
tured cotton has been subjected hns
something to do with fitting the waste
for becoming explosive material. Oily
waste, is, however, completely useless
for milking guncotton, and if even a
little is cnrelesHly used a whole bntch
of the manufactured product may be
spoiled.
Guncotton Is bo extraordinarily sud
den In its action that a small quantity
hns been exploded In contact with a
heap of gunpowder and has fulled to
set tire to it.
The great advantage which guncot
ton possesses over all other explosives
Is that damp docs not Injure IL In
fact, wet guncottou explodes with Just
as great violence as dry, but Is of
course much harder to fire. Conse
quently it Is one of tho safest explo
sives to carry, us It can be thoroughly
wetted before packing and kept wet
during transport. For mining purpose
or for use In war guncotton Is usually
compressed Into hard cukes.
The cordite which Is now used In
BrltlBh military rifles Is a rather more
compound substance being composed
of thirty-seven pnrts of guncotton
mixed with fifty-eight of nitroglycerin
and Ave parts of mineral Jelly. It is
formed into little cords ench three
eighths of an Inch in diameter. These
are made up into little fagots which
are placed In the cartridges.
What seems a very odd subsume,
from which to make an explosive is
gutta perclin. But by the action of ni
tric acid It can be turned Into a form!
dable detonator.
Each country has Its pet powder. The
Dnlted States uses plcrnteof ammonia;
the French hnve a beautiful, semi
transparent, chestnut colored powder
ftiude of the nitrates of potassium and
barium. Besides these there are dozens
' of explosives with fancy uiimei such
as bttlllstlte, cnuuonite, rltlelte. ruudlte,
plastouiunlte. These vary In size and
shape of grain, color and power, but
they all depend on the actlou of nitric
add for their explosive force. Atluuta
Constitution, i,
The Bell and Her Urea.
Once upon a time there was a fa
mous belle who made frequent visits to
ber dressmaker and stayed quite long
ench time because she was particular
about the fit of her gowns, and the
modiste desired to nlease her. I
They would cut pud tit and shape i
and work to bring every line and curve I
into proper rulutlon, bo that the effect )
(would be artistic and pieuBing to the i
eye. I
Moral. Matters of form are often the
Important mutters. Nim Xorlc Herald, j
r A GIRL TO TRUST.
Be Thought President Mncola Win
He Handed tier a Pal.
During the civil war Miss N.,
blgh spirited Virginia young lady
whose father, a Confederate soldier,
hnd been taken prisoner by the Union
forces, was desirous of obtaining a
pnss which would enable her to visit
him. Francis F. Blnlr agreed to obtain
an audience with the president, but
warned Iris young and rather Impulsive
friend to bo prudent and not betrny
tier sympathy for the south. . They
were ushered Into the presence of Mr.
Lincoln, and the object for which they
hnd come wns stnted. The tall, grnve
man bent down to the little maiden
and, looking senrchlngly Into ber face,
said:
"You are loyal, of courso?"
Her bright eyes flashed. She hesi
tated a moment, and then, with a face
eloquent with emotion and honest aa
Ills own, she replied:
"Yes, loyal to the heart's core to Vir
ginia!" Mr. Lincoln kept his Intent gaze up
on her for a moment longer and then
went to ills desk, wrote a line or two
and handed her the paper. With a
bow the Interview terminated. When
they had left the room, Mr. Blair began
to upbraid his young friend for her im
petuosity, "Now you have done It!" he sulci.
"Didn't I warn you to bo very careful?
You have only yourself to blame."
Miss N. made no reply, but opened
the paper. It contained these words:
Pais Miss N. She Is an honest girl and
can be truated. A. LINCOLN.
Red Jacket's Memory.
Red Jacket, the Indian chief, bad
more confidence in his own memory
than in books nnd papers of white men.
There was a council at one time be
fore Tompkins, nn early governor of
New York, In regard to nn ancient
treaty. The agent said one thing, but
Red Jncket corrected him. "You have
forgotten," said the American agent.
"We have it written down on paper."
"The paper then tells a He," was the
confident answer. "I have It written
here," continued the chief, placing bis
hand with dignity upon his brow.
""ou Ynnkees are born with a feath
er between your fingers, but your pa
per does not speak the truth. The In
dian keeps his knowledge here. This Is
the book the Orent Spirit gave him. It
does not lie." A reference was made to
the trenty In question, when to the as
tonishment of all every word that Bed
Jncket hnd said was confirmed on the
document.
Amneed Only the Aetora.
In bis "Random Recollections"
Charles II. K. Brookfleld, a highly es
teemed actor on the London stage,
Bnys: "I remember a piece which we
produced at the Comedy theater, writ
ten by a popular author and very
strongly cast, which amused us all bo
much that we could hnrdly rehearse It.
Charles Haw trey used every now and
then to wuru us: 'Now, don't speak too
soon on thnt. There's certain to be a
big laugh, and we don't wunt them to
miss the next line.' We rehearsed for
six weeks. On the first night nothing
went wrong but the piece. There was
not one laugh nor one round of ap
plause from start to finish. We took
off tho comedy In ten days, during
which we rehearsed as a stop gap a
conventional three act farce with no
literary pretensions. I think it ran for
a yeur."
(later Aboil the Eyea.
Trlnce Troubetskoy, tho artist, once
painted In Purls tho portrait of an
American who was. cross eyed. The
painter thought a great deal about the
matter und finally made his plcturo
rross eyed, too, bo tbut it should be
faithful likeness.
When it wns done, the original
looked at it and said:
"It seems to me It seems why,
hung it, this picture Is cross eyed. Isn't
itr
"Why, no more thun you are, sir,"
said Trlnce Troubetskoy.
"Well, peril nps you're right," mur
mured the American. "It seems to have
a queer look about the eyes, though."
Her Fathomless Ryes.
It was the hermit Thoreau, whose
mistress was wood and stream, who
wrote: "The lover sees In the glance of
his beloved the same beauty that in the
sunset puluts the western skies. It Is
the snme diamond here lurking under
a human eyelid and there under the
closing eyelids of the dny. Here, in
small compass, is the ancient und nat
ural beauty of evening and morning.
Whut loving ustrouomor has ever fath
omed the ot boreal depths of the eye?"
Cause and Effect.
La Montt Children are so much
worse thnn they used to be. What do
you attribute it to?
La Moyue Improved Ideas In bulld
og. Lu Montt Whut bus that to do with
It?
Lu Moyue Much. Shingles are
scarce, and you can't spank n boy with
a tin roof. Philadelphia Kecord.
. Hard Work.
"1 suppose you have beard about
young Chumley? He Is very seriously
ill as u result of overwork."
"You don't say so! What has he been
doing to bring It about?"
"Trying to col lent his thoughts."
lilvlnc Him a Chaaea-.
Muster Pickles I think thut If I went
out of the room Mr. Spooner wonld kiss
you. Adn.
Miss Pickles (sternly) Leave the
room this lustaut. you Impertinent boy!
It Is a lot of fun being In love if a
man doesu't care if ha saves any mon
ey or holds bis Job. Atchison Globe.
' HE STOPPED THE BELL.
Good Reaeoa For Qlvlna- Hint Frea
Entry to the Show,
The requests for theater favors in
the s ton 11 towns are very troublesome.
Every person of local standing feels
that be has a right to admission at
least whilo the trustees and the con
stable feel thnt they arc entitled to pri
vate boxes. Rome of the requests are
decidedly unique.
Recently a company played a small
southern city. The manager was taking
the tickets at the door of the theater,
nd the natives were struggling to get
In. "Suddenly," he tells, "a long, thin,
bushy chinned Individual divided the
folding doors with his shoulder and
whispered confidentially, 'I stop the
bell.' I asked him to repent. 'I stop the
bell,' be said again in a hoarse whis
per. 'You will have to sec the opera
house manager and tell him what you
stop,' I said, reaching for tickets. He
tripped up several ladies while backing
out. Soon the mnnnger of the house
enmo In, saying. 'He's nil right; he
stops the bell.' I allowed him to 1,-0 In,
and after the people were seined I
asked the local rutin whnt he mount by
He stops tho bell.' 'Well,' said he. 'this
man Is the Janitor of the town hall,
right opposite, and on "show nl:,'hts"
he dews not ring nine or ten on the
town clock. You see, he snld. "It would
disturb the performance." and so the
poor people do not know whnt time it
Js until 11 o'clock, when the opera
house is open. If I hud "turned hlin
down" he would havo rung out nine
nnd ton every half hour to get even.' "
Chicago Inter Ocenn.
Lincoln the Ideal Prealdent.
Lincoln Is the Ideal president In that
he led public sentiment, represented it
nnd followed it. "I clului not to have
controlled events," he said, "but con
fess plainly thnt events hnve con
trolled me." During his term of oltlee
lie was one day called "very weak"
nnd the next day "a tyrant." but when
his whole work was done a careful sur
vey of It could bring one only to the
conclusion thnt he knew when to fol
low and when to lend. He was In com
plete touch with popular sentiment nnd
divined with nicety when ho could
take a step In advance. lie made nn
effort to keep on good terms with con
gress, nnd he differed with thnt body
reluctantly, although, when the neces
sity came, decisively. While he bad
consideration for those who did not
agree with him. and while he acted al
ways with a regard to proportion, be
wns nevertheless a strong and self
confident executive. James Ford
Rhodes In Sorlbner's.
Killing the Tnrtle.
Killing a turtle with an arrow seems
a very difficult feat, since a very bnrd
shell covers practically all of the ani
mal, yet the natives of the Andaman
Inlands kill huge turtles with arrows
as easily as American sportsmen kill
rabbits with shot
Accustomed from their childhood to
use bows and arrows, they soon become
wonderfully skilled in the use of these
primitive wenpons, and as they know
the places where turtles congregnte It
Is ensy for them nt nny time to bring
home a good bug of gnme. Sometimes
they try their skill on large flsh, and,
though the latter are harder to kill
thnn turtles, there are a few islanders
who rarely miss their mark.
The bows nnd arrows nre made of
native wood and are longer and stron
ger than those used by European arch
ers. Fierce Wild Hoga.
The wild hogs of southern Colorado
shnrc with the peccurles of Central
and South America the reputation of
being the fiercest, most vindictive nnd
toughest animals of the western hemi
sphere. They will follow tenuclously,
tree and starve out un enemy. Their
skins nre tough, their vitality Is re
murkable and their teeth sharp ns rn
sors. They travel in small droves and
are ready to attnek anything, be It man
or beast, thut arouses their Ire. Hunt
ers In southern Colorado alwnys ob
serve the precaution of stationing
themselves within reach of a tree when
lu the neighborhood of a drove.
ReallHin.
"De Btnrr Is the great exponent of
realism In the drama."
"I know; tbat's why he wouldn't take
my piny."
"What whs the mutter with your
pluy?"
"Why. the hero hnd u surgical opera
tion performed, and De Starr said If it
wits done at nil It would have to be a
real operatlou. nnd he couldn't stand
for thut eight times a week." .Wash
ington Times.
Not Mark Difference.
Magistrate Now. sir, while tiie evi
dence Is not technically conclusive, 1
am fully convinced of your guilt, and
It will be only u mutter of time until
fou are apprehended and your guilt
brought to light.
Prisoner And then, your bouor?
Magistrate Well, then It will be a
mutter ef some more time, Buffalo
express.
A Hellet.
Husband Darling. I believe that 1
am falling.
Wife (lu alurml Gracious: How
often I have warned you, George,
galust your foolish speculations:
Husband-I don't mean in business,
dear; I meuu I'm fulling In health.
Wife (relleved)-Ob, Is that all?
Lavt la Speetaelea.
He 1 suppose now that I shall hove
to ask your father for his consent
She No. Harry. After the first time
Jou culled, pa said I might have you If
I wuuUd you. Pa and I have under
stood It for a long time. Boston Transcript
FIXED DATE8 IN RUSSIA.
They Rale Brta la Simple Tblaara
With A bant nfe Tyraany.
Routine Is exceedingly strong In Rus
sia. There is a day In June upon which,
says tradition, It becomes safe to bathe
In tho rivers after the winter freeze,
No mnttor bow warm the water may
be earlier, no matter how cold it tuny
be on thnt dny, then Is the time to take
the first swim. Othor fixed dates nre
niontloued In "Ivnn nt Home," by Her
bert Barry. Of course the statements
do not npply to all Russians, but to
the average peasant only.
No man dure touch nu npple before
the Oth of August, however ripe tho
fruit may rfally be before that day.
He docs not believe It Is fit to eat.
The village sportsman, although he
may hnve observed the blnckcocks
flghllng ninong themselves unusually
early owing to the warmth of the
spring, cannot make up his mind to
shoot them until the appointed day has
arrived.
No traveler will stnrt on n Journey
on either a Monday or a Friday.
Although the delny Is strongly
against his own Interests the fisher
man will not cast his nets liefer a cer
tain day, whether the season bo Into or
early.
No lnmb is supposed to be able to
reach the age of mutton should It hnve
been born before the dny named In the
peasant's calendar. And so on through
all the common events In their daily
life does this attachment to llxod dates
bedge In a Russian's existence.
Hnd Kuonrth of Law
A gentleman who Is now general su
perintendent of n railroad began life
by trying to practice law in a .Missouri
village, one of his first cases was be
fore bis father, who was a Justice of
the peace. After a stormy wrangle be
tween the young attorney nnd his nd
versary, the old gentleman decided the
ense ngalnst his sou's client. The young
man gave vent to some expressions of
Indignation, gathered up his books and
started to leave the room. Ills father
pushed his specs on to his forehead nnd
began mildly to lecture him. saying:
"Young mail, do you expect to make
your living practicing law?"
The son, who had by this time
reached the door, shouted back as he
retired from the field:
"Not before such a blamed fool court
as this."
He abandoned the law and engaged
in railroading with great success.
Green Bag.
A ninff That Worked.
Teter Newell, the nrtlst, wns camp
ing out In Colorado nt one time, living
in a tent. News came of a nocturnal
murder In the neighborhood, nnd con
siderable uneasiness was manifested
by some members of the family. Mr.
Newell thereupon cut out some sil
houettes representing men of the
roughest western type, all with pistols
in their belts nml in the attitude of
men intensely Interested in a gnme of
poker. The silhouettes Mr. Newell
fastened to the Inner canvas of the
tent. At night the family. (Stepping
outside Into the darkness to view the
result, were entranced with Its success.
The shadows thrown from the sil
houettes In the lighted Interior Indi
cated a tent filled with poker playing,
pistol shooting desperadoes. Thence
forth the Newell family slept In pas
toral peace.
Whnt la In a Nnmet
Onco upon a time there wus a credit
or to a largo amount whoso debtor con
stantly refused payment. The creditor
became impatient und after Investiga
tion found that the debtor lived In a
better bouse thuu lie did, dressed bet
ter, clothed his wife In silks, satins and
laces and spent dollars where he, the
creditor, spent cents. Then he was
wroth.
"I will sue the wealthy debtor," be
snld, "nnd collect whnt is owing me."
Ho brought suit nnd disclosed n lnrge
amount of valuable property; but, alas,
it wus all in the mime of the debtor's
wife, and ho got not a single cent
Moral. There Is often a great deal In
a name. New York Ileriild.
Finished the Teat.
Apropos of mottoes on houses, a cor
respondent of tho Westminster Gazette
relates thnt n man In Scotland wished
to hnve cut over tho door of a new
house tho text. "My house shall be
cnlled a house of prayer." He left tho
workmen to enrry out his wishes dur
ing his absence, and on his return his
horror was grout to find the quotation
completed, "But ye have made It n don
of thieves." "We had a wcV thing inulr
room, ye see. so we Just pit in the end
o' the verse," was the explanation giv
en by the Bible loving Scot
Pines and Hvmna.
Rev, Dr. Parr, when perpetual curate
of ilatton. Warwickshire, which liv
ing he held from 17.v:i to I7!. regularly
smoked in the vestry while the congre
gation wns singing hum hymns, chosen
for tho purpose. Immediately before the
sermon. The doctor is wont to ex
claim. "My people like long hymns, but
I prefer a long pipe. "-London Tele
graph. tnsc-ini.li.
"Widowhood makes a woman unself
ish." "Why so?"
"Because she ceases to look out for
No. 1 and begins to look out for No. 2."
Town and Country.
A Henpecked Husband.
Meekton Do you know how to gov
ern your wife?
Henpeck Yes, but she wou't let me.
Many a fool man casts a shadow on
bis life by standing lu his own light
Tbe horse Is uiuu'a best friend ex
cept ttose at tl race track. Puck.
THE BOW In WAR. '
How It Waa Mad nnd t)aed by the
Aalatlo TrlUrsmen.
The bow as us"d by A ilntlc horsemen
assumes a curious shape. They were
made of horn, p "liernlly buffalo horn,
In two pieces, joined by. a wooden cen-1
ter. and when unstrung had tho form .
it a capital C, which enabled them to J
be hung over the nrm on horseback.
When stmig. a difficult font to those
unused to them, they took the double
curve of the antique bow ns seen In th
representation of Cupid. This wns tbe
"Tartar's bow," used by the Scythians,
Partliliins und Persians nnd up to quite
recent times In India. It wns drawn
by .the thumb alone, on which the arch
er wore ii broad, thick ring of horn.
Ivory or cornelian, on whose edge the
bowstring rested.
The long bow wns nlso much In use
nmoug Indian Infantry of the middle
ages, but neither they nor any other
Asiatics appear to hnve done such exe
cution ns the English archers of the
same period. Bcrulor says, describing
a battle between Aurangzeb and bis
brother Dura: "They draw their ar
rows with a marvelous swiftness, one
man being able to draw, six of them
before a musketeer can discharge
twice; but, to sny truth, their arrows
do but little execution. More of them
nre lost In the nlr or broken on the
ground than hit."
The bow. In fact, requires more than
nny other weapon constant practice
from childhood, und strong English
men of the present day are quite una
ble to use the bows of the half human
Mlni'oples of tho Andnmnns. Cham
bers' Journal.
llocv t'.ie Snrlnsfltnke Travel.
The springboks of South Africa ml
prnie In vast herds, moving In a com
pact body and currying everything be
fore them. If n flock of sheep be in
the line of march, as sometimes hap
pens. It Is surrounded, enveloped and
becomes, willingly or unwillingly, part
of the springbok army. An African
hunter tells the strange story of seeing
n Hon In the midst of the antelopes,
forced to Join the march. It Is sup
posed that the Hon hnd sprung too fnr
for his prey, that those upon whom he
nllghted recoiled sulllclcntly to nllow
him to rencli the ground, ami then the
pressure from lx;h Hanks nnd the rear
prevented him from escaping from his
strange captivity.
If the springbok travels lu such
armies, how can those In the middle
nnd in the rear find food? In this wise:
Those In the front ranks, after they
have eaten greedily of the pasture,
gradually fall out of the ranks to rest
and chew the cud. while the hungry
ones In the rear come up, and so the
columns are all the while changing.
The Frnnrant Heliotrope.
You mny give a heliotrope, and not a
very large plant, ns much water as you
give a geranium and think you nre giv
ing all thnt is required. Your plant will
full to make a vigorous and healthy
growth been u so it Is not moist enough
nt the roots. Examine it, and you will
find that the tiny roots hnve extracted
the moisture almost wholly. If not
given more water nt once, some of the
young nnd delicate roots nre Injured,
nnd tho plant takes on n diseased con
dition, from which it often never re
covers. lo not get the Iden thnt the
soil In which heliotropes are grown
ought to be kept wot. Not at all. But
because It requires more moisture than
many plants, because It extracts more
rapidly from the soil, wnter should be
given oftcuer to keep the soli lu the
proper condition.
The Final Straw.
A story l told of a rustic who, after
Imbibing too freely, fell asleep by the
wayside.
The day wns hot nnd a swarm of
(lies settled on his face and proceeded
to make bis-sleep anything but pleas
ant. In a little while a few mosquitoes
came along to ndd their torture to thnt
of the tiles. Of course the man woke
up after repented attacks by the com
bined forces and vainly tried to brush
them away. Finally along came a big
wasp nnd stung him on the uose.
"Now. for that you can all get off." be
said.
Tho Discovery of the Fork.
Some believe thut the fork was in
use nil over Europe ns early as the
year oOO A. D.. but If they were their use
nml the fork Itself were lost sight of
up to about the beginning of the seven
teenth century, when It wus either dis
covered or rediscovered and popular
ized. Walton. Wcems nnd other autl
quurlaus hold to the earlier date, be
cause u atone vessel containing coins
of the mldc'llc ages and some iron forks
wns found at Serlngtou. England, in
the yeur 1 811-1 .
Obtnlnlnu Heirs In China.
The practical Chinese buve adopted
rlmple way of obtaining heirs where
there nre no legal ones the adoption
ii f children who belong to Bide brunches
of the family. In this way the family
Hue Is kept Intact. In the absence of
mule descendants in the sido branches
of the family the sons of struugcrs ure
udoptcd. The Chinese prefer this meth
od to marrying second wives.
Au VureoMOiiaule Cnptlou.
Wlttl.us-I think the cuptlon of this
essay is one of the most unreasonable
things I ever saw.
Crlilcus-Ilnw so?
Witt lens It is "The Decline of tho
Amateur." As If uny one ever knew
nu aiiuitour to decllue, Bultlmore
Aniericau.
Spoke Ike Profeaaor.
"Culture." seuteullously observed tho
doctor. "Is like charity. It begins ut
home."
"Yea," au!d the professor, "but It Is
isuully finished abroad." Chicago
Tribune.
' STUFFED BLACK BEARS.
The Iteaaon They Are 1aed aa Slffaa
by the Farrlera.
The man wl.o n ines to New York
only once In t m y.'nrs said be could
not nndcrs'.Miid why the bears In Cen
tral park seemed so much more stuck
up than the rest of tho nnlmnls, but
after he hnd traveled about town for
several days he saw through It It was
because 01) per cent of tho furriers In
town have chosen a big blnck bear for
an advertising sign. Why tbe other an
imals lu the soo should be so discrimi
nated against puxtled the man not a
little. One 'day be asked a furrier
about It.
"It Is because the bears last longer
than auything else," safd the furrier.
"Of nil Uie animals In New York I
don't know of any that have a harder
time than those thnt stand outside fur
riers' stores winter and summer and
try to drum up trade for their employ
ers. It doesn't make any difference
what kind of weather comes along,
whether it blows hot or cold, those fel
lows hnve to stand nt their post and
swelter or freexe, as the case may be.
Naturally all those changes sre pretty
hard on their bide, nnd none bat bears
can stand the strain. Some furriers
hnve tried the fox. the lynx and other
animals now nnd then at a venture,
but they have mostly come buck to the
bear as the most satisfactory of the lot
They cost more too. A good stuffed
bear comes ns high ns $fi, but If be Is
trented well he will Inst for twenty
five yenrs, so thnt brings hlui down to
a comparatively low price after all,"
New York Press.
t hnrlc-a A. Dana'a Lode.
They tell a good story of Charles A.
Dnna how Dana once summoned a
hoy reporter nnd said, "Tomorrow you
write up the yncht race."
"But," said the lad, "1 don't know
how; I'm a Nebrasknn. I only enme
here lust night, sir, and I haven't so
much ns seen New York bin bor yet As
for yachts why, I never saw a yacht
in my life!"
"Just the reusou I sent for you, my
boy! You'll write a story that people
can rend; you'll picture the thlug;
you'll write with enthusiasm because
It's all new to you."
Snne logic! The poetry of the sea bns
always been written by landsmen; It
always will be. The barrack room bal
lads nre best sung by'n gentle civilian.
The Inside of anything Is clearest seen
by nn erstwhile outsider. Mr. Bryce,
not Mr. Lodge, writes "The American
Commonwealth." Emerson, not Car
lyle, writes "English Traits." Rollln
Lynde Hartt In Atlantic.
Why He Should Learn Spaalah.
One of the most brilliant series of
the Gobelin tapestries represents the
surprising adventures of Don Quixote.
Louis XV. hnd a great affection for
tbe doughty chevalier. One day be
said to a great gentleman of bis court:
"Do you know Spanish?"
"No. sire." said the other1.
"Ah, it Is a great pity."
The seigneur, thlukiug, at the least
the king was going to offer him the
ambassadorship at Madrid, put him
self with extraordinary seal to tho
mastery of Spanish. In a few weeks
ho came back to his royal master aud,
with a conqueror's air, said:
"Your majesty, I have learned Span
ish." "My compliments," said Louis. "Read
'Don Quixote' lu Spanish. It is much
liner than lu French."
Not the Uannl Heaalt,
. "How enn you afford to give away
these salt pickles with your meals?"
asked the man who dined cbeuply at
tho little German restaurant around
tho corner.
"Ah. but you forget they make the
awful thirst." snld the proprietor. "The
awful thirst makes trade for tbe bar.
Is It not tho clever Iden?"
"They certainly do make one thirsty."
said the man nt the table. "I feel
those I've eaten already. Bring me"
Tho proprietor's face was a study In
expectancy.
"Bring me u not her gluss of water!"'
New York Tribune.
Stated a Knot.
A clergyman highly esteemed for bis
ninny excellent qualities, of which ora
tory Is not one. lias recently hnd placed
lu his church by his loving congrega
tion ii new pulpit. It Is n line piece of
work, ornate with earring and artistic
embellishment. But the text Inscribed
on it. considering the effect of the good
rector's sermons, might have been more
happily chosen. "lie glrotb bis beloved
sleep," It runs.
Proved ilia Caae.
Mother The whipping you bad yes
terday does uot seem to hnve improved
you. Your behnvior bus been even
worse today.
Willie That's what 1 wanted to
prove. You said 1 was as bad as I pos
sibly could be yesterduy. I kuew you
avere wrong.
3o Baeiales,
"No, sir," said the cowboy, "Cactus
Cal ain't got an enemy In tlar world."
"I should think a man like him would
be continually muklng enemies."
"Sure, but us soon as he makes one
be gits bis gun inter pluy an' unmakes
blm." Exchange.
Ilia Hard Remark.
Young Wife That horrid tramp said
my biscuits were like cement, and yet
be ate them.
Young Husband Cement eh? Well,
perhaps he wanted to make himself
solid. Philadelphia Kecord.
Hnrrah For Pal
Little Willie (proudlyi My pa knows
a few things.
Little Boh (contemptuously) Ho, my
pa knows fewer thlugs than jour pa.
Smart Set
' A RESOURCEFUL LAWYER.
Aa taaplratloa That Woa a Caae Ha
Caaaldered Hapalraa.
A Philadelphia lawyer tells the story
that a picture of En nny Davenport
once won a case for blm. His client
was suing the Pennsylvania Itnllro.ul
company, of which Wnyne MaeVengh
was counsel, for $7,500 damages for
the death of ber husband. "Just a few
days before the case wus to have come
up she buppened into my office and an
nounced that she hud married again.
'Good Lord, madam.' I gnsped, 'why
couldn't you have waited Until your
case came up? It's next to Impossible
for me to get damages for you now.'
She said she didn't care very much,
and went out. seeming very happy.
Well, It Just happened that 1 hud a
photograph of Fanny Davenport on my
desk, and when the next dny Wnyne
MncVengh happened Into my office to
discuss quite another matter he picked
up the photo and admired it. 'Who's
your friend?' be asked. I hnd n sudden
Inspiration, and I said: 'Why, thnt's
the lady who Is suing your company
for 7.600.' 'The deuce you sny, snld
he. 'Handsome woman, Isn't she?' 'She
Is, Indeed,' I' replied. 'H'm!' he ex
claimed, looking at the picture closely.
'A deuced handsome woman, I should
say. A deuced handsome woman.'
There wns a slight pnttse. 'Whnt'll yoll
take to settle this ense?' be asked. I
thought of my client's second mar
riage, nnd I fixed the figure nt $3,000.
The deal wns consummated and tbe
case never came to court"
Paid In Hla Own Coin.
Once In a wny Archbishop Temple
of Cnnterbhry would get pnld bnck In
bis own coin. A delightful Instance of
this Is recorded. The church people of
a certain parish are snld to buve strong
ly urged the bishop to find nuother
sphere for their parson, whom they
wished to get rid of. Dr. Temple sum
moned the obnoxious clergyman to his
study and suggested a change of ben
efice. What wus It, the parson wanted
to know, that his people had to find
fuult with? "Well," said the bishop
lu the peculiarly harsh, strident voice
that so sadly marred his prenchlug, "If
you Insist on knowing. It's yourt voice
they complain of; they don't like your
voice." "How curious!" said tho cler
gyman. "A friend wns with me at the
cathedral the other dny, when your
lordship , was preaching, and as he
went out be said. 'What a flue sermon,
but what au unfortunate voice!' "
An Aeeommodntlnar Witness.
The witness on the stand bad been
bullyragged by the Inwyer until bll
patience wus exhausted.
"Now," snld tho nttorney, "you say
you saw the prisoner draw bis pistol?"
"Yes."
"Ilemember you ore on your oath."
"I'm not forgetting it"
"You are sure you are telling the
truth?"
"Sure."
"No mistake about It?"
"None."
"You couldu't be persuaded Into any
other stutement?"
Here the judge Interposed.
"Oh, let Ii I in go on. your honor,"
pleaded the witness. "lie's a lawyer,
and he doesn't know the truth when be
sees It, and I'm only too glud to show
blm how so fur as I can."
The Monnment Was n Mlallt.
A stately granite shaft had been
erected lu the cemetery of a Massa
chusetts towu In memory of a man
whose life had been anything but
praiseworthy. None the less the monu
ment was one of the sights to be shown
to a stranger, aud one dny a former
resident of the town who had beeu
away for many years returned aud wns
taken to see the granite obelisk. He
was no stranger to the faults und fall
ings of the inn n whom It eulogised
with Its gilded inscription, und. after
silent contemplation of the shaft ou all
Bides, he snld. "Well, if It's for good-,
ness, It's too big, and If It's for badness
It's not big enough." New Huvon
Chronicle.
Trained Chryaantlieinania.
Chrysanthemums In Japan are train
ed into numerous quaint shapes, like
tbe old English yew trees, lu the forms
of peacocks, etc. In Tokyo there are
gardens filled with life sized figures
mude enilrely of the flowers and leaves,
tbe faces being masks, and these chrys
anthemum figures accurately represent
court Indies, warriors, children and an
imals, one of the favorite characters
being a young lady with n fox's tnll
peeping from under ber dress and a
musk which by the touch of string
turns into reynard's bead.
Down Willi Impertinent Nelarhbora.
Mr. Mulhooly Pbwat fur are yex
ma kin' such a noise on thot plunnyt
Y'r drlvln' me distracted wld y'r racket
an' me beud acbiu' lolke It wud split in
two paces.
Daughter Them uew neighbors nlxt
door has been complulnlu' of my play
In'. Mr. Mulhooly Begorra. hammer
harder. New York Weekly.
Wot Aeqaalated With Him.
"Do you know Mr. Fresco, Mr. Al
bert Fresco?" Inquired Mrs. Nurltch.
"No," said her uusbnnd. "Why?"
"I've got an Invite to Mrs. Blugore's
garden party, and she nays they're go
ing to Olae A.1 Fresco."-Phlladtlphla
Press.
Mereeaary,
Sue So you are going to marry Choi
ly Sportboy. On what grounds do you
base your belief that be really loves
you?
Nan On what grounds? On bis real
estate, of course. Baltimore Uerald.
Grief Is the agouy of an instant The.
Indulgence of grief Is the blunder of
Ufe.-DUraelt