PIT BROW WOMEN. '
Hard Iit of Female Worker A boat
English Coal Mine.
Tit brow women nre among Hie most
remarkable women workers In the
world. They work ns hnrd ns inrn nnd
dross almost like thorn. Five thousand
of 'those women find employment In
Lancashire, England, In the ronl mines.
Their work lies on the pit brow nt the
surface nnd not down below. Once wo
men were employed In the oonl scams,
but in 1H-I2, in the fnee of groat oppo
sition from rolllery owners, mi net wa
pnssed prohibiting women nnd children
from being employed below tho snrfnoo
tn coal mines.
At present the duties of the pit brow
women consist In dealing with the oonl
ns It oomes tip the shaft to the pit bend.
When the enrgo renchcs the top they
hnnl out the wngons. which contnln
several hundredweight of ronl ench,
nnd run them on the rnlls to n sort of
tipping mnehlne. which shoots the oonl
down below to the screen of the rid
dling mnehlne. Allium? the other du
ties of the women Is tho leveling of tho
eonl on the wngons which receive it as
It drops from the screen.
They start work nt 0 o'clock In the
morning nnd finish nt 4 In the nfter
noon. They receive 2 shillings or less a
day, nnd men thnt do the snme work
get 4 shillings. Their costume consists
of trousers nnd clogs nnd often enough
a enpo which 1ms nt one time been
worn by a brother. When going to
and from work the girls nnd women
wear pettlconts, which they roll tip
around the wnlst while engnged on
the pit brow. The hnlr Is closely cov
ered with a hnndkerehlef, on top of
which Is n soft bonnet
A Valley of Month In Ilollvla.
There Is n vnlley In Bolivia, South
lAmorten, which might well be cnlled
itho Vnlley of the Window of Death. It
has been Inhnblted for nn Indefinite
period of yenrs by the Knnnn Indlnns,
.who nre kindred to the vnrious South
American tribes nnd number now only
a few hundred souls. Thnt they were
once a very powerful tribe Is Indlcntod
by the condition of the bind which
ithey ns a tribe still Inhabit. One can
not travel any distance through their
land without coming upon the old and
forsaken burlnl grounds of tho Knnnn
dead. These places ennnot bo cnlled
graveyards, for tho bodies nre not
burled, but rnther plnced upon olcvat
ed plntfonns, wrapped In the garments
of denth nnd bound to tho crossbeams
thnt they nmy not be displaced.
In ono of these burial grounds there
will be prohnbly fifty high skeleton
plnfforms nnd on each will lie from
ithroe to five of tho Knnnn dead. The
air In thnt part of Bolivia Is very pure
and preservative, for It Is one of the
highest plateaus of the continent, al
though Knnnn vnlley Is Just a little
"below the plateau's height A traveler
.passing through that hind nt night nnd
jby moonlight would bo awestrlcken nt
jtbe gloomy vision those graveyards
present
An Affair of trttm,
Wo are much surprised nt meeting
little Polly Contossci, formerly of Bow
ersvllle. In England.
"'Why, Tolly!" wo say. "now Is it
we And you here?"
"Polly!" sho repents, with a dignity
,we never knew she possessed. "Lndy
Oledebts, if you plonse."
An upology on our pnrt establishes
friendly relations onco more, nnd sho
tells us that sho really has won nnd
.Wedded Lord Olcdebts and that her fa
ther's dollars nre being expended In tho
refurbishing of tho Oledebts castle.
"But," wo say, "it was rumored In
Bowcrevlllo that you were hesitating
In your choice between threo honest
farmer lnds. In tho vicinity, now was
It, then, thnt yon married his lordship 7'
"Oh," sho titters, "ho came to Bow
eravlllo ono day, When I saw him I
dropped my eyes nnd ho began dropping
his b's, and It wnsn't long until he In
duced me to drop my J's, and now we
are both making papa drop his v's and
xV-Judg.
lie Won Iler.
"She has promised to marry you, has
he? Did she accept you right off?"
"Oh, no. I bad to propose to her
four times."
"Four times! G melons, but you were
persevering! What did she say the
first time?"
"Sho said If there wasn't another
man In tho world but me she wouldn't
marry me."
"That was pretty strong. What did
ho say the second time?"
"She said she liked me pretty well,
but she couldn't think of marrying me,
tor sho might see some one she liked
bettor."
"Humph! And the third tlmo?"
"The third time she asked me If I
iwanted to tease the life out of her."
"Ha, ha, ha! And the fourth time?"
"Oh, the fourth time she suid If I in
sisted upon It she supposed sho would
have to say yes."
A Trick In Letter Writing;,
"If you nre compelled to write a let
ter In lead pencil because there Is no
Ink In the house blow your breath on
ithe page after It has been written,"
aid a woman who evidently had tried
the experiment "It will prevent blur
Ting after the letter has been folded.
at moistens the graphite, aud makes lt-
adhere more closely to tho paper. Of
(course you cun make It blur by rub
ping It with the tip of tho linger, but
tor all practical purposes tho words
will be as legible as if they had been
written In Ink." Now York Press.
A Bud Case,
The cynical man was staring through
the window ut the chesty man swinging
down the street. "Does Chesty know
anything?" asked his companion.
"Know euythlng!" said tho cynical
.man. "He doesn't even suspect any
tttins;" New York Time.
PISCAtORY' STUPIDITY.
The Finn's Capacity For learning la
. Painfull? Contracted.
Most fishes seek their food by light,
snys Professor Edmund Clark Banford
tn the Intematlonnl Quarterly, and
those do not Usually notice It by any
other sense. But those that are accus
tomed to And It by smell seldom pay
nny nttentlon to It when they merely
see It.
C'ntflsh depend principally on the
sense of tnsto, nnd they seem to taste
all over, not only In the mouth, but by
the outer skin as far buck as tho bill
fin.
It Is uncertain whether fishes enn feel
pnln or not. There Is n good denl of
evidence to show thnt they ennnot.
A fish thnt hns lost Its sight mny
learn to avoid nn obstnele nfter swim
ming against it a single tlmo, but flshes
Hint can see will jump ngninst the pinto
glass wall of nn nqunrlum day tifter
day, sometimes for a year. In the effort
to eatch things outside.
The elements of consciousness in the
mind of a fish font up a totnl "equiva
lent, perhnps, to the lowest Idiocy when
mensured by human stnndnrds." It Is
possible that tho fish's cnpnclty for
learning Is "about on n level with that
of n mnn in deep sleep or preoccupa
tion." lllrda That Hxerrlse Ina;enalty.
Birds building on high trees are not
so wnry nbout tho concealment of their
nests ns hedge builders and those thnt
seek the springing corn or grass Innd
for the shelter of their homes, tmsting
to the loftiness of situation for secu
rity. A nest plnced upon the ground
Is In constnnt dnnger of exposure. A
browsing animal might destroy It.
Then the scythe with one sweep occa
sionally lnys bnre one or more nests,
thereby endangering the eggs or callow
nestlings. This renders the parent
birds very wnry and cnuses them to
practice grent Ingenuity In their ef
forts to protect the young birds.
Tho skylark hns been known to enrry
Its egg or offspring to a plnce of snfety
nfter nn exposure of the nest, and It
hns been said Its long hind claw the
use of which hns puzzled many nntu
rnllsts is speclnlly ndnpted by nature
for more easily grasping and transport
ing its treasures from the source of
danger. When the young birds nre
too bulky to be thus removed the pnr
cnt bird carries them on Its back,
though this mode of removal Is a some
what difficult one. London Tit-Bits.
Jefferson and the Patent Ofllee.
The first patron of our patent system
was Thomns Jefferson, who during
three yenrs gnve his personal attention
to every application for a patent He
used to call the secretary of war and
the attorney general to examine and
scrutinize with him, and they did It so
thoroughly thnt In one yenr the unit
they granted only throe patents. The
very first pntent of all was given to
Samuel Hopkins In 1700 for penrl ash
es. Mr. Jefferson held that the patent
system wns not one for creating rev
enue, but for encouraging a production
of thnt which Is to be of benefit to the
whole people. In the first twelve years
a single clerk In the state department
nnd a few pigeonholes were all that
the business of the office required.
Then a Dr. Thornton took charge of It
and devoted himself to It as to a hobby.
Spiders Like Mailt,
A violinist says spiders are notori
ously and historically fond of music.
At ono of bis performances the concert
hall was made disagreeable by a sud
den Invasion of spldors, which were
drawn by his violin out from the
cracks and crannies of the ancient
building. They crawled about the floor
and on to the stage, and be could ace
the annoyed audience stamping on the
Insects. The writer adds that he has
known a small garden snake to bo at
tracted by piano playing and a young
calf to whisk bis tall and prance about
most gleefully at the first notes of a
French born. His neck would curve
about proudly, his hoofs tread lightly
and his ears wag Joyously when the
tooting began, and he never quieted
down till the music ceased.
Peculiar Privileges.
The speuker of the bouse of commons
has several peculiar privileges. Every
yenr he receives a gift from the master
of the buckhounds of a buck and doe
killed In the royal preserves. This cus
tom goes back so far that there Is no
record of It Later In the year the
speaker receives another tribute from a
different source. The donors on the
second occasion are the Cloth Workers'
company of London, who send to the
speaker of the house of commons and
to several of his majesty's minister a
genorous width of the best broadcloth
to be found In Euglund.
Her Aadlenee.
"now are you getting on with your
music, my dear?" Inquired a lady of
tier niece.
"Well, of course," replied the niece
diffidently, "It wouldn't be proper of
me to compliment myself, but some of
the neighbors have told me they have
stayed awake at night for hours listen
ing to my playing."
The Bale Salted Him.
The new boarder had been three
weeks In the house. "It is usual," said
the landlady, with great delicacy, "for
my bourdon to pay as they go."
"Oh, that's all right," he replied af
fably. "I'm not going for a long time."
onaded Like It.
, "What la that piece you are playlng?
Is it by Wagner?"
"No; the piano 1 out of tuue."
Brooklyn Times.
With the Persians the writing of
poetry and beautiful and witty sar
logs la described as the "threading of.
pearls."
ZERO AN ANCIENT TERM.
I
It Was tn re In Rnhrlen Thlrty-sla
Centuries Ao.
The term zero, which Is nsed to desig
nate a cipher and In meteorology the
entire absence of heat 10 the atmos
phere, was, according to a mathematic
al hlstorlnn, Moritz Cantor, used by the
Babylonians about the year 17ml B. C.
This, however, is merely a suivosltlon.
It 1ms not been definitely established
thnt zero wns In use nny earlier thnn
4N) A. D. About this time It Wns used
In Indln, and several centuries Inter the
Arabs begun to employ It. Through
the Arabs lis use ho-ntuo known to Eu
ropeans during the twelfth century- It
wns not generally adopted In Europe
until several centuries later, notwith
standing Us grent advantages. For ft
considerable time there were two par
ties among 'ho European educators.
One pnrty, known ns the nlgorlsts, fn
vored the adoption of the Hindoo sys
tem of notation (falsely cnlled Arabic),
with Its position mines, while the other,
known ns the abaclsts, fnvored tho Ito
mnn notation, without zero or position
value.
The general adoption of the Hindoo
system wns grently fnellitnted by tho
facts thnt It wns explained In most of
the cnlendnrs for more than a century,
beginning with 1300, and thnt the me
dlirva! universities frequently offered
courses devoted to the use of this nota
tion. Chhugo Tribune.
An American Waterloo.
Wellington nt Wnterloo nnd Mendo
at Gettysburg ench held the highlands
against bin antagonist. Wellington on
Mont Solnt Jenn nnd Mendo on Ceme
tery Ridge had the blrdseyc view of
the forces of nttnek. The English bnt
terles on the plateau nnd jtfie Union
bntterlos on Cemetery Heights com
mantled nllke the Intervening undula
tions across which the charging col
umns must advance. Behind Mont
Snlnt Jenn, to conceal Wellington's
movements from Napoleon's eyes, were
the woodlands of Solgnes. Behind
Cemetery nidge, to conceal Monde's
movements from the field gin mhos of
Lee, wns a fchnrp declivity, n protecting
and helpful depression. As the French
under Napoleon nt Wnterloo, so the
Confederates under Lee nt Gettysburg
held the weaker position. In both cases
the nssnllnnts sought to expel their op
ponents from tbo stronger lines. I
might add another resemblance In tho
results which followed. Waterloo de
creed tho destiny of France, of Eng
land, of Europe. Gettysburg, not so di
rectly or lmmedlntely, but prnctlcnlly,
decided the fnte of the Confederacy.
General John B. Gordon In Scrlbner's.
Ladle Who Wore Knlveii.
In early English days knives were
worn by Englishwomen in Imitation of
the nnelnce, a dngger cnrrled at the
girdle. Chnucer speaks of them In the
prologue to his "Canterbury Tules:"
Hlr knives were y-ehaped not with brass.
But all with silver wrought, full clean and
well.
In Ross church, Herefordshire, is a
monument to a lndy of the Ruddle fam
ily, temp. Henry VIII., who wenrs a
purse and a knife. Brand tells us that
knives worn formerly pnrt of tho ao
couterments of a brldo. In a piny,
temp. "Edward III.," occurs tho pns
sage: Here by my side do hang my wedding
knives.
In the "Arehwologla" Mr. Poucp, the
antiquary, wrote a paper on this prac
tice of wearing knives by European
ludles tn tho sixteenth century, nnd an
engraving shows a specimen of a enso
of these wedding knives, duted 1010,
which are described as having amber
handles and enses of purplo velvet em
broidered with gold.
Soma Pysmy Anlmala.
A species of dwarf elephant used to
live on the Island of Malta and In vari
ous parts of Italy. Judging from tho
bones which remain, these animals,
about the sizo of a lurgo sheep, wore
somewhat numerous. A dwarf elephant
Is a rarity now and no longer forms a
distinct species, but is considered rath
er a freak.
A very beautiful species of pygmy
deer is found on the Sunda Islands.
These tittle creatures are not much lar
ger than a cat, but have all the points
of a "well bred" deer. .
Among horses Shetland ponies are
the pygmies. Tbo ordinary musk of
central Africa Is a pygmy, or dwarf, of
only about twenty inches In height at
the shoulder and threo feet In length.
Maklns- Sore of tllin.
"I think," said the thoughtful moth
er, "that you ought to object to young
Brown paying so much attention to
our daughter."
"Why?" demanded the thoughtless
father. "He impresses me very favor
ably." 'That's Just It," returned the thought
ful mother. "We must do something to
make his ambitious mother think we
regard ourselves a little above them so
cially If we are to make sure of him."
A Hint to Go.
"I have something to tell you before
I' go," be finally said.
"Is It a long story?" she hastily
asked.
"No; It Is a very short one."
"Then I think you will Just have
time," sbe sweetly said. Cleveland
Plulu Dealer.
Her References.
"I dou't like these references,
said
the housewife.
"Well, mum," returned the applicant
for a position, "I didn't write 'em, so It
ain't my fault. If you dou't Ilka 'em
Jest you go to the people as gave 'cm to
me an' tell 'em so." Chicago Post.
A Dedattloa.
"Pa, what is a fray?"
"Why, my son, that Is what a person
who bun never been In a fight calls
If'-Puck.
HEROIC SELF SACRIFICE.
Coaraa-e With Which n Young Naval
Officer arreted Death.
"Speaking of heroism," snld a navy
officer nt his club a few evenings ago,
"it Is rare thnt such nn example Is seen
as thnt of Hynson, who wns a pnsscd
mldshlpmnn nt Vera Cruz In 1H40. It
wns renlly more thnn n bit of heroism;
It wns fortitude, passive courage, that
confronted n peculiar danger, a self
sncrillce, that wns most conspicuous.
Our fleet wns off the harbor on
blockade duty when one day n Spanish
merchant vessel mnnaged to slip In
without being discovered. Hynson con
ceived the Men of aptnrlng the vessel
by n night nttnek. nnd be succeeded in
doing so. Hut ns be could not take tho
vessel out of harbor, for the reason
thnt she was under the close rnngo
of the enemy's irmis, Hynson set fire
to the vessel. In doing so he burned
both his arms so badly that be cnrrled
them In slings for several days. While
In this disabled condition a terrific
squall came up nnd played havoc with
several of our Utile vessels, nnd the ono
on which Hynson wns serving was cap-
sized. Hynson mid one of tho other of
ficer managed to got bold of n Hunting
spar, but ns It wns not snfllclent to
keep them both nllont Hynson let go
his hold nnd In n fen- moments sunk to
his dentb." New York Tribune.
Weluht of a tirnwlns Child.
Tho weight of n growing child Is the
most Important Index to Its iT Miernl
health. The standard of weight for
growing children, that usually given
by authorities in the matter. Is thnt nt
five yenrs of ngo n child should weigh
nbout as many pounds ns It Is inches
high. As n rule, this will not be much
over or under forty pounds. Children
who come of large parents should
weigh something more than that. The
rate of Increase should be nbout two
pounds for every Inch of growth, with
n tendency for the weight to exceed
this standard proportionately rather
than to fall below It. When n child Is
rnther heavier In proportion to Its
height than this standard it is a sign
of pkkI health. If the child Is growing
rapidly It should not be allowed to fall
much lx'low It without Ix'iug made to
rest more than has been the custom be
fore. A deficiency of weight In propor
tion to height Is always an unfavorable?
sign. Any Interrupt Ion In the progress
of Increase of weight, especially dur
ing the continuance of growth, must
be n danger signal that should not be
neglected by those Interested in the pn
tleut. Why nc Only Ate the Yolk..
An Amerlcnn woman traveling In
England stopped one day at a llttlo
country house. Chatting with tbo vis
itor, tho woman of the bouse told of
her dllllculty in getting nlong nnd of nn
experience she had had with n bonrdor.
"The first morning this man stopped
here," she said, "ho began to eat boiled
eggs very greedily. Egg nfter egg he
ate throe, four, live, six nnd It wns
only the yolk of them thnt be swal
lowed; the white ho didn't bother with
at nil.
"When be dug his spoon Into the sev
enth egg my temper got the better of
me, and I snld In n severe tone:
" 'Don't you ever ent the white of tho
egg, sir?'
"'Surely not, my woman,' bo nn
swered. 'The yolk Is the bird ; the white
Is tho feathers. Would you havo me
make a bolster of myself?' "
Where It Always Ilnliia.
There is a group of Islands to tho
south of New Zealand cnlled the Sis
ters, or Seven Sisters, which lire re
puted to be subjected to a practically
constnnt rainfall. Tho snme may bo
said of the Islands and mainland of Tl
orra del Fuego, save for the differ
ence that the rain often takes tho form
of sleet and snow. On n line running
round tho world from 4 degrees to 8 or
0 degrees there nre patches over which
rain seldom censes to fall. This Is
cnlled the "zono of constnnt precipita
tion," but nt tbo snme time thero aro
several localities along with it with
very llttlo rainfall.
Llarhtnlna Pranks.
"The most beautiful display of light
ning or atmospheric electric currents
which It was my good fortune to wit
ness," says a resident of Quebec, "was
out on the Beauport flats, near Quebec,
when two electrically laden clouds, ns
though two trees, their heads toward
each other nud their longer branches
interwoven, kept on for more than ten
minutes, Interchanging horizontal Hash
es of beautifully colored fire, not one
of which ever reached the earth, while
occasionally a flash would shoot up
ward ns if toward some cloud In that
direction."
An Experiment.
"You Bee," said Corntossel, "a phre
nologist ouce told us that our boy Josh
bad a remarkable head."
"So you sent him to college?"
"Yes. Now we're waiting to see
whether his head Is goin' to turn out to
be a congenial residence fur bruins or
Jos' u garden fur football hulr.
Washington Star.
11 cr Method.
Stella So she married blm to reform
blm? How did she begin?
Bella By spending a lot of money.
You know how hard It is for a rich
man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Uurper's Bazur.
A Cause For M'orry.
A man may go along fur fifty years
an not bp worried much nliout do here
after, but tie in I ill t de barber finds a
bald hi lot on bts head he's got a burden
to carry fur de rest of liU days. De
troit Free I'ress.
The son of the self made mun gen
erully begins at the top mid works
downward. Chicago Bocord-IIuruld.
BURGLARIOUS STARS.
Planets and Sana Mny Pick 1 p Mlaor
Solar Bodies.
Jupiter Is much the biggest member
of the family of stnrs which revolve
around our sun; consequently the pow
er ts? bis attraction Is greater thnn that
possessed, for Instance, by the rnrtb.
Jupiter's exploits ns a hurghir have
caused very considerable annoyance
and Inconvenience to astronomer In
the days before his powers were fully
recognized.
In 177H there appeared a flue comet
which was found to have nn elliptical
l.rblt round the sun of so eoinrnrativcly
small n slvie thnt Mr. Loxoll, It discov
erer, calculated It would return In five
nml n half years, but In 177." telescopes
were vainly focused on the spot where
It was expected to reappear, mid again
In 17M It disappointed nil observers.
Mr. I.cxell plunged Into fresh calcula
tions nod after much research found
that Jupiter was the culprit. The un
fortunate comet bad been rash enough
to plunge Into the sphere of the giant
planet's attraction, with the result that
It had been completely diverted from
Its former orbit and Hung off Into quite
n different one of n twenty yenr srlod.
It has never been seen again by nny
one on this onrth nnd probably never
will be.
Jupiter was nlso responsible for the
delay which occurred In the return of
that splendid visitant known ns Hal
ley's comet. Hnlley found thnt be wns
not tho first discoverer of this big com
et. It bad appeared r.t lenst twice pre
viously, once seventy-five yenrs before
nnd ngaln seventy-six years before that.
The astronomer concluded that there
would be a further delay In Its third
return and predicted that Its next np
penrance would be 518 days later. He
tl'd not live to see It. But in 17.1H. the
year he bad prophesied for Its reap
pearance, astronomers wore waiting
for It.
HUMORS OF MUSICAL LIFE.
AmtiNlna; Pranks the F.rrntle Types
rinyril With a Composer.
Mis Maude Valerie White, author of
numerous popular songs, has told a
number of anecdotes, many of them nt
her own expense. I suppose, she once
wrote In the Cornhlll Magazine, all
composers havo had n laugh over tho
extraordinary mistakes which some
times occur In the first proofs of their
songs. I remember years ngo writing
n very sentimental song, In which the
Hue occurred
I've never once regretted the vow I made
that day.
My feelings may be Imagined when I
found they had printed
I've never once regretted the row I mado
that tiny.
Miss White also told about nn ntnus
lng mistake which occurred In the pro
gramme of one of her concerts: A
well known singer and very good friend
of mine was down to sing my two
songs, "To Marry" and "Crabbed Ago
nnd Youth." But tho newspaper an
nounced something very different. Not
content with drawing up a progrnmmo
of my concert, it drew up n programme
of my future, for I read as follows:
Mr. Illnnk
To Marry Maude Valeria White
Crubbed Age and Youth.
As I inn n good many years older than
the friend In question, the coincidence
struck me as particularly funny, and
I cut the programme out of the news
paper and sent It to blm. IS.v the first
mull next morning I received an iden
tical cutting from him. with nn Inquiry
whether be wns to take this ns a form
al announcement of our engagement
nnd expressing u mild surprise that he
had not been consulted in the mutter.
lie Knew Sir Walter Scott.
In n booklet enllixl "Sir Wnlter Reott
I nlwl Ilia I'nlltiti-v" Iiillillabnd tn I'll In.
burgh the author quotes this reminis
cence from mi old man lie met who had
known the romancer:
"Aye," he minded Sir Walter fine. "I
seen him driving out In bis carriage
and pair, wi' Tom I'urdio on the box
sea. He had on a shepherd's tartan
plaid and a glengarry cap wl twa
black ribbons banging doon tho back.
I mind bis dowg tae Mulda, ho cu'd it
and an awfu' work he made ower the
beast. But lie wns us pleasant a man
ns yon could sjteak to, though bo wusnn
thought miickle of as n pleader when
they made him slilrru o' Selkirk. Is it
his bulks you're spelrlng on? Ou, aye,
yc'U find u' bis bulks ben tho house."
Carved on the Tomb of luaralls.
This extract from IngalU' essay on
"Crass" Is carved on the glacial bowl
der which marks bis last resting place:
"When the fitful fever Is ended and tho
foolish wrangle of the market and fo
rum Is closed grass heals over the
scars which our descent into the bosom
of the earth has mado, and the carpet
of tho Infant becomes the blanket of
the dead." Kansas City Star.
Cash lief ore Fame.
"Why don't you try to write your
miiuo on the scroll of fame?"
"My friend." said Scmikr Sorghum
very earnestly, "I have never yet seen
nnybody tearing leaflet out of the
scroll of fame and getting them cashed
at tho bunk."-riilladclphlu Inquirer.
Au Amutcar.
Young Bride I'm to nervous. I'm
actually shaking.
Matrimonial Veteran You'll get over
It, dear. 1hy. when I first began get
ting married I thought I should never
step having altar fright Baltimore
American.
When a mnn meets his wife In a rail
road stilt Ion he never knows whether
to kins her before till the people or to
pretend that he Is just a friend of tho
family. New York I'ress.
A tuau'st strength develops when he
has something to do, not when he Is
Idle Atchison Globe),
" ' THE FIRST 8TOVE8. "
They Superseded the Roman Staba
In the Eighteenth Cautery.
A heating up: ..' i us called a "stubs"
(stove) was ,... i;. used among the
higher class of Itomnns before the be
ginning of the Christian era. This
clnss of heaters wns fixed and Immova
ble, besides being In several other re
spects wholly different from the mod
ern stove. In Germany mid Scandina
via they wore used In bath rooms and
hothouse during the middle ages.
They were usually constructed of
brick, stone or tile and were of Im
mense size. They sometimes covered
the whole side of a twenty or thirty
foot room and often extended out Into
the room ns much ns ten feet, In which
enso tho smooth, tint top wns used for
a bedstead, the heated surface Impart
ing nn ngreeabln feeling of warmth
during those cold nights of long ngo
when such tilings ns covers were quite
rare.
Cardinal I'ollgnnc of France wns per
hnps the first to attempt the construc
tion of n stove wholly of Iron, this at
about the beginning of the eighteenth
century. The first renl Improvement
over the old Itomnn "stubn" was
brought nbout by Franklin In the year
l"4.-. One of bis efforts produced a
typical base burner, almost perfect and
a model of workmanship. Stoves were
not used In private bouses to any great
extent prior to the year 18,'iO.
A Piscatorial Onnner.
The Jaculntor fish, the piscatorial
gunner of the Javan lakes, uses bis
mouth as a squirt gun and Is a marks
man of no mean nblllty. Go to a small
hike or pond filled with specimens of
jaciihilors, place a stake or pole In the
water with the end projecting from one
bi three feet above tbo surface, place
a beetle or fly on top of the polo and
await developments. Soon the water
will ho swarming with finny gunners,
each anxious for n shot nt tho tender
morsel which tho experimenter bus
placed lit full view, l'rosently one
conic to tho surface, steadily observes
bis prey and measures the distance.
Instantly bo screws his mouth Into the
funniest shapes imaginable, discbarges
a stream of water with precision equal
to any sharpshooter, knocks the fly or
beetle Into the. water, where he Is In
stantly devoured by tho successful
Nlmrod or some of his hungry horde.
This sport may bo kept up ns long as
the supply of beetles and files holds
out.
Odors of Flowers.
It Is u renin rkablo fact that although
there me nearly or quite 100,1100 flow
ering plants known the relative num
ber having odor is wonderfully small,
not more than 10 per cent In fact. In
connect Ion with this It Is noteworthy
that because one species of flower Is
endowed with sweet odor It does not
necessarily follow that all or nearly
all or even a fair proportion of tbo
other species of the sumo family will
be ns favorably endowed. An Illustra
tion of this Is found In the familiar
mignonette. Thero aro some fifty sp.
cles of this genus known, nud of them
nil, but one lias any fragrance. Nor Is
it certain that tho most Insignificant
looking flower has the greatest fra
grance or the most gorgeously colored
likely to be without odor, thug seem
ingly disproving the theory that color
nnd fragrance are given flowers for
the purpose of attracting Insects to
assist In cross fertilW.atlon.
lliiyliiK a 'Wife.
In Uganda n man can buy a hand
some wife for four bulls, a box of car
tridges aud six ni-edles, nnd if bo has
tho luck to go a-woolng when woman
happen to be n drug In tho market bo
can buy a stiltnhlo damsel for a pair
of shoes. A Kafllr girl is worth, ac
cording to tho rank of her family, from
four to ten cows, nnd In Tnrtnry no fa
ther will surrender his daughter unless
ho gets a good quantity of butter In re
turn, mid In certain parts of India no
girl cun marry unless her father has
been pacified by a present of rice aud a
few rupees.
How the Orient Gets Its Flonr.
"Two women sbnll be grinding at the
mill." In tho east the day's suppfy of
meal is ground each morning by two
women, who sit opposite each other on
a large, clean cloth, with the small
millstones between them. They push
the upper stone around and around by
menus of a stick standing upright In a
bolu In one side, both women holding
it. They usually sing as they grind.
The Trouble With Mini.
"Well, sub." said Brother Dickey, "I
'frald Br'er Jiukins will never git
along In de worl'I"
"Why, what do mutter with blm?"
"Only ills: lie skeered or thunder en
he can't dodge llghtnlii'!" Atlanta
Constitution.
Tin Logical W oman.
Euphemla 1'rofessor, I suppose you
would he afraid to marry a logical
woman?
I'rol'cssor Oh, no; If she wus really
logical I could convince her ouce In
ii while. Exchange.
Flllnif It.
Wantanno Why did Mrs. Enpeck
speak In such a rasping tone to ber hus
band ?
Diiznn She wus simply filing her answer.-
Mult I more Amerlcun.
Fell Short.
"Mamma, mamma, Goorgle struck
me on the chin!"
"Why did he do Unit?"
"'Cuuso be couldn't reach uiy nose."
Cleveland I'luln Dealer,
!i,ir Very Much Stack l'p.
"What Is the matter with Fido?"
"Oh. Isn't It horrid? I gave blm to
the laundress to wush, and sbe starched
hiuj."-8lruy Stories,
PLUCKING SHEEP.
hearlna- I'rncei ,t I scd In Shet
land on I'nre II red Animals,
The pure bred sheen la Shetland ara
not shorn, but plucked. The process
takes place generally In June, when
the fleece is "ripe" nnd the silky Wool
can be pulled off without pain.
This Is called "roolng" nud Is much
less ibimnglng to the young filler thnn
clipping with slienrs. The wool when
thus handled retains Its peculiar soft
ness, so that any one of experience can
tell whether tho material of a knitted
article hns been plucked or shorn. It
ripens first upon the neck and shoul
ders, so that sheep half pulled resemble
In some sort n poodle that Is clipped.
We must suppose that harsher han
dling prevailed at one tlmo, for wo read
that In 101(1 the Scottish privy council
spoko of the custom us still kept up "In
some remote and uncivil places," and
James I. wrote to tell them that it hadj
been put down In Ireland under pennl-!
ty of a fine. Upon this .they passed an
act on March 17, 1010, deploring the
destruction of sheep thus ennsed and
imposing similar flues on those who
should persist In the practice.
The Trople Home,
White men's homes In Indln, the
West Indies, west Afrlcn and other
parts of tbo tropics to which civiliza
tion hns penetrated nre ustinlly run on
the prlnclplo of having ns much air
aud ns llttlo furniture ns possible.
Carpets, rugs, cushions, linngings and
portieres are banished. Tables and
chairs nre made of light wlckerwork,
bamboo or cane. The floors nre pol
ished with cocoanut busks until they
become as slippery ns a good dancing
floor. Indeed, they nre used Tor tbnt
purpose nearly every evening In nny
settlement where there Is society. A
ball In the tropics requires no prepara
tion. After dinner It Is only necessary
to movo the light furniture to one cor
ner of the spacious room, send some
body to the piano and start dancing.
The ballroom Is practically In tho
open nlr. for wooden "Jalousies" form
most of the wall space and nre opened
like Venetian blinds to let in the cool
night breer.es.
The American Furmer.
When the American farmer rises ear
ly In the morning It Is to look over
brond nnd fertile acres that lire bis
own. Wiien be goes forth it is to fields
that no hiiinuu being can lawfully step
upon without his consent When be
gntbers nnd gnrners the harvest ho
stores whnt In a vast majority of cases
no greedy and rapacious landlord can
take from him. It Is all his. The pro
ceeds of It aro to clothe and feed him
and bis family and educate his chil
dren, to be tho support of his old age
and the heritage of Ills posterity. Look
ed ut froiu, every point of view, it is
doubtful If there Is another human be
ing uui'.i r the heavens who has mora
cause lor tarrying u light heart and a
co. denied mind, for regarding the past
with satisfaction and the future with
hope, than the Amerlcun farmer. Kan
sas City Journal.
The "Just Alike."
Few people perhaps notice that nil
omnibus wheels are painted yellow,
says tbo London Chronicle, so that nny
whtvl may be worn with any bus color.
Every circus ring In tlx- world U of
precisely tin- same diameter, whatever
tbo sizo of the auditorium, so that tho
rider knows the angle nt which bo
must lean in San Francisco is tbo an
gle of safety In St. Petersburg. Even
tbo ladder Is "standardized." Every
hodman in England knows whnt bo
has to step when tolling up the build
er's ladder, though bo may not know
it is seven Inches. Tbo sailor who runs
up tho ratlines has twelve Inches ns a
step, nnd that makes a run Msslhlo,
and ' tho firemen's ladder Is crossed
with exact equivalence to the ratlines.
Death From teloctrlo Shock.
The ultimate cause of death, when
duo primarily to electric shock. Is gen
erally considered to bo stoppage of
tbo action of the heart or of tho respir
atory organs. That the latter may bo
affected Is shown by tho fact that vic
tims of electric shock nre sometimes
brought to by practice of some of tho
woll known methods of nrtlllclal res
piration. The cessation of the heart's
action mny be duo to stimulation of the
nerves which control the beating of the
heart These, when stimulated to ex
cess, ma.y cause the heart to stop alto
gether. Archibald Wilson hi CiiHsler's,
Maguzlne.
The Consnltlna; Coddle.
There Is one personage who of lato
years bus rather disappeared from the
golfing world, but used to bo greatly in
evidence In It tho advisory caddie.
Muny of tho caddies of the old Scotch
school used to treat their musters (so
called) much in tho munuer that a good
old nurse treats a baby when she is be
ginning to touch it how to walk, in
thoso days thoro wus not a stroko
played without tho most careful con
sultation with these sapient mentors.
Westminster Gazette.
PlaelasT the Illume.
Caller So tho doctor brought you a
little sister the other ulgbt, eb ?
Tommy Yeh; I guess It was the doc
tor done It Anyway I heard him tell
ln' pa some time ago 'at If pa didn't
pay bis old bill bo'd make trouble fur
him. I'hlludolphlu Inquirer.
Plain Heasons.
Hurry Blanche suys she bus Insuper- i
able reasons for remaining single. !
Horace Yes, I know what they ure. j
Harry Then she has told you?,
Horace No, but I have soon hor,-
Boston Transcript.
A woman's tdeu of anticipation Is to
pack her trunk two weeks before she
expocta to start on a trip. Atchison
Globe. e