of i * to the hide necessarily | fps w makiog fast the weapon, sare Cotntry Life in Atnérica. i One afternoon in the Checsolivwits | kee River I harpooned g large alligator which towed me up and down the stream for an bour or two and then Buled In Hts deepest part. 1 puited on the Hoe until the Neat was directly over him and stirred bim up with the harpoon pole. He rolled himself op on the Hne In the manner peculiar to | sharks and alligators, and banged the | boat suggestively. We rowed to the | bank, and. making fast to some bushes, } hauled on the line until we snceseded | rl In worrying him nearly to the boat, | 2 Re a when he rose to the surface and ats | THE FPAIRY'S GIFT. 1h tacked us with open month. Wa re , The botterflios in Hot of gold arrayed : ; . : a : 1 SEE nee 88 ie Be OW : pelle] a attack with harpoon P ole Be i the Ane on made : Plan eoninrien spy, Tha fortner was promptly bitten in Fhe fairy queen, whose jeweled elosk and threw places. bt the latiep apareatly i Were di Louie list a a finished Liitn. It was so nearly dark Doe summer's day her id ot tar drove that we decided to carry him in the : #10 a wile down the river to where ! awn Whine steeds wers butiorfiies. oir sloop ‘was anchored. We broke the | "Th tories ihr le ii] . i MOR, Tossa pale,” hevsived the ratelal godly out of the boat, snd together | Hea 1 HE gratefy THB VICTORIA CROBS. [fT Pe, ANUARY 29 1s the annivor- y & sary of the Institution of g the soldier's most pre: Lo JJ cious decoration — perhaps : owe the most precious decora- ton In the world—the Victoria Cross, for It was Institnted by Her Majesiy my stories,’ : | tho late Queen Vietotia on the 20th of ; it k you are willing to run January, 1856. ana 80 1a nat quite fifty | the wake of material’ ssid Phyl years oll. While it Is the most prised Co CE of all the decorations and orders an “Yen” 1 replica suavely, “but It Is Englishman can win, it ix giso the mont that one make some sacri democratic decoration In the werlil, | * the sake of gre.” : Tor, although it Is the oilicial hades of . though, I were to aceept an aot of sithiltme personal cograge and time?" queried Phyllts tn an daring, ft hax no cuticern with rank, he... ! i lung service or Woutids, amd iy nay be have a new climax for the C warn by ous who hes heen atly 8 lew : IL indifferently, P monihs or even weeks In the Briny, expected Phyllis to be affected: while of bers who have spent thelr lives she burst out laughlog. That's In the service and gained rank and le with Phyllis; she never will | ober decorntions may wot possess 1. ously. | It may be worn by a private soldier ar a eld warshal, and on the rell of the at doesn’t count” said L 80 yourself. These are ¥ His ; i added, “I need material ka ’ The orrz, with ite long horns. wie resting with its head away from the body, the horns making an arch over the shoulders. The alpaca simply looked like a large ball of bisek wool. The caniels lay on their stomachs, with thelr fore and bind legs bent under them, while their hosds and nacks wera strotelhed sirsleht out The monkeys were sqvatiing sbont their cages, thelr heads bowed down jms. j “Aw. thanks” I murmured “So | It's a6 odd thing, but whenever Phyl re | lie Jooks nt a fellow just like that he 0 | feels sort of funny all over, you know, seriously once In a } YOu keep on proposing to 1y shoulders, there are love not a are troubled If they ' 1 quoted. “Are you to be pro- | Jt bas shown so coneinded dreamily Wonder If eighteen wil) I, “mor for any of ths ras Darey Grobam v Inconsequently, “Ie Arey Bim ninetoon times I devotion ench time have bim or no lmost to miysell, “Kitty mar for bis raflure” 1 attention to my re. wanted them, you're rather nice ng wall” + He, vaveily, 1 don't think I ever saw Phyllis look fway, 1 wish I think ft must bo what ther call persona] magnetism. “Jack,” she sald, “do you know that Fou have some gray hairs?” : It's not polite of you to remind me ~ “And your complexion fen't as good 8 It peed to be,” she continued. “Be there are & lot of little things leularly about your clothes” thing serious, | trust? 1 naked, "No." sald Phyllis, “nothing serious. But a lot of little things. 1 think you | need some one to take care of you” “Parks Is an unexeeptiovable valet” said 1 In his defense. “But he draws his month.” put in Phyllis. | “Ana why shouldn't he?" I interro “Now, & wifo—" begsn Phyllis “Would draw hers at the end af the month, and every other day as well” I concluded. - MYes” said Phyllis, talilog no notles, “1 think you need a wife. Now, why don't you propose to sone nies girl, Jask™ "I have” sald I, stoutly "Hal! snorted Phyllis in dlshellat, { "How many proposals have you ever made? Po “Beventoon™ sald 1, : 1 think Phrills was plessed, Any baw, she sinfled a Hide, "There was the Rawshaw giel” sad | ghee vwarni : asly, : UN girl” I assented warsly, "Nothing pactenlasly quesnlike absat A zirl's carvings when she's only tive foot there” : And Dessls Fleming? Phyllis wae getting back at mn, "A sweet creature” I agreed, "but I really prefer blondea” MAnd thea there's a whole host of others that you might have if you You're a eatch, you know” "1 know,” said 1, wearlly, “1 #5. pose that accounts for my popularity.” "Ob, no” sald Phyllis sweetly; Tanke” 1 replied, “hip with a Erore of seventeen, it doesn't seem to dave benefited me srestly. Will # do Ie a8¥ good to make It elghteon™ “You might do a great deal better” eal she, deprecatingly. : "Then I don't have to make It eighteen?” eried 1, for onee in my lite | comprehending, 1 did nor say that, sir” ead Pliyh 20 beautiful, apd the odd part of It the time. If it makes her look that h she would look Into the fire always. “Bat 1 do make it eighteen, Phyl. He” sald 1, soberly, | I took hold of ber arm and foried 1] her round so that she was facing me, a ‘but she still held her hesd down and I conld sce only her eyelashes. Phyllis has long eyelashes “Apd you'll marry me, Phyllis? 1 it | whispered. 1 don't know whether I who was next" quickly: “do you | fectively, “1 added ‘BR geare that day. 1 Talsed my tonie Intorrogatively or not. Li I hadn't the rame cantral over my voice that 1 had the other seventeen times Hitle smile, serionsiy, : "I suppose this will make a new cHmax." said she, : But ber Jooas belled her words, and for once I was bright entough to see “No,” I replied, ag distinctly as my She never will take ne 2 | throat would let we, “this 1s not a ells a max. This ls a beginning.”—Toronto . Saturday Night, in com ———— Biggest Elephant on Reeord, There has lately arrived In one of | the German ports the hide and skele- [fon and tusks of the largest elephant ¥ion record, The monster fs stated to | have measured sixteen feet nine Inches In belght from the forefoot to the shoulder, which is no less than over three feet more than the tallest ele phant hitherto known. Up to now the record has been held by Dr. Donaldson Smith, the American explorer, who dur- ing bis first trip to Lake Rudolph shot an elphant which stood thirteen fest fe nches In helght. The present fant is a measurements are correctly d, be equa fe times. The tusks, Say, are in no way remark. or goose,” ghe complimented | | every rank in both the services, for the | tori felt that same revognitien of the | tion and the selection of thous on whan salary every millar with neath which is an semi) bearing the be given, It in strange to have to Feil : H {And It is still stranger that the deed Phyllis toyed with the corner of the gon cushion, was, 1 eonldn’t ste her eyes, either. She was staring fall inte the fire all | fuse was almost burned away, and an “this displays the snbitmest courage, for It combines intelligence and Instanta. Deons action, and in a boy it was Re Phyllis looked at me with & funny excepting commissioned ofMvers, hut the ranks, while for each clasp an ex. rectly attributable to Piper Pindlater, the Dargai hero's action in going on the | of the African species, | ze the huge mans. heroes’ nnines urs to ba found almost winning of the Cross is possible to any. une, as it is gravied Yas a reward for conspicuous bravery or devotion to the country in the presence of the enemy,” or as the Inscription upon it records For Valor! The Victoria Cross had {ts Birth dur. ng the Crimean war, wh Queen Vie. personal daring and herolum of ker sol. diers in that terrible xirozgle war need. od, and It is sald that the designe for the first Cross were made by fio joss 8 person than the late Prince Consort. who, nesdless to sy, wag most inter ested In the institution of the decors. It was first bestowed. The royal war. ran: clearly lays down the conditions under which the Cross may be won. but the whole of thets may be stnmar. ized tn the one sentence, “For conspis uous bravery or devollsn 1o the COtn- try in the presence of the enepy There are not many who are nufe. the appearance of the Cross, but for the benefit of those who baxe only seen it in photographs or pie. tures, | miay say that §t ls about an Inch and a half wide, and hax io the obverse contre a crowned lion, wader. words "For Yalar" It ts attached to a bar on which 18 senvay of taurel leaves aud is suspended by oa Yoosd sible wileh Is blue for the naval sorvies snd a dark red for the mlitary., Both the Cross aml the bar are made from brange which formerly formed pert of ganwale, some of the Rusclan goons capture! during the Orlhinean war, and enmplete | with the ribbon and pin weizhs just | ander an ounce, or 482 grains to be ex. l act, It Is etgraved with the name | and reriment of the reviplont, as will as the date on which be wan and ax BOON. Bx this fs done it disuntohe) from the makers to the soverelen to be stow upon the hero, for tis the ens military decoration which 1s alwars When practicadie conferred Ly the sov. erelgn lu person, One could well 811 a bulky volume with stories of haw the Cross hey been won, for there has not bein a singin Cross granted the winning of which would not fill o chapter of fuell, and so only a few details coneorning soms of | Its wearers and how they won it can that the first Victerin Cross wow won by a satler, for It has come to he looked upon ss almost entirely a mii} tary decoration, vet such ix the case which gained it was performaed a your and seven months prior tn the nstity. tion of the decoration. Another font. ure is that at the time of winning it he was a boy serving Lis thine ss midalip. man on board H. M. #8 Tiecla, and the story of how Charles DD. Lucas, now an Admiral, won the Cross ssn miidy will always form one of the most glor- fous stories nmong the many in ita his tory. It was at the bombardment of Bomarsund, in the Baltic, on June 21. 1854, that a live shell dropped in the midst of a group of men of whom Young Lucas was In command. The explosion seemed Imminent, but with. out a moment's hesitation the young midshipman sprang forward, grasped the spluttering shell in his Lands, and rushing to the side of the vessel hurled it overboard, where it exploded before it reached the water. Soeh an fact oy clally meritorious, and so young Lucas was chosen ax the first recipient of tha decoration eighteen months afterward. The next cross was also bestowed upon a naval officer, now Rear-Admiral By: thesea, for an action performed during the Russian war while he was werving as a lleutenant In 11. M. 8 Arrorant, on September 165, 1854. During the Crimean war altogether 111 crosess amd two clasps were awarded, and it shonid be explained that a clasp. which is equal to a Cross, is awarded to any holder of a Cross who performs some act of bravery for which a Cross wanld have Leen granted were it mot JOS - sessed already. The winning of a Cross, It may be explained, carries with it an annuity of £10, which may be in- creased to £50, payable quarterly. to all including those who have risen from tra annulty of £3 is awarded. The power to increase the annuity for the winner of a Cross from £10 to £50 only came into force in 1899, and was di- the music hall stage—St. James's Ga- gette, : : : HUNTING ALLIGATORS, Alligators move rapidly under water, Aros or four days, managed fo lift the head of the altiza. tor aboard and tle 1. Wa then 1lad the other end, when the reptile cama | pen, er Wat can 1 do for you? Would you be like the ross on yonder Po EER to Or Like the vidled Blas®r 15 life and Innded a blow with bis tail | which lifted me ont of the skiff into the Baw grasa, with the breath knocked out of my body and my hand and face badly cut by the graes, Boat and boatman were capsized, As my rifle had fortunately been left upon the hank I wus able to kill the alligator again. Wa secured him by floating the boat under him and then balling tt out. The allzator eonplotely filled the boat, so that my companion and 1 sat vpon his back as we paddied down the river with gunwales unplese antly near the water, : It wan growing dark and the watey around us was becoming alive with ale While we were reflecting | Hgators, upon our overloaded condition our alll. gator came to life again and shifted | ballast until water poured over the We quickly balansed the boat, only to ses it again disturbed and te ship more water. A scramble for the shore followed, which wa reached withotit eapeizing, and where we left our victim for the night after again In the morning ony bug kililng Wir sard friend from the Homous esa Riser, surroutided by his familly, was sitting share kim in the tree. waltlog Turns} attend to our carving duties. There sra drawbacks to hunting In the Great Cypress Swamp, Hven pas Hyves have been loot and dled In fe ra PEE It Is bounded en the east hy v Brerglades and on the west by a gris of Intwaetrabile mangrove thick. ots, alternating with deen ebannels. If okt one siauld torn his fare Hroaly to thio atl as un guide remisrked to TT get somewhere in + narth, me, “he ti Ri ad A HERO OF TUE SHIPYA one, On Friday last a Lip baller, wale BXty-four tons, was abot to Det Jovwee eral into tes hold of a sieunghip at tha New York shipyanie The 100m phe t Hing Crane, x0 called becanse It will Jif a Weight of 100 fons ax easily ax a college girl Hts nn woolen dumbbell, was swinging ity great srins toward the monster boller, eighteen feet in clrevnd ference. Perched on the top of It was a workman-a poor Norwegian who searcely speaks EngMah. Tis back wag toward the crane, and be never saw i, nar did any ene elie nS I was with. in two fest of Bim. IT the arm of the giant crane siruck biz it would crush him as It would an €48 shell, Twenty | feet below wis the ground strewn with jagged pieces of fron, to fall on which was instant death. The workmen bow low saw hls dancer and shouted to him, The man tuned hail wa ¥ round and felt the cree coming, It was death either way, und, parslyzed with fear he collapsed. At this eritfeal moment when every one else had Jost his bong Otte man was there who knew what to do, and did it. Twenty feet awny when the impending doom over the man was first seen, in less than two | seconds be cleared the space aud stood among the iagged fron. “Jump for your life! It's Your only chance!” be cried, and braced himself to catch the falling man, while the crowd held Hts breath. The two men tame together with an fmpact so great | that both were picked up senseless. Ty : was a case of clear grit, cool judgment : prompt action, — Philadelphia | and Evening Telegraph, A ——— A WOLF-CATCHER'S ADVINTURB | A wolf catcher of Mont Berra, in the Alps, has had a curious experience | The man was. with famished eagles engaged in Lis trade, and was proceeds ing to a lonely part of the monntaln to rebalt his traps when three huge eagles swooped down upon him and circled round and round him as he tried to keep them off with his staff. One of | them, coming within reach of his stick, | ricvelved a smart blow on the head. ant | ter which it and ts companions drew further off, Lut stl! hovered in mid. air over the man as be climbed the path to his traps, speed on the bait tu the traps. Almost before the man could realise what was occurring he saw each of the eagles securely held by the jaws of 8 walfs trap. The captured birds, mad with hunger and fear, fought fiercely to get free, and In order to prevent this the wolf cateher despatched them with his staff, and hronght the three bodies back with him In testimony of his tale, A SA Sas BA Our Admiration, us a chance to talk.—Philadelphia Tel agraph. The Grand Jury of | (Chicago) reports an alarming Increase ! wre bard 10 seq, harder to bit and the| 18 the ale of cocaine, These he hastily baited, and had turned to leave thers when tha | eagles swooped down with tremendous Too often we admire the person who will listen to reason, because he gives | “0h, thake ua like your yellow lacks.” they susdd, And biashod ab spose so bald, we fasry staoved and kiised thems where they Swaped And ia they all wore poll! “~Detrut Free Prova, A TELEPHONE, You will need two pisces of strony. thin paper iparehesent be just thi { thing, enough cardboard to make two i ollow evilnders aboet three by fosir € ~xacaccane SO INCHES avs ini) oa He ® CARD BOARD anise a by r ? 4 { Ed fuches in size, and poem string. Moo cut two pleces of cardboard ten br jour Inches, and roll them to make the ey le Ioders. Wet the paper snd streteh a fiver their closts, the arms resting on tie thighs of the hind ones. A baby raonkey was sleeping enddied up in the Armia of Hs mother. {tx little eyes peers ihg out inquisitively af the midnight visitors, In the smaller animal boase, given no almost entirely to civet ents. posxaing and such like, svery antmal tad curled iteelf up into the smallest poseible space, burying the nose ander the stomach, with all the paws drawn Hp close tothe body. The bears were resting in various positions, some lying out at full length, others curled up. The two palar bears were huddled up iti a heap, with their noses buried deep in thelr white fur. and forepaws witmseed over the eyes. The Hamas. zehas and American buts fulo were vesting ss cows rest, with {their foreleze drawn ander them sod their hind ones drawn in, The pore. pige was iying on jis stomach, its head | Bent to the Jeft, with the gulls stand. {lag out In every direction. The emo Was resting with the first Joints of Its lege on the ground, the body a short distance above, snd its head buried in the plumes, Most of the birds were resting on J their perches, thelr less cent ander them, and their heads tucked under a Wir rein every eave the right one. The i: ar ote had only drawn their necks in, whe the pelicans slo squatting on ‘he ground, thelr heads drawn well ; boick, and thelr ponderous bills resting | on their breasts. Forest and Stream, All Baba Puzzle. Ali Baba's wile is miasuring the the thicves, Sb ic bo 3 ” o». Bold. Find Caseim and the captain of tie iL little hole tn the centre and ran a piece of beavy thread through. Tie # knot in the end of the thread that is Inside the cylinder and poll the other the one end of the string to one thread and the other end to the other thread. If you will keep the string tight with. out letting It touch anything you should have no difficulty in speaking through the ‘phoebe a distancog of 150 feet — Washington Star, HOW THE CAPTIVES SLEEP. The writer, who received permission to visit the Central Park Zoo late at night In order 10 pots the different positions In wilch animals and birds rest, observed some curious things, To one fond of natural history such a visit fa most Interesting, : In the Hon bouse the loness was ly. Ing on her left side at fol} jenpth, while the lion, couchant, redted kis head on his crossed furepaws, his hind legs bee ing half drawn under hinge and the tall curled in toward the body, The pumas, tigers and leopards were all resting on their sides, In nearly ev- ery ease lying on the right side. The byepas—pariahs and scavengers of the forest—rested with their hind Jegs drawn under them, the [forelegs stretehed out, with heads slightly bent to the right. rhinoceros was lying at full length on bis left sile, gently sworing. The hip potami showed ealy their heads and backs above the water No longer looking for peanuts, the elephants lay stretched out on the floor, their huge legs lyinz out at tull length and the trunk curved under the body. They were all resting on thelr right side. Close by, in the deer house, jos A Ee SEO z the different deer bad all crouched Jow for their rest, with forelegs lent under Cook County! {°° and the hind ones drawn up, ; while the head was A side of the body, piece over one end of each eylinder and | When the paper dries make a end Is against the inslde of paper. Now | Neurby the two-horned | turned to the right | t A HAIRPIN WATER MILL Fasten two balrplus together with 8 little wax or by tying at several points with thread so that they look Ike one broad bairpin with a groove ronning tong It. Bend the ends of the come Pound hairpin at right angles, but io Opposite directions, so that as the pia lies on the table one end points up and the other down Spread the legs of the pin and balance it on the polnt of & lead pencil stuck on a ssucer with wax. a a Sas hii re ———— The groove between the Individual pins ninkes it easy to Dalance the spparatus std niso affords a channel for a few drops of water which you will pour tally on the top with a spoon. The Water follows the bent end: and es. capes as two horizontal jets in opposite directions, while the little mill turns swiftly on its pivot, the motion of each end being opposite to that of the ton that side. The motion may be kept up indefinitely by adding a drop or two of Witer whenever the mill slows oP New York World © Malta’ Dense Population, Malta is the most thickly po ad in the world. It bas 1380 ¢ square mile. Barbadoes to the square mile. has 1004
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers