ftaetrg rntfe Ktiocrllattn. BEAUTIFUL FOR EVER. Somewhere there is a radiant land, All beautiful for ever, A world by balmy breezes fanned, With skies unclouded ever. Upon that stormless shining shore Falls music as in days of yore, For ever and for ever. There, Time enn never dim the light, Of eyes which sparkle ever, For golden hair, grown silver bright, Is beautiful as ever; Whilo on tho brow Care ennnot trace A lino that Love would not efface— For ever and for ever. Here, close at hand, he r oro our eyes, Unveiled by Love's endeavor. That land immortal round us lies, All beautiful for ever. Beck not some distant dreamland shore, But ln-re, Love murmurs o'er und o'er, Dwell ever and for ever, Beuutiful for ever. —David Russell Aitkin. MAN IN THE RESERVOIR. BY CHARLES FENNO HOFFMAN. Thirty years ago you might have seen some of the best society of New York oh the top of the distributing reservoir at Forty street any fine October morning. There were two or three car riages in waiting, and half a dozen sen atorial-looking mothers with young chil dren pacing the parapet, as we our selves, one clay in the past generation, basked there in tho sunshine—now watching the p ckevel that g ided n'ong tho lucid edges of the black pool within, and now look ng off upon the scene of rich and wondrous variety that spreads along tho two broad and beautiful rivers on each side. "They may talk of Alplicus and Are thusa," murmured an idling sophomore, who had found liis way thither during recitation hours, "but tho Croton, in passing over an arm of the sea at Spny ten Duyvil, and bursting to sight again in this truncated pyramid, beats it all hollow. Iy George, too, the bay yon der looks as blue as over tho .Fgeau Sea to Byron's eye gazing from the Acropo lis! Did you seo that pike break, sir.'" "I did not." "His silver fin flashed upon the b'ack Acheron, like u restless soul that hoped yet to mount from the pool." "The place seems suggestive of fancies to you?" wo observed in reply to tho rattlepate. "It is, indeed; for I have done up a good deal of anxious thinking within a circle of a few yards where that lish broke just now. Shall 1 toll YOU about it?" "Pray do." " Well, you have seen tho notico for bidding any one to fish in the reservoir. Now, when I read that warning, the spirit of the thing struck me at once as inferring nothing more than that one should not sully tho temperance pota tions of our citizens by stooping bait in it of any kind ; but you probably know the common way of taking pike with a slipnooso of delicate wire. I was do termined to have a touch at the fellows with this tackle. "I chose a moonlight night; and an hour before tho edifice was closed to visitors I secreted myself within the walls, determined to pass the night on the top. All went as I could wish it. The night proved cloudy, but it was only a variable drift of broken clouds which obscured the moon. I had a walking cane rod with mo which would reach to tlio margin of the water ? ml several feet beyond if necessary. To this was attached tho wire, about fifteen inches in length. "I prowlocl along tho parapet for a considerable timo, but not a single fish could I see. The clouds made a flicker ing light and shade that wholly foiled my steadfast gaze. I was convinced that should they come up thicker my whole night's adventure would be thrown away. 4 Why should I not descend tlio sloping wall and get nearer on a level with the fish, for thus a'one can I hope to see oner' The question had hardly shaped itself in my mind before 1 hail one leg ON or tho iron railing. " If you look around you will seo now that there aro some half do/.eu weeds growing here and there amid the fissures of the solid masonry. In one of these fissures from whenco these spring I planted a foot and began my descent. The reservoir was fuller than it is now, and a few strides would have carried me to the margin of the water. Holding on to tho cleft above, I felt around with one foot for a place to plant it below me. "In that moment the flap of a pound pike made mo look round, and tho roots of the weed upon which I partially de pended gave way as 1 was in the act of turning. Sir, one's senses are sharp ened in deadly peril; as I live now, I distinctly heard the bells of Trinity chiming midnight as I rose to the sur face the next instant, immersed in tho stone caldron, where I must swim for my life, heaven only could toll iiow long! "I am a capital swimmer,and this nat urally gavo mo a dagreo of J elf-posses-' sion. Failing as I had, T of course had pitched out some distance from the j eloping parapet. A few strokes brought me to the edge. I really woe not yet; certain but that I could clamber up the ; face of the wall anywhere. 1 hoped that I could. "I tried the nearest spot. The inclin ation of the wall was so vertical that it did not even rest me to lean against it. I felt with my hands and with my feet. Surely, I thought, there must ho some fissure like those in which that ill omened weed had fonnd a place for its root. "There was none. My fingers became soro in busving themselves with the harsh and inhospitable stonos. My feet slipped from the smooth and slimy mas onry beneath the water, and several times my fncocame in riule contact with Wuthe wall, when my foothold gave way on the instant that I seemed to Jiavo fonnd some dinr'r utive rocky cleat upon which I could stay myself." "Sir, did you ever see a rat drowned in a half-filled hogshead—how he swims round, and round, and round, and nfter vainly trying the sides again and again with liis paws, fixes his eyes upon the upper rim as if ho would look himself out of his watery prison ? "I thought of the miserable vermin, thought of him as I had often watched thus his dying agonies, when a cruel urchin of oiglit or ten. Boys are horrid ly cruel, sir; boys, women and savages. All childlike things arc cruel—cruel from want of thought, from perverse in genuity. "I thought then, I say, of the rat I drowning in a half-filled cask of water, ' and lifting his gaze out of the vessel ns he grew desperate, and I Hung myself on my back, and, floating thus, fixed my eyes upon the moon. "The moon is well enough in her way, howevor you may look at her, but her appearance is, to say the least of it, pe culiar to a man floating on his back in ; the centre of a stone tank, with a (lea l wall of some fifteen or twenty feet rising squarely on every side of him !" (The young man smiled bitterly as he sai I this, and shuddered once or twice be- 1 fore he went on musingly.) "The last time I had noted the planet j with any emotion she was on the wane, j Mary was with me; I had brought her i out here one morning to look at the ' view from the top of the reservoir. She ; said little of the scene, but as we talked . of our old childish loves, I saw that its i fresh features were incorporating thorn- j selves with tender memories of the past, and I was content. "There was a rich golden haze upon | the landscape, ami as my own s irits rose amid the voluptuous atmosphere, 1 she pointed to tlio wan'ng planet, d s eernib'e like a faint gash in the welkin, ; and wondered how long it would 1 e be fore the leaves would fall. Strange girl! did she mean to rebuke my joyous mood ' as if we ha 1 no right to be happy while nature, withering in her pomp, and the sickly moon wasting in the bla c of noontide, was there to remind us of 'the gone forever.' 'They will all renew themselves, dear Mary,' said I, 'and there is one that wiil : ever keep tryst a ike with thee and nature through all seasons, if thou wilt but be true to one of us, and remain as now, a child of n dure.' "A tear sprang to hor eye, and then searching her pocket for her card case, ! she remembered an engagement to be present at Miss Lawson's opening of fall bonnets at two o'clock ! "And yet, dear, wild, wayward Mary, I thought of her now. You have prob able outlived tiiis sort of th'ng, sir; but i I, looking at tlio moon, as I lb atod there ' unturned to her }*cl ow light, thought of the loved being whose tears I knew; would flow when she heard of my singu- ; Jar fate, at once so grotesque, yet mel- j ancholv to awfulness. "And how often have we tilkod. too, of that C'arian shepherd, who spent his ' damp nights upon the hills, gazing as f ! (lo on tho lustrous planet! Wl;o will j revel with her amid those o'd superstit- j ions i Who freni our own unlegended woods, will evoke their yet undetected! haunting spirits i Who poor with her ! in prying scrutiny into nature's laws, anil challenge tho whispers of poetry j from tlio voiceles* throat of matter ? i Who laugh merrily over the stupid guesswork of pedants, that na or j mingled with tire infinitude of nature, i through love exhnrst'ess and all em- ! bracing as we have ! Poor girl! she wdl ! be com pan ion less. "Alas! companionlcss forever- save in the exciting stages of some brisk flir tation. She wi'l live hereafter by feed ing other hearts with hue's lore she has j h arned from me, and then. Pygmnlioii like, grow fond of the images she has horse f endowed with senib aiue of d villity. How anxious she nil be lest the Coroner shall have il scovere I any of hor notes in my pocket! "I felt chilly as this last reflection ' £ r ossod my mind, partly at thought of : lie Coroner, partly at the idea of Mary | being unwillingly eompe'lod to wear mourning for me, in ease of such a dis- j closure of our engagement. Jt is a provoking tiling for a girl of nineteen to have to go into mourning for a deceased lover at tlio beginning of hor second winter in the metropolis. "Tlio water though, with my motion-! loss oosition, must have had something ; to do with my chilliness. 1 see, sir, you think that I t 11 my story with great levity; but indeed I should grow delir ious did 1 venture to hold steadily to the awfulness of my feelings the greater part of that night. 1 think, indeed, I must have been meat of the time hyster ical with horror, for tho vibrating emo tions I have recapitulated did pass through my brain, e\en as I havo do tailed them. "But, as I now became calm in thought, I summoned up again some resolution of action. "I will begin at that corner, said I, and swim around the whole enclosure, 1 will swim slowly and again feel the sides of the tank with my fee'. If die I must, let me perish at least from well directed though exhausting effort, not sink from mere bootless weariness in sustaining myself till the morning shall bring ro'.ief. "The sides of the p'neo seemed to grow higher as I now kept my watery course beneath them. It. was not alto gether a dead pull. I had some variety of emotion in making my circuit. When I swam in tho shadow it looked to me more cheerful beyond in tlio moonlight. When I swam in the moonlight I had the hope of making some discovery when I should again rcadi the shadow. I turned several times on my back to rest just where those wavy lines would meet. The stars looked viciously light to mo from the bottom of that well; there was such a company of them; they were so glad in their lustrous revelry, and they luvd such space t > move in ! I was alone, sail to despair in a strange element, imprisoned, and a solitary gazer upon their chorus. And yet there was nothing clso with which I could hold communion ! "I turned upon my breast and struck out almost frantically once more. The stars were forgotten, the moon, the very world of which I as yot formed a part, my poor Mary herself wero forgotten. I thought only of the strong man there perishing; of mo in my lusty manhood, in the sharp vigor of my dawning prime, with faculties illimitable, with senses all alert, battling there with physical obstacles which men like myself had brought together for my undoing. The Eternal could never havo willed this thing! 1 could iut and I would not perish thus. And J grew strong in insolence of self-trust; and I laughed aloud as 1 dashed the sluggish water aside. "Then came nn emotion of pity for myself, of wild, wild regret.; of sorrow, oh infinite, for a fate so desolate, a doom so dreary, so heart sickening ! You may laugh at the contradiction if you will, sir, but I felt that J could sacrifice my own life on the instant to redeem an other fellow creature from such a place of horror, from au end BO piteous. My soul and my vital spirit seemed in that desperate moment to be separating; while one in parting grieved over the deplorable fate of the other. "And then I prayed! I prayed, why or wherefore I know not. It was not from fear. It o mid not havo been in hope. The days of miracles aro past, and there was no natural law by who 1 e interposition I could be saved. I did not piny, it prayed of itself, my soul within me. "Was the calmness that I now felt torpidity ; the torpidity that precedes dissolution, to the strong swimmer who, sinking f 'om exhaustion, must at last add a bubble to the wave as ho suffocates beneath the element which now denied his mastery? If it weie so, how fortun ate was it that my floating rod at that moment attracted my attention as it dashed through tho water by me. I saw on the instant that a fish had en tangled himself in the wire noose. The rod quivered, plunged, came again to the surface, and rippled the water as it I shot in arrowy flight from side to side lof the tank. At last, driven towards the southeast corner of the reservoir, the small end seemed to have got foul somewhere. The bia en butt, which, o ery time the fish sounded, was thrown up to the moon, now tank by its own weight, showing that the other end must he fast. But the cornered fish, evident'v anchored somewhere by that sho: t wire, floundered several times to the surfa e before I thought of striking out to tho spot. "The water is lower now, and toler ably clear. You may see the very ledge there, sir, in yonder corner, on which the small end of my rod rested when I secured that pike with my hands. I did not take liiin from the slip-noose, how- I over ; but, standing upon tlio ledge, ! handled the rod in a workmanlike man ner, as I flung that pound pickerel over the iron rui ing upon the top of the par apet. The rod, as I have told you, barely reached from the railing to the water. It was a heavy, strong bass rod, and when I discovere"; that the fish at t 1 e end of tho wire made a strong enough knot to prevent mo from drawing my tackle away from tho railing around which it twined itself as I threw, why, as you can at once see, I had but little difficulty in making my way up the face of the wall with such assis'anco. " The ladder you 8"e lashed to the iron railing is in the identical spot where I thus made my escape ; and, for fear of simi'ar accidents, they have placed another one in the corresponding corner of the other compartment of the tank, over since my remarkable night's adventure in tho lonesome water's of the reservoir." A Brave Oneida Indian Woman. Here is an account of the brave deed of an Oneida indiau woman, whose courage seems only equaled by hor pride of race. Driving into tho fields one day where hor husband and others were at work sho encountered a log lying across the road in such away that she could not pass. As there was no one near to help her, ami tho log was beyond her strength to move, she proceeded to cut it in two with an ax she hiul in the wagon. To her surprise she found she had disturbed a mother bear and her family of cubs. The be r, more frightened than angry, took to the woods, and tho woman walked in search of tho men and their firearms. Finding them, sho iron ducted hor relief party qu ckly back to tho log, to find that the bear had also returned. When all were stationed ready for ac ion she again used hor ax. on the log, and the bear made hor second appear ance, this time angry and vengeful. The man who stood ready for just this emergency misted his aim, dropped the gun. and with all his other masculine companions took to his heels. Left alone with the infuriated beast, with only an ax for defense, this Indian woman cooly waited until the bear came near enough, and, lotting tho ax fall with all her might upon its head, killed it with that one stroke. The same weapon applied to three of the little orphans effectively prevented their ever realizing their loss, and the other sho kindly adopted und carried home with her. Beaching her home she found her husband, son and others assembled there, anxiously speculating as to what could have been the result of the en counter they had failed to soe ended. Standing before them, with tho cub in her arms, she scornfully surveyed them from head to foot and exclaimed: "Cowards, you lia\o no Indian blood in your veins." —[New York Press. Sain's Baby King. Tho young King of Spain is growing into a fairly strong and healthy boy, and lie is enjoying his holiday st y at Aranjuez with his mother immensely. Ho is especially delighted with the drives which lie is taken by tho Queen llegent, who drives out every day in a pony phaeton with a pair of bays, which sho manages with consummate skill. Her royal son sits up proudly at her side anil kisses his hand to the delighted country people with the most engaging frankness. His Majesty's playthings nearly filled a large luggage van when the royal baggage was brought from Madrid, and additions aro made to tlio assortment at frequent intervals. One of his latest toys, in which ho is beginning to take great interest,* was presented to His Majesty by the officers of the regiment of Guards of which he became the Colonel by right of birth. This specially designed toy consists of a reproduction, on a liliputian scale of the f)00 officers and men of the regiment, each diminutive soldier being an accur ate copy in uniform and accoutrements of tho original. It is accompanied by a finished model of tho barracks in which tiio regiment is quartered, and thero are tho bandsmen, too, each with his own special instrument, and a scries of transport wagons, amlni'anco carriers, ammunition carts, etc. At present His Majesty is only allowed to play with his model regiment under the direct per sonal supervision of Henora do Tocon, who is superintendent of the little King's household, and held tho same post when his father, Alphonso XII., was a child. Those who seo most of tho young King are much struck with tho striking resemblance bo bears to bis ancestor, Charles IX.—[London Figaro. A Cheap Barometer. There is nothing to equal tho beautiful simplicity and yet downright mystery of Nature's processes. Here we have been building expensive observatories in out of-t e-wuv p'aecs,ransacking tho heavens for possible laws to guide us in making our almanacs and putting up costly ba roiuetcis in our houses, when all wo need have done to have understood tlio weather was simply to take cofieo in the morning for breakfast instead of ten. So nt least says an Englishman who has adopted this simple method for a number of years and has never known it to foil. His manipulation of the cup of cofieo is simple. Into tho coffee and milk which has been placed before him he drons a lump of sugar, and by means of the bobbles that rise to the surface he is able to make his calculations. If the hubbies rush to the side of the cup, as if to seek shelter, it is going to rain very hard; if they meet together in tlio centre a general downpour is likely to follow; but if they remain stationary a fine day is expected. It would interest some people to know if a lump of sugar dropped into a glass of toddy would bo equally communicntivo. WELL QUALIFIED. McCorkle—lt's queer that none of those railway robbers aro women. Mrs. McCorklo (indignnntly)—1 ndced! And why? McCorkle —Because they know so well how to hold up a tru'n.— [Epoch. A SOUTH GEORGIA farmer says he pro vents his cows from jumping a fence by cutting off their lower eyelashes. This makes the fence appear to be about three times higher than it " c THE JOKERS' BUDGET. JESTS AND YARNS BY FUNNY MEN OF THE PRESS. The Prodigal's Return Romance | and Provisions—No Capacity. THE rROI v IOAL's RETURN. Old Mr. Stetson —You sent your little boy over to borrow my engraving of "The Prodigal Son?" Old Mr. Harcom—Y es, I am going to have a little celebration at the house to night. 44 Would it be impertinent in me to inquire what the littlo celebration is to be like:" 44 Not at all. My son Jim is coming back from Oklahoma," —{Time. ROMANCE AND PROVISIONS. As the last page of the epic lay before him, Pielro Flanders drew a long breath and sailed in with renewed vigor. Line after lino was reeled oft' until, late in the afternoon the final stanza alone re mained to be written. Girding himself for a supreme effort he penned: And at lust with the jewels of ophia I ran toy; and take pent on my sofa. Just then the landlady's voice came rasping up the stairs. 44 Mr. Flanders! Oh*. Mr. Flanders. Eggs is eggs, an' money is money. If you've got 15 cents in cash, dinner's ready." Mr. Flanders didn't dine that night. —[Time. WAIL OF THE STANDING COLLAR, Alas for humidity, Lark of rigidity Under the sun. Oh, it was pitiful, N'oar h whole cityful, Not n starched one! —[Clothier and Furnisher. HE COULD'NT USE IT. A stall-keeper on the central market who had been "stuck" with a number of green melons, plugged one yesterday, poured a pint of kerosene into the hole, and aftor waiting a quarter of an hour gave it to a colorod man. The latter set down on a box to eat it, but after re moving the plug and taking a smell he arose and returned tlio melon to the stand. 4 4 What's the matter?" asked the donor. "Ize much obleegod, but I couldn't use it onless you frow in a ehimbly an' a wiek, an' dat would bo axin' too much of anybody."—[Detroit Free Press. NO CAPACITY. A tradesman, who had amassed a fortune, anxious that his sou should enjoy tlio advantages which bad been denied himself, placed him under the tuiton of a minister of considerable attainments. Going t;o the clergyman, after the boy had been for some months under his care, the father was disap pointed to find that lie had made little progress, and inquired what the trouble was. "Why, the trouble is simply this," replied the minister, "your son wants capacity." "Wants capacity," exclaimed the father, 44 Why on earth did'nt you tell me about it sooner? I would have got him one if it cost a thousand dollars.— Drake's Magazine. AN ACCEPTABLE CONTRIILUTION, Author—You return everything I offer. What can I send you that will bo ac ceptable? Editor—A year's subscription. MASTER FRED'S VERDICT. 44 Freddie, you have a now baby at the house, haven't you?" 44 Yoth'um." 44 What does little sister think about him?" 4 4 She says lie's too sweet for any thing!" "And what do you think about him?" 44 1 think he's a big nuisance."— [Epoch. WHERE IT WAS. Brown—What's all this about your throwing pepper at your sister.' Little Johnny—Why, dad, that's all in her eye.—[Drake's Magazine. A GOOD BUSINESS MAN. 44 Here, Brown, let's see how much you weigh. Drop a nickel in the slot." " No, I'll not do that; hut you drop a nickel in my hand, and I'll toll you how much I weigh, my age, and the sizo of my hat." TO INSURE QUICK DELIVERY. 44 But, Johnny, how could it lake you so long to post the letter for uncle in the Post Office?" "Oh, I did not go to the Post Office at all, mammn, but to the letter-box just in front of his house, so that he would get it sooner." MIGHT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Visitor—lt seems to me that your mother doesn't talk as pure English as before she went West. Daughter—Well, to tell you the truth, she doesn't. Visitor—What has made the difference? Daughter—Wo don't ki ow; un'ess it is the now set of teeth ma got in Detroit. —[Judge. TIRED. 4 4 You look weawy andtiahd, Cliolly." "Yaas, my deali boy I overwahked myself this maliuin." 44 Overworked yourself, Cliolly?" ! 4 Ynas, my deali fellah; 1 tied my own quavat this niahnin."—[Light. HIS BIRTHDAY TOO. Augustus (no longer Iho Young) Well, there's one comfort; they say at forty a man is either a fool or a physi cian. Angelina (nearly swallowing a yawn) —And are you a physician then? Augustus—No. Angelina—Oh! ON ACCOUNT OF HIS FAMILY. First Juryman—lt looks like a pretty clear ease aguinst the feller, that's a fact, hut I think we had better let liim go—on account of his family. Second Juryman—Why, the family is just about as no-nocount as he is. I can't see where your argument comes in. First Juryman- What I mean is that we will have to keep 'em all winter if we send him to jail. See.—[Terre Haute Express. NO DANGER OF INTERFERENCE. First Burglar ? whispering)— Hist! I hear a step on the s dewulk in front, Bill. Is the coast clear? Second Burglar (listening a moment) —lt's too brisk a step for a policeman, Jake. Up with that window.—[Chicago Tribune. HIS UNLUCKY DAY. " Friday may bo an unlucky day for some people, but Thursday is mine. That's the day on which I proposed." 44 O, yes; and the girl rejected you. I see." 44 No; she accepted me." SCIENCE ALWAYS READY. Cnllor—Doctor, Mr. Divine, tlicmnsclo reader, fe!l into a sort of trance a littlo while ago and we cannot arouse liim. Is it catalepsy or death.' Doctor (a groat scientist) —Bring me his head and I'll soon tell you.—[New York Weekly. CORRECTLY NAMED. Ida—Mamma, why do they call those things dog carts.' I Mamma—Because, dear, so many pup pies ride in them. —[Time. SAFE FROM EXPOSURE. " I am from St. Louis," snid a young man, as he registered at a Chicago hotel. ( " Oh, well, replied the e'erk, compas sionately, "put your address down as New York. Your awful secret will l.e safe with me."—[Bazar. STRANGE SOUNDS IN THE APIRONDACKS. Miss Boston—Papa, I find our Pro fessor of Pathology very interesting. Mr. Boston—Our what/ Miss Boston—Our Professor of Pntli ology—our guide, you know. SHE WAS INEXPERIENCED. Young Wifo—l don't see why I can't get a plain cook. I've advertised for one for a week. Experienced Matron—Suppose you ad vertise for a good-looking one.—[Bazar. UNWELCOME. Peddler—Beg pardon, ma'am, but I am agent for Doctor Feeder's Spice Boot Bitters, and I'm sure if the members of your family would try them they would soon have the finest appetites " Lady at Door (severely ) —This, sir, is a boarding-house.—[New York Weekly. A PERTINENT QUERY. Parent—What would you charge mo to put my boy through your college.' Professor —About #l, 0(X). Parent—Do you charge anything extra for teaching reading and writing, more than you do where they just take boat ing and baseball/—[Omaha World. RATTLED. Bloodgood—Peasley seems to mo ex cessively polite—don't you think so? Posey boy—l hadn't noticed it. Bloodgood—Why, yesterday Iliad the misfortune to knock his hat oft', and ho said, "Excuse me! " —Burlington Free Press. A RAD SCRAPE. Customer (to barber) —Have you heard | of the bad scrape young Brown got into yestorday ? Barber—Why, no, sir! Who shaved him /—[Mobile (Ala) Register. IT WAB ALL THERE. "That was a fine speech of yours, Fanglo, but there was one quotation that mystifies mo." "Which was that, Cum so?" " You said: 4 In the words of Webster,' etc. Where did you got that? It is not i in my edition of his works." 44 1 got those words, out of the Un abridged Dictionary, my friend." NO ONE LIVED THERE. Book Agent—Can you toll mo, sir, who lives in this house.' Buggins (who is standing outside liis boarding house door) —No one lives in the house, my friend; but a number of i poor creatures, including myself, drag out a miserable existence within its : walls. A HARD PLACE. Cowboy (Arizona) —I'm going to New York next month, and hear it is a hard town. Had I better fetch my gun along fur self-pertecksun? "No. But you might bring some wire fence, to circumscribe yourself withal, lest the street urchins make a perennial circus parade of you.—[Drake's j Magazine. A Lusty South American Republic, j [The wonderful growth of the Argentine | Republic in recent years has attracted attention to this most southern of Amer ican republics. Tlio population two years ago was little more than three millions and since then it has increased over fif teen per cent. In 188 ft the immigration was Oft,ooo, from which number it in creased steadily to 137,000 in 1887, and to 175,000 in 1888. The foreign trado j hns advanced correspondingly, and the ' building of railroads luvs been unprece- j dented. There is at present a total length , of 5,770 miles of railroad, or one milo to 1 every thirty-five and one-third square j miles of territory As the United States j has but one mile of railroad to every ! twenty square miles of territory, this | shows an unusual developcment for a i South American State. In spite of this | development now lines are projected among which are two of primary import ance. The first is from Buenos Ayres to Valparaiso, in Chile, thus joining tlio eastern and western shores of South America ; the other is from Buenos Ay res, through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and the United States of Colombia, to tlio Isthmus of Panama. All this indicates a strong speculative spirit; and that the building of railroads is more rapid tlinn the needs of tlio country wouid demand, is shown by the fact that at the Inst session of the Congress of the Argentine Republic it was proposed to legislate against 44 paralleling" railroad lines. Another piece of legislation against speculation was the law prohibiting speculation in gold in the exchange. The price of gold luts been steadily increas ing, owing to the fact that the imports have largely exceeded the exports, and tlio Argentine Republic, not being a gold producing country, had no supply tocall upon to pay the balance. The result has been a scarcity of gold, and the curren cy of the country dropped from seventy four per cent, to sixty-two ami live tenths per cent. The minister of finance attributed the decline to the speculation in gold, which he showed was seventeen times the actual needs of commerce, and the exchange was c losed by tlio police. But, like most legislative panaceas, the new law has not brought about the ex pected result. The prico of currency eon continues to decline, and gold must still he obtained by foreign loans, to hero ex ported in payment of imports.—[Argon aut.] A Hissing, Spouting Well. The Santa Rosa (Gal.) Republican says: El Verauo has a sensation in the shape of a hissing, spouting well. In boring, the auger when near tlio top was thrown fifteen feet in the air, roaring and hissing noises emanating from the well, followed by a discharge of stones and molten matter, covering the ground around the well to a depth of several inches. A stream of water and stones l ave followed at intervals ever since. The phenomenon attracts considerable attention at the new town. THERE IN a woman in a West of-Eng land town who makes a good living by killing cuts. She advertises tlmt if peo ple who are about to go away for the summer will send their cats to her she will kill them with chloroform. HIDDEN TREASURES. SOME INSTANCES OF CURIOUS AND VALUABLE DISCOVERIES. Heavy Nuggets of Gold Found in America and Australia—Wealth in Decaying Tree Stumps. A multitude of more or loss interest-1 ing anecdotes of curious discoveries of hidden treasures, historical relics and 1 other mementoes of the past might ho collected, of which a few here given are worth perusal as fair examples. One of tho most important and ex- j tensive discoveries of this kind was that mado a few years since by a Russian j peasant with an unpronounceable name, m the village of Staragorsilki. The peasant lived upon land forming part of i tho esta o of Prince Ostersky, whose 1 ancestors were plundered and expelled from their possessions by the Tartars, | and in all probability the treasure dis covered was secreted at that period, j , The peasant was at work not less than ten years in searching for the hidden valuables, but tho circumstances which ' t first instigated his search are not stated, j Ho was rewarded, however, by finding, I ■ besides numerous precious articles and r manuscripts, twelve largo boxes filled * with very ancient coins of fine gold. I i The total value of the find is given at ( 17,000,00!) roubles, two-thirds of which i went to the State and one third to tho , ( lucky finder, making his share #3,- 1 ( 000,000. I T A very singular discovery of ail en tirely different character is thus re corded. In 1501) an Arab boy, a con vert to Christianity, was taken prisoner by the Algerines and sent to Algiers, where, refusing to abjure Christianity, ho was thrown into the mold iu which a bio f water coming sud den lv down one of the rivers flowin" into the Gulf of Harla, ebbed back a "-aim This sudden rise of the waters is men tioned by Columbus' son, Ferdinand, who adds that the fleet sulVerod no damage save the loss of one anchor, it was tliis anchor which was found, and strangely enough, it wax dug up from a deptli of six feet below the surface of the ground, at a spot .'172 feet from the nearest point of the coast lino. The land, it is xvcll known, has gained con siderably upon the sea along the shores of Venezuela, so that, where once ships rode at anchor, gardens are now planted. The anchor itself was of simple form land comparatively ludo manufacture, | the stock being eight feet long and ! round, with a ring at ono end a foot in diameter to which to mako fast the I cable, and with Jlukes live feet long, the : whole weighing 1.1"" pounds, j The story of the discovery of gold in I North Carolina is somewhat curious. Near the close of the last century the | child of a poor settler, roaming along tJio hanks of a small stream, discovered a I bright yellow stone, which, with the as j sistance of his playmates, lie picked up and carried to his father. The old man, | who had evidently no knowledge of tho appearance of gold in its native state, saw nothing particularly romarknble in ! the stone, but, not to disappoint the child, hade him place it near tho cabin door, which it would serve to keep open or shut at pleasure. As the slono was 1 quite heavy, weighing nearly fifteen ! pounds, it was found of considerable use for that purpose. Several years elapsed before any ono thought of tho stone's being possibly a mineral of value, although the owner often showed it to his neighbors, bidding them mark its unusual weight. Finally ho was induced by some ono to take it to a goldsmith in tho neighboring town of Fayottvillc, who, upon testing it, at onco pronounced it to bo gold. So simple, however, and so ignorant of the value of the precious metal was the old farmer that ho even then a 1 lowed the dishonest goldsmith to buy the nugget of him for tho paltry sum of £l. Its true value was ascertained to he not less than s