SURD EX BEARERS.
In the gay, shifting markets of the East,
Gaunt and grotesque, the patient camels
stand,
Caliji amid busy tumult, ugly, grand,
With rough-ridged form and meek, uplifted
face,
Ready to bear afar, in conscious strength,
fhat which is laid upon them. Day by day
o fast, and thirst, and labor, till at length,
The desert crossed and won the resting
place,
A master's hand shall lift the load away.
Oh, still, strong human nature whom we I
meet
Day after day, in adverse circumstance
Serene and faithful! Have wo learned, per
chance,
From these dumb heroes of the Eastern
mart
The untold secret, wonderful as sweet.
Of all that grandly simple strength of heart?
In meekness lieth might. Such souls as
these
Accept their burden upon bended knees!
—[Portland Oregonian.
Tie AMire el Tss-f-La.
Far inland, to the north of Tonkin,
|trctclics the broad province of Kouang-
Iu this region, whose inhabitants still
retain much of their Tartar origin, the
recent doctrine of Lao-Tseu has not
y6t boeu able to exterminate the general
belief in the Poußsahi, the popular genii
of olden times. Thanks to the fanaticism i
QJ the country bonzes (priests) this form j
Of superstition still flourishes, its vigor
increasing relatively with the distance
from Pei-Tsin, or as we call it, Pckin.
One of its leading features is a firm
belief in the direct intervention by its
gods in all matters of state and public
welfare. A recent viceroy of tins im
mense imperial dependence was the gov
ernor Tche-Tang, who succeeded in
earning for himself the reputation of a
cunning, greedy and most cruel despot.
How he succeeded in escaping the ven
geance of a thousand deadly foes and,
though imperilled by the universal hatred
of his subjects, iu closing his term of
rule iu comparative peace this tale will
show.
One day, some ten years before his; .
death, Tchc-Tang gave audience in the j
of Honor of ni9 palace, lie was ;
Seated on a throne of ebony marvelously I
inlaid with mother-of-pearl and gold, his i
chin resting on his hands, his sceptre !
lying across his knees. Behind and 1
Overshadowing his throne rose a colossal I
statue of Fo, the god "not to be ex
pressed." Upon the steps in front of the
throne stood his body-guard, clothed in j
their uniform of black skin and coat of I
mail, and armed with lance or bow or
glittering axe. At his right hand stood ,
his favorite executioner, a grim and i
herculean figure.
Tche-Tang's cruel looks wandered
about the crowd which stood around |
him, mandarins, princes of his own i
family, and high officials of his court. |
Their faces were expressionless and
blank. The viceroy, fully conscious that
he was hated by all and surrounded by
possible assassins, looked suspiciously
upon each group whose members talked
together with hushed voices. Uncertain
as to whom it would be most advisable to
make au example of, perpetually aston
ished in himself to find that he still
lived, he still sat dreaming, taciturn and
threatening.
A curtain was suddenly thrust aside
and an officer, dragging a young man
after him, entered the hall. The youth,
who was of striking beauty, was clad in
a simple robe of silk, girdled at the waist
with a silver belt. When before Tche-
Tang he humbly prostrated himself at
his feet.
? "Son of Heaven," said the officer at a
sign from the viceroy, "this young man,
bv his own statement, is but an obscure
Citizen, called Tse-i-la, and yet, heedless
of the Slow Death, he boldly asserts that
he has been sent upon a mission to your
Highness by the immortal Poussahs."
"Speak," said Tche-Tang.
Tse-i-la rose to his feet.
"Mightiness," lie said in a calm and
even voice, "I am fully aware of the fate
jwhich awaits me, if I cannot prove my
words. Last night, by means of a vision,
the Poussahs singled me out for their
especial favor, and entrusted me with
a secret almost beyond the conception of
mortal mind. If your Highness will
deign to listen to it, you will at once re
cognize its divine source for the knowl
edge of it will awake in your being a
new sense. By its virtue you will at
once acquire the marvelous gift of read
ing —• with closed eyes, and in the space
which separates the oyc-ball from its lid—
the very names written in letters of blood
of all those who may be plotting against
your throne or life at the exact moment,
too, when the infamy first enters their i
mind. 80 then you will be forever pro
tected against surprise and live on in
peace and full security. I—Tse-i-la—
swear in the name of Fo, whose image
overshadows us, that the magic attribute
of this secret is exactly as I have des
cribed."
At the close of this extraordinary 1
statement a stir ran through the whole j
assemblage and then deep silence fob i
lowed. For once the usually impassive i
faces were moved by a vague suspicion. \
Each man looked inteutly at the young ,
stranger who could thus, without a sign ; |
of fear or faltering, claim the possession ' '
of a divine secret. Several tried to smile j
and assume an air of contemptuous dis- • i
doin, but the effort was beyond them !
and, instead, they grew pale and trem- j
bled. All this Tche-Tang was ouick to ! .
notice.
At last one of the princes, doubtless to ,
conceal his own uneasiness, cried out:
"We are listening to a fool who is
drunk with opium!"
Then the mandarins spoke, in an effort
to reassure themselves:
44 The Poussahs grant their inspiration
only to the most aged and wisest of the
bonzes!"
And one of the ministers:
<4 lt is for us to decide, nnd at once,
whether the secret, of which this young
man claims lie is possessed, is worthy of
being submitted to our ruler."
To which an officer, in his anger
adacd:
"In all likelihood this fellow has his
dagger ready to strike our Master at the
moment when his eyes "
Jlis words were interrupted by a gene- (
ral shout of "Let him be arrested!" I
Tche-Tang stretched towards Tsc-i-la I
his jewelled sceptre, and said, impass
ively: "Continue."
Quite unconcernedly, and moving, as 1
he spoke, his little fan of ebony, Tsc-l-la '
went on:
"If any torture could induce Tse-i-la to
betray this secret by revealing it to any
other than his Sovereign, I will affirm
that the Pousßahs who, though invisible,
hear our every word, have ill-choscn
their interpreter. No, Princes, lam not
drunk with opium, my looks surely dony
that 1 am mud, and I have no weapon
about me. This, only, will I add. If I
am content to run the risk of the Slow
Death it is because I am cpnvinced that
such a secret will gain the reward of
which it is worthy. You alone, oh!
Highness, shall decide whether I deserve
the price I ask. The gods having made
me noble by their inspiration you shall
grant me your daughter, the beautiful
Li-tien-Se, the insignia of a prince of
mandarins, and fifty thousand liaugs of
gold."
As he pronounced the words "liangs of
gold," an almost imperceptible flush rose
to Tse-i-la's cheek, which he concealed by
' a movement of his fan.
The exorbitance of the demand pro
voked much laughter among the courtiers
and aroused the wrath of the viceroy,
whose pride and avarice rose up in sudden
revolt. A cruel smile passed over his lips
as he gazed at the young man, who
boldly continued:
"I await from you, Lord, your royal
oatb, in the name of Fo, the avenger of
perjury, that, according as you may find
mv secret a substantial truth or a chimer
ical idea, you will grant me either the re
ward I ask or such form of death as may
seem good in your eyes."
Tche-Tang arose.
"The oath is given," he said; "follow
me."
Some moments later, in a gloomy vault
lighted by the dim rays of a single lamp,
Tse-i-la, securely bound to a stake, was
face to face with Tche-Tang, who stood
some paces from him. The viceroy was j
alone, his back towards a heavy iron door, j
his right hand resting on a carved dra- j
| gon's head which projected front the j
wall, and whose single eye seemed to he |
watching Tse-i-la. The bright green of |
Tche-Tang's robe came out in strong j
relief against the dark background; the
light, though dim, was reflected a thou
sand times from his collar of precious
stones, but his face, catching the shadow
of the lamp, was almost invisible. In
this vault far underground, they were se
cure from listening cars.
"Speak on," sold Tche-Tang.
"Sire, I am a disciple of the famous
poet Li-tai-pe. As the gods have gifted
you with power, so have they bestowed
genius upon me; true, they have in my
case added poverty but only as a means of
quickening my intellect. I have thanked
them daily for so many favors, and have
lived a peaceful aud contented life, until
one evening, through the silvery moon
light, I espied upon the lofty terrace
of this palace, your daughter, Li-tien-Sc.
Since that night my studies have been
neglected, and as for her, I have an
inward feeling that she too has felt the
dawning of a passion. Wearied with
longing, preferring rather the most fright
ful death to the torment of living without
her, I determined by some heroic act.
and with a subtlety which is almost
divine, to raise myself, O, Majesty, to the
level of your daughter, Li-tieu Sc!"
Tche-Tang, doubtless by some sudden
movement of impatience, pressed his hand
heavily upon the dragon's eye. A double
door, facing Tse-i-la, parted and rolled \
silently back, exposing to his sight the j
' interior of another dungeon. Three men,
j clothed iu skius, stood motionless around
I a brasier in which were heating the im
! plements of torture. From the roof a
j thick silken cord hung down, and below
it glistened a small and round steel cage,
| with a single circular opening.
Tse-i-la, as he well knew, was looking
, upon the awful machinery of the Terrible
Death.
After being exposed to excruciating
torture hi fire, the victim, with one
wrist tied by the silken cord, was sus
pended in the air, the other hand, exten
ded behind his back, was bound to the
foot of the opposite leg. The cage was
then placed around his head, fastened
securely to the shoulders, and two large
and famished rats were placed inside it.
The executioner then gave a swinging
motion to the unfortunate wretch, and
left him alone, save for the ghastly com
panions of the cage, and in utter dark
ness.
At the sight of this horror, which
might move the strongest man, Tse-i-la
said, coldly, "You forget that no one,
save yourself, was to hear what I have to
say."
The doors were closed again.
4 'Your secret ?" muttered Tchc-Tang.
"My secret, Tyrant! It is this: that
my death will bring about your own,
this very night!" said Tse-i-la, a fierce
light in his eyes. "My death ? Do you
not understand that it is for that alone
those whom we left above arc longing ?
Will it not prove the emptiness of my
promises ? How they will gloat, and
revel in their murderous hearts over your
disappointed credulity! Will it not be
the signal for your downfall ? Embold
ened by your disappointment, seeing im
punity before them, why longer restrain
: their bitter hatred ? Summon your exe-
I eutioners I I shall be avenged ! But
I this I know: that you already feel that if
I I perish, your own life is only a matter of
I a few liours, and that your children
I strangled, according to the custom of our
| people, will quickly follow you; and—
and Li-tien-Sc, your daughter, the flower i
of flowers will become the prey of your
! assassins.
"Ah, if you were but a wise prince!
Supposing, on tho other hand that you
were at once to return to them, bearing
on your face the signs of a mysterious and
all-powerful knowledge, surrounded by
your body-guard, and your hand upon my
shoulder ; that seated on your throne, and
having with your own hand clothed me
in a prince's robes, you were to summon
the sweet Li-tien-Se—your daughter and
my bride—and that having formally be
trothed us, you should order your State
Treasurer to count out to me" the fifty
thousand golden bangs ; I swear that, be
holding this, all of your courtiers whose
daggers are now half-drawn against you,
would fall at your feet, trembling and
subdued. Never again, in all the future,
would they dare to harbor a single
treacherous thought. Think upon this!
You are known as one whom it is hard to
move, well versed in Oriental lore and
mysteries. Surely then, it can be no
mere empty fable that, within a few mo
ments' space, could change your whole
appearance into that of one who has
learned some sacred truth! Again, you
who are notorious for your cruelty, allow
me to live! You, whose cupidity is a
bye-word, shower your gold upon me!
Your paternal love amounts to arrogance,
and yet, at a word, you bestow your
daughter upon me, an unknown, humble
stranger! What doubt could possibly
i remain in your courtiers' minds ? In
what should the value of a secret message
I sent from heaven consist, if not in the
belief of those around you that you alone
possess it ? I have kept my word; the i
rest depends upon yourself. As to the!
money and the dignity, I despise them |
both. My demanding them was simply i
to establish further proof amongst those
who know your character so well, of tho j
incredible value of my imaginary secret. !
Tchc Tang, the Viceroy, I, Tse-i-la, bound
r by your orders to this post and in the ,
presence of the Terrible Death, do now
exalt tho glory and enlightenment of the
wise Li-tai-pe, my Master! I declare to
| you, in all truth, the wisdom of the
' policy I now dictate. Let us return to
your court —your own face stern, but
1 radiant. Publicly give thanks to heaven.
Threaten to be, for the future, without a
particle of pity. Order fetes and illumi
nations for the pleasure of the people
and in honor of Fo (to whom, indeed, I
owe tne inspiration of this divine ruse).
I myself will depart to-morrow. In some
distant province, thanks to your grant of
money, I shall live in perpetual happiness
with the chosen of my heart. The
diamond button which would betoken my
rank as mandarin, I shall not take away.
My ambition lies not in that direction.
I believe solely in harmonious thoughts
and deep studies which outlast all princes
and all dynasties; being a king in their
immortal Empire, why should I aspire to
be a prince in yours ? Arc you not con
vinced that the gods have given me as
strong a heart and as much intelligence
as those who surround you possess ? lam
more acceptable then in the eyes of a
young girl than one of your own digni
taries. Ask Li-tien Se, my beloved, if I
do not speak the truth. When she looks
into my eyes, I dare swear what she will
say. As for yourself, 01 Viceroy, you
will reign in peace, protected by this
superstition, and, moreover, should you
see fit to temper your rule with justice,
fear will be changed into love for your
strengthened throne. In that is the
secret of all kiugs and rulers worthy of
the name. I have none other to impart
to you. Ponder my words; choose and
announce your choice. I have spoken."
Tsc-i-la was silent.
Perfectly motionless, Tche-Tang ap
peared for some moments to he lost in
meditation, his figure casting a dark
shadow on the iron door. Presently he
advanced towards the young man and
laying a hand on either shoulder gazed
searchingly into his eyes as if to read his
very soul, and as if himself overcome
with a thousand indefinable sensations.
At last, drawing his sword, he cut the
thongs which bound Tse-i-la; then,
throwing his own royal collar about the
youth's neck, he said : 4 'Come."
Mounting the dungeon steps, ho laid
his hand upon the door beyond which
were light and liberty.
Dazed by his sudden fortune and the
triumph of his love, Tse i-la gazed at
the royal emblem.
•'What! This too?" he murmured.
"You have been slandered, vilely slan
dered ! It is worth more than the fortune
you have promised me. What does this
gift mean, your Highness! For what is
it a recompense ?"
4 'For your insolence," scornfully an
swered Tclie-Tang. as the sunlight
streamed through the open door.—The
Epoch.
Made a Fortune in Frogs 1 Legs.
| "About twenty-five years aj*o," said an
1 old attendaut in the big Washington Mar
ket, "several men made fortunes at catch
j ing frogs and sending them to market.
| The hind legs were cut off, skinned,
' washed, and, after being mildly salted,
were sent away in barrels. Prices used to
range from fifty to seventy-five cents for
a dozen pairs of legs, and as sales were
1 (piick, there was a pile of money in the
• occupation.
i "One old fellow, a blacksmith by the
name of Weld, down in Greeubusli, Me.,
| supplied all of New England for years.
' He lived by the side of very extensive
j swamps that were filled with wigglers
and cattails. The former furnished food
, for the frogs, while the latter gave them
I shade. I have seen bullfrog legs that
1 were as big as the legs of a chicken.
"Old man Weld used to hire boys to
kill frogs for him, giving them live or
six cents a dozen. The frogs were so
plentiful that many of the children earned
good wages, even at that small price,
Weld dressed the frogs, corned them,
and shipped them to Boston in barrels,
j like herrings. He kept up the business
1 for years, and, though he slew hundreds
of thousands every year, the supply did
not diminish at all.
"By and by the prices went away down,
and, as the old man had cleared about
SIOO,OOO out of the scheme, he retired,
built himself a fine munsion, and lived at
his ease. lie is the only man I know of
who got rich by catching frogs, but I have
heard of several others."—[BostonGlobe.
A Great City's Egg Supply.
When it comes to eggs, figures fail. It
is necessary to speak of them by dozens.
Last year (5,000,000 dozens of eggs were
sold in the egg markets, 72,000,000 eggs
all told. But that is nothing. Hundreds
of grocers get their eggs direct from the
country, so that it will probably be safe
to say that New York and its viciuity
consumes 1,000,000,000 eggs every year,
as the egg men say that they do not sell
one-tenth part of the eggs used in New
York.
They are gathered from everywhere;
some are raised right within the city
limits, many across the river in Hudson
County, N. J., hundreds of thousands
011 Long Island, and nobody knows how
many within 200 miles of New York
city. They arc packed in barrels chiefly
for the market, and in boxes—each egg
in its own compartment—for family ana
grocery store shipment. The only avail
able figures arc those of the markets, but
the dealers say that they do not begin to
represent one-tenth part of the consump- j
tion. —[New York News.
Colonizing Foreign Horses in Ver
mont.
Dr. J. Seward Webb, of New York
City, has just received another importa
tion of European horses. This last lot is
a splendid collection of massive-shoul
dered, strong-necked, big-thighed, Per
clierons, and very handsome beasts they
are. Dr. Webb will send them at once
to his farm in Vermont. There, a few
weeks ago, some twenty Danish horses
were sent, which were the very pick of
the animals for sale in Denmark. Dr.
Webb has sound ideas about palace cars,
and he has peculiar, but, as he thinks,
equally sound ideas respecting the im
provement of horses by breeding. He is
going to experiment, and he thinks the
Vermont climate is the best in the world
to develop perfect specimens of horse
flesh. It will be a very costly experi
ment, but Dr. Webb docs not mind a
little mutter like that, especially as he is
not doing it to make a fortune, but to
show some, other fellow how to make a
fortune.—[Philadelphia Press.
The First Bridges.
The first bridges were of wood, and
the earliest of which we have any account
was built in Home 500 years B. C. The
I next was erected by Julius Ctesar for the
1 passage of his army across the Rhine.
Trajan's great bridge over the Danube,
four thousand, seven hundred and
seventy feet long, was made of timber,
with stone piers. The Romans also built
the first stone bridge, which crossed the
Tiber. Suspension bridges are of remote
origin. A Chinese one mentioned by
Kirchen, made of chains supporting a
| roadway eight hundred and thirty feet
J in length, was built A. D. 05, and is still
L to be seen. The first iron bridge was
erected over the Severn in 1777.
THE JOKER'S BUDGET.
JESTS AND YARNS BY FUNNY
MEN OF THE PRESS.
The Society Girl—He Obeyed Or
ders—Tlio Dear Girls— Text-Book
Revision, Etc., Etc.
SENTIMENT VS. SCIENCE.
Jobson (to young lady physician)—
Can't you look in my face, dear, and tell
what is in my heart?
Miss M. D.—Yes, bad blood ; your
system needs cleansing.
PREFERRED THE OTHER PUPPY.
Dickey—"Love me, 'ove my dogf"
don't cher know, Miss Beauty!
Miss Beauty—Oh, it would be easier to
love your dog than you!
PLENTY OF TIME.
Harry—Dearest, I love you better and
better every moment, and I long for the
time to come when you shall be my own
dear wife.
Dearest —Oh, well, Harry, there's
plenty of time; and as vou say your
love is increasing all the time, it would
be foolish to marry before it became
wholly ripe.—[Boston Transcript.
WHEN HE GOT THE I,AST WOIID.
She—ls it not wonderful how a great
steamship is controlled by so small a thing
as her helm?
He—Yes; but being feminine she al
ways answers it.
TOOK HIM AT HIS WORD.
"Go ahead, my boy!" said his father,
"Get ahead in this world of din.
Do not sit down idle, but rather
Get ahead to the front and win."
Aud the boy took his father's warning,
At the club he played well and won,
And he had quite a head in the morn
ing!
Like a tired but dutiful son.
—[Munsey's Weekly.
THEY'RE MARRIED NOW.
Snooks—How are you getting on since
your marriage?
Seroggins—Not as well as I expected.
When she gave me her hand, a little
over a year ago, I was filled with de
light, but the way she gives me her
hand now only makes my ears ring—
—[Texas Sittings.
TEXT BOOK REVISION.
Teacher of Natural History (to a class
of young women) —Is it true that animals
feel affection?
Young Woman—Yes, in almost all
cases.
Teacher—Name the animal that feels
most affection for man.
Young Woman —Womun! —[New York
Ileralil.
THE DEAR GIRI.B.
Maud—Colonel Sonnso is a very polite
man.
Ethel—What makes you say so?
Maud—When he saw you and your
sister at the ball last night he said
"which is the younger?" instead of
"which is the elder?" as other men do.
—[Epoch.
STILL YOUNG MEN WON'T TAKE WARNING.
Beforo Marriage—Why so pensive,
dearest?
After Marriage—Why so expensive,
Mrs. Jones? —[Springfield Graphic.
LOGICAL.
He—Why do you sit so far away from
me?
She —So as to be near you.
He—What do you mean?
She—Everybody says you're away off.
THE OLD, OLD STORY.
He fished all day nor got a single bite;
He railed at fate, dubbed fortune but
a jade—
He took a lively mess back home that
night,
He got it for a dime, and ready made.
IIE WOULD HEAD THE PROCESSION.
The pastor had spoken the words that
made them man and wife.
"George," said she, turning her love
lit eyes upon her husband, "George, I
am so very, very happy now that you and
I are to walk arm in arm through life."
"Not now, dear, not now,"said George
firmly; "we might have done so had we
never married, but not now. 1 will go
ahead and you may follow oil behind. —
[Wasp.
HE OBEYED ORDERS.
"I assure you, Judge, that my physi
cian is responsible for my being a thief."
"Do you mean to say that he hypno
tized you and compelled you to commit
a crime?"
"I won't say that, but I do know that
he ordered me to lake something before
I going to bed."
SHE WAS.
Masher—Are you traveling alone,
Miss?
Maiden—l am, sir; good day!"
HAD HEARD OK THEM.
Train Robber (boarding parlor car
western express.)— Quick, now, if yer I
knows wot's best fer yer. Git yer valy- i
bles ready.
Mr. Hayseed Land sakes! Marier,
here conies the porter.—[Good News.
ICE CREAM & CO.
Fred—l wish my girl would hurry up
and marry me if she's going to.
Edwin—ls she keeping you in sus
pense?
Fred—No; expense.
THE SOCIETY GIRL.
In autumn she is rosy cheeked,
In winter pale and gem bedizened,
In spring disgust, if she's tanned,
In summer angry if she isn't.—[Life.
SHOULD BE A DOCTOR.
Phrenologist—Mr. Rycstalk, your son
has a decided inclination toward the
medical profession.
Mr. Hayseed—Well, he orter hev.
He's ono of the bitterest pills ye ever
seed.
COULDN'T BE BULLDOZED.
Tailor—l really do hope you will settle
this little account to-day, sir. 1 have a
heavy bill to pay my cloth merchant.
Captain (calmly)— Confound your im
pudence! You go and contract debts
and come dunning me to pay them. Get
out, or I'll send for the police.—[Har
per's Bazar.
CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
Judge—What is the charge against
this man?
Officer— Cruelty to animals, your
Honor. He was blowing smoke in a
horse's face. .
Judge—l shall discharge him. This
court cannot have its time taken up with
any such trivial affairs.
Officer—But, your Honor, it was ciga
rette smoke.
Judge—Ninety days —[Terro Haute
Express.
THE REASON. I
"Sallie Martin was always a conun
drum to me."
"I suppose that's because you had to
give her up."
COLD BLOODED.
Mable—That uncle of yours seems a
cold blooded man.
Fred—Well, I guess! A mosquito
died of pneumonia from biting him—
took a chill, don't you know ?—[The
Bostonian.
CAREFUL OF lIER REPUTATION.
Mary Jauc (ready to retire) —Come,
Susan Ann, ain't you 'most ready to go :
to bed? i
Susan Ann (amazed) —What! and
leave this room without bein' set to
rights? My lan'! Mary Jane; what sort
o' housekeepers do you reckon burglars
would think we are if they should come
in here to-night?—[Philadelphia In
quirer.
AND SILENCE FELL UPON TIIEM.
"Write mo an epic," the warrior said,
"Victory, valor and glory wed."
"Prithee, a ballad," exclaimed the
knight,
"Prowess, adventure and faith unite." j
"An ode to freedom," the patriot cried,
"Liberty won and wrong defied."
"Write me a check," the poet cried:
And the silence, all wool, was a full yard
wide. [Philadelphia Times. I
A CONFIDENCE MAN.
Visi or (to prisoner)--What brought
you here?
Prisoner—misplaced confidence.
Visitor—How was that?
Prisoner—l thought I could run faster
than I could.
MAKINO FUN OF HIMSELF.
At a party where a witty German
physician of this city was present, a lady
asked: "What is tho difference between
danger of life aud peril of death?" |
"I'll tell you, madam," said the
doctor, "but you must not give it away,
lest you injure our profession. If you
are very sick, then you are in danger of
life; but if you send for a physician, and
he comes, then you are in peril of death." j
—[Wasp.
A DIFFERENCE.
"What is the difference between ice
and water?"
"Ice is frozen water; that is all."
"There is a greater difference than
that."
"What is it?"
"Water always finds its level, but ice
is constantly going up."—[Boston 1
Courier.
THE OLD, OLD STORY.
"Did you carry her heart by storm ?"
was asked of the bridegroom.
"No," he replied. "I worked the ice
cream racket."
A GREAT BILL.
"Confound it! Why, that doctor is a
regular pelican!"
"Pelican? What do you moan?"
"Look at the size of his bill!"
LESSENING THE NUMBER.
Cynic—l am always happy when twe
fools marry.
Binnick—Why?
Cynic—Because they arc made one.—
[Epoch.
A TALE OF WOE.
1 Mrs. Mulcahy—Bridget O'Donahue,
it's me sympathy ye have in your sorrow.
Bridget—Yes, the owl man has gone:
but troubles never come alone. Oi don'f
know.
Mrs. Mulcahy—Bedad, aud what'!
happened now?
Bridget—Faith, and me poor billygoal
; swallowed a bit of ice and the iceman
shot him dead to recover his property.—
i [Kearney Enterprise.
LUCK.
Little Girl—Papa, Dick found a horse
shoe, and I found a four-leaved clover
Which of us is the luckiest?"
Practical Pa—Dick is. Horseshoes are
worth money.—[New York Weekly.
A Roc's Egg.
One of the most interesting things in
the National Museum at Washington ii
the cast of a reul roc's egg. Strange at
it may appear, there is a foundation foi
the storied existence of the supposed ex
istence of the supposed-to-be-fabulous
bird. It was the gigantic epiornis oi
Madagascar, which stood twelve feet high
and laid an egg as big as 148 good-sized
hen's eggs, and holding two gallons.
Arab traders, such as Sinbad the Sailoi
is said to have been, made their way to
Madagascar centuries ago, when thil
mighty fowl was still in existence, and
brought back the yarns which subsc
quietly developed into the fabled roc,
A bigger bird than this, however, taking
weight as a criterion, existed in New
Zealand as late as the timeofOapt. Cook
It stood only nine feet high, though il
was so bulky that a full grown on
would have tipped the scales at some
thing like 1,000 pounds. • The cggitlaid
was a trifle smaller than that of the roc.
This was the giant Moa. It was so
clumsy that it could not escape from th<
sailors who landed on the island uud
killed it for food. The extinction of th<
species is supposed to have been caused
by a change in the New Zealand climate,
for it is known that the enormous fowli
gathered in great numbers at the last
about certain hot springs and there per
ished. Quantities of their bones hav<
been found in these springs.—[Boston
Transcript.
Failure of the Apple Crop.
People who arc fond of apples—and
who are not?—must do witliout theii
favorite fruit this year or pay fancy price!
for it. Reports indicate that the appli
crop is as great a general failure this yeai
as has ever been known in this country.
There are no apples in the region of Cincin
nati; none in Ohio or Indiana, and very
fow we believe, comparatively speaking,
in the whole Ohio Valley. In carlici
days, after southern Ohio orchards, plant
ed by the pioneers, began to fail, the
forest-bordered orchards of Indiana were
famous for their apple crops. But there
are no apples in the Hoosier State thii
year. The crop in the famous apple re
gion of New York State is a failure.—
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
FREEHOLDER SWALLOW, of Fleming
ton, N. J., is so close an imitator of the
man who chipped the cherry tree that not
one of his townsmen questions the story
which he tells this week. John R. Stan
ton caught a German carp weighing eight
pounds a few days ago. In the gills of
the fish were found two hooks and two
pieces of line. Freeholder Swallow de
clares that the tackle is his; that for two
successive seasons he lias lost hook* by
this same carp, and that he was about to
rig his line again for the fish when Mr.
Stanton 41 scoopca " him.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
A NUMBER of lowa men living near
Des Moines have become so far imbued
with the Edward Bellamy idea of co
operation that they have formed a colony,
and hope to found a community near
Lake Charles.
IT is estimated that nearly one-half of
the next House of Representatives will be
composed of new men. The causes
which operate to this result are primarily
a desire on the part of the sitting mem
bers to drop out of public life, and,
secondly, failure to secure a re-nomina
tion or a victory at the polls.
AFRICA has now at work within her
borders 10 American, 12 British, and
12 Continental missionary societies.
There are more than 700 ordained mis
sionaries, and more than 7,000 native
preachers. It is estimated that there are,
both white and native, about 175,000
communicants, and 800,000 adherents.
THK latest move in co-operation is a
proposal by the Illinois Central Railroad
Company to interest its hands in the en
terprise by selling each of them one or
more shares on credit. In France this
form of co-operation has been common
for a quarter of a century or more, aud it
has occasionally been quite successful.
It has never been tried on railroads.
AN eight-wheeled railroad church lias
just been finished at Titles, in the fac
tory of the Trauscaucasian Railway
Company, for use along the line. It is
surmounted by a cross at one end aud a
chime of three bells at the other end.
It has apartments for the priest and sit
tings for seventy persons. The altar is
of carved oak and all the furniture was
manufactured at St. Petersburg.
THE search light is about to be intro
duced on an extensive scale by inland
lake steamers. The navigation on the
lakes is rendered very dangerous by the
large number of shoals and narrow pas
sages, the only indications of which are
stakes and buoys which are often most
difficult to locate. With the aid of
the search lamp these can be seen so dis
tinctly that night nav'gation will, in
future, be deprived of much of its
uncertainty aim danger.
THE magnitude of the Finnish nation
is brought into notice by the beginning
of its end at the hands of the Russian
Government. Finland has heretofore
enjoyed practical independence in the
management of her own affairs. The
native press, and Finland has twenty
six newspapers of her own, has been
wholly free in dealing with Finnish mat
ters, but now there comes a warning, the ;
first ever known, to the Ilelsingfors
Hufvudstadbladet that advocating its'
people's rights, even in the most sober
manner, must stop. Finland must ex
pect to lose all her ancient priveleges.
THE rapid extension of Russia's rail
road system through Siberia to the
Pacific coast, and the menace it conveys
toward Chinese interests, at last has
aroused the Celestials from their conser
vatism. It is reported that China intends,
to borrow $45,000,000 in this country
for railroad purposes, and that in ad
dition to the road projected from Pekin
southward, others will be laid out in
Manchooria to offset the designs of Rus
sia. The appearance of danger evidently
has alarmed the Chinese, and from present
prospects the empire soon will be engaged
actively in ruilroad construction.
THE Germans are losing no opportunity
to enlist in their service any expert in
African work whom they can secure.
Their latest acquisition is Captain Casati,
the Italian explorer and Emin's comrade,
who, after he has visited his friends in
Italy, will help Emin to look after some
|of Germany's interests in Africa. Ger
many has, within the past few years, lost
I more first-rate explorers in Africa tliau
any other nation. 'The list includes such
famous men as Nachtigal, Flegel, Wolf,
i Tappenbcck, Juelcke and others,
■ and the loss of these men has been a se
vere blow to German enterprise, for it
has not been found easy to replace them.
ACCORDING to recent accounts, the na
tives of the Chin Mountains, in Asia,
must be unique. Their dwellings have
no furniture; they have no laws, no re
ligion and no government, except an
incomplete village system. Medical
science and surgery are absolutely un
known. Their habits are repulsive.
Certain tribes are confirmed drunkards,
consuming great quantities of beer which
they brew by themselves. They, how
ever, display remarkable mechanical in
genuity, constructing wonderful bridges
on the cantilever principle. In some
tribes the sole arms are small knives and
bows and arrows. They are skilful ar
chers, killing tigers and bears at eighty
The women of all the tribes have
their faces hideously tattoed to prevent
their being carried off by the Burmaus.
GOVERNOR Waterman, of California,
has sent to the Department of the Interior
an emphatic protest against the destruc
tion of the Big Trees in Tulare County
which will be wrought if the districts
covered by tho suspended surveys are
opened to entry. Interest in the preser
vation of these magnificent trees ought
not to bo confined to that State. These
are the noblest trees on the continent,
and the preservation of the last clumps
remaining under Government control is
a matter of National concern. Secretary
Noble, we earnestly hope, will find it
practicable to comply with Governor
Waterman's request and to close tempo
rarily the section in Tulare County where
the giant trees are found. Congress can
be depended upon to enact legislation
another year by which these grand works
of nature will be permanently safe
guarded.
AT the celebration of the quarter
centennial of the Salvation Army in Lon
don, England, recently, General Booth
said: The Army is at work in 35 different
countries, and has nearly 3,000 corps and
over 9,000 officers, and its strength is
growing daily. There are also 85 slum
officers, 188 officers engaged in rescue
work, 35 rescue homes, 05 food officers
and 19 food depots. Two thousand
women passed through the homes in
England during last year; an average of
B,soo meals are served daily to the poor;
540 people are sheltered each night.
The general contended that this was work
which must appeal to all alike, opponents
as well as friends of the Army. The
organization itself, he said, would out
live its most violent critics, and those
who lived to the jubilee of the Army
twenty-five years hence would see it with
a crystal palace of its own. He appealed
to every Salvationist to do his duty—and
more than his duty.
THE work of artificially propagating
cod, which was begun by the Fish Com-1
mission on the coast of Massachusetts'
three or four years ago, has, the Com- j
mission states, resulted in great success.
Last fall the fisherman reported an
abundance of small cod on Nantucket
Shoals, and during the present summer
these fish, somewhat increased in size,
have appeared in enormous numbers,
ohicfly young fish, which are reported to
be very uniform in size, and with a few
exceptions weighing only about five to
seven pounds each—to small to come un
der the trade classification of 44 large
fish." The Fish Commission has received
informntion'showing that this season, up
to recent date, about 4,000,000 pounds
of these fish have been taken. The price
paid to the fishermen is $2.85 per 100
pounds of fish as they come from the ves
sel. The value of the fishery, so far this
season, would be $114,000, while the
prospect is that these figures may be
doubled before the fishing is ended.
A CANADIAN journal lias published a
comparative analysis of the public debts
of the United States and of the Do
minion, from 1807, inclusive, which is
not likely to prove entirely pleasing to
the taxpayers of the latter vountry.
From this statement it appears that when
in the year above named the debt of the f
United States was $2,508,151,211, and
the annual interest was $138,892,451, the
dtbt of Canada was $75,728,041 , and
the annual interest charged thereon $4-,
375,148. In 1889 the debt of this coun
try had been reduced [to $975,039,000,
and the interest to $88,752,000, while
the debt of that country had been in
creased to $287,530,000, and the interest
to about $9,000,000. To state itj in
another form, in 1867 the oebt of the
United States was 33 times, aud the in
terest 31 times that of Canada, in 1889
the debt of this country was only four
times that of Canada, and the interest
three and one-third times greater. In
the first year named the debt of the
United States was about $62 for each of
the population, and that of Canada
about $22. In 1889 the debt of this
country was reduced to about sl6 per
head, while that of the other country
was increased to $47 per head.
"These," says our Canadian con
temporary, "are startling figures."
OPINION is freely expressed among
naval officers in the North Atlantic
squadron at Key West, that the Govern
ment is making a grave mistake in not
strongty fortifying Key West. It is
pointed out that Key West virtually
controls the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits
of Florida and three-fourths of nil com
merce with the West Indies, Central
America, and the northern part of South
America. As a base of supplies, and as
a naval and military point of operations,
perhaps no place in the United States
equals it in importance. Situated on
the southernmost bay of Florida, dis
tant fifty-nine miles from the mainland
f roper, and only ninety miles from
[avnna, Key West occupies an almost
central position in the waters opening
into the Gulf of Mexico. Between the
key and the mainland the water is
studded with innumerable small coral
reefs and keys. The channels between
these keys arc for the most part so shal
low, that vessels drawing over six feet of
water are debarred from entering. The
presence of the Gulf Stream compels
vessels running into the Gulf to pass
close to the Key West side of the
channel. The same is true of the Straits
of Gibraltar, where a strong current
flowing seaward along the Morocco
coast compels vessels to hug the northern
or Gibraltar side of the channel. Vessels
in consequence are brought under the
guns of the "Rock," or within easy
handling of war vessels lying under tho
shelter of the fortress. It is question
able whether Gibraltar as a commerce
protecting post is of more importance to
England than is Key West to the United
States.
Hard Summers of the Past.
A German writer, dealing with certain
prognostications of summer heat, goes
back for precedents. In 027, he says,
the springs were dried up, and men fain
ted with the heat. In 879 it was impos
sible to work in the open fields. In the
year 993 the nuts on the trees were
"roasted" as if in a baker's oven! In
1000 the rivers in France dried up, and
the stench from the dead fish anu other
matter brought a pestilence into the land.
The heat in the year 1014 dried up the
rivers and the Brooks in Alsace-Lor
raine. The Rhine was dried up in the
year 1032. In the year 1152 the heat
was so great that eggs could be cooked
in the sand. In 1227 it is recorded that
many men and animals came by their
death through the intense heat. In the
year 1303 the waters of the Rhine and
the Danube were partially dried up and
people passed over on foot. The crops
were burned up in the year 1394, and in
the year 1538 the Seine and the Loire
were as dry land. In 1550 a great
drought swept through Europe. In 1014
in France and even in Switzerland the
brooks and the ditches were dried up.
Not less hot were the years 1040, 1679,
and 1701. In the year 1715 from tho
month of March till October not a drop
of rain fell; the temperature rose to 38
degrees Reaumur, and in favored places
the fruit trees blossomed a second time.
Extraordinarily hot were the years of
1724, 1740, 1750 and 1811. Thesummer
of 1815 was so hot (the thermometer
standing at 40 deg. Reaumur) that the
places of amusement had to be closed.
Wonderful Wires.
The most remarkable wire ever known,
it is said, is the Cambridge (Mass.) Ban
FrancUco time circuit, which was in op
eration in 1871-2. The wire extended
from the Cambridge Observatory to Ban
Francisco, byway of Boston, Springfield,
Hartford, New York, BulTalo, Chicago,
and Omaha, returning over the same
route to Chicago, then to Pittsburg,
Harrisburg, New York, New Haven,
Providence, Boston, and into Cambridge.
The observatories were "looped in" at
each terminal, forming a complete circuit
6,852 miles in length.
The consideration of such a wire nat
urally suggests the deep sea cable—the
longest and most wonuerful of all tele
graph lines.
Fancy a telegraph wire lying on the
surface of the earth, stetching from New
York to San Francisco, then picture its
course through the valleys and over the
Alleghanies and Rocky Mountains, leap
ing across bottomless chasms and hang
ing on mountain crags; then imagino
this wire covered with water reaching
above the highest mountain peaks, and
you have a picture of the Atlautic cables.
Many readers, no doubt, will be some
what surprised to learn that there are ten
of these submarine conductors connect
ing America with the Old World.
Woman's Position in Austria.
A census of Austria-Hungary takes
place this year and the minister of pub
lic instruction has announced that girls
and women, if they can prove themselves
competent, may apply for the position
of enumerators. The emancipation of
women in Austria is well advanced.
One-third of all the post and telegraph
clerks and all the telephone clerks, as
well as the teachers in girls' schools, are
women. Lately a lady oculist, Frau
Dr. Kershbaumcr, of Salzburg, was al
lowed to opeu a hospital of her own.
School teachers are well paid, their sala
ries ranging from $350 to SSOO. A large
proportion come from noble families and
those of officers and government officials.
Tho position of governess, on the con
trary, is much disliked —[Chicago Poifc