THE EVEN IE O COMETH.
The daylight fades upon tlie hills;
Soft are the shades that follow. *
Nestling into the sheltering wood,
Filling the lonely hollow;
Brooding our earth with si'euce blest,
Fence und rest, oh, pence and rest!
The white, white light, the far-flung light.
That filled my lifted vision.
That luw upon the midday land,
That lit the hills Klysinn!
Oh, morning gleum! Oh, noontide g'owl i
The sun is 82t, the day is low.
Hush heart, and long not! So it is, 'tis best
What m .tter if tho strong, wide-reaching
day
Be long or short? The evening comes
Iho evening hushed and cool and blest,
Be still, oh, heart, be still and rest.
—[Aurillu Farber, in Washington Post.
LAYING A GHOST.
BY WILL P. POND,
A a old friend of mine, a retired sen
captain, has a house overlooking the
Narrows, near Fort Hamilton. It was
built from his own plans, and is chiefly
remarkable for a square structure rising
from the roof, generally taken for
an obscrvutory, but which is really the
old man's sanctum, known as "the |
cabin." The privileged visitors are his
grandsons and nephews, who obtain en
trance by going on the lawn and shout- j
ing "ship ahoy 1" meeting with the reply j
"ahoy there!" then "is the skipper
aboard?" and the answer to this query
settles the matter of whether |
they will he admitted or j
not. If they are, a story is the ,
natural and as the old gentleman
is an enthusiasticsportsman, he has many
reminiscences of the sea. I have several
times been one of the audience, and not
one of the least interested by any means.
The boys had been spending the sum
mer in the Adirondacks last year, nud 011
their return speedily made a visit to
"the cabin," where the captain and I
were seated. The usual ceremony was
gone through, the boys reported the
events of the holiday, or, as he termed
it, "overhauled their log," and theu
without any asking, the old gentleman !
said: "Boys, I have a story about
Raquettc Lake that is worth hearing.
Did anyone tell you about the ghost i
caught there?"
"Ghost," echoed the boys, "what was ,
it?"
"I suppose it was about twenty years 1
ago," begau the old gentleman, "when
1 found myself with a fricud
nt Raquettc Lake, after a prolonged
fishing trip in that most lonely
region. For a week or more luck had
not been ours, and we had moved from
Saranac to Ruquette Lake, in hopes of
finding some big fish worthy of our steel.
Arriving at the hotel in the evening, we
had supper, and then sought tiic piazza,
where we found a mutual friend to whom
we applied for information about the
fishing, and who gave us the name of a
good man to engage, endiug his re
marks with, 4 he has only one fault— •
superstition—you caunot keep him oil
the water after sundown, and money
cannot hire him to take you over to the
4 Pool' as they call it, although the best
fish arc said to lay there.
"Why not?" we asked.
"Afraid of the ghost," was the reply.
"What ghost?"
Our friend laughed. "Well, the local
story is somewhat indefinite. Many years
ago a young couple came here on their
honeymoon, and spent a good deal of
their time in fishing. In the woods, bor
dering the pool, was a gypsy camp, and
by some means the young fellow incurred
the enmity of the gypsy woman, and
was cursed by her. The following week, ;
bride and groom were drowned in the j
pool by the accidental upsetting of their
boat, and their bodies were never recov- '
crcd. The gypsy's curse is said to have
doomed them to eternal wandering, like
her own nomadic race, and local tra j
ditiou says, the ghost of the girl in her
husband's arms is still to be seen in the
pool at night, and evil follows to those i
who are unlucky enough to see them. I
"I laughed at the story, although, I
like all sailors, I was superstitious to a j
certain degree, aiul would not have liked 1
the daily appearance of a shark along j
side, or have tempted Providence by j
catching Mother Gary's chickens, any i
more than many other sailors who know '
what these things mean.
"As I was saying, I laughed at it, but
my friend, a younger man by ttn or
twelve years, jumped at the chance of
some excitement, and declared we must
investigate. The next day we engaged j
our fisherman, and made arrangements
for him to rent us a light canoe, which ;
we could keep on the lake front, for our
own use, independent of the large boat
we used with him. Wc found the fish
ing very good, but the fish were not I
extraordinarily large, so at last wc pro- j
posed to our guide to take us to the I
pool. To our amusement he flatly, but!
civilly refused to do so, and so one day j
we went alone, and dared the dangers, I
probable and improbable. It was a pre! Tv !
nook, with deep, black water, the hills '
rising to a considerable height, clothed j
with hemlocks and firs. Wc caught
one good fish, a ten-pound pickerel, '
and a number of fair sized ones.
The next day it rained in torrents and j
the next; then about noon it slowly 1
cleared away, and as the sun went down '
not a cloud was to be seen, and the water !
was like glass.
" 4 What a night for fish,' said my '
young friend ; 4 let us take the canoe and
try the pool; the fish ought to rise as
boon as the moon comes up.'
"Nothing loath, I got my pole, and ;
away we went, starting from the house '
about eight o'clock. Arriving at the i
pool, wc waited until the moon rose, and
then we fished, soon having three beau- j
tics in the boat. As we began to feel !
rather tired nt our long day, wc started i
home early, I at the paddle, when sud j
denly my friend said, pointing behind i
me, 'Look, sec there! what is it?'
Hurriedly turning, I saw something
moving across the moonlight about
three hundred feet away, swimming
over the surface of the water, rising and
fulling us u swimmer would, then it
t-unk.
" 'What on earth was it?' again asked
my friend, 'by heavens, the ghost!'
"With a turn of the paddle I spun tin
light boat round, and scut her fly in" t ,
the spot.
" 4 Kcep quiet, it may come again' 1
said, and there we sat waiting. °
"Soon it reappeared, far over the pool. \
something white gleaming in the moon i
light, like an arm, and then suddenly as
the thing turned in its course, it changed
to a neck and shoulders, over which
tumbled a mass of dark, wet hair; then !
it sank as suddenly as it appeared, and
though we waited two hours, we saw it :
no more.
4 'Returning to the hotel, wc decided \
to keep our experiences to ourselves, and j
investigate the matter further. The next j
day wc spent quietly, and as soon as
night fell again paddled across to the
pool, and getting under the shore, waited
for developments.
"All was dark, with that peculiar blue '
blackness that precedes the rise of the
moon in the mountains, and over all
things lay the mist of night, broken
only by the katy-dids or the buzz-z-z of
alow flying night-hawk. Every now and
again the faintest breath swayed the
pines, and sent their soothing fragrance
floating over the water, and then, far on
the other side of the lake, slowly ap
; peared a ray of burnished silver, which
■ stole silently towards us across the bosom
of the water, as the fall moon climbed
| the pine-clothed hill behind us, and
i passed over into full view. It was as
' light as day, except where we lay, in
deep shadow.
"Anxiously wc cast our eves around,
but no sign appeared, and at ten o'clock
my friend said, 4 no use to-night,
you paddle home, and I will
troll as we go. I may get a
rise. 1 think this ghost business is a
fraud—a ease of too much pic last even
ing. I begin to think we dreamed it.'
"I said nothing but paddled slowlv
along, while he stood forward, playing
his spoon, making a thousand miniature
rainbows at every splash as it fell into the
water, or was lifted from it. "'A dream
I was it'! I said suddenly, 'see there!'
i "Away off in the lake was the
ghost, flashing over the water
and disappearing as before. Wc
looked at each other. 'Get me
close, and I'll cast and hook it,' said my
friend, and smiling at the idea of fishing
| for a ghost, I turned the canoe in the di
rection whet eit disappeared. Again it
! rose, aud 1 drove the canoe toward it
I with all my strength, while my friend
I held his rod poised ready to cast.
: " 'There it is, heading straight for us.
Hold her steady, hold" and looking
where he pointed, I saw the thing speed
1 ing toward us, the white neck and
shoulders, and dark hair showing plain
| ly in the moonlight, swaying with the
movement of the swimmer, to right and
, left, as an insensible woman might,
i Again it sank suddenly as it had ap
peared, just beyond casting distance,
i "Lying quietly in ourcauoe, but ready
for action, we waited a little time, and
then, with an ever widening ripple that
at last showed something material, it
rose again. Quickly the boat flew to
meet it; auother second, the shining
spoon flew out, but while the hooks were
in mid air again it sank, the spoon struck
the water with a splash, and the canoe
shot over the spot, the hooks dragging
behind in her wake. A quick, sharp
pull on the line nearly earned the pole
i from my friend's hands, aud recalled him
to himself. 'l've booked a fish,' he said,
and commenced to play it. Aud now
ensued a curious sight, the fish,
evidently a large one, rushed
hither and thither and once,
as it ran out nearly the
full line, and then turned, we saw the
white arm gleam in the moonlight as it
appeared to reach over and seize the
I line as if to tear it loose. We were too
I busy to speak, for with moderate tackle
and a birch canoe, a heavy fish is no
child's play to fight, but a quick glance
passing between us told our thoughts;
and as another sudden rush, and a turn,
almost under the boat, again brought the
i arm to view, we knew wo had hooked
the 'ghost, whatever it might prove.
While the fight waged, at every turn of
I the fish, and slack of the line, I drove
the canoe toward the shallows, for we
| had forgotten the gaff, and I meant to
land the thing at all cost. Shorter and
I shorter grew the line, weaker and weaker
the struggles, until at last my paddles
I touched bottom. 'Bring it close us you
can and hold it,* 1 said as I stepped
overboard into the warm water. The boat
i swung around, the line hung quivering
iu front of me, as the conquered fish
turued at bay for the last time, and then
with a step forward, a sudden stoop, a
i grasp of the line with the left hand, and
' a reach downward with the right, the
i fingers and thumbs grasping the great
| fish by the eyes, while the hand, releas
ing the line, dipped under its body, and
j in a second it was in the canoe, and the
ghost for ever laid. What do you think
it was, boys? A tremendous pike,
twelve or thirteen years old, by his grey
whiskered snout and gills, weighing
about sixteen pounds, with a frame to
i support auother ten pounds if he had
j been well fed. That was all—but there
on his shoulders sat the ghost. It was
: the skeleton of a young sea eagle, who,
swooping down at the fish, had met more
than its match. The talons of the bird,
; deeply embedded among the stout bones
I of the back bad prevented its release, and
the fish, drowning the bird, had been
forced to carry the skeleton around like
an old man of the sea. Every time the
fish rose to the surface, the white brenst-
I bone and back gleamed in the moonlight,
I while the feathers of the wings, matted
in weed had grown to be a veritable gar
| den of water growths, and flouting be
hind gave the semblance of hair to the
! ghost. Our catch created quite a stir at
j the time, and I have often regretted 1
I did not keep the skeletons. Some years
I later, a well-known traveller told me
I there were several such cases on record
in Europe; one in Lake Wetter, another
i in Lake Fryksdal in Norway, and that in
i each case the natives had been driven to
I other fishing grounds by the ghost."—
| [ Drake's Magazine.
Wouldn't Be Outwitted.
A San Diego girl distinguished herself
jat Pacific Beach the other day. She was
one of three students from the College
of Letters who belong to the swimming
j club. They went to the bathhouse in
the cove of Mission Bay, got into suits
and rowed out to a little island a half
mile off, looking down on San Diego.
The San Dicgau has become an expert
swimmer, and she was so busy teaching
her girl companions that none of them
, observed two of the college boys swim
ming over aud carrying off their oars.
1 When it was discovered the San Diego
girl that she wouldn't be out
j witted by any sneaking boys. Her com
! panions could not be trusted in deep
water aud they accordingly turned pale.
The San Diegan told them to get into
the bout, as she would pull them across.
| She then pushed the boat off, took the
rope in her teeth and swam across to
the boathousc, having to float on her
back but twice in the entire pull.—[San
I >icgo (Cal.) Union.
A Time piece Puzzle.
Do you know why four 'Ts" are used
to mark the hour on clocks and watches
instead of the usual combination of Ro
man numerals, which, if r.ghtly ar
j ranged, would be IV., instead of 1111. ?
■j 1 here is a tradition among the watch
and clockmukcrs to the effect that prior
to the year 1.570 all clocks and watches
I were made with IV., the proper charac
ters to mark the hour of four. In the
. above-named year a clock was made on
I an elaborate plan for Charles V. of
! France, surnnmcd The Wise, who had
■ the reputation of being not only a crank
j but of being the greatest faultfinder in
the world. The clock was a beauty and
a fine timekeeper, but Charles had to find
fault in order to keep up his reputation.
He examined it critically and finally
broke out in a storm of rage because the
hour of four hud been marked "1V.,"
insisting that four llll.s should be put
on instead. This was done, and, iu order
to perpetuate a king's mistake, has been
kept up through all succeeding years.—
[St. Louis Republic.
A PRETTY ROMANCE.
How a San Francisco Girl Became
an Artist.
People who noticed in the Examiner
window recently a splendid cast of Sit
ting Bull will be interc ted to hear the
pretty romance of the young artist
work it was.
It was modeled by Miss Alice Hideout,
a young lady of less than eighteen years
of age, who has already shown such
talent that she bids fair to take front
rank among the host of artists that the
Pacific slope can claim as its own.
Her first start in her chosen profession
can be directly traced to a large Eng
lish mastiff owned by her family, al
though her artistic aspirations date back
to her early childhood. One day while
accompanied by the mastiff, she passed
the open door of a sculptor's studio.
The animal rushed in and, with apparent
deliberation, knocked over the pedestal
upon which was placed for exhibition
the artist's latest work. An arm
and leg were shattered, aud the
piece lay a seeming wreck on the floor.
The attendant was wild. The girl en
deavored to make excuses for the dog,
but nothing would answer. Offers were
made to pay for the damage, but to no
avail. The man dreading that upon the
artist's return he would lose his position,
was inconsolable. The girl begged to
be allowed to repair the piece, and alter
repeated entreaties the man consented,
with the remark that while he did not
believe that it could be fixed, he was
very certain that she could not injure it.
lie mixed the clay for her, and watched
with interest the unpracticed fingers
doing the work that the accomplished
artist had so lately finished and taken so
much pride in. An hour passed with
most gratifying results; the arm was re
stored aud was perfect; the attendant
was happy. Another hour the leg ap
proached completion, when 10, the artist
appeared on the scene, lie took in the
, situation at a glance, and, unnoticed by
the occupants of the room, watched the
work. Finished, explanations are in
order and given. The artist is charmed,
declares the work of restoration has
added new charms to the piece, and
having heard from the girl the great am
bition of her life, went with her to her
home and insisted that her parents should
allow her an opportunity to learn the art
for which she had evidently so much in
herent talent.—J San Francisco Examiner.
| High Altitude# aud Nervous Disease.
Iu a paper read before the American
, Climato-logical association at its recent
I meeting in Denver, Dr. Eskridge dis
cussed the effect which living at the high
altitudes of Colorado has on nervous and
mental diseases. While it is evident
that in the absence of statistics much
more complete and extending over a
longer period than are now available,
any results obtained must be somewhat
unreliable, yet the impressions of physi
cians who have practiced on oruiuary
levels and subsequently at the high levels
of Colorado arc not without their value.
I)r. Eskridge is of opinion that persons
suffering from insomnia derive more
benefit from a stay iu Colorado than they
would from residence for a similar time
at au ordinary seaside resort, so long as
the insomnia is not due to organic brain
disease. In persons naturally nervous
aud irritable, on the other hand, he be
lieves that prolonged residence at high
levels is deleterious. In the course of
oidinary ucrvous diseases no difference
seems to be observable, but both alco
holism and the opium habit seem to pre-
I vail to an alarming extent. It must be
borne in mind, however, that many ad
dicted to such habits either go or are
sent to Colorado in the hope of being
weaned from the habit, while many suf
fering from chronic alcoholism naturally
drift westward. No reliable statistics as |
to insanity are obtainable, and conse
quently no opinion as to undue preva
lence or absence of this condition can as
yet be formed. Strange but temporary
mental effects, however, following as
cents to high altitudes in Colorado, have
been noted, and the occurrence of those
is perhaps significant.—[Chicago News.
Tho Snuff box Fad.
To gather as large a collection of snutl
boxes as possible is a new fad among tho
fashionable. This craze was caused by
Richard Mansfield as Beau Brummel.
As with the after-dinner coffee spoon and
bangle craze, it is customary for the
young ladies to depend upon their
brothers, lovers and gentlemen fiiends
to materially assist them. Several years
ago, when the girls wore bangle brace
lets, they simply had to show it to a
young man and say, "So-and-so gave me
this one or (hat one. lam making a
collection and want to have more than
Mabel or Carrie," and that young man
seldom failed to respond to the hint. 'Tis
just the same with the snuff boxes. These
boxes are not used by the girls for snuff,
at least by a majority of them, but arc
given places on the dressing table to
hold powders, salves and other necessa
ries that help make up a toilet. The
idea is to collect old boxes, but many are
new. As a result of this fad some amus
ing incidents have happened, one cspec
ially being that of the rivalry between
two pretty cousins, who both tried to
gain possession of an old snuff box—an
heirloom—carefully cared for by their
aunt, an old Massachusetts spinster.—
[Chicago Herald.
Insanity and Deafness.
Dr. Sanborn, of the State Insane Asy
lum at Augusta,has a wide sympathy and
feels deeply for his charges at the asylum.
We were making a tour of tho hos
pital with him the other day, when he
stopped to speak to a young man who
seemed very deaf. "You are better to
day, Samuel," said he, patting him upon
the back. "You arc much better, and I
am glad to sec it. Good-by."
"When that man came here three days
ngo," said Dr. Sanborn, "he could hear
with great acutencss. He was at this
time very violent and had to be kept se
cure. As his mania passed, he became
deaf. He has been hero before—comes
here periodically—and each time I notice
the peculiarity in his hearing. It is a
curious case. What strange action of the
brain is it that in insanity awakens his
sense of hearing? In his mania his hear
ing is exceedingly acute. In his sanity
it is exceedingly dull. The brain is n
wonderful world."—[Lcwiston (Me.)
Journal.
THE JOKEIVS BUDGET.
JESTS AND YARNS BY FUNNY
KEN OF THE PRESS.
Plenty of Exits—Time is Money -
Good Old Family—The Lover's
Dilemma, etc , etc.
PLENTY OF EXITS.
Official—How could the people get
out of this theatre in ease of fire?
Lessee—They could step right out in
every direction.
44 There are no doors."
44 No, but this old building couldn't
burn more than five minutes before the
walls would tumble out."—[New York
Weekly.
TIME IS MONEY.
Wick wire— Mudgc, it is a shame for
you to he letting your days slip by as you
do. Time is money, you know.
Mudge—lt isn't much money when it
takes three months to amount to a
quarter.—[lndianapolis Journal.
GOOD OLD FAMILY.
Richfcllo—That Miss Forundred be
longs to the blue bloods, doesu'tshe?
Rival Belle—Yes, iudced. You just
ought to see her nose on a cold day.—
[New York Weekly.
THE LOVER'S DILEMMA.
She's rich—her face the eye delights—
I would the maiden woo;
But her father keeps a dog that bites
And wears a thick-soled shoe.
—[New York Herald.
HE FIXED TIIE RESPONSIBILITY.
A fellow from New Jersey went into
a fashionable Gotham restaurant and or
dered soup. It pleased him very much,
so he told them to bring him pork and
be ns.
This was not up to his liking and he
began raising a fuss about it. The
waiter couldn't quiet him, and at last
had to call the manager.
4 'Who are you?" was the infuriated
Jcrseyite's inquiry.
"I am the person to make your com
plaint to. I'm the superintendent."
"I don't wont to see you. The soup ,
was all right. Send me the pork-and
beans-eriuteudent."
HOW TIIE OLD MAN LOOKS AT IT.
The old man may dig and delve,
But there's sure to be some ass
Who keeps his daughter up till twelve,
And burns his coal and gas.
—[ Drake's Magazine.
FOR llKit BROTHER'S WELFARE.
Miss Winthron—Poor Jack has now
been a full-fleagcd architect for six
months, and he hasn't had a single com
mission. lie designs beautiful houses.
Mr. Townes—Miss Winthrop—Rosalie
—can't I persuade you to let your broth
er design a nice country house for—for
us?—[Harper's Bazar.
A HEALTIIY LOCATION.
City Man (looking for a koine in the
suburbs) —I like this place very much,
but I am told it isn't healthy.
Agent—Ain't healthy? D'ye see that
mule over in that field? That mule hez
lived here all his life, an' it ain't a week
since he kicked a locomotive off th'
track.—[New York Weekly.
"EH!"
"Ah, Jones, glad to see yon back,"
exclaimed an acquaintance who met him
on the street; "aid you have a pleasant
trip?"
"Splendid."
"Glad to hear it; my thought accom
panied you wherever you roamed."
"Thank you."
"Yes, with my mind's eye I followed
you iu sunshine and shadow—"
"Thanks, awfully."
"In weal or woe—"
"Thanks."
"Joys or sorrows—"
"Ah, thanks, old fellow."
"Drunk or sober."
"Eh!"
FAINT HEART NE'ER, ETC.
"Will you be offended if I kiss you?"
he asked his Boston fiancee after they were
engaged.
"I cannot be offended until something
is done to offend me."
"But, dear, I don't like to run the
risk."
"What is not worth risking for is not
worth having."—[The Continent.
A RUDE FELLOW.
Pretty Girl—Did you see the way that
man looked at me? It was positively in
sulting.
Big Brother—Did he stare?"
Pretty Girl—Stare? Why, no. He
ran his eyes over me and then glanced
off at some oue else, just as if I wasn't
worth a second thought.—[New York
Weekly.
A GRAVE IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
De Ketchum—Heard the news at the
club?
Hismurk—No, what is it?
I)e Ketchum—Gld Fuse has given up
smoking.
I lismark—Actually?
I)e Ketchum—Yes; lie was visiting
some granite quarries, and he accident
ally dropped his cigar ashes into a keg of
blasting-powder.
A THOUGHTFUL HOSTESS.
Hostess (to male wall-flower)— Permit
me to introduce you to a charming dancer,
Mr. Wcstend.
Mr. Westend—Au, th inks, 110, I nevah
dance.
"Would you like to join the card
party iu the drawing-room?"
"Au, thanks, 110. I do not play,"
"Well, supper will be ready soon."
OTHER WORLDS TO CONQUER.
"Show me the man that struck my
wife."
"What do you want to do with him?"
"I want to get him to tackle my
mother-in-law."— [Epoch.
nEAVV STRAIN ON HER VOICE.
"Please don't talk tome. I'm saving
my voice for the opera."
"Why, are you to sing?"
"No. I'm to be in one of the boxes."
—[Harper's Bazar.
POOR BUT PROUD.
Agent of Benevolent Society.—The
people in that tenement house on Kay
street are wretchedly poor, but they are
proud and independent. They say "the v
need 110 help.
President of Society—Then how do
you know they are very poor?
Agent—l stumbled over nine dogs on
their stairway.—| Chicago Tribune.
HUMAN NATURE.
"I stood on the corner during that
wind nnd laughed and laughed to see
hats blown off and umbrellas turned in
side out," said Binks. "In fact I should
have been there laughing yet if my own
hat had not gone when my umbrella was
turned inside out. Then I swore."—
[Epoch.
A 81KB THING.
Friend—llow is your suit with that
pretty girl coming on?
Sharpwit—l haven't had the courage
to propose yet; but I know she loves
"Eh? How do you know?"
"Her father always glares at me when
we meet."—[Good News.
MOTHERS AND SONS.
Fond Mother—Did you have a nice
time at your little friend's?
Small Son—Not very. His mother
was hangin' round most of th' day.—
[Good News.
A GOOD REASON.
41 So you haven't made Smudger your
partner after all, eh ? "
44 No, and I'll tell you why. Smudger
was engaged to my wife before I married
her, and I don't believe in becoming too
friendly with a man who has proved
himself to be more wide awake than I
am."—[Fliegende Blaetter.
DEFIED TIIK INSECT.
To some pungent remarks of a profes
sional brother, a Western lawyer begau
his reply as follows:
44 May it please this Court—Resting
upon the couch of republican equality
as I do, covered with the blanket of con
stitutional panoply as I am, and pro
tected by the scgis of American liberty
as I feel myself to be, I despise the
buzzing of the professional insect who
has just sat down, and defy his futile at
tempts to penetrate, with his puny sting,
the interstices of my impervious cover
ing."—[Drygoods Chronicle.
TOO MUCH TEMPTATION.
Fangle—That man Briggs you intro
duced to me
Cumso—Well?
Fangle—lf you remember you said you
would trust him with a million without
the least anxiety.
Cumso—Yes, that is what I said.
Fangle—Well, he has stolen my um -
brella.
Cumso—Well, I didn't say I'd trust
him that far, did I?—[The Continent.
WRITE ADVICE.
4 'l have started to work on a five act
play," said the reporter who writes badly
to the city editor, "but I don't know
whether to finish it or not."
4 'Finish it by all means," was the reply.
"You can't get too much exercise in
penmanship."—[Washington Post.
A WISE NEIGUUOK.
Small Boy—Mamma, may I go skating
on the lake.
Fond Mamma—No; dear. You are too
careless with your precious little life.
"Oli, I'll come back safe. Just ask
our new neighbor. He'll tell you you
needn't be afraid 011 my account."
"Well, I declare! What does he know
about it?"
"I don't know; but lie said only yes
terday, I wasn't born to be drowned."
HUT A8 FOR ME.
Some might praise her starry eye 9,
Some her lips or golden hair;
Some might laud her to the skies
For her dimpled cheek so fair;
Some might vaunt her Grecian nose,
Or her dainty, shell-like ear,
Or her statuesque repose;
But for me, who've had to hear
All her endless clack and din,
I can only praise her chin!
—[New York Herald.
A DOUBTFUL COMPLIMENT.
"Have you read my last novel, my
dear friend?"
" Certainly."
" Well, and how did you like it?"
" I laid the book down with the
greatest satisfaction."—[Dry Goods
Chronicle.
HIS SIDE.
Mendicant—Please, mister, gimme ten
cents. I
Tragedian Banter (with dignity)—
Young man, cross over to the opposite
side of the street. I am working this
side myself.—[Munsey's Weekly.
MR. HUM'S PRECAUTIONS.
"Isn't that Chollie Slim iu the win
dow?"
"Yes. What on earth has he got on
his lap?"
"Paper weight, I guess. This is a
very windy morning."—[Brooklyn Life.
A COMING PARAGRAPHS!!,
"Father, do people buy Rnuff?"
"Yes, my child; why do you ask?"
"Well, then, why do people say they
take it?"
Father (aside)— Thank heaven, there
is likely to be one genius in my family.
TIIE WORSE CASE ON ICE.
San Bo—l see an account in this paper
of a man eating ten pounds of ice.
Bodd—That's the worse case of cold
feat I've ever heard of.
RAISED THE WIND.
Lenderinan—Well, Mr. Biclispouse,
did you speak to your wife about that
money I wanted? You said you could
aise the wind in that way.
Biclispouse—Well, I did- but that's
all!
Lenderman—What's all?
Biclispouse—The wind!
A Criterion of Wives.
The plural-wife system prevails at San
Carlos, Arizona, where it is regarded by
Apache bucks as profitable, for the rea
son that wive 9 are tireless toilers. They
chop wood, carry water, pack hay, herd
stock, build wickiups, cook and, in fact,
do all the labor calculated to contribute
to the necessity and comfort of the camp.
Apache women arc merchantable, are
bought and sold. A buck's wealth is
estimated in part by the number of his
wives. The value of a wife is calculated
by the weight she can carry—therefore
those having defective spines and who
are unable to pack a sack of flour or a
bundle of hay or an eighth of a cord of
wood and a pappoosc at the same time
are not regarded as valuable property,
and are less appreciated by their masters
than a pony or a burro.—[Globe (Arizo
na) Silver Belt.
Alaska Mosquitoes.
Though Alaska is a cool place it will
never become a popular summer resort on
account of the mosquitoes. Explorers
all agree that there are 110 mosquitoes
like Alaska mosquitoes anywhere in the
world. They are bigger than the New
Jersey variety and even more blood
thirsty. Whenever a native pauses any
where on his walks abroad, he immedi
ately sets fire to the dry grass around
him, for the purpose of keeping the
mosquitoes away, and thus it happens
that the forests of the country have been
to a great extent destroyed. By the tires
also the game is frightened off and made
scarce. It is believed that Alaska will
never be colonized to any extent on ac
count of the mosquitoes.—[Boston
Transcript*
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Ot'T of fifty counterfeiters arrested in
tlie last eighteen months, only twenty
three of them had passed S3O worth of
the "queer," and only five of them had
made a profit of $8 per day for the time
engaged. It doesn't pay as well a* saw
ing wood at 00 cents a cord, and arrest
is sure to come within a year or two.
IT is a somewhat singular circumstance
that while the most successful cotton
mills arc those where ample capital and
immense outlay facilitate the greatest
production, yet on the other hand the
most successful and most profitable in- j
vestments in woolen mills are those of !
limited capacity and moderate outlay, j
Mammoth woollen mills, as a rule, do not |
pay the dividends realized by mammoth j
cotton mills.
KANSAS, says Harper's Bazar, has rea
son to be proud of her women office
holders. Mrs. Kellogg, of that State,
makes an admirable Assistant Attorney-
General; and Mrs. Salter, who is now
serving her second term as Mayor of
Argonia, is said to have doue all the
house work for her family of five people,
as well as given due attention to her
public and social duties during her ten
ure of office.
THE transfer of the weavers and the
shoemakers from the home to the great j
factories has produced lamentable social j
changes, but electricity gives us reason ;
to hope that the days of small workers
have not wholly passed away. It is j
pleasing to note, therefore, that the
director of a German weaving school has j
made a very successful trial of electric
motors for driving looms in the homes
of the weavers.
FHOH all the Atlantic Statse come loud
complaints of the rapid destruction of
the oyster beds by reckless and careless
dredging and by the raids of the oyster
pirates. Both in Maryland and Virginia,
there has been a marked decrease of late
in the production of oysters growing out
of these depredations; and changes in
the laws are iusisted on to meet this
condition of affairs and save the oyster
beds from ruin.
THE mace, the ensign of authority, at
present in the House of Representatives,
has been in use for seventy-five years.
It is the third since the formation of the
government. The first was stolen by
the British when they burned the Capi
tol, in 1814; the second was an inexpen
sive and temporary mace. Every day at
noon, when the House meets, the mace
is borne to the hall by the sergeant-at
arms, and placed upon its pedestal.
TIIE city of London is about to pro- :
vide itself with an electric plant which :
will cost something over $5,000,000. The j
purpose is to light the greater portion of ;
the city with ore lights, and to provide
all of the public buildings with incan
descent illumination. The plant will be
the largest in the world, ana it is expoc
ted that its establishment will result
iu making London the most brilliant
city by night, far surpassing Paris.
ALASKA bids fair to enjoy a leading
place in the favor of the American tour
ist. In 1890 there were 2,500 summer
visitors, a number equal to one-third of
Alaska's total white population. Trav
elling for amusement has become in these
later days so important an institution
that half a dozen great agencies arc rack
ing their professional bruin 9 to supply
novelties attractive enough to tempt the
already sated appetite of the curiosity
seeker.
TIIK Smithsonian Institute, along
with the sages of the land, has concluded
that many valuable animals are fast be
coming extinct. Instances in the past
occur to us, the buffaloes for example,
to meution a singular notable case, and
touching the future, we all have been
fearful lest the seal should follow him to
the happy swimming-grounds. The
forthcoming publication of the Smith
sonian will substantiate these melancholy
forecasts.
THE sword which Washington wore
when he resigned his commission, and for
which the Massachusetts authorities have
been negotiating with Kdward Everett
Warner, representing the Lewis family
(collateral descendants of the Washing
tons), is now offered at SIO,OOO. Twice
that amount was asked originally.
When there was talk of the Federal
Government purchasing it, Senator Hoar
said it was "the one single relic on the
face of the earth, which all mankind
would agree to recognize as the most i
valuable, sacred and precious." Senator i
Voorhees was quoted as saying that "it
was cheap at any price, hallowed by such
memories."
THE experiment of using Japanese
laborers on Hawaiian sugar plantations
will probably soon end in failure. The
Japanese are physically inferior to the
Chinese, while they are far less docile, i
They resent any ill treatment, and make |
constant complaints if the strict letter of 1
their agreement is not kept by the j
planters. On the other hand the Chinese i
makes less trouble even than the South 1
Sea islander, and iu the cane field he can i
tire out any other laborer. Should the !
bars be thrown down again and the Celes
tials be allowed to swarm into Hawaii, it !
will not take more than ten years to mon- |
gohanizc the islands. Pitted against the
shrewd, tireless Chinese, the indolent
Kanaka is sure to go to the wall.
J. H. MOUSE, a young man formerly
well known in San Francisco, is leading
a life which must be singularly independ- I
ent and free from all the annoyances and '
cares of ordinary existence. He has \
bought himself, for the modest sum of |
$5,000, a small island in the Pacific I
Ocean. He has imported thither a pop- j
ulation of South Sea Islanders, and has :
set out great quantities of cocoanut and I
banana trees, lie is absolute ruler, and
practically owns everything, animate anil
inanimate, in his domaius. As his little
kingdom is rich in guano, his purchsse
promises to be a profitable one. Of
course there is nothing to prevent his
returning to civilization at anytime, but
beseems to prefer to stay where he is.
And who shall say that Mr. Morse is not
one of the happiest men in the world
to-clay ?
THE origin of the name "America"
has recently been discussed by the Geog
raphical Society of Berlin. Some hold
that it comes from the mountains in
Central America, called by the natives
Amcriquc, and that Vespucci was not
called Amerigo, as it is not a name in
the saint calendar of Italy. They as
serted that he changed his name from
Alberigo to Amerigo after the latter was
coming into use as a name for the West
ern World. Signer Govi, however, has
proved that Alberico, in the Florentine
language, is identical with Amerigo, and
a letter of Vespucci, dated 1500, found
recently in the archives of the I)ukc of
Gonzaga at Mantua, shows that he some
times subscribed himself Amerigo. More
over, the natives call the mountains
Amerisque, not Ameriouc, so that the
question may be considered settled in
favor of the pcrsonnl name.
TN Spain, Italy and some other Europ-1
ean countries titles of alleged nobility |
can be bought so cheaply that it really
seems to the New York Press "a pity to
see American girls throw themselves and
their happiness into the bargain along
with their own or their parents' money.
It stands to reason that such marriages
cannot, as a rule, be happy. The dowry
figures in the arrangement with a prom
inence that is chilling and coarse to old
fashioned American ideas of matrimony;
the husband looks to the wife not alone
i for support but for obedience. She must
I bo his slave of the lamp, and apart from
| her money he would not tolerate her a
moment. Of course there are exceptions
to this rule—genuine love matches U'ith
a happy after history. But such in
stances are probably as rare as linen
dusters in October. If the American
girl must have a title let her buy it with
out incumbrance, outright for cash. It
will be cheaper."
T. E. WHEELER, who until recently
was train dispatcher on the only railroad
in Costa Rica, is visiting his mother,
who lives in Pittsburg. Penn. He says
this Central American republic is boiling
over with crime. The government is
patterned after that of the United States,
but a man named Minus C. Keith is said
to be the real ruler. Keith is a Brooklyn
man. He holds no office, but he permits
i no man to hold office without his con
! sent. Keith owns the only railroad
i in the country and one half of the banana
! plantations. The inhabitants are obedient
; to him, and his rule is a wise one. lie
has put the government on a practical
footing. Every Costa Rican is a chronic
office-seeker, and if he fails to get the
j office he wants he threatens to start a
! revolution. Then Keith sits down on
him. The schools and churches are a
century behind the times, and the
Spanish s< hoolmarms spend most of the
school hours in smoking cigarettes.
Port Liraon, the only seaport town, is
very disorderly.
CAPTURED BY TRICKS,
How South American Indians Lay
in a Supply of Venison.
The manner in which the South Ameri
j can Indians hunt deer in the Cordilleras
i is very interesting anu somewhat ingeni
j ous. They first ascertain the locality in
! which the animals congregate to graze,
j and then the men, woineu and old chil
| dren of the tribe make extensive pre
-1 parations to hem in the herd. In order
| to cause a stampede they blow horns,
j yell and make other bewildering and
j outlandish noises. As a natural consc
| quence the deer quit their grazing places,
j They form in line in regular marching
order, the older males leading the way,
followed by the females aud young,
while the rear column is brought up by
the young bucks, who act as protectors
I to the centres.
The Indians now close in upon them,
seeing which the animals prepare to do
battle for their lives. The hunters then
proceed to prepare the instruments of
destruction, consisting of large lances,
resinous torches, and nooses fixed to
long poles.
The worst enemy of the deer is the
jaguar and wild cat, and their animosity
to them is such that they have been
known to leap over a hunter in order to
attack either of these feline l'oes. The
Indians, knowing this, employ it to
great advantage during these hunts.
The women stuff a and
cat skins, which arc placed in prominent
positions on the edges of precipices, in
full view of the deer. Immediately the
: bucks make a violent effort to get at
them, in order to hull them into the
j abyss beneath, but are thus treated
| themselves by the wily hunters, who
i push them over the cliffs, where they
: are quickly hamstrung or otherwise dis
-1 ablca by the women, who are stationed
! below. After the first onslaught on the
| stuffed figures, the remaining deer seem to
I recognize the fact that they have been
tricked, and huddle together, awaiting
; another attack.
Then the Indians throw lighted
i torches among them and a panic ensues,
j They make desperate efforts to escape,
I but the relentless hunters drive them
i over the crags until they see that a suffi
; cicnt number have been captured—
usually four or five hundred. They do
I not usually harm the females and fawns,
| and also allow a few ducks to escape,
i Very seldom i 9 a doe killed, and if a uoe
fawn is captured, it is immediately libcr
j ated. The tlcsh is eaten by the Indians
1 and also carried to the villages to be
1 sold, while the skins arc either purchased
! by dealers, or made up into various
| articles by those who assisted in their
, capture.—[Detroit Free Press.
Speed of Thought in Dreams.
During the Franco-Prussian war a tele
graph operator was receiving a press dis
' patch concerning a battle that had just
| occurred. In it Prince Bismarck's name
I was frequently repeated. Worn out
| from three days and two nights' contin
i nous service, without sleep, the poor
! operator took down the "Bis" of the old
i warrior's name and then fell asleep. In
! his sleep he dreamed that he visited the
scenes of his childhood's day; went hunt
! ing with some Indians; had a great deal
j of sport, passing through an experience
that would take days to perform, and
j finally, after returning from the chase,
j and during a dispute over divid-
I ing the game, he woke in time to hear
i the instrument click out the fiual sylla
j ble of Bismarck's name and succeeded iu
I making a complete copy of the message.
| At the rate of about forty words per min
j ute (the average at that time), tlicopera
| tor could not have slept more than the
j 44-100 th of a second; only during the
[ time that the middle letter of the name
i was being recorded by the instrument!
I —[St. Louis Republic.
American Natural Wonders.
Among the natural wonders of the
l uffed States some of the most remark
able are the Falls of Niagara, the gey
sers in Yellowstone Park, the Natural
Bridge and Woyer's Cave in Virginia, the
Mammoth Cave iu Kentucky, tne great
(anyon of the Colorado River, whoso
walls rise perpendicularly in some places
7,000 feet above the river, the big trees
of California, the California Lake in the
crater of an extinct volcano, the falls
and other wonders of the oscmito \ al
ley.
A Large Alaskan Island.
ICodiak Island, Alaska, i* described as
larger than some of the New England
States, with a climate similar to that of
Maryland, and is capable of support
ing a large agricultural population. It
is claimed that a part of the Territory
cau be made a competitor of Oregon and
Washington in the raising of the more
hardy fruits, such as apples and cherries.
The next steamer sailing for Sitka will
carry in her cargo a large consignment
of young apple trees.—[San Francisco
Chronicle.
Bo content to do tho things you can, and
fret not because you cannot do everything.