FREELAND TRIBUNE.
-' rpm.ißßP bviuit
i HON DAT AND THUKSIIAY.
TIIOS. A. BUCKLEY.
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
OFFICE: MAIS Struct abovk Cxbtrb.
■ DBSCBIPTIOM BATES.
One Year $1 GO
SIX XttIttIHtMMNWMMMMM T5
Four
Two Mooiin.26
Bubncrlbera are requested to observe tbo date
following the name cm the labels of their
papers. By referring to this they can tell at a
glance how they stand on the books In this
offloo. For instance:
Grover Cleveland ZHJuiielfc
means that Grover is paid up to June 28,1806.
Keep the figures In advance of the present date.
Report promptly to this office when your paper
la not received. All arrearages must be paid
when paper is discontinued, or oollection will
be made la the manner provided by law.
FUEELANI), PA., MARCH 14, 1895.
One False Argument.
Thorn is much unnecessary alarm felt
in Freeland regarding the new county.
The claim is made that if Quay county
is established, with Ilazleton as the
county seat, that the growth of this bor
ough will lx- retarded, property will de
preciate in value ami business interests
in general will suffer. To begin with,
Ilazleton is by no means certain of
being the county seat. Freeland has a
lighting chance to secure the courthouse,
and but little active work is required to
have the voters declare in favor of this
town.
Rut allowing that our neighboring
city will become the county seat, In
what manner will that injure Freeland's
future prospects? The anti-new county
people have poisoned many of the busi
ness men here with that claim, because
the latter did not stop to think whether
the assertion was true or false. What
argument has been presented to show
that a courthouse in Ilazleton will prove
inimicable to this town's growth? Noth
ing but the bare statement, which the
men who make it cannot support by a
particle of proof.
If Freeland is to be injured because
t he county seat is to be located less than
ten miles away, why have not other
towns situated the same distance, or
nearer, to other county seats been
"blighted" and "ruined?" We need not
go outside of our own county to prove
the falsity of this ridiculous argument.
As an example, take the borough of
Nauticokc, seven miles from Wilkes-
Rarre. Its population in 1880 was 3,884,
in 1890 it was 10,044. Today it is said
to be the best business town in north
eastern Pennsylvania, and the court
house Is not known to have any effect
upon its business or property values.
Another town is Plymouth, a short
distance from tho county seat. Popu
lation in 1880, 6,005; iu 1890, 9,344. That
borough shows no signs of decay, which
it should according to the arguments
used in this town.
l'ittston is another, near enough to
Wilkos-Barre to be oft the map long ago
if the claim that neighboring towns are
destroyed by county seats held good.
Its population in 1880 was 7,473, in 1800,
10,303. It became a third-class city a
few months ago.
The boroughs of Ashley, Edwurdsville,
Luzerne, Miners Mills, Parsons and
others located three to seven miles from
Wilkes-Barre show corresponding gains
in population during the years between
1880 and 1800, and their business inter
est and valuations of property have
increased in proportion.
A similar state of affairs can be found
by reference to tho dozen towns in the
vicinity of Scranton. The onward
march of the Electric City has spurred
the little boroughs about it to become
larger and more enterprising, and not
one (if them considers itself located at a
disadvantage because of tho county seat
being a few miles distant.
So it would be with Frooland, even
should the courthouse go to Hazlcton.
The claim that this town would suffer in
any manner is unfounded and cannot be
proven, and the men who are making
themselves ridiculous by preaching "dis
aster" and "ruin" for Frooland ought to
learn whether or not their statements
are reliable or come only from those who
have axes to grind and desire to make
themselves notorious in this new county
contest.
The TRIBUNE has no particular inter
est in the new county fight. As its
readers know, it favors the division, but
it has respected the opinions of those
who think otherwise. It will not, how
ever. stand by and hear unprincipled
men decry tho future of this town with
out a shadow of proof for such prophecy.
Frooland was built up by the hard-earn
ed money of poor men, and it cannot be
wrecked by one or a dozen courthouses
which may be built in Hazlcton or else
where. Frooland will stand and pros
per while the mines and shops about it
last, and perhaps after they are gone.
If it retrogrades the cause will come
from some other source, not because of
a courthouse at Hazlcton, and the men
who use tin*, argument that the town's
future would be imperiled on that ac
count set themselves down as enemies
of the town who would injure its stand
ing among others to serve their own sel
fish ends. The attempt to frighten
property owners and business people
here by lying assertions is not creditable
to those engaged in the work, but some
people appear to have lost all sense of
honor in their efforts to array Frooland
against tho new county measure.
i f the borrowers of local newspapers
knew wnat a nuisance they are to legiti
mate subscribers they might read and
nay for papers of their own.
Tlie House Provides for Additional
Hours of Labor.
TWO BUILDING ASSOCIATION BILLS.
One Proposed to Bring All Foreign Associa
tions Under the Control of State Ofllciuls.
The Proposed County of Mouongahela.
lieely Cure Investigation.
(Special Correspondence.)
lIARRISBURG, March 11.—The house has
settled down to business in earnest, and if
the members do not insist upon discuss
ing evory bill on the calendar the promises
of an early adjournment may bo fulfilled.
Beginning tomorrow the house will hold
three sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays
and Thursdays. This is a stop forward,
as night sessions have not been hold by
past legislatures until a month or six
weeks later in the session. The senate
continues to hold one session a day and
ndjourn on Thursday until Monday even
ing.
The records show that fchehouso is much
further advanced than previous sessions.
In 1891 the number of bills reported to
March 1 was 333; iu 1893 thoro wore 366,
and In 1895 the number was 419. Up to
March 1, 1891, the house passed 11 bills; In
1893, 33, and in 1895, 43. Tho governor re
ceived up to March 1 in 1881 two bills; in
1893 two, and In 1895 seven.
The Fooht amendment to tho act of 1891
relative to intercounty bridges has been
brought out by the senate committee on
counties and townships. The measure pro
vides that where bridges are erected over
streams or rivers flowing between or form
ing boundary lines of counties, that tho
expense be borne by the counties in pro
portion to population. The bill affects only
three or four counties, and settles tho con
tention between Northumberland and
Union counties.
Proposed New Counties.
A bill which will probably bring about
tho county of Monongahela has been read
in the houso tho first time. If tho county
Is created it will come from portions of
Washington, Fayette, Greon and West
morclaml counties. Charloroi is tho cen
ter of tho proposed county, and may bo
made tho soat. Tho bill provides that on
tho petition of 1,000 citizens of tho district
affected tho governor shall appoint throe
commissioners, who shall, within sixty
days, survey the lines and establish tho
now boundaries, under the constitutional
restrictions that no line shall run within
ten miles of any county seat. Tho report
shall be made to the governor and secreta
ries of the commonwealth and internal af
fairs. The governor shall order an olec
tiou within sixty days, at which all tho
qualified voters in tho district affected
may vote on tho question. If tho voto is
in favor the governor shall appoint tho of
ficers, who will hold until after tho noxt
regular election, at which time the loca
tion of the county seat shall also be fixed
by a vote of the electors. In tho meantime
the county commissioners can spend $30,-
090 to secure quarters for the courts. Tho
new courts are to bo organlzod by tho
judge of bho county from which tho most
territory was taken.
This wook u petition will be filed with !
the secretary of internal affairs asking for
a new county to be formed out of Luzerne |
to be called Grow, after the illustrious
congressman-at-largo from Pennsylvania.
The new county will bo asked for under
the Lackawanna county act, which pro
vides for the division of counties contain
ing a population of 150,000 or more. It is
proposed to take in on the west side of the
Susquehanna, Salom, Shlckshlnny,Union,
Hunlock, lions, Huntington, Fulrmount,
New Columbus, part of Newport, Conyng
ham.Hollenback, Dennlsou, Slocum, But
ler, Black Creek and Nescopeck.
Two bills indorsed by the Building and
Loan Association League of Pennsylvania
have found their way into the senate. One
brings all foreign building and loan asso
ciations more directly and explicitly un
der the supervision and control of the
banking department. Before doing busi
ness in the state they must deposit with
the state 1100,000 to cover losses which cit
izens of the stato may incur through their
failure to meet their obligations, and re
ceive from the banking department a cer
tificate authorizing them to do business.
They are also taxed for this privilege and
required to make annual reports to the
commissioner of banking. The second
bill authorizes domestic associations to is
sue different series of stock, and also to is
sue all paid up certificates of stock in
which permanent investments may be
made and which may bo taxed as other
moneys at interest.
The Clarency amendment to the bank
ing act to relievo building and loan asso
ciations from making semi-annual reports
to tho department has been made a special
order for second reading next Wednesday
and third reading tho following Tuesday.
To Investigate tho Keely Cure.
Tho houso has adopted a joint resolution
for an investigation by tho state board of
charities of tho Keely cure treatment. The
board is to Inquire into and report to the
next legislature as to tho scientific treat
ment of drunkenness us a disease, and tho
feasibility of applying the treatment in
connection with the penal, churltable and
reformatory institutions of tho state. The
resolution was introduced ut the roquest
of the Cuthollc Temperance league of Lu
zerne county. A waggish member wanted
to amend it so that "all old drunkurds in
the stato bo sent to tho Kooly institutes at
the expense of the state," but was ruled
out of order by the speaker.
Tho manufacturers are making a bitter
fight on the new revenue bill. It provides
for a tax of one mill on the stock of man
ufacturing corporations. A committee
from the Manufacturers' club, of Phila
dolphin, was given a hearing last Thurs
day night. Charles Heber Clark, secretary
of the club, who was a member of tho stato
tax conference which formulated the bill,
but left in disgust, made a bitter attack
upon the measure and Joseph I). Weeks,
of Pittsburg, president of tho conference.
Mr. Clark said President Weeks repre
sented the railroads, and that the monoy
to pay tho expenses of tho tax conference
was furnished by the railroads. Ho
charged Mr. Weeks with hnvlng traveled
through tho stato with a flno tooth comb
for three years, raking out something to
tax, and declared ho really believed tho
Pittsburgor was sorry not to be able to
show in Ids report that tho railroads puid
more than their shuro of taxes.
Mr. Clark stated that the bill would not
help the agricultural classes und that tho
granger members of the conference,among
them Worthy Master Rhone, were really
helping the railroads. He argued that tho
I manufacturers get no special privileges
I from the state, as railroads did, and while
the latter could make the public pay their
taxes by incroasod rates the manufac
turers had to compete for their business,
lie said this bill would produce a deficit in
Pennsylvania and drive capital out of the
Itato.
Tho Shortt education bill Is being
pushed through the house. It has passed
the senate. Tho measure provides that
diplomas shall bo issued to graduates of
high schools, seminaries and academies,
which puts these pooplo on a better foot
ing than those who graduate from state
normal schools. Superintendent of Pub
lie Instruction Schoeffer docs not liko tho
hill because it puts too much work on his
department, asido from its other bad fea
tures. Ho will have to send out questions
for the examinations and then go over tho
papers when they are returned. Tills
would necessitate the handling of 500,000
manuscripts annually and would involvo
u great expense. A system like this is in
vogue in New York.
To Restrict Liquor Licenses.
The people of Jefferson county have pe
titioned the legislature for legislation pro
viding all applications for licenses to sell
liquor shall bo refused in any city, ward,
borough, township, county or park when
a majority of the residents of a lawful ago
or of the property holders or tho holders of
property of tho largost aggregate value
unite in a remonstrance against them. Tho
house has been flooded with petitions In
favor of tho Ponnlwell local option bill.
The Furr compulsary education bill has
gone through tho house. It passed tho
final stage last Thursday after the most
exciting scenes in the house this session.
The Republicans moved the previous ques
tion boforo the Democrats had spoken on
tho bill. This raised the iro of the minority
and they declined to voto on the final pas
sage of tho measure. Only thirteen votes
were recorded against it. Tho Smith re
ligious garb bill has passed second reading
In tho house and will come up on third
reading next Tuesday. The opposition to
It comes principally from the Democrats
and tho representatives of tho coal regions.
Governor Hastings has affixed his signa
ture to the Marshall pipe lino repeal bill.
In giving notice to the house of bis ap
proval of the measure tho governor accom
panied his message with a statement giv
ing his reasons therefor. "I am convinced
that tho act of 1883, which tho bill repeals,"
says tho governor, "is directly tho reverso
of its ostensible object. Instead of encour
aging competition and fostering tho build
ing of pipe lines to compete with each
other, the fact that when the property bo
comes unprofitable tho owners are prohib
ited by law from selling it must neces
sarily discourage investors iu such enter
prise. All legislation, tho tendency of
which is to control, hamper or restrain in
dividual enterprise, should, in my opin
ion, be closely scanned, and unless somo
great public reason exists to tho contrary
it is much better that all commercial en
terprises should remain unfettered by
legislation."
The governor has vetoed the bill for an
other edition of tho famous "bird book."
His reasons are that whllo tho publication
is useful and popular tho finuuecs of the
state will not admit of another edition at
this time. Following out this line of veto
tho governor will soon have tho appropria
tions within the limit.
Governor Hastings will send to the sen
ate during tho week, likely tomorrow, a
list of stuff appointments. Among them
will bo Colonel Ezra 11. Ripple, of Serau
ton, commander of the Thirteenth regi
ment, as commissary general, to succeed
Colonel Richard S. Edwards, of Gwyncdd,
and Major Everett Warren, of Scranton,
president of the State League of Ropubltcan
clubs, vioo Colonel DoWitt Cuyler, of
Philadelphia. Jacob Greene, of Philadel
phia, will be appointed color sergeant in
place of Alex W. Bergstrosser, of this city.
Greene was color bearer on the staff of
General Hart ran ft when he was governor,
and uftcrward held tho same rank on the
division staff under him.
The Coyle mining 1)111 creating mine in
spectors galore has been submitted to a
committee of eight miners, four inspectors
and four operators, one-half of each num
ber to come from the unthracite and bi
tuminous regions respectively. The com
mittee will meet hero noxt Wednesday.
The Department of Agriculture.
The governor has not yet acted upon the
bill creating a departniont of agrlculturo.
The applicants for the places created by
the act are numerous. Thcro seems to bo
no doubt of tho appointment of Secretary
Edge, of the state hoard of agriculture, as
chief of tho department.
Tho board of public buildings and
grounds has engaged Captain Louis R.
Walters, of Phamlxvlllo, to work out a
plan for the improvement of the acoustic
properties of the hall of tho house of repre
sentatives. Ho has made careful measure
ments of the room, and is convinced that
tho defects can bo remedied. A similar
defect in tho capltol at Dos Moines was
corrected by changing tho pitch of tho
ceiling. Captain Walters says tho prob
lem is a dinieult one and will have to bo
worked out scientifically. He believes tho
most feasible plan for the permanent im
provement of this defect is to change tho
ceiling. This would involve u greater ex
penditure of money than tho board would
care to authorize at this time. The heavy
lambrequins havo been placed in
tho windows have made a slight improve
ment in tho acoustic properties of tho
room.
Senator Quay was a guest at the execu
tive mansion last Thursday night. This
Is the first time he has seen the governor
since his olectlon, and his visit was purely
social. During the evening tho senator
had a conference with Chairman Gilkeson,
of the Republican state committee, ami
other politicians at tho state capitol.
Mayor elect Warwick, of Philadelphia,
was a guest of tho governor at tho mansion
on Tuesday night.
A now senatorial bill, similar to that
vetoed by Governor Pattlson four years
ago, has been read the first timo in tho
house. It makes a radical change In tho
districts in the western end of tho state.
Allegheny's representation is increased
from four to Ave, by making a new dis
trict out of the territory north of the Ohio
river uud the Island of Ncvillo and tho
Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Twentieth
wards of Pittsburg. In Philadelphia tho
Thirteenth ward is detached from tho
Sixth district and attached to tho First.
McKoan, Potter, Clinton and Camoron
are designated as the Thirty-soventh dis
trict, and Clarion, Elk and Jefferson as
tho Thirty-eighth. Hutler is detached
from Armstrong and joined with Lnw
roneo. Armstrong and Indiana are made
a district to bo known as the Thirty-ninth.
Venango and Mercer are made tho Forty
ninth district, while Crawford and War
run are joined to make the Fiftieth.
Secretary of tho Commonwealth and
Mrs Heeder will sail for Europe tho latter
part of April, to be gone until September.
The secretary has requested Deputy Sec
retary Tilden, a hold ovor man from tho
Pattison ml mini strut! on, to remain until
ufter the closo of the session of the legisla
ture. WAKUAUOIL
A DAY WITH BAQY.
The huby I'm acquainted with
Knows uuught of battle's harms*
j Although he's of tho iufantry,
And often up In arms.
ITo puts his grandpa's glasses en,
Then imitates his frown,
And roads the paper backward, while
He holds it upside down.
Sometimes he cries, und oh, so hard,
I think he understood
Tho good old doctor when ho said
That it would do him good.
With kitty oft upon the rug
lie has a wrostling mutch.
And kitty, it uauy he, will win
lly fust the merest scratch.
lie croons a little song that sounds
Llko "Gum, oh gum with iuol"
And, as he Is a minor, ho
Selects a minor key.
Each day nurse wheels him to tho park.
So in his earriago thoro,
A little son und heir may And
A little sun und air.
As in his crib he dozes off,
With such a funny snore,
Wo wish ho'd sleep till eight, Instead
Of waking up at four.
—Malcolm Douglass, in St. Nicholas.
/J!
\ fi.u HEN Gilbert
talr'JW\VH Rawlins found
Km 'WI himself in pos
session of an
MlShlmi umbrella which
w/iimiiUilll/V not " belong
V ll to him he intcr
rogated himself
severely as to
his recent whereabouts and tried to
lay the blame where It belonged.
The acquisition of a wandering, lost
or strayed umbrella was not of much
importance in a general way, because
umbrellas, like dogs, are not looked
upon us property. Shakespeare says
nothing about stealing umbrellas. By
the way, the people of the day had
Shakespeare, but they hud no um
brella. That useful article had not 1
then eorae into use. This is aa after
thought to verify my knowledge of
history.
This umbrella, which now lay so
heavily on tho conscience of Gilbert
Rawlins, was a very light affair, its
actuul weight being a mere trille, but
what troubled him was tho fact that
it was a woman's umbrella, a dainty,
gold-handled parachute, with the
name of the fair owner—an unknown
woman is always fair to a man's im
agination—engraved in Roman letters |
on tho handle, upon a small gold
plate:
*
: MAUD, :
; C-2 Livewell AvENua ;
4 i
Now Livewell avenue was ono of tho
most aristocratic streets in the city,
and the question at once arose: "Who
was Maud?" And how did Rawlins
obtain that umbrella? He had dined
at the club with some of his friends
had gone from there straight homo by
the street car—ha! ho must havo as
similated that umbrella in tho car.
lie did not remember seeing anyouo
in the car except a woman of very
ordinary appearance, and he only re
called her because she had weighed
about three hundred pounds and had
stepped on his foot in getting out.
There was certainly no one there who
answered to tho appearance of
j "Maud" as she was represented by this
dainty silk umbrella, which seemed to
diffuse a faint perfume through Gil
bert Rawlins' bachelor apartments.
His first impression was one of im
mediate restitution. He would call a
messenger boy and send it to her num
ber with a noto of explanation and
apology. He wrote several such mis
sives ou his metal tablet, but as they
all began with "Maud" there seemed
a boldness in the severe simplicity of
his modo of addressing her. "Doar
Maud" soundc<l too familiar, "Miss
Maud" might be a misnomer. Hal
Suppose she wore married? 11c had al
ready settled her in his thoughts as
an idcul, and thrust aside the obtrusive,
unvelcome thought of her marriage
< with some other man. "No," ho rea
soned, "there is her sweet, simple,
girlish name," and he sang:
"Come into the garden. Muud,
Tor the black but night has Aownj
Come into the garden. Maud,
j I am hero at tho gate alono.
Tuui-to-tum-te -tum-te-tum-to."
| The only effect this had was to
arouse the midnight wrath of his land
lady, who called to him through his
door to remember that there were
other peoplo in the house who wuntcd
( to sleep.
| So he then concluded that it was too
late to send the runaway home that
night. He would wait until the morn
ing, and he went to bed, and dreamed
all night of canopies descending upon
him, and of stealing innumerable
umbrellas which he was trying to sell
to an old-clothes man.
Thp first thing he saw in tho morn
ing was the waif of the night before
stan ding trim und tuut in a corner
of his room. It looked more bewitch
ing then than by the gaslight, and ho
discovered that it was an imported ar-
I ticle, and had the Paris trademark
stamped in the silk.
I "Whew!" he said as he unrolled it,
"where you have beou, and what sights
you have seen, I would lilce to know.
An iden strikes nie. I must be careful
of it for this is going to be a hard win
ter. I shall take fate—l mean the
umbrella—into my own hands and re
store it to its legitimate owner this
evening. Who knows! She may of
fer mo the reward of —her acquaint
anoe. lam certain she is a girl worth
knowing."
The young man was employed as an
accountant in a railroad otllco, but ho
came near receiving his discharge on
that day, for he wrote "Maud"and "um
brella" on so many places in the
ledger, that he was asked to explain
his new system of figuring, and
cautioned to bo ruoro careful in fti
ture.
lie did uot go to the club dinner with
his friends that night, but swallowed
a hnsty bite at a restaurant on his way
to his boarding-house, where he sel
dom ate, and then he dressed carefully
with the noncliulant air of a well-to
do young- man who respects himself
niul the world in which he lives, and
with his, or rather her, umbrella un
der his arm, he started for the objec
tive point of his thoughts, 222 Live
well avenue.
Just as he expected, it was ono of
tho line uptown houses, and ho at
once recognized tho name on the door,
"Dekin," as that of a retired capital
ist, who had a lovely young daughter
just returned from her studies abroad.
\Vhowl He felt like leaning the um
brella up against tho door, ringing the
bell, and running away, a style of do
ing disagreeable errands he had prac
ticed in his boyhood. Then an un
pleasant thought assailed him. What
if he should be arrested for stealing
the umbrella? These were ticklish
times, and everybody was expected to
bo able to account for property found
in his possession. The mere sugges
tion made him turn cold, and he near
ly fainted as he imagined himself
seated in the patrol wagon on his wayj
to jail. Such thiugs had happened
and the harmless silk umbrella began
to look to him like an avenging agent
of fate.
"Pooh!" ho said, as ho wiped tho
Cold and clammy perspiration from
his manly brow; "I'll screw my cour
age to the sticking place;" and ho
gavo the electric bell a push that set
the whole house vibrating with its
summons. The door was opened al
most instantly, and a woman—the
identical fat woman who had stepped
on his foot in tho street car—stood bo
fore him.
"Well," she asked, as he gasped for
words, "what are ye wan tin'?"
ller tono was belligerent, and sho
set her arms akimbo, quite tilling tho
doorway.
"Are you tho—the housemaid?" stam
mered the 3'oung man, who had not
the slightest Idea of what ho was
saying.
"I'm th' cook, an' ef ye hev enny
business here yo can shpake it to me."
"Is your name Muud?" he inquired
wildly, having quite lost his head.
"It is none of yer business," was
the sharp retort; then—fatal moment!
—her eye fell on the umbrella.
"Oh, ye thafe of tho world, did yo
bring it back agin? Ye swiped it
from me in the car. Give it here,
quick, and bo off wid yo or I'll call tho
patrol on ye 1 will."
She made a snatch at the umbrella,
but Gilbert put it behind him with a
IV]
"IS YOUIi NAME MAUD?®*
quick motion, and at that moment a
sweet musical voice called out from
the hall:
"Who is it, Ellen?"
"It's me brother, miss—he's tellin'
me a message."
"I'm nothing of the kind," exclaimed
: Gilhert over the cook's head; "I wish
to see Miss Dekin."
An Illuminated idea had occurred to
him, and brightened his way out of
the dilllculty.
"Show the gentleman in, Ellen,"
said the sweet voice, in a peremptory
tone this time, and Ellen, shaking her
I fist at the young man and trying in
j vain to snatch the umbrella, inado
i haste to obey. Gilbert was ushered
into a pretty room, where a charming
young woman waited to receive tho
card ho handed her.
"We have a mutual friend," she said,
pleasantly; "let me take your hat and
umbrella."
"Your umbrella, Miss Dekin, if your
nainc is Maud."
"Why, so it is. llow funny. Where
did you fiud it?"
Ho was only too ready to tell his
story, including his reception at tho
door by Ellen. Miss Dekin laughed
heartily.
"Poor thig, she shall have an um
brella of her own. I have often sus
pected her of borrowing my things,
but she is so capable and such a good
cook that we could not live without
her. You see, sho did not want you
to give it to me, as that would tell
against her. 1 expect she has Worried
over its loss, but I had not missed it."
The umbrella proved such a fertilo
subject of conversation that Gilbert
made a long call, and was invited to
come again, a privilege he will not be
slow to appreciate.—Detroit Free
Press.
Frc© Trannlntlou.
Tho sorrows of the English language
arc painted by a ludy who, writing
j from Germany to a friend in Kansas
City, says: "1 am in the condition, as
regards the study of German, of the
Teuton who prided himself on his mas
tery of English. Having been called
upon to put into English a well-known
Scriptural sentiment, he electrified tho
company with this happy translation:
'The ghost indeed is disposed, but
tho meat is feeble.' "Since then," the
lady adds naively, "I have been chary
of airing my German." —Philadelphia
Record.
—The smallest bird is a species of
humming bird common in Mexico and
Central America. It is not quite so
large as a bluc-bQtHe fly
TERRAPIN AND RATS.
A Lively Encounter ftetween ltodents and
a Let Turtle.
A Jay or two since a terrapin was j
picked up in tho upper part of the city, !
says a Parlcersburg (\V. Va.) corre
spondent of the Cincinnati Enquirer. !
Carved 011 the shell of the terrapin i
were a number of dates, the latest of
which was 1891. The terrapin was !
identified us one which three years ago
was a popular resident of Max Thau
hauscr's lot in tho rear of his Market
street store. This terrapin was a Cor- !
bett and Fitzsiminons among the rats
which infested the neighborhood. 110
was always down to weight and in fine :
fettle for a battle with the rodents,
and many an afternoon the clerks of
•111,
OUT SHOT THE HEAD.
the store, spectators and customers en
joyed the unique spectacle. A descrip- j
tion of the first battle which came off i
in public is a fair report of the succeed- j
ing onos.
One afternoon one of the clerks heard !
a shrill, squeaking noise, such as a full
grown rat would make when enraged.
He looked through the window and
was astonished to sec a big rat attack
ing a terrapin. The rat was doing his
best to bite through tho terrapin's
shell, but his teeth glanced from tho
armor and failed to make even the
slightest indentation. The rodent bit
ut the shell, at the sides and on top.
lie changed front and bit and clawed
from all points, but could find no vul
nerable point of attaek. The terrapin
had withdrawn his head when tho rat
first made his attaek, and with his
short legs firmly gripped to the ground,
presented only a hemisphere of impen
etrable armor.
The enraged rat at last stood with
his hind feet on the ground directly in
front of the place where the terrapin's
head ought to have been, and in a
second out shot the head, catching one
of the rat's legs fairly and squarely
with a grip of steel. The rat squealed
with rage and pain, and made frantic j
efforts to get at the terrapin's head, .
but in vain. The head was withdrawn
under the edge of the shell, pulling tho
rat's leg with it, out of reach. Tho
rat fought, bit and squealed, and tried
to pull loose from its antagonist, but
the terrapin was a sticker.
Somctiir.cs the tail of a rat instead of
the legs would .suffer amputation, |
sometimes a bunch of hide and flesh, 1
but the rat always retired, if he lived, j
in an abbreviated form. The terrapin
was an innocent-looking object as ho \
wandered about tho yard, and what :
there was about the animal offensive !
to the rats no one could imagine, but
there was something they objected to, i
and for weeks they attacked him al- j
most daily, making one of the most j
unique of attractions. At last the rats i
appeared to catch on, and from that
time until the terrapin disappeared, •
two years ago, scarcely a rat has been |
seen on the premises.
HEARS WITH HIS LEGS.
Instead of llt'iiriug a l>caf Ooor
at or Foils Tliem.
The novelty of a telegraph operator
who can scarcely hear a locomotive
whistle working day after day at his !
instrument is one of tho marvels pre- I
scntcd at a telegraph station near '
Pittsburgh. Tho man is about 2H years
old. He has been deaf since he was 1
about 3 years of age as the result of an
attaek of scarlet fever, being so ex- j
trcmoly hard of hearing, the child's
sense of touch was developed to the
degree usually possessed by blind
persons. The slightest tap upon a
FEELING THB MESSAGES. j
table or a wall, the rolling of a wagon
wheel along the street and all similar
sounds were conveyed to him by the
consequent vibrations. When about
12 years of age he undertook the study
of telegraphy, being a favorite with
the operator at his home, he was given
the run of tho office. All the mystic
signs, dots and dashes of the profession
were explained to him. Day after day ;
he could be seen sitting at the table '
with his knees pressed against it or I
resting his elbow upon it. He was lit- 1
erally feeling the messages as they
were ticked off over the wire, being i
naturally quick it was but a short timo j
until he was able to correctly read any
message coining into the office. Send- I
ing came just as easy, and to-day, after ;
sixteen years' service at the key and
sounder, he is just as fine an operator !
as there is in the country. Of late !
years his hearing has improved to such |
an extent that he can easily hear the !
sounder, but the old habit of listening '
Kvlth bis knee still clings to Ixim.
HIRAM STARK'S STORY.
A West Virginia Man Who Waa
Do ad at Ono Tlmo.
At Least nis Friends Told Him Ho Wm-
Itut lie Was Only In a Trauoe—
Since Then Ills llalr Changes
Color livery Hay.
The name, Iliram W. Stark, attracted
little or no attention, and meant noth
ing- to the many eyes that glanced over
the register of a Walnut street hotel at
Cincinnati, but the person who wroto
his signature somewhat awkwardly ia
one who possesses a physical peculiarity
which has baffled the physicians of his
neighborhood for years.
Mr. Stark is an ambitious and well
to-do farmer of West Virginia, and his
little patch of 200 acres away up in tho
mountains, near Morgantown, W.VVat. t
hi a model farm.
The peculiarity of Mr. Stark hi his
hair. I£e never knows when he pulls off
his heavy boots after a hard day's work,
and gets ready to retire, what color his
hair will bo when ho wakes up tho
next morning. Sometimes it is gray
all over; sometimes it is black; again it
is half gray and half black, and per
haps there will bcsoverul days in which
there will no change at all. Again, ho
will wake up after a good night's rest
to find that ho possesses a head of au
burn hair which any society bello
would envy.
"I oan't tell you the reason why theso
changes of color take place," said Mr.
Stark to an Enquirer reporter. "If I
could I would be doing something which
the physicians have boon worrying
about for years, but I ciui tell you what
brought it about —and there is quite a
story connected with it. Up until I
was fourteen years old, there was not
a more healthy boy in the country than
L I was a large and strong youngster
for ray ago, and father used to say that
I was worth any two men on the place.
Well, about that time I was taken sick
with epilepsy. I lingered between life
uud death for several weeks, and final
ly—l remember the circumstance well
—at 12:03 o'clock Sunday morning, with
the fuinily clustered around my bed
side, I died. At least that is what tho
doctor in charge claimed, and, as there
was 110 sign of life about my body, the
family had no reason to disbelieve his
statement. All this time I lay thero
and could see all that was going on
about me. I wanted to speak and tell
them I was not dead, but I could not
JUST THEN HE BHIIIKItKIX
breathd a word. I tried to move, but
not a muscle would respond to my
wishes. I could hear, but not very dis
tinctly, the arrangements being made
for my funeral. All that night I was alone
laid out on the stretcher waiting for the
undertaker to put in his unwelcomo
appearance in the morning. I could
hear my mother weeping in an adjoin
ing room and now and then she would
offer up a prayer for her darling child.
It was in awful agony that I passed
the night. Time after time I strived to
extricate myself from the horrible fate
of being buried alive, but not a finger
could I move.
"At ten o'clock the undertaker came.
I heard him express to my father a
desire to be left alone with me, and
knew very well what that meant. ll©
was always very particular not to bury
anybody alive, and for that reuson ho
always carried a small steel dagger
which he plunged into his charge as a
part of the preparation for buriaL 110 f
came into tho room, took hold of my
arm, and let it falL
" 'lie's dead,' he said, half aloud,
'but it's only a matter of form,' and
with these words ho removed tho
clothes from my left breast and raised
the blade above mo. Just then 1
shrieked. Tho dagger fell and stuck
in the floor at my side. The family
rushed in, but I was unconscious a sec
ond after I cried. They worked with
me for several days, and I finally re
covered. They told mo the story of my
death, but no one could describe tho
death that I had lived—as I had ex
perienced it. The sight of that dagger
raised above my heart was a picture I
can never efface from my memory, and
tho misery in which I lived during
those few seconds could never be fully
told.
"Ever since that (richness, that deuth,
ami that resurrection, these changes of
color have taken pluce in my hair.
Thero is scarcely a week in which a
change of some kind does not occur.
My hair is black now and has been so *
for two days. It will change soon, but
to what color I can never foretell. It
is no particular inconvenience to mo
except when my hair is half black and
half gray, and then I am stured at as
though I were a perambulating mu
seum.
"No, I've never been dead since then
and 1 don't care to bo until it's a real
death."
I.HHt of Ilor Trilie.
A maiden lady recently died in Al
lentown, Pa., after living as a servant
in one family for a period of sixty
seven years. It is impossible to deter
mine which is the greatest curiosity—a
servant who lives in one family sixty
seven years or the family which is able
to keep a domestic such a phenomenal
period. Tho deceased was evidently
thy last of her trjVfe