Br. Joseph Barker, of London, do- I
scribed the bicyc'e llio other day oa j
"that shoulder-contracting, mis
chievous, horrible machine that will j
take the manliness'out of any Nation." i
The sensible horse is not worrying |
himself about tho growth of tho bi- j
cycle craze. Ho knows that horses |
will always be needed to draw tho j
ambulances, avers the Chicago Times- j
Herald.
It has been estimated that in Great
Britain the output of books is as fol
lows: Sermons, one volume a day;
novels, five a day; educational books,
two a day ; art and science, two each
every week; histories or biographies,
six a week, nnd law, oiio every two
weeks.
The popularity of novel reading is ;
strikingly shown in the published re- ;
ports of the library at Providence, E. j
L, for (he year 1895. 'Here is the '
year's record: Novels issued, 71,051; j
history, 00 )1, biography, 5287; social j
science. 3357; art and music, 3571;
geography, 5700; natural science,
0251.
Tbe entertainment of royally is ex
pensive. An English paper states that
the Earl of Lonsdale is known to have j
spent nearly 31,000,000 in connection !
with a four days' visit which Emperor j
William paid him at Lowther Castle {
Inst autumn. They ray that Lady
William Beresford paid $150,000 to i
euterta'u the Prince of Wales from i
Saturday to Monday at Deopdeone.
A statitician who has been interest
ing himself in the population of tho
earth says that 32,21-1,000 persons die
annually; that is, an average of'J3,SlO
a day, 402 ) an hour and G7 a minute,
Tho annual number of births on the
other baud is estimated at 33,702,000,
nu average of 100,SOO a day, 4200 an '
hour and 70 a minute, EO that the
population is increasing at the rate of
3 to the minute.
Nothing succeeds like success, nn d
that, maintains tbe New York Mail
anil Express, is why the mild and
model dictatorship of General Porfirio
Diaz is good for six years mure iu
Mexico. He has had a lease of life
that would have dazzled old Santa
Ana, who was the first experimenter
nt individual Bepublican despotism in
the laud of the serpent and the cac
tus. Snutn Ana never held his job
longer than over one night at the
same time, while Diaz has made his
place practically permanent.
Cycling is to bo heartily com
mended to the agel, believes tho New
York Tribune. Ono ease is cited of a
man who learuc I to ride at sixty
eight, and who had covered nearly
2000 miles by the time ho was
seventy, with the result that a chronic
bronchial catarrh nnd gouty eczema
had disappeared. Another at seventy,
suffering severely from lumbago, took
to the wheel, and now, at seventy-five,
rides from twenty to thirty mileß a
day and never knows a duy's illness.
A third, at seventy-four, almost con
fined to an armchair with rheumatism,
began riding a tricycle, and at eighty- i
four was riding 100 niiies a day.
Tl.e famous suspension bridge nt j
Niagara Falls, which was built in 1855,
is to be superseded by a new steel '
structure, with an areh 550 feet long
and 260 feet above the water level.
"The old bridge, built by lloebling,"
6ays the Chicago Chronicle, "was one
of the modern wonders of tho worldi
as it was the first suspension bridge
built for the purpose of carrying
railroad trains. The new bridge will, I
however, bo a greater marvel of sei- j
cnce than the old. It will have two i
flours, the upper for railway trains '
and the lower for roadway, foot walks I
and trolley tracks. The now bridge '
w ill bo built on the exnet sito of the ;
eld suspension affair, but there will j
be no interference with trains, which \
is one of its greatest marvels. The I
work will occupy about six months." i
Tho San Francisco Argonaut says: !
The palladium of tho Louisiana bach- I
elor's liberty lias been ruthlessly i
swept away by a recent decision in the !
United States Circuit Court, nnd, if
be has not taken to the woods, ho is at
least as circumspect in his dealings
with the fair sex as a Quaker. The
civil law iu that State has always
frowned on breach of promise suits,
and rofused to recognize them. A cer
tain Mrs. Cheek, howover, finding
that her vonerable suitor, Herman Pil
ger, woud not fulfill his promise to
marry her, brought suit against him
in the Federal courts, end recovered
heavy damages against him. This de
cision may bring to light many hun
dred breaoh of promise suits which
avo laid dormant for years because
the State law recognized no damages
for a bruised heart,
THE WORLD IS ROLLIN' RICJHT.
In pplto o' tempests bio win'—
In darkness an* lu light,
Iu renpin' time an' sowln'
The world Is rolliu' right!
For still tho flowers aio springin*
An' still tho birds aro singin'
An' sweetest bells are ringln'—
The world is rollln' right!
11l spito o' tempests blowin'
Tho dove is sure in flight,
Beneath tho winter's snowin*
Tho lily dreams in white.
An' still the blooms are swingin*
Iu wild winds sweet with singin',
An' still the vines aro clingiu'—
Tho world is rolliu* right.
In spite o' tempests blowin'
The stars aro still as bright;
The ro.-e o' love is growin'
Iu gardens swe-.-t with light.
Euro's homo with all its blisses—
With lift!" children's kisses;
No world's ns sweet as this is—
-F. L. Star* a, in Chicago Times-Herald.
/I MAYS VIXIMCE.
X* XfW wnr ' a stiff 1
Ifc, from Pengelly,
xjNk "v£' '•s n!nl tbe towtei of
Isaac Hocken
IPI '' arrio 11 was
niLif-C! .J&N' bf >RV.v. At the
top of tho hill ho
■5; !| WHS fain to
I s ' retcb himself
frf-i''■ ()n tho turf and
rest his bent old
r v>* bock against tho
if 10,7 stouu wall
? h T U onciosed
k w Vi ''"ha Tregons
field.
"Mo use going
owil/.'V "l'to tho house;
3 ' John's at market,
and tho missis'll
'' bo turning thh
place topsy
i'.irvy," ho reflected. "What with
spring clo ruin's ail tl:o year round and
the driviu', Eortha has had a terrible
hard time. And they do say in tho
village—. Well, well," ho muttered,
checking himself, "it wasn't to bo ex
pected with licr pretty face that Jim's
her first sweetheart. And if Will Car
ter deceived her, mobbo she'll think
tho more of him. Jim just dotes on
her. More fule ho! Had wives arc of
no account whativer, and snpposin'
you do hup on u good woman, and it
pleases the Lord to take her, tho years
won't fill tho emptiness in you she
loaves behind, i ought to knew," and
Jsaao heaved n mighty sigh. "I've
buried wives of both sorts—threa of
'em."
Not a breeze stirred tho lifeless
calm, and the midday sun poured
fiercely down, Preseutly hd sought
the shade of a spreading tree which
overhung tho wall a few paces l'rom
him. But ho was no longer solitary.
Voices fell cn his ear. Bertha Tre
gon's and that of tho man who report
said had iiited her.
"My poor Bertha! You've no cause
to fear me. 1 knaw exactly how it
was you forsook me for James Hocken.
But I wrote wkeniver I had the
chance."
"Not a single letter reached me."
"Beoau-o your mother waylaid the
postman."
Despite tho beat Isaac shivered.
Will's insight was making clear much
that had puzzed him.
"Perhaps. What matters now?"
asked Bertha, in forlorn tones, "Y'ou
should have kept away. It would have
been kinder."
"And let you continue to think I
was false? Lnokeo here, Bertha, you
promised to be my wife before even
Hockon courted you. And now you
knaw I've been faithful to you—"
"I durstn't break with Jim. Mother
is set on him. Oh, why did you come?
You'll get a fresh sweetheart, but Jim
won't. And I shall keep my promise
to him."
But Bertha's love was unchanged;
and to the breathless listener on tho
other side of the wall, Will's tender
pleadings were the knell of his son's
hopes.
What girl who loved hira could re
sist handsome Will Carter?
Gaunt and grizzled, with weather
beaten, strongly marked features, he
ho had always known that Jim wasn't
ono that a girl would fancy. And
Bertha had only accepted him at her
mother's bidding, believing that Will
was untrue to her. It was all so plain
to hira now. Poor Jim 1 even a flower
that Bertha had plucked was precious
|to him. Hadn't he found a rose
I vrhithered and dead in his pocket?
: And all his love in vain ! Isaac whipped I
j out his handkerchief, and inojiped his I
j Ins face. Yet, if Will hadn't re
turned—
I But contrary to his expectation, the
| girl was firm in her resolve,
j "I won't listen to you," she said nt
! last, aroused by Will's upbrnidings.
I "Jim isn't to blame—ho knew nothing
iof our sweethearting—nor om I. It
j didn't enter my mind that mother
; might 'vo got your letters. How
should it? As if yon alono suffered 1"
she Inhered. "Lot us part iriends."
"Sweethearts or nothing," said
Will gruffly.
With u swish, swish of feet through
the long grass, crawling to his knees,
j old Isaac peered cautiously over the
wall. Bertha was running toward the
| house, nnd Will Carter, with his head
i thrown back, striding in an opposito
| direction.
! "Bless tho little maid I" ha ejaculat
ed. "One time I was cleared for Jim.
j But he's got a good grip o' things.
| Yes, plenty more sweethearts for
I Will," lie chuckled, observant of tho
| pose of his head. "And there's but
: one in the world for my lad—Bertha
i Tregon. May my tongue bo slit if I
i let out to him."
lliuiDg, Isaac shouldered his basket
aud £)roceeded on his round.
The old fisherman had been some
what rash, however, in his conclusions.
By her own admissions, Bertha's
decision had been prompted solely by
fear of her mother, and consideration
for James Hoclien. But if on "reflec
tion she wero still willing to sacrifice
her happiness, Will Carter certainly
had no intention ol yielding to her
weakness.
A lino seaman of whom Pengelly was
proud, for the past year Will had beon
on board a yacht cruising in tho Medi
terranean. But for reasons best
known to herself, Mrs. Tregon had
discountenanced his suit, and, although
he had every confidcuco in her,
Bertha's silence had inspired misgiv
ings not easy to allay. Once more
free, he had returned at the earliest
date to England, and at Plymouth,
where ho landed, had met a lriend,
who, among other items of Pengelly
news, informed him of her desertion,
add iu g:
"And she'll bo Mrs. Ho ok on in a
fortnight."
Determined to domaud a full cspla- i
nation from Bertha herself, Will made I
110 comment, but his laugh was un
mirthful. And with rage in his heart |
bo had hailed a passing cab, driven to '
the railway station, and taken the
train to Wulebridge. Thence he could I
walk to tho Tregons'.
But tho house in view, in crossing j
the field, Will espied Bertha in the ■
garden, and, with a muilled Ahoy! '
epedeto tho tree that sheltered old
Isaac. She had swiftly joined him.
Nevertholsss, tho shock of his return
was visible iu her white face, and her
trembling lips would frame no wel
come. Looking at him imploringly,
her bine eyes filled. And longing to
clasp her in his arms, the reassuring
words which, while culigktening him,
had chilled Jim's father, did duty for
the reproaches he had come primed
with.
But Will had taken Bertha by sur
prise, and between her dread of him
and terror of her mother, who ruled
the Tregon household with a rod of
iron, 110 rightly divined that she had
caught at the readiest means of escape
which iu her direction had presented
itself to her. Yet his faith in her firm
ness was limited; the revival of fond
memoriies would ten i to lessen her
mother's influence. And cunningly
calculating that apparent indifference
would further incline her to be guided
by his counsels later, ho devoted a
week to his friends and generally en
joying himself. His disappointment
treated thus lightly, he succeed in de
luding everybody, including Bertha,
who shed bitter tears in secret that he
should be so easily consoled for her
loss. The bare sight of James Hocken
almost maddened uer; and she had to
hide her aversion to him, and listen
evening after evening to his dull talk.
And in another week she would be his
wife.
Tho tree beneath which she and Will
had parted had become her favorito
resort. Here she could indulge in tho
luxury of "a good cry" unrebuked;
and, grown desperate with tho nearer
approach of tho wedding day, sitting
011 the gnarled roots one afternoon,
she burst into a very passion of grief.
A face—Will's—appeared above the
wall.
"Ahoy! Whatever's the matter, Miss
Tregon?" ho gravely inquired. ".Shall
I fetch Mr. Hocken to 'ee?"
"I hate him! I hate him!" she
sobbed hysterically.
"That's bad," said Will sympatkiz
ingly. "What's ho beon up to?"
"Hp to ! Isn't he old ; isn't he ugly ;
isn't bo stupid! And—and—l hate
him! I hate him!" she reiterated.
"And I won't marry him. Mother
may storm, but 1 don't care."
Will vaulted over tho wall.
On tho day appointed for James
Hocken's nuptials tho whole village
flocked betimes to the church. But
neither bridegroom nor bride put iu
an appearance, and by and by it was
known that Will Carter and Bertha
Tregon were missing, and that there
would be no wedding at Pengelly that
day.
Weeks and months rolled by, and
no tidings could bo gleaned of tho
graceless couple. They had clean van
ished, leaving no clew to their where
abouts. Mrs. Tregon's tongue sharp
ened to a double edged sword, ready
to slay friends and foe alike who al
luded to her daughter. And tho dumb
misery ox Jim's plain face was pitiful
to soo. Old Isaac's heart ached for
his sou. If he had only prepared him
for tho blow!
Curiosity was at longth appeased.
An acquaintance of the runaways
visited London, and returned with a
wo fill story. She had seen Bertha,
who had confided to her that after
being married at a registry oliice,
| Will and had decided to go to Ameri
ca, but while looking in at a shop
j window he had been robbed of his
savings, and that subsequently they
wero reduced to great straits. Then
he had brought her the welcome news
that ho hail obtained a berth on a
steam launch, and tho next morning
j lie bid her goodby to go aboard, since
1 when she had never clapped eyes on
j liirn. Mrs. Pegg also said that Bertha
I had refused to give her her address,
j But Jim ascertained that she had met
her at liotherhitke, and that was
1 enough for him.
j "I'm off to London," he announced,
when bo came downstairs al'lcr paciug
the floor the live-long night. "I shall
niver rest until Carter and me are
face to face."
"Thee be a fule, Jim," his father (
who had been disturbed by his
monotonous tread overhead, said
peevishly. "If you must stir in this
| business, find Bertha. It'd bo a
! charity. For all her sharp temper,
I her mother's frettin' herself iuto her
I grave. Take what money you want
out o' my old leather bag; only
I promise, lad," noting tho sullen fire
in his deep set eyes, "not to meddlo
; wi' Will."
1 "Trust mo to find Bertha."
Jim bail been in London. Hiree
months; bis quest bad been unsuccess
ful i yet bo contiuued to haunt tho
principal thoroughfares, tramping
north, south, east and west, in turn.
Big Ben bad struck 1 ; he was ro
crossing Westminster Bridge to bis
lodgings, when a woman crouching by
a lamp post ahead of him, fell forward
in a heap, and, hastening his steps, ho
endeavored to raise her. But with the
light falling on tho pallid, hanger
pinched face a groan escaped him.
ilia quest for Bertha Carter had ended.
At that moment a policeman came
up.
"Poor soul! she's dead," he said, at
a glance. "Better so than tho leap
into tho water she was bent on. I've
had my eye on her since 7 o'clock.
She seemed dazed."
The body was conveyed to the mor
tuary, and the verdict at tho inquest
was in accordance with the medical
testimony, that death was duo to
starvation.
I Outwardly calm, his sole thought to
avenge Bertha, Jim staggered out of
I tho court.
I His inquiries for tho man "who had
I robbed him of the ono jewel ho covet- j
ed, to cast it irom him, at length !
I elicited that a seaman answering to liis ;
description of Carter was homeward :
bound from Singapore. Thenceforth, j
knowing neither hunger nor wcari- 1
ness, he was watchful of new arrivals i
at the docks.
His desire for revenge viu by now
a monomania. Aud to-day he had a j
strange prescicuco that Will and he :
wero soon to meet. Self-absorbed, in
crossiug the street ho wa3 knocked !
down by a dray, und, stunned, con
voyed to hospital.
On recovering consciousness his first
request was for liis discharge.
"Not yet awhile," said tho nurse.
"But you won't be dull." That poor
chap yonder," indicating a bandaged
object iu a distant bed, "has been ask
ing for you. You don't recognize
him? No wonder! Ko was brought
in months ago—after the fire in St.
Thomas's street. Ho was lookiug on,
and a woman and some children ap
peared at a top window. The firemen
were beaten back by the blazo below,
but poor Will—he won't toll us his
surname—couldn't withstand their
cries, and he climbed up the water
spout on to the roof with a rope, aud
threw one end to them,and had actual
ly lowered two of the children iu safe
ty when tho walls collapsed. He was
picked up so terribly injured that wo
had little hope of him. But ho has
done splendidly. If you—"
But Jim was midway across the
ward. Oh, heaven, to think that this
poor mangled wretch was "handsome
Will!" And so sorely misjudged.
Leaning over the brave fellow Hock- I
en's emotion was hard to restrain. |
"Don't give 'em my name," whis- j
pered Will. "I'm maimed for life. I
And I wouldn't've poor iittlo Bertha |
saddled with a helpless husband—uot '
likely. To have happened just when j
tho tide had turned!" ho groaned.
"Where is she?"
"She has reached port before us,"
said Jim, in a smothered voico. "Don't
'ce take on, Will." His own tears
wore coursing down h is rugged cheeks.
"We'll go back to Pengelly. I can
work for both."
"You work for me? You—"
"Wo both loved her," Jim reminded
him. "If so be you'll trust yourseli
to me. You will be doing me a i'avor."
| Feebly pressing the hand that
gripped his, Will mumbled indistinct- i
' ly, and hastily covered his face.—
j Household Words.
The Sweet aud Sentimental Murderer.
"Thero is a story that tho most
famous of all Japanese robbers, Islil
kawa Goemon, once by night entering
a house to kill and steal, was charmed
by the smile of a baby which reached
out hands to him, and that ho re
mained playing with tho little creature
until all chance of carrying out his
purposo was lost" writes Lafcauio
Hearu. "It is not hard to believe this
story. Every year the police records
tell of compassion shown to childreu
by professional criminals. Some
months ago a terrible murder case was
reported iu tho local papers—tho
slaughter of a household by robbers.
Seven persons had been literally hewn
to pisces while aeleep ; but tho police j
discovered a little boy quite unharmed,
crying nloue in a pool of blood; anil
they found evidenco unmistakable that
tho men who slew must have taken
great care not to hurt tho child."
An Expensive Death Vault.
Tho hoiis of tho late Charles Pratt,
a rich millionaire who died sorno time
ago in Brooklyn, decided to build an
expensive vault for tho last resting
place of his ashes. The vault will be
constructed of tho finest quality of
marble and Mill be elaborate iu do
sign. It will cost $190,099, in ad
dition to which tho sum of SOO,OOO
will bo set asido for tho proper cure
aud maintenance of this handsorno
monumental structure. In further
ance of this plan agreed upon by the
heirs a part of Mr. 1 latt's estato near
Glen Cove, L. 1., has been set aside
| as a private cemetery aud thero the
; vault will bo erected.—Atlanta Con
' stitution.
Fossil Footprint of a (Hart Bird.
By the falling of an overhanging
cliff near Hastings, England, an inter
esting slab of stone was exposed. It
bears on its surface the clear impres
sion of the foot of some gigantic ex
tinct bird having three toes. Each
toe-mark is nine and one-half inches
long and shows that tho originnl of
tho imprint had claws two inches in
length. The ball of the foot, whero
the three toes should meet as a center,
does not appear, indicating that tho
portion of tho foot did not reach the
ground. From the tip of the middle
claw to whore tlio spur toe mark is
seen behind is exactly twenty-four
inches. . .. #
" ? .• -43
o*j of® oa a cA o o ooooa'o oti a o oooa oc' o cra'u 0000 o j
IT Is said to be a noticeable fact all j
along tho course of memorable his- j
torical sieges that about the second I
month several legions of demons get j
into the besieged, as well as the be- j
siegers. And when the latter happen :
to be barbarians, the result is often j
ultra-infernal, as after the capture of j
Kherson, where Cougar Kluin, the lead- j
i r of the Mongol invaders, ordered the j
survivors to be Hung Into a pit that had
been loaded with explosives, and then j
put fire to the fuse.
Hence also the sensation of horror
that thrilled the civilized world at the
report that the mining town of Bulu
wayo had been surrounded by the vin
dictive race of the Dark Continent. Sir j
Sam pel Baker mentions a case where i
that same tribe of savages disdained
to make use of their spears, but leaped
upon their prisoners like wild beasts
to tear them with their claws and
teeth.
The trouble is that protracted sieges
are always apt to rouse the beast under
the skin of every male human being.
The loss of relatives and friends turns i
political adversaries into personal cue-1
mies. The besiegers feel that every j
day of unsuccessful effort increases the
slur upon their prowess, and long to be
revenged. Alexander the Great was in
sober moods anything but a savage, but
the seven mouths' siege of Tyre ex
hausted liis reserve funds of gener
osity, and when the city had been taken
by storm lie answered the appeals for
mercy by showing t lie spokesman of the
deputation a list of his own loss in dead
and wounded, ami then ordered an
equal number of the captives to be
crucified. The yells of the thousands
of victims writhing on crosses and trees
could be heard at Sadurbal, at a dis
tance of a league and a half. Another
Instance of barbarian severity attended
the last siege of Carthage. The Ro
mans were not satisfied with the com
plete demolition of the city, but em
ployed several thousand carts for a
week to scatter the many ruins, aud
then plowed up the site of the main
town and covered the ground with
coarse salt, to diminish its attractive- j
ness to future settlers.
The barbarity of those ages lias been j
equalled, if not excelled, by some of the (
horrors of modern sieges. The storm
ing of Bagdad was an instance where I
the fierce onslaught of ravenous Iluns j
was met by all the obstacles, missiles i
and projectiles that desperation could |
suggest, and later at the storming of
the hostile, in Paris, it scmeed as if
brute frenzy had taken the place of
human Instincts, driving the outside
participants to rend stone from stone,
and crush, mutilate and disfigure every
enemy. Of all the sieges of late times,
however, none can show such marvel
ous endurance, such ferocious deter
mination as that attending the ten
months' siege and inch-by-inch capture
of Saragossn. In December, ISOB, Mor
tier and Mousey invested the city with
an army of 33,000 regulars, 8,000 auxil
iaries, besides teamsters and sappers
and an artillery train of hundreds of
mortars and siege guns. The outside
walls crumbled like brick, but thou
sands of volunteers closed every breach
with hillock of rubbish, even when the
French shotted their advanced batter
ies with grape and cannister. "Gravel
or bones, 'tis all the same," as long as
the gaps get promptly closed, yelled the
defenders. Cannon balls showered in
to these ramparts of debris, but could
never demolish them altogether. Like
the sand bulwarks of Fort Fisher in our
civil war, rubbish heaps proved more
! inexpugnable than granite. The col
lapse of some lofty buildings like the
convent of San Jose opened, however,
a gate of access, and the division of
Gen. Dujardin rushed up, dragging
their cannon across stones and corpses
and then opened fire into the gathering
mob with such effect that the ground
| could be held till two additional bri
gades entered the city and instantly
; entrenched themselves among the
| smoking ruins. But all that they had
| thus gained was the change of opera
tions to a close range fight. Missiles of
i all sorts descended from the windows.
I balconies and doors of the next street
I buildings iu ceaseless volleys. The
j defenders appeared to have no end of
I ammunition, and had. indeed, stored
i up sulphur and saltpetre enough to
manufacture all the powder they need
ed. They also improvised howitzers,
and every now anil then a gang of
youngsters would efnerge from some
attic trap upon the top of a fiat roof,
blaze a bushel of srbnee from a strange
looking carronade and vanish the way
they had come. These volleys had a
limited range, but fired squarely into a
crowd of trench digging soldiers they
did terrible execution, till the French
j devised a plan to checkmate that game,
and kept cauuister-sliottod guns of their
own ready aimed, to be fired the mo
ment a group of amateur cannoneers
ventured to show themselves oil the
housetops.
Incessant night alarms wore out the
ad VA note corps of the besiegers. For
the first few weeks hostile surprise par
ties M ere foiled by the plan of keeping
up blazing watcli tires, but that expe
dient, too, had its disadvantages, since
the glare of the flames revealed the
whorahouts of sentries and patrols and
made them an easy prey to sharpshoot
ers prowling in the dusk of surround
ing ruins. Besides tho woodwork of
the captured buildings had all been
consumed, and the Inclemency of the
weather was aggravated by a fuel fam
ine. In the fourth week of tho siego
the French at last pushed their out
works to the threshold of the Cosso,
and coupled their summons of surren
der with the threat of blowing up the
principal buildings of the city. "War
to the knife and to the last shanty
wall," was the reply of Gen. Palafos.
Many of the hopelessly wounded
shammed paralysis, and on being car
ried to the Improvised hospitals sudden
ly rose upon their knees to attack the
French surgeons with dagger knives.
Iu the beginning of February the
French sapcurs discovered the subter
ranean galleries of the defenders, and
to the havoc of the siege were now ad
ded tin? horrors of an underground war;
whole blocks of buildings were shat
tered by the forces of volcano-like ex
plosions that often hurled mangled
corpses to the top of the highest stee
ples. When finally surrender was made
the dead list had reached the porten
tious total of 53,727, and the work of
murder never ceased till the skull bones
of the last Infant had been shattered
on the breast of the last woman—as an
eternal and eternally unanswerable
argument against the fortifications of
iarire cities.
JOHN R. IVI'LEAN.
Mnn Who Cnmc Near Hcins: a Vice
I'reHidcntinl Candidate.
John 11. McLean, who was second in
t lie race for the Vice Presidential nom
ination in Chicago, is plucky in every
thing he undertakes. lie was a tose
ball catcher one time, and a more deter
mined one never faced a pitcher. Harry
Wright was one of the men he caught
for, and that was before die days of
masks ami stomach pails. After his
base-bull i nthusinsm was partially
knocked out by a foul tip, which took
M \
m MM
. JOHN li. m'i.kan.
him to a dark room for two months to
repair an impaired eye, his next ambi
tion was to print the best newspaper in
Ohio.
He inherited the Cincinnati Enqulrei
from his father, and while there may
be some question as to the realization
of Ills efforts he has certainly succeed
ed in building up an extremely inuen
tial and profitable newspaper. Then lie
fell a victim to the wiles of Cupid and
married Miss Mary T. Beale, daughter
of General Edward F. Beale, of Wash
ington. The bride was about 25 years
old at that time and the groom ten
years her senior. He has one of the
swellest of the swell houses in Wash
ington, entertains handsomely and lias
among his guests the biggest men of
both the Republican and Democratic
parties. Two or three 3'ears ago lie sajd
lie would not accept any political posi
tion, but preferred the life of a private
citizen. Mr. McLean is very wealthy.
Some people estimate he is worth $20,-
000.000. He is a large holder of real
estate in Cincinnati, a heavy owner of
street railway stock in Washington
and the chief stockholder in the princi
pal gas plant of that city. He Is about
45 3* cars of age, handsome, practical
and far-seeing In a business sense.
New Process of Making Maps,
William Ivorninacher, a druggist in
South Scrauton, Fa., has discovered a
j process of relief map-making which
I marks a new era in that art. They
' are made by a chemical process, and
| the largest country can be done iu
three hours, and, 110 cut being used,
| 1 lie cheapness of the process is easily
I understood. The negative is done in
plaster-of-paris, and from it the reliel
can be finished in one hour. The coun
tries are accurately represented, Ihe
mountain ranges elevated in propor
tion to one another, and the river cours
es are in depression, and the
maps can be colored and names im
printed thereon. This process can 1)3
used in the manufacture of iunumer
able other articles.
Brown—Confound it! There's that
mosquito again. Smith—Well, don't
slap your face like that. He'll take it
for an encore.—Puck.
A man's sins will not lind him out as
soon 11s ills wife.
THE LIGHT.
There is no shadow where my love is laid;
For (over thus I fancy in my dream.
That wakes with mo and wakes my sleep)
somo gleam
Cf sunlight, thrusting through the poplar
shade,
Falls there; and even when tho wind has
played
His requiem for tho Day, one stray sun.
beam,
Pale as tho palest moonlight gllmmers'eoem,
Keeps sentinel for Her till starlights laJe.
And I, remaining bore and waiting long,
Aud all onfolded in ray sorrow's night.
Who not on earth again her face mr.v
see—
For even memory does her likeness wrong—
Am blind and hopeless, only for tho light—
This light, this light, through all tho
years to be.
—H. C. Buuuor,
IIUMOR or UIE DAY.
"I second the motion," said the
man on tho rear of the tandem.—Yale
Record.
He—"Darling, "we'll have a lot to
contend with when we arc married."
She—"Yes, dear, we'll have each oth
er."—Judy.
"Dear me!" exclaimed tho fond
father, anxiously; "whatever can be
tho matter with tho baby? It isn't
crying."—Puck.
"Queer how everybody resents hot
weather." "Yes, and when a line day
comes along they all strut as if they
had made it."—Chicago Record.
"I refuse him regularly each
mouth. Ho proposed last night for
tho twentieth time." "Oh, he is con
vinced now that it sale."—Truth
Thero aro two kinds of people:
Those who talk without thinking, and
those who think without talking; and
they make each other very tired.—
Puck.
Mr. Youngman—"ls thero any way
to lind out what a woman thinks of
you, without proposing?" Mr. Bene
dict— "Yes; make her mad."—New
York Weekly.
Not a Bit Abashed : "I should think
those strawberries would bo ashamed
of the discrepancy between their size
and their price." "Oh, they have
plenty of sand in them."—Truth.
She—"l hear Miss Fiurts is learn
ing to ride a bicycle." Ho—"But she
rode one last year; why does she have
to learn again ?" She— "Another gen
tleman is teaching her."—Funny
Cuts.
Prisoner—"l hope your Honor will
be lenient wit' me, l'er I am "a poet."
Judge—"Hera ; ever publish any po
ems?" Fr*-saner—"Oh, yes, sir; lots
of 'em. Judge—"Six months."—
Judge.
Bobbie—"Mother, were all the bad
men destroyed by the iiood? ' Mother
"Yes, my son." Bobbie—(who lia9
just received a whipping from his
father) —"When is thero going to be
another flood:"- -Brooklyn Life.
A man who stuttered badly went to
consult a specialist ftbout his affliction.
The expert asked: "Do you stutter all
tho time?" "N-n-n-no." Replied tho
sufferer. "I B-s-s-stut-t t-t-ter only
when I t-t t-talk."—Harper's Bazar.
Mrs. Third wed "That youDg
Mary Allen makes a perfect idiot ol
herself over her husband." Mr 3.
Fouithwed—"Well, my dear, you
must remember that be is tho first one
she ever had."- Cincinnati Enquirer. --
"I wish wo were rich, John, and
could do something for tho world,"
Mrs. Clericus remarked, half devout
edly, half impatiently. "But, my
dear, we enn do good in a quiet way
now." "Yes: but 110 one will ever
hear of it."—Tit-Bits.
He (as tho pitcher bonds himself
out of shape just us he is about to de
liver tho ball) "Now get on to his
curves!" She (her first game)—" Yes,
isn't it awful? Ono would think it
impossible for him ever to get back
into his original shape."—Puck.
Tommy—"3ay, Mollio, 1 wish I bad
ten cents to get some candy with."
Mollie—"Go and ask father who
Socrates was and what he meant by
tho differential calculus. He's got
company, and I shouldn't wonder if
ho gavo you a quartor."—Boston
Transcript.
"Wo try," explained the precep
tress, "to givo the girla a practical
education, and to especially lit them
to be wives. Yes. First class in tying
a man's cravnfc, attention ! Cooking?
Oh, no, not since years ago." Already
the new century was dawning, cold
and gray.—Detroit Tribune.
The Edelweiss*
In certain parts of the Alpine chain
there are certain portions delivered
over to the chamois as tlioir own, in
which no gun may bo fired, where tho
beautiful creatures may bo sure of
rest aud security, in which they may
nurture their young, and to which,
when hard pressed they may lleo, as
as to cities of refuge. Iu Tyrol such
an asylum is called Gamsenfreiheit.
Of late years it has becomo necessary
for law in Switzerland to exteud its
protection to tko edelweiss. This pe
culiar and beautiful [lower is much iu
request, both by lovers, who present
it to their sweethearts, and also for
tho formation of little mementos for
travelers.
The edelweiss doen not require an
altitude so great that it is uear tho
snow, nor a precipitous rock to
crown; the poor plant has been driv
en higher and even higher aud to in
accessible points as the only places
where it can live unmolested. At
Rosenheim, on tho Bavarian plateau,
at tho roots of tho mountains, aro
fields of edelweiss, where the plant is
cultivated to satisfy the insatiable
visitor, who insists on going home
from his holiday with a tuft in his
hat, and on sending dried specimens
to all his friends. —Chambers's Jour
nal.