"Ink suitable for love letters" is ad
vertised by a Paris stationer. It fades
in about four weeks.
The Hural New Yorker prints letters
eceming to fihow that tho odor of sweet
peas is poisonous to common house
flies.
Tho first of a series of memorial
"tablets was put in position the other
day at the public library, KausasCity,
Mo. It was in memory of Horace
Greeley, but the name was spelled
"Greely."
The silver coinage of France con
tains only forty per cent, of its face
value ie silver. Tho Government re
fuses to accept francs bearing tho
effigy of Charles the Tenth, Louis
Philippe, and Napoleon the Third
without the laurel leaf.
The question of tho "stopping"
capacity of a bullet, fired from the
rifle which is now the standard arm of
British infantry, has reached a some
what acute stage. Wherever the rifle
has been used against a savago foe, it
has proved comparatively ineffective.
Unless the bullet strikes a vital organ,
it no more stops a wounded man' d
charge than would a popgun.
Eveiy political campaign has its pe
culiar superstitions. These supersti
tions are often powerful agents in
bringing men to the polls and serve to
wiu votes where logic proves inef
fectual. When Franklin Pierce en
tered tho Presidential race some forty
years ago, relates the Atlanta Consti
tution, it was discovered that his
initials, "F. P.," were identical with
those of fourteenth President. In like
manner it was also found that the let
ters composing his full name num
bered exactly fourteen. As tho Presi
dent to be elected was the fouiteenth
in regular succession, this startling
discovery had a most potential effect
upon the campain.
If the Japaneso are cleaning out tho
Chinese in the south of Formosa, it is
because these people are in league
with the savage natives. The policy
of Japan in Korea as well as in For
mosa, has been fair and merciful. In
Korea no slaughter of natives or Chi
nese was permitted unless bushwack
iDg occurred ; then the Japanese were
merciless, as they had a right to be.
In Formosa they have carried out tho
earne policy, but they have met more
savagery. Their lossas have been
mainly duo to ambuscades of small
forces and stragglers, and to the doad
ly fevers of tho island. The Chinese
naturally resent tho encroachment of
the Japanese, and it is probable that
they have adopted the guerrilla meth
ods of the head-hunting savages. In
this case they will be exterminated,
for tho conquerors have an Oriental
way of wiping out opposition that
is barbarous, but very effective.
A vexatious question just now
among cyclists and pro spective cyclists
is tho price that a first-ciasa wheel
will bring in 1897, remarks the New
York Sun. Whether one may be had
then for the same price or less than it
fetches now, or whether the price will
be advanced, no one seems able to tell
absolutely. The oldest makers of 8100
wheels say that it would be disastrous
to their business to sell machines at
the low figure which several younger
manufacturers have named, and at the
same time furnish each customer with
a guarantee. Ou the other hand, it is
said in some quarters that enough
money is made by many of tho con
cerns which have cut their prices to
warrant their continuing tho experi
ment next year. It is understood al
so that certain of them have promised
to offer even better wheels at a
cheaper price next year than now.
Experienced wheelmen seem slow to
believe that the difference in quality
of the component parts of high grade
bicycles is so marked as some of Ibe
makers of those machine? would have
the public believe it is. Theso riders
say that skilful workmanship is re
quired iu the construction of all dura
ble wheels, unJ if it is true that some
of the high-grade wheel makers em
ploy more ikillul workmen than
others, the fact is often indiscernible
both in their wheels* appearance and
use. Whether the wooden bicycles
which are promised for uext year will
materially affect the wheel trade, re
mains to be seen. Their advocates say
that the wheels will have many ad
vantages over those with metal frames.
Nobody was surprised when wheels of
disputed quality were sold at a low
price, but now that those of a stand
ard make can be bought for half price,
everybody is set to thinking. Wlion
tho stock of wheels now selling so
cheaply is exhausted, cyclists wonder
what move the dealers will make then.
Persons who will want wheels next
year are probably safe if they wait till
then before baying.
MY DAY DREAMS.
Come ramble with me through the streets ol
Day-Dreamland;
The city is charming, and not hard to find.
I wander there often.
When twilight hours soften
The light, and to earthland my weary eyes
blind.
All my dear ones inhabit the realms of Day-
Dreamland.
They live In rich palaces, lofty and grand;
They fail not to meet me,
And lovingly greet rae
Whenever I stroll to their beautiful land.
There lives in the castle of Mother's Fond-
Longing,
A maiden, sweet, regal, and loving, and
fair.
And pure as the snow and
The blossoms that blow, aud
As bright as the sunbeams that dauce In
her hair.
She looks very much like the sweet child be
side me.
Growu older and wiser and ofttimes she
leaves
Her palace to come, to
Mo, here in my home, to
Allay the dull care which the mother-heart
grieves.
And there, in the palace of Fondest Ambition,
A princely knight dwells, full of goodness
and truth.
He's much like the boy who
Is now bringing joy to
My earth-home, iu days of his innocent
youth.
How pure are the rays of the light in Day-
Dreamland;
How pleasant the prospect that glaJdens
the eye;
No earth-clouds arise thore,
To darken the skies, where
Fond love is the beacon and hopes never
die.
Then come with me now, to the realms of
Day-Dreamland;
Rich comforts as I have, you're certain to
find.
You'll wander thore often
When twilight hours soften
The light, and to earthland your weary
eyes blind.
—Josephine Page, in Independent.
THE GIRL AT RANGER'S.
BY CLYDE FORD.
i./UD LAKE is an
<1 1/WjjS expansion of tho
vl /©jit! old channel oa
oust side of Sugar
T\\ /Mnm Islai >d. filling up
•' Wqi 6M kv a big bond of tho
v\/7 f \ river. It ie roily
Voi / £ and dirty, as its
rSiJ II name indicates,
-W Ijl and its waters are
/ <M scarcely dis
turbed by the
vL>' seems to lose it
self almost in its
muddy shallows.
Above and below hero the river is
winding and interesting, losing noth
ing from the commonplaceness of the
lake, which really enhances the beau
ties of the rest of the river from con
trast. Quaint but lonely farm houses
are scattered along the Canudian
shore, and one or two villages may be
found. The Sugar Island shore of the
lake is wild aud wooded. Now and
then there is a clearing, usually
marked iu the summer time by a hov
ering pall of smoke, but the few log
houses indicate that the settlers are
neither numerous nor prosperous.
A half mile below the lower end of
the lake is Ranger's Landing,the most
important and well-known sign of
thrift on the Sugar Island side of the
channel. Still, the traveler would
probably be disappointed in "Ran
ger's," us the river folks call tho place,
for it is just a log dock facing the
river at the bend, und long ago fallen
into a dilapidation which bus been
hastened by increased grinding of the
boats and washing of the current. Tho
background of the scene is completed
by a large barn, a comfortable look
ing log house, and a few fields.
Ranger's was the place iu the palmy
days of the channel where boats tied
up for the night when caught in a
passage up or down. Occasionally a
stubborn captain would pass by at
dara on his way up, but the fleet de
parting at daylight next morning
usually found him hard aground at
some turn of tho channel in Mud Lake,
and little sympathy did he get. "Slow
and sure," is the rule of the river,and
anyone who does violence to channel
traditions is never pitied.
Before Hay Lake was opened the
people at Ranger's flourished. From
spring till fall they did a brink busi
ness with the passing 'shipping, for
every boat that tied up could be count
ed on to buy a few chickeun or a
bushel of potatoes, or butter, or eggs,
or something which the people at
Ranger's always had and the steamer
cooks always needed.
Naturally the family were well
known to every captaiu from Buluth
to Bullalo. They were somebody's
mutual lrionds, and enjoyed every
body's good will. The gruffest cap
tain would unconsciously relax into
something like amiability as soon as
he caught sight of the big gray barn
and log house at Ranger's. He might
even lean over the ruiling of his pilot
house and greet the old man affably,
and perhaps throw a bundle of papers
to Mrs. Ranger if she happened to be
on the dock, or at least make some
kindly inquiry as to things on the farm.
But tho chief charm of Ranger's was
Ranger's girl. She was a sweet littie
lass of sixteen or seventeen, and an
swered to the prosaic name of Jane,
"Miss Jauo," the captains named her.
"How's the folks,"MissJano?" they
would call out as their big barges
rounded the bend, and passed tho
garden by the landing where she
worked; "I shall want some garden
truck when I come back." And if
' they happened to tio up on the re
turn, Mini Jnno disposed of moro po
tatoes ami batter and chickens than
the rest of the family combined.
Dredge No. 4 was stationed for a
time one summer just above Hanger's
at the entrance to the lake. It worked
night and day with two crews; the
day crew went to work at six o'clock
in the morning and quit at six o'clock
at night, when the night crew came
on. There wasn't much difference be
tween night work and day work ex
cepting in the matter of sleep. The
day men, of course, could sleep all
night; but it was not so easy for the
night men to sleep days when the sun
was blazing down on the tarred roof
of the quarter boat. Everybody
agreed that the only drawback to night
work, paradoxically put, came in the
day time. As the summer wore on it
got worse and worse with the night
crew. If they went ashore to wrap up
in their blankets in tho bushes, mos
quitoes or saud tieas drove them out;
if they tried to sleep on tho shady
side of the quarter boat, some passing
steamer would bellow and snort them
into wakefulness, so they settled down
to sleeping u couple of hours in the
morning, and piecing out again with
another nap in the afternoon when
the sun got low. This was tho best
plan, but still far from satisfactory,
lor it left a gap of four or live hours
in the middle of tho day when there
was nothing to eat or do or see, ashore
afloat, and when it was impossible to
sleep.
Probably it was this that caused Mr.
Colo, night inspector on No. 4, to
wander down to Hanger's Lauding
frequently. As is often the case with
inspectors, Mr. Cole was not exactly
like the men among whom he worked;
he talked very much as they did and
used all tho colloquialisms of the river
as freely as they, but still he was not
one of them. He treated them well
but made no friends among them.
At tirst Mr. Cole went down to Ran
ger's to pass the time of the long days
on the quarter boat. But as he grew
better acquainted he went down from
pure enjoyment of Laviug somebody
to talk to, somebody with whose life
and manners he felt himself somewhat
akin. Mr. Cole was not a philosopher
or a hermit, and in the exile of uncon
genial companionship with tho night
crew, he often felt a tug of homesick
ness lor surroundings that were not
quite so sordid and aimless, so he was
often at Ranger's. lie was treated
with the hospitality that characterizes
the plain and honest hearteduess of
river homes. They were a simple folk
at the landing, and Mr. Cole was, they
vaguely felt, a man from the outer
world, a little of which they saw in
tho guise of slow moving steamers,
aud read of in papers that were long
eiudo out of date. Mr. and Mrs. Ran
ger accepted his visits with no embar
rassment; but not so Miss Jane. She
begun to feel for the lirst tirno in her
life that possibly they were a plain
people, yes, uncultured even, on tho
river. True, she had no very clear
ideas of what culture was. How could
she have? Tho only life she saw or
knew was summers of work and tratlic
with passing boats, and long, cold
winters when they were shut away
from the world by deep snows, furi
ous storms and lonesomeness. Tho
few books she read described a life
which she could not imagine to her
self; and the men and women who
looked down from the steamers on
their log house aud little farm were
people from that vague, mysterious
world which she could not compre
hend. As long as these thoughts came
as passing thoughts she was not dis
turbed ; but Mr. Cole recalled them
continually, and in a diflerent. way.
He talked with her about lite on the
river, aud often fell to picturing life
as he knew it himself away from the
river. And as ahe learned more about
life elsewhere, she felt an indefinable
sense of discontent, or, if not that, of
uneasiness when tho iuspectoi came to
visit them at the lauding.
The dredge never worked Sundays,
inoro from deference to some forgot
ten tradition than piety on the part
of the owners. The tug usually went
to the Soo for mail, repairs and
groceries. Of course, the men went
along. Mr. Cole had always gone
with them before he made the ac
quaintance of the people at Hanger's,
but now he preferred to spend his
Sundays there rather than in the
hilarious company that the tug curried
on such trips. The men noticed it,
and they cracked many jokes at his
expense, some sly, some bold. Jokes
were jokes, but when a fellow one day
made some disparaging remarks about
a girl at the lauding, Cole promptly
knocked him into the river. From
this the river commune argued that
the inspeotor was in love. And they
were right, they found that out beforo
Mr. Cole did himself.
The inspector hud a few books with
him on the quarter-boat—books of
poetry and novels. Those ho carried
down to the landing; but nobody
rend them much except Miss Jane.
Poetry was too deep for Hanger's
folks; and the novels too foreign to
their mode of life. Miss Jane, how
ever, read and re read them, and Mr.
Cole offered explanations occasionally.
One Sunday they sat by the river
I bank, not far from ike house and
| watched a big passenger boat crawl
round the bend.
"I wonder if those folks are like
the people of the stories?" Jane
asked.
"Of course. Why not?"
"Oh, I dunno, only they seem so
happy-like with nothing to do, and
folus in the stories nro always in
trouble, or fallin' in love or—" she
stopped in some embarrassment.
"How would you like to live among
such people?" Mr. Cole asked when
she did not finish her sentence.
"Me?" she said in surprise, "you
don't mean that, of course. Why, we
people on the river couldn't live
among them."
"Why not? So far as I know you
river neonle are as good as they."
"Yes, ns good, bnt it ain't A ques
tion of goodness; it's a question of
living. What do we know about tlie
world? We ain't noboby, we don't
know anything, we never see noliody,
we don't even know what good clothes
are." Here she stopped in her ve
hemence and looked at her own shabby
dress. Mr. Cole noticed this too.
"Then you are satisfied to live
here?" he finally asked.
She hesitated. "I suppose so," she
said, "1 ain't never known anything
else."
After a long silence he remarked,
"I'm going to quit the dredge."
"Oh, I knew you would," she burst
out, "you are tired of us, too."
"No—not tired, but 1 think I'd
better leave." He was going to ex
plain what he meant, but further con
versation was interrupted by the ap
paarauce of old man Ranger, and after
n while Mr. Cole said he must go
back for he had some packing up be
fore he left next day. He looked
around to say good-bye to Jane bnt
she had disappeared. As he came
down by the river path be found her
with the books he had given her.
"Here are your books," was all she
said. "Won't you keep them, Jane?"
he asked kindly, almost tenderly, but
she turned around and was going
back. He started to follow but
stopped. "X go down to-morrow on
the Milwaukee," ho called after her,
but sho did not look uround.
That wns the inspector's last night
on the dredge, and he passed abstract
edly up and down, lost to the rumple
and roar and shriek of the heavy ma
chinery. Ho was thinking of the girl
at Ranger's. He loved the girl; the
dredge hands were right alter all.
Bnt she belonged to the river; he be
longed to the outer world; life meant
more to him than being in love with
some sweet-faced girl of Sugar Island,
nt least ho tried to make himself think
this, and so ho was going away—to
forget her and tho river.
At noon the next day the Milwaukee
came through Mud Lake, and slowly
drew near Ranger's Landing, Her
decks wore crowded with people who
laughed and chatted and promenaded.
Some of them glanced casually at tho
sober-faced man who stood by tho
gangway on the lower deck, but they
forgot him again. He wns leaning
against a post, and scanned the river
hank ns the boat turned into tho
bend. Fiually he caught sight of a
figure by the garden fence, and a
smile came over his face, a radiant
gleam of delight. He pulled a bout
trailiug at tho steamer's sido up by
tho gangway opening, threw in his
satchel, then sprang in himself. With
a few vigorous pushes he cleared the
Bteamer, then drifted off. All this
time the figuro on the bank by the
fence stood motionless, watching the
boatman ns if entranced. Tho bout
grated on the beach ; the man leaped
ushore : "Jane," ho said, with a glad
cry, "I can't leave you. I belong to
you and tho river."
If tho people on the steamer had
looked back they could have seeu a
mau and woman leaning arm in arm
over tho old fence by the dock ut
Ranger's.—Detroit Free Press.
Dining 0:1 l uttlettsli.
There used to be a club in New
York, perhaps it still exists, culled
the lehthophagus Club. It was com
posed of men iiko that enthusiastic
fisherman, Robert Roosevelt, and that
great dealer in fish, Eugene G. Black
ford. The club once a year used to
have dinners at which all kinds of
strange Eea food wero served, the
courses geuerallv beginning with a
"puree of sharks' fius." Its object was
to teaeh the people that there were
more things iu the sea lit to be eaten
than was dreamed of in the ordinary
cook's philosophy. Perhapß the ex
periments of the club were a little too
radical, for, though at these banquets
good health waited upon appetite, in
digestion sometimes followed both.
The son of Joachim Murat, tho King
of Naples, while living in exile in
Florida, used to experiment in tho
availability of strange creatures for
food purposes, and has left a record of
his experiments. The Spaniards have
a dish of which they are fond, which
cau bo bought at any of tho Spanish
restaurants about the end of Maiden
lane. It is cuttlefish, and to an Amer
ican it is anything but pleasant. Rut
the Spanish might retort that many
Americans are fond of Lim burger
cheese.—New York Press.
The Heat in Arizona,
"I have heard a good deal of com
plaint of the heat since I liuvo been in
Washington," said 11. A. Reynolds, of
Y'-.imn, Arizona, ut the St. James.
"The people of this city cannot real
ize how hot it gets iu Southwestern
Arizona. Cattle die in great num
bers, and it is almost impossible for
human beings to live there during the
summer months. Some extravagant
stories are told about the effects of
the heat, and I have read of frying
eggs in the sand out there. Of course,
they do nothing of tho kind, but I
kuow an egg story that is true that is
nearly as remarkable. I was camping
out on the desert not very far from
where those two men died, an account
of whioh I read in the Star, and
among our provisions were seme eggs.
Being suspicious of their condition,
we did not cook them and did not
happen to throw them away. Just
left them iu tho tent. Ouo day I
heard a chirping, and upon investiga
tion found that more than half the
oggs had hatched."
A Paradox Indeed.
"Your honor," said a lawyer in t
recent trial in England, "theargument
of my learned friend is lighter thai
vanity. It iB air ; it is smoke. Fron
top to bottom it is absolutely noth
ing. And, therefore, your honor, i
falls to the ground by its own weight.'
j THE MERRY SIDE OF LIFE. I
STORIES THAT ARE TOLD BY THE
I FUNNY MEN OF THE PRESS.
! The InsnndOuta-A Bad One—Either
Would I>o—The Queen Anne Stylo
—The Intruder Survived, Etc.
•'He'll set well now." they said outsido. '
••There isn't any doubt.
For by the doctors' bulletin
They've got the bullet out.'*
—Chicago Tribune. |
A BAD ONE.
She—"ls this dress a fit?'*
He—"lt couldn't be much more of n
fit without being a convulsion."—De
troit Free Press.
THE QUEEN ANNE STYLE.
Customer—"l would like to have n
nice gown to wear around the house." j
Salesman—"Size of the house,
please V"—Philadelphia Record.
NOTHING STRANGE.
"They say that tho Kickeys have a
; big skeleton in the closet."
"Wouldn't be surprised. Thero
, are a great many bones ot' contention
around there."—Detroit Free Press. j
EITHER WOULD DO.
Conductor—"Your ticket, please."
Passenger—"l'm traveling on my j
face."
Conductor—"All right; I'll punch
that."—Town Topics.
DOMESTIC METHODS.
"Paw, what is your busy day?"
"Well, happy urchiu, it is when I !
stay ot home to rest and your mother
' gets mo to do a few l'ttle odd jobs
around the house."- Detroit Free
Press.
ONE WAY OF LOOKING AT IT.
Alethea (blushingly)--"Now, don't,
Mr. Dnsnap ! 1 know little Ferdinand
is watching at tho keyhole."
j Duanap— "Well, let's gratify his I
curiosity, and then he may go away. ' ,
—Pack.
THE INTRUDER SURVIVED.
Watts—"l wonder if the water is
fit to drink yet?"
j Potts—"Guess it is. An eel came !
: through our hydrant this morning and j
it. seemed to be in good health."—ln- j
diauapolis Journal.
THEIR BATTLE HYMN.
"Mosquitoes are hateful, aren't
they?'"
"Yes; I don't mind their eating me j
if they didn't keep its such an everlast
ing complaint about the way 1 taste. ' <
—Chicago Record.
THE FISHEEEOI'S LUCE.
When the minister caught the little
[ boy fishing instead of being at school J
i the parson asked the lad what his j
mother did when he ran away like that
and gave her the slip.
"Gives me the slipper."
ONE THINC. CERTAIN.
Caller—"Thoy tell mc, Mrs. Sourly,
that your husband is a bull on the
board of trade?"
Mrs. Sourly—"Don't know any thiug
about that, but I do kuow that he's a
bear ut home."—Detroit Free Press.
A FT.AT-DWELLER'S WISH.
"I wish," said Flatlev, who had been
to the circus and was tired; "1 wish
these buildings could be trained to lie
down when we entered them."
He glanced at the sixteenth story
and heaved a great sigh.--Texas Sifter.
LOSING THEIIt WIND.
"You have a fine climate here,"
said the visitor to a resident. "Such a
bracing air."
"Yes," replied the resident, gloom
ily, "but them there bicyclists come
along and pump the air into their
pneumatic tires and carry it uli'."—
Truth.
> RAY OF HOPE.
"My son," asked Farmer Goshley,
"what is it that causes the rotary mo
tion of the earth?"
"I'm sure I don't know, father."
"My son, como to my arms. Yon
have been six mouths at college aud
there is one thing you are sure you
don't know 1"
A CALLOUS SOUL.
"Orlando," she exclaime' "tho
baby lias a tooth!" ,
"Has he?" was the response in a
tone which betrayed no emotion.
"Yon don't seem a bit surprised."
"I'm not surprised. All the babies
have first teeth. If this one didn't
have any I'd manage to get up somo
excitement, maybe."
"I thought you'd be pleased and
happy about it."
"No. I don't see that iL s any oc
casion for especial congratulations.
The baby lias my sympathy.
"Sympathy! What for?"
"For having his first tooth. He
has just struck tho opening chaptei of
a long story of trouble. Pretty soon
ho'll have other teeth."
"Of course ho will."
"Every one he outs will hurt him.
Then his second teeth will come and
push these out. That will hurt him
again. Some of the new ones will come
in crooked, like as not. and he will
have to go to the dentist aud luve a
block and tackle adjusted to them to
haul them around into line. Then
he'll cut his wisdom teeth. After that
ho have to go to the dentist and let
him drill holes and hammer till his
face feels like a palpitating Btone
quarry. I wouldn't want him to go
through life without teeth. But I
must say that I don't see any oocasion
for the customary hilarity over au
event that means so much in the way
t of sorrow and humiliation."—Detroit
' Free Frees. -
WISE WORDS.
We want no time, but diligence, for
great performances.
A man seldom thinks of reforming
until he goes broke.
A man's best friend is the one who
marries the girl that jilted him.
It is easier to tell others how to be j
good than it is to be good yourself. |
It wouldn't take much of a hypnotist
to make monkeys ont of some men.
An eho is the only thmg that can I
flimflam a woman out of the last
word.
The man who hesitates before ho
makes a promise is the one who is most
apt to keep it.
The trouble with a great many
young men is they don't like to work
between meals.
Shallow men are generally despised,
but they don't require as much watch
ing as deep ones.
The true ballot reform is that which
enables the voter and not the poli
tician to do the voting.
Some people want to hide their
light under a bushel, when an empty
sardine can would serve just as well.
A girl is never considered a good
singer until she has caused a concert
to be postponed because she has a
cold.
It is rather discouraging to a man
to be forced to wait until he is dead in
order to discover what a good fellow
he was.
When a boy begins to wash his neck
without being told, it is a sign that he
is passing into the oideal of his first
love affair.
Times may be as good now as they
ever were, but it is waste of time to
argue the point with a man who has an
empty stomach.
If you pick up a starving dog and
make him prosperous lie will not bite
you. This is the principal difference
between a dog and a man.
A woman can drive a man crazy for
twenty-four hours, and then bring
him to the gates of paradise in two
seconds by simply tickling him under
the chin.
The Kangaroo.
Captain (then Lieutenant) Cool:,
with Mr. (afterward Sir Joseph)
Banks, set sail in 1703, and, the ob
servation of Venus having been com
pleted, porceeded in the spring of
1770 to Eastern Australia, visiting
among other places a spot which, on
account of the number of new and
strange plaDts there to be found, re
ceived the name of "Botany Bay."
Subsequently, when detained by an
accident in Endeavor River, some
sailors sent on shore reported they
"had seen an animal as largo as a
greyhound, of slender make, and ex
tremely swift." "Two days after
ward," Captain Cook continues," as I
was walking in the morning at a little
distance from the ship, / myself saw
one of the animals." A fortnight af
terward (July 8) some of the crew "set
out with the first dawn in search ol
mime, and in a walk of many miles
they saw four animals of the same
kind, two of which Mr. Banks's grey
hound fairly chased, but they threw
him out at a great distance by leaping
over the long, thick grass, which pre
vented his running. This animal was
observed not to run upon four legs,
but to bound or leap forward upon
two, like the jerboa. This animal is
called by the natives kangaroo. The
next day our kangaroo was dressed
for dinner and proved most excellent
meat." Such is the earliest notice of
the observation of this animal by Eng
lishmen.
As Australia bocame better known it
was found to be inhabited by beasts ol
many kinds, all of which were pre
viously unknown, while they almost
all agreed with the American opos
sums, iu that they were "pouched" or
"marsupial" animals. Not unnatur
ally, therefore, some of these creatures
were also called "oposums," though
the name had better have been re
served for the American marsupials
exclusively, which aro the only "true
opossums."—Fortnightly Review.
Onions as a Nerve Tonic.
A German scientist says that people
who habitually use onions are mucb
less liublo to nervous diseases than
those who affect to despies them.
They tone up systems that are run
down and assist the digestion and as
similation of food. As an interesting
item in this connection, the same sci
entist says that if a sprig of parsley
is chopped hue, sprinkled with vine
gar and eaten after onions, there will
bo no trace of this vegetable on the
breath. This is well worth knowing,
if true, and certainly it is not difficult
to try the experiment. As a further
item of interest in regard to onions,
it is claimed that they are one of the
best cleansers of the skin, tiud that
onion eaters, all other things being
equal, will have the liuest of complex
ions. This being the case, the market
value of onions and parsley ought to
increase with great rapidity.
A Bliuil Physician.
Dr. James R. Cocke, a well-known
physician of Boston, is entirely blind.
In speaking of him the Boston Jour
nal says: "So far as can bo ascer
tained Jthere is only one man who,
blind from infancy, has taken up the
study of medicine and succeeded.
That man is James R. Cocke, whose
book, 'Blind leaders of the Blind,'
has just been issued. Dr. Cocke has
met with deserved success in bis pro
fession, and in his home in Boston is
surrounded by all that a man of cul
tivated tastes would choose. He is a
member of the Boston Athletic Asso
ciation, where his chief enjoyment is
in the game of tenpins, which he
plays, as he does everything else, with
zest and enthusiasm."
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.
London will soon substitute electri
city for steam in its underground rail
ways.
Electric coal mining machinery is
1 oing rapidly introduced in Western
To nusylvania.
The non-tidal part of the Thames is
138 miles in length and drains an area
of 6000 square miles.
Seventy-two races inhabit the world
and use 3001 different tongues. Thero
arc about 1000 religions.
The British admiralty is about to
take up the work of training carrier
pigeons for conveying messages at sea.
The annual number of births is esti
mated at 36,792,000 —an average num
ber of 100,800 a day, 4200 an hour
and seventy a minute.
The Thames scoops out of its bank
about 500,000 tons of matter iu a year.
The Mississippi is doing similar work,
but at the rate of 800,000,000 tons a
year.
According to the most careful com
putation, only one person in 100,00.1
of both sexes attain the age of 100
years, and six to seven in 100 the age
of sixty.
The total population of the earth is
estimated at about 1,200,000,000 souls,
of whom 35,214,000 die annually—an
average of 98,848 a day, 4020 un hour
and sixty-seven a minute.
There are about 100 grains of iron
in the average human body, and yet
so important is this exceedingly small
quantity that its diminution is attend
ed with very serious results.
The number of men and women is
very nearly equal, the average long
evity of both sexes being only thirty
eight years. About one-third of the
population dies before the ago of
seventeen.
The Roentgen rays burn the skin
like sunlight is the latest information
from Berlin about the phenomenon.
Professors Grambach and Dubois Ray
mond have succeeded in rendering
visible some of tho softer parts of the
body, liko the larynx aud the dia
phragm, by means of improved tubes.
Professor J. E. Todd, State Geolo
gist of South Dakota, who is in charge
of a geological surveying expedition
party in the Black Hill, discovered an
old volcano on Sand Creek, in tho Bad
Lauds, near Formosa. Near tho junc
tion of Sand Creek antl White River is
a hill eighty feet high. This hill vi
brates and groans with constancy. Its
tremblings have upset wagons and tho
Indians are much in fear of it.
The Tables Turned.
Alphonse Karr, tho well-known
French humorist, told tho following
story in a circle of friends, vouching
for its truth: Ho owned an estate iu
the southern part of France, and one
of his neighbors was an elderly Italian
Count, whose library was exceedingly
well stocked and was considered a
sight well worth seeing in t hat locality.
One day the witty author of "Les
Guepes," who had not yet met his
neighbor, sent a Eervant with a card
to him, requesting the loan of a cer
tain book. The Count replied in a
very polite note that he was extremely
sorrv that he could not oblige Mr.
Karr, but that it was with him a mat
ter of principle never to loan any
books for use outside of his own
library. At tho same time ho invited
his neighbor to come to his house at
any time, aud his library would be at
Mr. Kurr's disposal all day. Karr,
who was anxious to obtain certain in
formation, went to the Count's house
and made notes from tho particular
book iu the Count's library that he
wanted.
A short time afterward tho Count
needed u sprinkler, and sent to his
literary neighbor, askiug for the loan
of one. Karr, wbc had not forgotten
tho way his request for a book had
been answered, now sent to the Count
an extremely polite note, couched iu
the following terms: "I deeply re
gret tho impossibility of obliging you
by the loan of a sprinkler, but as a
matter of principle I could not pos
sibly allow my sprinkler to be used
outside of my garden ; but if you do
sire to use it on ray own lawn I shall
gladly place the sprinkler at your dis
posal all day."—Philadelphia Record.
A Town's (Jueer Name.
"I think the name of ray town is
one of the most euphonious I ever
heard," said A. L. Harding, of Vanda
lia, 111., ut the Regent. "It was for
merly the State cnpital, and Abraham
Liucolu was, at one time, a frequent
visitor. It has many of the best fam
ilies in Illinois as residents, but it is a
railroad center, and there have been
oases of trouble among the railroad
men that had given it rather a hard
name, which reminds one of how it
came to get a nnme at all. The owner
of the land before the place was
laid outdid not possess much learn
ing, but wanted to appear classical.
Hence, when he ccnoluded to start a
town he went to a friend and asked
him to suggest a name of some famous
people or city of ancient times. The
friend was a wug, and replied, 'Well,
tho vandals who helped conquer Rome
were a noted people. Name it Van
dalia, which means the home of the
Vandals.' Hence, Vandalia it be
came."—Washington Star.
Canaries From Germany.
Harper's Round Table, speaking of
the trade carried on by Germany iu
the rearing aud exporting of canaries,
says that the largest establishment in
the world for the breeding of these
creatures is situated within the
domains of that Empire, away up
among the Hartz Mountains of Prussia.
From this and the few surrounding
but much smaller nurseries, uo fewer
than 130,000 birds are despatched
every year to the United States and
Canada; while in the same time at
least 3000 go to Great Britain and
about 2000 go to Russia.