Children are largo patronizers of
tho postal savings banks of Franco,
Out of over 400,000 depositors in these
institutions, according to the reports
of the minister of posts and financo
telegraph, SO, 500 are minors.
Milwaukee, Wis., is preparing to
have hanging gardens for its exposi
tion in 1808, rivaling thoso of Baby
lon. Indiana will probably celebrate
its centennial by a day of fasting and
prayer. Our enterprise runs largely
in religious chauuels.
Persian papier-inuahe articles are
made of tbo Bibles sent out by British :
mission societies, according to Mr. I
Hodgetts, a recent traveler in the East. ;
He quotes the British Consul at
Tabreez as saying: "You have no idea !
what a boom these Bibles aro to tho
village industries of Persia."
This year will bo noteworthy in t'.ie j
history of the Scandinavian North as |
that of the great Scandinavian-Russian
exhibition and the twenty-five years'
jubilee of King Oscar. The exhibition
grounds are situated at Djurgardeii,
Stockholm, Bois de Bologuc, on a I
narrow point of laud, on both sides
surrounded by the Baltic and extend
ing towards Ostcrmalm, tho newest
and most elegant part of Stockholm, j
No metal is increasing in import
ance more rapidly throughout the
world than copper. Half of tho cop
per mined is produced in this coun
try, tho total output in the United
States last year reaching 47,722,560
pounds, a little more than half oi
which was exported. Our copper yield
is now forty per cent, larger thau thai
ol the world in 1881. The increased
demand for the metal is due to eicc
trical appliances.
Competition has reduced the price ol
no-called manilla and wrapping papers
to such au extent that wood pulp,
chemical aud sulphite fibres have com
pletely driven manilla rope at 1 cents
per pound, bagging at seventy cents
per 100 pounds, and jute butts at 1 1-1G
cents per pound into the background.
Wood pulp is monopolizing all the
functions of these various paper-mak
ing materials at a less cost thau ever !
before. The paper mills are doing the j
largest business in their history.
One may briefly describe Crete as j
the largest of the isles of Greece, being \
about 150 miles long and thirty miles
broad at the widest part; mountain
ous, but extremely fertile; inhabited;
by 300,000 Greeks, of whom 80,000 \
are Moslems, and with only three large j
towns, Canea, Candia and Retirno, i
with 23,000, 14,000 and SOOO inhabi
tants, respectively. So much ono 1
may glean from any gazetteer. But I
not in that nor in the more detailed |
description of the encyclopedia will j
you find more than tho remotest hint \
of the fascination which invests this
famous island, Homer's Island of a |
Hundred Cities, tho birthplace and
the burial place of the King of the
Olympian gods, the scene of some of !
the finest romances of mythology, tho i
burial place of the great Spartan law- j
giver, and the scene of some of the
most interesting incidents in the early j
development of Christianity. It is a !
mountainous country and volcanio as
well—"A land of old npheaven from
the abyss by fire." It has scarcely
one bit of ground that can be called a
plain, though that back of Canea is so
called. New bits of land so near the
centre of civilization are so little
known, and few are better worth tho
knowing, for every foot of it is historic |
ground.
An English statistician says thero is J
not much of a psychological mystery !
in the fnct that so many more people ]
commit suicide in summer than in
winter, and he does not think that the
difference is in any large measure due
to the direct effect of cold upon
human minds and bodies. It must be
borne in memory, he says, that
drowning is the commonest method of
self-destruction, and resort to it is
difficult or impossible when rivers and
ponds are covered with ice. This ac
counts for a part of the decrease.
Another part is explained by the cir
cumstance that in cold weather people
live more in association, and thero is
thus less opportunity for committing
suicide, lie does not think, however,
that it is possible to explain tho matter
wholly without reference to the de
pressing effects of cold on the nervous
system, and tho exciting effects ol
lient. It requires some energy and
determination to commit suicide, and
this is lacking in a person suffering
from extreme cold. All these consid
erations working together, tho result
is that many people endure through
the winter a life which they have
ceased to value, aDd throw it away
when the season comes in which the
material difficulties in tho way of con
tipena existence are at their minimum.
COU H AGE.
Flowstrango this conflict of our dally lifo.
This human with all its loves and pains;
With all its heavy losses and its Rains,
, With all its joys, and all its grief nnd strife,
! A nation struggles thro' mistake and sin,
Brave lives are lost and fiercer grows the
fight.
Thro' dark, sad years men grope toward the
light,
And thro' the clouds they see the dawn be
gin.
Rise up, my soul, to fight thine own good
part,
For everywhere is victory born of pain.
Rise o'er the ashes of thy passions slain,
Be stroDg to bear and to endure, O heart!
—C. E. Bancroft, in Youth's Companion.
MYSTERY OF THE ISEA.
- TROPICAL night on
yy\\ tLo Pnoilio ! The sky
// \\ is studded with
/r \\ stars, which are mir
//(TrskT> 'VA roreJ in the
1,// 1^ee P beneath. There
f / Vj is just enough air to
/Y keep the Dolphin
' moving taquiet
rate, aud the passen-
P ers are Shthered on
V vV' il y deck to enjoy the
V matchless eveniug.
A short distance away stand two
lovers—Edmund Prescott and Flor
ence Harris—'ooking out upon the
ocean and meditating aud conversing
upon the scene.
"How different this sky from our
northern firmament!" remarked the
latter, after a pause. "I can hardly
recognize my favorite constellation.
The Southern Cross is beautiful, but
then I miss the others. Ursa Major
has entirely disappeared, and as lor
the Minor Bear scarce a star of him is
visible."
At this observation, which was in
tended for no particular ears, Adol
phus Fitzgibbon aroused himself,
"Aw—what's that. Miss Harris?
Aw 1 have yon seen bears at sea?"
"Yes, aud monkeys, too," was the
quick but good-natured reply.
All of us laughed, while Fitzgibbon
looked very silly, then grinned huge
ly, then seemed to meditate some
scathing witticism, then concluded he
would not, and stretched out upon
his side with his back toward the
lovers, and pretended to, or really
did, fall asleep within the next fifteen
minutes.
I was reclining on the deok, about
a dozen feet from where tho lovers
stood—not with any intention of lis
tening to their words, but simply be
cause I had taken my position "first,
and was too languid to change it. j
had been an invalid for years, and
was now recovering from a very severe
spell of sickness.
I was lazily drawing at my Havana,
puffing the thin, fragrant smoke froiii
my mouth without removing the cigar,
and gazing upward at the brilliuut
stars as they slowly sailed overhead.
I was in that delicious, dreamy state,
half-asleep and half-awake, hearing
only the murmur of the voices around
me, as one hears the faint sound of a
•distant waterfall.
I presume I had lain thus for nearly
an hour, and my cigar had burned al
most to my mouth, while the long
column of ashes was still unbroken,
when something struck my ear like
tho sound of a bell. It was not until
I had heard it several times that it
seemed really to affeot my senses.
All at once I gave a start, the ashes
dropped upon my bosom, and I arose
to a sitting position and gazed around
me.
"Hark!" said I; "didn't you hoar
that bell?"
"Just what I have been trying to
make Edmund believe!" lauglied
Florence Harris. "He persisted in
not believing it."
"Listen!" I said, raising my band.
And immediately there fell a death
like silence.
And while thus intently listening,
there came across the sea, faint but
distinct, the soft, distant sound of a
bull. We scarcely breathed for a
minute. The strange, solemn sound
was repeated at regular intervals, as
if swung by tho hand of some ex
hausted sufferer, or tolled by the swell
of the ocean.
Tho captain by this time had ap
proached and stood in the attitude of
attention,
"We must be near the land," I ven
tured to say, rather in the form of an
inquiry than that of an assertion.
"No, sir," responded the captain.
"The nearest island is a good 800
miles away, and this doesn't come
from there, I should think."
"What can it be?" asked several in
the same breath.
"The sound comes from that direc
tion," said Florence Harris, pointing
toward the equator.
"Perhaps it is on board a ship," I
again ventured.
"Don't thiuk it is," replied the cap
tain, with a shake of the head.
"What can it be?" asked Florenoe.
To this no one ventured to reply
for several moments. In tho mean
time the tolling of the bell had be
come quite distinct, and Adolphus
Fitzgibbon gave a yawn, a grouu, a
kick, and awoke.
"Aw—yes— aw—l was about to sug
gest—aw—that the tea-bell should
ring—aw—aw—nw!" he stammered,
confusedly rising to his feet, and
pitching oack aud forth. Then, see
ing us all in tho attitude of attention,
ho asked, "What—aw—the dooce is
the matter?"
"It's the Bell of Doom!" exclaimed
Backstay Bob, a tall, scarred sailor,
from his position at tho wneel.
"Pshaw! you're childish," replied
tho captain. "Whatever it is, we are
rapidly approaching it, for notice how
much louder it sounds."
Suoh was the ease. The bell was
now heard clear and distinct to tho
south, and was approaching nearer
every moment. Shortly aftey, the
captain took his night glass oiri gazed
long and intently in that direction.
When he lowered it he said :
"I can just discover a dark body
rising and falling on the waves, but
nothing more. Backstay Bob, you
have got the best eyesight of auy one
on board. See what vou can make of
it."
Bob resigned his place at the wheel
to one of the men and came forward
and took the glass. Ho held it to his
eve for several minutes without speak
ing, and, to all appearauoes, without
ovea breathing, while we waited his
word with the deepest interest.
Finally he gave a great sigh and low
ered it.
"Blow me, if it ain't old Davy Jones
afloat."
"How does it look?" several of us
inquired in the same breath.
"I'll be hanged if I can tell! There's
no bowsprit, and—"
Here he leveled his glass again, and
shortly after continued his observu
tious.
"There's no eail—no nothin'."
"There mast bo something."
"Aw—certainly aw something,
certainly, if your vision—aw—is able
to discern it," ventured the gentle
Adolphus Fitzgibbon.
"Don't you see anything like asail?"
inquired the captain.
"Not a speck, or any place to pat
ono, either. Hold a minute 1" ex
claimed Backstay Bob; "I've got her
in range now. She ain't got the least
mite of a boom, yard, or anything
like. She looks 1 iko some great hulk
of a lightboat. Hold on again. I see
the bell. They've rigged it up at the
masthead, so that it swing buck'urds
and for'ards every time the thinggives
a lurch to leewards."
"Can you see anything aboard?"
"Not a creetur, living or dead."
"Keep away a couple of points" ;
cried the captain to tho man at tho
wheel.
"Ay, ay, sir I '
And the ship's course was altered so
as to bring her rapidly to the mysteri- '
ous craft toward which all eyes were ;
directed.
Several of the company now openly
remarked that there was something
supernatural in the appearance of this
boat, with its tolling bell. To all of
these Florenoe Harris and her lover !
replied lightly, neither of them having
the least faith in their credulity.
The captain listenod impatiently aud
then said:
"You're all a set of cowards. No j
doubt you imagine Old Nick is aboard, J
with a crew of little imps, bound for I
the Gullapagos Isles with a load of I
brimstone. If you'll content yourself;
for hall an hour longer, I'll tell you
something about it, for I intend to ;
board that old lumbering hulk, even if
it turns out to be the Flying Dutchman,
or Davy Jones' flagship, and shall ex-1
plore it from stem to stern."
To show that ho meant what he said,
orders were given to heave to, and to
get one of the boats in readiness. By |
this lime the nondescript was plainly
visible to all.
It appeared to be an old hulk, with j
a'singlo mast in the centre. The bell
was suspended from the masthead,
aud ever and nuou sent forth its sol
emn tolling, as the hulk rose and sunk |
with the heavings of the sea.
Before the ship was brought to wo ]
had passed the hulk some distance, so
that when wo haltod thero wore sev
eral hundred yards intervening, and
it was only dimly discernible.
A boat was lowered, aud the captain
having selected a crew, pulled uway
toward the hulk. I asked permission
to accompany it, but oa account of a
recent illness was refused. Fortun
ate for me indeed, was that refusal 1 j
There was something so extraordi- I
nary regarding the appearance and
action of the bulk that the curiosity
of us all was so intense as to be pain
ful. W'e strained our gaze, as the
captain and his crew drew rapidly
near it.
We saw the distance swiftly decrease
between the two boats until tho shad
owy forms merged into one. And
then followed an impressive silence—
suddenly broken by a howl, a pistol
shot and a scream; and as our hearts
almost stoppod beating we saw, a mo
ment later, the boat put oil from tho
hulk, uud the meu rowing with all
their might back to the ship. As
they came nearer wo discerned that
the captain was missing.
Backstay Bob dashed toward the
boat and, shaking his fist at the men,
demanded furiously:
"You cowardly dogs! Whore is
Captaiu Luster?"
"Tho demon has got him I"
Absurd ns the reply might have
seemed at auy other time, it was ut
tered iu solemn earuost, as the ghastly
faces of the crew attested.
Iu reply to our eager questions,
they said the moment they came along
side the craft they heard a low, hol
low, unearthly sound, which caused
them to hesitate. The captain elimbed
up the side of the vessel, descended
tho hatchway und disappeared from
view. Ho was hardly out of sight
when the noise they had heard at first
was repeated, far louder aud fiercer.
The next moment Ihe report of the
captain's pistol was heard, followed by
a terrific shriek, uud then all was
still.
Horror-struck, they called loudly
and repeatedly to their commander,
but receiving no answer pulled away
from the ship.
"You're a purty set of cowardly
sneaks, aint you, to go and desert
your captaiu that way, when, like
enough, he needed you to save his life,"
exclaimed Backstay Bob, forgetting in
his fury that the first mate was among
those whom lie denounced. "I'm go
ing back to that old hulk, and if I
can't get at tho demon in any other
way I'll put a keg of powder in it and
blow it to blazes 1"
"Bob is right, if his excitement does
make him forget his manners," said
the mate. "It was not my intention
to desert Captain Luster in trouble.
The men were so frightened that I
thought it best to come back aud get
a new set."
There wa3 some difficulty ia procur
ing the requisite number; aud, ac
cordingly, Frescott and myself were
accepted. As the former went over
the ship's Bide, Florence Harris said :
"Don't come back, Edmund, until
you have heard what has become of
poor Captain Luster."
He gave her his promise, and a few
minutes later the boat shoved off, and
we rapidly nearod the hull, which had
acquired such a strange interest to us
all.
Presoott, in addition to his revolver,
had a small Italian dagger, which I
observed him handle as if to assure
himself that it was reliable. Then, as
j ho replaced it, he remarked to me:
"There's no telling what's inside
that mass of lumber, and this may be
! the weapon I need, after all."
Arriving at the craft, after a short
consultation, it was agreed that the
tour oarsmen, the mate and myself (
should remain behind, while Backstay
Bob and William Prescott should ex
plore the hulk.
As it was morally certain that some
dreadful dauger menaced all who en
tered the cabin, and as I was good for
nothing, I needed PO more urging
than the mate to remain in my posi
tion.
Prescott went first, holding his pis
tol in one hand and a lantern in the
other, while Bob closely followed with
his cutlass. We saw them descend the j
hatchway. All was still, and then I |
heard the single exclamation from
Prescott:
"Oh, my God!"
This was followed by a terrible roar,
a quick succession of pistol shots, and '
then all was still again. The next
moment both Prescott and Backstay
Bob emerged to view, covered from
bead to foot with blood.
"Cotno aboard," said they. "The
danger is over."
The next instant we were on deck.
I rushed to the hole, and gazed dowD. i
Merciful heaven ! what did I behold? I
By the dim light of the lantern we
beheld the mangled body of Captain I
Luster. The head and one of his limbs
were gone, and there was scarcely a' |
semblance of humanity in the remains
before us. Near him was the gaunt,
terrible form of au expiring Bengal
tiger, killed by the bullets, cutlass
aud dagger of Prescott and Backstuv
Bob.
The two latter, on entering the
cabin, saw the mutilated body of Cap
taiu Luster. A low growl warned them
of danger, and as Prescott turned bis
gaze he saw the tiger crouching aud
in the very act of springing. Drop
ping his lantern lie fire.l h's revolver,
and, us the terrible animal bore him I
to the fioor he drew his dagger and ! j
stubbod him again and again. The i
needle-pointed instrument reached his '|
heart, which, united with the slashing j,
blows of Backstay Bob, settled his j |
hash before he could indict any ma- |
terial injury.
We now made a critical examination 11
of the place. A number of human
bones strewed the tloor, and several
articles of wearing apparel, which
seemed to indicate that the place had
beon tenanted by two human beings
of opposite sexes, and bad probably |
been torn to pieces by the tiger. Th'o ■
room was long and low, extending the j
whole length of the vessel, and hav* I
ing at either extremity a massive iron
chain, terminating in a heavy ring at j
one end,the other being fastened by a |
strong staple to a beam in the vessel's t
side. j
Tho brute had a ohain to his neck ■
and had been confined to one corner j
of the room by a delicate iron ring, i
which had been put there to be ]
broken. Over the centre of the room
was written something in an Indian I
dialect, which was pronounced oy the |
mate (who had spent several years in j
India) to read:
"I hive sought I have fouud that!
which I sought—vengeauce."
Carefully removing the body of the
captain to the little boat, we scuttled i
the mysterious craft, and saw it sink :
to the bottom of the ocean. Shortly I
after, the captain was wrapped in his I
winding-sheet and followed.
The strange, awful tale regarding
the old craft we never learned. It
ever remained to as all a decided
mystery of the sea.—New York News.
High Schools in Yew York.
New York City is to have high j
schools—something it has not had, I
says the New York Presn, since the
old High School was turned into the j
Normal College. The city now has its j
Normal College for girls aud the Col-1
lege of the City of New York for bovs,
but it has no system of high schools,
which are popular in nearly every
other eity iu the Union. The Commit
tee on High Schools of the Board of
Education at the meeting of the Board
recently recommended the establish- <
ment of three high schools, and the
report was adopted. The Girls' High
School will be situated in the bnildiug
now occupied by Grammar School 47,
at 30 East Twelith street; the Boys'
High School will be ia the building
now occupied by Grammar School 35,
at 00 West Thirteenth street, aud the
mixed,or "co-ed" High School will be
in the building occupied by Grammar
School 02, at Courtland avenue and
157 th street.
The Board appointed a committee
to visit the schools of some of the
other cities so that the latest ideas
may be put into practice in the high
schools of Now Y'ork when they are
established.
Made a Fortune Writing stories.
At least one cf the "penny-a-liners"
has had success in this world. It is
stated that Emile Riohebourge, the
French ncvelist, bus amassed a fortune
of $400,000 in twenty years, by writ
ing sensational stories for the Petit
Journal.
THE FIELD OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DAR
ING DE233 ON LAND AND SEA.
Eagles Carry Oft a C!ill<l—Pursued
by Bears—A Mountain Llou At
tacks au Engineer, Etc.
THE Northern Pacific Railway
Company's ofiioe in Helena,
Mont., will soon be orna
„ mented with two of as fine
apecimens of the American eagle fam
ily us ure in existence. The birds are
the property of E. T. Harnett, North
ern Vacitio mineral land examiner,
who obtained them sometime ago
while in Flathead County.
Mr. Harnett tells an interesting
story of how he came by the big birds.
He was on the upper Kootenai River,
in the northwestern part of the State,
having charge of a party examining a
large tract of land on the river. The
country there is almost primitive in its
condition, there being little evidence
of civilization abont. It is n wilder
ness of forest and mountains and is a
favorite hupting place for roving
bands of Indians.
Near where Mr. Barnett and party
were at work was a camp of Indians.
The lodges were scattered about pro
miscuously in Indian fashion near the
river's edge. There was little activity
about the camp. The bucks were for
the most part out hunting and the wo
men kept inside the lodges, it being a
particularly warm day. At the edge of
the camp was a group of dirty, naked
little Indian children, romping on the
grass together.
All of a sudden the quiet of the
camp was broken by the sudden intro
duction of two great eagles, which
swooped down upon the group of chil
uren. Apparently not frightened in the
least by their cries, one of the eagles
fastened its talons into the back of
the smallest child and then, after a
ndghty sweep of its wings, lifted it
into the air. The frightened little
papoose yelled with all its might, but
the eagle dragged it up the bluff forty
or fiity ieet and then dropped it, ap
parently becoming exhausted. Then
the other eagle grabbed the boy and
btarted with him up the bank, which
at that place arose almost perpendicu
lar 400 or 500 feet.
All that happened in a moment!
The camp which had been so quiet be
fore was immediately turned into a
place of contusion. The squaws, hear
ing the cries of the children, came
running out of the lodges. When
they saw what was the matter they
rushed up the bluft as hard as they
could go. But even theu the eagles
did not want to give up their prey.
They were not frightened by the noise
and kept dragging the poor little
Indian boy farther and farther an the
blufl'.
Mr. Barnett, attraoted by the cries,
took in the situation at a glance aud
ran for the bluff with his ride, which
he happened to have with him. Be
fore he reached the child an Indian
buck had come up with the eagle
having the boy in bis talons and kilfed
it with a club. Mr. Barnett had been
afraid to shoot for fear of hitting the
ohild, the mark being u moving one.
He shot the other eagle, however, just
as it commenced to soar away. Strange
to say, the little boy was not seriously
injured, although nearly frightened to
death.—Omaha Bee.
Pursued by Black Bears.
Elmer Thornburg, a mining man of
Granite, Or., arrived at his home,
after having a most exciting trip across
the mountuins on suowshoes aud nar
rowly escaping being food for a couple
of fierce and hungry bears. Thorn
burg is interested in mining ground
away down in a region known as
"Desolation," in the lower North Fork
country, and one day recently he con
eluded it would be wisdom on his part
to take a trip down to see how the
camp was prospering and take the
United States mail anil extras in to the
boys. The journey to within about
four miles of the camp was made with
out difficulty by Thornburg, mounted
upon a pair of suowshoes, but at that
distance the snow was all gone, and he
had to abandon his snowshoes and
take to walking. This, with his pack
on his back, was no picnic. When
within abont two miles of camp he
sat down on the sunny side of a tog to
rest.
No sooner had Thornburg settled
himself comfortably than he was dis
turbed by several gruntß and a lot of
clawing and scratching beneath the
log. He was unarmed. In a minute
there appeared from beneath the log
two black muzzles, followed by the
bodies of two full-grown, ferocious,
red-jawed, black bears, with bristles
erect as tbey came from their com
fortable burrow.
Thornburg jumped to his feet and
started down tho trail on a run. The
heavy pack on bis back impeded his
progress, however. The hungry bears
quickly took up the scent, and were
after him. When he saw that the race
would be an uneven one, ho dropped
his burden at the foot of a young
bluck pine tree and climbed up among
the branches as nimble as achipmonk.
The bears broke open his discarded
bundle and ate all the bacon and other
good things. Then they turned their
attention to Thornburg. Fierce with
hunger, their savage appetites just
whetted good, the bears put their huge
paws around the slender tree trunk
and endeavored to reach him.
Breaking off a branoh of the tree,
Thornburg rapped smartly each black
nose that came within reach, and bruin
would go away growling, only to re
turn when the pain bad ceased. This
was the best and only defense the pur
sued man could avail himself of. In
the meantime he began to yell at the
top of his voice in the hopes that his
cries might reach camp. They finally
did, and Mr. Dickison and Ed
Flaherty came out with their trusty
rifles and made it possible for the an
armed and unharmed man to descend
from his perch.
Thornburg will not make any more
trips on snowshoes across tho mouu
taius without his gun.—Portland Tele
gram.
Fought the Hear with Fire.
An English tourist, recently re
turned from Nevada, tells how he nar
rowly escaped from the clutches of a
bear. He had scrambled to the topoi
a large bowlder and the boar, wounded
in one of its legs, began scratching in
the ground at the foot of tho bowlder,
says the Weekly Telegraph. "Sud
denly," he says, "I felt the bowl
der on which I stood shake and
give a sudden downward lurch.
llt then dawned upon me that
tho bear was undermining my
stronghold, and within a few minutes
it would topple over and I be delivered
over to his tender mercy. In this
emergency I bethought myself of a
bottle of brandy which I carried in
my pocket. Thinking that by pouring
its contents over the ground the bear
would desist from his undermining
operations, I emptied half of it, but
he seemed to be all the more refreshed
by the smell and worked away more
vigorously than ever.
"There was but half of the brandy
left and things were beginning to look
serious, when I tried, as u last chance,
the extreme remedy of emptying tho
remainder of the flask onto tho back of
the bear and throwing a lighted match
to the brandy. The flames immediately
enveloped the animal,and,with shrieks
and yells of pain he, skedaddled to my
great relief.
"I was presently rejoined by my
companions, and with loaded guns we
followed up tho bear, whom we soon
discovered licking his burnt sideß, ou
which very little fur remained. Ho
was so weak alter his adventure at tho
oowlder that we had no difficulty in
disputchiug him."
Engineer Attacked by a Lion.
To battle with a huge mountain
lion, seven feet in length, ami 253
pounds in weight,on a trestle at night,
is tho thrilling experience that ha*
just befallen Edward C. Depew, an
eugiuoer on the Groat Northern Rail
road, near Lowell, Wash.
"At the time of tho adventure,"
says Engineer Depew, "I WHS pulling
tho overland passenger train going
east, and 'as we were a few minutes
late wo were.trying to nuke up a little
time. After wo had left Lowell, and
almost two miles east of there, about
half way across a long trestle, my lire
man, George Lawrence, jumped down
oIF his seat box and came quickly to
my side of the eugine. I noticed a
startled leok in his face, and, looking
ahead, saw through the darkue33 a
black object on the track.
"My first thought was of some ob
struction on the track. For a second
the thought of jumping flashed through
my miud, but I banished it. Nothing
could be done. We were too close to
the danger, and the fright had the
same effect on me that it had on Law
rence. It took away my power of
speech. Instinctively 1 crawled out
of my cab on to the side of the engine.
"Tho train dashed on. In an instant
I saw a monster's eyes flashing through
the darkness, green and yellow by
turns.
"As tho train approached the lion I
could see it prepare to spring. Finally,
when the leap was made, the situation
was so dramatic as to be almost theat
rical in effect.
"The force of the jump was astound
ing. The body of tho beast crashed
into the edge of the engine front. To
jump then was certain death, for we
were right in the centre of the trestle.
Yet, as the lion made its leap, I could
almost feel its hot breath on my throat.
"1 learned afterward that the cougur,
after we had struck it, lodged in the
cross ties of the trestle.
"The beast was still alive when the
men of No. -498 discovered it, but its
hind legs were cut off. Foreman John
C. Wright would not go near it until
he had emptied a couple of chambers
of his revolver into it. Then they
fastened the body to the cjw catcher
and took it to Skykomish."
An Injured Mi tier's Nerve.
A few days ago at Quartsburg, in
Baker county, Theodore Eby, a miner,
was working alone in a stope in the
Gilford mine when a huge rock fell
from tho hanging wall and struck his
leg, breakiqg it about half way be
tween the knee and hip aud pinioning
the unfortunate man fast. Within
arm's length of where he stood was a
pick. With this instrument he pried
the rock from his leg and extricated
himself. There was no assistance
nearer than Mr. Gilford's house, just
below the dump of the tunnel, and the
only person there was Mrs. Gilford,
her husband being absent.
There was only one thing for Eby
to do, and that was to get himself out
the best way possible. The journey
ahead of him required almost super
human effort. He had to go down on
a ladder in a sixty-foot shatt from the
stope to the tunnel, which was 300
feet from the entrance. He let him
self down the shaft by his hands, and
on reaching the tunnel crawled out,
all the time suffering the most intense
pain. On reaching the dump he called
for help, and Mrs. Gifford came to his
assistance and helped him to the house
and to his bed. Later Mr. Gilford re
turned home and procured a physician
to attend Mr. Eby, who at last accounts
was getting along as well as could bo
expected.—Morning Oregcnian.
A Minnesota legislator introduced a
bill providing for the appointment of
a State phrenologist, at a salary of
S2OOO a year, with a SISOO assistant,
and an expense fund cf SBOOO a year at
their disposal; tb.eir business to bo the
examination of "not less than 2000
heads a year."
Confessing a fault makes hall
amends. Denying one doubles it*
liiiii
The earnest question of the hour.
And general theme, no doubt,
Is not of love or polities ,
But, "Will the coal hold out?"
—Chicago Record.
Remains to be seen: The boy who
has an appointment with the teacher
after school is dismissed.—Boston
Transcript.
Kenn—lsn't your wife afraid to drive
that horse? Steam—Not at all. It's
the people she meets who are scared.—
Hartford Times.
First Office Boy—lt says "Our hero
now partook of a frugal repast." What
docs that mean? Second Office Boy—
Quick lunch.—Puck.
Husband—Why should you blame me
because we were late to the theater?
Wife—You forget, dear, that you hur
ried mo up so.—Puck.
"Wobbles rides his bicycle in ills flat
now." "In his flat?" "Yes; it's steam
heated, and lie has to scorch up and
down the hall to keep warm." —Life.
I went into the theater.
But left it with a sigh;
The play was long, the jokes were hroad.
The hats were very high.
-Pick-Me-Up.
"Do you think opals are unlucky?"
inquired the superstitious man. "Yes,"
was the reply. "My wife wants one,
and it's going to cost me sso."—Wash
ington Star.
"Does your latest novel enjoy a largo
sale?" he inquired. "I don't know
whether the novel does or not," replied
the author, "but I do."—Chicago Times
lierald.
Rural Teacher—Wlint current event
of great interest can you give me this
morning Small Girl (eagerly)—My ma
has just made twenty tumblers of Jel
ly.—Judge.
Willie—lt's always in damp places
where mushrooms grow, isn't it. papa?
Papa—Yes, my boy. "Is that the rea
son they look like umbrellas, papa?"—
Yonkera Statesman.
"Did you ever get so mad that words
failed you?" "Yes—once." "When
was that?" "Just one-eighth of a sec
ond after I called a prize-fighter a
liar."—Chicago Record.
Mudge—Oh, yes, we had a real lively
time, Simmons and I. It cost us near
ly SSO. Wlckwire—Yes. I saw Sim
mons this morning, and he told me he
spent s4s.—lndianapolis Journal.
"Come, Julie, let's go and have a
friendship oyster stew together."
"Friendship oyster stew! What's that?"
"Why, you pay for mine, and I'll pay
for yours."—New York Journal.
She—And you say that you have
never beeu in love? He—Never. I have
thought I was, seventy-five or eighty
times ,but I always found out after
ward that I wasn't.—Somervllle Jour
nal.
The subordinate—Here is a lottei
from a young woman wanting us te
give some of the legends about the ori
gin of tho fan. The Chief—Turn il
over'to the base-hail editor.—lndian
apolis Journal.
However ling the line may he
With civic folk ami troopers.
Each marcher proudly feels that he
Is the grandest in that pageantry;
The rest are merely supers.
—Washington Star.
"And is she really the trained singot
she claims to be?" "Beyond a doubt
She can sing 'Comiu* Through the llye'
so that nobody can tell what it is with
out looking at the program."—Cincin
nati Enquirer.
First Doctor—Well, that's just like
these actresses! Second Doctor—What
Is? First Doctor—Why, that Miss
May Cupp won't lot us look into hei
head with tho X ray until she makes
up her mind.—Puck.
Brown—The sporting editor of this
paper doesn't know Ids business. lie
says here that that lightweight boxei
weighed 118 pounds. Jones—lsn't thai
right? Brown—No. He should have
said "tipped the scales."—Judge.
Couldn't Stand Alone.—"They tell me
Van Wither is very weak since his last
sickness." "He la. I saw him on the
street just now and asked him for a
fiver; but he couldn't stand a loan. 4 '—
Cincinnati Commero'al Tribune.
"Amy, my love, I wish we lived in
the good old days when a knight could
fight for his lady love." "Why, George
dear, as for that, you haven't asked
papa's consent to our engagement as
yet, you know."—Forget-Me-Not.
The Comedian (on the defensive)—
But you know there are only seven real
jokes in the world, it is said. The Sou
brette—l know; what puzzles me is
that you have never happened upou
any of them.—Cincinnati Tribune.
Nellie—l don't see why Charley Dim
pleton has suddenly been so taken with
Dot Thurston. Mow do you account
for it? Jessie—Oh, I believe she was
the lirst one to notice that lie was rais
ing a mustache.—Cleveland Leader.
"Sometimes," said Uncle Ebon, "de
man dat pays hundu'hds oh dollahs fob
flags an' decorations nin' ez much oh
er patriot ez de oue dat goes quietly
'long ail' pays 'is taxes an' serves on
de jury wifout klckin'."—Washington
Star.
Arizona Al—Wal, what do you think
of that? Here's Jim goiu' an' git ting
married! Chloride Charley—Wal, that's
the way of the world! Arizona Al—
Right enough; but look at this: "No
Cards." That's what comes of mar*
ryin' inter a pious family.—Puck.
The whale spouted in triumph. "Nev
er you mind!" shouted Jonah, vindic
tively; "you've given me a good deal
of trouble, I'll admit, but you just
wait till the latter-day theologians
tackle you!" With a hoarse chuckle
he struck out over the sand dunes to
ward Nineveh.—New York Press.