Both Germany and Great Britain
are at their old tricks again, attempt
ing to find some excuse for barring
out American agricultural products.
The competition is such that it hurts.
Three autograph letters by Queen
Victoria round their way recently into
a London auction room. No special
attention had been called to them,
and, as a consequence, little or no
competition took place. One, a letter
to the King of Holland, was bought
for $35; one to the Duches9 of
Nemours, sl2, and the third only $L
Baron von Riclitkoven says that at
the present rate of consumption the
■world could draw its supplies of coal
from southern Shensi alone for over a
thousand years; and yet, in the very
place referred to, it is not uncommon
to find the Chinese storing up wood
and millet-stalks for their firing in
winter, while coal in untold quantities
lies ready for use beneath their feet.
Abyssinia is likely to be conquered
peacefully by Italy, as over four thou
sand soldiers taken prisoners by Men
el ek are said to have settled in the
conntry, refusing to go home. Mean
while, their families are petitioning
the Government either to get hack the
men who disappeared after Adaua or
to declare them dead officially, so that
their affairs in Italy may be settled.
In accordance with a treaty between
the Japanese and,the Mexican Govern
ments, ratified last year, Count Eno
moto, ex-Minister of Agriculture and
a wealthy Japanese landowner, has
purchased 100,000 acres of land in
Mexico, adjacent to the port of San
Bonito. It is proposed to establish a
Japanese colony there, and the enter
prise is receiving the support of the
Japanese Government. The entire
acreage will be devoted to the cultiva
tion of coffee. A line of steamships
■will be established between San Fran
cisco and Acapulco, to connect with
the new Japanese transpacific line.
It has fallen to few literary per
sons to receive such a letter as that
krhich was sent to Mr. George Mere
dith the other day on the occasion of
his seventieth birthday, observes the
New York Sun. "You have attained,"
said the signers of the document, "the
first rank in literature after many years
*)f inadequate recognition. From first
to last you have been true to yourself
and havo always aimed at the highest
mark. We are rejoiced to know that
merits once perceived by only a few
are now appreciated by a wide and
steadily growing circle. We wish you
many years of life, during which you
(may continue to do good work, cheered
by the consciousness of good work al
ready achieved and encouraged by the
certainty of a hearty welcome from
many sympathetic readers." This re
markable letter was signed by every
man and woman at present prominent
in the English world of letters.
The Baltimore Sun observes: Ths
destruction of the Maine—a vessel
costing $2,500,000 —by an explosion,
raises the question of the wisdom of
putting two and a half millions in one
ship. If we aro not to take the offen
sive at sea, why should we build ves
sels of great size and cost? Smaller
vessels costing not over $500,000 would
be ample for harbor defense. The
torpedo boat is cheap aud efficient for
local defense. The torpedo boat de
stroyer, which is eomewat larger, is
vastly more efficient, and Admiral
Coulomb, of the British navy, declares
that it is the naval vessel of the future
and will drive tho hugo battle ships
and cruisers from tho seas. He makes
the point that over twenty such boats
may he built for the money that one
battle ship costs, and economy and
good sense call for tho abandonment
of large battle ships and cruisers. It
is unwise, he argues, to put all one's
eg.53 in ono basket. Tho largest ship
may he sunk by one torpedo, such as
a small torpedo boat or "destroyer"
may eject from her "tubes." Tho
ordinary typo of torpedo is a long
metallic cylinder, cigar-shaped, hav
ing at its front end a jicrcussion cap
and load of gun cotton and in its rear
•ml] a reservoir of compressed air,
which acts on its screw propellers to
propel the whole through the water at
high speed toward the enemy's vessel.
It is commonly ejected by means of
compressed air—sometimes by explo
sives—from a tube in the how, side or
stern of a ship, above or below water.
The ship or torpedo boat is so turned
that one of its "tubes" will bear on
tho enemy's vessel and at that mo
ment the torpado is ejected. The
torpedo strikes the enemy's hull un
der water and a single hit is sufficient
to sink a $5,000,000 battle ship. The
enemy's means of defense is to destroy
Vho torpedo boat by rapid-firo guns
before it can get within torpedo range,
vhicli is not very great.
THE AFTER TIME.
O, lot ua he {Had that only the earth
Beneath us lies frozen and cold;
That still the days find beautiful birth.
Through orient gates of gold;
That still above U9 the fathomless
blue,
O'erarches the dazzling light;
That still the stars shine tender and
true.
Through the infinite depths of night.
| THE LOST LOUIS. I
Sji By WILLIAM SAGE.
""HI"—*HE colonel, the pro
i fessor and young
/ ffl Jack Hawley were
sea * ei i around the
v(iuMi£sBpoMl toble in a hay win
dow of the club
'S- v dining-room, over
j their after-dinner
S. J The dinner had
5 been excellent, and
N* the old colonel, as
J the guest of the
evening, was feel-
S ing particularly
genial, as he drew a handful of change
from out his trousers' pocket in order
to reward the attentions of the waiter.
As he did so the quick eye of the
professor took note of a silver piece
considerably larger than a dollar.
"That's a curious coin, colonel," he
remarked, leaning forward over the
table.
"That's a Louis," said the colonel,
pickiug it out from the other coins in
his hand and passing it over to the
professor.
"I always imagined that a 'Louis'
was a gold piece," remarked young
Jack Hawley.
"They are generally gold," replied
the colonel; "but evidently some sil
ver Louis were coined, for here is
one."
"I have never seen nor heard of one
before," said the professor, looking
with interest at the large, clumsy coin,
with the heavy countenance of Louis
XVI., and under it the date 1776. "I
suppose this must be both rare and
valuable."
"I prize it more highly because of
the wonderful coincidence connected
with it," replied the colonel.
"Let's hear it," said young Hawley.
"Well," when I was a lad," began
the colonel, leaning hack in his chair
and lighting a cigar. "Such a long
time ago that your grandfather, Jack,
was at school at the time and the pro
fessor's father was probably wearing
kilts."
"Oh, hardly as long as that," inter
rupted the professor, laughing, "I'm
over forty-six myself; you'll make
make yourself eighty at that rate."
"Well, that would not he so far out
of the way; I was seventy-four last
month." And the old colonel stroked
his white goatee complacently, for he
did not look a day over sixty-five. "It
was when I was a youth of eighteen,
working in a jeweler's shop in Boston,
that this coin first came into my pos
session. At that time, as you know,
a great many Spanish, Mexican and
French coins were in circulation in
this country, and I took this one in
my wages. The face of the unfortun
ate French monarch rather took my
fancy, and I kept it for a pocket piece.
But before I go any further I want to
ask whether either of you geutlemeu
Bee any marked peculiarity about this
coin?" And the colonel tossed it
upon the table.
The professor examined it closely.
"I notice that it hears the date of
American independence," he said.
"Well, that's hardly a peculiarity.
There were doubtless others minted in
the same year."
"I don't see anything else."
The colonel smiled. "Well, there
is, and I'll lot you endeavor to find
it out while I tell you the history.
"In the year 1815 I went to Mex
ico. Silver mining was what I went
there for, but I did about everything
before I left the country, and ended
by going into Taylor's army when the
war broke out.
"One day I was seated in a gaming
house at Saltillo. Oh, I was wild
enough in those days, Jack Hawley,
and hardly a week passed that Have
Cranston and Pedro Blanco (they
were my two partners), and I did not
come into town for a little game of
'brisca.'
"Well, 011 this day—ever to he
remembered by me as the last tune I
sat down to a game of chance where
the stakes were money"—here the
colonel took a long pull at his cigar
and expelled the smoke slowly—"I
was having a particularly hard run of
luck and lost so rapidly that in le3s
than an hour after first sitting down
T was cleaued out. I had not had
nearly enough excitement for my
money, and wanted badly to keep 011
playing. Searching all my pockets in
the hope of finding a stray coin I drew
out this Louis, which I had carried for
over four years. The thonght at once
flashed through my mind that per
haps on this piece my lnck would
change, and I might retrieve my shat
tered fortunes. So I tossed it on the
table and took another hand at the
game.'"
"And not only won hack your los
ings, but such a large sum iu addition
that yon wisely resolved never to
tempt your luck again," interrupted
young Hawley.
"Inside of five minutes," said the
colonel impressively, "I arose from
that table, having lost this piece and
everything of value that I possessed,
down to the silver mounting on my
horse's bridle, and I would have
staked the horse himself had not Dave
Cranston and Pedro drngged mo awny
from the table, and putting me on the
animal's back, rode off with me be-
O, let us be glad that only the snow
Lies white as n winding sheet:
That the heart of the earth has warmth
and glow,
And strongly her life-pulses beat;
That soon shall her fires awaken and sot
Each nerve of nature a-tbrlll,
And brimming with beauty the earth shall
forget
That long she lay silent and chill.
—Dart Fairthorne, in Vlck's Magazine.
tween them to our enmp. I'm not go
ing to read yon a lecture on the im
morality of gambling, young Hawley,
nor lengthen out this story with an ac
count of my life in Mexico. Suffice it
to say that I kept my resolution in re
gard to gaming, and whatever fortune
I havo made was not amassed in Mex
ican mines."
"I suppose you got this piece back
by purchasing it from the winner,"
remarked the professor, dropping it
on the table and putting down his ear
to listen to the ring.
"To my great chagrin he left Sal
tillo that same afternoon, and I never
set eyes on him again."
"Indeed! Then how in the world
did you regain possession of it?"
"Forty years later," said col
onel slowly.
"Phew," whistled young Hawley,
under his breath.
"I was sojourning for a few days in
a small town in Southern Spain.
Passing through a narrow street one
afternoon on my way back to the
hotel, I chanced to stop, as any one
might, to look into the window of a
dealer iu curios, and the first object
that caught my eye was this identical
coin. Now, I know that this sounds
incredible. I, myself, at first thought
it was merely a coin of the same de
nomination and date, but imagine my
surprise when, upon going in and ex
amining it closely I discovered that it
was the very same Louis that I had
lost at play in Saltillo so many years
ago. I gladly paid the shopkeeper
six pesos for it, aud I have carried it
in my pocket ever since."
Here the colonel stopped.
"Is that all?" inquired young
Hawley.
"That is all, except that I will now
proceed to show you "
"Will you permit me to take a look
at the coin?" The sjieaker who inter
rupted them had risen from a table in
the adjoining alcove and now stood at
the professor's elbow. He looked
some years older than the colonel, his
hair was white and he leaned upon a
heavy cane, one leg being decidedly
lame,
"I'm Major Tracer; I overheard
part of your conversation as I sat at
my table there, and I was so interested
that I could not refrain from coming
over aud, at the risk of intruding, tak
ing a part in it."
"No intrusion at all, sir. One old
soldier is always glad to make the
acquaintance of another, aud your
name, major, is known to every veter
an of the Mexican War. Permit ma
to introduce my frieuds, Professor
Langton aud Mr. Hawley."
"The colonel has just been enter
taining us with a remarkable account
of the loss and subsequent recovery of
this piece of money," said the pro
fessor, handing the coin to the major.
"Seventeen seventy-six—the same
date," said the major half to himself.
Then putting the coin on the table he
took up a fruit knife aud, placing the
dull point exactly over the letter "O"
in the word Louis, a hair's breadth
from the edge, he gave a sharp, quick
pressure and the face of the coin flew
open as though on a spring. With an
exclamation of surprise the professor
took it and inspected it closely. Some
skilled workman had cut it open all
around the milled edge aud fitted a
spring inside, just under the letter
"O." So nicely had the work been
done that whou closed it was not ap
parent to the naked eye. When
opened, it was seen that a groove had
been hollowed through the inside
about an inch and a half long and one
eighth of an inch wide.
"By all the powers, how comes it
that you knew thai secret?" cried the
colonel, dumbfounded, as the major
threw the fruit knife back 011 the table.
Without answering the question di
rectly, tho major took the other old
soldier by tlio hand and, looking into
his eyes with a pecnliar expression 011
his face, asked: "Were you tho man
who did that delicate piece ofmechaui
cal work?"
"I was."
"Tell me what 011 earth induced you
to do it?"
"For tho life of mo I can't say.
What induces people to make baskets
out of cherry pits, lockets out of hair
and tho thousnud and one little gim
cracks that are always being made? I
was a skillful workman, nud in an idle
hour I took up this coin, cut it open
aud fitted it with a spring. There is
just 0110 way to open it. You must
have had the piece iu your possession
at one time and stumbled upon the
secret. I put something iu that cavity
in the centre—did you take it out?"
"I did."
The major drew up a chair and
stretched his stiff leg out under the
table comfortably. "In 1847," ho
began, looking fixedly at the colonel,
"I was also in Mexico." The colonel
nodded and handed the major a cigar.
"Thanks. I was with Scott at Vera
Cruz."
"And I," said the colonel, giving
him a light, "was with Taylor in the
northern part of the country."
"Having lived iu Mexico for a
nrmber of years previous to the war,"
continued the major, lighting his
cigar, "and speaking the language of
the country, I was more valuable in
the secret service than is the field,
so I was," here he puffed on the cigar
for a few seconds to get it well lighted
"a scout."
"I understand," and the colonel
nodded again.
"The American army took up quar
ters at Jalapa, where I left them and
made a detour towards the south, to
discover a suitable route by which our
forces could approach the City of
Mexico, and avoid the fortifications
and ambuscades which General Santa
Anna had provided for their reception.
I had been most successful, and had
reached Molino del Key, a small town
almost in the shedow of the walls of
Mexico City, when I was captured by
the Mexicans and thrown into the jail
to await trial as a spy. Imagine my
despair. I had every inch of the
ground from Jalapa carefully photo
graphed in my brain. Could furnish
Scott with information of the greatest
importance, and here I was jugged in
that little, miserable Mexican jail with
every prospect of being condemned to
death, and no possible way of getting
any part of my valuable information
to the ears of the general.
"You will, of course, surmise that
the first thing I had done on being
left alone in my cell was to examine
every avenue of possible escape. My
room was ten by twelve. There was
in it a table, one chair and a pallet of
straw. One small iron barred win
dow, looking out on the prison yard
beneath, furnished what light there
was. The bars were half an inch in
diameter, and firmly set in the
masonry. Using all my strength I
could not budge them. I was not,
however, kept long in suspense. On
the afternoon of the second day I was
taken out, tried, found guilty, and
condemned to be shot at sunrise on
the day following—that is, within fif
teen hours.
"On my return to the hot, badly
aired cell with the stunning effect of
my sentence benumbing my brain, I
sat listlessly down by the table and
allowed my head to rest in the hollow
of my hands. My attitude of dejec
tion appealed to the sergeant who
brought me in, for placing his hand on
my shoulder he asked if there was
nothing ho could do for me. I shook
my head. 'There are some very nice
grapes in the market place outside,'
he said persuasively. The sound of the
word 'grapes' recalled to my mind how
parched the roof of my mouth was, so I
thanked him, and said I should enjoy
a few. I handed him a half eagle,
which my captors had overlooked
when they took everything else of
value from me. In less than five
minutes he was back with a basket of
delicious-looking fruit, which he
placed on the table at my elbow, and
offered me the change. I motioned
him to keep it, saying that he could
spend it to better advantage than I.
He pocketed it with an expression on
his countenance intending to denote
commiseration, but he was such a
happy, smiling-faced fellow that the
effect was rather comical. As he was
putting the change in his pocket one
of the larger coins slipped through
his fingers and striking the floor on its
edge it circled about the room aud
ended by nestling on the straw at my
feet. Actuated by a feeling of deli
cacy the sergeant withdrew without
stooping to pick it up, and hardly
noticing the occurrence I remained
seated at the table. After a short
time I pulled myself together enough
to eat some grapes, aud then com
menced to write a few lines to my
friends at home in the hopes that
through the kindness of my jailer,
who had also furnished mo with paper
aud pencil,they wculd some day reach
the hands for whom they were in
tended. As I finished writing my
eye caught the glitter of the coin atniy
feet. I picked it up aud tossed it onto
the table before me. On looking at it
closer I noticed that it was a French
coin, with the head of Louis XVI.
stamped upon it. This sent me off
into another train of thought, and as
I mused I tapped mechanically on the
coin with the point of my pencil,
thus," and the major illustrated the
action with the fruit knife. "I must
have struck a sharp, quick blow right
over the letter O, for all of a sudden
the face of the coin flew open nud out
popped a little objoct that fell on the
table with a tinkling sound. I took it
between my thumb and finger, and
going to the light could hardly believe
my eyes when I saw that I held a tiny
file about an inch and a half in length,
with delicate sawteeth, which were al
most invisible to the naked eye. The
next moment I was standing on my
stool at the window, experimenting on
the iron bar. The little instrument
was made of the hardest steel, aud its
tiny teeth made some impression on
the iron. For hr.lf an hour I worked
away persistently, aud by that time
I had cut into the bar a little. Not
much, to be sure, but still enough to
raiso my hopes. It was only a ques
tion of time and not being interrupted,
and I should be through thnt window.
I worked away like a beaver. Twelve
hours to saw through two half-inch
bars. I had read of men who, with
files made with watch-springs, had cut
their way to liberty through iron bolts
and bars, or with no other tool than
the blade of of a penknife had dug
through a dozen feet of stone anil
mortar to the daylight beyond; but
these men had taken weeks and
mouths to complete their task, while
I had just one short summer night.
Nearly two hours passed thus when
the faint twittering of a bird warned
me of approaching day. I had not
finished the first bar. I seemed to be
making no progress at all now. Once
the little file had slipped from my
fingers and fallen to the floor, where I
had been obliged to grope for it, and
the constant fear lest it should slip
again aud fall outside made me doubly
cautions and slow. As the first streaks
of red tinged the eastern sky the roll
of the chum in the guardroom beneath
told me that the sentries were about
to be changed. Exerting all my
strength I wrenched the bar free at
the bottom and bent it inward and
upward like a book. The aperture
thus made was small, but still I might
squeeze through. The remembrance
how, as a boy, I used to crawl into
our barn at home through a small
window from which a pane of glass
had been knocked, came to my mind
encouragingly. Snatching up the
pistol I pushed the table under the
window, and, jumping upon it, began,
feet first, to work myself through the
hole. I was about the same size all the
way up in those days"—here the major
looked rather regretfully at Jthe pres
ent generous proportions of his waist
coat—"but when I had gotten half
way through I stuck fast. Just at
this moment I heard voices at the
door and a key grate in the lock.
They had some difficulty in unlocking
it, for I had left the key in the lock on
my side. Meanwhile I struggled
valiantly, bnt the more I wriggled the
tighter I seemed to get wedged in the
window, and the blood surged up into
my head with splitting violence.
There I was, caught in my own trap,
waving my legs about and striking
them against the wall on the outside.
"Thb key on my side of the door
fell to the floor, and the key on the
other side turned in the lock. I
called out as menacingly as my lack of
breath would permit: 'The first who
enters will be shot dead.' Here I
gave a tremendous squirm. 'I have
overpowered the sentry (wriggle), and
have his pistol.' The click of my
weapon carried conviction with it, for
the men in the corridor paused. By
a superhuman effort I drew myself a
little toward the inside of the room,
and getting one arm outside, managed
to slide out of the window. Here I
hung by one arm from the bar, my
shirt, having caught on the ragged
stump of iron, prevented me for a
moment from dropping to the
yard beneath. A sentry on the
prison wall spied me at this
juncture and fired his musket. It was
his last shot, for as his ball struck the
mortar from the wall near me I raised
my pistol and picked him off his perch.
I let go my hold. There was a soft
burr of ripping flannel, and I fell to
the ground. I was upon my feet and
over the wall like a oat. As I leaped
a volley of shot followed me, and the
soldiers poured out of the jail in pur
suit. There were Borne horses tied in
front of the postofiice opposite, and
breaking the tether of one of them I
was on his back and away up the street
in a flash. It was only an eighth of a
mile long. You know how these little
Mexioan towns are built. Pandemon
ium reigned there for about ten sec
onds, and then I was off towards the
mountains. A dozen men were after
me in full chase, but they never came
within shooting distance ngaiu. You
see, I knew the country even better
than they, having been scouting in it
for weeks. I made my way back to our
lines with all possible dispatch, avoid
ing any encounter with the natives.
Once, however, urged by hunger, I
stopped at a small habitation for pro
visions. Tho Mexican who lived there
was not inclined to be curious, and gave
me an abundance of food, so to pay
him for his kindness I gave him this
piece of money, which was all I had.
"When I finally reached the Ameri
con army I found that Scott had given
up all idea of seeing me again, and was
preparing to press forward to tho at
tack.
"On tho 18th of August our forces
were shelling the City of Mexico from
the very town of Molino del Key, and
on the 19th we took the city itself by
assault. •
"I wanted to have a hand at whip
ping Santa Anna, so took part in the
charge and received a wound in the
leg which resulted in this." The
major stuck out his left leg from un
der the table. "Cork, sir!
"That, gentlemen, is howl come to
know how to open this remarkable
coin."
Then drawing a fat wallet from his
inside vest pocket he fished out from
its recesses something folded in what
had once been white paper, now dark
with age. Unwrapping it he disclosed
a tiny file, with delicate saw-teeth.
Fitting tho file into the cavity in the
coin he handed it to the colonel, say
ing, ns he did so: "Allow me to re
store to you all your property." But
the latter refused it. "No, major, I
think it should belong to you."
"Well, I should like to keep it
as a memento, but in turn
yon must permit me to celebrate my
first meeting with the man to whom I
am so deeply indebted, by ordering a
bottle of champagne."
"With all my heart," said the genial
colonel.
"And now," continued the major,
after the arrival of the wine, as he
filled the glasses around, "I want to
ask you again: What induced you to
put a file, of all things, into the contre
of that coin after cutting it open?"
"And I can only say," replied the
colonel, "that it was because that lit
tle file happened to be lying on my
work table near a* hand. It was the
merest chance."
"It was a lucky chance for me,"
said the major, devoutly, as he raised
his glass, "otherwise I should not
have had the pleasure of drinking your
very good health to-day."—Short
Stories.
Foggier Titan London.
Esquiiiialt is tho only place in the
British empire, according to a recent
climatologicul report, that exceeds
London in cloudiness. Esquimalt is
also the dampest place in the empire,
while Adelaide, in Australia, is the
dryest. Ceylon is the hottest, and
Northwest Canada the coldest pos
session that the flag of England floats
over.
The loftiest active volcanfi is Coto*
paxi. It is 18,880 feet high, and its
last great eruption was in 1855.
IBlcvcle Taps Meainm.
The latest trinket for a bicycle wo
man is a tape measure. The silken
tape is inclosed in a little brass disk.
A bicycle about half an inch high, but
perfectly made, with rubber tires, etc.,
surmounts this pedestal. When one
wishes to wind'upthe tape, the bicycle
is twisted round and round, and the
tape flies back to its reel.
The First Woman Aeronaut.
The first American woman aeronaut,
Mrs. Lucretia B. Hubbell of Norwich,
Conn., is still living, and has a thrill
ing story to tell of her adventure at
Easton, Penu., forty-three years ago,
witnessed by several thousand people.
Mrs. Hubbell was then unmarried, and
n lecturer on phrenology. She de
cided on an aerial flight "for pleasure
and expansion of the lungs," to say
nothing of a good advertisement. The
balloon was a fine and large one of
silk, and shot up so rapidly into the
cold air that the aeronaut's hands
were benumbed. While she was
opening the bags of ballast with her
teeth the balloon burst. By a strange
chance the fragments formed a perfect
parachute and drifted eleven miles
further, landing with a hard bump in
a New Jersey clover field. The dar
ing young woman escaped without a
scratch and had an immense audience
at her lecture that night.
Children of Fusltlon.
For the children the world of fash
ion has pretty blouse front in reefers.
The full front with the short skirt
below the waist, which is belted in,
suggests a "cut-to-short" appearance
if shown off the form, but when ad
justed it assumes a natty air and
ought to become popular.
"Princess of Wales" is the name
given to a little girl's suit made of
red serge. This also has the blouse
waist, although one-half of the front
shows a pure white lawn tucked
guimpe.
Another frock designed for an out
ing suit is made of blue serge with a
full blouse waist; the front is inlaid
with plaits of white broadcloth. The
revers are also of the white cloth, but
are embroidered in blue stars, which
makes it truly a costume for the sea
shore.
Quaker-gray serge servos to fashion
most acceptably a child's frock.
Cream broadcloth!lined with silver
braid decorates the bodice, which is
the prevailing blouse mode. There
is an attempt to revive silver and gilt
braid as a mode of ornamentation.
The skirt falls in overlapping folds
and is attached to the bodice by a sash
of white broadcloth, which is fringed
and braided with silver cord. The
shimmer of silver and gray is very
soft and pretty.
Empress a Samaritan.
No publio character in all Germany
is half so popular nnd none so genu
inely beloved as the Empress. While
the Kaiser is mapping out elaborate
plans of warfare or designing new bat
tle ships, his royal wife is visiting the
homes of the sick and poor. She is a
real flesh-and-blood saint to thousands
of Germany's poor families.
The Kaiser is too busy to think of
the welfare, physical or mental, of his
people. He is a-brim with schemes
for killing men and capturing nations;
the Empress is absorbed with plans
for relieving the destitute and dying.
She cares very little for the pomp of
court or the military pageants in which
her fiery othor half finds so much to
amuse him. She is first a wifo and
mother, then a queen.
Tales of the Empress visiting incog
families of whose poverty she had
heard, but could not believe, are told
011 all sides in Berlin nnd other largo
cities of "The Fatherland." The
Empress has spent thousands out of
her private purse to make happy the
homes of her unfortunate subjects.
Unknown to her, she was photo
graphed by a member of tho royal
household during ouo of her recent
errands of mercy. The pioture has
been suppressed by tho Kaiser and no
explanations givonof his action.—New
York Journal.
Why n Woman Can't Drive a Null.
Dr. I. N. Love, a St. Louis physi
cian, expresses his sentiments regard
ing women as nail drivers as follows:
"Nature never intended that women
should drive nails, but that they
should have husbauds to attend to
such work for them. Women are to
bo housekeepers; not house builders.
Thoy are too emotional. That is
as a rule, they are deficient in all
things mechanical. When a woman is
of a mathematical tnrn of mind it is
an argument that her brain is more
masculine than feminine.
"Woman is anything but practical.
From childhood her training is all in
another direction. For this reason it
is rarely wo see a woman who can
drive a nail without great effort or
probable injury to heivtelf. The at
tempt almost invariably ends in a
bruised finger. The very fact that
she cannot drive a nail is prima facie
evidence that she is a womanly woman.
"Man can acquire the ability to
adapt himself to any condition by
which he may be confronted. Most
women, I believe, are deficient in this
respect, but there is no telling what
energies, mental and physical, she
might not bring to bear in case of
emergency if she were thrown wholly
upon her own resources.
"But one thing is certain. What
ever may come, lroman will never be
able to adapt herself to conditions as
gracefully as man. She must be able
to control her emotional centres; ami
the power of control does not rest en
tirely with her intellectual Belf. It is
something higher—something which
can hardly be explained."—St. Louis
Post-Dispatch.
Gossip.
Japanese women take a three years*
course in arranging flowers.
In Venice ladies wear glass bonnets
and Paris has caught tho craze.
Little live tortoise studded with
jewels and fastened to the bodice by a
gold chain are the latest Paris craze.
It is understood in Washington
that Mme. Pak Ye, wife of the Korean
Minister, has expressed herself as be
ing converted to Christianity and is
desirous of espousing the faith.
An interesting dispute between the
Oswestry guardians and the Local
Government Board in London as to
the legality of the appointment of a
woman as relieving officer has ended
in favor of the guardians.
Women in France have just secured
a slight addition to their legal rights.
They may henceforth be valid wit
nesses to registration of births, mar
riages and deaths and to the signa
tures in legal documents.
There is a Chicago nurse who may
be called very lucky. Her name is
Mrs. Minnie Haughawout. She
nursed a rich New Orleans man
through a dangerous illness and he
gave her 840,000 for doing it.
Miss Kosa Leech, the young lowa
school teacher who some time ago at
tracted considerable attention by set
ting in motion a "chain" for collecting
pennies to pay for her college educa
tion, has now received enough money
to study abroad.
Mrs. Draper, the wife of the Ameri
can Ambassador at the Italian Court,
uses at her formal dinners a gold
table service which was used by her
father, William M. Preston, of Ken
tucky, when ho was Minister to Spain
many years ago,
Tho Queen of Eoumania, more
poetically known as "Carmen Sylvo,"
is probably the only living author who
has written books in four languages.
Sho can write fluently and correctly
in Boumauiau, French, German and
Swedish, and has an adequate knowl
edge of English und Italian.
Lady Craven, the daughter' of tho
Bradley-Martins, has just had pub
lished for private circulation a book
dealing with English and American
society, especially with their methods
and diil'erences of etiquette. She is
rapidly acquiring the reputation of
being a clever young woman.
Caroline Bartlett Crane is a young
womnn who for ten years has devoted
herself to the pastorate of tho Peo
ple's Church at Kalamazoo, Mich.
She has been well-known under the
title of the Bev. Miss Crane. Be
cently she was married, and, it is said,
is now purposing to take up the study
of sociology at the Chicago University.
A number of important duties are
fulfilled by Mrs. Estelle Beel, State
Superintendent of Public Instruction
for Wyoming, and president of the
State Land Board. She is'also secre
tary of the Wyoming Board of Chari
ties, and recently made an arrange
ment with the Colorado Stato Home,
at Pueblo, to take charge of Wyom
ing's feeble-minded children.
Fashion Notes.
Beautiful evening capes of satin in
opera shades are covered with narrow
alternating rutlles of white lace and
black mousseline.
Pretty satin waists for evening wear
are covered with alternate ruches of
jet and mousseline bands, embroidered
in black silk and small jet beads.
Novel designs in girdles and chate
laines are shown among the new gold
and silver ornaments. The Cleopatra <
giidles are set with real gems and their
price is excessively high.
Leather caps, hats and leggings for
little boys are much seen and give
serviceable wear. The leather is usu
ally in tan and brown shads, though
black, dark blue and dark green may
be had.
Black is exceedingly popular for
millinery, blouses, street gowns and
wraps. A handsome black net gown
seen recently was trimmed elaborately
with jet. a beautiful jet fringe ten
inches deep falling from the waist line
from a narrow black velvet belt.
Apart from its usefulness, an artis
tically constructed silver chatelaine
makes an effective break in the plain
ness of the dress skirt, more espe
cially when it is tailor-made. The
genuine solid silver chatelaines worn
at tho waist of women in feudal times
are heirlooms greatly prized, seldom
seen and really beyond prioe.
Oxidized metal, whioh at first gives
one an impression of silver work of
very antique design, soon gets rubbed
and the good effect is destroyed, so
that nickel silver chatelaines, which
pretend to be nothing but the honest
articles they are, are largely sold in
place of oxidized goods. Occasional
cleaning with whiting will keep
nickel bright and the attachments,
whilo loss fanciful, are certainly
stronger and therefore more likely to
stand the wear and tear of frequent
US'