AN OUTLAW TRIBE.
By Frank Liliic Pollock.
EARLY one September day I
left tile river steamer on the
head waters of the Ottawa,
and struck off into a wilder
ness broken by settlements only near
the navigable reaches of the river. I
was.looking for a farm.
My uncle, who had been in the mil
itia during the "Fenian raids," unex
pectedly found himself entitled to a
quarter-section of what was known
as "veterans' lauds" in northern On
tario, aud as he was unable to leave
his business, I had volunteered to se
lect a desirable claim. This would at
the same time give me an opportunity
for my customary annual camping
expedition.
Byway of companion I took with me
a small but abnormally restless fox
terrier who had been In the woods with
me before. No one can possibly bo
lonely In the company of a fox-terrier,
and I had educated .Tack to take a
more scientitle interest in partridges
and rabbits than is natural to his
breed. Having such small game and
the occasional backwoods settlers to
depend upon, I expected to have no
difficulty about provisions, and carried
merely a few pounds of concentrated
supplies in my knapsack. The rest of
ray load consisted simply of a gun and
a liberal stock of ammunition. At the
end of (lie corduroy road, with n geo
logical survey map as a guide, I took
a half-obliterated trail into the forest.
I found settlers less frequent, the
land less promising, and the woods'
much less penetrable than I bad been
led to expect. For three days and a
half Jack and I threaded the tangled
undergrowth, became involved in
swamps, and rafted ourselves across
rivers. During all this time the
weather bad been perfect, but the
>urth day rose cold and cloudy. At
.'.bout noon a heavy rain began, that
presently settled into a dismal, all-day
drizzle which saturated everything
above ground, and produced an inde
scribably dreary effect of autumn and
desolation.
It depressed even .Tack's abundant
spirits, and he trotted soberly behind
me. manifesting only a slight interest
in the rabbit and woodehuek burrows
We passed. As for myself, I did not
much mind getting drenched; but I
greatly disliked the idea of a wet
camp.
No shelter presented itself, but short
ly before sunset I came unexpectedly
upon an unmistakable wood-road,
choked with "second growth," yet in
dicating the neighborhood of human
beings. I turned up it at once, with
the pleasurable anticipation of finding
a clearing and a hospitable settler at
the end of it; but as the road continued
to show every indication of long dis
use, these hopes gradually weakened.
Still, there was certain to be a building
of some sort, even if deserted, and, in
deed, a quarter of a mile farther the
road curved a little, and I saw before
me the expected clearing, with the
empty log shanty, black-windowed and
<j£se:'tetl, staring drearily through the
twilight rain.
v, It was a most melancholy-looking
place, and under ordinary circling
stances I should vastly iiave prgfetivd
camping in the open forest. But Til
this weather I welcomed it and pushed
through the dripping jungle of shrub
bjrj, weeds and berry bushes that had
Brown over and choked a rather ex
tensive clearing.
The door had blown from its leather
hinges and lay beside tile threshold;
leaves had drifted into the interior,
and there were many birds' nests in
tlie inner corners of the walls. The
Internal aspect of the place suggested
that it had been abandoned for two
or three years at least, but the roof
did not appear to leak—not more, that
Is. than wns naturally to bo expected.
Tlie shanty contained two rooms, and
In the Inrger nnd outer one was the
great rock fireplace, still showing
traces of blackened brands. A couple
of smnll windows appeared never to
have been glazed, nnd there was not
n stick of furniture about the place.
A doorway with no door led to the in
ner apartment, and the presence of
these two rooms, I thought, indicated
that the house had been occupied by a
real family; a bachelor establishment
In the woods usually finds a liouso of
one room most convenient.
This second chamber was fitted with
a log shelf above tlio doorway, nnd on
the opposite wall another sliclf seemed
to have served as a sort of table.
Evidently other travelers bad been liar
bored here before me, for tlie floor was
heaped with twigs of hemlock nnd
spruce, now dry and rusty red.
I carried an armful of this material
back to the fireplace for tinder, and
split out one of tlio window-frames for
kindling. Jack's spirits had bright
ened upon getting under shelter, and
lie was manifesting enthusiasm over
a hole which he had discovered in n
remote corner of the floor. From its
small size I concluded that it was a
woodchuck's burrow, and from the
dog's conduct I Imagined that the
owner was at home, for lie became so
noisy that I was finally compelled to
suppress liim with severity.
A blazing fire on the great hearth
made a world of difference in tlie ap
pearance of the deserted house. Out
side the rain still dripped dismally, but
scarcely any of it came through the
roof, and Jack nnd I supped in con
siderable comfort on a couple of par
tridges and a lump of hard bread. I
was tired, and after I bad dried my
self as well as I could, I dragged in a
lot of tlie hemlock twigs and lay down
before tlie fire.
I was awakened from heavy slumber
by Jack's loud barking. I must have
eltpt a long time, for the lire had
burned almost entirely out; only few
ash-covered brands glimmered on the
hearth. I was greatly annoyed at the
disturbance, and although I could not
see the dog, I called angrily to him to
be quiet.
He must have mistaken my tone for
one of encouragement, for I heard him
make a sudden rush across the lloor.
There was an outburst of snarlings, a
sudden, sharp, catlike "yowl," and the
sound of a vicious rough-and-tumble
scrimmage in the darkness. I jumped
up, wide awake now, but before 1
could make any further movement
Jack had broken away from his enemy
nnd rushed back to me for protection.
He was whining and quivering with
rage and excitement.
From the other side of the room,
from his unseen antagonist, I could
hear a low, purring growl, rising oc
casionally to a shrill snarl, like that of
a belligerent tom-cat. Although I
could make out neither form nor out
line of tile animal, I was presently
able to distinguish a pale greenish
glimmer of eyes.
It was not difficult to identify their
owner. It could be nothing but a
lynx, I thought, that had strayed in
some way into the cabin. So I was not
particularly alarmed, for the Canada
lynx is neither very ferocious nor hard
to kill, nnd I picked up my gun from
the wall and cocked it. At the click
the eyes seemed to regard me more
intently, and the growling snarl rose
a note or two. I aimed squarely be
tween the phosphorescent points and
pulled the trigger.
Tlie Hash blinded me, and I couhl see
nothing. A savage snarl followed the
shot, and Jack dashed yelping into the
smoke. There was a confused scam
pering of feet across the boards to
ward the inner doorway and more out
cries from the dog, who seemed to
have followed his wounded antagonist
into the second chamber.
I tried to poke up the lire, but it was
too nearly extinct, and I lighted a
match. The room was empty, but in
the middle of a shot-torn space on the
roughly-boarded floor lay a broad patch
of blood.
Jack was standing in the doorway,
barking violently and looking back to
me for encouragement, nnd I could
see red streaks on his white hide be
fore tlie match burned out.
I was considerably surprised that the
shot at close range had not been fatal,
but I reloaded my discharged barrel,
lighted another match and cautiously
approached the door. In the insuffi
cient light I could see nothing. I leaned
into the doorway and held up the little
flame. I stepped inside, and the match
burned my lingers nnd dropped, anil I
was fumbling hurriedly for another
when a sort of small, animated thun
derbolt struck me on the top of the
right shoulder.
Before I could realize what had hap
pened my cheek was laid open by a
savage claw-stroke. I felt the soft,
cool fur against my nock, and I was
being clawed and bitten with savage
energy; the animal, whatever it was,
lyes clinging to my coat ami using
veritable fugy<
i,t.-.br'ned small, but it" r.m.'.ztng fer
ocity terrified me, and I clutched at it
and tried to' throw it off. I was in
stantly bitten In the hand, and It hung
like a bur, snarling in my ear; but I
wrenched It loose nnd filing it to the
floor. A medley of yelps and yowls
told mo that It had been attneked by
the terrier, but I was making for tlie
door In a panic.
1 did not stop till I was outside tlie
cabin, where Jack immediately fol
lowed me. having been worsted again.
It was pitch dark and mining harder
than ever. No sound proceeded from
the uullghtod shanty. Blood was
trickling down my cheek, and I washed
my wounds, which did not seem very
serious, with rain-water, and tried to
decide what sort of animal this could
lie, so smnll nnd so ferocious, that had
attacked me.
It was much too small for either a
bay or a Canada lynx; it had seemed
not larger or heavier than Jack him
self, but its savage energy of assault
was terrific. In spite of tlio demoral
ized condition of my nerves, I was de
termined to clear up the mystery. Be
sides, I had either to rid the shanty
of its invader or resign myself to pass
the rest of the night in the rain.
It was hard, nevertheless, to muster
courage to re-enter that dark cabin,
but after some minutes of hesitation
and doubt I did it, and reached the
fireplace without interruption. 1 threw
an armful of the sapln upon tlio hearth
and lighted it with a match; the resin
ous twigs blazed up like straw and il
lumined tlie room brilliantly.
There was no sign of the enemy, al
though of course I could see little of
the farther apartment. My courage
revived at tlie cheerful blaze, and I
twisted a stout torch of the dry boughs,
lighted it, anil again approached the
point of danger, my cocked gun in my
right hand and tlio flambeau in my
left.
I realized that the brute must have
dropped upon me from the high shelf
above the doorway, and this time I
poked about with my gun-barrel at
arm's length until I had satisfied my
self that there was no danger In that
quarter. Then I stopped just inside
the doorway, and Jack charged in un
der cover of the light.
The wailing snarl began again. On
tlio wide shelf directly opposite me
crouched a yellowish-gray animal,
which, to my astonished amusement,
I recognized at a glance as a very huge
domestic cat. The domesticity, how
ever, was rather a racial than an in
- dividual characteristic, for I never saw
a livelier picture of wild fury. -
TUe fu i' stood on end nil over Its
body, making it appeal- twice Its real
size; its ears twitched; Its tail snapped
viciously to and fro, and its eyes
blazed green, while from between its
bared teetli came that savage and
rhythmic war-cry. Its gaze was alter
nately directed at me and at Jack, who
started toward it, barking furiously,
but taking good care to keep out of
reach.
I took in this surprising scene at the
first glance, and at the second I per
ceived another cat, of a pure Maltese
gray, lying apparently dead under the
table-slielf. This must have been the
one I had shot, and beginning to real
ize that I had to deal with a whole
family, I looked about somewhat ap
prehensively for others. The third I
presently discovered skulking in a dark
corner, with gray back arched and tail
puffed like a feather boa. This one
seemed more anxious for concealment
than for combat, and I glanced over
the room for the rest of the tribe; but
there seemed to be no more.
I have always had a fondness for
cats, and in spite of the unattractive
appearance of these specimens, I could
not think of shooting them down. No
doubt they had been abandoned here
by the original settlers of the cabin,
and I felt sorry for the deserted crea
tures. But It was absolutely necessary
for the sake of peace to get them out
of the house, and I shouted at them
and threw chips and bits of bark.
These had no effect, and I picked
out a lump of the mud chinking be
tween the logs, and flung It at the cat
upon the shelf. The missile hit pretty
hard, and with a yowl of despairing
rage the animal sprang from its perch
and alighted squarely upon the terrier,
who had ventured too near in his ex
citement. Jack yelped at the shock,
but fought heroically, conscious that
my eyes were on him.
I could make out only a tangled mass
of white and gray fur, spinning like a
wheel and emitting a frenzied medley
of every imaginable sort of canine and
feline ejaculation. The second cat
joined sympathetically in the outcry,
and the uproar was indescribable. But
Jack was far outmatched in everything
but weight, and in a few seconds ho
broke away again with a pitiful howl
and darted behind me for protection.
Reckless with rage, the cat followed
him. I kicked out -wildly, and the cat
fastened upon my legs with tooth and
claw. I struck it with the butt of my
gun and beat it with the flaming torch.
Fire flew in all directions. The cat let
go with a cowed snarl, but the loose
hemlock had caught fire like gunpow
der, and instantly the room was full
of smoke.
I dashed to the door, preceded by the
dog, and In the dark I stumbled over
something soft that spa*- at me. Once
fairly outside, I slopped and looked
back. The inner room of the shanty
seemed all ablaze, but I was pretty
certain that the light mass of twigs
would burn up and go out without
doing any serious damage. This, in
fact, happened, but even then I had
no inclination to re-enter the building.
I did not mind admitting that I was
fairly whipped. It was. almost cer
tain that the cats hail tied, like our
selves, from the conflagration, but I
greatly preferred to getting wet to run
even a remote risk of another encoun
ter with that outlaw family. And
the "est of that night Jack and I spent
Very uncomfortably under a great j
spruce, wet and shivering.
As soon as it was light I went back
to get my knapsack. My belongings,
being in the outer room, had not been
touched by the tire, and there was no
trace of our nocturnal disturbers ex
cept the body of the dead cat lying
among the scattered ashes. It was too
badly burned for examination, but it
was easy to see that its size was far
beyond that of the liearth-rug puss.
Jack's hole in the floor had a now
meaning for me now. It seemed to
lead to a sort of den under the Jiouse,
into which I could not see, but which,
front tlio vile odor of decayed bones
that came up, must have been in use
for a long time. In fact, as everything
indicated that the cabin had been for
years abandoned by human life, it
seemed to me probable that these
feline tenants were of the second, per
haps of the third, generation from
their domesticated ancestors. A cat,
at the best, is domesticated only on
the surface, and these cats had prob
ably fallen into the life of the woods
with the greatest facility, remaining
at tile shanty only through the charac
teristic attachment of their race for
their wonted haunts.
Certainly these animals seemed to
possess every qualification for flourish
ing in their new environment, nnd it
seemed certain that they would in time
tend to revert to the original savage
type of their race. It is not impossible
that some time in the future some
naturalist may report the discovery
of a now sort of lynx or catamount in
the forests of northern Ontario.—
Youth's Companion.
Olri-riiuo Itemed ion.
In the family Bible of a lloxborough
man there are a number of medical
rules, written over seventy years ago
by the great-grandmother of tile Bible's
present owner. Among the rules are
the following;
"A stick of brimstone worn in the
pocket is good for them as lias cramps.
"A loadstoan put In the place ware
the pane is, is beautiful for the liheu
mntiz.
"If you have hiccoughs, pinch one of
your wrists wile you count sixty, or
get somebody to skar# you and make
you jumpe.
"The earache—Put onion in ear after
it Is well roasted.
"The consumption—Eat us many pea
nuts ns possible before going to bed."
—Philadelphia Itecord.
Greater licrliii'i Populutlo.9r
The present population of Greater
Berlin exceeds 2.530,000—ju5t 2,000,000
more than Munich.
<MLDREN f S raPAR^
A Raggedy Doll.
My sister's got a lot o' dolls,
N' one's a sojer one;
The's shiny buttons on his coat,
'N' he's got a teenty gun.
Bhe's got a sailor doll, besides,
'lth clo'es all white and blue;
He wears a cap 'ith strings behind,
'N' letters on it, too.
'N' 'en the's more'iTa dozen more
'At goes to sleep 'r talks;
N' one bg wax one, cost a pile;
t 'F you wind her up, she walks.
But best of all's the raggedy doll,
'lth only one good eye.
A leg is broke, 'll so's an arm;
But 'at's no reason why
She can't like Muster Raggedy Doll
Th' best of all th's lot.
She tb'ows him 'round, misuses himj
'N' for days he'll be forgot.
But al'ays comes a time again
Wen nothin' else 'll do •
But Mister Raggedy, Raggedy Doll:
He's better'n dolls 'at's new.
j: —Christian Register.
?How to Make a Joggling Hoard.
It Is a rare thing to iind one of these
fascinatig things in any but the south
ern part of the country, where they
are quite common. This seems rather
strange, too, as the hoard is much
THE JOGGLING EOARD IN MOTION,
more interesting to navigate than an
ordinary hammock, to say nothing of
the greater number of people It will
Qccouimodate. To be sure, the one
who sits in the middle will feel a little
like a sardine.
The most important thing Is the
board itself, which should be of sea
THE MISSING BOYS' PUZZLE.
r~
VTMI 111 I.l*ll TTI-~r 111 I UMII
Xu this German scene can you find two more boys?
Boned oak, free from knots, with as
straight a grain ns possible, at least
ten feet In length and not less than ten
inches wide. The rockers or horses
should he of hardwood, but spruce or
hemlock will do. These should be
very strongly made, with tight joints,
Well pinned or screwed together.
The four rockers must be cut from
seven-eighths or one-inch stuff, accord
ing to the length of your board. Cut
in a semi-circle, as shown in the draw
ing. There should be at least eighteen
Inches from point to point. The up-,
right should be of seven-eighths or
one-inch stuff also, nbout twenty-six
inches in height and four inches in
width. Cut along this line, half way
through, and with a sharp chisel re
move the section. This Is to he done
~o TT
g- | !
THE ROCKER COMPLETE.
with all four pieces, and you must
also in the top of the four rockers cut
a section out into which these sawed
ends will snugly fit. Fasten these in
the rockers by boring four one-quarter
inch holes and driving pegs.
When you have completed the four
rockers you are ready to join each
pair. T-his is easily done by fastening
two pieces three inches wide and four
teen inches long on each side of the
upright close to the rocker. About two
inches from the top of each rocker fas
ten two more three-inch pieces. All of
this work can he fastened with l'/j-incli
screws.
Vour rockers are now complete, and
you are ready to place the board. Be
fore doing this, however, you must
fasten with screws two stout cleats
about a foot from each end. When
the board is In position It should fit
down over the pieces you have fast
ened across your uprights, and the
cleat prevents it from slipping, as it is
bent up and down. There are several
ways of fastening this, but the one
given is the simplest.—Atlunta (Ga.)
Journal.
Incombustible Wood.
Alum and glue in equal parts are
dissolved in water strongly saturated
with salt. Both solutions are mixed
together. Dip splinters of wood into
the fluid until every part Is saturated,
let them dry, aud repeat the process.
Wood prepared In such away will not
burn. To make the trick more inter
esting and to avoid the suspicion that
the splinters are prepared, mix them
among otlu-f unprepared splinters af
ter marking them in a certain way.
After burning a few splinters, pick
out one of the prepared ones and de
clare that by your magic influence
tile splinter you bold in your hand
will become incombustible. Hand it
over to the audience, and it is easily
understood that nobody will be able
to set it a tire.—New York Tribune.
nistory's Great Naval Hero.
Paul .Tones wns a naval adventurer,
whose real name was John Paul. He
was born In Kirkcudbright, Scotland,
son of a gardener; took to the sea,
engaged in llie slave trade, settled in
Virginia, threw in his lot with the
colonists and against the mother coun
try, and offered his services as a sea
captain in the war with a ship of
eighteen guns; he in 17T8 infested the
British coast and made a descent on
Hie shores of his native country; his
sympathies were with the French in
their struggles for liberty, and he
fought in their service as well, making
the "proud Forth quake at his bellying
snils," and capturing two British war
vessels off Flamborough Head. He
died in Paris, where lie languished In
poVerty, but the National Assembly
granted him a "ceremonial funeral,"
attended by a deputation; "as good,"
reflects Carlyle in his apostrophe to
liim, "as good had been the natural
Presbyterian kirk bell, and six feet of
Scottish earth, among the dust of thy
loved ones."
Ants and Spiders as Food.
In some countries the people eat
ants. In Sweden they mix them with
rye and flavor the stew with brandy.
They make a dish of pressed ants, nnd
soften it with milk until it looks like
our chocolate.
In Africa the children roast large
white ants and eat them by the hand
ful like popcorn. Travelers who have
eaten them say that they taste like
almond paste.
Many people cook nnd eat the locust.
They boil them in salty water, roast
them in oil or fry them in butter.
Sometimes they dry and grind the lo
custs and make the powder into bread
by adding a little water.
The Mexicans are fond of roasted
spiders. They also dry the eggs of a
certain water fly, grind them into flour
and sell it by the sack. This flour is
sweet uud much used for cakes.
These are only a few of the many
queer things eaten by the boys nnd
girls of other lands. The children of
our own country often eat roasted
grasshoppers, and say that they taste
like parched horse corn or maize.
SC!ENCE|jpA|CS
No insect is so dreaded in Africa as
the tsetse fly, -the bite of which is
fatal to horses. The only effectual pro
tection to the horse is a complete suit
of pajamas, rvhich are largely in use."\—
The cloth of -which the pajamas are ™
made Is sting-proof.
Dr. Calvello, an Italian, has discov
ered that nine per cent, of essence of
thyme and eighteen per cent, of es
sence of geranium mnlce nn excellent
disinfectant, when freely used, for the
hands of medical operators. As tjiese
essences enter largely into the composi
tion of eau de Cologne, it follows that
this scent is a good antiseptic for or
dinary purposes.
In his experiments with various vehi
cles, M. Mlchelin has found that iron
tires require greater motive power than
either solid rubber or pneumatic. Aa
electric automobile running with five
per cent, greater speed with pneumatic
tires took eighteen per cent, less power -
than when fitted with solid tires; and |
in stopping, the solid tires required nu "
increase of fourteen per cent, in brak
ing power.
For shallow-draught steamers, both
side-wheels and stern-wheels have dis
advantages, especially In the weight of
their machinery, while propellers—as
they have been used in fixed tunnels
lose efficiency through increased fric
tion as loading sinks the tunnel's open
ing. In a new English propeller boat
for shallow rivers, the stern end of
the tunnel is made adjustable by a
hinged flap. Baising or lowering the
llap keeps the opening just below the
surface, and it is claimed that with a
moderate load the gain is twenty-llvo
per cent.
The search for a welding process for
aluminium still goes on, in spite of the-*
claim of several investigators that they W"
have discovered a practical solution of '
the problem. One of the latest claims
Is that of Mary W. Eiumo, of New
York City, who lias discovered that tho
result may be attained by heating the
two contacting ends of aluminium un
der suitable condition approximately to
or above a temperature of UOO degrees
Centigrade. To carry out the process
successfully the parts must be scrupu
lously cleansed before heating them to
tho welding point, and it is stated that
the result is a mass possessing the
same physical qualities of a piece of
aluminium which has never been sub
jected to separation.
The London School of Tropical Medi
cine has discovered a new parasite
which is the cause of a tropical fever
which resembles malaria, but which
does not yield to the same trentment
and is generally fatal in its rcsnltslK
The new creature does not inhabit the
corpuscles like tho malaria parasite,
but is free in the blood current, like the
Marine, which is the cause of elephan
tiasis; and it is either identical with or
closely resembles the parasite commun
municatcd to certain animals by the
tsetse fly. It is described as a tricho
somn. Its discovery is too recent to
admit of more than a bare mention,
but it undoubtedly opens out a pros
pect of cure In a class of cases which
have hitherto proved almost absolutely
intractable, and onae more demon
strates the wisdom of establishing
such a school of medical research.
The promises of economy gains from
burning pulverized coal have for years
led to persistently recurring experi
ments and each new venture in the
die Id has been hernlded with claims
of final success. After all, liowever\
experience in every instnnee seems
have ultimately demonstrated that it
is difficult to obtain combustion of such
fuel with as small an amount of air
per pound of fuel as can be obtaiued
In" the best practice with coal fired on
an ordinary grate, and this has always
tended to make the economy lower
than with the usual method. Besides
this, the power required to operate the
coal pulverizer and feeder has counted
against the efficiency of the plant as a
whole, and there is generally some dif
ficulty from the collection of ashes and
uncousumed particles of coal in tho
hack connections of the hollers. Judg
ing from all the available data, these
drawbacks still remain to be overcome.
The Hoodoo at Work.
The conductor of au elevator in n big
down-town office building appeared
nervous a few days ago. "I've half
mind to ask tho superintendent to
me off for the remainder of the day," 1
he remarked. "Why? Because there's
evidently a hoodoo of some sort at
work, and I feel almost sure that an
accident is going to happen to me or to
this car. I tell you, the feeling is n
mighty uncomfortable one. What lias
caused me to worry? Well, sixteen'
people, by actual count, have told mo
this morning that last night they)
dreamed about this elevator. Now,
you must admit that that's something
more than a strange coincidence.
"I guess I'll feel better tomorrow if T
rest to-day," added the elevator man,
as he carefully started the car down
ward and) toward the basement where
the superintendent of the building has
his headquarters.—Washington Star.
Tailors' Resonrcefulness. i
If men knew the many artifices
tailor has to resort to in order to make
them presentable they would be less
ready to make him the butt of ridicule.
Truly the tailor has need of padding
and wadding, haircloth and canvas, to
enable him to clothe his customers in
such away as to hide their deformi
ties, and bring into prominence their
points of beauty.—Tailor and Cutter.