THE COOD THINGS WE HAVE MISSED. (Ah, how wc pity our poor selves In looking back along the days: fWe think of joys we might have nad„ ©f blessings that had made us glad If we had traveled other ways; [We sigh o'er chances that were lost And fret and grumble and persist, 'As men have always heretofore, In vainly, sadly counting o'er The many good things we have missed. [We-mourn the dead past and forget The splendid future that remains; Upon the fates our blame is tossed For all the profits we have lost, Rut never credit for our gains; We name the old, lost chances o'er And, every day, add to the list. Forgetting all the joys we've had In looking back and feeling sad Because of good things we have missed. —Chicago Record-llerald. IN THE DARK. A Strange Adventure in a Railway Compartment. IWENT one morning to Foissy to see a little house to which I had fallen heir, and, after break fast, I took my keys to the fam ily attorney. As I was about to leave the ottlce the head elerk called me to lits desk and said: "There is also some money coming to you from your uncle's estate. Six thousand francs. Here It Is." The surprise was most agreeable to me. I took the blue bills and slipped them Into my pocketbook without counting them. Because of this delay I had to hurry to get to the station in time. Fortunately, the train was late. It pulled In just as I stepped on the platform. Seeing an empty compart ment. as I supposed. I hurriedly en tered it. As I sat down I saw that I was not alone. A lady sat in the right-hand corner of the seat facing me. I drew back as far as possible in the left-hand corner, not beenuse of suspicion, as I had already forgotten my windfall, but in order to stretch out and reflect at iny case. The lady was young, beautiful and elegant. A dark-blup traveling dress of a correct cut set off her slender, grace ful figure. Masses of golden hair rip pled back under a dark-blue felt hat, trimmed with a band of ribbon and a quill. A dainty patent-leather shoe was visible below the hem of her skirt. A watch with some coquettish trinkets hung from her belt, while a banglcd bracelet on her left wrist indicated a pretty feminine vanity. A gold handled umbrella, in its sheath, leaned against a portiere near her. From my observations I gained an Impression of sober luxury, a trifle English in its rigor. A newspaper lay on the lady's lap, and she was reading it with such perfect unconsciousness of my sur veillance that I could not even sec the color of her eyes. After we had left the Malsons Lafittc Station the thought occurred to me to read over some letters whieli I had merely glanced at in the morning. I put my hand in my pocket to get them, and I felt the pocketbook. A feeling of pleasure came over me at the re membranee of my bequest, and I could not resist n childish desire to handle my, little fortune. I took the bills from my purse nnd, in the perfect security of the closed compartment, I counted them without the slightest suspicion of being watched. The 0000 francs were there. I folded the money up, put It back into the pocketbook, and, with my usual heedlessness, laid the purse down beside me with the letters I was going to read. 1 now took these up, one by one, read them, and tossed them back on the seat. I was soon made aware, by the vibra tion of the coach, that we had reached the Asnleres Bridge. The young woman folded up her newspaper, and, without glancing in my direction, be gan slowly and composedly to unlace the glove on her right hand. Finally she drew It off. "We were about to reach our destination. It was not the time for removing one's gloves. Still the act did not impress me at the time. I merely admired the slim, nervous hand, with its tapering fingers. The girl clasped and unclasped them with marvelous agility, as if they were numb from their bondage. The shadow of the great wall of the Batig nolies soon fell upon our car, and I noticed that the lantern was not light ed. A moment afterward, with a eon fused rumbling of wheels and 1 rails, We entered the tunnel. Soon I fancied I heard—the sound Was barely perceptible in the general fraens—a slight rustling among the papers nt my side. Careless ns I usual ly am, It is a wonder that the sound attracted my attention, and still more of one that I thought of my pocket book. By some intuition, however, I did so. Not intentionally, but with an in stinctive, rough gesture, of which I should have been ashamed in the day light, I forcibly threw both my hands over the scattered papers and pressed them down with all my might. Then, with a start, I felt something move under the pile, like an animal in a trap trying to escape by twisting, turn ing and pulling. I bore down all the harder. Just then the train whistle shrieked out. The speed slackened and we came to a standstill In the black ness of the tunnel. For a moment I experienced a veritable nightmare. With a rustling and tearing of papers the struggle continued, silently but fiercely. After having wriggled and turned desperately in every direction, like n strangled reptile, the hand, crushed under my palms, lay quiet. I saw nothing, heard nothing—not oven a breath. I knew, however, that my companion was on the alert, noting my every movement. Suffocated by emotion and wearied by the tension of my nerves, I waited for the daylight tor deliverance. After a period of time, very short, probably, but the length of which I could not estimate, the train began to move slowly. My relief at this was 60 great that my whole being involunttr ily relaxed from its tension. This was evidently expected, for the hand again tried to free itself, not by violent jerks this tipic, but by a strong, steady pull ing. I felt it slipping along, little by little, under the papers. I imprudently raised my palm a bit to get a fresh hold. When I again bore down I clasped only my pocketbook. The hand had escaped, I knew not when nor how. I hastily opened the purse, felt that its contents were there, then put It Into my vest pocket and stupidly crossed my arms over it. At last a gray light penetrated Into the compartment, followed by the brigjit light of day. My first glutce was at the lady opposite. She sat in exactly the same place, with the same air of haughty indifference. Nothing about her toilet was disarranged in the least Not a fold of her dress seemed to have been moved. The newspaper lay folded in her lap, the gold-handled umbrella leaned against the portiere, the patent-leather toe protruded slightly below the hem of her skirt. She looked pale, however, and her eyes were bent on her right hand, as she slowly laced up her glove. It truly seemed as if I were waking from a dream. And what proof could I offer to the contrary. The train stopped and the platform was on my side. The lady rose, drop ping the paper from her lap, took her umbrella, and with a perfectly com posed and polite "Pardon me, sir," passed in front of me. Feeling stupid and duped, I put out my arm to detain her. But she was already on the steps, and, noticing my gesture, she turned half round, and for the first time I saw her eyes. They were as blue as the sky and limpid nnd beautiful in expression, They gazed at me with so much sur prise and candor that I was disarmed completely, and I let her go unmolest ed. Had it not been for the rumpled, torn papers on the seat beside me, 1 might have been tempted to believe that the mute but fierce duel in the dark was merely a hallucination or a bad dream.—Translated from the French of Charles Foley by H. Twitchell, for the Argonaut. Mnlo .Judicially Declared Treacherona. The Western Missouri Court of Ap peals has decided that a mule Is a treacherous and vicious animal, nnd that so well known is this fact that if a workman is injured because of those traits of disposition in the mule, the employer cannot plead ignorance of the mule's nature as a defense. This decision was made in the case of Pete Borden against the Falk Con struction Company. Borden worked for the company. He went beneath a heavy machine on wheels to hook a chain. A span of mules was hitched to the machine, and while Borden was beneath it the driver of the mules was ordered by the superintendent to go be neath the machine to help Borden. Thereupon the mules started and ono of the machine's wheels ran over Bor den's foot and crushed it. He sued the Folk company and obtained judg ment that was affirmed by the Court of Appeals, which says: "The mule is a domestic animal whose treacherous nnd vicious nature is so generally known that even courts may take notice of it. The company cannot be heard to claim that it did not know of the treacherous nnd unre liable qualities of this animal. It seems to us that the defendant was guilty of grossest negligence in order ing the teamster to assist Borden. Any man of ordinary prudence, under such circumstances, would have not only placed himself In front of the mules, but ho would with Ills hands have firmly grappled nnd held the bridle bits of cnch of them."—Cleveland Leader. Wit at Mr. Feed's Expense. Sarcastic himself, Thomas B. Heed appreciated a joke at his own expense. Here is a story that has never seen the daylight of print, nnd it illustrates how well he liked a witticism, even if lie was its target. One day he was browsing in Guild's dingy bookshop at the foot of the Capitol. He took up a number of hooks and finally the novel "Scruples." "What is the price of this?" asked Mr. Eeed. "A dollar, sir," replied the old man rather tartly. "Too much," said Reed, laconically, nnd laid the hook down. "Well, sir," retorted Guild, who has a sharp tongue of his own. "I don't know of nny law you have passed that compels you to buy it if you dou't want to. Besides, I don't see what a member of Congress wants with a book with that title, anyway." Reed broke into a hearty laugh, nnd as he rolled down the avenue ho was still smiling at the old man's reply.- Baltimore Sun. He Came to Fish. The Rev. E. A. Ilortori was one of the guests at the recent dinner given by the Wollaston Unitarian Club. When called upon for a post prandial address he prefaced his remarks with the story of a fellow-divine who went llshing last summer. Not being fami liar with rod and reel the reverend gentleman became excited when a big fish took his bait, and In bis efforts to land it fell into the stream. He was pulled out by a farmer who chanced to be passing. "How did you come to fall in?"asked the farmer, while the Pverend gentle man was trying to wring some of the water from his clothes. "I didn't come to fall In at all," was the reply. "I came to Hah."—Boston Post, &nel ® © ® © /\dv©n.ture. | RACE FOR LIFE WITH WOLVES. INTELLIGENCE lias just been re ceived of one of those startling tragedies which now and then direct attention to a class of men ! who spend more than half the months 1 of each year in the solitude of the | Canadian pine woods. Secluded in I their log shanties from early in Sep | tember, with, as a rule, no connection with the civilized world until the frost | permits teamsters to bring their horses j along the bush roads and over the ; lakes, these men are glad to seize every ! opportunity for a change. | When the lakes were covered with a j clear sheeting of ice recently two i young fellows employed on the shore | of Deer Lake secured two pairs of j skates which chanced to be in the I place and set out at night to visit an : other band of men about nine miles 1 nway. With the exception of a little j portage of about half a mile between i two lakes, the whole journey was by ice and was no very formidable under taking to the two sturdy log makers. As they were hobbling over the i portage on their skates, they were startled by the sudden breaking across their path of a red deer followed by three or four wolves, who were close upon the heels of their prey. Being without defensive weapons of any kind, they realized their danger if an other pack of wolves should, as is often the case, follow after the beasts they had seen pass, and they made all speed to the lake before them. Just as they were breaking through the thin ice at the lake side, they heard a whining behind them and then the low howl which told them that their track had been discovered and that they would certainly be followed. But by the time the wolves reached the waterside, where they caught their first sight of the men they were track ing, the two shanty men had reached the firm ice and were skating in ear nest. Fortunately for them there were a few hundred yards of thin ice to be crossed, which almost, but not quite held up the wolves, and by its sharp edges wounded and hindered them greatly. Otherwise they would have caught up with the men, and probably have overpowered them before they had gone half a tnile. As it was they had almost overtaken them before they had covered the first half of their four-mile race. Neither of the men was a hunter and this was their first experience with wolves. But by mutual agreement, they adopt ed the very best tactics possible, And when their pursuers came too near to them, wheeled sharply to one side. As the smooth Ice afforded no grip to their claws, the wolves could not turn or stop suddenly, but generally shot for ward and made several stumbles, and sometimes somersaults before getting on to the fresh tnek. In this manner the skaters avoided the brutes for some time, and would probably have reached their destina tion but for an unfortunate suggestion of the younger man, that they would be more likely to tire out the wolves if they separated. In accordance witli this plan they wheeled in different di rections at the end of an island they were approaching. As the elder man reached the other end of this wooded island lie saw before him the sparks which Issued from the huge chimney of the shanty he was searching for. Putting on all of his remaining strength he spurted on to where the cook's path led from the shanty to the water hole. There, the two big gray timber wolves which had elected to follow him, turned tail and with a parting yelp turned in their tracks. By some curious accident the poor fellow stumbled as lie was approach ing the low door of the shanty and fell, breaking his right leg just below the knee. The pain and the previous ex ertion were too much for his over strained nerves, and it was upward of an hour before the shantymen could recover him from the swoon into which he fell as he was carried inside. When consciousness returned his first question was for his companion, whom ho had last seen as ho skated around the little island in the lake. As soon as the men could bo made to understand the situation, a dozen of them started out to see what had be fallen the other traveler. Within 200 hundred yards of their winter home they found the blood stained spot where the unfortunate young fellow had been attacked in front by the two brutes which had chased his friend. In the lightly fall ing snow could bo read the whole story of his destruction. His boots and skates and a few fragments of clothing were all the tangible signs of tile tragedy left by the wolves. Happily for the injured man, a shanty missionary on his rounds reached the island where he lav that same night, and being a medical man also was able to set his leg with some degree of satisfaction. Strangely enough, as it happened, the clergyman had taken with him, as his driver for the trip, an uncle of the man devoured on the ice, who was greatly attached to his nephew and was conveying to him subatantlal token of his regard in hard cash.—New York Sun. DARING RESCUE. A crowd of 200 people were skating on the Hudson opposite the lower landing in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., when the cry was rnised that somebody had broken through the ice. Looking to the southward the skaters saw, far away from the field of safe ice, a boy slowly working his way on his stomach to ward a hole through which the head of another boy could just be seen. The boys were Louis Hof, aged fourteen, and Frank Gazan, aged thir teen, who are playmates. Gazan was in the river and Hof was heroically trying to reach arid Help him. They had been skating hand in hand when Frank suggested going further out in the river where the ice looked smoother. It proved to be new Ice just a skim made the night before over a spot which the tide had hither to kept open. At they skimmed along over the ice it cracked and snapped under them, The older boy suggested that it wasn't safe and that they would better go back to the crowd. Hardly had he spoken when the ice broke under his companion and young Gazan sank into the water. Louis Hof let go his hand and, making a sharp turn to the right, skated away to a distance of twenty feet, where he stretched him self on the ico and begun to work his way back. "The moment I felt myself going down I began to pedal with both feet," said Frank Gazan, describing his adventure. "It worked fine, keeping me from going down "and coming up under the ice. I then caught hold of the ice at the edge of the hole, but it broke each time that I tried to lift myself upon it. "I called to Louis to take off his overcoat and throw it to me, but in stead of doing that he lay down on his stomach and worked his way toward me. I saw that many of the skaters saw us and were skating toward us." "Yes. and I saw them, too," spoke tip Hof, "and I called to them to go back because I was afraid they'd all go through and a lot of us would be drowned. The ice was very thin, and even though I was stretched out full length—l didn't dare get on my knees or I would have gone through sure- It cracked under my weight, and sev eral times my heart was in my mouth." "Yes, and it seemed hours before he reached me," said Gazan. Finally Louis was close enough to put out one hand, which I grabbed. Sticking the ends of his skates in the ice he pulled himself back, while I at the same time raised my legs and kicked out behind as if I was swimming. "In that way I was able to work my body out upon the Ice and to gether we crawled along for nine or ten feet, when we both got up and skated for dear life to the shore. I could hear the people cheering us we climbed up the bank." IN AN AVALANCHE. The sense of helplessness is said to be one of the most terrible parts of the experience of falling in an avalanche of snow. In writing of the dangers of the Alps in the Pall Mall Magazine, Mr. Harold Spender recounts the ad venture of Mr. Gossett, who was ac tually covered up by a wave of snow which came from behind him and closed over his head. He managed to work himself to the surface, where ho was so borne along that he could watch ail that took place, although unable at the time to free or even to help him self much. This is his own story: "I was on the wnve of the avalanche, and saw it before me as I was carried down. It was the most awful sight I ever witnessed. The head of the aval anche was already at the spot where we had made our last halt. The head alone was preceded by a thick cloud of snow-dust; the rest of the avalanche was clear. "Around me I heard the horrid hiss ing of the snow, and far before me the thundering of the foremost part of the avalanche. To prevent myself from sinking again I made use of my arms much in the same way as when swim ming in a standing position. "At last I noticed that I was moving slowly; then I saw the pieces of snow in front of me stop at some yards' dis tance; then tiie snow straight before me stopped, and I heard on a largo scale the same creaking sound that is produced when a heavy cart passes over hard-frozen snow in winter. I felt that I also stopped, and instantly threw up both arms to protect my head in case I should again be covered up." Mr. Gossett and three of his com panions escaped. The other two were burled by the avalanche. GUARDSMAN A RESCUER. David F. Silver, a member of the Seventy-first Regiment, rescued Wil liam Nelson, aged twelve, from drown ing in Tarrytown (N. Y.) Lake, where many were skating. When the boy broke through the ice Mr. Silver plunged in after him, but the boy sank three times before he could get hold of him. The rescuer had to dive to the bot tom of the lake, and he nearly lost his life. When he began to ascend with the boy one of his skates caught in something on the bottom of the lake, but be managed to kick it loose. On reaching the surface Mr. Silver lifted the boy out as far as he could, and two boys went out to iiaul the uncon scious boy on to stronger ice, but they broke through. When they came up they managed to reach ice that would hold ttieir weight and were'hauled nut. Mr. Silver and his burden were hauled out and the Nelson boy was revived. SWAM A MILE AMID SHARKS. A boat's crew from the United States cruiser Don Juan de Austria made the first successful attack on the mine fields near Subig Bay, Manila.Bay, in the naval manoeuvres. The boat capsized as it was ap proaching the mines, and part of the crew, with Ensign John.F. BabcoCk leading, swam a mile, though the water was infested with sharks, towing coun ter-mine buoys, which were success fully placed. The searchlights of the warships did not discover the opera tion. A married woman always travels un der an assumed name. BABY AND CANDY. Babv is cutting his teeth; All day he does nothing but cry; Sister cannot make him smile, No matter how hard she may try. Given some candy, wee Kate Came running with him to divide. Turning, a moment he hushed, Kcfused it, then harder he cried. Soberly looking at him, She said, with a sigh: "The poor pet, He doesn't like candy. I s'pose His sweet tooth he hasn't cut yet." —Washington Star, THE BIRD IN THE CAGE. Draw on n sheet of paper a bird cage and at a little distance a bird. You can now make the bird pass over and enter the cage. Take an ordinary visiting card l>etwcen two fingers and place it edgewise perpendicularly on the paper between the cage and the bird. Then place the end of your nose 011 the upper edge of the card and look at the two objects. The bird will Immediately take flight and you will see it in the cage. The figure on the right will save the trouble of making the drawing, al though it is too small to get the best results. The line Indicates the position of the card. Be careful that the card is PUZZLE OF MISSING MEN. Two men have given this man a counterfeit coin. Can you help Mm Qnd them? i BO placed with reference to the Unlit that It does not cast a shadow on either side. This simple experiment illus trates what is called binocular vision- New York World. OWLS IN WINTER. Owls are really much commoner In winter than one is led to believe by the occasional specimens which are se.en abroad in the daytime. If we searched the hollow trees systematically this morning we should probably discover several screech owls, and perhaps some of the larger species. We might he sur prised to And some of the screech owls red nnd others gray, and. like the early ornithologists, we might conclude that the difference in color was due to dif ference in age or sex. It is now known that there are two distinct color phases of this species not dependent on either age or sex, though just what they are dependent on is not yet known. When taken from' their retreats in winter these birds frequently feign death—shutting their eyes, nnd lying perfectly still In the hand. By and by, when they find that their little ruse does not succeed, they will snap their bills and bite nnd scratch in a solemn but very effective manner. How they manage to get enough to eat on these dark, cold nights is a mystery to those unacquainted with the woods, but as a matter of fact there is more prey abroad on winter nights than is gener ally supposed. Wild mice are very nu merous—a fact which is attested by their footprints In the newly fallen snow —and owls are most expert mouse catchers. Their hearing Is so acute that not a squeak escapes them, and they themselves are so soft on the wing that they do not alarm the game.— Woman's Home Companion. A BLIND SQUIRREL. "Here, Bunny, Bunny, Bunny!" It was the day of the first snowfall, and the woman who called was one of the i many women who find pleasure In going to Central Park dally, carrying With them bags of nuts with which to feed the squirrels that find tnelr homes there. As she called there was a flash of gray, a whisk of a bushy tail, and there appeared before her a lively little ro dent with his tiny hand raised dra matically to his breast. A dull, white eyeball told the story of sightlessness in one eye. "You see," said the woman, turning to an interested onlooker, as the squir rel began feeding, "you see. when these' little one-eyed pets are eating they always sit with the blind side toward their benefactor, while devouring the 1 dainty given them. Do you know why J that is? 7 "Well," she explained, throwing the squirrel another nut. "they are con scious that they are near a friend, and need not watch her closely, so they keep a sharp lookout on the other side for stray dogs or other enemies." True enough. Even as the woman spoke, one of the many dogs that take their daily airing up and down the walk by the West Drive escaped from its young mistress, and with its leader dangling made a dash for the squirrel. There was another flash of gray, a whisk of a bushy tail and a sharp squeak of fear as the wary little creature with the one eye darted away to a safe bough to blink and chatter and finish his peanut in safety. "Are there many of these blind squirrels in Central Park?" asked the onlooker of the woman, who seemetjl versed in squirrel lore. W "There are a good many, I'm afraid. You see. it is the work of mischievous boys, who come here to the park with slingshots, diabolical little instruments of wood and rubber, and deliberately shoot out the eyes of these harmless creatures. However, the policemen keep a sharp lookout for such boys.'y" and their misdemeanors are becoming fewer, as they have learned that a park policeman swings his stick with much vigor."—New York Tribune. A SIMPLE TOOL CIIEST. The boy who works with tools should llrst of all have a place where these tools may be safely kept. It seems to be a matter of pride with most carpen ters not to buy a tool chest, but to make one, and many very handsomely finished chests are to be seen in conse quence. In the case of the youthful woodworker It will be best at first to be content with a plain but neat little chest. Later on, with more experience, something more elaborate can be at tempted. This cut shows such a box as Is used by dealers in boots and shoes for packing their goods for shipment. These boxes are always made of excel lent material, and all very neatly put together. Secure such a box with its cover and put the latter securely lot place with round-headed screws oy nails. Now draw a line around the box just three inches below the top, and! saw the top off on this line. Put hinges V upon the back and catches upon the I front, and the chest is complete. It Is desirable, however, to have a tray that can be set Inside to rest upon cleats at tached to the inside of the ends. In' this tray can be kept all the smaller and more delicate tools, while the sawß, planes, etc., can be placed below it In the bottom of the chest—Washington Star,
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers