Freeland tribune., May 18, 1903, Image 2

TELL ME AGAIN.
Tell me again you lore me—me alone. Then, when wo part, and you are lost to
How can I weary of those tender words? sight,
Do not the birds sing ever but one tone? And we can sneak no longer, I and you,
Yet what were life without the song of In busy day ana in the dreams of light
birds? Love me in silenoe with a love as true.
Earth does not weary of the ocean's song, Love me in silence as the days go on
Sea cannot live without it hears tne Until we meet; and then, like bird and
breeze. breeze,
Tell me again—and all the joy prolong— Tell me again you love me—me alone;
Life has no tweeter, dearer flounds than Life has no sweeter, dearer sounds than
these. these.
I THE BELLE OF THE GARRISON. |
—
By P. F. W. RYAN. f|
EORGE and I sat over the Are
I / after dinner enjoying our cig
\ vi I ars. George was my uncle
and I was his guest, but, al
though a middle-aged man when I was
but a boy, he had always treated me
es a younger brother. I was lucky In
my host, for he had traveled wherever
the foot of man had trod and fought
!n every campaign for half a century,
and read everything worth reading
from the Bible to the latest novel, and
withal was as modest as a schoolgirl
on her holidays.
"George," 6aid I, "let us have e
•tory."
The dear old chap threw himself
back in his chair and set himself a
thinking.
"I declare." said George, "I am quite
out o." practice as a reconteur. I find
It as hard to put my finger on a story
now as If I had lived my life in a
convent cell."
"Don't trouble; let tis talk of the
past and the stories will come," I said,
mindful of earlier days when our
evenings always ended In a tale.
"To he sure," said George, "there's
enough to talk of from the day that
Hnughton and I landed at Bombay to
heg'.a our soldiering till I returned
swords after half a century."
"Hnughton," I repeated; "I never
heard you mention his name before
that X can remember."
A shadow seemed to flit across the
flue old face, and he stroked his luxur
iant silver linlr, buried In thought.
"Poor Charley! It was a dark crime
laid him low—a dark crime committed,
like many another, for a woman.
Years have since passed, and I have
seen human blood flow in torrents, yet
I still look back with horror on the
deed of murder I permitted In the
trackless jungle when I might
"But a truce to vain regrets. You
will hear the story. Ilaughton and
I were at Eton together, and chums
nil our time there. We were In every
thing together, from making love to the
head master's twin sisters to the flog
gings meted out by their brother. On
the same day we were gazetted to the
same corps in John Company's service,
and embarked on the same vessel,
which, by the way, you would call a
convict hulk, for the East.
"Our regiment was quartered at Ohaz
napore, and we had been quartered
there scarcely three months when
Hnughton was the idol of his brother
officers. I do believe there was not
a man among them who would not
have trusted the handsome, debonair
youngster with his life—except, per
haps, one, a junior captain named Bar
net.
"Barnet was as Jealous of Charley as
the serpent of Adam In the garden he
cause Xfilly Prltchnrd brought all her
forces—horse, foot and artillery—to
bear on the heart of the dashing,
golden-haired sub.
"Mllly was just such a girl as you
may find in every garrison town in the
kingdom—fond of fun and jollity, and
always ready for a flirtation, whether
It be with the grny-haired command
ant or tlio dapper sub. She Is always
handsome, always a coquette, ready
to laugh at the fellows' Jokes or he
the confidante of their troubles, and
the favored subnltern invariably lonics
forward to his captaincy to marry her.
If such a girl Is common at home, In
India she is an institution, and the
'Garrison Belle' was a standing toast
t every mess in my time.
"Mllly Pritclmrd was the daughter
of an old officer of the company. Her
father hnd the reputation of being ex
tremely wealthy, and as she was an
only child she had In addition to her
other charms all the attractions of a
great heiress.
"This regimental affaire de eoeur
was watched with lively interest, and
there was many sly Jokes cracked at
Barnet's expense, which, no doubt,
did not help to soothe his wounded
pride. Ilaughton bore himself splen
didly. He neither courted nor avoided
the girl, nor betrayed the slightest
consciousness of unusual favor at her
hands. No old campaigner could have
worn his laurels more gracefully, and
no gentleman could have behaved with
more perfect breeding to his less for
tunate rival.
"But Barnet was bitterness Itself.
'At first he affected to treat Charley
contemptuously, but the latter soon
showed himself his equal in most
things, his superiors In many. Then
matters became more strained. Bar
net was barely civil and Hnughton was
contelnptuously indifferent
"So things continued for about six
months. Then one evening Ilaughton
came to my quarters. His face was
deathly pale and his lips were firmly
set. I knew he was struggling to sup
press some violent emotion. It was
evident something serious had hap
pened. A row with Barnet Was the
first thought that flashed through my
mind. He threw himself Into a chair
nnd there was a pause for several min
utes.
" 'George,' ho said at last, 'I must get
away from here.' His voice, hoarse
and uncertain, betrayed the turmoil
of his soul.
" 'Get awayl' I reDeated. 'Something
Is wrong, Ilaughton. What has hap
pened?'
" 'You are right. Something has
happened, I cannot go into particu
lars, George, but it's a woman—Molly
Prltchnrd. I love the girl—but she is
not Indifferent I should have gone
long ago, but she seemed such a flirt.
Wlio could have guessed that she—"
"He hesitated, but my knowledge of
his honorable nature made his emotion,
his reserve, his resolve to quit the sta
tion, more eloquent than words. I
could have sworn that there had been
a scene, that in a moment of uncon
trollable passion the girl had In some
way betrayed her love for him, and
In the delirium of the moment he, too,
had been weak. It was nil as clear to
me as day.
" 'Don't be a fool, Haughton. Marry
the girl.'
" 'Marry! Bo my wife's pensioner!
Never!' and the proud spirit flamed In
his eyes. 'Excuss me, George, for the'
beat' be continued, ashamed of hav
ing shown temper, "lint It is Impossible,
even If the old nabob were willing.
Poor men must pocket tbeir pride be
fore money bags; I cannot do it.'
"I knew he was as proud as Lucifer,
but I tried to reason with him; It was
quite useless, however. Ills mind was
fully made up, and I haVe no doubt
the thing would have ended In com
monplace fashion enough but for a
chance stroke of ill luck.
"That night half a dozen of us sat
late over our cards, .and wo were all
more or less excited with wine and
play when Haughton strolled In and
began to watcli the game while he
smoked a cigar. I well remember
the look of hate that flashed from
Barnet's eyes when some one Invited
him to join ns, which Charley excused
himself from doing.
"Barnet had beeq losing all night,
my own luck was just as had, which,
considering the skill of my antagonists,
was hardly surprising. We doubled
the stakes; Barnet lost again. Again
wo doubled, and again he lost. For
the third time we doubled. It was our
last game. I noticed Barnet's hands
tremble as lie gathered up his cards.
I looked at my own and found a hand
ful of trumps. I glanced nt the pile
of gold; nothing could beat me.
"I led off with my worst trump; I
won the trick, nnd the next, and so
on. As I was about to throw my last
card Barnet made some remark about
'onlookers' which was plainly meant
for Haughton.
" 'lf there is any objection I shall
ho hnppy to withdraw,' said Haugh
ton.
" 'Don't be a fool, Barnet,' said one
fellow.
" 'Don't cronk if luck's against you,'
said another.
" 'I object to any communication be
tween players nnd spectators.'
"All eyes were fixed on Barnet. He
was making a serious charge. I looked
at Haughton. The proud blood man
tled his face for a moment, then re
treated, leaving him as pale as marble.
" 'As I am the only spectator, I de
mand an explanation.' The calmness
with which tlio words were tittered
were In striking contrast with bis
blazing eyes nnd bloodless lips.
" 'Demand;' sneered Barnet. Haugh
ton said nothing. He was not the man
to bandy words like a woman.
" 'What do yon mean, Bamet?' said
the senior captain.
"' I mean that Ilaughton directed a
player by glance.'
" 'Nonsense, Barnet!' exclaimed the
whole board as one man. 'You are
mistaken.'
Ilaughton smiled nt the hearty
i unanimity of the chorus. Tlieu his
eyes flashed like those of a tiger as he
• turned on Barnet.
I " 'Barnet, you have spoken what you
1 know to he false!" he hissed, and,
, turning on his heel he left the room.
1 "I don't know how you manage
- these things now, but In my service
1 days we laughed at regulations. A
t man went on a hunting expedition,
r and was brought home dead, or per
i liqps lie was found In his quarters with
1 a bullet in Ills head. Nobody asked
i Inconvenient questions.
"I followed Ilaughton to his quar
ters to tnlk the mnltor over with him.
. I found him examining his pistols.
r 'I never thought to turn them on a
i comrade,' he said. I tried to hope that
t Barnet would not light, but my heart
i told mo that he thirsted for his rival's
- blood. Any doubt I had on the mnt
s tor was set at rest next morning. Bar
net came to me, nnd with the utmost
s sang froid detailed a plan for a mect
i Ing. I said something about not 'lik
s Ing the business.' He laughed nnd
y jeered, and In the end so exasperated
i- me that I wanted to slioot him myself,
s And It ended by my agreeing to second
i- Haughton.
e "Next morning we drove from the
r station to the completion of this, my
r life's tragedy."
i- George paused a while, apparently
overcome by emotion. Then he eon
t tinued:
e "The meeting place was a few
1 leagues distant, and when we arrived
Barnet wag awaiting us alone, though
■ he had Jtmmlsed to bring with him a
friend. But I might have guessed
that no otHcer would go out with him
under the circumstances.
"I mentioned the matter to bim.
'Oh!' he replied, purposely raising his
voice that Haughton might hear,
'when gentlemen want to tight they
don't stick at trifles of that sort.' It
was then I mado the fatal mistake. I
should have refused to bear alone the
responsibility, but boys are so afraid
of appearing cowardly.
"Haughton saw me hesitate. 'Never
mind,' he said; 'I don't care.' Then
he gripped my hand a moment and
continued, 'Be her friend, George, for
my sake. Goodby.' Then he took up
his place.
"I c;' 1 recall as though it were but
ycstcr.l." those two men standing
face to far a in the depth of the track
less jungle, with the fiery Indian sun
beating un the handsome, fearless
face el' the younger, while his foe
stood with lowering brows and eyes
gleaming with the deadliest hate calm
ly measuring the gallant, soldierly
form outlined against the tangled
shrubs with their network of luxuriant
creepers.
"At the word 'three' they were to
Are.
"At the word 'one' I trembled in
every limb as my own husky voice in
tensified the grim reality of the scene,
but naughton stood us calmly erect as
though on parade.
" 'Two!' The ponies looked up lazily
from their browsing and gazed with
wondering eyes upon the strange spec
tacle. My tongue cleaved to my pal
ate and the perspiration stood In large,
cold beads upon my forehead,
" 'Three!'
"t scarcely-recognizee my own voice
as the word fell on my ear. Both pis
tols flashed simultaneously. Ilaughton
staggered forward a few paces and
fell Into my arms, shot in the throat.
The hlood poured in torrents through
mouth, nose and ears. Ignorant as I
then was of such matters, I felt that
he was done for. I laid him on the
ground and looked into the depths of
his frank blue eyes, and they turned
to meet mine with the old loyal look,
and he tried to smile bravely.
"His lips stirred, but no sound es
caped them. The film of death dimmed
his vision, his heart that had hut a
short while before throbbed so gayly
with the vigor of a young, joyous life
fluttered a moment, and then while the
graceful, supple limbs stiffened ceased
to beat forever.
"Barnet stood apart, smiling disdain
fully, while Ills steely eyes gloated
over the rigid, lifeless form and tho
pale, girlish face which would never
again brighten at a woman's smile
nor win a maiden's heart.
" 'Go!' I said, and he turned away
with the brand of Cain upon his brow.
I never taw him again, ne obtained
six months' leave, and, prudently tak
ing a hint from the colonel, he did not
rejoin his regiment.
"Duty has often found me tough
work to do, but God knows I would
prefer to face a battery of artillery to
delivering again Haughton's last mes
sage to the girl whose favor had cost
him his life.
" 'Take me to him,' she begged when
I had finished my story. The awful
thing she said appalled. t tried to
persuade her. but in vain. And in
the gloaming I led her honVily veiled
past the sentries to the chamber of
•death to bid the dead soldier a last
farewell.
"I opened the door for her and she
passed in. And as I stood outside I
covered my ears with my hands to
shut out her convulsive sobbing. And
the endearing terms which ho had
never heard from her lips now burst
from her unchecked in the agony of
grief.
"A day or two afterward his funeral
procession wended its way dlong the
dusty road to the little cemetery The
route lay past tho Pritchards" house,
and though they tried to got the girl'
out of the way all their efTorts were
unavailing. And her screams of an
guish rising above tho shrill wail of
the fifes and the solemn roll of the
muffled drums struck pain to many a
heart, and lusty soldiers bowed their
heads to hide their emotion. Fainter
and fainter grqw the screams of the
girl's hysterical grief, till at last tlicy
sounded like an echo of tho mournful
strains of the funeral march, and then
the rnttlo of our farewell volleys as
we laid- him to rest told her that her
lover was done with earth forever.
"Years passed, and when the Mutiny
broke out I was ngain in station at
Ghaznapore. Old Pritekard was dead,
but MUly still clung to the old spot fo\
tho sake of tho gnllant tenant of the
little cemetery, fiarlc days were com
ing, and mindful of Charley's last
words I offered her the shelter and
protection of my love for his sake and
her own. So one morning I stood with
her before the altar in marching order,
and while I made the old formal vows
I swore in my heart to redeem the mad
folly of the past by my love. And if
years of devotion could atone, then I
have expiated my sin."—The Sphere.
Iti<lla*a Industrial Art.
A noteworthy feature of the Durbar,
at Delhi, was the splendid exhibition
of Eastern art When such an exhibi
tion is held in the Western World tho
individual artist is conspicuous in tho
fact that each example bears the name
of the producer. In this Delhi exhibi
tion, on the contrary, it was the coun
try, not tho individual, that had the
honpr. It was shawls from Cashmere,
rugs from Anatolia, brasses from Per
sia, ivories from Slam, faience from
Japan, pottery, silks and embroideries
from China, and toakwood carving and
jewel work from India, all representing
centuries of cultivated taste in form
and color, and years of toll, where art
is really an inheritance of the people.
Vonesuelun Voters.
In Venezuela males become voters at
eighteen years and eligible to office at
twenty-one.
G\neJ © ©
® © /\el Venture.
A BRAVE RESCUE.
-T- ORD CHARGES DE HA
I / POER BEItESFORD and Ills
J| V younger brother. Lord Wil
liam Leslie de la Poer Bercs
ford, were a noble pair of brothers,
built of the stuff that Jasons were
made of. Perhaps it is the Irish that
is in the blood. The name Poer was
originally Poker, and later Power.
Lord Clmrles is heir presumptive to
his great-nephew, the Earl of Tyrone,
a lively youngster of two years, who
will be Marquis of Waterford on the
the death of ills father. The difference
between their ages is fifty-live years.
Lord Charles lias earned high honors
and decorations on both land and sea.
and in peace times is up to any sport
going. He is an expert at the lathe,
is able to earn a living as a carpenter,
and can shoot, fish, wheel, golf and
swim about as well as any man of his
age.
When Lord "Bill" Beresford married
our first Duchess of Marlborough the
St. James's Gazette wrote of him:
"In India lie has been the soul of the
vice-regal court. As an organizer of
vice-regal tours, as a promoter of
races (and the most reckless rider in
them), as a hunter of tigers, a drivef
of four-in-hands, the manager of ama
teur theatricals (and an actor in them),
a player at polo and the entrepreneur
at innumerable picnics, he lias no
equal among military secretaries. In
Lady Dufferin's book Lord William
appears on every other page—a dash
ing, cheery man, overflowing with high
spirits and of inexhaustible energy; at
one moment coming as near as possible
to breaking his neck in a steeplechase,
at another organizing an extensive
tour to Southern India, to Burmah or
to the Northwest; at another making
himself good liaturedly ridiculous at
private theatricals. And in England
he is as popular as he was in India.
Every one knows Lord Bill, and every
one likes him. As soldier, sportsman,
courtier, and man of the world, he Is
one of the most attractive and con
genial figures on the stage of life."
Lord Bill was the subject of an arti
cle entitled "The Bravest Deed I Ever
Saw," by Archibald Forbes. In a sud
den attack by Zulus several scouts un
der Beresford were killed, and in the
retreat a wounded soldier fell from his
horse, which slipped. Beresford, rid
ing behind the party, looked hack and
saw that the fallen man was trying to
rise from the ground, and that his
horse had run away. The Zulus were
perilously close to the poor fellow, but
Beresford galloped back, dismounted,
covered his adversaries with his re
volver and ordered the soldier to get
on his own horse. "I refuse, my lord,"
said the wounded man. "Why shonld
two men die, when one may escape?"
Bei;esford turned upon him: "My
man"' he cried, "by all that's holy, if
you don't help me save your life, I'll
punch your head to a jelly!" lie part
ly lifted, partly hustled the soldier
Into the saddle, scrambled up himself
end set the chestnut a-going after the
rest of the command.
Sergeant O'Toole, missing his com
mander, rode back and shot down
Zulu after Zulu with cool courage, and
then aided Beresford to keep the
wounded man In the saddle, till the
laager was reached, .where no one
could tell whether it was the rescuer or
the rescued who * was wounded, so
smeared was Lord Bill with borrowed
blood. When he was summoned to
Wlndson to receive the reward for
"valor" from the Queen, Lord Bill de
clined the honor unless ho were per
mitted to share it with Sergeant
O'Toole, who, he persisted, deserved
the greater credit. Her Majesty, gra
ciously yielding, the brave Sergeant
was ordered to appear with his com
mander to receive the proudest reward
a British soldier can nsyiro to.—New
York Press.
TIMEKEEPER'S TERILOFS TRIP.
W. A. Smith is timekeeper for the
Roebling Company. One of his duties
is to investigate all accidents and make
reports on thorn. So when he saw that
there was a fire on the top of the Man
hattan tower of the new bridge bo
started to eomo across from Williams
burg to find out about It and see if any
of the workmen were hurt. He had
as narrow an escape as anybody from
tumbling 300 feet or so into the East
River. He got off the south footwalk
about two minutes kg fore it fell.
"I started across on tho south side,"
he said, "and was about half way over
when I began to wish I was some
where else. I realized that I should
have taken the north footbridge, as the
fiercest part of the fire was burning
on the south end of the tower. I didn't
know how soon it would burn off the
temporary cables that hold my sup
port.
"I crossed over on one of the trans
verse footbridges to the safer side. I
had no sooner got there when the ex
pected happened and the footbridge
that I had been on fell. It didn't fall
down Into the river becausp it was
caught in a snarl by tho loops which
extend down from tho main cables to
hold the span.
"Two men who had crossed over to
the north footwalk with me went on to
to Manhattan side after Engineer Bos
come.
"I didn't. For awhile I wouldn't
trust any footbridge. I climbed up
onto tlio number 4, that Is, tho north
ernmost cable, straddled It, put my
arms around it and then worked my
way slowly back toward tho top of
tho Williamsburg tower.
"I crept along, hugging that cable
for about half the distance, and It
was very slow work. The north foot
bridge was still just below me, In fact,
and I Anally decided to trust It, so
made the rest of the trip on that. Soon
after I had got down to the ground by
way of the ladders in the Williams
burg towor that north footbridge fell,
too, and was caught, as the other had
been, in the loops."—New York Sun.
REMARKABLE CASE OF NERVE.
Dr. T. 11. Bean, of tlio United States
Fish Commission, while on board the
revenue cutter Baer, off Unalaska, wit
nessed a remarkable ease of nerve.
A whaler signalled the cutter for
medical aid. Dr. Bean was taken
aboard. He found that a Kanaka sailor
had had a foot smashed some weeks
before by a hogshead of whale oil
rolling on It.
The Injured member was in a terri
ble state, and the man was evidently
suffering intensely, although ho gave
no outward sign.
When the captain asked the doctor
what could be done, the latter started
to tell him in confidence. At that the
sailor spoke up:
"Don't bo afraid to tell me, doctor,"
he said; "I can stand It all right."
"Well, my man," responded Dr.
Bean, "amputation Is the only thing
that will relieve you, hut I have
neither the necessary Instruments nor
anaesthetics."
The sailor smiled,
"Don't mind about little things llko
that," he said.
"But " began Dr. Bean,
The sailor smiled again.
"Oh, start in now," was all he said.
Dr. Bean had with him a ease of
pocket Instruments for dissecting birds.
When he pulled this out the sailor
seated himself on a cask, unceremoni
ously crossed Ills legs and held out the
injured foot.
The doctor started to work. He
first removed the toes with the little
bird knife, which hacked more than
it cut. Then he found that up under
the flesh the Instep hone was injured
for nearly an Inch. So he had to
cut In and turn hack the flesh. Then
with tweezers, for he had no saw, ho
snipped off the diseased part of the
boaie a little at a time. •
That done, he pulled the flesh down,
and sewed up the wound. After an
hour's work he announced that the job
was finished. And the sailor's foot
had not quivered nor a muscle In Ills
face moved with pain.
Smilingly the sailor uncrossed his
legs, slid off tlio cask, reached for the
doctor's hand, shook It heartily, roared
a grateful "I thank ye, sir," and then
hobbled off toward the fo'eslc, whist
ling a rollicking sailor's jig.
RIDE ON A WOUNDED DEER.
Jesse Abbott, n middle-aged man and
a hunter of many years' experience,
of North Sullivan, Me., had an exciting
adventure in the woods recently. He
was out hunting deer and came upon a
big hack.
Ills first shot tumbled the animal
over and Mr. Abbott supposed that he
had killed the doer. Rushing forward,
ho cut the throat of his prize and left
him while he went In search of more
game. He had only taken a few steps
when he heard a noise and was aston
ished to see the deer come dashing
down upon him.
Ho had not time to use Ids rifle, be
ing barely able to spring to one side,
and then, Just as the buck dashed past,
to spring upon the deer's back. He se
cured n firm hold upon the Infuriated
animal's neck and clung on.
A fierce struggle followed. The
beast used every tactic at Its command
to dislodge Its unwelcome burden,
while the man made a determined ef
fort to draw his hunting knife. Over
fallen trees and through thick brush
they went for nearly a mile. The
hunter's clothing was torn to shreds
and his body was lacerated and
bruised, but he clung on.
At last, just as the knife came from
the sheath the deer succeeded in break
ing Abbott's hold and throwing him
from its back. As he felt himself go
ing the man made one wild slnsli with
his knife. It was his only chance and
he took it. It proved to be a lucky
chance, for the steel reached a vital
spot and the animal dropped dead. It
wa3 n splendid buck, weighing 31-1%
I pounds, which Is the record for Maine
this year. The bullet which first
brought the deer down struck him ou
the horns and evidently stunned him,
while the first knife-wound was not
sufllckmtly deep to reach a vital spot.
Petit Larceny in Stamps.
"There Is a fraud upon the public
that we would like to root out," said a
Postofflco Inspector, "hut it is almost
impossible to reach the culprits, and to
make out cases against them—difficult
even to get evidence on Which to base a
stop order against their mall. This
fraud is simply the larceny of two-cent
stamps by means of 'fake' advertise
ments in the 'help wanted' columns of
reputable newspapers which have no
means of knowing the fraudulent na
ture of the advertisements. It costs
only a trifle to advertise for some kind
of help, and some of those advertise
ments will bring from 1000 to 1500
replies from people who are looking
for work or seeking to better them
selves. Four-fifths of these applicants
for the bogus 'job' will inclose stamps
for reply. You can figure It out. Eight
hundred stamps arc worth $lO. These
stamps are taken out of the letters,
done up In packages of twenty-five or
fifty, and sold at a small discount"—
New York Times.
Ways of th© Editor In India,
This amusing excuse was given by
the editor of au Indian vernacular
paper, which was printed with two
columns left blank on the most Im
portant page: "We had reserved this
space for an exceptionally powerful
article on a subject of universal in
terest to our readers; but at the last
moment we find the article cannot be
compressed Into the two columns re
served for It. The article will make
Its appearance next week."
r^^rrFic^
According to a German patent the
toughness and durability of aluminum
can be much Increased by the addi
tion of phosphorus. The addition of
seven to fifteen per cent, makes
metal extremely hard and tough, and,
well adapted for forgihgs. Three per
cent, produces a good horseshoe metal,
and with a two per cent, addition it
can be easily rolled.
A smoke stack which is said to be
both sparkless and smokeless has been
Invented by a Virginian. This feature
is secured by the introduction into the
interior of the stack of a number of
tiny water-jets which are said to thor
oughly purify tlie smoke by throwing
down all particles. The streams of
water are said to give no interference
to the draft whatever.
Two coals of hot oil, carefully ap
plied after thorough cleaning of the
metal, are recommended by a Cana
dian artisan as an improvement over /
any process now in use for preveniinHj
rust of structural iron and steel. The
oil would fill crevices, cracks and holes
where paint cannot enter. It would
cover rough places often imperfectly
coated in ordinary painting, and it
would be a fine preparation for subse
quent painting or covering with cement
coating.
While much hns been sid and writ- J
ten nbout the sprinkling of oil on roads,
principally as a means of preventing
dust, the use of the oil in the same
way on river levees in some parts of
the United States is said to have been
found to be nu excellent protection
against the burrowings of gophers and
ground squirrels, which threaten the
security of the barrier raised against
the encroachment of the flood waters.
Crude oil Is so distasteful to these ,
that they shun the ground eoveredy' , |j
with it. I |
It Is reported from Germany that an
experimenter there has found alumi
nium an excellent substitute for a
whetstone in giving a fine, keen edge
to blades. When examined with a
microscope, the edge of a knife that
was sharpened on the metal appeared
much straighter and smoother than
one sharpened on a stone. One peculiar
effect of the honing is that the surface
of the aluminium becomes coated with
a greasy substance witli a great power
of adhesion to steel, and to this is at
tributed the fine edge produced.
The great increase In Die utilization
of water power is one of the notable
signs of the times. Waterfalls are
now running factories, driving tram
cars, lighting cities, irrigating farms
and doing various other kinds of
vice, in many cases at a distant
miles from the foil itself. Italy is
conspicuous for the progress it lias
made in this way, the Alps and the
Apennines abounding in waterfalls.
Now it is proposed to make use of tlio
Doogli Sagar River, In India, to pro
duce fifty thousand horse-power.
A very striking instance of the de
terioration of leather, produced under
conditions demanding quicker tauniug
by the use of vnrious chemicals, thus
decreasing tlio durability of the ma
terial, Is nfforded by tlie fact that the
British Museum expends $20,000 a
year in reblnding hooks in leather.
Modern leather is widely different
from the material produced by what
is now regarded as an effete process,
its life being limited to fifteen years.
In the search for cheaper and quicker
processes of making leather, large
quantities of sulphuric acid are
and this chemical, in combination whijF'
others, causes the material to decom
pose rapidly in the course of a few
years.
A Pent of Memory.
Some light Is thrown on (he possibil
ities of memory culture by an interest
ing recital contained In the autobiog
raphy of Robert Iloudin, the famous
conjuror. 110 taught his sou to glance
at, say a shop window, and to
memorize accurately, as in a brain pic
ture, the window's contents. Then he
would ask him to describe the contents,
checking nnd correcting liim as ho
went on. On one occasion Iloudin was
commanded to the Tuileries to give
a performance before the French court.
As he passed through an anteroom to
the salon he bade liis son note the ar
rangement of the rooms and tlio eon
tents of the bookcases. Then at the
close of the entertainment Iloudin as- ,
tonished his audience by giving what V
lie called a "second sight'' test. Declar- "
ing his unfamillarity with the Tuiler
ies, Houdin, blindfolding his son, asked
him to send his gaze through tlie wall
of the room to the chamber beyond,
to describe the arrangement of the
chamber and to rend the titles of the
volumes on the shelves of the book
cases. This feat the young lad accom
plished to the astonishment of the
court.—Chicago News.
Pointed Paragraphs;
No man Is so wise that he can't
learn from n fool.
Love Is blind, especially the brand
known as self-love.
But few men exhibit their bravery
until after the danger Is past.
Man Is born with a character, but he V
has to make his own reputation. y
Buy what you don't need and later on
you will sell what you do need.
A lazy man is always anxious to
get busy when there Is nothing to do.
The truth would seem less brutal If 1
people were acquainted with It.
It may be hard for Bomc people toj
be poor, but for others It Is the easiest
thing In tho world.—Chicago News. /