FROM SINNEMAHONE.
BY ED MOTT.
. '
VI, wish, to goodness, said the man
' said
from - over Sinnemahonin? way, "that
I could Temember half what my father
used totell about snakes. I really dol
I 3o indeed. I 'suppose that if my
father had been telling- about snakes
that lived anywhere else except on the
Sinnemahone spread I could have re
membered .everything But, Lord! It
would take a man with nine memories,
every one Of 'em phenomenal, to re
member even a little bit of what them
Sinnemahoning snakes did, because
they did so much. .They were always
doing something, and doing it well. I
wish somebody would simply give me
an inkling of what there is in that Sin
nemahone atmosphere that makes
things have so much more snap in
them- than things have . anywhere
else on top of earth. Even grasshop
pers!, Now, I know heaps of places
where- there is twenty times more grass
than is ori -the Sinnemahonc. As for
that, Sinnemahone doesn't run particu
larly to grass. We slash out a good
many hoop poles, and we peel consider
able of bark. . Ye do a little in the
maple sugar way, and our 'taters ain't
few ,to the hilL- But, we -don't brag on.
onr -. grass. . Then- why should . grass
hoppers- seem -to like to$settle down
withTis so much;- and get to be so over
powering smart.' among us? I give if
up.; Jl -don't Know '' Hut to prove to
. you that they" do, I'll" tell . you sorae
thingl 'I'don't pretend to explain these
things,' mind you. I simply 'give yoii'
the facts.
"You know, of course, that there
ain't any "better bait "for 'Trout along
late in the season than grasshoppers.
Our Sinnemahone grasshoppers" know
that wellj and I want to tell you that
it's a hard matter to run one down and
catch him' when you . want ta'go '. fish
ing. . But I used to manage, by various
slick bits of strategy, to get enough to
fish with, but it was hard work, and so
I was delighted one day, .being over to
the county seat, to see in a store an
artificial - grasshopper, with a hook
concealed about it. The grasshopper
was as natural as life, and I saw at.
once that there wasn't any use of my
pitting myself any longer gainst our
smart Sinnemahone grasshoppers to
get bait, when I could nse the artificial
grasshopper to fool the trout with", and
1 bought it. '.It worked to a charm. ' I
think the trout went for it better than
they did for the real, thing, for I have
an idea that they knew now' smart our
Sinnemahone grasshoppers were, and
were kind o' f raid of 'em. I used that
imitation grasshopper with great suc
cess. , -, .-. ' - . .-
"I had f tame trout in a spring near
my house. It had been in the spring a
year. It was a big one. I had caught
it one day on a sinnemahone grass
hopper, and as the hook hadn't hurt it
much I put it in a pail of water and got
it some alive and active. 1 put it' in
the spring and it lived and thrived. , A
funnv thing . was that the cxasshoDDer
I caught the trout with wasn't killed
by the trout nor by the hook. Being
through fishing, I took the grasshopper
off the hook and tossed ; it , 'on -.the
ground. It moved -away But .was
minus one lego Its eye were just as
bright as ever, though, and as I re
member it now, it 'kind o' shook its
head' and looked volumes as it limped
away,-headed straight for my place. I
don't know where that crippled grass
hopper wintered, but . when, warm
weather came next year! give you my
word that grasshopper was the first I
saw on my place. It was perched on a
saw horse in my back yard. I recog
nized it at. once, and it seemed to rec
ognize me; for it shook' its head and
had a queer look in its eye as it limped
on one leg along the sa-v horse, tum
bled off and stumped away. -
" As long as I've got a place,' said I,
'that grasshopper has a claim on it, and
anyone that hurts that grasshopper
must settle with me!'
"Well, sir, that grasshopper hung
around the place, and hobbled about
in a melancholy sort of way. but al
ways with that queer look in its eyes.
Every time it met me it settled down
and shook its head, spit tobacco juice,
as grasshoppers will, and stumped on
its way. I know now that that grass-
hopper had vengeance on its mind, and
was only biding its time.
"This was the season I got the
artificial grass pop per. I frequently
aw the crippled real one sitting on
the fiat stone over the spring where
my pet trout was, glaring down at the
trout and shaking its head in a start
ling way. ;: The . grasshopper remem
bered that this was the trout that - had
crippled it, and it went to the spring
to glare at the trout and show its hate.
I used to tremble for" it, for my trout
just doted on grasshoppers, and .1 was
fearful .lest this .poor, crippled . one
might tumble in the "spring and thus
give up the rest of itself to the foe that
had bereft it of its leg.1
"One day I had been fishing with my
artificial grasJshopper. I came in, took
the leader off my . line, with the imita
tion' grasshopper on it, and laid it on
the back stoop, being called away -for
something or other. When I went to
get the.leader ten or fifteen minutes
later it w.as gone.,' I looked around,
but couldn't 2nd it. sSome time after
ward I started for the spring to get a
pail of water, and as I drew near I saw.
the crippled .. grasshopper dragging
itself up on the flat stone that covered,
or half covered, the spring. I stopped,
and then saw that the grasshopper
was dragging something up along
with it. I started when I saw that it
was my missing leader. My first im
pulse was to go and recover my prop-1
erty, but on second thought I didn't.
"'This unfortunate grasshopper,' I
reasoned, 'has some purpose in view.
Let us see what it may be.'
"I soon saw. Growing near the flat
stone over the spring was a currant
bush. With great deliberation the
rippled grasshopper took one end of
my leader in its mouth and hobbled
round and round the bush, winding, as
I eould see, the leader about it. The
' artificial grasshopper had been hauled
up on the stone and" lay" there in full
view. Having taken a firm hitch witl
the leader about , the stem of the cur
rant bush, the vengeful crippled grass
hopper pushed its counterpart present
ment along toward the edge of the
stone, and when it reached there,
shoved it over. " The artificial grass
hopper fell, and there was leader
enough left to let it just touch the
water lightly. There was a flash and
a splash in the water, and the next in
stant my pet trout was dashing wildly
about in the spring, hooked on the
deadly lure and played by the limber
currant bush. Oh! but it was a stroke
of genius! The crippled grasshopper
stood on the edge of a stone, looking
over at the vengeance it had wrought,
glaring savagely and gloating, i could
easily have saved the trout.
" 'But no!' I said. lt is but retribu
tive justice! Let it stand!'
"In a short time the trout was dead.
.The crippled grasshopper hobbled off
of the stone and disappeared. I never
saw it again. Will somebody give me
an inkling of what there is in that
Sinnemahone atmosphere that makes
things have so much more snap in them
there than things have anywhere else
on top of earth? Even grasshoppers.
Will some one simply, give me an ink
ling?" Not eVen the man in the red, blue,
pink, yellow, green and purple mack
inaw jacket seemed capable of utter
ance, and the man from Sinnemahon
ing way had to go without' his inkling.
"Oh, yes! Snakes!" said he, sud
denly brought to himself. ''Lord! 1
" wish my father was here? But he isn't!
lie couldn'tjbe, very well. He left the
banks of the Shinneuiahone for the
same of Jordan, some years since. My
father, was a fiddler, and if he is play
ing the harp half as well as he-played
the. fiddle, he isnU taking a back-seat
for anybody on the other shore, and
I'll bet kn it! And how he could tell
about snakes! It's a shame the way I've
forgot most of- the things . he used to
tell me about 'em, but I remember one
that may strike you as a tolerable fair
showing as to what Sinnemahone
snakes were able to do in the days 6f
my father, sinnemahone snakes are at
the head of. the serpent race yet. of
course, but in those days they had the
benefit of my father, 'and they simply
shone. y j ,
"The blowing adder was, always a
.big favorite with my father-The blow
ing adder,, you know,, is that interest
ing snake that has the faculty of flat
tening out its head to about four times
its natural size, then puffing it up, and
then blowing a small gale from its
mouth for a few seconds. I never knew
just what they gained by doing all
this, but they do it, and that's enough.
The Macksnake was another snake my
father ; liked, but somehow ,they never
liked him,' but they feared ' him, and
when he wanted to use 'em they
knuckled right down and were used.
"Once my father had a pet blowing
adder and a'blacksnake that he wanted
to be a pet, but which had a feeling
against being one, and just wouldn't.
It didn't dare to rebel altoeether.
though, and' learned the tricks my
father taught it,, and did them, but
kicked, like a steer all the , time. . The
blowing adder, ,on the other hand, was
fonder of the old man than a. cal of
her kittens, and never lost a chance to
i show It. One of the tricks my father
taught the rebellious blacksnake was
to take a match in its' "mouth. reach
back and scratch the match on its scaly
side, and then rise up on its tail and
light father's pipe as he held it in his
mouth itVas a.rieat-trick, and used
to please father-next to' knowing that
the little jug with the corncob stopper
in it wasn't empty.
'Whenever father went to his . cabin
inthe woods for a huutjie always took
- Jehosaphat and Prudence with him for
company. Jehosaphat was the black
snake and. Prudence was the blowing
.adder. Once, while out on one of these
trips, father was taken sick with rheu
matism in his cabin, and lay on his
bed of straw, unable to move hand or
foot. Jehosaphat cheered up and
got chipper at once. He tumbled all
over, himself, father used to say, he
felt so good. And he felt more than
that. He had murder in his heart.
While father lay there helpless the
wicked snake took a match in his
mouth, glared like a fiend in father's
face for a moment, struck the match
on his side, just the way the old man
had taught him. and then deliberately
set fire to the straw on which my father
lay helpless. With one more fiendish
glare at my father Jehosaphat fled
from the cabin.
- "Imagine my father's feelings lying
there unable to move, and that fire
creeping, s'owly toward him! - Htf saw"
no escape from a horrible death. But
he didn't know Prudence, the blowing
adder..,, That.loying snake woke . from
a nap in her corner, andj soon . saw the
awful danger my. father was in.. She
dashed over to the burning straw, flat
tened out her head, and with one tre
mendous puff bleAv out the blaze."
"Sinnemahone!" exclaimed the man
in the red. blue, pink, yellow, green
and purple mackinaw jacket, "let me
tell ye sumpin'! That blowin' adder
mowt a blowcd out that blaze, - but
there-'ain'.t no blowin' adder, nor sweep
in' gale, nor howlin' cyclone that kin
ever blow out the blaze you'll git into
one o' these days, an' when ye git there,
jist remember that I told ye so!" N.
Y. Sun. ,
' An Unwashed Model. -
. "This is one of ray t models," Mr.
Brown said one day to the writer,
pointing to a ragged urchin, who
looked as if . he had walked out of the
frame of one of the artist's pictures to
take a rest in the arm chair in which
he was so comfortably curled up. "This
is 'Pete.' The little rascal never took
a bath in his life. When his hands and
feet show in a picture he has to be
washed up a little, as they are even too
dirty to be picturesque." Pete grinned,
as if he was pleased with the distinc
tion of being an absolute stranger to
the bath. But he probably does wash
his face and hands occasionally. His
face was bright enough to deserve not
to be hidden by dirt John J. ' Becket,
in St. Nicholas.
THE MASHERS.
The
Hotel Sleuth Who Proteots
the Telephone Girl.
When Chappie Gott n Ilttlo Too Promis
cuous the Huwk-Fycil Mun Interferes
A Sample C.iflo or tho Ilotli
vrsom'Vi Dutle.
A pale-faced youn.-y woman with deli
cate features and auburn hair snt along
side of the telephone closet in the reading-room
of an up-town hotel the other
day rending a book, says the New York
Sun.
"Will you please ring up 329 Spring
for me?"' asked a young man who had
just come in from the lobby.
The tone of his voice was familiar
and patronizing, and ho looked down
at her with a very friendly smile. She,
however, did not smile in return, but
looked extremely bored. Without mak
ing any reply to his question, she went
into the closet and rang tho telephone.
The young man stood just outside the
door and leaned against it.
"This is a lovely " ho began, but
was interrupted by the girl's reaching
out her hand, apparently in a mechan
ical way, and pulling to the door. He
got out of the way just in time, and
stood biting the ends of his mustache.
Ircsently she pushed open the door
again.
"329 is at the telephone," she said. ' '
.V'Kindly ask if Mr.- Joe Jones is
there," ho said very sweetly.
She shut the floor again and addressed
the person at the other end of the tele
phono. " Iresently she wheeled around
in her chair, opened the door, and said:
"They say they don't know any such
person."
' There was a frown on her fuce, but it
not in any way disconcert the young
man.
"Oh. pshaw," he said, "I must, have
made a mistake in the number. Never
mind: how much is it?"
"Fifteen'cents."
He pulled out a roll of bills, which he
displayed ostentatiously, and then
thrust .back into his - pocket again.
From, another pocket. he then drew out
the exact change, which he handed to
her. At the same time he beamed on
her in a languishing manner, but. as
her faue was averted, all this effort to
impress her was lost. As soon as she
received the money she resumed her
seat, recorded the transaction on a slip
of paper, picked up her book and re
turned to her reading. The'young man
dd not leave, however, but tried to en
gage her in conversation.
"I am awfully sorry to have put yoc
tosoiuueh trouble needlessly," he be
gan, "but"
At this moment he was interrupted
by a sharp-eyed, strongly built man
who had been watching him for some
time from a corner of the room. He
had stepped ud unnoticed and sudden
ly run against the young man as if by
accident, ..
"Bog pardon." he said, as if in a
great hnrrv. "but I want 1041 Court-
landt r!;rht away, miss."
.. The girl's face brightened as she
jumped up and entered thecloset again,
'while the young mnn looked savagely
at the intruder, and then walked off
disgusted. As soon as he had gone the
stout man tapped" on the window of
the closet andwmked significantly, and
the telephone girl called into the trans
mitter: "Never mind, central, it was'only an
other one of those dudes; He has gone
low. thank goodness."
The stout man walked back to his
corner, and the girl resumed her read
ing.
Every day similar scenes are en
acted, although sometimes there Is de
lay leftire the rescuer arrives, owing to
his bemir busy elsewhere.
"You see," he said in explanation of
one snch occurrence, "there is a lot of
well-dressed fellows who come in here
and patronize the bar more or less, who
would like to flirt with the girl, and it
wouldn't do to have any rumpus about
it. So whenever -1 see an v of them
around I steer in here and watch them.
When they get too fresh Ijrive them
this sort of a song and dunce. It always
works, too."
A GREAT TIMEPIECE.
A Watch That Has Run Sines 1754
and
It BUU a Good T Unapt ec.
Judge Frederick W. Moore, of the
superior court, is the possessor of an
heirloom in the shape of a watch that
no amount of money would buy, says
the St. Louis Republic And, besides
its value as an heirloom, it has a hisj
tone interest.
The timepiece is of the -open-face
bull's-eye pattern. As with all old
style watches of the pattern men
tioned, the outer case must be removed
before it can " be ' wound. The' outer
case, of -this watch is of (hammered
gold, and all the work on it . was. done
by band. -While this is apparent from
the' workmanship, it is further proved.
by the date on the inside, which is
1754. There is an inscription on the
inside as follows: "Daniel De SU Len,
Servant to Her Majesty. London." Her
majesty then was the queen of George
II., the then reigning king of England:
' The authentic history of this, valu
able timepiece is this: In the years pre
ceding 1754 William Augustus, duke of
Cumberland, the second son of George
II., was the commander of the British
armies. In the Scottish campaigns and
in the campaigns against the Prussians
and the Russians, and whe.ii he was at
the head of the British. Hanoverian
and Danish forces of fifty thousand
men. Dr. Frederick William Sehwartze,
a Hanoverian, was on his staff as sur
geon. At the close of the campaign
against the Prussians and the Russians
the duke had three watches made like
the one Judge Moore has, and of which
it is one. The watches were presented
to three officers of the duke's staff by
him as a mark of his esteem. One
went to Dr. Sehwartze, as a Hano
verian, one to a British officer and one
to a Dunish officer. The presentations
were made in 1-755. After the doctor's
services had ended in 1757, and the
duke had returned to London, it was
expected he would succeed to the
throne, but the birth of a mon to bis
elder brother cut him out.
MARKS
MONEY IN PEANUTS.
Ten
Million Dollars Spent Annually In
America for This "Fruit."
A man incidentally asked ' a street
vender if his peanuts were first-class,
and .the response to the inquiry was
surprising, says the Chicago Tribune. ' '
"No," said the vender. "You do not
get first-cluss peanuts in this country
in this way. The best peanuts ure used
for other purposes. They are made
into meal and grits by scientific men,
and in Germany they are prepared for
sick people in the hospitals. The pea
nuts you get in candy are the very
poorest grade. And Bonu of the 'burnt
almonds' which you get are nothing
more than fourth-rate peanuts."
"Where did the peanut come from?"
"From Central and South America.
They grow there in long pods, and tho
pods contain, from four to five kernels.
They were carried to the old world in
the early days, and in the seventeenth
century they constituted the chief
staple of Africa. You will find if you
look it up that the slave dealers of
Africa in those days used to load their
ships with peanuts to be used as food
for their human cargoes. The negroes
who were imported from Africa to this
country brought over the peanut and
they were scattered and first grew in
Virginia. And now this country U rais
ing the crop, and, owing to American
shrewdness, the nut is ground and used
for various purposes and shipped all
over the world.
"I reckon you know," the vender con
tinued, "that peanuts in a certain condi
tion are more nutritious than be'f.
When specially prepared they .rank
with beans and peas. The peanut is
said to contain 29 per cent, of protein
ant? 49 per cent, of fat. What is known
as peanut meal contains 53 per cent, of
protein and S per cent, of fat. It is the
cheapest of all food materials."
In 1S01 and 1865 peanut oil was man
ufactured largely in four southern
states, and was employed as a substi
tute for olive oil. In fact, one drug
gist admitted, some of the ''olive oil"
sold now in this country is nothing
more than peanut oil. Nearly all of the
olive oil sold in the United States is
mixed with part of tho peanut. Pea
nuts furnish from 30 to 50 per cent, of
the weight of their kernels in oil.
Sometimes peanut o'A is used for light
ing, and again it is utilized to advan
tage in the making of soap and as a
lubricant in machine shops.
The American peanut is larger and
better flavored than any other, but it
does not contain so much oil as the Af-t
rican nut? The "cake" which is left
after extracting the oil makes excellent
feed fortfattle, and is used very largely
for that purpose in Germany, where it
sells for t-10 to 33 a ton. This country
owes to Germany the suggestion it has
received in relation to the edible quali
ties of peanuts, and the department of
agriculture is now investigating the
method of Germany 'in the way in
which that country has handled the
nut, and the result is to be published
by the deportment for the benefit of
the farmers. '
The United . States now produces
4.000.000 bushels of peanuts annually,
or S3.000.000 pounds. The total world's
supply amounts to about 600,000.000
pounds. The exportation from Africa
and India to Europe during the Inst year
amounted to nearly 400.000.009 pounds.
Of this quantity 222.000.000 pounds were
delivered at the port of Marseilles,
France. the-buXc of it being pressed for
oiL
It is estimated that $10,000,000 worth
of peanuts are eaten every year in the
United States, and most of the quanti
ty, it is said, is consumed between
meals and at odd times.
A strange sight wr.s seen in Lon
don at the great fire in the grain ware
houses near lilac'. friar's bridge. As
the buildings, which were on the
water's edge, were burning, a black
mass was seen in the river floating
from the Surrey to the Middlesex side.
It was composed of thousands of rats,
cut off from escape on tho land side.
About ten thousaud of them succeeded
in crossing the river, but were then
nnable to get up the smooth side of
the Thames embankment and were
carried down stream and drowned. '
To Regulate,
Tone Up,
Invigorate
STOnACH, LIVER
; ' :)AND(. . .'
" bowels, 7
thereby curing constipation,
dyspepsia, biliousness, dispo
sition - to sick : headache and
kindred ailments, take . '
Dr. Pierce's
Pleasant
Pellets. X
v
ONCB USED, ALWAYS IS FAVOR.
All JaaaMas
A FARM
GIVEN AWAY
-'. Consisting of one sheet of FARM BUILDINGS and one sheet
of 78 Subjects, DOMESTIC ANIMALS,' etc. These are to
please the children. The Farm House and Animals can
be cut out and made to stand, thus making a complete
Miniature Farm Yard.-
3 Ways to Get This Farm :
Cn J 6 Coupons ; or
OCriu 1 Coupon acd 6 Cents ; or
10 Gents without any Coupon, to
BLACKW ELL'S DURHAM TOBACCO CO.. DURHAM. N. C.
and the Farm will be sent you POSTPAID. You will find
one Coupon inside each 2 ounce bag, and two Coupons
Inside each 4 ounce bag of
BiacU's GenuiDB Dntyo Totocco.
Buy a bag of this Celebrated Smoking Tobacco, and read the
coupon, which gives a list oi
,2 CENT STAMPS ACCEPTED.
............
0 A. .
for Infants and Children.
THIRTY y jb ohrratlon of Cmatorie, with the psvtrog of
millions of peraoma, permit as to ap Jc of It wtthomt pwfaf.
It ia MHawtfamiMy the heat rgmady for Imfajta naA Ckflfcem
the world hoe erer howa, It la hermloea. ChUdrem Uho it. It
Klroa them health. It will opto their Urae. Ia It If other, here
othlny
which is ehaoletely
ehiM'e medletae.
Ceaterie. deatreye Worms.
Caatorie- elleya rereriseeaaa.
CeaterU preremte Tomitfn Soar Cord.
Ceatorie erea PUrrhae end "Wind Colio.
Ceaterie TeUoree Teething Troahlee. .
Ceaterie enree Constipation and Fletnleney.
CeaterU BaatreHeae the effecta of eerhenie nerd goa or pojeonens air.
Caatorin deea not contain morphine, opium, or other nnrootlo piopei If.
Cjtoyla ....n.tes the food, regnletea the stomach end howele,
Erring healthy end natural aleep.
Ceaterie ia pnt p in one-fae hottlea only. It is not sold in hnlh.
Pont ellow any one to soil yon anything elae on the plee or promiae
that it la "jnat ea good" end "will answer erery pnrpeae."
See that you get C-A-S-T-O-R-I-A.
The fao-aimile
aignatnre of
. Children Cry for
QONTRAOTOR and gUILDEIL
JOBBING OF JSJLT. KINDS.
All work guaranteed first-class. Plans and estimates furnished of.
all kind of work either brick or wood.
Uills of Ll'MHEK ol all kinds nllrd on short notice- Sash. Doors and Mill work or i
Kinds any thtnr in the shape of wood work can be had on short notice.
jVTedford,
Union Livery Stables,
C. Jl ING US & SON, Proprietors,
Successor to ED.. WORM AN. ...
Having lately purchased this popular stable and stocked it with
new rigs, safe and fast teams I am now prepared to meet the want of
the traveling public in a satisfactory manner. ' .!
CORNER SEVENTH AND B, MEDFORD,- OREGON.-
THE VERY BEST OF
BRICK AND MASON
S. CHILDERS,
;I manufacture a splendid article ol Brick see samples
everywhere about the city. Yard "one black north" 'of
Brewery. Residence north C street,' Medford, Oregon.
MEDFORD BRICK
O. W. PEIDDY, Prop'r.
MEDFORD, - - - OREGON.
First-class quality of Brick always
promptly filled.
BRICK WORK OF All KINDS PROMPTLY EXECUTED.
Give me a call when in need of anything in my line
Legal' Blanks at
omer premiums ana now to get them.
1
F 1
aoie J practically perfect ee
Pitcher's Castorla.
Oregon .
WORK;
YARD,
on hand. Large and small giwSir
The Mail Office
1