i :
The Trick That Failed
DIPLOMACY IN A RESTAURANT. 'HISTORIC MARCH 4'S.
That evening I hurried to the ball
au unspeakable reeling of coming dan
ger crept over me, v
Bruer performed quite up to hi cus
tomary standard. Ill minor trick bnf-
fled the audleue more than ever, lie
kept mulling curiously at uie, and lit
pteasautly-spokeu word before closlug
the eofflu lid Impressed me rather fa
vorably tbau otherwise.
It the bat gone," be said I will Kill
have you!"
Thou the lid was tightly closed, ami i
waited to hear the drawing or the
word my usual cue to eek tafety,
The many dtffereut ouud without are
quite distinguishable to one'a ear wheu
- N old trick t Well yea. Acofflu,
A to all appearance of genuine
manufacture, la brought on the
tage, and rested each eud ou a parallel
tupport The audleuce are Invited to
teat the ouiber cane by tending a tew
or their number forward at an Inspec
tion committee, and It eema truly as
tonishing that the method of the lllu
tloa hat goue on to long undiscovered.
After luspectiou the coujurer'a nsstst
ant li placed In the cottln, In which
there would appear little room tor turn
in, and the lid -tightly closed. . Now
comet the mytteryl The conjurer take
u a loua sword, at keen or edge aim
point at a scythe, and. after haudlug
it around for Inspection, pase it mw
ly through a prepared lot lu the cottlu
li J until the blade ahowa through au
aperture lu the cottlu' bottom, direct
ly opposite the upper slot. The wain
portion of the audience are puaalcd. the
weaker-winded horror atrlcken. Then
the aword la withdrawn, the cofllu lid
removed and the assistant absolutely
uuharmed, comet forth amid thuudert
of applaute.
i'ou who read thee lluet wight laugh
at the tuggeatlon of a tlmple trick in
spiring rear In anyoue or ordinary per
ceptiveues. Yet 1. who have per
formed lu the trick In the capacity or
assistant abudder to-day at even the
tight of. a cottln or construction geuulne
or otherwlaeu 1 will tell you why. ami
you will know that my nerves had Just
cause to be shaken on mat, to me, v
remembered night two years ago.
I wa "on the road" with at clever a
conJuwr as ever haudled a "property"
Ilk hat, a man whose movements were
i, .wirt an thev were accurate, ana uiy
humble uosltlou lu his employ as assist
aut 1 deemed good euough for training
until I should be cowpcteut to open ou
nit own behalf.
Herr Bruer' wife had died about tlx
m.ith before 1 Joined htm, and cveu
at Hrt tight of hit race I could Judge
how sreat bad been hit sorrow at her
loss. Some of bis actions off the stage
soon led me to believe that his nilud
wat alowtv but. to the most recently
formed of his acquaintance, percept-
lblv uuhlnslns.
Had I no fear or placing myself In the
mau't powert No. ror I so trusted his
sbillty that at each performance of bis
ereat trick 1 got into the comn as rvou
lly at If I were going to bed. Ills stage
properties, too. were all so thoroughly
made up-as proor against accldeut and
detection as the specialist could make
them. How easily that "trick" coltiu
battled the scrutiny or the curious, aud
how readily Its side had ralleu outwaru,
.Nv.r.ttmr m a ahelf or safety from
harm by the sword's downward pass
aire.
Our provincial tour my first and only
one with Bruer had so tar oecn
great success. At each or our new
onenlmrt the hail employed was packed
with the thousands who had heard of
hi. .kill urn! aa the ultthlt DSSSfd 1
erew more coundent or my own prog
res. From the moment when, lu an
swer to an advertisement ror a lady
assistant, there came to us the dearest
girl with whom I have yet been asso
ciated a renewed energy came w me,
and I seemed to learn fresh departures
in the couJurlnsr art with everlncreaa
lug esse, l'ou smile! Ah. yes, I loved
who could helo dulnir the
same? Millie soon came to understand
my feeling for her, and the Joy that
filled my soul when she oue night, lu
answer to my proposal for her hand,
gave a sweet attlriuatlve, I caunot ex
press In words. But on my weutlonlug
to her the necessity of auuouuclug our
engagement to Bruer I noticed a pecu
liar look of fear cross bcr fate.
"Oh, Harry," she cried, "caunot we
keep that from htm until our wedding
dayV"
The question struck me as a strange
one. Keep our engagement a secret?
Rut I remonstrated. "Where's the
need of holding back from the man
what doesn't affect him In the least?
Our union need not deprive blm of our
tervlces, for a time, anyhow."
"You do not understand," she said,
slowly. "Something would happen, 1
am sure, If be comes to know what
there is between us. Listen!" and she
lowered her voice to a whisper, al-
though we were out of eavesdropping
reach. "Last night he called me to bis
room, and, to my astonishment, de
clared his love for me In a mad way
And when I told him that I could never
allow anything more than business re
latloni to exist between blm and my
seir a mad gleam came Into his eyes,
and I hurried rrom the place, fearful
lest he might harm me. Now, is It not
lust as advisable to keep blm In the
dark until we are married? Some stu
pld jealousy might cause blm to do you
harm, and there are so many ways, you
know, Harry!"
She spoke earnestly, and I promised
not to divulge a word of our engage
merit to anyrfhe.
On the following morning I called at
Millie's lodging, and, In answer to my
Inquiry for her, was told she bad been
gent for by Herr Bruer, who urgently
iwiulrod her services In the hall. This
Information bad a thrilling effect on
me, for I remembered what Millie bad
told me regarding her treatment of his
advances. At once I acted on a sudden
Impulse to follow her to the hall, and
on being admitted by the caretaker,
made my way toward the little room
which Bruer bad set up as a "property
store" and otllce combined. Without
troubling to prepare an excuse for my
early visit I hurried Into the room.
Millie bad evidently been annoyed, for
ber face was flushed and she trembled
violently. Bruer looked excited as be
turned to me on my entrance, and
asked, sharply:
"Well, Vincent, what has brought you
bere so early'"
The lie came readily to my lips, and 1
Informed him that I had called to lind
If any new trick required rehearsing.
"No," he answered, calmly enough;
"there's nothing fresh that I know of.
I suppose I must tell you, though, that
you will henceforward be my only as
sistant. Miss Warner and I cannot
agree on a private matter and I have
paid her a fortnight' salary more
than I need have done. She will per
form wltb us no more."
"But why?" I queried. "Surely Miss
Warner has been most assiduous In ber
work?"
As I spoke he moved his gaze sudden'
It Into Millie's direction. That a feel
lng toward me more than friendly was
einrped In the girl's face he was
uuick In discerning, and his anger,
heated Into flame by bis newly-found
clue to the cause of ber rebuff of him,
showed Itself in his answer to my ap-
tieal.
"Confound It all!" he roared. "What
has Miss Warner's case got to do with
1 could not deny my Interest longer-
why should If-so, stepping to Mtllle't
side, t took her baud In mine.
"Simply this," I replied, "that the !
my Intended wife!"
"All right," he muttered. 1 tliall nev
er forget the terrible look upon hit face
at he watched us. "Miss Warner, you
have, I understand, some properties of
On Wat of itttln Hid nf an Had
ilmli'i Ona.t Witttiiiil .
"I know uow why oue restaurant
keeper It tuccessful," remarked a brok
er the other day.' "lwa lu the main
dining-room at o'clock one evening
: wltb a party of wen. We noticed a
little commotion ueur the entrance,
aud saw that It was caused by the ar
rival of a well-dressed, good-mitum!-.ooklng
man, whose bearing showed
Unit he had lieen out with the boys,
He wasn't noisy or offensive, but he
couldn't have walked chalk line If
bis life deHuded upon It.
"Ueeiinie down the room In au uncer
tain way, shelled off bis overcoat, put
It with his hat on a chair, sat down.
PAST INAUGURALS MAKE NOTE
WORTHY RECORD.
mine at your lodging. You will greatly
oblige we by leaving them here this I folded bis arms ou the tiible, and went
Mftrntwin.H to sleep. The waiters looked tit blm
Together we left the place Millie and ran after the head waiter. The
and I, She went home to huut up the latter walked up to the sleeping man
stage dresset Bruer't property-she as though he Intended to awaken blm.
had at ber lodging, and I hurried off to Then he stopped and called a waller,
make preliminary arrangementt for " 'Go for the proprietor,' ho said.
mil- WMlillna. which we had Just deter I "The proprietor came.
mined uot to further delay. 1 " Time ao-atui so,- sum me neati
waller. "He's a good customer, nut
he's very drunk, and he's gone fast
asleep. What shnll I do? Shall I wake
lit iti up?
'We mustn't offend blm.' said the
proprietor. 'I'll tell you what to do."
Then lie whispered to the head waiter
aud went away. The bend waiter call
led a waiter aud lu turn whispered to
blm. Theu be went away.
"The waiter went to the china pant,
ry and came back with a finger bowl
This be put ou the table where the
sleeping mail was. In doing so be rub
bed the lingers of the slecier. The
mint straightened up and opened bis
eyes. The hoy was not looking at blm
the aperture lu the cottlu ltd Is properly but had picked up the water bottle and
made. The faintly beard tomtit or tue
steel reached me at length, and 1 fol
lowed the usual method by pressing
my right arm against the usual tide or
the eofflu." What was this? It remained
tight! I pressed harder-harder yet as
heard a voice sceuimgiy a nine on:'
The-"Now!" or the magician. Again I
was tilling the Huge bowl. In doing
so lie knocked the bowl with the bottle
so that It rang like a Is-ll.
"The drunken man looked at It wltb
brightening eyes. The boy paid no at
teutlon to hi in. but shook out a napkin
which be laid beside the linger bowl,
By this time the drunken mau was fill
tried the secret part, and the cold sweat ly awake. The boy took up his over
stood on my forebcad on its railing
agaiu. The seconds seemed to fly.
Had there been foul work liereT os,
surely this could uot be the "property"
article In which I lay, ror every part ot
the cottln I touched wat Immovable to
my wildest efforts.
A prayer rose to my lips and I tried
to forget my terrible position. Forget?
Merciful heaven! and the terrltiie poiut
of that sword tlowly shuttlug out by Its
entrance the tiny ray or light hitherto
visible through the slot Immediately
above my breast, aud no room to move
myself-ouly to wait! Picture It, if you
cau! One thlug remained by wuieu to
keep off the eud for maybe a few sec
onds.
I wrenched my right hand upward on
to my breast, aud gripped the horrible
point of the weapou nutll the cold steel
had cut deep luto my fiuger. uu su
perhuman ttreugth or wrist 1 held the
blade hard against a side of the slot
Oh, the Inexpressible horror of that mo
ment! A million sends, each with the
face and voice of my murderous mas
ter, danced before my eyes, tauutlng
ine-drowulug the cry of my soul for
succor.
I could see nothing but them, but that
steel, ever movlug lower to Its work,
cutting Its way luto the bones of my
hand as it moved, kept me conscious,
yet robbing me or the last thing 1 then
deslred-obllvlon. Would the eud uot
come soon?
Bruer, uow reeling the resistance to
his thrust, kept pressing harder-hard
er! And now the blade was becoming
Impossible to bold, aud slipped, Inch by
neb, through my severing nugers. the
whole thing took place In a row sec
onds, but how long It seemed! What
was the curious uolse rrom without?
Something like a trampi ng of feet
miles away-louder now-cmiilng nearer-nearer!
But now the weapon of
death was sluklug through my clottilug
iniw into mv flesh now deeper! My
i.,i a i covered with terr hie-look Ins cess is neiu,
firebrands. I thought, whose flames (Ivan,), i i.
were burning me to more speedy death.
Suddenly my warmth vanished aud my
blood turned to Ice! Theu, with the
rles or that fiendish army ringing In
my ears, I traveieu into me worm oi
darkness!
Yet I am alive to-day. If you ask my
little wife over there, she will tell you
what a trifle It was that tuatcbed me
from the Jaws of death. She had post
poned returning timer i "property
dresses until the time duo for tue per
formance of the cottln trick. At the
Identical moment 1 jjot Into that fearful
box she placed the dresses In Bruer's
storeroom, and then the carelessness
which lost the mad coujurer his victim
presented Itself before her quick gase.
A tiny key Is used in the trick, ami
the use of this Is to opcu the diminutive
lock releasing the coffin'' false side,
when the conjurer shuts his assistant
In. This Bruer hnd not used, and Millie
came upon It as he had carelessly left
It behind. Divining the mini's awful
Intent she ran screaming to the stage,
and a few of the audience, realising the
terrible circumstances, Immediately
left their seats and pulled the mad lliu
slonlst off at the eleventh hour!
For six weeks I lay In hospital the
wound was at first considered mortal
and when I reached the altar with Mil
lie I placed the golden circlet upon bor
finger with my left hand. Tlt-Blts,
emit aud stood respectfully a one side
as If waiting for (be man to rise.
"The drunken mini put his fltiBers In
the finger bowl, dried his fingers on
the napkin, and rose. The boy was be
hind blm lu a moment, and In another
the oven-oat was on the man's back
bis hat was In bis baud, and he was
headed for the door. He put bis hand
Into his' pocket, slipped a coin to the
boy, and walked out
"Now that restaurant keeper It
ureiit man. He's a diplomat. No
trouble, no noise, no row, every one
satisfied and happy. That fellow ought
to te nn amlinsxadur. He'd make
success of anything."
LAW AS INTERPRETED.
npuUr lnWrt tonally Center
About tit Hall -lolly Madlaen
Ueliins Huiirtnit st 19 Vunuttuu
Oraul1 liuqwuUl ht'cjitiou.
After the eleetlou of a President hat
becu olliclally declared the lukmg of
the on tn of ollbe Is the ouly esseutiut
thing required by the Constitution pre
liminary to hit euteiinii upiiu his dut.es,
Around this essential act all the das-
sJ'ug pageantry and elaborate ceieuiou-
ies of moderu Inaugurations have been
built, not lu puisuiiuce of law, but of
fashion, and custom. However grand
aud Interesting they may be, from
leirul sinudiioiut these ceremonies are
all "leather aud prunella." The eaten
tlal thlug, the oath, as prescribed by
the Constitution, Is simplicity Itself. It
it merely this:
I do solemnly swear that I will faith
fully execute the ollb e or President of
the tutted Stales and will to the best
of my ability preserve, piotect and de-
rend the Const Itiillou of the l ulled
State."
This Is the form used by all of our
Presidents, Curiously enough, there Is
no rule determining whether the ontli
or the Inaiiaural address shall come
lirst. This is left to the faucy or the
taste of the Individual, Some of our
Presidents have preferred .to take the
oath first, others last, sod some have
tried It both ways on be'.ug afforded
au opportunity through a re-election
Those who took the oath before deliver
lng the address were Washington. Mon
roe, Jackson (second Inauguration),
Pierce, Llm-olii (second Inauguration),
Crnut. U n til Id. Bcujtimm llarrisou
and McKlnley.
Weahlimlntt Taken tilt ttnth.
The oath was administered to Wash
ugtoii ot bis first luaiiKuratlun by
Chancellor Livingston, of New York,
tid af bis second by Justice William
Madlsott. Likewise Jackson, pnxigea
pretty much ts Jefferson bad been to
the restoration of simplicity, cut out
Die ball from the festivities attending
nls lustiKuratlon, although be Incorpor
ated a ball In the program for hit sec
ond Inauguration. At Plerce't Inaug
uration the weather wat execrable auq
It appear that the ball wa allowed to
lapse through the lack of energy of the
Inauguration manager. President and
Mis. Hayes had strict. ldest of their
own regarding their social obllgstlout
and botli were averse to dancing, as
well as to the use of wine at stale din
ners. Accordingly the committee lu
charge of Hayes Inauguration cut out
the ball. .
Hr.t Hall 1 llrllllant.
The first Inaugural ball, that given by
Washington, was postponed from April
ill) to May I lu consequeiic of the au
teiice from New York oPMrs, Washing
tun, When It came off It proved to tw
a brilliant function, al tended by the
elite society of that day. Both the
President aud his wife danced with evi
dent enjoyment.
Until hulls of the MaiPsnn regime
were gay sffnlrs. The first was given
at Long's lloiel and the second at
liavls", now the Metropolitan. At the
latter, according to an old chronicle, all
society was represented to do honor to
the President and his beautiful, spirited
wife, Mrs. Dolly Madison, who from
nil accounts was a charming a woman
aud busies In her dsy at Mrs. Urovtr
Cleveland In our own.
Monroe's first Inaugural ball, likewise
l
In a pitiable plight, tm imih wt n mt j IN Ll ZIJL 1 ...
v" " " i wiiii a
obliged to retain their wraps entire aud
the gentlemen their hats and overcoat.
The supper, which was elaborate aud
expensive, wat a rrlgld repttb Tbr
ornamental device la Ice cream were
froxen doubly and the champagne and
punch were deserted for bot coffee
which wa the only bot thing at to
supper. The dancer were literally
froxen out before midnight.
(larfield's Inaugural ball was held lu
the unfinished Nntlouai Museum Build
ing aud was a brilliant affair. The deo
orations were the finest ever seen l
Washington.
Cleveland's first Inaugural ball, at th
LARQE DEPOSITS FOUND IN THE
ISLAND.
Cold and Iron Or-Reent Dlacorerlaa
fchow Mineral Kaaoarcta to lUOraat
-Twalvs UNnlrail 1'roapaclora Sow
at Work la the Areblpalaao.
In Its report on the mineral wealth
or the Islands, the Philippines commis
sion says:
"According to the chief of the mining
...,";." - bureau there are now some
" . I tiirutitfti t in d ffprviit umiidi or iu
.I. tvHsi a rpiiiv miMiuiruuia iunriiuus - " . .
Mrii ' " "
held at Davis', was pronounced splen
did. Ills second, held at Brown's Hotel,
was deacrlbed as gny aud Joyous, hap
pening, as it did, lu the midst of au
era of good feeling.
John Qulncy Adams' Inaugural ball
wa held at the assembly rooms, now
Kcrimti's Theater. It was a highly
polite gathering, being the last of the
old style functions preceding tue jack
siiulitn "flood,"
Jackson's ball, given on the night of
his second Inauguration, occurred at the
Centra! Masonic Hall, which then stood
on the site Uow occupied by ttie old
(Uuhe printing office. It was not par
ttculnrly brilliant, and aside from the
More than (Us) people filled the build
lng at oue time, while many thousands
more outside awaited au opportuultj
to enter. The new President arrived ai
10 o'clock and led off lu the grand
march with Mis Katharine Bayard,
daughter of hi Secretary of Stat, os
bl arm.
All subsequent Inaugural ball nav
been held In the Pension Office, wher
the decoration In each case nav
eclipsed those of It predecessor.
"IvTakinq FIRE.
II Could Not lo It ? Knotting Two
sticks Timet bar.
"Hanged If I believe anybody ever
made a fire by rubbing two tlck to
iretber. all travelers' yam to the con
trary not withstanding," declared an
enthusiastic local sportsman the other
day. "1 sjMMit a couple of weeks with
a camping party ou the upper Bed
river, west or. W Infield, last spring,"
be went on, "and one morning I got
separated from the other boys, and It
was ills-lit before I found by way back
to our shack. I am au Inveterate stnok-
archipelago. Of these probably W per
cent are Americana. They are pushing
tbelr way more Into the Insccessllilo
region, furulshing tbelr own protec
tion and doing prospecting of a sort
and to an extent never before parallel
ed 111 the history or the Philippine Is
lands. The result Is that our know
ledge of the mineral resources of the
union Is ranldlv lucreuslug. When all
due allowance Is made for prospector'
exaggeration It I not too much to say
Unit the work thus far done has demon
started the existence of many valuable
mineral field. The provinces of Ben
guest. Iepaulo, and Boutoe lu partic
ular from a district of great ricnuess,
"Lignite are known to exist In Lu
ion. Patau, (thit Island, not the province),
Mlmloro. Masbate, Negro, Ccuu. Jim
dttimo, and other Islands. Some of the
deposits are very extensive. As yet
ther have la-en worked at or near the
surface, It Is therefore remarkatde
Hint the samples thus far obtained
should prove to be as good as Is shown
by nctutil analysts.
Testimony Is unanimous to the fact
that the Philippine coals do not clinker
nor do they soil the boiler tubes to any
AUS-
ln Pekln stands I .small Jiotwt
sort of belfry, with clock of
vsrlou dimensions, They were struck
by a hammer and produced a most har
monious concert. Th big clocks ar
till there, but the mal!er oDe are all
taken off. On the other bore of th
loto Iske wa the prlvat mansion of
the emperor, since the empress dowsg
er kept blm prisoned. The emperor'a
apartments consisted of three rooms
reception-room, bedroom aud library
full of costly IxH.ks bound In tbs prec
ious yellow silk, the privilege of the Im
perial family.
"The euiMfrir Itefl was tiers not a
bench, a usual lu China, but a real
sleeping sofa, a couch covered with
dark brown, heavy silk, whim wa
torn off to the edge of the couch.
Everything pillaged! Chairs, table,
benche were made of a very hard,
valuable, dark-brown wood adorned
by wonderful carving They wcr
broken, knocked about by hundred.
The wsrk of barbarians! By which
nation was It doue? , It Is, linpolb!
uow tossy."
xfeivention
er, aud when I tilled up my pipe after
wandering around for uu hour or two! , ,...,.( ,,. ,i,, Jannucse and
I was horrified to find that my match i t,.a P0(1 Home of them have been
anfe was empty. As soon s I mane
that discovery my desire for a smoke
liicressed about fs0 s-r cent. If I bad
bad my gun along I could have started
a blaxe without trouble, but unluckily I
A dangerous practice qf mall agents
of throwing the mall from a moving
train so as to endanger persons on the
railroad premlnes ts held, lu Shaw vs.
Chicago aud U. T. It, Co. (Mich.), 4U
L. It. A. aas, to uiake the railroad
company liable to an Intending pit
seuger who was on the railroad plat
form aud who was Injured by a ma
bug thrown against him. If the en
rler had knowledge of the dangerous
practice and had allowed It to continue,
Duty or care to avoid Injury to trc
passers ou a railroad track Is held, lu
Cleveland. C. C. & St. 1.. It. Vo. vs.
Tartt (C. C. App. "th C.I. '. I It. A.
tin. not to arise until those lu clhirge
of a train have discovered the presence
of such trespassers on or dangerously
near the track and have reasonable
reuse to believe that Injury to them
will result unless the train ts arrested.
Liability docs not arise merely because
their presence might have la-en sooner
discovered aud the tralu Is running at
an unlawful speed.
Judgment fr money and for the fore
closure of a mortgage upon real estate
against a deceased defendant who had
theretofore been duly served with pro-
In Knger vs. Vlekery
It. A. 154, to be void, al
though the fet of death does not np
pear upon the record, ami to uc coi.
laternlly Impeachable by heirs who
were not parties to the foreclosure and
who sue for the bind. With this case
the great number of authorities on the
effi-ct of Judgment entered ngiilnst a
dead person are collected and nmilyxed,
showing the conclusions at which th
oiirt have arrived.
THE TWENTY-FOUR PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
Tagged Flsti io ttie Ocean.
It seems rtither nil odd Idea to fasten
metal tugs to mnrlne fishes and then
let then loose In the ocean w lib the Idea
of Identifying them ns Individuals In
case they happen to be caught at a fu
ture time: but this Is what the Culled
States llsh commission Is doing Just
now with cod, l.msiof which have been
duly tagged and released this year.
No two tugs arc alike, the markings
nn them being stumped In a series of
letters and numbers, n record of which
Is kept In a book In such a manner
that If a tugged codfish turns up, a
moment's reference to the memoranda
will furnish the history of that par
tlculiir specimen, with dntc of libera
Hon, weight and so forth. For exnni
tile, a cod wearing a tug with the
raised Inscription "8 W" hnn a com
plete Identification card, so thut she
cannot be mixed up with any other
(In It entered In the commission's led
ger.
Only "brood Huh" tlmt Is, spawning
females- ore tugged. Theynro bought
from fishermen, stripped of their eggs
nt Wood Ho I. Miihh.. and lllieruted
In the waters of Vineyard sound, ut
tor having the tags attached to them
The tug Is a small piece of copper,
securely fastened by a wire placed
through a tin near Its Jt tore with
tlm body. It docs not matter which
(In Is chosen, though a back or tall fin
Is best, Tho tug Is very light, and Its
attachment In the matter describe
docs no barm whatever to tho flsli.
' Collect Debts lor Alt
An Interesting clearing system
about to be Installed In the Belgian
nostal deportment for tho benefit
merchants. It Is designed to settle dlf
forences between debtor and creditors
which nre now adjusted by the ex
eiuiniro of numerous remittances. The
system alms to establish a sort of clear
inirlioiiso under State control. For
several years the Belgian postolllce has
been used ns n collecting agency with
considerable success, but the new phi
Is expected to be much more cmmml
The Isle Get Hmaller.
With regard to the enst coast a sorry
story has to be told. The county of
Yorkshire, for Instance, from Bridling
ton to Spurn Head, has been disappear
ing, It Is calculated, at an average rate
of six feet a year. It Is said that care
ful observation of a ccrtnlu" twelve-
mllo stretch shows that the cliffs forty
feet high have been eaten away by the
waves for 132 feet In forty years, say
Good Words. It Is, however, at Bpuru
Head that the greatest ravages have
taken place.
In Edward I.' time the village of
Itavenspur, a seaport near Hpurn iienu,
sent more than one member to parlia
ment; In lllOO and 1471 Henry IV. and
Kdward IV., respectively, landed there,
but very soon after the latter a visit
the entire town was swept away by
the sea. To-day the village of Kllnsea
alone stands upon the bend; the old
site of the vlllnge-once a fair place on
a bill, with a fine old church, destroyed
hv the waves, In 182(1 Is now some
,,,,, l,.,1n nr viirdH lie-low n irn-wnter
,u,w nnd when New Kllnsea loins It1 ent. For example, a merchant bus 200
nml 4lia Trmnhnr will Tint ink a 1 small accounts duo blm In various part
Hits n a nw " --v l At a r
long to destroy the entire promontory of tho country, amounting to some If.),
....1 fill, vnrv imnlenHiint at 1 000. Instead of sending blm, ns ut pre-
Grimsby. The Blue Bell Inn, half-way : sent, a separate advice as each amount
,(u,n tbP ea nnd the river, bears a1 Is imtd, or, ns we would say. as soon
stone upon which Is Inscribed,-"Built ns each draft Is honored, the postotllce
In the year 1847, D34 ynrds from the win simpiy ranj i " "
u, i ... ,.,. ... t., ..,., II, l H,n V., II,,,,,, I
sea." When measured early lust ri.uw
spring the distance was 334 yards.
W4
given nroctlcnl tests In steamers en
gaged In the coaling trade of the archi
pelago with very satisfactory result
ms regards their steam mnkiug proper
ties.
"The extensive field near Bulacacao.
In Southern Mlndoro. are wltblu four
to six miles of a bnrbor which give
safe anchorage throughout the year
and which bus water deep enough for
it,., larireat ocean-drill vessels. Home
of the Cebu deposits are also convent.
ently situated with reference to harbor
facilities.. It Is to be confidently ex
pwted that the coals will play a very
Important part In the future develop
ment of the arehljM-Ingo.
"The outlook as to gold mines grows
nuiru favnruhlA na the otH-ratlons of
proaiH-etors are extended. Modern
Bold mining machinery ba never been
um-d In tho Philippine, Igorroto min
er lu the Beiiguet-I-epanto-Boiitoe dis
trict discard all rock In which there Is
not visible a considerable quantity of
free gold. Prosiieclors In this region
rlnlm to have located very extensive
deposits of low grade, free milling ore.
which will yield large and certain re
turns as soon as concessions can be se
cured and machinery put In place.
BEGGAR KINCS OF CHINA.
to his credit In the National
Bank of Belgium. Ha will not be re
quired to give separate receipts to bis
Cashing, of Massachusetts,' 10 jonu
Ailumx the oath was sdiiiluistored uy ,
hlef Justice Oliver Kllsworth. of Con
necticut and Chief Justices or the Uni
ted Stutes Bupreine Court have otllci-au-d
In a similar capacity ever since.
All our subsequent Presidents have
been sworn in by live men-Chief Jus
tices John Marshall of Virginia. Uoger
H. Taney of Maryland, Salmon P.
Chase and Morrison it, Walte, of Ohio,
aud Melville W. Fuller of Illinois. Mnr-
hull, appointed by Adunis, had the hon
or of tweartng lu Jencrson, Madison,
Monroe, John Quliicy Adiims and Jack-
sou an Uliexiiuipieu reeoni, covennu
nlnu presidential terms. Taney, ap
pointed by Jackson, swore In success
ively Van Buren, Wlillnm Henry Har
rison. Polk, Tyler, Taylor, Pierce, Bu
chanan and Lincoln Hirst term). Chase,
appointed by Lincoln, administered the
oiiih to Lincoln (second term) and to
Grant both terms. Walte, appointed
bv Grant, adiululslcred It fc) Hayes,
Garfield and Cleveland (first time), and
Fuller, nppoluted by Cleveland, admin
istered It to Benjamlu Harrison, Cleve
land (the second time) and McKlnley.
The longest Inaugural addrcsa on rec
ord wns that of William Henry Harri
son, which was Indeed formidable, com
prising 8,578 words. The shortest 111'
augural address was Washington's sec
ond, consisting of ouly 134 words. Lin
coin's second comes next to It In point
of brevity. Polk's, Benjamin Harrl
sun's and Monroe's were long, but they
fell short of William Henry Harrison
by about 4.000 words.
Socially the most Important function
Incident to an Inauguration of lute
yours Is the bull, which gives n sort of
finishing touch to the festivities of nn
exciting day. All of our twenty-eight
Inaugurations In the ptist, bcglnulug
with Washington's first, have hnd this
adjunct except seven, These were
Washington's second, Adams', both of
Jefferson's, Jackson first, Pierce a and
Hayes', In each cttso tho absence of
the' bull fenlure has been significant of
tho state of the popular mind or the
scruples of tho .administration domina
ting the occasion. Thus during Wash
ington's first administration violent
criticisms were launched ngnlnst ,lilm
ou nccount of his alleged fondness for
courtly and monarchical ceremonies,
and ns 1111 offset to these criticisms
Washington nt his second Inauguration
sud Ailatns when his turn came elim
inated the ball feature entirely. When
Jefferson ciiinu Into the kingdom, pledg
ed as he and his party were to Intro
duce reforms nnd restore simplicity of
government, he, too, felt constrained
There are some people who alwayt AnUtn,m, tt4 the orlulnul scbodulo filled
.i... 1. i t... ' . " . ... novel .
discover inui w i by hlin nt the postomco servos us a . wiim,lmti the ball, and did so. nl-
to rectify It. fnrniula for completing all records of 1
A fool In one thing Is usually a fool the transactions to which the separate ltie ban U honor of hit successor,
In another. 1 Item refer. , I
presidential parly the chief notables
present. If such they could be consid
ered, were the Board of Aldermen and
Common Council of the city of U ash
Inglon. with the Mayor and officer of
he corporation.
Van Bureii'e Induction Into office wss
signalled by two balls, but the Presi
dent and high dlgnllarlcs attended but
one of them, that held at Carusfa At-
scmbly Uooms.
Three Watt tnr I'errlaen.
William Henry Harrison ou the night
of bis Inauguration weut Van Huron
one belter, three balls being given In
tho course of the evening, and tnc
President attending each lu turn. He
wat received with warmest denionstra-
u. nf attachment aud rcsncct. Ihe
price of tickets viirled. f 10 being the
hlKhcst. .
At Polk's Inauguration tne tmus oi-
. . . . . .. . am
lullllslied 10 two oue i .nruai 01 v
tier ticket, and a very "swell" affair,
and the other at the National Theater
on Louisiana avenue, between 6th and
(1th streets, at $5 per ticket. Polk at
tended both, but supped only with the
true-blue five-dollar democracy," as
tntm on ncv Adams remaras in nts
dlaty.
Taylor, not to be outdone by liuaiii
Henry Harrison, also had three balls
to gruce his Inauguration One was at
the Grand saloon, a temporary struct
ure erected for the occasion In Judl
clary Square: another was at Jackson
Hall, and tho third at Curusl's. The
President and Cabinet attended ail of
them.
Hnehnniin escorted his attractive
niece. Miss Harriet Lane, later Mrs,
Harriet Lone Johnsou, to the big ball
given In honor of his Innnguriitlon. aud
supped there nt midnight.
The ball In honor of the Induction of
Lincoln the first time was not attended
by the new President, but at the ball
followlug his second Inauguration, hold
on March 0 In the model-room of the
Patent Office Building, both President
nml Mrs. Lincoln were present and
scented to enjoy the exercises.
Grant's Hhnw the Keat.
The grand ball given In the north
wing of the. treasury on the night of
Grant's first Inauguration eclipsed all
affairs of Its klud up to that date,
Grant's second Inaugural ball, however,
held In a temporary building In Judl
elarv Sotiare. was even more note
worthy, not because of Its brilliancy
or of the fact that tickets cost $20 each
but on account of a mere accldeut of
weather. No provision had been made
for heotluir the bulldlnit. and as the
thermometer that night fell to four de
grees above zero, with a bowling gale
blowing, the daucen found themselves
had set out to do some fishing and had
weapon but my' hook and line.
Naturally, the first thing that occurred
to tne was Hint and steel, but I couldn't
find any flint, and then I happened to
hluk of the old story about making
fire wltb two piece or wood. Well, I
won't tire you with detail, but ir ever
man gave an experiment a conscien
tious trial I did on this occasion. 1
picked up chunks or hair a doxeu dlf-.
fereiit kinds or wood, trimmed thorn
down with my penknire, and tried them
all In various combinations, using one
bard and one soft stick, exactly as the
story books say the Indians do. But,
nlthoiiKh I rubbed until the pesky
things were chafed nearly In two, I
never succeeded In getting them even
warm.
"At last I remembered reading some
where about a scheme of the natives of
Java, who, are said to lay a flat piece
of wood on tho ground and twirl a
small rod, top-fashion, on Its surface,
by mean of a cord. I soon made one
of the mnchlnes, cutting up my sus
penders for the string, and If you had
seen me squatting there seesawing the
thing you would have taken oath that
I hud lost my mind. At the end of half
an hour I whb redbot and the appara
tus was dead cold, The longer I twirl
ed the cooler It got. If I hud kept ou
another half-hour I believe I would
have bod a stick frnppe. But I had
gone fur enough to convince me that
the man who wrote the story wns a
dotihlo-bnrrelod, back-action, triple
plated liar, and I yearned violently for
bis gore. I struck ennip just about
dusk, and the first thing I did was to
grab a coal from the fire nnd put It on
my pipe. Later on I discovered four
matches In the lining of my vest. I
won't repent my remarks, but my
frleuds asked me why I dldut tnlk
that way in the woods. They soy my
Innguoge would have set fire to a piece
of asbestos." New Orleans Times-Democrat
Una Waj In Wh.ch Certain siongou
an Ih-c inie Kich,
If you want to grow rich In China
become the bead of a guild of beggurs,
thieve, or lepers. Nanking. Pekln.
and TIcu Tslii are the headquarter of
the nlimt powerful of these guilds, aud
tbelr rulers are wealthy and respected.
Ihe "klm:" or a dun ot Chinese vaga
bond or these classes derives his In
come from a tribute rendered him by
bis welched subject, and also levies
a eon of blackmail on traders and tuer-
niy liv uitilertaklnir to keep their
shops, store, and bonnes rrce from par
ticular nests which he controls.
From these two source he reallxe
a large Income, and Is euubled to live
lu a large bouse and keep up a great
style In his mode of life, bach citiu
has a particular district of the city
irlven over to Its oin-ratlon, beyond
i.t. h it members are forbidden to
stray.
Horrible self-mutllntlons are prac
ticed by the beggar of China In order
thut their deformities may excite com
passion and lend to profit On certain
days the bcggi-rs go about lu gang
fmin 50 to 150. On these occasion
shopkeepers ure only too Bind to com
nlv with the "king's" demands for black
mall, In order that bis subjects may be
kept out of their shops.
a Wlnif of Chinese thieves knows
everything that goes on In his district
lie knows who commuted certain
thefts, and where the stolen property
Is. He, like his brothers of beggars.
bus a double source of Income. A
birire nercctitage of the profits made
t.v 1,1 anhleets Is claimed by him. If
a foreigner Is robbed be generally can.
by paying the "king" a certain sum, re-nn-r'hla
nrotwrty. Property stolen
from Chinamen Is never Drought Hack,
Every Chinese city bus a leper-house
out side its gates, and most or them
i,.,v two or more. As In the cases of
the bcKKiirs and thieves, there Is an
executive hand, called the "king of the
loners." who controls all lepers, nnd
makes rules and compacts, which must
lie observed. These unfortunates are
numerous throughout tho empire. When
in the first stage of the disease they
nre brought to the leper-houses. Good
core Is taken of iliem ns long ns their
relative cau. meet the demand of the
"king."
But no matter bow wealthy their
families may be, the "king" eventually
drains them of every penny, and both
the leper and his relatives often have
turu begKors.-l'lillmlolpHla 'limes.
During the recent trip of the Belglca
In the Antarctic more than sixty ob
servations of the aurora australls. the
southern counterpart of our northern
lights, were made. The appearance of
the light resembled that presented In
the Arctic regions. But the maximum
frequency did not occur during the
mouths of the long polar night, and the
phciioiuenou was most Intense at the
time of the equinoxes, w hen tho sun I
pcriM-ndlculur over the equator and
daylight Is simultaneous at both tho
north and tho ouib pole, '
Amoug North American birds tho
grebe nests In and near the water. The
prairie 4ien, 011 the contrary, nest on
the ground, being a terrestrial bird.
Koine birds, like the meadow lurk, are
partly arboreal, muting near the
ground In trees. The Indigo bird I
neither arboreal tmr tem-irlal. al
though It nests In the trees. The heron
Is a striking exception to the theory
that habit decides the nesting site. Al
though a torrcstrlul bird. It places Ita
ni-et high In the trees, as does the wood
duck, which Is an aquatic bird. Wood
hawk nest In bogs, as do me marsh
gulls. ' ' "' -- -'-"' . '--.
Sir John Murray recently showed bow
remarkably the Black Sea dlffrs rrom
other seas and oceans. A surface cur
retiL4low continuously from the Black
Sea Into the Mediterranean, and an
under current from the Mediterranean
Into the Black Sea. The bitter current
Is salt and. being heavier than the
fresh water above. It remains stagnant
at the bottom. Being saturated with
sulphuretted hydrogeu, this water will
not maintain life, and so the Black Sea
contains no living Inhabitants below
the depth of about 100 fathoms. The
decjier water when brought to the sur
face smells exactly like rotten eggs.
Ir. C. T. Williams In a recent address
before the Life Assurancp Medical Offi
cers' Association or England gave some
Interesting details as to the niortabty
and expectation or life In the various
European states. Taking an average
of twenty-five recent consecutive years,
the deaths per thousand of the popula
tion in tho several countries are as fol
lows: Norway, ltl.8; Sweden. 17.3; Ire""
land. 18.1; Denmark. 18.8; England.
l'J.il; Scotland, 20; Belgium. 21; Switz
erland, 21.7; France. 22.0; German em
pire. 23.2; Italy, 27.8; Austria. 29.0;
Hungary, 35.4. Norway has the low
est death rate, 1(8, c:id Hungary the
highest 35.4. Wltb regard to the ex
puctntlon of life at 20 years, the figure
for America are 42.19 years. Britain
42.10. Germany 3iUS. and rrance.M.
Jf the mosquito has any friend
among mankind, they may rejoice In
the aasurance giveu by Dr. L. O. How
ard, of the Department of Agriculture,
thut this cosmopolitan iwst docs not
necessarily perish, with the oucomlng
or winter. On the contrary, mosqui
toes have been observed In the lati
tude or Washington to hibernate, adult
specimens living from November until
the succeeding April or May with all
tbelr powers of torment unimpaired.
although their activity Is suspended
In winter. Vbe mosquito needs but
little food, nnd It Is the fcmnie that
thirsts for blood, the mules contenting
themselves with water and vegetable
fluids. Dr. Howard ascribes the fact
that mosquitoes nre often found upon
dry prairies, many miles from water.
to the longevity or tne nuuits or certain
species, which enables t..em to survive
seasons of drought ltailroads have
been responsible for the transportation
of mosquitoes Into regions where they
were previously rare. Their power of
flight is not great, and It Is believed
that they nre not distributed far
through the agency of winds.
TRAIL OF VANDAL ARMIES.
What the Sotdlcra of ClvltUntlon Have
Dona In the hlneae limp I re.
"The sacking of the Imperial palaces
nt Pekln," writes a military writer in
a Havtirlnn paper, "wns thorough and
complete. The walla, even wheu the
Germans arrived, were nearly bare,
There wns hardly enough furniture left
to tit out the dwelling or the stuff.
Onlv very heavy things, such as big
looklug glasses and screens, were there,
Beds and bedding had to be produced
from elsewhere not without difficulty.
Cupboards, boxes, drawers were pull
ed open, broken nnd rausucked. Bur
bnrlan work. Bronze statues were
throwu down to find the gold In the in
Finding of a Puerer. rlor- u.ci.mea ,1 ..-
i tu l...n. ..nlllt.wt hw Al ll-oellt IIUICB 1101. HHJlillV'1, lumii" vr,.i,
Duerer'ln 1521, twenty-four by nineteen lfJ' the work, the statues were smash-
Imu In tlvn 11 HQ 1liut llPOIl lilHCOVfM'rMl
mv m o nwv-t " .
by a Gcrmnu ort critic in tue usnon
National Museum of Fine Arts. Ducr
er tells In his diary that be presented
the picture to a Portuguese who had be
friended blm nt Antwerp.
"Oblecls too heavy to be carried
nwny were brokeu nnd ouly the valu
able parts were carried off. The Chin
ese ore very fond of clocks and watch
es Ingeniously constructed so ns to
make music. Some ure heavily gilded.
In the Imperial summer palace were
In the
Tho Imliv'a first shoe la having a
t..M ih.mii. a Snored Relic. comnetluB two bltf clocks (under glass)
with the first prise a woman won at apartments of the empress. The figures
were on a big sun, wuose rays were
innde of the best and heaviest gold.
Sun and clocks nre still there, but the
golden rays were taken nwny.
"Near the lotos lake of the Imperial
cards. .
Love Is responsible for a lot of earth
ly misery by being elsewhere when
wanted. 1
His Wish Gained at Last.
After his speech on the colonial test
case bad been delivered In the Su
preme court the other day. and he had
received the congratulations or many
members of the bar and prominent
Senators upon bis success. Attorney
General Griggs told me of his first visit
to the Supreme court chimber. It wns
years ago, when be was a young and
struggling lawyer. He knew no one
In Washington except the Congressman
from his district. This Congressman
took blm to the Supreme court room,
nnd ns the slender young lawyer sut
and looked nt the nine black-robed Jus
tices nnd realized that they constitut
ed the greatest tribunal on earth, he
says be heaved a sigh and snld to him
self: "Before 1 ate 1 want tne nonor
of standing Just once before that court
and addressing It upon a case of law."
Little did the young lawyer then think
that he was going to have the great
privilege not only of addressing the
court, but of speaking to It ns the rep
resentative of the United States gov-
eminent upon mc muni iiui.huui vibra
tion the court has considered In a gen
eration If uot lu Its bistory.-Colllcr's
Weekly. ' .
Churches In Great Brita'n.
In Grent Britain there nre 4,S43
churches, branch churches and mis
sion stations, providing sitting accomo
dations for 1.744,111 persons. The
church members number 431,517. a sub
stantial Increase of some 111,000 mem
bers ou the returns made Inst year. ;
Weight of Honey Bees.
Five thousand honey bees ns they
leave the hive, weigh about oue pound.
but when the insects return from their
visits to the flowers, freighted with
houey, they weigh nearly twice as
much . -' '''' ' , '' '
- Some people are enthusiastic in ac
cepting invitations, because they figure
that they will save that much by eat
ing away from home. t
The worMTTbTcotiilug funnier and.
funnier every day.
your ,