ENTEItPBISB.
YIollow Concrete Kenca Poate.
To construct hcllow re-enforced con
srete fence post a few modifications
of the ordinary mold are necessary,
In addition to the core to be placed
In the center of the post, writes C. A.
Cook. The mold for an ordinary 4x4
inch post 7 feet long consists of a bot
tom, two sides and two end gates, all
of which are held together by three
Iron clamps placed over the top of the
Ides after they are put together. The
sides are held to the bottom by small
dowel pins Inserted In holes In the
bottom, so that the sides may be read
ily revolved, leaving the finished post
lying on the base to harden. One end
gate must have a two-Inch hole In It
through which the core may be with
drawn. The wooden core is constructed of
S pieces and is 2 Inches In diameter.
Its full length should be 7V4 feet. A
round piece of soft wood may be
awed Into Ave strips, so that when
the central portion is withdrawn the
narrow sides and then the wider sides
may be removed from the concrete
post
The galvanized iron core tapers
from 2 Inches in diameter at the larg
er end to of an Inch at the top, for
7-foot post Is 7 feet 2 inches long.
This can be made by any tinsmith
from good heavy galvanized Iron, and
should be closed at the smaller end.
The mold Is fastened together, and
about one Inch of concrete Is placed
-on the bottom before the core Is put
In position. After being wrapped
with paper the core should be
A Tarae-Pea Poaltry Hmm.
The cut shows a very useful poul
try house for three pens of fowls,
with yards arranged for the same
number. The ouse Is 30x30 feet and
will accommodate 100 fowls. The
ban way takes but little room out of
the Interior and yet It communicates
with all three pens. The Inside divi
sions are of wire netting, allowing the
sunshine that enters at the side of the
house to fall Into the pens; but the
house should be so located that three
Ides may receive morning, noon and
afternoon sun. The plan Is followed,
according to Orange Judd Farmer, for
dividing the yard outside aa for divid
ing the space Inside the house. This
iWando!leepf
f The Devil-Stick 1
A By Ihe Author ef 0
R "The Mrstery of a Kuitra Cab," EM. H
passed through the hole in the lower
nd gate. The paper covering will per
mit the removal of the core In twenty
to thirty mjnutes after the post la
made. The galvanized Iron core may
be greased, but the paper la fully aa
effective.
The wooden core extends entirely
tfrrough the post, and two end gates
-with two-Inch holes In them are used
'with It. The metal core should be
vplaned In the mold ao that the small
er end la about two lnchea from the
top of the post. After the core la in
position the remainder of the con
crete can be put in and the post set
aside to harden until the core and
molds can be removed.
Para Work Horaaa.
If those who have horsea In their
charge on the farm would Inaugurate
a more systematic course of feeding,
utilizing the cheaper forma of feed,
much expense of winter feeding 6ould
be saved, and better and healthier
horses would be the result. Adopt, for
Instance, the plan of feeding the
horses In the morning only a stomach
ful of the feed, a stomachful at noon,
and only a stomachful at night. Such
a course would give the horse's stom
ach a chance to digest the feed.
If a variety of feed Is at hand, then
feed one kind tn the morning, an
other at noon and another at night.
Regularity In feeding la Important. If
horses are watered frequently enough
they will not drink too much at a
time. Regular exercise In the open
air Is absolutely necessary to maintain
a healthy condition. Spasmodic exer
cising alternating with periods of In
activity la dangeroua and unprofitable.
The proper use of the means at com
mand on the farm will Inaure a good
condition of the horses that will look
well, be well and give excellent serv
ice. N. A. Clapp.
Grafllaa Was.
In an Iron pot melt over the fire 100
farts of the finest asphalt, add 600
parts brown pitch, uutll, with stirring,
it Is fluid; then pour tn 600 parts of
melted yellow beeswax. The fire must
not be too hot at this time. When It
Is alt well mixed, add 600 parta of
thick turpentine, stir It well and pour
Into It 600 parts of refined tallow. Lift
it from the fire, stir until you begin
to note that It Is cooling, and then
drop In, stirring steadily, very care
fully, because the mass will at once
rise up, 250 to 600 parts of alcohol,
according to the consistency you wish
it to have.
The Uiirg" llorao.
Forty years ago the Morgana were
the favorite road horses. This strain
traces to a single ancestor, Justin Mor
gan, foaled In Vermont In 1793, bis
Mood being largely thoroughbred.
From him descended the Dlack Hawk,
Bashaw, Oolddust, EMhan Allan, Den
Franklin, Oeneral Knox and Daniel
Lambert families. Tba Morgan type
la abort of leg, thick and round bar
rel, intelligent and of great courage
and endurance.
tail rioeka Baet.
Because table acrapa form a large
part of tba amall flock's ration, and
they are usually evenly balanced ra
tions, la one of tba reasona a amall
flock of hens does better than a large
.
Plaallaai Pelatoae.
A potato apeclalat gives this ad
rice: Prefer clover sod manured. Plow
about four Inches deep, planting in
very third furrow. Plant about last
week In May. Don't plant when dew
la on the clover, as it la apt to rot
tba potatoes. Run over the potato
around with a disk Just when the po
tatoes an coming up, then harrow.
Laavo two eyes whan cutting seed po
tato. Don't cut too long before plant
ing. Us on pound par Is green to 100
pound plaster and as a rule do not
go erer U potato mar than oaca,
glvea a large amount of yard space,
with yards conveniently located. This
building is shingled all over the out
side, with the heaviest building paper
under the shlnglea, and may either be
aheathed or lathed and plaatered In-
aide.
Carl fo' Orapea.
Rulea for grapes culture from th
experiment station record, United
States Department of Agriculture:
The main points In grape culture
are summarized aa follows:
With a few exceptions grapes of the
Lubrusca species, of which the Con
cord may be taken as the type, are
the most satisfactory for general
planting.
A warm, rich, well drained soil Is
best for the grape.
Almost all vines should be planted
at least eight feet apart.
Strong one-year-old vines are most
desirable for planting.
Thorough shallow cultivation Is es
sential. The pruning of the first two years
must be done with reference to the
system under which the vine is to be
trained after It begins fruiting. Dur
ing this time the vine should become
thoroughly established.
The best time for the principal
pruning Is soon after the leaves drop
In autumn, but pruning can be done
at any time during the winter when
the vines are not frozen. Summer
pruning consists of pinching lateral
branches In order to encourage the de
velopment of the fruit and the bearing
wood for the succeeding year.
The long arm, short spur system of
training Is usually the most satisfac
tory for the Inexperienced grower,
but the renewal systems are highly
recommended.
Karljr llatehla.
To get early sitting hens the hen
must have laid out their clutches of
eggs during the winter or very early
spring. Hens that have laid during
the fall and all winter will be the first
ones to become broody. Those that
start to laying tn the spring will be
that much later In wishing to sit.
Put the early sitter to work as soon
aa your eggs are fertile. Remember
that It Is the early bird that catches
the worm, and it is the early chick
that brings the big price. If possible
It Is best to move each hen as she be
comes broody to a room apart from
the other hens. Here she may sit tn
undisturbed peace. The room should
le rather warm, as well as quiet and
half dark. Under such conditions the
hens will all attend strictly to bust,
ness, there will be fewer broken eggs
and hens leaving their nests, and the
hatches In general will average a
much higher percentage of the num.
ber of eggs set. Agricultural Epltc
mlst. Removing a Small Slump.
Dy fastening the chain to one of the
large roots and bringing It across the
top of the stump, a leverage can be
secured to take full advantage of the
strength of the horses.
A Maw laaactlelda.
Prof. C. P. Ulllotte, of the Colorado
Agricultural College, his discovered a
new Insecticide for the codlln moth,
which has proved effective In destroy
ing the worms, and probably will be
found not so Injurious to apple trees
as other arsenical poisons. Sulphide
of arsenic Is the name of the new poi
son. It comes cheaper than the arsen
ics now In use.
II Molatar.
To produce any crop It requires from
300 to 600 pounds of water to mak a
pound of dry matter. It la Important
that soils have a great deal of mois
ture, and that It Is not lost by evap
oration. Deep plowing makes soils
hold mor moisture and frequent cul
tivations prevent It low by evapora
tion. Oma Poo for Chlrka.
If you have your own glan feed aa
great a variety aa you have. Cracked
wheat, cracked Kaffir corn and cracked
corn are all good, but something In
plac of meat should be given, either
beef acrapa or blood meal, also char
coal and grit.
Bom poultrymen us bran on the
floors of tba brooders, and It la a good
thing, provided It la replenished every
day. It Is mor apt to get foul than
dry alfalfa leaves. There la just about
aa much nourishment In the on as
th other.
Tb country" honey product tor
laat 7 ear la estimated at fl5.000.000.
Ther are 7.000 beekeeper In th
country and th product of their hive
waa euraolent to fill a train of car
long enough U reach from New York
4 Buffalo
CHAPTER XXI.
Oreat was the astonishment through
Out the neighborhood when It became
known that Dr. Etwald. the clever phy
sician, of Deanminster, had been ar
rested on the doublt charge of murder
and theft of a dead body. Major Jen
worked hard to procure evldenoe
against the prisoner, and David Sarby
worked just as hard to obtain material
for the defence. The attitude taken
up by the young barrister astonished
everyone, and was universally con
demned.
After that memorable Interview In
the library, when Etwald was accused
and arrested, Arket took away his prls
oner in custody by virtue of the war
rant, and left Major Jen alone with the
counsel for the defence. When the
sound of Etwald's carriage had died
away In the distance, Jen, who had
hitherto kept silence, raised his head
and looked at David.
"Well, sir!" he said, tn an Icy tone
to his adopted son. "I am waiting tor
you to explain this very extraordinary
conduct."
"Major Jen, I have no explanation
to give you."
"What!" cried his guardian, rising,
"Do you dare to sit there and tell me
that you are a traitor, a coward, an
ungrateful man 7 What will every one
say, when they learn that you Intend
to defend Etwald?"
"They will say almost as cruel things
as you have said." returned David, still
composed. "But I do not care for the
opinion of the public. I act according
to the dictates of my own conscience.
I have an excellent excuse."
"What Is it, if I may be so bold as
to ask?"
"I refuse to tell you at present."
"Indeed: and am I ever to learn the
reason of your extraordinary behavior?"
"Yes, Major. You shall learn my
reuson at the trial. I shall explain
It when I make my speech for the defence."
"David, there Is something very ex
traordinary In your gehavlor, and you
refuse to give me your reasons there
for. If I wait until the trial, will you
explain?"
'Yes. I have already told you so.
In my speech for the defence you will
be fully satisfied that I have good cause
to act aa I am doing."
"Very good," replied Jen, calmly.
"Then I shall say nothing to anyone
about your very curious behavior. I
shall work hard to secure the condem
nation of this scoundrel. You can do
your best to save him. But against
you, or for you, I shall not open my
mouth. At the trial I shall expect an
explanation."
'You shall have It."
'But," added Jen, "as until that ex
planation we are enemies although not
openly so I shall require you to leave
my house."
"I expected that you would do ao,"
rejoined David, bowing his head. "In
deed, you can act in no other way. To
day I shall take lodgings in Deanmin
ster and wait for the trial. I shall de
fend Etwald to the best of my abil
ity; and then you can decide whether
I am fit to re-enter this house." ,
Arkel had soukM out as witnesses
against Etwald seven persons. Firstly,
Mrs. Dallus, who was to prove that she
was hypnotized frequently by Dido.
Secondly, Isabella, who was to depose
that before the murder her mother had
been sent by Dido to "Ashantee" to
steal the devll-stlck, which under the
Influence of hypnotism. Thirdly, But
tersea, who wus to give evidence that
he had found the devil-stick within the
grounds of Mrs. Dallas. Fourthly, Meg,
who was to prove the offer of Batter
sea to sell her the stick. Fifthly, Major
Jen, who could explain the engagement
of the dead man to Miss Dallas, and
the rivalry of his assassin. Sixthly,
Jaggard, whose evidence would tend to
show that Dido had drugged him for
the purpose of stealing the body. And
seventhly, the most Important witness
Of all, Dido, who was to depose to the
manufacture of the poison, the re-Ailing
of the devll-stlck, and the giving
of It to Dr. Etwald, so that he might
perpetrate the crime. With these seven
witnesses Jen did not see how Etwuld
could escape the gallows.
"Are you sure that all these people
will speak out?" asked the Major of
Arkel when the list wus submitted to
htm.
"I am certain of all save one," re
plied Arkel, In a dissatisfied tone, "and
the worst of It Is that Dido Is the one."
"Does she refuse to give .evidence
against F.twald?"
"I should think so. Simply because
he Is the holder of the Voodoo Stone.
The only chunge of getting the negress
to confess the whole truth Is for either
you or I to gain possession of that
stone."
"Where Is It?"
"Etwald carries It on his wntch
chain. I saw htm the other day In
prison, and he showed It to me. A
common little black stone It Is, but
Dido would kill him with pleasure to
get It."
"Kill Etwald!" ejaculated Jen. Then,
after a pause, he added: "I believe you
ar right, Arkel, for It Is not the man
himself she cares about, but the stone.
However, I'll see Isabella and make her
persuad Dido to speak against Et
wald." The Major went at once to "The
Wigwam," but, notwithstanding all his
eloquence, In spite of the tears and lm
plorlngs of Wrtliollu. the negreas posi
tively declined to any a word against
the Ureal Master.
"While dat big man hab de Voodoo
Stone. I do notliln' nothtu'," she suld.
And from this obstinate position they
all failed to move her.
"Why don't you get th Voodoo
Stone you re If, If you adore It so
much?" cried Mrs. Dallas, exasperated
by this obstinacy.
"Ah, If I hab dat Voodoo Stone. I be
great; great de queen ob th debbles.
But he no let It go!"
"Go and see Dr. Etwald, and tell him
you will give evldenoe against him un
less he gives you the stone."
This suggestion cam from Isabella,
but of It Dido took no notice. Without
a word to mother or daughter, who
were both In tears, she left th room,
tn th afternoon ah was nowhar to
b found, and both Mrs. Dallas and Isa
bella earn to th conclusion that ah
bad fled to avoid being forced Into giv
ing Incriminating evidence. Toay fell
tit oa aaother a arms, and war he-,
aide themselves with terror. All the
evil done by Dido and Etwald seemed
likely to fall upon their Innocent heads.
"Still, there Is hope," said Isabella.
"We will speak to Major Jen, and ask
him to send the police after this
wreached woman."
This opinion was at once acted upon,
ind a messenger was sent to "Ashan
tee;" but Major Jen was from home,
and It was not till o'clock that he
presented himself at "The Wigwam"
and heard the story of Dido's flight.
"But she can't be very far away,"
said Jen, hopefully. "I saw her in
Deanminster, and thought she had
ene there with a message from you.
But even If we had forced her Into
court, she would not have given evi
dence against the holder of the Voodoo
3tone."
"Dat so!" said a hoarse voice at the
door.
The three people turned, and saw
Dido, with an expression of triumph
on her dark face, enter the room.
"Dido!" cried Isabella, "You did not
run away?"
"No, missy, I tell de truth against
dat man."
"But the Voodoo Stone," said Jen,
wondering what she meant
Dido opened her clenched fist The
Voodoo Stone lay in the palm of her
hand.
How she became possessed of the
Voodoo Stone, Dido refused to say.
Jen had learned from Inspector Arkel
that Etwald wore the talisman on his
watch-charm, and he wondered In what
fashion Dido had contrived to penetrate
Into the prison and to obtain It from
the doctor. The whole result of the
trial depended upon the transfer of the
stone. If Etwald kept It, Dido would
not dare to give evidence against him.
and so, in the absence of incriminating
details, he would go free. As It was,
the stone was now tn the possession of
Dido, and for some reason, which Jen
was unable to fathom, she was quite
content to betray her share in the plot.
By changing hands the Voodoo Stone
had transformed Dido into a traitress,
However, as the advantage derived
from the transfer was all on the side
of the prosecuption, Jen did not think
It wise to inquire too closet Into the
means which Dido had employed to re
gain the talisman. He saw nothing of
David, who pointedly kept out of his
way. He made no Inquiries of Dido,
and simply Informed the Inspector that
the negress was ready to explain Et
wald's secrets, without telling him why
she was willing to do so.
When the trial came on, and after
the evidence had been given, everyone,
without exception, looked upon the
prisoner as guilty, and they considered
it futile when David Sarby rose to de
liver his speech for the defence. The
young man was even paler than usual.
and when he rose laid down the devll
stlck, at which he had been looking.
When on his feet he glanced round the
court and caught the gaze of Isabella,
who was staring eagerly at him. Then
he turned to his client. Dr. Etwald
smiled coldly on his counsel. David
shuddered, and picking up the devll
stlck, spoke sharply and to the point.
"My lord, and Kentlenien of the Jury
You have heard the evidence, which
makes out Unit my client is guilty.
That evidence IS wrong, as can bo
proved by one witness. I am the wit
ness. In my rooms there is lying a
confession, signed and witnessed.
which sets forth that I am the guilty
person. It was I, not Etwald, who
murdered Maurice Aylmer. Yes. I
was in love with Miss Dallas, and
therefore was Jealous of Maurice. I
knew that Dido possessed the devll
stlck and I bribed her to give It to
me. I pretended to go to the city on
the night of the murder, but, instead
of doing so, I remained In the grounds
of Mrs. Dallas, where I obtained thn
devll-stlck from Dido. I saw Maurice
meet with Miss Dallas. I saw them
kiss and part. Influmed by Jealousy,
I ruBhed after him and met him on the
road. He turned in surprise, and flung
out his arms to keep me off. The devll-stlck,
with its poison-fang protrud
ing, was tn my grasp, and In throwing
out his arm I weunded him In the palm
of the hund, thus "
David took the devll-stlck firmly In
his grasp and compressed the hand'.e.
At once the iron tongue, with its drop
of venom, appeared. With the sharp
point he made an Irregular wound on
the palm of his hand, and enst thn
devll-stlck on the table before him. A
moment afterwards, amid the silent
horror of the crowded court, be '.ell
down dead.
CHAPTER XXII.
Naturally, the tragio end of the
counsel for the defence created a greut
sensation. The trial was brought to an
abrupt conclusion, the court was
cleared, and the body of the dead man
tuken to the residence of Major Jen.
In his rooms at Deanminster wus found
the confession signed by htm , and
which was substantially the same as
that which he had made In court. At
once Dr. Etwald was set at liberty on
the charge of murder.
Whereupon he returned to his houe
as though nothing had happened. Mrs.
Iallus and Isabella came back to "The
Wigwam," but without Dido. On the
day when the trial terminated in s
tragic a manner the negress disappear
ed, and with her the famous Voodoo
Stone.
"I wish I could have caught her,"
aid Arkel to Major Jen. "She com
mitted perjury In order to gel Dr. Et
wald hansed. and shs ought to have
tieen punished for her wickedness. It
has been a terrible affair. Major."
Jen, who was now looking old and
broken down, agreed with a sad shake
of his grey head.
'My poor lads," said he. In a vole
full of pathos. "First on and then
th other to lose them both In this
awful fashion."
"What!" cried Arkel. In surprise.
"Do you pity Mr. Sarby V
'Why not?" answered th Major,
quietly. "To my mind he need mor
pity that poor Maurice. Th lad was
driven mad by jealousy and h was
worked on by Dido to commit th
crime. Th cauaa of all these troubles.
Mr. Inspector, la not Dr. Etwald. ut
that black witch. I wish Mi could be
caught."
Dido waa never caught Sb was
to clever to give th polio a chance
of taring hands en hex. lis. a aton
east Into a wide ocean she disappeared
from Deanminster, and, possessed
the Voodoo Stone, possibly took her
way to her native Ashantee, there to
become the high priestess In the hor
rible fetish -worship of Africa.
For the next two days Major Jen
stayed In the house and watched ovr
the corpse of David. The whole scene
was but a repetition of that which had
taken place when Maurice had died.
Both young men had perished from th
effects of the Infernal African poison.
Both had perished In the bloom of
youth; and on the right hand of each
was the fatal wound which had cor
rupted the blood. But the corpse of
David was here. The corpse of Mau
rice, where? Only Dr. Etwald could
answer the question, and he, released
on the charge of murder, was now iut
on ball for the theft of the corpse.
While the Major was wondering what
would be the outcome of all the terri
ble events which had filled the last few
weeks, Jaggard entered the library,
and announced that Mrs. Dallas and
her daughter wishes to see him. Al
though he was unwilling to speak to
those who had caused these troubles,
Jen had no reasonable grounds for re
fusing an Interview. Therefore he gave
orders that the ladles should be shown
Into the drawing-room. When he re
paired thither, however, he found to
his surprise that Mrs. Dallas only was
waiting for him.
"I could not get Isabella further than
the door of your house?" exclaimed
Mrs. Dallas, who was In deep mourn
ing, whether for Maurice or David, or
for the loss of Dido, It is impossible to
say.
"Why did she not come In?" askd
Jen, coldly, for he did not feel very
amiably disposed towards the widow.
"I don't know. She Is a strange glfl.
Major, and the events of the last fnv
weeks have shaken her nerves.
"They have shaken mine," retorted
Jen, grimly. "But we need not dlsctiM
these things, Mrs. Dallas. May I ask
why you have paid me this visit?"
"To tell you that we are going away.
Back to Barbadoes," replied Mrs. Dal
las, with a sigh. "Yes, Mnjor, after
what has taken place here, I can stay
no longer In America. I shall sell my
house and leave for the West Indies
with my daughter within the month.
"I think It is the best thing you cao
do," said Jen, brusquely.
(To be' eon r in tied.)
GENTLEMEN OF OLD SCHOOL.
Soma Obac-rvatliiiia About a Type Ei
latlng a Generation Ago.
Not very long ago there was a dap
per old gentleman of 90-odd years
who, having published in his youth a
famous technical book that remains
in wide demand even to this day,
used to call frequently at his publish
ers, on matters of business, Harper's
Weekly says. Although his face ex
pressed an almost mummified effect
of great age and his carriage was a
little Jerky In the nature of its spry
ness, he was, nevertheless, clad upon
these occasions In the latest fashion
of a beau about town. His clothes
were not plain. One recalls their ef
fect of having a pattern was it U
Invisible checK or plaid? his trousers
were creased and generally light In
hue; his neckties were uot those of a
man of 90-odd and over his trim,
pointed shoes he wore light tan gait
ers. The crowning glory of his garb
like a brave wild flower glowing
upon an ancient ruin was the carna
tion which was never absent from the
lapel of his coat, except when he pre
sented it with a low 'bow to some fair
lady. A gallant gentleman, who de
clined to surrender to age and was
only conquered by death because of
that iron necessity of our human
fate.
The society of which he was a prod
uct has passed. Then men of his day
regarded women as the fair sex, with
all which the words imply; they cher
ished them, yet as something not too
good for human nature's daily food,
and they even wrote verses to them
Involving such phrases aa "heart's
fragrance," "modest eyes," "bashful
sweetness" and the like, and in such a
chlrography! Theirs was not the
handwriting of our contemporary
"business men"; it had an almost
feminine delicacy and a precision
which Is now supplied only by the
typewriting machine.
There were many apeclmena of this
verse and this chlrography of 1828
In an old book which came lately by
chance Into the hands of the Weekly
one of those autograph albums bound
In red leather and tastefully tooled
In gilt, which were owned by the
young ladles of the period, and with
in whose pages were embalmed the
sentimental addresses of their admir
ers. Openly chivalrous In tone, tender
In spirit, what has become of the
young men of 1828 who were not
ashamed to write a copy of verses tn
their ladles' albums? Contemporane
ous gentlemen, armored In the gog
gles and gauntlets of the motor car,
might be Inclined to sneer at them,
but the record of men's achievement
In the work of the world was at least
aa Impressive in 1828 as it is now.
Autre temps, autre moeurs, but the
world moves on more or less the
same.
Her Hired Help.
At Cumberland, Md., the colored
servants, as a rule, go to their own
homes at night. The cook In the fam
ily of the Episcopalian clergyman not
only does this, but of late has fre
quently arrived at the rectory too lat
to cook breakfast. Hence her mistress
lately told her that for each breakfast
mimed there would be a reduction In
her wages. Dinah passively assented
to thia. but next day the mistress
heard the maid next door say to her:
" 'Peara to me you get to work
mighty late." n
"1 get to work when I get ready,
waa the reply.
"How do you manage 'bout the brek-
fus?"
"Oh. I pay th mlssu to cca d
brekf us." Harper's Magaztn.
Proved HI laaoraaeo.
"He Droved hla clleut'a Innocenc
of burglary by producing an alibi."
"Then tb prisoner dldn t commit
tb theft aa charged?"
"No. Hla lawyer established tba
fact that th accused waa tn jail for
highway robbery at the tlm th af
fair happened." St. Louis Star.
A Sharp Uac.
Penley I only want to Hv until I
becom famous.
Miaa Keen Ah. but W doul hV
MthueUha nowadays, Mr. Paly.
Boston Transcript
WORLD OF FALSE IDEAS
Somi Peculiar Beliefs Thst Have
Been Proved Wrong as th
Years Go By. '
THE INACCURACIES OF HIST0BY.
fallacies Regarding Weather, Cats,
Moths, Pendulums, Steam and
Falling Now Exploded.
Th world is full of fallacies, entire
ly apart from the great mass of super
stitions which in themselves form a
class, a writer in the New York Even
ing Post says. A little knowledge la
a dangeroua thing, and a superficial
knowledge of the science will cause
people to believe that the earth is
cookie-shaped, or that orchards live on
air, or that salamanders can really live
in fire. Other weird beliefs run a par
allel course with the materia medica;
for instance, that whooping cough can
b cured by letting a piebald bora
breathe on the child, or that measles
can b cured by taking the child
through three parishes in a day.
Weather is the subject of quantities
of absurd theories, among which some
people rank first the idea that the
government forecasters can predict it.
There la a belief that mild winters
follow a mild December. There were
those firings of cannons and exploding
aerial bombs some years ago to make
rain fall on the thirsty farm lands.
We are even told now that our old
pets, the equinoctial storms, are but
creatures of the Imagination.
History abounds In things which
never happened. Wellington never
said, "Up, guards, and at them!" at
the battle of Waterloo. Dick Wh.lt
tlngton never came to London with a
domestic animal called a cat. Wil
liam Tell never shot the apple off his
son's head and Horuilus never defend
ed the bridge. The old story about
Lady Godlva has been absolutely dis
proved. Cinderella is said to have
worn glass slippers to the famous ball
at which she made her reputation. In
the old Eastern version, she wore fur
slippers. That cats suck the breath
out of sleeping babies is an old ab
surdity that dies hard. The human
race is Intelligent enough In this day
and generation to understand electric
lights and wireless, aeroplanes and au
tomobiles; but you still occasionally
see In the newspapers accounts of cats
who have killed babies by sucking
their breath. This is one way of say
ing that the cat, liking a warm place
to He, has Jumped Into the baby's bed
and suffocated the occupant by lying
on It. The average little baby is less
In weight than the average cat, and la
scarcely capable of driving a cat away.
The pendulum does not make the
clock go. It merely makes it go even
ly. Steam Is Invisible. What we see
emerging from locomotives and the
tops of tall buildings is steam which
has begun to turn back into water.
Nails and teeth of animals are not
poisonous themselves. A scratch or
bite from dog or cat may prove ao,
but only because some impurity or
germ has been deposited in the ugly
wound which results. When a serpent
bites he discharges a special polsbn
which is secreted from glands.
Many people think that a soft-boiled
egg which has been allowed to cool
cannot be made hard by a second boil
ing. This Is not true.
Every time a workman falls from a
forty-story building there are people
who say: "Well, he probably didn't
feel It when he struck." There is little
or no basis for this belief that a per
son la dead or unconscious at the end
of a long fall. Our surviving jumpers
from Brooklyn bridge prove this, and
that a person retains consciousness Is
shown by the case of the English boy
who fell down a pit some 250 feet deep
and shouted "Below!" three times on
the way down. One theory is that a
person falling would not be able to
breathe; but a train at sixty miles
an hour la moving faster than one
would move in falling 100 or so feet,
and no one pretends that one would
die of suffocation If he puts his head
out of the train window.
The old tradition that a drowning
person rises three times before he
goes down sounds well In Carnegie
medal stories, but Is not true. A per
son rises so many times as he can get
to the surface which may be once or
a hundred times and he drowns when
he Is so full of water that he cannot
breathe.
TRACING FREIGHT CARS.
How Tlma-Frrla-ht RolllaaT Stock
llaa Beea Tantad and Subdued.
A freight car la essentially common
property. It has to go from one line
to another In the course of lta busi
ness. It has to carry loads from Jack
sonville, Fla., to Spokane, Wash.;
from Phoenix, Art., to Augusta, Me. If
all the freight cars In the United
Statea were owned by one big company
and if that company charged the rail
roads for the exact amount of use
which tbey made of each car the sit
uation would theoretically be mor
reasonable than It la to-day.
But la any case the wanderlnga of
freight cars will always entail an enor
mous amount of labor with pen and
pencil and telegraph key and type
writer and long-distance telephone.
The modern hunter of freight cara
la not satisfied with knowing where
all th car on his own line ar at the
end of each day'a run, the Technical
World says. Modern business Ufa has
become ao rapid that In the case of
certain klnda of freight It la neces
sary to know juat where each car la
every fw hour. Tula kind of freight
la called tlm freight.
Ordinary freight la dead freight
Tlm freight consists only of cert la
materials. These materials run alpha
betically all the way from, asbestos,
through cranberrlea, egg-cas filler.
Ink, peanuts and varnish, down t
tin. All cars In tlm freight trains
ar reported by telegraph from all el
vision points.
Ton aa stand la front of a big
hoard a th wall It U UU th hoard
oa a atocK Broker a office except tnst
it has little holes in It and watch
the progress of th cars In a time
freight train from point to point. As
the telegrama come In the pegs are
moved from hole to hole. It you
started a carload of varnish from Chi
cago to Omaha last night you can
come in to-day and see just where that
car la. You can watch It all the way
to Omaha on the board.
It ia a cruel humllatlon for the
freight car. It used to be a wild,
stray animal, hut now it la tamad and
domesticated. Just aa we now have
municipal lodging houses for tramps,
so we have telegraph record boards for
freight cara. Pretty aoon nobody will
be able to eacape from the authorities.
It Is only occasionally, under modern
methods, a freight car tracer has to
go out and bring It home by force.
INVENTOR OF DIVINO ARMOR
Draaa la It Preaeal Form la Da
ta Valvo Mad ia 1838.
Among pioneer Inventors, to whom
the diving dress in its present per
fected form owes ao much, was Wil
liam Hannla Taylor. The previous
"hit or mlsa" attempts were super
seded by the Taylor patent of June 20,
1838 (No. 578), in which the essen
tial feature was the valve allowing
the emission of consumed air without
an influx of water. Previoua to that
time there had been the diving chests
and the diving bell, of which the lat
ter. Introduced by Smeaton, in 1778,
waa the aafest and most practical de
vice for submarine exploration. The
diving bell baa been developed along
side of the diving dress, and is still In
use.
The general appearance of Taylor's
diving anno? waa like that of a
knight's ar of mall, except for a
prominent Ige in the body piece.
A large pi pa coming down from the
surface, and penetrating the body
FIBST DIVINO ABMOB.
piece on the other side, and waa pro
vided with a valve which carried off
the exhaust. Although diving armor
has now reached its perfected state,
this valve has never been materially
improved upon. The accompanying
illustration Is reproduced from Mr.
Taylor's patent. Scientific American
MAYOR OF PORTO VELHO.
Unlqne Dlstlaotloa Conferred lipoa
American In Heart of Braall,
To be made the .mayor of a foreign
community while still retaining
American cltlenshlp and to "get away
with the goods" Is something that
does not fall to the lot of the av
erage American. In Thomaston, L.
I., however, the New York Telegram
says, "there is to-day a live, up-to-date
American, enjoying his first visit
home In 25 months, who Is the mayor
of a place some 10,000 relies away, In
the very heart of South America,
On the Booth liner Clement there
arrived Thomas F. Murphy and four
of hla associates, Loftln E. White.
Joe" Gugenhelm, W. Gerald Cooper
and Fred Schmidt. The quintet havo
been in Brazil more than two yean
laying out a railroad route from Ma
deira Morrow among the headwatera
of the Amazon, which Is to stretch
across the continent when it la com
pleted.
Times were a bit dull at Porto Vel
ho, ao named for no reason In par
ticular, for there was no habitation
there until the five Americans arrived
on the spot to lay out their railroad.
To while away 'some of their spare
time the Americans decided to hold
an election.
Th native porters and laborera
were given piece of pasteboard and
told to plac them In th big box at
tb entrance of the white man'a camp
when Ougenhelm gave the signal.
In the improvised ballot bos th
natlvea dropped their bits of paste
board, each of which read aa follows:
"I vote tor Tbomaa F. Murphy for
Mayor of Porto Velho."
There was no question aa to tb
unanimous vote and after Murphy's
election to offic th five Americana
proceeded to divide the rest of th
municipal offices between the other
four. According to the law of Brasll.
however, the natlvea having voted reg
ularly and willingly, really elected
Murphy to the office of mayor of
hitherto unknown Porto Velbo, and
when the five Americans left ther a
month ago torn Bralllan aettlera wer
very much wrought up over th
proposition of possibly never seeing
their mayor again and over not being
able to elect another man aa their
bead because of th preaent Incumbent
of th mayors offlca
When a rattlesnake Is annoyed. 11
shake Its rattles, and peopl quit an
noying It W wish w had rattle to
ahak at th approach of a book
agent
W hop torn man will finally b
rouad who Bvr lovd hot