THE CHAFING DISH. Oh, ye Imclii'li rx, u-wooing maiden fair iiml ioi'iuiii-h iiiiinl. After dunce iiml iliiu flirtation nml I hit liriPlMT IH'DlllI'llllllc. If Iiit heart joii fain would capture ami wen re jour dearest wish, Just display your lordly knowledge of the mystic dialing ilihli. uenuy unit Hull yon re a gourmet of a Im In I f liiiril to suit. Allll (IMpIl til lllll I.llcllllllll OlllJ S01II0 olIiiT chaps to boot, Then prepare u ilaluly rarebit with uu air of Unconcern, Ami there miiy be millions in It if you've doin It to a turn. Love tint li naught of invert persuasion thnt en ii brut the n rt -if dining. Ami tl) liuinleii will surrender to your epicure designing, Ami I II Imitate a motto, when you ve caught this Kelitlu IinIi, Quite mi iip-tu-ilale eHeiitelieon "Ileav en bless our chafing dish. ' Judge. JIOMANCE OF A HOSPITAL NURSE. "And so." I observed to Miss Wre ford-Brown, "you like your new life?" "I am delighted with It," hIio wild. ",Ah!" I nii Itl, "I rejoice to henr thnt you have uttered your mind, A mouth ago, If I recollect rl(lit, your mother In formed me that the duties you had to perform were lujurln your henltli to Hileli a decree thnt you seriously thought of leaving Kt. Matthew's hos )ltal. However, the lapse of another month seeiim to have altered the com plexion of mutters." "A Utile" murmured Miss Wini fred, gently stirring her coffee. I noticed that she smiled as she tunde this Veily. "In my opinion," I said, "nursing lit the liohlest of all professions loglti mutely open to women. I cannot Im agine anything grander than the death lied scene of tin aged sister the head nurse of each, ward Is caller 'sister,' Is wile not V who, drawing her last feeble breaths, murmurs to those around her: Tor lil'ty years I have been tending the sick, ami keeping an eye on the limit? giddy of the 'probationers when modi cnl students were present. I have done my work, requlescat In pace!' Ah! whut n glorious demise is there!" If you believe me, Miss Winifred ac lually giggled. "I nin not," I said sternly, "Jesting to you. I am sorry that I have not urous' ed your sense of the ridiculous. You do not appreciate such pathetic mu liients you ore but 1!)." ;! "Twenty, Mr. Worniholt, please." "Well," I returned, "twenty, then, Hut," 1 continued, "I was ubout to ob serve as 'touching the career which, lu opposition to the wishes or your family, you ha ve seen fit to adopt that a hospital has endless claims upon the sympathy of all, is Worthy of our full est gratitude and esteem. For think does she not give up the world? Does she not relegate herself to an otnios. phero of suffering to the depressing mirrouiidlngs of the sickroom? Does tdit! not cut herself off from all the pleasures-such as they on1 that a so. clal life offers, to those who care to seek them? Is not nursing a life of self-de nial, of wearing vigils? A trying tax on the patience? A sure test of cour age? Yea! It Is all these and more. Miss Winifred, I honor you uud your truly noble profession!' ' ' "Thank you." said Miss Winifred. It was the after-dinner period. We were Hitting In a dim corner. Mrs. Wreford-ltrown was chatting. In roiiio . what raised tones, to her neighbor, u retired Anglo-Indian colonel. Pausing in my rhetoric, Mrs. Wre-ford-Hrown's words came plainly to my car. She wns evidently discussing her daughter. The one by uiy side for there were three others. "The poor child," the good lady was paying, "is worked dreadfully hard. She hardly ever gets out for even half a day. Indeed, this Is the tit's t night tdie has been olT duty for a month." The Anglo-Iudiaii glared fiercely In our direction, lie found me leaning back in a cheerfully meditative mood. Miss Winifred put down her cap and took up a volume of political cartoons which was lying conveniently at hand. Perhaps she overheard her mother's speech. Perhaps (the fancied I did. At liny rate site begun to draw my atten tion to the first cartoon most assidu ously. "Do look nt this, Mr. Worniholt," she finId, laughing In a palpably forced way "Isn't It funny!" "A drawing," I said, "which repre sents a distinguished cabinet minister In the costume of a lady of the ballet cannot very well help being er funny. Hut I was speaking of hospitals of the cotitlned and restricted life which the nurses live, nml of the unfeeling man ner lu which the authorities debar the nurses from enjoying even the sim plest pleasures Judging, that Is to say, from the representations which the la dles themselves make to their own families!" I concluded, shooting n keen glance at Miss Winifred's by no menus unattractive protlle. "It Is comforting to know," I Lenrd Mrs. Wreford-ltrown say, "that the child Is absolutely trustworthy. At hospitals, you know, there are H "Oil, Mr. Worniholt, Just look at this!" exclaimed Miss Winifred. "The tindlgiiltled attitude In which the projiiler Is represented," I said, "docs unt amuse me in the least. I have no objections to comic draughts ilia nshlp," I went on, "but when a right honorable gentleman Is drawn In the guise of ft monkey dancing on the top of a barrel organ, I think It la time for a censor of cartoons to be appointed." For reasons of my own, however, I had to turn my face away from Miss Winifred's Inquiring gaie. I remem bered, then, that I had brought the vol ume of cartoons to the house and ex plained them to Miss Wreford-Brown herself (mine I' mean the one I was conversing with now). "And If " enme from Mrs. Wre- ford-Brown's part of the room, "the liui'ses allow attentions to be paid to tli " The conclusion of this utterance was drowned by the general buzz, of conver sation. "The other night." I said to Miss Winifred, "I went to 'Rosemary.' " "Indeed," she replied, and turned over the cartoons more rapidly than ever. "A very well written and attractive piece," I continued. "Yes," said Miss Winifred, "I've heard " "Agatha." said Mrs. Wreford-Brown to her eldest daughter, "won't you King?" "Oil, do, Agatha," said the second girl (rather wickedly as It struck me). "(Jive us 'Resignation.' " "Oh, I can accompany that!" ex claimed Miss Winifred, starting up. "Thank you," said Miss Agathn, cold ly, "but I prefer to accompany myself." So Miss Winifred was obliged to re Riiine her scat by uiy side, nnd Miss Agatha proceeded to oblige us with the dirge In question. When the polite ap plause which greeted (a very proper expression) Its conclusion had ceased, I said to Miss Winifred: "I sat lu the dress circle." Miss Winifred burled her eyes with the cartoons. "In the dress circle," I went on, "at the back " "Who Is this meant to be " "Where I hud an excellent view not only of the stage, but also of the othe occupants (I dwelt on the words) of the seats In that part of the house." I waited for her remark, but the,re came only a rustle of leaves. "Yes," I said, "tlie profession of nurs ing is an honorable profession a pro fession of self-denial a calling which debars Its followers from enjoying many pleasures of life. We enjoyed 'Rosemary very much." "Hut," said Miss Winifred, looking up from the enrtoons. "I thought you went by yourself." "Who told you I did?" I asked, sus piciously. "Nice, gentlemanly fellows, many of them, but, of course " came from Mrs. Wreford-Brown. I did not heur the rest of the sentence. "Oh. I I always thought you went alone," was Miss Winifreds weak re- Joinder. see. Well, you are right. I was alone. But 'we' refers to myself nnd all the other people lu the dress circle. I like to speak of my fellow beings In a broad, kindly, unselilsh sense like that. And I ftdt-I felt grieved!" "What about?" asked Miss Winifred, "(irieved," I said, "to think that you. Miss Winifred, only get one night off in a month. I felt that It was selfish of me to enjoy 'Rosemary when you were watching by the sick and dy ing " "Perfectly straightforward, truth ful girl," came from Mrs. Wreford- Brown, "lu whom I have the utmost confidence. Rome girls placed in her position would " Is this meant to be the chancellor of the exchequer?" asked Miss Winifred, quickly. The man," I said, "selling the dread ful commodity known ns excuse me for mentioning It dried haddock. Is the first lord of the treasury, but the cat which Is rubbing Itself against his legs Is, as you suppose, that great statesman, the " "Think for a moment thnt my dear child nllowed even a house surgeon to pay her " wns wafted from the uni- ternal lips over to our corner. Chancellor of the exchequer!" I concluded with disgust. "I saw a man there that I knew," I whispered to Miss Winifred. She nod ded and, 1 think, breathed more freelv. I have reason to believe," I whis pered, still more confidentially, "thut he Is a member of the medical profes sion. I think he Is nt some " Crash, went the bass notes. Whlsh! went the leaves of the cartoon book. 1 some hospital!" "Mamma," cried Miss Winifred, Jumping up (I do not like to say bound ing up), "It's time for me to be " Su-h-h!" came from the eldest Miss Wreford-Brown, In a vicious hiss. Miss Winifred sat down again re- luctautly. Once more she burled her self In the enrtoons. "I have heard," I continued, "thnt he Is ou the Indoor staff " "Is this Morley?" demnnded Miss Winifred, quite loudly. Winifred," came from the eldest Miss Wreford-Browu, In an angry snap. "Thnt," I whispered, "is Mr. Morley. The master who Is flogging him is the minister of agriculture." The music went on. I beat time for a minute with my hand, and then, IxMidlug close to Miss Winifred's ear ugalu, observed: He was with two members of the honorable profession of which I have beeu speaking. The member sitting by hhu the less repulsive-looking of the two, thnt Is " The pianist wns playing the last chords. Miss Winifred shut the car toon book with a bang. " bad," I concluded, speaking very hurriedly, "brown eyes, darkish hair, rather dimpled chin " Crash!!! and the musical operation had been brought to a gratifying ter mination. And so, colonel, you see," came In Mrs. Wreford-Brown's voice, clear as a bell, through the silence which fol lowed the finishing of the music, "I have every confidence In my dear child. Thank you, Miranda. Time for you to go, Winifred T You seem to have been having a very entertaining time. you and Mr. Worniholt, with that book of carlocM." "Extremely entertaining." I said. But of course I spoke only for myself. Westminster Gazette. GREAT FLOOD MISSISSIPPI LEAVING HOMESTEAD. AN INCIDENT OF THE GREAT FLOOD IN THE p s I 1 Notable Floods of the Last Half Century. I .... ' "'''SiS.i The Pjie-incr Waters Hflv Mam, Times Suont Our Hrent V.'"'',"V''"''"' . Till'! recent great Hoi Mississippi valley i memorably greut ilium oil lu the SAM recall a niunyjKV IlllllltniiH whif.li have occurred in the United States iu the last half century. The earliest of these of which there is an accurate record occurred in April nnd May, 1844, when the Mississippi at St. Louis and vicinity touched a higher murk than has ever been reached at nay time since thnt region has been set tied. Many persons were drowned and the loss of property was large. In 184!) the Mississippi and its trill utnries from Alton downward iignin swept over their banks, musing great damage. No trim worthy figures are nt hand of the destruction of life, but the loss of property in St. Louis nnd its immediate vicinity was put at $5,000,000, while it reached $2(f,000,000 in New Orleans and Kg suburbs. It was the most disastrous visitation by tlood which the latter city ever had. The bursting of a reservoir in Mill River Valley, near Northnmpton, Mass., on .May 1(1. 1874, is well remembered by all those old enough at thnt time to read the papers. It destroyed large portions of severul villages nnd 144 lives were lost. July 24, of the same year, a waterspout and ruin storm at Eureka, Nev., drowned 30 persons and destroyed much property. Two days later Pittsburg and Allegheny, Pa., were visited by a tremendous rain storm, which swelled the rivers iu that neighborhood and drowned 220 persons. The damage to property was put nt $2, 000,000. In 1SS1 floods in the Mississippi valley, the river at St. Ijouis reaching Its highest point on June 12, did immense damage, especially in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas. The valleys of the Missouri and Ohio also suffered at the same time, the losses being particularly henvy in Kansas nnd Kentucky. Another destructive freshet occurred in the Ohio nnd Mississippi basins n year later, culminating on Feb. 22. This time the loss of property and life iu Mississippi was greater than had ever been known before lu that quarter, uud the Governor of that State ap pealed to the country for aid for the sufferers. The Ohio River valley, in February, 18811, was visited by the most destructive flood known since that region was first settled. On the 15th the Ohio at Cincin nati readied its highest point, or 0(1 feet and four inches, covering all the houses fronting on the hunk of the river, and extending into the densely built part of the city for a distance of several squares. The direct loss of property in Cincinnati was put at $2,000,000, and in other parts of Ohio and Indiana and Kentucky it was estimated that $.",000,000 was destroyed, while about 30,000 persons w'ere rendered temporarily homeless and dependent. A year afterward the Ohio readied a greater height than it did In 1S83. It drown ed 40 persons in Cincinnati and vicinity and made 15,000 people in that locality homeless. The damage in the entire Ohio valley was estimated to have been greater than it was iu 18S3. As in the previous year, the gas works nt Cincinnati in 1SS4 were submerged, nnd the city for the time wns plunged into darkness. New England, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio suffered great damage by The Raging Waters Have Many Times Swept Our Great American Vallevs. i fiv floods In January. 1880. That was the year in wmcii Montreal unu memorable inundation, in which one hundred persons were drowned and $2,000,000 of property was destroyed. The Montreal calamity occurred, however, three months later than the floods in the United States Just mentioned, or on April 17-18. The most destruc tive freshets of 1880, though, took pluce in Texas on Aug. 20. in which many bouses in Ciulveston were blown down by the hurricane which aceoinpnuied the flood. The losses in that city and neighborhood by wiud and water were 38 lives nnd $5,000, 000 of property. May 31, 1880, the bursting of a reservoir caused a flood at Johnstown, Fa., recalling that at Mill River vnlley. Mass., in 1874, though it was far more de structive. The wall of water traveled the eighteen miles between the reservoir and Johnstown in seven minutes. The Pennsylvania Railroad bridge at Johnstown held some of the water back and collected a mass of debris, which caught fire and increased the destruction. Revised figures put tho loss of life at 2,142, and loss of property at $10,000,000. In March and April, 1800, the Mississippi river and several of its tributaries overflowed great stretches of country along their banks. Thousands of square miles of territory were submerged, many towns were isolated, and communica tion with scores of small settlements was cut off for weeks. Louisiana was the greatest sufferer nmong the States in that flood. Congress voted a relief fund at that time of $150,000 for the atllieted throughout the Mississippi valley. From West Virginia in the east to Arizona in the West there were destructive freshets in February nnd March, 1801, Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi being hit hardest of all the States and Arizona of all the territories. In Arizona 100 lives were lost, $1,000,000 of property wus destroyed and 1,500 persons rendered homeless. The losses In the rest of the country were estimated at the time at 400 lives and $10, 000,000 of property. The high water's record of the Upper Mississippi valley for a third of a century was broken in 1892. In early April the river and some of its tributaries began to swell beyond the danger point, but the highest mark was not reached until May. Far greater destruction was committed in and around St. Louis than in any other equal area in the valley. The loss of life In the Mississippi valley by the floods of 1S02 was estimated at 1,100 and the destruction to property was $12, 000,000. About the same time Oil creek, Pa., overflowed nnd cnused a loss of 500 lives. Here great tunks of oil were overturned, took tire and the whole region was a sea of flume. In 1803 Arkansas, Tennessee nnd Louisiana suffered severely by flood In March and April, and Missouri and Illinois were also visited, but the damage in the last two States wns smaller. Each spring since then there have been overflows in the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and other rivers in the Mississippi valley. EATS SMALLER REPTILES. Trinidad Snakes that Are Cannibals by Nature, Certain species of snakes are by na ture cannibals, having three general methods of securing and overpowering their prey by constriction, by main strength and by venom. A scientist who was recently on a blacksuake bunt lu Trinidad bad made his way Into a dense forest and one day captured a young black and white tiger snake, put ting him into the usual bag. An hour or so later he found the largest black snake he had ever seen In the Island. This rich find was also deposited In the bag and the scientist returned to the hut which he and a plantation over seer were occupying. In the night the overseer aroused the traveler, saying there had for some time been hissing and fighting In the bag. The scientist CA!UBAL SNAKK OF TRIMDAD. found that the black snake had nearly swallowed bis companion. They were both shaken out on the floor, the small er reptile being dead. A New Kind of Candle. "It is said." says Merck's Report, "that a French chemist has Invented new kind of candle made by dissolv ing live parts of colorless gelatin In twenty parts of water, adding twenty five parts of glycerine and heating until a perfectly clear solution has been formed. To this is added two parts of tannin dissolved by beating in ten parts of glycerine. A turbidity Is pro duced that vanishes on further boiling. The boiling is continued until the wa ter has been driven off, and the mass Is then cast into ordinary glass candle molds. The candles obtained In this way are as clear as water, and burn quietly without spreading any odor." Time Medicine Bpoon. When the last dose of medicine was taken or when the next should be ad- MEDICINK SPOOX. ministered Is apt to prove a little per plexing to nurse or patient, and to overcome this there have been a num ber of schemes devised and patented to fill the want of a timer. Most of these devices, however, have consisted In some form of dial attachments for the glass or bottle; but the same ob ject Is accomplished In a much neater manner by the spoon here shown, which speaks for Itself. Left by Say. Among the late Leon Say's papers were found five decrees dated on the same day. signed by President Grevy and countersigned by all the proper of ficials, appointing him to all the grades of the Legion of Honor, Including the Grand Cross. Grevy went out of of fice without making the appointments public In the Journal Offlclel, and Leon Say never mentioned the matter to any one, and never wore any of the decor ations. Every sleeping car conductor wants a law adopted compelling the porter to divide. NEARINQ DEATH. The Serious Condition of the Empress of Austria. Empress Eliznbeu of Austria has been so seriously ill at Cape Martin that her husband, who proposed to re main at Vienna until the trouble in connection with Crete was at an end, hastened his departure, and proceed ed with all haste to the South of France, where the Empress Is being attended by her youngest an. favor ite daughter, the Archduchess Valerie. The Empress was unable to meet her husband on his arrival, and has been forced to abandon all those long walks to which she has been given ever since the doctors compel' 'd her to give up riding. It seems that the Imperial lady, In stead of being benefited by her sojourn at Biarritz in December and January, on the contrary was harmed thereby. Fainting fits, insomnia, neuralgia and rheumatism, complicated vlth other painful nervous disorders, ensued, and the principal court physician, Dr. Von Kerzl, having been urgently summon ed from Vienna, Immediately gave or ders that she should leave Biarritz for the south of France. At present the Empress Is an invalid In every sense of the word, almost en tirely infirm, and it Is doubtful If she ever will be able to resume the violent exercise to which she has bees devoted until now. Indeed, It may be ques tioned whether it is not really the over doing of exercise, first In the form of riding, and later on in the way of walking, that is responsible for her present condition. As long as she was able to ride Elizabeth used to spend her whole day In the saddle, begin ning at 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning, and frequently changing horses four and five times during the course of a single morning. When she took to walking she would not be satisfied with constitutionals of less than thirty and even forty miles a day. it was always asserted that It was by means of this violent exercise that she was able to maintain unimpaired the balance of her mind. Instead of suc cumbing to the Insanity which Is one of the hereditary curses of the royal house of Bavaria, to which she belongs by birth. Some apprehens'on, there fore, is felt at Vienna as to the possible result of the inaction to which she Is now constrained 'iy reason of her health. Vienna Letter. RARE CASE OF EXTRA THUMB. Its Owner( a Stone, Carver, Finds It a Useful Apnendatce. This is an eminently successful radio graph, or X-ray photograph, of the hand of a Mr. Peters. It will be seen that Mr. Peters has two thumbs. Sim ilar cases are not unknown, but this one is unique In that the supernumer ary thumb is of very real utility to Its possessor. Mr. Peters says that be RABB CASS OF EXTRA THUMB. found his additional thumb was so use ful In handling the chisel (he was a stone carver), that he actually regret ted his other band was not similarly provided. It is entirely superfluous to tell peo ple that you are getting old; you show