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