MY OWN.
,.iiukt l the Serious sunshine,
o bent 011 aeW ta (U,Ua
with dreamy n(1 '"w to
" .ud flowert growing about her,
TnbdJ receive not lenoe-.
at knows not that I am so near her,
cm glandlng outld ot the gale.
mtrene. I fer, "nW disturb bar,
Whence I Impatiently wait
roronc when I bunt on her musing
The Interview ,n'"d to
AndBOwUnijne.rtln.Huttflr
With ttt Kt It happen nlo.
in' could I decipher the feelings
That throb In the heart of my own,
0b i .oulu 1 torn n glad weleoio.
if I ihould approach her alone.
nd. Oh, U ahe klmlly would greet o
And "P h"' hrad Into thin nooe
ch.'i the trickiest mule In the pasture
inil won't let mo catch her wtaeu loon.
-Charles U Hill, in Jury.
THE MALINGA.
Explorer Casement Arrives In the
Land of the Balolo.
A Great Be Almost Exterminated by
the Cenulhal Lufeuibl-A Strangely
DuPgared reople-Klnves t Four
Cent Head.
COPYKIIillT, 1SB0.1
IXDIXO nothing at
Bukutila more in
teresting than
, o firewood and eggs
and the attention
of the ladies, who
giggled and
nudged each
other and then
fled it we gave
the slightest in
dication ot ap
proaching within
ten yards of them
which we bad no doslro to do we
tde farewell to the good-tempered
crowd and continued our journey up
river.
We passed some two hours later the
large district of Lulungu consisting of
leveral villages on the mainland and on
an island In mid-stream whose Inhab
itants regarded us either in speechless
astonishment, or greeted us with loud
tries to land, as we steamed pint the
long line of their villages. Elenge
Minto, our guido, informed us that we
ihould find those keen ivory tradors
more inclined to sell to us on our re
turn from the upper waters of the river
than on our present journey, so we de
termined to push ahead as rapidly as
possible, only stopping where it was
accessary to obtain fire-wood, or to pur
chase food for ourselves and crew.
A heavy tornado of wind and rain
forced us to halt early alongside the
deep Impenetrable forest of the left
bank, on tbo edge of which we put our
crew to sawing up dry trees and dead
wood for noxt day's firing.
Next morning soon aftor starting we
again camo on cunoes darting about
ahead of us, and spoedily were steam
ing through a channel between an
island entirely covered with native
bouses and tho north or right bank on
which were collections ot huts among
immense grove ot plantains separated
from one another by stretches of grassy
plain in some places extending quite a
mile inland before the ever-encircling
belt of forest was reached.
This island-village and the north
tank district was called Bonglnda, but
we passed it without stopping pursued
by a fleet of friendly canoes offering
very bad-smelling small fish for sale.
They continued the chase until we had
entered another district, that of Wara
bala, Elenge Mlnto informed us, whose
Inhabitants set up a great cry at our
approach, but did not attempt to come
out to us In their canoes.
Towards evening we arrived opposite
two villages surrounded by high stock
ades on the land sldo, through two gates
in which we could perceive women go
ing and coming, on their way to or from
the village plantation surrounding the
fence. We halted for the night at the
upper of theso villages, fastening the
iteamer close alongside the bank. In
the morning when I arose from my
couch on deck I found, to my disgust,
WW 3-
kY W'-S .... . ..!
IVF.RVWIIK11E WAS DESOLATION.
that some enterprising native had prof
ited by the shadows of night to steal my
trousers, socks and coat from the table
the head of my bed where I had laid
ttemongoingtorost, so that I was spared
the difficulty I usually experienced on
retting up of endeavoring to get into
7 clothes unperceived by native
ye, until I had been able to arouse
Ware 1D the cabin by my cries', who
oon appeared on the scene with fresh
rtWesof attire and enabled me to arise
uothed and in my right mind, but
"reathing awful vengeance against the
Jbief if I should discover him. The mlss
J11! garments never turned up, and I w as
weed to quit Bolombo (the name of
' dishonest village), hoping that on
j return journey down river again the
M might be revealed, or that at least
clothes and the effort to put tbcm
08 Properly might work the physical
of the wretch who had stolen
them.
From Bolombo we continued our jour
T past long stretches of thick forest,
fcasionally relieved by open space
steep red-eartbed bluffs topping
kicli extended TlTid green patches ol
"nana and plantain leaves, where
small village nestled amid the
P groves of those tree.
Although I judged we must now have
"n from eighty to one hundred mile
""a the mouth of the Lulungu tb
BTr continued of the aame breadth,
raging a mile wherever we could sei
lt entire surface from shore to shore,
broken by Islands.
eteon the" af lernoon of the second
after quitting Bolombo at a point
jt one hundred and ten milea from
Congo we came upon the first of f
"J lint of vUlages, extendina so the
H
lefC bank far as the ey. eoulj aee.
crowning a bluff about fifty feel
high and so steep that rope ladders, o
wooden steps fl,.d into the hard, red
clay of the hank, served to communlcaU
between the village and the waters' edge.
Urge canoet were lying hauled ur
partly out 0f the water al the foot of (h
Muff, or, manned, by excited crowds,
darted out from the shore and
circled round us as we drew in to the
beach. Voices from under tho greal
trees that towered over the streets ol
bouses lining tho ton of the bank ..11i
out to us to approach, and answered u
that there were tons of ivory for salt
here. Landing ty firelight we mad.
blood-brothers on the bank, amid
crowd of savages, with the old chlof oi
this village, whose name we learned wai
Topono, and received from hira two flnt
tusks of ivory as presents. All night
long our men were chatting wltb tin
natives round the fires on shore.
The district of which Popono was oulj
one village was called Masan Kuso, and
extended about eight miles highor up u
the junction of the Nsllngs and Lopor'
rivers, which together form the Lulungu.
the great tributary of the Coniro a h,
been traversing for the last four days.
Next day we steamed higher up to tin
topmost village of the district, situated
in face of the Loporl which, coming
from the north and flowing througl
countries destitute of ivory, and onlj
supplying enormous numbers of slave
to the raiding canoes of this very Masar
Kuso district, hero joins the still broadei
Malinga by a mouth about four hundred
to five hundred yards wide.
The natives here were very friendly,
and we had to undergo the ceremonial ol
exchanging blood and becoming "kin
dred of one blood" with several chiefs ol
the community, who expressed their ap
prociatUm of their new-found relatlom
by offering us goats, fowls and two oi
threo beautiful tusks of ivory, for all
of which we gave suitable presents in
return, consisting of several fathoms ol
red clotn, or American sheeting, oi
cheap Manchester cottons, a few spoon'
fuls ot white and blue beads, a mirror oi
two, a tin plate, cup and spoon, and one
or two odds and ends which cheer th
heart of the African In his rude sim
plicity. Learning at Masan Kuso that a greal
inland tribe of cannibals known as the
Lufembl had been ravaging the bank
of tho Malinga and bad destroyed every
village up to the great lialolo town ol
Malinga (from which the river takes lu
name), we determined to lay in as large
a stock of fowls, goats and other food at
possible, since we could not hope tc
reach Malinga town before three days.
On the second morning after our ar
rival we started from Masan Kuso up the
.Malinga and were soon tar irora any
evidences of life. No canoes passed uc
and no signs of human habitation or hu
man being greeted us. For two day!
we passed along between the tall, sllenl
walls of the great forest on either sldo,
the silence scarcely broken by the crlei
of any bird, and the only moving thing
upon the waters the head ot a black oi
green water snake as lt strove to avoid
our bows in its passage across the river.
One of theso creatures jumped into out
low-lying canoe attached to the side ol
the steamer which served us instead ol
a boat and scattered all the cooking ar
rangements of poor little Moohlndu, our
cook, who used to arrange his mid-day
dishes along the bottom of the canoe.
On the evening of November 10, aftei
we had been two days in the Malinga
without seeing a sign of hut or human
being, wo were cheored to sight a few
miles ahead ot us up along a straight
reach of river, thellgther green patch in
the dark surrounding line of forest
which denoted the presence ot the
broad-leaved plantain groves that sur
round evcy village. However, on getting
up to It we wero saddened by the scene
which met our eyes, after we had as
cended by rope ladder and steps cut in
tho bank tho cliff on which the plan
tains waved their long arms. Evory
where was desolation. The huts were al
most all destroyed by fire and only
charred poles and half burnt thatcb
remained to show where once had ex
tended the broad pleasant street of a
comfortable African village. The
beautiful Btems ot the bananas and
plantains were blackened by fire or
cut down in enormous masses they
blocked up the paths between the
houses, or lay half suspended across the
still hanging center pole of some
partially destroyed hut
We wandered about for some time
amid the ruins, wondering at the causo
of this destruction, and seeking if we
might find some poor savage lurking in
the bushes near his but recently de
stroyed home. Presently from across
the river a voice called out to us, timid
ly and faintly, and looking in the direc
tion whonce it camo, we perceived a
small canoo with two occupants creep
ing close in to the opposite bank and
iteallngup stream in the shadows of
the trees. To our cries that we wore
friends and should do them no harm if
they arproached, the timid natives only
answered that they had nothing t sell
or even give us save the advice that wo
should sleep anywhere else rather than
on the site of their destroyed village,
for that the Lufembi at the back were
only a short distance oH and would prob
ably come down on us in the night.
Howover. as there was plenty of good
wood to be had from the partially burnt
framework of the houses, we determined
to remain ttie nijjht there, and put all
hands to pulling down poles and charred
timbers, fawiw them on the top of the
bank and throw lg them down the cliff,
whonce we h: .i them carried on board
the Florid;. 'is work by firelight
went on " -noui-h well into the
night, the mtn ehafflng each ether and
occasionally saying in half-play, half
earnest: -What will we do if the La;
fembi come down upon us by and by7
Gradually, work being finished and
the wood all carried on board, the men
sank to rest round their fires up on top
of the cliff, each man w ith his loaded
Snider rifle beside him. and a guard
having been posted we all went asleep
with a feeling of security. I bad
not lain very long. I fancy, on mT camp
bed out on the deck of the Florid, when
I was startled from sleep &J w'ul
noise coming from the top of the bluff
yell, and shriek, and hoarse cries, .mid
Which continually sounded shsrpi and
dear the ban,! bang! of !th. rifle, bstaf
discharged. I jumped from Mted
mJ revolver from under my pillow. nd
with fflave and the engineer whom I
encountered running iorw ,
d ."ned, I was just t$ ,
on shore and teste the sttso Pth . ,
the plateau, when, tumbling heltar-,
skelter over one another, rolling down
entire distance from the top to j
water", edge, or even leaping from the
.ummlt, cam. the greater -umber of the
of the Florida. For a moment
fusion among the panic-stricken meh,
truggllng up to their neck in the river.
No one could tell the cause of the sud
den flight. All were shouting at once,
nd expecting the next moment to be
nearly overwhelmed by a shower of
.pears from the banks, where we doubt,
ed not the savage Lufembl must be
gathering for an assault on the steam
er. We endeavored to arrest the men
in their scramble, and were just mount
ing the scaling laddor when voices from
the darkness ou tap of the bluffs and
. ringing peal of laughter caused us to
pause. Then came the tone, of lllon
elo". voice relating the cause of the
panic, and the shouts of laughter from
the men who a moment before had been
risking their lives In their wild leaps
to the bottom of the river bank drowned
all our attempts at inquiry or reproof.
It appeared from lllonelo, who with
one or two more had not fled when the
first shot was fired, that on searching
for the cause of the disturbance, he had
found our three goats tied up near one
of the houses for the night after hav
ing grazed during the arternoon, and lt
was one of these which had coughtd la
Its dreams, or while chewing the cud,
that had startled Elenge Mlnto, that
brave 'joun man." from hi. lumb.re.
ATs Urti, lubugbT wa ol the LufeaTbl
and the blood-curdling cough being re
peated he had answered lt with a yell oi
tear and pulled the trigger ot bit
Snider. Then followed the panic, the
hasty shots at an invisible foe and
the indescribably swift descent over the
face of the cliff.
We could not refrain from joining In
the merriment and chaffing the unfortu
nate Elenge Mlnto. The racking cough
of a consumptive goat became quite a
popular complaint on board the Flor
ida for the remainder of the evening.
Our next day' run was a short one,
and we camped at two In the afternoon
alongside a small opening In the forest
'of tho north bank, where we found dead
wood for fuel, as well as numerous ele
phant and buffalo tracks, but none of
thom very recent ones. The river now
was only on an average one hundred
and fifty to two hundred and fifty yards
broad, and its general direction was al
ways the same, from the southeast
Continuing our journey next morn
ing, we steamod on at a good speed
without seeing a human habitation or s
canoe until the afternoon, when we ar
rived off a village situated on low-lying
swamp land at the water' edge, and
consisting of a few poor fishermen'
hits, lt was on the right bank ot the
river and opposite the side on which the
Lufembl carried on their ravages.
The few fishermen about were aston
ished at our advent but they speedily
gathered in fresh recruits from the
forest at the back and adjacent planta
tions, and became sensiblo of the beau
tics of a fow strings ot white beads held
up artlessly before their longing eyes.
When to these were added a handful ot
cowries and a shining tin plate and
spoon the leador ot the assemblage of
savages on shore could only find broken
tones in which to explain his apprecia
tion of our kindness; and whon, later
on, we asked him as to the country
lying ahead of us, be eagerly strove to
impart every thing he knew.
He was of the Balolo, the great race
of Iron-workers (lialolo signifying
"Iron People"), wbo inhabit the coun
try bordering on the three affluent, of
the Congo the Ronki, Ikelomba and
Lulungu but whose true home is at the
head waters of this system of kindred
rivers. The facial and bodily adorn
ment of the lialolo differs entirely from
the modes of cicatrization of the tribe,
dwelling lower down, or along the bank,
ot the Conga The mon we now en
countered indulged their savage instinct
of improving upon nature's handiwork
by chiseling their features into hard
lumps resembling Spanish nuts in size
and shape, which were impartially dis
tributed down the forehead to the bridge
of the nose, and on each cheek as well
a. on the chin.
The shoulders and hollow of the back
were alike covered with these protuber
ant knots of hard skin and flesh. The
women, In addition to sporting all this
display, revolted in an extra batch or
two of lump, scattered down the
thighs, which, if one may except a nar
row strip of banana or planataln leaf,
fastened from a thong ot fiber around
the waist, formed their sole indebt
edness to art for any covering. The
men, on the contrary, wore strangely
made little grass or palm-fiber cloth,
which terminated In a tall behind, to
which was attached a piece of monkey
skin, or the fur ot some animal. Tbey
carried spears and shields, the former
beautifully made ot Iron, their haft,
covered wltb shining band, of copper
or brass, and the latter procured from
molting down the brass-wire rods used as
currency by Upper Congo tribes. The
younger boys paraded about with bow.
and arrows to shoot small birds, or thin,
many-pronged spears, with which they
speared fish in the shallows.
It was our first glimpse of the myste
rious lialolo, on the borders of whose
realm we now found ourselves, and w
listened wltb interest to the speech of
the old headman, who .poke to n.
through Elenge Mlnto, our interpret
er. First he gave u to understand
that they lived in mortal dread of the
savage Lufembl, and that the 'big"
town of Malinga, to which he belonged,
onlv a little further up river, had
lately suffered a great deal. Many had
been killed and others carried off Into
slavery, but that now all the scattered
Malinga villages on the other, or Lu
fembi side of the river, had drawn to
gether and constructed a strong barri
cade around their united town, and to
had been able to beat off the renewed
attacks ot the Lufembi.
In reply to my question whether these
savages bad ivory, he facetiously re
marked that as no Malinga man wbo
bad ever visited the Lufembi returned
to tell bis tale it waa impossible to say
what tbey had, but he considered an
appetite for human flesh aa their most
cherished possession; and on furtter In
quiry the old gentleman admitted that
he himself was not at all .verse to a
little boiled or roast Lufembl, when
ever the fortunes of war delivered a few
prisoners into the hand, of his country-
men. ,,
Those wbo are not Dt to ten as
alaves," he said, alluding to the weak or
wounded captives, "we eat"
Then he branched off into a descrip
tion of the upper course of the river,
which we soon judged would prove navi
gable yet for another ten day.' team
ing of the Florida.
'High up." said he, "the river divides.
Into tao branches, one coming from
wamps and trees, the other, and larger,
falling over stone where tbero are
fisber villages."
Before reaching thU point however,
be aaid we should come acroa the veri
tU torn. f tt .lepbn. Score ol
these bug creature oTmllnually cross
ing and recrosslng tbo Infant river,
v
OCB LAST TTCW OF TUB VILLAGE.
bathing in Its pool, and wallowing In
the shady recesses of It forest bank.
Slaves, he asserted, In that paradise
of the man-catcher could be purchased
for two mitakoi each (two brass rods,
worth about two cents each), so valu
able was metal tbero and so plentiful
the supply ot human flesh.
Any exhibition of disgust on our part
was out of place here; and w felt that
to argue with a blood-thirsty old can
nibal, and have our argument met by
a supercilious lifting of s pair ot an
thropophagous eyebrow was more than
either we could stand, or Elenge Mlnto
find suitable word to express; so by
way of inflicting as much torture as pos
sible ere we shot out from the bank,
we gave tho steam-whistle string such
s tug that the shriek which burst from
the Florida nearly deafenod ourselves
as we enjoyed the spectacle of its hu
miliating effect on the lino of grinning
savages along the muddy shore.
Our last iew bt that village was
omewhat obscured by the hopeles
jumble of arms, legs, monkey' tail,
knotted tbigh. and bursting banana
fiber waist thongs, which heaved and
throbbed on the muddy beach as old
chlct and young warrior, wife, hus
band and babe struggled and panted 'to
escape from the piercing screams of the
Iron monster which was now gaily dash
ing aside the current of the river on its
way to renowned Malinga.
MISCELLANEOUS.
In Colorado in caso ot debt the law
allow forty-five percent of a man's
wages till the bill Is paid.
One orange growor ot San Diego
keeps trees from being pluckod of ripe
fruit by putting up placards: "These
oranges have been poisoned."
Tbo Rldgowaterd'a.) physlclansays
that olive oil Is an antidote for rattle
snako poison. Half a dozen tablespoon
fuls are sufficient, he declares, to cure
any case of snake bite.
It Is said that nearly all tho postal
clerks and carriers who become thieves
begin by stealing letters addressed to
lottery agonts, which they know are al
most sure tocontaln money.
A Dodge City (Kan.) dentist who had
mado a sot of teeth for a lady who had
failed to pay for them, took them out ot
her mouth In a crowded store In that
place. In an hour or two the molars
were paid for and returned to the woman.
It is a ourious fact that lumber Is
transported in large quantities from
New York to Para, llraztl, although the
fast forests of that country contain no
fewer than sixty-seven variotlos of the
most valuable building woods in the
world. It Is a cloar case of "carrying
coals to Nnwcastlo."
A Potaluma (Cal.) merchant found
in hi papers recently a note of hand
given blm in January, 1800. Tho face
of It called for $200, with three per cent
a month Interest compounded monthly it
not paid. He got a number of sharp ac
countants to figure up the present value
of the note with lntorest Tho result
was startling $8.W7,37.90.
The application of a caveat to stop a
marriage is something new. It is stated
that a member of the Maryland Legis
lature bad contracted a marriage with s
lady, and journeyed to the county seat
to procure a license, when he made tho
painful discovery that bis rival had filed
a caveat against the issue, and before ho
can get lt the caso will have to be
argued. The wedding day has been
postponed, but the man is a fighter and
won't give up easily.
"People who endorse others for posi
tions say very strange things once in a
while," remarked a western Senator. "I
received papers the other day urging the
nomination of a constituent of mine as s
chaplain in the army, and one of the
documents, after aaylng a number of
nice things about the candidate, and de
tailing his long service as a minister of
the Uospel, wound up with the emphatic
remark: 'He Is s man ot good moral
character.' 'How's that" Washington
Star.
Among the transfer filed in the reo
ord office at Washington, recently, was
one of Agnes Holts, transferring to
George Wagner all ber Interest In her
son Paul during hi minority for s nom
inal consideration, the party ot the sec
ond part agreeing to feed and clothe and
give the boy a good common school edu
cation. Tbero was come discussion as
to the question under what bead the pa
per ihould be filed, some claiming it was
s lease, but it was finally concluded that
as the boy was s movable property the
chattel mortgage bead was the proper
one.
Among the most oppressive monopo
lies of the present day are the express
companies. English post-offices do the
bulk of the express business. The av
erage cost ot sending parcels through
out Great Britain is eleven cents. It
costs f 1.50 to send s suit of clothes
across our continent It Is to be hoped
the United States will encourage the
adoption of the parcel, post system In
this country. Now American express
companies do a great part of the busi
ness which properly belongs to our Post
office Department, and charge outrage
oualy for it The people demand cheap
er service. Boston Budget
A Talaabl KnaiipC
David Wbitmer, who died at Rich
mond, Ray County, Ma, January 29,
1888, bad in his possession one of tho
most interesting and valuable manu
script in tbe world the original manu
script of tbe "Book of Mormon." Some
time before bis death tbe Salt Lake
hierarchy, through Orson Pratt and oth
ers, offered Mr. Wbitmer f 100,000 for
bis treasure, which be promptly refused.
It is believed that 1500,000 would have
been given by the parties interested,
but tbe owner told them that "all tbe
gold in the world would not tempt blm
to part wltb it" Tbe table upon which
It waa written, an invaluable relio of
Itself, is now the property of George
bchwekh, of Richmond. J. D., s son ef
David Wbitmer. has custody ef ths maa
iscxlpt bt Louis RspubUs,
-1
BLOWN INTO ETERNITY.
loor At Kill llltawir by Trying t
Maintain the Family !lgnlly.
Ws were riding along a Kentucky
highway when we came to a mule and
cart backed up to a farm-house gato, and
one ot the two men w ith it halted us and
aald:
"Strangers, I reckon you'll be willing
to stop and give us a lift on this thing
in the cart"
We expressed our willingness, and
were shocked to discover that "this
thing" was the dead body ot a young
man.
"It's my son Abe," explained the man,
wbo was a typical KentucMaa about
sixty years old.
"But is he really dead?"
"Dead as a crowbar, gentlemen."
"Killed by some accident?"
"No, sir; busted to death by his own
durned foolishness. Let's git the body
Into the house and then I'll explain."
We carried lt iu and luid lt on a bed
off the sitting room. The wife and
mother wasn't home, and as soon as tho
body was decently cared for the man ac
companied us to the door and said:
"The undertaker will be along purty
soon, and I've sent for tbe old woman,
who Is seven mllus away. Now, then,
as to bow he died. It's market day in
town, you know, and me an Abe won'
up. There was a feller there with one
of them blowing machines, and the
tnlnlt Abe aaw lt he was dead gono."
"Do you moan a lung tester?"
"Reckon lt was. You blow into it and
s plnter flies round a dial to toll bow
many pounds you blow."
"Yes."
"Well, Abe was gone on It and I waa
holding bim back, when one of the
Stevenses stepped up and blew. It
was Budd Stevens, and lludd and Abe
didn't bitch, you know. They was allors
like two dogs, ready to fight, but waitin'
for tbe hat to drop. Iludd made that
pinter bump for dear Ufa, and the crowd
yellod and applauded. Then Abe says
to mo:
" 'Dad, lt won't never do to back
down for a Stevens. I've got to beat
that blow or we'll lose our respoctabll
lty.' "
" 1 Abe, you lot It alone,' say I.
We've got mo' doggonod respectability
in five nilnlts than '.he Stevensos have
in a hull y'ar.' "
" 'Hut I can beat It dad.'"
""Sposlng ye kin? What' blowin'
s plnter around amount to? That
hain't jumpln', or shootin', or flghtln',
is It?' "
"But, gentlemen, that 'ere Abe felt
sore to see that 'ere Budd struttln'
around, and be took advantago ot my
goln' into s saloon after s drink. He
stopped up, laid down his nickel, and ho
told the boys he'd beat Budd all holler
or bust Ho sucked In enough wind to
blow a barn over, got a purchase in tbe
gravel with his foot, and thon lot ber
go."
"And he died!"
"Died! Why, dog-gone blm, be bust
ed hlssulf all apart In five or six places,
and he couldn't help but dtel There
was a ripping and a toarlng, and Abo
cried out: "Oh! Lord!" and full back as
dead as a June bug In January. That's
the story gentlemen, and I'm much
obliged for tho lift Good day to you."
N. Y. Sun;
SOME BIQ BRIDGES.
Englneiirlna- Feats That the Anelent
Would Have Thought ImooMlble.
The Inventors of phrases have much
exercised tholr ingenuity ot late In
coining a proper tltlo tor tho present
age, and to the list of labols alroady
made there may surely bo added that of
the Ago of Big Bridges. Tho Brooklyn
bridge led the way, thon came that
across the Firth of Forth, noxt the pro
ject to join the shoro. of the English
channel, and now congross has been
asked to grant a company of enginoors
and capitalists the right to span tho
Hudson from New York to New Jersey.
It U claimed that this will be tho big
gest brMgo in tbe world, the engineer
ing standard being the length of span
and not tbo length of tbe whole struct
ure. Thus, while tho English ohannel
Is twenty mile, wide at the point to be
bridged, the longest spau ot the contem
plated great link between England and
France is to be but 1,700 foot, while tbe
pan of the North river brldgo 1. to be
8,8.r0 feet A bettor idea of the bold
ness ot this enormous leap may be gath
ered from the fact, In comparison, that
tbe river span of the Brooklyn bridge
is 1,405 feet, while that at Niagara is
but 1,208 foot Tbe height of this giant
span from the river is to bo 150 foot, or
fifteen foot higher than the Brooklyn.
This will leave the river practically un
obstructed. The dispatch does not say so in so
many words, but there Is very fair in
ternal evidence that the bridge Is to be
of the susponslon order of construction
the most graceful form of all bridges.
It Is to be built of stool snd stool wlro,
mater.'als now so much cheaper than
tbey wore at the time tho Brooklyn
bridge was built that tbe probability 1.
that tbe air passage over the North river
will be completed at no greater if not at
s les. cost ($M,000,000) than was that over
the East river. One important factor in
thia probability Is the tact that tho Now
York-New Jersey bridge 1. to be open
for trafllo in seven years from tbe date
of franchise, wbllo fifteen years elapsed
before tbe New York-Brooklyn brldgo
was completed.
Tb enterprise Is undoubtedly s good
commercial one, as the success ot tbe
Brooklyn bridge bas proved; and per
haps by tbe time tho Jersey brldgo
is In good running order the spirit
of boldness may have made its way so
far West that we may begin to seriously
discuss tbe feasibility of a similar con
nection between San Francisco and Oak
land. San Francisco Chronicle.
The Longevity of Bird.
The swan Is the longest-lived bird
ssd it is asserted tbst it bas reached
tbe age of 100 years. Knauer, In bis
work entitled "Naturblstorlker," .tate.
that be ha. seen s falcon that wa. 18'J
year. old. Tbe following example, ars
cited as to the longevity of tbe eagle
snd vulture: A aea eagle captured in
1715 and already several year, of age,
died 104 years afterward. In 1819; s
white-headed vulture, captured in 1708,
died In 18-I0 in one of tbe aviaries of
Scboenbrunn Castle, near Vienna,
where it had passed 118 year, in captiv
ity. Paroquet and raven, reach an age
of over 100 years. Tbe life of aea and
marsh birds sometime, equal that ot
several human generations. Like many
other birds, magpie liv to be very old
In s state of freedom, but do not reach
over to or 25 year io captivity. The
nightingale live but 10 year in cap
tivity and the blackbird 15. Canary
bird reach an age of from li to 15 1
years In tbe cage, bat those flying at
liberty la tholr native Islands reach s
saueb nor advanced sfft, I
WOMEN AND LUGGAGE.
Two Kirlrnria That taitrientd a Fall
Itlvrr IUsaH( Matr.
"Quoer creatures, those women," said
Henry Whelund, baggage master ot the
Fall River steamer, the other night
"What bas struck you now?" was
asked.
"l'vo Just been having s nice j
tlmo with one of them. She enmo to
my office just after wo li ft tho duck at i
X'.... ... I -..l.l ..U.v'.l 111,.. In...
imn I um mm biiiu diiu u una wguvimv
her trunk.
"Now.you may not have noticed It.but
all our through, bapcajro is packed in
crates on tbe pier In New York, where
the crates are locked, and rolled them
aboard the Btenmer, to ho transferred to
cars at Fall River and so carried to Bos
ton. At Uoston these crates are supposed
to lie unlocked for the lirsl time.
"This woman's trunk wus bound for
Boston. I told her ulxmt the crates, and
that nut of the 1,500 pieces of liajrage
In tho el'ht crates on hoard to-night lt
would bo hard to find her particular
trunk.
"Oh, If you'll nsk tho men who pack
ed tho crates," she said, '1 know they'll
remember my trunk and whero they put
It tor it was brand now and tho very
best make.'
"It was no use to sujrpest to such a
woman that thero might be another
brand new trunk on board. Sho seemed
in such great distress I thought it wus
surely a case ot sudden sickness, and so
I took my keys nnd begun to hunt for
the trunk. I unlocked and unloaded six
crates before I found ber trunk. Hav
ing placed lt convenient for ber to open
I, of course, waited near by, so as to put
it back ii pain. Sho hastily took out tho
tray, plunged her hands Into tlio bottom
and pulled out what do you think? A
sunshade. Then she locked up tho
trunk, sighed gently with satisfaction,
picked up tho parasol, said 'There!' and
walked away with not even a thank you
to mo. It's no small job to unload six
crates of baggage, and sighs won't buy
s cigar."
"But you don't find many such women,
do you?" asked the reporter.
"Don't I? I'm a good-natured sort o'
devil and hato to ri'fusn a woman any
thing; so I'm always getting Into a mesa.
A few trips back a nlco-looklng young
lady wunted to get into her trunk bo
fore lt left the pier, so I said 'all right'
and hunted lt up for her. I stood close
alongside to assist her and keep the
orowd away from her while she took out
ber duds.
"When tbo trunk was open she turned
over a dress that was on top, and a. I
was turning my bead away took out
something, I did not seo what, which
she thrust into my hand to bold wbllo
she re-arranged tho things in tho trunk.
The boys around began to snicker. It
was a nursing bottle, and there I stood,
an unmarried man, you know, holding a
nursing botllo while the handsomest
young woman on tho pier was locking
up a trunk alongstdn. Did tho boy. guy
me? You bet I'll never bear tho last
of It I'm dotio helping women."
Howover, be wasn't quite done, The
next morning at Fall River ho was aeon
going down the gangplank carryings
gripsack, two bundles and a birdcage,
and leading a very largo dog at tho end
of a chain, while a woman wbo carried
nothing w alked along in front with an
air ot supremo lndlltereiico. N. Y. Sun.
AGES OF ANIMALS.
The Teitra of I.ir Allotted to Wild and
l)iiiiielli-ntd Cri'ttturea.
Sir John Lubbock, tho great English
ciontist in ono of his Interesting lec
tures on ants, tells us that ho kept .
"queen ant" for fourteen years. On tho
other hand, ho speaks of some small in
sect that 11 vo but a day, which short
period senilis as long to them probably
as our threo scoro and ten years. Hu
bert WhI to records the tradition ot a
tortoise that lived for ono hundred
yrars and of another which, to his per
sonal knowledge, died at tbo advanced
ago of thirty.
In tho Zoological Gardens of Phila
delphia there Is a cockatoo that Is still
lively and cross at tho ago of eighty
five, tho venerable bird being a uni
versal pet with tho keepers of tho gar
dens. Purrots bave been known to
live to tho ago of ono hundred
years, wbllo ravens have a still bettor
record for clinging to life, I hud a pet
skylark, which lived for ten years in s
cage, and died finally from old age. But
since its death I have heard of another
ono that lived for twenty-four years in
confinement, and of a ring-dove that
died aftor bolng cuged for twenty-six
years. Thoso who havo cuged birds
should note tho egos, and at their death
send a record of their 11 fo to some repu
tablo sclentlflo paper or mugazlno, such
Information often being of great impor
tance to bird fanciers.
Tho ages of fishes are moro difficult
to get at, except when kept in globes.
Carp aro considered tho patriarchs of
fresh-water fish, whllo plko havo been
known to live to extreme old ago. One
was captured In Germany a short tlmo
ago wearing s ring through Its lower
jaw, on which tho date l'U8 was
scratched; but evidently Bomelmdy put
the wrong ditto on, cither accldently or
Intentionally, as very few scientists give
much credit to the story.
Tho ages of our domesticated animals
sre more easily determined than those
of wild ones. It is very seldom that s
horse is good for much hard work after
he is fifteen or twenty jwars of ago, and
S fow have reached forty to fifty year of
age when carefully cared tor. The
oldest horse in New York died a short
time ago In his thirty-eighth year, whilo
s famous barge-horse died at Warrington
Sixty-two year old. Mules hang onto
life a little moro tenaciously than horses.
About a year ago ono died in Philadel
phia forty-six years of ago, while ono
has been known to live to nearly
seventy.
Lately s short paragraph appeared in
tbe papers to the effect that s water
spaniel died at the age of twenty-eight
In the same pfaco s cat died in Its
twenty-second year. But by far tho
best of all these I the history of the
old Cromarty donkey, whoso ago could
be traced back to 1770. It was known to
bo at least ono hundred snd six years
of age, still hale and hearty, whon lt
was killed by a kick from s horse.
These are all extraordinary ages for
domesticated animals, and they show
merely how well they can cling to life
if properly bandied. Tbe duty of kind
ness to animals is now being generally
taught and nothing Is more instructive
In tbls respect than to see some old
horse, mule, or dog quietly living out its
fow remaining years in peace and rest
on its old master's place. It should bo
our duty to care for our four-footed
friends in tbelr declining years, remem
bering that tbey bave worked for us so
long and faithfully, that thoy deserve
some little reward in return. Treasurs
Trove,
THE USES OF HISTORY.
It la the Itreonl of Fact Rearing OS Or
ganlinl Mum of Men.
In his eloquent address before tbo
New York Historical Society on tho oc
casion of Its eighty-fifth anniversary,
November 31, lss'.i, the Rey. John Hall,
1). I)., said: "When memory was given
by tho Creative hand as one of the
powers of the mind, it was evidently
meant that the past should have to do in
tho mental experiences of the present.
To tho Inflnlto Ono, past, present and
future make ono picture of perfect dis
tinctness. The finite man falls Im
measurably below this capacity, but
thero Is still a lingering vestige of like
ness to the I inn, 'ii of the infinite In that
we can learn and remombnr something
ot what Is behind us, and In that we can
not help wondering, inquiring, hoping,
regarding tho future. Tho exercise
that strengthens this original faculty
which rcpnxluccs tho past and placos lt
beslihi the living present Is good In
Itself provided we koep the power so en
larged at work on fruitful fields. In
tho careful analysis of the niontal
powers by Dr. Noah Porter we have
sense -perception and consclousnosa,
inakln,- a first presentation of objects to
the mind. Then we havo the repre
sentative faculty acting (In part without
the will), making a second presentation
of the objects. But will-power comes in,
and Is employed in keeping represented
to the mi I'd what Is desired, and so at
once employing and strengthening it
t.nod history furnishes tbe material on
which this representative power can
work, exercising in pnrtothor faculties,
and so far giving vigor, direction, and
versatility to that which constitutes the
man. For what Is history? Thore Is s
most valuable ono might say, Invalu
able department ot literature, In which
the muke-up, tho career, and the In
fiuences ot individuals are portrayed,
and single lives stand out In tholr dis
tinctness beforo s community, so that
wo seem to live, snd toll, and suffer
with them. I am ready to own the
pleasure and tho profit I bavo drawn
from tho fruitful field of biography,
which Is the history ot individuals. But
you can not look at Individuals without
keeping under your eye the throngs be
tween whom and them action and re
action aro more or leas distinctly visi
ble. Constantino tho Great can not bo
rightly estimated without s careful con
sideration of tho condition, social, po
litical and religious, of the nations
with which hn had to do. When Prof.
Pasqualo Vlllarl would depict the man
who moved Italy, from Floronce as s
center, In the end of the flfteonth cen
tury, he writes tbe Llfo and Times of
lavonarolo. On tho other hand, we can
not explain tbo conditions of things
throughout Christendom for centuries
without taking Constantlnolnto account;
nor can you get a just view ot tbo sway
ot tho Mcillols, and the relations of
France and Italy at that time, not to
speak of great lator movements, without
some knowledge ot Savonarola. An In
dividual, howover Interesting person
ally, becomes 'historical' only when ho
Influences, directly or Indirectly, the
conditions ot masses of his fellow-men,
and affects their Joint movements.
"History, then, is tho record of fact
not as tilings dono and done with, but
as things making or marring, telling for
good or evil, on organliod masses ot
men, facts not llko pretty and Interest
ing Koenlg-Soes and lntor-Soes, butlike
Urn sources ot tbo Rhine, or the Danube,
which, though men may oomo and men
may go, themselves go on forover, their
direction iniloed affected by circum
stances outside, with which history bus
nothing to do."- Mugazlno of American
History.
A NOVEL INDUSTRY.
A Woman's Ht-henui fur Npremllng I'aeful
Knowledge la Hnclnty.
A comparatively now avenue of em
ployment for women, particularly for
Intelligent and educated women, is that
of purveyor ot information on topics of
tho day. Tho plan originated with s
bright woman wbo, at a dinner some
months ago, when thn Samoan matter
was first prominent, beheld tho oon
steriiatlon Into which the entire com
pany was thrown by the Innocent ques
tion of ono ot thom: "Where Is .Samoa,
by thn way?" None of thom, Including
herself, knew for s certainty, although
several moro or leas hailly correot sur
mises wero given. Tbe bright woman,
whoi-o resources needed eking out, saw
her opportunity. Within a wooksho had
sent out to various ladles of her acquaint
ance llttlo written notices that on the
following Tuesday attornoon an Informal
"talk" upon "Samoa and the Samoan
matter" would bo delivered at tbe resi
dence of Mr. , West Seventieth
street, a somewhat prominent society
woman who lent hor this sld. It was
further stated that the purpose of the
talk was to present In s concise snd
portable way tho aallent features of s
subject at the moment on the popular
tongue. Fully a score of ladles were
present from which number s class of
ten for a courso of talks was evolved.
Tbe terms were s dollar apiece from
every memler for s lecture, and ono
lecture per wrok was glvon during tbe
following throe months, tho class in
creasing to twenty In s vory short time.
Beforo she had conducted the enter
prise a month tho fair lecturer bad se
cured clusses In both Brooklyn and Jer
sey Cl'.y, and this yoar ber scheme ha
so enlarged upon bor bands that four
days In the weok she Is st work morn
ing and afternoon, for, In addition to
tho threo cities, she has classes In
several suburban communities. One
lecture, of courso, serves for a week's
work, and a. sho will take no class of
less than ten paying member., it may
be readily seen that the work is profit
able, lt is also pleasant and not
difficult Tbe newspapers furnish ber
with topics and an afternoon at a publio
library afford the information needed.
Occasionally, though notoften, a fashion
able book Is the subject of a talk; the gist
of such, howover, is usually so readily
obtalnod through any one of the Innum
erable newspapers and periodical re
views that tho value of comment is not
so obvious as In the case ot other popu
lar topics. The success of the pioneer in
tbo work has been of s nature to attract
others to non-compotltlve fields. Two
charming women in Seneca Falls have
taken to thn parlor platform, joining
forces In the undertaking, and bavo
flourishing classes, not only In the vll
lago named, but In Waterloo and Syra
cuse, with designs upon adjacent neigh
borhoods. All ot tho talkers made s
specialty of complete and accurate In
formation upon the toplo discussed,
rather thin voicing their Individual
opinion upon it It Is s gratifying com
ment upon the growth of the standard
ot development in village communities
that tbe disciples ot the metropolitan
lecturer so quickly secured their audi
noes. N. Y. Sun.