A
AN ICE WRAITH.
By JOHN BOYD OLARKE.
CoprrUht. 1WO. br John Boyd CUrke.
Il t i ! in! I'.iilin." k' tin' follow
iig in ii n.:t: to .1 -lull' if lomlib-rnhlo
ll.tocNiri, I iMihlil l.c :i week iir more
. ! lii. I.iiijiT ioiiIiI got Mil Older
i il m-t I'-stralning Alio Hun-
ihh i. fi i i i'ii i-i,iii; fmtlii'i' gumd
nnshlp i" tin' gill until lln' oaco hail
iii'i'ii pii iii-il li.v tin- Judge, and n
"I I. II II lull'.' tilllO.
U lll'll li.' IllllU'tl 111 Mil' UlVCI'll, Ill'
:iw Ml i-'.n llu.l MillicUllllg was on
i.i..i Tliri" was ii crowd of men
iiimiiil Hit' dour, nuil within rrniiklyu
iiiw i it petticoats of two or throe wo
dii'it Hi' i tit' ii ! Hi" I iirrooui In some
II pld.lHnll
Ai' r.iiiuioi'li was behind tin- bar.
uui In- wit- not waltlug upou custom
ers His wife wax doing th honors
f.H' till' Ihlrslj rniwil.
it. I io Mr rrnnklyn." exclaimed
i. i.ixci'ii keeper. "M liilit hie y
,-l.i.l i it m e Ye' re In good season. "
'-ii.-H'- 'ti';" ilrliiaiiiled tlie eligl-
lieu i ir I -sly. Inn 111 heart beat
'I T
. ilil.ii ' s.-ild Alio, with satisfaction.
M ,! .'I - ,iisi ter be iimriied. .Ill
.(.(.'il I i ii . here shortly."
I ,n ii ;,- ii i i il a strung liand upon
'iN .h i i ii" anil waited.
hmh,'.i ii il.i. sir. Mope .veil Jine
,is lit - i! happy bridegroom over
jmi.it i .'nil the llps.v tavern keeper
pnlliii .1 t.. i i.i llgllle of III Conley loll
un n..in n il.rtj table aeioss the room.
i ins nN III arose unsteadily and
looked i I'iiinklyn with an ugly Unlit
.n ins I-... . He was not as drnnk as
Abe. tun I"' VWH lb'' more dangerous.
"ies. sir I'm the In idi-groom. An
I reckon I km look out for my wife too.
I want all ton fellers ter take notice,"
lie Mild, wining his hand In the crowd
at the bar "Anybody that nils ter
shlnnyln loiind my wlfe'll git Inter
double "I'll II t .Mi""!"
Oh. joll'lo all right. III!" tespotlded
rratiklju. with a laugh, lint he de
sired "lib a might. desire to seize the
fullow b.v the throat and choke the
breath on of bis cowardly body.
Mrs Abe followed the engineer Into
the dining lomii for a niometit.
I reckon .will kin have some dinner,
i.lr she said. "Hill Itose'll haf ler
wa i on 'i' "I'woirt lake her limp,
an twoii't hint her. siting's she's actln
su olllsh " She went lo the fool of the
stairs ami sh-nited: "ltose: Von l!oe:
lomedowii mi'! Here's Mr. I'iiinklyn
to be waited on!"
In ii 1'iiieiit tin Kill's white face up
pea i hi door.
"Ili.iin. iod! Thank (iod!" slm whis
pered tremblingly. "I had Riven tip
hope. I sat there waiting to hear the
the Justice come, with this by me."
She drew nut from under her skirt n
sharp bladcd knife. "I thought It was
he when you came, and- and"
"Ureal heavens!" gasped l'ruuklyn
"Would you kill yuurselfV"
Shu drew herself up lo her full height,
and she seemed suddenly taller than
ever before. "Do you tlilld. for a tno
incut I would marry thatwretchV Met
ter death a thousand times, Although
1 am a coward and fear bodily punish
ment, the knife was at my breast when
mint called inc."
She flung II down upon the table, and
I'raiiklyu seized the weapon as though
he feared she would do herself harm
with It even now.
"Now. what do you want me to do?'
she asked Kvldently the Idea that he
might fall to protect and save her had
never disturbed the girl's mind. Prank
lti could not tell her he was as yit
powerless,
"I saw the lawyer," he said feebly.
"And Is he hero?" she asked eagerly
"lie will take me awayV"
"He cannot until ho gets nil order
from the court."
"Then how will lie stop the marriage.
Mid"
He can't." returned Pranklyn, with
a sudden burst of desperation. "He
(an't save you. but 1 can. and I'll do
It'"
"Yes. Mr Pranklyn. I never doubted
j on," she said, with a blush and In
nine surprise at his vehemence.
iulcU: now! Ho Just ns I tell you,'
lit wild. 'Servo me some dinner hen.
Anytl lug will do. I will go out aftei
I have eaten and tell Abe that I will
be bin u from the lumber camp before
tne ci-reui 'tiy. and I'll leave some mon
y win. h's wife to treat the boys. You
list sl.p out of the back way and
'i t down to the river unseen. I'll
join ynii there, and we'll get away In
i ij- Iceboat There's nothing on tilt
ver can stop her once she gets golug.
U ith live minutes' start I don't believe
Piey can overtake us either on skates
it horseback. Wrap yourself up .irm
ly Now bring mo lu snniethliiK to
eat
She obeyed to the letter. In ten mill
ubs he Joined her at the river's .lge.
I rybody had filed Into the little bar
r 'ii at rranklyn's Invitation, and not
a soul was In sight as the engineer
ru scd the yacht's innllisall and pushed
t'n c raft out upon the Ice.
K"e darted out of the bushes, and
u" lifted her Inboard bodily anil with
8 mighty push leaped 111 himself The
l"t Y ralth started slowly. There was
a I ght but fair wind, and as soon ns
t' y were out from under the land the
I o sail would feel It.
1 atiklyu was scarcely seated ut ihe
iltr w t'li there was a wild shout
from the tavern. He glauced back.
Tie men were swarming out of the
iia ii ml at their head was HI Coll
i' y liose hid her face In her hands
u i trembled.
i "tiley swung a title above his head,
'una brought the weapon to his shoul
J' r and tired recklessly ufter the Ut
k The bullet sang less than a foot
'. re Pinuklyn's head. HI was an ox-
' Went shot when sober. The euglueer
.M him yelling for hU return and
tlrvateuttig to shoot liltu If he did not
y
1- ' the Ice Wraith was steadily
' ""i iig out Into the rlvor, and the
a I bi Husj with t,c wliiil. There was
' md shot. but. glancing back,
lvu saw half n dozeu of the men
i '.poll t.nrses and Into n sledgt
w !. si. mil in-fore the tnveru. and the
u 1' .ivali-ade elattoiwl away down
icu r.er road. They uienut to over
' -" at the laudliig or head bin
r(f ' . f re he reached there.
"' M.ty luiiiliieV" cried ltose.
l!-ll ner follow us iiik)U the
K' m I I ranklyn cheerfully. Thre
was some danger from those on the
river roau. however, l he wind might
dlo out and leave them stranded, or
the horses might even heal the lee
yacht In the race. The road was con
siderably shorter than the Ice route.
It cut off a big curve In the river ten
miles below
Hut the Ice Wraith gathered speed.
W 1th the wind directly astern the Ice
began fairly to "squeal" beneath tho
heavy runners. The powdered Ice Hew
nbout them In a cloud and the huge
sail tugged as though trying to drag
the mast from its socket. Kranklyn
was determined not to reef the sail un
less actually obliged to, and ns he tack
ed the Ice Wraith Hew about, balanced
upon her starboard runners. Rose
screamed and clung to his arm. but the
engineer, glancing hack, saw the horses
pounding along the river road, and he
rejoiced that they were galulng upon
their pursuers.
The race was young, however. When
the Ice Wraith went to the eastward,
the wind was not so fair, and Franklvn
was obliged to tack twice before round
ing the point. Their pursuers had pass
ed them ere this and the engineer half
feared to llnd them imnii tin Ice b.
low nwaltlng their coming. But thev
were not In sight.
He kept the Ice Wraith near the east
shore. He did not fancy stopping nuy
bullets from the bushes along the river
bank. They were now quite half way
to the pulp mill landing. He looked
nt Ids watch and saw with delight
that, unless delayed, they would be In
time for the afternoon train.
l'ar below hint he saw the open wa
ter at the mouth of Upper creek, and
remembered that he would have to
steer to the west side to avoid the
treacherous spot. He gazed keenly at
the woods there, but mw nothing nt
llrst to alarm him.
He allowed the Ice Wrallli to run
gradually over toward that side. The
boat tlew like a great bird. They had
the wind at their backs again.
Hut suddenly, while they were still
two or three miles from the chasm In
the Ice, a man wllb a gun broke
through the bushes on Hie west shore
of the river and ran out upon the Ice.
Prnnklyn knew It was III Conley. He
was followed by two or three others
and then a sleigh drawn by two horses
was driven out upon the river also.
They were headed oft.
All the men had guns or sled stakes
mid the horses were headed down the
river lu readiness to race with the Ice
boat If by any possibility I'rniiklyn
got by unscathed.
Porn few moments l'rauklyn did not
shift the tiller an atom. The Ice
Wraith was headed directly for the
group upon the Ice and half a mile or
more ran out behind him before he
decided upon any plan. The reckless
and half drunken fellows would cer
talnly use their guns, and not only his
own life, but the girl's would lie s:u
Tin- ikm'I lofni- niw tlulr punucm tumble
Inn ititllu Into I he i-liiijh.
rlllced. Pot innately Hose hail nut seen
their danger. Siie had crouched down
In the yacht most of the time.
Suddenly Pranklyn tacked ami took
a short leg to the eastward. Tho men
beUw did nut move. They were well
out upon the Ice. and no sane man
would run loo close to the mouth of
Ppper creek. The Ice yacht was sim
ply gathering headway for a long
swoop upon them.
And this seemed to be Prauklyn'H In
tention, for the Ice Wtaltli soon came
nbout and alined her nose directly jjt
the enemy. She bowled along, close
hauled, with a cloud of Ice particles
dancing In her wake. Nearer and near
er she diew to that narrower strip of
safe Ice. The chasm at the mouth of
Hie creek was skimmed over with thin
and treacherous let. HI Conley stood
within easy title range of tne edge of
the safe lee. There was little danger
if his missing a shot this time.
And then a great shout went up from
the waiting tii'-u The Hying yacht
.time nbiiiii as though on a pivot. Sue
soared up like a sea gull, balanced on
her starboard runners, while tin; main
sail dipped gracefully, and then she
shut away directly for that narrow
strip of black Ice with the wind ex
nelly astern!
Pranklyn leaned om-i to port with a
.teady hand on the tiller and a sudden
light In bis eyes, it was a desperate
,.ml , but In II- very wiring mere
was success.
Coulev's title crocked vainly. The
li e Wraith seemed to oiltsp.H-d bullets
f,,i- the moment I.Ike an arrow from
Uu- bow she shot down to the ehasu)
The black Ice strained and cracked
Prnnklyn could feel It bend iH-uentli
their weight And then, as the broken
Ice cracki'd all about thorn. 111? yarht
.ciilied the chiisiii and ssd out il"n
the froxen liM-r be.ioild!
Looking back, the iiii Igaior cj" then
piu-si.-rs nimble hurriedly Into the
sli-l.'h. bin i hey wt-ie fairly ouidls
tillieeil In a few liilllllte. the lee
Wraith rounded Ihe last ln-nd In the
stream and safely inaih Hie pulp mill
iHiollng. Prnnklyn had to alunt curry
It.i.e to the railway station! but- ouce
M-ated In the ears, she recovered from
her fright The irnln rolled out of the
town befoie the sweating hore nt
ihelr puruer reached the la ml lag
It a several year before Praiiklyu
ventured Into the region again 111
Coiiley was then mniu a term lu the
state prison. Abe Itannock met Prank
Ivn with Mime confusion,
-df course. Mr. Pranklyu. If
knowed you fanelisl the gal you could
have had her for the arkln. I
reckon Host will ever come back tht
ere vny. '" ,, .
I don't believe the will." replied
Prnnklyu sternly, for the uivinor) of
those blue welts upon ltn.es pre"
shoulders came over him my stronsl.'
fr the moment "My wife's "Mr
etn-e with you wa.'l .lrtt M"Sl
fr her to want to renew old aswxia-Hons."
CHOICE MISCELLANY !
lliiiloiirnib lu I'aic.
To seak of photography In n fog
sounds like a cutting from a comic
paper rather than a serious scientific
fact, but It Is a sclentlHe fact none the
less, says the New York Journal, and
the man who Is conducting Investiga
tions In this peculiar Hue of photogra
phy Is the shrewd, euergetlo ruler of
the German empire.
Quite recently the kaiser has been
Meamlng nbout In the Haltlc on his
yacht, ostensibly on pleasuie bent, but
In reality with a far different object.
He was accompanied by two men
whose skill with the camera nnd
whose knowledge of Its construction
lire uucqunlfil, and the result of that
little trip will be the beginning of lin
pottant developments In connection
with the navy and merchant service
of (iermany, If not of other countries.
Hy means of a specially constructed
camera the kaiser's friends succeeded
lu obtaining clear and distinct photo
graphs of vessels and of the coast line
when those objects were a mile o(T
and both the photographer and the
photographed were enveloped In n
thick fog. This wouderful result was
obtained with an exposure of two sec
onds only.
Tlie necessary complement to the
camera Is an apparatus that will en
able the operator to develop his pic
ture lu a few seconds so that it can
be thrown on a screen. The perfection
of this apparatus Is now engaging the
attention of tho two scientific men,
the expenses being paid by the Her
man government.
Merchant vessels lu n fog could take
their bearings In a similar way, and
they would i.nd It more effective 'ban
sirens In preventing collisions.
Olirt Oiirn, imv Ilrlliilii'n
Do you know, says a writer In tho
New York Herald, that the Hiiti.li
have one of our warships tied up at a
dock in London Hying the Hrltlsh Hag
and regularly commissioned In the
Hiitlsb navy? What Is more, slit is
called tlie President, nnd on her bow Is
the Hgurehead of John Adams carved
out of a huge chunk of American wood
and handsomely gilded. Por n quarter
of n century she has been lying at her
present berth near the Past India
docks, most of Hie time stuck In the
mud. There Is some doubt whether
she would Hunt, and It Is probably true
that she would go to pieces If sent ns
far out to sea as the mouth of the
Thames. She was captured by the
British In Hie war of 181'.'.
The lines of the President are si l"
beautiful. She must havo been n very
handsome ship under sail. Although
one of the largest ships In tho world at
the time of her launch, shu would be a
mere pygmy beside one of the great
warships of tlie present day. Yet she
Is more picturesque even In her present
dismantled condition than the Hrook
lyn, Oregon or ICearsarge.
The President Is now used as a tMll
ship for the Hoyal Naval reserves, hav
ing been lltlcd up for this purpose In
lbdl nt Chatham. Pntll 1S7II she lay
at the City canal, river Thames, and
was then moved to her present berth.
Ilrltt-u nt Tit-iiI- 31 1 1 - .
liven New Yorkers have, as a gen
eral thlug, little Idea of the change
that Is coming over New York lu re
spect to Its external appearnuce. The
Improvement that has beeii wrought
by tho great system of beautifully pav
ed streets and the cutting through of
parkways and driveways Is unknown
to most of our people. I wonder bow
many there are who know that, with
the finishing of the viaduct across
Manhattan valley at ltlvershle drive,
we havo practically completed a 'Jn
mile driveway. As boon A a the new
avenue that is to connect this viaduct
with tho French boulevard to the north
St One Hundred nud Twenty-fifth
street has been finished there will be a
continuous stretch of roadway from
Seventy-second street and Ceutral park
to Ouo Hundred nud Tenth street, to
Hlversldo drive, to the viaduct, to tho
French boulevard, to Uykenian street,
to the seedway, to St, Nicholas uvo
nuo and back to tho park. This beau
tiful drive, nearly -0 miles long, Is
lined for almost Its entire length with
handsome dwellings, and tho pave
ment is thtf most perfect In tho world. -New
York Letter.
A Serious Offcnr.
Not long blnco an American reside t
of Hamburg had an amusing experl
ijce of tho seriousness of German otll
claldom. Her pug puppy barked friskily oue
evening from his placo In tho front gar
den at a seml-lntoxlcattd custom house
oillcer who leaned against the palings.
The next morning a ponderous docu
ment was presented to tho owner
which ordered In jtompous terms that
tho dangerous dog should bo kept In
tho house under a penalty of J25 until
the otliclal veterinarian should pro
tiounco upon his condition.
Por teu days ioor puggy was kept lu
the houso before tho state otliclal found
It convenient to call, nnd ho was then
bravely freed from his durance, as tho
Inspector found him not suffering from
hydrophobia nor In danger of biting.
Philadelphia Tress.
I'oLIng- I'uii nt ChlraiEu.
Tho capture of nu eaglo In Cblcngi
recalls attention to that city's ust ex
panse. It Is rumored that several
largo herds of bison are still at largo
In tho northern wards, while traces of
living mammoths and remains of a com
paratively recent dodo's nest have been
reported from tho Jungles of the far
outh. This spring will probably Re
tho betting out or several ,iiuniiuh- par
ties after "big came," wuuo a
tiflc exploring expedition In search of
the traditional mountains of tho moon
Is contemplated. New York Tribune.
The servants In some of the best
places In Shanghai club together nud
pay a cook to provldo and prepare their
food for them at a cost of $2.&0 llox
lean a month, or about $1.23 a month
In gold, or a fraction over 4 cents a day
In our money,
The average cost of land In southern
Germany suitable for tobacco culture Is
$127.60 a Hosslan inorgen, which Is
equal to three-quarters of an American
acre. The total cost of production Is
$35.f5 a tuorgen.
HUMOR OF THE HOUR
llnanr M'an Goiiil,
The Inquisitive young man sat next
to the self reserved lawyer In the limit
ed express. The iuqulsnive young mau
tired of looking out the car window
soon after the train left Albany, nnd
he turned to the self possessed lawyer
for niuusemeut.
"Pleasant day5" said the young man
by way of striking up a conversation.
"I am not much of a Judge of the
weather," was tho reply from bis scat
couipaulon.
Tho Inquisitive young man was quiet
for some moments. Then he broke
loose again.
"Going far'" he asked again.
"Par enough," answered the man of
self reserve.
"Par as Huffalo?" was the third ques
tion of the Irrepressible.
"Perhaps so. Perhaps not." was the
reply.
For n long time the young mnn was
silent. Ho spent tho Hying moments
tracing his full name with hl., little fin
ger on the window paue. Suddenly the
self reserved lawyer spoko to him.
"Pm finding business good Just now,"
said he.
The Inquisitive young man was much
Haltered b.v the condescension pud the
remark of tho lawyer. His last ques
tion came easily.
"What Is your line?" he nsked.
"Hltlng boles out of porous plasters,"
was the reply, and two or three
thoughtless persons who sat near by In
tho car smiled. New York Sun.
Tlie Tnlliir'H TrlnU.
King P.itcuii.n Look here' If you
dou't send in,-, son uicr soot ills berry
night, I'll hab j..ii grilled! How do
you 'spect nu- i" Milk about In dese
heavv winter dn'is in ills warm wed
der, eti? Ally si.iper.
Too .Much I'm- C'rliiisiili liiileli.
"Yes," said Hioncha Hob, "lie was
right popular In Crimson Gulch, and
we'd havo sent him to tho legislature
Hiiro If bo hadn't been so keciiess in
expressln Ids opinions,"
"lie lacked dlploinncy? '
"Y'es, sir. 1 don't know when the
feelln's of Crimson Gulch havo been
so hurt. He come right out and bah!
he was lu favor of puttln uu act on
the statute books that 'ml mako lynch-
In iik'Iii the law. "-Washington Star.
Why Thvy Cull It "tiiunKr."
Wall Street Man (11 n. tn.)-Novcr
saw such luck! I'll havo to sell my
summer cottage and horses If this
keeps on.
Same Man (2 p. uu-lloornyl I'll
have a palace up the Hudson next
summer and come to business on a
bteani yacht.
Same Man (I p. m.)-Say, old boy.
lend me 5 cents to pay street car fare,
will you?-New York Weekly.
(ielllliS On,
Mrs. Greene 1 suposo the Chltllugn
ate awfully stuck up slnco they got
that money from .Mrs. Chltllng's uu
cle?
Mrs. Gray-Not so much ns one
might lime supposed, but I notice that
when they huo mincemeat on the ta
bio they call H croquettes. It used to
be plain hash. Ilostou Transcript.
Alllllja In Mlr.
"Ilnrn's n ehi " ii.in irLi'il the nuerv
cifltor, "who writes to know 'what Is
tho popular spoouholder this season.'
"Pvldcntly," replied tho snake ed
Itor, "sho'a never had any beaus."
'.'Why?"
"Hccauso If sho had she'd know that
the most popular one Is tho parlor
sofa." IiilhideliJTjIa Press.
A lll-niludrr.
"A baby lemlnds mo of poetry," said
the sentimentalist.
"Yes," answered the man of family,
"i reminds me of pory. too, especial
ly when It Is Inclli.'d to bo bad and
you have to walk the Hoor composing
It." Washington Star.
True, If rreleuti.
Teacher Tho beutencc, "My rather
had money," Is In the past tense. Now,
Willie, If you said, "My father has
money," In what tensu would you bo
bpealing?
Willie Oh, that would bo pretense.
Chicago Tribune.
Hoiiinni'f a lu Moilr,
"I shall be at tho opera tonight," he
wrote. "1 can bear Urn susisvnse no
loiiscr. If you love ine, wear a red
rose. If I mny no longer hope, then let
It be a whltu rose."
That night she wore n yellow rose.
Hmart Sot.
He 11ml Ho n II J piiutlut,
"I wish 1 had that $5 Skltta owes
mo."
"Why dou't you osk hlin for It?"
"Pm nrrald to go near him for fear
he'll borrow more money of mo." Chi
cago Itecord.
lliirrril Out.
"Are you going back to tho same ho
tcl In Hlnckpool this year?"
Grlggn-ltather uot. I came away
le.it year from that hotel and forgot to
tip the heod waiter. What to Kau
Sri 'ii Her,
liiexperlent-ed Parent -I do think a
little girl baby is the denriwl thing In
the world!
Experienced Parent You'll (lud she
comes a good deal dearer when she'
about 20. (iili'Hjj'i I rlbune.
The ofllclal report shows that during
1000 the iiuuiImt of pilgrims to Iiurdes
was fiOS.out. ainoug whom were -I
cardinals and !': archbishops and bish
ops. Of wati i fioiu the grotto 105,000
bottles were d.pat' hed to all quarters
or the globe
SE.'
WASHINGTON LETTER
!SH-la! (orrrrom!rm-f
Thousands of dollars In counterfeit
notes and plates and dies which have I
printed millions of dollars of govern- .
ment bonds and greenbacks went up
lu n great cloud of smoke at the Wash
ington factory a few days ago. Prom
the tall chimney of the gun foundry
curls of green smoke poured out and
told the .1,000 workmen In the yard
that the government was having Its
inuual destruction of property from
the bureau of engralng and printing.
These plates are cast off, and, instead
of melting them for their nietiil, they
are allowed to disappear in the great
furnace of the guns'iop. while the
counterfeit notes of all ilenouilnatloiis
po up the chimney In smoke.
Once every year the treasuri olll
rials In charge of the departments of
bonds and nolo proceed to the navy
yard, whither the dies and plates and
green goods are hauled In wagons
guarded with the givatest care. The
big furnaces are stoked to their fullest
biasing capacity, iind then the destruc
tion begin. Tlie counterfeit money
Is llrst burned, "ion the dies and last
the plates. The operations last an
hour or two. and when It Is over pa
pers m t- signed fni ihe government,
showing thai such dies and plates
have been destroyed by lire. Any oth
er course might lead to the plates be
ing seemed and used by unscrupulous
persons.
llluh Snliirlr. I'ut l".iirrl.
Mr Mlllnii Whitney, chief of the
division of soils, department of ngrl
cultuic. was before the Industrial com
mission the other day. Mr. Whlmey
said Hint theie Is still a tendency
among young men reared on farms to
lean agricultural pursuits In order to
go Into Indusiiial or commercial pur
stilts, but a change Is taking place In
that tespect, brought about by at
tractive salaries to be obtained by ngrl
cultural experts. It Is a common thing
now. he said, for a tobacco expert to
bo pa. I fJlt.oiM or S I.ikhi a jear. These
experts are not college bred tsieii and
fieiiuently haxe dellclent general odil-i-ailnn,
bin lime become elllelent In
the prai ilial work of tobacco growing
ami allied industries. Such salaries
are now ofii-n paid men who aie ex
perts lu Hie iiini'ipiilntlou of soils of
unions kinds and In the management
of large truck ranus. Recently Japan
gave a alary of $tl,iXH) a year to a to
bacco expert of the tlcpai Uncut of agri
culture, and silll more recently that
government oll'etcd $.,oK)n year for an
expert of that kind to go to the Island
of Formosa. A largo beet growing
concern had paid $U,000 n year to a
man who could successfully treat tho
alkali soil with which It has been trou
bled. Iiicrrnar In 1'imlal liter lpt.
The monthly balance sheet for the
60 largest postolllces In tho United
States for February, UK) I, shows the
total receipts to havo been $1,011,5.11),
n net Increase of $4(11,151 over tho re
celpts for February, WOO. or 13.2 per
cent. Out of tho 50 olllces only olio
showed a decrease, Syracuse, whoso
receipts were $23,131, n decrcaso of
$1,151?, or 1-7 per cent. For nU tho
other olllces tho showing was very
favorable, especially when It Is con
sidered that February Is not one of
the heavy mall months.
Chlcngo, fi usual, lends tho list lu
the amount of Increiibe, Its receipts be
ing $(',25,301, an Increaso of $101,010,
or 20 per cent, ifew York remains nt
tho h'flld lu amount of receipts, $S25,
717, nu Increase of $M,SS0, or 12.2 per
cent. Greater New Yolk would of
course lead Chlcngo by ninny thou
sands, as Htooklyn shows receipts of
,'123,805, an Increase of $S,3(i2, or 7.2
per cent. Dayton, )., ranks all the
cities lu percentage of Increase Its
receipts for February of tills year are
$23,001, i Increase of $lM'.y', or 38,7'
per cent.
A llri'iil "lirafl."
Perhaps tho slickest game that was
ever worked upon members of congtess
was that used a short tltno'.igo by a
colored employee of tlie house who as
usslgued to duty In the mcml.sy.' toilet
room. This enterprising Individual ob
tained a roll call which gave the name
of every member entitled to vote. He
tupped each and every ouo of them for
the uniform sum of $2 and worked bis
"graft" so successfully that during (lie
last year of a nor v leu In that particular
placo he succeeded, according to ac
counts, lu securing bomcthlng llku $000
rroui 300 representatives.
(t Two dollars was ol much to lend,
and this enterprising African was care
ful never to strike the same man twice.
He probably woulii javo kept the game
up had It not been for one member who
HUtpected that be wus being worked
and who Insisted upon repayment oi
the loan. When he spoko to this color
ed eciilleniiiii'M snncrlor. the whole
scheme was given away, and the enter-
prising African was promptly dismiss
ed.
Itrnilhiu Mailer I'or Molillera.
There Is a f -eat demand for rea ilng
matter among tlie troops stationed at
distant r sts In the Philippines and
Ihobe stationed In Alaska. Tho Army
nud Navy league or this city Is endeav
oring to meet this want as far ns possl
hie and lins Invited contributions of
books, mtigiigltu-H, etc., from tlie till
zons. Mrs. Hlrd. wifo of General Hl'd
or the quartermastcr'fl department, Is
chairman of the special committee ap
pointed to forward this movement. All
inch donations will be forwarded to
their destinations by tho government
free of cost
The president has Issued an execu
live order creating a new Internal rev
enue collection district by detaching
the slates of North Dakota and Sotltb
Dakota from the Nebraska district anil
making ihcrn a separate collertlon ills
trlct. This order will go Into effect up
on the appointment and qualification of
the new coll-tor.
Cam. ScnorjKt.0.
quratli'ii "I 0tneralill.
"Need of counsel? Come up and let
me Introduce you to my lawyer."
"Your lawyer' Do you own n law
yer?" Ir-well, no. certainly not. He
owns me."-New York Press.
Hven the highest personages In Tur
key are not exempt from suspicion.
Their movements are watched and re
ported to tho ptilaeo hy an army of
(pics who swarm In every quarter,
THE LITTLE OLD SPINET.
Pd yon ace the litil r-iiH't stanJinjf In tlie ror
ncr llifret
CreAt-tifamlmotlirr loied to pUjr it nhen the vra
miMcn fair.
Sunts-ams through the window tuinVIe, HlcVtlnic
on Iti jclloned kfjs,
Ami ii almost hear the tinkle ol the old time
melodlet.
(trrat-eramlmother frowned In illV, nlth high
hfrled tllptterf, dainty lire,
Silt there, nhllc unite ol I'leaiure lighted up
tier fair jo- ng (ice;
from without the roae cent llngeri, drilling on
the autntner hrceee,
While ihe I'lajs with (airy flngrri all the old time
melodies.
And Ihe little aplnet wilts hf patiently thoe
long, long Jfirn,
Till Its mellow voleo Is brolrn, harsh, and lias the
svnind of tears,
Yet It teems the sunbeams stralng, flickering on
Its jelloued keys.
And Iter (airy ringers plar'nil all the old tlmt
melodies!
Mary Small Wagner In Optimist.
A CASE OF LAW.
Tlie lli'clntiiu That Win, llemlrri-il liy
a llimllto Siiliiliiiiii,
Law Is a complicated thing, nud
some of Its decisions seem not to be
founded lu equity. Probably most
readers will pass that criticism upon
tlie case reiorded below;
Hasutolanil, being broken and tuotiu
tuitions, was until recently the resort
of Hons, leopards ami other wild aid
mals. Now, however, the hillsides
which were once tin resort of these
savage creatures are tin pasture
grounds of tens of thousands of cnttle
Nearly all dangerous iinluiaLs have
been driven away from Ilastilhiml,
but not long ago a leopard appeared
on the outskirts of a vIMuge. Tin
animal soon beeniae as badly frighten
ed as tlie villagers ami sought safety
lu lllght.
The next niei'iilug the Inhabitants
turned out for a bunt. One of the
hunters was climbing a steep rock
when lie ?addenly found himself face
to face Willi the leopard, whose re
treat was cut off by tho rock Itself.
Neither the iiiaii nor the animal could
escape the encounter.
The illlenium was an nwkwaiil one.
for the climber wns unarmed. It on I Is
lug ills (lunger, he put forth his hands
and In desperation caught bold of the
leopard on each side of Its Jaw, hold
ing It ut arm's length nud calling fr
help. The leopard clawed mid lore his
captor, but the man held on till help
arrived, and tho beast was speared.
Now came a question of law. Hy
Hasuto law the skin belonged to the
chief, who must reward one of three
claimants- either tho man who speared
the leopard or tho man who held It so
that It was posslbV) to spear It or tin
man who, being warned by tho bark
ing of his dog, llrst discovered the
animal lu the village.
Tho Hasuto Solomon decided the
case as follows: Tho man who speared
It could not havo tlono so Vlit for Hie
man who held It, and tho man who
held It could not have known of Its
existence If tho dog had not llrst
warned tho viyage; therefore the credit
for tho killing belonged to tho dog,
whoso owner was entitled to the re
ward. Youth's I'ompaiilon.
Nimt Sbn Ontrs Olm.
A young man and ft young woina.ii
lean over tho rront gate. They are lov
(ers. It Is moonlight. Ho Is loath to
leave, as tho parting Is tho last. IIo lj
nbout to go nwny. Sho Is reluctant to
see hlfli depart. They swing oa the
gate.
"I'll never forget yoii," he says, "and
If death should claim inooiny lust
thtniglxt will bo of you."
'I'll bo truo to you," sho sobs. "I'll
never sen nnbody else or love them ns
Ionif ns I live."
They part.
Six yearn later ho retails. Illssweut-)
heurt of former years hns marrieii.
They meet nt a party. Sho has changed
freatly. Hetween the dances tho rec
ognition taki'N place.
"Let mo see," she unison, w. Ii her
ran beating i tattoo on herpret j hand,
"was It you or your brother who was
"my old Hwe't heart'"
"lteally i don't know," ho . iys.
"Probably my fiiiber." - Loudon An
swers, Maim In II Tlilnl iiliir.
Tho bell on historic onl Ht. .Inhii's
c1uip'i, lu Itlclimond, hero Patrick
Henry inndo his famous peech prior to
tho American devolution, rung In the
twentieth century. This boll Is thus
given tlio distinction of being the only
ouo I-- this country, with mo possible
exception or tli't on old Liberty hall, In
Philadelphia, Hint has rung In three
centuries. Old St. John's bell bus an
Interesting history. Many yours ago.
when the old structure for which ii
wns mado was repaired, tho bell was
removed and sold. Later Its last own
er presented It to tho Vlrglnlu Historic
al society, by vvljcli It was restored to
tho church.-New Orleans Times-Democrat.
TrnlHlVMr llnl.
The year ISbfl was a uieiuornblu one,
ns on Oct. lil was foucht and gained
tho brittle of Trnralgar, and then, ns
uow, fashion complimented heroes by
devising toilets named In their honur.
So Nelson was couimeinornted by n
hut-lho "Trafulgar"-and overy wo
man and child adopted tho wondrous
structure, which would outdo oven
ilio headgear of tho present day, for
thoso hats were of enormous width
and breadth, something or tho size of a
round table, and no loaded with plume
that tho wearers must havo looked nil
,... I....... llnnnvlllti
lllll. UUilWVIMWM
HI i'H.U.
George With tho nssurnnco of your
lovo I could conquer tho world.
Oraco That will not bo necessary.
All you havo to do Is to conquer pajw.
-Loudou Tlt-Illts.
Why should n novel writer ho an ex
traordinary looking animal? I!ecause
of his tale coming out of his head.
I Philadelphia Ledger.
Importers ami Dealers In
Hook, Mawa,
Writing and
Wrapping,,,
OAI1D 8TO0K
STItAW AND 1IINI1KHS' 1I0AHU
flS-..7-m-l Klrxt Ht.
Tit. Main lag. IS SAN' KltANCIxCO.
AM MARTIN
For 1 yours wllh
C, V.. Wtiltni-j-.. Co
CMAt, C AM M
I'nr a yours with
V 1". Whitney .V Co,
Nl'.W COMMISSION UOUSIi
MARTIN, CAMM & CO.
I 'J I-1 'Jit linvN M., Sun I't-iincWco.
(leiiepjil Commission mid
Produce.
Specialty, Hatter, Kgk's 'tint Clictv-t".
Vour ronsiiinniKUts solicited.
Most
Healthful Coffee
In the World.
All tlu- world knows that collet! In
excoMsivo llo Is Injurious. And yot
the coH'ee lover cannot stuml taste
less cereals. There has lo this Unit'
boon no happy medium between.
Cure Itliuid lllls the void with the
Lent cli-niciiltJ of Isitli. It Is richer
than Mtrnlght coH'ee, nud many will
not bo easily convinced that It Is
not all collet-. Hut wo guarantee
(bill Cufi'- llhiuil contains less tliuii
lift v per cent coH'ee, which Is scleil
tllleully blended with nutritious
tri 1 1 ts untl grains, thus not only
di-qilacilig over 11 ft y per cent of tho
cali'elu, but iiclltrnll.ing Unit which
icuialiiH and still letuliiing the rich
coU'co llavnr. To tlioo who sillier
witli the heart, In dyspeptics nud
In nervous people ( nfo lllanil Is
O'-l-eclallyiocoiilliiendeil ns a health
ful and delicious bovorngo, so satis
fying that only tho member of tho
family making, the change in tin
coH'ee knows there lias boon one.
, More healthful, richer and less o.
iieiiHlvothniiMrulght eoU'ee. Hotter
In every, le'pcot. 'St cents per lb.
Vour ki iicer ""I Kot it for you.
Ask lor
ii. ii.
i uu lust xyllulilr
.III. I lllll I lU II Slllll.TK.
l-'ovv mnn vvi.iidtrful adaptations am
seen In the whole lotitid of natui
than the webs spiders spin to entrap
tho wary ant. They are not high hung,
lacy affairs, caressing overy breeze, but
low set, silken tubes stretched III the
KasH, tlio devices of rock or about
tico roots. ?inlH of every slzo creep
heedlessly Into tliein. The spiders oat
thuift with relish, but (o-easlonally
"ery little spider and a very big nut
eligeigo in a duel to the death. If th
splder can bite, tlio nut can sting, and
tloes It with a right good- will. Tho
spider does not try tr get lid or such an
nut us lie dot of a wasp or Ueo too
strong lo lie safely attacked. Such uu
lu.oct, VJhltii throntens destruction to
tho web. Is often cut out of It by the
wofJ builders. Tho entangling cnblw.
are not loosed, but tho web rays watly
Milppisl lu two, llrst those tindernealh
and at the very hut the lilghet ilki
inont. orten tho letting go of such a
captivo ,t. -ails destruction to half the
nest. Hut some spiders are wiser than
Minio ;eople. Tiny knuw not merely
when they have enough, 1 ut when tlio.r
have too mi -b.
Julilllir Sll Im III I'M.
"Pa," wild Johnny, looking up from
his boo.-, "what Is tho inclining uf 'me
tiimpsyehoals. "
A look or conruslon suddenly over
sp roil 1 1 tn's countenance, but It was
only for a moment
" '.MetemifsychoslH,' Johnny, means
it means but If I should tell you you
would very soon forget tho meaning.
Look lu the dletlot iry for It yourself,
nnd then you will bo more likely to re
member. Information that comes with
out t-Xfnit -eldom llngors lu tho mem
ory." Half an hour or so later Johnny
sought thu dictionary In tho library.
When ho got there ho found pa with
the dictionary open nt "Met." Doubt
less II was merely n coincidence, but
Johnny could not help thinking that his
Ii was something of n fraud. Hostou
Transcript.
I'rrnmliulatlnir float Darlra.
There are n couplo of Huropean dai
ries In Athens whoso proprietors keep
cows, but they do business mostly with
the foreigners nud with thoso O reeks
vv ho ape foreign manners. Your genuine.
Athenian believes the goat to bo tho
proper milk producing uiilmal, nud ho.
regards thu cow lu this connection
about Hie same us Americans do the
tun re.
Tho milkman takes his animals with
It) m. Jangling their bells nud sneezing-,
"tiala!" ho shouts, with a quick, star
tling cry, witli u "g" whoso guttural
,lll!lUlllmil,lu 1)y BduU
d ,yri by
i ...
learu
them. When n customer comes to tho door,
he strips the desired quantity Into the
proffered receptnele before her vigilant
eyes, selecting out) of tho goats ami
liaylng no attention to tho others, who
understand tho business as well ns ho
does. Patiently they stand about, chow
lug tho cud or resting on contiguous
doorsteps.
When their master moves ou, they
arise and follow, more faithful than
digs. Scrlbuer'a Magazine,
BLAKE,
MOrTITT
& TOWNE
. in. . a i ,c i . in i
7-l,s