BAN DON RECORDER.
THE PORCUPINE.
In III l.ibintr l'r Sail nn Acquired
or .nturnl TnMof
Sonic men vln wort camping hi tin
Adirondack several years ago on
breaking camp in the autumn left an
old tub whirh was saturated with
salt brim. On returning to the same
camp the next year they found that
the tub had been flawed until little of
It was left. They were not lout: in find
ing out what animal had done the
work, for the camp was overrun with
Canadian porcupines. At night they
became such a nuisance that the camp
ers were obliged to kill them to protect
their propertv. The handle of a paddle
was gnawed half through.
The explanation of their presence In
such numbers during that year, when
they had not been noticeably abundant
In the previous ye::r. is that they had
made a rendezvous of the camp, beinj
attracted by the oid brine tub. On
this they feasted all winter and for
that reason were greatly pleased with
the locality.
An interesting query Is this: Is the
llk'ng for salt an acquired or a natural
taste? Were they ever able to gratify
that tate to any extei.t In-fore man
gave tbem chance todc- so? -St. Nieh
otas.
PUNISHED BY PROMOTION.
CurlfMis I,itv. Tltnt Prevailed In the
FIorntlne Ht'ptihlir.
Tin Florentine republic had a unique
inethiHl of dealing with its too ardent
democrats. In 12!o the state passed
the famous "Magna Charta of Flor
ence." to curb the cruelly and rapacity
of the lawless n !!. who. in defiance
of the law court, were accustomed to
Hog and torture their dependents at
will. The act practically disfranchised
these titled harpies by a clause which
excluded tlietu from the signory a
lHjdy in the state correspondim: to the
British cabinet unless they renounced
their nobility.
This curious provision prepared the
way for a still more extraordinary
clause, which onaeRd that any member
of the democratic party who made
himelf obnoxious to the government
and was by thein declared to be guilty 4
Of treason to the commonwealth 'should
lie given a patent of nobility and thus
at the same moment be raised in the
social scale" ami reduced to a political
nobody at the will of the state. Lon
don Teierr:iph. y
Tin .nn-l vli i nir ( lieslnut.
The Loudon Lancet find that the
chestnut is the most digestible nut ami
cannot only t ike the place of the p ta
to. as hi lr.'i'-e. where chestnuts. loil
od and mashed like potatoes, make a
dHicious dish, but in reality they are a
more perfect form nf food. According
to the Lancet's analysis of the potato
ami the chestnut, the latter contains
less water, more proteid, more fat and
starch, but less mineral matter, than
the potato and is more digestible than
the latter. Like the potato, also, its
nutritive and digestive qualities are
greatest when baked or roasted.
When ll.-ptilcM nie.
A Viennese naturalist declares tha
nearly ;tU reptiles that die fr.m nat
ural causes close their lives between
nightfall and midnight, oniv a few be
tween midii'sh; and morning and few
cr still in dayliJn. Mot reptile seem
aware of their approaching death, seek
ing out particular places ami there
nwaiting the end. while those who-;
lives are spent underground come
the surface lHfore death.
to
MARCONI'S CHOICE.
"Vonns Irish Olrl Who Won the In
ventorV. Affection.
I tumor hn Siiruor Guirlielmo Mar-
can! affianced to at least half a dozen
different young women since his dis
o&verics in wireless telegraphy first
made him famous. Hut It remains
for Chevalier Marconi to choose for
his brkle an Irish beauty, the Hon
Beatrice O'P.iion, nor did he lake the
public into his confidence lone in ad
vance of his wedding.
Signor Marconi's father was born in
Italy, but his mother was of Irish na
tionality, so his choice of a bride from
the land of Erin is appropriate. She Is
THE GITtL
who c.uTCitnu
HE.VHT.
MAI.COM S
vivacious and witty. Is the daughter of
the fifteenth Baron Inchiquln and Is
one of eight sisters. She can trace her
descent from the famous Irish mon
arch, Brian Iioru, who was king of
the Emerald Isle from 10O2 to 101 1 and
was slain at the head of his armv at
the battle of Clontarf. Ills grandson.
Turlojb, king of Munster. had four
sons, the third of whom was the pro
genitor of the Barons Inchiquin.
The Cunts of Karyjit.
The Copts In Egypt are the book
keepers and scribes; they are hImo the
Jewelers and embroiderers. Their an
cient tongue has. fallen Into disuse
and Is practically a dead language.
They now use Arabic, like all the rest
of the nation, but the speech survives
In their church service, a part of
which is still given in the old tongue,
though It Is said that even the priests
themselves do not always understand
what they are saying, having merely
learned the sentences by heart, so that
they can repeat them as a matter of
form.
i
ff - Zf.' -y '-yy m :
A9T5S
POLLY UNI
: . - j-., - '
"My wife has changed more limn
any woman I ever knew, roily," said
a man in an aggrieved tone the other
day. "You .surely have noticed it,"
he continued. "J don't know what it
is, but there does, not seem to be that
bond of svmimthv between us that
there used to be, and we seem to get
farther and further apart every day.
She is no more like the woman 1 mar
ried than night is like day. Now, 1
haven't changed one bit. 1 treat her
just like I have always done."
This was more than Pollv could
stand patiently, and to prevent my
temper rising like a thermometer on a
bright July morning, J had to express
my sentiments. "Do you?" I replied,
and by the pained way in which he
looked at me, he must have discovered
that there was a ring of irony in the
query. "You wvre one of the most
devoted lovers I ever saw; never
wanted to leave her fide, and guarded
her with a jealous care that caused
many a friend to wonder if it would
continue when yiti were married and
settled down. You took her violets in
their season, clusters of carnations,
sometimes roses and dainty bunches of
lillies-of-the-valley and maiden-hair
when you could get them. Nothing in
the tlower line was too good when you
were trying to win this little blossom
to preside over your home. Once a
week, to say the least, you took her a
nice box of French mixed eandy. You
took her buggy riding, and, in fact,
tried to anticipate every wish. You
were a jealous lover, too, and did not
want any one else to pay her the
slightest bit of attention ; resented the
etlbrts of any young man to make it
pleasant for her oi to pay her the little
courtesies that are dear to every wo
man's heart, and Inch every one felt
was due this sweet, winsome girl. In
those days you felt Mattered and con
gratulated yourself upon her having
chosen you out of her many admirers
to walk through life with, when it was
really your selfish determination to
woo and win her in spite of all obsta
cles, l on simply crowded the others
out and didn't give them half a chance.
If you had pursued a diHereiit course
you would have never won her, and it
would have been better for you both if
such had Uen the ease. You need a
wife who is as selfish and domineering
ns yourself Such a wlf. you would
rtspect and f,r, and the result would
be that you would be much
thoughtful and considerate.
moie
1 have watched your wife fade and
lose the hue of the roses from her
cheeks, and the little tense hid ll'l- I
'
I lllkt tl Itllih' I tfAf aY. k Wl MinOvnH tl.knt (l.,v I
ui-vwmc u-ra ttiuut me
.u.Trjvc iouth, and the big violet
rrz it.vrt Ionm:riyparkIed With picas- I
tire and merriment become dull and
faded, and heavy-looking from the
weight of unshed tears that she was
too brave to show. You have huini.i
ated her many times, and I have been
a witness to it on more than one oc-ca.-ion.
I have seen her sitting quietly
w - " I
at home, surrounded by her little chil
dreii, while
night after
you were gallivanting
night with girls ami
women, leading them to believe that
vou were a single man. Kverv sum-
mer of vour life, vou think it is neces-
ary for you to have n vacation, and
vou iro oil' well-clad, nionov in v.mr
pocket, and you never den v yourself a
ingle luxury on the trip When has
she had a vacation? Never but two in
all your 'married life to my certain
i t l . x " t . t .
Kuowietigo. .no, uowi can t go one
must stay home and keep the house
going, look after the children, and
drudge and economize. She does not
need any rest ; why should she? She
only does all the sewing and mending
for the household, washes ami irons,
cooks, washes dishes, looks out for the
four children, ministering to them day
ami night, hears and helps them with
their lessons. She h:is had twelve
years of this. Is it any woiulct that
she has faded, and her once beautiful
eves have become dull? ho vou re-
member that old adige, 'a man works
till set of sun, but a woman's work is
never done?' No truer saying was
ever uttered for the majority of women
never lmd time to n-st. A man goes
out in the morning, he hn his trip to
his business, he takes time to read the
newspaper, he sees newfacesand meets
old acquaintances. He goes to work at
S o'clock and takes an hour at noon,
iin's iw ;i i csiuui .111 1 Mini ii.'is
........ i
us lunch,
ami resumes his work at one o'clock
and quits at 5. lie is through for the
day.
He varies what be considers bis
very prosy life by attending his various
lodgcsand the banquets given by them,
takes -.in the races occasionally, hears
omo good lecture, elc. You are one of
these greatly abused men (in your own Kyi)S moth caterpillars and yet in an
iiiind), and you should have never other's fifty-live army worms. Thirty
married. Vou arc not the kind tlmf
love a home life and appreciate a good,
true little wife, and enjoy the comrad-
ship of your children. iou say you
laven t changed, hut your wife has.
Is it any wonder when you look back
ipon the past twelve years of your life,
that to-day s' e is a tired and disai-
minted woman . 1 on say you haven't
changed. I don't agree with 3-011, you
iave changed, ami sadly too. Vou are
iot the lover that wooed and won the
leautifulgirl promising to love, cherish
md honor her a vow you failed ut
terly to keep. Pleasant and congenial
always with people on the outside and
ross and crabbed at home. Do 3011
ver take your wife home llowers as
on did of yore? Do you ever take her
1 box of candy or a iKiok or magazine
r some other little gift to let her know I
that you are thinking of her and that
you appreciate her? Just turn the
searchlight of conscience on your own
life when you are trying to discovei
t1niu in lltot little flf.k ..lwv
, w u"a
oeen asirue assieei to you. would
y 'i have put up with one-hundredth
part of the treatment that you have
given her?"
" Dont go any farther, Polly, you
have thrown the searchlight upon me,
and it has ferreted out all the little
mean acts and I see myself now as
others see me. I haven't done right
and I admit it. It has been years. since
I even thought of taking llowers or
anything else for that matter, home to
my wife. "Why she hasn't left me long
ago is a mystery to me when I take a
glance down the avenues of the past,
and every little nook and corner of my
past life seems to have been ferreted
out by thissearchlightyou havethrown
on me. I feel humiliated and ashamed,
but I will profit by it and turn over a
new leaf, and if regret and ellbrt to re
trieve the past will do any good I will
win back the love of my wife, and
bring the roses back to her cheeks and
the sparkle and luster to her beautiful
eyes again." I believe he is sincere in
what he said and that he will try to
atone for his past neglect of the little
wife who had lost confidence, love and
respect ior mm. it is tne only way to
insure happiness when he is old and
descending the hill of life, instead of
bitterness, regret and loneliness being
his portion. If it is too late then he
must drink the cup of remorse to the
very dregs, and he lists himself alone to
blame for it.
"I'm going home to see that old
sweei heart of mine," said a young man
the other day, and when I found outit
was his gray-haired mother, my re-
spoet for him went up many degrees.
BRIEF REVIEW.
Effective Cure for Tramps.
An inter-cantonal union has been
formed which now covers more than
half the area of Switzerland, the half
where wandering and idle men con
stitute a nieiiance to the welfare of so-
ciety. When anv honest workman is
thrown out of employment by circum
stances beyond his control, he is fur
nished with a " traveler's relief look,"
in which his name, residence and oc
cupation are written down. At any
office of the union he is thereupon fur
nished with breakfast, dinner, supper
and lodging, but not oftenor than once
in six months in the same place. The
public becomes ageiit.sof the union and
U iuforu.ed of uv par.te i the
c.,llllim who have applied (or help. In
... f ,i ,i. ..
Ml tilt; lilllU'lir- llll'IC JUV lllilll
such relief nlHci- in 'iirlen f.ir in-
stance, fifty-one.
At Neufchati there
id what we would call a model farm.
where men in idraits can be profitably
H111ilil-iwl ti-!llnllt Llinniniilwl frtir-
m.!.....!. nuuuttii.iuui in iitti tw
a .1 A 1 . .1 I
luuiierauoii, tne superillieiKieill 01 tile
fjirin working in the ileitis with tbu
" . "
11 1... Ll JH.t LVn.x4n
"
" It is a wonder to me, " said T. W.
Moulton, of New Orleans at the Shore-
ham, "that theopportunity of making
money by breeding Shetland ponies is
so greatly overlooked. Here is a. busi
ness that is light, pleasant and profit
able. C'ood specimens of these ponies
are idways in demand by people of
"leans, wlio buy liieni lor tne pleasure
OI uu'ir l'uuureii. i i is a very common
thing for a .Shetland to sell for $100,
' tlu"v ofkMl "" more. They are
I ......
e'lsv t raise and, being small eaters,
their keep is not expensive. I have a
tnend down South that makes a com
mrtablc living out of a littlo herd of
these ponies, and it is by no means his
principle occupation. "
Then He Sat Down.
A lawver was examining a witness
in a case where the question involved
was as to the mental condition of the
testatrix. The witness under exami-
milio"' henit",f :lM a-e,l w"". 1,11(1
testified lo finding the testatrix falling
childish, and that when she spoke to j
her she looked as though she did not
understand. The cross-examining at-
tornev tried to get her to describe this
look, but she didn't succeed very well
in doing so. At last, getting a little
impatient, he asked : "Well, how did
she look? Did she look at vou jis I am
looking at you now, for instance?"
"Well, yes," replied the witness very
softly; "kind of vacant like. "
Motor Omnibuses in England.
The question of running motor omni
buses from some of the present outside
termini to outlyingtlistrictsof Shcllield,
.;,, h,is been considered, but as
h e corporation has not the nower to
run such vehicles under the existing!
acts, it has bean decided to apply for
the necessary authority in the next
Parliamentary bill.
In one toad's stomach have been
found seventy-seven
l""U!a"" "-
worms, " another's thirty-seven tent
caterpillars, in anoiner s sixty-live
Marge caterpillars have been fed to a
U,U(1 ",n less than three hours.
mL.. 'n,e uilo and shiftless are soon
r., ,i,,wn bv these methods and are
., tlt forced labor or sent out of the
state. The honest ami industrious, but
unfortunate, are helped to reach places
where their kind of work is needed.
:in,i tn default of finding such within a
reasonable time, they are furnished
labor 011 the land belonging to the can-
tons
"The World Do Move. "
In England, some centuries ago, if
sin ordinary workman, without per
mission, moved from one parish to an
other in search of work or better wages,
he wjis branded with a hot iron.
Friends are people who don't get too
well acquainted.
WOMAN AND FASHION
A Dainty Cnrment.
What a wealth of dainty odd waists.
ouo can h ive for afternoon or evening
,f OU(i ean rsinliloii them herself. With
a simple model like the one illustrated
it is an easy task, and the result is a
marvelously becoming bodice. The
waist may be made high neck In
dl,ffon taffeta of the rare gobelin blue
or 1,1 ft dl,w"p-y shaded crepe de chine
waist for bpkixo.
or IUOusseliue de sole, with short
sleeves and low neck, for more dressy
evening wear. The waist falls full
from the yoke and blouses slightly all
around over the snug crushed girdle.
For a medium size four and a quarter
yards of thirty-six Inch material are
necessary.
Lnoe ContN.
Lace
coats to ne worn
over light
gowns will take the place of silk ami
chlffon wraps during the spring sea
son. These garments will be smart for
linen and out of door frocks as well,
the material used for lining being th
mark by which their special usage will
be determined.
Most of the new models are full or
three-quarter length, and they are seen
In ecru, butter color, white, gray and
hhick. Especially lovely are the last
when lined with Dresden patterns In
china silk or with accordion plaited
chiffon or niousseline. While the white
coats are mostly of heavy lace on the
renaissance order, those of black aro
made of Bilk braid and net.
Fiibloii I'll nelen.
Sunshades of heavy linen bid fair to
be popular with the summer girl.
Deep circular collars and cuffs of
knife plaited lawn are modish and
launder well.
Some of the embroidered evening
oVZ.orluc '
In il wake of
wraps rival Joseph's coat for diversity
the elbow sleeves
I iou. i-mv fnxi.-i iii i ii',,. K iiiii,
finished like kid.
The real old fashioned little Miilor hat
conies In white with a bunch of tlowers
nt the left front.
TimeBtrv r.lnllfh
The woman who lins an eve to the
beautiful cannot do better than make
herself several of the new t.mostrv irlr- I
' " I " '
dies In different shades.
These are wider In the brck than In
the front and are fashioned of the
most beautiful bits of trpestry em
broidery. In the front the girdle If
caught with a buckle about as big as
half a dollar. From this the size ranges
up to a buckle as big as a plate.
A Fetching; Continue.
bult of coarse meshed etamine lu
raspberry red trimmed with black vol
vet and coffee color lace. The skirt i.
Hl'IllNQ suit.
oflPnnMvnle ?iinlr n-U1 n ohnnnl vnlro
The faclntr Is turned im nn the niitnldn
aml .simped to match the yoke. Blouso
s of ecru lyttlste.
Wider Skirta.
Skirts aro getting wider and wider
round the feet, but they appear to bo
decreasing- In fullness at the waist.
Sleeves, too, appear to be getting much
smaller.
Peau de sole, poplin and grosgraln
are being revived, and old world bro
cades will be greatly In evidence a lit
tle later on.
In Pralae of Cockney.
Cockneys are the best natured people
under the sun. It Is notorious that a
big London crowd is of all crowds in
the world the most harmless and the
easiest to manage. But see them also
In their ordinary collections, outBldo the
gallery door of a popular theater or
crowding In the carriages of an excur
sion train what fun nnd kindness nnd
wholesome give and take! A deliber
ately rude or offensive cockney Is hard
ly to bo met. G. S. Street in Pall Mall
Gazette.
4RT0FG0L)BEATIiSTG
DNE OF THE OLDEST HANDICRAFTS
IN THE WORLD.
tfhe Way a Little Square of the fel-
iovt .Tieini in lziiandea Into a 1
Largre and Alninnt Transparent
Lenf by the Artlaan'a Hammers.
The art of the gold beater Is one of
the oldest handicrafts in the world
and nmoiig those which have changed following Incident Is told by a gentle
least. Much of the decoration of Solo- tnan who vouches for Its accuracy:
mon's temple is believed to have been He was engaged one afternoon with
covered with gold leaf, hammered to a clerk In verifying some long columns
the requlsito thinness by hand, as It of figures that had been copied from
Is today. one book to another. The numbers,
The gold beater receives his material
not In the form of the sixty penny
weight ingot In which It is cast, but
In the form of n ribbon about an Inch
wide and twenty-four feet long.
This ribbon Is first cut Into 200
squares and placed In the "ditch,"
which is a pile of stpiare pieces of a
peculiar paper, part animal and part
vegetable in composition, the p.-ep.u-i-
tlon of which is a secret The best
cutches are made In London. A squ.uo
of gold is placed between each two
leaves and the whole mass Is read.
for the first beating.
This in done with an iron hammer
weighing from twelve to seventeen
pounds, while the cutch rest upo.i a
granite block which is supiortcd by
a heavy wooden post.
Under the heavy, measured blows of
the hammer the sheets of gold begin
to stretch or expand until In half or
three-quarters of an hour they have
reached the edges of the cutch. They
are then removed and with a thin
strip of bamboo are cut Into quarters,
so that the 200 pieces become S00.
Next comes the "shodor." a collection
of S00 pieces of sk.::. four inches 'K developed the fact that of die fig
square, made from the intestines of ures $14,142.12 he had heard the four-
cattle. As in the cutch. each piece
of gold Is placed between two leaves dreamed during the time occupied in
of skin, and band.; of parchment or rnpldly uttering the words "one forty
vellum are si pned over the whole pile two." He tried by reading other num-
to keep it together.
Another hen tint;, this time with a
hammer weighing from eight to ten
pounds, now follows. This takes nbout
an hour, during which the sheets of
gold are all the time expanding.
The last stage is the "mold." which,
like the cutch and the shoder. Is com
posed of alternate leaves of gold and
skin, but the mold Is about five inches
stpiare and nude up of gold beater's
skin. The preparation of this Is a jeal
ously guarded trade secret.
The skin, like that In the shoder, la
made from the Intestines of the ox. It
Is translucent and not unlike rawhide
n co'or. Although It will stand con
tinuous beating without breaking, It
will tear like a sheet of thin paper.
The making of a single mold requires
the Intestines of ."00 bullocks. Between
each two beatings the skin Is rubbed
with baked and pulverized gypsum.
A mold contains 1,000 sheets. After
the sec n-.l beating the workman takes
from the shoder a single leaf of gold at
a time, handling It with bamboo pinch
ers and. when necessary, smoothing
t with a rabbit's foot. With the strip
of bamboo be cuts each sheet Into quar
ters again, so that the original 200
have now become 3.200. One shodor,
therefore, contains more than enough
gold to fill three molds.
The final beating In the mold la done
with a seven pound hammer and re
quires from three to four hours. By
this time the gold leaf should have ex
panded again to the edge of the skins
and should be of the requisite thinness,
which Is determined by holding It up
to die light. If It transmits green rays
It Is done and will measure about ono
two-hundred-and-clghty-thousandth of
an Inch In thickness.
The hammers used in beating gold
are slightly convex on the face. The
art of the workman consists In bo strik
ing that the gold will always bo thin
nest lu the center. He must pound
with evenness all over the square In
order that the sheets of gold may ex
pand without losing their form, but at
the same time he must keep the thick
est part near the edges, so that when
the sheets are finally trimmed to size
the thicker portions may fall In the
waste, to be recast. No machinery has
ever been devised which will do this
successfully.
fTM. A 1 M X . . 1 .. I
am-iuuisui uie era ri are interesting
and peculiar. The rabbit's foot ls ex
ceedingly soft nnd Just oily enough to
prevent the gold from sticking, and
the bamboo pliers nnd cutting slips
are the only things with which it Is
possible to do this delicate work. The
gold does not ndhere to the fibers of
the reed as it does to steel.
The gold beater performs all his
work standing. The use of the heavy
uammers in sucn continuous pounuing
wouiu, ouu woum uiina, impose an ai-
most intolerable strain upon the hands
and arms. The men say, however,
that their arms never ache. The only
place where "It catches them" is in
the bend of the kneo.
Tho lack of strain upon the nrins is
accounted for by the fact that the
hammer rebounds. It is nn astonish
ing but by no means a rare tiling to see
n gold beater change hands while the
hammer ls In the air and without los
ing a stroke. Edward Wllllston Trentz
In Youth's Companion.
Off" For "From."
As a stranger In Philadelphia I was
much amused by certain provincial
isms. One of these was the use of the
word "off" Instead of "from." "Please
buy llowers off me," say the youthful
street venders. One day while waiting
for some groceries a young lady, evi
dently unused to housekeeping, ap
proached the raw Irish clerk and tim
idly asked: "I want some mutton to
make broth. Shall I get l off the
neck?" "No, ma'am," was the solemn
reply as the clerk pointed to the butch
er busy at his block, "ye git It off that
mon." Presbyterian.
Cranhed.
"I think I never saw Rymer so utter
ly crushed as he was when his first
poem appeared In print"
"What was the matter? Some typo
graphical error In tho poem?"
"No, that wasn't it. What crushed
him was that the paper was sold for
a penny a copy. Just as usual."
Brief, bnt Pointed.
ne Docs she think much of me
while I'm away?
She No. She doesn't think of you
much or much of you. Boston Herald.
MYSTERY OF DREAMS.
The Wondern the Uraln Sec In the
Fructlon of a Second.
It is not unusual to hear one say that
he has been dreaming about something
all night, when possibly his dream oc
cupied only a very short time. Many
attempts have been made to measure
the time occupied In a dream, and rec
ords appear from time to time in the
papers showing that often elaborate
ones occupy but a few seconds. The
representing amounts In dollars and
cents, were composed of six of seven
figures. The clerk would read, for In
stance, "Fourteen, one forty-two,
twelve," making the amount of $14,
142.12, and the gentleman would an
swer, "Check," to Indicate that the
copy was correct. Page after page had
heen read as rapidly as the words
could be uttered, each number recelv-
Ing the "check." The work was drowsy,
ami It was with difficulty he could
keep his eyes open
Finally sleep overcame him, and he
dreamed dreamed of an old horse he
had been accustomed to drive twenty
five or thirty years ago. He could not
recall any speclnl incident connected
with the dream except the locality and
the distinct sight of the horse and of
die buggy to which he had driven him.
He awoke suddenly and, as a number
was ended, called "Check." He was
conscious of having slept nnd of hav
ing dreamed and said to the clerk:
"Charlie, I have been asleep. How
many of those numbers have I miss
ed?" "None," he replied. "You have
checked every one." Close question-
nd the twelve, but had slept and
oers to measure tne time and thinks it
could not have been more thnn half a
second.
Another story Is told of a man who
sat before his fire in a drowsy condi
tion. A draft blowing across the
room set a large photograph on the
mantel to swaying. A slender vase
was In front of It, nnd the man re
mcmlers wondering, in a mood of
whimsical indifference, whether the
picture would blow forward nnd send
the vase to the floor.
Finally a gust of wind did topple the
picture, nnd it struck the vase. The
man remembers having been curiously
relieved in his state of drowsiness that
at last the "old thing was going to fall
nnd be done with It."
Presently he was In the midst of n
complicated business transaction in a
western city miles away. All the de
tails of a new and unheard of scheme
were coming forth from his lips, and a
board of directors wns listening. The
scheme prospered. He moved his fam
ily west. Fragments of the Journey
thither and glimpses of the fine house
he bought came before his vision.
A crash woko him. The vase had
struck the floor. He had dreamed nn
unlived life covering years, and all in
the time It took for the vase which he
bad seen toppling before he fell asleep
to fall five feet and break. Youth's
Companion.
Jnpanene Idea of Benntr-
Professor Okakura of Tokyo in a
lecture delivered In this country said
that the Japanese Ideal of feminine
beauty varied a little between Tokyo
nnd Kioto, but on the whole the Japa
nese considered that a woman should
not exceed five feet In height, should
have a comparatively fair skin nnd
be well developed, should have long,
thin nnd Jet back hair, an oval face,
with a narrow straight nose, rather
large eyes, nearly black thick eye
lashes, a small mouth hiding behind
red full Hps. even rows of small white
teeth, ears not altogether small, thick
eyebrows and a medium forehead,
from which the hnlr should grow In
circular or Fujiyama shape that is, a
shape recalling the truncated cone of
the famous volcano.
It Reminded Him.
The heat remetlv ntrnlnyf n Inrmn nt
- 0 ...j.
memorv ls the piece of thread tied
about the finger. But there is a wel
authenticated case of a man whose
wife tied a piece of thread around his
finger in the morning to remind him
to get his hnlr cut.
On his wny home to dinner he notic
ed the piece of thread. "Yes. I remeni
her." he said nnd, smiling proudly,
entered the usual shop and sat down
boforo the accustomed artist,
Why, I cut your hair this morning.
slr! Hnid tho astonished barber.
Evidence nt Hand.
"Ah!" sighed the man with the scan
ty hair. "Shakespeare spoke truly when
he said, 'The evil that men do lives aft
er them.' "
For, be It snld, the scanty haired man
had recently married a widow with a
ten-yenr-old son who wns a terror.
Chicago News.
The Main Point.
"I will have a great deal to say when
I get started." said tho young congress
man.
"My friend," nnswered the veteran,
"It Isn't the man who has tilings to say
that counts. It's the man who gets a
chance to say them." Washington
Star.
Enrly Training.
"We think baby will make a great
politician."
"Why?"
"Well, he crawls out of everything
so easily." Puck.
Industrious wisdom often prevents
what lazy folly thinks Inevitable. Sim
mons. Speed of the Gulf Strenm.
It Is said that tho gulf stream is run
ning so much more rapidly than for
merly that sailing ships cannot make
headway mgalnst Its current This "riv
er In the ocean" is caused by the wa
ters of the gulf of Mexico piling up
until that oval caldron rises two or
three feet higher than the waters in the
Mid-Atlantic. Florida Btralt, about
ninety miles broad, forma the only
egress for the waters, which flow
through this nacrow outlet between
Kaj West and Caba, at a speed of
eight or tm miles an hour.
NEW SHORT STORIES
John Sherman a Fighter.
Judge D. K. Watson of Ohio, former
ly a member of congress, but now a
member of the commission to codify
the laws, tells the story of how one
day he called on John Sherman when
he was secretary of the treasury. In
the course of the visit Mr. Sherman
became reminiscent.
"Do you know," he said, "that when
Judge Ewlng adopted my brother Wil
liam and sent him to West Point ev
erybody was amazed that he did not
send me Instead of Bill, as every
body called him, for I was the fighter
of the family.
"Lancaster in the dnys of my boy
hood consisted really of two towns
North Lancaster and South Lancaster.
I had, by whipping every boy of my
size in North Lancaster, gradually be
come the bully of our village, and a
blacksmith's son had by the same
process become the bully of South Lan
caster. It was Inevitable that sooner
or later we two champions must meet
nnd fight It out
"So one Saturday afternoon we went
outside the town and got ready for tin
"l iXLT THE BTLSti OF HIS Willi. '
fight. Both of us stripped to the waist.
and we had Just squared otT for the
first blow when my brother-in-law,
who was mayor of the town, drove up
In a buggy. The first thing I knew I
felt the stlng of his buggy whip across
my bare shoulders, and then he took
me by the scruft' of the neck. and.
dragging me over to the buggy, told
me that what I had Just got was only
a foretaste of what I would get when
I arrived home.
"Then he turned to the blacksmith's
son nnd told him that his father "as
on his way to the battleground, nnd
that by the time his father got through
with him he and I would have nothing
to choose as to who had got the worst
thrashing. I know that I got an awful
whipping, and the blacksmith's boy
told me he got the worst one of his
life. Certainly we never fought it out
as to who was the real champion of
Lancaster."
Tito Letter.
There was recently a passage at
arms between Miss Marie Corelll, tho
novelist, and a certain Miss Coals, a
schoolmistress, who has a class Imme
diately across the street from the writ
er's home. Part of the school exercises.
It seems, consists in the study of mu
sic, and this proved particularly dis
agreeable to Miss Corelll.
So the following note was sent ncross
to the music teacher: "Miss Corelll pre
sents her compliments to Miss Coals
and begs that she will be good enough
to arrange so that there may be no
singing class between the hours of 10
and 1, these being Miss Corelli's work
ing hours, when distractions are pecul
iarly distasteful."
The white aproned maid who bore
this rather unusual missive was de
tained long enough to bring back the
answer. It ran, "Miss Coals presents
her compliments to Miss Corelll and
begs to state that If such a course ls
likely to prevent the writing of such
books ns The Sorrows of Satan' she
would rejoice In arranging a singing
programme for ever- day from 0 to 2."
San Francisco Argonaut.
Perfectly Snfe.
The late Thomas L. Clark, bishop of
Rhode Island, widely known ns a wit
and scholar, In his own home life In
Providence preferred the utmost sim
plicity compatible with comfort. Hav
ing on one occasion a distinguished
English divine as a visitor, the latter
was considerably Impressed, not to say
astonished, at the lack of ceremony ob
served In the episcopal mansion and
upon retiring hesitatingly Inquired If
he should leave his shoes outside his
door.
"Certainly, If you like," replied the
bishop with cordiality; "nobody'll touch
'em." Boston Herald.
Why He Liked Her.
Jacob Illls tells an anecdote of a
young lady who devoted a good deal of
her time to settlement work and who
was a particular favorite wIUi all the
children.
"Why do you love Miss Mary so?"
they asked a little lad one day.
"I like her," he replied, "because sho
looks as though she didn't see the bolw
In my shoes." New York Times.
Iron Around It.
FInnegan What ails ver fat?
Flanagan The ould woman hit mo
wld the I'avin's of this mornln's meal
mush. FInnegan Go Monir wld vf!
Sure, mush is too soft Flanagan
Oh, she didn't stop to take It from tho
pot! Philadelphia Ledger.
Her Heart.
nilda When you saw that he was
going to propose I suppose you pressed
com unnos to your heart? Kate That
was Impossible. My heart was in mv
mouth nt tho time. Boston Transcript