Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon scout. (Union, Union County, Or.) 188?-1918 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1891)
FAIRIES' WASHING. stager and glad to tho house ulio ran. With a smile on her upturned fnco: "Toil nover can guo what I'vo round, mamma, O, thousand of ultK of lacu' " The fairies h.ivo rtuno their noshing, 1 know. It's out on the orchard gnvw. And It's tpread so close thero Is hardly room For even a bird to oks. "I picked tip this fairy handkerchief, 1 wanted to Miow it to you " 3he opened her hand O, the. sorrowful facel There was only a drop of dew. Wldo Awake. THE LAST TOURNAMENT. All my lifo It has scorned to mo that thero never was so delightful a room oa tho big dining room tit Woodstock. It 1 was a long, narrow room, with narrow ellts of windows, so shaded on ono J eldo by tho black green cedar trees that grow up against It that tho room was alwa's mill in shadow, but on tho other sido you had a viow of tho gray tops or uio race stauies, anu just bovonu a rolling sweep of blue irrass fields. with a cool, clear pond 1 vine Iving in tho midst nice a siiiem oi uuruisneu suvor. within tho whole end of tho room almost was taken up by a huge fireplace, with a broad, flagged hearth and amnntel shelf set high above all possible depredations of childish curiosity Into this great firo logs of hick ory nnd maplo would bo piled, and it was tho delight of my childhood to sit in tho corner.a veritable Cinderella, and catch tho uweet, pungent, smoko llavored julcothnt tho firo stewed out of tho wood. Over Against tho opposite wall stood n long, low, mahogany sideboard, black with ago, in tho dusky mirror of whoso polished wood tho Ihimos reflected themselves with strange and grotosipio variations, now dying down to a tremulous glow in tho black panei of a door, now catching a ell very radiance from tho long linos of racing cups on tho upper shelf or giving out prismatic gleams from tho heavy glass decanters Oh. it was a pleasant enoueh room to U In. especially in tho twilight, when tho gloaming peopled tho room with tho fan- tastio shadows that dreams are mado of. Likely as not, Just as tho firo died down and tho llames began to flicker into un steady light, thero would bo a shuffling of feot in I ho doorway, and an old negro man, with a kindly.wliimslcnl faco, would ojmo In, smiling above tho heavy "turn" of wood ho was bringing to replenish tho firo. It would bo Jeff, who had beeu born op tho place, nnd to whom It belonged as much as to any of its ostensible wlilto ornors, not by right of tltlo deeds, but by t ight of prido and lovo in it. Jeff's place i:i tho family had long been a sinecure IIo had ridden tho famous horses raised o:i tho place, when ho was a light weight jockey, and In after years, when lie grow too heavy for that, ho was hoad groom und undisputablo authority on turf matters, but above all, ho liad boon Mnrso Phil's friend and companion in childhood and youth. IIo had helped Alarso I 'lit I trap rabbits anil ho went off with Marso Phil train colts; to tho war, and when ho fell in that awful rush of cavalry at Fort Donolson It was Jell who walked homo all tho way, leading Black Doss by tlu brldlo tho horso on which Marso Phil wasi killed was sucred to him, and ho would not rido It. Well, olo Miss never thought of that without dropping uu oxtrn lump of sngnr into his "toddy," or a littlo moro "spor rits," for Jeff belongs to tho old roglnio and has no opinion of tho now fungled temporanco notions. "Boy ain't no sonso in hit," ho ulways tirgues, "for what docs tho good book say? Tako a littlo for do stomach's sako.'onl lay folks is built des do same way now doy wur. din. Doys got do ve'y same kind of stomachs, on (ley need comfortln' poworfully Momotlnios." It was fast growing dark ono wlntor ovcnlng. I remember, when JofI canto in with Ids armful of wood, which ho do- posited in the wood bo. and then stood loaning against tho in itol, negro fashion, with his loot on the l..;uing logs. Some how his ragged clothe i with their incon gruous patches fell about him pictur esquely, liis knotty old blaek hands hung idly by his sldo. and tho flames leaping up allowed his faco sharp -ly outlined against the white wall, as still nnd Immovable as if it was carved in bronze. But tho faco was full of tho wistful longings und mem ories of old age, tho putiietio look that conies to those who dwell In tho past and for whom tho future lius neither hope nor promise. Presently ho went over to tho side board and began touching, ono by ono, tho long rows of silver cups and goblets tho trophies lm had helped to win. They wore his fetiches, tho visible Idols that represented all tho happy past, and ho did not need the Inscriptions, at best meaningless scrawls to him, to tell him oil what ruco course or at what fair Krux inella or Miss Wllkius, or Autocrat or Surprise had won ono or another of thorn, -and ho know well enough that tho timo had been when each of the.so silver cups represented fortunes staked on tho speed nnd ondurnuco of a horo. It was some thing worth remembering, those races when they ran four mllo heats, and It took all tho nerve and endurance- of rider and horso to win There was tho cup that was given when Fraxlnolla won tho mco nt Nacliez, when shu ran twenty mllos nt 'ono race tho best two out of three with two dead heats. And then thero wore tho Crovnsso and Wagner cups Jell chuckled softly to himself as ho touched them. "Wo won dem at Nashville, honey," ho said aloud, "we'd done entered Crovnsso aud Waguor for do three uillo mco, on des ez mo und Marso Phil wtu sturtlu olo marstor call out 'Boys, win a race or kill a boss.' Well. Marthy Dunn en InvMnclblu wui do fus fnviltoa, and wo run our hossos agin em, inn a rldln. en wo won bof races, but Wagner drappod under mo jess vz I got under do string. You know dat boss know wliuts spooled of bun en ho uin t gwino to spltit nobody. Dos den Marso Phil couio up en I say i'oio Gord, Marso Phil.whut you reckon old uiarbter's gwluotobuy? Kn ho upon MIo's bloodged to sny wo ftoyed hi in Wo'oo won u raco on killed a liuos ' " After a bit JolT turned, so that tho light might fall u littlo fuller on it n slender, oworliko pitcher, that, ulth Its attendant goblets, ulways stood in tho coutor of tho fddobourd, und that no one over moved. I Olo miss dusted thorn herself, witli hands that never i-oased to tremble nt tholr task, no ono olt, not oven JolT. dnrod to touch thcui Oil. I know very well what tho llorld Inscription said, that won half uu.iva uhuu in" luuM ut iv9 uuu j arubiwquos carved on theui. It wus the Ijreniluin that Mur Phil won ut the hut fraud tournament they held In that rich, die, happy country lwfow tliw wnr swept ver It. and made iv nuvr lamvun und it ww purtli for tktMw I luww uu tvr u that Jiu trim tin ),. 1liul are iu m - '-i ( J. d had swkii I I lM.t lilt ulf .! 4 . -v ' '. I ' til 1.4 ll' V I. as if centuries Instead of years rolled bo twecn I know ho was remembering the ring ho and Marso Phil laid off in tho blue grass meadow, where Marso Phil practiced riding baro back and without a bridle on the thoroughbred tnaro he hod chosen for tho purjwso Hound and round ho would go, tilting at tho rings hang. Ing from their supports, and stringing them on tho long, slender lanco ho was to uso It was a pretty enough sight to see him practicing in tho dowy mornings, both rider and liorso witli that Indescrib able thoroughbred look, clean cut, tiowcr fill, erect, with an ear and an eyo iiko tin Indian's, and n courugo onolnstlnctivcly felt would never falter They would go to their death. If need Ixs, w'itli a rush Jeff never forgot those mornings. Some times ho would timo them, sometimes olo inarsctcr. sometimes pretty Polly, Marso Phil's cousin, would flutter down to tho ring and stand thero with tho big stop watcli in her hands, tho daintiest Judge that over called timo on a laggard rider It was only when Polly was timo keeper that tho mare and her rider failed to get around in tho twenty seconds prescribed by tho tournament management for tho ' r.nco' "tm .d0 1 erol"'? l "P1"1 w'.on. 10 l"uun"- L,,u iiui .----- . my prcsenco on tho great day. "I lay Miss Polly's gwino to mako Mnrso Phil lose dat race yit," ho prophe sied dismally. Tho ring fn tho meadow at Woodstock was but a prototype of many another in tho neighborhood, for tho tournament was to bo a grand affair. Tho prizo for tho victor was a slender golden crown set with rubles, nnd ho was to chooso from nmong tho county belles the ono ho would crown queen of lovo and beauty. Finally tho day arrived, such nn Octo. bor day as only comes to Tennesseo and southern Kentucky, when tho nir is full of tho blue haz.o of Indium summer nnd tho forests nro liko banks of opal, red and yellow, brown and green, a quivering mass of color In tho autumn breeze, and tho long wlilto turnpikes curvo botween banks of golden red nnd purplo iron weeds. Tho fair grounds where tho tour nament was to bo held was cay with ' "uIc und bright witli flags. Tho rich I renmwy peopio were coining in in iieuviiy I Inden carriages, tho booths where colored lunioimdo and indigestible gingerbread i was sold, or feats of skill or chance at ' tempted, wcro in full swing of custom. Hostlers led blanketed and silky" coated horses in am! out tho crowd, nurses in guy bandannas nnd white nprons scurried ' about witli dazed and frightened children, orery now and thon tho wind would bring n whifT of tho savory barbecue being pro nred under the superintendence of old . lien in n trench under tho onks, for a big I dinner nnd dance was to finish ofT tho ' day's festivities. It was a noisy, boister ous, good uaturcd crowd, euro free as I they never wero to bo again. Up at tho nmphltlipatro tho track was ' being sprinkled and rolled until It was hard and firm. Over at ono sldo was tho flight of steps covered with wlilto cloth ' that led to tho throne whero somo fortu nate youth was to lend his sweetheart, and thero in tho prcsenco of all his littlo world crown her queen of lovo nnd beauty. it was as pretty and as plcturesquo a scone under the soft southern skies as ono could well Imagine, and It would havo been pathetic enough for all its bravery If only one had known that tho south had como to tho very last days of hor hundred years of song and merry making, and that this was almost tho last holidaying of a happy, care freo people. But the band was beginning to play what was itV "I'm dreaming now of llal lie, sweet Ilallle," It is tho southern ulr, If wo havo one. Alt, many a night under tho stars on tho eve of buttle, or in tho dim, gray dawn when they sprang from half broken dreams of homo to boot and sad dle, when tho band played "Listen to tho Mocking Bird," did those gallant young fellows recall that day with a heartsick nnd homesick throb. Tho muslo throbbed out louder and louder through tho vibrant air, tho grooms wero leading tho sleek coated thoroughbreds round and round tho rlnir, tho contestants were trottinir ready, only Marso Phil Is lingering for a few last words with Polly, who Is nlnulug on his breast a knot of whlto and silver ribbon t hut looks bravo enough against tho black volvet and silver laco that somehow makes a good foil for ids fresh young beauty and lltho figure. "I am your knight, Polly," ho Is say ing, "If f win I crown von queen of lovo and beauty, and my wife," and audacity wins with pretty Polly, as humility never would, aud sho Hushes a littlo under her clear dnrk skin as sho answers "If you winl" Thoso wero tho days when people read Scott Instead of Howells and James, and when tlioy believed, like Stevenson, that tho finest hero Is bettor for wearing a bit of purple, so when tho contestants In the tournament rode out they wore tho old court dress Most of them were descen dants of tho old knightly lines of ling laud, and there may havo beeu somo in distinct inherited consciousness of other tourneys aud jousts that mado this sport tako such hold on their Imaginations, so they came as Ivimhoo and Bolso Gilbert, nnd tho Bluck Knight und Sir Lauucelot, and a host of others. Presently tho bugle called time and tho first knight entered ami saluted tho audi ence that sat eager, breathless, attentive Poor follow, it was not long before ho earned a real knighthood on the field of battle, when ho redo with that same un faltering aud Immovable seat in tho sad dle right Into tho face of death aud planted ills colors on tho enemy's smok ing batteries. There was a murmur of recognition for him aud his horso, for it was an audience that owned und was keenly critical of good horso flesh, and then there was a wild fanfare of muslo. tho judge dropped the Hag, aud horso and rldor wero away on a nitiil mco. Only twenty seconds in which tho rider must take tho ten rings, hanging front their hooks, on Ids long, slender lanco. Quick of eye, supple of wrist, fuultless horseman must ho bo or ho loses. Twlco tho rider strings tho ten glittering rings on his hiuco, but on tho third re und his liorbo slips, a bit of Inequality on tho track, a touch too light or heavy on tho bridle, no ono knows what, hut it Is ono of those unforeseen mUlmps Hint turns tho for tunes of tho day, for one at least, and ns tho rider leuvus tho ring ho knows lie is defeated It was a sight well worth seeing, tho lm:ititifnl I but after a while it bociimo upfront that that contest Uy between Mureo Phil and Cup. Edwards Both wore oxiKrt liorso- men and both rodu humw wIhmw records had Ikhui tumkion iunuy a html run raw jucuttuioiu ir i im oouttml hud rwrtinl Ml moot i fever html, wutyi thu truck wu rolled fur tho lut tluui. aud in muiwvr to tho buitlv call Mttriw Phil rodu Into the ring itud threw up hu hund lu wiluu re tlin upplaiixo ilmt tviiet Id. xntmnctt Ul Ml - li.. dugui r. ..i - . I day MH li tu - 1. 1 1 hIkjh li.o i i i inn' ii lirr Irvioiitv it Milt ,t ItHlktMt l lm I III ik I III j t-liinii. allvl lit- O I'f bin j It costume, with his proud young figure drawn up to its fullest height and in his eves that look of courage, of determina tion, of victory "Coso I knowed Marso Phil wuza hand some man," Jeff always said in streaking of that day, "but I never see dat look on his face agin till I seo him chargin up do hill on Black Bess in do faco of tho can non, wid his (toad in one hand en do ling in do yuther Hit mek mo think bout do day of tho tournament right away en God knows hit warnt no timo to bo thukin bout homo den." i Well, it was only a moment Mar(o Phil sat thero motionless on his horso, and then ho and Mack Bess wore speeding around tho ring as lightly and smoothly as a bird sweeps in circles. "God, how ho rides!" a man exclaimed under his breath. "I wouldn't give that for Edwards' chances," with a contempt uous snap of tho fingers; but Jeff, who has heard, and who in tho excitement has pushed his way up to tho railing that " l" l"u "UT: ' ' gronneu, ior her fuco white with suppressed anxiety, .. ' 7'-'.. ...i.w. ?. .i y leaning lar over irom tho grand stand, and ho remembers what a hindrance her prcsenco used to bo at tho practice In tho blue p-ass meadow. "Marso Phil's des fool enough to loso do race count of somo foolishness bout her," ho said to himself. IIo can only trust Marso Phil's eyes are elsowhero than on tho grand stand. Already twice has ho strung every ring on his lance. IIo has onlv onco moro to tako with his un erring hand tho ton moro rings that pro claim him victor. Thero is a moment's pause, and then, witli tho crash of tho opening bars of music, Marso Phil Is away threading his lanco through tho rings at tho mare's best gait. A third of tho way aronnill Half of tho way aroundl Jeff breathes tasler. Marso Phil Is op poslto to tho grand stand when ho glances up to meet Polly's eyes fixed on him, so foil of prido and lovo and joy, ho loses his head a littlo. What wonder? poor fellow. It does not tako a quarter of a second scarcely, but in that timo Polly snatches off her arm a bracelet set thick with shin ing stones and throws it right boforo Hack Bess' (lying feet. Quick as tho act hi, it is not quicker than lovo's intuition, Mid In another instant Marso Phil has strung his trophy on tho lanco and Is tak ing tho last ring from tho hook. It was gallantly done. Tho crowd cheered itself hoarse; but tho timekeeper from tho j'jdges' stand called: "Twenty ono seconds!" Jeff stumbled away from tho sccno dizod and infuriated. IIo had so counted on success and Marso Phil had thrown It away in tho very moment of victory for n woman's whim. Ho hung his head as ho led Black Bess back to tho stables, and when ho heard tho shouts that saluted Capt. Edwards' victory ho laid his head down on tho niaro's neck and sobbed for disappointment. But Mnrso Phil had none of tho signs of defeat about him as ho mado his way to where pretty Polly, as duskily red as it Juno rose, was awaiting his coining. What was it sho was saying under cover of all thonoisoandconfusioti?' "You won" And Marso Phil in answer to tho look in her eyes finished tho sentence "My Queen of Ixivo and Beauty." For tho sake of beauty's eyes ho had lost tho prize, but tho management of tho tournament sent him, in recognition of his superb horsemanship, tho slender, owenlike pitcher that still stands on tho sideboard at Woodstock. That was tho last tournament. Boforo another golden autumn rolled around, the tempest of war had broken over tho land, nnd tho old south, tho old, careless, idle, happy south had ceased to bo. Fllzaboth M. Gilmer in Now Orleans Picayune. I'Uli of the ltalmums. Tho fish nlono nro remarknblo in vn rioty. Among them are tho black fish, tho porpoise, which seems to tumble about in all waters; tho shark, tho deadly foo of tho sailor; the dolphin, In endless pursuit of the delicate flying fish which scuds through tho air because it is chased, and not because it enjoys it, which satno dolphin is never cooked aboard a vessel unless a silver half dollar is put in tho pot, for If tho half dollar blackens then tho dolphin is full of poison from having sucked copper from ship bottoms; tho whipruy, liko the flounder and with a tail liko a coachman's whip, sometimes ton feet long; tho jowfish, wUch is to those waters as tho halibut of our north east coast; tho yellow tailed snapper, gi gantic turtles, tho cattish, the greupu, striped snapper, boulto, Spanish mackerel, nugel fish, porktish, houndtish, and suck ing fish. Then there is that dread mystery to seamen, tho Portugueso man of war, that strange formation of uinritimo lifo, like a mass of jelly witli its ventral fins extend ing in every direction, riding tho heaviest sons liko a bird, aud which sea folk sav Is a deadly poison to tho touch; the starfish, sea urchins, tho humming bird fish, tho phosphorescent jellyfish or glow worm of the ocean, and other wonderful and start lingly colored mites of these waters; be sides tiny caves and grottoes of white coral, where tho sponges, liko dark forests, are forever swaying with tho endless mo tion of tho tides, aud where nest la nnd hide sea fans, tho rainbow fish, conches containing priceless pearls and such deli cate elfs of the ocean as wo of tho laud can only iningino through fnlrv lore or tho witchery of dreams. Edgar L Wake mail In St. txutls Republic. The .Ionic Driiler'K Traile. Hut few people havo tin Idea how largo on Industry is represented by what may collectively lm termed tho "nig business. " Belated citizens returning to their homes with tho dawn aud flimsy excuses for their waiting wives cannot fall to notice tho swarm of men. women and children that dives in aud out of obscure places, seizing with wollisli uviditv on all sorts of scraps, such ns paper, iron and cignr stumps. These go Into nn inifienso sack carried on tho buck, anil by tiia hour of 7 tho collectors may bo seen at tho door of tho rag man's den, bargaining for tho salo of their ware To a junk I dealer (and his tribe yearly Increases j hi a city liko Chicago) almost any i thing Is welcome, and ho asks no ones Hons. Unul pipe from a vacant house, brass castings from n foundry, patterns hi copper, pieces of lightning rods, old Iron of uny description, paper In nil forms, from a family lliblo to t ho ephemeral daily journal of events, go on tho scale nndniv subjected to tho relentless appraUeuieut of so much per Hiuud. If tho goods olTeml for sain wero stolen it Is uono of hit business. He aska no questions aud imys oash. The ipor guw to the wills, the UMtals lo the foundries, aud tho dottier, lu tiio coursw of tlnw grown wwaltuy. abandon hi calling and seoks a wider rield under t li ifii of ths thrve ImiIU of U)inlMiiily i.r the tMliu-tle allure IllKltt of 'o its) lut lila " L'hk'uii l Herald A tuitui u h i a a uit tier, Stalked by a Panther. Ralph Flynn, a rancher living nt Wayne, on the Seattle, Lake Shore nnd Eastern railway, has had a dangerous encounter with a panther and narrowly escaped tho claws of the lxsast. Flynn started hunting earl- ono morn ing, taking with him a Winchester riflo of tho latest patent, which ho had just bought nnd had not learned to handle with Hkill. IJo was looking principally for deer, nnd had gone about live miles through a deep thicket when ho came suddenly upon tho partially devoured carcass of a sheep, which had evidently fallen a prey to a panther. Remember ing reports of sheep having leen killed by wild animals in his neighborhood, Flynn hastened on, nerving himself lor a tusslo with a cougar or some equally fierce beast. With tho assurance that lli mm 1-1IH nrtm'irofl lw mint irmoll- nnwl evury nooc uo pafisei occasionally I seeing fresh tracks seeing tresh tracks of varmints. Flynn traveled on about two miles in this manner without success, nnd gavo up the chaso on that lino. Ho had just turned to retrace his steps when his eyo caught what seemed to bo a dog's head peering at him over a log. A second look proved to Flynn that it was a panther instead of a dog. Taking de liberate aim, Flynn rested his riflo against a treo and fired at tho animal's heiul. Tho ball only stunned tho brute, which, with a crazy leap, mado toward Flynn. Tho lattur's delay in reloading on account of tho new patent nearly proved fatal to himself, as tho panther was within twenty feet of him when ho shot it dead between the eyes. Tho brute was between Flynn and tho sheep's carcass, and had followed him by its keen scent for two miles. It measured niuo feet from tip to tip, and its hido is now a trophy highly prized by Flynn. Seattlo Post-Intelligencer. I.ovo I,iiti;li ut Zero. I blew across the Brooklyn bridgo one night and wondered at my own temer ity. In thoso breezy spaces it was as cold ns man's ingratitude. It seemed to mo us if my spine wero the tube of a thermometer, and that tho pith and marrow thereof was a very frozen mer cury. I marked timo at tho double quick, let me tell you, in an attempt to get away from my chills, and decided that aerial promenades wero far moro seasonable in Juno than in December. In tho dark recesses of tho New York pier I beheld them sitting in a corner, Sho was very dear to him apparent ly, for ho hold her closer than a flapjack to an ungreased griddle, and I surmised that masculine propinquity was very much to her tasto also from tho way sho cuddled anil snuggled and rubbed her red hps against his mustaches. Tho wind curled and swirled around them, but did not appear to touch them, nnd they wero so warm and comfortable in their corner that they almost seemed to radiate tho heat, and I was tempted to stop and warm my hands at them. "1 never seo the like," said tho gray coated defender of tho bridge, stumping his feet to keep them warm. "It don't mako no odds how bad tho night, they're always hero from 8 to 12. They seem so pleased and comfortable liko that I hain't tho heart to tell them to move on. In fact, it kinder seems to tako tho chill olF to watch 'em. But how they keep so warm is a mys-terry to me. Ah, love, love, yer as queer as Boston beans. There's no fnthomin' ye. A ling and a kiss is better nor a conflagration." llnw tint Cuntliirtor St-ttlt'il It. Everybody is familiar with tho specta- clo of two women in a street car endeav oring to pay ono another's fare, but it re mained for nn energetic Brooklyn con ductor tho other day to tako tho matter in his own hands nnd straighten out the snarl. As usual, when tho two wero seat ed each plunged for her purse, which re ceptacles wcro brought out with mutual protests. No. 1 got out her coin, a dime, saying complacently, "It's all ready, my dear." But No. 2 had a quarter which sho "really wanted changed." So it went on while the conductor stood before them waiting for somo decision. None came and ho grow impatient. IIo counted out some change in each hand. "Let mo havo your dime, please," ho said to No. 1, and sho obediently handed it over. Then ho put out his hand to No. 2, who gavo him her quarter, not understanding what was coining. Then quickly to No. 1 ho handed a nickel, and to No. 2 twenty cents in change before either of tho wo men discovered his intention, and walked oil to the platform muttering something that probably would not look well in print. Now York Times. Wouldn't lieu Franklin Sturol Globular lightning can bo produced with so called statical electricity, ob tained from an influence- machine. Two thin brass wire jwints from tho jwles of a powerful machine being held at a cer tain distance from tho opposite sides of nn insulated plate of mica, ebonite, glass or the like, thero appear small red luminous balls, which move about, now quickly, now slowly, and aro sometimes still. Even better effects wero had with a glass or paper disk which had been i sprayed witli pnrnmno. tomalJ quanti ties of liquid or dust seem to bo tho car riers of tho light. A slight air current makes tho spherules disnpiwnr with hiss itig noise. Now York Journal. A Tlintt for Kwrjtliiiic. j A Bucks county man drifted into a 1 Market street eating house and ordered i fried oggs. Tho waiter promptly formed a waking tube of his bunds ai:l bawled to the dim distance, "Adam nn' Eve wid : do sunny side up." Happmg with his , fork handltt uu tho table tho patron said j etnplmticully, "I don't wnut any of that ! Sunday school kiddiu'; I want a moal." j A neighlx'r's explanation averted a tiff. Philadelphia itacord. Vory True. ' MIsh Monro i.-f Pittsburg) -Th Iwtto thought of tb. i.nr ln-ing a failure utskuri ine thlvt r Ml 1". icen Mini' .if ll,i.t..lO Ys, the 1. ..I hi i w. ,,f bui-1-,, n Mi .! (lull,- ' I'lttcburg Bulli-iiu. Novel Ideas In TextUe. Thero has recently been brought for ward by a German chemist a method for rendering fabrics proof against the ravages of decay for nn indefinite pe riod. With this process it is said that, no matter how dclicato the texture or color of the fabric may bo, its long life is assured. The inventor took his ideas from the fact that he learned that the wonder ful state of preservation exhibited by i tho headbands of Egyptian mummies wits duo to their having been impreg nated with n kind of resin. Acting upon this information tho chemist made experiments with the substance extracted from birch bark, and he found that tho green tar left over after the oil used in tanning had been ex tracted from the white bark of the birch treo yields n substance neither acid nor alkaloid. This, in solution with alcohol, forms a liquid with tho power of resisting, after once becoming dry, oven tho no tion of alcohol itself, and it is claimed possesses tho property of making textile fabrics apparently imperishable ns far as decay is concerned. And a great point claimed for it is that it readily unites with tho most delicate as well as brilliant colors. Perhaps tho most novel idea in tho textile lino is that of an Englishman named Stillbers, who, it is said, has actually made a cloth of spiders' webs, which has been employed for purposes of surgery. A gentleman traveling through the country who recently stopjK'd in Washington stated that this man Stillbers had gone quite ex tensively into this spiderwob clotli making. Interview in Washington Post. Kxctmf-il ftir Ilclng Hungry. It is not often that politeness is used as legal tender and a means of defense at the same time, but it can be worked successfully in tho hands of tho proper persons. One night a weak, miserable looking old man, with straggling gray hair, gaunt eyed and hungry, wandered into the littlo restaurant nt the corner of C and Eleventh streets, kept bv "Billy" Robertson. Tho old man sat down at a table and swallowed four big bowls of strong soup in rapid succession, and then tackled a robust layout of corned beef and cab bage, after which he topped off the load with a cut of pumpkin pie. When lie had lhiished the waiter laid a check beside his plate. Taking his check the old fellow approached the counter and whispered to tho proprietor: "Say, will you excuse me?" "Excuse you for what?" "I haven't any money." Billy put on a fierce front and made a movement as if to throw tho polite old man into the street. "Pleaso don't hit me,'" he exclnimed in alarm. "I just got out of a hospital, where I didn't get enough to eat, ami I've been sick, too. I haven't any money to pay with, and I do hope you will excuse me." The restaurant man could only com ply with this modest request, and the polite old man was then and there ex cused. Tncoina Ledger. Chewing (iiuii. A correspondent inquires whether the uso of chewing gum is really bene ficial, as some persons have asserted. The opinion litis one plausible argu ment in its favor. Tho saliva is an im portant digestive fluid. On it depends the digestion of all starchy substances bread, mush, potatoes and the like. It is for this reason that thorough masti cation of such foods is necessary in or der that tho saliva may bo duly mixed with their particles. For the samo rea son it is better to eat bread dry than to moisten it, and dry bread is practi cally easier of digestion than mush, which is often swallowed without sulll eient mastication. Now, as the saliva is copiously se creted in gum chewing, it might Go thought that tho stomach would thus bo aided in tho digestion of starchy fod, but just hero comes in another physiological fact, namely, that tho sa liva loses its digestive power very soon after entering tho stomach, being neu tralized by tho fiction of tho gastrio juico. Youth's Companion. Insanity l'ruvt'ii. Family Physician You say you are alarmed about your husband? Anxious Wife Dreadfully. I'm suro his reason is tottering on its throno. P. P. What aro (ho symptoms? A. W. In tho llrt place, poor dear John wants to to run for congress, F. P. Tliis is serious. A. W. And then only yesterday ho wanted mo to invito mother to spoud a whole year with us. F. P. This is conclusive. I'll bo ready to sign his commitment when ever you wish. Pittsburg Bulletin. Ill;; Hull!, in lliionlu, Tho Russians eelipso nil other nations in tho magnitude of their scale of bell founding. An iinuiiuiso bell, weighing over 100 tons, was founded in Moscow in thu early part f tho eightoonth century, it was 20 ards in cireumfer euce and 23 i indies thick. During a lire in the sumo yot.r n itiece weighiug eleven tons was broken out, and for nearly a century the bell remained sunk in the earth. It wus then cvu aUxl, aud now for;un the dome (( a chaml which ha- lvu built UiujiUi It. Nw YurU 1 .L.-.T 'iilsio" is but out of the many de rt vitii u front Kliulk-thk und stands in Uio Kinu eaig.i us IIomio, lizzie, oto J.ii..;-ili i - ht.j.i ih,. lbbrvw, nnd iiu-uuM ivtin-liijio i' tiod ut ' euit tot-rtu'i 1. 1 ii.hI EOBBED BY THE WAVES. HUSBAND KILLED AND BOY DROWNED WAS THIS WOMAN'S LOT. ant. IJ. O. Fownrt, of New Ilninitwlcfc. Unit a Trrrlblo Experience Her Ilut bnnd VTa the Captain or n 111 Katetl Ship AVrecketl In Merle of Typhotnu. Tho steamship City of Rio do Janeiro numbered among her passengers a lady whose experiences involve a tale- of dire shipwreck and sad bereavemeut. Mrs. B. G. Fownes is a tall, rather slightly built woman, whose pale faco still bears only too plainly tho marks of the terrible sufferings sho has had to endure, and yet tells a tale of no common courage and of rare fortitude. She was called upon at the residence of her sister, Mrs. B. R. Keith, 1,130 Twenty-first street, and tho following is the substance of her sad story: The ship Lizzie Troup, hailing from St. John. N. B., sailed on Sept. 15, 1690, from Nagasaki with ballast bound for Puget sound. For the first twenty-four hours all went well, bu t on the night of the 10th, when she was out about 1G0 miles, it be gan to blow a hurricane, which quickly changed to tho revolving winds of the ty phoon. There had been timo, however, to shorten sail, and only tho lower top sail was then carried away. This wind storm lasted thirty-six hours, and in it tho Irotul and many other vessels were lost, while the Lizzie Troup was re prieved. On Saturday, Sept. 21, until noon tho winds had abated considerably, and all sail was set to keep the vessel well off tho Japanese shores. Suddenly, almost with out ft moment's notice, a second typhoon camo upon tho vessel. Tho wind blew first from the northeast, then veered rap idly round to east, southeast,south-south-eastand south, flicking every iuch of can vas from tho masts, smashing the spars, and hurling them away in splinters, and breaking tho mainmast and foremast, and even tearing tho copper sheathing from tho vessel's sides. A TKllltlliLK EXPERIENCE. All passible means of guidance gone, tho storm tossed waters speedily hurried the doomed craft to the coral bound coast of the island of Okin, in tho Loochoo group, which sho had for so many hours fought to free herself from. Tho first blow on the reef carried away the bowo, a second knocked tho bottom clean out, carrying away tho keel entirely, and let ting all the ballast fall out, while the re mainder of tho hull was tossed like a broken egg shell high on a reef not 100 yards from land. Capt. Fownes, tho husband of the lady who told the story, did all that a man could, and acted as a brave man should. Ho stood by his vessel, encouraged his crew, and then, when they had been told to save themselves as best they might, he looked to his wife nnd 2-year-old son. "It won't last long," ho said; "our timo has come. Let ns meet tho end courageously." lie took tho child in his arms and steadied himself and wife against the deck house. Hardly had ho done so when a huge wave came crashing in on top of them, smashed in tho decks and carried all who clung to tho planks into tho vessel's bottomless hold. Mrs. Fownes' own words best describe the scene: "We had all been at the stern of the vessel, and when tno decks wero broken in I felt myself carried forward, and was thrust up by tho force of tho waters through an opening in the foro part of tho ship. There I was held fast, a wire cable around my ankle and my body jammed in between the broken beams. From this place I could see my husband had clambered onto a portion of the deck house which remained, but tho child, my boy, was gone! Hardly know ing what I was doing I managed to free my foot, and by tearing my clothe.s off from the waist down wasabieto liberate my body. In ho meantime my husband Bigned to mo to try to crawl over the rocks to tho shore. Ono of tho sailors had succeeded in landing, and, bringing natives with him, managed to drag tv eral ashore, and a rope was passed to mo and they l.iid mo o:i tho beach. CAST O.V A rOUKIGX SIIOKK. Capt. Fownes himself was rescued, but only to die. Thero was no doctor at hand when ho landed, and in two hours ho succumbed. IIo was very badly in jured internally and his ribs were broken in. An aged carpenter named George Kobe, of Hamburg, Germany, was also brought ashore, but died five days after ward from exhaustion. Of those that tried to savo themselves tho second mate and eight sailors wero carried off into tho surf and wero never seen again. Ono fearfully mangled body was nil tho sea gavo up. The people saved num bered ten, including tho first mate. The entire number of jiersons on board was twenty-two. Nino men and tho baby boy wero drowned, the captaiu and car penter died after being rescued, and uino men and Mrs. Fownes survived. The natives of tho littlo island had never boforo had white- jeoplo among them, though they aro well acquainted with the customs of Americans, and their laws are similar. An inquest was hold by the natives, and tho bodies wero iv. eqwctfully buried , nnd a sto-j monu ment, properly inscribed, shows whero Capt. Fownes rests. Ho novor rallied after being brought ashore, and his wife never knew how the child was torn from his arms. Tlie rest of her story is vory simple, steamers ever calling in at the closed Ijurt, she was taken iu a jnnk to Dukin, thence to Kagoshima. Kobe, and flmtllv to ukobaiim. whore she remained for seveutMB duy. At each stopping pUco tho Japanese held an official inquiry into tha cause of th wreck, ami furuUbed Mr. Fownes with to reports of the iu qwry iu the Japauete luiik-aak-e.-San rrancuco Chronicle. Sl'lru.y t-f J iiiit ! u tiiiw 7 I- -- -i i . sr. t -1 1. i,t " x I n . . .1 , t 'f t famons British - old. JI Still 1 '1th, and givtx flvo j u.nlmg. He t-hsHM tv. l nty four tad li ii l.ui- ,i; , r iti li nUkUtivtoi,