A Political
WELDON
CHAPTER XVI.
The big fellow strained and struggled
rainly. Then he bent his head, mastiff
like. Bellowing with wrath, he sank his
teeth into one imprisoning hand. They
almost met. In frenzy at the pain, Hope
released his other hand. The fellow seized
It with both of his own, holding on still
with his teeth. Hope was queerly baffled
as to the exercise of any free strength.
This was the opiKirtunity of the man in
among the trees he came flying from his
covert.
A blunt-edged piece of iron was his
weapon. He had full scope Hope was
not only hampered, but had not even seen
him approach.
One, two, three the blows came In
rapid succession. The skull bones seemed
to crack. At each blow Hope staggered,
sank, his head plunging forward then he
was on his knees, and, dragging his first
assailant along with him, he struck the
ground a huddled, senseless heap.
The big fellow tore himself loose, arose
erect, ground his teeth at the prostrate
Hope and kicked him with his foot.
"No need of that, partner!" glibly pro
claimed his confrere. "I guess I've done
more than bargained."
"Killed?" exclaimed the other, with a
start.
"He looks it," was coolly retorted. Then
tilt! speaker stooped and examined the gap
ing wounds in the back of Hope's head.
'"No," he announced, "he's got it good and
strong, but he's breathing all right. Keep
watch."
He began to ransack Hope's pockets,
while the other ran his eyes constantly
up and down the lane.
Suddenly he littered an exclamation of
decided emphasis and disappointment.
"Xo !" he said, with fierce fury, arising
to his feet.
"He hasn't got the stuff?"
"No cut-in-two bank bills, as said
"By Kane!"
"No names !"
"Where are they, then?"
"Maybe at his home hey?"
"That's got to be found out, you
know."
"It has, surely."
"You see to it."
"Yes."
"And be quick."
"As lightning."
They dragged Hope in among the trees,
half burying him in a hollow blown full
of dead leaves. The giant stood watching
him and the road, while his companion
disappeared.
He was gone a full hour. The big fel
low was uneasy enough before he re
turned. "Well?" he challenged, eagerly, the mo
ment his comrade came within hailing dis
tance. "No good !" growled the other, scowling-
ly.
"You searched "
"Everywhere."
"And found?"
' "Not a trace."
"Then the stuff's planted!"
"Of course."
"What we going to do?"
"You tell!"
The big fellow stood stupidly rubbing
his chin. His associate pulled away the
leaves and examined Hope once more.
Finally he came up closer to his compan
ion :
"See here," he said, "you listen to me !"
"I'm listening."
"There's no use dallying over this.
Kane told us what to do "
"Yes get those cut-in-two bills."
"That's it. Now then, this man is laid
np, and maybe for a spell."
"What then?"
"We must get him to some place doubly
ecu re."
"What do yon mean by that?"
"Where we can mend him up "
"Ah !"
"And hold him till he tells where he's
planted that stuff."
"Ay !"
"I know such a place," the speaker
chuckled elfisbly. "You get a cab, and
drive it yourself, and hurry back here,
and we'll soon have this gentleman where
we can learn his secret at leisure."
"If he tells it?"
"He will," confidently proclaimed the
other. "He will, or he'll never see sun
light again !"
CHAPTER XVII.
Two, four, six, eight ! two, four, six !
Over and over, and over again, Gideon
Hope counted the paces, till utterance had
grown to a maddening mumbling mono
tone always the same result along,
across a grated door, a blank, sealed
wall.
Then, too. ever the same dim prospect;
the heavy oaken door beyond one of thick
est iron bars, a diamond hole letting In
light from some far source down a nar
row, desolate hallway.
This was his third day In this den, this
prison that is, his third conscious day
and he knew no more concerning his real
whereabouts and environment now than
when his senses had first roused to the
fact he was a captive.
Hope bad a dim memory of the double
assault in the lane, and later, after studi
ous reflection, a vague suspicion as to
the motive of the same.
The condition of his clothing showed
that the ass'iult iuvolfed meditated rob
bery. Yet his personal valuables were in
tact, and the grim conviction bore upon
his mind that the severed bank notes must
have been the booty sought for.
Then he readily surmised that Percy
Kane must be at the back of this new
stroke of villainy. He was equal to it.
Such a man had trusty tools at command.
The stroke was a royal od. Besides, bis
own fyiMy demanded that Hope be put
out of the way.
"Out of the way" he was! as surely
and iwcurely'as though entombed in some
castle fastness. It was a grim prison
in which Hone found himself, and full of
mysterr i
Vendetta
By
J. COBB
Twice a day a wooden-faced man of
sixty shambled down the corridor, brought
food and water, retired. Twice a day
: for those three wearying days Hope had
endeavored to draw the man Into conver
' sation, to learn where he was, and why
there,
J Feigned or sincere, apparent stupidity
: of glance and demeanor was his mute uni
form response the attendant would not,
or could not, hear or speak.
On the morning of the fourth day, as
this man left the breakfast tray, Hope
noticed that it bore three unfamiliar ar
ticles ; first, a folded note ; second, a
blank sheet of paper ; third, a lead pencil,
sharpened to a fine point.
Eagerly he opened the folded missive.
It was unsigned, and the writing was rudo
and unfamiliar.
"Thus it ran:
"You have 24 hours to do as directed
or die. On this blank sheet write a plain
and correct statement of where you have
hidden those 250 half-thousand-dollar
notes. If we find them, you go free. If
we don't it's all up with you !"
Now the issue was perfectly plain to
the captive. His eye flashed vindictively
as he realized that he held the enemy at
defiance in one particular ; that of the
great essential of money.
But this emotion died down and his
heart sank dull and spiritless within him
. as he thought of Claire. What mattered
. aught else, now that he had doomed her
to become legally bound to a monster
whose presence must be poison to her
gentle, innocent nature !
So Hope raved, wept, grew moody and
desperate to madness by turns, as the
slow hours dragged themselves along so
another day passed. To the menacing
note only too well understood he vouch
safed no thought or care. The attendant
waited for him a moment or two when
he came with the food that evening, as
if allowing a chance to send an answer,
but the prisoner only eyed him with lurid,
rageful glance, and when he was gone
threw himself on the hard, bare bench
that was his bed, and lay stolid, and yet
acutely suffering, merged in awful thought
concerning Kane, torturing self-condemnation
when Claire's sad, reproachful face
haunted his mind,
He could fancy Kane playing his wait
ing game. The man cared nothing for
reputation, the crimes of the past were
to him only useful stepping stones of ex
perience for the future. He was safe
from exposure, while he, Hope, was out
of Che way. His scheme was patent : to
wring from his captive the secret of the
hiding place of the severed treasury notes.
If this failed, he would certainly trag
ically remove him from his path. With
time given, he could adopt some specious
plot to secure at least a few thousands
from the Trust wreck. He had Claire,
had he not? What more could he wish
taking ber to some distant part, and be
ginning a new course of swindling. This
finale well nigh drove Gideon Hope mad.
Suddenly he raised his head and listen
ed. There was a slight clatter in the cor
ridor. Some one was moving about there.
Then he heard the words :
"He's asleep. It's late and we'll give
him anohher day to change his mind. Then
the red-hot torture irons, if he won't give
up the secret of that money reasonably."
Footsteps retreated. Grimly Hope re
flected over this new phase of the case.
He was certainly in a critical situation,
and in bad hands.
Once more he sank to the bench, and
once again a foreign sound attracted his
notice. It proceeded from one end of the
heavy wooden partition evidently separat
ing the apartment he was in from the one
adjoining. He moved about. The noise,
resembling sawing, ceased. Amid his deep
misery Hope forgot all about it, and final
ly sank into a sudden sleep.
He awoke with a queer sensation, and
opened his eyes with a vivid start. His
cell held an occupant other than himself.
At first, discerning trenchery and attack,
Hope raised both hands, fists clenhced.
But he dropped them,- as In the light of
faint daybreak he more closely observed
the figure standing a foot away from his
couch and regarding him fixedly.
It was that of a man about his own J
age, though very wan and wild-eyed. His
attire was disarranged, and he had his
head bound up In a cloth, as though in
jured there. But his pose was friendly.
"Who are you? How did you get in
here?" questioned Hope, quickly, spring
ing to his feet and staring vaguely at the
intruder.
"Not by the door," answered a hollow,
fluttering voice.
"Then how " began Hope in pro
found wonderment. Then succeeded in
tense curiosity, for the intruder had point
ed toward the partition. A square about
two feet in size had been cut from the
heavy timbers and lay upon the floor,
amid a litter of sawdust. The disturbing
sound of the night previous was now ex
plained. CHAPTER XVIII.
Hope was burning with eager desire to
interrogate his visitor, to learn of his en
vironment, of the world without, but
glancing at a watch he carried, the latter
said hurriedly :
"We must not risk talking now. The
attendant will soon be here. Set the
pieces of board in place as soon as I
crawl back through the hole yonder, and
brush the sawdust out of sight."
"But later?"
"As soon as the attendant has retired
I will return," promised the other.
He moved about feebly. Hope noticed,
as be reclosed the sawed-tbrough boards.
Tie strange occurrence had roused him
oat of his apathy. He anxiously awaited
the arrival of the attendant with the
morning meal. No sooner had the man
retired than tbe occupant of the next
apartment pushed out the boards and
crept into Hope's presence again.
He panted weakly from the exercise,
and aat down on the bench to recover hi
breath. Then ha said:
"How long have you been here?"
"A week more or less."
"And why?" qucriud the man, Bean'
ning Hope critically. "You don't appear
that is "
He stumbled in his speech, and stopped
dead short.
"Go on !" urged Hope. "Mad, you were
going to say?"
"Yes."
"Then this place "
"Is a mad house, a private Insane asy
lum. Didn't you know that?".
"I half suspected It," answered Hope.
"I was, however, brought here while un
conscious." "Then you never was queer?"
"Not that I know of."
The other shook his head dubiously.
"Thoy are ' a pretty hard set, on gen
eral principles, then," he; continued
"ready to do almost anything for money,
I fancy. But your plight Is different
from mine. I was brought here really a
raving maniac."
"You seem rational enough now," sug
gested Hope, quietly.
"Oh, yes I It was a terrific Injury on
the head, in a railroad accident, and sub
sequently fever and delirium, that Induced
an unskilled surgeon and a careless friend
to trust me to the tender mercies of these
human harpies here. I was in their hos
pital room, as they call it, for a week.
Then I got sensible enough to be trouble
some. They shut me in this terrible pris
on, a place dreary enough to drive a man
really mad the violent ward!"
"But if you have recovered your rea
son " began Hope.
"They will release me when my friend
makes his monthly visit, of course."
"Soon?"
"Pay after to-morrow."
"That is not long to wait," remarked
Hope, mentally calculating how he could
utilize this patient's liberty to bring about
his own.
He was amazed as his companion
sprang sharply to his feet, an absorbing
wildness in his face and manner.
"Long?" he repeated, shrilly "man!
If I am not outside these walls, a free
man, by another midnight, if a mission
I have to perform is not executed before
the next day at dawn, I am a lost man,
and I shall batter my brain out against
these walls, cruel and unrelenting as the
stony-hearted monsters who treat my
heartbroken pleadings as the ravings of
a wild maniac !"
Hope regarded his companion strange
ly. The man's very soul was in voice and
face. There could be no doubt of his
urgent rational sincerity.
"I do not understand you," murmured
nope.
"Let me calm myself let me be calm!"
panted the other, placing a shaking hand
over his heart. "It is so necessary ! You
see, I am still physically weak. That is
why, wheln I found the saw, doubtlessly
secreted by some' former victim, I cut my
way first to this cell, suspecting its occu
pancy for I need help, and if I give you
your liberty you must swear to help me."
(To be continued.)
Labor-saving Style.
Mr. Perkins did not often comment
on his wife's dress or make suggestions,
but one day he looked at her so long
and thoughtfully that she Inquired if
ttierp wns anvthine he did not like
about her new gown.
"No, my dear," said Mr. Perkins,
hastily "certainly not. I was only
thinking. That waist of yours seems
to be so elaborate, with the lace and
all. Why not have a simpler mode of
dress?"
"Why not, Indeed?" said Mrs. Per
kins, sweetly. "I suppose youve seen
one that lust pleased you. What was
it like?"
"It was white," said her husband;
"all white and perfectly plain, my dear,
not a particle of lace or ruffling or
what I think I have heard you call
tucks nothing of the sort. All there
was, my dear, was a simple littie braid
In flower natterns of some sort. It
covered the entire waist.
"I sat beside the lady for half an
hour in the car. .and I can assure you
it was quite neat and attractive. Sim
mons and I spoke of it on the way up
from the train. He said he should
mention it to his wife."
"Your poor, ignorant creatures !" said
Mrs. Perkins, tenderly. "The days and
days It must have taken to make that
neat, simple, plain little waist !'
Caught on the Rebound.
"John, dear," said Mrs. Sklnipem, as
she poured the coffee at the breakfast
table, "if I remember rightly, you have
often said you disliked to see a woman
constantly getting herself Into print."
"That's right," rejoined Skiniiem.
"You consider It Indelicate uud uu
womanly, don't you?"
"I certainly do."
"And you don't think a sensible man
would allow his wife to do anything
like that?"
"Most assuredly not."
"Well, John, I'm glad you have such
radical views on the subject, because
they Justify me in asking you for a
new silk dress."
"W what?"
"You heard what I said, John. For
the last five years I've had nothing but
bargain-counter calico, and I'm tired of
getting Into print."
Aud what could poor John do?
II at her Sprlng-jr.
Restaurant Proprietor Meat ia on
the jump these days, sir.
Patron Well, I should say so.
Restaurant Proprietor Yes. thosb
porterhouse steaks you have been or
derlng have Jumped 3 cents in three
days.
Patron Yes, and the last one yon
served me was so tough ft Jumped
three feet from the table before I could
cut It
Plaaalble.
Mrs. Giles (reading) A scientist
dow comes forward with the theory
that Jonah was "wallowed by an earth
quake Instead of by' a whale.
Giles Well, that la a plausible the
ory. Instead of a fish It waa a Assure
SUagre In Steer Feeding.
The use of silage in feeding steers
while fattening Is growing In favor
steadily, and especially where lands
are high priced and when feeding
suiifs generally are high. Thero lias
been n good deal of prejudice against
silnge mnong extensive feeders, but as
they nre induced to try it so do they
become converted to its use.
In feeding experiments conducted at
the Mif-sourl Station in J:)0d-7 with
steers weighing about 800 pou-id-) each
a: tho beginning, those fed sllaga ate
less dry matter than tboso fed whole
stover or shredded stove-, and gained
If. weight, while the dry stover lots
lost. The same sort of results were
also secured from feeding siloed stover
ci. in pa red fith air-dried material.
Professor Plumb, of the Ohio Agrl
cultural College, has this to say on Hie
subject :
"If silage is fed under coer, ar.d to
cattle rot wallowing hi mud or ook.v
manure, then good results will gen
erally come from Its use. However.
hay or other dry roughage should also
fed. Silage fed twiw a day and
hay once should give good results.
When cattle are being finished fr
shipment, then the. amount of silage
fed should be reduced and tho dry
roughage Increased, this to- prevent
much shrinkage in shipping. However,
In what Is known as rational feeding,
but l?ttle shrinkage Is apt to occur
f-oin the use of the silage. .In ex perl
monts with steers fed different rations
at the Virginia Station, thos fed si
lage showed no appreciable shrinkage
In the market over those fed exclusive
ly dry feed."
Crib Without a Shovel.
This grain storage house Is de
signed to allow for handling the crop
without unnecessary lifting. Grain
is hauled In the
upper drive and
poured from the
wagons Into the
bins, and is then
removed by be
ing drained from
the bins Into the
wagons In the
SECTION OF THE CKIB
lower driveway. If built upon a hill
side the Job of making the fills will
not be serious. Even on level ground
this can be done without a great ex
penditure of labor with the use of
a road scraper.
The entire building must be raised
upon piers about 4 ft. high, so that
the bottom of the bins Is not much
lower than the bottom of the wagon
box, allowing the entire contents of
the blna to be drained Into the wagons
without lifting. Farm and Home.
ruberculoala In Cattle of England.
Consul Joseph O. Stephens of Ply
mouth, advises that the English auth
orities are making known through th
medium of the press the disagreeable
facts relative to tuberculosis In cows
and phthisis In human beings In that
section of England. The relation of
the two Is said to be a scientific fact.
In many districts of Devon 25 per cent
of the cows have tuberculosis. The
average number of deaths from con
sumption among the people of the sin
gle County of Devon alone exceeds 300
per annum. In one charity organiza
tion 80 per cent of tho children are
suffering from this dread disease.
The Horae that Pulla on Ilia Bit.
It Is claimed by one who has tried
it that a driving horse that pulls on
the bit can be cured by fastening a
small ring on each side of tho bridle
and as near the brow band as possible.
Pass the lines through bit rings nnd
snap them into the rings at the brow
band. This, with a common jointed
bit, will enable a child to hold a "pull
er" or hard-mouthed horse with ease
under almost all circumstances. It can
be used on a fast horse In double team
or on both, as desired. It Is cheap and
easily applied and it won't make the
mouth aore.
Hovr Seeda Are Scattered.
Dr. Howard, secretary of the Amer
ican Society for the Advancement of
Science, writing of the manner In
which seeds are carried to great dis
tances by birds, recites an experiment
of Darwin which had a curious result
Adhering to the leg of a wounded part
ridge, Darwin found a ball of earth.
weighing six and a half ounces. From
tbe seeds contained in this ball be
raised thirty-two plants, belonging to
Ave distinct species.
To Keen the Cellar Dry.
In many farmhouses the cellar Is
not cemented, so that when heavy rains
come In the spring water la apt to
make trouble. There la Just one way
to keep auch a cellar dry, and that la
by putting In a cement floor, and thor
ough drainage for the outside of the
walls. Better cement It now-
II Bin I int BiH
n T1
TWO-STOBY GRANABT.
(low to Italan n Horn
A fanner near Goliad had a novel
experience. A few years ago he built
a small barn, and In tho construction
used green willow posts at the corners
and along tho sides. For some time
nothing unusual was noticed, but after
a year he saw that where he had laid
the floor near the ground it was three
feet above soil. He discovered that
the willow posts, Instead of being dead,
were alive, had taken root and were
growing-. In their upward movement"
they had carried the barn along. Last
spring the barn was on stilts 9 feet
high, and he put In a new floor and
surrounded the posts with siding,
thereby making a two-story affair.
There Is now a space of 9 Inches be
tween the floor and the ground, and
the owner expects to have a three-story
barn in the course of time. Goliad.
(Texas) Guard.
Value of Potatoea aa Food.
According to statistics obtained, It
appears that potatoes constitute about
13 per cent of the total food con
sumed by the average family. They
are essentially starchy and eaten alone
would furnish a very one-sided badly
COMPOSITION OF THE POTATO.
A, fat: b, crude fibre and other carbohydlat
ls exclusive of starch ; c, protein j d, ash.
balanced diet that would prove un
wholesome to most people. As Indi
cated In the Illustration the edible por
tion, is made up of 78.3 per cent water,
18.4 per cent carbohydrates (principal
ly starch), 2.2 per cent protein, 0.1 per
cent fat, and 1 per cent ash or mineral
matter. These figures represent gen
eral averages from which there are
wide variations In Individual speci
mens. When potatoes are eaten with
meat, eggs, or fish, which are essenti
ally nitrogenous foods, a well-balanced
diet Is obtained.
Salt fur rain,
A supply of salt available whenever
the cow wants It Is necessary to main
tain a high milk yield. Salt stimulates
the aipetite and assists digestion and
assimilation, which increase the flow
of the fluids of the body. Salting feeds
for dairy cows once a week Is not suf
ficient. It is a good plan to keep rock
salt under shelter where the cows can
get It at will and then feed loose salt
once a week in such quantities as the
cows will eat. Loose salt may be used
exclusively If It can be sheltered from
rain. Do not mix salt with feed, for
frequently cows get more salt than
they need, which will reduce the flow
of milk. Cows having salt kept before
them at all times In separate compart
ments will not eat too much.
The Poultry Ilonae,
Now is a good time to disinfect the
poultry house, so as to keep the lice
from getting a mastery over you.
Any kind of liquid lice killer Is good
to spray the house with, being sure
to spray the roosts and nest boxes as
well. If a cheaper disinfectant ia re-
qoired, a whitewash can be made of
1 line nnd water, with some crude car
bolic acid In It This proves a very
good deodorizer and disinfectant, and
large quantity of It can be used
without hurting the pocketbook too se
verely. Wound on Treea.
No artificial medium can be applied
to the surface of a tree wound which
will Induce it to heal more quickly.
The activity of the healing process de
pends upon the character and position
and the time of the year when the
wound Is made, rather than upon pro
tective coverings, but where a large
surface of heart wood Is exposed It is
advisable to protect It from decay by
a coat of white lead or other satisfac
tory covering.
Milk for Calvea.
The calf finds In fresh milk while it
is still warm with the animal heat of
the cow, it Is said, a constituent value
not found In the milk after it Is allowed
to get cold. The chemist cannot define
It, and It cannot be restored again by
warming the milk. If every calf could
be fed Its milk sweet, nnd while it still
retained Its animal heat, there would no
doubt lie fewer cat-hammed steers going
to the block.
The Sweet Potato Delt.
The northern limit for sweet potato
culture is roughly indicated by a line
drawn from the border line of Massa
chusetts and Connecticut on the east
coast westward to the northeast corner
of Colorado, but the area where it is
profitable commercially would be con
siderably south of this, except in the
Mississippi valley, where It extends
well Into Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.
The Potato,
Recently, in Hartz, Germany, a
monument was found bearing this In
scription: "Here, in the year 1747, the
first trials were made with the cul
tivation of the potato." By the way,
when Frederick II. introduced the po
tato into his domain his subjects did
not like It; they refused to be both
ered with it, and the emperor had to
force them to cultivate It
la Trlac Chlekeaa.
When marketing chickens do not tie
several of them together. They get the
string twisted around their legs and tt
cuts them. Take the chickens to town
In a coop, or some other humane way.
They are In absolute torture when sev
eral are tied together.
THE WEEKLY
1519 The Spaniards under Cortez en
tered the strong and iwpulous cltv of
Cholula. ,
1029 John Wintihrop chosen colonial
goverror of Massachusetts.
1728 City of Copenhagen, Denmark,
nearly destroyed by fire.
1741 David Garriek, the celebrated ac
tor, made his first appearance in
London.
1774 Brig Peggy Stewart and its cargo
of tea destroyed by tho patriots at
Annapolis, Md.
177." The Continental Congress adopted
the Pine Tree flag.
1781 Cornwnllis surrendered to the
French and American army at York
town. 1801 Swiss immigrants established a
settlement at Greensburg, Pa.
1812 United States frigate President
captured tho richly laden British
packet Swallow. .. .Napoleon began
his memorable and disastrous retreat
from Moscow. .. .The United States
sloop-of-war Wasp cnirtured the
British brig Frolic. .. .Polotsk retak
en by the Russians.
1S14 Americans repulsed the British at
battle of Lyon's Creek.
1815 Napoleon Bonaparte arrived at the
island of St. Helena.
1820 Spain ratified treaty ceding Flor
ida to the United States.
1842--CompIetion of the Croton water
works celebrated in New York.
1810 First public application of ether,
to deaden pain in surgical opera
tions, made at Massachusetts gen
eral hospital In Boston.
1850 First nntional convention of the
Woman's Suffrage party met in Wor
cester, Mass.
1854 The bombardment of Sevastopol
began.... The Ostend manifesto, rec
ommending the purchase of Cuba by
the United States, was issued.
1855 Grand Trunk railway opened to
Brockville, Ontario.
1859 John Brown's raid on Harper's
Ferry.
1800 The Prince of Wales visited Bos
ton. 1803 Gen. Grant appointed to the com
mand of the departments of the Ten
nessee, Cumberland aud Ohio... Bat
tle of Bristoe Station, Virginia.
1800 Twenty-five hundred houses de
stroyed by fire in the French quarter
of Quebec.
1808 The Oregon Legislature withdrew
its assent to the fourteenth consti
tutional amendment.
1874 Congress of American women met
in Chicago Dedication of the
Lincoln monument at Springfield,
Illinois.
1878 Lord Dufferln laid the foundation
stone of Dufferin Terrace at Quebec.
1881 Centenary of the surrender of
Cornwallis at Yorktown celebrated.
1,884 Republicans carried the State and
congressional elections in Ohio.
1891 Phillips Brooks consecrated bishop
of Massachusetts.
1894 A memorial to Sir John A. Mac
... douajd unveiled in Toronto.
1S95 Milwaukee celebrated the semi
centennial of its incorporation.
1890 The dispute over the Catholic
school. in Manitoba was. settled by
compromise.
1899 Gen. Ji mines elected president of
the Dominican republic.
1900 Lord and Lady Minto completed a
tour of western Canada to the Pa-
cLfic.
1905 Lutheran council in Milwaukee
adopted resolution favoring interna'
tional arbitration.
1900 The W. C. T. U.'s world's con
gress assembled in Boston.
1907 The first regular wireless dispatch
for commercial purposes was sent
over the Atlantic ocean. .. .Philip
pine Assembly 0nned by Secretary
Taft....The Hague peace conference
closed.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY.
The pearl button industry is at a stand
still in Muscatine, Ia., because 500 blank
cutters walked out of the automatic cut
ting and finishing plant, the third largest
weet water pearl button factory in the
world. A dispute over wages is the cause.
The American Smelting and Refining
Company has issued its annual report for
the year ending April 30 lat, which
shows a decrease in earnings, compared
with the previous year, of $3,840,770.
President Daniel Guggenheim, in his re
port to the stockholders, said that the de
cline in business had not impaired the
company's surplus which amounts to $13,
408.219. The Wisconsin (Bell) Telephone Com
pany has absorbed the Western Wiscon
sin Telephone Company, which had 1,500
subscribers and exchanges in Arcadia,
Gaiesville, Trempealeau, Fountain City,
Blair, Ettrick, Whitehall and Indepen
dence, Wis.
Frost and then warm sun rays de
stroyed 20,000 bushels of ripe tomatoes ia
the fields on Muscatine island, causing
a loss of $10,000 In one day. The toma
toes had been in a frozen state for three
days and were being gathered by all the
help available. Thirty minutes after tha
sun shone the crop was a total lota.