The
Main
Chance
t
Meredith Nicholson
COPYSIOHT 153
TH1 BOBBa-MERRlLL COMPANY
CHAPTER XXII.
There was much to do, and John Sax'
ton had been back and forth twice be'
twfea the ranch house and the village
before the sun had crept high into th
heavens. The little village had been slow
to grasp the fact of the tragedy at its
doors which had already carried its name
far. There was much to do and yet It
was so pitifully little after all ! Warry
Raridan was dead, and eager men were
scouring the country for his murderer
but John Saxton sat in the room where
Warry had died. It seemed to John that
the end had come of all the world. II
sharpened his grief with self-reproach
that he had been a party to an exploit so
foolhardy : they should never have at
tempted a midnight descent upon an un
known foe ; and yet it was Randan's own
plan.
Saxton had ministered to the boy Grant
with characteristic kindness. Grant knew
now of Warry 's death, and this, with hi
own sharp experiences, had unnerved him
He clung to Saxton, and JoHn soothed
him until be slept, in one of the upper
chambers.
Wheaton stood suddenly in the door,
and beckoned to Saxton, whe went out to
him. They had exchanged no words since
that moment when the old bishop's prayer
had stilled the room where Warry Rari
dan died Through the events of the
morning hours, Wheaton had been merely
a spectator of what was done Saxton
had hardly noticed him, and glancing at
Wheaton now, he was shocked at the look
f great age that had come upon him.
"I want to speak to you a minut
yon and Bishop Delafield," said Wheaton
The bishop was pacing up and down in
the outer hall, which had been quietly
cleane dand put in order by men from the
ullage. Wheaton led the way to the room
once used as the ranch office.
"Will you sit down, gentlemen?" He
spoke with so much calmness that the
others looked at him curiously. The bish
op and Saxton remained standing, and
Wheaton repeated, sharply, "Will you sit
down?' The two men sat down side by
side on the leather-covered bench that
tan around the room, and Wheaton stood
op before them.
"I have something to say to yon, be
fore you before we go," he said. Their
silence seemed to confuse him for a mo
ment, but he regained his composure. He
looked from Saxton to the bishop, who
nodded, and he went on :
"The man who killed Warry Raridan
.was my brother." he said, and waited.
:$axton started slightly; his numbed
senses quickened under Wheaton's words,
and in a flash he saw the explanation of
many things.
"He was my brother," Wheaton went
on quietly. "He had wanted money from
me. I had refused to help him. He car
ried away Grant Porter thinking to in
jure me in that way. It was that, I think,
as much as the hope of getting a large
sum for the boy's return."
A great quiet lay upon the house ; the
two men remained sitting, and Wheaton
tood before them with his arms crossed,
the bishop and Saxton watching him, and
Wheaton looking from one to the other
of his companions. Contempt and anger
were rising in John Saxton's heart ; but
the old bishop waited calmly ; this wai
not the first time that a troubled soul
iad opened its door to him.
"Go on," he said, kindly.
"My brother and I ran away fro-n .he
little Ohio town where we were born.
Our father was a harness maker. I h.iieJ
the place. I think I hated my father
and mother." He paused, as we do
sometimes when we have suddenly spoken
a thought which we have long carried in
our heart but have never uttered. TIio
words had elements of surprise for James
Wheaton, and he waited, weighing h
words and wishing to deal justly with
himself. "My brother was a bad boy:
he had never gone, to school, as I had ;
he had several times been guilty of petty
stealing. I joined him once in a thefi ;
we were arrested, but he took the blame
and was punished, and I went free. I
am not sure that I was any better, or
that I am now any better than he j.
liut that is the only time I ever stole."
Saxton remembered that Warry had
once said of James Wheaton that lie
would not steal.
"I wanted to be honest ; I tried Ty
best to do right. I never expected to d
ss well as I have I mean in business
and things like that. Then after all the
years in which I had not seen anything
of my brother he came into the bank one
day as a tramp, begging, and recognized
me. At first I helped him. I sent Lim
here: you will remember the man Snyder
you found hre when you came," turnip?
to Saxton. "I knew you would not keep
him. There was nothing else That I
ewild do for him. I had new ambitions,"
his voice fell and broke, "there w-?re
cuer; were omer inings tnat meant a
great deal to me I could not have him
about. It was he who assaulted me one
night at Mr. Porter's Louse two yea -e
ago, when you," he turned to the bUhop,
"came up and drove him away. After
that I gave him money to leave the ro'.n
try and he promised to stay away ; but
he began blackmailing me again, and 1
thought then that I had done enough for
him and refused to help him any more.
When Grant Porter disappeared I knew
at ones what had happened. He 1m d
threatened but there la something
something wrong with me !"
These last words broke from him like
a cry, and he staggered suddenly and
would have fallen if Saiton had no!
sprung op and caught him. He recovered
quickly and sat down on the bench.
"Let as drop this dot," ssld Saxton,
standing him ; "it's do time "
"There's something wrong with ine,"
aid Wheaton, huskily, without heeling,
and Saxton drew back from him, ' I whs
a vain, cowardly fool. Rut I did the best
I could," he passed his hand over his
face, and his fingers crept nervously to
his collar, "but It wasn't any ussl It
wasn't any use I" He turned again to
the bishop, "I heard you preach a ser
mon once. It was about our opportuni
ties. You said we must live In the open.
I had never thought of that before," and
he looked at the bishop with a foolish
grin' on his face. He stood up suddenly
and extended his arms. "Now I want
you to tell me what to do. I want to be
punished ! This man s blood is on my
hands. I want to be punished !" And he
sank to the floor in a heap, repeating.
as if to himself, "I want to be puoisii-
ed !"
There are two great crises In the lifi
of a man. One is that moment of Jis
closure when for the first time he rec
ognizes some vital weakness In his own
character. The other comes when, under
stress, he submits this defect to the eye
of another. James Wheaton hardly knew
when he had realised the first, but he
was conscious now that he had passed
the second. It had carried him liki
high tide to a point of rest; but H wn
a point of helplessness, too.
"It isn't for us to punish yon," the
bishop began, "and I do not see that you
have transgressed any law."
"That is it! that is It! It would be
easier!" moaned Wheaton. John turned
away. James Wheaton's face was not
good to see.
"Yes, it would be easier," the bishop
continued. "I can see that in going back
to Clarkson many things will be hard
for you "
"I can't! Oh. I can't!" He still
crouched on the floor, with his arms ex
tended along the bench.
"But that is the manly thing for you.
If you have acted a cowardly part, now
is the time for you to change, and you
must change on the field of battle. I can
imagine the discomfort of facing your
old friends; that you will suffer keen hu
miliation ; that you may have to begin
again ;,but you must do it, my friend, if
you wish to rise ab6ve yotrself, and you
mav depend upon my help."
The old man had spoken with empha
sis, but with great gentleness. He turned
to Saxton, wishing him to speak.
"Ihe bishop is right. You must go
back with us, Wheaton." P-ut he did not
say that he would help him. John Sax
ton neither forgot nor forgave easily. He
did not see in this dark hour what he
had to do with James Wheaton's affairs.
But the Bishop of Clarkson went over
to James Wheaton and lifted him up; It
was as though he would make the physi
cal act carry a spiritual aid with it.
"We can talk of this to better purpose
when we get home," he said. "You are
broken now and see your future darkly;
but I say to you that you can be re
stored ; there's light and hope ahead for
you. If there is any meaning in my
ministry it is that with the help of God
a man may come out of darkness into
the light again."
There was a moment's silence. Whea
ton sat bent forward on the bench, with
his elbows on his knees and his face in
his hands.
"They are waiting for us," said Sax
ton.
A special train was sent to Great Riv
er, and the little party waited for it on
the station platform, surrounded by
awed villagers, who stood silent In the
presence of death and a mystery which
they but dimly comprehended. Officers
of the law from Clarkson came with the
train and surrounded Bishop Delafield,
Wheaton and Saxton as they stood with
Grant Porter by the rude bier of Warry
Raridan. The men answered many ques
tions and the sheriff -of the county took
the detectives away with him. Margrave
had sent his private car, and the return
ing party were huddled in one end of it.
save John Saxton, who sat alone w!th
the body of Warry Raridan. The train
was to go back Immediately, but it wait
ed for the west-bound express which fol
lowed It and passed the special her?.
There was a moments confimon as the
special with its dark burden was switch
ed into a siding to allow the regular
train to pass. Then the special returned
to the main track and beyan its home
ward journey.
John sat with his arms folded, sunk
into his great-roat, and watched the gray
landscape through the snow that was fall
ing fast. The events of the night seemed
lyike a hideous dream. It was an incon
ceivable thing that within a few hours so
dire a calamity could have fallen. The
very nearness of the city to which they
were bound added to the unreality of all
that had happened. But there the dark
burden lay ; and the snow fell upon the
gray eartn ana wnnenea it, as it to
cleanse and remake it and blot out its
color and dread. The others left Saxton
alone ; he was nearer than they ; but late
n the afternoon, as they approached the
city, Uaptain neeiocK came in and
touched him on the shoulder; Bishop
Ielafield wished to see him. John rose.
giving neeiocK nis piace, ana went
back to where the old man sat staring
t , if.
out at tne snow. lie oecuoneu saxton to
sit down by him.
"Where's Wheaton?" the bishop asked.
John looked at him and at the other
men who sat in silence about the car.
He went to one of them and repeated the
bishop's question, but was told that
Wheaton was not on the train. He had
been at the station and had come aboard
the car with the rest ; but be must have
returned to the station and been left.
John remembered the passing of the
west-bound express, and went back and
told the bishop that Wheaton had not
come with them. The old man shook his
head and turned again to the window
and the flying panorama of the snowy
landscape. John sat by him, and neither
spoke until the train's speed diminished
at a crossing on the outskirts of Clark
son. Then suddenly, hot at heart and
with tears of sorrow and rage in his eyes,
Saxton said, so that only the bishop
could hear :
"He's a coward !"
The Bishop of Clarkson stared steadily
out upon the snow with troubled eyes.
CHAPTEK XXIII.
Porter Insisted that Margrave should
not have ths Traction Company at any
pries, though ths general manager of the
Transcontinental was persistent In his
offers. As Margrave did not cars to deal
with Porter, who was not, he complain
ed, "an easy trader," bs negotiated with
Fenton and Saxton. After several weeks
o Ineffectual effort bs concluded that
Fenton and Saxton were almost as dlffl
cult. He called Saxton a "stubborn
brute" to Saxton's faces but offered to
continue him In a responsible position
with the company If he would help him
with the purchase. He still wanted to
control the company for political reasons,
but there was also the fact of his having
invested the money of several of his
friends In the Transcontinental director
ate, prior to the last aunual meeting.
These gentlemen had begun to inquire
in a respectful way when Margrave was
going to effect the coup which, he had
boon assuring them, he had planned
They had, they were aware, no rights as
tiraiiist the bondholders ; and as aiar
grace understood this perfectly well, he
was very anxious to buy In the propert)
at receiver's sale for an amount that
would satisfy Porter and his allies, and
give him a chance to "square himself," as
he put it This required additional mon
ey, but he was able to command It from
his "people," for the receiver had dem
onstrated t..at the property could be
made to prty. While these negotiations
were pending, Saxton and Fenton were
able to satisfy their curiosity as to the
relations which had existed between
Wheaton and Margrave. Margrave had
no shame in confessing just what had
passed between them ; he viewed It all as
a joke, and explained, without compunc
tion, exactly the" manner in which he had
come by the shares wich had belonged to
Evelyn Porter and James Wheaton.
When Saxton came back from Colo
rado, Porter was ill again, and Fenton
was seriously disposed to accept a price
which Margrave's syndicate had offered.
Margrave's position had grown uncom
fortable; he had to get himself and "his
people" out of a scrape at any cost. Ills
plight pleased Fenton, who tried to make
Porter see the Irony of it; and this view
of it, as much as the high offer, finally
prevailed upon him. He saw at last th
futility of securing and managing the
property for himself ; his health had be
come a matter of concern, and Fenton
Insisted that a street railway company
would prove no easier to manage than a
bank.
Porter was, as John had said, "a pe
culiar brick," and after the final orders
of the court had been made, and Saxton's
fees allowed, Porter sent him a check for
five thousand dollars, without comment.
Fenton made him keep it ; Porter had
done well in Traction and he owed much
to John ; but John protested that he pre
ferred being thanked to being tipped ; but
the lawyer persuaded him at last that the
idiosyncrasies of the rich ought to be
respected.
Porter felt his burdens slipping from
him with unexpected satisfaction. He
grew jaunty in his old way as he chid
his contemporaries and friends for hold
ing on ; as for himself, he told them, he
Intended "to die rested," and he adjusted
his affairs so that they would give him
little trouble in the future. The cottage
which he had bought on the North Shore
was a place they hnd all admired the
previous summer. Porter had liked it be
cause there was enough ground to afford
lawn and flower beds which he cultivated
with so much satisfaction at home. The
place was called "Red Gables," and For
ter had bought It with its furniture, so
that there was little to do in taking pos
session but to move In. The Whlpples
were their first guests, going to them in
mid-July, when they were fully installed.
The elder Bostonians whom Porter had
met ths previous summer promptly renew
ed their acquaintance with him. He had
attained, In their eyes, a new dignity In
becoming a cottager. The previous own
er of "Red Gables" had lately failed In
business and they found in the advent of
the Porters a sign of the replenishing
of the East from the West, which Inter
ested them philosophically. Porter lack
ed their own repose, but they liked to
hear him talk. He was amusing and In
teresting, and they had already found his
prophecies concerning the markets trust
worthy. The ladies of their families
heard with horror his views on the In
dian question, which were not romantic,
nor . touched with the spirit of Boston
philanthropy ; but his daughter was love
ly, they said, and her accent was wholly
inoffensive.
So the Porters were well received, and
Evelyn was glad to find her father ac
cepting his new leisure so complacently.
She and Mrs. Whipple agreed that he and
the general were as handsome and inter
esting as any of the elderly Bostonians
among their neighbors; and they un
doubtedly were so.
(To be continued.)
Ilepartee.
Madame Jules, we have been mar
ried six months, and you no longer
love me.
Monsieur My dear! I
Madam Oh, It's no use attempting
to deny It. You should have married
a etupldler woman than I to make
such a denial convincing.
Monsieur (a little huffy) Well, It's
not my fault. I couldn't find one.
Le Rlre.
She'd Mind Him.
Hope was three years older than her
baby brother, and felt herself equal to
assuming the responsibilities of big
sisterhood. When, therefore, her moth
er asked her to "keep an eye" on the
baby and see that he didn't fall out
of bed, Hope answered:
"Yes, mamma, I'll mind him;. an' If
he falls, I'll call you the minute he
hits the floor." Harper's Magazine.
The Tronble.
The poet sat staring at the blank
sheet of paper on the table before"
aim.
"What Is the matter, dear?" asked
his sympathetic better half, as she
passed her cool hand over his troubled
brow. "What is on your mind?"
"Nothing," answered the poet, gloom
ily; "nothing, I assure you. That's
the trouble."
Then He Got Boar.
Him What would happen If I were
to attempt to kiss you?
Her It would scare me awfully.
Him And would you scream?
Her Oh, no. Fright always ren
ders me speechless.
One Explanatloa.
"I wonder what produces that tired
feeling In spring?"
"I guess It's thinking about th svm
mr vacation." Baltimore American.
Women and Poultry.
There Is no field open to women to
day that Is leas crowded than the
poultry field; none that offers as good
returns for one's labor; none that
affords so much freedom when taken
as a vocation, and none that makes
one so nearly Independent of others.
Some of our best planned poultry
farms, as well as our best-paying ones,
are the outgrowth of woman's skill
and Ingenuity In planning, and her
financial ability In conducting the en
terprise. Most women show a quali
fication for neatness about poultry of
which men are occasionally void, and
as cleanliness Is an Important factor,
she often outstrips our "lords of crea
tion" In results obtained. The care
of poultry Is productive of good health
to women engaged therein, giving
them sufficient exercise In the open
air, and just enough care and respon
sibility to make their work Interest
ing and to make them feel their Im
portance. The field for women Is
almost unlimited, and it pays her bet
ter profits than she can reasonably ex
pect from most other business ven
tures. Commercial Poultry.
DentroyinK Water Hyacinth.
Spraying Is the methed followed at
the present time by the government
In destroying the water hyacinth,
which has proved a serious Impedi
ment to navigation on many of the
Southern rivers of this country. A
great number of suggestions have
been tried, and the fine spraying pro
cess has been found to be the most
effectual and economical. Two gov
ernment boats are engaged in the
work. Each Is equipped with tanks
for the boiling of a mixture of white
arsenic, sal soda and water. This is
sprayed on the plants, and as the lat
ter are about 98 per'cent water there
is very little residue after they wilt
down under the action of the poison
ous solution. That the solution kills
the plants absolutely has been proved
In every case where the conditions
were such as to prevent the introduc
tion of new plants within the area
sprayed.
Hnrrow Tooth Fnstener.
John A. Johnson, of Lacenter,
Wash., has patented a harrow tooth
fasterner, the object of which is to
fasten harrow-teeth in U bar harrows
without the use of clamps, bolt3 or
nuts, and consists of a square or
diamond-shaped hole pressed through
the U bar of the harrow for the re
ception of the teeth, and a W-shaped
fastener pressed out of sheet metal In
serted between the teeth and the back
of the bar, with a corresponding
round notch in the tooth to receive
the fastener. Thus, one fastener
holds all the teeth in the bar.
Cultivate the Orchard.
The young orchard should be culti
vated, but not with grain or grass
crop3. Corn, potatoes, beans or other
vegetables, well cultivated, are ideal
for a young orchard. The ground
should be stirred every two or three
week3 until the middle of August. In
going through the orchard with the
harrow, care should be taken not to
Injure, bruise or "bark" the trees. To
avoid this, the horses ought to be
muzzled and the outside portions of
traces and whiffletrees padded.
In going through some young or
chards early In tha season for the pur
pose of demonstrating pruning, Prof.
Surface found many cases of trees
which had been seriously damaged
through being grazed by whiffletrees,
or struck or bitten by the horses. In
going through the orchard, rub off all
unnecessary sprouts. Rural World.
A Threohlnif Itecord.
George W. McKnight of Howell, Ky.,
In a run of twelve and one-half days,
threshed 18,000 bushels of wheat.
moved every day, sometimes as far as
three miles, and never broke a belt
or touched the cylinder. Mr. Mc
Knight reports that the best yield he
found was twenty-three acres for
George Wood, that averaged twenty
six bushels. Of his own crop fifty
acres averaged twenty-two bushels,
and the whole crop of 100 acres aver
aged twenty bushels. All of the crops
he threshed made from fifteen to twen
ty bushels an acre.
Food Value of Buttermilk.
Buttermilk Is a nutritious and
wholesome food, or drink, and it Is
relished by a great many people.
There Is a good sale for it in all towns
and cities of any size. The quality of
buttermilk, like all other foods, Is de
termined by the way It Is prepared.
To secure the most wholesome prod
uct, keep the milk as pure and clean
as possible, use the most pure water
obtainable and practice absolutely clean
methods in churning. It must be held
at a low temperature In order to have
It fresh for any great length of time.
Wolirht and Feed.
When one comes to figure on
difference In weight for the Bame age
and feed of 200 to 400 pounds, and
a difference In price of several cents,
he can see as plainly as he can see
anything that there Is more money In
Improved stock. Suppose a 2-year-old
scrub steer weighs 900 pounds and
sells for 4 cents a pound, while a
2-year-old pure bred weighs 1,200
and sella for 6'4 cents, there will be
$36 for one and $73 for the other.
Is there any man In his right senses
who can think It will not pay to keep
well-bred stock when he compares
these figures? They are not imag
inary at all, but represent the quota
tions In the market reports during the
last few months. The real question
then Is, how to get better cattle.
Bulls are cheap Just now, and In fact
have been selling lower than cows and
heifers. Denver Field and Farm.
Anta Destroy Scale Inserts.
Prof. Harlan of California has dis
covered that the ordinary black ant
will remove the scale from fruit trees
without Injuring the tree or leaves In
the least. He says their work Is more
complete than that accomplished by
spraying or by any of the Imported
Insects. The ants are captured by
placing a plate of sugar near an ant
hill, and when covered with ants the
plate Is put in the forks of the Infect
ed tree. The ants leave the sugar and
go to work on the scale. As soon as
they all leave the sugar the plate Is
placed at the foot of the tree, and as
the ants come down after having
cleaned the tree of scale, they again
assemble on the sugar and are thus
easily removed to another tree.
Supply of Nitrate.
It Is claimed that at the present rate
of use the known supply of nitrate of
soda will be exhausted in less than
fifty years, while as a matter of fact
the consumption is increasing steadily
and rapidly. It Is therefore safe to
say that before twenty-five years have
passed the supply will be low, unless
new fields are discovered, and that the
price will be high. Over a million and
a half tons were used last year. This
is not encouraging for the young gen
eration of farmers, except for the fact
that we will always have our clovers,
our alfalfa, our cowpeas the great le
gume family and properly rotated
these will supply the soil with nitro
gen from the inexhaustible supply Id
the air.
A Bntter Fraud.
An Ingenious fraud In the butter
line was brought to light recently In
England. In that country the amount
of moisture In butter Is limited by
law to 16 per cent. Australian and
New Zealand butters, on the other
hand, usually contain only 8 per cent
of water. Taking advantage of this
fact, several firms Imported large
quantities of these colonial butters.
to which 8 per cent of water was then
added, thus bringing them down to
the British standard. As the added
water naturally cost nothing and the
product was sold at the current price,
a substantial profit was made.
Slnntchter of Robin.
Virginia, North Carolina and Ten
nessee have the undesirable distinc
tion of being the only states In the
Union where the slaughter of robins
is permitted by law. Recent Investi
gations show that not less than 9,000,
000 robins are killed in these three
states during the winter months. It
is a fact that every robin earns $1 In
the destruction of Insects Injurious to
crops every year. The hunters sell
them at 5 cents apiece. This Is a
waste of millions of dollars and ought
to appeal to the hard, common sense
of every farmer. It ought to be
stopped In every state.
American Plowa Abroad.
American plows and cultivators are
turning up the soil In more than sev
enty countries and colonies of the
.vorld. In Japan, In 1908, there were
$22,000 worth; in Asiatic Turkey, $14,
000; In New Zealand, $50,000; In Brit
ish South Africa, $222,000; in Portu
guese Africa, $31,000; In Cuba, $85,
000; while Argentina took In 1908
$7S0.000 worth; Canada, $174,000; Rus
sia in Europe. $259,000, and Asiatic
Russia. $750,000 worth.
Dent roylnjf Weed.
In Denmark the farmers are com
pelled by law to destroy all weeds on
their premises, and In France a farm
er may prosecute his neighbor for
damages If the neighbor allows weeds
to go to seed. It would save millions
of dollars In this country If laws pre
vailed which prevented farmers from
growing weeds to seed on their owq
as well as others' farms.
Shorthorn MIIIc Cows.
Experiments in developing a milk
ing strain of shorthorn cattle have
been begun by the dairy division of
the United States Department of
Agriculture in co-operation with the
Minnesota Experiment Station and
with nine Minnesota breeders, the lat
ter having agreed to allow their herds
to be used and to manage them ac
cording to the Instructions of the department.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY
A dental college has recently been
added to the University of Madrid.
Walter Broadbelt. of Wllliston, Pa.,
claims to have a hen that last year
laid 247 eggs, of which ten were dou-ble-yolked.
Neither boiling water nor cold 200
degrees below zero kills the sprout In
some seeds. Professor Becquerel found
three seeds eighty-seven years, old thai
sprouted.
Work Is going on steadily to deep
en and widen the Suez canal, and ere
long the biggest merchant vessels
with a depth of twelve meters will be
able to use It.
F. S. Welnhold, of Brookslde, Pa.,
last season raised on twenty-five acres
about three thousand bushels of ear
corn. Many of the ears were over six
teen inches in- length.
For a number of years Washington
has been far and away the largest
lumber producing State In the Union,
and it still is ahead; but last year
Louisiana nearly caught up with It.
Dr. James Critchton Browne, who la
the real authority behind most wise
acres and oracles on "feeding," says:
"The meat ration of the Japs In Man
churia was the largest ever served In
any army."
Of the revenue accruing from the
national forests In Colorado 25 per
cent, -or $G0,000, Is yearly turned over
to the State by the federal authorities
for use on the public roads and
schools. Outing.
Helen, aged 6, was telling Mary, age
7, of her plans for the future. 'Ten
going to be married," she announced,
"and have eighteen children." "Oh,"
gasped Mary, her eyes wide with
amazement, "you mercenary wretch!"
The population of Germany, apart
from Immigration and emigration, In
creased by 882,624 last year. In En
gland, the births exceeded the deaths
by 393.821; In Italy, by 357,178; In
Belgium, by 71,715; In Holland, by
88,156; in France, by 46,411.
In old Holland, when a couple ap
plied for divorce, they were locked
up in a one-room, trylng-out-cabln,
with one dish and one spoon. If, after
a month, they had not cone to limer
ick they got the writ which was sel
dom asked for after this bundling.
The sign read "Children Under Five
Years of Age Free." The Conductor
looked at It mournfully. "You may
not believe It," said he, "but a wom
an with five children, all hers, got on
the car the other clay and convinced
me that none of them was old enough
to pay. Somehow, I can't believe It
yet" New York Sun.
A news Item stating that Gautemala
Is considering putting her monetary
system on a gold basis recalls a poker
story about four players with $1,000,
000 (Gautemalan) In the pot, which
the winner exchanged for $400 (Ameri
can gold), but It took him four days
to do it, as $100 geld was all the
money changer would part with at a
time.
Lord Lister, discoverer of antisepsis,
saw In 1867, near a hospital, an old
cholera pit which emitted a horrid
stench as it was standing open for the
next corpses. Walls were formed on
three sides of coffins piled one upon
another, and this was right under the
hospital window. There were five thou
sand cholera corpses In eighty pits in
the hospital yard.
The fleet of the Graham & Morton
Company, operating on the southern
part of Lake Michigan, is being equip
ped with wireless telegraph instru
ments. There will be an operator on
each boat and also one at each of the
stations to be established at Chicago,
Holland and Benton Harbor. This ser
vice is available for passengers and
also for emergency.
One of the greatest works performed
by Americans In Korea was the mak
ing of the Korean-English dictionary.
This was done by Dr. J. S. Gale, a
Presbyterian missionary. He began it
In 1892, after a four years' residence
In the country, and completed It with
in five years. Prior to that there waa
no means of intercommunication be
tween the foreigners and the natives
except through the Chinese language.
There Is a rumor that Hartford,
Conn., Intends to make a bid for fame
by establishing an asylum for the
treatment of automobiles that have
been worn out In the Bervlce, and that
a society for the prevention of cruelty
to automobiles Is also under considera
tion. A speed antitoxin and a method
of injecting common sense Into chauf
feurs might lessen the labors of the
proposed Institutions. New York
Tribune.
Dr: Doche (French army) says that
spawning is really the cause of some
oyster poison in summer. Spawning
oysters are sometimes called "milky."
Their juice looks something like milk.
Doche says this milky Juice holds poi
sons which the oyster throws off In
spawning. He tells of the violent poi
soning of a number of soldiers from
eating "milky" oysters. Dread of sum
mer oysters Is practically universal,
and the "R months" Is a safe saying.
Twelve years ago Prince Buelow was
a poor man. He retires from the of
fice of German chancellor with a large
private fortune and the rank of count
and prince. On the day the kaiser
gave him the latter title Buelow was
notified that his share of the estate of
Hedd Godfrey, the wealthy sugar mer
chant of Hamburg, amounted to $1,
875,000. Herr Oodfrsy had never met
Prince Buelow, but had become Inter
ested In his publlo career and left him.
kls fortune.