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About Wallowa chieftain. (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 1902)
THE SPONGE MAY The sponge Is coming Into disfavor In the St. Louis public schools. "There are excellent grounds for the objection, too," says Chief Dispensary Physician Jordan. "They are a good carrier of gernis, and extremely liable to be unclean." "The make-up of the sponge shows the possibility of its retaining germs. For that rmson the use of the sponge has been largely abandoned iu surgery and absorbant cotton used instead. I should recommend the use of a cloth. One of the most dangerous practices in connection with the use of sponges is by children spitting upon a sponge. Diphtheria, tuberculosis and other communicable diseases may be Bpread by this means. Especially if the sponge were passed from one child to another. Something less expensive and oftener destroyed, like a cloth, would be less dangerous, 1 believe." "The use of the sponge is passing in the public schools," stated Assistant School Superintendent Murphy. "The sponge in Its very nature is uncleanly, and, of course, children cannot be made to keep them clean. For several years we have been discouraging their use." THE SNOWDRIFT. When night dropped down, the fields were dark and dun, Storm sprites were out we heard the north wind blow; Then when arose the slowly wading sun. Morning came mantled In a robe of snow. White grew the landscape; every field and knoll Shone forth transfigured by the snow storm's spell; The trees and fences stood in motley droll, Half dark, half whitened by this mira cle. Hut where the stone wall held its Parian weight Of snowdrift, like some Alp or Apen nine, We saw a sculpture mnn could not create, Smoothed off and chiseled by some touch divine. Mute wonder of the myriad molded snow, Pure as the stars that sentinel the sky, What art could improvise and fashion so, Unless some godlike power sped pro creaut by! Here plinth and cornice, architrave and frieze. Lift up a beauty to the day and sun. Amidst the silver of the tinseled trees. Thtat never Phidias or Cunova won. Country Life. j;-H--M"M-.iH..t..l..t. M"M-H"K-I a One-sided wooinq. n E was a big-limbed, brown- faced mnn, und somehow be looked awkward amid the glit tering artificiality of a ballroom, lie was just the sort of being oue asso ciated with big game bunting and the wild regions of the earth. He seemed as much out of place at a dunce as a rice pudding in a Parisian menu. "Miss Bainbridge!" "Mr. Carlyon!" The man's voice was apologetic, the girl's frankly amazed. "Fancy finding you at a dance!" the girl went on, after the first flush of sur prise had died a natural death. "Yes, It's not much In my line. But the fact Is well, I came to see you." "To see me?'' "Yes. I wanted to ask your advice on a subject that has been worrying ine a great deal. You're about the only girl 1 know whom I thought I could tackle without fear of being laughed nt. Can you give me a dance?" Millicent Bainbridge 'could hardly help smiling at the almost boyish man ner In which the sunburnt young giant voiced his semi-apologetic avowal. "1 shall be delighted," she said, sweet ly. "What shall it be?" "O, I don't care I mean I do care, only I can't dance, so it can be polka, waltz, or what you will. But I know you're a gort dancer, so it had better be one you don't mind sitting out" "Shall we say number six, polka?" Number six arrived in due course. By that time Millicent was devoured with furiosity to know what Carlyon could possibly want to ask her advice about. How big and handsome and frank he was! So different to the usual run of men encounted In a London ballroom. Carlyon bore his partner away in tri The E iiior: "Your story- is excellent- SOON BE BARRED FROM CITY SCHOOLS. umph to a secluded corner of the con servatory. As soon as they were seated he burst out: "I've fallen in love, Miss Bulubrldge. I've known you a good long time, and I want you to tell me how a fellow Is to make sure of getting a girl to return bis affection." Milllcent's face went crimson. Then the color ebbed away. "Does the girl know you are fond of her?" she said, after a slight pause. "She hasn't an Idea," answered Carl yon emphatically. "And I'm such a rough sort of fellow 1 don't know how to begin. Supposing you were the girl, now, how would you like the fellow you were going to marry to behave?" "O, that is soon told," answered Mil licent. "In the first place be must be attentive, my knight. He must be ways courteous, always ready to Inter pret my every fancy. He must send nie flowers and swecis, take me to thea ters " "Must every man do that sort of thing?" "DOES THE OIItL KNOW YOU ARE FOND OF HER?" "Every man who wants to win a wo mau must be prepared to make sacri fices. Then my lover must study all my whims. He must be able to read me like a book, to be loving and yet masterful, manly yet tender." Dick Carlyon groaned audibly. "Then it's all up with my ever having a shot at trying to make a girl care for me. I can't do any of the things you mention. I can only be a great clumsy idiot, all right on a horse or behind a gun, but no good at making a girl happy." "But don't be so downcast. Mr. Carl yon! After all, I've only given you my view. Perhaps the other girl " "There is uo other girl!" Again Milllcent's face became scar let. "Why, what do you mean?" she cried. "Well I O, what an ass I am! I thought I hoped perhaps you'd give me a lead. It was you I'd fallen in love with. Miss Bainbridge!" Millicent could hardly keep from bursting into a peal f merry laugh ter. "Why on earth didn't you say so at once, Mr. Carlyon?" she cried roguish ly. "It would bave saved such a lot of trouble. Why, there's the music for the next dance." A STUDY IN EXPRESSION. and we'll- Rive you Carlyon rose somewhat heavily. "Ah, well, he cried. "I've made an idiot of myself for nothing." "For nothing? Am I nothing?" The young man paused. Something In Milllcent's dancing eyes awoke com prehension In his mind, absolutely un used as he was to the bewitching co quetries of the sex capricious. "You're not laughing at me, Milli cent?" he asked soberly. Millicent grew grave in a moment. "No, you dear, darling old simpleton," she answered in a voice that made Carl yon's pulses quicken; "there, how does that strike you for a lead?" And that was all Dick Carlyon's woo ing. Cuicago Tribune. Proud of His Position. One of the Scottish regiments in South Africa has for Its regimental pet a huge male ostrich, which has proved itself on several occasions a friend in deed. Its first appearance came about iu this way. A party had been sent to destroy a farm house that had been the hiding place of the assassins of several of the men, and, when the house had been emptied of its occupants, the horses and cattle driven off, a fearful noise was heard coming from a little outhouse at the other end of the house. On opening the door, out stalked the huge bird quite bewildered. Some pro posed shooting It, but by general con sent It was to be allowed to go. It followed the party, and at once install- d himself as oue of them. They fed him with part of their own rations, aud petted him all round. He loves to march at the head of a party of the regiment, and if the regiment Is on the road he Is sure to be at the head of the column. On outpost duty he is a valuable scout, and gives timely warning of ap proaching danger. Twice has he saved the plcquet from being cut off, aud he Is looked on by all as a real hero. He had been christened by the name of "Bobs," and knows his name well. The regiment does not know what to do with him when the war Is at an end. but hope to bring him home. Unexpected Krudition. An absent-minded professor of lan guages dropped into a restaurant one day for a luncheon. "What will you have, sir?" asked the waiter. "Fried eggs," replied the professor. "Over?" said the waiter, meaning, of course, to ask whether he wanted them cooked on both sides or only one. "Ova?" echoed the professor, sur prised at his apparent familiarity with Latin. "Certainly. That is what I or dered. Ova gallinae." This the waiter interpreted as mean ing "extra well done," and that is the way they came to the table. He Could Wait. "Here's the devil to pay," exclaimed the old man, coming In with a handful of bills. "Don't worry about him, dear," said the wife. "He knowB that you'll settle with him hereafter." Atlanta Constitu tion. Not to Be Kxpected. "I don't see how he can expect to suc ceed as an author. Why, he can't write common sense." "He doesn't have to. All bis stories are in dialect" Philadelphia Bulletin $11 for it- wlien it is printed in 1901." FORTY-SECOND COUSINS. According; to the Professor It la th Remotest Relationship. He was professor of mathematics in one of our women's colleges, middle aged, fond of a Joke and given to re ducing the things of common life to formulas, partly for the fun of it and partly to bring mathematical truths closer to the minds -cf h:s pupils. One day. Just before the lecture began aud as the professor came in, he overheard one of the girls say, with a sigh: "Oh. he's some forty-second cousin, I believe, and I suppose I must show him around." "You should be careful," Interjected the professor, with a fairly successful effort to appear solemn, "you should be more careful in your use of mathemat ical terms. Are you sure you are strict ly accurate when you say 'forty-second cousin?' He may be a closer degree of relationship." "Why! He's no relation at all, if it comes to that," said the fair student. "It is," resumed the professor, lmper turbably, "as you doubtless know al ready, a question of the powers of 2. We all have two parents, four grand parents, eight great-grandparents, six teen great-great-grandpareuts, each fig ure being a power of 2 and in X generations consequently we have a grandparent with (N 1) greats In front of the title. It also obtains inversely. All who trace to the same parents are brothers or sisters, to the same grand parent are cousins, to the same great grandparent are second cousins, to the N G grandparent are (N plus 1) th cousins. "The powers of 2, however, reach as tounding figures rather quickly. We have 1,023 (.9 great) grandparents each, for example. Going back twenty generations, we have each a little more than a million 10 great-grandparents, over a billion 2!) great-grandparents, and In the fortythlrd generation we have each about 1,43S,800.000.IOO 42 great-graoidparents, and all who trace back to any oue of those l,43S,S0O,0OO, 000 are forty-second cousins. "If you consider a moment, you will 6ee that a.t each of Mils thousand bil lions is a progenitor, that there Is little room in the world's population, as at present constituted, for the mob of cousins. There Is a saving clause, however. This would only obtain if everybody was careful not to marry in the same Hue of descent. "In practice we usually object to marrying cousins and some people draw the line on second cousins, but to make the above statement come true we should object to, say, forty-second cou sins, which is Impossible, practically. We cannot, In practice, draw the line on twentieth cousins, for example. If two twentieth cousins marry, It throws out one from the million of nineteen great grandparents to be considered, and so with the other degrees. Probably In practice that Is what we are always doing when we marry. We are almost undoubtedly marrying nt least a twenty-fifth cousin, and everybody In the world Is at least a forty-second cousin and probably somewhat nearer in rela tionship." "Gracious!" said the original offender, a blonde, by the way. "If I am born iu St. Louis and a young man is born in Newton at at well, about the same time are we related?" "Certainly," responded the professor, with a grin. "Y'ou are (X plus 1) th cousins, having descended from the same N g grandparent, possibly along where X is less thnn 30 at least." "Gee," said the tall brunette of the class, who had been listening, as she felt of her back hair and helped her self to a caramel, according to the Bos ton Herald, "he would be an ng grand parent all right. A CHINESE STORY. Public Frightened by Mysterious Chalk Murk .Made by a Boy, A strange state of mind evidently prevailed iu I'ekiu during the Boxer outrages outside the walls outrages which were momentarily expected to be repeated within the city limits. Ev erybody was preparing for a catastro phe, and nobody could be sure why. It nil seemed like a huge pructical joke which could not be taken seriously, and yet It was serious, aud everybody knew it was. There was apparent peace, with a certainty of coming tryuble. The for eiguer8 were gathering in places of safety, and the compounds they had left remained unmolested. One incident curiously shows the combined lightness and frenzy of the public mind. On a certain evening a loy of about sixteen walked down a street, marking a door here and there with a circle of white chalk, before which he bowed solemnly. Presently all the people came to their doors In a greut state of excitement, and began to discuss the proceeding and debate as to what it might mean. The marked houses might belong to the friends or foes of the Boxers, the saved or lost. Suddenly a man went up to the boy, seized him by the pigtail, and asked him what he meant. The bystanders were amazed at a courage which dared Interfere with an emissary of the Box ers, and the boy himself tried to swag ger a little, and brazen It out. "What were you doing it for?" in sisted the man. "Tell, or I take you to the police station." Then the boy fell on bis knees and owned that be was only doing It for a joke, to frighten the people. His suc cess bad exceeded his hopes. Expensive. Mr. Binwed I'd like to have hold of the fellow who invented those long coats for women. Mr. Ncbb Why? Mr. Binwed Why? Great Scott they cost twice as much as one half as long. Boston Tost. NEW GAME PLAYED Ur il ll 1 1 Ninti -aiianal 1 Here is a novel trick ami one which never fails to afford much entertainment at an evening party. Two persons Wneel on the ground at a distance of about three feet from earn other, and to each is given a candle, of which one should be lighted. The right or left foot of each, as the case may be. Is then to be held by his free hand, the result being that the entire weight of the body will rest on the other knee. The pprson holding the unllghted raadle must then try to light it at the other one. That this is no easy task caa very easily b ascertained. JOHN BROWN'S BIRTHPLACE. Movement Started to Perpetuate Old New England, Farmhouse. An association, called the John Brown Association, has been formed for the purpose of purchasing and preserving the old homestead at Torrington, Conu., where John Brown, the noted abolition ist and martyr, was born. The house has stood untenanted for many years and relic hunters have carried away many of Its fixtures, but an end Is to be placed to this vandalism by the associa tion. The Brown homestead has been In ex istence a century nnd a half and has been the dwelling place of many fam ilies who tried to eko out an existence JOHN nitOWN S lilltnil'LAC'K. from the stony and stubborn acres at tached to it. In 170S Oweu Brown, father of the abolitionist, moved luto It after having tried to make a living In other parts of New England. Here In 1800 on May 9, to be exact the future martyr was born. The first five years of bis life were spent within Its shelter. The Browns had more or less claim to the title of sons of New England, no less than six generations having tilled Its soil since the coming of the Muy- fiower nearly two centuries before. In 1805 Oweu Brown forsook the Fust and settled lu Hudson, Ohio, where his sou received bis early educatiou. In 1812, securing a contract to supply the army with provisions, the Browu fam ily took up Its abode In Detroit. Later the son settled lu Richmond. Pa., where President Jackson appointed him post master. In the subsequent stormy years of his life John Brown settled for a time lu Massachusetts, but Torrington and its vicinity knew him no more. Now the people are aroused to retain the fame which the accident of birth conferred on Torrington. DU MAURIER'S NOVELS. Harry Furnlss' Talk an Indirect Cause of Their Creation. Henry Furnlss, the carlcuturlst, writes as follows In Harper's of his acquaintance with George du Maurler: "It is a curious fact thut I really never had a seat allotted to me at the Punch table; I always sat iu Du M Hu rler's, except on the rare occasions when he came to the dinner, when I moved up om It was ulways a treat to have Du Maurier at 'the table.' He was by far and away the cleverest conversationalist of his time I ever met; his delightful repartees were so neat and effect I vf, and his daring chuff and bis criticisms so bright and re freshing. "Du Maurler's extremely clever con versation struck me the moment I joined the staff of Punch. As I went part of bis way to Hampstead, we sometimes shared our cab, aud in one of these Journeys I mentioned my con viction that he, In my mind, was a great deal more than a humorous ar tist, and if be would only tuke up the pen seriously the world would be all the more indebted to him. He told me that Mr. James had for some time said nice tilings of a slmilur character. "About teu days afterward I received a letter saying that my conversation has bad an effect upon him, and that be was starting his first novel. So per baps the world is really indebted to me, Indirectly, for the pleasure of read ing 'Peter Ibbetson' aud Trilby.' The fact is that he had, with Burnand and myself, just visited Paris, the first time be bad set foot in the gay city since bis youth. Many things be saw bad Impressed him, and 'Peter Ibbet son' was tbe result." HOW THE OTHER BAND WON. They Made the "Silent" Member of a Rival Organization a Noisy One. "I once belonged to a country band when I was a youngster," said the talk ative man. "It was great sport, and do man has reaJUy lived unless be has w&.u- -Caw -zTvrn WITH CANDLES. belonged to such an organization at some period In his life. There was a great rivalry between the baud that I was a member of aud oue In an ad Joining town. When the rivalry was at white heat n band contest was held in a neighboring town. We were both entered In the same class, nnd only ask ed for a free field and uo favors, "Now. the class that we were entered In called for bnnds having at least six teen members, and the best we could do after scouring the town for talent was fifteen men who understood how to push wind through brass Instruments and have It resemble music. We were in despair, until I conceived a happy Idea. There was an odd character liv ing In the town whom every one called George. He was only half-witted, and bad attached himself to our band, mak ing himself generally useful by curry ing our music and taking care of our band room. My plan was to tit hlin out with an Instrument securely corked, and trust to luck that, the deception would not be nol Iced. "But the plan proved a most disas trous oue. A member of the rival baud seeing the youth proudly carrying a horn, mistrusted what we were up to, and, getting the boy aside, he discov ered the cork aud pulled It out. "When we started playing In the great contest," continued the talkative man, according, to the Detroit Freo Press, "I became aware nt once that some oue was making horrible dis cords, and, turning around, I discov ered to my horror that the half-witted youlh. Immensely proud of his posi tion, was filling his Instrument to the full extent of bis lung power. It Is) hardly necessary to state thut wo did not win the coulest." "Moral Huaslon." A youthful supervising principal, who docs not believe In corporal pun ishment, but In moral suasion, was summoned the other afternoon to the classroom of one of his teachers. John ny and Tommy, the teacher complain ed, had been throwing pencils at oue another, and she had been uuiiblu to make them stop. "Then 1 will try a little moral sua sion on them," the supervising princi pal said. "I will take them Into my of fice, sit them down before me, and from now till half-past 5 I'll keep I hem throwing pencils at each other. I will also make them write the word 'pen- ell' 500 times, and I will make them band uri in a 300-word composition on pencil throwing." The teacher approved with a re spectful smile ol this Ingenious pun ishment. It was then 2 o'clock, and at 5 she made ready to go home. Her way bnl her past the principal's oliice. and she looked In. He sat reading at his desk, and Johnny and Tommy, the two boys, stood about seven feet apart. throwing pencils at one another with a weury bored nir. Philadelphia Rec ord. Turned Over to Mary. A recently published story of the late Lord Morris Illustrates his scorn of red tape and petty details. A question hud arisen as to the cost of heating the Irish law courts, aud a consequential treasury oltlclul was sent over from lAitnloii to Dublin on purpose to Investigate the matter. Wheu lie Introduced himself and ex plained bis errand. Lord Morris smiled with sui-plcious blundness and said: "Certainly, I will put jou In commu nication with the person immediately la charge of that department." Then he sent out a messenger, and presently there entered an old char woman. Ixjrd Morris arose aud left the room, saying as be did so: "Mary, here Is the young man to see about tbe coal." iJimlnisliiog; lu btature. When a man ceases to grow he begins to diminish. Such Is the conclusion at which a German physician has arrived, after several mouths' careful study of the subject of human height. Men, so it Is asserted, begin to grow smaller in their thirty-fifth year, and women a little before they are 40. Men, however, stop growing when they are 30, and for five or six years their stature remains stationary. Then it decreases, at first very slowly, but afterward more rap idly. Patient Jane. "Jane always looks under tbe bed for a burglar." "Did she ever see one?" "No. But she lives in hopes." Cleve land Plain Deuler. What has become of the old-fashioned child that "tuade facet!"