The Athena press., July 17, 1908, Image 2

Budiest Textile Railroad
fiWpa assess
The busiest little railroad yi the world Is the Panama
lallroad. Having a run of 47 miles this being the
length of the road it does more business than some
roads whose line Is ten times the length.
The history of the construction of this road Is too
well known to bear a repetition. Through almost lm
' penetrable Jungle, Infested by poisonous reptiles and in
sects of all sorts, and compelled to inhale a noxious at
mosphere produced by swampy conditions, the engineers
plodded, their way and mapped out the course for the
bed of a road which they didn't know was destined to
become the busiest little railroad In the world. It is
a familiar saying that for every cross tie laid upon the
bed of this road a human life was sacrificed.
Now this road Is changing Its entire route and road
bed with the exception of a few miles. This is due to
the fact of It being on the wrong side of the canal and
would have to cross It many times when water is turned
Into it were its present route to remain. Then again
many bridges would have to be built upon a soil whose
solidity Ib not adapted to bridge building of a substantial
nature. Lastly, the present road bed is on land which
must be excavated for the canal.
While the difficulties in building the new road may
not be as great as In the old road construction, yet many
MORNING.
Awake, awake, from dell and brakt,
The mist is tJilnly rising,
B thou wise and ope thy yos
To see the sun uprising ;
Th.i nmrulng sun with slanting beam
Shines o'er the hillside and the stream.
t
The lark' upsprlngs, with dew on wings,
And warbles out his lay ;
From tiny throat his thrilling note
Welcomes the coming day.
O man, arise to higher things I
List to the song all nature sings 1 ,
Awake, awake, the day will break,
Though on thy bed reclining;
it will not stay, though lie thou may,
Grumbling or repining.
Come, lift thy heart to God above, '
And blesi and thank Hi in for His love.
Baltimore Sun.
Same's Little Lad
"No," decided old Zlck Godfrey,
thrusting his powerful fingers through
his grizzled locks and addressing any
one in the group, enjoying a cheerful
midday meal by the warmth of the
engine house fire of the Hawthorn
mills, who might have leisure from his
own bread and choose to listen, "I do
not hold with new-fangled notions and
new-faugled ways. Not me I Why,"
raising his largo head, with the white
locks still curling about the open, hon
est brow, "I am always hearing tell of
folks running about from this place to
that A change hero, another to-morrow.
It has always been good enough
for mo,, to work for one master. I cuuio
.to Hawthorn's mills ns a boy, and I
have been here ever since. And Rube,"
with a Smile that softened the rugged
features until they were as teuder as
a woman's, "will do the same, I'll be
bound." He had felt a measure of
proprietorship in the ofilco and its
concerns for tho last month that is,
ever since Itube, his only child, the
Benjamin of his old age, hud been in
stalled there as ofilce boy."
Tine lad," continued the old man,
speaking aloud to himself, as he walked
along toward his Job, "sharp as they
make 'em, and that good at books and
figures."
Zlck thrust his hands Into his pock
ets, impelled by a wave of usefulness,
of exaltation. They sank down into
tmptlness; the old man pulled them
out as though they had been bitten.
In one moment all the Joy, tho confi
dence, left his face. It was overcast,
troubled. On Saturday night he had
placed what he called his "lowance
money for the coming week In bis
pocket and it was not there now.
ne turned out the pocket. There was
no hole In the lining. He had put the
money into bis left-hand pocket. He
remembered particularly, because once
before, about five weeks ago, It had
been missing, and be had not been able
to recollect (that time) the actual fact
of bis placing It there.
The old man's eyes grew dim. He,
who was as punctual as the clock, for
got the hour, the place awaiting hliu.
He was visited by a terrible suspicion,
which, though be would have given all
m
miles of It are being built upon huge piles through the
marshy and dense Jungle. Some idea of the difficulties
encountered on the new route may be drawn from the
fact that the largest railroad embankment in the world
Is on the new route and will have to be crossed by this
road. It is near Gatun City and crosses a valley for a
distance of more than a mile.
The volume of business on this road taxes its carry
ing capacity to its fullest extent' Its passenger trains
are always crowded and many are the times when there
is mere standing room. -On the passenger line all sec
ond class cars are attached behind while the first class
ones are in front near the locomotive. A policeman
rides all of these trains because of the composite na
tionalities of the patrons.
In the freight line there Is an immensity of traffic.
The right of way by night over the rail is almost entirely
given up to this branch of traffic. Ships coming Into
port on the Pacific side having cargo for the Atlantic,
leave it at the former port and go on their way. This
is then transported by this busy little railroad to the
Atlantic side and reloaded Into ships that take it to its
destination. The same operation takes place on the At
lantic side for the Pacific ports. Thus the necessity may
be seen In this feature for a canal. Wllllamport (Pa.)
Grit.
he possessed to dismiss It as Absurd,
as Impossible, would stay with him,
would clamor to be taken Into account.
Standing there In tbe middle of the
mill yard, with the roar of the ma
chinery about him, with the great
chimney belching out clouds of smoke,
with the Bharp cry of the foremen's
voices as they issued orders, and the
clanging of the gate bell that heralded
a team or a wagon demanding admit
tance, Zlck carefully went over each
minute of the last twenty-four hours.
On Saturday no one but be and Rube
had been in the little house in the long
row of mill cottages, for Amelia Ann,
his wife's cousin, who "did" for him
ever since he was n widower, had
taken a night out to see "East Lynne"
at the Theater Royal. On Sunday, to
be sure, he had gone to church in the
morning, but the same lady had been
In possession of the kitchen, cooking
the Sunday dinner, and If she had
meant to rob him, she would have
started long ago. All the rest of the
day he, Zlck, had been at home. Rube
had been the only other person In the
house. Rube
His thoughts went back to his wife.
Sallle had not been exactly young when
he married her, but she had for him a
sweeter face than any other woman.
He remembered her feebleness, which
had only Just permitted her to pull
his am down to their new-born babe;
he remembered how he had looked for
ward to the time when she should be
up and about again; he remembered
that terrible call in the darkness of the
night, when Amelia Ann had rushed
In to him, telling him to come at once.
He had gone almost as she spoke. He
was only just In time. As he looked at
her, he understood that Sallle was
leaving him. She was past moving,
past speaking. Her eyes had Implored
hliu. He had understood. He had re
turned thanks from that day to this
that he had understood. Slowly, dis
tinctly, he had promised to be mother
as well as father to their child.
Now, as the wheels revolved about
him, as the great cranks rose and fell
methodically, as the belts ran swiftly
over the pulleys, he was appealing, In
his mind, to that wife who had left
htm.
"Lass," the old man murmured,
g ft I
1p
"TOU'IX VOTUt HAVI TH LAW AGAIN
HIM r
drops of sweat that were not due to
in the
the exertions of his body standing out
In beads about his brow, "I have done
my best; you know I have done my
best ; and if you are up there with the
angels you must know more. You will
know what I can't understand you
will know where the monev has eone:
you will know though I can't see who
else could have taken it that Rube
had naueht to do with It. or vou would
never bide comfortable among that
music and them crowns."
The idea comforted Zlck, quieted
him. There was, there must be, some
solution entirely exonerating Rube that
his poor brain could not grasp.
He moved aside a step or two, to
where he could catch glimpses of the
sky through the dust-covered window.
Before him was a little wedge of blue.
He looked up as often as he dared. He
saw the colored patch growing larger
and larger, the gray disappearing. It
seemed to him that that was how Sallle
was speaking to him, was reassuring
him.
It was hardly an hour later that one
of the clerks came to him, and bidding
him let the underman take command
of the machine, told him that the mas
ter wished to speak to him In his pri
vate room.
Stamps, It appeared, small postal or
ders, had been missing from the office
for the last month, and an investiga
tion had established beyond a shadow
of a doubt that Rube was the thief.
As Zlck listened the perspiration be
gan by standing on his forehead ; when
Mr. Hawthorn ceased it was pouring
down his face.
"No," he cried out, as he heard the
first words. "My little lad, Sallie's son,
rob his master! Not he!"
But before the story was ended he
was reduced to silence. When the last
word was said, Godfrey looked at his
master, his eyes imploring, bis lips
trembling.
"You'll none have the law again
him!" he supplicated.
"Zlck!" cried out Mr. Hawthorn.
"You and I have been together all these
years, and you ask me that?"
But the old man was beyond listen
ing to a reproach or 'a Justification.
"Sallie's little lad," he muttered. He
put up his arm before his eyes ; a hard
sob broke from him. He had forgotten
his master, the office. The case lay
not between Rube and Mr. Hawthorn,
but between Zick and his Sallle.
"Lass," he pleaded aloud, and he
turned for a moment and raised his
eyes to the blue wedge of sky showing
through the office window, as if Sallle
were Just behind it "I did me best,
lass ; don't grieve, don't take on ; Just
think I was an old fool, and not good
enough for the job you left me. It Is
me who Is to blame. Me! Not htm,
your little lad, that I saw you sewing
'em bits of things for the last time you
and me sat side by side before tbe fire.
Think, lass, as how my fingers was all
thumbs with Rube's little clothes when
he was too small to do for himself It
has been the same with learning him
proper. It has been-- me that had noth
ing but thumbs at learning him proper.
It wasnt your little lad that jou died
for at all ; it was nobbut me!','
Mr. Hawthorn waited. He caught a
word here and there of the low, whis
pering voice. He could hear that Zlck
was accusing himself. At first ha
feared that the shock, had been too
much for the old man, that It had un
hinged him, but when It seemed to him
that Zlck was acquiring comfort from
his monologue, he waited.
At length, when the quietness fell In
the little room, and the thud of the
eDglnes and all tbe miscellaneous
sounds of the workaday world came
In, Mr. Hawthorn begun again.
"There are many temptations to a
young lad coming fresh Into an office
such as this." '
"There Is," acquiesced the same dull
voice.
"There are more temptations to
clever lads than to the dull ones."
"Maybe," answered Zick.
"Rube is the brightest lad we have
ever had."
"Aye," said Zlck, with a long sigh.
"I said that myself this morning," and
"the contrast between his exultation at
the dinner hour, and his despair before
tbe tea hour came, caught him, and
seemed to grip at his heart until he felt
suffocated.
The master came round, touched his
workman on the shoulder.
"My friend," he said, and the two
stood side by side while the master
spoke persuasively, "let us say that It
was a sudden temptation. Perhaps,
since it was the first step aside, it will
be the last. I have made up my mind
to give Rube another chance. I shall
let him stay on.' No one knows, so It
will be easy for him. I shall have him
In here all by myself, and I shall tell
him that, as his father can trust him
to be honest for the future, I can."
Again there was silence in tbe plain
bare room, with the Japanned boxes,
instead of pictures, ranged on shelves
round the wall, and a great drawing
of machinery over- the fireplace. The
sun suddenly streamed through the
dingy window ; Zick watched the parti
cles of dust as they danced to and fro,
up and down, a slanting wedge of gold
en brightness.
There was war In the old man's
heart. The fiercest, the hottest of all
human battles was being waged there.
The fight was not only between princi
ple and love, It was between duty and
a father's great affection.
Godfrey remembered his empty pock
et. He remembered that It was the sec
ond occasion on which his 'lowance had
been missing; he remembered that
Amelia Ann had declared that a penny
or two had lately gone three or four
times out of the mug where the house
keeping money reposed. Zlck had not
seen Rube steal from the mug, frond his
pocket. He could say he had seen noth
ing. But did he, In his heart of hearts,
believe that Rube had taken It nay,
more, in his heart of hearts was he not
sure?
Mr. Hawthorn waited, a new sur
prise, a new perplexity gradually over
spreading his face. ,
"Can you trust Rube?" Mr. Haw
thorn asked. v
Godfrey flung up his arms.
"Lord help me, I can't" he cried out
He turned. He put up trembling,
shaking hands to the slanting band of
sunlight, as though he saw In it an
angel's ladder leading from earth to
heaven, looked with tear-blinded eyes
to where he knew that the wedge of
blue still brightened the sky.
"Sallle, lass," he Implored, "don't
take on. Bide comfortable up there,
lie is your lad, I know, and you only
left him vwith me for our bit here. But
what could I do? I couldn't He, and I
wouldn't sny aught but what I have
said, and tell the truth." The Sketch.
The Kxploaive Force of Water.
Water, looked upon as the tamest of
liquids, is as great an explosive as
dynamite, under certain conditions. In
one day water breaks up more earth
and rock than all the gunpowder, gun
cotton and dynamite in the world do
In 'a year. These explosives can be
controlled by human agency, but water
does not hold itself accountable to man.
It runs Into the ground, freezes, ex-
pauds and spits the soil Into little
pieces. Finding a crack in a huge
rock, it repeats the same process,
forcing it asunder. If frozen in the
pores of a tree it often explodes with
a report like a gunshot and the force
of a dynamite bomb. Dundee Adver
tiser. Explosive Force of Water.
Water, looked upon as the tamest of
liquids, is as great an explosive as dy
namite under certain conditions. In
one day water breaks up more earth
and rock than all the gunpowder, gun
cotton and dynamite in the world do In
a year. These explosives can be con
trolled by human agency, but water
does not hold Itself accountable to man.
It runs into the ground, freezes, ex-1
pands and splits the' soil into little 1
pieces. Finding a crack In a huge rock, '
it repeats the same process, forcing It
asunder. If frozen In the pores of a '
tree it often explodes with a report like
a gunshot and the force of a dynamite
bomb. Popular Mechanics.
Barnam'a Read? Retort.
Barnum once appeared at Oxford to
lecture on "Humbug." The rowdy stu
dents would not give him a hearing.
At length, in a momentary lull, he
shouted, 'Then you don't want to hear
anything about humbug?" I
"We don't!" was the answer In a
roar. , i
"Well, retorted Barnum, "I've got
your money, and there's no humbug
about that!"
The disturbance came to a sudden
finish, and Barnum proceeded In peace.
Jimpiag at a Coaclaaio.
"Jinx wants to know if suicide is a
sin?"
"Why, then, did he get married?"-
Houston Post I
A THICK OF MEJ10BY. ?
Memory Is one of the most useful
and least trustworthy of our faculties.
, "I mind It weel, but I hae ma doots o'
ma mind !" said a canny Scotchman in
! the witness box. A wholesome charity
for the mistakes of others was learned
by a certain woman from her own ex-
(perience. She was about to cross the
continent for a three months' visit.
(On the day of her departure she went
to the safety deposit vault where she
kept her valuables, and said to the
manager that she wanted to take her
box, with Its contents, to her lawyer's
office for an hour. Could he arrange
that for her? The manager assented,
and wrapped the box In a newspaper,
that it might make an Inconspicuous
bundle. ,
The day passed and tbe woman did
not return. The next morning, inquiry
revealed the- fact that she had gone on
her Journey. The manager was curious
enough to ask her lawyer if he knew
anything about the box.
"She left here Intending to take it
directly to you," said the lawyer.
J That was enough to Justify a tele
gram, as soon as the woman had reach
ed her destination, six days later. Tel
egram : "Where did you put your safe
ty deposit box?" Answer: "In the
vault where It belonged." Telegram:
"It Is not there. Return at once." :
Another week passed In wretched
suspense for everyone concerned. When
I the woman arrived, she was In a state
of nervous rage, and ready to accuse
the officials of every crime In the cal
endar. . She declared she had driven
straight from her lawyer to the vault
I The manager -had himself let her in,
and talked with her. Her story was
complete In all Its details. But the
FRENCH MAKE MONEY BEARING ANGORA RABBITS.
"""" " ;inw -tk.-o.'!1 mi.w"
COMBING THE HAIR, PICKING-IT, AND PACKING FOR MARKET.
Thrifty French men and women make tidy sums of money rearing An
gora rabbits and selling their hair or fleece, which is-woven into, a superior
quality pf cloth much like silk, and is worn next the skin by those afflicted
with rheumatism, who say they derive beneficial results. The better the
animal Is nourished and cared for, the longer, finer and thicker Is the hair.
The rabbits are also consumed for food. It Is said that with proper care
each rabbit may be made to yield a net profit of three dollars a year, and
the occupation is very pleasant
records of the deposit company did not
substantiate It. That cast doubt enough
on It so that it seemed worth while
to look up the cabman who had driven
the woman on that fateful day.
He was found. lie remembered the
circumstance well.
Had he any recollection of Btopplng
anywhere else? Scratching his grizzled
head, he slowly retraced the course,
and then said, "Why, yes ! We stopped
at the bakeshop" on the corner of 3d
street and you went in!"
Here was the clew. A hasty visit to
the bakery revealed the newspaper bun
dle tucked away on a high shelf, "with
Its precious contents undisturbed.
There It had stood for a fortnight,
while a woman and a half-dozen men
were staying awake by night and fret
ting by day, accusing each other of
lying and stealing, all because one
woman's intention got ahead of her
performance and imprinted a lie on
the tablets of her memory. Youth!s
Companion.
NO LONGER LOVED.
Violets Porchaaed Only by Old-Fashioned
Hen Who Say "Thank Yon."
If a straw may show which way the
wind blows, says a well-known news
paper writer, then a violet may also
serve as a vane to Indicate the passing
zephyrs of society.
In the present vanishing of the violet,
there Is no better Indicator of this radi
cal change between the woman our
fathers used to call "mother" as she
stitched and sewed and smiled upon
her little brood, supremely happy with
the bouquet of violets that sometimes
graced her gown, and the smart, up-to-date
Mrs. B.
Formerly when flowers were distinct
ly emblematic, deep with esoteric
meaning, there was no greater compli
ment than to be presented with a bunch
of violets. Poets the world over, since
Adam delved and Eve went vloletlng,
have rhapsodled over the womanly sig
nificance of its quiet fragrance. From
first reader ditties about the "mossy
dell where the humble violets grew,"
to. Napoleon's eloquent tribute as he
plucked it as tbe springtime emblem of
his return from Elba, and also of Jo
sephine's devotion, everywhere from
garret to throne, It has nodded its low
ly head, with a success undreamed of
by haughty garden beauties. Modesty,
sweetness, innate gentility these
glowed In the deep blue of each fra
grant messenger. But gracious alive,
who wants to be that nowadays?
Violets? Dear me I Don't get those,"
said the florist with a prescient glance
like an up-to-date Sybil with a fat bank
account "They're way out of style.
No one ever buys violets any more!
They're too little, too modest' she
pointed to a few meager bouquets that
looked very modest indeed, drooping on
their wilted stems.
They're not half showy enough, not
quite correct" she beamed, with flefl
nite .finality, "and one might Just as
well be out of the world as out of the
style, you know. Of course they're
sweet and pretty and fragrant, and all
that," she said, giving them, a vigorous
shake, as though tbey needed a course
in gymnastics. "But who wants any
thing like that, Indeed?
"Oh, yes, sometimes some men, .the
old-fashioned kind, that wear "silk hats
and say 'thank you,' occasionally buy
them, and then, too, when a girl is in
mourning and can't wear anything
else, there is a slight demand, but to
send violets to a girl" she held up her
hands in horror. ' ,
"Why, I am sure she'd give them to
the cook." . - v.
"Well, what do they like?" I asked.
For answer I was treated to a glance
that would have been a credit to a
emigrant inspector. " ,
"Like?" echoed sharp-eyed Sybil
"Why, anything that stands out, shows
off; lets everybody know that you're
wearing them, speaks for themselves;
that's what they want"
She swept by a bower of roses, dusky
with velvet beauty, and pointed to a
great patch of gaudy orchids. '
"There! there!" she exclaimed.
"That's the kind that makes the hit;
Just look at them. There won't be one
left after the ball to-night. Of course,
I'll have to fall back on the roses to
help out, but It'll be those bright ones
there," she pointed to a crimson blot
staining some snow-white hyacinths in .,
the case beyond. "You know," she con
fided, "I do believe some girls would
wear sunflowers If they were only fash
lonabla Those chrysanthemums and
bright flowers do make an awful hit
and as for. orchids" I followed her
forefinger trying to find some mythical
mnon!nv ilifM. than a lmi1 nloa fnr
dollars and cents. "Those, of course.
are most expensive', and therefore best
of all."
"Violets." she shook her head, "beau
tiful and fragrant and tenderly sincere,
if you like, but old-fashioned, dread
fully old-fashioned, and not even to be
considered, you know."
CATHEDRAL MADE OF MATCHES.
A coal miner named WUhelm Lem
pertz arrived here a few days ago with
a cathedral a cathedral made of
matches. He came from Port Arthur,
Texas, where he had been employed
until recently.. The cathedral repre
sents two years of Lempertz's labor,
such painstaking labor as few men are
capable of performing. .-.
For 20 years Lempertz has been a
coal miner. He worked lu the mines
of Germany and America, but a few
years ago he had to give up mining on
BUILT OF 2,000,000 SPLINTERS.
account of 111 health. While he was Hi
he did various things to while away
the time One day he started to build
a toy cathedral patterned after a pic
ture he saw In a magazine. His build
ing materials were matches and glue,
his tools a pocket -knife and a glue
brush. The plan was laid out for a
building 14 feet high, 14 feet long and
7 feet wide. He worked with remark
able patience, oftentimes putting in all
his waking hours at his task. After
two years of almost continuous appli
cation the job was finished.
The walls of- the cathedral, the tow
ers and turrets, the galleries and stee
pies, the ornaments all are of match-
es. It took more than 2,000,000 match-
es to build the church and more than
100 pounds of glue used In fastening
the 2,000.000 matches securely. -New
York Press.
After an affecting scene at a play
the men ail blow their noses vigorous
ly, and the women pat their eyes, A
man's way of crying Is to blow his
nose. '
If there Is one thing a garrulous
man detests more than another It if
a talkative woman,
Mipu Mm-,
m us'
I