ic SKJUUE HUNTER.
HE IS AN INTERESTING IN
DIVIDUAL INDEED.
HIS Mom HAS BRt!HB AJf
IMPOKTANT INDISTKY.
M Kn Vnrjr Well That IT 11
mere Not for Him Hi ftnake I'm per
Wcalda 4se Out Thrtlllac Ex
wrteaea f One
kOiaosors rep-
tiles and fr rue
some stories con
cern i n g them
, have a peculiar
charm for certain
classes of people.
lUg Indiana the
name of a settle
ment in New York
State which might
appropriately be
named Snakeville.
All the pood snake
stories come from there. If it was not
for Bi? Indian the New York Sunday
papers wouldn't come out. At least
that is what the snake hunters seem to
imagine. -
Very few people have been intro
duced' to the snake-banter. He is a
-very important individual indeed. He
soes ont into the swamps, gets
tn ad by a nest of rep
tiles, has a thrilling escape, and
hies himself away to the village, where
in the seclusion of a 8x4 room he writes
np a story which will average with the
one which follows:
"-We came into the mountains about
three weeas ago, intending to stay for
a month. When we left the train at
the station here we inquired for a good
camping-ground, and were told to fol
low the stream through the Lost
Clove and go over on the west
slope of Balsam mountain, where,
near tlte summit, we would
find a clearing and a living spring of
good water. We followed the direc
tions and found the spring, but we
also found that it was a regular ren
dezvous for mountain tramps, and as
we wanted solitude we snifted oar
quarters over on Easrle mountain,
which we could see across the valley.
e found a good spring there and
pitched our tent. Then we began to
see snakes.
"One morning while I was dipping
water from the spring a huge black
snake sprang clear over my head out
of the rocky basin and went like a
streak into ihe woods. I yelled with
fright, but finally filled my bucket and
returned to camp. There I related my
experience, but Wallis said he wasn't
afraid of all the snakes in the Cats
kiLls. The next morning when we
were boiling coffee a blacksnake ovei
five feet m length crawled out of the
bush and in the most impudent man
ner raised his nead clear of the ground
and eyed us until we were nearly par
alyzed with fear, lie showed no incli
nation to depart, so Wallis seized a
stout switch and gave him a cut with
it which broke his neuk and killed
aim.
"That afternoon we went out into a
JjfcU clearing to pick huckleberries.
hile we were picking one of the boys
gave a yell of fright and keeled over.
Se all ran np to him. and when he re
gained his speech the first words he
said were: "Miakes! The patch is
full of them!" lie then said that while
moving about among the bushes
he had stepped on something
which whipped ont from be-
leath his foot with such rapidity as to
hrow him to the ground. We con
cluded then to give up berry picking
and return to the tent, and just as we
were coming in we killed another
blacksnake. as we were now all armed
with stout hickory switches. That
same afternoon I shot a black snake
from a tree where it was trying
to reach a nest of young birds. It
proved to be a female snake and con
tained a number of young ones, which
crawled from the mother's mouth when
she fell to the ground riddled with
shut These 1 killed with a switch.
That same afternoon one of the other
boys, who had been down into the
hollow, came trooping into camp with
a big rattler which be had killed while
it w m sunning itself on a rock. That
set us to thinking that we had better
make tracks, which we concluded to
do early the next morning. That
night, however, we were destined to a
visitation from snakes that we will
always remember.
"Before we retired we built a big
fire outside the tent to keep off the
punks and gnats and went to sleep.
About midnight we were awakened by
an awful yell from Wallis, and at the
name instant 1 felt something clammy
glide rapidly across my face. Hjr the
glare of the firelight, which shone into
tent, we saw W alii standing erect,
Holding a snaKe in ms grasp at arm s
length, its head waving in front of his
faee with its horrible forked tongue
playing like lightning, and its tail
coiled about his arm.
"We yelled to him to drop It, but
same fascination had Mixed him and
he couldn t let go nf it. Suddenly the
snake, which was a big rater, nipped
him in the hand, when he dropped it
and fainted in his tracks, while the
serpent escaped. We brought him to,
and knowing that the snake was not
venomous pov,Uic;i1 the bite with
winter-green. We then began to pack
tin, and in pulling up our blankets
found a venomous eoppernead snake
underneath one of them. We killed
him. nmsnea packing our traps and
sta'ts'd f or lUg Indian. We have had
enough of camp life in thel'atskill ior
one season. "
The young men exhibited the rat
tles of tne rattlesnake whi h they had
killed. There were eight of them and
several were missing, which p oved
that the rattlesnake must have been
an old one. After they had told their
story the bars boarded an l ister and
Delaware train and went over l ine
Hill to Margaretville, where they in
tended to stay for a lew dnys before
returning home. -
After the finishing tenches are pnt
on he sends the maunscript to New
York, and the payrer that receives it
comes out as usual the following Sun
day. The next week he gets a draft
by mail, after cashing whieh he pro
ceeds to the mountains and has an
other experience. Stu-h is the result
of the control exercised over the human
race by the reptile family.
THE BARONESS DE STEURS.
She Is at Prenent tn Mem Falls with
a View mt IN v ore.
A dispatch from Sioux Falls, South
Dakota, says that llarouess de Stews
has arrived there and will at once ap
p'y for a divorce. The dispatch also
states that Sioux Falls is the place for
divorces, and points with pride to the
JW J)
I
BARoMisfl he otters.
fact that many notable people have bad
the conjugal knot ripptd in twain
there within the past year. Mrs. James
G. lilaine is also there and will be free
in a few days.
Mme. de Stuers is a nieee of William
As. jr and wife of the Karon de Stuers.
now and for many years lfelgian min
ister to Paris, bite takes her meals at
the principal hotel, constantly accom
panied by her acent, William Elliott,
who is described as a young gentleman
of very athletic build, a splendid
horseman, of dark complexion and
very English in dress and manner.
It was common understanding
in Kew York before Mme.
de Stuers marriage that Elliot .Zbor
rowskie, whose father left him a mil
lionaire, was deeply enamored of the
handsome heiress and this was at the
time believed to be so reciprocated that
her marriage wUh the lielgian created
great surprise in New York society.
Young Mr. ZlioiTowskie was also a
firm friend of Mme. de Htuers in her
subsequent matrimonial trials. He
is a well-known member of the Rock
away hunt. lie was last definitely
heard from as having been in India,
where Mme. de htuers is also under
stood to have passed the last winter.
Mme. de 8tuern is an exceedingly
eccentric and interesting personality.
Her domestic history has furnished
a series of very romantic chapters dur
ing the pant two or three years, and
society has prepared for an additional
chapter more romantic and fascinating
than any of its predecessors very pos
sibly, in rase she obtains a divorce, her
marriage to the devoted lover of her
childhood davs.
KILLED KI3 RIVAL.
Fatal Termination of a rVnnsjIva-
la Prixe Fight
Monongahela City, Pa., is in a great
state of excitement over a prize-fight
that turned into a murder. Harry
Jioyd and John Myford. living at ltlack
Diamond, a mining town just outside
of the city limits, had a quarrel about
some trivia affair, though it is sup
posed jealousy over a girl was the real
cause of their difference. After their
first quarrel they were .constantly
bickering, and it was decided
that they should fight it out
according to prize ring custom.
Three terrible rounds we re fought, at
the end of whi-jh both were bleeding
profusely. Both men came np for the
fourth ronnd grimly, and it w a evident
they intended, to do each other all
possible harm. A few preliminary
blows were struck, when Boyd, seeing
an opening, rushed in and delivered a
tremendous blow on Myford s neck
jnst over the jugular. ilvford stag
gered back a few steps and fell to the
ground insensible. He was picked np
by nis friends, but never recovered
cons iousness, and expired an hour
later. Boyd surrendered himself and
will he tried for murder. The girl
was Hat tie Wreford, the belle of the
vicumv.
MINING IN 1849.
How "R4kr" Hfpmi)tiR WasCavriod oa
In Houver limy lu California.
The nioHt expensive ins; rumen t of the
early miner was the rocker, which,
though simple tn construction, cost in
the mines from fifty to a hundred dol
lars. In geuerai appearance it was not
unlike a baby's cradle as used by onr
grandmothers and as still seen on the
frontier. It consisted of a fiat bottom
with two sides that flared outward, and
an end board at the head, while the foot
was open save a riffle about an inch and
a half high at the bottom to eawh the
gold that might pass another riffle across
the bottom near the middle. At the
head of the cradle was a hopper about
eighteen inches square, with a perforated
sheet iron bottom or wire screen. Un
der this was an apron, or board, sloping
downward toward the head. Two sub
stantial rockers under the whole com
pleted the simple machine which gave to
the world millions of dollars.
The modus ojierandi may be described
as follows: Two sticks of wood hewn on
the upper side were imbedded at the
river's brink, one four inches lower than
the other, on which the rockers were to
rest, thus securing a grade in the ma
chine to facilitate the outward flow of
the water and sand. Two miners usual
ly worked together as partners. One
shoveled the earth Into the rocker, while
the other, seated on a bowlder or block
of wood, dipped the water from the riv
er and poured it upon the earth in the
hopper with one hand, all the time rock
ing with the other. When the earth
was thoroughly washed, he rose, lifted
the hopper from its place, threw oat the
stones and gravel, replaced it, and thus
the work went on As the ground abont
the rocker became exhausted to the bed
rock, recourse was had to the bucket,
and the earth was carried sometimes a
few rods, making laborious work fur th?
miner.
To keep the rocker going another band
would be employed to carry earth, and
each would carry two buckets at a time.
Hard work of this kind suggested im
provements in mining. At noon the gold
and black sand collected above the riffles
were taken up on a scraper and thrown
into the pan, which was carried to the
river and carefully washed to remove as
far as possible alt but the gold. The
yield of the forenoon was earned to the
camp, dried over a blaze, the dry sand
blown ont, and the gold weighed in scales
or guessed at, and poured into the part
nership purse and deposited under the
bed or anywhere else out of sight. Cent
ury.
BELL WITH A HISTORY.
tt Haat-B la the KhopM of the C II 4c
H. at Hamilton, Ohio.
In the shops of the C. H. & D. rail
road at Hamilton, Ohio, ts a cracked
locomotive bell that has a history, it
was attached to a locomotive presided
over by a strong, manly, handsome
engineer whose great object of pride
and adoration were tirst his sweetheart
and his faithful engine, lie loved them
both devotedly, though, of course, in
quite different ways.
One day in Hamilton he stood in the
cab of the engine, bell lope in hand,
ready to move the lever and start the
train, when he saw a bridal party ap
proach tnir. He glanced at the bride; it
was the girl he loved. His heart
stopped beating, he gave a groan and
dropped dead. As he fell with the bell
rope in bis hand he gave the bell a
loud ring that cracked it from top to
bottom, and it was found afterward
the unfortunate engineer had dieo lit
erally of a b oken heart The bell in
the shops at Hamilton to this da,r is
still called "the bell of the broken
heart
Rbe Was Sanely Deserted-
The belle of Monongahela county,
W. Va., was Miss Mary Gallagher,
She nad love affairs numerous and her
j, fat her' 8 extensive
for outing parties.
An actor came with
a party and for a
i j . 7 ( . unvn uiuuv li in
L 1 ' nome wit" the Gal"
WJjjA Ingher's. He made
9ftftfe' himself agreeable
to Miss liallaffher.
vet in her teens.
and they apparent
V ly came to like each
f other. Finally the
actor went away.
- to rejoin his com
pany he said, but the fact that a few
days after his departure Miss
Gallagher . attempted suicide told
a sad, mournful story that
soon re-echoed through the hills, A
second aud a third attempt was made
with as little success. Then she was
taken to a mad-house, a hopeless men
tal wreck, there to brood over her
faithless lover until dead.
Prehistoric Muting.
As Is well known, the art of skating t
a prehistoric one. In many parts of Eu
rope bones of domesticated animals have
been found which had been uited as skates
or as runners of small sledges. It is of
considerable interest to learn that similar
implements are found still in use in sev
eral parts of northern Germany. In The
Journal of the Berlin Ethnological so
ciety, sledges are described which consist
of a board resting on the bones of a horse.
But, besides this, skates are used, the run
ners of which consist of the lower jaw of
cattle, the curvature of the lower side
serving admirably the object of the skate,
i Science.
ter Honey,
In the interior of South America
chocolate, cocoanuta, and eggs are
used as currency.
r.-r
THE ONE WHO STAYS AT HOME.
Ttw whmbt of thf world fgn round and round.
In ttw tm of a busy throng.
Hum with it leatlii nmlouy
And night with tt mppr mate:
The titlra am out and tlw title are ta,
Ukf the in Its bb ami Ikm,
For thsm'a always one to stay at horn
Wheni there hi urn to go.
Abroad on ttw highway's noisy track
Then at rusli of hurrying Iw.
Thr nrks tty out from th wheels of tuns
To oriRuun the hittar and vmt;
But jwrt from the beateu road tutd path,
Where the mim of earth mm n!ow.
Then tt alway om to may at hoiue
Where there ta oue to go.
Orer and over irood-bys are eakt.
In teMa thai die with the day,
When eyes are wet that cauuot forget,
Aud smikw have faded away; w"
BntUee that are worn an over a ftnm
Flower wUI hloaeom and blow;
For there's always oue to auty at noma
Where there a one to go.
Always one for the little tanks
Of a day that to never don:
Alway oue to ell down at oipbt
Ami watch with the start! alone.
And lie who tlphu on tlte world 'n broad field,
Wiib banner aud buw and drum,
little dreanm of battle framed
by the one who Mayed at bom.
JJuruentoo Laoe In Detroit Free Prem
THE ACTOR.
Oh, rasa, with your wonrturfni dower,
lib. woman, with trmdiut aud ifrara,
You oan tuarh the whole world with year
power
If you are but worthy the place.
The Mage ta a fort and a farlor
In molding the thought of the day.
If only the heart of tlu artnr
b) high as the theme of the play. '
No duroume nr sermon can reaoh at
Through feeling to ruattou like you;
No author cna attr u and tearh ua
With lmwins ax subtle and true.
Your words 'and your gwtunm obeying,
We weep or rejoice with your part.
And the player, behind all bU playing,
He ought to be great a bis art
No matter what role you are giving.
No matter what skill you betray.
The everyday life you are living
la certain to rolor the play.
The thoughts we call neoret and hidden
Are ureatures of malice. In fart.
They steal forth unseen and unbidden.
And permeate motive and act.
The genius that shines like a comet
Fills only one part of Hod's plan
If the lesson the world derives from H
In marred by the life of the man.
Be worthy your work u you love it;
The king should be fit for the crown:
Stand high ae your art. or above It,
And make us look up and not down,
-Klla Wheeler WUooz.
Gala.
BomettnwB 1 sorter think as how
The eastern gal's the best.
An' then I suniway cotton to
The gal f rum out the west.
The eastern gal has got an eye
Like brwrs aharp an' keen.
But then that western maiden's got
A form that's like a queen.
Bum folks prefer the one, so' sum
Prefer the other sort,
But when a jedge has got to say.
It socks mm to report.
For 'ptnyuns differ when It comes
To siie 'em side by side.
Espsslially when a poor man
la countui' on a bride
Tbar's Iambi' in the east. I know,
Ao' wealth out in the west:
But when a conies to cboose between
By gum: that to the teat
The eastern maiden loves bur book,
The western maul hitr farm;
An' so between 'em both, you see.
They have a takm' charm.
I'm deop tn love with east an' west
An' i t know which to cboose;
PVrhaj I better stop to think
Both ou 'em might refuse!
I'll try the east the west I mean
Eh! kissed plum on the uwuthr
Vic cbaogrd my mind an' now will take
This ruse bud from the smith.
-II tt Keller In Judge.
A New W ay to Shell fcgg.
At a meeting of the Royal Meteorolog
ical society Mr. R. 11. fckxitt, F. R. S.
drew attention to a curious case of light
ning stroke winch had occurred at Bully-
giaas, wniuty mayo, i ne eggs were m
a basket on the floor of a room when the
house was struck by the discharge. It
was found that their shells fell off when
they were put into hot water, leaving
the inner membrane unbroken. On be
ing cooked they tasted quite well
Casseil s Magazine.
The Bun snot periodicity is a enbject of
universal interest, and little has been
sounded of its unfathomable depths.
It is known that the cycle is completed
in abont eleven years, containing a max
imum of activity and a minimum of qui
escence; that the spots are cavities in the
solar photosphere, filled with gases or
vapors cooler than the surrounding por
tions; that the sjiots move with a vary
ing velocity, and that the spot produc
ing activity has a direct influence on the
magnetism and electricity of the earth.
Purse thefts seem to be the common
thief s special weakness, more than 10
per cent of the larcenies, etc., brought
before the courts being for thefts of
purses. Watches stand second favor
ites. More than three-fonrtns of the
purses stolen are the property of ladies,
the thieves seeming to find ladies' pock
ets more suitable for picking than men's.
The army of the United States con
sists of 2,167 commissioned officers and
a little over 20,000 private soldiers, ex
clusive of those performing civilian
duties; thus one-tenth of the force con
sists of its officers.
A new method of preparing wood pulp
composition for moldings is described, in
which the wood pnlp is mixed with
.bronze powders, aniline or metallic col
ors, so as to give a uniform color of an
desired shade to the pulp.
! Riders la the Time of Aleiander.
One of the most precious relics of the
past is a bronze statuette dng up at Her
culaueum in 1751, and thought to be a
copy of the equestrian statue known to
have been made of Alexander the Utreat
by Lysippus, after the battle of the Qra
tiluns, when statues of all the brave who
fell in this initial victory were made by
the famous sculptor. If it is truly a
copy of Lysippus' work we can judge
from it how the Macedoniane managed
their horses in a hand-to-hand conflict
The king is shown sitting on a blanket
firmly held in place by a breast strap
aud girth. Without dropping the reins
from his bridle hand he grasps this sub
stitute for a saddle at the withers, and
turning full half way to the right aud
looking backward, gives a swinging cut
with his sword to the rear, covering as
big an arc of the circle as the best
ewordsman who ever sat in a saddle.
The statue is full of life and natural
to a degree. If not Lysippni' work, it
is that of a consummate artist. The po
sition shows great freedom of movement
on the horse, and a seat strong and elas
tic That the Macedonians kept their
heels well away from the horses' flanks,
or rather that they did not rely on their
heels to cling to him, is shown by their
commonly wearing spurs, a thing the
Indian usually a void a, and the same
habit shows clearly in this piece of art.
Colonel T. A. Dodge in Harper's.
Car or the Hair.
The hair, like every other portion of
the human frame, if nncared for will go
to waste and eventually drop oat This
is due to a splitting of the ends of the
hair, so that the interior oil duct which
nourishes the hair is exposed, and the
natural nourishment of the hair runs to
waste, overflows upon the head, forming
dandruff, which impedes the growth of
the hair just as much us the tares among
wheat The best means to prevent this
is a strengthening of the hair, and this
can easily be w-comptished by freqnent
cntting and the use of salt water and
vaseline.
Have you ever noticed what bushy
hair seafaring men have? Did you ever
see a bald sailor? it is because their
hair is in constant contact with the in
vigorating salt air. and is often wet with
salt water. A good tonic of salt water
should contain a teaspoonful of salt to a
tumbler of water, and should be ap
plied to the hair two or three times a
week. The effect at the end of a month
will be Bui-prising. American Spectator.
Mexlen's "King akr" Day.
The flth of January is "kiii(t cake" day
In Mexico. It is customary to invite one's
friends to dinner on that day. For the
desHcrt a lit rue cake resemljliitg a ctwn is
served. It is cut into as many slices as
there are persons ut the tattle. In the
cake, before Imklug. a hirtte bcnti Is placed,
and whoever gt'ts the slice containing the
bean hits to give a puny within a few
wii:ka. There is always much merriment
at the cutting of the king cake. The first
Thursday of the year is also celebrated in
Mexican social circles with a "Unite dp log
Contpndes." All those families who
attend the pmndn in any one pluce for
the nine niirhis previous to Christmas
meet again at this hail. Its are drawn
for partners, and those thus paired off are
comparies for the eusuiug jeur. Chicago
News,
The "KeapeirrHfle" F.nclne,
The other day the engine hitched to a
New York Central train broke down mid
way bet-ween Albany and Rochester
''That's the scaiK-firuws "said the conduc
tor, as the train moved away to make
room for the one that was to take its
place. "There is always at leant one
Bcupeirrnce engine on every line. We call
it a scapegrace Iwcause it Is eternally get
ting into trouble. They had such a ma
chine on the IjJike Shore road. She was
one of the two entrints that pulled the
west bound train that went through the
Ashtabula bridge in one of the worst rail
road accidents ever witnessed in thiscoun-
, try Xhe hwA mw cr(wml the
ftu right, but the sciinegruee nulled awar
from it and went through the bridge,
distance of eighty
feet" New York
.veumg biiii.
The Lime Klin Club Veellnea,
Sir Isaac Wnipule announced that the
widow of the I Ion. Heuppei'imntj Williams,
of Milwaukee, had made a demand on the
treasury of the club for fc.VK), claiming
! t'"1 lier huaband, who was an honorary
me miter, had been killed by I ih tiling.
"But what has (lis club uoi to do wid
lightning?" asked the president
'I dtinno, sah."
'Be aeckretary will write to dut pnsson
to de effect that she has got a tlah in
surance policy on boss burn mixed up wid
a certitikate of honorary inemtiership in
dis lodge, an dnt while we feel fur her in
her rief we couldn't possibly let ro of no
9"i0U on any nick claim." -Detroit if roe
Press.
A Bit of Advice,
At a big shooting party i" England
Gerard Btart, now Lord Alington, was
one of the guests. One of the party who
had not succeeded in making himself
very popular said to him on the morning
of their departure, !' Would you mind
telling me, btart, what you generally
give these fellows in the way of tips?"
"Certainly; fU tell yoa with pleasure.
I give the gamekeeper so much, and the
butler so much, etc., but," he added, "if
you will allow me to give yon a piece of
advice, if I were in your place I wouldn't
give them anything at all You'll never
be asked here again. What's the user
Cecil Clay in London Truth.
IUvalry.
First Boy My ma is educated. She
has "Ecce Homo" in the original
Becond Boy Pshawl that's nothing.
Mine has eczema in the arm. -Journal
of Education,