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THE NATIONAL BANKOF ??GUSTA A C. UATSi, Prest. P. G. POKD, Cashier. OipitaL 8250,000. Undivided lTv.Ois } ?110,000. Fw^lltles of our magnificent 2ielr Vault obtaining 4:0 Safety-Lock Boxes. Dlfler ,.Ut Sizes are offered to our patrons and TOio public at 93.?0 to $10.00 por annum. TBOS. J. ADAMS PROPRIETOR. EDGEFlELi), S. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 190?. TBK PLANTERS LOAN AND SAVIKGS um. AUGUSTA, GA. Pays Interest ? on Deposits, ! Aceomna Solicited. L. C. HAY??, President. W. O. WABDLAW, Cashier. VOL. LXV. NO. 17 THE MI A bird ia working all day long Beside my window In tho tree, And, toi li ut, sings a happy song A. song that bas a note for me ! The wind and rair. at night destroy The work ol yesterday, but joy iain the work the builder sings "While setting mntt?rs straight It does not idly fold its wings, And mourn its dismal fate. -rn , .j The Author U an Officer of ? ?Th? Adventare Took-1 j I was only an apprentice boy at the ] time and was just 16 years old. I was j v not very big nor exceptionally strong, bnt just about the right size and suffi ciently strong ?o make a fairly oven match, for "Jaoko," nu Indian ape, in the terrible fight we had,, some eight j yaars ago, ono moonlight night in the | middle of tho Bay of Bengal. Jack ex, a fine specimen of the larger Species, of b: own-haired Indian ape, tad been presented to our skipper in .Calcutta by a friend of his. Our ship "waa the Queen of England,a fine full rigged steel vessel of 2070 tons, then sailing between Liverpool and Cal cutta. When standing upon his Mnd feet tho ape's height must have been about 3 feet 6 inches. Not very tall, yea j might say; but anyone who knows the exti aordinary strength of these crea tures and their wonderful agility will know that he was quite tall enough to be a formidable creature for a 16-year old boy to encounter single-handed. Somehow Jacko, who was docile enough with any of the. Other men, seemed to have taken au especial dis like to me,and I could never pass him without being treated to a vicious "coo-eb," and a succession of. wild leaps? any of which would have lifted hint right upon me but for the sudden tautening of his chain, which, tagging at his neck, invariably "finished up" his leap in a disgraceful way, as it ' twisted him- suddenly round and J brought hi m sprawling ignominiously ! cn the deck. He was, during the fine ' weather, -usually tethered to a ring-1 bolt at the for? end of the No.3 hatch. Between this hatch and the main fif > rail was a goodly space of opeu deck, where was no other obstruction but the maindeck capstan-a high "patent purchase" affair, with a double top- j which stood amidships. On the night of my set-to with Jacko we were somewhere-about the middle of the. Bay of Bengal. A light | monsoon just contrived to. belly out . .each sail- and heel our ship.over about'1 five degrees.or so. A fine, clear night ' it Was, with a bright full moon above and a mill-pond ripple on the sea around. The watch on deck had coiled them selves-as ia the general custom in jfine weather-along the deck to the lee side of the house, where, handy for any call, they snored in their sleep. The only hands aboard with their eyes open were the lookout man, away for'ard in the eyes of the ship on the fo'c's'le head; the second mate, upon the weather side of the poop, and my self, on the lee side. At about five bells (10.30 p. m) the s eco ad sent me for'ard to examine the side lights sud j report upon them. He then went aft, -where, leaning over the taffrail, he gave himself up sailor fashion to his wakeful dreams. I went for'ard, passing Jacko, who was asleep. I then mounted the fo'c's'le head, yarned awhiie with the lookout, examined the side fights, and finding them burning satisfactorily,proceeded leisurely aft along the weather side. Arriving at the maiu fiferail I turned to go to leeward, and utterly forge1 ful of the presence of Jacko, walked sleepily, past the capstan. The ape . awoke, 'perceived me, gave his usual vicious "coo-ch" and sprang into the air towards me. Accus:omed to these impotent leaps, I stood motionless, .hands in pockets, awaiting the usual absurd ending of the performance. This time, however, the chain snapped close to his neck, and almost . before I was. aware of the foot, the brute's form, dark and shadow-like, came flying through the air, and he ? was upon me. He alighted fairly upon my shoul ders; I staggered to leeward under the sudden weight and fell into the scup pers, at the same time warding off with my arm his ugly free from mine. Brute-like, he seized that part of my body nearest his ]aw3 and bit, fiercely, deep into my left shoulder; then, springing suddenly from me, he leaped into the main rigging, swarmed aloft, and stopped, a dozen ratlins high, to grin and "coo-ch" at me. During the whole time of the extraordinary strug gle which followed I made no sound with my lips-why, I do not know. And yet I was mightily scared of the ape. I fancy it was the snddenuess of the attack, which gave me no time even to think of calling for help and awakening my shipmates. Jumping to my feet excitedly, I stood upon the deck, with fists doubled np and in a boxing attitude, awaiting j Jocko's next spring. Except for the ape's low chuckling "coo-ch," we made no sound. I was barefooted, so that even my footfalls were noiseless. Had I run, Jacko in all probability would have left me alone, bnt see ng me standing somewhat defiantly in his accustomed place, he accepted my at titude as a challenge. He came stealthily and cautiously down the rigging to the top-gallant rail, watched me awhile from there, and then swarmed the royal back stay to a height of about 15 feet never taking his. eyes off me all the time. Here he stopped and com menced to shake, the backstay violent ly. But apparently seeing the use lessness of wasting his strength iu this way, he presently stopped, theu leaped into -the air, and I saw his shapeless body, extended arms and doubled-up logs outlined in the moon- . light as he decanded towards me. Stepping aside to avoid him, I hit him as he fell somewhere about the chest with my clinched fist. The blow changed the course of his flight, and his body struck with a thud against the corner of the hatch. Thinking I now had him at my mercy, I sprang upon'him and seized him by the alack ?SSACE? Shall he that bas a soul sit dows, When all bis labor is upset: ?nd he must bother all tho town "With chiding and With vain regret ? The structure that is wrecked muy be Eebuildod ?nd made !air to see. And God upon bis throne may know That irom the joyous bird Thu message that he sends below Has happily been heard ! -8. E. K?er. Jacko". The Ape. f BOLTON? Well-Known Canadian Liner. Place Nine Years Ago. skin at his throat. I had reckoned, however, without a knowledge of the brute's astonishing strength. He put out his arms and clasped the back of my neck,and with all his strength en deavored to force me to him, gripping, my waist at the same time with his powerful band-like feet. With Jacko clinging to me I fell heavily to the deck. For some mo ments we lay there panting, but mo tionless. His strength was such that my arms fairly ached with the effort to keep his formidable jaws from me as I lay there watching his hideous face and teeth. His nails dug deep into my neck; his teeth gave vicious snaps in the air; I could hear his breath forcing its way through his %throat-, which I had tried to grip &s I held on to the skin around it. We mnst have lain there some three or fonr minutes when Jacko suddenly threw himself backward, wrenched his throat from my hand, and leaped upou the capstan to consider the next round. Without giving me time to rise, how ever, he sprang at me again and seized my left arm with his hands and teeth. Usu ally when a monkey bites he gives a quick snap, and springs away f righ tened at his deed, for the average simian is an arrant coward. Jacko, however, departed from this custom, for he buried bis teeth deep in my left forearm and, with the tenacity pf a bulldog, kept them there. I beat his face with my free hand and banged his head on the deck, but nil to no purpose. I had no waistcoat ir jacket on, and my shirt sleeves wore rolled np, so that he had the bare flesh to work upon. I staggered with him to my feet, and actually car ri d him to the hatch where, forcing him upon his back, I beat his body frantically with my free fist. So close, however, did he cling to me with his feet that my blows told"/with little ef fect * Seeing this, I raised the big ape be fore me, and holding my left arm with my right hand,Tashed toward the cap stan, .and with all the weight of my body behind the blow crushed his head against its iron rim. Then, though apparently not in the least stunned, Jack J let go' and ran a little distance from me. Jacko, standing upon the capstan where he had jumped after letting go my arm-seemed for a moment to pon der the situation. Then, judging from his subsequent actions, he appeared to have resolved to "board me from : behind." First he sprang from the j capstan to the hatch; then, swift as lightning, he turned and leaped back again -a leap of some 14 feet from a ! hatch at lea-?t two feet lowor thau tho 1 capstan itself. From the capstan he jumped to the main fiferail, thence across the deck to the lee rigging and, lastly, back to the capstan again. I followed his every movement, de termined not to let him get behind me. Apparently perceiving this, the ape changed his tactics, ile came leisurely down from tho capstan and ! crawled slowly and deliberately along the deck towards me, uutil at length j he stopped within a fathom's length of my feet. Then he bounded upward and again landed fairly upon me. ' He gripped my throat in a manner that was almost human in style and intention. He clasped his strong hind legs around my waist, aud made a vicious snap at my face with his awful jaws. I ducked my head, barely in time to save my j features, and his-teeth snapped in my hair, souse of which was torn ont. Fearful for my face,I put up my right' band to grasp his throat, my left arm having by this time become some what numbed from the effects of his savage bites. My hand strayed, however, as be dodged it, and it went between his teeth. He bit cruelly, and one of his molars went clean through, op ening a vein from which the blood commenced to spout in an alarming manner. The fight now became a wrestling match, while no other sound came from either of us save the hiss of our panting breath and the patter of my bare feet. We struggled frantically to and fro npon the deck. The blood spouting from my haud spread over Jacko's hairy head, neck and face, nntil he became a ghastly sight. I felt myself growing weaker from the loss of blood, while my powerful enemy appeared to be growing rapidly stronger. We staggered against the main fiierail. With my growing weak ness fear came upon me-fear of the 1 horrible disfigurement my features j would forever show should I become too weak to keep the ape's jaws from off my face. Now the fiferail was studded with iron belaying pins, placed there for the purpose of belaying the orossjack braces. One*>f these, luckily, was free. I put np my left arm and with it forced .Tadio's head against the wooden rail; then seizing thc iron be laying pin with my free hand, I raised it aloft and brought it down npon Jacko's brow with all the strength I could muster. The second mate, wondering why I had not returned to report upon the side lights, and thinking I had prob ably eat down somewhere and gone to sleep, came down the poop ladder bringing with him one of the poop buckets; these, by the way, were al- ' ways kept hung up at the fore part of ! the poop,and iu hot weather were kept j filled with water to prevent tho wood from becoming too dry. It was the mate's unhind intention to rouse me in the time-honored fashion by drench ing rae with ' its contents. Creeping stealthily along the deck, he ca ie to the main fiferail, where he saw j the moonlight a sight which canse him to change his intention. He told me afterwards be could never forget the sight even if he lived to be a hundred. Jacko was lying stretched across the coil of the weather crossjack brace, my body being faco downward, stretched across Jack o's, and a pool of blood marring the whiteness of the deck and making ghastly the sight of our two apparent ly inanimate forms. Jacko recovered from the effects of the blow I gave him. He was pre sented, I believe, to the Palace menag erie at New Brighton where, for all I know to th? contrary? he is tc this day. As tor me, I bear the marks of his teeth upon me yet, and shall be glad to show them to such Wide World readers as . care to call upon me be tween voyages at my home, near Man chester. They are rather faiut npon my shoulders, but on my ha) d is a scar three-fourths of an inch long and one-fourth of au inch broad. Two of the scars upon my left forearm each measure half an inch in length, and the distance between them is two and a quai ter inches-a striking proof of the size of Jacko's jaws. Thinking that Wide World reader* would like to know what became of Jaoko, we instructed Mr. Frederick Bolton, the author's father, to make inquiries about the ape at tho Palace, New Brighton. We append Mr. Bol ton's report: "I made ray way there and found the place closed during the daytime, it being the off season, bot I hunted Up th? caretaker. I explained to him what I Was after. "His reply was: T should think I do remember the brute. You see that finger?' he went on, showing me a mutilated finger-the middle finger of his right hand. T was going my rounds one day and was trying the gate of his cage when he sprang at me like lightning and ha'd my finger in his ugly month like a vise before I knew what he was up to. You can see for yourself,sir, the mess he made of it. Another time,' continued the caretaker, 'the brnte got out of his cage, and it took all the fellows about the place to enge him again. When, he first came they put him. in with the other monkeys, but he killed a number of them, sp he was placed iu a special cage by himself. About 12 months ago he got so full of.rheumatism that they drowned him.' " 'flow high did he stand?' I asked. " 'Well, sir,' replied my informant, 'you seldom saw him stretched full length, but he was, I should say, from three feet to three feet six inches.'" -Wide World Magazine. QUAINT AND CURIOUS. ' In one of the Pacific Islands the natives have a peculiar Christmas cus tom. Every Christmas tlay they offer np sacrifices, but in whose honor they have not the faintest idea. It'"s sup posed to be a' relic of some mission ary teaching, as these natives are still heathens. , > . In the reign of Edward III, there were eminent clothiers and woolen weavers, whose family name was Blan ket They were the first pt-rsons who manufactured that comfortable mate rial which has ever since been called by their name, and which was then used for peasants' clothing. Men exposed to the rigors of the Alaskan winter never wear moustaches. They wear full beards to protect their throats and faces, but keep their upper lips cleau shaven. The mois ture from the breath congeals so rapidly that a moustache becomes im bedded in a solid cake of ice and the face is frozen in a short time. A pair of elephant tusks, the larg est on record, wa3 found recently in the Kilimandjaro district in Africa and bought for au American museum for $3500. The larger tusk measures 10 feet 4 inches along the oater curve and weighs 235 pounds; the other is a trifle shorter, aud weighs 10 pounds less. The record tusk before these was 9 feet 5 inches long and is now in England. The oldest pulpit -now in use in Scotland bears dute 1668. The exact . history of its construction is not cer tainly known, but the most widely accepted story that has come down is that it -was the unaided work of a shep herd boy. The legend hns it that, with a simple ?>o;ket knife, this clever handed lad executed the whole of the exquisite carving of the pulpit, and that the various pieces of woodwork were skillfully put together without the use of a single nail or screw of any kind. South street, Philadelphia, is one of tho strangest in the world. This is due to legislation by the ancient Quakers, who managed the affairs of the city when South street M as one of the most important in Philadelphia. Laws were then enacted that sidewalk venders, stall-keepers, wagons con taining produce and open-air dealers could only use one side of the street for such purposes six months in the year. Thus from April to September, the south side of the street is well nigh impassable, while the other six j months it is deserted. A M i - rmi)] rv. "Liberty Park" is the name of what was m ?ant to be a pleasure re .or. in a certain Georgia town. A cor les ondent who went there for an af ter toon's recreation, writes: 4lTwo policemen were stationed at the gate. Ou entering I was con fronted with the following signs: " 'Keep oT the grass.' " 'Fifty dollai-3 fine for breaking the shrubbery. ' " 'One hundred dollars fine for in terfering wi:h the animals.' " 'Fifty dollars fine forcarying your initials on a tree.' " 'Fifty dollars or two months in jail, for loitering around after the gates are closed. ' " 'Twenty-five dollars for spitting on the gravel walk.' " Ten dollars, or thirty days, for eating lunch on the grass. ' "God help us all?" exclaims our pious correspondent, "and save us from 'Libe tv Park.' I was glad thot I escaped wi;h my life. One of my companions is still missing; cat I dare not venture back to iu s Ut ti te a search for him.'"- Atlanta Constitu tion, 1oooocccoccoooooooooooooooo o o Pis Year's [{alisal [onvcnlicns g 00 a ?[?et h gplead?? ?^itoricms. f Details About th9 Republican, Democratic ar?d Populist. Gatherings. S03Q3O03D03C??J3OCQ00O3? Final arrangements for tte political national conventions tvhi?ii will sigfj lialize this year have been made. Thc Republicans will meet in- Philadel phia on Jnne 19th, the Democrats will gather at Kansas City on July 4th and _ the Populists will decide \heir plan of J campaign at Sioux Falls, South Da kota, cn May 9th. The main Philadelphia Export Ex position Building, in which the Re publican National Convention of 1900 will be held, is built of 'structural steel and brick, with plaster facing pana staff ornamentations. It will, at a comparatively small cost, be doh: verted into a convention hall that will seat several thousand persons. The O. N.. WISWELIi, 6E3GEANT-AT-ABMS BE PUBIiICAN NATIONAL COyVENTIOS. ; - aroadesfaud connecting buildings are mostly.of wood, with brick" walls, so that the three..connected buildings1, make onev mamrnqthfexhibition hall of 1000 feet in length by 400 feet, in width. .The entire-area-of themain. inildxng is 167,200 square feet. It ir, I divided into six' sentions, which "can be readily converted ir to one vast auditorium, the length ot which, in stead,, of extending north and south, INTERIO? OF CONVENTIO; as at present, will, with tho side wall taken out and the hall enlarged, ex tend east and west. The body of the hall will eoat 2000 persons. Tho number of delegates and alternates will be more thau 1800. That leaves room on the main floor for 200 persons-deputy sergeant-at arms, doorkeepers and guests. Hising on three sides of the hall are tiers of seats which will hold 1000 guests more. The stage could be made to accommodate say 200 to 300 persons. But the committee hope to seat 600 newspaper correspondents, as well as the officers of the convention and distinguished guests. The sergeant-at-arms suffers most under the new order of things. He will be bombarded with applicatims for tickets which he caunot All, and every dolegate is going to hold him responsible for his disappointment. The sergeant-at-arms will be overrun with applications for appointment, because a badge will admit the wearer to the floor of the hall. When he tries to fit 10,000 visitors and clamor ing citizens into 500 seats he will find his office most uncomfortable. The organized bodies which attend national conventions will be bitterly disappointed in the Convention Hall arrangements at Philadelphia. Their favorite performance id to march into a hall headed by a brass band and INTERIOR OF HALL WHERE Tl with banners flying. There will be' not room at Philadelphia for any brass band except the one hired to fill the pauses between the speeches. George N, Wiswell, who.has been appointed ?ergeant-at-arms of the Re publican National Convention, is a man of acknowledged ability lor or ganization and executive work. In the handling of political conventions he is already experienced, having been assistant sergeant-at-arms of the Republican National Convention at .Chicago in ?888, at Minneapolis in 1892 and in St, Louis in 1896; Mr; .Wiawell is a Wisconsin mah by birth, and is now forty-eight-years old.. % Convention Hall,- Kansas City; rhere the National Democratic Con-" entioii will be held Joly 4th,- is sitd [J?ION HALL, PHILADELPHIA sd at Thirteenth and Central streets, four blocks from the retail district of tjhe city. It has been . classed by travelers as one of the largest and most perfectly constructed, auditori 18 in existence, i The building was erected at a cost ?. HALL FOB THE DEMOCRATIC NATU |225,0?0, which^.was raised entirely .public subscription. It occupies Jieoe of ground 314 by 200 feet in extent, is two stories high and ?s built of native stoue, cream brick -and terra cotta. The first story is of the Renaissance style of architecture, and the eecond story is of Peristyle form, with;groups and columns. The build ing .ia, of; bridge construction, with out V column, the roof being "sup ported by great steel girders that span its 200 feet of breadth. Its gen eral seating arrangement is modeled ti HALL IN KANSAS CITY. somewhat upon the plan of the Metro politan Opera House, New York. The floor space is divided into arena, arena balcony, balcony and roof gar den, boxes skirting the arena and the arepa balcouy. The stage is situated in the center of tho arena. The total seating capacity is nearly 20,000, and with standing room the building is SIOUX FALLS AUDITORIUM IN WHICH POPULISTS WILL MEET. capable of holding moro than 22,0001 people. Tho avena alone' seats 4000. To each side of the arena and under the fir s t balcony are numerous com-j mittee rooms, which have their sepa rate street entrances. The building-j has no stairways, the upper seatings tining reached by means of inolined.? I planes. Separate exits aro used for1 IE REPUBLICANS WILL MEET. tue balconies aud roof garden, and it is estimated that the hall can be emptied at the rate of 5000 people a minute. Convention Hall has, sinao ita dedi :ation, a roar aga, housed some of the argest audiences that ever gathered xnder roof in this country. Its acous ;ic properties have receiver especial jraise. Hon. William J. Bryan, who ast Jnne addressed the Head Camp >f the Modern Woodmen of America n the hall, said later: "It is hard to conceive how Con ven ion Hall could be improved Upon foi ;he purposes of large public gather ings." Maurice Gran, whose grand Opera company sang there November lest td record-breaking grand opera house Audiences,- said: ''lt is *a wonderful structure, com plete in all its appointments, and has ao equal in America1," while Dwight L. Moody, the evangelist, whd a month later faced in this hall some of the largest crowds that he had ever ad dressed, said from ?he platform: "I came one thousaud miles to find the best hall I have ever spoken in." The leading hotels of the city are the Coates, the Baltimore, the Mid land, the Savoy, the Victoria and the Washington, all of which are located from three to ten blocks distant from the hall. The Coates, which has al ways been Mr, Bryan's stopping place, will, it is said; be made the headquar ters of the National Committed. The accompanying illustration shows the Sioux Falls' auditorium, whioh has a seating capacity of about 5000. Had it not been for this build ing, which ia the largest of th?. kind in South Dakota, Sioux Falls' would; not have been able to capture the na tional convention : the Populist party; 3NAL CONVENTION, KANSAS OFT?. which will be held May 9. On May 23 the Bepnblicans of South Dakota will also hold their State convention in Sioux Falls for the purpose of nomi nating a Congressional and State ticket and selecting delegates to the repub lican National Convention at Philadel phia. The auditorium is anew build ing. Not until after a delegation of Sioux Falls rustlers, in the fall of 1898, succeeded in captnring theconventicn of the National Creamery-Buttermak ers* Association was the construction of the building decided upon. The structure is well arranged and'is com plete in all its details. Franklin the Printer. Franklin's retirement from active priuting did not lessen his interest in his tr.ide, and every possible improve ment in1 the art received attention from him. * * * Nothing proved better tho printer's attachment for his calling than an amusement of his dur ing his diplomatic service in France. In his own home he set np a press aud types, all of which he or his ser vants oast, and with them occasional ly printed little bagatelles and skits, of both his friends' writing and his own, usually in very small editions. These "printing materials, consisting of a great variet} of fonts," he brought with him on his- return to America, and sold "fifteen boks of type" to Franchi Childs, the Nsw York printer, and still more to Mat thew Carey. The remainder ho used to establish his grandson, Benjamin Franklin Bache, m "business as a printer, the original occupation of his grandfather." Despite tho many honors that had come to him, to the last he held him self to be first and foremost a printer, he begin his will "I, Benjamin Franklin, Printer, lato Minister Pleni potentiary from the United States of America to the Court of France, and now President of the State of Pennsylvania." It was at his own re quest that "the Printers of the city, with their Journeymen and Appren tices," were given a prominent posi tion in his funeral procession.-The Century. TS? Cereal? In Algeria. The growth of cereals has always been the staple industry in Algeria; but of late it has become unremunera tive, and the returns both of European and native culture are very small. Even among Europeans agriculture is in a very elementary condition. No forage is used save what grows spon taneously; no manure,,or very little, is put on tho land; no cattle are kept beyond what are required for plowing, the land is impoverished, badly kept? and full of weeds and noxious insects, which smother and devour the crops. Ninety-eight per cent, of the land sown every year is devoted to tho growth of cereals, and too little of it to the rearing of cattle. The great obstacles to agriculture are the un certainty of seasons and the impossi bility of competing with such countries I as America, Kassia, and India, where land is abundant, and, in the last two at least, labor is cheap.-Chambers'? Journal. 400 Straiten to Shave a Mao. "It is wonderful how many razor strokes we take daring a day," said a barber in one of the larger downtown shops. "Did yon ever figure up on it?" "Yes. I've been taking np an aver age for the last three weeks," replied the'barber, "and I've surprised my self with the fignres. I find I aver age 490 strokes of the razor for eaoh man shaved. I took 1028 strokes on one man, and several of my customers who have stiff beards mn up 700 and 800 strokes. Then there are tender faces that I shave only once over, and they take, perhaps, only 250 strokes. I shave on tho average twenty-one and a half men a day. One day I . shaved thirty-seven .aud another only fourteen."-New York Mail and Ex press. . More than 20,000 Parisiana earn j their Hying us fortqno-tellera. ' "POLLARS MEX." Tho Common Currency tit S Great Par} .f the Far East. Reports of recent military opet'SV tious in the Philippines include state ments that the American troops have captured from the insurgents so many thousand Mexican dollars. Snch state ments must not be interpreted as mere verbal artifices to magnify the importance of the exploit by using a small unit of value in reckoning the booty* The publie are thoroughly familiar by this time -with the distinc tion stf common arnony the Americans at Manila between1 "dollars Mex" and "dollars gold," and the fact that one of the former is worth lesa ?tb?r? half one of the latter, but the treasflry of Aguinaldo was, in all probability, Stocked neither with paper money nor with coin of the United States mints, but with actual M ex i su silver dollars. The Mexican silver dollar is,in feet, the popular currency, not only of the Jhilippitie Islands, but also to ? large ^xteut of the Chinese coasts, of the Malay Archipelago, and, outside of such great mercantile centres as Singa pore, of the Straits Settlements, as well ns of Japan. Hong Kong aud Cauton have in general fallen in with the pecuniary habits of the British colonists and traders, and Japan has a very convenient currency of her own, in harmony with advanced western ideas. But the yellow races of the East, as races, have taken a strong fancy io the white metal of Mexico. The persistence ia the preference is more' easily understood than the mauner in which the preference first gained'its hold. A New York fiuancier explained the original fact partly on aesthetic grounds. "The design of the Mexican dollar," he said, "is a boldand striking one,and it impressed those Orientals from the time the coin first began to circulate among them. That, I suppose, was more than 50 years ago. At that period there was very little trade between this country and the Philippines or any of those far Eastern regions. Of course, among the population of the islands, the natives not being in an advanced stage of commercial civiliza tion, the convenience of. English small change was not apparent Not being informed of the financial stability of of the British Empire, they could not be expected to appreciate the stamp that gives the shilling most of its value; what they did appreciate was the bigness and the weight and purity of the Mexican dollar, as well as the imposing appearance of it. "As to how the demand came to be io well supplied, that is easy to under stand when you remember that most of the silver in the world was then produced in Mexico,audthat the coin age of it was free and unlimited. AB the traders in .the far East wanted Mexican dollars, it was to the interest of .the Mexican mines to export their output iu that form, and it cost thom nothing to ^ive tho-stamp pui-oiu- It was only necessary for them to--keep:, the coining of their dollars down be low the point of glutting the market; in other words, it would have been possible to ship so much coined silver to the East, either direct through Lon don or through London by way of New York, that the premium on it would fall. i "There is a premium on the Mexi can silver dollar in that part of the world even now. Here, fo.- instance, is a cable from Manila, dated Jan. 12, which quotes the Mexican dollars at 42 1-2 cents, gold. According to the current price of silver, the Mexican dollar was worth at par about 44 cents on that date. The difference is ac counted for by local preference for Mexican dollars. The insurgents in the Philippines were well advised in using that coinage, because it is the coinage which the people of the coun try understand and like. If they wore educated bankers, they would know that American money takes up less room in proportion to its real value, and they might admire the de sign of our dollars and dollar bills as much as the Mexican desigu; as it is, they don't thoroughly understand the theory of token money and national credit. And so Mexico goes on export ing her 40,000,000 silver dollars an nually to be the popular curreuoy of the far East." Knew What She Wanted.. Thora was a tall and haughty young woman in n provision store recently, a pretty girl -who wore a smart tailor gown and an air of great importance. It was obvious to the least observant on-looker that she took herself and her mission very seriously. "Have you a nice 'roundhouse' steak?" she asked the butcher sweetly, when he came forward to wait upon her. The man's face assumed a beefy hue itself, and he looked well-nigh apo plectic as he replied, "No, miss, I haven't a round steak." "Then send me a *porterloin. ' About seven pounds would be enough I should think." "Tenderloin is the best cut, miss; suppose you take that?" suggested the clerk, his face growing still red der. "Kindly send me what I ordered," said the young woman with great dig nity; "my mother-in-law is entirely conversant with the cuts of beef, and I am quite sure that's the name she told me; and send 10 pounds of rice with it. Then she walked out of the shop with the pleased smile on her face of one who has found housekeeping the merest child's play, while the specta tors murmured "bride" to each other under their breath.- Bol timor? News. 0*trtche? tn South Africa. Ostriches have only recently been domesticated iu South Africa. Only 80 were in captivity in 1865; ten years luter there were 21,751 being cared for in Cape Colouy, and in 1897, 287,'JoC The true wild bird still ex ists north of the Vaal and Orange River, but is rapidly diminishing in numbers, being eagerly hunted for its feathers,which de naud a higher price than those of the domesticated breth ren. Katy's Birthday Fraser Mrs. Lash-What did you get baby for a birthday present? Mrs. i?ash~i took fonr dollars and ninety-nine eeuts out of the little darling's bank1 aud bought him thia lovely lamp for the drawing room, - Boston Eeacon, THE VEGETARIANS. When Abner Green, who many year? Had courter] Mu ry Bunking, Resolved to test bu* hopes aud fears, He thought himself "some pumkdns." But When the crucial moment came, His face grew '-red's a beet;" His hands hung Jimp, his tongue gie* lame, He shu flied . wi th his feet . ' In fact, he felt, be later raid, Like "pretty small potatoes." But Mary, though she blushed aa ret As ripening tomatoes, Bat listening, demure and bland, And "cool ns fi co wc um ber," While bo Krew "hot as a pepper"- and His heart beats tried to number. Now whether ne or she at last The question great propounded I cannot say; I only passed Just os a kiss resounded. Sometime to him, more oft to her . My judgment ol it leans, But Alary always does avor That he-"he didn't know beans " Who carew a straw ! Though this thing has Made gossips nudge and nod, They live togetber."bappy as Two peas within a pod." -American Agriculturist I HUMOROUS. -Jones-I say, Miss Brown, how is it that yon.are always ont when I call? She-Oh, just lock. Spunge-Talk is cheap. Kosiick Ton seem to think so, from the way you use my telephone. She-That friend of yours is getting too big for his boots 1 He-What do you mean? She-Why simply that his hat doesn't fit him. "When you hear a book agent try his voice," remarked the Observer of Events and Things, "you know at once it is of some volume." "Do yon never work?'' said Mrs. Subbubs to a tramp who asked for a handout "Xever, mum," was the proud reply. *T am an immune." "Do yon think a young man should marry on a smail income?" "Oh, I can see no objection to it, if he has reached an understanding with her father." "Archie, dear, did you ever love anybody before you met me?" *"i thought I did, Flntie, a hundred times, but I see now I was only re hearsing." Hark, hark, the dogs do hark, The autos in line aro seen ! Some with wires and some with stearn.. And some with gasolene. Little three-year-old Flossie saw s man walking along the street with his arm in a sling. "Oh, mamma,." she exclaimed, "there goes a man with his armin a hammock." ' Conductor-We . have missed .tl? connection, and will have, to wait' at this station six hours. Old Lady (who is a little . nervous on the rail road;-Well, I'm safe for six hours, anyhow." "I wonder, if all men are foolsp" snapped Mrs.; Enpeck during a little domestic tiff the other morning. ' 'No, indeed,' ray dear," replied her hus band. "I know a number oimen The Daughter-Don't you think Mr. La ght is a finished gentleman, mam ma? The Mother-Well, if he's not,' and your father comea down and finds him in the parlor until after mid night, some tim?, he will be. "George," said the fair maid, "I hope you will keep cool when you call to interview papa." "You can bet I will!" muttered the faint-hearted yonth. "Why, it gives me a chill to even think about calling ou him." "Here's the clock key, mamma," said four-vear-old. Tommy, "will that do?" "Will it do for what, dear?" asked the astonished mother. "To wind yourself np with," replied the' little fellow. "I heard you tell the doctor that yon were all run down." "SHOOTING STARS" A MISNOMER. But Loven May Mill Be Blind to "Me teor's" Claim;. It is hardly necessary to say that the snooting stars are not stars at all, as the name seems to indicate, and as people sometimes think, writes Pro lessor Young in the New Lippincott. This was the mistake of a sailor on a British naval vessel who had been set on watch during the star shower of 1866 to count all the meteors he conld see in a given fifteen miuutes. When bis time was tip he begged to be al lowed aminute longer, "because," he said, "1 has my eye ou a star that wiggles awful and can't hold on much longer. " bb cot'"ug stars a: e only little masses of matter-bits of rock or metal or cloudlets of dust and gas-which ar? hying unresisted through space just as pianola and comets do, in paths which, within the limits of our solar system are conholled by the attrac tion of the sun. They move with a speed of several miles a second; far exceeding that of any military pro . jectiie, but are too small to be seen by ns except when they enter our atmos phere, and, becoming intensely heated by the resistance they encounter, light up and burn for a moment; for to use Lord Kelvin's expression, a body rushing through the air at such an enormous velocity is miring its flight virtually "immersed in a blow pipe flame, "having a temperature com parable with that of an electric aro. As a rule they are completely consumed in the upper air, so that nothing reaches the surface of the earth except, perhaps, a little ash, settling slowly as an imperceptible "smoke." Occa sionally, however, some mass larger than usual survives in part the fiery ordeal and its fragments fall to the ground as specimens of the material of "other worlds than ours/' Court Intcrrupfn I by au Owl. A large screech owl flew through m window iuto the circuit court room at Muncie, Ind., the other day and stopped proceedings, lt few straight for Miss Maud Pugh, the writing clerk, who screamed aud tied. ' The session at once broke np, aud the jurors and bniliff, J . E. .starr, started to catch the bird. -St u r caught i',but in doing so waa viciou ly c awed on bis hands. Other per>ons we e also clawed. Several a-tides th; own at the owl by pers? us fearing an attack Went flying helter ske ter tnd ud ed j to the confusion, .'Judge Le . er ad' jonrned court until next d?y.-Cin cinnati Euqui.er. Monte Carlo is in MoDaoo, a prince pality of Europe, now virtually no der f rench control, located u the *?outh ern part of Frauce on the Meditgrr> nean sea.