The people. (Camden, S.C.) 1904-1911, July 28, 1904, Image 6
ION AMD WOtfaMLfTft.
? daily prajrw
i ?SwSTia kvt JLa aav
and Wold tU Wight. nmW,
With him bMida har tbn
?S.
$ lL
I PERFECT DISAPPEARANCE.
?i A*
By TALBOT SMITH.
h
HB long and aenaattonal
; trial was or?r, and. la aptte
of the earncat. whole-heart
i ad attempts of the prtaen
rfu coansel. had termlnat*
/In \ne onij possible verdict. All
over for WlDthray Lyle. The
in a queer, qoamlnf whisper,
id drawn oq the fatal hetdfcsr of
'doom In ? manner to suit his peculiar
taste, and spoken.these words Which
even the most callous cannot hear un
moved, end for the text twenty-four
days the doomed man was walking the
eorrow-atrlckeu path of the Valley of
the 8hadow. From that awe-Inspiring
moment Wlnthrop Lyle waa no longer
wholly human. ? metamorphorls had
changed the convict Into a being whose
soul was already knocking at the Eter
nal Gate,
The condemned man'heard the ver
dict unmoved, save for a tremulous
movement of the lips, whlc.*-. the most
self-contained can never wholly hide,
and pr.ssed down those footworn steps
so msny unfortunates have trod to the
cell apportioned him. Here, by special
permission of the Judge, he had an in
terview with his brother without the
restrictions cf a watching warder.
"1 expected nothing better." said the
prisoner. **and nothing remains for me
now but reparation for the end so
close at hand.** This -as said In a
loud voice In order that the warder
atsndlng ontslde the door, which was
just ajar, should hear and form a mis
taken conclusion.
When Eustace Lyle left the prison he
carried with him, and concealed In an
inner pocket, a letter which Wlnthrop
had written when iue case eeemed
hopeless, snd hsd managed to slip un
seen into his hand. Not until he was
at hom* again snd behind a locked
door did he venture to read It. It ran
thus:
Before the day of execution conies I
shall be far away from this place?or
dead. 1 want you to do one thtcg and
promise snother. Leave $10,000 with
our lawyer Roome, to be given to any
one who asks for It, be he beggar,
tramp or gentleman. And promise me
that If I escape no one of my family
ahall make the slightest effort to find
me or follow me.
Ordinary means of escrpe are out of
the question. I shall be shepherded
night and day by two armed warders,
whe are reli. ved at intervals of four
hours. 1 know, and you will yourself
see, prison doors sre to be opened only
from the outside, and were I to suc
ceed In overpowering the guards and
opening the door, some twelve other
doors and gates would have to be nego.
tlated ere I breathed the outside air.
I have calculated the periods of duty
and relief of the six men told off for
"condemned cell duty," as it Is called,
and find tfro warders. Cox and Foster,
both young men, will be my guard
from 10 to 11 a. m. on Sunday next,
when I shall be at exercise in the pris
on yard. You must get at these men.
not ostensibly, but by ordinary courte
sy. They use The King's Crown, and,
as I know from experience while here,
appreciate a good cigar. 8pln a yarn
of bonded cigars to be purchased ou
Saturday, or the day after to-morrow,
and you wish to share the delicacies
with them. You need make no secret
of our relationship. Give them a dozen
or so each on Sunday morning as they
eater the outside gates. Their hours
of duty are from 8 to 12. I shall
amoke after breakfast, as I am per
mitted, and as all will be safe In the
condemned corridor, will persuade
them to Join me. They will, for the
odor of my undoctored cheroot will be
an Insumountable lever.
The drug anyl does not take action
for sixty to ninety minutes, accord
ing to the dose. This will bring us to
the hour of exercise. So far so good.
Now, listen. The foreman of the
works has a sick wife and a scresmlng
brood. Approsch blm, offer him a
handsome set-off to pay and pension on
condition that when at work to-mor
row the brickwork of the wall they
are repairing may be loosened; this
will be insufficient alone, but the lad
der always used In working hours
must be Inadvertently left behind
when leaving for the night. You can
guess the rest. The foreman gets the
sack for "gross neglect of duty." and
falls back smiling on my comfortsblej
check, and I, well, I?never mind.
When the news of my flight reaches
you. look upon me as dead and burled
In Newton Churchyard. In fact, it
won't help you to do otherwise,
e e e e e e e
Wlnthrop waa In good aplrlts at the
close of his brother's visit, and kept
himself in the same mood for the next
few dsys. In spite of the trying scenes
of fsrewell with his friends and rela
tlvea.
The Lyle family, wealthy and pow
erful, waa bent on preventing by any
meads the disgrace of the scaffold. It
waa a great triumph for Justice when
Influence, intrigue and the skill of the
lawyers came to naught In court and
elaewhere. Even public opinion, won
to aympathy by the orllllant struggle
which Lyle made for his life, by his
talent, his spirit, his beauty of face
and manner, his stesdy and solemn
declaratlone of Innocence, was resisted
and overcome by the officers of Jus
lice.
The care taken to prevent a prisoner
?Oder sentence of death from escape
or aulclde la very thorough, b?t It re
minds one of the care taken by rail*
way companlee to prevent acciden'.e.
?to matter how perfect the ay stem, it
depends on men for eucceaa, and eo
glne drlrers will drink, signalmen fall
asleep. telegraph clerks mlu the right
word and guards fall to swing a warn,
tng lantern.
Everything worked successfully.
Wealth and the rank of the convict
achieved wonder*, and an escape
which read more like a romance of
Dumas than a chronicle oi Newgate
occupied pohllc attention for the usual
nine dajs. Every rftae remembers the
?tlr created by Lyle's disappearance.
The officials, mad with rage and
?hame. really exhausted the means at
their command to find the criminal.
Finally the case was put Into the able
hands of Detective J.ord, one of the
smartest snd moat vigilant men In the
aecret service.
His efforts came to naught within a
ytfar. Lord held on for alz months
longor. studying with Infinite patience
clewa, actual and thecretic, that prom
ised something. Lyle had vanished In
to thin air. Had he dissolved Intc ele
mentary gaaes at the prison gates, he
could not have left ieaa trace of hla
path into the world. Not one clew
ever led to any result. not even to a
decent *ueory of his escape. p?rd con
tinued the purault out of put? fascina
tion for a mystery which overtaxed
his powers and took the edge off his
natural shrewdness.
After reslgnlfo bis post, and Joining
an orchestra as ttrst violin?for faith in
his abilities Anally deserted him?this
fascination accompanied him. and
proved a great bore to his friends fron?
the endless speculationa.it led him to
Indulge.
On his mantelpiece he kept a photo
graph of Winthrop Lyle. and the allm.
hard figure, the pale, thin high-bred
face, the severe expression and dark
eyes had a prominent place In his
sleeping and waking dreams. In the
end no one took any Interest in his
cherished mystery, save the boy who
piayeu iue 'celio iu iut? orchestra.
It was always a great relief to Lord
to turn from constant brooding on the
tlnta of Lyle's picture to the society of
the young musician; for Josef Ganz
was a soft boned, easy young German,
slow In speech and movement, given
to song and laughter, fond of his wire
and 'cello and baby; fonder of the Lyle
problem than Lord himself.
When the boarding-house In which
he lived, the day dreams and the world
grew wearisome, the detective went
over to his friend's house and spent a
Sunday evening with danz. He had
a cosey home, and Its owners. Its pic
tures. its very furniture, spoke of ease
and comfort.
Josef was fair skinned, fat and Jol
ly. and loved to sit with his baby or
his 'cello at his right hand. His wife
and child were plump and rosy, and
even the gray professor father, with
his habits of study and solemn expres
sion. had a fat and contented air about
hlirf.
Not having been long In the country,
they spoke English with a gentle ac
cent. German pictures hung on the
wall, and German colors were every
where. Frau Ganx could not abide
English cooking, and at her table were
ever dressed the seasoned diahes of
the Fatherland. When they sang
songs or Indulged in old memories, the
little village near Munich ' was the
theme. The one promise to baby to
Induce him to be good was a visit to
Munich when be had come to bo a
man. Among these simple people Lord
might talk his hobby to death and be
listened to with reverence.
"It's so nice to hear a clever detec
tive speak by the hour of a great mur
derer and villain," Frau Ganz said to
her neighbors. The old professor did
not pay much attention, while his son
Josef was a tireless listener, and had
many speculations on the plan of es
cape used by Lyle.
"I have a theory," began Josef slow
ly.
"What, another?" The detective
laughed and the professor glanced ir
ritably at his son.
"A new one." said Josef, placidly.
"Some time, when I have fitted the
Joints, I will tell you how that Lyle
escaped. He was no ordinary man,
and when he disappeared, It was for
ever. It Is an art to disappear well,
and he must have been skilled In the
art. I know Its rules, and the princi
ples ou which these rules are based.
It Is curious and interesting, this art."
Lord felt curious about this matter,
kqowlng that Ganx would make a
clear, forcible statement of his the
ories. For he had studied logic and
rhetoric at Innsbruck, and could put a
case In which he was Interested very
strongly.
"There Is such an srt." Josef began,
and your man Lyle was skilled In it. It
would be a treat to hear him discourse
on It." '
"Wouldn't It. now." *ald Lord, with
scorn. "Especially If. while listening,
one had the reward of capturing him
in his Innlde pocket. But that will
never be."
"Probably not." ?nld Josef, "unless
he gets tired of hiding. You know. I
always took an Interest In the poor
fellow. I seem to knotf him as well
as you, so often have you described
his wonl* and ways. He was a thor
ough Englishman by birth, training,
appearance, cleverness. Old family,
high spirit and all that; Cambridge
graduate,' well dressed good figure,
athletic; brown hair, green eyes, pale,
severe face; qnlck In movement,
speech and thought. Then he was In
veutlve, foud of mathematics, also of
wMat^Mui And ha Iniw*
?Jh ftHi.li 9*mm his wtfa
cleverly*
"How could N km bm n hail
tad cruel 1* mIf hit dm, with s
?ifh. ? t?
"I deal bap** fed* If said
softly. "Hll lawyer*, tkt great pub
lic. his relatives. aad aaay food pe?
pla MUeted hlaf laaoceat. Uat efgs
the mm wot aa a#M slftta* a*d tht
aon thiy sifted tkt Uw ctrtala mm
w3 ?f ?i. rdit. wiK *25 ??
amtM^ala." I*
"Bat tha art the art r ctled the tm>
patient detective. t
"Ah. yea. the art to ba tore. Well,
dtat hatred described Lyte accurately!
I might aay he wee jaet tha opparfte
to ayMtf la most things."
"Two young men," saswered Lord
"couldn't be end look, lees alike."
Josef sailed.
"I arrived la this conntry abont the
time he eecaped from jalL I could
read Bngllsh then, and, I remetnbcc.
the aewspspers were fnU of him. Bat
until I met you the ease did abt later
eet me. Let me show yon' what tlx
principle force# a maa to 'do. whea II
le successfully carried out Ton think
It means run nine sway to Braall 01
Persia, lh a wlc and blae'ifltetaclea. s?
they do la s plsy. No. The man wbc
disappears sccordlng to thla principle,
mast escape, not only from his pursu
ers. hut from his ffiends, and. abort
sll. from himself. He mast ehangi
his coantry. never meat. Old frlendf
again, gat a new laaguage. a new
trade, a new piece In society, a new
set of parents snd relatives, a new
pest a new hsblt of body, a aaw ap
pesrsnce. He muet think, speak, walk,
sleep, est snd drink differently from
In past days; he must chsnge the colot
of his hair, skin, eyee; In fact he
must become snother man ss really at
If he hsd changed natures with s par
tlcular person."
"Der gondry Is safe," ssld the pro*
feasor, with s huge laugh, "und so Is
der brofesslon of detective. Who
gould brsgtlse dose rules; und If dey
gould, 'whet use would be detectives?"
"It makes fine talk." ssld Lord. "All
very well, If such things could be done.
As they can't, your theory Isn't worth
s straw. It's impossible."?New York
Tribune.
Mah? IkphMS MS H?r Baby.
A remarkably Intelligent elephant
working a few years ago on a new
bridge in Ceylon, had a young one to
whom she was devoted. It died, snd
she became Inconsolable.
Formerly the gentlest of creatures,
she grew Irritable and even dangerons.
One morning she broke the chain
which confined her and escaped Into
the foreat
One night about ten days after her
escape, the officer who had been In
charge of her went out to He In wait
for bears at a pond In a jungle at some
distance.
Aa he and his nstlve attendant were
returning, early In the morning, the
native ellently nudged him, and they
saw In the dim, gray light an elephant
with her calf msklng their way toward
the camp. They both sprang behind
trees, and when the elephants hsd
passed the native Insisted that the
older one was their old friend, the fa*
consolable mother.
When they reached the camp they
found thst the truant had returned,
and had gone from one person to an
other, touching each with her trunk,
as If exhibiting her adopted child,
which she had evidently begged, bor
rowed or stolen in her absence.
Her good temper and usual docility
returned at once, and her owner
blessed the good fortune which hsd en.
abled her to procure a baby elephant.
WUhelmlaa a Farmer Qdmi.
The Queen of Holland is an enthusi
astic farmer. A dairy has beeu estab
lished In connection with the. Roysl
Castle at Loo. and It is run on quite
buislnessllke lines by Its owner, large
quantities of butter and milk being
sold regularly from the dairy, which Is
now self-supporting and profitable. An
other hobby of the young Queen Ir
photography, and, like Queen Alex
andra and other distinguished ama
teurs, she is quite an expert with the
camera. A pretty story Is told of the
Queen's fondness for the accomplish
ment. Noticing a peasant women on
one of her drives in picturesque cos
tume, holding a baby In her arms, she
asked permission to take a picture, tc
the great delight of the woman, who
received a present after the snapshot
had been taken, while the baby got s
kiss from the Queen.?Westminster Ga
zettew i
Thi Larger Life.
I am quite clear that one of oui
Worst failure i is at the polut where,
having resolved, like ange' , we drop
back into the old matter-of.-fact life
and do Just what we did before, be*
cause we have always done It. snd be
cause everybody does it, and because
is our fathers and mothers did It;
all of which may be the very res*
son why we should not do It. ? ? ?
There Is no station of life, and no
place of one's home, where. If he
wants to enlarge his life in caring for
people outside of hliflself, he may not
sturt ou a career of enlargement which
shall extend definitely. And we shall
find the answer to our question to be
that the man who enters upon infinite
purposes lives the Infinite life. Ho en.
larges his life by every experience of
life.
Raaala'a F?r Trait* DMrwuiai.
The wealth of Russia In furs Is being
rapidly sapped. It is reported that in
a certain district of the Yenisei govern,
ment, where fifty years ago hunters
annually shot 28,000 sable, 0000 bears.
24,000 foxes. 14,000 blue foxes, 800,000
squirrels. 5000 wolves and 200,000
bares, hardly a sable can be found to
day. The blame Is laid to the wanton
destruction of wild animals In the
course of the hunting expeditions. No
steps seem to have been taken to put
a stop to this.
A Mlsml M?taph*r.
The following, as a pulpit mixed
metaphor, beats any that you quote,
writes a correspondent to the West
minster Gasette.' It was heard In a
York church some years ago, snd I can
guarantee Its genuineness: "An open
door Is presented to you, my brethren;
i? yen will but embrace It It will afford
you an abuodant harvest*
"BEST MAN"
IS OP SCOTCH ORIGIN
BrWegrooaft O?OW Dntic* hi OMm Tkna*?H?
Cwa dw Ml* Away art hml tiw
; Caka aai Cap*.
I
r may be i rarprlw to aome
people to know, aajs the
Load? Glob*, that th*
phrase "bast man"?the
bridegresm's nearest at
fondant?la of Sesttlsh origin. In the
North, alto, the principal bridesmaid
used to be called the "beet maid."
Neither expression has much to recom
mend it It la .a great pitj. Indeed,
that "best man," an Inelegant and In
Itaelf meaningless phrase, sbonld have
ao completely ousted from our common
everyday speech the good old English
name of "brldeon*" or "brldeemsn."
Another old name la "groomsman."
- and- In daya gooe.by the bridegroom,
?as attended, not by one friend, but
by several, who were known as the
brldemen or groomsmen.
The term "best sssn" came luto cse.
presumably, to tadlcats the one of
these who took the lead in performing
their various duties and was In closest
attendance upon the brldegrooto. In
recent years the custom ot having
groomsmen hss been occasions lly re*
rived, but It hss net become genersl.
At a fashionable wedding, four or five
yssrs ago. the bride was content with
live bridesmaids and two pages, where
as the bridegroom was supported by
no fewer then nine groomsmen.
But at the present time such sn array
has by no means the same meaning,
nor are those attendant friends of so
much use. ss In the dsys of old. The
forerunner of the brldemsn wss the
brldeleader. whose duty It was to bring
the bride to the bridegroom. In most
countries where the real or pretended
cspture of the bride was an essentlsl
psrt of the ceremony, and wherever
traces of the very ancient custom of
bride capture existed, the friend or
friends of the bridegroom had the Im
portant ofllce of capturing the lady and
bringing her to her Iprd.
In one of Dryden's plsys there Is the
line: "Between her guards she seemed
by brldemen led." and Brand tells us
that at many old English weddings the
bridegroom was led to the church be
tween two maids, and the bride by two
young men, holding her by the arms
as If unwilling. This was evidently a
survival of the Idea of capture.
But whichever Idea lay at the back
of the practice. It was clearly a sur
vival connected with the custom of
marriage by capture. Later the bride
man had various functions to perform
which have now become obselete.
There was still a trace of the capture
Idea In the old duty at one time as
signed to the iirldeman of giving the
bride away. He led her to the church
and then acted the part now filled by
the lady's father or other near male
relative.
In the old seventeenth century bsllsd
of the "Golden Glove." which used to
be a great favorite at rural gatherings
In all parta of the country In the old,
unsophisticated days, before the mel
uncholy monstrosities of the modern
music liall had driven the genuine old
English ballads and songs out of use
and memory?In this ballad there are
the lines which allude to the custom
-named:
"I thought you had been at the wed
ding." she cried. '
"To wait on the squire aud give him
his bride."
And it has been pointed out that the
same custom may he hinted at in tne
marriage service rubric- "The minister
receiving the woman ut her father's
or friend's hands."
Among the Shropshire peasantry In
quite recent years something of the old
custom seems to have prevailed. Miss
Burue, In her delightful book cn
"Shropshire Folklore," sajs that nt
weddings in humble life the bride's
father Is seldom ami her mother never
present. As a rule the only com
panions to church of the bride and
grooiu are the best man and the brides,
maid. In such circumstances It is
obvious that the lady must be given
away by her lover's friend, on whose
ariu she has walked to church.
A still more curious thing Is that It
Is considered lucky. Miss Burke tells
us, for either the best man or the
bridesmaid to be already married. "I
have really seen." she write, "a mar
ried woman acting as 'bridesmaid!' "
Less than tweuty years ago a New
port newspaper, describing a village
wedding, said that Mr. and Mrs. ?o
and-So, of , "accompanied the hap
py couple and performed the offices of
best mau and bridesmaid, respective
ly."
Another old function of the brlde
men, or bridesquires, as they were
sometimes called, was to carry round
the cake aud the brldebowl. The
bridebowl. or cup. was handed round at
at a wedding, so that the friends might
drink the health of the newly married
pulr?a kind of loving-cup ceremony.
But before the proceedings had
reached this pleasant point. It had been
the duty of the brldemen to lift the
bride over the threshold. This Is an
ancient and widespread custom, the
ineanlug of which has caused much
shedding of Ink. in the west of Scot
land. of old, says Mr. Napier, In his
book on the folklore of that region,
"the threshold of the house wss dis
enchanted by charms, and by Anoint
ing It with certain unctuous perfumes,
but as It was considered unlucky for
the wjfe to thread upon the threshold
on first entering her house, she was
lifted over It and seated upon a piece
of wood, a symbol of domestic in
dustry." *
The custom Is not confined to Eur
opean peoples, for a somewhat anal
ogous practice exists in Chin*, where
the bride Is carried Into the house by
a matron, and at the door Is lifted over
a pan of charcoal. Apart from mar
riage, even In this country, there are
folk who are careful on entering a
house to step over and not on the
threshold. There Is a world of lore,
indeed, surrounding the subject of the
threshold into which we cannot here
enter. ,
The modern beet man may feel thank
ful that his duties are not so on?roQ>
as those of his predecessors of long
sgo: nor need be trouble to be on hi*
guard against unlucky omens, or on
the watch to propitiate the uncertain
Coddess. Fate.
A HOME FOR THE HOMELESS.
r&lh?tl? IbMmc* Which L?d to the
Vouadlai of o Worthy iMtitaUo*.
Twenty-one years ago three little
children were suddeuly bereft of
father and mother?they were friend
less and homeless; but it was only one
of the many similar instances happen
iug every day-ouly three Utile children
left frieudiess anil homeless;, that wat
all. But It was a crucial moment It: at
least one life. The Kev. J. O. Leoeu
was at that time pastor of a large
church In Council BluCs. Iowa. ThU
man took these children into his own
home. It was not long before be
learned of other children left to tlia
cold mercies ol a selfish world. Moved
with compassion, he took these, also,
to his already overcrowded home. Tiien
came the test; money wus needed. He
hsd a few thousand dollars which bt
had saved up for a rainy day. I.argei
quarters became necessary and thej
were secured with these savings. Otliei
children were left homeless and found
under his roof not only shelter froa"
the storm, but a loving, tender father
as all at the Home delight to call hinit
and. more than this In his wife, now
deceased, who presided over the house
hold affairs and was continually look
ing after their welfare.
From a small beginninng. twenty
ona years ago. the Christian Home
has grown until now about 215 cbildrer
are cared for there, aud 2000 have been
placed in good Christian families. The
real estate consists of :;bout twenty
five cottages aud other buildings. aV.
owned by an organisation which ha*
been formed through the efforts of Mr
Lemen with a view of making it a
permanent organization. Mr. Lexuen
has four children?three sons and out
daughter. All of them take great de
light in the work of the Home.
The scrupulous neatness and ordet
that pervades the entire institution
the loving salutation of "Hello, papa'.'
that rings out from every quarter af
he passes about the grounds, and tbt
remarkable executive ability he dis
plays in all the management of the
affairs of the Home, are sufficient tc
Impress every visitor that it Is no or
dinary man who has been cnlled to
this great and noble work. Cblldreu
are taken here from any part of the
globe, and have the best possible care
and training. You. my readers, wher
ever you muy be, muy have a part In
this grand work. It Is a labor of lova
In behalf of all homeless, suffering
children everywhere. The children are
frequently adopted by Christian people,
hut are never allowed to go from tho
Home excepting Into Christian fam
ilies who are properly vouched for and
families of children are never separ
ated. The Christian Home Is non-sec
tarian, but is heartily Indorsed and
supported by all denominations. It
takes children from every State, and
it is not a local affair, but belongs to
the world.
We have given this brief descrip
tion of the Christian Home at Council
Bluffs. Iowa, with the hope that all
who read It will become Interested in
Its welfare. If you have money which
the Mnster desires you to use for such
nurposes. send It to this Home. There
is no institution that is more worthy of
your gift than this.
To Toll the of riahra.
There is a new theory extant that It
Is possible to determine the age of
fishes, especially those of the cod fam
ily. by counting the periodic growth
of the scales.
We know that the growth of the
scales Is annual to the carp. Why
8!.ould It not be so In salt water fish elf?
Mr. J. 8. Thompson, nn English biol
ogist of note, has been making some
Interesting experiments In this line to
test the age of fishes.
The scales are first carefully exam
ined. then the fishes are labelled and
returned to the sea for future obser
vation.
In some cases the study of the scales
reveals changes, so that rings In tho
scales can be distinctly traced from
year to year with a certain fixed re
gularity.?Boston Globe.
Conimi m-> It Talk*.
The first session of the Fifty-eighth
Congress lasted 131) days: the shortest
tlrst session of many years. It talked
0155 pages of the Congressional llec
ord. Its word output stands third.
The Fifty-seventh Congress was proud,
ly first, wlfh 8414 pages; the Fifty
sixth Congress second, with 7705. At
the first session of the Fifty-eighth
204 public bills and 1800 private ones
were passed. In the number of bills
Introduced it "beats" all other "re
cords." More than 10.000 bills were
brought In. Nearly 3000 reports were
made.
"Congress earns Its money," con*
eludes Everybody's Magazine, dealing
with these facts. "It talks enough;
and this Is a great and necessary part
of Its functions. Let off the steam!**
Cot Killed by Lightning'
During a violent storm which passed
over this section of Carolina County,
the residence of Nathaniel L. Tribbltt,
near Denton depot, was Struck by
lightning. Both chimneys were struck
and the lightning entered the sitting
room snd parlors. The house was not
much damsged. Mrs. Tribbltt and her
sister, who were seated In the sitting
room, were but little shocked, though
the pet cat, sitting by the open door,
was killed Instantly.?Denton. Md.,
Correspondence, Baltimore Herali.
sBmnle
RLlNCgf
? fbaTlng of wood cnrU up owing
:o contraction on one side and expau
?lon on the other: This expeusloo it ac
*l?rat?d by what U known aa the
'back ircn" or "cap lrou," which a*
laed in moat planet.
The operating expenses of a bank
with a capital of 1100. 40 Is ?34 per
rent, of the loans and dltcounts, but
?he operating expeuses are only 1.H3
>er cent. If the bank ha\e a capital
>f $1,000,000 or more.
Crane and Frledlander, whc hare ex
perimented on its bactericidal proper
ties flod that roasted coffee is a de
cidedly active ageut lu the destruction
)f germs, including some of the uio?*?
?erious and importuut oues.
Lions aud tigers hare little enrtnr
ince, and their lung power is remark
?bly weak. They can outrun a man
and equal a fast horse iu speed fot
t short distance, but they lose theii
wiud at the eud of half a mile or so.
There Is a tree Just beyond tb? New
Gnglaud railway arch rn the Mitiale
?ury road in Connecticut. wbl?b !i?%
grown through a solid rock many tous
In weight, making a large fissure,
which would require a dynamite ax
olosiou to duplicate.
The bouse fly, with a total life of
about ten days, develops lu these per
ods: Egg from laying to batching.
>ne-third of a day; hatching of larva
to first moult, one day; second moult
to pupatiou, three days; pupatiou ttf
Issuing of the adult, tive days.
The smallest Inhabited Island lu the
world is that on which the Kddystoue
lighthouse ttauds. At low water it
is thirty feet in diameter, at high
water the base of the lighthouse,
the diameter of which is tweuty-eight
and three-luarter feet, is completely
covered by the waves. ?
More than eight million of the 15.
500,000 people in Mexico do not worlt
Counting out the chij-n and a?ed
there remain 3.774.148 possible pro
ducers who produce absolutely noth
ing. Then?aud there If an usto :ish
Ing figure- -there arc in domestic ser
vice 1.488,024. as agai: st llti.UCD of
dignified salary ear lie
HUNTlNC FOR TALISM ANS.
How ProfeMor Soiutiiervllle Made nu Ex
pedition to an Indian X*iu|tl*.
Wheu the late Prof. Somerville, of
the Uulversity of Pennsylvania, the
learned collector of gems, chat'ius ami
mascots, had set his uiitul ou sumo
curio heard of in one of bis meetings
with Orientals, nothing could bar the
way. Were It in the centre of the
Desert of Sahara or on the topmost
pinnacle of the Himalayau Mountains,
he would go after it aud keep up the
search until the treasure was found,
purchased and placed ou exhibitiou
at the university museum.
American gold was Prof. Sommer
ville's maguet. wherever he went.
He thus describes its effects ou ouw
of his expeditions:
"On one occasion we desired to vMI
the famous Dilwarra tempies in In
dia, and for that purpose engaged two
jinriklshas and a number of natives to
draw them, about twelve In all. The
temples, as you know, are set lu a
magnificent grove of mango trees ou
a mountain top and surrounded by
great bills. With a fair measure of
tact and money I hoped to secure from
the people of the vicinity some of their
odd talismans and rings. 1 said to tlur
chief riklsha man: 'Now. I.nla. what
will you do for me if 1 double your
pay? I want to make this journey in
half time, and If ;ou accomplish it
you shall be doubly*paid.'
"He went to his helpers at once and
informed them that I was a Prince.
We started out under the contract.
He ran ahead of the convoy, raising
both hands in the air anl crying to
the astounded people: 'Here comes a
Prince. Down with you. Here come*
a Prince."
"And during the entire twelve miles
ride I was treated to the tiu-Atucrican
experience of seeing the people cover
their faces and drop abjectly to tlio
ground iu obeisance and salutation,
only daring to look at me through their
parted Angers. But my amusement at !
telng thus treated was nothing to tin* j
gratification I experienced lu securing :
from this people?who did not dare to
refuse so august a personage as 1
souie of the most interesting inscribed
talismans that I have In my collec
tion."?Book lovers' Magazine.
I.on*??t Knillah Wortl,
A teacher in nu uptown school told
her class one afternoon that she ex
pected each of them to bring In the
longest word in the English language
on the following morning. The next
day thirty-eight out of forty pupils
turned In words which ran from four
teen to twenty-one letters In length,
continues the Philadelphia Press. Fif.
teen submitted the word "dlsappropor
tlonable/iess," containing twenty-one
letters. Some gave in the names of
Russian officers. After the teacher bad
congratulated the fifteen who gave In
the word "dlsspproportlonableness."
she told them that there was n still
longer one which was supposed to have
been coined by William Gladstone and
contained twenty-four letters. It was
'disestablish men tar la n Ism."
Oa* Mor? Fire K?r?p?,
A rather promising type of Individ
ual fire escape has made its appearance
on the market. It consists of two
lengths of weldlcss Iron chain, carry
ing at twelve-Inch lutervals light mal
leable iron treads. The outfit If
packed lu a strong oak box or win
dow sent, so that It does not form an
objectionable feature lu u bedroom
or living room. The end of the chain
Is securely fastened In cast Iron brack
ets In the box. which are secured to
Ibe floor. Hultable hand grips are at
tached at the sill level for convenience.
Normally the chain ladder Is concealed
In the box seat, but when needed It Is
only necessary to drop the free eni
?Ut of the window and des-'eud.
WriWHUMOR
o/ THE DAY
UN
fhe tho?|ht of kn trousseau firac.
Of her dreaa. her gloves. ber v??|;
OC She stately way ahe should Uead the
aisle,
A?d how to napaie ner trail.
Of bridesmaids, ushera and fiesta.
The minister?then ahe aaid:
"I'm forgotten something, I gueaa.
Now let roe see?O yea!"
Twaa the wan ahe was going to wed.
?Philadelphia iiulleun.
L* .?Ud.
Mother?"I hope you are not at to*
foot of your class this week?"
Johnnie?"No*in. Just about the an
kle."?New York Sun.
W?at to Walat.
Her Mother?"Did you turn out the
gas when Torn left?"
Kitty?"No'in. Tom turned It out
when he came In."?St. Paul Dispute!*
Sh* K?Jo;?l It, I'trhap*.
Book?"Did you eujoy your Trip
West?"
Cook?"Er?somewhat. I had my
wife with me."?Chelsea (Man..) (?a
gette.
Kws*url?(.
Mr. Thlnne?"Is there any dauber or
ti.it dog of yours biting iue?"
Hiram Clovertop?"No, siree. that
dog don't bite bones; be just guawa
'em. that's ail."?Brooklyn Life.
Nothing l?ull About It.
"It's funny the way poets ?p.*ak of
?dull care." isu't it?"
"Why. what's funny about that?"
"Well, every care 1 ever bad was
most awfully sharp."? Philadelphia
"?edger.
The Limit.
He?"Frank isn't so bad; he's ouiy a
man of the world, vou kuow."
She?"If that was all, I wouldn't
mind; but Frank goes further; be
thinks himself the uiuu of llie world."
?Boston Transcript.
Tluie Wm Too Shi?rt.
"So." sobb.?d llliua Ynsellnovitcn,
"Ivan N'iu5spotski died In battle. L>o
you say be uttered my name as lie was
dying?"
"Part of It." replied the returned sol
dier; "part of it."?Fort Worth Ke??
Stun* Thins.
?"He's employed by the railroad com
pany uow. 1 uuderstaud."
"Yes. he hns vIi??ige of the pmzle d?
partiuent."
"The wh-t?"
"He makes out the time tables."?
Excbauge.
The Trmup'i Twite.
Tramp?"Can you give me sometnlug
to eat, lady?"
Lady?"There's the wood pile."
Tramp?"I can't eat wood, lady."
Lady?"You can saw It. can't you?"
Tramp?"I'd rather eat It. lady. (Jood
morning."?Detroit Free Press.
A hint Kay.
Mamie?"No, Billy, I can't give ye
no hope, fer 1 never expects ter marry
?but If I ever does, I gives ye me wold
dat ye'll be me foist husblud."?Wom
an's Home Companion.
Victim of Feminine ITemknfH.
Dave?"What's the mailer with your
eyes?"
"Billy?"Oh. I sat between two girls
on the car. One girl's hat Jabbed me
in one eye with a bunch of straw, and
the other girl's hat jabbed the other
eye with a quill."?Cincinnati Commer
cial Tribune.
Ileallnni Kip1?lnnl,
"That was a splendid back fall yoo
made In your death scene last night,"
remarked a young member of the com
pany to the eminent tragedian.
"Yes," he said, "and I'd like to lay
my hands on the blithering Idiot who
soaped the stage floor "?Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
The Heply Unhappy.
"Edwin, am I the ttrst woman yon
have ever loved?" she suddenly asked
him when he was measuring her Un?
ger for the ring.
"Yes. Mamie," he blurted out. being
somewhat disconcerted: "the others
were only girls."?Womuu's Home
Companion.
A Sena* of Propriety.
"It >?as careless of me to say I ad
mired Bacon," remarked the youug wo
man with glasses.
"Did you offend some Shakespearean
student?"
"No. It was a Chicago pork packer.
He frigidly remarked that he dldu't
care to talk shop."->Wa9hlii?ton Star.
WMty'i Sensitive Side.
Ivady?"Now, you can cut down that
little tree for me, and I'll And you a
good dinner. Why, what are you ex"'
lng for?"
The Weary One?"Oh, lady, I was
Jest a-thlnkln' of that bootlful song,
'Woodman, Spare That Bloomln' Tree,*
and I'm that sensitive I couldn't do it,
lidy?I really couldn't"?New Yorker.
Sure to Do It.
"And you say you saw ttie matt
knocked Insensible by footpads and de>
liberately left him In that condition
In a lonely place?"
"Sure, that's just what I did. |
knew he'd come around all right."
"What reason had you to be so cer
tain that lie'd cotnc 'round?"
"Reason! Why, the man was a bill
collector."?Www Orleans Times Demob
erat. -'?*