THE SONGS OP LONG AGO.
I'm weary of tit (Mfi of strife.
_TW? ektat of vw,lk? dirnol tetht
Owm, kt'i c? bad to low nd life.
_ Tb* iwntw of tbi rm% bvMtk!
Lit hi* who? gwttf mhfM kirn bur
Bia h*** umkm m bo amy
fed, thriokif from ammmum, hit
/LUmg kit ow? mwtakni wojr.
B?t tout oat ?fit ? oooc to aw
From vktto At iwtn, ooft brnw blow
Of happy toOm fe tk? troo
Who afe| fft ioa|i of kx
JL
riBWMT of the koto and spite,
l*e iealous carpiag and Um threats)
Ctjn,k as look aeros* the height
Tfc ?Wrt the sua in splendor seta,
Bmabtrin that it wtQrb
A|UB to-morrow to display
Now glories an to hopefal ms,
To %kt the faithful oa their wajft *
Io?e cease a while tho mp of war,
The dirso of death, the eEaat of woo.
And thank the Lord salad songsters for
Their happy songs otlong ago.
*^8. E. Kmr.
Miss Ashbell
OXpTERNATION was de
picted on the faces of the
family croup assembled to
hear It. when I finished
reading the letter I had
ion received from aunt.
The troop consisted of myself?
Mary, eldest daughter of the bonse
tad hearth?brown, dark-eyed, tall and
eighteen; Helen, not quite as brown,
basel-eyed, almost as tall, and sixteen;
Will, browner, dark-eyed, a head short
er, and ten; and Carrol towering above
all, blue-eyed. fair-haired, gold
mnstached and twenty-one.
Aunt wss. In fact, our great aunt,
sister of our father's mother, but the
only aunt, great or little, that we had
-ever known. We had met her but two
or three times during our lives, as she
lived In far-away Illinois, and was too
much occupied with grains and herds
to think of frequent visiting, snd we?
well, we were too poorly provided with
gold snd silver to take long and ex*
pensive journeys. 80 what little visit
ing there had been, had been on aunt's
side, with one exception, and then 1
was the visitor.
We children had always heard twice
a year from aunt?once collectively at
Christmas, and once respectively on
our birthdays?and each time thj kind,
ly note which exhorted us to "be good.
Industrious snd self-reliant." enclosed
a check, larger or smaller, according to
aunt's gains pn the preceding year.
These notes we had been taught to an
swer with many wishes for the old
lady's welfare and thanks for her kind
ness snd hopes for a speedy meeting;
In short. In a manner bellttlng the
only nieces and nephews of the Car
mody family when replying to the
friendly epistles of their only aunt,
to say nothing of that aunt being the
Wealthiest and most Influential mem
ber of that family.
A few days before our rather died
he called us together, and said:
"My children, it isn't at all likely to
occur, but If your aunt should ask a
favor of you. /rant It, no matter at
what Inconvenience. She has been my
best snd dearest friend."
Poor father! I suspect aunt hnd
often helped him out of pecuniary dif
ficulties. Ho was an unpractical,
dreamy sort of man. fond of birds and
poetry and flowers, and didn't succeed
very well in life. But, In spite of his
dreaminess and his want of worldly
tact, and his being so totally unlike
her In most ways, lie was a great fa
vorite of aunt's, aud when we tele
graphed his serious illness to lier she
left her vast possessions without a
captain at a moment's notice, and has
tened to his side, making her appear
ance In a bonnet that Immediately
suggested the' prairies, it wus so un
limited as to size and so bare of orna
ment, and which grotesquely obtruded
Itself into the remembrance of that
?ad tlmo forever aftor.
Since father's death things hadn't
been very bright with us. In fact, they
hadn't been bright at all.
We found there was a cood deal of
money owing, and what remained of
the two hundred dollars aunt gave us
on the day of the funeral?she bade
OS "good-by" the Instant the ceremon
ies were over?after our cheap mourn
ing was paid for, went to the butcher,
grocer and shoemaker.
We were willing to do, and did. what
ever we could supporting the house
hold; but, dear! dear! talk about weeds;
I never saw anything grow like bills.
Carroh, who bad an aristocratic turn
of mind, struggled with It; and I, who
bad a dressmaking turn of mind,
struggled with that; and Helen strug
gled with her books, hoping to become
a teacher in time; and little Will strug
gled with somebody else's books, for he
went Into a publishing house as errand
boy?poor fellow!
Besides the struggles, we had mother
on our minds. A few weeks after we
lost our father, wo lost our baby sister.
A beautiful child she was, as bright
as a diamond and as fair as a pearl,
and the pride and darling of us all.
Already sinking beneath the blow of
her husband's death, when her little
daughter died, too, my mother's heart
(was nearly broken. From being a sun.
shiny, energetic woman, she became
listless and apathetic, sitting In her
room day after day gazing, upon the
pictures of the loved ones, or rocking
back and forth, her hands clasped be
fore her, looking with her eyes upon
,vacancy.
"Oh, that she could be made to
.Weep! That she could be roused from
this dreadful speechless gloom Into
which she had fallen!" was our con
tinual prayer, for the terrible thought
came to ns often that we should lose
our mother In a much worse way than
we had our father and sister?that her
brain would* at last give way beneath
Its weight of heavy despairing
thoughts.
Woll, the exchequer was low enough,
and mother had had one of her very
bad spells, and a lady customer had
Just been In and abused me?yes.
abnsod; I can see no other word;
women do fly In such tempers at their
dressmakers?about the At of her dress,
declaring It to me "utterly ruined."
when It only wanted taking up a little
en one shoulder and letting down an
Inch or so In freat; and Will's right
arm was almost disabled from a heavy
lead of books ao tarried a long dls
twice the day before (how men can
hare the heart to give a man's harden
to a child I can't see), when annt'a let
ter fell Ilka a bomb-ahell Into our near*
tj disheartened little camp:
"Dear Folks: A friend of mine*?en
Ingllsbman" (annt's language was cor
rect enough, but at times her spelling
was somewhat peculiar) "who came
here purposing to start In business,
took the fever, lingered a few months
and died, leaving. Heaven knows why.
his only child, a daughter who will
eventually be a not-to-be-sniff edat
heiress, to my care. Having been deli
cately reared In the midst o? devotion
and tenderness, this place, only suited
to bold, strong natures. Is a little too
ruff for her. So she desires?at least
I desire for her?her home to be with
you.
"My niece, Mary, who Inherits the
disposition of her father to a. great
degree?and he would have gone out
of his way any day to give even a
dumb brute pleasure?will. I am sure,
be kind to her. Carrol will love her
for her beauty. If for nothing else, and
she Is most lovsble. Her maid will
accompany her.
"At present her affairs are In a tan
gle, but I hope to unravel theui In the
course of a few months, and then you
will' be recompensed for whatever ex
tra expense she may cause you. I
would enclose a check at present writ
ing, but all my funds are Invested In
a speculation from which I expect to
reap much profit. Do the best you can
until you hear from' me agalr. when I
will further unfold my plans In regard
to Miss Ashbell, who, by the by, starts
to-morrow. AUNT."
No wonder consternation and dis
may were depicted on every counte
nance when I ceased reading this let
ter. No wonder we looked gaspingly
nt each other. What In the world
were we to do with this fine young
lady In our htimblo home?
What could aunt be thinking about?
Truo, she didn't know exactly how
poor we were, for we'd been too proud
to acknowledge our extreme poverty
in our few nnd far-between letters.
On the contrary, I am afraid we had
led her to believe that we were In quite
a flourishing condition. But for all
tliat, she ought to have known that we
were not flourishing enough to support
a delicate and beautiful girl, us??d to
luxury, tenderness and devotion, for
even a few months. Was ever any
thing so malapropos and vexatious?
Of course Miss Ashbell would look
with scorn on our s??vpn-rooined dwell
ing, with a back garden twenty-flve
by twenty-flve, and a court-yard ten
by ten. An<J suppose?as aunt, with
a short-sightedness very unusual to
her, complacently remarked?Carrol
should fall In love with her? The
proud English girl would no doubt re
gard him as a fortune-hunter, and In
vidiously compare his frank. Impulsive,
rather brusque manners with the re
pose and "awful" dignity of the lan
guid swells of her own native land.
And somebody else might be attract
ed toward her?men are so susceptible
of woman's beauty?so me bod v who
now thought my face the sweetest In
the world! The very thought made
my heart stop beating.
And the maid? Even if we could
make arrangements to accommodate
her?and it seemed utterly Impossible
for its to do so?Betty, our faithful ser
vant for the last fifteen vesrs, would
look upon her as an Interloper, snd
treat her as such. Betty has been used
to being "monarch of all she surveyed."
Even in house-cleaning times?those
that try men's souls and women's soles
?sho scorned the Idea of an assist
ant.
"No, ma'am, I'll have no stranger
pokln' roun' me. When I'm not able
to do the work of this house alone
I'll go."
And mother?dear, shrinking, grief
stricken mother?how would she bear
the advent of this flinty Miss Ashbell?
But we could do Jbthlng to avert the
Impending misfortune. Even if we
had thought of disobeying our father's
last command, and refusing aunt the
favor she had not asked, but, in her
usual decisive way, taken for granted,
the young lady was on her way, and
would be here In a day or two.
And then we began to prepare for
Miss Ashbell. Will's room was to be
given up to her. and Will (Carrol's
room was scarcely large enough for
himself and bis art-traps, as he called
them) was stowed away In the loft?a
proceeding which he viewed with Im
mense dissatisfaction.
"I'll smother up there Ih hot weath
er." he said, with a weary face. "Ob,
I wish there wasn't any Miss Ashbell!
Why don't she go to a hotel?"
"Why don't she?" echoed I.
I said we began to prepare for her.
but for lack of the a fore-mentioned sil
ver and gold, our preparations were
of the simplest kfhd. Carrol made and
put up two pretty brackets, and hung
with a sigh?for he hated to part with
them?the few pictures he possessed
on the walls. I looped back the white
curtains (freshly washed and Ironed.
*lth much grumbling, by Betty) with
new blue ribbons, and I covered the
trunk ottoman with bright chlnts, and
with Helen's help made a new mat
to place before the bureau, and we
turned an old tablecloth Into napkins,
and bought a new napkin ring aul two
or thrw nt-glaM goblets, mad a lovely
?UM MP Md MOMT, Ud, WbtB OH
*u waited with ?btIw kwH
Car Mr iwilttei rlaltar.
Hotter ted shut heroetf ?pkter
to tte iMntac of tte dey
tffece; Md tte root of oo woro oil oo
uncomfortable oo poor, proad, ahy, eea.
Oltlve peoplo could te at tte thought
of o perfect stranger'o lngreoo into
tte very hoort of their homo, oad wish
ing audibly oad Inaudlbly ttet Mloo
Aohboll'o fatter ted aever brought
hor from Bagtaad. when, oo tte oaa
sank la the west. oad a cool, oammor
breese. fragrant with tho breath of tte
roos*. lifted tte curt*Ins of oar cosy
bey-window, o carriage stopped ot tte
door.
"She's come, and I'm gone." said
Will, flinging down his book oad then
rushing out Into the garden.
Carrol rose from his choir, ran bin
Angers through his golden hair, and
glanced In the mirror ot his new blue
silk aecktle. Helen sank on the lounge
with a sort of groen; ond I opened the
parlor door as Betty went muttering
through the entry la answer to the
bell.
"Is It Mrs. Csrmody*sT* asked a
pleasant voice, with?yes. It woo a
slight brogue.
"Tee,** answered Betty, shfertty. And
In another momeat a round-cheeked,
unmistakably red-haired, good-natured
looking young girl In a plain traveling
dress stood before me.
"Good gracious! Is this the beauty?"*
thought I; and Carrol fell back a atep
or two.
"Are you Hiss Carmody?" she asked.
*1 am." I replied, holding out my
hand; "and let me welcome you;"
when, turning from me, she gently
pulled forward into the room the love
liest little child I bad ever beheld In
my life, with large, soul-lit brown eyes
and sunny hair, tho exact color of our
lost darling's.
"This Is Miss Ashbell." said the
mnld; "and I am to stay or go back,
as you see fit."
I looked at Carrol. He indulged In
a long, under-the-breath whistle.
Helen burled her face in the sofa
cushions and laughed hysterically.
The child came forward, and holding
out her little hands, said, with a pretty
drawl;
"I am to love you, and you are to
love me. Aunt said so."
I went on my knees on one side of
her, and Helen went down on her
knees on the other, ond we kissed her
till her dimpled cheeks glowed again
(you see the house bad been so lonly
without our little sister), while Carol
looked on with astonishment, admira
tion and tenderness blended In his
handsome face, ond Will stole In with
the only bud from my precious tea
rose, the stem carefully stripped of lta
thorns, and put It in her hand.
"Thank you. boy," she salt!. "I will
have yon for a brother; and you, too,"
looking with a bright smile into Car
rol's face. "There's an angel at home,
in a big picture, with hair and eyes
like yours."
Carrol caught her up In bis nrms,
and away with her to mother's room.
And there she bad no sooner said "my
papa and mamma are both In heaven."
than mother burst out In a blessed tit
of weeping that left a rainbow behind
it. And from that moment the weight
began to be lifted from her brain, and
soon I bad to resign my position as
housekeeper, for we had our mother
back again as she used to be of old?
a little quieter in her ways, perhaps,
but just as sweet, as kind, as unsel
fish as ever.
And Carrol's picture of "Miss Ash
bell" gained him a place on the walls
of the academy that autumn; and Will,
who entered college last week, never
ran away from her again, but has ever
since been giving her roses freed from
thorns, as he did the tirst night she
came among us, bringing light and hap
piness? God bless her!?to our sorrow
clouded house.
And I often think, looking at the
two heads (there is only four years'
difference in their ages) bending over
the same book, that some day Will will
tell her the old, old story, and she will
listen to him with a smile.
"I shouldn't wonder if yoti were
right. Brownie," said my husband
how I laugh when I think of my jeal
ous fears about him once on a time?
"you almost always are."
And aunt's speculation turned out
splendidly (she Is still living, n l'ale
old woman of seventy-five), and she
insisted upon our accepting what she
called father's share, nr.d tbut share
was no inconsiderable one.
And the seven-roomed house has
grown to a twelve-roomed one? Betty,
by the by, has allowed her daughter
to assist her in the housework?and
the twenty-flve by twenty-flve garden
to a hundred by a hundred, my corner
just filled with rose bushes.
And everything has prospered with
us, and no lengthening shadows have
fallen upon our path since that ro*y
.Tune afternoon we so unwillingly
opehed the door to let In the darling
who loved us, as we loved her at Orst
sight ? sweet, brown-eyed, golden
haired Miss Ashbell.?Waverley Ma?**
sine.
Testing Floor at the Bljt Mill*.
It is surprising to note the difference
that exists between the var!o*Ji
brands of tiour. It nil depends on hov,*
the flour Is milled and on the kind of
wheat from which It Is made. Flour
made from hnrd spring wheat will
give from twenty to forty more loaves
of bread per barrel than that made
from the softer winter wheat. It con
tains a larger percentage of - gluten
and abiorbs more water. The mills
are exceeding); careful about the kind
of flour they send out, and the testing
department *s one of the most Im
portant branches. After tte flour Is
ground comes the crucial test A sam*
pie Is taken and made up Into bread.
We have four bakings a day. and from
twenty to thirty loaves are baked each
time, each one representing a sample
of flour. After the test has been made
the bread Is turned over to the Asso
ciated Charities.
You may have noticed that the color
of flour is no longer a marble white,
but a creamy white. This comee from
the fact that the rich portion of the
grain, right under the woody foot
ing, Is ground Into the flour. Whot
Is left can hardly be colled bran, for
It Is only the coarsest port of the outer
flbro.?Milwaukee Heotine/w
?HI
WiKtlMS of Japan
*****
An InS ItivNi
m?IMm Salts tH
I Saiiutt Isttar
faljaati lafttar Tin ta
In tnk a Inhral
HERB tu * gladiatorial
carnival* In Toklo to-day,
?aya A. O. Hal* In a letter
; written from the Japanese
capital to the London
News, and I went to see the show.
Two dollars they charged for admis
sion, which goes to prove that the
?howman here knows how to fatten
himself as well as his brethren In the
west. The srena was neither a costly
cor a picturesque structure. It waa
merely a rude sbtd. built of boards,
thrown together im haphazard fashion,
rooted In Just anyhow with fllmay
matting. The seats were Just rough
benches, on which no kind of comfort
could be obtained, and In the centre
stood a platform, two feet high, ap
parently made of banked up earth.
Four posts ran from the four corners
of the platform from ground to celling,
snd on the stage, seated on gorgeous
Crimson cushions, were four officials,
one against each post. Then came a
man In gray garments, with a fan in
his hand, who went about the stage
weirdly chanting the praises of the
gladiators who were about to sppear.
All the time he kept thrusting out his
arms, opening and shutting his fan.
and striking attitudes. There were
between 2000 and 9000 people present,
men snd women, old and young, for
nothing suits the subjects of the Mi
kado better than a wrestling bout.
They love It, and make much of those
who follow It for a livelihood. Wrest
ling Is to these people what cricket
and football are to Britons, and any
child in the street can tell you the
names of the various champions at the
different styles.
Before the public display commenced
I went behind the scenes with one who
understood the manners snd the cus
toms of the place, snd saw the gladi
ators stripped ready for the fray. They
were all big men, some of them huge.
The smallest weighed perhaps twelve
and a half stone, the largest about
twenty. As they stood there ready for
the arena they reminded me of Sioux
warriors more than anything else I
had ever seeu. They had yellowish
bronze skins. Jot black hair, hard,
harsh mouths, black resentful eyes,
high cheekbones, and sinews of steel.
They are a race unto themselves, these
gladiators, handing down from father
to son the tricks of their trade. When
they marry they pick their mates with
care, marryiug for strength rather
than for any domestic quality, for It
Is considered a shame to a wrestler
to be the father of a weakly child.
The career of a wrestler commences
before he can walk. I saw the Initia
tion of one of them into public life
only to-day. The little squalling thing,
with a tiny loin cloth on its tender
body, was carried to the stage In the
arms of u champion, a man of tremen
dous size and strength. A guard of
honor was given to the coming wrest*
ler, consisting of ten or a dozen men,
all noted in the arena. They marched
out with great poiup and ceremony,
and a functionary of the place, stretch,
ing forth his arms, told the audience
who the child was and what his father
had done. In this way a professional
wrestler's whole life Is known. Just as
the breeding, pedigree, and perform
ances of a racehorse Is public property
In England.
No people In the world, I think,
loves ceremony more than do the
Japanese. From two sides of the
bulldlT.g two bands of wrestlers, each
band n dozen strong, marched through
lanes made in the closely packed mass
of humanity. They were all naked
to the waist, but depending from the
waist of each man hung an apron
which nearly touched the ground.
The aprons were rich in color and ma
terial, and quaint in design. The
leader of each party was a giant, and
around tho waist of each ropes as
thick as a man's wrist were twined
Just above the apron bands, not com
mon ropes, but snowwhlte, and glis
tening like silk.
At the rear of each party marched
a man bearing aloft a sword, concern
ing which he seemed very proud. The
colors of one band were blue and
bronze, tho other red and gold. They
reached the stage from opposite sides
at the same moment. The men In blue
sat down, while the men In red strode
on to tho stage and made obeisance
to the four Judges sitting at the four
posts. Then the heralds made more
chanting*, after which the red clan
waved their arms to the north, south,
enst and west. Each man drew up his
right leg, balanced himself upon the
left, and, reaching out so as to cover
as much space as possible, brought his
foot down with a tliur. I have seen
the Maoris, the Zulus, and the Basutys
do something similar to this, but never
could understand tho significance of
It, unless It means: "So will I cru?h
my enemy."
A long parley between the officials,
and then the champions were selected,
one rod. one blue. They advanced
stripped ready for a struggle. There
was more ceremony before the con
testants got anywhere near to the
business of tho day. At Inst, like two
big gamecocks, they fronted one an
other. Waugh?waugh! They had
sprung upon each other with a hoarse
shout. No ceremony now; no plsy, no
Irlckefy?It was s grim game while It
lasted. The red man gripped the blue
a fid tossed him high, us if to hurl him
clean over his bead. Hut, like magic,
the big fellow In the air circled his
arm around the other's neck, slid over
his back, landed on his feet, snd, grab*
Mng his man around tho middle, gave
s mighty hesve, and tried to dash his
foe to the floor by mere brute power.
To do this, however, be bsd to bend
Ms own body, and his bead came along
toe's teak. In Another
that had the gripping power of a rime.
?very time tho mu with tho body
hold mado a heave to lift his opponent
off his feet, tho other pat on a wrench
at tho nock nntll it mm nil aa If inai
thing moat break. They tugged and
atratnad and healed, bat neither got a
falL At laat they broke away, and
atood panting. Then the Mae man
nmdo a frantic rnah. and. ahootlng
both arma out. with the palma of the
handa extended toward hla foe. caught
him on chin and throat, and nearly
knocked him off the platform. That
waa tho game; the man who either
puahed. threw, or hustled hla opponent
off the ring waa counted victor.
Then began the funnleet bit of wreet
ling I hare ever seen, and I hare aeen
many styles. Both men rushed, and
each shot out his arms, aiming foi
tho throat and forehead, but always
with the palms of the hsnda. First
one fellow gave way. then the other;
the crowd shouted their strsnge shrill
yell; fans were waved and the excite
ment became Intense. All at once, ss
the blue man camo with the spring of
a tiger, the red msn stepped aside and
caught one of his Opponent's arms In
the crotfk of his own; then, springing
forward a pace, he put the whole might
of his body Into one effort, whirled the
other man off his feet on to his owu
hips, and then sent him whizzing off
the platform Into the front row of the
audience?and the things that followed
had no further Interest for that man.
After that fall there was enough
ceremony and parade to herald a rnv
tlon'a victory over a world power.
There were chanting of heralds and
bowing and posturing of gladiators
The allow had to last a half day. and
fully two-thirds of the time was taken
up In this wsy.
A little later came some pretty wres
tling?an exhibition of pure skill.
Each man bad to go down on all four?
and at a given signal leap at bis op
ponent. and try with one quick turn
for a firm bold on an arm. It had to
be a clean grip to win; no struggling
was allowed.
ALASKA'S DEVELOPMENT.
StMni* or Bmr PoMlbllltlM Unrealised-.
Th? City of Haward.
* It is not easy to keep with Alaska.
It is a country of surprises, and the
measure of ber possibilities Is by no
means yet taken. We nre informed,
says the Boston Transcript, that that
vast and still comparatively unknown
region is this spring experiencing the
greatest boom In Its history. It is said
that "every steamer available for the
Pacific coast is pressed into service
for the Alaska trade and every vessel
carries every passenger and every
pound of freight for which she can find
room." The objective point to which
the crowds are hurrying is not one of
the destinations with whose names we
have become familiar through the ad'
ventures of northern argonauts, but a
new place named Seward, which takes
us back to the negotiations, so crit
icised at the time, but which have add
ed a new empire to the old one. Very
few in the East have heard much about
Seward for the reason that It has been
in recognized existence only about a
year.
It Is not alone the old lure of gold j
that is drawing people in that direc
tion the present season. There are also
immense copper veins nnd tin mines,
besides oil wells, and the Standard
Oil Company has already driven a
stake In that region. Moreover, Sew
ard is expected to be the entrepot for
a great agricultural section. In the
valley of the Sushltna River there Is
fertile soli enough to support an agri
cultural population of a million. The
climate is described as similar to that
of New York State, high mountains
surrounding It on three sides and shut
ting out the cold winds from the north,
while the southern side Is washed by
the warm Japan current. The harbor
is free of Ice the year round, whilo
magnificent forests tempt the lumber
lug Industry to extensive operations.
People talk of Seward as the com
ing metropolis of Alaska. It certainly
has the harbor to warrant such distlnc
tlon. It Is located on Resurrection
Bay. .which Is a mile wide at the en
trance and extends eighteen miles in
land, being four miles wide at tho
upper extremity, with a depth varying
from 200 to 1000 feet. It has been
made by the building of the Alaska
Central Railroad, now well on toward
completion. A year ago there was only
a wilderness there. To-day. there are
800 houses, with restaurants, hotels,
and a theatre, and new buildings aro
In proccss of construction as fast as
men to bulhl them can be secured, and
still the demand far exceeds the sup
ply. Already it is called a city, and
near It Is a large waterfall, wldch it
Is proposed to utilized not only for pow
er for lighting and transportation, but
for a Water supply as well.
Not only Is the new railway mak
ing Seward, but It Is a powerful fore?
for tho development of the whole ter
ritory. When completed It will take
passengers from Seattle to Fairbanks,
I the heart of tho Interior gold fields.
In five days, for $145. Hitherto tho
same Journey has taken from twen
ty-eight to thirty-three days at a cost
of $285 to $.'$00. Of course, this sav
ing of time and expense with tne con
stantly unfolding new attractions at
the other end of the trip will wonder
fully stimulate migration to the new
territory. At the present rate of de
velopment there will probably be an
other world's fair, In sixty years or s-?,
perhaps Ip Seward, to celebrate the
centenary of the purchase of Alaska
by the man for whom the metropolis
was named, a transaction only second
In national Importance to the Louis
iana Purchase.
A flood Rill.
A bin now before the Ohio Lcgiaia
tare provides for the payment of a
premium, or bounty, of $2 an acre for a
period of ten yeare to any landowner of
tho State who will plant and care for
forest trees In compliance with tho
rules laid down by the State Board of
Forestry.
For Sooth IMn.
The mine owners of South Africa
are entering into contracta with
Chinese laborers to work in tho mlnee
of that country. Shlpa aro already at
Hong-Kong to convey theae laborers to
the field <?f opera tlona. The contracta
are guaranteed by tho British author
ities, and are for throe yean.
POPULAR
SCIENCE
* In the council chamber of the Tar!* I
Academy of Medicine, which has just |
been vacated. It was found that the
floor was covered with no fewer thai:
ten carpets, one upon another, molder*
In* and swarming with microbes. ^
? machine In the Bank of England,
for weighing sovereigns and half-sov
ereigns. Is so extremely sensitive that
it can denote a tenth of a grain dif
ference In the weight of a coin. It
automatically weighs twenty-six coin*
In a minute. The coins of full weight
It throws to the right, aud the others
to the left.
Flammarion, at Juvlsy, hns subject*
ed specimens of the Semitive riant
and others, to red aud violet rays.
Those under violet and blue glass had
made no progretts after four months.
Those under red and orange had
achieved "extraordinary development."
It is kuown that typliulil germs will
not live In blue light.
Interesting exp?rlments are being
conducted In various places in order !
to ascertain the effects of light and
tlectriclty upon the growth of plants.
At Helslngfors University. Dr. I^m
strom has showered statie electricity
from a Hoi* machine through pots con
taining cereal seeds. These sc?h1s grew
forty per cent, faster than others in
pots where uo electricity was used.
Manager Duss has designed a glass
soundlug board which is being made
for him lu IMttsburg. l?a.. under bis
personal supervision. The board will
be erected back of his orchestra In a
New York amusement concern, and it
Is believed that this device wl'i throw
out the sound so that the most sub
dued passages will he plainly heard
in the most remote parts of the audi
torium. It Is especially so designed
for open-air performances or those in
iurge halls.
A vivid Idea of the lack of the sim
plest applications of practical scieuce
in at least some parts of China is
given by United States Consul Grucey
at Fuchau. In all that city,, with its
million inhabitants, he says, there is
not a single pump, nor even a windlass,
or any other mechanical contrivance
for raising water from the wells. Any
body who wants water must bring
his own pail aud rope and draw it up.
Water brought from the river is car
ried on men's shoulders. There Is no
sucli thing us a system of pipes. The
lamps in use are also of the crudest
sort. The whole of southern China,
says Mr. Gracey, needs pumps, a pub
lic water supply system aud lamps.
THE VERSATILE COWBOY.
Able to Adapt Themwlrtt to Almost Any
Position In Llf*.
The cowboy was versatile and could
sing In the choir or clerk in a bank.
When he saw his occupation going
from him be naturally turned to the
first calling for which he was fitted,
says Andy Williams In the Omaha
World. The State of Nebraska main
tains the appointive office of inspector
of couuty treasuries, something simi
lar to a National bank examiner. Ir
regularities and defalcations In Statu i
and county funds necessitated the I
office a* a matter of protection for I
the public good. When the office was |
created Ed Searle, of Ogalalla, an ex- I
cowboy ami thoroughly qualified, was
appointed by the Governor to the po
sition, and during his Incumbency of
that office there was not the defalca
tion of n single penny. Honesty be
came an enforced virtue under Searle's
inspection. The question of what be
came of the cowboy suggests itself.
That the old West is a thing of the
past no one disputes. A combination
of unseen obstacles, such as successive
severe winters, entailing serious losses
on cattle, coupled with wire fences
and railroads, killed the trail In a
single yenr. Where, In 1884. over 700,
000 cattle crossed the northern boun
dary of Texas at three fords on tlio
Red River, six years later not n single
herd passed over the trail. Then the
cow towns of the West became way
stations, and the rang? man disap
peared. Bnt .when til? cowboy un
saddled for the last time it was not
his Intention to turn fro:r the range
which h? knew and leved. There were
numerous occupations Inviting him.
and whether he opened a saloon cr
started a bank, he possesed an .idvan
tage In knowing the country aud its
people. While many of them can be
found following the occupation of the
small ranchman of the present day,
the great majority tv.rned to other pur
frits. But they are scattered wide :*nd
cm be found among the staid citizens
of nearly any Western community.
A Htory of tho Pope,
">Ty life hns been strangely ruled
b.r tlie number nine," Plus X. Is ?,n*'.< d
as taying previous to being chosen
Pone. "Nine years I was a schoolboy
at Ric8e; nine years a student at
Padua; nine years a curate at Tom
bolo; nine years a priest at Salzano;
nine years a canon at ireviso: nine
years n bishop at Mantua; now for
nine years I have been a cardinal
patriarch at Venice. As Pope?as long
as God wills; perhaps another nine
"ca.'s."
Tamo i:?ln<le?r.
The rang:? of the tame reindeer hns
been widely extended in northern
Aslu by the tribes that number him
among their valuable assets; and now
he is In process of being widely Intro
duced Into Aluska. Civilization, there
fore. has done much to extend the
habitat of this animal to the South,
but tho doWsticated reindeer has
oot been Introduced into most of the
great regions of the Arctic, whe?o
the wild animal roams at will.
Killad by the Light*.
Beth Slnnot. of Saco, Me., found upon
suterlng his parlor recently that tho
tw? lower lights In his window, which
were sixteen by thirty-two, were
)soken In fragments. A dead partridge
lay ander the window. It is supposed
that the bird hit the sash when flying
?t great speed and was killed by the
?bock.
Humor of
Tbd^v
The intrepid Dt Soto,
When the Indiana said what they'd do (?
Him and his pack
If they didn't turn back.
Told thoae aavagea where they could go taw
?Town Topics
A Km Team to Him.
**I notice that the Turner decision
shut the Anarchist* out."
"The Anarchists? Never even heard
of the tea nil*'?New Orloaua_ Time*
Democrat.
Llnltxl.
Henrique?"I understand you gratify
your wife's slightest wish."
Ottlnger?"Yes; It Is only her more
expensive wishes that I do uot grati*
ty."?Judge.
All 9?r*nr.
"Has Jones uu assured reputation
ss an author?"
"Absolutely. Why. he Kays he can
now turn out poor work all tiic rost of
Hi life."?Life.
KxtlMlT* mC. ConrlanlTC.
"We needn't call oa those pcoylo
next door."
"Why not?"
"Aunt Selitia says she has neve*
heard of tlieui."?Cluciaaati Commer
cial-Tribune.
Dltcovrrml at I^aiir.
wife's going around to-day with
a chip ou her shoulder," said Jackson
Trays.
"Why so?"
"She found one In my pock?t this
"?oming."?l?h lladelphla Press.
The Una of (.tut i:?(litanc?.
rtarber ?to absent-mlniled old gentle
mau. who has called for a shave)?
"Can't shave yer. air, unless yer 'old
yer head up."
Ohl lieutleman?"Nev'r mln* mako
It a hair cut."?I^ondon Tailor.
A Mprlntrr.
"Here's an explorer claims that
stewed boa constrictor is equal to
calf."
"I'll bet a II?e boa constrictor
wouldn't be equal to two calves If I
?u\v it coming."?Houston Post
8elf-Can?cloti?.
Miss Borde?"Oh. horrors! h;*re comos
Miss Tawker. She's been abroad this
spring."
Miss Sliarpo?'"Yes. any one could tell
that. She's got a broad grin on her
face."?Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Practical Demonstration.
"Oh, how could you!" exclaimed the
fair maid who had been kissed un
expectedly.
"It will afford nie pleasure to show
you." calmly replied the audacious
young man.?Indianapolis Sentinel.
The Keaion Why.
"Are you going it> the seashore this
summer?"
"No; niarmnn thinks we ran spend
more money here in New York."?New
York American.
Still Other*.
"All." said the fair widow, "you havo
been In some pretty tight s<iuo^es,
haven't you. Colonel?'*
"Yes," answered the old warrior, put.
ting tils aria around her waist, "and
I'm not the _onl,y one."?Indianapolis
*uu.
Tlmo W?a Too Short.
"So," Knobbed Illina Vaselincovitch,
"Ivr.n Ninespotski died in batti ?! l)o
yon say he uttered uiy name as ho
was dying?"
"Part of if." replied the returned
soldier; "part of it."?fort Worth
Record.
Not to l!o l'"o<?lc:T.
.*frs. Hubbub.??"I told Bridgdt to
Ktr:iii; the beans this morning."
Mr. Silbbubs--" Yes. Well?"
Mrs. Subbubs?"Well, she flared up
and told me 1 couldn't siring her; that
we'd eat them Ikj.h* or uot at all"
Philadelphia Press.
Jrutliful
"Didn't you say you had all the com.
forts of a hoi.ie?" asked tlie indignant
guest.
"Well." answered Farmer C'orntossel,
"after you ftdks nra gone we do havo
'eui. Thai's what we take boarders
for."?Washington Star.
Too ClmiiK?ltUf>
"TTere. young man." sn'.d the old
lady, with tire in her eye, "I've hrung
back this thermometer ye so!d in*."
"What's the matter Willi It?" de
manded the clerk.
"It ain't reliable. One time ye kok
at it it says one thing, and the next
time it says anotlcr thiug"?Phila
delphia Ledger.
Up* >in?l Down*.
Lady (who is on a visit to her naUvo
town)?"How is Mrs. CJrabbV I haven't
seen her in n long tliue."
Hostess?'"She is having her uiual
tips and downs."
Lady Visitor?"And what may Lfiey
be, I pray?"
Hostess?"Oh, running up bills And
running down her neighbors."?Town
and Country.
A Fhtlofophcr.
iClojteman?'Tetter he economical
while you're on your vacation."
Hponders?"Not much. It's too
hard."
Kloseman-'-It Is, eh? Well, If yon
don't live economically then you'll
have to afterward.*
Spenders?"Yes, but it Isn't so hard
to bo economical when you bart to."?,
Philadelphia I'ublic Ledger