The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, April 25, 1888, Image 6
? f**"*???****?
THE STRUGGLE.
" Body, I pray you let me go!"
(It is a Soul that struggles so.)
" Body, I see on yonder height
Dim reflex of a solemn light;
A flame that shineth from the place
Where Beauty walks with naked face:
It is a flame you cannot see,?
Lie down, you clod, and set me free.
" Body, I pray you let me go!"
(It is a Soul that striveth s<>.)
11 Body. I hear dim sounds afar
Dripping from some diviner star;
Dim sounds of joyous Imrmony:
It is my mate that sings, and I
Must drink that song or break my heart,? ;
Body, I pray you. let us part.
" Comrad?, your frame is worn and frail,
Your vital powers begin to fail;
I long for life, but you for r.^st,
Then. Body, let us both be blest.
When you are lying 'neath the dew
I'll come, sometimes, and sing to you;
But you will feel nor pain nor woe,?
Body, I pray you, let mo go."
Thus strove a Being: Beauty-fain,
He broke his bonds and fled amain.
He fled: the Body lay bereft.
But on its lips a smile was left,
As if that Spirit, looking back,
Shouted upon his upward track.
With joyous tone and hurried breath,
Some message that could comfort Death.
?Danske Dandridge, in the Century.
Aunt Tabitha's Mission.
BY ADA M. TROTTER.
"Taik of Peter the Hermit," ejacu- ;
lated Aunt Tabitha, as she walked into j
her nephew's house, "I wished I could j
hoist a banner and attract some attention j
to God A'urghty's laws of health."
John's house wa* ai pretty as good
taste co;:ld make it when hampered by
small means, but Aunt Tabitha viewed
it with disfavor.
Her healthy sense of smell at once
detected that no windows had been
opened in the reception room since the .
previous evening. The air was heavy j
with gas, and the portieres seemed j
specially designed to impede ventila- j
tion.
Up went the windows in a trice, the ;
portiers were pulled back, and Aunt
Tabitha stood by the door, swingiug it
1 1 JJ r tU _ J ^ 4.1
utu;ik-uuu jurtu iu unve out me ciose air.
This doue to her satisfaction, she went
upstairs in answer to the call of:
"Auntie, do come up and speak to me."
Ti e speaker was lying on a couch in a
darkened room, which also bore tokens |
to Aunt Tabitha's keen senses of lack of j
ventilation. Before saying a word to ;
the invalid, she threw oven the window j
and let in >ome fresh air, laden with sun- j
^ be.mis.
h. Aunt Tabitha, please don't. I've
got such an awful cold.''
"That is only too evident to the eye," ,
replied Aunt Tabitha. "I ha'.e to look i
at an unhealthy person. Your hair has
lost its lustr.*, your cheeks are sallow, j
your eyes red and watery, and you look j
_ aeciepid geneia lv. Preserve me from
a v> iruiau wuv m iui euj?ijr
ment of poor health."
"Aunt Tabitha, how can you be so
cruel? You know I can't help being so
delicate. I just get one cold on another,''
said her niece.
"I don't see auv reason why you, at
twenty-five, sh >uld" be less healthy than
I, at sixty yeirs of age," said Aunt
Tabitha. "I must say I am sorry for
John."
This was too much for Mary, sweettempered
though she m'ght he. fche j
eat up and looked at this dreadful Aunt
Tabitha, v. h > sat up smiling and brisk, |
very youug for her sixty years.
"irorry for Johu!" she cried. "Why, !
auntie, you know he is just wrapped up j
in me."
"Well, with my experience of man- |
kind, I shou'd say he'd soon get un- I
u : J a rn v?iv - j__i? I
wrujipcu, saiu auui lauuua, suuaeniy j
holding a hand gla3?in front of her niece.
"Look pretty, don't you?"
Marry wits not a vain woman, still she
colored with annoyance. Then she
sneezed violently aud took refuge again
in her pillows.
"I'm not tit to talk to anyone to-dav,"
she said. "I)o come and see me another
time, auntie."
"You wnnt me to go, T sec. Well,
I'm not going till I've had my say, and
if you are a woman of seuse, you will j
listen and give up once tor all this semi- !
invalid condition which is making you \
an old woman before your time.''
''But, auntie, I can't help uiysplf. I !
catch one cold on another, aud it just j
kceos me weak."
"You catch cold because you do not I
obey the simple laws net ?-(-iary tr> keep:
your body in a healthy condition."
"Laws! I can't see what laws have to ;
do with me," replied Marv. erossiv.
"Keep to the laws of health," said !
Aunt Tnbitha, "and be strong; break '
them and be sick."
"I don't breik them,'' said Mary, i
"The lung and the short of the matter i
is this: I am a delicate woman, and the j
climate is too severe for me. The doctor i
gays I ought to go to Florida/'
"Bosh! You are my own niece, and I |
know you started with a fair constitu- !
tiou. Apply your common sense to your
daily liVand you can be a well woman
, in a fefc weeks," cried Aunt Tabitha,
with spirit.
"Oh, if I only could," groaned Mary,
with another sneeze.
"If I lived a3 you do, improperly ;
clothed, fed and warmed, I should
soon be in your condition," said her
aunt.
"Aunt Tabitha!"
. "I mean it. Nature has given you a
large frame, but you ignore the fact,and i
make your waist so small, you look like |
a dyspeptic wasp."
4,T Tifvpr knpw nnvnne who rmtlri <snv
such unkind things as you do," said :
Mary, with a laugh.
"Oh, that's iny mission." cried Aunt
Tabitha. "I'm for common sense versus .
drugs."
' Well, go on; I suppose I've got to
hear your lecture some time or another," j
groaned .Marv, with a spasm of sneezing, i
'As the case stands," said Auut j
Tabitha, ''I am decidedly sorry for John, j
Honey is spent lavishly on medicines and
tonics for you?money that should be in- j
vested in real estate, or in buying books
and plea-ures for you both. Now. instead '
of this, apply common sense to your
daily life. If you are downstairs have i
your bedroom window open, so as to !
keep the air pure for the night. If you j
1 ka.Ia. A*\An f V?of win/lAnr if l\nf I
leave me panvi ujitu uut ? lt ?uv .
little, so that your lun^s will have some-;
thing better for food than devitalized '
air. You have no open grate3, no chim- j
neys to ventfla!eyour rooms with, and in :
consequence must keep your attention |
very carefully on the necessity forchaDge .
in the air."
"But, auntie, if I kept opening and j
abutting windows like that, I should !
catch cold all the lime."
"Not if your body was properly protected
by undergarmeuts of wool. Wear .
warm vests and thicker gowns and keep j
your bouse cooler. Never let the ther- \
momcter get above sixty-eight degrees. .
By keeping your house aa warm you j
-*
make the contrast between the open air i
and the house too great, and thus render J
yourself in a condition to catch cold. |
There is another thiug that will help you ;
to resist cold. Fat nourishing, plain
food, aud let hot cakes and sweet trash
alone. Your body is not well nourished.
Your appetite is poor because you live in ;
j unwhiiisome air. Take a br'sk walk
daily, rain or shine, aud you will soou
j get a healthy desire to eat."
" i\ nyoi.e would think, to hear you
i talk. Auntie, that health depends entirely
upou one's own exertions," said >
Mary, laughing.
''It ought to,'' replied her aunt, i
merrily, ' for certainly some people j
think themselves sick by their owa exer- j
tions."
"Well," siid .Vary, rising, "lam go- I
iug to act on your order. If I die of my j
efforts you must consider yourself the 1
electric spark that killed me."
" Oh. you don't come of a short-lived i
* ? * -A m ~l. I
lamuy," saw auqi iiiun.ua. us auu uiuuo
her way downstairs, " but if I were you I
I'd Fooner live than exist.''
With this the good woman disappeared, i
Th' y heard the front door shut with a
hearty bang. Aunt Tabitha was on her I
way to Deacon Margrave's house to see j
Mamie, who was down with nervous I
prostration.
Mary left her place on the sofa as tha '
door closed 011 Aunt Tabitha. Then,
being a woman, she went to the mirror
to find out if she really did look so forlorn
as auntie pictured in her extremely
personal remarks. The result was not
pleising. Where had her good looks
gone? Her countenance was one which
depended on health for its attractiveness.
As she glared at her reflection, lack
lustre hair, hollow cheeks and eyes, she
tersely exclaimed:
lii ou're a fright!''
?V>o \xrna .ihlo tr? nof-R that her whole
appearance was forlorn. Her collar was |
tumbled, and the shawl in which she had
wrapped her shivering frame was dowdy.
To ao her justice, she was not a vain
woman, nor inordinately fond of dress.
But John was very particular, very neat,
and certainly liked his wife to make herself
look charming.
Strange to say, the more Mary forgot i
her pain and aches, the less violent did j
they become; there is something in '
"mind cure" after all, as all sensible j
folk well know from personal experience.
The day passed ou, finding Mary I
very busy doing a variety of household j
matte.s that had fallen into arrears late- j
ly. She found herself vowing "I am !
not going to be sick any more, if common
sense can keep me well."
The clock struck six. It found Mary
in her room, in a pretty garnet cashmere
dre.'s, fastening some dainty ruffles
iu the sleeves. It found her, too, con- !
suiting the glass a little anxiously, to j
sec if she we e still disagreeable to be- I
hold. Aunt Tabitha's scathing remark
' I hate to look ;it an unhealthy person,"
recuncd to her mind, as she stood
doubtfully gazing at the mirror.
John came in, bringing a friend with
him. Ilis cheery voice was lowered to
a whisper as he said : "We shall fiudrny
wife ou the sofa asleep, perhaps."
"No, you will not," breathed Mary to
herself, noticing with a keen pang the
dejected tone of the speaker.
"She is not here. 1 am afraid she is
not so well as usual. I'll go upstairs and
see after her when I have lighted the
gas."
As he turned to leave the room a light
foot ran downstairs, and though the
owner arrived at the door a little breathless,
she was not more s-o than John.
Poor Johu! He cxpeeted to see a pale,
denres-:ed creature, shivering under a
shawl, too inert to eat, or to talk with j
interest on any topic but that of her
own ailments.
Mary gave him a little pinch as she
parsed him to welcome Mr. Vane, but he
contiuued to stare at the bright apparition
as though he hud uever seen his
wife look charming before.
"Whj, Mrs. Bayne, John told me that
you were quite an inval'd "
''Only a cod," said Mary, suddenly
overcome by a terridc sneeze. "But I
am much better."
"What!" cried John, blundering somewhat.
"You told me this morning it
was in its worst stage."
4 4 Mnncnncn ^lin TTYMl IrtlflW
that is hours and hours ago. Corac and
have some dianer, I think that is tho
bell."
At dinuer she farced herself to eat,
and found that in enjoying John's
amazement her spirits were rapidly improving.
She made herself so charming to Mr.
Vane th:it he enjoyed every hour of the
evening. She asked John to sing, and j
played his accompaniment?, to his great j
happiucss, for, be it known, that if a j
man has a voice he likes to show it off to !
advantage.
Will, backed by common sense, finds :
a way. Mary's "enjoyment of ill
health"' came to an abrupt end. Hei
house was kept reasonably cool, her body
well nourished and sufficiently clothed
to enable her to withstand the eccen- j
tricities of the climate. Last, but not j
least, she daily took a b:isk walk, rain 01 ;
shine, and wore her dresses loose enough !
to give her lungs free play.
John grew every year more devoted to
his cheerfui, healthy wife.
"Common sense versus drugs," says :
A ?ir*f ToKithq ?
Cranberry Culture.
Years ago, when the entire cranberry
crop of the country was obtnined from
the wild "cranberry bogs," scoops and
rakes of a peculiar construction wero
u?ed in gathering this fruit. Iu using
these implements the vines were usually
broken off or pulled out by the roots,
aud large quantities of weeds grass, and
mud got mixed with the berries, all of
which ha l to be pickcd and washed out
before the fruit was ready for use or j
market. The cranberry rake is still u?ed |
on some of the wil 1 plantations, but !
much of the fruit gathered with this im- j
pleineut is biriiy bruised, causing it to !
decay much sooner than the hand picked.
Gathering by hand is now considered j
preferable to any other mode, not only ;
as being the lost injurious to the vines, !
but also to secure clean, sound berries. '
Aa tlid hand-rvnlfprl frnif rnmnifmils n
?- ;?7 i |
better pr.ee in market than that gathered j
with scoop3 and rakes, the extra expenso
of gathering it is more than made good
to the cultivator.?Xevo Yo. k Sim.
Fleet Birds of Passage.
There seems to -be no doubt that the
"frigate bird," an inhabitant of the
tropical seas, is the swiftest bird that
flies. It has been impossible to calculate
its rate of flight within fixed limits,
The pectoral muscles are immensely developed,
and weigh nearly one-fourth as
much as the whole body of the bird.
Another rapid flyer is the common "black
swift." It has been computed that the
great speed it attains is about 27(3 miles
an hour, which, if maintained for about
six hours, would carry the bird from its
summer retreat in England to Central
Africa. Our American "canvas back
duck" is commonly computed to be capable
of flying 200 miles an hour.?New
York Dis/.atcfi.
>. y\~'' . .-Lei,. '
~ CEDAR WOOD.
DEXSE FORESTS WHICH SUP-!
PLY THE WORLD.
felling and Marketing the TreesWhy
This Fragrant Timber
is Used for Manufacturing
Cigar Boxes.
Cedar is used for cigar boxes, says a
New York correspondent, becausc it is j
the most porous wood, is easily dried,
and can be cut and nailed better and i
quicker than hard wood. But the priucipal
reason is becausc of the flavor, ]
wh'ch is contained in the essential oil!
with which the wood is saturated. The j
fluvor of the oil evaporates freely, and j
has the most beneficial effect? upon any
kind of tobacco.
The best cedar?the largest and finest
in color and quantity?conies from the ;
n-s.,tliA.n fnilf of Mpvicn T.atelv I
OV/UbUUiu ^uii uvu>ii. ?m 4>iw...?vt j ,
the cedar market ha* been very rau-.h
depressed, tejuuse man fictuters of
clieap cigar bojces have found it practicable
to use staiued and grained wood, J
in imitation of geuuiuc cedar, for cheap I
boxes. The grain is pressed on the j
wood while it is running through rollers, 1
and the imitation is nearly perfect, ex-.
eept the peculiar aroma.
In Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala and the
Central American State9, cedar grows in J
forests, singly or in clumps of three or j
four trees, aud these trees are very often j
fifty to 100 yards apart. They grow .
frequently in company with mahogany. J
The trees being so lar apait it is very
troublesome to get them out of thfl i
woods after they are cut. In the major- j
ity of instances a special path has to be
made through the woods, through which i
the timber is dragged to a neighboring j
creek, the water of which bears it to
market.
The trees are cut by Indians or halfbreeds,
for which they are paid in Mexico
and the Central American States, twenty- j
fivp fn fiftv rnnts a d;iv. The monteros i
who engage these peop c generally man-1
age it so that nothing is left after pur- '
chasing the supplies, tools, etc.; all this i
is deducted out of* the Indians' or halfbreeds'
pay, and if anything is left the j
montero usually gambles it away.
The chopping of the tress is generally ;
done during the dry season. When the !
rainy season sets in, which is in the fall'
months, the creeks and rivers commence !
to swell, and the timber is f'oated down ;
to the larger streams, and from there it
is sent in rafts to the shippers near the ;
seacoast. Advances in the shape of i
money, provisions and tools are m dc to j
the mouteros by the shippers. C'edar j
and mahogany are shipped to New York, ;
Havre, Liverpojl and Hamburg on con- J
signment.
The cedar is now in New York. Pos- '
sibly it has lain two or three seasons i
' ' < ?? k 4-I.A '
wnere it iias uc^'u uui uu u^wuut wc
seasons not being rainy enough to float j
it to tidewater. It is now in rough logs, 1
the only attempt at dressing done be nij 1
simply to remove the baik and to fa-hion i
it into a square shape. How it is made !
into cigar boxes is a process that can be
readily imagined.
First, the log. if too long, is sawed off j
to a required length. Then it is hauled 1
up an inciiiied plane to the mill. Here, i
by means of an endless band and veneer i
saws it is sawed into one-quarter and
three-sixteenths inch iumber. The cut i
timber is taken to the drying-room, j
where it is placed in racks, where the '
circulation ot' the air is free and sub- '
jected to hot steam until the moisture'
of the wood is all dried up. The lumber
is then takeu out of the dryingroom
and planed. The seasoning and '
planing constitute the most important
elements in a good cigar-box.
The t mber is nowtinished, trimmed,
and the edges smoothed, and it is sawed
crosswise into the sides, bottoms and
tops of the cigar boxes. The selectors
now take hold of the cedar, and pick
out the best pieces for the front and the
wor<t for the back of the boxes. The
- .1- 1
piQCt'3 are now reauy iu uc puu luyeiucr,
but they niU3t first receive whatever
printing and embossing the
cigar manufacturer may require. A ci<jar !
box ordinarily needs four or five lm- j
press ions. Besides the brand, which is j
stamped and priutcd on the top, there j
are legends, 9uch a< "Conchai J-pecials,"
"Favoritas" and similar distinguishing j
words printed on the sides. The district
internal revenue number of the cigar
factory using the box and the (juantity j
is impressed, according to law, on the j
bottom of the box.
The pieces are nailed into hooks first j
?that is, an eud and side piece are put!
together. The hooks are joined and the '
box is ready for the top and bottom. The !
latter is nailed on and a muslin hinge is j
pasted on the former, which secures it:
the bo\.
From the nailing room the boxes are
taken to the pastiug room. Here girls
paste the cdires, labels, etc., and the box j
is stood outside to dry. The box is now j
ready to receive cigars. Sometimes fancy 1
touches in the way of varnishing and
putting on fancy paper are desired, but I
the oidinary ce.lnr cigar box receives the j
treatment I have described. When it is
Vint n ninnr Knv fulfills its
mission the moment it receives its cigars,
and must be dotroyed, by law, as soon I
as it becomes empty, the number of i
boxes used in this country, .with the]
progress of the cigar industry and the I
law prescribing them as the only packing
for cigars, it almost equals the number
of hair pins manufactured. ? C-hkano
Times.
A Rhinoceros in n Rage.
"An infuriated rhinoceros,said Mr.
l.ohsc, a hunter of wild aninals in
Africa, "is literally 'blind with rage."
He puts his head down, and runs in a
bee line, kno.king down everything that
gets in his way. If there was a stone
wall in front of him he would smash right i
up against it. Some of my Homrahn hun- J
ters wounded a female rhinoceros one I
day, when the brute ran off. The men i
were securing her young when she sud- J
denly stopped and rus'icd toward them, j
It was such an unheard of thing for one |
of the animals to do that the hunters ;
were taken completely by surprise. One
of them was caught by her horn and
thrown high in the air. He dropped to
the ground a corpse, for the rhinoceros
had disemboweled him."?New York
Sun.
A Case of Hard J.nek.
Manager Brown, of the Witherald &
Brown ifclling Mill, at Find!ay, Ohio,
thinks that luck is dead against him.
He was the victim of a most peculiar accident
the other day. He drew $500 in
bills from bank, and placing the package
in an outside pocket of his coat
started on the railroad track to walk to
his mill. A train passed him. and from
the smokestack of the engine n spark of
fire was thrown into his pocket, alighting
upon the package of money, causing
it to burn. When Brown discovered and
quenchcd the fire it had eaten clear
through the centre of the bills, leaving
only two ends of each bill unconsumed.
It is the opinion of bank officials that
enough of the money remains to be redeemed
in bills. ? Washington Star.
'
An Extraordinary Chinese Funeral.
The most extraordinary Chinese funj
eral ever seen in America took place in
I San Francisco recently. The deceased
was I oo Muck, a Chinese merchant, who
thirty-five years ago founded the Gsee
[ Kung Tong I.odge of Free Masons in
that city. The general impression among
the thousands of American people who
gazed wonderingly at the funeral procession
w.is that it was a pageant of one of
the powerful societies of highbinders.
American Free Masons who witnessed
the ceremonies, however, recognized in
the display a formal funeral of a brother
Mason.
]Masonry has spread among the Chinese
so that there are now, it appears, 18,000
members in California. Delegations had
come from all parts of the Pacific coast
to attend the funeral. The procession
took an hour and a half to pass. A band
oi Chinc-:c Masons in long blue gowns
with long black swords iu their hands
and bands of red, white and blue ribbons
tied across their foreheads and
streaming down their backs led the way.
Then came a company of several hundred
( hinesc soldiers in bright blue tunics
and carrying short broadswords and
highly ornamented shields.
A band of cavalry in red, green and
orange uniforms, with quivers of arrows
and loug double-edged s-w/irds slung
across their backs, followed. Then came
in long array some foot-soldiers, spearsmen,
and warriors with broad battleaxes.
warriors on foot, mounted warriors
riding with short stirrup-leathers,
numerous bands of terrible Chinese
music in hacks, aud finally the hearse
drawn by four black horses. On top of
the hearse was a georgeous catafalque of
paper and tinsel in the Chinese style.
The coflin bore upon its sides the square
and compass, with the letter "G" in the
centre. The standard-bearer who preceded
the hearse carried the Masonic
emblem. J
The preliminary ceremonies were an
Masonic. Precisely a? the bell oa St.
Mary's Cathedral, contiguous to Chinatown,
had announced midday the Deputy
Grand Master gave the word that the
hour of high 1*2 had arrived. On this
the officers of the grand lodge lifted the
casket. The display of corn, oil, and
the pot of incense, with other signs only
known to the craft, were fully understood
by American Masons in the great
crowd of spectators. The blowing of
the trumpet by the high priest and the
incantut'ons, with certain signs well
known in the higher degrees of Freemasonry,
showed that the Chine e have
a knowledge of a craft that would gain
them admission to an American lodge if
they only understood our language.
The display astonished American Masons,
many of whom followed the strange
procession to the cemetery, where the
dead master was interred in the ortho/]/??
\l.inrfnlinn atvlo llfllinPrS And
VAU1 ...WUjjWWv... -vj... _____
I adges of the mourners being burned in
a great bonfire at the gates, while a
liberal fea9t of roast pork, poultry and
drinkables of many kinds was spread j
before the tomb for the spirit of the departed
to entertain his friends. As each
carriage load of moumeis passed out
from the ccmetery, Chinese stationed at j
the gates handed them money, while
dimes and nickels were filing into the !
fire to establish the financial credit of j
the departed in the otner world. Alto- I
gcther the pageant was indescribably |
strange. ? Chieago Tribune.
A Rat Tail Supper.
James Wallace, a wealthy Irish farmer,
is to day, perhaps, says a letter from
Shawnee Mound, Ind., to the Chicago
Hernl'(, more respected by all his neighbors
than any other man iuthut district,
simply because his name was attached j
to the following, found posted on all the J
school houses and prominent gate posts: I
Take notice: Tha rat must go. The farmers
have been tormented by those pes'.y animals
long enough and the enr for pro ection
is abroad in the land. Therefore, be it
known that on Tuesday night a week hence
there will be a supper given at Pin Hook
J_, ?rlll Ka
school noust?, 1110 piuferai UL nmwu "? ? uu
given to the man, woman or child who brings
the largest number of rat tails.
It would be expressing it mildly to
say that the farmers were pleased when
they road the above. The scheme whs 90
plausible to them that they were almost
wild with excitement, lat-tail societies
were formed among the farming youths 1
and various plans of extermination dis- |
cussed. In a few nights the campaign !
be^an. The scene was an exciting one. j
Dotted here and there for miles around
one could see the lanterns and torch- ,
lights bobbing up and down among trees j
and hedges, while the frequent reports
of pistols and sho'guns sounded to the!
listener like skirmishers at war. When j
a single family turned out, the father
aud sons wielded the weapons of destruction,while
the women folks brought
up the rear, armed with a pair of scissors 1
each, with which to clip the tails from j
the dead and dying, and it nviv be added j
that a large number of rats were running
about minus their tails.
Was the "rat tail supper" a success?
To the tunc of several thousand tails,
and on the night of the supper it was an
amusing sight to see the Cupid stricken
farmer boy, in company with his best
girl, walking arm and arm into the
school house with a bunch of rat tails in
cach of their hands. The school house
was packed full of country people, and
rat tails was the leading topic of conversation.
!-'ome of the tails had been
cut short and some long, thus affording
an insight to the manner in which they
had been clipped by the excited women
in their great hurry to carry away the
trophies of their labor.
Previous to the announcement of supper
a general handwashing took place in
a large basin prepared for the occasion.
No one can wonder at this after the
handling of so many rear projections. I
Then came the supper- oysters?after ,
which the ta k of counting the iaus :
began, and lasted tor over an hour, disturbed
frequently by the clapping of
hands ns some prominent farmer's number
exceeded that of his neighbor. Amid
the shouts of every one in the school
house the result was announced in favor
of James Wallace and family?the man
who had carried the scheme through?
and then followed congratulations from
all sides until that gentleman's aim was
almost shaken from its socket. The rat
has lost his hold on Mriwnee prairie, due !
to the famous "rat tail supper.
The World's Coal Output.
The following table shows the total
output of coal throughout the world for
the calendar years for which statistics
are available, except the figures of the
United States for 1387. Gross tons of
2240 pounds are used in giving the statistics
of Great Britain, the United
States, Russia and other countries, and
metric tons of 2204 pounds for all the
other continental countries of Kurope:
Counlrie*. Tons, 1886.
Great Britain 1,413 i;x,010,103
United States 102,143,883 106,548,329
Germany 78,206,388 75,627.766
France 19,510,530 20,014,597
Belgium 17,846,000 17,2.53,144
Austria- Hungary.... 17,393.819 18,352,623
Russia 4,500,000 4,650,000
Spain 945,904 1,000,000
Nova Scotia 1,352,205 1,502,011
Other countries. 7,000,000 7,000,000
Totals 408.634,047 409,407,553
?
.. .. - - r- -r
' - '
s
j BUDGET OF FUN.
HUMOROUS SKETCHES FROM
VARIOUS SOURCES.
A Shining Society Liffht?A Freak
of Nature ? Robbing River
Banks ? Her Strict Sense
of Propriety, Etc., Etc.
A pair of shiny boots he wore,
Likewise a shiny hat,
And eyed the damsels at the door
Who came out from the mat
No answering glance they gave him back.
As swiftly past they flew,
Because like nat and boots, alack,
His coat was shiny too.
?Boston Courier.
A Freak of Nature.
Timpkins?"I say, Jones, tho3e trousers
of yours are mighty shabby."
Jones (who is sensitive on the subject
and replies with some asperity)?"Well,
anyway, th.ey cover^a warm heart!"?
i Judge.
.. Robbing River Banks.
"I see in the paper," remarked Mrs.
Snaggs, "that some river thieves have
been arrested."
"Yes," replied her husband, listlessly.
"It's a good thing they are arrested.
Think how Pittsburg would suffer if
they had stoien the Allegheny or the
Ohio."?Pittsbui g Chronicle.
Her Strict Sense of Propriety.
On the archery ground. Miss Prim?
"Did you hit the masculine bovine optic,
I Mi. Gubbins?"
"Beg J ardon?"
Small brother Prim to the rescue:
"Aw. she wants to know if you hit the
bull's eye, Mr. Gub., only she's tootoncy
to talk p!ain English. Cheese yournonoonca
Rno " T)nnon7/o
The Instrument Was Shocked.
First Telegraph Operator?"What's
the matter with your tnavhine, Jack? It
acts as if it were going to tear itself off
the table?"
Second Telegraph Operator?"Oh, it's
that fool fellow in Washington."
"What's he doing?"
"He's sending the proceedings of the
woman's rights gathering there, and he
just now gave the name of the president
as Susie Anthony!''?Chi ago Mail.
A Chance to Show Attention.
"Do you think, Miss Ethel," he inquired,
tremulously, "that I could see ,
your father this evening?"
"I hardlythink so, Mr. Lastyn," she ,
replied with a soft and not unbecoming
blush. "Papa is in the library with Mr.
Getthere, and I expect he will need me,
too, in a few minutes. But I am sure
that any other evening papa would be .
more than happy to have you call on ;
him. He is always pleased when young
people showjiiim attention." ?
In a Contemplative Mood.
" Why so contemplative, papa mine? "
said t^e beautiful Miss Wubash to her
father, the eminent Chicago pork packer;
"i* your mind upon business carcs intent?
"
"Yes, dear,"'he replied, pushing her
away gently; "and you mustn't disturb
me now. I have perfected a system
by which I can make silvered pigtail
favors for the german, and I am trying to
think out somelhing that will prevent
the grunt from running entirely to I
waste."?New York Sun.
A Waste of Raw Material.
Mr. Thrippair Bacque (who is showing ;
Miss Terrie Hutt the sights of the town)?
" Look at those seals, Miss Hutt: Don't
you think they're sorter int'resting? See
'em flop about!"
Miss Term Hutt (sternly)?"I think
they're an awful waste of material, if you
wanter know, Mr. Bacque. I calculate
there's a sacque and a half in each one of
those insects, and now they're naturalized:
I don't s'pose there's a cent cf duty
on 'em. Where did you say the monkeys'
cage wa3?.''?Puck.
A Sarcastic Order Literally Obeyed.
A missionary once took a Hindoo coun- '
try lad as a servant, when going on a boating
journey. As there are no lava'ories
on board these country boats, one's ablutions
have to be performed in a very |
simple manner, an ordinary bucket serving
as a wash-bowl. Tbe boy was ordered
to bring some water, and in doing
so, happened to spill a little on the floor. I
'Why don't you throw it all over me?" j
askccl tne missionary, jocosely. "Ana, ' i
said the lad, and immediately, to his
master's astonishment, took up the pail'
and emptied it over that gentleman's '
head. The boy could not possibly un- J
derstand the humor in the speech, and j
was astonished to find that words are ;
not always used to express the same idea.
Whore He Drew the Line.
"I dropped into a down-town hatstore
last week to have my hat ironed,"
says a writer in the New York Toicn
To})i>*. "A gentleman having just purchased
a silk hat, one of the clerks had
taken it to the inner room to have it
shaped to his head. While he stood
bareheaded awaiting his tile, another
gentleman entered, and, mistaking him
for one of the clerics, said as he handed
him his hat, which was an old one"':
' Want to have it ironed." The gentleman
accepted the situation humorously,
and taking the hat to the back o.fice.
called out: "Justiron that hat, please!'
Presently his new hat was brought out
to him, and while he was just adjusting
it, customer number two camc up briskly
and said: "You need not try it on; it
looks all right; give it to me."
" Well, my good man,'' was the somewhat
sarcastic retort, "I don't mind being
mistaken for a hat clerk, but when it
cornea to giving up my new hat for that
old campaigner I have just passed in, the
line has got to be drawn."
Larry Jerome's Scarf Pin.
A week or so ago. just as Larry Jerome, <
the New York millionaire patron of outdoor
sports, was leaving home to come |
over to Washington, he stopped in at j
Macy's and bought a handsome solid gold.
scarf pin, set with a beautiful sapphire,
for which he paid tho regulatiou price of
$3. On the handsome Jerome this pia
loomed ur> like a gem of purest ray ;
serene, and he flattered him-elf that he ;
was giving the jewelry a great send-off, '
And tnlrinrr in .all nhservprq hv its <?lit- I
ter. When he reached Washington and 5
Chamberlin's the first man he met was
John Hoey, and the first thinghe noticed
on Mr. II. was a fine diamond scarf pin.
"Larry's mind was soon made up and
he began to "approach'' his friend, the
millionaire.
"That's a fine pin you are wearing,"
he said, with innocent confidence.
"Yes," remarked Mr. H., "and I ol>-1
serve that you are wearing one that isn't
any slouch."
Larry blushed and went at him again.
"Yes," he said, "that's a fine article,
but I like yours better in some respects
than my own."
"Oh, I don't know," said Hoey, evasively."
"How'll you trade?"
i
-. v ' fsj? '^T;
|X2f W' % <: % " %
"Well," hesitated Larry, shrewdly, "I
am not very anxious, but if you feel like
it, I'll go for you for friendship's sake
and take the chances."
Each one assured the other of the great
bargain he was getting, and finally the
pins were exchanged.
That night the two friends went to the
theatre, and Larry, fearing that Hoey
might want to play "Injun gift," wore
his new scarf pin in his pocket, so his
ftiend wouldn't sec it and be reminded
of the past. "Gf course," thought
Larry, "Hoey wouldn't wear anything
but the best, and I'm just in to the extent
of a $50 scarf pin."
The next day Hoey left, and Lnrry was
in high feather and went to John Chamberlin
to tell him his luck.
"By Jove!" he said to John, "I
worked Hoey in great shape," and he
proceeded to give him all tne particulars.
John tumbled into a chair and fairly
yelled.
harry joined Kim ana ronrea even
louder than John did.
"Wh.it are you laughing at?" asked
John, finally.
"At the way I worked Hoey, of
course,"said Larry, in some surprise.
"I ain't," said John. "I'm laughiug
at the way he worked you."
Worked me?" exclaimed Larry, getting
cold.
"Of course," said John. "Didn't you
trade him a$3 pin;"
"Yes, and got a $50oue for it."
"Xot much, you didn't. Hoey told me
all about it, and that pin you've got cost
him just fifty cents, and he didn't try to
beat the dealer down a single cent,
either."
Larry was so indignant that he bet
C'haniberlin a basket of champagne he
didn't know anything about jewelry, and
then taking him out to a jeweler's, the
question was put to the expert as to the
^ - r i.t_ _ _
vaiue ui me piu.
' Well," he said, after a critical examination,
"I don't know what it is
worth to you, but if I were buying I'd
give about twenty-five cents a quart for
pins of that grade."
Larry col!a(.ssd, and now he is looking
for Hoey with a club. ? Washington
Cri ic.
The Australian Aborigines.
The character of the Australian aboriginal,
when studied, shows traits that
his white oppressors might be proud to
possess. His faithfulness is remarkable,
and he has been known to stay with his
sick master on the desert plains of interior
Australia till death had taken them
both, though his own safety might have
been secured with ease. Their power of
endurance i* such that they have been
Irnnwn travel over 125 miles in twentv
four hours, and be ready to move on if
required. Their keen power of scent
and observation is now appreciated by
the police, and woe be to the criminal
whose track they are upon! Not a disturbed
leaf nor an Overturned stone will
escape their keen eyes.
last November three desperate bush
rangers escaped from the jail at Perth,
Western Australia. They were familiar
with the bush, and had hours' start, yet
with the assistance of the "black trackers'"
the escapers were in the hands of
the police within twenty-four hours.
But the "black fellow" will not work;
if any duty i3 required of him, and the
idea is impressed upon him that it is only
play, he is ready and willing to do it, no
matter how arduous the task may te.
He will ride horseback all day after cattle
aud stay awake all night- to watch
them, if he thinks it is fun. but let him
fiud it is his work he is doing and he will
take to the bush at short notice, nor will
he return to the same master. He asks
no pay; clothes he does not need; a bite
to eat and his satisfaction is complete.
It is the fashion of the Queensland
ladie3 to have a little black boy for a pet.
Tricked out in gaudy c'othea the little
fellows take the place of the pet poodle
of European society. ? These boys are
usually taken from the "Gins" by force,
but as it i3 nobody's business the crime is
never noticed.? San Francisco Alta.
Making Cork Bottle-Stoppers.
"Cork has to be prepared before it
can be manufactured into bottle corks,"
said a dealer to a reporter for the New
York Mail and Exprest recently.
"How* is this done?"
"The bark which is intended for corks
i3 kept in a damp place. "When taken
into the shop to be worked it is cut by
the first workman into strips, the width
of which corresponds to the length of
the future cork. A second workman
cuts these strips into squares, suited in |
size to their diameter. The squares, I
strung, are plunged into boiling water
to make them swell out. They are then
stored in a cool place and kept constantly
moist by sprinkling till they pass
into the hands of the cork-master. He
applies them m succession, giving them
a rotary motion, to the edge of a widebladed
knife, drawing them at the same
time slowly along its length, and by
skillful manipulation transforms the
square into a round cork. This is the
French method. In other countries the
workmen handle the knife in a different
manner.''
"Are many corks made in this country
? *'
4 4 Vaa n rrroof mnnv HTriPV fmTi* fttlfc 1">V
? G-, a givai "-"""J ?- -J |
a machine. Only the best are made by
hand. To obtain a good cork it is essential
that it3 axis, a3 it is cut from the
bark, be parallel with the axis of the
tree on which the bark grew, but the
broad, flat corks have to be cut perpendicular
to the axis of the tree. A good
workman can make 1000 corks a
day."
The Struwberry's Name.
Over four huudrcd years a?o "Strawberries
!" was a cry of the London streets;
and the garden of the Bishop of Ely at
Holboru was famous for its tine growth
of the lucious berry. Its name is an
Anglo-Saxon one, supposed to be derived
from its straw-like stem, but quite as possibly
it is derived from the circumstance
of its growing uinid what was called
straw, or from the custom of stringing
and braiding the long-3tcmmed berries
into a biinch of straws, as some of the
countrv folk do to-day. Beside our own
- - ?if .3
numberless varieties 01 trie same wuu
berry, cultivated out of all acquaintance
with its parent stock, there is an East
Indian variety with showy yellow flowers,
valuable only for ornament, as the
fruit is worthless, and a charming Chilian
species with thick dark leaves, and a
berry sometimes of a pale rose color and
sometimes of a rich creamy tint, and
often as large as a hen's egg.
' The Chautauqua Salute.*
Sunday night, when Mr. Burdick arose
to begiu his address, the ladies, in accordance
with a preconcerted plan, gave
him a Chautauqua salute. Every lady
in the house waved her handkerchief,
and the effect was beautiful. We didn't
suppose there were so many clean white
handerchiefs in town. From the parquet,
the circle, the gallery and the
stage fluttered the dainty fabrics, giving
eloquent though silent evidence of the
warm place Mr. Burdick has won in the
hearts of the ladies of the village.?
Dansville (2V. F.) Advertiser.
.V- ' '* *- T v/- V. . -\f
' v.\- \
! - - W& r "j
4
CtSIOUS FACTS.
The world takes one ton of pills every
week. *'
Muskets were invented and first used
in England in 1421.
Darius, of Persia, at the battle of the
Granictis, had 600,000 men.
It takes eight hundred full blown rosea
to make a tablespoon ful of perfume.
A man in Missouri claims that he can *
tell what a person is thinking about by
the way the person winks.
George R. Cowherd, of Greensburg,
Kentucky, has a dog that crowa for day
in company with the roosters.
Two well-known firms in Kingston,
New York, recently had a lawsuit over
forty-five cents, and both oogaged law-yers.
The English call an elevator a " lift,"
and the French call it a "help," while,
the Scotch put in their oar by referring
to it as a " drop."
1 UC YYUIU. UlOUUlb 10 lltuiu IUI l n 4.V.U
baked/' because originally that was the
raode of entirely depriving it of moisture
to insure its keeping.
"Johnny-cake" was originally called *'
"journey cake'' from the facility with
which it could be made, and its value as
a ration in traveling.
A philanthropist in London has established
a spectacle mission, where poor
printers, tailors, shoemakers and seam- :
stresses have their e^es tried, and obtain
spectacles for little or nothing.
One of the most enterprising of the
newspapers of Buenos Ayres is edited by
Winslow, the Boston forger. Bince he
became a citi/en of the Argentine Republic
he is said to have amassed a fortune
of $ij00,000.
The smallest mite of humanity ever
born in Pennsylvania was given birth to
by Mrs. Robbins, of Throop, Lackawanna
county, recently. It is a female
child, and, it is said that a finger ring
could easily be slipped over its head.
In the city of Mexico, not long since,
iiiey irieu a mxiu a coinage ujr suuvuu^
him up in a room with six rattlesnakes.
At the eadof six hours they opened the
ioorand he was standing on a window
(ill. and the snakes had fought and
killed each other.
A schoolboy of Insterbnrg, Germany,
recently wrote to the Emperor of China
asking for some Chinese postage stamps
for his collection. A few days ngo the
Chinese Embassy in Berlin forwarded to
aim a letter from the Emperor enclosing
the stamps which he desired.
A Chicago street-car conductor with a
tast for gardening ekes out his modest
salary by raising mushrooms - in the cellar
of his house. So far this month the
beds have yielded an averege of four ;
pounds of mushrooms to every nine
ia wjo/Io aala fnr
pij URIC lv, t Lj UUU iUVlC W 1WUUJ WUIV *V4
them ia them in the market.
Mr. John S. Wilson, an old St. Louis - .
locomotive engiaecr, has in his possession
a silver dime of the coinage of 1837 *
which was presented to hira as a token
of friendship by Andrew Jackson just
before his inauguration as President. It
has the name of the donor, the date of
the presentation and the name of the recipient
engraved upon it.
Printed matter is measured by "ems," the
letter "m" being the unit. The
following compilation is by Professor
A. P. Lyon: The Bible contains 8,500,000
"ema," Webster's Dictionary 20,000,000,
Chambers's Encyclopedia 58,000,000,
Johnson's Cyclopaedia 56,000,00'),
Appleton's Cyclop idia 60,000,000 and
Encyclopedia Britannia 110,000,000
4'ems."
The common people of Hamburg
rarely eat meat, it is ao dear. Soups
are made in great variety, including one
from beer. The poorer kinds of fish
only are cheap. Economy is not confined
to the poorer people. Servant girls
are generally allowed for the week their
loaf of bread and quarter or half-pqund
of butter or lard, and are only permitted
to use a certain quantity at each meal,
the rest being locked up with the family
provisions till the next meal.
The Art of Boning Fish.
"After all, this is just about the finest
fish that swims," said a Qilincy
(Mass.) market dealer to a Globe-Demoera'
correspondent as he laid upon the
scales a big shad that made the indicator
iumn around to the seven Dound
w* j r - *
notch.
"So far as flavor is concerned," replied
the customer, "it is certainly uneqnaled;
but the bones are a serious drawback."
The fishmonger smiled. "If you don't
like the bones,'" he remarked, "why
don't you take them out before you cook
the shad."
"You are joking. It wouid not be
possible without pulling the fish to
shreds."
"You are quite mistaken, I assure you.
If you like, I will bone this one for you.
Watch me closely, and next time you
will be able to do it for yourself. You
see, I have already spread the fish out
flat, as if for broiling, by dividing the
back with a knife from head to tail.
After disemboweling it I cut off the tail
and head, and then inserting my knife as
carefully as possible beneath the
backbone, I disect it out as the
doctors, would say, from the
nrratlior wi:h the ribs
IJVfOUj VVgV?M?> ?
and smaller bones attached to it. If this
is properly done nearly the whole of the
bony system will have been removeda
when the belly and other useless portion,
are cut away. Nothing now romainse
you perceive, but the edible part of thf
shad, ready for the grirdiron. For, o.
course, boued shad must be broiled,
Scarcely a scrap of meat has been thrown
away, and all the bones are taken out,
save only two or three rows of little ones "
that can be readily withdrawn from between
the longitudinal flakes. The shad's
skeleton is far more elaborate in structuie
than Ikat of any other fish, and the difficulty
of performing this operation upon
it is proportionally greater. With a
mackerel or cod there i.s comparatively
little trouble. Here is your shad now,
sir, without a bone in it. It is a delicacy.
I will venture to say, that you have
never seen upon anybody's table."
Hunting Woodeliucks With Terrapin.,
A mau in Webster county, W. Va., baa
a novel way of catching woodchucks.
He first c&tchcs aland teirapin and bores
a hole in its sh~ll ju?t over the tail.
Thorough this noie no runs a oau oi
candlcwick, leaving the ball about two
ieet from the terrapin. When he w.ints
a woodchuck for dinner he takes the
terrapin in his pocket to the hole in
which the woodchuck has taken up his
permanent residence. When there he
puts the terrapin in the inouth of the
hole, saturates the ball with kerosene,
applies a lighted match and in the turtle
goes, followed by the ball of fire. The
owner then stands at the other end, or
exit, and awaits progress. In a very
short time the woodchuck appears at the
mouth of the hole in a puzzled fraaie of
mind. A sharp blow from a club winds
up the woodchuck's existence. The
terrapin is always close behind his prey;
he is picked up, the burning kerosene
extinguished, and the hunter i3 ready
for another. ? Chicago Ilerald.
-