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THE LAND OF HOPS. There's a beautiful isle in a summer sea In a wonderful country awaiting me, Where wealth with its blessings and love with its crown, Blend in harmony rare; where songsters brown Fling out sweet symphonies on each hand. Oh, the land of Hope is a beautiful land. No sorrow or illness is ever known there, No trial or weeping or touch of despair, No burden to carry, no task to pursue, No thought that is weary, no sighing to do. Our lightsome feet tread over glittering sand, Oh, the land of Hope is a beautiful laud. Bat the fairy-like is'e in a summer sea Is a million leagues too distant for me. Though I sailed o'er the seas, and sailed evermore, t could never catch sight of its lonely shore, Though we hear of its glory on every hand, Oh, the land of our Hope is a phantom land. ?& B. Bohan, in Daughters of America. THE MOKSAN WILL. I had been admitted to the bar, but as I had very little practice and found myself with plenty of time on hand, I had got into the habit of dropping in to chat with a news dealer who kept a stand not far from my office. Old Bowls, as everybody called him, dealt also in waste paper and rags, which he sold to the paper makers One evening he was sorting a lot of Tubbish, when my practiced eyo lighted on what appeared to be a legal document, bound with blue tape. I took it up, and saw that it was marked "Last "Will and Testament" I opened it and commenced to read: In the name of God: Amen. Know all men by these presents,that I, James Morgan, being of sound mind and disposing memory, -do make and publish this my last will and testament. ' What's that you say?'' demanded Bowls, as he dropped a handful of paper aud looked up at me. J. repeated wnat I naa reaa. "Ail right," he said. "Sow read on, Squiie." I give aud bequeath to my adopted daughter, Elizabeth Morgan, otherwise known as Elizabeth Summers, all my personal aud real property, after the payment of my funeral expenses and my just debts. ' Heavensl" exclaimed Bowl-, "that must be the wili of old Morg.in, who died four years ago?it was said?intestate. He left not le=s than $10(1,000, th-it all went to remote h; irs, though everybody expected it would have been left to this very Elizabeth 5-ummers, his adopted daughter." ?"What has become of the adopted daughter?" 1 a^kcd. ' I do not kuow, but I think I can find out.". "How much of this property is reil estate.' and where is it situated." "Well, there is the Oakdale plantation, which I es about five miles out from here, and is worth at lea;?t $50,000. Then there are several houses in town also, besides $25,000 in Government securities." I "Who is the relative that got the property <" "Simon Skagg*. He live3 out at the Oakdale farm. I think he i3 a second cousin to Mr. Morgan." nixru .* TT Xlwfrb IViliU vx luau 19 UC 4<A mean old skinflint, or he would i never have taken the last cent from that poor girl." Well," said I, "I propose to take * this will home with me to-night aud ex? -. amine it carefully. If I find it all right! -we'll hunt up the girl and recover the ^property for her. To this he assented, and, depositing :? the document in ray pocket, I bade the old man good night and returned to my oitice, where I slept. The next afternoon I went to Bowls's store. He was alone, waiting for me. "I have found where the girl is," he said, as soon as I told him that the will was undoubtedly genuine. "She lives about fifty miles otf, in a little place called Friendsville, quite up among the mountains, on a wild hill-farm, where things go on in the most primiti e manner. A distant relative?an aunt fhree times removed, very poor, but, it seems, not without a heart?heard of her destitution, and sent for her. An old lady, who used to know the girl and had her at her house awhile a ter old Morgan's death, happened to come in here and I * J* ^ - * .1 n:?i.Aik ftSiicu uer 11 snu kliuw wucie jdii/uuciu Summers was." "I will go down and see her to-mortow," I said promptly. "And bring her back with you," au wered Bowls, as briskly. "My daughter and I will give her a home. Gad." he cried, rubbing his hands enthusiastically, "we'll le too much for old Skaggs, after all." It was late the next afternoon when I arrived at my destination, having made the journey partly by rail and partly by stage. The coach put me down at a lonely crossroads, from which I had about two miles to walk. "Oh, yes, the Widow Benham," said the driver, pointing with his whip, "lives up yonder, juBt around the point of the mountain. You'll see the house in ten minutes or so." it was a warm, sultry dqf in August, with not a breath of air stirring. I soon caught sight of the house?a plain, unpretending structure like so many in that region. When it was about 2oO yards distant the sound of falling water attracted me, apparently coming from some precipitous rocks on the left. As 1 was thirsty I went toward it As I turned the corner of a cliff a handsome girl, about 20 years of age, emerged from a sort of cave, bearing on her shoulder a large water jar. The lightness with which she stepped from stone to stone across the brook, the poise, as of some sylvan goddess, with whieh she bore aloft the jar, made me utter unconsciously an axclamation of surprise. Though she was dressed in the coarsest homespun and wore neither shoes nor stockings, I lorgot altogether the homeliness of her apparel in the grace of her movements, the exquisite contour of her figure, and the beauty of her expressive face, which was now mantling with blushes. A small dog, apparently a self-constituted protector, barked at me furiously as I advanced, hat in hand; for intuitively I knew this must be my client. My dent it was. I loat no time in . plaining tl e object of my visit. She was very much surprised, but, after a moment's hesitation, said with dignity: "Come up to the house, please. I will consult my aunt. Down, Tip?down, air." The dog ceased barking at this command 'and trotted quietly ahead. I offered to take the jar, but she declined with the composure of a queen. When she had introduced me to Mrs. Benham and said; "This gentleman, aunt, has something very strange to tell you, and I will leave you with him for a moment," she disappeared, returning come quarter of an hour later, dreaaed in ft becoming blue muslin and with the daintiest of slippers on her pretty feet. I had meantime produced the will and i? * given details of the manner in which it was found. Not to dwell too long on this prelude to my story, I will say briefly that my client and I started the next morning for Kent, and were met at the depot by Bowls and his daughter, who relieved me of my charge, while I went to my boarding house for supper and thence to my room. The next day I filed the document in ? ' ^ /M?l- J raA.,A I the office 01 tne UOUUiy uiers., auu^avo notice to Skaggs that on the following Monday I should move that it be admitted to probate. But here a new difficulty presented itself. In our anxiety to find the claimant we hfid utterly overlooked the attesting witnesses. I immediately went to Bow's and' stated the difficulty. ' Ah!" said he, "why have we not1 thought of this before?" "Do yon know these witnesses?" I said. | "Yes, I know them. Tom .'ones lived as a tenant on the old man's farm at the time of his death. He now live3 about I ten miles out on the Lancaster road. ! Aud, as certain as I'm a sinner, 'squire, j this other wituess is dead, William Jack-1 son? Yes?I remember him. Ke moved ' to Texas, and died a year ago." "Then it's all up. We can't get along j without both witnesses. Are you sure ( ! that .'ackson is dead?" j "I am certain. He has a brother liv- j ing in this town, who received a letter ; from the family in Texas at the time of his death. There is no doubt about it." , ! "Then we may as well drop the matA T" - 1 1 iU Cfota ya. ! ( ter at ouce. i ue mw ui tmo ??<- 1 ! quires the evidence of two witnesses, | and makes no provision for the death of . one." j "It does look rather ugly, if that's the case," said Bowls. "But let's make a fight of it?something may turn up in j our favor." My fears proved corrcct, however. We made a gallaut struggle; but it was in 1 , vain. My speech, I was told afterward, j was applauded privately by the Judge, though in his offcial capacity he felt compelled to decide against me. I remember that I spoke from a full heart of . the injustice of refusing to receive a will ; which everybody knew to be that of i Morgan, merely because one of the wit- j j nesses had died. My fair client still remained at my ; , friend Bowls'a. "My eldest daughter has come to love Ler as a sister," he said. "Bessie, as you must have seen,is : I unusually intelligent. She bad received j quite a good education, too, before old I Mr. Morgan died. The cheerful manner in which she bore her subsequent poverty is, as Mrs. Benliam says, a proof of an unusually n'-ble character. Now we have invented an excuse that we want a nursery governess, for she is j too proud to stay as a mere pensioner, ' and her aunt hits consented to the arrangement, saying that it is a sin to bury j Bessie among the hills." ! One day in the following summer I was in the clerk's office searching some old records, when I came upon a page that almost took my breath away. After reading it carefully I closed the book ! and returned to my office. The next day Simon Skaggs was served { with a summons to answer a suit of ejectment in the name of Elizabeth Morgan, for all the real property held by hira, which he < laitncd as heir at law of the late .lames Morgan; and great was j the excitement in the village when it was known that this suit was begun. "What could it mean?" asked everybody. I told no one. Even to Bessie I only represented that I thought I saw a chance to recover; but I was careful not to appear too sanguine. In two months the Circuit Court came on. Again the court was crowded. The excitemeut was even greater than it had been before. I had prepared no brief. Not even a memorandum or a book did I carry to court. "Morgan vs. Shaggs," called the Plprlr nnrl ehnrMir nftprw.irrl T aaid : "Call Mr. Bowls." The Sheriff called him,. He came into ' the court room, took the witness-3tand J and was sworn. The most intense silence now reigned. My fair client was seated by my side, 1 pale and quiet. The defendant was se.ited near his counsel, calm, confident, and de 'ant. ! " Examine the witness," said the ; Judge. "Mr. Bowls," T began, "are you acquainted with the plaintiff." " I am." " Do you know where she lived, from the time she was three years old, up to the time sue was sixteen?" ,l I do." j "Where?" "With the late James Morgan.'' "Are you certain that this plaintiff is ; the same person?" " I am." "That's all I wish to ask," said I to ; the Court. "Cross-examine, gentlemen," said the Jud^e. "We don't wish to asK anytmnsr," | said the opposing counsel?two of the able t lawyers in the country. | "let the witness stand aside," said the Court. "Call your next." " >'ay it please your Honor, we have 1 no other witnesses that we wish sworn at present," said I, rising to my feet and | looking around the room. A murmur of disappointment ran through the crowd. j " Then you rest your case here?" said ! the Judge with a smile. i No, your Honor; we have some record ; ! evidence that we wish to introduce;"; and as I spoke 1 drew it from my ' pocket. "It is nn authenticated copy ' j from the records of the country for the j 1 year 18?. It proves that this young lady w?i3 duly and legally adopted as ' the daughter of the deceased, and as B.ich is entitled, under our law, to this p-operty, as his nearest and only heir at , law. Shall I read it to the jury?" j "Pead it," said the Judge. But Skaggs's lawyers sprang to their feet with a storm of objections. For a full hour they argued, with all the force of their ability, bringing to bear their vast knowledge and experience. But, they were finally overruled by the Court, whr? directed me to nroceed. The record was conclusive. After ; reading it I announced I would close the | case for the plaintiff. The defendant ( wa9 so completely taken by storm that ! he did not introduce a single witness. | The charge of the Court was lucid and comprehensive. In thirty minute* the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, j The result was received with loud | acclamations by the excited aud'ence. j Skaggs took the case to the Supreme ; Court, but only for the purpose of gain- \ ing time. The judgment below was 1 affirmed. Three months later the real estate wa3; turned over to my fair client. The securities were given up at the same time without a suit. With a part of the interest which had been accumulating for so many years the old mansion at Oakdale was refitted and furnished. Six months later there was a quiet wedding,-at my o'.d friend Bowls's, in which ftook a prominent part. I am getting on toward middle age. I love my profession better than ever, \ though my time is now necesjarily divided, and a portion of it devoted to the farm at Oakdale. The old farmhouse is vocal with childish music, and a sunny-haired, softvoiced little woman makes it the brightest spot on all the earth to me. Starting an Alligator Itanch. Captain C. A. Eastman left this port several months since on the little steamer Balboa on a trading voyage along the west ports of Lower California and Mexico and has just returned to this city, after having comp'eted a successful trip. The captain is well known as a pro fessioual curiosity-hunter, naving as times been employed by Barnum, the National Museum at Washington and the zoological gardens and by Government museums in the 1'astern States and Kurope, and has procured for them seals, sea lions and other marine wonders. He is also a collector or rare plants, and besides many valuable orchids, he has brought with him a rare collection of ancie"nt pottery, consisting of jars, idols and domestic utensils, presumably of Aztec manufacture, which were found thirty feet beneath the surface in an excavation made on the Mexican National Pailroad near Colima. But what he f>rides himself particularly upon is twenty ive young alligators, ranging from eight to twenty inches in length, all of which are in prime condition, notwithstanding it is many weeks since they left their place of nativity. With these as a plant the captain proposes to start an alligator ranch on some one of the lagoons in the vicinity of Petaluma or Sonoma. Terrapin farms thrive in the State of Delaware, and their cultivation is not considered beneath the dignity of n United States Senator. The captain ar gues that there is a iortune in xne project, because alligator skins are valuable and are beginning to be rare and expensive, and he also claims that the beast can be readily corralled and domesticated and their habitations staked off and secured the same as an oyster bed. The alligator is known to breed rapidly under almost any circumstances, is easily provisioned, and the projector I of this new enterprise claims that the animal has been slandered by travelers' tales, which have hitherto prevented their being introduced to the "glorious climate of California^and their propagation for the sake of their valuable hides thus prevented fromlbccoming a remunerative "home industry."?tian Framuco Examinet. A Par9on Prevents Judicial Murder. A curious incident is related by the New York Observer of the Rev. Gilbert Taylor, of Tennessee. Mr. Taylor was a Methodist minister?a near relative of President Taylor and a man of property. A young man was condemned to be hung for murder in his town, but Mr. | Taylor was not satisfied that he was ( guilty, and one night, passing the jail where the condemned man was confined, he had a conversation with him, and becoming satisfied of his innocence he aided aim to break out, and he disappeared from the community and efforts j to recapture were fruitless. Some years thereafter Mr. Taylor was | traveling on horseback in a wild part of Arkansas, and being benighted stopped at a cabin and asked to lie allowed to remain all night. Only a woman appeared to be in the house and she stoutly refused permission. No other residence being near, Mr. Taylor insisted on stay- i ing,- .and finally stated that he was a I Methodist minister and that he wns Gilbert Taylor, of Tennessee. The wo- | man at once asked him in and called to i her son, who was hiding in the loft of ' the cabin, to come down?that the j ?A?AHA. btrauger WU3 UIIUCI t ilia ICOV/UCI, I The meetin? was a cordial one, and Mr. Taylor had the pleasure of informing the young man that he coula. return home, that another person, on his death*' bed, had confessed that he alone was guilty of murder. There wa3 joy in that humble cabin that night. An Automatic Life Preserver. A new automatic life-preserving belt has been successfully tested at Hidgway Tark, says the Phi adelphia Times. The preserver can be made in the form of a belt to tit around the body under the . arms or also be made in the form of a | vest. The belt is in the form of a rubber bag, covered with black Jersey cloth, and is intended to be worn at all times while on the water. It is ingeniously constructed. Under the left arm is a metal cap, about six inches in circumference, perforated all the way around. The metal cap screw3 down lightly upon a capsule about five inches in circumfer- I ence aud half an inch thick, which is perforated on both sides. In the capsule is compressed ga3. On ' contact with the w. ter tnegas is released | and fills the entire belt in less than five seconds after the wearer has fallen into ' the water. The water enters perforated ! holes on the outside of the capsule and comes in contact with the mechanism and releases the gas. The capsule then automatically closes and not a drop of water can penetratd the inside. The experiments were made from the front of Hidgwav Park. The wearer ol the belts was Frederick Golden, nineteen years of age, who wa9 pushed and fell overboard three times, each time the belt being inflated and the wearer buoyant before he came to the surface of the water. Smallest Locomotive In the World. Henry Case of Gloversville, N. Y., has just completed what is said to be the smallest locomotive in the world that runs upon a rail or by steam. It is madA of solid gold, silver, steel, and brass, and contains 283G pieces. The weight of the engine is 1J- pounds; of the tender 'j pounds; length of engine inches: with tender, 12 inches; height, 3^ inches; gauge of track, li{ inches; diameter of cylinder, 3-1G of an inch; stroko of piston, i linch?piston head fitted up ' ? ' l-i witn secuonai or ring pacing, siiu&c m valve, 1-16 of an inch; length of main and parallel rods, 1} inches, connected up with straps, bolts, keys, set screws and boxes aronnd the pins; length of links, 7-16 of an inch; width of link, 4 inch; diameter of ecccntiics, } inch; diameter of drive wheel, U inhes; diameter of truck wheel, + inch. It is fitted up with reverse lever, with thumb- j latch and click-throttle lever, steam! gauge, etc. It can be run a mile in 22 minutes, drawing a miniature coach.? Neu> York S'ir. Fire-Proof Stables. Fire-proof stables are not uncommon in Germany, and are very simply built. Timbers like railroad tics are placed from three and one-half to four feet apart, archud corrugated iron put betwaen them and filled in with a mixture of cinders and lime, making it deep enough to protect the timbers. The trap or door to reach the loft is made of sheetiron, filled in with the same compound. This kind of fire-proofing is very cheap and very effective. Blessing are strewed like flowers in our pathway; it rests with us to gathei thorn up carefully or pass them by. I BUDGET OF FUN. HUMOROUS SKETCHES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. A. Russian Courtship?Keeping Him Busy?Not for Himself?Her Mother had Been There, Eic-, II Be mine!" said the ardent young Sawmiiegoff, In a voice with emotion quite husky. " My fondest devotion,oh, p'.ease do not scoff, Katinka Pojakaroiuski?" " Techcrnyschevsky, my friend," the shy maiden replied, "Your people are noble and rich. "Would a Golgusoff's granddaughter be a fit bride For a nephew of Maximovitch?" "I care not a kopeck!" he said. "In my droshky I have you safe now, and I laugh At the wealth of a Klitkin or Overhauloshki, Ooinvnilr or Pnllerzedoff. "You are worth more to me than the gold of Slugmiski, Brakemupaki, or Sumarakoff! Katinka Pojakaroluski, it's risky, But I'm going to carry you off!" And this is the way the young Sawmilegoff | Put an end to all further discussion, 'Twas a simpler proceeding to carry her off, I Than to go on courting in Russian. ?Chicago Tribune Keeping Him Busy. "James," said the grocer to hi3 new boy, haven't you got anything to do now if" I "No, sir." "Well, ketch some flies an1 stick 'em on | the fly paper in the window."?New York Sun. ..... Not for Himself. Snarley?<;I see you're spending a lot | money on that little place of yours in Surrey." Snobley?"Yes, I wan't to make the 1 place?a?thoroughly fit for a gentleman, don'tcherknow?" Snarley?"Oh, I suppose you mean to let it?"?Punch. Her Mother Had Been There. Eight o'clock a. m.?Mrs. Popinjay? , "Where are you going, Angelina?" Angelina?"Only just around the corncr to match this piece of silk, , mamma." Mrs. Popinjay?"All right. Til tell Bridget not to have supper until 7 o'clock."?Free Press. Agreed With Her. Mrs. Yeast?"Do you buy your eggs at Shortcounts?" Mrs. Bacon?"Why7 certainly; his eggs can't be beat." Mrs. Yeast?"I know it; that's the reason I don't think they're good." Not Wholly Voluntary. Mrs. Van Prim?"I am astonished, Clara, that you should voluntarily allow Mr. Featherly to put his arms around you." Clara?"It wasn't exactly voluntarily, ! mother; at least, considerable pressure ! was brought to bear upon me.?San : Francisco aminer. A Practical View of the Situation. Lady Blanch?"I'm so tond of riding, I could almost live in the saddle! The I habit grows upon one so, you know." j I ady I?ose?"I wish mine naa grown j on me I I had to have it moulded to my j Bhape, and I expect papa will grumble frightfully at the cost when he has to j pay the bill."?Fun. Hope Springs Eternal. Mr. Tilbury Carter?"That ship yonder is the Pontiac, bound for the Land of Orange Blossom!" Miss Marie Gold (twenty-nine, des perate, and humming Mendelssohn's I "Wedding March" under her breath? i "I should n't mind being bound in the same direction myself!"?Puck. A Terrible Threat. "Vat," said the collector for a little German band to a citizen who sat in his J front window. "You no gif noddiugs | for dot moosi,?" "Not a cent I" replied the citizen, with j hopeless emphasis. "Den ve blay some more, dat's allPi threatened the collector; so the citizen ' hastily gave up a quarter.?Epoch. A dUnnlAti Anno. Benson (entering Newport Casino)? "Where have you been. Ed?" Cathcart?"Called on that rich and l hideous heiress, Miss T-jmith. Thank heavens she was out." (Exeunt twenty young men.) Miss Smith (at home next day)? "Strange that thirty-seven gentlemen should have left their cards last night? just the night when I was not at home." ? Time. Unlucky Pate of a Hotel Clerk. Clerk?"Will you register now?" Lord Divvivian (taking pen)?"Aw, aw, James!" Enter James. Lord Divvivian?"What ia me full name, Jeames?" James?"Cecil Fauntus Victor Albert Rnrlaio'h Rnpnn WaI v&tlcrhiin Vfuiu^j ?5 ? o Warwick Divvivian, sixth Earl of (iilcourtmage, me lud." Lord Divvivian?"Aw, thank you, Jeames."?Mall and Express. A Stray Lamb. Village Parson (entermg country editor's office)?"You promised to publish that sermon I sent you on Monday, but I do not find it in the latest issue of your paper." Editor?"I sent it up. It surely went in. What was the name of it?" Parson?"Feed my lambs." Editor (after searching through paper) ?Ah?yes?um?Here it is. You see we've got a new foreman, and he put it under the head of "Agricultural Notes," as "Hints on the Care of Sheep." A Great Sale. On a railway train. Two men discussing a book that has just been handed to them by the newsboy. First Man?"That's a great book, sir, a masterpiece of work." Second Man?"I wonder how it is selling?" L tfnr. U Cullin/V lllfi* n'Tiiel/TT nf Q rirai uiuLi? ^"**'5 ?inv " uiojxj c I Montana picnic. Never saw anything i like it. You see I am the publisher aud ought to know." Second Man?"Your information delights inc. I am the author." First Man (with fallen countenance)? "Well, that is, it hasn't had much of a sale yet, but I think it will have. Big risk you know, getting out this sort of book."?Arkansaw Traveler. Slightly Misunderstood. "Yes," said Miss Crushington, the celebrated exponent of society and emotional drama, "I had a most successful tour in England last summer." "Did you enjoy the trip acrosa the ocean?" "Very much coming back, but not so much going over." . . .' '. "Were jou sick?" "N-not so very, but I felt badly and wished I hadn't agreed to come. Wanted to back out, you know." "I understand; you felt like throwiag up the whole affair." 'Oh, dear no! I wasn't as sick as that!"?Merchant Traveler. Disproving Viral Statistics. There was a cold, hard look in her eyes and a baby on her arm as 9he came into the Critic office and sat down in the visitor's chair, alongside of the editor's desk. "You are the editor," she asserted, confidently. The editor did not deny the charge. ,l.'n your paper not long since," she continued, "I read an article on the rendu a Kafnma mada hr f-Vifl nnlififv and in it I noticed that the increase of population in Georgetown from 1885 to 1888 was only twenty-three." 4'Yes, madame," said the editor, because he hadn't anything else to say. "Well, it's abase slander on our town, sir," she exclaimed indignantly, and disturbed the baby till it grunted. "Why, sir, on my block alone, the increase has been tweuty-four within a year, and this one I've got is one of them." "Yes, madame," repeated the editor with striking originality, sticking his pen in the paste pot." I "Now, sir, I want to sue somebody for libel. It's either the police or tha newspapers." "The police, of course, madame,"said the editor, recovering his wits. 'Vs all the same to me, so long as somebody has to pay for it. Good morning. If any other member of the Georgetown Committee on Population call, tell them, will you, that Fve been here?" and she went out haughtily with the baby.? Washington Critv, How Congressmen Live. -liepresentative Long, of Massachusetts, in a recent letter to an editorial friend, corrects some mistaken notions as to the manner in which Congressmen generally livp in Washincrton_ He savs: "There arc a few persons of great riclies who now and then give enterta'nments, and live in an extravagant and profuse way, as sor.ie rich people do in every other community. But the great bulk of Representatives, including noticeably nearly all those of controlling influence, are men of limited means, who live in a modest and simple manner. "On the whole, I should say that the instance of Henry Wilson, which you cite, is a type of the present majority of members. Our Massachusetts Senators, Dawes and Hoar, live quite as simply, one in a little tenement not better than our ordinney New England parsonage, and the other in a boarding house, which you will not think extravagant when I tell you that, with the exception of myself, the rest of the boarders are government employes, whose annual salaries ran?>e from $2,000 rapidly downward. Walking out with Mrs. Long at sundown last evening, we passed a modest doorstep on which, with his young children pliying about him, sat a member who pointed to a suite of rooms as his lodgings, and whose dress and manner of livinc are as simDle and unostentatious as those of a Plymouth County farmer; and yet he is a millionaire?the richest San, I thiuk, in the House; a "Western mber man. wise and hard-headed, and not nshamed, bat proud, of the goadstick which he wielded in his youth, and with which he pricked his way to fortune. "Among the leaders, Reed lives in the fifth story of a small hotel; Randall in a house that would perhaps yield a rent of $300 or $100; McKinlej, in two or three chambers; Mills, in a quiet boarding-house; aud so on through the list. The House is full of poor men who make no show; who are just such plain, well-behaved, temperate, churchgoing people as you and I meet at home; who go afoot and drive no fine teams; who ape no fashions; some of whom go to the few public receptions that occur in the winter, but few of whom are able or care'to hold receptions or give entertainments themselves. "Fine raiment is so rare among them, that an old suit which I am now wearing for the third summer has actually been exploited by the newspaper reporters, in the absence of any other sensation, as subjecting me to the charge of being 'well-dressed," and if Tom Reed should cover his shining head with a silk hat, he would lose the Republican leadership. The member who lives luxuriously " .1 _ J Li. Jl_ 13 the exception, wnai is unaouuteuiy true of a few o.licials, especially of some outside persons of great wealth, who reside and entertain in Washington in the winter and are advertised in the society oolumns of the Press, it is not true of the great majority of the people's servants." An Ingennons Criminal. The old story of the jury that found ( the prisoner not guilty and hoped he would never do it again has a close parallel in a case recently tried in one of the New York courts. The defendant, a German widow, was on trial the second time for arson, the first trial having resulted in a disagreement of the jury. The testimony snowed that she was found last fall in her room bound and gagged, with a fire burning in the middle of the floor, and there was a very strong suspicion that the gagging were her own work a la Davenport Boys. The jury, however, found her not guilty, and the interpreter?she could not apeak a word of English?informed her that she was free. As she turned with a smiling countenance to leave the court room the Judge asked her interpreter to say to her that the case had a very suspicious look, and that she had better not go around getting herself tied up and gagged and having fires in her rooms. The interpreter dia so, and electrified the court by announcing that in response she solemnly promised never to do it again. The jury, no doubt, felt convinced that its duty had been properly discharged.?Detroit Free l*res*. Blaekbeard, the Pirate. Not far from St. Simon's, Ga., is an island called Blackboard. The name, it is said, originated from a pirate called Blackbeard, who long ago inhabited it with his crew of desperate men. A long, black beard, flowing to his waist, gave the pirate his name. When the government dispatched vessels laden with mouey to pay off the men sent to colonize the State, these pirates would lie in wait to s-ecure the treasure at any cost. Some years since a colored man was plowing on this island, when his plowshare turned out $40~0 in Spanish jrold. A crafty A-lJ ' * wno 4 AA S\1/l f A Kfl wnite man toiu unu n< wu um . good, and that lie would give him if 150 for it. The offer was accepted, and when it was beyond recall, the poor fellow found out that he had been swindled. Even now on the neighboring island of Jeckyl the trees are often found notched, and the people suppose that these marks denote the place where the treasure booty of the old pirate is buried. Blackbeard did not live to be very old. A vessel coming by was attacked by the , pirate and his men, when the captain of the beseiged vessel fired upon him and | killed him.?Chicago Herald. SODA WATER. INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING ITS MANUFACTURE. Produced at a Cost of Less than Two Cents a Glass?Machines for Dispensing the Effervescing Fluid. More than twenty thousand gallons of soda water are drunk in this city, says the New York Commercial Advertiser, duriDg a warm daj in summer. This ia the estimate of a manufacturer who turns out 8000 gallons a day. In the manufacture of soda water as in that of ice cream America is ahead of Europe. Across the water they do not use me dispensing apparatus wnicn is 10 common in every dmg store and confectionery store here; they serve it only in bottle and siphons. The business has developed enormously 'within the last half century. There are now about twenty-fhe thousand of these "fountains," as they are termed, gushing the popular effervescing drink into glasses and down the thirsty throats of people in this country. This estima' e is also arrived at by the manufacturer upon the basis that a trifle more than fifteen per cent, of the whole number of "fountains" manufactured are now in use. The big firm referr.d to has made more than 100,000 of these fountains altogether. A hundred different kinds of machines are now in fashion and kept on hand, costing from $78 to $4-?00 each. A good many in unique designs are built to order for customers. One sent to the London Exhibition last year cost $10,000 to make; this was the biggest thing yet attempted, and rather astonished the eyes of the Englishmen. The name '-soda" water, by the way, as is generally known, is an entire misnomer for the effervescing drink. It was possibly given to it by some obscure manufacturer, who wanted a name of his own in the early history of the business onrl afnrlr tn it TVif? nr+.iflp nn nnv n<u>H is simply water impregnated with ctftrbotiicacid gas?the 9ame gas which operates in the "raising" of bread or anything of that sort. The ingredients used in generating carbonic acid. gas for soda water are few and simple and have long been standard articles in the market of the world. The two necessary materials are a carbonate of some kind and an acid, by a union of which, with the carbonate, the gas is chemically evolved. Experimentally, a gnat variety ot acids and carbonates have been employed. For practical purposes sulphuric acid is now adm'ttedly superior to any other, but as for the carbonate, pulverized marble, whiting and bicarbonate of soda are still competitors for favor. The gas ia generated according to the American sys* tem, in an apparatus for the purpose, the gas after its evolition from the marble being carried through three washers, where any impurities are caught off by additional chemical appliances. It is then put into the steel fountains, ready for transport, by a process especially de| vised to suit the exigency. The regulation size fountain will hold fifteen gallons. Ten gallons of Croton water which, has been niterea tnrougn charcoal, sand and gravel, are first put into it. Then the fountain is placed upon a shaking machine and the gas foiced into it under pressure while the shading thoroughly impregnates the water with the gas. The fountains are made to stand a pressure of 500 pounds | to the square inch, being of steel with block tin seamless lining, but the pressure of the gas is but 150 pounds to the I inch. The mn.rble u*ed in the manufacture is the white snowflake, found up the Hudson and said to be the best for I the purpose, containing ninety-nine per : cent, of the carbonate of lime and magnesia. When the water is filtered as thoroughly as it is for this purpose, the product in the fountain will keep for any length of time, and an export trade is now being built up in the article. One generator of the size ordinarily used here will make about 2175 gallons of gas at a charge, enough to supply 750 gallons of water. The largest firm of the kind in this city controls now about two hundred patents in the various departments. It manufactures not only "soda" water and all the appliances of fountains and fixtures for dispensing it, but also the fruit syrups, boxes and other details required, even shoeing their own horses. "Soda" water is kept on tap in the factory for the refreshment of the hands, the same as lager beer in breweries, or ice water in ordinary establishments. Between three and four hundred men are employed during the busy senson, from January to July, chiefly making dispensing apparatus and fixtures. After the Fourth the demands of those going into the business has been prettv well supplied and the work of the factory is cut down to the manufacture of supplies tor the "plant." "Soda" water is also used about the factory premises as a fire extinguisher. The most popular flavoring for soda is the same as for ice cream?vanilla? about one person in every three calling for it. Lemon ranks next and sarsaparilla next, after which the various flavors are about on a par as to popularity. The ordinary purchaser of five-ceut glasses of soda water does not realize that he is giving about 250 per cent, profit to the dealer. But here is what a circular of the above-mentioned firm says about it: The profits wnicn aeaiers in caruuuauou beverages may reasonably hope to make can be readily inferred from the following accurate estimate of the cost of manufacturing each beverage: One glass of plain soda costs one-tenth of a cent. One glass of soda water with syrup costs one ana a half cents. One glass of mineral water costs one cent One glass of root beer costs one cent. One glass of ginger ale costs one and a cents. One glass of fine draught champagne corts four cents. A Texas Eviction. A San Antonio (Texas) landlord had trouble in effecting the eviction of unprofitable tenants. Mr. O. Bergstrom was the landlord, and the family he desired to rid himself of bore the somewhat snaggy name of Pflughaupt. Procuring a writ Mr. Bergstrom placed it in the hands of deputy shcrills. Mrs. Pflughaupt, it seems, was advised of the coming of the o ticials, nnil umping into bod, covere I lie.self with a blanket. When the o Kcers arrived she moaned that she was sick unto death, and a grown daughter and three smal'er Pflughaupts flew at the sheriffs with bromstichs, skillets, tin cans and other articles of like character, sometimes used for purposes of caressing. But the doughty bailiffs fought their way through the foe, and reached the bedside of iMrs. Pflughaupt with the papers, when, to their astonishment, that lady reached out with a long pitchfork handle and whacked one of the officers over the riuht ear with it. Nothing daunted, however, they gently lifted the pretended sick woman from her bed, bore her into the yard and soon had her and the bcl'igereut children out of the premises? 'L tmes-Democrat. % V?v # ^ ? - i , j ,-> i CURIOUS FACTS. A talent of gold was $13,809. A shekel of silver was about fifty coats. A violin made of clay has been on ex? hibition in Berlin. Aquatinta, is a kind of engraving by which a soft and beautiful effect is pro* duced. A moving train knocked the tail off a Missouri calf without in any way hurting the rest of the animal. * ; "Lover's ink," warranted to vanish ill twelve hours after use, leaving the paper blank, is said to be a Western invention. " The other day at Westport, Conn., Mr. Mitchell and Miss Lewis got married, and went off canoeing upon a bridal tour. An organ in a San Francisco church is said to have been benefited, rather than injured, by the accidental discharge of a bullet into it. A cat at Norwich Falls, N. Y., is ' bringing up her kittens on a diet of frogs' legs, which she catches for them . in a near swamp. At Deep River, Conn., two men, both shoemakers and both 82 years old, recently died upon the same day and at just the same hour. Lightning struck a pine tree on the farm of W. F. Spann of Webster county,. Ga.. and killed twenty hogs that had taken shelter under it. Sharks have appeared at the mouth of the Mersey, England, and Liverpool's small boys are wearing bowie knivef when they go in swimming. A Clinton (Iowa) baby has two grandfathers and two grandmothers, two greatgrandmothers and one greatgrandfather, besides parents, to pet it to death. A big willow tree ia aa upper New. York town was blown a foot fr<yn t]je perpendicular in a late storm, but little by little has gone back to uprightness. , On the farm of B. Peacock, Thomasville, Ga., lightning has struck the same building three times within one week, and the building is now about used up. A university is said to have beea founded at Bologna by Theodosius about 433, but the real date of the establishment of the University of Boulo&ne was 1116. Lincoln Chestnut and Edwina Arrow- . ' smith were wedded at Grafton, Neb., few weeks ago. The bride's reply to the usual formula: "Do you take this Chestnut?" was a painful strain on the solemnity of the occasion. A decidedly rare fruit is the white huckleberries gathered this week in * Bloomiijg Grove, Penn. The berries . ^ are about the size of a wild cherry, and are creamy white. They are very sweet Whether a new variety or a freak of nature we are not informed. The old belief that more light-haired persons than dark become insane has ! gone the way of the other ancient de- * , lusions. Out of l<i5 patients who are being treated in the Kirkb:idge Insane Asylum in Philadelphia all except foui! .. are of decidedly darK complexion. Nine years ago a Mrs. Manning, of. Paris, 111., vowed that it her son married ; a certain young lady who was objection^ ' i able to her she would go to bed and stay ' there until she died. The marriage took) Jriace, and the mother, true to her resoution, never left her bed until she wai ! borne to her coffin. I There is said to be a smokehouse in the southwestern part of Madison ? j county, Fla., that is a veritable bee hive, j and from which large quantities of honey are taken throughout the year by mere* j ly cutting the comb and catching the j liquid honey which pours from it. The i bees have sealed the interior of the house | with comb. i The Chinese frequently place little ! metal idols within the shells of mollusks, i removing them several years afterward 1 covered with a substance resembling | pearl; they also lay strings of small | pearls, separated by knots, inside the shells, and on taking them out, after a lapse of some years, obtain large and costly pearls. i About twenty years ago Mrs. Benjamin Braughn, of Atlanta, Qa., cut the hair from the head of her little two-yearold child, and saved one curl about an inch and a half in length. A few weeks later the child became ill and died. | Yesterday Mrs. Bra ighn opened the bor * in which she had laid away the little ringlet, and was astonished to find that it had grown to be two feet in length. Matt. Carpenter's Dramatic Death. The dvin?? hours of Matt. Carpenter, the distinguished American jurist, were strikingly and intensely dramatic. He watched the play of disease on himself as a naturalist watehej experiments or a scientist a chemical reaction. Heknew that his disease had passed to its third or incurable stage, and he gratified a curiosity, abnormal and painful to his friends, by watching himself the tests which the physicians make to indicate the progress of the disease. He procured chemicals and made tests h'mself with the interest but personal indifference of a young physician in a laboratory. Sometimes he would say to his partner: "At this rate there are two months left me," or again he would assert that nature and medicine had set back the disease a little. One morning after examining a test which indicated that dissolution was not far away, he spoke of it calmly to his partner, discussed it as he would a piece of testimony that he intended to introduce in a law case, and then quietly made some notes cf a speech he intended to deliver in the Senate. He entered the Senate chamber, his face whiter than his hair, bantered and perplexed a fellow Senator on tha subject of estabrshin?j a consular court in China. With one hand in his pocket and all his exquisite melody of voice and charm of diction, he delivered a speech on this unusually dry suljiect that entranced the Senate, and then as unconcernedly as though going to the restaurant for lunch, put on his heavy, furlined overcoat, stood at the door of the Senate a moment, looking around for what he knew was his last glance and quitted the Senate foiever. And wh'le he was making the speech with his hand in his pocket, he held in it the vial which contained the test that told the story of his speedy death.?tfcio York Sun. Pearl Fishing in Ireland. Pearls have been discovered, it is just announced, in several of the Irish rivers, and a gentleman who is chairman of the Oma?h Town Commissioners ha? arrived in London, bringing with him a packet of the gems which have been found in fresh water mussels of County Tyrone. Some of these pearls arc said to be of l'air iize, measuring over a quarter of an inch in diameter, while others range downward to the size of a small gun shot. They are asserted, moreover, to be of fine quality, ana to aoouna in mo stretches of water where the pearl-bearing mussels have now been discovered, ?Picayune. A SOO-acro farm in Essex, England, is held by the present owner at the nominal rent of $;>. A few years ago the same tenant paid $2500. / T , < ' ' ' : - ,