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BOTAI 8M6EE RJLPH; i- s , mi J oa J i ^ r He Waif of the Western Prairies, BY WELDON J. COBB. i CHAPTER Tn_ContlBtitt<L Tbolr hands and eyos mot. Ono glance at tbolr resolute face9 told that jDjko Dospard need have a care for him elf when those two mon started upon Ills trail. Roraomber, * spoke the scoot, "this Is ao ordinary venture." I realize and am ready for It," replied Barrel sturdily. ^Already Despard has crossed the dead line of civilization and Is among the bad lands to the east" Then we can follow him there.* "Yes; only he Is at home and among friends, where the white renegade and the red warrior will alike be banded Against us. Patience, courage, and craft cafi alone Overcome our enemies." I will dare It all for the sake of the Imperilled girl we seek to save," cried Darreii, enthusiastically. "But you are HI from tbe wound you rooeivea?uuauio i to proceed on the trail until yon are recovered." Not so, Darrel,* replied the scout. The herbs I have taken have restored say strength.* Then we start 8 At once." One hour later, mounted on two superb ateeds and fully armed and equipped for the expedition, the old scout and his young companion set forth upon the most perilous and momentous adventure of all their eventful lives. CHAPTSJEt VLEL ON THB TRAIL. The night wa3 hrlgbt as day as Dar? rel and Kan^er Balph rode from tne little town at Miners' Gulch toward the hills to the east in tho near distance. A9 nearly as possible, the former Informed the scout of bhe course Despard had taken in carrying away the recaptured maiden, Inez Tracey. They soon found themselves threading a rocky defile, along which the practical ye of the scout discovered evidences of recent travel. "They have come this way," he said to Darrel. "Then we may overtake them." Not so easily as you think." . "Why not?* "They have a fair start of us, and once in the mountains it will be difficult to follow their trail." The landscape became wild, and at times almost impassable, as they proceeded on their way. At midnight the cout came to a halt, utterly at fault. "We are in a quandary now," he remarked. "How?" asked Darrel. "Here the coarse diverges. The-outtows may have gone down the valley to the wilderness beyond, passed through vie gulch yonder to the outlaw country, or struck direct through the hills for the Indians." For nearlv an hour they reconnoitered ft short distance in each direction The scout's face showed a satisfied expression ?S he returned to the head of the cany6n. "Have yon learned anything?" asked Parrel, eagerly, , "Yes?" \ H "What Is Jt?i a "This. ? "H f The scont showed a ribbon, which barrel recognized as belonging to the r llresa worn by Inez Tracey. ' ; "Do you recognize it?" asked Ealph. I-Yes." . t - "Then the Indian country is our destination. They are carrying the girl to jtheir old-time allies, the Modocs." !. Darnel looked deeply concerned, but (he scout Seemed more encouraged and Vigilant than ever, and urged his horse to a more rapid rate of speed. ' mi (_ _ 1<_U* J 1 1UU lUUlUIUIJ iljjuil UlllUJUII UU<7UJ CiT couraging traces of tho persona they iwught They were toiling up a steep ascent, when Darrel found a piece of bridle rein. It evidently belonged to Despard's band, and they pressed on, confident that they were on the right trail. l "Beyond here the mouatains coijq^ to m stop," remarked the scout. |T "And beyond that?" i 'Prairie and forest, and the camping grounds of the marauding bands of savages. Ha! Bmoke!" t As Eanger Kalph spoke, his companion discerned a slight volume of smoke emanating from ?ome rocks beyond them. . They drove along as rapidly &9 the broken roadway would Admit. At a turn a scone of wondrous beauty and extent held them momentarily spellbound. The mountain of stone shot down thoer a thousand feet perfectly perpen> dlcular, and beyond it stretched a wooded j)laln far as the eye could reach. :f There seemed n^means 01 reacnmg it xcept by a toilsome ride to where there was a more graduel descent "Look," spoke/v le scout suddenly. Darrol thrilled- to keen excitement as lie glanced at anoint some distance below them. A body of horsemen were Just disappearing into a dense stretch of timber. "Despard and his men!" he cried. It must be them." Then they have escaped ua " "Not necessarily, the trail will be better on the lowlands than here. 1 think I know Despard's plans." "What are they?" To rejoin one of his old allies In stage robbery and war on the setti omenta "An Indian?" "Yos." Who Is he?" "Shadow Snake, the Modoc warrior. "What Is that?" Dlroctly before them, emanating from rocky defile, smoke ascended?the same they had observed a few minutes previously. "Can it bo a party of Indians?" askefl Darrol. "I think not It is probably the de erted camp-fire of Despard's band." Both men halted perp exed and bewildered, as they traced the smoke to its ource. At a cave-like aperture ii* the awiAnnt nf hncViaa rLnH * ?VI\Oj (D lai(^U ?U1VUU V w? WMWMW reeds and leaves were piled. Thf*ae had boon rocentiy ignited, and dense volumes of smoko Issued from the heap. The two men gazed at one mother in tho profoundest wonder. "What does it mean?" asked tb* mystified Darrcl. "I do not Icnow." "You think Doapard'a men built the Dro?" "Yoa; for they molt have recently patted this spot.0 "For what purpose?" That I cannot telL "Thon let ua aacortaln." Thoy dlamounted and approached the cave. Both started aa a low wall, like that of a person exhausted by pain, teemed to emanate from.the smoking cava "Do you hear that?* cried Darrel, excitedly. "Yes." "Some one Is In there!* "Probably a wild beast that they tried to am^kfi. o.utl" Tho cry wa9 repeated?agonized, muffled, but still parfectly distinct Darrel Grey turned pale. "It Is a woman's voice," he gasped, wildly. "Ahl Italph, If It should bo ? "Who?" "Inez." The scout started. "No, nb]"tney wouldn't dare to kill th? girl that way." "You do not know them. No crime 19 too deep for these inhuman ghouls. Quickl Aid me; I must know who Is in that cave. * In a moment they -were at work tearing and dragging the half-flaming mass from the mouth.cf. the. cavern. Even after ihey had removed It tho place was so filled with smoke as to choke and blind them. still. Darrel did not delay, but dashed recklessly forward. j A cry of horror and yet of relief escaped his lips as he saw a human form lying on a pile of leaves. It was that of a woman, but it was not Inez Tracey. Instead, the dim light of the cave 6howed a face dusky, though beautiful ?the countenance of an Indian maiden. | She was bound band and foot, alm'ost suffocated by the wnoke, exhausted. ; dying, threatened by a terrible death when Darrel found her. He lifted her I bodily In his arms and bore her to the outsideair. In profound amazement Banger Balph stared at the strange figure. Darrel re'eased the bonds that Sec.ured the girl Her -wild, haunted eyea swept his face for a moment her bosom heaved, and she grasped his hand in the deepest amotion. "The White Fawn will never forget you!" she uttered, in a gasping cry of gratitude. "Who la she?how came she here?* asked the bewildered DarreL "Ask her; sho speaks our language. It seems," suggested the scout The Indian girl shrank back at the words; she shook her head vehemently. "Tho White Fawn has her secrets, and will not tell them. Bat when the day comes when the Black Crow stands face to face with her again, let him botfft wa f U TV OiV* "Despard!" ejaculated the scout. "It was he who shut her up in that cave to die. See here, my girl, we've helped you out of a difficulty; will you return the favor?" The Indian maiden did not direct attention to the ranger, but fixed her eyes with a devoted light on the face of Darrel. "The White Fawn would dio to serve the young pale-face," she said earnestly. "Then lead us to the prairies below," spoke Darrel. She sprang bafore his horsa. "Follow!" she saidThey obeyed their dusky guide, who led them from the spot with the swiftness and accuracy of one familiar with the locality, No* i word was spoken until they reached the base of the descent to the plain below. The broad prairie, with Its wooded stretches, lay before them. As far as one of these the girl accompanied them. Then she turned as If to leave them. Suddenly she paused, In a listening attitude. Then she sped lightly through the timber. "She will return," said Ranger Ralph. "She has discovered something, you think?" asked Darrel. A minute later the Mthe figure of White Fawn reappeared. "A camp of friendly Sioux," she said, briefly. "They are on their way to the reservation. They are my friends. They go my way. Come; your horses shall be cared for, and you shall be fed." , J T\ 11- 1 V.~ one leu jjorrui o uuisu uy wo unuio until they reached a spot where about twenty Indians sat around a camp-fire. The savages greeted them in a friendly manner, and they remained for an hour with them, securing valuable information as to the country around them. ' j They were informed that the roving bands of Indians were massing their forces under the leadership of a chief of the Nez Perces, who was urging them to a general attack cu the settlements of the pale faces. It was as they were leaving the cSmp that White Fawn clasped the hand of Darrel Grey in a warm, earnest pressure. "Yon have saved my life," she said. "Whito Fawn never forgets friend or foe. Take this, and in your hour of danger, it may serve you, if you ever fall into the hands of Shadow Snako or his tribe." She flitted away ere Darrel could ask for an explanation of her strange words. He regardod the singular ornament ? 1-? J UIM t% a Ule Kavco ttUU UQiU ^lVUli 1I1LL1| as mo uvioo ovni wu away. It was a piece of Indian chalkstone, with some strange characters engraved npon It, and bound together by a chain made of the rattles of a snake. Little did either of the men dream of its future value to them, or of the effect upon their future the mystery surrounding White Fawn was destined to exert. T' jy were now compelled to exert caution in their movements, and kept to the timber as much as possible. The information they had received led them to believe that their enemies had gone to join tne savages, massed in camp at the Pueblo Elver, forty miles across the country. To reach this they would undoubtedly have to pass through much danger, and it might be impossible to follow Despard's trail c'osily. Several times that day they saw vagrant parties of Indians in the distance, but concealed themselves until they were out of sight "There are two points for us to remember," said the scout that evening at dusk. "What are they?" asked Darrel. ?V>a foennn nf Tnn"? JC IT3h ii\j avbcuipv iuo vi iuwci and remove her to a place of safety." "And the other?" "To reach Walford the Recluse, to whom Inez's father left her fortune, before Despard learns where be Is. We are likely to encounter many dancers ere wo accomplish it, and must be wary, for wo may come upon our enemies at any moment." "Hist!" They had come to tho banks of the river and were waiting While the horses drank. Sheltered by a little clamp of trees they could scan the stream without being observed. Darrel had ottered the warning word as he saw a canoe coming down the stream. "An Indian," breathed the scout. "Silence, till he passes." They remained perfectly etlll as the T-.n4 na tkfi Kao canoe DB&rt^u tuom. o uow &o ui? wan* came opposite them one of the horses hoofs gave way under the soft turf fringing the stream. His foot came down with a splash into the water. The Indian In the canoe started, glanced toward the thicket and evidently saw his ambushed foes. With one wild yell he abandoned the canoe and sprang into the water. Instantly the cry was answered by a score of voices both np and down the stream. They seemed jto accompany their owners toward the very spof where Darrel and the scout were at that moment "Cross the stream," spoke Ranger Ralph quickly. "We are surrounded and that is our only means of escape." CHAPTER IX THE MODOCS. Ranger Ralph directed his horse across the river and .Darrel Grey followed 1 closely after him.' Tne stream was very deep at its center, but the horses breasted the swift current and landed- them safely on the opposite bank. "Dash straight ahead," shouted the scout; "it is our only chance." "No, no! look, Kalph; there is a campfire in our path." The ranger brought his horse to its , haunches and glanced quickly and concerned.y about him. Behind them and WTAA/1a on UUlLi d.UUS l/UU wuuuo ovcwvu u??wv* with yelling Indians. They had been attracted to the spot by the warning cry of the Indian in the canoe. Immediately after discovering the strangehv^he savage had disappeared, and doubtless reached his companions who were hastening to the.thicket. "Dismount!" ordered the scoot, in a low tone. "Wo are in a scrape and must make the best of it." "Shall we abandon the horses?" queried Darrel. "For the time being, yes," replied the scout. "The Indians are coming. We had bettor separate." Hanger Ralph suddenly swung himself up by the branches of an immense tree under which the horses stood. Darrel Grey sought to follow his example, but, bewildered by the excitement of the occasion, delayed a moment too long. Three stalwart savages suddenly came into view. That' they had discovered him, the yells of the Indians Instantly informed mm. .tie starxeu ior mo nvcr guu iau down Its banks swiftly. A cry of concern broke from Barrel's lips as he glanced ahead. Several other Indians were running In an opposite direction. He was completely hemmed In, and there.seemed no means of escape except a wild dash Inland, which action would expose him to the fire of his enemies. He cast one quick glance at the treelined stream, and determined to trust himself to the water. Then Darrel dropped out of view and began to wade out into the swift central>current of the river. He could hear the savages talking excitedly, and apparently making their way toward him. Near the shore the drooping willows afforded a shelter from their prying eyes, but that he would not long bo safe there ho fully realized. He thrilled to a new idea of safety a9 ho saw an object floating neav him. It was the canoe that the Indian had abandoned, and it was upside down. Instantly Darrel conceived a daring plan of eluding his enemies, at least temporarily. He dodged down and came up with his head under the canoe. Then he stood In the water perfectly motionless. The savages came down to the edge of the stream and began searching for him. He could discern that thoy were making a thorough quest, and that finally they divided and proceeded up and down the stream. When all was silent he ventured to withdraw his head from the canoe and glance about him. No one was in sight in his near vicinity. "If I could locate the tree where Ralph hid himself I would rejoin him," he soliloquized. Just then, however, as ho glanced at the opposite shore, his eyes met a vision that startled and enchained him. A camp-fire had been built, and a large number of Indians were busy putting up some tents. Near the fire stood a savage, evidently their chief, directing their movements. There were two white men near him, and they were conversing with.himDarrel started'as he recogni2ed them! One was Dyke Despard; the other was his accomplice, Jim Danton. Even as he watched them, be saw their two comvnrtoa nf thft npovlnnfl Hat nfLM. lfiadinc? iaugg V* vmv y* v . -w ??, 9 their horses Oa one was seated a girlish forni. The heart of the young scout thrilled to wild emotion as he caught sight of the beloved face of Inez Tracey. "She is in the camp, a prisoner," he breathed. "I will rescue her, or die in the attempt" He dodged down again as, asainst the the light, he made out a savage form coming down the banks of the stream. In a moment Darrel was in his old position under the boat He believed he was as safe as before, but he learned his error a moment later. The boat was suddenly pulled toward the shore, and he knew that the Indian he had seen was its former occupant. Darrel quickly comprehended the situation. Dodging down under the water, he remained there for a moment Then he raised himself slowly. The savage was adjusting the canoe a few feet away. Darrel crept cautiously toward him. A brilliant idea, to enter the Indian camp in disguise, had entered his mind. Seizing a heavy stone, he clean tne savage a terrific blow. Tho latter foil to the ground with a groan. . "Victoryl" muttered Darrel, excitedly, "I will yet rescue the imperilled Inez!" |TO BE CONTINUED.] "World's Fair Medals. From present indications the medals awarded to successful exhibltore at the World's Columbian Exposition, which closed in October a year ago, will not be ready for distribution before February next. Similar evidences of superiority of exhibits at the Antwerp Exposition, which has just closed, have already been delivered, and the same is true of the awards made at the exposition at Lyons during the present year. The delay in th? matter of the delivery of the World's Fair medals is attributable, in a measure, to the rejection of the St. Gaudens design on the score ol National modesty, and much valuable time was lost in the efforts of that distinguished artist to modify his design to suit the ideas of Secretary Carlisle and the members of the Senate Quadro-Centennial Committee. As is well known, Mr. St. Gaudens failed la nis artistic efforts and his designs, original and modified, were rejected, notwithstanding he has been paid 55000 for the same. The meaals are now being prepared on a composite design, the joint conception oi Mr. St. GnudenB and Charles E, Barber, chief engraver at the Philadelphia Mint. The latter made the design for the reversa of the medal, the original design of Mr. St. Gaudens for the obverse having been found unobjectionable. This muoh was decided several weeks ngo. Two or three months will be consumed, however, in making the dies for the medals. The contract lor furnishing the bronze blanks and striking the medals has been let to the Scoville Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Conn., at their bid of $22,000. There are to be 23,757 medals in all, each of which Is to be three inches in diameter and seventhirty-seconds of an inch thick. There is j considerable work to be done upon them. ' and It is a liberal calculation that they will be ready lor distribution by the Government j in February nest. ^ 3Iec Against Oxen. I Tew people know that a man, bulk for | I bulk, is stronger thau an ox, but it appears ' '.bat is the case. The mutter was tested the Jther day at the Cumberland County (Maine) Fair, a feature oZ which was a contest of a ,-oke of oxen against an equal weipht of lien. A drag was loaded with granito jlooks, weighing in the aggregate 4959 pounds. The yoke of oxen, that made the rrial, weighed 3220 pounds, and twenty men, illowing 160 pounds to the man, were set against them. The men took hold of the Irag first, and easily walked off with it, covering a distance of ninety-five feet in two minutec. The oxen at their trial made but eighty-flve feet in the same length of time, and the men were declared winners. The LatestTollege Yell. The "college yell" of a new institution Just dedicated In the Indian Territory is the Indian warhoop. OSTRICH FARMING, SCENES ON AN OSTRICH CAMP IN SOUTH AFRICA. Habits of This Carious Bird-How the Feathers are Secured?Savage Mode of Attack of an Enraged Male. YOU arrive at the Cape Colony homestead, a square, red brick building, with a sigh of relief, and glad to be out of the blinding glare and 6andv plain. On every homestead the same familiar sights meet the eye. On the one side of the house stand the kraals; on the other, the shed and wagon house. In front stands the dam, adjoining the vegetable garden and lands, with farther away the camp. Behind the house are the chaff house, tramp floor camp is always selected as being the best piece of grazing ground on the farm, and capable of holding more stock in proportion than any other part of the farm. Here the birds remain year in and year out, and are only collected and brought together, on the average, once every four months. These occasions are, let us 6ay, in June, to pluck the prime feathers. By these we mean the long -whites, numbering from eighteen to twenty A TROOP o: in each wing, eight or nine fancy feathers and a few long blacks, all taken at the same time. Four months later the stumps of these feathers are drawn out, and two months later again?that is, six months after the primes?the short blacks and tail feathers are taken. Of these it is impossible to give any accurate number. As a rule, you pluck as many as possible without inflicting pain on the bird, and at the same time leaving enough to keep out the cold. An ostrich, like most other animals, in its wild state is terribly afraid of man, or of any unfamiliar sight, and flees at the appeaiaflce of anything new to its ken. When domesticated it becomes docile, and after a time assumes a position of authority and becomes master of the situation. PICKING A BIRD. From June up to September, or, in fact, till Christmas, thousands of chicks are reared every year, and thousands meet with death every year from some form of accident. Chicks up to twelve months old die from various maladies, but seldom after they are full grown are they the victims of any sickness, death usually resulting from a broken leg, killed fighting, or from scarcity of food in times of drought. The nest of an ostrich is a very crude affair, consisting simply of a round hollow carved out in the sandy ground. Sometimes the female bird may be seen scratching in the ground preparatory to laying her first egg; but this is not often the case, the hollow gen 11? I--.- 1 ~ 1... tjrilljy U1UUC UJ tuo cuuuuuuuo sitting of the birds on the one spot. One pair of birds will lay from ten to twentj eggs, but, as is often the case, three or four birds will lay in the one nest, thus making the number of eggs up to seventy or eighty. These, of course, have to be weeded out, as a bird cannot comfortably cover more than sixteen eggs, the remainder being thrown on one side and left to decay. Forty-four days is the recognized time to allow for hatching. When a nest is hatched* out the family are taken out of the camp, and brought to the homestead to be tamed where they come into continual contact with the farm hands, and are housed at night out of the reach of wild animals. During the summer months they will do and butcher's Bhop, where the natives are rationed. In the camp run the large stock, cattle, ostriches and OSTRICH FARM IN SOUTH AFRICA. horses; and on the flats and mountains the sheep and goats. In this article I shall confine my remarks to ostriches. A well-fenced and secure inclosure is quite a luxury in the colony, and is only to be met with on the wealthier farms, the owners of which can afford to keep then in repair and to place in them stock of the more expensive kinds. Every ostrich larmer has his camp, which varies in size considerably, from 3000 to 8000 acres, and in it he keeps his 300 or 500 birds, as well as a few cattle and horses. A well, but in winter, when food becomes scarcer, must be fed morning and evening on barley or rape. x It is during the breeding season that ^ the male becomes so savage, and his ^ note of defiance?"brooming," as the , OSTHICH OX NEST. Dutch call it?is heard night and day. The bird inflates his neck in a cobra- ' like fashion, and gives utterance to three deep roars. The first two are ' short, but the third very prolonged. ' Lion hunters all agree to asserting 1 that the roar of the king of beasts ( and the most foolish of birds resemble 1 one another almost exactly. When ! the birds are properly savage they be- ' come a great source of amusement? or, as some think, of danger. I have seen a bird so savage as to 1 charge seven times in fifteen minutes, ] twice receiving the prongs of the fork through his neck. On horseback one 1 is even more obnoxious to an ostrich 1 than on foot, but, so long as the horse 1 is not afraid and will stand up to the ! bird, there is no fear of an accident. As he charges take care to have your ' horse well in hand, and as the bird makes his first strike, catch him by the neck and hold on for all you're worth, till the bird becomes exhausted from want of breath and falls. The female bird is seldom vicious. When she has a nest or brood of young chicks one must be prepared, but her manner of charging and whole de meanor is a very mild affair compared to the male's. Perhaps it may suggest itself to some of my readers: what would result supposing three or four birds tackled you at once? It is a very rare occurrence for more than one bird to charge at a time. Should three or four male birds all imagine at one particular moment, that you are the meat of each one of them sep arately, they first of all tackle one another, the conqueror fighting you. Collecting birds for plucking is always a great day on the farm. Orders are given overnight to the Kaffirs and Hottentots to catch every available riding horse and have them saddled ; l P OSTRICHES. j up and ready next morning at sunrise, j This is done, and every "boy" on the f farm -who can find a horse is mounted, 3 and a regular cavalcnde enters the , camp, under the superintendence of ] "De Boss van de Plaats"?the master of the farm. They split up into par- ^ ties of two each, and start off in differ i- -1 - ? ~ X** ?V? A fcJIll UUCCLIUUD tu U11YC up bUO UUUO from the remote spots to which they have wandered. Warfare, of course, is freely indulged in. It is immaterial to an ostrich if there be one or fifty against him, he fights just as merrily. There exists a traveler's tale at home that, as soon as an ostrich catches sight of a human being, he turns tail and bolts in an opposite direction to hide his head in the sand. Another fallacy, equally devoid of foundation, is the belief that the female leaves her eggs in the sand to be hatched ?ut in the sun. This is not so. The male and female sit alternately for fortyfour days, the male at night, the female during the daytime. As an article of iood, an OBtrich egg is, to my taste, the most nauseous of dishes, and far more suitable as an effective weapon in Chinese and political warfars than to grace a breakfast table. From all one had heard previous to becoming oneself an owner of ostriches, the actual piucking of the birds is very uninteresting and disappointing. The birds are all huddled together in a kraal?when everv bird ^ becomes as meek as a lamb?and are ? caught one by one; a bag or stocking 1 is placed over the head and neck, * while two experienced natives clip the ? feathers. During winter the birds t must be attended to and carefully ? watched, as sometimes the weather is 1 very inclement for weeks together? 1 the thermometer often registering ten t degrees of frost?and birds are apt to i fall off in condition. If a bird once i begins to sink in condition, the great- < est difficulty is experienced in getting * him right again, and often no amount * of extra feeding will pull him through. * ?Strand Magazine. n Seeing by >'ight. Nocturnal creatures assume night activity for some other reason than ! that they cannot see by day, or that | they see better by nignt. me bat | sees admirably in the brightest sunlight, iis any one knows who has ever ! teased one by poking a stick at it. It { will open its mouth and make aD angry grab at the stick, when it is not near it by several inches. Professor Bolles says it is the same with the owl. They seo perfectly in bright sunlight, and better at night than most creatures.?Meehan's Monthly. Intensity ot Confined Sound. The intensity of confined sound is illustrated at Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, where there is a well 200 feet deep and twelve feet in diameter, lined with smooth masonry. When a pin is dropped into it the sound of il striking the water 182 feet below can c be distinctly heard.?New York Dis- t patch. I - Northermost Railroad In the World. * The northern part of King Oscar's ! ealm has often been called "Sweden's 1 ( America" because of the richness of < he land, although it is still unculti- ? rated. The poorer class of Sweden, lowever, preferred to emigrate to the United States instead of seeking new lomes in Norrland, because that part )f the kingdom lacked means of comnunication by land with the capital md the southern provinces. The loast cities suffered in the winter vhen ice covered the eea as much as ;he interior settlements suffered the p-ear round. "When it was discovered ;hat Norrland has great hidden riches ;ne government decwea to grant noney for the building of a railway vhich shall connect the extremes of ;he kingdom. This Northern Trunk Line of Sweden is now completed, and has just Deen formally opened by King Os;ar. King Oscar is said to be Sweden's ablest orator, and ho made "the speech of his life." The festivities surpassed anything of the kind ever seen before in that country. The new railroad connects at Bolen, near the Gulf of Bothnia, with the northernmost railroad in the world, running from the seaport of Lulea np to the Gellivara Iron Mountains, forty-seven miles north of the polar circle. This road has been in Dperation two years. It maybe considered the end piece of the continuous line of railroad of about 1250 miles long, stretching north and south the wbule length of Sweden. k .k 4" -A iMLM, /ttufflRdpr 'r 22Zz^g^y NORTHERNMOST RAILWAY STATION. Norrland provides not less than twenty per cent, of the lumber supply of the globe?or more than Canada and almost twice as much as the United States. The famous Gellivara iron mines, the largest in existence, are considered capable of supplying the world for centuries. The Pumpkins Hours ior Growing. A. P. Anderson, a graduate student in the department of botany at the State University, has just completed 1 ? J some novei anu very luteresuu^ investigations as to the growth of plants. In this series of experiments Mr Anderson has been studying the growth ; of the pumpkin and its vine, making j use of his new electrical device for I measuring plant growth. This work I has been in progress for fully a week, md the interesting fact is revealed that the pumpkin itself does most of its growing after 7 o'clock in the evening and diminishes its activity as the ran rises and begins to act upon the ' ieaves. From 9 o'clock in the morn- | ing until 3 o'clock in the afternoon the weight of the fruit diminishes, Dwing to the evaporation of water from the leaves of the plant. The general results show that when the j fruit grows most the vine grows least, I md vice versa. The course of these j sxperiments has been watched with | great interest by the botanical depart* ment, as they cover a part of the science as yet very little known.? Minneapolis Times. I'arions History ot JBerwick-on-Tireed. It will be seen that in the notice published in last night's Gazette as to the general form of thanksgiving for the birth of a young prince, the old form is preserved, and that it is to be lsed in all churches and chapels in England and Wales "and in the town jf Berwick-on-Tweed." The announcenent recalls the curious history of this jld town; how, while England and 3cotland were at variance, it belonged irst to one and then to another until Etenry VIII made it independent of 3oth countries?a curious isolation ivhieh it long preserved, possessing a Chancellor, a Chamberlain and other officers of a kingdom's, rather than a - -V,o+o+o TKia irno rmf an end JUL UUgLX, a j oiftit, a maw ;o by the municipal reform act, and ;he name of Berwick-on-Tweed ceased ;o appear as it formerly had done on ill acts of Parliament. It is presuma>ly an oversight that it has not disapjeared from these notices also.?Lonlon Globe. Assumed Names Must Be Familiar. "In assuming an alias, Captain lenry W. Howgate did just what nearly ill criminals who take new names do," emarked an old detective to a Post nan yesterday; "that is, used a part >f his own name. 'Harry Williams,' he newspapers say, was the name he issumed in New York. When a man las to take an alias, he must have a lame which will come quickly to his iongue until he becomes familiar with t. So he uses his middle name or a [ lame similar to his Christian name, . )r sticks to his title in some way in | tlmost every case. Sometimes he will j ise his wife's maiden name or his J nother'u maiden name. Many a crook las been caught by this."?Washing;on Post. A Rough Kemiuder. -ft I He said that he wanted to milk the ow once, just to remind him of the ime when he was a boy on the farm. -Judge. j " '* K y v '' 1 ;/> V*/' On a Chinese Gnnhoat. During my stay at the Kiangnan arsenal, writes Frank G. Carpenter, X visited one of the Chinese gunboata^i which was made at Foo Chow. BirJ A CHINESE MABlNi2* . Cornish, the foreign adviser of the arsenal, was with me, and our Chinese cards were sent into the captain. A. moment later a round-faced Chinaman, standing at least six feet two, and! weighing 200 pounds, appeared on deck. He bent over and shook hitf own hands at me in Chinese fashion,1 and then asked Mr. Cornish and my-' self to step down into his cabin. This was a large room, built much like thaf saloons of one of our big boats. It was furnished with a number of twofoot tables, which stood against thef 11- -f xL. 1 wans ox me iuulli, uetvrceu ucbtj armed teakwood chairs, so that as we H sat down each of us had a table beside H him, upon -which later on tea and fl champagne were served. The tea -was B given us in Chinese cups, with saucers H on their tops, so tilted into them as to B keep the tea leaves out of our mouths. H The champagne was served in little glasses the size of an egg cup, and the H captain smacked his lips as the ambeii H fluid aadibly gurgled down his throat. H In the centre of the room as we en? fl tered one of the officers of the ship H was sitting on a stool with a copper H basin in front of him and a barber be* K hind him. The barber was shaving hi*H head and braiding his queue, and the Bl officer did not seem to regard oulBl presence in the least. He rose andHj shook his own hands at us, then bowed Hj half a dozen times, and then had hia^H man go on with the shaving. Thereof was, in fact, an unconventionalitjBl about ths whole ship that was rofresh-HC ing. A big mandarin was expected, H| and the marines were dressing them-^Bj selves on board. One man palled oi^H his trousers as we came out of thelB captain's cabin on to the deok, andflH another hurriedly got himself into hisflfl coat. The marines wore dark blue shirtsj^B or sacks and blue pantaloons of wad<-^H ded cotton, whioh were tucked infc^H thick black cloth boots. The ehirt^H were bordered with wide bands of red^H and were embroidered on the breas^H with Chinese characters. I had one o^H the marines on deck photographed^H and I noted that his gun was ;a muz^H zle loader, though he was standing belM side a big Armstrong cannon at time. I aftewards got a picture pf whole crew with their tumed-up etraf^H hats and their light blae clothes, afl they posed for their photograph oi^Hj one of the biggest ships of the Chines^^H navy, and I was struck with the nerv^JI shown in their faces and the agilit^^D with which they moved about at thei^K Cleveland Bays. , H9 The name of the breed is taken froc^^S Cleveland, in Yorkshire, Englanc^^J where it has long been known, thHH term bay being added to indicate thHH PRIZE CLEVELAND BAT. prevailing color. The origin of tl^Rn breed is unknown. They are suppos^^H to be a cross between the racehor^^H ind the original breeds in the countr^^H In color they are bright bay, black mane and tail, black points a^^^H usually a small white spot between bulbs of the heel. They are of mediu^HH size, weighing from 1100 to 14^Hh pounds. The head is of fair size, wiH^H an intelligent eye, finely arched necHHj oblique shoulders, short back, loi^EaB quarters and strong legs. ?ij||U The Cleveland bay is a general pose horse, heavy enough for all dinar7 farm work, active, stylish a^^^H speedy. He is easy to handle, veH|^H strong blooded and impresses characteristics on his grade offsprifl^B with certainty. This breed has loHSB been popular in all parts of Euro^^^B for coach purposes and for light ar^HSH Aowolrtr it?ty UUU. UIWUM 4 Bicycles and Shoe Sales. In talking with a shoe dealer he HH vanced a strange idea daring the lowing conversation: "I tell you bicycles hurt the business, and the more bicycles sold tho less number of shoes will^EBH disposed of." gSBH "How do you make that out?" "Why, it's plain enough that peo^^^^J don't walk so much since bioyt^^^H came into common use. It is people who walked before that bicycles now."?Hartford Post. Eels Glossed the Wheel. BHH Eels clogged the water wheel of^EHH Hallett electric plant, at Riverh^HHfl Long Island, the other night, shut^^^^J off the power and leaving the plac^^^^f darkness. Forty pounds of eels taken from the tiume, many of being very large.?New York ComiBSH[ cial Advertiser. 75 111 fi4-Q hnrrpT^I^^HN petroleum daily. fiRHH