The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, September 08, 1897, Image 6

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? * \?/' M/M/i S*\,- V\ / V V^v^ vi ' \ty rp-i 1 ] I Swamp w tvvwwvv vv "J* A STORY OF 1 % \J wwvw ^ By EBEN E )k ""sb Copyright by Robert Bonner's Sons. CHAPTER L CONTINUED. " 'Deacon Snyder!' " exclaimed Nannie, with a scornful lift of her pretty nose. "Of course not! It's a young man from down below. He's ~ V,? *-?/% o moo+inrr of flio <3f?}innl ??U1U?? IV ixayxj t* MV www house to-night, to see about organizing the school, and he wants everybody to turn out. I hope they'll have one. Wouldn't it be nice? I never went to one, you know." "Of course, it will be nice," said Dick, who was thinking more of prospective summer-night walks with Nannie than he was of the sinfjing-school. "It needs something like that to make [ - the neighborhood lively. Tlie folks don't see half enough of each other. , It '11 take their mind off their work and rest tliem up a intie. "Yes, that's a fact," responded Nannie, looking, however, as if she hardly comprehended what Dick had been saying, on account of being busy with other thoughts. "Oh, Dick, he's just the handsomest man I ever saw! He is, Dick, for a fact!" "It isn't always the handsomest ones that turn out to be the best ones," said Dick, hardly relishing Nannie's admiration for the singing-teacher. "He's some fellow, most likely, who's too lazy to work for a living, so he goes round teaching singing-schools." "Well," demanded Nannie, rather sharply, "if he teaches singing-school, I'd like to know if he isn't working o?i.ninnf mnnov in of oq mnp.h auu wai j ? ^ as you are by working on the farm? I don't see any difference. If he can earn a living without working on a farm for it, I don't see's he's to blame for it." "No, nor I," answered Dick. "I don't blame any man for getting his living in the easiest possible way, if he does it honorably. What I meant was , > that, perhaps, he might be one of those shiftless, good-for-nothing fellows who go around sponging their living, as the folks, say here, and swindling people out of their money by getting it under pretense of giving its value, when really what they give amounts to nothing. I've seen a great many such men. But this fellow may all right. I can't say he isn't, of course, but it strikes me as rather strange that a singing-teacher, especially a Younr? and handsome one. ~ %/ w should come to such an out-of-the-way place as this to start a school. It certainly can't be expected that he'll get a school large enough to pay well, and because he can't, it looks to me as if very likely he don't amgunt to much." "Well, I don't know anything about him," answered Nannie, rather stiffly. "I do know, though, that he's a real gentleman in looks and appearance." "Oh, you've seen enough of him to find that out, have you?" queried Dick. "You must be pretty well acquainted, then. "Where's he going to boiu-d?" "I didn't ask him, though I had plenty of chance to; for," added Nannie, mischievously, watching the effect of her words on Dick, who, she knew, was eager to know how and where she had made the stranger's acquaintance, "he was at theschoolhouse and stayed nearly the whole afternoon." Dick made no reply, but he did not look particularly pleased over the information. "And he gave out notice in school," went on Nannie, "that there'd be a meeting to-night. The children will tell everybody, and the whole neighborhood?anyway. all the young folks ?will be sure to be there. I declare it's getting real late, by the looks of the sun, and I must hurry home and help mother about the supper, for, most likely, she'll want to go, too." Then Nannie picked up her little splint'dinner-basket and trudged off up the hill, singing "Barbara Allen." "She's rather struck with the fellow, seems to me," thought Dick, as he went back to his ploughing. "A handsame face and good clothes go a long ways in a girl's estimation of a man. They're strange things, these girls. Gee, there, Dandy, g'lang?" CHAPTER n. DEACON SNYDER TO THE RESCUE. Dick and Nannie walked down to the schoolhouse together, after supper, when the "chores" had all been disposed of. The road led through pleasant woods, for the greater part of the way, and there is always something to be said by a young mau to the woman he loves in such a walk as theirs was, that makes truants and loiterers of those who can go fast enough on ordinary occasions. The schoolhouse was quite full when they reached it. They entered the building to a smothered chorus of giggles and teehees from the boys and girls. Why is it that one young person invariably makes sport of another young person who is, or is supposed to be, in love? I never could satisfy myself why it was so, but that it is so is a fact. Your uuuii uompuiium, yuui mumiiii meim, will laugh at you mercilessly, if be suspects that you are a victim of the tender passion. The singing-teacher was there, seated in the chair Nannie occupied during school hours. He was quite a goodlooking fellow, Dick had to admit, with a good deal of "down-below" style about him. As Deacon Snyder told the neighbor on his right: "It's plain to be seeu he's come from out among folks, but it don't foller from that that he knows quite all there Is about singin', by no means." TI.a *?t* mon'w wdq noaf irt r% mold which gave liixn regular features, and to these were added the attractive accessories of a pair of bright, keen eyes and a fine beard which was carefully kept. He had an attractive smile, which showed faultless teeth, and the clothes he wore had a style about them i m*m ? ? ^ A ^ % , HE p Secret. i (J VWVWVVV \y/ -TLT-C CDAKTTTCD XT 11- I A ? ,/wvwvw. \f/ :. REXFORD. HP'3* M very different from that which charac terized the average Brownsville gar inent. You can't get much "style' into a pair of "overalls" and t "wa'mus," and these two articles o] apparel, with the addition of a coars( cotton or homespun flannel shirt, con^ stituted the garb of the young men as well as old ones in those days on th< frontier. But as Dick looked at th( young man's face keenly, he noticed , certain lines about the mouth and eyes that he did not like the looks of. H( did not pretend to be a physiognomist, however, and he might be mistaken, It was not always wise to judge a mat by his face, and most men's faces tolc more about their owner than this one's did. To Dick it seemed as if he wore a mask, but through it he could catch, now and then, a glimpse of that whicl it was worn to conceal. "He may be all bright," though! Dick, "but I believe he'll bear watching." As Nannie tip-toed to a seat among the girls?for in those days the twc sexes never sat together in any kin<3 of meeting?the singing-teacher smiled ? J i i?i i mu J i anu gave iier a genteei uow. jliiib uui gave Nannie a certain distinction among the other girls, and pleased her bo much that she became radiant all in a moment. Dick saw the effect il had on her, and shut his teeth hard together. In some way he felt thai there was to be trouble between him and the singing-teacher. Other young men saw the bow and the smile which the stranger bestowed on Nannie and the look with which she responded and nudged each other, with a sly look at Dick. All of which, of course, had a tendency to make him feel as serene as a May morning. The whole settlement?meanine bv that everybody living within two or three miles of the schoolhouse?had turned out on this momentous occasion. The ages of the audience ranged from three months to seventy years. "I presume that all who are likely to take part in the singing-school, if organized, are here," the young man said, as he rose and made a graceful, easy little bow to his audience, and walked out in front of the rude desk. Instantly deep silence reigned. The noisy whispers of the women were broken off in the middle of the sentence, and the men ceased their louder but less pervading talk. The young men turned their eyes from the girls to the speaker, r.nd the young girls forgot all about the existence of the young men, for the time. "My naiqe is Maxfield Wayne," he said, as he became sure of the attention of his audience. "I have been spending the summer, so far, in this State, partly for pleasure, partly. for profit." Here a little smile was noticed to curl* the corners of his mouth. None of his audience understood what there was in the words he had just spoken or the thoughts they suggested that prompted the smile, but remembered in later days, and, viewed in the light of after-events, they knew what he was thinking of when this remark was made. "I have come here partly out of curiosity to see life in the backwoods, partly because I thought I could pick up a living here for a little while as well as elsewhere." Again that peculiar smile, as if, to him, the words had a hidden meaning. "I would like to employ the time I spend among you in some profitable way. I have taught singing-school, and won mirrli4- lilro o XiC*?SO J 14 UttU WV uu T V/ a school here for a few weeks. I shall be glad to hear from any one on the subject. "Deacon Snyder!" called out some one in the audience. Instantly calls for the deacon resounded from all parts ot the house. The deacon, having been a singingteacher of the primitive type "down East," was considered standard authority on musical matters. He rose and said in a wheezy voice that was xi..: i:i_ _ xi. _ x ,.e i.i x:? someiLiiii^ iiiit; me tuiit; ux uu umuhuhh; accordion, that he had "led the singin', off'n' on', ever sence he'd been in Brownsville, an' afore, in other parts o' the kentry, an' he felt free to say that the Brownsville young people had as good voices as you'd be apt to find in any place of its size, but, like other fackilties of the humin bein', they needed cultivatin'. Fer his part he was not only in favor of school, though he didn't know as it would be of much benefit to him, but, the Lord willin', he'd do what he could to help it along, for he considered singin' a means o' glorifyin' God, an' our talons hadn't ought to be left to rust an' corrupt." Then, with a flourish of his red bandana and a blast on his Roman nose like the sound of a war-trumpet, he sat down, conscious that his remarks hail preserved his reputation as a very ready and forcible offhand speaker on all public occasions. "I motion mat a conpie 01 young men go 'round an' nee how many air willin'to Jtake bolt au' do suthin'an' how much they'll give to'rds s'porting a school," said the deacon's neighbor, after .a little consultation with him. This suggestion seemed to meet witb unanimous favor, and two young men were appointed to canvass the audience for subscribers to a singingschool fund. The result was that n sufficient amount was pledged to make the school a certainty. "Let it be understood, then," announced Mr. Wayne, "that the term will begin to-morrow evening, at seven o'clock, aud that there will be a session every other evening, Sunday excepted, till the completion of the term." Nannie lingered with a group of girls near the desk where the singingj teacher stood, talking with some of I the young men, casting sidelong j glances at him, and wishing he would come and speak to her; but he was too busily engaged, and she had to be satisfied with a smile and a nod. Dick came up and asked her if she was ' ready to go home, auu she took his , arm, and they left the schoolhouse. j She was not inclined to talk about such matters as seemed to interest ! Pick most, but waxed eloquent over j oJrwrirKT.tK-'linnl iiml its handsome I v ? 7 ? ^ i teacher. Dick, of course, did not take a great deal of interest in sucli conversation, but tried to put on a smiling ; face and not let her see bow jealous be was beginning to be. Of course be failed in the attempt. Nannie bad keen eyes and was a woman, and she saw that it nettled him to have to listen to her praises of Mr. Wayne, therefore she kept on talking about him, thus securing the double satisfaction of expressing her really honest admiration of the stranger and making " Dick as uncomfortable as possible. ; "I don't like the looks of him," Dick said, as he got ready for bed. 1 "He looks to me like a man who's de ^ termined to have his own way, right 5 or wrong, and rather than not have it, " if he once makes up his mind to it, ' he'll do anything mean and underhand 5 to carry out his plan." 1 CHAPTER IIL CUT OUT. The farm adjoining Mr. Boone's on the south belonged to Mr. Porter. . Mrs. Porter was Mrs. Boone's sister. [ Mr. Porter had built near the north j edge of his claim, and Mr.-Boone near j the southern boundary of his, so that the two houses were quite near to[ gether. . On the afternoon following the ori. ganization of the singing school, Nan. nie stopped at her aunt's on her way home, with a beaming and excited face. "You can't guess what kind of an ' errand I've come on," she said, sitting I down in the doorway and fanning her , flushed face with her sun-bonnet, utterly unmindful of poor Dick, who was ' plowing in the field across the road, and who had stepped close to the fence , when he saw her coming. ; "Wall, no, I can't say as I can, not ' bein' very good at guessin', " replied ; Mrs. Porter, drawing her old-fash' ioned rocking-chair up to the door. ; "la it an arrant for our folks?"' "It's one for you," answered Nan| nie. "Mr. Wayne wants to come liere to board." "Fer goodness* sake!" exclaimed ' Mrs. Porter. "What on airth 'u'd we do with him if we took him, I'd like to know? We don't go in fer style, an' ain't us'tjto livin' as he'd expect to, an' tnen, s'posen it was all right, an' father was willin', I don't know* what Samanthy'd say." "Oh* you'd get along with him well enough," said Nannie, confidently. "I know .you would. He wanted to come to our house, but I knew we couldn't make room for him. I knew you could, and I knew, too, that he couldn't find a neater place; and a9 you had only Uncle Porter and the hired man, with Samanthy to help you with the work, I thought you could take him without putting yourself out much. I promised to see about it and let him know to-night, at singing-school." "I don't know as I hev any pertickler objections ef father hain't," said Mrs. Porter, after thinking the matter over. "What do you say, Samanthy?" Saniathy was Mrs. Porter's cousin, and acted in the threefold capacity of hired girl, companion and household dictator. She was "smart as a steel trap an' awful capable," Mrs. Porter told her neighbors, "an' takes right holt an' goes ahead with things as well as I could. She us't to make us all stan' round," Mrs. Porter was wont to affirm, years after Samanthy had left her, "but we was us't to her ways an' didn't mind her bossin' us, she was so handy an' willin'. There wa' n't a single lazy hair in her head, an' we never had nobody work fer us that begun to airn her wages as Samanthy Peters did?never!" "What do I think about what?" asked Samanthy, coming in from the back-room and leaning on her broom, prepared to listen and advise or object, as the case might be. "The singiu'-school man wants to come here to board," explained Mrs. Porter. "What do you hev to say about it?" " 'Tain't fer me to say anything as I know on," said Samanthy, in reply. "I s'pose there's plenty of room fer him, an' we can git along 'ith the work well enough; but I'm free to say I! didn't take much of a fancy to him,and | wouldn't keer to hev him 'round j ?_ i-L? I more n six. juuuvus iu <? uwc. uuu < mebbe we can stan' it while he's teach-! in', an' you can turn my bill to singin'- j school on his board, ef it's any accom- I modation." [To be continued.] The War Quoit. In India, until quite recently, the Sikhs used a weapon which was fear- j fully effective at close quarters? the , war quoit. It was the national weapon I of that tribe, and is almost as old as j the sword and spear. Even to the present day one of the crack Sikh | regiments wears the quoit in the , turban as part of the uniform. In ! size and shape these weapons were j precisely similar to those with which j the English game is played, only they j were somewliat lignter, seiaom wei^u- i ing above twelve or fourteen ounces. { Made of the finest steel the East could produce, the war quoits hail their ' peripheries sharpened up to an edge i as keen as that of a razor, and were occasionally beautified by being inlaid with gold, ivory, and even with precious j ' stones. When he went into battle ' | the Sikh used to carrj eight or ten of these missiles upon his left arm, ; their sharp outer edges being pro- j tected by a kind of casting made of < platted grass. To throw it he first i took oft' the protecting sheath, and, [ whirling the quoit round his fore j finger for a little while, threw it. i Legends of the Sikh war say that men t were decapitated by these flying 1 quoits. This may or may not be true, but when it is considered what a nasty , cut an ordinary light razor will make on occasions, it must be admitted that a razor-edged projectile weighing I nearly a pound, and traveling at the ! rate of thirty or more yards per second, [ would make a dangerous wound, so j that tlie legend of men being beheaded by them does not seem so very great j an exaggerat ion after all. Holland registered 167,840 births I j last year, cr 3458 more than the aver- ' age of the last live years. The deaths I were 84,285, while the average for preceding five years was 89,630. . MODES FOR THE AUTUMN. T P y DESIGNS THAT WILL BE APPROPRIATE FOR COOLER WEATHER. v CI 4 StyllBll. Frock For a 'Little Girl?It Can Bu Made of Amy Seasonable Fabric? 11 A Walat of Attractive PeBlRJi For a e Miss of Fourteen?A Late Skirt, b A stylish little frock for a girl eight, writes May Man ton, is made of ^ ? ? ' ?. ? n' 8iiK ana -wool novelty, snowing a ~ ground of deep blue lined with red. " FEOCK FOE A GIEli OF EIGHT YEABS. p] The plain or contrasting material is red taffeta and the buttons are smoked pearl. The foundation consists of a well-fitted limn.;; that is simply shaded P: U? n cno m a on/1 hi UJ OiiUUlUCi., uuuci uxui Obauio uuu single bust-darts. The material is ap- re plied to the front at yoke depth, and m the full front is gathered at upper and la lower edges and adjusted over the lin- qr ing to fall in soft blouse effect over the he narrow belt. The side-fronts of nov- si] slty show fulnoss at the upper and cb ower edges, and are also slightly olouse. The buck fits smoothly across ;he shoulders with a scant fulness at MISSES' FRENCH B the waist at eacli side of the centre- w] back where the closing is effected with st; button and buttonholes. fo A wide sailor collar falls across the is back, a,nd is carried forward to the top w] of the yoke front. Revers that are si< widest at the top and gradually taper ea toward the lower edge finish the frunt st edges of the sid'2-fronts, forming an fu effective decoration; a plain standing pi band finishes the neck. The sleeves to are two-seamed, and fit the arm com- T] fnr+nlil-e rOnse frnm the wrist to above ui the elbow, where they are met by short fo puffs of the material. The skirt has a sc front gore, wi<lo side gores and a pi straight back that is closely gathered la at the upper edge and sewed to the ? belt, the placket finishing in the centre-back. All seasonable fabrics are suitable, plaid, striped, figured and novelty goods combining prettily with plain materials, such ns cashmere, challies, etc., or with silk. To make this 1'rock for a girl of eight years will require three and one-half yards of forty-fou.r-incb material find I one and one-quarter yards of twenty- ; ^ two-inch materid for trimming. MlBRes' Fro it'll Blouse Waist. The stvlish wrist shown in the large illustration, fashioned in figured barege, showing a full vest and back gimp of surah, i:i suitable for a young miss. Narrow black velvet ribbon provides the ducoration, and a fine divided frill of lace finishes the neck. The foundation consists of a glovefitted lining, with the usual number of seams and single bust darts entering into the adjustment. It closes invisibly at the centre back. The becoming fullness of the vest or front is m disposed in gathers at the neck edge jjj and at the wa st. The side fronts, ru which are included in the shoulder and under-arm seams, fit smoothly at m the top, with tli3 slight fullness at the ^ waist laid in i or ward-turning plaits. Smooth under-arm gores separate the fronts from the backs, which are smooth at the top, where they are cut dr in low, rounding outlines, showing a ur gathered yoke of surah above. At tri each side of the closing the backs have wi a slight fullnejs, arranged in close, it; overlapping plaits. The upper edges br of the side fronts are also rounded, Ihj presenting the gimp effect that is a feature of the season's style and becoming to all youthful figures. The sii neck is completed by a standing band, T1 surmoanted by a full ruche of lace. PI 'be two-seamed sleeves have sh< uffs and are finished at the wrists 'enetian style. Challies, cashmere, novelty and ca as weaves will make up prettily ambination with silk, surah, mot sline, chiffon or crepe-de-Chine, for: ig the vest and back yoke. The fr 'lges may be trimmed with either ri on, braid or passementerie. To make this dress for a miss mrteen years will require two a: i. J # ^1. ? ae-quarcer yarus 01 iorry-iour-uiuii u srial. Fashions In Belt*. White leather belts with oxidiz ilver clasps are very popular wi ght summer frocks. Many of the re extravagant affairs, having, I ides the clasps, handsome silver ori lents applied at intervals. The lat< elts mentioned from abroad are said tiow tortoises of turquoise; these a >rmed with links of oxidized silv< erv narrow belts of licrht-hued croc ile leathers are adorned with studs jlored enamels, but ribbons are us i preference to anything else by man >r they fit so much more snugly th sather and tie ho gracefully. For t loment check ribbons are being e jnsively patronized. An Elaborate Bicycle Salt. There was recently placed with ishionable New York tailor an ord >r a bicycle suit which in the mati I expense is likely to hold the reco >r some time. The girl who meets t ill is worth a million in her own rigl an athletic beauty and is a reigni: slle in the ultra smart set. The si hich makes the bill is the mostelab ite ever designed in this country, lined with silk, finished with jew< id will cost a lump sum of $715. ? wo shawls at $75 apiece will be ei loyed in making the skirt and jack* A Curious Toilet. A rather curious toilet was worn recent garden party in Paris 1 QlAwKflw AAmrvAaa/l nf 4\V*T L lil^COD kjtUl UC J | WUl^/VOVV? v* vua :irts one above tlie other; the first w ise-colored silk chiffon, the secoi auve chiffon and the third Mechl ce;the shades thus softened were e lisitely beautiful, the bodice to mat id an unlinedyoke, embroidered wi Iver spangles, sash scarf of mau iffon falling on the skirt. A Four-Pleoe Skirt. Figured dimity, showing violet ai louse WAI8T.1 trite, was the material chosen for th ylish skirt, that is admirably adapti r present wear, as the back bread straight, making it easy to laund hen fashioned in wash fabrics. T1 cles display a slight lipple effect c ,ch side of the gored front, tl might back breadth falling in grac 1 folds from gathers at the top. Tl acket finishes in centre-back and tl p is completed with a narrow bel lie skirt is of moderate width, mea ing only about four yards at tl ot. The mode is adapted to all se nable dress goods, including duel que, grass linen, madras, chevic wn, gingham, and other cotton sui FOUR-FIECE SKIKT. er suitings. It can be decorated, i nstrated, with narrow lace-edge ffles or bands of ribbon. To make this skirt for a woman c edium size will require four and oni ilf yards of forty-four-inch materia Lace Overdresses. The fashion of wearing lace ore ess or lace applique for trimmings : tiversal across tho water. One e: 2mely fetching gown is of black n< th an applique ofcrsam lace all ov< ; it is mounted on white glace silk 1 infr nut a delightful 3heen. A line ?o ? ?-> idice has a bolero of cream lace. There are t8,790persous in the Kui in settlement in New York Cit^ le next largest colony of these is i liladelphia, with 7879. . _ Drt I POPULAR SCIENCE. 111 The common house-sparrow flies at the rate of seventy-two miles an hour. jn A very durable hard rubber, a GerlB_ ! man experimenter claims, is made by m. ! adding powdered aluminium to the ,e0 material before it is vulcanized, ib- ! Moths may be kept from furs and 1 woolens, United States Entomologist of ! L. 0. Howard concludes, by cold storad | age during the summer at forty to ia- forty-two degrees Fahr. Mathematical calculations show , that an iron ship weighs twenty-seven e(j per cent, less than a wooden, and will th i carry 11& tons of cargo tor every 1UU )m tons carried by a wooden ship of the )e_ same dimensions, and both loaded to ia_ the same draught of water. sst The most scientific forester in Euto rope says the oldest trees in northern ire Europe are the pines of Norway and ?r. Sweden, and that these are not known :o- to live more than 570 years. Gerof many's oldest oaks live only a little ed more than three hundred years. iy> The depth to which the sun's rays fln penetrate water has been recently dehe iermined by the aid of photography. ,x* tt has been found that at depth of 553 feet the darkness was, to all intents and purposes, the same as that t>n a clear but moonless night. Sena jitive plates exposed at this depth for er considerable length of time gave no ^ evidence of light action. ke A new method of exhibiting the fea^ hires of the moon, devised by Professor "William Hallock, consists of pro^ jecting views with an arc light lantern (0. upon a whitened hemisphere six ox jj. eight feet, in diameter. Such reprejj8 sentations, however, seem to lack the IQ sharpness at the edges which can be given stereoscopic views, which proB|. duce on a flat suriace the effect of perfect rotundity. The French customs authorities are about to adopt the X-rays. It has by been demonstrated that cigars and ciee garettes, though rolled up in clothing, a8 oto naailir VlV tllfi flVStflm. v.?.j r ? ~j -j , and it is soon to be in working order in at the Gare St. Lazare and the Gare IX" du Nord in Paris, for the examination ch of passengers' baggage. It is already in use on the Paris-Lyons Mediterve anee line for parcel-post packages. The Prince of Morocco is building a vessel of 1300 tons for deep-sea inves, tigations. While sounding last month, between the Azores and Cape Verde ? Islands, the Prince got a depth of 2903 fathoms^ and secured in his trap an extraordinary amphipod, eleven centimetres long, and many smallei ones. This beats the record, for the challenger expedition was thought to have established 2750 fathoms as the greatest depth at which fish could live. Poluoned by a Stlngaree. There is a fisn mnaDiting tropical waters and often found along the Florida and gulf coasts known as the stingaree. Along its back and tail are sharp spines which inflict serious wounds and at the same time poison the flesh. As a rule, these wounds are very painful but not dangerous, being much like the sting of a wasp or hornet. Dr. Charles Spratt, a physician living in Jacksonville, Fla., was fishing the other day at the mouth of the St. John's river, and caught one of these stingarees. While removing the fish from the hook he was stung on the left hand near the little finger. The pain was intense and Dr. Spratt ordered his boatman to row for Fort George Island, where Dr. McAuley lives. Before the island was reaohed Dr. Spratt was unconscious. Dr. McAuley was unable ' to restore the iniured man to conscious ness, so lie sent for the surgeon on board the United States warship Wilmington, which was anchored near. *. The doctor concluded that artificial respiration was the only way of saving Dr. Spratt's life, and a number oj negroes were employed alternately raising and lowering his arms. This I was continued for ten hours, at the end ! of which time Dr. Spratt wakened jip ! and in a short time was out of danger. "" i This is the first instance in which the is I sting of the fish has threatened serious 3d ! results.?New York World. th I er | A Good Exercise for the Back. j A good exercise for the spinal mus| cles consists "of thft following move 18 ments: Stand erect, with the feet to" | gether, and rise upon the toes, then ae ! gradually sink down by bending the ^.e | knees until the thigh and calf are ' i doubled upon each other. The trunk " | should be erect all the time, and | especial attention paid to the spine, j keeping it straight. If a person will ' | remove the clothing and hang by the ' arms, all tension is removed from the *? ?-1 - noronn ^an dpter | epiue, uiiu a accuuu I mine if the spinal curvature can be I removed or not. If, when hanging in | this position, the spine is straight, j there is no reason why it cannot be cured, but if it :s crooked when hanging, there is little hope of doing more than keeping it from growing worse, and this is very important. In the department of medico gymnastics in a 1 large gymnasium, this is the way they examine such cases. A teacher says: j "Any movements which do not present any outside resisting force (meaning apparatus) can be safely takun to | benefit alight spinal curvature."?New ; York Ledger. Tho Number of Breadwinners. In 1870 there were 12,505,928 per- | sons engaged in supporting them- j i selves and the remainder of the peo- , f | pie; that is to say, 32.43 per cent, of j the total population were so engaged, j j In 1880, the number of breadwinners j was 17,392,099, or 31.67 per cent, ol' _ : the total population. In 1890 tbis l9 number had risen to 22,735,661, or !(j 36.3] per cent, of the total population. By "breadwinners" is meant all who were engaged either as wage-earners, B. or salary receivers, or proprietors, of whatever grade or description, and all ( , professional persons?iu fact, every- f : one who was in any wuy employed in r- j any gainful pursuit. The figures is j quoted show that the proportion of c- I the total population thus employed is ; at ! constantly increasing. Analyzing the j ;r statistics, we tind some remarkable : ;o results, and in general, that the number i in engaged in tlie lowest waiKs ui uuoi- j ness, Iaborors ami the like, is decreas' ing in proportion, while thoso em- | 3- , ployed in the higher walks are iaj. i creasing in number relatively to tho I o | whole population.?Carroll D. Wright j I in the Atlantic ! THE N0BLEST^nsir 0r7u7 eH Well does the angler love the flsh ?mRb That Is squirming in the airl with dancing eyes He will view the prize An U 1 An nn nn/1 nf oil nrrloa f VtO rO X3J3 11/ id Ik pO UX1U I-UV4WI But there is another toward which hlfl wish . Is turning from day to day; And despite ill luck He will toast the pluck Of the fish that got away. He knows that It moves through the crystal cool, With never a wave to show The path It takes ' Where the minnow wakes And darts in the'sunbeam's glow. There's many a beauty who left the pool, The pride of an idle day, But those we caught Never hold our thought Like the fish that got away. So, here's to the pleasures we might havd had, If fortune had proved more true; For they stand apart And they cheer the heart O'er the things we may some day do. And the disappointment that now seems sad, As we look on it later, may Brace our nerves once more For the sport In store, Like the fish that got away. ?Washington Star. PITH AND POINT. .. . A Scotsman lias named one of his asees Maxwellton, because its brays are bonnie. He spake slowly, almost painfully, as one not accustomed to mnoh talking. And yet he had been married thirty years.?Indianapolis Journal. , "The wife," said the ancient philosopher, after looking over his shoulder furtively, "is less than the husband. For instance, my wife is a tease, and I am a Socrates." "Carter has such a pretty little wife." "Yes. But he tells me that it J costs just as much to dress a little one as it does a big one. She is hie second, you know."?Indianapolis Journal. "Everybody seems to be on an equality in Klondike," said the shoeclerk boarder. "Yes," said the Cheerful Idiot, "one man can cut as much ice as another up there."?Indianapolis Journal. "I would have you to know, felI low," said Charlie Van Beet, "that I I come down from the real Knicker bocker stock." "It's a terrible come down," said the man.?Cleveland Plain Dealer. Old Club Man?"I suppose you've been busy all winter inventing new dishes for the summer season?" Hotel Chief?"Not much! I've had my hands full getting up new names for old dishes."?Judge. Grocer?"No, sir, we cannot give you credit. This is a strictly cash store, and we do not give trust to any , I one." Customer (drawing himself up I proudly)?"Then, sir, you cannot 1 have my trade, for I never have j cash to pay to anybody."?Somerville I Journal. , . * 3 Hanson?"I saw Winton on horseback yesterday. You could see dayI light between him and the- saddle half the time." Nanson?"Yes; that's because he is such a humane man. As 7, he is off the horse half the time it gives j the animal a good deal of rest."?Bos: ton Transcript. "Going to Klondike to dig gold, (ire A | yon?" "No," said the man with ; hawksbill nose; "I shan't prospect. I j mean to go into business. I haven't quite made up my mind whether to ; open a saloon or a combined undertaking and shipping establishment." ?Indianapolis Journal. "I know," said the African Chief, bitterly, "that your peopleVill sooner or later grab my territory." "Don't use such harsh expressions," said the . I European Diplomat, soothingly. "We may, some time, find it necessary to 1 rectify our frontier, but don't talk about grabbing territory. "?Puck. ' "I don't exactly understand," said | the boarder with the baby-blue eyes, . "just what* Shakespeare meant by Cleopatra's infinite variety." "la, finite variety," said Asbury Peppers, musingly, with his chin upraised; "infinite variety would seem to be something like continuous vaudeville."? i Cincinnati Enquirer. Bacteria In Ink. Bacteria, dangerous to health and life, have been found in the air breathe, the water we drink, in various kinds of foods, and even in the mucilage,on the ubiquitous postage stamp, but it remained for the eminent German scientist, Dr. Warpmann, of Leipzig, to discover the poisonous bacteria living and thriving in ink. He has recently made a microscopi- I cal examination of sixty-seven samples I of ink nsed in the schools in Germany I and in other countries. Most of these I l were gall inks, and contained various - I I sorts of bacteria, as well as those ^ other minute organisms known in the scientific world as saprophytes and | micrococci. Nigrosin ink, taken from J , a freshly opened bottle, which had up I to that time been tightly corked and I sealed, was found to contain bacteria I in large quantities. Red and blue I inks of the sort so frequently used in g offices also yielded numerous bacteria. I To determine whether or not these g bacteria were really as poisonous as I chemical analysis woulcl seem w sug gest, Dr. Warpmann decided to "cul- i tivate" some specimens for actual ex- I periment. The result of these experi- a ments showed that a bacillis from or- I dinary black ink would, if introduced I into the blood of a mouse, prove fatal I within four days. Similar experi- H ments the doctor in the interest of I science performed upon other small H animals?rabbits, guinea pigs and the I like?always with the same iauu re* suit. ? New York World. 9 Tlic Tramp'Worked the Dentist. 3| To work on the sympathies of a H dentist who was at first hardhearted, fl a tramp at St. Joseph, Mo., asked him H to pull out two of his teeth which were I filled with gold; for, he asked, of what 50 use were gold-filled teeth if one had nothing on which to use them? This B appealed so to the dentist that he gave him some [money instead of drawing the teeth. Kougli on the Nurse. According to a ij rencn journal, au inventor has devised an electrical arrangement which consists of a microphone placed near th< head of a baby in its cradle, and connected to a sort of relay which operates an electric bell placed near to where the nurse is asleep. A cry from the child will therefore cause the bell to rixrg.