The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, October 30, 1901, Image 6
THEAY5TE
Aumor of " The Mouse
(Copyright, Ifi9;\ by *o
CHAPTER IX.
Continued.
"Oil, but she's come back!" replied
Meg, quickly, with the idea that there
was reproach to her young mistress
Implied in the suggestion that she
had been frightened away. "She
didn't wait long after the master sent
for her, I can tell you!"
"And she's in the house now?"
asked the detective, with interest.
"Yes, but not for you to see," retorted
Meg, rudely. "You can worry
mo with your questions, if you like,
but you don't get at her, if I can help
It!"
At that moment a window was
opened above their heads, nn'1 the detective,
without answering servant,
looked quickly up. li Nell
standing at the casement, <uga
piece of bread which she pu* on the
ledge for the birds. Noticing something
with a quick eye he stared up
silently, until Nell, whose head was
turned away, moved and perceived
him. She blushed crimson, and was
about to shut the window hastily
when he stopped her by an imperious
gesture.
"Beg pardon, Miss, but could I
speak to you a minute?"
For an instant sne seemed to heeitate,
and in that instant he could see
that she grew deadly pale. At last,
however, she made a movement to signify
assent, closed the window and
disappeared.
The detective, who thought he bad
reason to fear that she would again
attempt to escape him, pushed
brusquely past Meg, and opened the
side door.
"What are you going in like that for,
without so much as 'with your leave,
ofr by your leave?' " asked she promptv
. *y"You
heard the young lady say she'd
see me?" replied the dectective as,
without further ceremony he passed
into the house.
At the foot of the stairs he met Nell.
"What do you wish to say to me?"
she asked, In a very tranquil tone.
It was now so dark in the passage
^ . that they could hardly see each other's
face. 1
"Well, in the first place, Miss, I
should like to speak to you in a better
light," replied the man.
"In here, then," said she, leading the
way, after another moment of apparent
hesitation, into the little sittingroom
at the back of the house.
There was a tire and there was a
lamp. The detective turned up the
wick.
"You'll excuse me, Miss, but I want
very particularly to see you while I
speak."
She had gone round the little table, 1
and was standing at the other side of
It. With a sudden movement the de- <
tective swooped round upon her, and
seizing her by the wrist in a firm :
grip, pointed to the back of her right
hand.
On the soft, white skin there was a ;
little blister freshly made, with a pink
line of inflammation round the base.
CHAPTER X.
"That is a burn, is it not?" he asked, ,
quietly. ' (
The girl was white, and she trembled (
from head to foot. Her white fore- ]
head grew damp, and glistened in the ]
lamplight. Her lips 6eemea scarcely (
able to form the answer which she ut- j
tered in a mechanical fashion.
"Yes." ' ,
"May I ask you to oblige me by tell- ]
Jng how it happened V"
She glanced up at him with a face j
which was rigid with fear.
"What?what does it matter? Why
do you want to know?"
She seemed to the detective to be
turning someming over m xier unuu,
and be at once assumed tbat she was j
trying to invent a plausible story to ,
account for tbe mark on her band.
"I'm sure you may guess, Miss, tbat
it is not my business to put you^to in- '
convenience by asking unnecessary
questions; but, of course, if you refuse
to answer, I can't make you. Do you
refuse?"
"Ob, no, certainly not," she replied, "
quickly. "I was doing some ironing. '
and the iron touched my baud, and
burned it." '
"And when did this happen, Miss?" !
Again the girl hesitated. The de
tective took note ot this iact, also. He 1
repeated his question.
"To-day; this morning."
"I believe, Miss, you were not here
tins morning?"
"I was not in this house."
"Have you auy objection to tell mc
where you were, Miss?"
Her white lace flushed.
"I would rather not." Then, at once
perceiving that he noted this fact
against her she added: "My only reason
is that I was in the house of a
friend, and I don't want her to be disturbed
by your making inquiries of her
about?about?me."
The man smiled dryly.
"I'm afraid, Miss,,it's too late to
trouble ourselves anout ihat. As I
want to save you all the trouble and
annoyance I can, perhaps you'll iet
me suggest where you were. Wasn't ;
it at Colonel Bostal's, Miss, at the j
house they call 'Shingle End?'"
"Yes. But she doesn't know anvthimr
about this; I didn't tell her -.vhy 1 !
came."
"All right, Miss. Don't you worry j
yourself about that. I shan't put her i
to much trouble, I can promise you j
that. At this stage of the business it's !
only asking questions. But, of course, !
you understand that we have to make [
sure we get truthful answers."
Nell looked more anxious thaa ever.!
but she made no further objection.
"Do you want to ask me anything |
more?" she said, quietly.
"Nothing more at present. Miss. And
jt'in much obl'<?ed to you for the few
minutes' talk you've given me."
:R,r- opTtte :
i?i&3&?>RE:;
/eirden!w
on Hk Harsh*" eft:.
bert Bonner's Sons.)
He did not hide ?perhaps be could
not?the fact that his spirits had risen
considerably. Not only was there the
mark of the burn on her hand, but
there were a dozen signs?in her light
ness of foot, her height, her slenderness
of figure, the softness of her
hand, her hesitation in answering him,
by which be began to feel absolutely
sure that he was at last on the right .
tack. Therefore he had to persuade
her that he was on the wrong one.
"Of course, Miss," said he, "it docs
lot ao to say too mucn woen one is ,,
only investigating like. But I may j
tell you that you've helped ine consid- (
erably, and in a way you wouldn't j
think, to find out the thief who's given j
us all tne bother." c
Again the girl's face, with its deli
cate, tell-tale skin, blancheu with a j
spasm of terror. But ke did not ap- }
pear to notice it. ]
"And now I may just add, in strict t
confidence, mind, as it's a thing I don't j
want to get known till I've actually
nabbed the chap, that he's one of the s
best-known thieves from the East End r
of London and has done time more j
than once." t
As he said these words, with an ex- ?
pression of great cunning, Nell's face,
as easily read as a book, exhibited first f
astonishment, then relief, and finally f
a joy which she tried in vain to hide.
He could see, even hough ber eyes
were downcast and her mouth tightly '
drawn, that she could scarcely contain (
herself for the wild impulse of delight 1
which had succeeded to the torments
of his interrogatory.
There was a moment's pause before '
she could collect uerseit to reply id
tranquil tones:
"Well, I'm sure, my uncle, and all of j
us, will be very glad when you've .
caught him. Will you go through this
way ?"
And opening the inner door of the ?
sitting room, she directed him to go (
out through the bar. a
The detective smiled to himself {
when, after having refreshed him- j
self at the bar, and apologized to ^
George Claris, to whom be gave a j
similar hint to that which he had giv- j
en Nell, he found himself once more on j
the road to Stroan.
ue had been 60 far eminently sue- c
cessful, but there was many a link still (
wanting in me chain of evidence
which was to connect pretty Nell Clar- ^
is with the robberies at the inn. As t
he had no intention of returning to his ?
hotel until he had made further in- ?
vestigations at Shingle End, he
doubled back by way of the fields when
be had gone a short distance along j
the road, and hung about between the t
Blue Lion and Colonel Bostal's house, \
taking advantage of every bit of hedge
and tree to keep out of the range of $
chance observers. t
And It was not very long before he ^
found that come one else was on the $
watch also. The figure of a man, in a
jersey and seaman's boots, with a felt f
bat on the back of his head, and a pipe j
in his mouth, soon attracted his at- >
tention. He recognized the man as t
Jem Stickels, a frequent customer at
the Blue Lion, and a person o: wnom .1
report spoke ill as a confirmed "loafer"
and idler, who only worked when he
could not help it. He could not be
quite certain whether Stickels saw
him, but the fisherman was on the
lookout for another person, and the
letective had little difficulty in guessing
that that person was Nell Claris.
For indeed Jem Stickels made nc
secret of his admiration for the young
lady, nor of his determination to
'bring down the hussy's pride some
Que day."
It was the intention of the detective
to go to Shingle End, to interrogate
Miss Bostal on the subject of the hum
an Miss Claris s hand. But as he fell
sure that Nell would try to outwit him
by seeing the lady and preparing her
[or his questions, he wanted to wait
until she had started on her journey
so that he might be with Miss Bostal
when the girl arrived.
His expectations were realized to the
letter. He was waiting behind a clump
sf bushes not far from the garderi-gato
3f Shingle End, when he caught sight
jf the girl coming across the fields a'
1 rapid pace. As she drew near, he 0
could hear her panting breath, could *
see, even in the waning light of the J.
December day, that she cast anxious
;lances round her as she went. 11
When she was within a couple of
hundred yards of him, she stopped, e
with a little scream, as Jem Stickels e
suddenly appeared at her side, spring- v
ing up from the shelter of one of the ?
numerous dikes with which the marsh
was intersected in all directions.
The detective heard the->fisherman's
hoarse, jeering laugh. Then.he saw the j,
girl dart forward, with the evident intention
of escaping her unwelcome ad- t
mirer by fleetuess of foot.
"That's the very movement by which j
she got away from me!" thought the
detective, as he saw the slight figure
bend suddenly to the right, avoiding a
the rough touch with which she was
threatened. t
But Jem Stickels knew with whom
he had to deal. Thrusting his hands j
into his pockets, he contented liimsell a
with barring her passage with his person,
skillfully baffling each attempt she
made to pass him. These attempt* on
her side, find the successful move- ?
mcnts by which Jem frustrated .them. n
brought both the young people near E
enough to the detective in his place of c
concealment for him to lienr?the wcrds ^
which the lisherman addressed to the <
girl. t
"Look here," he said roughly, and i
in no very subdued voice, "you had
better listen to what .'ve got to say, i
and so I tell you. For if you don't, I'll fc
just take myself off and say it to some- [:
body cine instead." c
"Indeed, that is just what I want a
you to do," answered Nell, indignantly, t
"You know very well that 1 don't wish I
:o talk to you now or at any otMr
:ime, but especially now."
"What do you mean by 'especially
low,' eh. Miss Fine-Lady-Pen cock?"
isked Jem, who had evidently been
lrinking, although he knew what hq
vas doing.
But for answer the girl turned sudlenly
and started to run back to the
*rr? Trim V?r\nrz?vor Twain fr nrpnilTA/l fftr
;uch attempt, soon caught her, and
his time they were too far away from
he detective to hear whaf they said,
ilthough he could distinguish the tonen
)f their respective voices.
It was evident that the very next
words uttered by Jem made a great
ind terrible impression upon Nell,
ler face, which had at first expressed
lothing but loathing and disgust, became
in a moment rigid with horror,
is the young man. standing quite close
o her, and speaking in a hoarse whis)er,
said something to her in an exited
and earnest manner.
So anxious was the detective to learn
vbat it was which produced so strong
in effect upon the girl, that he crawled
rorn his hiding place to the diich
vhich ran alongside tne roau, ana
?rept along, sometimes in the water,
ind sometimes only in the mud, nnt.il
je was close enough to the two speakers
to eateh most of their words. When
)e stopped, the girl was refusing some
equest of the man's, with al! the cn rgy
of loathing and detestation.
"Of course I will not," she was sayng
vehemently. "Of course, nobody
vould believe you for a moment. And
[ don't suppose you would dare to tell
hem to anybody else, for fear of beng
taken for a lunatic."
"Don't you? Oh, all right, then,"ineered
Jem. "I ma/ tell that Heuining
then, that's been spying ronnd
iere lately, and that's put your uncle's
>ack up so by the questions he's been
isking. I may tell him, eh. Miss?"
The detective could not see the girl's
'ace as- she answered, after a little
muse:
"You may con:-, up with me to Shingle
End, and tell your story to the
rolonel and Miss Theodora; that's
vhat you may do?if you dare."
There was another pause, and the
letective knew, from tne way in which
ihe had uttered these wordB, as well
is from the attitude in which she wait;d
for the fisherman's answer, that she
.vas less defiant than her words. At
ast the fisherman spoke again. And
t was clear that the proposal was not
o his taste.
"Look here. Miss Nell!" said he, in
irgumcntative tone, "do you really
lare me to do that? Come, you know
ts I shouldn't have dared to have spok;n
to you so open if I hadn't got proof
jositive. Now, come, should I? Why,
four face told as how you knowed I
mowed, and so what's the good of
>raving me? And knowing what I
mow, isn't it plain I mean no harm,
vhen I could easy earn a pound or two
>ut of peachin' to the detective chap?
Dome, now, you must see it, eh?"
nnri sinv it nnt tlipn. hefrv ft
witnesses?I dare you to do It!" reorted
Nell, with a little more assnrtnee
as she noted the man's reluct*
tnce to take this step.
"No, I shan't!" he replied, sullenly.
'I shall go to work my own way. And
say this:' if you choose to speak civil
o me, I don't ask for much more, and
o ask me in to tea with you and your
incle, just how you asked the j'oung
wells as were down here three months
jack, why, I hold my tongue, and it'll
;o no farther tnan you and me. But
f vmi don't fhfinso 1n ilo this "
"I don't choose!" retorted Nell, quite
iercely. "I tell you the whole story
s absurd, and that nobody would beieve
you for a moment, and you oan
ell it to whom you please."
And she suddenly sprang away from
rem, and gaining the road with rapid
iteps, walked quickly in the direction
>f Shingle End.
"All right!" shouted Jem, threatenngly,
in stentorian tones, as he kept
mce with her, walking towards the
:olonel's house by the fields, as she
vent by the road. "Butif you'll take
ny advice, you'll make a clean breast
if it to your grand friends, and see if
hey don't say you'd best keep in with
ne!"
As he shouted the last words, Jem
itickels passed the spot where the deective
was in hiding. Within a few
noments the latter took the opportuniv
nf issuinc from his uncomfortable
belter, and, following Jem at a quick
'ace, came up with liim before be
cached tbe fcnce which surrounded
lie colonel's garden.
"Is that you, Stlckels?" asked he, as
f be were not quite certain of his
nan. "Here I'want to bave a word
/itb jou!"
To be Continued.
Quci\che<l.
Knowledge of any sort being built
n study and research, tbe pretender
o its possession generally has a short
ope. An illustration in point comes
rom the "Memoirs of Baron Stockaan."
A friend of the baron's went to an
vening party at Frankfort, where he
xpected to meet Herr von Radowitz,
vlio was somewhat inclined to pose
s a scientist. On hie way be saw a
I'irn hnrnin<?. stonned his carriage.
ssisted the people, and waited till llie
lames were nearly extinguished.
When he arrived at his friend's
louse, he found Herr von Radowitz,
vho had previously taken a party 'o
he top of the building to see what he
upposed to he the aurora borealis,
earnedly dilating on terrestrial magictism,
electricity, et cetera.
"Have you seen the beautiful
LuroraV" he said to Stockman's friend.
"Certainly!" was the reply. "I was
here myself. It will soon be out."
During the explanation which folowed
Herr von Radowitz quietly stole
iway.?Youth's Companiou.
Missed Ilis Cliance.
During his lecture to children at the
Society of Art, Mr. E. Walter Mnunler
told his audience an instructive
itory. A certain lecturer iu astronomy
ibservcd that some of the students
vere not paying due attention. '".Mr.
So-and-so," he called out to one of
hem, "will you he good enough to tell
is of what the corona is composed?"
L'lie student addressed hesitated for a
noment, and then blurted out: "I did
mow, sir, but I've forgotten." The
u'ofessor looked at him, and then exclaimed:
"What a calamity! Here
ve have the only man who ever knew
he composition of the corona, and ho
las for20tten!"?Londou Chronicle. .
/
| THE INDIAN i
y |-y HE American Indian is of
1 1 that physique wnicn maices
j a good farmer, and the wonder
is that they were not sent
into the fields ere this Instead of making
them go to school. Education is
essential, but ninety-nine per cent, of
those who return home from school
either do nothing or go into farm life.
The other one per cent become professional
men. Within the past few
years the strides made by the American
red man in farming have been
remarkable. More Indians are taking
to the plow than the public would
r
THE SEGER INDt
believe. But it is also true that fully
twenty per cent, of tbem, after having
passed through a trnlning-school, will
return to the reservation and go on
the downward trail again. It is quite
easy to teach an Indian, but another
matter to make him remember and
obey that which he has been taught.
One may travel through any reservation
in the West to-day and find many
Indians at work in the fields It may
seem odd to see a blanketed buck hoe(turn
COMANCHE INDIAN BOY!
ing corn or driving a binder, but such
things are quite common in New Mexico,
Arizona, Dakota, and Oklahoma.
In Oklahoma vast fields of wheat are
cultivated by full-bloods, but tkey are
called civilized Indians, for the reason
that they belong to the Five Tribes. I
have ridden for a whole day through
a vast field of wheat owned and cultivated
by full-blood Cherokees. They
live in palatial homes, and are a hospitable
people, industrious and progressive.
It was about 18S7 that the United
States Government first came to the
conclusion that manual labor would
exercise a greater influence toward
civilization than anything else. That
^ W
: ,*
I, C-J
A DELAWARE INDIAN FARMER.
was the date when their first lands
wore allotted to them. It was then
bclived that the proper way to go
about teaching Indians to farm was
to place them on a quarter section of
the good land, saying, "You must got
a living out of this or starve."
In a few years they found the untutored
savage quite willing to starve
or fight. In most cases he was more
anxious to fight. Some of thu most
atrocious crimes have been committed
by these same border redskins who
3?rfi ^
WASHITA AND CADDO INDI
had been placed on a certain tract
of land and told to work it. It was
after nil tWs tlint the Government
-learned tbe Indian liad to be taucbt.
MWS8SW8SWa
IS A FARMER I
iS
So after years of patient teaching, red
men in farm life have become a matter
of course. It is their shortest cu?
to civilization.
In the United States to-day there
are 38,900 Indians who earn their own
living by farm-work. Last year they
sold their farm products for a combined
sum of# $1,408,805, over and
above the expenses of living. This
was nearly $40 per capita, which is
very good considering the fact that
of +hom hnvo never I
ininy per ccruu m ?
before farmed an acre of land. Some
of the Indian farmers never did a
fSTRIAL SCHOOL COLONY, OKLAH
day's work In all their life before.
Some have been at work for five or six
years. One farmer, a Kiowa living
in Oklahoma, raised last year wheat
making twenty-six bushels to the acre,
and corn running sixty bushels. He
tilled the fields alone, except in havesttime,
when he engaged a number of
harvest hands to assist His income
from last year's crop was $3500. His
farm is a model one. Originally the
land, 600 acres in extent, was set aside
>- "iT"-my) i win muma
3 IN A MELON PATCH.
to him by the Indian agent. It lies in
the valley near the Washita River,
and the soil is well watered and rich.
In the edge of a patch of trees bordering
on the farm was erected a nice
five-room cottage. The stock was
fattened, and every farming implement
wag shprirleri for winter. This
Indian, who was once a noted fighter,
now puts in seven months in each
year cn his place, and works even
harder than the average white farmer.
While one cannot say too much
good concerning his farming ability,
his moral character is in keeping with
other Iindians. Sometimes, when he
can get the liquor, he will remain
drunk for a whole month. He wears
a blanket in the winter, and attends
the medicine dances and dog feasts
in summer. So while the Government
has tamed him in one way they still
have a great deal to accomplish. His
steps are siow and halting. As it is
with this Kiowa farmer one will also
find it with many other Indians. They
cannot take many advance steps in
one year; not even nve will see a complete
change in their condition. To
make a good farmer out of a warrior
requires no less than seven years.
There are to-day about 267,800 Indians
in the United States, of which
229,000 do not work. Therefore only
seven per cent, of the entire Indian
population on the reservation earn
their own living, excluding the Indians
of the Five Civilized Tribes.
This is quite an improvement over
three years ago, when not three per
cent, were capable of taking care of
themselves.
There are to-day 85,750 members of
the Five Civilized Tribes of Indian
Territory. These are the Cherokees,
Creeks, Choetaws, Chickasaws, and
Seminole Indians. They yet retain
their land in severalty, but it will be
allotted before another year. These
are called educated Indians, and last
year they earned $1,500,000 from the
sale of beef and cattle. It costs the
Government from $4,000,000 to $5,000,000
every year to educate the redskins
and set thciu up in farming.
The Osage Indians?the richest Indians
in the United States?are, contrary
to general belief, the most industrious.
They had out last year
20,000 acres of land, from which they
raised 100,000 bushels of wheat, 10,000
bushels of oats, and 500,000 bushels
of corn.
The Sioux outnumber the Osages
two to one, hence the value of their
products was evcu greater than those
of the Osages. But the Sioux go in
for cattle-raising, having sold 12,000
head of cattle in one season, and made
?
ANS CLEARING A CORNFIELD.
$53,000 therefrom. The Cherokees are
also great cattle-raisers.
Practical farming is now toeing
taught in many Indian schools of the
Southwest country. An experiment of
much value was attempted among the
Cheyennes In Oklahoma not long ago.
A . 1 a < * *
xijuiuu ttgeui wmnea ine scnooiboys
to milk cows for him, and agreed
to give each one who milked for three
months a nice calf. Fifteen boys
started, but they were so ridiculed by
the older men of the tribe that twelve
of them gave It up. Three won the
calves, and the pride of being owners
of the cattle served as quite an assistance
in getting other Indian children
to try. After a year twelve boys had
won calves, and the agent asked them
to plow corn for him, agreeing to
give them all the con they could
grow. Ten boys volunteered to grow
corn, and they actually raised 3000
bushels, which was sold and afterwards
converted Into thirty head of
steers.
1
1
~=? I
OMA TERRITORY.
/
Each steer was branded with an Individual
brand chosen by the boy owner.
This made them prouder than
ever, and more industrious. .Every
n+ +Vln <1 <ro n n T7 TX-onfrtrl +n CO tn
uvj uv MiVi O- -work
at once, and as a result of that
experiment the Cheyennes are the
most Industrious farmers of any tribe
so recently on the war-path.?W. R.
Draper, in Harper's Weekly.
THE CHERRY TREE FROC.
He Livei In Australia and Is Happy In
Spite of Troubles.
This is a picture of the Australian
tree frog (Hyla caerulea). Optimists
have long maintained that everything
which has been created has some use.
The use of the tree frog is to set an
example of cheerfulness. "I am not
beautiful," thinks the tree frog, "and
therefore the way for me to make people
love me is to be good and cheerful."
When the tree frog finds himself
becoming depressed by the thought
that he lacks the grace of the young
gazelle he is wont to restore his good
humor by allowing his mind to dwell
on the old joke about himself and his
kind to the effect that they climb up
+yaaa orid hn-rlr When hp tVltnkfl
again that the gazelle Is also swifter
than he (as It is) he consoles himself
with the thought that he himself has
ball-bearing toes.
The tree frog has much to contend
against in hjs effort to be of good
cheer, and his success Is the more
commendable. He lives in Australia,
THE AtJSTBAIiIAN TREE PROG.
for one thing, and that is so far from
the Bowery! But, as a compensation
for this he is a subject of Edward
VII., and his satisfaction at this is
seen reflected in his face. Then, aa
geographers know, Australia is on the
o hor side up from the Bowery, but
the tree frog smiles to think that he
lives in a tree, where he has only to
cling to a branch and does not fall off.
And then, whenever there is a shakedown
in any of the precincts adjacent
to the Bowery, the tree frog experiences
a shake-up, and again rejoices
in the compensation of nature. In
short, the tree frog leads a simple,
quiet, orderly life, with honest motives,
generous impulses and earnest
endeavor, and its motto is "Handsome
Is tlxat handsome does."
This picture of the tree frog is taken
from Nature, and is scientifically ac
curate. This account of him is not
taken from Nature: but is quite original,
and aims to be popular rather
than scientific.?New York Tribune.
Why Ho Kept Silent.
At an evening party a gentleman related
an adventure in which he had
been the principal actor, and, seeing
unmistakable shadows of doubt on the
faces of his hearers, he appealed to a
friend who was present and who had !
witnessed the circumstances to cor- j
roborate his statement.
To hfs utter confusion his friend
denied all knowledge of the affair.
Meeting some time afterward the
suspected Ananias said:
"Is it possible that you .can have
forgotten the circumstance to which I
referred at Mrs. A.'s party the other
niglit?"
"Certainly not, my dear fellow," replied
his friend, "but I could see that
everyone present looked upon you as
an incorrigible liar, and I had too
much regard for my character to risk
being taken for another."?London
Answers.
OirlB AVIth a Twanjf Are Barred.
When girls are chosen for the new j
Government telephone service in Lon- 1
don the educational examination siuks |
into insignitieauce before the phys.o- !
logical test. No girl will be employed i
if she be below 5 feet 2 inches high in
her stocking soles. She must possess ;
good hearing, have no defect of ;
speech, and must be tested by viva I
voce examination, in which particular
attention is "to be paid to articulation,
pitch of voice and general selfpossession."
Any candidate showing
any indication of nervousness, hysteria,
want of self-possession or a
strongly marked twang swui De re* ;
jected. The majority will probably j
pass In -possession, but dialcct Is !
a severe test.?London Express.
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ARE POTATOES ESSENTIAL?
They Fnrn!?h About Foartffn Per Cent?
nf Amnrlein Nutriment.
The threatened potato famine, or at
least short crop, In the light of the
statement of Dr. Langworthy, of the
Office of Experiment Stations, that potatoes
constitute nearly fourteen per '
cent, of the total food consumed by,
American families has a grave slgnifi*
cance. The popularity of the potato
as a food stuff is well founded, and i?
due to its prolific yield, superior keeping
qualities, ease of propagation anct
agreeable flavor. It was Introduced
into this country at the time of Ha- j
lelgh's voyages to Virginir, and has j
steadily increased in popularity evetr
since.
Every school child is aware that
potatoes are classed as starch foods,,
and that their bulk is made tsp large
ly of water. The accompanying diagram,
prepared for the Department of
Agriculture, Bhows graphically the
proportion of edible and inedible contents
of a potato. It Is chiefly on ac?
count of the starch content that potatoes
are eaten, and while they are
apparently not economical foods, owing
to the large proportion of watec
which they contain, this, is not actual*
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pn. / tSTA{\Crt] * \ ;T.
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L water) 1 : If
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COMPOSITION OF THE POTATO.
a, fat; b, crude fiber and other carbohy- ^
drates, exclusive of starch; c, protein; d,
ash.
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j
ly the case. In other foods, as for instance,
rice, there is four times as
much nourishment as in an equal
weight of potatoes, but then wnter or .
milk is added to the rice In preparing /
it for the table, so that when ready to /
be eaten it very much resembles potatoes
in the assimilable proportion-,
bulk for bulk. Equal weights of the
two foods do not cost as much in each
case. 4si
Being chiefly starch the potato is
valuable as a source of muscular energy
and does not serve to build or
repair the body tissue, except in a very:
small degree. This explains why potatoes
are generally served with foods
rich in tissue making properties, such:
as meats, and why it is that large ''
Qumbers of the country population of
Ireland and Germany are so poorly: ,
nourished. Potatoes alone are a very;. ,
one-sided diet.
The accompanying table shows at a1
glance how the potato is proportioned
as regards its food value:
Water 783 per cent.
Starch, or energy-producing
material 18.4 per cent.
Nitrogens, or tissue-producing
material 2.2 per cent. J
Fats 01 per cent.
Mineral matters, chiefly potash
salts 1.00 per cent.
It Is often asserted tnat tne potato .
is unwholesome, but there is no "scientific
basis for it. Eaten alone potatoes,
of course, would form a very
oadly balanced diet As a matter of
fact its universal popularity and conjunction
are evident from the statistics
above quoted, that it forms neary
fourteen per cent, of the total food
)f the people of this country, furnishing
about four per cent, of the total
proteins, or nitrogenous foods, and
aearly ten per cent, of the total carboaydrates
or starches.
A word of warning. Potatoes that
Dave been stored for a long time and
which have begun to sprout, should
j aot be eaten, as tney are apt to conI
:ain an undue amount of solanin, or x
! poisonous substance. Numerous cases
j Df poisoning are on record resulting
! from this cause.?Philadelphia Record.
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Remarkable Lighthouse Construction.
Remarkable among engineering tasks
i Is the building of the new lighthouse
j off Beachy Head, in England, which
j Involves submarine construction, the
j as |
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?r- 334TZ, * ,
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workmen being lowered each day tc
the sea level from a ^liff 754 feet tq
height. A wire rope stretches to the
caisson, and the men travel up and
down this rope in basket cars. The
material for new building is lowered
in a similar manner.?New York Her
aid.
Found in a Bible.
The following story is being told
in Hamburg about a most welcome
find of money in a Bible, writes oui
Berlin correspondent. A businesi
man, with a large growing family,
began to iitid himself in serious monetary
troubles. His wife fell ill, and
the doctor sent in a very long bllL
which he was unable to pay. Th
debtor fa his distress made up his
mind to sell the family Bible. On
turning over the leaves before taking
it out of the house he found a sealed
letter iusc-ribed with the words, "To
the fiider." He opened It and found
the following letter inside:
"In the sure knowledge that mandoes
not turn to his Bible to read
the word of God until he is in tho
greatest distress, I have placed fiw m
notes between pages 111 and 142.
Hamburg, 17, 1879."?London Express.
Tbe more solid comfort is the softer
time a man seems to bava.
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