The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, August 13, 1902, Image 2

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jlioMeiihii 4Lty b? CHAPTER X. Continued. I was born in England In the year of Christ, 1600, that year being the fortyttrst of the reign of the virgin Queen Elizabeth. In my brother's house, where I at present live?which Is to My. In the manor bouBe of Holdenburst, by 8L Edmund's Bury. In the County of Suffolk?and am the young? -A +WV SMIB A# Cr Ul UiC ?nw >viw vi vaui?vr? Trueman and Barbara, bis wife. The two manors of Holdenhurst, bestowed on my family by the eighth Henry, would hare supported the dignity of a baronet; but my father, unlike his predecessors, sought for no public employment. and viewed with Indifference the acquisition of the highest bonon by men of meaner birth, living In peace and content upon his paternal acres at a stirring period when the fate of his country trembled In the bal ance. Both my parents unv jjg uieu at an early age. my brother succeeded to ' the estate and treated me with extraordinary liberality, permitting me to hare with him equally in all that he had?except the anxieties and vexations which accompany the possession of property, and those he generously kept for himself. When ho took to himself a wife my brother abated othing of bis kindness to me. but I was deprived of much of his company. This event took place in 1620. the twenty-flfth of my brother's life and of mine the twentieth. Now it so chanced that immediately m toon after the marriage of my brother I conceived a very violent and all-absorbing passion for a certain uld. who. even at the time I was so wised, I coold not bnt acknowledge possessed nothing uncommon In beauty. talent or fortune. Nevertheless, for some reason which remains unknown to me to this day I loved her with an Intensity of devotion which might be equalled, but could never be exceeded. My suit was well received, and one day. la response to my request that she woutyl become my wife she sent me s missive, couched In loving terms, wherein she professed herself very willing to accord with my wish, subscribed. "Tour loving wife that is to t?." The messenger who brought this gratifying epistle could hardly have returned to her ere I received another letter from the same source. It ran thus, or nearly thos: "Think of me no more?try to forget me. Do not -write or come to me 1 can never be your wife," and appended was the signature of she whom I bad preferred before all women. I knew not what to nuke of this, so paused, thinking one of us must be mad, and endeavoring to decide who was that one. but 1 Called. Then followed the only occasion In my life when I went where I had been definitely told X was not wanted. I sought my promised wife, found her and talked with her. but she would not acquaint me with the eause of her perjury, contenting herself with the assertion that It must be so. X left her. not hating her?I could not bring myself to that?but with a cynical, albeit Illogical, contempt for all women?contempt which I retained for many years after the Intense feeling I one* bad In this matter had died out Shafts propelled by the envious fates against the young and rigorous do not often probe deeply, bat for the most part fall to the ground blunted. Not many months had elapsed ere I begun to consider myself fortunate In luring escaped an alliance which 1 had recently contemplated with so much satisfaction, perceiving that a woman who will dccelre one man will as readily deceive two or more men; so that when soon afterward 1 learned of her marriage to another my only motion was sympathy for the man who had won her lore?that la. cupposing that she had any lore in her nature. or. baring it suffered it to control her in her choice of s husband. Bat contempt forwomen had become ingrained with me. 1 recognised them as maternal necessities, but could not regard as serious anything any woman might say; at the same time holding it right and proper to employ any means for their subjugation to my desires. I sm aware that my conduct lllnirlmil that nf thfl innrrr. pbal debtor who robbed Peter to pay Paul but sucb it was. and it muit be Boted aa well aa other circumstances of my career. With his usual kindly solicitude for nay welfare my brother advised me to travel, conceiving tbat familiar intercourse wltb strange nations, and the rievr of distant cities and wonders of nature, was medicine suited to my milady (for I had fallen into a meian CDCIV HIOOU I, aou lO lUJl ruu tia<c ujv a thousand pounds, and took great pains to furnish me with letters of recommendation to persons of consideration abroal. The Earl of Arilngten. whose estate lay contiguous to ttie Holdenbursts, was cur friend, and toeing high In the King's counsels it was in his power to help us much. The Earl generously lent his aid. and procured for me letters to tl*e English Ambassadors at Paris and Conntantl noplc, and to the most considerable *- " " n*lr/?!nn1 !t \e.a nf Ul^i VUdU11* m IUC ft UIVI|/U1 vtkivp v* Europe, of which It is ouly necessary that 1 should specify one?that nddretfed to Signor Pietro Siiuona. shipowner. of Venice. Thus provided I bade a tender farewell to icy brother, mud taking torse set out on my travels unaccompanied by a sen-ant. In eight days I reached Dover, having Journeyed by way of London, quite safely and without adventure. At Dover I old my borse to an innkeeper, wbo at 4?t offered me a tenth of his value, nod when I refused it threatened to carry me before a justice of the iieace and accuse me of having stolen the horse. I told him be was an impudeut rogue, and that If I bad the pleasure ?f aooearihg before a justice In his ESBBgjlj MgFsr&" i *=- *r\ t ALTER BLOOMFIELO ? f t ?nt Bmrxs'a Son. I company I had influence In my pocket J sufficient to hang him on the nearest t gallows for so Insolently aspersing the ' character of an honorable gentleman, whereon I polled oat of a satchel which depended from my girdle a f passport signed by King James, with . His Majesty's seal attached. When j be looked on this document the Innkeeper turned pale and trembled, and f without further ado told out from a c long purse as much fooney as I had * asked for the horse, and withal shared with me a quart of choice canary at t his own expense. r After diligent inquiry I obtained an 0 introduction to the captain of a f barque, who designed to presently ( proceed to Calais, and he contracted T to transport me to France for twenty shillings. It was two days before we n set sail, and the barque was no sooner j at sea than the wind proved contrary, t and we beat about the coast of Thanet In imminent peril for a day and a night I was sore sick from the tur- ( bulence of the sea. and almost starred; d for my inclination for food was but small, and the only victual aboard g musty biscuit and sour wine. After j two days of dire misery I was carried ashore, more dead than alive, at Dun- s i kirque, where I recovered my wonted ^ I health very speedily, though I soon came near to losing It again by a sur- v feit of oysters and onions prepared for me by a fishwife of that town. My j clothes were torn and spoiled by the d bufferings I had sustained In the barque, so I bought me others of h French make, which served excellently n ! for a long time, being exceeding ^ j strong, though such as would denote a g French mariner rather than an Englisb gentleman making the grand tour. t' When I was perfectly recovered from the ill effects of my voyage I bought a ' horse and set out for Paris, spending Q my money with great economy on the way. and carefoly avoiding such com- jj pany as I judged might be dangerous ? for the safety of my thousand pounds. T into which I had dipped but sparingly . as yet. and I doubt not my security . had an additional warrant in the fact that I was tall and muscular, at any ? time prepared for combat with the best man in France. In this manner c did I journey across the continent of 3 Europe, staying many days in the fine cities of Rouen, Paris. Dijon. Genera, Turin, Milan. Verona and Padua, observing all that la remarkable therein; and so at last came to Venice, fair city of the waters. Inasmuch as Venice is *' beautiful beyond the power of words ^ to depict, and I had been traveling with bat Drier rests ror seven mum us, I purposed living among the Venetians j* one whole summer at least, and so indeed It fell out, at shall presently ap- 0 P?r. ? I had always heard that Venice was tj the most beautiful city of Italy, quite t] fascinating the stranger, who reveled C{ in a constant succession of delightful ^ surprises as he paced her stately squares and colonades or luxuriously fj gilded over the surface of her wonderful canals, with sky of unbroken b azure above and historic palaces t] around, and so indeed I found it. Here, therefore, I resolved to stay until I had mastered the Italian tongue. ' of which at present I knew only inconsiderable fragments, picked up j haphazard since I had come to Italy, and I rightly appreciated my want ' when I presented my letters to 8ignor ' S'mona, who spake no English. French 7 I could speak tolerably well before I lpft England, thanks to Monsieur Fe tlx Lamonte. who. when I was a pupil v at King Edward's Grammar School. r' Bury St. Edmund's, impressed upon n me the irregularities of French verbs a by the regularity of his floggings, which were frequent and severe. Touching this Monsieur Lamonte. 1 retain to this day a vivid recollection 0 of his skill in tying up birch rods (for he would use none but those be had * made himself), of the graceful curves described by his right arm when he a flogged any of his pupils, and of his boast that he could produce by six ^ strokes a posteriori! agony as exqui- 2 site as an English master could pro- * duce by a dosen. Though in bltternoss 8 of spirit I had often cursed Monsieur , Lamonte. I bad of late had cause to think more charitably of him. for he ^ was a good teacher, and I now expe rienced the convenience of his lessons as mncb as I formerly did the lncon- ( venience of his methods of imparting them. It was a great boon to me to be able to converse with Slgnor Simona. who was a good French scholar. which would not have been the case . If I had been ignorant of French. j When first I beheld SJgnor Fietro Slmona I was deeply impressed by bis venerable aspect. Bis years then numbered as many as mine do now. which a Is to say seventy-one. but he appeared e much older, his vitality being sapped 'J by bis intense application to affairs of a commerce in early manhood and mid- f die age and by stress of recent sorrow. I to say nothing of the Datural ravages j of time. Nevertheless he exhibited f traces of a nobility of features and s Ktature wmcn an auenuaieu lace ana o bowed back failed to obliterate. The c moment of my introduction to him t was a painful one. for be had just re- t turned from celebrating the obsequies t of his son. and his only remaining t child, the young and beautiful Anita, s was administering to her father such c comfort as was possible in the circum- r stances. I had entered the presence of the old man and presented my letters before I was acquainted with bin unhappy condition, but so soon as 1 i was Informed of It 1 sought to with- ii draw until a more fitting occasion t shou!d offer. The fair Anita, perceiv- t ing that my businets might divert her ( father's thoughts from the object of his grief, would not willingly suffer me to depart; so I yielded to her solicita- ?i tioii and remained. My host was a it nan of extraordinary Intelligence. <T? 1*htfully frank and commanicatlrc lotwlthstanding a qnlet dignity whlcl isually accompanies a combination o realth and intellectual power. Of li! rrief be spake not, but I observed al oo many evidences of it. After noro onversation with bim on gen<-rr.l mni ers It was easy for me to understan iow this man bad from buruMe lx winnings risen to be the most opulen hipowner in Venice. When I a?ke lis advice in respect of a house when n to live during my sojourn In Veulc he old man regarded me with mil urprise. "I know of no other tha his." he said; "who comes from Enj aud with credentials such as your oust be my guest." These worus ai orded me great content, and in Signo ilmona'f bouse I accordingly took u cy abode. November 13. ? A thorough master if the Latin and French tongue lclpod me greatly in acquiring tb talian speech; sans such equipmec doubt not I should have failed, fc ay method of learning differed great! rom what Is prescribed by the scbooli ignorina Anita Simona was my ir tructress. and ber lessons occupie learly the whole of every day. Sh old me the names of things, and coi ected my errors of pronunciation, bo f grammatical rules she spake not; ear she had but scant knowledge o hem herself. Though no Catholic, rent with ber each morning to mas< rbich pleased ber greatly, for she ha superstitious horror of Protestant tm. And here I may remark upo he convenience of conforming to tb cligious prejudices of the peopl niong whom one may be cast; it i ioth easy and politic, and may b one by most travelers without strain. My days in Venice passed with grea wlftness. as days of pleasure alway o. Slgnor Simona was a merchac rlnce, and his marble palace was tcrebouse of works of art broupht b; is captains from all the countries o be world. His kindness to me wa ery marked, and tbat of bis daugbte et more so. After many weeks o ally expeditions to examine tbe woe ers of Venice, in all of wbicb I wa ccompanied by tbe daughter of m; ost. tbe beautiful Anita showed 1] lany ways tbat she bad fallen in lov ritb me; and tbis circumstance occa ioned me mucb disquiet. If I bu alked with any otber ..oman, or res red to express admiration of a cot time worn by one of tbe Dogaressa' laids ber pearly teetb would dencl nd ber dark eyes flash. It was i reat difficulty, and hastened my de arture from Venice, with strange coo equences disastrous to herself, rould not love ber In dishonorabl asbion for tbe sake of ber father, m; -* ? ? 1 w., OSt; nor wouiu j marrj u-.*r, iui * uu< reviously resolved to measure tb aitb of all women by the perfidy o ne, and my unreasonable distrust wa yet unabated. To be continued. A Dog at the Wedding. Guests at an uptown wedding, wbicl ccurred a few days ago. will not foi ct It soon, because of an lnclden 'bleb occurred at tbe time. On ac sunt of tbe recent deatb of a relatlv< ae wedding was a quiet one, no >ore than fifty persons being assem ied in tbe cburcb when tbe first notei f Lohengrin's "Wedding March" toll f tbe approach of tbe prospectivi ride and groom. There were no at ?ndants, but as tbe couple moved uj ae aisle, what was the surprise an< L'nsternatlon of those seated to se alklcg sedately behind them a smal luck terrier, belonging to the bride'i imily. Paying no attention to cover [Torts of several of tbe guests to coa: im aside, "Jack" quietly followed t< ae chancel, and there remained whlJ je ceremony was jerformed. B? oming tired of standing, "Jack" sa own until tbe bride and groom turn* > leave the church, when be follower aeni down the aisle as quietly as be ire. If be bad attended rehearsal i ?w evenings before no more careful r could be have performed his self uposed duties of best man. "Jack" had followed the bride's cal rbea it left tbe bouse, and when 1 cached the church he had escape ctice until he was well down tb Ulc.?Philadelphia Ledger. Too Toug For HU Position. MA good many years ago." said a] ld-time railroad man to the crowd a be roundhouse, "a young college 'kid ras made superintendent of a roa< a t'cnnsyivama. nt* tnew wuieiuuii boat theoretical railroading, bat wa cry shy on tbe practical part of 11 >ne day be was standing in tbe yardi nd noticed tbat a yard engine wa liifting cars back and fortb, and b ent for tbe yardmaster. " 'Say." said tbe superintendent nrbat's tbe reason yon have to cbas bose cars back and fortb all tbe time ,'our men certainly have somethin sore than that to do. 1 want you t >ut tbe cars In tbe trains as fast a hey come in, ?nd let tbem stay there "Tbe yardmaster didn't make an; xplanaiion. He couldn't. Tbat st erintendent is now a high officer on Vestern road, and often laughs wbe: tiling the story."?Cleveland Plain )ea!er. Original Horn* of Golf. The Scotsman contends tbat golf i Scotch sport to which poetical refei nee was made in Adamson's Muse rbrenodie. published in Perth as Ion go us 1U38. Tbe terms used in tb j?ort are for the most part Scotcl tut tbe Dutch assert that it was lire tlayed in Holland on tbe ice. and in ere 1C.3S the Dutch poet Breuero dt cribed bow "the poller. with ioe-*pur , 1 utfinilK rp.'itlv to finite with n.sht-: lub weighted with lend, or bin Scol Isb cletk of leaded liox." But wliil bis uiny Ik? tbe curlies' poetical rel reuce to tbe game it does not. shot bat Holland is tbe original bouie o :olf. Tbe reference to tbe "Scotlis leek" seems at first sight to poin ut~er to Scotland.?Baltimore Suu. ___ A Mao'* Age. The great majority of men who bav >r.ssed forty are old or young accord ng to tbeir belief. Tbose who thinl hemselves old are old; those wh bink themselves young are young. .'bicago Inter-Ocean. Taving experiments are to be mad a Havana with vitrified bricks, gran ie squares and sandstone blocks. V j f. ! ? "v Y tbe courtesy of The Century s j I J we are enabled to reproduce f. I I ) one of tin* most Interesting T 1 { articles upon the very pertip ; nent question of tlie extermination of i tbe mosquito which has appeared in y print for some time. The Century has j .? ?r> W.n nn InlnMCt In fills lllirMIT e tant matter, having published in difit ferent numbers several articles tbere?r ' on. one from the pen of Dr. L. O. IIowy ard. the Entomologist of the Departs. ment of Agriculture, who is a renowned i* , authority upon mosquitoes. The article, d which we reproduce, is entitled "A Came paign Against theMosquito," written by ' Henry Clay Weeks, und it is prefaced it by a statement from I?r. Howard, who I summarizes the efforts which are being f made all over the country to relieve I . communities from so aunoying aud dnng*rou6 a pest. Dr. Howard, In part, d says: t- ( "It is my Arm opinion that, wide 1 spread as the Interest in mosqulto-exe : termination seems to be at present, it e ; Is not a temporary interest, but tie 8 beginning of a great and intelligent c crusade. New Jersey, a State j which has suffered a great economic t I loss from the abundance of mosquitoes, 8 Is giving attention to the matter not t , only in isolated communities as coma munity work, but also by State action. y the Legislature having passed a bill f to promote Investigations, but. unfors tunately, without an appropriation, r Last summer tlie towns of Summit and t South Orange carried on community) i- work which is to be continued this! 8 summer. Tbe cities of Elizabeth,, y | Newark and Jersey City are. I believe. I a j to do some drainape work with this end; e j In view. The Board of Health i* of New Orleans has taken up the matt ' ter. and is doing intelligent and satisi factory work. Nashville. Tenn.; Koine, i* j Ga.: Talladega. Ala.; Winchester and j Norfolk, Ya.. and a number of other b 1 places are looking into the matter with a . a view to immediate effort, and smaller > [ communities all over the country, i* j North. South. East and West, either I have the matter under consideration e j or are already beginning work." f | OPERATIONS AT OYSTER BAT, L. X. ? : BY BCyftT CLAY WKEXH. ? I f With no claim to be acting under other than well-known principles of engineering and insect-destruction, putting forth nothing as new in tic-Id or laboratory, there ha* been going forward to a demonstration, on Long li I Island. since January. 1001. the more* ment of which this article is the subt I"-*. w The purpose is to describe what is! 9 probably the first attempt by a column- j ^ | nity to exterminate mosquitoes on a , large scale in this country. The | B Outer Island work was the outcome ! of a hurried reconnaissance of a terri& tory of al*>ut thirty square miles made : by the writer during three days in Oc. tober. 1000. at the request of some resi? j dents who bad previously invited l>r. I Howard to visit the region and state ? 1 whether, in his view, relief was jh>s! Bible. His opinion was strongly fa' ! Torable. But the whole terri| tory was not then ripe for action, ana 1 ' there was an opportunitr of molding 0 : - j lotto IMIAVV a i J j I OnurC map or cccm uukso ami naitm, OTm* tAT, LANG tSLAJOl. " public sentiment or.*y iu a smr.ll part ., ' of tbe large area. namely, Center L j Inland, in Oyster Bay Harbor. | Cei:tor Island, of irregular shape, ' | about two miles long and half a mile * ; wide, was peculiarly adapted for relief j work, though there were conditions ** ! that made it a difficult held. It is ! connected with a ruinous breeding re-1 gion by a narrow strip of land, along . which. as well as over the intervening water, it was feared mosquitoes would 2 | Ik- horse. A large, sodden marsh rau through the middle, wherein were nu-; ? ; merous marsh holes, always excellent 0 I ? breeding grounds. Shore jwuids were . ! numerous, where high tides would ' J leave water behind harriers of sand. j[! which water would lieecune brackish # ; by rainfalls and seepage. As a wnole. Q the ibhind was a rare breeding place. | i- ; . r i m i *j . ::-- v ;?.!?*>' e ? ' . ' j e! ; -Jfok zrrsf V '' * e j j* 1*1 KE OVER MAK.S1I. Ol'TEll (JKEA C HEEK CI! aud its reputation for mosquitoes wasj well earned. e Of course the enemy is the same.; i. though of great variety of specie*. ! lie?or rather she, for it is only the j |n against female that bites--seeks Mood wher? ever it can lie found. She se?-ks water for oviposition as industriously as da the root? of a tree for nutrition, and with a determination as Irresistible. Her ingenuity almost tmfflcs human skill, and one lias to meet her on thesame grounds of persistence, giving close attention to natural instincts, times and conditions. It would be VIEW OF TIIE PART OF TI useless to attempt to enumerate the strange places mosquitoes seek for laying their eggs?from high-water tanks and clogged roof-gutters to wells a hundred feet deep: from a hole in ? tree holding only a few spoonfuls of water, discarded tinware, or the footprints of animals. to a quiet pond of many acres. With the knowledge that water is absolutely required for breeding, it involved no great brilliancy to say that water must lie denied the enemy. Her breeding places must be abolished by draining marshes or pools, and waterbarrels and the like must be done away j"?"N \ ?*? ?C 0VT(| V**"'cj> V cant atioow C"'"* *"v' M?l(>?^ao wh ?? ??? f ?? K* 4. * "? X^~~'~" - ? -? IM.1 ! **? ? ??,* 1 with. Knowing ar?o thnt in the larval end pupal mate* (wigglersi air is required for breathing, it wait equally patent that if a thin film of oil was plaeed on their breeding places, destruction would result for want of air.: It is the insistence of operations under' these ideas that Insures success. So the work bap confuted of the em-1 ployment.of drainage and petroleum. Hut while that appears simple, it entails careful planning and exactness in execution. Drainage is the permanent cure, petroleum the temporary expedient, hut each is essential in its sphere. The former must he employed thoroughly, the latter slightly. It is not netvssary. as some have intimated, to consider the depth of a pond, hut only its superficies. The film of fuelpetroleum does the work. Eight oil-stations were established on the island, where one or two barrels were placed on platforms in the shade of trees, and at these the petroller would fill his knapsack sprayer and sally forth for the enemy. Ten hurrcls were purchased, but only five were required throughout the island, and now that so many points are permanently reclaimed by drainage and the filling in of pool*, probably one barrel, or at most two. will be suffi- , clcnt this sensou. Only five compK->* tours of the island were found neces- | sary from May 1 to Octot?er 1. though ( ti?required at , ?>.v special prints. As it was impossible I < to <lo all tbe permanent work before! | the breeding season liegan. botb rcme- | dies wore worked co-ordinately. Tbifi , was done in order to bow best results, j To leave any breeding places untrent- ( ed would bave tbrown discredit on ( tuccessful work at other points. i I T MEADOW. AITKOACIIING THE 1 OSSIN'G. j 11 Surveys were first taken for the : work. to ascertain the entire | :-nti Liiu iit 11' i In* worst jmiut. naiuviy. <Srcat Meadow. m> v.h to plan the tiumber ut ditches uicessary to hold tLi-J < water in case of a heavy rainfall. Too much excavation result* in a waste of money: too little in a flooding of the reclaimed area and Injury to crops. Ix-vels were taken for the ditching, and it was found that only one inch of df-scent could lie had In sixty feet, though this was sufficient, owing to the great care in grading. A M|uad of about twenty-five men was engaged for irany weeks on the ditching and diking. Where no dikes were required the soil from the ditches was used In tilling the marsh-holes nn.l streams, or was graded hack at the edge of the uplands, leaving no holes for water to settle In. 0 The p<*>ls formed perfect breeding places, and the general sodden condition of the marsh made ideal breeding conditions. Early iu the season (before May 1? the pools were found to be alive with larvae, and unless one had absolute confident* in the processes of extermination, a glance Into one of them would have destroved all hope : ~ "y<r * . A, ' ' . * % N . ?/ '-. * IE DIKE ONCE A SAND-BAR. of gucces*. While tlio excavation was progressing. flic* i?etrolSers were set at work, and by care and close supervision scarcely an Insect pot to wing. Of the few that did. it was found that near them a little water surface had l?een overlooked, which showed two things: that mosquitoes do not fly far from their native place, and that most careful work its essential for complete results. The writer has l<ee:> informed that, in other years, to drive along the borders of this marsh was a perilous undertaking for man and beast, but he walked over it many times during acid after the work, aad did not encounter a pintle mosquito. Another t-ource of great trouble had heretofore been the brackish ponds formed on the shore within barriers of sand by extra high tides. In them.' cases tin- plan was carried out of excavating an opening, and allowing the water to run off at low tide, which would carry off n stream black with larvae. In the finish of work at such points an automatic tide-gate had to In* inserted in the opening, which is >et somewhat lw-low the level of the bottom of the j?euils. A number of these |tonds were so thoroughly dried out that no breeding occurred in them, and one could walk through the former I eds and al?out their vicinity, where formerly it was well-nigh impossible. The automatic tide-gate lets out the water as soon as the tide has fallen below its level, and closes wl?en the tide begin* to rise. so that in these bore ponds. as well as !:> larger marshes theinnerditches must be large enough to holt] the water which has collected between tides. without its overflowing the laud. L>ikes are built along the shore line to exclude the . HIE PETROLIEB AND AX OILBTATIOX. tides. and the gates arc set in at the ilike line. The results of this skirmish hare hecn very pronounced. to much so that the committee having the work in rharcc savs of it that "it was in every ivar successful and pratifyinp. and that althouph the season of liw?l was unusually favorable to the breeding ;?f the*e pests. yet Center Island was practically entirely relieved from mosjtiitoes. and. for the first time, at almost all hours of the day and cveniug. ive# were able to enjoy the use of our ;>iaz?as and lawns without the annoyluce of these posts. The results ichieved by the use of fuel-|?etroleum ivere simply remarkable. ami we were istoiiisbed to tind how little Jt was jeeessary to use to accomplish th? e<uits> desired." "A Man 1* Hrlnir." A remarkable case of suicide is re. from the State uf Victoria. A us ralia. Au ?>]?] Imperial foldier at Violet Town, altir swallowing a largo quailIt}* of strychnine. went to the local lappole and hoisted tin* I'niun Jack to jalf-mast. ll\< littlo pirl. nothing the anion, isked the reason. "A man is dying." it* explained. Ere hf had time to ti:< a white- the j?o:sou worked and he loll lead. A I'ln l>iJ It. A Paris thief, while picking a lady # ;; uirkt-t recently. pricked himself so se- ' rcrely with a plu that liapjH'iud to t>e | u hir dress tlint he uttered a cry of mill, which led :? his immediate nr- | est. The Sinn of ?!?."?< iu casti nas : rounJ ?|K>n him. TLe surpccn is not always suj?cr- ; :iliuu8 when he cuts his patients. REARRANGING THE FLAG'S STARS A Historical and Symmetrical Plan to Be Laid Before Congress. For years the lark of nymmetry and historical sipuilirnnce in '.hv arrange* m?*nt of the stars on the blue fit-Id of our National flag has been a subject of comment among observing patriot*, Fourteen yearn ago J It Stablnecker* of Silverfon. Col., commenced working out the Idea, bet never arrived at ' satisfactory solution until recently, | when a design was evoked, and tb? question of its adoption will be brought I before Congrexs. | President McKlnley examined the i scheme and liecame mucb interested in It. expressing a hope tbat tbe ebange might be made during bis adminlstra* tion, but some delay occurred in bar* ing c bill introduced at tbe last Session. It was a work requiring more thought and sfudy than at first np* I pears. With a given number of Atari, I to get a design tbat would commemo* ; rate the greatest number of events In ! tbe history of the country and yet se! cure a' symmetrical and artistic effect, was the tusk Mr. Stablnecker set for himself. Tbe centre group of thirteen start represents in bis (lag tbe thirteen original States at tbe close of tbe Revolt!* I tion or at tlk* time of tbe adoption of ; the Constitution. Tbe outer circle of ! twenty-three stain represents the j St a ten acluiltt?Ml between that time and I the close of the Civil War. The great i seal of the United Stated la representi cd by the contre group of thirteen and ; the encircling wreath of twenty-three. I It is intruded that the?e three great ! ulin 11 nnt Im> rhunsnl The tirst event brought tb? flag into ex* H Istence; tbe tbe admission ofH i twenty-three more State* and tbe Civil I War made tbe lift of the nation doubly K i secciv; tbe tbird tbe representation B I of tbe great seal of tbe United States B | if regarded us appropriate. B Tbe star* outside tbe circle of B ( twenty-three represent tbe States ad- B j milted info tbe I'ulon after tbe clottB ! of tbe Civil War in 18CT? to tbe 8panii>b B , war in 1&>8. This places two in eacb B ' of tbe four eorners and one midway B : on one side, and gives tbe entire mem* B ' bership of Statehood at tbe present H time. H | Am New liexieo. Arizona. Oklahoma Hj 'and Indian Territory come In their B stars may lie placed in the extreme B corner* outside the grou|>s of two. thus B forming a triangle. If tbe time comet, H| pays tbe Denver Post. when Alaska H or Hawaii deidrew admission as a State. B stars may be plnred midway on eacb B side of the Held, in line with tbe B groups of two at the corners, making B a second wreath, and no: detracting H from tbe symmetry of the arrange- B ment. 96 New Fly Catcher. gj It seems somewhut cruel to make a BE flower bolder au instrument or tfeatD, M hut since tlu' housekeeper will kill tho flics any way. why not make the fly* H trap bh attractive as possible. Ordl- j| narily fly traps are unsightly aud ob- H jecticnable objects to Lave uihiu the dinner table, as they expose the dead K | and dying flies to the sight of those seated at the table. In view of tbis objectionable feature the Invention we H show iu the picture has been desigued | to provide a trap which, while arranged for effectively enticing and en| trapping the flies, is also constructed to form a flower bolder and to present a mat and attractive api>earance. andHj at the same time to conceal the fllee^B after they have entered the device. TheBn up|M'r portion of the trap is in the^H form of n vase, to contain cut flowers for the decoration of the table. aud^H the guests uiay uot even suspect JtS^f real use. but the under portion has an entrance through which the flic* galn^f ac cess to the bait which i* susjm tided U .'nsidt. The Illustration shows an in-^R V'LOWP.K nol.PCK AND IXSrCTTBAr.^^BH iut sla'll. wIiit lt ban au o|M-uing at tbt^HI *?i|? tl.n'ii^l) wbiib tin- llii-s crawl. < tiding tlx !? ? to tin cutter. in wblct^^B -kIk imImI I lie |K?iM>ii?i?s liijuiil u liicl^^H kill* lite iiisrcts. To ck'an tbv Iti^Hn ti t ior the out?>r >liv!l ia:i i!< tat * luiuilii' I I... Iril, : 11 j I IlltoU'illf ft In lili.M-il cut iitul tftillid. Tbv iuvcu:^ Uj JoM'pli tlerfi-rt. SM