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4fta THE NATIONAL BANK OF AUGUSTA L. C. HAYNS, Pres1! P. G. FORD, Cashier. Capital, $250,000. Und iv Wed Profits } $110,000. Facilities of our magnificent Now Vault {containing 410 Safety-Lock Boxes. Diff?r ent Sizes are offered to our patrons and the public at 83.00 to 910.00.per annum. TH ii PLANTERS LOAN ARD SAVIRGS BAAK. AUGUSTA, GA. Pays InterJS\ OR Deposits, Accounts Solicited. L. O. HAYNZ, Precident. W. C. WABDLAW, Cashier. THOS. J. ADAMS PROPRIETOR. EDGEFIELD, S. C.. WEDNESDAY, MAY 2. 1900. VOL. LXV. NO. 18 WHAT THE CAR With a scream ot tit? whistle our farewell said. And teto the blackness of night we sped 'On and on, Te meet the dawn ; Hinder the sky where the stars burned red : fr?st bills that stood whore the snows were .. . shed,. , . Ghostly white as tho shroudod dead ; - Ou sad on 'Te-tteetthe dawn; . ? True ftand at the throttle and hope ahead !. *?he steel rails rinding-" The swift wheels singing : '"To-kith and kin, O hea?ts that roam In vine-wreathed cot, and marble dome, Over: the world we bear you home!" Whirled through the dark whore the black . 'steed drives . - Are joys and sorrows of human lives ; Laughter and weeping, And children sleeping On the breasts of glad mothers ; and wistful wives ; tf The clank of chains and the grip ot gyves ! On and on To meet the dawn Where Light tho soul of the Darkness . / shrives! \ \ . J Tfie ateel'rails- ringing- .' ' The mad wheels singlas : *'Togloam or gladness,O heart's tuait "roam To darkened dwelling or marble domo Over lie. world we beer you home ?" -Fra A. TT A TR'S ?Vn Old iMaid Miss Selina s?t knitting and hnm \ ming softly to herself in tlje^tiny porch ia.fr?jit of,the house .where she dwe4fc"ffrppr?ine mistress.. ' Tho golden =sa^?nin;i darted through the rustling vines and flashed upon the swiftly Snoring needles,sending dazzling rays in every direction. "Oh, Miss Selina," cried a high, clear voice,- *'do stop knitting for . a minute. l am nearly bliuded." Down dropped the work, as Miss Selina hast ily sprang forward to meet this most welcome visitor. "Como in.dear; come in," she cried. "It's nice and cool here on the porch, and I have been baking those nico .seed' cakes you like so much." "You're un angel," responded the girl, as,*he kissed "the cheek where time hud farrowed a few wrinkles as jear posts for nearly half a century. "But even seed cakes won't console, meifor we ai ? going home tomorrow." '.for the A land's sake, child," ex claimed her hostess, genuinely grieved; "jou don't say so.- ' I thonght that yo? would be here another month, at ?east. Is anything the matter?" ,fOh, .nothing in particular; only gnamma has a touch of rheumatism and ia afraid to have any more eust Winds. Oh, dear, how can I go and leave all this behind?" and as she spoke the girl gazed over the cliff where the little ''house stood like a sig nal tower, across the smiling ocean,, niiere the dancing waves were crested with, foau hs they "frolicked with . the .'.'Such a perfect blue and gold day as.it is.. It soexna'to "me it grows hard er each year to go . back to the prim, sedate,-, old" city.- What shall Ido wieaUhere is no more fishing pr rbw in?ofT?athing or any thing?" and the gir^JLeaned.-back, vwith a slight cloud on-tho- usually sunshiny face. "Where are'.ybu-going. Miss Se?" "A#er.,th^ cakes, deau?" ^ttud Miss Selina^.vanished, with-a step as light as & girl's. But even the cakes failed to banish the gfr 1*8 unwou ted mood, and Miss Seiina;felt at her wit's end. . f/See here, dearie," she said at last, "I know it is hard to leave now, when it is all so lovely,, but you wouldn't like to stay here all winter." "Wouldn't I, though," put- in the girl. "That is easy to say, but sometimes when I look out of the windows' I really wish I lived somewhere else. It is gray a^d^white.and angry, .and the clonds naryf sb" heavy over it Then the sari comes to the shore,as. though it wanted t?>: tear it away and drown, everybody it hadn't got already." Miss Selina shivered, and the girl impulsive ly turned toward her friend, G "Don't, Miss Se, please. " It is aw: .fully mean of me to make you think of these things. I wonder that you don't kate- 4he sea, after all the harm it has done yon." '^Hate it? ? lie, child; -even, though il has my father and I brothers in its keeping, and somehow it makes me feel'as though I were doing something for the daughters and sisters who are watching and waiting everywhere, by putting my lamp where it will show all night. They call it the Selina light, ycu know. But come,we won't be solemn any longer. Tell me what you are going to do this winter, now that you are a young lady. " "I don't know.I am sure. I wanted togo tc college, but mamma says she carraot spare her only girl, so I will have to content myself at home. How, I ant not sure, unless I become a pro fessional hairdresser, which is really the only thing for which I seem to have any talent. Oh, Miss Se, won't you please let me do your hair up for ybu. You have such pretty pink cheeks and nice hair that you will be s beauty when I have finished it" "For" land's sake, child, what put that ridiculous idea into your head? Why, I have done my hair this way for years, and it wouldn't seem natn ral in any other fashion." "Then it is high time you changed, Miss Se. Ton want a pompadour in stead of drawing it straight back. Come and let me try. I won't touoh the scissors or curling tong?. " Miss ^elina never conld refuse the girl anything, and obediently went in, with many inward misgivings as to the result . ''Sit down here, mum," cried the girl, dragging a lbw sent* before the old-fashioned mirror and seating her victim* thereon. In a minute Miss Selina's severely smooth plaits were down aud the girl,brushing the satiny locks' /with many an exclamation, at thgir* length and beauty. In:a qnai ter of an hour Miss Selina w?9 transformed. "Why, you naughty woman," ex claimed the girl, as- she stepped for wjjtyd for a final inspection. "No one Wohld take you for * a day over 30. Now that you know how to do it prop erly, don't.let.mffsee you with it any otjierJifny^T Jit's ilike the poem that rerM?Hsed, 'They mads believe to fancy J ress'by the way they did "their hair.' Now I have got to go and help pack, WHEELS SANG, There are hearts that listen with hope and fear For the signal shrill of the engineer: . That throb and thrill At that signal shrill, Does it bring them the rose or the rue to wear ? The song, the sigh, or the burning tear? On and on To meet the dawn- , . The blaok night die* and tho hills stand olear \ "What Are you bringing, O swift wheels singing 0 daisied meadow and dew-swoet loam ?" ?".The hearts that hunger-the hearts that roam Over the world wo'bear them home !" Old friends, old lovers, in a rapture wild Kiss of the mother and clasp of the ehild ; The night is gone We have met the dawn ; Never ?o gladly the sweet sun smiled \ Never the spirit of Night beguiled The hand so troe, That th* throttle knew Hearing the burden ot mother and child 1 On and on To tho joy o' the dawn ! Wit?h ever that song to tho hearts that roam- . "To vine-wreatbed cot and marble dom? Over the world we bear you homei" uk L. Stanton, in Atlanta Constitution. 3 BBEADTH. \ .'s Romance. but, dear Miss Selina, please leave your hair that way> and if yb'n'can't get it straight iu the r?orniu^ I '. will iii it when! ttonVto sargood-by." When the lively girl had vanished, the little house grew doubly quiet by contrast, and Miss Selina felt herself strangely lonely. It was due to the impending parting with her favorite, she concluded, and strove to console herself by dusting her already immac ulate house and eating her solitary tea. But all through the evening the strange feeling lingered; lingered until the stillness of the night, broken only by the monotone of the waves upon the sand, grew almost unbearable. It was a great relief wheu abont 8 o'clock Miss Selina heard a heavy foot fall upon her neatly swept walk, and knew that the captain had come to call, as was h?3 custom twice a week* The captain was like Miss Selina-one OJ the aristocracy of the little seaport, aud boarded since his retirement from active life with a widow not far from the little cottage on the cliff. He had sailed with Miss Selina's father ou his last ill-fated voyage, aud this made a keen bond of sympathy between the lonely man and woman. But this evening some intuition made the captain pause and glance in at the open window before entering. The little room with, its collection of quaint and curious objects, flotsam from a score of foreign trips, was the same, but his eyes were riveted upon Miss Selina,as she leaned expectantly 7?VWHre w?tt?n'g f?if his knock." Some indefinable change had passed over her, but without pausing to analyze the change, the captain shook off his bewilderment aud entered the parlor, which was well nigh filled with his tall, portly form. I "Good evening, Miss Selina," he remarked, seating himself lu a big rocker, which had by mutual consent been ceded to him. "I was feeliog lonesome and came here to hud some pleasant company. How very well you look tonight," he finished gallantly. Miss Selina started,then thought of her hair and Hushed a most becoming pink. The captain always said that the blush finally settled the question that for some months had lurked in his mind. For some occult reason he could not forget how charming she had looked, aud thoughts of ?Miss Se lina intruded into every turn the con versation took. " . When he spoke of the sea it sudden ly made him recall how much sorrow it had brought upon her life, and was the direct cause of her loveliness. In discussing the shingling of the minister's roof he remembered that Miss Selina- had said that her roof leaked in the last storm, and that she must hire some one to repair it.as she could hardly' do it alono. Wheu the famous seed cakes were brought out the captain thought of the soggy gingerbread- at his own table and mentally drew invidious compar isons. The very neatness of the room made him recall how very carelesa his landlady was growing, - and above all he could not help contrasting the frowsy widow with, the trim figure aud pink tinged face before him,;: which time and' misfortune had failed to change for tue worse, .'aud which had suddenly become donbly attractive.. As the captain meditated npon these matters a caraway seed started the poor man choking in a startling manner. Miss Selina, who had the tenderest heart alive, sprang up and hastened to the closet, where she kept her rare ly used restoratives. TJnfortnuately, however, the little lady in her excitement entirely forgot that her hair was a trifle big1..er than she had ever worn it before, and as she stood on tip-toe and reached for ward to lift a bottle from a shelf, an nnwary movement brought her against a projecting nail, and in an instant she was firmly caught Poor Miss Selina was indeed in a predicament. One hand grasped the big bottle, the other the edge of the shelf, and she could not touoh her heels to the floor without fairly tear ing her hair ont by tho roots. "Steady, steady, " cried the captain, as he recovered from his little misad venture with the seed and realized his hostess' plight. "Just hold on a miu -Ute till I get there," and he sprang toward the closet with a celerity which surprised himsolf. < "Can't you unloosen ray hair?" fal tered Miss Selina, thankful that the closet was dark enough'to hide her burning face. ''I think you can get it away from tho nail without much trouble." But the .captain's clumsy fingers made sad work with the tangled tresses, until, finally, losing patience, lie boldly lifted Miss . Selina in his arms and slipped her away from the dangerous projection. It was no faint rose flush which swept over Miss Selina alt that master stroke ,of.polir-y, but the captain failed to .see any need for an apology. In bia,own heart he thought he should apologize to himself for puttiDg her down so soon. When Miss Selina felt" herself ouce more upon her feet she started for thu door with a hasty word that she would be back in a minute? but? to ber amazement* the co ptain stepped iii front of her with ? masterful air,which s?in?how had a soothing effect upon ?h? little lady who for many long years had had no taste of masculine protec tion. "Don't go yet, Selina," he said.aud Miss Selina's heart fairly stood still at his words. It was a long time since anyone had called her by her name without the prefix, so strong was the custom. "I want to say something that I have been thinking of .ft long time, and nover seemed tb lrave a good chance to say it. It isn't right for you to be all alone here. Suppose you had been caught when nobody was around,'you'd have likely been hanging in the morning. I know I'm growing old," the captain sighed; and Miss Selina involuntarily shook her head. Speech Was beyond her, and h? plucked up his courage again. "But I think I am good for some time, and I come of an old stock. I have some money put away, and, and, well, Selina, it may sound foolish for a gray-haired man to say, but I love you, and I want you to be my wife." Miss Selina, however, failed to soe anything either amusing or foolish in this middle-aged romance. She looked up into the face before her, and read in the kindly blue eyes a confirmation of what the stony lips had told. There was a second's silence, while lik? lightning the thought flashed through her mind that never, even in that censorious little town, had a word been spoken against the captain, and the thought of a long succession of lonely evenings like the one just passed, with no hope of the coming of a guest whose advent had been most eagerly anticipated, made her hold oat her hand. "Captain," she said, slowly; "cap tain, I like you very much." "But not enough to marry me?" asked the captain, in a tone of such deep disappointment that Miss Selina threw all scruples to tho wind. "Oh, yes, quito enough for that?'* she answered, softly* QUAINT AMD CURIOUS. According to Prescott-, the money of tho Aztees consisted of quills full of gold dust and bags ci chocolate grain?. Before tho introduction of coined money into Greece skewers or spike? of iron aud copper were used, sis being a drachma or handful Workmen while razing an old house on a farm in the village of Greene, Me., found a pewter cup upon which are the figures "1382." The year in which the house was built is not known, but the barn on the same farm was constructed in the "forties." The largest stockyards in the world are in Chicago. The combined plants represent an investment of more than $10,000,000. The yards contain 20 miles of streets, 20 miles of water troughs, 50 miles of feediug troughs, and 75 miles of water aud drainage troughs. The yards are capable of receiving aud haudliug daily 20,000 cattle 20,000 sheep, and 120,000 hog?. The Sifau Thibetans' form of an cestor worship is one that appeals to our sense of the ludicrous more than it does to our sense of solemnity. Twice a year they dig up the bones of their ancestors aud reverently scrub them. ; These bones are the object of great veneration, and are seized upou by creditors or enemies, leaviug the descendants shorn of honor till they be recovered. The larger the bonery the greater the social status of the descendant How fortunate it is for us that the honor of our lineage can not be snatched from us, by our cred tors, in the bones of our ancestors. In Prague there exists a goose "bourse," whero yearly 3,000,000 geese change hands. Its most active time lasts from the middle of Septem ber till the first days of November. During this time immense flocks of geese are driven iuto the suburbs, especially from the districts lying on the left bank of the Weischer. As the geese are driven in from long dis stances they are "shod;" that is to say, 'walked repeatedly over patches of tar mixed with fine saud. This forms a hard crust on the feet of the geese, aud they are able to cover immense distances without fatigue. ' In Hungary they fish in the winter as well ns in the summer. The fisher man cuts holes in the ice, puts up little frames, to which his fish lines are fastened, builds a. haystack in the centre to sit upon, and'waits for the fish to catch themselves, when a little bell that is fixed on each frame rings. A shellfish of lue Med i ter ian eau has 'tjhe power of spinniug a viscid silk, -which, in Sicily, is made into a very handsome fabric. The silk is spun by the shellfish for the purpose oi attaching itself to the rocks. Thia material is gathered at low tide, washed in soap and water, dried, straightened, and carded. Kyi: Complaints at Sea. One of ihe nilitary journals in France calls attention to the fact that, owing to the intensity of the electric light used on board men-of-war, the men are frequently affected with eye complaints which in some cases have led to^otal. blincjn?ss. According tc observation, it would seem that eye.? in which'the iris is not heavily charged wiUi pigments,that is to say,gray and blue eyes, are more likely to be thue injuriously affected. These eye trou ; bles are referred to two causes, namely, the intensity of tho light aud the ac ition of the tiltia violet ray.?. Occu 'lists have recommended the interposi tion between the eye aud auy power *ful. light of .a transparent substance ?which will intercept the ultra viole! rays, such as, for instance, nraniuir -.glass, which is yellow. The Freud naval authorities supply dark bin? 'glasses for the use of those who have . to do with searchlights, etc, and the cases iu which in.ury has been causer . to the eyes were those of men who hm .neglected to use these glasses, which, ^however, are stated not to afford an^ protection against the ultra viole rays. BAISING OUR FLAG OVER-PORTO ] gOQQOOOQQQOOOeX)OOOQOGOGOOg ?Porto Rico and I {ts Industries; ?T?ie Condition of tho Island as lie vealed by Recent Investipatlons. O O oooooooooooocooooooooooooo : "T" IKE roany of the islands col?(r P nized by Spain, Porto Eico _V has been the victim of a pol icy so mistaken as seriously to affect its industrial ?welfare. Under Spanish misrule, agriculture and man ufacturing made little real progresa. At the same time, it mast not bo for ROSARIO ST. (Yanco is built upon a hillside wilie great advantage to the sanitation, the ra the stream, which runs into the valley t gotten that the native indolence the Porto Kicans themselves cont bnted largely to industrial depress^ throughout tho island. IndolenceJG^ as natural to a Porto Rican as are spots to a leopard and as difficult to get rid of. It is something which Con-1 gress cannot change. In his book on Porto Rico William Dinwidde, who knows the island thoroughly, says: "Porto Eico isa veritable desert for the poor man unless he goes there with some definite commission to execute. I should like to .'emphasize the state ment that now and for some time to come it is a good country for .the im pecunious to keep ont of, however am bitious they may be." Porte Eico needs adequate transpor DOOR-YARD SCENE AT A PEASANT'S HOUSE, PORTO RICO. tation facilities as much as anything else. In 1888 Don Ibo Bosch, a Span ish contractor, received a contract to build a road which would encircle the island. After a period of four years of desultory work, only 110 miles had been built out of the 183 contracted for. Tho equipment of the road is no better than what is found in Michigan logging camps, and the service takes its afternoon siesta in true Spanish fashion. The only other railroad ?B the tramway from San Juan to Bio Piedras, of which an illustration is given. Its equipment is bad, but the service is]oomparatively good. Trains run, at hourly intervals, furnishing rapid transit of a tropical sort. There is said to be a great future for trolley roads from the inland towns to the coast, running trains of two and three cars and making twen ty miles an hour. Sugar mill owners would use electricity for light in tho mills, which, during tho grinding sea Bon, are operated day and night. If the lack of continuous traffic or the A rOKTO RIOAN (Tho socinl Hf? of Porto Rico is well wi a club, n neighborhood ellqne, or nveu a I gay, oiieery and eil re fal of thu feluga of Burne respect us au c-M mun, arid the oldest dictator and queen. Thean deep, cool vei through lind uro extremely comfortable.) sal.! "f power should make electrically driven ?ara unprofitable, iMJiripreased air inighl be tmbaHtnted. lu the sugar industry there is room for much improvtMuetit. Contrary to general opinion, BiigHr-makiug is not ?die most important agricultural indas 3JJH try, for the coffee output is three times as valuable as the sugar output. Still the prosperity of the sugar in dustry is vital to the welfare of the bland? Modern methods of cultivation are well advanced, but most of the mills are a combination of old and new ma chinery. As a'esult, mili after mill has been olosed down during the past ton years. The price of sugar is so low that it cannot be manufactured at a profit without the most skillful handling. There are only two "central" fac tories in Porto Rico with a complete equipment of modern machinery. "Central" factories, it' may be ex plained in passing, are generally co, PORTO RICO. while Inconvenient to the traveler, ls of irater sweeping all the dirt and refuse Into ?owned by capitalists, who may or may not own the cane lands. The land owners send their cane to the mill and ?receivrj a certain percentage of the sugar produced. In some districts the primitive method of crushing the cane between two wooden rollers is still in use. The power is furnished by two plodding oxen. The larger mills employ con trivances almost ns primitive, and crude methods have resulted in in volving estate holders in debt, a con dition of things accounted for by the almoBt prohibitory tariff placed by the Spanish on imported machinery, It was in the hope of being relieved from this burden that many Porto Ricans welcomed the joining of the island's interests with those of the United States. The factor of trans portation has to be considered, par ticularly in the case of sugar for ex port, where the hauls to tho coast are very expensive. The poor shipping facilities also increase the oost of pro duction. Coffee growing is in a prosperous condition, but tobacco culture has not made tho progress it should. More tobacco was exported from Porto Rico in 1828 than in 1896. The stagnation of the industry is due lo a number of causes, of which the most important is the successful competition of the Cuban growers. The increasing de BAPID TBANSIT IN POETO RICO-THE TRAMWAY BETWEEN SAN JUAN AND BIO . PIEDRAS. mand for Havana tobacco has exoluded the Porto Rican product from foreign markets. The tobacco grown on the smaller island is not so good as that grown on the greater, but there is no reason for the differeuce iu quality, aside from careless methods in cultivating, hand ling, curiug and manufacturing. HOUSE PARTY. >rtb emulating. Tue members, of a church, ilir familv bel.IR exenoUoually thoughtful, others. ? little child is treated with the woman in a social gathering ls always the ?andas aro used as UVIUR rooms the year ! The accompanying picture repre sents the awaiting of a census enum erator in an interior Porto Rican town. The work of census taking in the isl and began in November, and has bul recently been completed. Tho islautl j was divided into sereu departments, and a competent supervisor, recom iieaded by Governor-General Davis, was placed at the head of each, These supervisors were the direct v"irking communication between the assistant director and the enumerators, about 940 in number.' TKo census officials were received with marks of consid eration by the populace of the smaller towns. In his book on Porto Rico, already referred to, Mr. Dinwiddie says that Spanish polity, as applied to the isl and, has brought about a social and financial condition quite incompre hensible to the people of the United States, The other ports lack tra outward ?harm 6t B?n ?uan? and in some of them the deplorable poverty of the people is in evidencd. J$t ?gdfidilla, at the northwest point of the island; where agriculture is the sole indus try, people have flocked in from the country in search of work, only tb die miserably when n^ne was to be had. Even in spite of generous Government relief the deaths are said to have averaged in the lait winter fifteen per day in a population of 9000. Resi TAKING THE CENSUS OP POP.TO RICO. dents of the poorest section of the town are the chief sufferers. Govern ment aid alone keeps life in their im poverished bodies. The hurricane de prived them cf their livelihood, and recovery is painfully slow. Ponce, the end af the water route, boasts of more than ?0,OOO population, surpassing San Juan in this respect by several thousand and covering much more territory. It has no harbor except for light boats, and its streets, although greatly improved in the last year, are still wretched. The town aspires to become Americanized, and, as it is the supply station for quite an important sugar and tobacco region, it seems likely, when prosperity comes, to reoeive its share. Eskimo Mission nt Point Barrow. The rough and picturesque mission school and church at Point Barrow, Alaska, has unusual interest from the fact that it stands on the most north ESKIMO MISSION SCHOOL AT POINT BAR ROW, ALASKA, ON THE MOST NORTH ERN PORTION OF LAND IN THE ABCTIO REGION. ern portion of land on the American continent, and marks the end of civilization in the Arctic region. The site was selected by the United States Bureau of Education for a school, tho funds tor the establishment of which were contributed by Mrs. Elliott F. Shepard, cf New York City, who founded similar missions at Sitka and other point3 in the Territory. This station, next to Uppernavik, Green land, is the most northern mission in the world. It is securely built of huge logs, having double walls to secure against the intense Arctic cold. The teachers at Point Barrow ar? completely isolated from tho outside .world. Once a year the curtain is lifted ard they receive their annual supplies, letters, papers, etc., and then it shuts down and they are closed in for another twelve months. The teachers announce that they never had more quickly intelligent pupils than these wild Eskimos of the North. At the beginning of the school year only a few could count ten in a blundering fashion, aud nine tenths of the pupils know no English whatsoever. At the close of the first school year they could count up to 1000, write aud read simple English words, and knew a littl g of geography. Substituto For the Chuckrcin. An ingenious arrangement to be used instead of the checkrein, which is so bitterly opposed by friends of the horse, is shown in the accompanying picture. NEW DEVICE TO BE USED IN LIEU OF CHECKBEIN. The substitute consists ol' two tubular rigidsupports.which telescopeoue over . tho other, and which aro rigidly fast . cued to the collar and the hitor bridle. Geared in this way, tho horse is at . 'liberty to stretch his neck iu auy di ? rection he may desire, but the most I comfortable position is that in which i the head is h ci d erect TERRORS OF INDIAN FAMINE'. Condition of the l'eoplo on Relief Works Is Koyond Description. ' A letter from the Rev. Edward Fair bank, missionary of tbe American board at Vadala, India, gives some particulars of the famine in Ind?*? It is as follows: " Here at Vadala, and within three miles of us,' there are 8000 persons on the relief works. ?t wae snly two weeks ago that there wer<S ?039 than 3000. People aro flocking to these camps by the hundreds. The over seer of the works told me that he took on 900 iu one day. These faots alone will show that the stress is rapidly growing extreme. The t'emdition of the people on the relief works is far beyond description. Three' years ago, ?t Sholapur, at the dud W tb6 f?mine I Saw leas wretch eduess tfud emaciation than I see here today at the beginning of tho famine. People have not recovered from the last famine. They have riothing in their houses to pawn but a few brass vessels that they had been able to buy since that famine. T?iese brass dishes are now beiug pawned by tl?ese who come into the relief works. It is their last resort to keep their bodies and souls together before they get relief from the government paymasters. The merchants here and in the near villagos have cartloads on cartloads of brass dishes. "There is great suffering from the cold iii the dights of these day?. The peopl? dre not only clothesless, but almost ragless.- The wrtfohedfiess is terrible/ but still worse is the emacia tion. Living skeletons in abund ance are in evidence on every side. The village clerk tells me that many children are dying in the camps-too far gone to recover. Mauy men and women have also died here. The only reason given is lack of food, ihe other night a man died in the camp who, they say, had not had anything to eat for three days. "This famine is undoubtedly far more severe in these parts than that of 1876 or that of 189G. One of the worst features is the lack of water. Rivers usually flowing fnll at this time are dry beds of sand. Wells that have never failed before in the mem ory of any one liviug have not a drop of water iu them. The well that waters our garden and has never failed since my father came here, almost 45 years ago, is dry. The village well, that was supposed to have a large living spring, has nothing in it now. Our little town is, however, well offiu the matter of water as compared with most of the towns aud villages in these parts. "Government officers tell me that the Indian government looks with the greatest apprehension on the famine. ' It already feels unable to cope with it, so great are its dimensions and pro portions at the very opening, and without any doubt for nine months more the.famine must rage. "Undoubtedly private philanthropy must supply great help in this famine, far greater' thaw-the last famine^Tf-*? millions in these and other parts of India are to be saved from starva tion." A Forgotten Countersign. "War with raw recruits in the be ginning is apt to lead to many amus ing experiences," said the old army officer who saw service in Cuba. "Now you couldn't ask for better soldiers than we had in Cuba, but a large number of them were new to the business and had much to learn, and much to their credit it eau be said that they soon learned it. "I had occasion to leave our -lines one night soon after we arrived iu Cuba,aud upou my return it suddenly struck me that I had forgotten the countersign. I puzzled over it for some time, but for the life of nie I couldn't recall the word that had been given out. While I was thinking it over I heard the command: " 'Halt! Who comes there?' " 'Friend,' I answered, thinking that the countersign would come to nie in a moment. '?'Advance friend and give the coun tersign," said the sentry. "As the countersign had slipped from me completely, I walked up to him and said sharply: " 'Call the corporal,of the guard!' "'Gosh,'answered the sentry, T knew it was something like that, but I'm derned if I hadn't forgotten it! Mosey on!' 'T 'mosied. ' ButT took the trouble to look up the corporal of the guard and have him give the sentry further instructions regarding the dnties of a sentry.-Detroit Free Press. Wool from Man- Sheep. A wool sorter is a factory hand who stands all day at a table on which great soft massos of wool are piled, sifting out the dirt and waste from this, and sorting tho good wool that remains. In a single fleece (or shear ing from one sheep) there are 32 grades of wool. These fleeces do not come to the sorter whole, but piece meal, jumbled together in great bags. He recognizes their several grades as a pianist does the keys of his instru ment, states the Philadelphia Record. A good sorter eau also tell at a glauce the nationality of his wool, whether il be Chinese, Egyptian, Persian, Alas kan, etc., while in tho case of West srn, Americau or Territory wool ht ;an even hit on the Territory it cami from, beiug guided by the texture o: the staple and by its color, whicL corresponds with the color of the soil on which the sheep has grazed. Til? Veldt ? Vine Camping Ground. We have seen a good deal of cami life eu the Veldt, and if oue excepts i few discomforts, such as the browt color of our drinking wator and ai occasional flight of locusts, we musi admit that the veldt, with its leve space and bracing air, is au almos! ideal Acid for campaigning. Aud evei the storms of dust, rain arid locust: are welcome in moderation, for the; are features ol' the conn try which g< to make up a full experience of life ii South Africa. In one week then have beeu two I'aius'.or.us and on< flight of locusts. There is certain!; uo hardship iu that; indeed the rail is most welcome, for it cools the ai aud helps to lay the dust. -H. J. Wig ham, in Scribner's. The chnr.icfi'ristic of a well-brei man is to converse with his inferior without insolence, bini with bin supt riors with respect and *ase, TAKE YOUR CHOICE. Around this land no man should ream With discontented mind, For every class a Utting home With greatest ease can rind. The writers all should go to Penn., The debtors flock to O., And Col. would be for colored men A paradise, I know. The mining class would find in Oro., A chance to raise tho wind, And as you may hate guessed before, The rich should go to Ind. Religious folk should go to Mass., And bunko men to Conn., And lovers who would win a lass' Would find a home in Mon. The bachelors should go to Miss., I'm sure you will agree, And every maiden who renda tai* Should take a train tor Me. There is a home for farmer men* In Idaho, b'gosb, And money for the broke in Tenn.,. And room for tramps in Wash. The sick should be at home in UL, And drinking men in Kan., While Ark., no doubt, with joy would fill The ancient river man. AH other persons, near and far, Whate'er their age or sex Ls, Who are not suited where they are, Will find there's room in Texas. -St. Loni? Post-Despatch. fc ------ HUMOROUS. Bacon-I hear your friend has got an automobile. ?gbert-Yes; it's all over town. ?'Why, Willie," said a lady caliea "how tanned you are. " " Yes'in,M re plied the boy, "pa done it." Gotham-Do you have any recrea tion piers in England? Charing Grose -Well, yes; they have sporting lords in parliament. Lady (seeking help)-So it seems, then, that you have had a new situa tion each month. Applicant-Well, mum, I was sought after. The Gobbler-I hear the Pouter Pigeon got so puffed up yesterday that he exploded. Tho Cochin-Yes. I always told him if he tried to be so swell he'd go broke ! "Bobby, you must go to bed now." "But, ma, it isn't time." "Yes, it is; your Uncle Robert and your father are going to tell what bad boys they used to be at school. " Although no man of mighty deeds, He has my admiration keen; ' He can pronounce the names he reads And knows just what the war maps mean. Creditor-I wouldn't ask yon for the money if I wasn't awfully hard up. Debtor-And if I wasn't awfully hard up you should haye it Curious coincidence isn't it? Wife-I had to discharge our cook today. Husband-Why, I thought yon said she was a perfect jewel. Wife-Yes, I did; but jewels are more ornamental than useful. Jones-How do you feel about this phonetic spelling reform? Brown Well, I think it will be valuable in wiping out party bitterness between the educated and uneducated. Friend-You've done very "wolf. haven't yon, doctor. Doctor-Very well. I can almost afford to tell some of my fashionable patients that there is nothing the mattor with them. A (to his friend who is just leaving the restaurant)-Hold on ! You're taking my hat ! B-Oh, no ! This is mine ! A (jumping np)-Then I'm Bitting on my own hat ! I thought it was yours. He(telllng a hairbreadth adventure) -And in the bright moonlight we could see the dark muzzles of the wolves. She (breathlessly)-Oh, how glad you must have been that they had the muzzles on !" SHARPSHOOTERS* RANCE MARKS. The Advantage of Knowing Distances to Point* Held by tho Enemy. The killing of General Lawton by the bullet of some unknown Filipino sharpshooter recalls an interesting lit tle story which was told by one of tho officers of the Tennessee regiment when it passed through New Orleans recently on its way home from service in the far East. "in the iirst advance which we made north of Manila," he said, "we discovered that the native sharpshoot ers were exceedingly fond of locating range marks on ground they thought we would be apt to traverse. They would know the exact elevatiou neces sary to drop a bullet at some hush, stump or pile of stones, and if a sol dier approached the spot he was pretty certain to get it. Sometimes several men would be killed or wounded be fore the deadly indicator would be ob served, and when any sharpshooting was going on our boys learned even tually to avoid all conspicuous objects that looked as if they might have been selected ns range marks. . Otherwise the Filipinos are not remarkable as shots. " A very similar story was told bv sol diers who participated in the fighting before Santiago. They say that almost every Spanish rifleman hidden away in [fi tree-top had a scale of distances carefully noted by marks at various points,and some of these range finders acquired sinister fame. Some little dis tance from the first emergency hospital was the wreck of a heavy two-wheeled native wagon, with a pole sticking straight up into the air. It was on the edge of a path to the nearest creek, which was frequently traversed, and three soldiers were shot near the heap of rubbish before it became evident that a hidden sharpshooter was using it to sight by. A couple of days later there was a systematic raid on the men in the tree-tops,and most of thom were swept out by the machine guns,but in the meanwhile the old wagon and other objects that appeared to have beeu lo cated as distance marks were scrupu lously shunned. It is very possible that the gallant Lawton chanced to get in line with some such indicator at the moment he received his death wouud. Brought Up in Rigor. The Queen of the Belgians was brought up in her father's castle at Pesthamid surroundings and customs which remind one of the feudal ages. At night her father himself descended the " great staircase to lock the' outer gate aud the door of the principal hall. This hall was divided into two parts, oue end being raised a little above the ?the:-. At the elevated end the daughters of the house sat at their needlework or painting or music, while their Attendants sat tit the lower end of the hill,