Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, February 22, 1910, Image 1
YORKViLLE ENQUIRER.
ISSUED SBHX-WEESLT.
l. m. OBIST'S SONS. Pabiuhm.} 5 jMfr gamp)!": Jfor th^ promotion of th< jgoliUcat. gonial, ^.gricnttntat and (gommtijtial jnttrwts of lh> fro^U. ' {TK^o?'.^Ftgr.avlc.^NI>
B8 r ABL13 BED 188S. YORKVILLE, 8. C., TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1910. ISTO. 15.
Truxton
f King
/ Copyright, 1909, by George
J\ Barr McCutcheon
II Copyright. 1909, by Dodd.
1/ Meed 41 Company
Synopsis of Preceding Chapters.
Chapter I?Truxton Kin* arrives In
Edelweiss, capital of Graustark, and
meets the beautiful niece of Spantz, a
gunmaker. II?Kins does a favor for
Prince Robin, the young ruler of the
country, whose guardian is John Tullls,
an American.
CHAPTER III.
Many Persons In Review.
Truxton King witnessed the review
of the garrison. That In itself was
rather a tame exhibition for a man
who had seen the finest troops in all
the world. A thousand earnest looking
soldiers, proud of the opportunity to
march before the little prince, and that
was all, so far as the review was concerned.
Mr. King saw the court in all Its
glory scattered along the shady Castle
avenue?in carriages, In traps, in motors
and in the saddle. His brain
whirled and his heart leaped under the
pressure of a new found interest in
life.
If Truxton King had given up in disgust
and fled to Vienna this tale would
never have come to light Instead of
being the lively narrative of a young
gentleman's adventures In faraway
Graustark, it might have become a
tale of the smart set In New York,
for, as you know, we are bound by
tradition to follow the trial laid down
by our hero, no matter which way he
elects to fare. He confided to his
friend from Cook's that he could never
have forgiven himself if he had adhered
to his resolution to leave on the
following day.
"I didn't know you'd changed your
mind, air," remarked Mr. Hobbs In
surprise.
"Of course you didn't knew it," said
Truxton. "How could you? I've Just
changed it this instant I didn't know
it myself two minutes ago. No, sir,
Hobbs?or Is it Dobbs? Thanks. No,
sir, I'm going to stop here for a?well,
a week or two. Where the dickens do
these people keep themselves? I
haven't seen 'em before."
"Oh, they are the nobility?the
swells. They don't hang around the
streets like tourists and rubbernecks,
sir," In plain disgust
"I say, who Is that Just passing?
the lady in the victoria?" King asked
abruptly.
"That is the Countess Marlanx."
"Wh^w! I thought she was the
queen."
Hobbs went Into details concerning
the beautiful countess.
"I was Just going to ask if you know
anything about a young woman who
occasionally tends shop for William
Spantz, he amorer," king finally asked.
Hobbs looked Interested. "She's
quite a beauty, sir, I give you my
# word."
"I know that, Hobbs. But who is
she?"
"I really can't say, sir. She's his
niece, I've heard. Been here a little
over a month. I think she's from Warsaw."
"Well, I'll say goodby here. If you've
nothing on for tomorrow we'll visit
the castle grounds and?ahem!?take
a look about the place. Come to the
hotel early. I'm going over to the
gunshop."
He was whistling gayly as he entered
the little shop, ready to give a
cheery greeting to old Spantz and to
make him a temporizing offer for the
broadsword. But It was not Spantz
who stood behind the little counter.
Truxton flushed hotly and Jerked off
his hat The girl smiled.
"I beg pardon," he exclaimed. "I?
I'm looking for Mr. Spantz. I"?
"He is out. Will you wait." She
turned to the window, resuming the
wistful, preoccupied gaze down the
avenue.
"Beg pardon," he said politely. "I
wanted to have another look at the
broadsword there."
Very quickly?he noticed that she
went about it clumsily despite her
supple gracefulness?she withdrew the
heavy weapon from the window and
laid it upon the counter.
"I am not?not what you would call
an expert," she said frankly.
"What's the price?" he asked, his
courage faltering under the cool, impersonal
gaze.
"I do not know. My uncle has told
you. I am quite new at the trade.
I hope you will excuse my ignorance.
My uncle will be here in a moment."
She was turning away with an air
that convinced King of one thing?she
?? ??, o norenn n-hr> in nr> sense had
ever been called upon to serve others.
"So I've heard." he observed. The
bait took effect. She looked up quickly.
He was confident that a startled
expression flitted across her face.
"You have heard? What have you
heard of me?" she demanded.
Mr. King was Inspired to fabricate
in the interest of psychical research.
"I have heard that you are not the
niece of old man Spantz." He watched
intently to catch the effect of the
declaration.
"You have heard nothing of the
kind," she said coldly.
"Well, I'll confess I haven't." he admitted
cheerfully. "It pleases me to
deduce that you are not related to the
armorer. You don't look the part."
Now she smiled divinely. "And why
not, pray? His sister was my mother."
"In order to establish a line on which
to base my calculations, would you
mind telling me who your father is?"
He asked the question with his most
appealing smile, a smile so frankly impudent
that she could not resent it.
"My father is dead," she said seriously,
"and my mother is dead. Now
can you understand why I am living
here with my uncle? Even an amateur
?" ' Hao tr> that Vmv. sir. do VOU
expect to purchase the sword? If not
I shall replace It in the window."
A k$*tory of
GraustarK.
By
GEORGE BARR
( M'CUTCHEON ||
Q
==^J
"That's what I came here for," said
he, resenting her tone and the icy look
she grave him.
"I gathered that you came in the capacity
of Sherlock Holmes or something
else." She added the last three
words with unmistakable meaning.
She was leaning toward him, her
hands on the counter, a peculiar gleam
in her dark eyes, which now for the
first time struck him as rather more
keen and penetrating than he had suspected
before.
"I simply want to tell you, Mr. King,
that unless you really expect to buy
this sword it is not wise in you to
make it an excuse for coining here."
"My dear young lady, I"?
"My uncle has a queer conception of
the proprieties. He may think that
you come to see me. Young men may
ft. &
k\ JU
"TAKE MT ADVICE?DO NOT PLAT WITH
FIBK," HE SAID.
chat with shopgirls all the world over,
but in Edelweiss, no, unless they come
to pay most honorable court to them.
My uncle would not understand."
"I take it, however, that you would
understand," he said boldly.
"I have lived in Vienna, in Paris
and in L<ondon, but now I am living
in Edelweiss. 1 have not been a shopgirl
always."
"I can believe that. My deductions
are Justified."
"My uncle is returning," she remarked
suddenly. "I must not talk to you
any longer." She glanced uneasily out
upon the square and then hurriedly
added, a certain wistfulness in her
voice and eyes: "I couldn't help it today.
I forgot my place. But you are
the first gentleman I've spoken to
since i came nere.
When Spantz entered the door the
girl was going listlessly from the
window and Truxton King was leaning
against the counter with his back
toward her, his arms folded and a
most Impatient frown on his face.
Spantz's black eyes shot from one to
tne other. "What do you want?" he
demanded sharply.
"The broadsword. And, say, Mr.
Spantz, you might assume a different
tone in addressing me. I'm a customer,
not a beggar."
The girl left the window and walked
slowly to the rear of the shop, passing
through the narrow door, without so
much as a glance at King or the old
man. Spantz was silent until she was
gone.
"You want the broadsword, eh?" he
asked, moderating his tone considerably.
"It's a rare old"?
"I'll give you a hundred dollars?not
anotner cent," interrupted King, not
yet over his resentment. There followed
a long and irritating argument,
at the conclusion of which Mr. King
became the possessor of the weapon at
his own price.
"I'll come in again," he said indifferently.
"But you are leaving tomorrow, sir."
"I've changed my mind."
"Then you have discovered something
in Edelweiss to attract you?"
grinned the old armorer.
"I dare say you're right. Clean that
sword up a bit for me, and I'll drop
in tomorrow and get It. Here's 60
gavvos to bind the bargain?the rest
on delivery. Good day, Mr. Spantz."
"Good day, Mr. King."
"How do you happen to know my
name?"
Spantz put his hand over his heart
and delivered himself on a most impressive
bow. "When so distinguished
a visitor comes to our little city," he
said, "we lose no time in discovering
his name. It is a part of our trade,
sir, believe me."
'Tm not so sure that I do believe
you," said Truxton King to himself as
he sauntered up the street toward the
hotel.
Mr. Hobbs, from Cook's, was at his
elbow, his eyes glistening with eagerness.
"I say, old Dangloss Is waiting for
you at the Regengetz, sir. Wot's up?
Wot you been up to. sir?"
"Up to?up to, Hobbs?"
"My word, sir, you must have been
or he wouldn't be there to see you."
"Who is Dangloss?"
"Minister of police. Haven't I told
you? He's a keen one, too, take my
word for it. I heard him ask for you."
He lost no time in getting- to the hotel.
A well remembered, fierce looking
little man in a white linen suit was
waiting for him on the great piazza.
Rarnn Jasto Dangloss was a polite
man. but not to the point of procrastination.
He advanced to meet the
puzzled American, smiling amiably and
swirling his imposing mustache with
neatly gloved fingers.
"I have called, Mr. King, to have a
little chat with you," he said abruptly.
He enjoyed the look of surprise
on the young man's face. "Won't you
join me at this table? A julep will
not be bad, eh?" King sat down opposite
to him at one of the piazza tables
in the shade of the great trailing
vines. A waiter took the order and
departed.
"Now, to come to the point," began
the baron. "You expected to leave tomorrow.
Why are you staying over?"
"Baron, I leave that to your own dis- 1
tlnguished powers of deduction," said I
Truxion genuy. ne iuuiv a. ?vii? *?*...
at the straw, watching the other's face
as he did so. The baron smiled.
"You have found the young lady In
the gunshop to be very attractive," observed
the baron. "Where have you
known her before?"
"I beg pardon?"
"It Is not unusual for a young man
In search of adventure to follow the
lady of his choice from place to place.
She came but recently, I recall."
"You think I knew her before and
followed her to Edelweiss?"
"I am not quite sure whether you
have been In Warsaw lately. There Is
a gap In your movements that I can't
account for."
King became serious at once. He
saw that It was best to be frank with
this keen old man.
"Baron Dangloss, I don't know Just
what vou are driving at. but I'll set
you straight, so far as I'm concerned.
I never saw that girl until the day before
yesterday. I never spoke to her
until today."
"She smiled on you quite familiarly
from her window casement yesterday,"
said Dangloss coolly.
"She laughed at me, to be perfectly
candid. But what's all this about?"
Dangloss leaned forward and smiled
sourly.
"Take my advice?do not play with
fire," he said enigmatically.
"You?you mean she's a dangerous
person? I can't believe that, baron."
"She has dangerous friends out in
the world. She is Olga Platanova.
Her mother was married in this city
twenty-five years ago to Professor Platanova
of Warsaw. The professor was
executed last year for conspiracy. He
was one of the leaders of a great revolutionary
movement in Poland. They
were virtually anarchists, as you have
come to place them in America. This
girl Olga was his secretary. His death
almost killed her. But that is not all.
She had a sweetheart up to fifteen
months ago. He was a prince of the
royal blood. He would have married
her in spite of the difference in their
stations had it not been for the intervention
of the crown that she and her
kind hate so well. The young man's
powerful relatives took a hand in the
affair. He was compelled to marry a
scrawny little duchess, and Olga was
warned that if she attempted to entice
nim away from his wife she would be
punished. She did not attempt It, because
she is a virtuous girl. Her uncle,
Spantz, offered her a home."
"Baron, are you sure that she is a
red?" asked King.
"Quite. She attended their councils."
"She doesn't look it, 'pon my word.
I thought they were- the scum of the
earth."
"The kind you have in America are.
But over here?oh, well, we never can
tell."
"I'm much obliged. And I'll keep
my eyes well opened. I suppose there's
nn harm in mv Jroine to the ShOD to
look at a lot of rings and knlckknacks
he has for sale?"
"Not in the least. Confine yourself
to knlckknacks, that's all."
"Isn't Spantz above suspicion?"
"No one In my little world. By
the way, I am very fond of your father.
He is a most excellent gentleman and
a splendid shot."
Truxton stared harder than ever.
"What's that?"
"I know him quite well. Hunted
wild boars with him five years ago in
Germany. And your sister! She was
a beautiful young girl. They were at
Ciarlsbad at the time. Was she quite
well when you last heard?"
"She was," was all that the wondering
brother could say.
The baron left the American standing
at the head of the steps, gazing
after his retreating figure with a look
of admiration in his eyes.
Truxton fared forth into the streets
that night with a greater zest in life
than he had ever known before. A
man with a limp cigarette between his
lips was never far from the side of
the American?a man who had stopped
to pass the time of day with William
Spantz and who from that hour was
not to let the young man out of his
sight until another relieved him of the
task.
To be Continued.
A CHINESE STRATAGEM.
Legend of How a Projected Invasion
Was Averted.
Rajah Suran, who was one of the
earliest rulers of India, overran the
entire east with the exception of China,
killed innumerable sultans with his
own hand and married all their daughters.
It is said that when the Chinese
houtvi of triumnhant Droarress and
learned that he had reached their frontier
they became much alarmed. The
emperor called a council of his generals
and mandarins, and upon the advice
of a crafty old mandarin the following
stratagem was carried out:
A large ship was loaded with rusty
nails, trees were planted on the deck,
the vessel was manned by a numerous
crew of old men and dispatched to the
rajah's capital. When it arrived?the
most wonderful part of the story is
that it did arrive?the rajah sent an
officer to ask how long it had taken the
vessel to make the trip from China.
The Chinamen answered that they had
all been young men when they set sail
and that on the voyage they had planted
the seeds from which the great trees
had grown. In corroboration of their
story they pointed to the ru9ty nails
which, they said, had been stout Iron
bars as thick as a man's arm when
they started. "You can see." they concluded,
"that China must be a very
long distance away."
The rajah was so much Impressed by
these plausible arguments that he concluded
he would not live long enough
to reach China and abandoned his projected
invasion.
ittiscfllanrous grading.
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
What and How to Buy and How t<
U?e Th?m.
Since the prime object In the use o!
all commercial fertilizers is to increasi
production, they must be used eithei
to supply plant food directly or to ?
act upon the soil that a larger quantitj
of its nutritive elements will be at tn?
disposal of the plant. In actual practice
most commercial fertilizers combine
both effects. All the substances
required by plants except three?nitrogen,
phosphoric acid, and potash?are
abundant in most Boils.
The chief function of nitrogen In
plants Is to promote growth, but It li
also of very great Importance In th?
perfection of fruit Nitrogen enters
largely Into the composition of plants,
and It follows that everything of vegatable
origin Is a valuable source of thli
substance. When vegetable matter la
burned, the nitrogen la released from
Its combination and escapes into the
atmosphere and Is lost. The forma
moat Important to the farmer of the
south In which nitrogen is available are
vegetable matter, the droppings of animals,
cottonseed meal, bone meal, nitrate
of soda, sulphate of ammonia, and
the products of the slaughter pen in
what la known as tankage.
Next in Importance as a plant food
is phosphoric acid. It Is largely required
by the plant for growth, but Is
absolutely essential In the perfection ol
seed and is a great factor in hastening
the maturity of crops. The form of
phosphoric add most accessible to the
farmer is known as acid phosphate.
Pota3h is more directly effective in
promoting fruitage, but it is rarely very
deficient in soils, and especially in soils
of the gulf states. It is found in
abundance in ashes. Commercially it
is most cheaply obtained In the form
of kainlt
Since the elements of plant food already
mentioned are required In different
quantities by different plants
and since the soils vary In their supply,
it is well for the farmer to know what
his soil and plants need before investing
his money in fertilizers. The practical
way for the farmer to determine these
facts is to observe the growth of the
plants on his land. If the plants grow
rapidly and make an abundance of leaf
and stalk, it is evidence of a good supply
of nitrogen. If there is not a proportionate
amount of fruit, it is a sure
indication that the soil needs phosphoric
acid. On the other hand, If the plant
has not a good color and tends to drop
Its fruit before it reaches a fair size,
it indicates that the soil requires potash.
Most of the soils of the south are
deficient In both nitrogen and phosphoric
acid, and some In potash. So
when we buy commercial fertilizers, we
buy them for their content of these
substances. If the farmer has saved
all his manures and has grown cowpeas
abundantly, as he should, he will
rarely have to buy nitrogen.
Commercial plant food, called "fertilizer,"
is never sold pure, but in combination
with other substances. The
substances with which It Is combined
are of no value to the farmer, but simply
add to the weight. The laws of
nearly all of the states now require
that on each sack of commercial fertilizer
shall be stamped just what plant
food it contains. This composition is
given in percentages, which means that
in a hundred pounds of the fertilizer
there are so many pounds of the particular
substances. For example, a
certain fertilizer is offered for sale on
the sack of which is branded the following:
Nitrogen 3 %
Soluble phosphoric acid 6 %
Reverted phosphoric acid 4 %
Available phosphoric acid 10 %
Potash 2 %
Translated into terms of pounds,, this
means that in a sack weighing 100
pounds there are?
Three pounds of nitrogen.
Six pounds of soluble phosphoric
acid
Four pounds of reverted phosphoric
acid
Ten pounds of available phosphoric
acid
Two pounds of potash.
This gives a total of 15 pounds of
plant food in a 100-pound sack. When
a ton of such fertilizer is bought, the
purchaser secures nitrogen, 60 pounds;
soluble phosphoric acid, 120 pounds;
reverted phosphoric acid, 80 pounds;
and potash, 40 pounds. Notice that
what is called "available" is the sum
of the soluble and the reverted acid. In
this fertilizer we obtain three things
that are of use?3 pounds of nitrogen,
10 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 2
pounds of potash to the hundred
pounds.
If cottonseed meal, acid phosphate,
and kalnit are used to make this fertilizer,
it will require the following quantities
for one ton of the mixture:
Price
per
Lbs. ton. Cost**
Cottonseed meal ... 690 $25 $8 65
Acid phosphate (15
% available) 1,108 15 8 31
Kalnit 202 12 1 21
2,000 18 17
Ammonia is nothing but nitrogen in
combination with another substance of
no value. Inserting the ammonia in the
formula is apt to deceive one who does
not know the distinction. Remember
that it is the pounds of plant food that
are wanted, and not just a sack of
stuff the majority of which is of no
value.
Taking acid phosphates as an example,
we find that there is a great variation
in their composition. Some
run as low as 10 pounds of available
phosphoric acid to 100 pounds, while
others contain as much as 14 to 15
pounds. As phosphoric acid generally
sells at about 5 cents a pound, the former
would be worth 50 cents a hundred,
whereas the latter would cost 75
cents. In buying, then, it Is economy
to take the high grade goods, even
though they cost a little more.
An average sample of cottonseed
meal contains the following percentages
of plant food:
It is a bad practice to burn off
fields and destroy vegetable matter; It
is better to turn it under. The humus
in vegetable matter has a value in soil
renovation frequently greater than Its
value as a plant food.
** These prices are based on cottonseed
meal, at $25 per ton; acid phosphate,
at $15; and kalnit, at $12; If the
price of these articles varies up or
down, of course that of the ton of fertilizer
will vary accordingly.
Nitrogen 7.5 %
Phosphoric acid 2.5 %
Potash 1.5 % |
: A 100-pound sack will therefore contain
the following quantities of plant
food:
, Nitrogen 7.5 pounds.
Phosphoric acid 5.2 pounds.
Potash 1.5 pounds.
j j The phosphoric acid may be constd5
jered as available, as the fermentation
c | renders it so.
v I It fprtllh.Arfl orp iirpH tho fnllnwlnc
rgeneral rule should govern: On rich g
glands use mainly fertilizers that will t
. Istlmulate the fruit and not the stalk
. growth. On lighter lands use more
, jtof the elements to force growth, com- t
, jbined with others which will mature j
, fthe fruit. e
' High grade 14 per cent acid phos- r
, phate may be considered a basis for f
, increasing fruit and hastening matur- e
, lty of crops. Even on the richest land f
, .it has been demonstrated that a small ^
.percentage of pltrogen added to the q
lacid phosphate gives better results. f
i Use three parts of acid phosphate and
, ,one part of cottonseed meal for cotton. t
A mixture of one part of cottonseed s
, meal to two parts of high grade acid a
, phosphate will greatly Increase the ^
t growing condition and will be better r
, for medium soils.
Air-slacked lime Is of value for use ],
on stiff or gummy soils to loosen them s
up, permit the air to enter, and pre- c
iVent a sour condition of such soils 0
!'when too wet 0
On thin or Impoverished soils equal ^
quantities of cottonseed meal and acid e
i phosphate can be used to advantage. n
in case tne roregoing can not be ot>- t
talned, standard grade commercial fertlllzers
may be used. These should c
contain In the mixture 8 to 10 per cent j,
of available phosphoric acid, 2 to 3 per c
cent of nitrogen, and li to 2 per cent ^
of potash, or on some lands a high c
grade acid phosphate, 14 per cent, may t]
be used.
On black waxy land the best prac- 0
tlce Is to have cotton follow a crop of p
cowpeas. e
Where lands are greatly worn by -j
years of cropping, more fertilizer should
be used to the acre, and it should con- a
tain about equal parts of cottonseed -j
'meal and high grade acid phosphate. e
The beneficial efTect of commercial fer- t)
tillzers depends largely upon the pres- j,
ence of humus In the soil; hence the 0
importance of using stable manure and t,
plowing under green crops.
In applying the foregoing lnstruc- n
tlons the farmer must use considerable Si
Judgment and modify his practice ^
where necessary to lit local conditions.- n
In the absence of a good machine, a
apply the fertilizer as follows: e
Mark out the rows or bed-up, Bpac- a
ing as specified in the circular of this 5
series containing general instructions q
(Circular No. "A"?69), and distribute ^
the fertilizer In rows. Follow after a
with a bull-tongue or scooter shallowly e
to mix the fertilizer thoroughly with
the? soli. 81
Bedding-up land Is a precaution s]
against a heavy rainfall after planting. e
In sections where there Is no danger <j
from excessive moisture, flat planting e
nreferred. and in some cases it mav _
be necessary to plant a few Inches be- w
low the surface. Seeds must have
moisture, but they must be kept out of t(
standing water in the soil. Sl
The fertilizer should be distributed 8I
several days before planting, as there ^
is danger of injuring the seed if p
brought in immediate contact with ^
strong fertilizer. A very careful mix- w
ing of th6 fertilizer with the soil is t|
necessary for the same reason. On all j(
except very rich waxy lands, It will 0
pay to use commercial fertilizers some- 8(
what liberally. d
Where as much as 400 pounds of e
fertilizer Is used for corn we recom- a
mend two applications, one in the fur- n
row before planting and an application C]
of from 150 to 200 pounds of cotton- t]
seed meal In the furrow when the corn c
is about 1 foot high.
Where lime is used scatter it broad- a
cast when the land Is plowed, using j
about 4 barrels of air-slacked lime per n
acre, or apply In the row about 2 bar- w
rels per acre a short time before plant- u
lng. mixing it thoroughly with the soil, j,
S. A. Knapp,
Special Agent In Charge. s|
, | d
"OLD HICKORY'S" NERVE. g
tl
An Arrest by Jackson and a Time He w
Didn't Dance. b
It was a fighting age in which An- n
drew Jackson lived, and every man k
who expected to command the re- T
spect of the world went prepared not 11
only to fight at a moment's notice, e
but also to meet his man on the field tl
of honor. e
It can easily be imagined that An- tl
drew Jackson, with his excitable na- a
Uln /lAmlnaoelnff morinnr finrl Vlld
habit of regarding every opponent as n
a personal enemy, was by no means tl
the most peaceably disposed citizen cl
of the new settlements of Tennes- o
see. The stories of all his brawls and e
duels would fill a volume. t<
Jackson's superb nerve is well il- o
lustrated by the following anecdote d
which comes down to us from the is
time when he was supreme judge on h
the Tennessee bench. One day a rj
desperado named Bean paraded up
and down in front of the log court- c|
house and threatened to shoot sher- Sj
iff, judge and jury. Twice Jackson
ordered the sheriff to arrest the man, e
and twice the sheriff was overawed t<
by the desperado's threats and for- h
midable appearance.
"Deputize me. I'll arrest him my- P
self!" said Jackson, losing patience b
at last. b
The sheriff complied, and Jackson, S
taking two pistols, walked out into v,
the street. Bean at once meekly sur- _
rendered.
"When the Judge come walkln' out," 81
Bean afterward explained, "I looked
him in the eye, an' I saw shoot, an' ei
there hadn't been shoot in nary other
eye in the crowd. So I says to myself,
says I, 'Ole hoss, it's about time ?
to sing small,' an' so I did."
On another occasion, while Jack- f(
son was riding circuit, he was stoppe"d
by two rivermen?of the class
whose boasts it was that they were it
"half horse, half alligator, tipped n
with snapping turtle"?and was told j?
that he would have to dance for their
edification. Jackson meekly answer- l(
' ed that he was not accustomed to B
: dancing without his pumps, but that a
i they were in his saddlebags and If gj
; his captors would permit ne wouiu
t put them on before giving the per- w
formance. Nothing loath, they con- a
sented. Jackson accordingly opened t|
the bag and, plunging in both hands,
drew them out with a pistol in each. p
Pointing them full at the men, he b
roared: h
"Now we'll see who does the dancing!
Dance, you devils! Dance!"
They danced.?Chicago Tribune. ?
80ME FALLACIE8 OF FANCY.
Men Pick Up 8trange Ideas and Hold
on to Them.
Most children brought up in the
:ountry believe that the trees make
he wind. A leading citizen declares
hat when he was a boy he thought
he engineer had to steer the train to
ceep it on the track. A young writer,
n his early childhood, believed that
sverything that went on in the world
Lround him was a great theatrical perormance,
staged for his special beniflt,
says the New York Evening Post.
These are what we call fallacies?
rom the Latin verb fallere, to deceive,
ts the psychologists tell us, they come
Jther by reasoning falsely from corect
premises, or reasoning correctly
rom false premises. Most of them,
specially children's, are by reasoning '
alsely from correct premises. ChilIren
are likely to have imagination,
'he imaginative person wants to explain
the natural phenomena about
ilm in the most entertaining and atractive
way. The matter-of-fact peron,
the hard-headed business man,
eldom has any fallacies. What he
ias are all decided by reasoning corectly
from wrong premises.
The world is full of fallacies, entirey
apart from the great mass of supertitions,
which in themselves form a
lass. A little knowledge is a dangerus
thing, and a superficial knowledge
f the sciences will cause people to
elleve that the earth is cookle-shapd
(this fallacy is fairly out of date
ow), or that orchids live on air, or 8
hat salamanders can really live In a
re. Other weird beliefs run a parallel
ourse with the materia medlca; for 0
istance, that whooping cough can be 11
ured by letting a piebald horse a
reathe on the child, or that measles v
an be cured by taking the child 0
hrough three parishes in a day. a
Weather is the subject of quantities
f absurd theories, among which some c
eople rank first the idea that the gov- a
rnment forecasters can predict it c
'here in a. belief that mild weather fol- "
jws a mild December?an unpleasant *
ugury, if true, for the present year. 11
'here were those firings of cannon and '
xplodlng aerial bombs some years ago 11
3 make rain fall on the thirsty farm c
inds. We are even told now that our c
Id pets, the equinoctial storms, are e
ut creatures of the imagination. n
History abounds in things which F
ever happened. Wellington never F
aid, "Up guards, and at them!" at the a
attle of Waterloo. Dick Whlttington
ever came to London with a domestic 8
nimal called a cat. William Tell nev- b
r shot the apple off his son's head, d
nd Horatlus never defended the
ridge. The old story about Lady "
fodlva has been absolutely disproved, t
fount Ararat was not a mountain, but n
region, and Adam and Eve were nevr
turned out of the Garden of Eden, n
Cinderella is said to have worn glass t
Uppers to the famous ball at which F
be made her reputation. In the old *
astern version, she wore fur slippers, &
'he French translated it "pantoufle d
n vair," and the English translators c
llstook it for "pantoufle en verre," v
hich is pronounced the same. Q
It is harder to unlearn a thing than
j learn it. People who have always n
lept with their windows shut and who P
sw their children up in clothes for J1
tie winter are almost beyond hope. A a
Russian landlord of an apartment s
ouse in a good neighborhood uptown, b
hen his tenants complained to him h
lat the apartments were cold, and he c
arned that they had their windows d
pen to sleep by said: "In Russia we
?al the windows up on October 1 and *
on't open them again till May." Ten- 8
ment mothers think green bananas ti
nd strong tea are good for threelonths-old
babies, and you Dositively n
annot convince most of them that li
lis Is not so. (Well, fashions In baby ?
ulture change from year to year. At ?
?ast some of us pretend to think so? r
nd there you have a pseudo-fallacy! v
low can you expect the tenement
lother to stop feeding her baby beer b
'hen the seventh edition of "Bringing a
'p Little Ones" reverses half the feed- P
lg rules of the sixth edition?) o
That cats suck the breath out of h
leeping babies Is an old absurdity that d
ies hard. The human race Is lntelll- b
ent enough In this day and genera- h
on to understand electric lights and n
'ireless, aeroplanes and automobiles; ti
ut you still occasionally see In the
ewspapers accounts of cats who have fi
illed babies by sucking their breath, t!
his Is one way of saying that the cat, a
king a warm place to lie, has Jumped J
d Into the baby's bed and suffocated
tie occupant by lying on It The av- d
rage little baby is less in weight than fi
tie average cat, and is scarcely capble
of driving a cat away.
When a woman opens a closet and a e
10th flies out she thinks, as a rule,
lat the moth has been eating her C
lothes. The case is even on record si
f a young woman who, on being ask- tl
d what she had given a captive moth o
) eat, said: "Oh, I gave it a bit of
Id rags!" Of course, the creature
oes Its eating In the grub stage, and n
i harmless when It has become a flylg
thing?save that It will produce
ivenous progeny.
The pendulum does not make the d
lock go. It merely makes It go evenr.
c
Steam is invisible. What we see
merging from locomotives and the II
)ps of tall buildings Is steam which n
as begun to turn back into water. e
Nails and teeth of animals are not
olsonous themselves. A scratch or
Ite from a dog or cat may prove so,
ut only because some impurity or s
erm has been deposited In the ugly -n
round which results. When a ser- c
ent bites he discharges a special poi- n
jn, which is secreted, from glands.
Many people think that a soft-boll- t
d egg which has been allowed to cool j,
annot be made hard by second boillg.
This Is not true. a
Every time a workman falls from a p
jrty-story building there are people e
> say: "Well, he probably didn't feel t(
; when he struck." There Is little or v
0 basts for this belief that a person a
1 dead or unconscious at the end of a e
>ng fall. Our surviving jumpers from e
Brooklyn Bridge prove this, and that a
person retains consciousness is 1
hown by the case of the English boy
ho fell down a pit some 250 feet deep v
nd shouted. "Below!" three times on 1;
tie way down. One theory Is that a s
erson falling would not be able to *
reathe, but a train at 60 miles an f
our Is moving faster than one would 'I
love in falling 100 or so feet, and no ^
ne pretends that one would die of j
suffocation if he puts his head out of
:he train window, furthermore, one
:ould fall from the top of the Singer
3ullding In six seconds, whereas one
:ould hold one's breath for many times
:hat number.
The old tradition that a drowning
person rises three times before he goes
lown sounds well In Carnegie medal
stories, but Is not true. A person rises
is many times as he can get to the
surface^ which may be once or a hunIred
times, and he drowns when he Is
10 full of water that he cannot
)reathe.
Dickens, in "David Copperfleld," encouraged
the fallacy that at the seailde,
deaths always occur when the
lue is going oui. ine uiuuugy ueiwecu
;bblng life and ebbing tide la a pretty
>ne; but that Is about all there Is to
L
Wart lore is voluminous. It Is said
hat a wart will leave a person if a
ock of his hair is cut from the nape
if his neck without his knowing It;
hat a wart will result If a frog spit on
>ne; that warts may be cured by rubilng
them over with a black snail,
vhlch must afterward be impaled on
l hawthorn; that if a bag containing
is many pebbles as one has warts be
ossed over the left shoulder, it will
ransfer the waris to the person who
ticks up the bag; that If one takes a
ilece of twine, make as many knots
>n it as there are warts, touch each
lart with the corresponding knot and
mry the twine In a moist place, sayng:
"There is none to redeem It beide
thee," the warts will disappear;
.nd so on, ad infinitum.
Lord Bacon seriously wrote in one
>f his works how an intelligent and
ion-superstitious woman, the wife of
n English ambassador, had cured his
arts by rubbing them with a piece
>f meat, and nailing the meat up on
. window post in the sun.
These ideas are all absurd, of i
ourse, and not very common now; but
.nother health fallacy is extremely
ommon though equally baseless,
lamely, that It Is desirable for a baby
o be fat because it will then be more
lealthy. Children grow fat on starchy i
oods, and these are not the ones that
nake strong people. The Lancet delared
as long ago as 1872 that fat
children were less able to resist disase.
That is why reputable doctors 1
owadays discourage the use of the
atent baby foods, whose speciously ;
lump products smile from so many ,
.dvertisements.
There is no such thing as a death
gony. People sometimes die in agony
iut the agony is a cause or a colncilence,
not a result.
It is with tears that we discard the
ine old notion that cats see better in
he dark. They see better than we do,
io doubt; but that is not saying much.
There used to be a belief that rats
iever went on a ship that was destined
o founder at sea. This has a fine auernatural
ring; but, as a matter of
act, has a good deal of truth at the
ottom. Unseaworthy ships in the olen
days were likely to be leaky and
ontaln much bilge-water. The rats
vould naturally abandon such damp
[uartera for a drier berth.
To freeze a living thing means to
lost minds to kill it Tet all hardy
lants can be frozen without being inured.
So can many insects, if they
re not broken while in that brittle ,
tate. Punch once suggested even that
luman beings could be frozen without
arm, and said that this would be a j
onvenient way of disposing of chilren
during a railway trip.
In South Africa, and also in parts of (
England and Wales, it is believed that
snake will not die till sunset, no mater
how religiously you hack at it ,
Diamonds will wear out though to ,
lost people they are the symbol of
idestructibllity. They cut glass, to be
ure, but they are worn down themelves
in the process. An engagement ,
lng, by the time the wearer is a bride, ,
. ill be nicked around the edges.
Catgut is not made from cats at all, (
ut from sheep and horses. And,
peaking of music, it is not true that (
laying discords on a piano will put it
ut of tune. A person capable of play- |
ig discords habitually would unoubtedly
be the sort to injure a piano
y hammering it indiscreetly. Playing
armonies on a piano or an instrulent
of any kind does improve its
one.
i
Among popular quotations which are
alsely attributed to the Bible are
hese: "God tempers the wind to the
horn lambs."?Sterne's "Sentimental ,
ourney to Italy."
"In the midst of life we are In
eath."?Burial service; originally .
rom Luther.
"Cleanliness akin to godliness."
"Little children, love ye one anothr."
Bibles still carry the date 4004 B.
!. opposite the first chapter of Gene- '
Is, but not many people longer believe
hat the world was only 4,000 years
Id when Christ was born.
Some other fallacies are these:
That the sun and moon are larger
ear the horizon than overhead.
That sea water never freezes.
That fog hinders sound.
That Ice is never colder than two
egrees.
That a green Christmas makes a fat 1
hurchyard. '
That if you toss a coin ten times and
I comes "headis" every time it will be
lore likely to come "talis" the elev- 1
nth time.
, 9 , I
Ravenous Eaters.
Touching the matter of eating, the '
torles told by the old chroniclers and
ilstorians of the abnormal appetites of
ertain Roman and oriental men of (
lote, fairly stagger belief.
Gibbon tells of Soliman, a caliph In
he eighth century, who died of acute
ndlgestlon in his camp near Chalcls, '
n Syria, Just as he was about to lead i
n army of Arabs against Constantino- <
ile. He had emptied two baskets of '
eres and figs, which he swallowed al- j
ernately, and the repast was finished i
i-ith marrow and sugar. In a pilgrim- !
ge to Mecca the same caliph had eatn
with impunity at a single meal sev- j
nty pomegranates, a kid, six fowls, <
nd a huge quantity of the grapes of <
'ayef. 1
Such a statement would defy belief ]
fere not others of a similar character i
fell avouched. Louis XIV. could hard- 1
y boast of an appetite as ravenous as ]
lollman's, but he would eat at a sit- l
ing four platefuls of different soups, <
whole pheasant, a partridge, a plateul
of salad, mutton hashed with gar1c,
two good sized slices of ham, a i
lish of pastry and finish this >mple
epast with fruit and sweet .is.?
yondon Saturday Review.
WHY DENMARK ACCEPTED COOK
Mauric* E. Egan Explains Why His
8tatsmsnts Wars Accepted.
Why Denmark In general and Copenhagen
in particular accepted the
statements of Dr. Frederick A. Cook
that he had discovered the north pole,
was explained by Maurice E. Egan,
United States minister to that country,
who Is making a brief vli" ti
St Paul.
'The north pole is looked upon as
standing in the front yard of Denmark,"
Mr. Egan said. "Little Danish
children are brought up on tales of
exploration. To them the study of
the arctic is like the study of fairy
tales to the children of America, or
of the study of the life of George
Washington.
"Americans are the most popular
of foreign people In Denmark, and
when a reputable explorer, as Dr.
Cook was believed to be, arrived on
the Danish shore and announced he
had found the pole, the people met
him with acclaim and gloried In his
conquest. His announcement touched
the subject nearest their hearts. He
was banqueted and feasted. Proofs
of his discovery were not asked for
because It Is not customary to ask
for them. His statements were accepted
without question.
"Because of these conditions Dr.
Cook's statements were accepted until
the scientists made their report
on his records. And, mind you, the
scientists have not attempted to discredit
his statements. They merely
have said, 'We do not And proof that
he has reached the pole.'
"If more data were brought, if Dr.
Cook should go to Etah and return
with the Eskimos, they would reopen
the case and give him further hearing.
The Danish people are gentlemanly
and unless the fact that Dr.
Cook had not reached the pole was ,
glaringly apparent, the scientists
would not accuse him of lying."
Mr. Egan said the report that the
king of Denmark was angered with
him for inducing him to decorate Dr.
Cook was untrue.
"A New York paper printed a dispatch,"
he said, "which stated that
King Christian was Incensed becaus3
I had foisted Dr. Cook upon them.
The truth of the matter is that King
Christian has been dead for three
and a half years and that King Frederlch,
who now rules the nation, did
not decorate Dr. Cook at all."?St.
Paul Dispatch.
SOUTHERN PUBLICITY WORK.
Railway Will Take Up Promotion'of
the South.
President Flnley announces that the
Southern railway will In the near future,
through it* land and Industrial
department, again enlarge the publicity
and promotion work which It has carried
on for the development of the
country reached by Its lines.
It was necessary to curtail this work
somewhat following the business depression
of 1947, on account of both
general and special conditions. It Is
now felt that not only the business
conditions In the country, but the local
situation in the southeast, warrant a
larger campaign for the location of Industries,
the bringing of new settlers,
and a general development work, that
Is the resumption In full of the company's
efforts to build up the southeast.
In carrying out this policy, there
will be a larger use of the trade, agricultural
and other newspaper and periodicals
of the north and west, the
publication of many special pamphlets,
exhibits at many northern fairs, and
a larger work in northern Europe. The
Southern has found that one of the
best methods of publicity Is In the exhibits
of the products of Its territory
at the larger fairs held In the north
and west, and more attention than ever
will be paid to this line of work. The
south will be advertised in northern
European countries by the circulation
of specially prepared matter, and by
the use of newspapers, In a way that
Is consistent with our immigration
laws and as is permitted by the laws
of the respective countries.
The Southern has maintained for
Borne years a European agency of its
land and industrial department, with
headquarters in London, which will
carry on the prosecution of active efforts
to Interest land seekers and investors
from that side of the ocean In
the south. The most thorough co-operation
possible Is to be given to local
business and other organizations In
the development of the various communities
along the Southern system.
EUROPEAN EQQ8 ARRIVE.
About 80,000 Dozen Have Come, Each
Egg Coated With Paraffin.
For the first time in five years European
eggs are now being Imported
Into this country. The foreign eggs
began to arrive several days ago and
Eire still coming. They axe all shipped
by brokers from Hull, England, but
were gathered originally from Austria,
France and Germany.
Up to Friday, the total receipts of
the foreign eggs amounted to 900 cases,
holding upwards of 80,000 dozens.
All the foreign eggs are coated on
the outside of the shell with a secret
compound of paraffin to preserve them.
The coating is almost transparent, but
It is so noticeable that foreign eggs
may be readily distinguished by its
presence from the domestic. The
coating is not removed, so that the
public In buying the eggs in the grocery
stores will know if it is getting
foreign or domestic products.
Arrangements for the movement of
European eggs to New York were begun
several weeks ago, when the fresh
gathered eggs were bringing 50 cents a
dozen at wholesale in this city, and
even storage eggs were up to 28 or 29
cents. Since then prices have been
9teadily declining, and yesterday the
finest fresh. gathered eggs were quoted
it 28 to 28) cents at wholesale, while
the first grade or eggs in warenouses
could be bought at 22 to 23 cents.
The foreign eggs are sold at wholesale
for from 23 to 24 cents. The duty
on the foreign eggs Is 5 cents a dozen
and the shipping charges about 4 cents
a dozen. The dealers say that the
London and other European markets
are flooded with eggs, and the extremely
low prices abroad enable the shippers
to pay the 9 cents for duty and
freight and make a profit in New York,
pven at he prices now prevailing here.
Dealers who are handling the European
eggs say that the foreign preserving
process maintains a fresher
flavor than is obtained by the American
plan of keeping the egg a in ice.?
New York Sun.