Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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r / ; / l 0- < ; * It. is now against tbo law in New Tork state to shoot any’ wild animal •r bird on Sunday* Canada has resolved to ask England to let her have Canadian representa tives at Washington and other capi* tals. Italy has decided that, in reducing expenditures, the navy appropriations will no. be reduced. Italy will stand by her navy, if she has to borrow money to do it. Dr. Nagle of the bureau of vital sta tistics nays that so cosmopolitan has New York become in recent years that more than one hundred languages and dialec:s are spoken in the city. It is not generally known what mar vellous progress has been made in re cent years in the teaching of the dumb to i-peak. It appears from official rec ords that last year articulation was taught to no less than 4245 pupils. A German engineer concludes that if die speed instead of the load of freight trains be increased from four teen to twenty-eight miles per hour the expcnces per car mile at the higher speed would be one-fourth less for re pairs and only one-fifth more for fuel. Tiic cheapening of electricity for light and power purposes is only a m itter of time, maintains the S . D mi is Star-Sayings. In England the cost of production Is being rapidly Ic-sened by improvements of dynamos, and evi*i more in lamps. After January, 1893, wl.cn the lamp patent expiree, the price of an incandescent lamp will be 18 cents, as against the present price, 90 cents. The President of the Baltimore Board of Trade, in his annual ad. dress, speaks of trial by jury in Mary land as ‘‘once tne boasted bulwark of human rights, now conspicuous in its degeneracy, which might be regarded as a jest if the solemnity of the sub ject did not forbid it.” lie continues:. “Avoided and evaded by persons of ability and position, and resisted in con-equence of the conscriptive and merciless character of the sum mons, the jury box is often tilled from the ranks of indolence and incapacity. The most momentous interests in life are entrusted to the caprices of incom- petcncy, and are frequently at the mercy of social, religious and political prejudices.” At the 1876 Centennial at Philadel phia an electric light was exhibited as a curiosity, and now nearly all of our cities are so lighted, and Mr. Edison has given the world the incandescent light for the interior of our dwellings and buildings. The storage battery is now being so perfected that we may reasonably look for its being employed to convey passenger cars over our common railroad tracks, and even to be used in place of the steam engine for freight trains. The public are more credulous now than sixty years ago. Aerial navigation, writes J. E. Emerson in the Scientific American, is no doubt an accomplishment of the future, and when some supposed crank says that he is going across the At lantic in an air ship don’t discourage him nor predict a failure, as they did poor Fulton with his first American steamboat. Photographing Under Water. It is quite possible to take photo graphs under water. In 1863 a sub marine observatory was constructed by Signor Tosselli at Naples enabling visitors to see the bottom of the sea. It was a steel chamber, with plate glass floors and a collapsing float to sink it to different depths. It carried eight persons and was illuminated in- •ide by electric light, while telephones communicated with the shore. It was, of course, quite possible to take pho tographs inside it beneath the water. Photographing under water has actu ally been earned out. Experiments were made in 1889 in the Mediterra nean to ascertain how far daylight penetrated under water. In very clear water near Corsica, and 18 miles from land, the limit of daylight was found by means of photographic plates to be 1580 feet.— [Spare Moments. Hunting the White Egret. Recently the McCutchiu brothers of Bakersfield, Cal., left Yuma for the mouth of the river after plumage. These men are professional hunters and have beat the continent for the white egret, the bird that furnishes the highest priced plumes for wom en’s hats. Both the brothers made a trip a couple of years ago to Central America in quest of the bird, but without much success. — [Youma (Cal.) Sen inel. Prison Statistics. 8.ltd the superintendent of the Texas penitentiary at Huntsville to a newly arrived delegate: ‘ You have the privilege of working at any trade you prefer.” “I d like to keep on drivin’ cattle to Kansas.” Another gentleman in the same in stil tttion wanted to be a sailor.— (Texas Siftings. During the past five years the rail road mileage of the United States was increased by 30,774 miles. Treasures. Don't lose courage; spirit brave Carry with you to the grave. Don’t loae time in vain distress; Work, not worry, brings success. Don’t lose hope; who lets her straw Goes forlornly all the way. Don’t lose patience, come what will; Patience oft times outruns skill. Don’t lose gladness; every hour Blooms for you some happy flower. Though be foiled your dearest plan! Don't lose faith in God and man. — [Womankind. Found by an Umbrella. BY FREDERIC HOWE MARIOX. I went down to the Balms at River- ville one summer. I had been very hard at work all winter, and my phy sician said that a week's rest would do me good. The Balms was my un cle’s place, and we were having fine, open weather that month. It was strange, having nothing to do after being so long actually driven with work. I had Herod, my dog, with me, a great English stag-hound. Herod and I used to take long walks through the open country. We used to go strawberrying and botanizing a little. Wo did some bunting and a bit of fishing, I believe, during that first week. Meanwhile, I was physically recruiting very rapidly. I don’t think there is a lovelier place anywhere than Riverville. It stands upon a hill, you know, and its or chards, white with bloom in May, slope down to the river which encir cles it. The river ie excellent, both for bjatiug and fishing. The hill sides are spangled with flowers, violets, harebells, anemones, every thing pretty I ever heard of growing wild. The twenty houses which con stitute the place are mostly those of gentlemen’s country-seats. Now I think of it, there is a poor hut or two, but they are overrun with vines, and are picturesque. As I look back upon Riverville it seems more like a beauti ful picture I have seen upon a canvas than an actual place. Well, the second week of my stay had nearly passed. I began to realize it with some consternation, and to contemplate somewhat ruefully cer tain distasteful tasks before me. My little dull office, with its ledgers and papers, its dust and din, and musty documents, seemed like a tomb. But not wishing to be more miser able than was necessary, I whistled to Herod, and we sallied forth into the pure sunshine. I went forward to my favorite seat. It was a fallen tree at the edge of the little cave formed by the circling bank of the river. As I sat here, in solitude, a boat came gliding down stream. It was rowed by a slender female figure. As I sat at my post of observation, a fair face was turned gently upon me, and I beheld a beautiful blonde with heron plumes in her hat. In realizing the beauty of the face, I did not see that there was in it a sharp anxiety and appeal. But the next moment I was electrified by a shrill scream. The young woman had risen to her feet, and threw up her hands, as the wherry swamped be neath her. But I saw her in the water and tore off my coat. But there was no nee l of my assis tance; Herod had already leaped into the river. His great head went sail ing through the circling water to the spot where the terrified girl struggled. It was not thirty seconds before her arms were around the dog’s neck. ‘•Lightly! hold him lightly!” 1 shouted, “or you’ll drag him down!” At the same time Herod shook him self loose from one of her clinging hands. She must have been more spent than I thought, for the other hand unclasped also, and the golden head went under the waves. “Save her! save her!” I shouted frantically. The dog dived and brought her up again. He came swimming toward me. He held her firmly by a sleeve of her dress. I observed that her face floated out of the water. I enthusias tically encouraged him. I saw, before he readied the bank, that bis burden was quite senseless. I relieved him at the water’s edge. The noble brute lay down, panting. I 1 carried the unconscious girl up the bank, and laid her on the grass. 1 watched her for a moment. Not an eyelid quivered; her breast did not stir with the breath of life. Spreading my coat over her and saying to Herod, “Watch!” I ran across the fields in shirt sleeves for assistance. Arriving at the Balms. I shouted to the hired man leaning on the gate post : ‘•Harness a horse into the chaise!” Then rushing to the kitchen, I franti cally ordered “Hot water and blan kets ! Finally, encountering my respected uncle iu the sitting-room, I laid violent lands upon him. “Why, John—what the duse—” “Come, come!” 1 entreated. “A young lady is drowning!” “Where?” “Over here—under the pines—by the bank of the cove,” I panted, dis connectedly. “Come, come!” All amazement, he followed me. Arriving at the stable I thrust Enoch aside—moat unceremoniously, for hia customary leiaurely manner particn- larly exasperated me at that moment —finished harnessing the gray into the vehicle, jumped in, motioned my uncle after me, and whipped the animal all the way down the hill. “John, I think you are crazy,” mildly remonstrated Uncle Lemuel. I made no reply, for we had reached the spot. As I stepped out of the chaise, Herod came leaping upon me. “Where—” I commenced, looking silently around. My patient was gone. My uncle gazed at mo inquiringly. I think I mu-t have looked foolish. “I should like to know what you are looking for, John?” “Looking for?” I exclaimed, begin ning to get angry. “You think I’m a fool, I suppose, but I tell you there was a girl here; she was drowning, and the dog pulled her out of the water. She was quite insensible, and I laid her here myself. Now she is gone!” “So I see,” coolly replied Uncle Lemuel. “Well, how did it happen?” “S ie was in a boat.” “What boat?” “It swamped.” Uncle Lemuel whistled and put his hands iu his pockets. I began to doubt myself if there had been any reality in the scene which had so excited me. Had I not been dreaming? At that moment Herod shook the water from his thick coat all over me. “Look at the dog,” I began. “What is that he has there?” inter rupted Uncle Lemuel. Herod had lain down with his fore paws upon some small, white object. I went to examine it. It was a linen handkerchief. “See here!” I cried, in exultation. “He is watching her handkerchief now.” Then I looked for a name, and found it “Aster Grey.” LTucle Lemuel be gan to look convinced as I showed it to him. But ho said: “There are no Greys in Riverville that I know of.” Wc re-entered the chaise and drove mare slowly homeward. So ended the episode, and so ended, upon the next day, my stay at Riverville. I returned to the city and plunged into hard work, mental activity and steady application. Before another spring my energies were ratner drained. I should have forgotten the episode at Riverville, perhaps, if the girl had not been so beautiful. As it was, the face sometimes haunted me. It was the kind of beauty that suited me— fair, noble, and serene iu character, I wanted some one to love, and I was sorry that I had lost Aster Grey. One spring evening, after a harass ing day|s work, I left my office and hailed a horse-car to take me up town. It was raining heavily. After 1 had entered the car I found that I had lef* my umbrella behind me. My rooms were beyond the ex treme route of the car, and some ten minutes’ walk from the stopping place—long enough to drench me to the skin, as it was coming down then. Accordingly I made up my mind for a ducking, and we proceeded. Gradually, as we approached the end of our way, the car was almost empty. When nobody was left but myself and a small boy at the other end of the car I espied an umbrella iving on the seat beside me. “Is this your umbrella, boy?” said I. “No, sir,” said he. I reached forth my handbook it,and jumped out at the corner of my street. 1 cannot say that I had a spasm of conscience in so doing. I had had too many umbrellas of my own appropri ated, and it was evident that the arti cle hinl beer, forgotten by its owner, who would never have seen it again if I had not appropriated it. But I noticed, as I walked along, that it was a remarkably neat little afl ur, with an ornate handle. And when I got home I found a plate upon the handle, and the plate was marked “Aster Giey, 79 ?? street.” Of course, I considered it my plain duty to return that umbrella prompt ly to its owner. The next evening 1 rang at 79 S street. I asked to see Miss Grey. She came fair and gracious. I was emboldened to claim her for mer acqua ntancc. She looked mysti fied, as was quite natural, since she never remembered to have seen me before. When I recalled the incident of her danger at Riverville she told me that when she glanced toward the shore she was too much frightened at the peril she was in to dis inguish any fea - tires or appearance. She knew nothing from the moment the boat sank beneath her. When she recov- ere l consciou-ness she was alone on the bank, with the big dog over her. When she arose to her feet the dog seemed unwilling to have her go. By leaving him her handkerchief she man aged to get away. She was visiting a family with whom my uncle had lit tle acquaintance, and left Riverville the next day. [ spent a pleasant evening, telling her of other exploits of my brave Herod. I spent other pleasant even ings with her, and asked her—only that—to let me love her. She not only promised that, but to love me. And now she is my dear little wife, found by an umbrella.— [New York Weekly. Road Making. A correspondent of the Western Farmer tells how they make town roads in Wisconsin: The township owns a road-grader, a six-horse ma chine that makes a turnpike as smooth as a boulevard. This machine is manned by an expert, who makes a circuit of the township in June with team, grader, and plough. When the outfit gets to our district we hitch on our teams and grade up where most needed as much turnpike as we can gravel the same season, making it rather high and narrow at first, in order that tlie rain and gravel of a year or two may not flatten it out and make it as mucli of a mudhole as at first. We find that the best road is made by grading in spring and graveling in the fall. In this way the turnpike gets packed solid during the summer months,so that the gravel put on in the fall does not sink into the dirt, hut is packed so solidly on top by winter rains and snows and the constant travel that the spring break-up cannot disturb it. ODD ORCHIDS. Jerked Beef as a Steady Diet. Everywhers in Brazil jerked beef is an important article of food. Immense quantities of it are exported from L'r- uguay and the Argentine Republic, and it is stated that not lees than 30,- 000 tons of it are annually brought into Brazil. Think of it—30,000 tons a year of that leathery, indigestible substance consumed by this scanty population. It furnishes the staple food for plantation laborers and for the lower classes in cities. Indeed, it may be called the Brazilians’ national dish, for it is as omnipressent on evei y table, at least twice a day, stewed with beans and grease and garlic, as the frejoles of Mexico or the rice of China. Another great delicacy here about is bacaiao (codfish), as highly esteemeed among the Brazilians as partridge, planked shad and terrapin in the District of Columbia. At least 100,000 of codfish are annually sent to Brazil from the United States and Nova Scotia, and the people are so fond of it that the fresh fish of their own rivers are entirely ignored for “bacaiao,” which is a feature of every | banquet, as indispensable as roast tu'keyat a New England Thanks giving. But when prepared in Por tuguese fashion and served on the festive board the Yankee that caught it would never recognize his own cod fish, so begreased and begarlicked is 1 it, and turned a rusty red by the a - dition of strange condiments and served with yams and cabbage and goodness knows what else, in one abominable ollapodrida, which once smelled can never be forgotten.— [Washington Siar. Plants Which Afford Counterfeits of Animal Life. Meerschaum is a Kind of Clay. There is a very general impression iu the minds of smokers that the meerschaum part of the pipe which they treasure so carefully and take so much pride and satisfaction in “color ing” is compressed sea foam. Such, however, is not the case. The Ger man word meerschaum means in Eng lish foam of the sea, but its formation lias nothing to do with the sea. It is a kind of clay, comes out of mines like coal, and is found only in Turkey. The artist w ho carves meerschaum is required to pass through as severe a school of apprenticeship, lasting from three to 10 years, as though his work were in marble. Meerschaum carved and in the rough resembles the or dinary plaster cast. J The outlines being complete, it is slcraped with a knife, filed, soaked HtTa preparation, and then polished with a linen cloth. The color of ineerschaufcn has nothing to do with the quslity^ and ranges from pure white to a, ’fight yellow or a bluish white. Tne practice some times indulged in by smokers of soak ing a meerschaum iu hot water, milk, or steaming it, is altogether wrong. It spoils the meerschaum aud ruins the color. — [Chicago Herald. The Sweet Pea Was Ouee Spurned. It is marvellous that so valuable a flower for cu'ting as the sweet pea should have been left for so many years unnoticed by florists. It is one of the ohlest in cultivation, aud yet has been improved only quite recent ly. Nothing now is more popular with florists than this delightful flower, and some are taking them in hand to improve them, as they have the pansy, dahlia, carnation and other flowers, luey are not only improv ing them, but giving them distinctive names, just as in the class of flowers. There are among them shades of pink, mauve, lilac, yellow, orange, scarlet, purple, and even a white—far much purer and delicate than the white of the old form. — [Picayune. Most Curious Tribe In All the Vegetable Kingdom. Isingla>s is Fish. Isinglass is a preparation ofgelaune taken from the intestinal parts of fish. The beat comes from Russia and is prepared from sturgeon, which is in great plenty in Russian waters. Isin glass is much more highly esteemed than gelatine for all culinary pur poses, and especially for desserts.— rNew York Tribune. “Nature is much given to counter feiting her own work,” said a botan- its to a 'Washington Star writer. “Among tiie most remarkable illus trations of this tendency on her part are numerous vegetable imitations of animal life. You will find this sort of freak best exhibited in plants of the orchid kind, whose oddly formed flowers suggest various queer resem blances. There are two species, for example, known as the ‘bee orchid’ and the ‘fly orchid’ from the likeness between their flowers and those in sects. Other varieties for similar rea sons are called the ‘man orchid,’ the •lizard orchid’ and the ‘lady’s slipper.’ In some species the flowers are like splendid butterflies. One again re minds the observer of a grinning monkey; another suggests the aspect of an opera dancer suspended by the head, while a third named the ‘spider orchid,’ affords a striking likeness to that animal. “Although there are orchids of va rious kinds to be found in temperate latitudes, the most beautiful species grow in luxuriance where a tropical climate develops these exquisite vege table forms on the branches of the living trees, in the decayed bark of fallen trunks, running over mossy rocks or hanging suspended from boughs in the untrodden forests. For a long time it was supposed that this most curious tribe in all the vegetable kingdom could not be subjected to the uses of the gardener, but it has been discovered of late years that,with care and perseverance, they can be brought to as high a perfection in a green house as they obtain in their native woods. It is chiefly in the forests of South America that the species which grow on the bark of trees are found. Some of them are known as ‘air plant’ from their power of vege tating when simply suspended in the air without any soil or direct supply of water, supported ouly by the mois* ture of the atmosphere. When hung up by strings from the ceiling of a room they will live for months and will go on blossoming luxuriantly. Such orchids are favorite ornaments of houses in China and Japan. “There are neat ly 2000 known spe cies of orchids. Probably as many more remain undiscovered in the depths of unexplored tropical forests. He who comes upon a new one ob tains almost as much glory as is got by the discovery of a star. It seems curious that, whereas these plants are spread over ne arly all of the world, as far as the borders of the frozen zone, there should be so very few kinds that are useful in any way to man. Vanilla is an orchid, which, in the West Indies, creeps over trees and walls like ivy. A substance called ‘saiep’ somewhat resembling arrow- root or sago, is obtained from the tubers of a variety that grows in Tur key and Persia, where it Is highly esteemed. “Tins ‘saiep’ used to be sold at the corners of streets in London, says Dr. Carpenter in his ‘Vegetable Phy siology.’ It was a favorite drink with porters, coal heavers and other hard working people, by whom it was con sidered very strengthening. It is said to contain a greater amount of nutri ment than any other vegetable sub stance in the same bulk, and for this reason it is much employed by travel ers who have to carry supplies with them into deserts and other uninhabi ted countries. One ounce of ‘saleb,’ boiled with an equal quantity of the animal jelly known as portable soup, in two quarts of water, will suffice for the daily nourishment of an able- bodied man. Some of the South American species yield, by boiling, a sort of glue, utilized by the Brazilians for fastening leather together. These are the only orchids that are of utility to mankind.” Good Effects of Yawning. To yawn is to do a good deal more than merely “to open wide the mouth through drowsiness or weariness,” as the dictionary tells us. According to Mrs. Russell, of Delsarteau fame, tin- yawn is an involuntary exercise which nature suggests to us when, in conse quence of sleep or drowsiness, or ennui, or cold, or hunger or indiges tion, something is needed to restore the system to a state of general ac tivity. Through it and the move ments which accompany it the whole body, beginning with the muscles of the throat and face, is stimulated and refreshed, the j successive motions extending themselves throughout the entire frame and reaching finally to the feet- “A good yawn,” says Mrs. Russell, “is always slow, and the best uses every articulation iu the body—prob ably every muscle—possibly refreshes every nerve. Not all at once or in jerks, but slowly, in perfect succes sions or rhythms, with the best possi ble breathing. Certainly no gymnast, with the single exception of Francois De Isarte, ever so arranged the same expenditure of force, nervous and muscular, as to result in an equal amount of invigorating effect upon the system.” And again we are informed that yawning “embodies all the laws of growth needed for movements that are to give physical growth and re freshment, aud some of the laws which are necessary to the higher growth, so called, of the emotions aud the in tellect.” The moral of these observations would appear to be that we ought all to yawn as much as possible—the oftener the better; and further, since yawning comes so near perfection as a mode of bodily exercise, that we should do well to discard such con ventionalities as dumb bolls and the horizontal bar, and to cultivate our bodily powers by merely lounging in our chairs and yawning. Merely to think about it or to read about it, and to set some people agape, when these devices fail, the desired result can be attained in a purely mechanical fash ion. Droop the eyelids as if sleepy, at the same time rolling the eyeballs slightly upward, though without clos ing the eyes; repeat the movement some half dozen times and you will find yourself beginning to yawn.— [Chicago Herald. The French Spoliation ('aims. The French spoliation claims arose as follows: In the revolutionary war the United States guaranteed to France the security of her West Indian colon ies, and when the war between France and England broke out toward the end of the century the United States was unable to make good the agreement. On the contrary it issued a proclam ation of neutrality. On this the French retaliated by capturing American mer chant vessels and fighting American warships as though they had been English. The United States claimed •920,000,000 damages for these out rages. The French Republic claimed 9280,000,000 damages suffered because the United States had not carried out its guaranty. The dispute was settled by each country agreeing to settle the claims of its own citizens against the other. The American sufferers by the depredations of the French warships had thus to look to Congress for re imbursement of their losses. They followed the matter up from 1800 to 188i, securing thirty-eight reports of committees admitting the validity of the claims and recommending pay ment. Nothing was done till 1884, when it was provided that the claim ants might sue the government in the court of claims, but added that “noth ing in this act shall be construed as committing the United States to the payment of any such claims.” Having done so much for honesty after eigh- iy-two years of importunity Congress rested for seven more years, when in the last days of the Fifty-first Con gress an appropriation to pay a part of the claims approved by the court was squeezed through.— [San Francis co Examiner. Dogs That the Indians Eat. The dogs eaten by the Dakota In dians are quite different from the dogs of which they, like civilized peo ple, make friends and companions. They have square, box-like bodies and heads, and scarcely any tails. They seem to fatten as readily as pigs. A -mail tipi near the family tipi is put up for the dog family. The flesh of these dogs is looked on as a dainty, and is eaten with ceremony, and the women bring little tin cups to take some of it to the children at home. For one of the weekly dances iu camp, one dog is considered sufficient, but as many as forty are killed for a great feast. The odor of a stewed dog is very unpleasant, and we had to throw open the windows, even in severe weather, after the school-chil dren had been regaled on that dish. The Indian school at the Agency was kept by the Agent’s pretty daughter. She had often observed one of these dogs that seemed to have more saga- cj O city than his fellows. He came every day to school with the child who owned him, and during the exercises he sat beside her on the platform, and joined with the children in the games at recess. She said to the dog’s mas ter one day : “Your dog is very fat.” “Y'es,” was the boy’s answer, “we will eat him next week.” One day there was a knick at our camp schoolhouse door. One of the children, little Amos Black-ball, had brought his dog, one of the edible variety, as a present to us, and had tied him to the step. Of course Amos was thanked, but his present was not accepted [New York Post. Pleasanter Than to Make $500,000. Edward Pardridge, the big Chicago wheat-operator, who has more than once made a turn of $500,000 by a break of the market in a single day, was a*ked recently what had been “the proudest Miner.ts of his life.” Mr. Pardridge climbed out of the noisy pit to answer, and he said in his abrupt way: “Well, there isn’t any doubt that I was never prouder or happier than in the old days on the farm, when I used to run in bare headed from the river with a hi" string of suckers and lay them down before my father.” An uproar in the pit cut Mr. Pardridge short, and he scrambled back to catch other kinds of fish.—(New York Post. Sleep. Behold I lay In prison like St. Paul, Chained to two guards that both were grim and stout, All day they sat by me and held me thrall: The one was named Regret, the other Doubt. And through the twilight of that hopeless close There came an angel shining suddenly That took me by the hand, and as I rose The chains grew soft and slipped away from me. The doors gave back and swung without a sound, Like petals of some inagic flower unfurled. I followed, treading o’er enchanted ground, Into another and a kindlier world. The master of that black and bolted keep Thou knowest is Life; the angel’s name is Sleep. — [Archibald Lampman. in Harper's. HUMOROUS. Woman poses and man proposes. Fogg suggests that thu reason why fish is brain food is because fish go in schools. Johnny’s latest composition: ‘The Goos—The goos is so called becaus it acs kinder silly and don’t know any betr.” A Western editor thus alludes to a contemporary: “lie is young yet, but he can sit at his desk and brush cob webs from the ceiling with his ears.” Y'east—What are you going to make out of your boy? Crimsonbeak—A lecturer. “Has bo a taste for it?” “Oh, yes; he inherits it from his mother.” The joke about our ice is due; No longer may it rest; And ’tis the gentle iceman who Laughs last, and therefore best. Ho (tenderly)—Do you think you could ever learn to love me? She (confidently)—Oh, my. yes. Why, I learned to love Tom Barry, who was here last mouth, in two days. “I wonder where my vest is,” ex claimed Mr. Justwed. “I’ve looked everywhere I can think of for it.” “I hung it in the vestibule, dear,” replied Mrs. Justwed, sweetly. “I believe in having everything in its proper place.” Mr. Wick wire—Here is the “For and About Women” page of the Sun day paper, with nothing iu it but de scriptions of dresses, as usual. Mrs. Wickwire—Well, if dresses are not for and about women, I don’t know what they are. Cautious. Many years ago, when printed music was dearer than it is now, a plain, quiet old man, evidently from the country, went into a music shop aud asked to see a certain book of tunes. The assistant laid before him an ob long volume, with two tunes on a page, a book familiar to old-time choir singers. The old man drew out of his coat tail pocket an ancient yellow fife, and, opening the book at the first page, began to play softly, turning the leaf with careful fingers as each page was finished. The assistants, very much amused at first, grew weary of the droning noise after a time, aud one of them, waiting till a tune was ended, ventured to say, politely: “Do you think you will take the book, sir 7 Does it seem to suit you?” “The fife was lowered, and the player, looking over at the youth iu surprise, said gently: “I cannot tell; I have played only half the tunes,” and he placidly turned another leaf. — [Yankee Blade. A Crack Shoemaker. “I believe the finest shoemaker iu the world is the one employed by the Government at the West Point Mili tary Academy,” said an army oflicer at the Lindell. “He lias been there time out of mind, is old and bent aud grav, but the shoes lie still makes for the cadets haven’t their equal for shape and durability. The cadet, you know, is supplied with four pairs of shoes—a dancing shoe made of mo rocco, a furlough shoe made of the finest calfskin, a uniform shoe made of calfskin, but with a thick sole, and a winter shoe made of cowhide. When I left West Point I carried my cow hide shoes with me. I marched every foot of the way from Fort Leaven worth to Fort Bayard, a distance of 1300 miles, in the cowhide shoes. That long tramp didn’t phase them, and I have them yet, good as new.”— [St. Louis Globe-Democrat. A Costly Sturgeon. W. II. Vianen, the pioneer fisher man of the Fraser river,had on exhibi tion a sturgeon fourteen feet long and weighing 900 pounds, which was caught iu an oolachan net. Notwith standing the size of this fish and the interest it created, Mr. Vianen did not feel at all proud of his catch, for the reason that it cost him the tidy little figure of 9200. The sturgeon got tangled in the oolachan net and rippod it into pieces in a very few minutes. The net was a new one aud probably the best on the river. Sturgeons sell at 3 cents per pound and the 900- pounder was valued at $27, which left the loss almost total. Though glad at any time to make a heavy catch, Mr. Vianen hopes he may never again win fisherman’s honors at such a pr!co.—[Westminster (British Co lombia^ Columbian.