t V
â– f ?$xm
Metal-working, sboe-unking, eleo-
tiiculnul other maehinery exported
from this country during March, 1898,
had h value of more than teu per cent,
in excess of similar exports last year
at the same time.
An American firm, Russell & Stur
gis, opened the Philippines to foreign
trade over sixty years ago, and an
American admiral has now released
the commerce of those islands from
the throttling grasp of Spain.
The total output of coal in the
United States for 1897 was 198,250,000
short tons, the largest ever known.
Its average value was a fraction less
thau 81 per ton, a slight decrease as
compared with the previous year.
When Americans beg for a private’s
place in the army, and for an oppor
tunity to face almost certain death in
the navy, we have little fear from all
Europe. We have an abundance of
Hobsons, and we may have many
Deweys. *
The Canadians had practically de
termined to put an export duty on
nickel, of which metal they are the
largest producers iu the world, when
Mr. Chamberlain made his famous
speech about un Anglo-Saxon alliance.
Now they are afraid to do so,and wish
t.iut Mr. Chamberlain had waited a
few weeks longer. The United States
is a great buyer of uu-kel, and can
profit by this bappy chance.
Russia is constructing the largest
and most expensive railroad in the
world. It is complete now from Ht.
Petersburg to Nijni-Udinsk, a dis
tance of 3000 miles, and is to be
pushed forward to Vladivostok, which
is 5912 miles from St. Petersburg.
This railroa l will open up to trade a ter
ritory as large us the whole of Europe,
and will increase very greatly the com
mercial and political power of Russia.
Though this project was discussed as
far hack as 18’>1, it was not actually
undertaken until 1890.
A wonderful era of prosperity
seems to have opened for the Ameri-
van manufacturer. The orders for
battleships given us by Russia, in ad
dition to those from China and Japan,
the demand for American rails and
locomotives from China, Australia
and South Africa, the increased popu
larity of the American bicycle, sewing
machine, knitting machine,agricultur
al implements, printing presses and
linotypes, in every civilized land, are
but a few of the causes, the effects of
which are to be enlarged industries
and a greatly augmented foreign com
merce.
From the ((hips which, carried Jthe
HftitfNfiSfr- '’f
H ug cruise. TJio
oKl'V'* 11 and a greater or
less number of simple smooth-bore
gnus. The modern battleship has
more thau a hundred distinct and sep
arate engines, and gnus of complicated,
deMcatd mocha istn. No man is per
fectly qualified to command a modern
warship who does not thoroughly com
prehend all the minute details of the
oolnplicated instrument placed in his
charge. The conmaud of a fleet of
these ponderous war-engines is a men
tal burden of no small magnitude;
and, other things being equal, that
man is best lifted to such command
whose mentality is strong enough to
enable him easily to grasp all the mi
nute details making up his force.
Last year, says the Railway Age,the
railways of the United Stares carried
over 18,000,000,000 passengers one
mile. They also carried 95,000,000,-
000 tons of freight one mile. The
total amonnt put in dividends on
stock was $87,633,371—call it
000,000. Of the total earnings of the
railways about seventy per cent, came
from freight service and thirty per
cent, from passenger service. Let us
assume then, that of the $88,000,000
paid in dividends, seventy per cent,
or $61,000,000, was profit on freight
service and $26,400,000 was on
passenger service. Let us drop frac
tions and call it $62,000,000 from
, .freight and $26,000,000 from pas
sengers. Bv dividing the passen
ger profit into the number of passen
gers carried (13,000,000,000) we find
that the railways had to carry a pas
senger 500 miles in order to earn $1
of profit, or five miles to earn one
cent. The average profit, therefore,
was less thau two-tenths of one cent
for carrying a passenger (and his bag
gage) one mile. By dividing the
freight profit into the freight mileage
(95,000,000,000) we find that the
railways had to carry one ton of,freight
1530 miles in order to earn $1 or over
fifteen miles to earn one cent. The
average profit, therefore, was less
than one-fifteenth of a cent for carry-
ing a ton of freight (besides loading
it) one mile.
A CHANCE OF AMBITION.
/loraMusat thu briUtr#*, an<t he
Who fought at Old Thertnopyhe;
> treat Bamson and his potent hone
By which the Phlllstiucs were stone;
Bn-all David with his wondrous aim
That did for him ot giant frame;
J. Ciesar In his Gallic seraps
That made him Lord of other chaps;
.tweet William, called the Conqueror,
Who made the Driton sick of war;
•
Klag Hal the Fifth, who nobly fought
And thrashed the foe at Aglncourt;
Old Bonaparte, and Washington,
And Frederick, and Wellington,
.Decatur, Nelson, Fighting Joe,
And Farragut, and Grant, and oh,
A thousand other heroes I
Have wished I were In days gone by-
Can take their laurels from my door.
For I don’t want ’em any more.
The truth will out; It can’t be hid;
The doughty deed that Dewey did,
In that far distant Spanish sea.
Is really good enough for me.
The grammar’s had, but, oh my son,
I wish I’d did what Dewey done!
—John K. Bungs, In Harper’s Weekly.
BEN BRAHIM’S
SMARTNESS.
OLD MobammedBen
Brahim was a pri
vate of the Third
Regiment of Turcos,
Arab infantry in the
French service. He
was tall and raw-
boned, fearing noth
ing, believing but
little in Mohammed
the Prophet, and not at all in
Allah. He drank wine and ate
pork, two things held in abomina
tion by tbo Mohammedans, he swore
in had Arab and worse French; iu
fact, he was the most perfect black
guard in the whole body of Turcos,
which were 16,000 strong, and that is
saying a great deal. Ben Brahim lived
happy and contented until one day,
while passing before the bric-a-brac
pawn office and dry goods shop of Yus-
euff, the richest Hebrew of Oran, he
saw, hanging ic the window, some
gold watches. Then his happiness
was gone, for one thought invaded his
mind so completely that, twenty times
a day, he exclaimed loudly: “By the
Prophet’s beard, I must have one!”
And by the Prophet’s beard he got
one too, and this is how it came about.
Mohammed Ben Braham had a
cousin, a lieutenant in the same regi
ment, and he went to him and told him
a story about his mother being sick
and needy, and the lieutenant, who
loved his aunt, gave him twelve francs,
with the recommendation to use them
well, a thing that the Tnrco did, much
to the sorrow of Yussuff, in whose
shop he appeared five minutes later.
Yussuff was alone, and seeing the
Tnrco entering his store, he arose to
meet him, not through deference for
the caller, but from a knowledge that
the Turcos are the greatest prowlers
of Africa.
“I salute you, Rabbi Yussuff,” said
Mohammed, touching his fez.
“I salute you, Tnrco,
iff, politoly^^jyU^j^Jl want?
re to pay you tWelve francs
aetrcn'you loaned me a
ago,” answered the Turoo.
“Did I loan you money? I do not
recollect to have seen you before.”
‘You dou t? Well, then, yon were
more drunk than I was when I bor
rowed the money from yon. But, no
matter, I owe yon twelve francs, and
there they are.”
Then the Tnrco put twelve francs
in the other’s hand. Yussuff took it
just as an Arab priest entered the
shop.
Yussuff saluted the new-comer
with the greatest respect, as he was
on f, °f k* 8 customers, and said:
‘‘Will yon allow me to present this
Tnrco to you as one of the few hon
est men we have in this town?”
The Arab looked with astonish
ment on the pair,
“Well, well!” thought be, “what
are we coming to, if a Tnrco turns to
be as honest to be praised by Yas-
surt?” Then he asked: “May I in
quire what this Turoo has done to
deserve your commendations, Yus
suff?” ’
‘‘I loaned him twelve francs, and I
forgot all about it. Many would have
taken advantage of my lack of mem-
ory, but he did not, for he has paid
me like an honest man that he is.”
“My friend,” said the Arab to the
Tnrco, “will you favor me with your
company to my house?”
Mohammed Ben Brahim answered
that as soon as Rabbi Yussuff had re
turned his pledge, he would follow
him.
“A pledge!” cried Yussuff, turning
pale, “iou have given me none.”
hat!” replied the Turco indig
nantly, “that gold watch there is
mine.” And Mohammed pointed to a
watch worth about sixty dollars.
“That watch was bought by me
from a chief now dead,” yelled
Yussuff.
“Yussuff,” interposed the Turco,
“it seems to me that this chief died
very conveniently for you. Will you
give me my watch?”
“No,” answered Yussuff.
All right, sir. I will have you ar
rested on the spot,” and opening the
door Mohammed went into the street
calling for the police.
In a minute two of these worthies
made their appearance and inquired
the cause of the uproar. “Arrest that
man,” said the Turco, pointing to
Yussuff, “he has robbed mo.”
The police took Yussuff by the
throat, and the whole party left the
store to go to the judge. In Africa, the
judge's courthouse consists of a piece
of carpet, two yards square, thrown
on the pavement, in the market place,
fortnight
Laired tho
the police who make nn W and bas
tinado the culprits at thedrlge’s com
mand. It is justice in » primitive
state administered on thdf'apid tran
sit plan. .
“What is the mot
Arab magistrate.
“Your Wisdom, this matlias robbed
that Turco,” replied the <|icer.
“Turco, how did the thing hap-
| pen?” inquired the judge. “
“Your Wisdom, this abn loaned
me seven francs on my gold watch. I
returned him his money, together
with five francs as interest, and now
he refuses to give me my watch.”
“How did you get a gold watch?”
“Yonr Wisdom, it is a pre«eut from
my dying father.”
“Did anyone see you ptving the
money?”
“Your Wisdom, this holy Arab was
present.”
“Arab, is it true what the Turco is
saying?”
“Your Wisdom, he has spoken the
truth,” replied the Arab. ‘‘Yussuff
iqtrodnced the complainant to me
with the remark that he was one of
the few honest men we have in this
town.”
“Yussuff, do you deny the* accusa
tion made against you?”
“Your Wisdom, I do deny it.”
“Did you take twelve frames from
the complainant?”
“Your Wisdom, I did.” ?
“For what?”
“Because I loaned it to him.”
“Without any pledge?” '
“Yes, your Wisdom, without any
pledge.”
“Officers, go to Yussuff’a house,
and bring here all the gold watches
he has,” said the judge.
The officers went and soon re
turned, bringing about thirty gold
watches, which they spread * before
the judge.
“Look and see if your timepiece is
there,” said the magistrate to the
Turco. k
The cunning Turoo advanced, and
without any hesitation took, not the
best, but the third from the best.
The judge, who had eyed sharply
the action of the Turco, seeing him
discarding the costliest watch to take
another inferior in value, felt con
vinced of the justice of his claim to
the object of his selection. He said
to him:
“Take it and go. Remember that
a present from a dying father is n
sacred thing, not to be polluted by
the hands of this money lender, who
is a thief, a’nsurer and a liar. Oo!”
Mohammed Ben Brahim did not
wait for a second invitation to take
what did not belong to him; he
bowed low to the judge, kissed the
Arab on the shoulder and departed.
Then the judge said to Yussuff:
“For lying to me, for exacting
usurious rates of interest, for hying
to rob a poor soldier of a sacred me
mento from a beloved father, you
shall get fifty strokes on the soles of
your feet, and if in two hours you
have not paid five hundred dollars
fixe, you shall get one hundred more.
Officers, execute the sentence.”
Everybody applauded the justice of
judge’s decision. No, I am mis-
en, not all. There was one hho
not. Can you guess, who? Wl ..
mSip-
where the judge sits surrounded by
An ancient industry' in the
pine Islands which, by the way,
been nearly destroyed by Spanish
tyranny and greed, is the gathering of
various kinds of mother-of-pearl. In
the warm waters of those seas animal
life is very prolific and many kinds of
shells grow to great size. Some oys
ters, for example, are as large as punsh
bowls, and scollops grow two or three
feet in diameter. Natives catch the
animals when they are alive and throw
them into pots of boiling water. They
then extract the fleshy part of the
body, of which some varieties they nse
as food, and others as provenders for
their domestic animals. The live
shell, as ie is called, is stronger, hand
somer and more durable than the dead
shell; that is, the shell of an animal
which has died a natural death.
| The rough mother-of-pearl is sent
to China, chiefly to Canton, where
there is a famous artistic guild which
employs it in many ways. One variety,
which is flat, a half inch thick and
several inches in diameter, is carved
in intaglio and in relief and makes a
very beautiful ornament for the wall or
the window or for insetting in the
panels of a door or a cabinet. When
hang in the window the light pene
trates it and gives prismatic tints to
all the figures of the carver. Small
pieces are split into layers and con
verted into inlaid work, for chairs,
tables, picture frames, altars and the
decoration of wealthy homes.
The way they killed this industry il
lustrates their theories of government.
They sell to the highest bidder what
they call the piscary concessions. No
one can take any fish from the water
without a license from the concession
aire. The poor natives, who make
bat ten or eleven cents a day, are un
able to obtain a license and can only
pursue their calling underhandedly.
If caught they are treated as common
thieves, and if found in the overt act
they may be and often are shot by the
armed police. In this manner the
fishing industries of the Philippines
bare steadily diminished wherever
there are Spanish settlements, so that
the people of the large cities import
quantities of sea food from other and
freer countries.—New York Mail and
Express. .
Great Wrecks and Loss of Life.
Among the most serions steamship
wrecks of the last twenty years and
their attendant losses of life are the
Eurydice and Princess Alice (300 and
650) in 1878; Victoria (700), 1881;
Oimbria (400) 1883; Serpent (270),
1890; Utopia (574), 1891; Reina Re-
! gente (400), 1895; Elbe (852), 1895;
j Salier (280), 1896; Kuang-Pin (500),
11896.
FOR FAR! AND GARDEN.
â–¼WWW
A Care tor Chicken Tapeworm.
It may surprise the general reader
to kuow that four different species of
tapeworm attack chickens, four other
kinds attack geese, seven attack ducks
and five attack pigeons. The remedy
for tapeworms is one spoonful of ab
sinthe to fifty fowls, mixed in warm
bran mash once a day for three or
four days. Clean up and sprinkle
premises with four fluid ounces of
sulphuric acid mixed in one gallon of
water. \For other intestinal worms
give one teaspoonful of turpentine to
twenty-five birds, mixed in bran
mush.
To Grow Lima Keans.
There are two methods of growing
Limas. One is to grow them on poles
and the other on wires. Where the
largest crop is desired and poles are
easily obtained it is the best plan.
When poles are not at hand, and one
cares for the ornamental appearance
of the garden, a very good crop can be
grown by using wires to support the
vines. When grown in this way one
row forty or fifty feet long will supply
a family. Limas, like all the good
things from the garden, require a rich
soil. My experience is that I
grow the best crop with stable
ure.—American Gardening.
keeps the bottom of the pail free from
particles of manure, which are sure to
adhere to a pail when set directly on
the floor, but raises the pail, so if the
cow occasionally kicks she is not so
liable to place her foot in the pail, up
setting it, and one’s temper, too.
But what is the little box for?
Every dairyman knows the necessity
of brushing the udder before milking,
especially in the morning when cows
are kept in the stable or in yards. A
small woolen cloth can be kept in
this box, and when the milker sits
down to his work all he has to do is to
place the pail on his knee,reach under
the seat of the stool and get the cloth,
clean the udder, put back the cloth
and go to work. The cloth is always
at hand and there is not half the dust
set in motion as when the cloth is
used separately ou the cows and
thrown from one to the other.—Agri-
cultural Epitomist.
can
man-
to see anythi
inthe jJsrd*
the rhubarb.
Keep the Chickens Growing.
Now that the hatching season has
ended more time can be devoted, to
keeping the chicks constantly grow
ing. The first few months of a chick’s
existence determines its value at ma
turity. If allowed to get stunted no
amount of care ever after will remove
the trouble. See to it that they are
regularly fed and watered, at least
three times daily, and do not allow
the coops and yards to become foul.
After a few weeks old give them
plenty of good sound grain, such as
wheat and cracked corn and be sure
not to overlook a plentiful supply of
good sharp grit.
Examine the mother hens at least
once a week to see that no lice are on
them. Should there be any, an ap
plication of grease under the wings
and on top of the head will suffice to
rid both her and the chicks of them.
After the chicks are weaned watch
them carefully at night and gee that
they return to their coops. If allowed
to roost on perches their breastbones
will become crooked and they will not
do so well as they would if roostiug
in the coop.
Burdock as • Vegetable.
What is even regarded as a vile weed
can, with a little stretch of imagina
tion, be turned into an ornamental
plant or delicious vegetable. This is
especially the case with the common
burdock, Lappa major. Schoolboys
all know it from gathering the burs
and compressing them into a ball, they
being held together by the curved
points of the floral involucre. This is
all they hnow about it It is difficult
to see anything more to be despised
rdoelr leaf thtifl*lff the leaf of*
It appears that it is
largely used in China for food. But
it is stated that, if the stalks be cut
down before the flowers expand and
then be boiled, the taste is relished
equally with asparagus. The leaves,
when young, are boiled and eaten as
w^eat spinach. In Japan it is in
universal use. Thousands of acres
are devoted to its culture. But in
this case the root is the object. It
requires deep soil to get the roots to
the best advantage. The common
name in China is gobbo—a name,
however, which need not replace onr
common one of burdock.—Meehan’s
Monthly.
Marketing the Cherry Crop.
In almost every neighborhood many
farmers have a greater supply of cher
ries than are needed for home use, and
as the fruit is regarded as too small to
pay for the trouble of picking and
marketing it, much of it is left to be
rotted or eaten by birds. The fact is
that small as the cherry is, it is one of
the most profitable fruit crops that
can be grown. Cherries need to be
picked with their stems, must not be
bruised, and must be placed in clean
baskets holding fifteen to twenty
pounds each. They are usually sold
by the pound and are marketed in all
(he cities where this frnit is to be
found in its season on fruit stands.
The sour cherries of the Morello stock
are mostly used for canning and for
making pies. The Montmorency is a
comparatively new sour cherry, and
we know it to be a valuable variety
where found. It is not best to have
many varieties when cherries are
grown for market. The black Tar
tarian is a large, dark red sort, that is
nearly black when at its best. It is
the standard sort and is more largely
sold and better liked by the fruit
dealers than any other.—American
Cultivator.
A Practical Milking Stool.
The observing farm student is sure
to oomfrin contact with ne w ways and
new implements when traveling
through the country, no matter whether
he i« on business or pleasure. Some
of the best methods and most simple
homemade implements are lying side
by sidq in onr farm homes waiting for
someone to “happen along” to make
known to the world these hidden
treasures.
One of these simple devices is found
in the milking stool. It is made with
three or four short legs, just as the
milkef thinks most convenient. Di
rectly on top of this short-legged stool
is a small box, the top of which forms
the seat of the stool. The lower part
or under board of the box extends out
under the cow to support the milk
pail when milking. This not only
t
i im â– 
.
v-.-USSsaP
Tarred Paper for Cabbage Maggot.
We have often suffered a good deal
of loss on account of maggots destroy
ing a large proportion of our early
cabbages. If we believe what some
of the experiment stations tell us,
then the collars of tarred felt (roofing
felt) put around the stems of plants
near the surface of the ground are a
very effective means qf protecting cab
bage and similar plants from the mag
gots’ ravages. The reports show that
the loss in treated fields has been
very small. The labor adjusting the
collars also is considerable. The only
trouble seems to be to get the collars.
They are not kept on' sale so far as I
know. So the only thing that I could
see was left for me to do was to make
them myself. A certain professor
long since devised a tool to cut the
collars out of sheets of roofing-felt
with neatness and dispatch. I gave
my blacksmith orders with full in
structions to make one of the cutters
after his pattern and expected to set a
man at it to make the collars in rather
large quantities, so as to be able not
only to have my own snpply in readi
ness, but also to furnish them at a
slight advance on cost to any of my
neighbors and friends that might de-
sfre to try them. But it has taken my
blncKsmith much longer to get the
tool made than I expected, and. finally
thdtime for using the collars has ar
rived and I have just received this
“cellar cutter.” This sets the matter
rigljt so far as my own planting is
conherned but I cannot help out my
friends)as promptly as I would have
liked. Neither have I as yet been able
to figure out the price at which the
collars can be put on the market. I
believe that they should be kept by
seedsmen and plapt dealers, and that
many could be sold at a good profit.
Local plantsmen might procure a cut
ter and furnish the collars to their
customers.—T. Greiner in Farm and
Fireside.
Suniinrrlng Cattle on Gra**.
I don’t knov? of any subject more
timely than how cattle of all kinds
should be treated while living on
grass. The fcommon method with
most farmers isl to let 'them all run
toget her—cal vets that are. tod-W head
etcepted—mait* or few,Hf^ge or small,
just one pasture and generally too
small for the number that must get a
good living or tfe half starved. Then
close grazing aid often long dry spells
and a good.nuuxber of cattle following
each other day' after day, reaching
through feucesiand in the hot weather
the field lookiig so bare that the
grass roots are often killed out en
tirely.
This is no overdrawn picture. How
can a cow give a good yield of milk,or
young cattle take on much growth or
fiesh under such conditions? Unless
they get • satisfactory feed and in
reasonable time they cannot spare the
time needed for rest and to chew their
cud. i ,
Every farmer should have two or
more pastures. Milk cows do better
alone, but if that cannot be had there
should be at least two pastures, so
that one of them could be rested a
while, and if favorable weather pre
vails two or three weeks will start the
grass, so that when you turn on it
again yon just watch the difference in
the growth and yield and see the grass
start up in the one vacated. This is
a better way than if the number of
acres were ail in one lot. I hope those
interested will try it.
Where cattle are compelled to eat
off the blades of grass scarcely an inch
high, and probably destroy others just
peeping out, ten days, if left grow,
would furnish twenty times as much
feed and no injury occur to the roots.
People tell of leaks and losses on
the farm, but too close grazing is the
biggest one I know of. Then there
is a big talk about calves dying from
scours, etc., but it is generally those
that feed their cows such a big lot of
stimulating nostrums of different
kinds that makes the milk rank poison
to their offspring. Calves from such
pampered matrons are as good as sick
at birth. Cows should be fed almost
entirely on what you can raise on
your own farm, and then,like common
farmers, losses would disappear. It
is risky to bay cows of some men.
If calves get the scours we stir flour
in their warm milk, and an egg too
until we get it checked. We teach
them to eat oats and ground feed and
keep hay before them all the time un
til turned onto grass. When cows
scour badly on tame hay and mill feed
make a real hard boiled dumpling of
flour and water only,boil it until hard
and when cool ent into pieces and feed
it to them; it will quickly stop the
scours. This recipe is worth dollars
if it works for others like it has for us.
I may tell yon what pastures are like
in England, and how they keep them
good all the time. They have a more
moist climate than we have, but we
could greatly improve ours by follow
ing their methods.—William Oxlev in
Farm, Field and Fireside. *
TOLD BY THE OLD CIRCl
A Little Trick of the Clown’s That
to Plenso the People Mightily,
“Some of the feats and tricks ol
sort and another performed in si
that look so wonderful,” said ^ the
circus man, “are really as simph
rolling off a log, if you only know
they are done. We need to hav
clown at one time who was a v
good acrobat, and he washumorou
his antics as well as in his speech,:
everybody liked him. He alw
wore a black mustache, with the ei
neatly waxed and corkscrewed, |
one of the funniest things he did i
pended for its success on these wai
ends of his mustache.
“After an uuusaally intricate pit
of foolery that called for a good d<
of exertion, he would pause, pantin
in the ring, and turn to the ringms
ter.
' “ ‘Well, I’d give a dollar and
quarter,’ he would say to the rin(
master, ‘for a bottle of soda water. ’
“ ‘Why, you shall have a bottle fc
nothing, ’ the ringmaster says, and h
sends a groom for a bottle of sod
water, who comes back in a minut
with a bottle and a glass on a tray.
t “ ‘But where’s the corkscrew?’ th<
clown asks, picking up the bottle anc
holding it up clear of the tray and
looking all arodnd on it. ‘There’s no
corkscrew. ’
“‘What’s* the matter with your
mustache for a corkscrew?’ says the
ringmaster, the audience looking on
perfectly still. And before you could
think, th£ clown would swing the bot
tle up with the cork against the point
of one end of his mustache—he’d
practised that so that he never missed
it—and drive it on to the point, and
then in almost the same motion—
there was never any halt in the action
from the beginning to the end of the
whole thing—he’d begin, turning the
bottle on to his mustache until the
point was buried in the cork, and then
he’d give the bottle a yank and pull
it free and carry it to his lips and
drink, leaving the cork impaled' on
the end of his mnstache. He’d drink
half the soda water, toss the bottle at
the ringmaster, have the cork off his
mustache in a jiffy, and toss that at
the groom standing there waiting with
the tray, and then tnrn a cartwheel
while the whole audience doubled np
with laughter. Why, it used to tickle
’em half to death.
‘ ‘And it was all done in the simplest,
easiest way in the world. The two
waxed ends were really two corkscrew
tips projecting out beyond his mns
tache and joing under it in a good
stont holder firmly held between the
teeth. ”
Peculiar Villages.
Scattered throughout the area of
Great Britain are numerous towns
and villages of a curious character.
One large village actually consists of
old railway carriages, even the little
mission chapel being bnilt out of four
large horse trucks. Another village,
with a population of liOO and a ratable
value of $8000, has neither church,
chapel nor school, the only pnblie
edifice being aiiillar IfilrtlMihriii —
Villages witb' a single inhabitant
are not unknown. At Skiddaw, in
Cumberland, there is a solitary house
holder, who cannot vote because there
is no overseer to prepare a voters’
list, and no church or other public
building on which to publish one;
while the only ratepayer in a certain
rural Northumberland parish has re
cently declined to bear the expense of
repairing a road because he considered
it quite good enough for himself.
In the Isle of Ely is a little parish
which has been somewhat contemptu
ously described as “a portion of land
with three or four houses, and per
haps twelve inhabitants.” This place
has no roads at all and is consequently
put to no expense for keeping them
in repair. As a matter of fact there
are no expenses* of any kind and no
rates.
One of the most remarkable villages
in this country is ^empton, near Bed
ford, which is seven miles long and
extremely straggling. To walk from
one end of the village to the other
occupies two hours.
Sometimes whole villages will prac
tically disappear. A little Shropshire
village has gradually sunk, and now
it is almost out of sight. It is built
on a disused coal pit, and the sinking
goes on steadily every year. Now and
then a tottering house is propped up
to keep it standing, but in spite of all
precautions buildings are constantly
falling to the ground, and in course
of time doubtless nothing will be left
but a few bricks to mark the spot
where a village once stood.—Tit-Bits.
In the Boll Creek HliU.
There is a boy in Taney county, ac
cording to a story which is makini
the rounds, who has a record whicl
perhaps few, if any, old hunters cai
match. He killed a deer with a mar
ble. True, the marble was shot fron
a gun, but still the occurrence may b<
ranked among the most nnusnal o
hunting events. The lad was out ii
the woods shooting, and he had ex
hausted his supply of shot. He hac
put into his muzzle-loader, a single
barrel gun of the old pattern, a charg<
of powder, when he discovered thal
his shot pouch was empty. The boi
had in his pocket a marble which he
used as a “taw” in playing the com
mon game. The marble exactly fitted
the muzzle of the gun, and hardly
thinking what might result from ex-
penment, the young hunter dropped
the taw down on the wadding cover
ing the powder. Strange things hap.
pened down in the Bull Creek hills
and on his way home the boy came
upon a deer which, at close range,
stood and challenged his aim. The
adventurous scion of good hunting
stock leveled lus gun, pulled the trig-
ger and brought down the game, the
marble boring a hole in the vitals ol
tho deer.—Kansas City Journal