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Cla BUmt Ik* wette muMiiI la the otroeV < The caml ape notUai in her hir or will, I ? TktvMWMbr Pati-BHiftrt u a^il'a fart , An |?iif nigh. 61m little has of heonty'a wealth; Trvth wiH allow Onhr b?r prieeleM youth and health. Her broad- white brow; 3Tot grow* oho on the heart by atealth, i iMWkMWhow. Bm4oh I thousand kindly thiaf? A krajfwoau'i heart aha bnap Ab4 I* htr be* the sunlight clings Wbtre'w ? he cow. And so ah* walks hsr quiet way* r With that content / That only corns* to sinlsss days ? And innocent; \ A life devoid qf fame or praise, Yet nobly spent. ? Pall Mall Gazette. A Lost Wager By H. G. Staines s O h* has actually laid a wager that be tvIU marry me before we atart for Europe. One, two. nenrlj three months." Mid Mrs. Dayton, leaning back nnd laughing* merrily. "All. me! dp tins mistaken me; \ hare had enor.sh of matrimony, and my present life of (reedom suits me." "I admire the man's Impudence." ta'.d her companion. Mrs. Harrington. ?He has never seen you yet. has he?" "Xo. Tell me exactly how It Lap* ?ened." "Certainly! My husband Invited his cousin. Harry Vaughan, George Coats ?nd this Irrestlble Horace Cooke to ftlne with him yesterday. Afle:* pre tldlng at dinner, I. of course, left tbe table after dessert; about an hour ?fterwarl I was passing through the 3all, whftu I heard Mr. Cooke say: "So this charming widow. Mrs. Day Ion, has vowed never to marry again, t want a wife, and, from your descrip tion, I tlilc'x she would suit me. What do you bet I do not make her break her row?" " 'Flv* hundred dollars,' said Harry. " 'Doner said Mr. Cooke. 'When our party starts for Europe in May the ?harming widow will join the party ?s Mrs. Hugh Cooke." "I went upstairs, but I determined to put you on your guard, for to-night, at our house, you will meet him." 4 . .ever fear for me. I'll have him nt my feet In a week." and again the sil very laugh rang through the drawing room. Mrs. Harrington and Horace Cooke were standing a few hours later in the former's brilliantly lighted drawing room. There were beautiful women ?nd handsome men all round them; but the star of the evening was not there. It was a fancy party, and Mrs. Harrington, a lovely little blonde, in a piquant flower girl's dress, made quite a contrast to the tall brigand be tide her, whose fine figure and dark, handsome face suited well his dress. "May I tell your fortune?" said a tweet, low voice beside the couple, ?nd they turned. One quick glance passed between the speaker and Mrs. Harrington, and then the hostess passed on to receive other guests. "Stay, lady, let me tell your for tune?" said the gipsy. "No. tell my friend's. Mr. Cooke ? ( beg your pardon. Conrad? you will Usten,"and she moved away. Mr. Cooke's eyes were riveted upon lis companion, and he mechanically ?ffered his hand for her perusal. She was a atartllngiy beautiful figure. Her scarlet skirt, short and full, was embroidered in gold with Itrong figures, and the tiny foot it left exposed was casod In a scarlet boot, embroidered In the same way. The body of the dress was of white muslin, made full, but cut so as to leave the beck and nrms bare. A brilliant scarf was bound from the right shoulder to make a full bow at the left side. A turban of white was rtn the hair, which fell benenth It in rich black masses almost to the wearer's feet. A grace ful figure, medium height, large black eyes, a rich, clear complexion, with a clear eolor. completed the picture. "Your fortune." she added, as she dreamily scanned the palm of his hand, "to woo where you can " The waltzcrs whirled in between the touple, and when Mr. Cooke again looked the gipsy wns gone. It was ? long time before he Raw her again; but at last he found her. She was Standing alone near a table, lazily turn ing the leaves of a book. It was in a little sitting room lending from the drawing room, and she was its sole oc cupant. "Will you not finish telling my for tune?" said he, coining in. 8he started. "Oh!" shi? said. "I *lare not. My ?pell was bo violently broken I ntu afraid to renew It." "Afraid! I rend your face wrongly, f should have said the spirit shining through your eyes scorned fear." "So, while I studied your hand, you fpeculntcd about my face?" "Could any one let such a face pass him and not try to read It?" A low, mocking curtesy was the an swer to the compliment. They stood an hour in the little room, and when Horace at length offered his arm to escort the lovely gipsy to the drawing room, he wished devoutly thnt the hour could have been doubled or multi plied indefinitely. "Mrs. Harrington." said Mr. Cooke, meeting the hostess iu the room, "when Is the irresistible Mrs. Dayton expected to honor us?" "Why." said Mrs. Harrington, "you have the Irresistible Mrs. Dayton hang ing on your arm. Has nobody Intro duced you yet? Let me do it. Mrs. Dayton, thl^ Is Mr. Cooke? Mr. Cooke. Mrs. Dayton. Now 1 hope you know each other." Mrs. Dayton'* eyes were fixed upon the carpet, there was a world of mischief lurking in them. If her partner could have seen It. "So I have. It seems, the enviable reputation of being Irresistible," she said, at length. "A reputation so well deserved as scarcely to merit repetition," was the reply. A number of other gentlemen wer? by this time collected around Mrs. Day ton. Her skill as a fortune teller was now again called Into requisition, and many a hearty laugh rang through the circle at the witty turns she gave to ?ach one's cherished flirtation, or, as thought, silent admiration. "May I m? you horns?" ask?d Hor ace, as the rooms began to thin. ?"Sorry, but I am already engaged." "May I call to-morrow ?" "Ah! he intends to commence his siege in good time," thought the charm ing widow*, as she gave permission. The next morning the beautiful and witty willow looked even more lovely than on the previous evening. She re ceived her guest with quiet, easy grace, an:! they chatted Tor some minutes on different subjects. Then somebody made a remark upon the literature of tln? day. and from lhat they passed ou to hooks. One author after another was discussffd, quotations Kew about as thickly as hailstones, ami each was really trying to lead the other into deep waters. Mrs. Dayton's thought was: "This mau is no fool, in spite of his impudent vauity." Mr. Cooke was thinking: "What a mind. Horac??. that wager must be won. It is worth more than >.">00. my boy." From books they pass?d on to music, and it was aa easy transition to the grand piano In the corner. Mr. Cooke took his sent at the instrument to recall to her memory a favorite air. Uls voice was good, his accompaniment showed skill and taste, and. bent upon dazzling the widow, he sang with feel ing and power. "Do you remember this?" he asked, touching a few chords of a duet. She replied by singing the first notes. She gradually let her voice out in ail Its rich beauty, nnd his blended with hers. He sang low. listening intently. Ah. Mr. Cooke, who is dazzled now? At last he rose to take his leave, ask ing and receiving permission to call again; nnd Mrs. Dayton took up a book, threw it aside, practiced a few moments, and stopped when she found she was singing his song, walked out and returned home, wondering why she could not get "that man" out of her mind. To say that their future Intercourse was pleasant is a dull phrase to de scribe It. Each being bent upon mak ing a conquest of the other, their best powers were exerted, their richest treasures of wit. accomplishment and thought displayed, and somehow Mr. Cooke began to feel ashamed of bis wager, and Mrs. Dayton wished she had never seen Horace Cooke. It was a lovely day In early spring that he called to take her for a ride, and found her sad and dispirited. Nothing would have made her confess it. but the gay little widow was In love. They went out of the town, driving through an avenue of tall trees, when Mr. Cooke began to talk of love. It uroused the widow from her depression to ward the thrusts she felt he was making at her secret. "Love!" she said, scornfully. "Bab! A schoolboy's first passion, before tv leaves pinafores, Is dignified with the name. An old man's doting is called love!" "Yet the holiest, highest feeling of the heart of rain in his prime of power has no lilgb<rr name." said her com panion. "Man in his prime of power!" she re peated scornfully. "I'll tell you how it is with men. From the time they walk to school beside the hoydenlsh girl until they are seventy they fancy they are In love. Every pretty face calls forth the protestation of the passion you Just tried to dignify. They love fifty times, and to the fifty-first flame is offered the battered, worn -out heart as If it were brand new and fresh." "You wrong us." he said, roused In his turn by her steady glance. "Though each admiration of boyhood atod youth may call forth a passing feeling, It is evanescent, and passes like n ripple on deep water. But when the depths of these waters are stirred by the hunrl- j cane of real love, not calling for a re turn, it at least merits sympathy and comfort;" and he let life voice fall In a low, tender cadence, Mrs. Dayton felt uncomfortable. The laughing response that rose to her lips died there. She longed to tell him her belief in his doctrine. They were going slowly along, each intent and thought ful, when the scream of a locomotive startled the horse, and he dashed for ward at full gallop. There was ? rush, a crash and they were on the roadside? the horse a mangled corpse, the carriage thrown violently back several feet. Mr. Cooke Insensible on the grass, nnd Mrs. Day ton on the other side of the road, un injured. Mrs. Dayton sat up. and with a ner vous, hysterical laugh, called her com panion's name. He did not answer. She went to his side. He was white, still. Insensible, and she thought liiin dead. With a wild cry she raised his head to her breast, calling his name. "Horace! dear Horace', only look at me!" she pleaded. Then she looked around for help. There was no house In sight. Mrs. Dayton was not a woman to spend many moments in useless grief. She soon recovered her presence of mind. Her vinaigrette was hanging at her belt, and she tried Its effects. Her companion was only stunned, and in a few moments he was able to feel her hand on his brow, hear her voice In his eat. He kept perfectly still, his eyes closed and his breathing low. The most delicious ecstasy was holding him quiet. The low. sweet mice, which would never before speak one word of preference for him, was now murmuring, tenderly: "Horace! dear Horace' speak to me I one* more!" ltMrM?mtifae^ Hot? ? Ul ?JNL The MXt OMMBt h* f? gretted It. for be found his heed on the fran, and lira. Dayton at least Are feet from him." "Are you hart?" she asked, quietly. Had lie been dreaming? Was thl? the voice that had said: "Horace! dear Horace?" - He sat up. He was not hurt, only stunned, and In a few moments he stood beside her. Her veil wss down, and he could not see her face. "How are we to set home?" she asked, painting to the desd horse and broken carriage. 'Her voice trembled now. and as the wind blew aside her veil, be saw that her eyes bore traces of weeping. Horace forgot his wager, forgot their awkward predicament, forgot evpry thing but his love, and he poured It forth in broken, pnssionate words. Her heart throbbed high with ecstasy, for she was too great an adept In th<? art of flirtation herself not to be able to tell the voice of real feeling. Yet, as he went on. the scene with Mrs. Harrington occurred to her. and she stifled back the eager welcome her heart gave his words, and said, coldly: "Enough, enough. Mr. Cooke! I am sorry to cause you the loss of $500. but Mrs. Dayton cannot accompany the European party as Mrs. Cooke." Stung to the quick, Horace stood silent for a moment; then be said, in a low voice: "I was nn impertinent fool. Can you over forgive me?" "On one condition," she said smil ingly. "Nam? It." he said, eagerly. "That you pay your wager, own yours?lf braten, and do not address one word of love to me until we return from Europe." "I agree to the first two. but the last Is very hard." he said, taking be? hand. "How are we to get home?" she asked again, abruptly. "We must wuik to the nearest house and then hire a carriage." I will not tell you what they said In that long walk, but I know Horace paid his wager, and confessed himself beaten and bore the banter of his com panions with great philosophy. How the last clause was kept I know not; but early In the following autumn Mrs. Dayton became Mrs. Horace Cooke.? New York Weekly. Profitable Snak* Hunting. John C. Reeves, of Portland, famll* larly known as "Del." and having a National reputation as a rattlesnake hunter, bus recently galued fresh laurels. Last week thirty -six rattlers, ranging from fifteen laches to four and one half feet in length, were killed by him in the Somerset Mountains, situated east of Portland. Seventeen of various lengths were killed within a space of about fifteen square feet. Some of the large snakes had nine ot ten rattles, while some of the smaller had but one or two. The snakes were beautifully striped. Ten baby rattlerf were found huddled together near their nest, which was in a rock crevice. Mr. Reeves captures his snakes by stealing up on them while they are basking In the sun and pinning them to the ground with a forked stick four or five feet in length. He then uses a club. Mr. Reeves finds much sport In rat tlesnake hunting, and also finds It very profitable. One dollar an ounce is real ized from the oil. The skin nets him from twenty-five cents to $2, and oc casionally more for an unusually large one.? Hartford Courant V A Family catch in Sontb Dakota. As we were going down town the other forenoon we saw a family #jad appendages catching a chicken for din. ner. There was the man, the woman, the big daughter, the ten-year-old boy, the baby, the dog. and a great bulla balloo of a racket. The Initial move was an ear of corn, with which the man gently and slowly strewed the ground at bis feet. Then there was the poising and the quick grab, which gave no return but a tail feather or so. And then the cry: "Run him down!" Instantly every one was In motion. The young rooster cut across the gar den, followed by the dog i.nd the man. The prey darted through the lath fence; the cur bumped his nose against it; the man changed his course apd crashed through the gate Into tbe barnyard, the baby fell down in the mud puddle, the mother shook her apron and screamed. The small brother circled tbe haystack in pursuit, the big daugb ter shoo'd with her every-day hat, the neighbors gaped out of their windows On went the furious race until finally the panting bird ran his head into tbe haystack to get out of sight and wua gobbled.? Elk Point (S. D.) Leader. Will Kxploro th? C(iplM Sm. In n bulletin issued by the Society of Xuturalists at St. Petersburg It 1* stated that a new expedition for tbe exploration of tbe Caspian Sea Is to be sent out early tbis spring. It is a continuation of tbe Aral-Caspian expe dition wblch worked some thirty year* ago. The party will include such ex plorers as MM. Knlpovlteh and Lebe dinstseff. well kpown by their explora tlou of the White and the Black seas. The chief aiui of tbe expedition is the h.vdrobiologlcal exploratlou of the Cas pian Sea and tbe biology of tbe Cas* piau herring. Te* In Berlin. The hereditary Princess of Wled, bom a Princess of Wurtemberg, Is now engaged in tbe eudeuvor to "engraft upon Berlin uu up-to-date social life." to quote the words of a circular whicb she has just Issued to all the leading Indies of the German capital, urging them to organize "5 o'clock tea recep tions from 4 to 0." These social gath erings are to be held, not at the private houses of the ladles, but at tbe Kulser hof Hotel. The object of these "gem utbllcben Tassen Thee" Is a charitable one. so that tickets are to cost elgbUMO I.?m?bIii| the H?nt*nr?. A Judge In Vienna recently bad b?? fore him a prisoner against whom there were over 400 charges of theft. He was convicted of ail of them, and If be Had been convicted for the fuU term of punishment he would be doomed to 'J.'iOO years' Imprisonment} but the judge's heart melted, and in passing sentence be took off low years. PLAGUE OF RATS IN ENGLAND1 FLOODS AMD SLAUOHTIR OF RAT KILLING ANIMALS THB CAUSA rmiimin of the Rats That Cam* to Amerioe? Some InitaneM of tha Uttio Animals' Pluck and Sajaclty? How Thi) Endanger tfce Public Health. T HE "whHker'd rertuin race** lias been far too promiueat la Britain of late. Th? In convenience, the havoc and alarm It has created bj appearing In hungry ii>>rde? ind overrrunning the haunts of men 'Ji all parts of the country is a tal<? that has been told often enough during re cent mouths, says the Loudon Express. One district after another has hud its rat plague. Some towua and Tillages ire even now in the midst of the ex citement of it, and doubtless other places will be duly visited by the furry pest. Dogs of a sporting bent are doing doughty deeds daily. Rat catchers are finding a substitute for eld age pensions. Two reasons may be given for tile present Invasion of houses, farmyards, barns and poultry sheds by armies of rats. First of all. the steady Increase in the number of the rodents during the last ten years or so is undoubtedly the outcome of man's foolish persistence In killing ofT stoats, weasels, owls, pole rats. otters, buzzards, snakes and other Animals which would assist him iu keeping rats within reasonable limits. Then, with perhaps more rats in the i country, as a whole, than at any pre- J vious time in its history, the rodents have been washed out of their Held sud riverside haunts continually dur ing the last twelve months aud driven to the homes of men for food and shelter. What can be said on behalf of the most universally detested animal on the face of the earth? He Is an agile and graceful creature, skilful iu mauy ways, full of resource, intelligent, u useful scavenger when he can be kept to that employment, full :>f complacent happiness and desper ately plucky. When living uadlsturbed in his own haunts, the rat is an affec tionate parent and comrade. Catch sight of a rat sitting at peace on his haunches, smoothing his whiskers, and It is a pretty spectacle. He is said to be cleanly in hia personal habits, although he is always at home in the sewers. His savage disposition is withont doubt the result of the centuries of hunting of which he has been the vic tim. He was never popular, and has, therefore, always been hunted. One wonders what he might have been had he ever been given a chance. It is the brown rat that plagues Eng land to-day. The old English black rat, a smaller and more elegant rodent, far less tierce and harmful, has beeu al most annihilated by his own brother. The black rat was Introduced Into England In the Middle Ages, coming from the East iu ships. He is the an cestor of all the fancy rats kept largely now as pets. The brown rat also comes from the East? from Western China, to be pre cise. He gradually spread over Europe and in 1730 he ilrst appeared in Eng land, having been conveyed on ships sailing from the Baltic. He has now overrun Great Britain, and been taken further westward by ships to America. In parts of which continent he abounds by the million. On one Jamaica sugar plantation 30,000 rats have been de stroyed in a year. ' The rat is omnivorous. Nothing seems to come amiss to him. Possibly this is the result of his being contin ually hunted from place to place and time and agaiu driven by stress of hunger to eat anything that his teeth can surmount. He is always working havoc iu game plantations and poultry farms, destroying eggs aud eating the young birds. He has been known to gnaw holes In the bodies of fat pigs, and destroy the soles of elephants' feet. The London docks have always been n favorite haunt of the rodents. Over 5000 have been killed In a month by the official ratcatcher. Formerly these rats were taken out alive and sold to dog owners for sporting purposes. Happily this has now been stopped. The carcasses of these rats have been found to contain germs of bubonic plague. A penalty of ?2 bungs over the head of any persou who takes awav n live rat. The carcasses are collected every morning and cremated on tbe quay* side in tlx* presence of an official. The sewers of Ix>ndon were oncc swarming with the rodents, and the sewer men were In the habit of mak ing large incomes by catching the rats and selling them for spurting purposes nt three shillings n dozen. Many a grim encounter did tbese men have In blind underground passages when several rats were brought to bay, nnd It required no small amount of pluck to seize the savage vermin. When driven to extremity there Is scarcely a tlercer animal existing than the brown rat. He Is also a serious danger, for n bite from tbe garbage poisoned teeth of a rat lias often meant deatlt within a few hours. A despernte rat will sometimes daunt the stoutest bull terrier, and many a splendid dog has died from a rat bite. lu severe extremity a hunted rat will 8liatu death, and be left for dead In the gutter. Hut when nil is quiet he will recover himself and move away as fast as possible. The very worst that a rat can do Is tn attacking human beings. Tramps lying by the roadside, or In the rick yrfrds in country places, have been killed by the rodents, and only too often have hunger-pressed rats at tacked infants In their cradles, some times killing them. As a danger to health, as well as to property of almost every kind, the rat Uiust be exterminated. Let the fact that he has never had a friend, that he has been constantly hunted to the wilderness and driven to desperation, actuate with humanity those who set themselves to the task of thinning out his kind. As for the good in him. there are /nany true stories. Ills Intelligence has been seen often. Perhaps the best known iimtauce is that of rats which, robbing a poultry yard, could conceive of no better way of carrying off the >?*? tbau by getting one of tkeir nuui bcr to Ur on his back and clasp the egg* on his stomach. Then severa? rats pulled their recumbent brother'* tall, while others pushed his shoulders Thus egg after ess was safely hlddeo in their burrow. A rat has been known to cross s swollen torrent in Scotlsud seated ou n swan's back. Other rats have made friends with dos? and fed from the same platter. When the doss were absent they would never feed, know ins that the presence of their canine friends meant safety. Although when driven desperate witb hunger they will devour one auother in times of plenty their affection is almost human. A Sussex clersyman has told how h? saw a number of rats migrating from one district to another aud In tlx middle of the company was an uld blind rat, with a twig in his mouth by which he was be.ng safely, led I'J a younger rodent. Instances of rats leading blind com rades by the ears to feeding place; and placing food close to their muzzle? have been observed more than once This is more than many human being* will do for their weaker brethren. BOYS FROM CITY TO FARM. Th? Old Ordar of Thing* to Ba lltrartH, PraltMor Galloway Soy*. Professor B. T. (ialloway, chief o* ??he plant Ir.destiy bureau of the De partment of Agriculture, predicts thai farming of the future will be doue bj boys from the big cities. He calls at tentiou to the fact that the movement of the boys and youug men from coun try to city has been stopping, and that the tendency now Is from city to coun try. Professor Calloway is a great be liever in the possibilities of scientific farming. He knows a score of ways ir which old farms which were worthies? when worked according to old time worn methods, may be made veritable* gold mines by the application of a little sense and industry. He has m?d< actual experiments in a number of cases in the vicinity of Washington, ami can point to farms which a few year; ago could be bought for the taxes or v little more, and which now are wortt small fortunes, and are yielding all the way from $8000 to $10,000 a year These opportunities. Professor (iallo way thinks, will be appreciated inor? and more by young iiieu who find 11 hard to get ou in the big cities, am! they will go Kast and take up farm*. It would be a strange thing, indeed if it should come to pass that young expert farmers of agriculture are being developed, should go Kast to appl? them to the abandoned farms of Xe? Knglaml and Virginia, and reclaitr those now barren acres to profitable husbandry. As for the movement of city boys tc the country, of which Professor CJalli> way speaks, we have examples of thai tendency in our own State. There haf been such a pressure for accommoda tions in the classrooms of the schoo' of agricultre from the cities that tliej have been obliged, in justice to the rea' [ farmers' boys aud girls for whom the school was established, to deny to anj applicant the privilege of enrollment as a pupil who has not resided at leas' six months ou a farm. ? Mluuea^olii Journal. AlMkn m ()*r?len. Prof. Trevor Kincaid, of the Unl verslty of Washington, an alert West ern scientist, has been making a stud; of tin* valleys and mountain slopes o> the Aleutian Islands. He tlrst becam? Interested in Alaska at the time of tli? Harriman expedition. As a result o; this voyage of sclent iflc discovery lif amazed the entomological world bj the bewildering collection of insects h? brought out of Alaska. thousands ol theui being species that, depend for ex istence on the nectar of blossoms. I: was a revelation not only of the pres* ence of unnumbered flower-hunting hymenoptera. coleoptera and lepldop tera In Alaska, but Incidentally i< called the attention of scientific men t? the fact that Alaska, Instead of belnp a wilderness of perpetual Ice. was a vast, wild garden. Extending bis in vestlgations in subsequet trips to thr Aleutian chain. Prof. Kincaid bar made the discovery that In the valley? and slopes of those Islands n numhei of kinds of succulent forage grassef grow lu luxurious abundance. "I am convinced," said he, "that our beef cattle will ultimately come frotr this Interesting archipelago."? Book lovers* Magazine. The Walking CriM In Tncinnnln. The walking craze has apparent!} died out in London, but it was still it? full blast at the antipodes when the latest mnil was leaving. Tasmania has supplied a tragical case, says thr I/ondon Chronicle. Forty competitors entered for a prize offered by a Arm of whisky manufacturers. The route was to the summit of The Pin nacle, the highest peak of Mount Wel lington, whlcli forms such a plctur eque background to Ilobart, the Tas manlnn metropolis. In spite of in clement weather the competitor? started from the city at two o'clock iu the afternoon clad in light walking cos tunics. Halfway up the mountain they encounterul a heavy snowstorm Search parties found two of the com petitors frozen to death, others rigid with cold, some temporarily demented, and others who had lost themselves Few succeeded In reaching The Pin nacle. The one who was adjudged the winner covercd eighteen miles in two hours and forty-four minutes. Great Men's Wit. Chief Justice Story attended a pub He dinner in Boston at which Edward Everett was present. Desiring to pay a delicate compliment to the latter, the learned Judge proposed as a volun teer toast: "Fame follows merit where Everett goes." The brilliant scholar arose and re sponded: "To whatever heights Judicial learn ing may attain In this country, it will u?v?r get above one Story."? Succm*. MUTINCT Or OCATH. It la *M> AmmM Thai M?l Om I* ? Mil Um Mm ?! Matanl Ofeuw. If. Mttckalkaff, of tht Pasteur Instl tut*. Paris, has written s book on The Nature of Mas." dealing with his in Tcit^pttons ss to life, old sge and death. While death Is natural, Mr. Metchnlkoff asserts thst not one man In a million dies a natural death. The familiar proposition. "All men sre mor tal.** seems. Indeed, to he one that op investigation science finds It hard to prove absolutely bat assuming ss one ma jr. Its truth, what science can do. M. MetchnlkoS contends, entirely to revolutionize the conditions of old sge. Old age should be a physiological state; I It Is now a pathological state, a disease ' What this state consists of is atrophy, the premature atrophy. M. MetchnlkoS holds? of the higher and specific nerve cells, especially those of the brain. He sets out to provide a cure. M. Metchnlkoff is the discoverer of the phagocytes. those singular tenants of huniiu bodies that tight ou uiau*n side in the "veritable battie that rages in the Innermost recesses of our b^ing." and whose special function is the de struction of microbes. He says thst at a given period in the life of the organ Ism the phagocytes, presumably be cause the supply of microbes is on the wane, literally turn snd devour the human bodies which tliey inhabit? thus the degeneration of specific tissue Id old age Is mainly due to that tissue be '.ng Invaded and devoured by the larger ohagecytes. It is conceivable that In a not very distant future the injection of a serum may, by strengthening the higher func tions of the body, convert the patho logical character of old age to a physi ological one. and prolong ita duration to an extent almost incredible at the present day. Possibly, also, the re moval of the stomach, where the mi crobes perform their most deadly tricks and which organ inau does not particularly need, according to M. Metchnlkoff, would greatly prolong life. Then the normal age of man would become, M. Metchnlkoff com potes, not less than 140 years. Could human life, argues M. Metch nlkoff, be prolonged to its normal phy siological period, humanity would be set free from the fear of death, whlcb arises from a really unnatural curtail ing of life. Death would appear as much a physiological function as fitting the harmonious as any other phase of *be organism's existence; the desire of ieath would come in the ripeness of time as spontaneously as the desire >f life in youth or maturity. -Chicago ?ws. Vu Who G aim ad Nothing From a Tiki*. The death of Henry M. Stanley takes from the world practically the last of the great explorers. European trading companies barter where he found Liv ingstone, and the route Through the Dark Continent that he trod tirat is uow a well-worn way. The laurels Stanley won be earned by hia own strength and eudeavor. Few men sound in mind and body ever started In life with a greater ban dlcap than did this workhouse lad, who bad not even a right to the name be made so famous. He died Sir Henry Stanley, and In the title Is found the only thing Americana criticise in hia career. Knighthood could add nothing to the honors be won In the hardest field of buman endeavor. The distinction he wrested from the pathless forests and unnamed floods of an unknown and forbidding contin ent could gain no new lustre from the "Sir" be allowed them to place before bla name. He was a member of the Nobility of Achievement, a higher order than that to which any British brewer who sells enough beer may aspire. Stanley was ao great a man that it seems strange that the glamor of a minor title should have lured him. He bad no delusions as to the re lative positions of men. and, so far from biding bis humble origin, lie spoke of it frequently and even visited the poorbouse where his definitely as certained history begins and banquet ted the children there. He knew that It Is not what?\ man is born, but what be makes of himself that truly ranks him in this world.? New York Amei-< lean. Exmii of Doctors. The overcrowded condition of the medical profession in German grows yearly worse, but In spite of the gloomy outlook the number of medical students entering upon medical work constantly increases, according to Uni ted States Consul Monagbun at ('hem nits. There are now 29,200 doctors in Germany. This Is twice the number found in 1870. Hence the increase is out of all proportion to the increase In population. In larger cities statls tics show that there is one doctor for every 800 inhabitants. This fact ex plains wliy in Berlin forty -six per cent, of all doctors have a taxable income between $214 and $714, thirteen per cent, have an uncertain income, and five per cent, have no taxable income at all. In the German legal profes sion, on the other hand, eighty per cent, have on income over $2380. It la estimated that the total expense of study for the medical profession on Germany, plus the outlays in the os tabllBhment of a doctor's office and t lie development of a fuir practice, is from $r?050 to $7140. For the relief of thes? conditions the German Association of Physicians ha? established a bureau of information at Hamburg to find r?muneratlvo places for German doctors abroad. German consuls have been requested to nld in this exportation by reporting on good opportunities for medical men to locate in other lauds. Itftlatlve f>ang?r of Machinery. Atatistk-s collected in Germany havs shown that twenty-eight per cent, of the accidents caused by machinery used for Industrial purposes, such as manufacturing, were due to defects in the machines and to lack of proper safeguards. On the other hand, over forty per cent, of the accidents occur ring with agricultural machinery were traceable to those causes. According ly, there is a call for the use of im proved safoty devices upon all ma chines used on the farm. Feed-cutting machinery is found to be particularly liable to causo accidents. A consider able majority of those injured by agri cultural machines are cbildreu aud Zsntha.' * Humor of Tbcfoy Kf?p? It. The man who cannot take a joke. To be a bore hit grown: Bui wor?e u he who take* your joke Aud tell* it as In* otvn. M ? Town and Country. N Had Jut Riluttl Him. "He looks awfully blue. What's the matter wltb bim?" "Heart trouble." replied the girl, somewhat consciously.? Chicago Post. Did He? "Did Jerroid get anything out of his rich uncle's estate?" "Well, ratber? he married the daugh ter of the attorney foi* the estate."? Click. Tommy Know. "Do you know anything about tbs Mormons, Tommy?" asked the teat-her. "Yes'in." replied the i?oy, "with the Mormons a wife it sometimes twins." ? Chicago Post. C'trrlMl Off the Palm. Patience? "He always does the right thing at the right time." Patrice ? "What's he done now?" "Why. he asked for her baud down at Paliu Beach."? Yonkers Statesmau. Arm. /isitor? "Well, now, tell me bow old you ail are?" I.ittle tiirl? "Vera's twelve. Muriel's ten. Violet's eight, (iuy and Una. tho twins, arc sis. aud I'm Ave. I think mother's twenty."? Punch. A I.ovatile Character. Singleton? "How did you come to fall in love with your wife?" Littleton? "I married ber for bet money, and afterward discovered that she possessed twice as much as she claimed to have."? Puck. Ills Dlafnoti*. "How Is your friend, the poet?" "Much worse?" "Much worse! I didn't know he had been sick." "Hasn't: he's been writing, though!" ?-New Orleans Times-Democrat. Walking th* Fluor. Hev/itt? "You ilou't take any ot those flve-mile walks that you used to take before you were married." Jewett? "Oh. yes, I do." Hewitt? "When do you lake them?* Jewett? "Nights? with the baby."-' Judge. Boon for the Men. -?Did you say he grew rich through a patent of his own?" "Yes; he invented something thai made a woman think she was still monopolizing the conversation?long after she had really stopped talking." ? Detroit free Press. It Mak?i m Dlflforenre. "Why," they asked, "have you ceased to be outspoken in your opposition to gambling?" "Because," replied the properly own. er, "I have discovered that too uiucb reform would put some of my tenant* where they couldu't pay reut."- Chica go Post. Willing Knongh. -'Boss." said the poor beggar. "If you could ouly give me a littl* help " "I'd like to help you, poor man," said Cholly Sophtley, "but I'm afraid I haven't anything about me? but, wait! Can you change a teu-dollaf note'*"? Philadelphia Press. Viewpoint*. Cobwigger? "What are you crying about, my dear?" Mrs. Cobwigger? "I have just been reading the old love-letters you seul me before we were married." Cobwigger--"Tbat's funny. I was reading them myself the oilier da/ Hud they made me laugh."? Judge. Variety. Visitor? "And what do you boatmen do in the winter?" Boatman? "Watch the tide a-comin' in. muu." Visitor -"And when you are uot do inj; that?" Boatman? "We watch it a'goin' out agin, oiuuj."? Ally Eloper's Half Holi day. F till of Hltnvelf. "ITarnm has got a job at last with a good stork company, I hear." "Yes, and he thinks he's the oul* thing." "That so." "Well. 1 should sny. Why, whenever he hears anybody talking about 'a dra matic situation' he thinks they mean his." A Jollier One. Mr. fJusrh -"Ueally, Miss Wise. I never kuew anyone so Jolly as you." Miss Wise? "Sir! You forget your self." Mr. Gusch? "Er? beg jardon? I don't understand " Miss Wise? "I say you forget your self. You are a Jollier."? i'hlladelohia Press. An Ingenious Flea. "Your honor," said the confidence man, "the man who tempts another to do wrong is as bad as the man who ?toes wrong. Isn't he?" "? believe It has been so held." "Well, then, send that hayseed to Jnll. lie's such a fool that he Just tempted me to flim-flam him."? Chi cago Post. Frlde Interceded. "Why did she marry him? H0 hnsn't any money." "I know, but srte has plenly." s "But he baen't any brains either." "True, too* Put people kept telling her how s'*-trtr*lng they looked to gether till she Just couldn't bear the Idea of letting him get away."? Do trolt Free Press. About the Hl/e of One. "Is that a chicken?" asked a boardeo dismally. "Of course." replied I lie landlady, "What did you think it was?" "A canary," answered the boarder, as he counted the number of peopl* to bf served and mad?* a mental calcula tion as to the size of the slice that ht vught exjcct.? Chicago Post. -