The people. (Camden, S.C.) 1904-1911, June 09, 1904, Image 6
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. -