Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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a.1 / I - F _ ___ anb letatb, TIRFWEIFKLY EDITION. WINNSBORO, S~ C., FEBRUARY 7. 1895. ESTABLISHED 1849. WWHE1 WE CONFRONT THE VAST NESS OF THE NIGHT.'" When we confront the Vastness of the NIght. And meet the gaze of her eternal eyes, How trivial seem the garnered gains we -prize The laurel wreath we flaunt to envious sight, The iower of Love we pluck for our delight The mad sweet music of the heart tha cries An instant on the listening air, then dies Row short the day of all things dear an? bright I J'he Everlasting mocks our transient strife; The pageant of the Universe whirls by This little sphere with petty turmoil rife Swift as a dream and fleeting as a sigh This brief delusion.that we call our life, Where all we can accomplish is to die. -Louise 0. Moulton, in Youth's Companion IN A ROOF-GARIEN. BY A EIADER L. ENEEAD. AROLINE G R A ham's home was in the lower part of New York City, on the top floor of one of the build ings whose roof! r. are so many stories above t h e side walk, and of which her father was janitor, and which was tenanted by bankers, brokers, railroad officials a n d speculators. From the ninth floor a short flight of steps, communicating with the main stairs, led to the janitor's rooms. He preferred to live at that altitude rathei than to have a suburban home. The wide, graveled, flat roof was to him a yard, where, in boxes, his wife raised flowers, and where he could at almost any hour of the day-no matter how high the temperature in which the pedestrians on the pavements below were sweltering-find a breeze, which he was wont to enjoy while, protected from the sun by a canvas stretched above him like a tent, he sat and unoked his pipe. Being so far from the din of tht city, Caroline felt untrammeled, her natural exuberance was unchecked by a consciousness that she was not ob served, and when she tripped over the roof to take in the wash, or to water the flowers, or in the performance of some other household duty, her song was as unrestrained as if she were a mountain girl enjoying the freedom o' a forest. Though she was usually gay she hai simes of reverie, - and" oneveas while following a vein of serious thought as she sat axnder the tent and watched the darkness deepen on the bay, she heard footsteps on the gravel behind her. Supposing that George Dunwell, the engineer, had got over -his pout and was coming to chat witl vter, she did not turn her head. The new-comer repeated his "I beg pardon" before she was aware that there was a stranger on the roof. She started to her feet and faced about. A tremor shook her, and she felt a chok ing sensation when she saw a tall man, with a full beard, standing near her. Remembering that she was alone witl: him on the top of that high building, and that the big iron gate was lowered before the main entrance, she wa' afraid, yet she gasped: "What do you want?" "I want to get out, please," he said "What are you doing in'?" she in quired, her courage returning at the sound of his pleasant voice. "I worked too long, forgetting tha the big gate would be closed at six. Indeed, I never thought of it at all tilU it began to get too dark for me to see the lines. Then, knowing I was a prisoner, I lit the gas and finished a statemenit of an account I was making. When it was done I came up here te -get the janitor to let me out." "He and mother and the children are absent; he took the key to the side hall door with him. So you wil' 'have to wait till he comes back." "Is there no way I can get out ? I have an engagement for the evening and I want to keep it." "There is the fire escape," she re plied with a smile. - "But that reaches to the second floor only," he said, with no littlie im -patience. Her smile disappeared, and, as if tc itone for her levity, she said : "I will ring for George ; he may be down in the engine room." It was with astruggle that she forced hcrself to make this resolution, and the effort was visible to the stranger, r. but his anxiety to get away from the * building was such that he did not remonstrate when she passed him on her wa the kitchen. Slowly she w tirs, and he, moving n~r~a r ould see her hesi ate bezore'pressing Ne button of an electric bell. The light from an electric lamp fell over her, detiniig the grace' ful lines of her slender fig'lre, and as, listening for a reply to the signal, she held her ear to the tube, he watched with some compunction her expr1ession of expectation gradually yield to one if disappointment. i "He's gone," she said, presently. an'd the stranger fancied he heard he. ugh. "Do you think I could climb the gate?" he asked, pleasantly, hoping to -aake her smile. "You might," she answered ser jously. "There's a tall step-ladder on the second floor ; it would help yor veach the top." "Please show me the way to it," he requested, coming into the kitchen. Without a word she took a bunch o keys from a hook near the button she had pressed so hard when signaling to the engine-room, and led the way to the ataira. Hle looked over- he shoulder when she opened the doo and wondered if she would be afraid to wind with him around the shaft in which the elevators rtu into the dense' darkness below. As he was about to utter an assuring remark the sharp rays of an electric light pierced the gloom, and he caught sight of her just turning the corner at the first landing, where she let the current in the are af another electric light. Thus she ran on, flooding the stairs with bril liance, and when at last she came to a halt it was before the door of a closet-, which was open when he reached her side. The step-ladder was . heavy, and ht staggered under its weight. Compas sionately, yet with a feeling of slight contempt for his strength, she took hold of one end and helped him to carry the ladder to the gate and put it up. It reached near the top, and i a moment he had cleared the gate. "Thank you," he said, when ht teached the pavement. "I wish J could help you take the, ladder to .it ?lace. Good night." He started across the street. Atthe apposite curb he paused and marked his liberator's progress back to the roof by the shadow rising from story to story as she turned off the electric current at each lamp when she reacheL .t. Henderson Meigs was a light-hearted young man, whose salary was sufficient to enable him to occupy a top hall room in a fashionable boarding house, and to dress in a style befitting a young gentleman with social ambi tions. He was also zealous in business, with an eye to an increase of pay and a possible partnership. So the morn ing after his adventure at the gate he was prompt at his desk, where his Iluties occupied his attention so fully that he had no time for thoughts ol I his visit to the roof the night -before, further than to observe mentally th't it would be very pleasant to sioke a cigar up there after lunch. This ides recurred to him o2 his way home, and p he determined to cultivate friendly elations with the janitor. His easy, off-hand manners won that I official, and when at last he broached ( the subject of occasional visits to the < roof he was somewhat taken aback by < the heartiness of the. invitation. "Come up whenever you feel like it There's always a breeze up. there, and I you'll find the family sociable." At his first visit Henderson foun i he family absent, but -at the second he was more fortuiate." He was cor- I dially welcomed by Caroline, whom he found in cool attire enjoying the breezes of the roof. nose'flsmetagoargr- Geor. mokes such a strong old sips,' e said, when at her request he had lighted P cigar. "No, don't move; -I said I loved it." Henderson looked at her askance, nd mentally asked: "Is she artless, or is this cando: merely a plain statement that George :s only a friend of the family?" She was soon interested in his chat ter, and before he was ready to go his I igar was burning his fingers. As -aa excuse to prolong his visit be ' said he would like to look over the edge of the roof into the court below. She rose and went with him, cautioning him not to lean over too far. Down ia the ourt-yard a fountain was throwing up tiny streams that broke into drops, which fell glistening in a sunbeam re lected from a window several stories above the flagging. The motion of the water was pleasing, and Henderson looked steadily at it. Suddenly the fountain seemed to leap toward him, and before his eyes there was a densu darkness. When he could next distinguish ob. jects he was some distance from the roof's edge and before him stood Caro ine, her face white and strained. She was trembling and her lips were shut as if they could not part, so firmly had' she closed them when maKing the I sureme effort of her life. In an in stnt he realized that he had grown I dizzy and would have fallen to the stones in the court yard had she not prevented it. That he had falien 'he knew from the bruised feeling on his arm and shoulder, but he had come in contact with the pebbled surface of the aat roof. He put out his hands to ward her and strove to speak as he moved forward. She made a deprecatory gesture and took -a step backward, then turned and fled. Stapified by her action he groped his way like a blind man after her into the kitchen. I Not finding her there, he sought the main stairs and staggered down to hie I ffice. There he threw himself on a lounge, and in explanatien of the shudders that convulsed him at inter rals he said he had a chilLI It was several days before he wen o the roof again. To find Caroline at1 ore both embarrassed him and gave im pleasure. He was glad to see her, yet was embarrassed by the feelipg, that no words could adequately ex press his sense of obligation to her. Bhe endeavored to put him at his ease. "I didn't tell anybody but George, and he said it wasn't so hard to do iis a person was only quick." "Yes, but you did it, and I came tc tell you how deeply grateful I am to you." "Oh, it wasn't anything, really ! ,i did only my duty to try to keep yon from falling that awrul distance." Almost every work-day aftei that hie smoked a cigar on the roof, and fre quently he met and chatted with Car oline, whose interest in him amounted . to friendship. Sometimes Georgej Dunwell joined them, and though he was not rude to Henderson, it was patent that he had no liking for him.I At his next visit Henderson founc Caroline and her father and George or the roof, and was cordially received by the janitor and his daughter, butj IGeo~m didot look.at hiia. e sat in silence all the wnhle refnsin to ac knowledge any word addressed to him. Henderson remained until le hl. duished his eigar, and when he went away the janitor acconpaniel him tc the elevator. On returning to thi roof Mr. Graham founa Caroline and George holding an earnest conversa tion. He looked surly and defiant, and she was mad, but very much in earnest. The janitor turned away, but Caroline called to him: "Come here, father, and hear what I said to George." "You had better fight it out your selves," Mr. Graham said, uneasily, as be drew near them. ,'There is no fight, father. I gave Jeorge lq engagement ring because I annot mai -y a mau that is not a gen leman. He .cted very rudely to Mr. Eenderson and made me very uncom fortable. He would make me Lshamed of him all my life, and I >roke the engagement." "What have you got to say, Gcoryc,' Lsked the janitor. "I won't have another man ce ur tii, he girl that's engaged to marry mie. "You know very well that Mr. Ifeigs comes up here only for a smoke, iud because it's cool. In winter time ie will not come so often." George held the ring on the tip of 2is finger a few minutes, and then with a determined air went to his work in the hot boiler room. Henderson continued to visit the 3rahams daily, and when Caroline met im she was cordial and unembar assed. He soon noticed that her ring vas missing, and he began to ponder he piobability of her letting him put mnother one on her finger. One rainy day his business took hin ;6 an office on the top floor of a tall uilding not far from that in which he vas employed. While there he saw aroline sittixtg under the tent in the !oof 'garden. .When- he returned, the devator boy sitopped the car as usual ,t the third floor, but Henderson ex aimed, rather impatiently: "All the ay up." Caroline seemed surprised to set Lim, and was for a moment painfully barrassed. What had occurred? He ould not guess, but he improved hit pportunity, and in a few words told he story of his love. "It isn't fair," she said, recovering verself. - "Why?" h6 asked, surprised at such , reception of a proposal of marriage. "Because-" she could get nc rther. "I love you," he said. "Ever since hat day you saved my life I've been etting deeper in love With you." "Thqt'fins it+ "..1 *be Her words stuck in her throat again. le stared at her a moment, and then gleam of intelligence shone in hit yes. "You mean if it had not been foi at I should not have loved you?" "Yes," she said, faintly. With a feeling that his case was hope. ess because it needed argument to sup ort it, he set about to explain how hiE fection had grown. It had begun with ratitude'and developed into love as e knew her better. It was so deep and trong and admiring, as if it had come ro daily association, and not with ueh an impetus as it had been given lut she would not be persuaded. "It seems to me," she said, slowly, 'as if you thought you must." "I do,"he said, earnestly. "I must >ecause I love you, and will be most uhappy if you do not love me." "I don't, and I am sorry you fcee >ad about it." She was as simple and straightfor ard as a child, and with a sigh he con ssed to himself that it was useless to lead further. Yet he fumbled for vords to express to her clearly that he ras making no offer of himself as pay ent of an obligation incurred by him rhen she saved his life, and that he eally loved her. 'Please don't say anything morel Er. Meigs. Let us forget about it, an~a -ou must come up. here as usual. We' half always be glad to see you, and it ron't ever be as-as uncomfortable as t 'was that day George acted sc adely." "Oh !" said Henderson, seeing, as hi hought, an opportunity to show him elf to her in a favorable light. "He 'ame in the other day and apologized ike a man for - rudeness. There were a lot of people in the office, but e spoke loud enough for them all to Lear him.' -.I was surprised, but I' hook hands.with him and told him Lot to mention it at all He seemed rery glad and we parted good friends. ' As he spoke a light shone from Caro ne's eyes illuminating her counte mance as its glo w deepened. When he eased she was gazing out overte >ay, gray in the mist through whieni teamers and tags and ferry boats crept autiouly. For a moment she seemed mconscious of Henderson's presence, het she turned to him and said. rankly: "I was afraid George was not a gen lemen, but now I believe he is one. 3 uppose he couldn't help being jealous." Henderson could not find an apt 'eply, and after a few minutes o: hwkward conversation took his de >arture. The next time he met her she wat rearing thd ring. thaf he had hoped tc eplace, and was apparently very iappy. He continued to go up to the oo garden, but the intervals between is visits grew longer. Presently the hill winds of fall began to blow, and e never went higher up than the floor > which his office was located. -Fran ; eslie's Weekly. We do not count a man s yea~ n ul be has nothing else to count. The Chinese Government levi63 a THE DEVIL'S OWN MINE, (:rtardti by Nature. M".1a Elehnwtzs and Hoi Cioven-Footed Majety. Sole timneago I heard the the stor3 .f a gold mine that was said to he in exist(nce in the Chant;boon province, savs a writer in the Siam Free Pr-. An old villager that I miet told me that the mine had never been worked. lE recollected in his clffldhood, aboutfifty years ago, that a party v.ith four ele. phants visited the place, b:t he does not remember whether they found the mine or not. Two or three Cambodians are reported to have found nuggets in the bed of the stream, but no one has ever been adventurous enough to follow the stream to its source. The greatest possible amount of superstition exists about this mine. Some. allege that those who go there never return. They either die of sickness, the influence of the evil one or fall a prey to wild ani mals. ThreeEnglishmen attempted to reach the source of the stream where this mine is reported to be, but had to abandon the idea for various reasons. At starting they had to take a narrow path that had been made by the "car iomom" gatherers. After keeping on this path two day they reached a pool of dirty water. Here their guide took .,hem aside and whisuered to them not to talk of tigers, as the forest in that part was infested -with them, and that they would surely visit the camp if they only mentioned the name. Promising~to be discreet, they went down to examrnine the pool, and found the whole place actually trampled down by wild boars, with few tiger footprints. Here they rested for the night; and next day proceeded On :their journey. If the footprints around the pool led. them to believe tbeir guide's reports of wild animals they were now perfectly convinced, for on either side of the path they saw the destruction worked by wild elephants. A little further on they-came to a spot where the mammoths had rested for the night. That evening they found that one of the carriersTvho had charge of the provisions had taken to his heels. As they had no cooking utensils they were compelled to cook their rice in a tobacco tin, and along with a steak of a civet cat (Meo-pa) managed te nake a dinner. At this spot the guide informed them it was impossible to go on unless they walked along the stream barefooted. After walking in this niinner for about five hours they came to the falls. Here they had to climb up rocks thirty to forty feet high by means of the roots of trees growing tro e fssuus, whre god ba ee n iidM eeNYe Ae climbing up higiier they came to the junction of two streams, and the guide now told them that he did not know the road further up and that he was afraid. One of the party got dysentry here, and they then determined to hurry back, especially as they had only rice with them, and not even a bamboo to cook it in. The excursion can only be lone in the months of January, Feb uary, and March. It would be agood opportunity for a spottsman who de sie to combine business with pleasure. Ponies and pack animals could not ossibly go; the only way of transport ould be by. carriers, and it would be veryv hard to obtain mo.re than two oi biree men, as the people are 20 super riitious. For a Parrot. The affection of men and women for mimals has led to many strange ad enture-nd to none more thrilling, perhaps, than one which occurred lately in New York City. In a five-story :partmenthouse, the first floor and basement were occupied by an apothe cary. In this basement a sudden and fierce fire was caused by the explosion >f some chemiical preparations; and the flames spread so rapidly that the occupants of the upper tenements.were unable to reach the street. However, they escaped to the roof, where they could pass to the roofs of the adjoinig buildings. Among the people who escaped to the roof was an elderly lady, 3Irs. Leary by name. She suddenly flew into a state otf diadress upon remembering that sh had left her parrot, a tenderly cherished pet. in the rooms below. At the risk of her life, she wvent down tc get it. She secured the bird, but when she attempted to regain the roof she found her way completely barred by the nire. She could pass neither up nor down. All she could do was to go to a wmf (low and mingle her screamns with those of the parrot, which she 'ield in her A a atte-nrot was mnade to reach het wih a ladd r, out th;is praed impos ,ile. She was abou~t to jinp~f ot vo the window, when the people below shouted that a fireman was commng down to her from above. This was the case. Several firemen were on the roof. One of them, Den nis Ryer by name, tied a strong rope around his body, and his comrades low ered him to the window at which stood ~rs. Leary and her parrot. It was at the risk ol' his life, for the fiames were already enveloping the front of the 'uilding. Rver reached the window and seiz~ed rs. Leary firmly in his arms. Then the firemen on the roof carried or dragged them both along until they were opposite a window of the adjoin ing building. Through this window Ryer thrust his human burden, and then climbed in himself. As soon as he had seen the woman to a place of safety, Ryer returned to his regular duties in extinguishing the tire. 3r. Leary clung to the -parrot through it all; but, to her great grief, the bird was suffocated during the rescue. Protecting a Loan. A. 10n of 86.000 was contragted ?-e I eently by the Government of Ecuadoi hrough the bank of the same country. This is a small affair, but the mannei ii which it has been arranged gives ar alea of the systematic methods em pioyed in the financial operations of '.lie Ecuadorian Government. The loan was contracted at an annual interest o)f 9 per cent., and there was grantedI the bank the control of 80 per cent. of the customs dues at Esmeraldas until Dec. 31, 1894, for the payment of the How Soap Cleanses. Most persons have very indistinct (deas of the manner in which soap acts in removing dirt. This is not so sim. ple a matter as it may seem, for even chenists have been more or less puz zled by it; although there is now sub stantial agreement among them as to the chemistry of the process. One of the explanations of the cleansing ac tion of soap is due to a suggestion wade by no less famous a man of icience than Prof. W. Stanley Jevons. I It is- generally considered that the efficacy of soap depends mainly upon its decomposition, when It is mixed I with water, into an.alkali and a fatty i acid. The alkali thus set free dissolve the grease by which the dirt is attached to the surface to be cleaned, and the wa ter then carries the dirt off. But this J is not all; the fatty acid from the soap neutralizes any free alkali remaining I after the loosening of the dirt, and thus prevents the alkali from attack- I ing the cleansed surface itself. This is very important when soap is applied to the skin, and the painful effects pro duced by some varieties of soap are due to the fact that they possess an excess of free alkali, more than the atty acids can neutralize. But there are oth'er factors concered in the action of soap. Its cohesive power, upon which the formation of soap-bubbles and lather depends, en ables it to gather up the dirt as it is loosened by the alkali. Then, too, the process is assisted by the curious prop erty which soap possesses of produc ing a great agitation among solid particles suspended in water. This, of course, tends to the read !emoval of the dirt after it has been detached from the surface, and it is U this action that Prof. Jevons has & pointed out as being one of the ele- P menta of the cleansing power of soap Do Fatal Falls Hurt? AS far as all available evidence goes the answer is certainly not. Horrible d as the idea of a fall from a great height rice is not only painless 9 ple have experienced what ought to eave been fatal falls, and have escaped by a miracle. Their experience is ananimous in showing that serious falls are painless. Not only is their ao pain, but there is even any terror. The victim knows exactly what is go ing on, and actually hears himself fall ing from point to point, although he loes not feel the concussion. Mr. Whymper, who has perhaps had more bad falls than any living man, says that he once fell and rebounded from cock to rock in the Alps, and felt abso lutely no pain, though he heard him self strike. The mind acts so rapidly that the experiences of a fall of a few moments will sometimes take an hour to describe afterwards. As in drown- C ing, the whole previous life seems to flash with dream-like rapidity through the mind, and- this gives place by de tightful stages to dreamless uncon sciousness. Among the ancient Norse men, an old warrior, who had had the 0 misfortune not to fall in battle, usu ally threw himself from the top of a :liif, to gain admittance to Valhalla. The pleasant experiences of those who 1ad fallen and escaped alive may have iad something to do with the practice end belief. P p Muscle Development. s Some recent scientide researches, Aihich can doubtless be trusted, show that the weight of muscles of animals was increased 40 per cent. by a proper 1 periodic application of an electric cur- x rent, the growth being a true develop- y mnent of the muscle. According to y this it will now be possible to increase to order size of any desired muscle without tiresome gymnastic exercises I by simply -lying in a soft chair and Ix having the current applied. This, we I t suggest, might be done at night by an I r automatic apparatus, thus saving time. Persons who are improperly developed :r may now be balanced or "trued up;" y' muscles shruken by age may now be 5. made plump again. Calves, which na tare or exercise have failed to develop e ;ilcently, will now no longer be a drwback to wearing knee breeches, or -, the short bloomers of the female bicy elist. The question naturally sug- a gests itself what will happen if this j prcs of developing muscles elec- a trically is continued still longer? If a some wvay is then found to develop the 3 bones the manufacture of giants by ) electrical means will be an easy mat ter.-Electrical World. Statistics of Male Workers. ? Assuming the working age of a man to be from twenty to sixty years, and Icounting only male workers, the num ber of people dependent on the -earn ings of every hundred male adults isr smallest in France-387-and largest in Ireland-476. The burden on the working population of Ireland is ten ~ per cent. heavier than in England.- t Chicago Record. The Nations richest in horses are the ~ Argentine Republic and U3ruguay. IKeep your troubles to yourself. When you tell them you aretaking up the tia~e of the maz:who la waiting to I tell his. SUPPOSE WE SMIL HUMEROUS PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COMIC PAPERS. Pleasant Incidents Occurring the WorM Over-Sayinga That Are Cheerful to the Old or Young -Funny Selectlon' That Everybody Will Enjoy Reading. A Popular Act. "I always like the third act of grand >pera better than any of the others," aid Hicks. "It always strikes me as Ln act of retribution. In most operas illthe singers with second rate voices get killed and leave the fourth and ifth acts for the principals to sing ,ithout irritating interruptions." Elarper's Bazar. A Recommendation. She-I am afraid you won't like my 'ather. He-Why, pray? She-Wel, )ecause of his unsocial disposition. fost people consider him very distant. le-That's a recommendation. It has een my experience to find most men n his class altogether too contiguous -Richmond Dispatch. Medical Item. A. -Dr. Jones is a good-hearted man. I.-In what way? A.-Very often he oesn't take a cent from his patients. .-Oh! I see. The executor of the atient's estate is called onto pay it.-. 'aola (Kas.) Times. Testimonials Required. "Have you ever loved another, Tom?" aid Miss Gush to her intended. "Cer ainly," replied he. "Do you wish vritten testimonials from my previou? weethearts?"-Harper's Bazar. Why Shouldn't She? He-She has very handsome teeth. he-Why shouldn't she, when be: ,rother's a dentist?-Rogerville (Tenn.) Didn't Want'Two Pairs. Sammy-Let's take this basket back grandma's now. Danny-No, sir. 's raining terrible out. I just came i and I've got one pair of wet feet ad I'm not going out and get another air of 'em. - Wheeling (W. Va.) egister. A Wie Thief. Judge-When you broke into the brary and stole a lot of books why id you take only the works of classical thors? Thief-Because, your honor, odern books fetch hardly any price in: Be'd Been Roasted. Jessie-Why do they call the boys ho sit up in the galleries the gods? .uthor-To distinguish them from the evils who sit in the orchestra chairs ad write criticisms-Truth. Faint Hope for Him. Fortune-Teller-You will be very not until vou grA 35 egt?_of age. a1pecunioisu Poesa g eTI-~)lndalisi ien? Fortuge-Teller-You will get sed to it.-The Sketch. Saving Her Life. He-Would that I could save your fe to prove my devotion. She-You mn do me almost as 'great a favor. e-What is it? She-Massacre my aaparones.-Truth. Fearful Accusation. Tailor-I hear that you have paid iy rival, while you owe me for two lts. Student-Who dares to accuse ie of such a preposterous thing? liegende Blaetter. Hlow to Tell Them Apart. The essential difference between a ainter and an artist is that the ainter is almost always certain of a :eady job.-Somerville Journal. Loyal Jack. The faithful affection of the dog is lustrated anew by a story which >me from Greenville, Ohio, where the uii of Mr. George Suring some time o caught fire and burned to the ound.I In the barn, hitched to his mangers ra halter, was a horse. Its constant ~mpanion in all drives, and even in its all, was a mongrel dog, called Jack. be flames spread so rapidly that itj as immossible to get the horse out, it when the doors were burst open, rery effort was made to call out the >g. Jack, however, would only run back id forth from the neighing horse, rking and whining pitifully, as if en eating aid for its endangered -friend. The roof fell in, and by the light of te lames the dog was seen sitting on e prostrate form of the smoke rangled horse. And there he died, criicing himself heroically upon the meral pyre of his friend, an example untlinching devotion. 5pcidental Poker luformatzouz Among thle goral pieces given tc iebers of the House on Monday waA mysterious device on Representative urrows' desk, which excited unusual iterest. It consisted of four pantels, ,bich some thought was itended to epresent a senatori4l easy chair, in al aion to Mr. BiurrowL s' boom for the enate, but opinion was dirided, nd one riember sapiently remarked bat the fouir panels represnted four ,ces. "What are four aes good for?" the apent member asked of Representa ie Dave Mercer of Nebraska. "Well," said the Nebraskan thought.. 11l1y, "in some parts of the country hey ain't good for a blanked thing un Lu you have a gu"-Wahiustoa News in Brief. -Corea contains 600,000 Cathohte. -Only 906 persons in 1,000,000 die from senility. -A bed in a Greek inn in A, D. 327, cost four cents. -The onchidium, a species of shel less snail, has innumerable eyes on its back. -Seamen nearing land can tell tha. fact by the deposits of dew on - the vessel. -The administration of the oath tc witnesses is a practice of very high antiquity. -Beggars are promptly arrested ir Vienna, Austria, if caught begging on the street. -In four years no less than 2,00( men and women have taken their lives in France. -A Louisville de.aler in antiquitis, adv. rtises for sale a revolver used by .Julius Caesar. -A plant of spleenwort weighingles. than four ounces will produce over a million seeds. -Louis Cyr, the Canalian Sampson. lifts 3500 pounds without harness or fther apparatus. -St. Lows, Mo., is credited wit. 106,332 males of militia age of whom 73,617 are natives. -Siberian women are raised as abject slaves, untidy in dress, and are bought vith money or cattle. A enail ranch has been staited by a farmer of Anet, .France, to supply the Parsian market. -Brazil nuts are more properly seeds, about sixteen of which are enelosed in a large shelL - -A lato curiosity gleaner claims that there are 500 open caverns in Edmond -ion County, Kentucky. - ---A rew pianini machine is 'workid by el ctricitv, and will do the work of 4ifty men in one day. -A man in Bailey's Island, Me., has invented a harness to keep a hen from seratching up the garden. -A Norwegian law prohibits a persor. from spending more than five cents at -ne visit to a public house. -James Wills, of Mount Sterling, Ky., ha.s been struck by lightning four -Lfferent times and still lives. -In Greece there is:568 milesof ral. road in operation, 304 uder construe tion, and 214 more-chartered. -There is a duck anch in the i.Bn1W Mountain of kennsylvania whicI n 2,000 birds to-the my1 7yJirly was so severe that the Black- was frozen for fifty miles from shore. -It was customary a hundred years ago when a gentlemen bowed to a lady. to sciape his foot upon the ground. - On the Welch River Towy the cor acle, the veritable boat of the barbar. ous but picturesque Britain, is still in use. -Some scholars of distinction argue that the Garden of Eden was located in Africa, near the Mountains of the Moon. -The swiftest bird is the kestril or English sparrowhawk. It has been, known to achieve a speed of 150 miles sin hour. -The great pelican often has a wing spread of fifteen feet. The bird itself sometimes exceeds twenty five poundi in weight. -Some botaniste think that no plani is absolutely poisonous, but only rela tively so, being harmful toonly certain amimals. Some of the colored paper supplied for kmndergarten work has been proved by analysis to contain a small quantity of arsenic. . - -Charles MeVeagh, of Harpswell. &ie., lits a barrel of flour with his teeth and holds a quintal of fish at arm's length. -The wife of C. B3eaupre, of St. Raymond, Province of Quebec, Canada gave birth to twins after she was sey. enty: five years old. -The Bodleian library at Oxford, England, has 500,000 volumes, and its annual expenses are $45,000 a year, nearly -ten cents a volume'. -The mus.cles of a pigs snout are ex eeedimaly powerful for their size, and thus enable the animal to turn up very hard ground with utmost ease.. -The Frenchman River in Nebraska never alters in volume whatever the season, because it takes to rise ini enormous unfailing springs, -London County, Vs,, has a fruit farm which contains 60,000 vines, 45, 1:each trees, 8000 quince and pear tree and 900 E.nglish walnut~rees. -In South America an electrie dry~ ing machine in which air is forced through a chamber of lieated plates is to be used in drying wheat. .--John Confarr and wife, of Cliftons Ohio, have celebrated their sixty-fourth wedding anniversary with a family re, union. Both -are hale and hearty. I -Dr. Sophia Jex Blake of London, says that too much tea, 'especially tea that is simmered over the fire for hours, is worse than too much ab, sinthe. -Raphael lived principally on dried fruits, such as figs and raisins, eating thenr with bread. He had a theory 'that a meat diet was not good for a painter. -A bat finds its way fabout without' the assistance of its eyes. A 'blinded bat will avoid wires and obstructions as dexterously as though it could see parfectly. .-No parental care ever falla to the lot of a singie member of the insect tribe. In general, the eggs of an in sect are destined to be hatched long after the parents are dead,