University of South Carolina Libraries
flooked In thebrook and saw a fac Reigh-ho, but a ohild was I I 4thre were rushes and willows In that plae \ And they clutched at the brook as the bro ran byI And the brook it ran Its own sweet way, And as it ran I heard it says E'Hasten with me -. To the roistering sea What is wroth with the flame of the mar Ing sky ." look In the brook and see a face Heigh-ho, but the years go by I The rushes are dead In the old-time place, And the willows Iknew whena child was And the brook It seemeth to me to say, As ever it stealeth on Its way iolemnly now and not in pla" "Oh, come with me To the slumbrous sea That Is gray with the peace of the evenih skyr Heigh-ho, but the years go by I would to God that a child were 'i r --Eugene P1eld, in Chicago News. "M A~ MYDOGi. BY A. G. PLMrPTON. IG COLE was little black d< that belonged 1 Private Peck Co. E. There were tv v e r y differe opinions of Ki Cole at Fort E Martin. One opi ion was that he by the gener public - that I wasamongrelp-t -of no intelligene and the other w that of the Pe family, in particular, who maintain as stoutly that he was of a fine bre and of remarkable sagacity. Billy Peck and Polly Peck told maz an odd tale in proof o2 this belie Billy said that whene7er he we: swimming King Cole sat upon t) bank of the creek (he was none t< fond of the water himself) and at t) end of half an hour, which was t] length of time Billy was allowed stay in the water, King Cole notifi him in sharp peremptory barks th his time was up. If he paid no atte tion to this notice the dog would co quer his dislike of getting wet, an plunging into the creek, bring the d linquent boy to land. Polly alwa capped this story with a marvelo tala of how once when she had be< trundling the baby carriage on t] slope by the creek and stopped watch the geese there, King Cole h pushed stones behind the wheels the perambulator to prevent its rollbi down the hill. But the general pu lie said that it had never with its o eyes seen any of these wonderf things, and that Billy and Polly Pec were given -to romancing, and rec serted their belief that King Cole w a mongrel pup of no intelligence. P3 vate. Peck said that no argument shc of a bullet would drive out an idi after it had once got lodged in sol people's minds, and that is perfect true. Peck was an honest soldier, but was guilty of telling long yarns, which he bragged too much of himsa and King Cole that they had come be called, appropriating one on I much-used phrases, "~Me an' Me Dog According to him a thing that cou not be done by this firm was ni worthy of accomplishment; and there was a difficult job on hand som body was sure to say, jestingly:" bad better send for 'Me an' My Dog. When, therefore, the robbery c curred at the commissary departme upon the very night that Peck was' guard there, jokes were passed free at his expense, everybody sarcastica] inquiring where "Me an' My Do could have been. Peek felt very sore about it, for knew that the malicious intimated tk the deed could not have been do without his knowledge, and that he: doubt shared the booty with the thi< The thief was presumably one of t men called Big Brown--to distingni him from another man in the sar company by the name of Brown, w. was very small-for he had desert that same night. So far he had elud all pursuers, of whom poor Peck h; been the hottest. Peck couldnot gi up the hope of finally capturing hi and said: "I ain't done with th vilyunn yet; only give me an' zny d a chance at him an' you'll see." Wh~ part the dog was to play was n ypecified. It was the second morning afher t] robbery, and Billy and Polly Pe wandered for some distance outsii the fort, which was on our Mexici frontier. It was a low-lying bus] country, uninhabited except for a fe Mexicans, whose poor huts we scattered at wide intervals over tl chaparral as this bushy land is caile The children were now nearing one the jacals or- huts, a dilapidated affai probably deserted. "Don't lets go any further, I tired," said Polly. "T'he soldiers ha hunted all around hero." "I ain't going home till f've looke around that old jacal. You dor know but what that's the very pla Big Brown is hiding in." Billy pushed on. He was armed' the teeth, as the saying is, with broken sword, a jackknife and a pies of rope. Of course you see that I purpose was the capture of the thic The children went on icery stealthil Billy's eagerness gave a zest to t: play, so that notwithstandiing h fatigue Ponly followed him, holdi4 back King Cole by the collar. "See, see, here are his tracks," su denly whispered Billy, pointing to i trampled grass. Dolly remained calm, for she h ween so many of Big Brown's trac that day, but King Cole pricked up h sars and Billy's ey es glistened. "You stay here and King Cole wi eou, 'cause you run if anything there, he'll ban and i'll go and taL. a look," said Billy. They wmo approaching the ha'n 1-om the rear. The building had ,indows, but we could e:sily l into it through ihe spcs between t' Iogs of which it hwa ben~it contlte I-nen, aiter a seco'ud's flapJCetiC Billy turndJ his fac around; s ~cvxa dgrees~ ~anusal a Ao covered the cistance oetween the hut and the spot where he had left Polly with unusual speed. "I knew he was there," he said, but s, his eyes were popping out of his head 0 with astonishment. "He is there soand asleep on the ground by the chimney. I guess he climbed up when he heard the soldiers coming, and so they missed him. Anyhow he's there, ane we've found him." '-Why didn't you go in and catch him like you said ?" asked Polly wick edly. "Well, I thought 'twould be kinder mean when popper's so set on catching him himself, and now I must go back to the post for him, so he'll have the chance. You must stay here, Polly, and watch and see that Big Browr don't slip out." "Me ?" cried Polly. "Stay yourse -and I'll go for popper; I'm afraid." Billy despised his sister's sex, but at that moment he thought after all it might be rather comfortable sometimes to be a girl and own to one's real feel Mg. "You ought to stay, for you're a, boy," Polly went on, "I'm only a girl, Slittle girl" "That's the very reason, don't you see?" said Billy eagerly. "There's no knowing what he might do to me, but g I le wouldn't hurt a girl; a little girl." D Polly was doubtful of such gal lantry. She looked down at a big black and blue bruise on her bare r brown leg, and reflected that being a i little girl had not saved her from L Billy's rage, and she would much t rather not risk it with Big Brown. Still she always obeyed Billy,. and he d insisted that she should stay. a He tucked her behind some busha le with the assurance that if Big Brown Lcame out he would never see her, and calling the dog set out as fast as he i could; with his steady trot King Cole . kept a good way in advance. He made 0 straight for the fort with an air of pur a pose, and looking back at Billy now and then as if to say there was no time to lose. : When they reached the garrison. although Billy searched in all his i usual haunts, his father was nowhere e to be found. There were plenty of ie other men about whom if he pleased e Billy could have started off in pursuit, but he wished his father to have the A 3lory of capturing Big Brown. a He was in great excitement, for oY course the longer the delay the greater the chance that Bill Brown might es , ape. At length, leaving the barracks, Billy walked down by the guardhouse. There was no one about but the sentry pacing up and down on the porch. At one side of the guardhouse was a slight o elevation on which the cannon was d perched. Billy went up there and of 'looked in every direction for his father. King Cole also looked, cock I ing his ears at every moving figure in the distance, and then dropping them tdisconsolately when it proved to be k ome other than his master. s-At a military post the cannon is firek each morning and evening, and at no other time except on some rare special t occasion. After gun fire each morn ing the Ordnance Sergeant at Fort St. Martin reloaded the gun for evening e use. King Cole, after a funny fashion of his own, went up and with his head eIon one side inspected it. in Suddenly the garrison was electrified by the firing of the gun. Much startled, I pfficers and men hurried to discover ~ the cause of so unusual an event, and , with the others came Private Peck. aIHe was instantly seized upon by d illy and put in possession of the facts. Taking one other mian with him 'nd Billy as scout, he was soon scurry in' lg away across the chaparral, and in San incredibly short time Big Brown was locked up in the guardhouse. After this event Peck was proudet than ever of King Cole. "Oh, no, he hasn't any intelligence, he hasn't," he would say sarcastically. "My boy had looked all over the post, an' had jest given up the job of find in lg me when that dog up an' fired off the gun. Oh, no, he hasn't any intel" eligence." at But the man who had been the sentry athe guardhouse and who had wit nessed the affair gave another version of it. s"Yes, sir," he laughingly explained, e"the lanyard that was coiled up on the beach had been blown down, an' that a pup seein' the hand piece bobblin' dabout in the wind, grabbed it in his mouth an' started off with it ter play. SSo o' course it exploded the caps an' fired off the gun. 'Twould a been a tmortal smart dog that would have tknowed what it was a-going ter do. Bt them kids o' Peck's are cute ones, and it's them that ought to have the credit of capturin' Big Brown. "-St Louis Republic. ,n Smallest Church in EnglanJ. y The smallest church in England ia W said to be Lullington Church. about re fourteen miles from Eatbourne, lying e under the shadow of the South Down ii. hills. It is sixteen feet six inches from f east to west and sixteen feet from , north to south. The living is in the gift of the Crown, its value is about rx 300 per annum, the population is 'e under twenty, and a service is held in the church once a fortnight. The dvicar has other dnties to perform in 1addition to the cure of souls of tiny e Lulington. -New York World. :0 'W TEEI PAnTED. "So the engagement between Miss Chicago and her Detroit lover is off." "Yes. She was too sensitive. A woman ran a baby cab over her foot, and when she told George about it he ase er if it ustthe ccab. "-De. troit Free Press. JUM1PDG BoARD. e Mrs. Waldorf-"In our hotels the guests are well cared for. In every n upper room there is a rope for escap( ks in caso of fire." ~Coant De Barbere - "AhX, that is mot amusing. If he wish hes can use :. it also as a skipping aopa"-Life, e A 300!) P1-Ao5 Fterdton-a-"Wo'n't you play e Isomething ? Mr. Tutter saye you play k k 'mas Pinukerly-" If l' likes to heai eme play~ so much, why doesn't he cal' i, Featherstone-"'y says you always inis u'o'. 1uAkine,~"-Detroit Free A1AcL iN THE M M VIM TEW SYSTEM TRTED IN ARI ZONA TRRITTORY. The Indian Has Not Proved a Very Good Soldier-Lured Into Service by the Charm of Brass Buttons. 0-oM:PANY, attention I" The long line of copper colored soldiers presents a unique and picturesque ap pearance. The straight-cut regular army jacket, trousers that are a com promise between the native garment and the "garments of the line," met at the knee by buckskin leggings, on the head a cloth of red muslin or calico in a band and tied tightly behind, leav ing the crown of raven hair completely exposed. This is the Apache soldier of the United States regular army on duty, says an Arizona correspondent of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Indian troops of the Depart xent of Arizona are recruited solely from the various tribes of the Apache Kation, and are in nowise similar to the Indian police force of the Sioux or other Indian tribes. They are regu larly enlisted for the full period of service, receive full pay, and are held trictly amenable to mflitary disci pline. Their uniforms vary slightly from those of the other troops, re sembling a sort of Zouave equipment, a concession which the dept rtment found it necessary to make in order to satisfy some whims of the aboriginal mind. The Indian is essentially nar row-minded and superstitious. Matters of dress which may be exceedingly triv ial in importance have to him some times an immense significance. The Apache problem has been a thorn in the side to the commanders of the Department of Arizona. There are ten large tribes in the Territory, making an aggregate of some 40,000 persons. Of all these, the Apaches alone have given the Government any trouble within the past quarter of a century. They occupy a reservation in the heart of the Territory larger than the combinedStates of Massachu setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware ; and their whole tribal pop. nlation numbers lessthan 5000. There has not been a year since the white oc cupation that some Apache renegade was not off the reservation, making life interesting for some one, and a very few years have passed in which the Government has not been called pon to quell a general outbreak. With the end of the Geronimo cam paign the authorities adopted a new policy toward these implacables and the formation of the Indian auxilaries is a part of the new programme. Gradually the more lawless chiefs have been vanquished until now there is hardly a corporal's guard of the old warriors to be found in all the tribes which comprise the Apache Nation. Then supplementary proceedings were began by enlisting all the able-bodied oung bucks between the ages of six teen and thirty into regular companies. Under these conditions-with all the old men deported and all the young sters under the eyes of the regular soldiers-it is hoped that the solution of the Apache trouble is not far dis 'ant. While the question seems in a fair way to be settled with regard to the Indian, the new deal does not give universal satisfaction in army circles. The soldiers do not take kindly to the change. At Fort Huachuca an in ipient mutiny was raised on the arrival of the red-skinned troopers. Regulars who have been for years fight ing the wily Apache from behind rocks cannot readily accustom them selves to the idea of messing and sharing quarters with their hereditary foe. The offeers, as a rule, are not very enthusiastic over the innovation either. Their general opinion is that the novelty will soon wear off with the recruits, and that eventually they will either desert, singly or en masse, or else at best, when their term of ser vice expires they will refuse re-enlist ment and return home with their newly acquired knowledge and dis cipline to become more troublesome than ever. As to the merits of the Apache as a soldier he doesn't seem to have many. He can withstand an incredible amount of fatigue. A body of Apache infantry will make a forced march in better time and can arrive in better fighting trim than the average regular cavalry. When the line of battle is drawn up Mr. Apache is not there. From time immemorial the Apache warrior has fought only from ambush, and no amount of military discipline can com pel him to face a fire in which he has 'o better chance than his enemy. The one thing which lures the In dian from the reservation into the army is his love of the uniform. He 1cares more for bright colors and gilt r~ppings than for his wife.-even more than he does for eating. The glitter ing epaulettes and shining buttons ir resistibly charm the savage eye. An Apache sergeant in full regimental uni form is an object of the profoundest reverence to every male in his tribe and to the squaws he is a thing to be adored- Then they like the evolutions and military mancauvres. They enjoy the music, especially lively and spir ted martial airs. The number of Indians now serving n this department is in the neighbor hood of five hundred. They are organ ized into companies of fifty each, with white offcers, though there have been some few pro~uotions to junior grades. The companies are not all full, however, by reason of occasional desertions and natural causes. A well-known offcer, in speaking of the situation, says that while the experiment has not proved so successful as its originators prophesied, the new companies will not be mustered out, but enlistments will be constantly encouraged. A Lesson in Science. '. At least one boy on Catherine street kows more about electricity and the trolley than he did and so does hii father. The other evening the boy was out in front of his home, which is not far from- Broad street, preparingj to sprinkle the street and cool off the pavement. The nice, black, shiny hose hd just been bought, and it was hi first experience at the job. He unrolled the hose, coupled it on and turned oz ooamess wbicn seemea zo pervae 04 atmosphere. Then he sprinkled the street until the dust was all mud and the water was trickling in streams into the gutters. Still he kept up the good work and papa came out, lighted a cigar and st down upon the steps to see Johnny do his work. Then mamma came out, too, and the neighbors who were across the street admired the bmily group. After wetting down the treet and everything else in reach, Johnny looked around for more worlds to conquer. Suddenly he glanced up ward and his eyes rested on the shin ing trolley wire which stretched away in the distance. It looked rather hot, and he concluded to sprinkle it as an evidence of good faith. ,Without con sulting papa he turned the hose on the trolley wire and struck it fair with a nice, plump, strong stream of water, while he held the nozzle of the hose the better to direct the stream. Then Johnny was struck by the current of electricity which flew down the stream I to meet him. He dropped to the side walk and the hose turned loose, sprinkl ing papa and mamma well before they could escape. Then the admiring neighbors laughed and papa grabbed Johnny, lugged him into the shed and paddled him with a shingle, after which he delivered a lecture on electricity and the dangers of the trolley. Then be fondled Johnny again with a trunl strap and put a dry suit of clothes or himself.-Philadelphia Call. How Hair Cleauses the Head. 1 That the hair covering the body ol An animal or the head of a human be. ing serves the purposes of warmth and protection is manifest, but one would hardly expect to find that it also acts as a cleansing agent. This, however, appears to be the fact. The minute scales which cover the outer portions of a hair are fastened at one edge and free at the other, and the free edges ie in the direction away from the skin. The surface of a hair, therefore, i like that of a piece of fur or cloth cov ered ith nap; rubbed from root to tip it is found to be smoother than when rubbed in the opposite direc tion. This being the case, itis evident that particles of matter in contact with a hair must find their direction of easiesi motion to lie toward the tip end of the hair and away from its root. So by virtue of the peculiar structure of itA surface the hair serves gradually to re* move from the skin which it covers all foreign particles which may have found lodging there. The oily secretion emanating fromz the follicies of the hair probably as sists this action by gathering up the fine articles of extraneous dust and scales from the skin, andthus enabling the hair to retain them, so to speak, in the grasp of its curious system of brushes. Every movement of the hair, how. ever produced, must tend to set the particles sticking upon it in motion, and as we have already seen, that mo tion can be in only one direction. - New York Dispatch. Special lilitary Maneuvres in France, The recent special military evolu tions in France were marked by many beautiful and touching incidents. One of these occurred at the foot of th4 monument erected by public subscrip tion in honor of Lieutenant Beuve and a small detatchment of hussars, who, with intrepid daring, charged two com panies of Uhlans in the war of 1870, The advance gukrd of the Third Hue ars received orders to offer specia honors in commemoration of the event, and the presiding officer formed his command in line of battle, at full gal lop, and presented arms before the monument. He then pronounced eulogy on the brave deed there corn memorated, in terms so glowing anc with much enthusiasm that all assisting in the - emony were much moved by his eloquence. -Frank Leslie's Week Chinese Paper Weights. The odd little paper weights, cupw seals, trays, bowls, teapots, animal igures, idols and knickknacks in soai# stone of various colors, which travelers bring from China are made, for thE most part, from the output of mines lea? Wenchow. When the steatite is taken out it is very soft, but hardens Iquickly In the air. As to the colors there found the British consul at Wen. chow enumerates purple, red, mottlei red, black, dark blue, light blue, gray, white, eggshell white, jade color, beeswax and "frozen" color. Thi white, jade color and "frozen" arn considered the finest and bring higl prices. There are 2000 miners and carvers in these mines.-N~ew Yor) Telegram. Now a Cold is Due to Bacteria. Bacteria are likely to be blamed fo3 all the ills that flesh is heir to: Pro fessor Schenck now maintains tha what we call a "cold" is really due t< these invisible pests. When one on ters a cold room after being heatee the bacteria in it flock to the warn body and enter by the open pores o the skin. Whatever may be said of hli hypothesis he seems to have proved ba experiment that bacteria in the neigh borhood of a warm body move towar< it. The confirmed smoker may denyv some comfort from the fact that to bacco is inimical to them.-Londo.1 Globe. ________ EFFEC't oP B2rBEr~Z LovS.' "What has transformed Hughet from the amiable, bright fellow he was into the bickering, narrow-miindec fellow that he is?" "Hughes told me yesterday that he belonged to ten secret societies. " Puck. Prunella--"I told you I would b~ revenged on Tom Murray. Well, a~m revenged." .7- -. Priscila-"How?" Prnella-"I started a report thai he is engaged to you. "-Kate Field' Washington. "Wat's the matter with Cholly? said one young man to another. "B: seems very uneasy." "Oh, he'll come out of it all right He's wrestling with an imaginarg CUT FLOWERS. ENORMOUS PROPORTIONS OP GOTHA31'S FLORAL TRADE. The Florists Sell to the Wholesalern and They Supply the Retailers Expeditious Disposition of Quickly Spoiled Goods. EVERAL of the leading floristi of New Y3rk agree in saying I ~) that the amount of business done yearly in New York in potted plants and cut flowers reaches $2,000,000. Such a figure as this seems excessive at first glance, but when it is considered that there are im the city nearly 200 florists who sell their stock at retail, and that aboui one-tenth of that number do a whole sale trade, the estimate does not ap, oear so far out of the way. It is a rare occurrence when there are not enough flowers to satisfy the demands, because nearly all of those raised for this market are cultivated in hot houses. However, very dry o very wet weather does affect the plant, to some slight extent. The florists do not grow for them selves, nor do the wholesalers. Th< latter are commission merchants, re ceiving their stock directly from the grower by messengers or express. The express companies do a large business in handling flowers, and each of them keeps one of the familiar big double wagons busy at this alone. The shal low trays in which the cut blcssome are packed come into the wholesalers' stores at eight o'clock every morning, being shipped from the scores of gar. dens and nurseries so as to arrive at this hour. From then on to elevem o'clock the wholesaler's places preseni a busy appearance, like one of the city markets in the early morning. All ol the retail dealers, or their buyers em ployed for this purpose, visit the stores in turn to select their day'f stock. Unless there is likely to be a big demand for some especial varie ties, as for violets and yellow crysan. themums on Tanksgiving Day, when the Yale-Princeton football match it played, or for all sorts at Easter, n< stock is ordered before hand. Thu: the buyers can personally select sucl flowers as they need for the day, choos ing only the most perfect specimera after visiting the different wholesale stores, which are not far apart. Per. haps they will purchase from half-a. dozen, each one having some fine blooms of one particular variety tha t.he other has not. There is much rivalry between tht wholesalers. Each one naturally wishes to act as agent for the best and most experienced growers, whose blos. soms may be easily disposed of. As all sales are on commission, a constant warfare in percentages is waged. One man may handle the products of fifty growers one season and lose half 0, them the next, if an agent just as reputable as he offers to accept a lower rate of commission. The manner ol calculating the latter, however, is necessarily similar in all cases; and nc wholesaler ever returns unsold stock. After eleven o'clock in the forenoon it is considered that none of the flowers on hand will be wanted by the retailers here. All of the buyers have disap peared by that hour. Then the work of getting rid of the surplus is begaz by filling the orders of small out-of town shops. If any of the stock is still11eft, it is sold at a low price to the street venders. That is why some very choice flowers are often seen on the sidewalk stands. Of course, ii several hundred perfect specimens of, for instance, American Beauty ol Jacqueminot roses were left on hand, they would be kept in a suitable place until the following day. All florists, wholesale and retail, have small glass compartments in their stores, where s, cool, damp temperature is maintained '.tificially for keeping flowers fresh. By this system all sales are averaged, Ithe wholesaler losing proportionately in commissions what the grower does in not disposing of the stock he sends in at what it is really worth. The re tailer loses all he does not sell, bui experience teaches about how muck will be needed in a day. The growersare generally specialists. Certain men are noted for their roses, others for violets, bulbous roots, chrysanthemums, plants and ferns, etc. This is particularly true of plant-growers, who, thc~ugh they are here included under the head oi florists, are not technically so. They sell mainly to the retailer without the medium of a commission agent. Where roses are grown to the practical exclusion of other flowers in winter, Ithe latter receive attention in the summer, so as to give the cultivator 9 Isalable crop all the year around. It is a fact vouched for by one ol he leading wholesalers here that there is not much tendency to experi ment among many florists. If a prospective grower wishes to raise a certain sort of flowers, he is apt to go Iwhere they have been successfully Igrown before. So an excperienced florist will tell an inquirer that nearly all of the violets come from the banks of the Hudson near Poughkeepsie, the roses from Long Island and New Jersey, the bulbous roots from near Hoboken and Long Island City, green lants from New Jersey toward the nountains, etc. Orchids are comparatively new te florists and the public, but they are becoming more common, and at the same time more perfect, every year. In spite of the fact that they are very expensive, as indeed all of the choice blooms are nowadays, they are be. coming more common in the ahoy widows. -New York Post. Herat, in Afghanistan, Is the city w~hih has been moat often destroyed. Fifty-six times have its walls been laid in ruins, and the same number of ims have they been orected again. ,EHE3 E EATO. Miss Faith Cure-"Dear Mr. Long. acre, I wish you'd try divine heahing 'or your lumbago." . . Mr. Longacre -"Thanks,< Miss Faith; but I think I'll stick to my oo ousplaster. "-Judge. He that can reason with a child car ugue with a sage. Folks are sometimes sorry to gei wat; they pray for. OLD FORT CHARTRE& Powder- Magazine AU that Remaino of an Historic Fortress. The accompaning picture is a tru lescription of the powder magazine at Fort Chartres, Randolph County, Ill. This fort was first built of wood in the year 1718 and was completed in less than two years. It is located in the American Bottom about three miles from the Eastern Bluff and one mile from the river. The fortress was called by way of eminence "Fort des Char. tres," having a charter from the crown of France for Its erection. It is situ ated in the northwest corner of th' county. The fort contained all the necessar3 buildings to accomodate the seat o government of the country and garri son. The quarters of the officers and barracks for the soldiers were finished In a neat and becoming style of pioneel times. Under the mild and impartial government of the company the coun. try commenced to grow and flourish. and the seat of government (Ft. Char. tres), became the center of business lashion and gaiety. The villages around Fort Chartre became respectable and prosperous but they ceased to exist when the vil lage of Fort Chartres was drowne with the forts In the flood of 1772 Under the administration of Chevallei Macarty in 1751 Fort Chartres wat built entirely new, and was one of the most convenient and strongest fortifi cations in North America. Its recon Btruction was of solid and durable lime 7. .~ -V THE 3MAGAZINE OF THE FOnT. atone. The rocks were quarried at the bluff three miles east of the fort, rafted and boated over a large lake and then carted to the fort. They were lime stone rocks, which withstood with sul len defiance the hand of time, but yielded to the destroying hand of man. This fort was constructed in and be fore 1756 for defense against the at. tacks of the English, as a war was ther raging between France and England. This magnificent fortress, built at et much expense in the wilderness of America, and at the same time so strong and durable, has been declining since its abandonment in 1776, and at this day all that is left is the rustic gate, the powder magazine and a large ril4 of ruins. In places the walls are torn away and almost even with the sur face, and will all be a mass of ruins in a few years unless the Government takes some step to keep it in Its presez' order. ISELF-ROCKING CRADLE. this Novel Conch Is Set in Motion by Clockwork Mechanism. A cradle set In motion by clockwork mechanism is certainly a novelty, and will be welcomed by many overworked mothers and nurses. In outward ap pearance this novel cot is much the same as the ordinary wire net bassin sELF-nocING enADLE. ette, suspended between two upright supports, the mo,.or being inclosed in a metal casing, which Is fixed to the front part of the cot. The mechanism Is wound up with a key and started by a button, when it will produce a steady and noiseless rocking motion at a very slow and gentle speed, lasting from one to forty minutes. 'Ihe swinging motion can be stopped and restarted at will by a simple contrivance, and the clockwork is constructed to rock a Ichild up to thirty pounds in weight Icorresponding with the age of eighteen months. The rocking motionl is not at fected by the movements of the chil/ - -The Queen. THE WIDOw's wA~r. The sombre mourning habit serveO biut toinharcc her dazzling beauty. In the hour of her trial she tarneg to the maternal breast for comiert ano apport. "-I don't know what to do. AMont and helpless, I fear the com~petec~cE my poor husband left may be taken from me, although the last wordi of his lips--" Great tears citing to her carving ashes. "-bade them give me alL l.Iis children contest the will; I k'now not which way to turn." A mother's hand caressea her, and a mother voice whispered soothingly. "Be brave, may chil; b2 brave.' "Mammza-" She was sobbing no'v. "--I w- -want to k-k-keep my own. t shall be a b-b-b-beggar without i4." "Don't cry, dearest." "Mamcaa, advise me. Shall I rn-m marry my l-1-laeyer or the one oz. the other q-a-side ?" The thouight that her fate w-as ir. r own hands was terribly oispressivo Jack. -The same letters are in the wordi atrnmer" and monn starer." CURIOUS rlc1mi Maps were invented by Anauiman Ler, a Greek, about B. C. 8. A woman in Tanner, W. Va., gave birth to her twenty-ninth child a few days ago. A grouse recently flew into a store at Eugene, Oregon, and was cap tured alive. Four rings were used in the mar riage ceremony of Mary Stuart to the unfortunate Darnley. The preliminary surveys for the Pa cific Railroad required four seasons, and cost over $1,000,000. The first woman's face represented on a coin was that of Pulcheria, the Empress of the Eastern Empire. The laagest known species of night dying insect is the Atlas moth, a resi dent of the American tropics, which has a wing spread of over a foot. A New York cat whose teeth had been knocked out by a drunken ruf fian, had a false set made for it by a dentist and wears them comfortably. Abarofsteelcosting$1maybe worked ap into $350 worth of needles; made into knife-blades it is worth $3285; made into balance-springs for watches the same bar would be worth $259,000. The natives of Botorudes, one of the hottest regions of the earth, believe that heaven will be a land of cool streams and shady groves entirely cleared of all underbrush and cac. tuses. The only genuine skeik is the Gov ernor of Medina. His office is said to date from the time of the Prophet. It is now generally applied as an honor ary title to the head man of an Arab village. The watch that Admiral Farragut carried through the war is now in the possession of a California ca4t at An napolis. The citizens of Valle.o gave the timepiece to Farragut in 1858, when he was a naval captain. Baron Felder, of Vienna, has occu pied his time for many years in gath ering rare butterflies. Recently he sold his uncommonly beautiful and almost perfect collection to Lord Rothschild for the sum of ?5000. Apeculiarly severe punishment inust Among the Chinese is the loss of sleep. The criminal is kept awake by his guard until he dies. The sufferer -lives two weeks under the torture, and almost always becomes a raving ma mac. The original designation of the Rus sian ruler was autocrat, a term bor rowed from a title of the Greek em perors. The title czar was taken first by Autocrat Waldimir about 1120. The Russian rulers were called czars or grand dukesuntil thesixteentheentury, when they claimed the title of Emper or. The censor had charge of Roman morals, and was always kept busy. There were twoecensors, and their office was held sacred and regarded as an-1 perior to all others save the dictator.----. ship. It was a part of their~ dufto preserve a register of the citizens and their property, and they acted partly as superintendents of the census, part ly as assessors. A recent writer asks whether anti talk, and relates that he saw a drove of small black ants moving apparently to new quarters. Every time two met they put their heads together as though they were chatting. To investigate the matter he killed one, and the eye witnesses of the murder hastened awa and laid their heads together with every ant they met. The latter immediately turned back and fled. Weglect In Small Eatiis. It is really surprising in view of the much vaunted attention bestowed upon personal comfort by those who cater to the public in any shape how much neglect is shown in small details. Has anybody yet discovered, for int stance, why it is that the windows ot railroad carriages, even the most luxi urious ones, are almost invariably so constructed that when raisedthe lower sash comes athwart the line of vision, and to see anything of the scenery you have either to duck your head be neath it or strain your neck to get your eyes located above it? Then again, what perverse ingenuity and disregard of common sense is it~ that prompts railroad companies to keep on making the catches for raising the windows so preposterously small1 that one cannot get anything like a decent purchase upon them; and thus it becomes well nigh impossible to raise a window that offers a slight re sistance without a vast expenditure of muscular effort out of all proportion to the necessities of the case and gen erally involving a lamentable loss of emper and waste of profanity? Verily there are some things in this world that ought to be as clear as day light that no fellow can understand. New York Herald. TO CALL PACC SY ELECTRICIY uembers or Congress winl signal N. Longer by Clapping Hans There will be one noticeable change when the next Congress meets at Washington. Ever since Congress has been inexistencethe members have called the pages by lightly clapping their hands together. Electricityis now to be invoked in the accomplishment of this object. When the Fifty-fourth Congress meets, every member will find a buttononhis. desk, which will require only a slight pres- * sure to insure the coming of a page. An' eleotric wire will be conneccted with a cai' board similar to those used in hotels. Vast Asseti~ ef Insurance Companies. The life insurance companies in the United States, taking no account of assessment corporations and societies, hold assets to the value of about $830 000,000, or one-half more than the in Iterest-bearing debt of the Nation. These companies receive from policy holders about $175,000,000 a year, which means fully $10 for every head of a family or household. Their total Igross income is nearly $220,000,000 an nually. Out of this enormous revenue, which is half that of the United States Government, about $100,000,000 a year, or $2,000,000 every week, go to the great army of the insured, in thre form of death loses, surrenders, divi dends, etc. The total expendituras are about $150,000,000 a year. More Ithat 5,500,000 policies are in force. They cover liabilities to the amount4 of $4,500,00.,00 in round figures. This means $70 insurance for every Sman, woman and child in America. lelanda Leader.