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-JIP TM -WEEKLY EDITION WINNSBORO, S.C., APRIL 8, 1899. ESTABLISHED 1844. MEN OF THE WEST. We sent you o'er the sunlit sea, Men of th'. West To carry peace and industry To war's unrest. No gratful bomage found ye there, - Nor honor due: A suli--n land with threatn'ing air Admitted you. Ye faltered not at burning sun Nor fever's might. Nor whea ye f->und the task begun A bitter right. Te toiled amid a people rude With patient zeal: Nor lifted at ingratitude Th' avenging steel. A hlighted land that could not set The proffered light; Nor comprehend that liberty Of truth and right. They struck the hand that was their hope A cruel blow The band that had not stooped to cope With such a foe. Ah! bravely then ye faced the blast; And joyful bled: And perished, fighting to the last, Our gallant dead! We cannot weep at such a death; Nor toll the bell While with a deep exultant breath Our bosoms swell. We trusted and were not deceived. Men of. the West: Ye'fought and died as ye had lived Your Nation's best, And ye, who live to toil anew. .We trust as well As those who, faithful, toiled with you. And. faithful, fell. --(Charles C. Ballard. Union College. Brichanteau leaned back in his chair, and, Atretching out his long, thin legs, yawned luxuriously. Then, recovering himself with deliberation, j, thrust his hands deep clown into is trousers pockets. His fingers came in contact with some coins, and, after jingling them for a few minutes, he collected them in the palm of his hand, and, pulling them out, counted them carefully. They consisted of two francs and a few sous. Putting them back into his pocket, he rose, and, assuming a ma jestic attitude, extended his arms to heaven and spoke. His deep, rieh, powerful voice flooded the room. "Ye gods!" he cried, "Melpomene smiles. *e mighty Jove is gracious. Dame Fortune, willful jade, finding that genius cares not for her frown, now, womanlike, caresses that which first she flouted. Beh rld, today the theatre rewards its humble servant withhat ?a.tal that sustains his life, and he has yet two francs! Wealth, riches illimitable! Two francs! Aha!" With a gesture of magnificent abandon he thing himself into his chair, and, resting his chin on his left hand, sat for a ew minutes with his brows knit as i' in deep thought. "Two francs! tIlow shall we spend them?" he muttered, tragically. "How shall we dispose of this superfluous bounty of the flouting dame?" And, with a dramatic gesture, he thrust the fingers of his right hand through the masses of his long, gray hair. "Ha! We have it," he cried suddenly, in deep, stentorian tones. "The Cafe Diane..-We will dine; taste once more ambrosial fare, and quaff' again the nectar of the gods. 'Tis good. The thought is good." Jumping fronm his seat, he took off the old flowe:ed silk dress ing-gown he was wearing and banging it carefully on a nail, went to the tiny cupboard that contained his wardrobe. * and drew forth an old and somewhat threadba're furlined overcoat, in which, despite the bor June sun, he proceed ed to clothe himself. * Then, when he had carefully ex amined his chin to see if it required shaving, and readinusted his long, lank hair, he put on a large, slouching felt hat, and,taking a cane richl.y mounted with polished brass, walked out of the room. It was a long way down from the attic to the street, and the stairs were da -k and narrow. Brichanteau, who always -arefully explained to.his few * isitors that he preferred the attie, as it was nearer "the flaming courses of the whirling stars," walked down with evident distaste. At last he reached the ground floor, and stood in the dark, narrow passage which led to the street. Here he paused, standing for a minute in deep meditation before a dirty, dilapidated door. At last he made up his mind, and, raising his hand, rapped loudly with the knob of his cane. "Come in," said a pleasant voice. Br-ichanteau turned the handle, and, flinging back the door, stood for a moment on the threshold, hat in hand, bowing magnificently. "Good morning, madam," he said. The room was hot and steaming. The ceiling, though low, was hidden from view by numberless cords, on which hung various articles of cloth ing, all more or less damp. On the opposite side of the room a plump, comely little woman was busily em ployed ironing. --Good morning, Monsieur Brichan teau," she replied, looking up for a moment from her work. "It is a fine day." "The cday indeed is fine," answered Brichanteau,leaning elegantly against the door posts as he spoke. "Aurora smiles, and deigns to rain her golden sunbeams like flowers upon her hum ble slaves." Madame raised her hands with that pretty gesture which is common to every true-born Frenchwoman. "L~a, Monsieur! How beautifully you talk. You are indeed a true poet." He smiled and shook his head with conscious humility. "Nay, madame, you flatter me. I am .no poet; only a humble slave of Art. A slave who has endured much for the Cause, 'tis true; bnt one who is vet a 0lave." She shook her head sympathetically. "You have had trials, Monsieur?" she asked. "Trials!" he answered; I have starved; I have played to cheering multitudes and to howling mobs; I have endured bombardments of vege tables, and received showers of roses; and yet I have played on. Genius cannot be overcome by trities; naught but death can quench its consuming fire. The publi,- do not und'rstud Brichanteau. So much the worse for the public. They are fools. c.len while, Brichauteaa still play. on." He stopped, and, folding his arm s theatrically, resumed his old position by the door post. "And yet there have been triumphs," she suggested. soothingly. "Triumphs!" he replied, eagerly. "Aye, there have been triumphs, too. My Louis XI was received with ac clamations that filled the house. The applause was thunderous. The magic of my sway carried everything before it. It was victory, indeed. To be sure, one miserable critic,full of envy, dared to decry me; but I challenged him, and he fell before the outslaught my righteous fury like an oak before the tempest." "Did you kill him?" she asked, hor ror-struck. "Kill him, the cur! Nay. Genius can afford to be magnanimous. He thought the victory was his; but he had to deal with one who had played 'Roland' and 'Bayard,' and 'Napoleon the Great,' and his skill was unav:,iiing. I spared his life,and ran him through the lung. But I am retarding you. A thousand pardons. I did but come to inquire after the little Susette; and I have stayed to chatter." The woman stopped her ironing. "Thank you,monsienr; she is better," she replied. "The doctor says thAt all she wants is good food-chickens, and fruit. But. alas! sueh things are impossible; they cost money," she added, sadly. "'Tis true "answered the old actor, shaking his head mournfully, "they cost money. Madame, I feel for yu:', and I hope the little one will soon be well. Adiez.' and bowing gracefully he walked out of the room. The Cafe Diane, the object of Bri chanteau's journey, was some distauce from his lowly ab;de. Thither he wended his way with slow and digni fied steps,and as he walked he drooped his head forward as if in deep medi tation. This fit lasted until he had almost reached his destination, when, two doors from the cafe, he halted outside a fruitorer's shop. He stood irresolute for several minutes: '.ow looking at the stores of fruit piied up in front of him,and now casting long ing glances at the adjacent restaurant. At last he seemed to make up his mind. Drawing himself up to his full height. he stalked into the shop. "low much are these grates?" he asked, waving hi= hand,with a magni ficent gesture, toward the fruit in question. "iwo francs a pound," answered the shopman, bowing politely. The actor concealed his disappoint ment with an effort, for he ':hoight th rc xorbitant. ".1 will have a pound," he said, grandly. ''After all, there are still the sous," he muttered as he strode proudly out of the shop. "Madame, Dame Fortune smiles. The gods are indeed gracious. Today they shower their blessings like the rain." The woman paused in her almost csaseless ironing. "What has ha-ppened, Monsienr?" she asutd. sur prisedi at the interrutionm. "My old friend and comrade, Mon sieur the Marquis do Morthon, one o the few who do not forget Brichau teau, has sent me a hamper of the produce of his chateau," aunwered the actor; grandly. "Among other things, ho sent these grapes. I beg you to acept them for the little Susette," and he thrust them into her hands. She thanked him with tears in her eyes, she knew that he was lying. Briehantecau, t' o abscut-miaded, had given them to her in the tradesman's printed paper bag.--W. Poole, in Today. A Little Be-forehand. A French frigate called at Aden on its way; to the Red sea. The offcers weore cordially entertained by the gov ernor (Coghlan) anmd when their hearts werCe warin'med by good fare provided, the captain dropp2ed a hint that he was goin to touch at Perimi for pure ly scien1tc purposes. The governor winked to is aide (myself. who imn mnediately stole away, and, while the captain was still at the festive board, got into a manl-o- war wvhich happened to be in the harbor, and thus antici pated the gallant Frenchman, who did not leave Aden till the following morning. Ever eince the scramLie for Africa and other unoccupied spots on the earth's surface took place, French agents, official and unofficial, were al ways trav-eling about the East in search of strategical positions and coaling stations.-Sir R. L. Playfair in Chambers's Journal. A Vegetable Battery. IA German professor by the name of Leipsic has discovered in India a tree which is a natural electric battery. When the dark green leaves of the tree were touched with the fingers a tiny spark was emitted and a distinct electrical shock was felt. Professor Leipsic found that even at a distance of 80 feet the tree had a strong in fluence upon the magnmeti' needle. These magnetic variations varied ac cording to the time of day. They were strongest at noon, but almost entirely disappeared at midnight. The elec tricity also disappeared in wet weather. No explanation of this strange phe nomenon is attempted.-Philadelphia Record. 4GRICULTURAL CREDITS. THE REMARKABLE SYSTEM IN VOGUE AMONG FRENCH FARMERS. There Are Certain Prodncts Upon Which They May Borrow Money - l'r.pe ty Iternains in the 1'os%ession of the Owner-How Criditors Ae Paid. Advance sheet of consular reports No.: :J contains the foll%wing trausla tion of th:, French agricultural war raut- act: Any fariner may borrow upon the results of his agricultural or in dustrial products hereafter classilied, at the same time retaining possessions ( of the same in his own buildings or in those upon the ground cultivated. The products .upou which warrants may be issued are as follows: Cereals, either in bundles or thrashed; fodder and dried feed; dried pharmaceutical piaits; dried vegetables; dried fruits and seeds or roots; textile materials. animal, or vegetable; oil seeds and seeds for sowing; wines,ciders,spirits of alcohol of different natures; dried exteriors of grain; cut wood, resiu, and tanbark; cheeses, honey and wax; vegetable oils; sea salt. The agri cultural warrant remains in the hands of the bearer of the warrant until the sums advanced are reimbursed. The farmer or producer is responsible for the merchandise which remains in his custody and care without any in demnity whatsoever. The farmer or cultivator, in cases where he is not the proprietor or re ceiver of the income from his work, shall, before making any loan, notify the proprietor of the property leased of the nature, the value and the quan tity of produce or merchandise which is to form the guaranty for the loan, also the amount of the loan to be de manded. Such notice should be given to the proprietor, the person entitled to the income, or his legal representa tive designated, throu;h the ollices of the clerk of the justice of the peace of the canton in which the residence of the borrower is located. The notiui cation letter should be deposited with the clerk, who should vise, register and send the same under form of reg istered letter, at the same time ac knowledging receipt of the same. The proprietor or person entitled to the in come, or his legal representative, in case payments become due and nQt paid, should within a delay of twelve full days, counting from the date of the registered letter, make opposition to the loan on the said products by a 1tter addressed to the clerk (gre ier) of the jusice of the peace,twhich letter should be registered. Ihe cerk of the justice of the pe :ce w ill write on the two parts of a r'gISter with stub, specialiy drawn ul) for. thi- purpose, ani in accordtnce with ths de:laration of the borrower. the nature, the quantity and value of the proluets which are to serve as guaranteeing his loan. also indicating the amount of the loan requested. In ctset.he borrower shall not be the i r) p:ietor or the person entitled to the income of the ground worked, the justice of the peace should, beside the conditions above mentioned, indicate the date~ the notice was sent to the p)roprietor' (or usufructier), the one entitled to the income, as also the ab sence of any opposition on his part Iafter a delay of twelve full days fromt the date of the posting of the regis tered letter. The sheet detached from this register becomes the warrant wich will permit the cultivator to ob tain his loan. The borrower ioay, even before a payment is due, pay such amount on account of the warrant. In case the lender ref uxes his offer, the borrower may, in order to free himself, deposit the sum oflered. observing the for malities as prescribed by article 1239 of the civil code. Upon sight of the regular and sufficient receipt of de posit, the justice of the peace shall issue an order indicating that the suni shall be olac-ed to his (the borrower's) credit against the debt consigned. in default of payment when due, and after prpe notice transrmitted by registered letter to the borrower, in which a requrst for acknowledgment of the same should be made, the holder of th a warrant, without further notice and without any judicial formality, but in such forms of publication as p)ro vided for by articles S17 and the fol lowing of the code of procedure, may. eight days atter the first notice, l.ro ceed through a ministerial officer to the pub)lic sale at auction of the merchandise deposited as security. The creditor is directly paid the amount of his advance from the sell ing price, by privilege and in prefer ence to all other creditors, wihout any deduction beyond those of the regular direct contribution (tax of the locality) and the expenses of the sale, and also without other formalities than the order of the justice of the 1-eace. The holder of the warrant loses his rig;t to proceedl against the indorsers of th9 same should he not cause the -ae to be made within the month fol lowing; the original notice t> the bor rower. The holder has no recourse as regards the borrower or his in dorsers, exdcept after having exercised his right upon the products or mcr chandise placed as security. In case the amount realized is insuGeZiient a de!ay of a month is accorded to him fron' the date that the sale of the merchandise took p)lace in order to have recourse against the indorsers. It having been proved that lie (the borrower) has willingly put aside, dis sipated, or deteriorated the security to the prejudice of the creditor, he shall lbecome liable as having com mitted an act qualified as "abuse of contidence" and punished in accord ance with article 406 and 408S f the penal code, without in any way inter fering at the same time with the ap plication of article 4633 of the same eode. HOW A PIG "BROKE" A FARMER. Lively Fight Over a Porker Between Two Farmers in North Dakota. "Up in the North Dakota town of Grafton," said W. P. Sterling a trav eler, at the Hoffman House, "is a rusty axe which represents an expenditure of $268.35. It originally cost 50 cents and now adorns, or, did not so very long ago, a wall in the office of the justice of the peace, a memento of the folly of some kinds of legal battles. Underneath it is this legend: 'I cut a pig and broke a farmer.' "Two farmers lived on adjoining quarter sections near the outskirts of the town. Once they were friendly, but the episode of the axebroke up all such relations, and one was compelled to move away. "Farmer 'Bill' Williams had a pig that could generally find nothing better to do than encroach upon the kitchen garden of neighbor Haskin. j A post fence ran between the two houses, and Haskin's garden was with in a small light fence inelosure. Haskin protested mildly at first, bat finally relations became strained and he warned 'Bill' one day that the next time he found the pig in his inclosure he would confiscate it. But Williams laughed at him. Two or three days later Haskin caught the pig in his bean patch. He made for the animal and caught it by the hind legs as it was going through a hole in the fence. Williams rushed out of the house and managed to catch the squealing porker by the forelegs. One jerk and Haskin had it, but. 'Bill' reached over the fence, which stood about four feet high, and got another grip on the ani imal's forelegs. Then began the tug of war, both men pulling at the pig's legs. What with 'cussing' back and forth and the pig's squealing there was a terrible commotion. The pi; stretched taut was in a fair way of being torn apart, when Haskin's son ca ae out of the house, and, seeing 'ill*' axe on the woodpile, 'jumped the fence and seized it with presum ably murderous intent. 'Cut the pig, Si!' yelled Haskin to his son. Si ran up with the axe aloft and let flv. As luck would have it, the porker's body was directly over a post. Well, the blade came down and cut the pig clean in two. The men fell over backward,but presently, eatch with half a pig in one hand, was shaking his free fist at the other across the fence and making threats. Si had run into his father's house with the axe. Th?u their wives came out aad got them apart. " Til su 'ou!' velled 'B1ll' as a pfrting she. - "'Sue away! Tarnation lookey!' retorted Haskin. '1'll beat -ou, and you don't git no pig ana no a:e.' Now, up in that part % T)akota every one can tell you of the-celebrated case of Williams vs. Haskin, although it was tried four years ago. Williams brought suit before a justice of the peace for the return of that ax". Somehow the value of half at pig was lost sight of. Haskin put in a bill for damages to his garden. By the time the suit passed the county court and' had gone against Williams the cos;ts and fees reached $2t5.35. He had to sell ont and move away. Far meir Haiskin gave the axe to the the justi e, w ho nailed it on his wall, aiia one day, soon after the trial, some wag posted the legend." A Joke in Two Households. It was the head of the household doing the talking in the direct manner that men have with their wives. "I like oyster soup well enough. It's satisfying for the time and I suppose that it's healthy, but I'm opposed to making an entire meal of it, as I was reuined to do for lunch." nis wife placidly informed him that he would be lucky if he never made a men1 on anything worse. That after'noon he called on a friend to hav;e a friendly game of cribbage, and the game became so warm that he was invited to stay for the evening meal in order that the exciting con test might b,e carried to a finish. Word was telephoned to his wife who agreed to come in the evening. aI knw why he stae, she began asso sthey wrsetdfor a four handed game. "Oh, you needn't kick mec," as she looked laughingly at her husband. "I'm going to tell on you. We had nothing but oyster soup at noon and he was so put out about it that he thought he would stay here in order to get a good square meal. I'm glad he did." The husband was blushing and the host and hostess were laughing inor dinately. "What in the world is the matter "with you people?" she inquire d, with a puzzled expression. "Oh, nothing, nothing at all," from the host. betwean explosions. "We dian't have a thing this evening but oster soup; not a thing." Then there was a long and animated discussion as to whom the joke was on. A Fea-Going Sanatorium. For twenty years a floating hospital has regularly carried out from New Tork each morning a load of infants to breathe the pure air which it is difiicult for them to obtain in the tene ments in which they dwell. On this ship are a few cots and beds for "eases" too ill to- sit outside, but the great mass of the patients sit or play on deck, breathing fresh air and en oying sea breezes. Then feeding time comes round, and both the chil dren and the mothers-for no infants come without their mothers-get for once a good meal. Bathing is another. reat feature of these trips, and on the lower deck of the floating hospi tal baths of variouts sorts are supplie<l, so thait the little ones return after their outing with clean skins and full stomach:., with bodies revived by the sea air, and minds refreshed by new sighte which they witl not readily for get. 'CHILDREN'S CJ.UMN The Chase of the Gingerbread Man. Once when a baker in Fairyville Was making cakes, as bakers will. He made, and put by itself in a pan. A dear little. queer little gingerbread man. B-aud-by. when the cakes were brown H' open.-k f.c oven: when nimbly down Hopped the queer little man. and blinking his eyes, Culled out to the baker. who stared in sur prise: "Run. run! fast as you can! Can't catek me,littlegingerbreai man! The baker ran. his wife ran. too, And puss started up with a brave "1Meow, meow!" Old Rover ran with a gruff "Bow-wow!" Followed by Brindle. the staid old cow. The horse broke out of the barn with a neigh. But he heard the echo from far away: "Run. ran: fast as you can! Can't catch mr, little gingerbread man! Man and woman. horse and cow, Dog and cat were after him now, But none could run as fast as he. And over his shoulder he called in glee: ;'Run, run! fast as you can! Can't catch rie, little gingerbread man!" But a wolf crept out of the woods at last, And w'lv 's. he knew. could run s, fast, Yet he hurried on. and bravely cried. Just as the wolf bounded up by his side: "Ruu. run! fast as you can! Can't catch me. little gingerbreadl man' The great gray wolf took a l.ite.just one. The gingerbread man was one-fourth g.ne. A second bite took him up to the waist. Just half was gone and 'twas only a taste. Still another bite took him up to the throat And now three-fourths was gone. you'il note. Then he swallowed the head,as away he ran, And that was the last of the gingerbread man. -Ella :d. White. in the La'lies' Home Jour nal. Sirds Taught to Buili Nests. It is a common error to believe that with birds the knowledge of building their nests is innate. It is a trade that is taught to every bird by its parents and in just as systematic a manner as men are trained to be builders. Birds are born with the in stinct to carry little twigs and the ma terials with which nests are made, but unless they are instructed in the art of building they will just drop them in a pile and never attempt to weave them into nests. It is after the young birds have learned to fly that the old ones regu larly teach them the process of inter weaving and lining thit is necessary t,; construct nests. This is iostcoimi piieated a4l a ir:"e gal1li:r'ly their owu; it cannot be imitated even by men. Tc arrange the little twigs so t.at they will be symmetrical and strong enough to hold the weight of the mother bird and four or jive little ones to a branch of a tree, requires good engineering ability. The lining of the nest is usually of a much softer material than that of which the out side is made, and to place this neatly is also taught by the o'der birds. 'unlnting birds will often follow cows for days to pick up their soft hair with which t:) line their nests and they weave it as compactly as a piece of flannel. Birds that have always been in eages cau never ia ke nests and are pitiably cltusy even with cotton, weol and material that hais bcun given to th c n. That nest building is taught is also true of those that squirrels and mice build. as well as bees, wasps and ants. The green ant of Austialia is very clever in the building of its nest. It appear's to c.onsider it an irksorae duty that can be hired out. A small spidier is therefore traianed to do thi: work and acts as a servaut in all thing. The green ants pa:y the spiders for their labors in a coin that they' enjoy. It is by giving them to eat a portion of the innumerable little eggs that they, the ants, lay. This is a most agreeable ar-rancem:ent for all, man in cluded, as otherwise the green ants would rival the rabbits in overrunning Australia.--Philadelphia Inquirer. Legendi of the Moon. A queer, changeable old fellow * the Man in the Moon. If you j glance at him cas'.lly in a "goc~ evening-glad-to-sec-y-an" way, he nods at you pleasantly and you are con scions of twvo big dark eye.s, a gener ouis nose and a w~ide, smiling mouth the kind of a mouth that a boy would like when he eats watermelon. But if you sit down and look at him very closely and wonder what he is doing up there you suddenly cease to see the big eyes and the broad nose, and behold a little, weary, bent old man toiling along with a bundle of fagots on his back. Sometimes he ap pears as if by magic and you wonder where he camie tram. Old-timne people tell how a certain wicked man. stole a bundle of fagots from a poor widow and left her and her little family to shiver with cold. He was condemned and aent to the moon, where he must always carry the fagots and shiver with unceasing cold. Some one has said that he is very sorry he stole the fagots. The shooting stars are his tears. if once you lock away from the moon the fagot man is likely to slip around to the other side-at least that is what the old-time people say-and first thing you know there is the Moon Lady. You rub your eyes -strange von never saw her before, but there she is, like a picture on a photogr'aph button. Of all the moon people she is the most beautiful-a sweet face with every feature perfectly chiseled and a smile half parting the lips. You have missed the most beautiful thing in the moon if yon never have seen her'. And then there are the two Children of the Moon-a boy and a girl half way grown up. You can see them best in the winter time, when the moon is tipped a little farther around. A good mahy yars! a0'o a boy and oirl wlte were bringing a pail of water fro' the well were heartlessly robbed b - a bandit, and since then-so the story goes-they have always marched in the moon. You can see Jack and Jill carrying the rail between them, sup ported on a pole. A very bright, fair haired pair they are, although at this time of ye:tr only the girl shows plain . ,Ir'ou haven't seen all these moon dwellers, don't fail to look for them the next time the moon is full. In olden times people paid a great deal more attention to the moon than they do nowadays. The old Greeks used to say the Man in the Moon was a Greek and the Romans said that he was a Roman, and they might have gone to war over the matter if there hadn't been anything else to fight about. And the wise men quarreled over the question as ,to whether the, moon was an island or only a hole in the sky. And one of them soberly asserted that the moon was simply the sun shorn of his rays, who came peep ing around at night for fear something would go wrong while he was gone. Ancient authors also had much to say about lunar wonders. Lucian, a famous Greek writer, tells in his "Voyage to the Moon" how he visited the Man in the Moon. It reads like some wonderful fairy story. Starting from the smiling coasts of Italy, his gay bark was driven beyond the pil lars of Hercules into the unknown ocean. Here it was caught in a fierce storm and swept about at the mercy of the wind for seventy days. Then the weary voyagers landed on a bliss ful island, where the rivers flowed with wine and where every vine in the vineyard-s was a beautiful maiden. Leaving a few of his bewitched com panions, Lucian sailed on with those who remained faithful to him. 'One fine day when the sun shone brightly and the waters were blue and calm, a sudden whirlwind arose and lifted up the little vessel and for seven days and seven nights it was hurled through space, and finally landed on a large island which hung suspended in mid air and was brilliantly illuminated by the suu. This was the moon. No sooner had they alighted when a great ccmpany of hippogriffs-- men mountel on winged asses with three I heads - came and carried them to the Man in the Ioon. He at onde recog nized them as Greeks, for he was a countryman of theirs--Endymion by name. It so happened that he was at that moment engaged in a lierce war fare with his majesty Phaeton, King of the Sun, and the very next <ay a great 'h tle was to be fought. Lucian was delighted with this opportunity of be coming acquainted with the famous Man in the Moon and agreed to help him tight his battle. Early the next morning the moon army was drawn up in battle array. It cousisted of no fewer than 61,000. 000 of men, with 80,000 hippogriffs and an equal number of other wonder ful creatures,among whon were 36,000 men riding fleas of the size of twelve elephants. The battle took place on an enormous cobweb stretched be tween the sun and the moon,and after a fierce and bloody struggle, in which many decds of valor were done, both armies withdrew, having covered them selves with glory, and the next day peace was declared, and the Man in the Moon became fast friends with the King of the Sun. Luciau tells other marvellous things about the Man in the Moon. He is not born,but buds forth like a flower, and instead of dying he passes forth in a gentle puff of smoke. He never su :Ters indigestion, because his stoma nehi is nothing but a pocket in wvhich he keenis his food. If he thinks there is daug~ier (of hurting his eye~s he takes them' out and slips them in his pockets. All these things Lucian tells about, and then cuts his story short quite suddenly and returns to Greece. Chicago Inuter-Oc>eau. Bc:vers choppin~ Trees. "I had heard a good many wonder ful stories about how beavers chopped down trees," recently said a well known trapper. "and. being anxious to see how far from the truth some of these stories were, I found where b,aavers were at work in a piece of celar woods through which a branch of the Wood river flowed. I chose a b:ight moonlight night to watch the beaves at their tree chopping. I hid msef efoe nightfall near the spot. Soon after nightfall a beaver came out of the water. went straight to a good size:d cedar tree and began work upon it with hi- teeth. 'While he was at work another beaver appeCared from the river, and as he drew himself out of the water to the bank where the moon shone full upon him I saw that he was as white as snow. The white beaver selected a tree and went vigorously to work feling it. I don't believe a wvood chopper with his axe could h.ttre felled those trees any quicker than those two beavers dlid with their ehisel-like teeth. "--New York Mail and Express. Superstition at Fault. Notwithstanding the superstition of railroad engineers, the most useful, successful and satisfactory locomotive on the Baltimore & Ohio system is No. 1313. It is one of their ten wheel locomotives with 78-inrh driv ers, built under contract by the Bald win company, and not only the best of the lot, but the best on the road for running record and for repairs. It has been constantly in service for nearly nine years, has never had an accident to itself or to any car it has ever hauled, and has been late less times than any other engine in use by the company and has cost almost nothing for repairs. Whole years have passed without having to send this engine to the rep)air shor, al though the other nine engines which were built at th'e same time by the same man and froi. the same material are laid up frequently. SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS The sun gives 600,000 times as much * ht as the full moon. .he average weight of a nean's brain is thhr epounds eight ounces. Itis supposed that the average depth of sand in he deserts of Africa is from thirty to for feet. It has been and that X-rays are fatal to bacteria. u the Hygienic In stitute of Munich, varia, they are used as a disinfecting a'ent. By far the greater nu er of flow ers have no smell. Only bout ten per cent. of the 4200 species flow ers in Europe give forth any od Twenty years' study has led a - tain scientist to believe that diphthe ria, apoplexy, and other diseases are due to a deficiency of salt in the sys tem. A German biologist has calculated that the human brain contains 300, 000,000 nerve cells, 500,000 of which die and are succeeded by new ones every day. At this rate we get an en tirely new brain every sixty days. The whirling winds of Arabia some times excavate sand pits to the depth of two thousand feet, the rim usually being three times that depth in diain eter. A sand pit thus made may be entirely obliterated in a few hours, and another excavation made within a short distance of it. A Russian offcer has been making experiments, with very successful re sults, in the use of.alcons instead of pigeons as caLrers. It seems. that they can fly very much faster. A pigeon covers ten or twelve leagues in an hour, whereas a falcon can do fif teen. It can also carry with ease a fairly heavy weight. INFANT SCALES. Balances Made Nowadays Especially for Weighing the Baby. Babies have been weighed from time immemorial, but it is only withiD few years that scales have be.e especially for that purpose.. - fashioned,time-honored - eigh ing the baby was to t p in a towel and then hook ti hook of a spring balance into the knot; and this way is still common. Whatever other household les might be in use in a house have also been used for this purpose, as they still are, but there are now made special infant scales and used for that purpose alone. Infant scales are- made in several styles. They all have one feature in.. - common, however-a basket in which to put the baby in place of a pan. An infant scale of a design new this year is finished in white- enamel. The weights plate,upon which the weights are placed in the weighing, is of iron polished until it looks like a steel mirror. At the other end of the balance, where the pan would ordin arily be,in the basket,oblong in shape, and fashioned with a view to the con venient and comfortable holding of the child. The basket also is enamelled. The base of the scaleprojects in front to afford a place for the weights, wvhich are of polished iron. The larger weights are provided with handles. There are no very small weights; the fractional weights are taken by means of a sliding weight on a beam attached to the front of the scale. Such a scale as this sells at $25. Infant scales may be bought, however, at $6 and $8. The scales are used not only -to find out the weight of the infant when it is born, but to weigh it from time to time, maybe once a week, to note its growth. Infanit scales are made to weigh up to 25 or 30 pounds. American scales are sold the world over in every civilized land; there is perhaps no larger foreign consumer than. Russia, which buys American scales of every kind, from the largest of railroad scales to the smallest of little scales. It is interesting to note ' that Russia buys considerable num bers of infant seales. -Sun. How Balloons Are Made, | Balloons are manufactured of go&l beater's skin, which, though small toy ones had been made of it, could not be produced in suaIfcient quantities for the large balloons until Colonet Templer invented and per fected the process, which, according to the Pall Mall Magazine, is briefly as follows: IThe goldbeater's skin is made up of quantities of a certain thin animal membrane (30,000, of these are re quired for a balloon of 10,000 cubic feet capacity), which is first freed fcomn all fatty substances and then soaked in a solution of glycerine and water. They are then applied to boards cut in the form and to the size of the gore of the balloon i-equired: others are then superposed until a thickness of four layers has been reached, great care being taken that no air bubbles remain between the- - skins. After this fourth layer a method of strenthening is resorted to in the shape of a net manufactured of skin. After this net two or three more layer of membranes are applied. The who;e is then allowed to dry, and a solution of boiled linseed oil is used as a var nish. The fabric is then quite indis soluble, and the memb-ranes cannot by any possible means be separated from one another; but sometimes, to render the homogeneity the more per fect, a solution of bicbromate of pot ash is sponged over the fabric. Ground Oyster Shell Mediciue. Ground oyster shells were.given .by the medieval doctors to children suf fering from rickets and scrofula. Now. it appears that they were right. The shells contain lime, nitrogen, iron, sulphur, manganese, magnesia, flour, bromide, phosphoric acid and iodine, all excellent for feeble children. They say that if growing children were to atake powdered oyster shells in their