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1 " I NATURE'S SECRETS. Problems of Life Over Which Mt i Can Only Theorize. "You hear a great deal of talk N'lO-it a woman not being able to :eej> a secret." said an agnostic who Tabbies in a dilettante way in nearly all branches of human knowledge, ' "but a glance at the record of old r Mother Nature will readily disprove this time honored axiom. The mind , of man since the first faint dawn of time has sought to wrest from her some of the things she knows, yet her lips have remained as closely sealed as those of the sphinx. In many things she is as garrulous as any other of her sex, but in many of her moods no amount of flattery or cajolery suffices to get even the faintest glimpse into her real thoughts. "We might go back into the remotest period of history for examples, but a few that are well known of all men will suffice to illustrate what I mean. "Perhaps the greatest secret nature holds is the mystery of life and death. Apparently there is no reason why a man who Ir es a well reg_ ulated life should not continue to live indefinitely, but the stem fact is that his time is certainly allotted. Men have sought in vain to solve this problem. But not one year has been added to the sum total of human life by all the researches of the scientists. Ponce de Leon sought in vain the fountain of external youth and Brown-Se quard s elixir, that was to arrest tne ravages of decay, proved as unavailV; ing as De Leon's search for the fountain. 1 "Alchemists of old devoted their litfes to discover a chemical process that would transmute the baser metals into gold, but after centuries of research only old Mother Nature holds the secret of the formation of this precious metal. Newton worked out the correct theory f the law of gravitation from the icident of seeing an overripe aple fall from a tree, but all the aero'auts of all time have been unable o discover a way to overcome this iw, and we are still bound to the arth as by iron chains as far as aetical purposes are concerned, as ' diips and balloons are only danous toys and bid fair to remain to the end of time. "Laplace mapped out the urses of the stars and outlined jarly all we know of the solar sysam, but not a single fact of real enefit has ever resulted from our /ittle knowledge. We theorize, but ' cannot prove, and nature only smile^Cour. defeat- JCbese examples flight be multiplied indefiniteIj^rbut these few of the bigger ^jpoblems of life show that nature's ^lecrets are safely guarded from the prying eyes of man. We are but an atom in the universe. We know not whence we come nor whither we go. All we know is that we live and that our little life is ended with ?a sleep."?Birmingham Age-Herald. Von Bulow and tha Playors. v An amusing glimpse of Hans von aw is afforded in this extract 4m one of his letters: "There ere two bassoonists in the orchesi ? imagine, amateurs! They re my dread and kept me con ? ? ra 11 ntly on tenternooKs. n iney 1 nothing to play, then I was in itate of terror that they might e in, and I was constantly warnhem 'Not yet,' but if they real 1 to come in, then I had not ourage to give them the sign, I warned them as before. An 'teur kettledrum player, on the trary, who received honorable ition, must have been a perfect ,vel of a timekeeper, for when he very long pauses he counted m inwardly and used to pay litvisits to an adjoining cafe withendangering the ensemble, as always got back punctually to s post in time for his next entry." Unchanged. After making a tour of the town . local beggar arrayed himself in the garments that had been given /" him. His toilet made, he looked at his reflection in the pool in the wood and shook his head. "Here I am," he said to his com panion, who was donning his castolf clothes, '"wearing the boots of a bank president, the trousers of a shopkeeper, the shirt and coat and vest of a doctor and a minister's hat- Yet in spite of it all I look lik# a tramp!" I * Honor Srt.cHcd. * "lizard of a man ike other day," said a member of the Xew York bar, "who carried his ideas of honor to an extreme limit. He failed for an immense sum and settled with his creditors for 20 cents on the dollar. But he hunted up one of them and paid him in full; said he could not sleep well if he did not do so." 'iWhy this one especially ?" "It was a poker debt." BOYHOOD'S HAFPY DAYS. Why Men Dream and Woke to Wee| For Times Gone By. Yes, sir! Koyhood's happy days of course. We know about that We haven't forgotten tiie joy o sleeping in an uniinisheil loft i: winter when our breath froze t< ; tl,n lw.Uninnr ,.n,l v < to fhflV UIV UVUV*ian uuu V .. ! us out with a hot flatiroil over; morning. Morning too! We got up at : a. m., pitch dark, M below zero am 1 still going down! We had to gel up, hustle out and feed and mill i the lowing herd, curry the rear ele ! ration of the family mule, wak< ! the rooster up to crow, thaw oui i the pump, chop four cords of woot i and shovel away the snow to make ; room for the sun to rise! Sometimes we went to school it the winter?not often, only or the days when it was too cold am stormy to go outdoors. Then w< sat on a nice cool board about fift> feet away from the stove and gavlj blew our fingers and picked icicle: from our hair. And as we sat w< listened to a wooden image with f teacher's license as he handed u: misinformation and permanently crippled our intellects. Then came the merry springtime Rise at 2:30 a. in. More lowing herd, the herd lowing to the sup 1 i Tk?? piy 01 ioaaer ucmg iu?. xncn hired man, who had hibernated ir the forest, came forth seeking whom he might make happy witl his presence. And we, being ii need of extra joy, were allowed t< sleep with this woolly hireling, wh( snored like the boom of the sad se* waves. He was a good fellow, this hired man. He taught us to chev tobr.cco and swear. These genth pastimes procured us more violeni lickings than any other joy in oui whole young life. No memory is more loaded witl joy germs than- the spring crop " ^ x iL, working, uaij we ever iorgew iu? plowing?how we held the plov when we had to reach up with i pike pole to get the handles; hov we drove the old plug team with th< lines around our neck; how whei the clevis broke the mares walkec away with our frail body dragging behind by the ears? When dark ness came we stabled the plugs am went forth to milk the brindh heifer. The heifer kicked us acroa the bam floor, and an old cow oblig ingly kicked us back again. Then when the milking was over, wha fun to turn in and teach a fool cal to drink! This acting as dry nurs< to a bandy legged calf was one o the mo6t unmixed joys of all. W< tied the calf short, set the bucke in front of him, got astraddle of hi: neck, stuck two fingers in his moutl ?? '* '1 l 5 _ and witn tne oi,ner nana jammei his head into the pail. And all th< time we were emptying out abusi on calves in general and this loj eared idiot in particular. This wen on until dad came in and with lov ing patience horsewhipped us al about the place. Then when we had carried in thi wood, brought forty gallons of wa ter from the spring and eaten abou eight pounds of solid food we wen joyfully upstairs?and came dowi again immediately to breakfast. We often dream and wake up t< weep for the days gone by when thi hay was ripe. We recall the ol( swamp that always had to be cu by hand. We recall little stone that we rasped the edge of ou blades on. W? "recall the prett; snakes we steppro on with our ban feet. We remember it all with sol emn gladness. Well, well! How it all come back to us!?Chicago News. The Cab Horse Won. A gentleman who was anxious t< catch a train hailed a hansom, gavi instructions as to his destinatioi and jumped in, but the horse madi terribly slow progress, and tin iroo +V?o+ Vi a nrnuli laic nao an urn viiuv uv ?? miss his train. "Look here, cabby," he said "can't you make your jyie-gee g* faster ? I must catch the 3:45." The cabman winked knowingly. "Yes, 6ir, he can go faster," wa the reply, "but it's like this: Ye see, my horse is an old racer, an* the best way for you to make bin go faster is for you to bet me hal a crown he won't catch the 3:45 That'll put him on his mettle, an* he'll fly like the wind." The horse did it. ? London Express. Poor Judges. Two Marseillais, who have a wel deserved reputation for tall storiei were discussing the relative merit of various cheeses. "Why," said the first, "the chees I'm talking about is so remarkabl that at the last show the judge uncovered when they came to it." "That's nothing" retorted th second. "The kind of cheese I'r telling you about is superior ii every way. It wins a medal at ev erv show, and it walks up to th judges to get it."?Indiscret. THE SPERM WHALE. I Some Interesting Facts About This 3 Mor.stcr of the Sea. The common .sperm whale, or , cachalot, has a very wide geograph. ical range. It is said that it inhabi its all seas except those near the i poles. It is much sought after be) cause it furnishes us with sperma. ceti, ambergris und much fine oil. r ! As a rule, it is from seventy to | eighty feet in length. Its head is I immense, being equal to one-hall 1! of the entire bulk of the animal and t, more than one-third of its length. ; I The right side of the head and nose - is occupied by a cartilaginous, tri}: angular shaped cavity, called by II whalers the "case," which is the I : main receptacle for spermaceti. > The ease is divided into compartments communicating with each i I other, and it often contains as much II as ten large barrels of spermaceti. 1 : Though the head is large and ; clumsy looking, it does not impede ; the whale's movements in the least, ; for it raises its head above the sur3 face of the water when swimming ? and keens it above when at rest. 'I . ~ ' x I It is not very well known of what ; use the spermaceti is to the whale, except that it gives buoyancy to tha#iore part of its body. Ambergris is a fragrant, waxy secretion. It is a gray substance and when heated or dissolved in alcohol gives out a peculiar, agreeable odor exceedingly diffusive. It also has the power of increasing the odor of other perfumes. Often it is found floating on the sea or lying on the seacoast and is valued at about $5 an ounce. Sperm whales traverse the seas in herds called schools or pods bj whalers. Five hundred or mon.' have been seen in a single school, following a leader, whose dut; seems to be to keep a close lookout for danger. In case of threatened harm he sounds an alarm by a peculiar roar. Htr Idea of Remembrance. v southern man tells of a conversation he overheard between his cook and a maid, both negroes, with reference to a recent funeral of a ? momlwr nf their race, at which fu ' neral there had been a profusion ol * floral tributes. Said the cook: 5 "Dat's all very well, Mandy, bul i when I dies I don't want no flower? on my grave. Jes plant a good old ? watermelon vine, an' when Bhe gits | ripe you come dar, an' don't you eat * it, but jes bus' it on de grave an1 ' let de good old juice dribble down * thro de ground!"?Harper's Week; s I p. I * (Prickly Ask, Poke MAKES POSITIVE CURES OT e '"""" "",mm 11 "1"" '"'"J Phyrtcicai endorse P. P. P. M * cplen did combination, tad preecribe It with I wg t great aatiafaction for the eoree of all I % t forma and ftaffee of Primarr, 8oeoadnry I 1 and Tertiary Syphilis, Syphilitic Fw I ? matUm, Scrofolosa (71 car* aad S ?> * E O land alar Swellings, Bheuraattaa, 1 ** J gg nay Camplaiata, Old Chronic Ulcers ft - I ^ ! SYPHM''r ~ C ? hare raditaii all treatn.. Catarrh, Skin H Diana sac, Ecsema, Chronic Pa mala M Com plain ta, Mercurial Poiaca, T attar, % Scaldhaad, ate., ate. ? 8 P. P. P. la a powerful tonic aad aa ^ excellent appltlzer, building op the cyatam rapidly. If yon are wank aad fcable, aad feel badly try P. P. P., aad ! RHEUM \ , *&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& . | Having 1 43 a 4? to change my line of mei f ; 43 next thirty days exceptio 1 ?j ing: J* Boys' Suits, Shoes, Rubt ft 49 Ladies' Gloves, a few pi< 49 , 49 three pieces of nice Whi 49 ?> 43 and Boj s' Leggings. s 43 49 This is a genuine closi e 49 above listed must go reg; ; 1 p. 5. c< J 49 49 Kingst e 49 ? } ' T r: \ " .7" . * T-'^TTL, i , . f This man out acquainting | of SCHNAPPS qualities that g i less expense th L J \ ' SCHNAPPS has been a< paper so that every chev opportunity to get acqua i facts and know that drug i to produce the cheering < the famous Piedmont cot tobaccos, and that SCHNA i ought to chew. Still the who accept other and cl that do not give the same ] I j # Fire Insurance. The largest and most liberal com| panies in thd world, such as, . Insurance Company of North America, Fireman's Fund Insurance Co., Hartford Fire Insurance Co. f The best is none too good when it comes to Fire Insurance. You have to ; pay for it, see that your risk is carried 1 in a company of unquestionable reputa^ tion. ; For rates call on or write to L. H. FAIREY t. V:?.... /\l oan& ui iviii^aiicc. 1-24?tf. J. P. loot ud PotoMlna.) ' ALL F0RM8 AND STAGES OF JO* will ratals laah aid atraiftb. mm Waatoof aaarty aid all dioaaaaa raaaltlaf Ar Aoai OTartazlax Oi 171 tan ara cured by Un naa of P. P. P. Ladlea whoa* ayatama ara poiaoaod aid wboM blood la n aa Impure ooadltloa dm* to naailrml lr wgaJaritlM ara poeuliarly lUlF baaadlad by tM woadarfal tonic aid ^SCROFULA 3 ?? blood aloaaaiar proparttae of P. P. P., ^^0 Prickly dab, Poka Soot aid Pataaalam. Sold by all Draff iota. *gP F. V. LlPPM AN, Proprietor. j Savannah,'(ia. 1ATISM Decided ? ? ? rchandise I will offer for the nal bargains in the follow- J s u. <w >er Over-Shoes, Boys' Sox, ^ ices of Dry Goods, Linings, te Flannel, fine line Men's ing out sale and the goods ardless of price. 3urtney,*| ree, S. C. ? ; / *;. / :> bought a supply of tobacco with- | r himself with the distinctive taste ? Tobacco, which has the cheering J Ratify his desire to chew, and at J? an cheap tobacco. lvertised in this Some day they'll get a taste of the real ver has had an Schnapps?they'll realize what enjoyment inted with the they've missed by not getting SCHNAPPS luahty "fovmcHn theyTl feel lie kicking intry fine-cored themselves. PPS is what he _____. _____ . .. . . ire are chewers SCHNAPPS is sold everywhere m 5 leaper tobaccos cent cuts, and 10 and 15 cent plugs. Be pleasure. sure you get the genuine. J . WB | Mid Winter Offerings. ? 1 s s J* I INVITE SPECIAL ATTENTION TO MY ? ? LINE OFS^^?-^ S ? Txon.Bed.steacls S | 2v?attresses ;? ? Geaatxe Ta"bles J j| ? Sid.? Boards. ? ALS0 S J? I keep on hand zl\ the time a complete line of ? | Coffins, Caskets and Undertakers' Supplies and render services day and night. *g 'HfiSi .9 L. J.STACKLEY, g Jj THE FURNITURE MAN. ? ? K1NGSTREE, - - S. C. jjfr fjS9S9S9S9S9S9SSS9S9S9S9S9 ' || 8 Water f X * a /I fl AND (I ? <f w 1 j. ) Hotels S Public buildings jjj * <J7?oderate Cost 8 a x ' fL m 8 Perfect dieting. I 8- ? \ | fj Gasoline Engine for any purpose. 8 ' ^ O. (S. Snffman, Florence, S.C. a | Tils Parlor Market I 49 ?* - ?? ?? Dressed Bleats. Fish, Game, Poultry j* ?j Oysters, Eggs and Full Line " " ? % G-rocenes $ ^ w also ? ? hides wanted highest market ? w prices paid.: 03; ? ?Tlie IParlor Is/Tazlret,, ? | T. B. Arrowsmith, Agent., j* ; ?? kingstree s. c. / ?