BUSY TAIL OF A WHALE.
Legend of the Origin of the Idea of the
Screw Propeller.
The following extraordinarily Inter
esting story Is printed by the Marine
Journal with the express stipulation
that It cannot guarantee Its authentici
ty. but gives it for what it is worth:
'Way back in ISOS the stout Dutch
bark Groote Marie. Captain Van dcr
Brocck, bound from Amsterdam to the
East Indies, became dismantled in try
ing to round the Cape of Good Hope
and, because ot high sens, was in a
generally bad plight. Just as things
were looking particularly black an in
vestigation of a terrillc blow received
by the vessel on tier high, square steru
revealed the fact that a large whale
had crashed partly through the rear
boards and had got caught in the tim
bers. Fortunately water which was
pouring into the aft hold was prompt
ly blown out through the open hatch
way by the struggling animal, and in
endeavoring to release itself the big
mammal lashed the water with its tail
so violently that it propelled the bark
ahead at seven knots an hour into
Cape Town harbor
“It was In watching the mighty ef
fect of the whale's tail that the good
captain conceived the idea of a screw
propeller, but neither the Dutch mer
chants of Cape Town nor his brother
skippers of Amsi, rd.uu were sutli
eieutly interested In nis tale to unite
with him in patent.ug the device.”
THE KING IS KING.
No “Power Behind the Throno" In
England, It Is Said.
It Is often asked who really inspires
the king's attitude upon current ques
tions of the day and. more particular
ly, who writes his speeches?
The king takes, It is possible to
state, the closest Interest in every lead
ing question of the day. and. while lie
must of necessity take the advice of
his responsible ministers, lie has views
of bis own that he does not hesitate
to pronounce whenever the occasion
calls for it. while his speeches he
“roughs out" entirely by himself.
This draft of what his majesty de
sires to say is then passed on to the
officials of the private secretaries' of
fice. who prepare the speech in set
form and submit It to his majesty in
formal language This lie goes through
mo*t carefully, and it often takes two
or three rewritings before the king Is
thoroughly satisfied with it.
It may be said at .iiice. however, that
no words littered by the king are ap
proved until they have passed his most
careful scrutiny it is likewise possi
ble to add that his majesty is an ex
tremely good impromptu speaker and
that some of his most notable utter
ances have been made without any
previous preparation of any kind —
London Gentlewoman.
Didn't Stop.
A young man who was with a party
of motor tourists making a trip
through the mountains decided to stop
over in mi attractive place for a few
days and went into the hotel to ascer
tain tlie rates.
“What are your rates?" lie Inquired.
"Seven dollars a day. sir,” was the
reply
“If I stay." went on the man. “1
shall want a room on the parlor floor.”
"That will eost you #1 extra." said
the clerk
"1 shall also want a room with a fire
place, where I can have a fire these
chilly evenings.”
“One dollar more, sir.”
“And. of course,” said the tourist, "1
want one with a hath also.”
"A dollar additional, sir."
“Well.” said the man thoughtfully,
“how much will you charge to let me
leave tlie hotel just us I am?”—Pulit
zer Magazine.
“Good Morning!”
When we are at our best a flood of
life pours itself out in the simple old
words “Good morning!''—a flood of
meaning which strains to express itselt
in a thousand ways, but has to be con
tent with verbal symbols. Our phys
ical and vital energies, our love, our
playfulness, our stores of gratitude
for the world's past gifts, all that is
calling us toward the future, comes
rustling out in the time mellowed
greeting The depths of us, the con
centrated and imprisoned energy or
our inmost life, calls across the dis
tance to the unseen depths of our fel
low.—Atlantic.
Schoolboy Aspiration.
A school hoy wrote t tie following es
say on soap: "Soap is a kind of stuff
made in cukes what yon can't eat. It
smells good and tastes orfel Soap al
ways tastes worse when you get it In
your eye. I'ather says Kskiniose don't
never use soap. I wish I was an lis
kimose!"
Made Him Live Up to It.
Downtrod Never write letters, my
boy. that you'll regret in after life.
Dewtell- Yon speak as from expert
diceDowntrod l do lu early cor
respondence with tlie lady who is now
my wife I signed myself "Your obedi
ent servant."
Unmasked.
"1 was introduced to your wife to
day. and stic glared at me."
“1 can t accimul tot that
“I can I s pose I'm your scapegoat,
you old fraud!" Kansas City Journal.
Explosive.
An ambitious young writer having
asked -'.vii ii Mii 'i'inc will give me
tic me Ke-t'• was
told me d you cod
tlibUiL. 4* W4.4J Ui Ul-lc.
Land Tilled.
The department of agriculture esti
mates that there nre 1.140.000,000 acres
I of tillable laud In the United States
! and that only 27 per cent of this Im
mense nren is under cultivation. It
might add that of the 27 per cent ac
1 tunlly cultivated comparatively few
j acres are handled in such n way as to
show anything like their maximum pro
duction.
Here is food for the pessimist. The
<nnn who fears that the country is
Hearing actual exhaustion may find
cheer in the thought that little more
than a quarter of the available agricul
tural land is being made productive.
Supply inevitably meets demand, and
ns the demand for agricultural products
increases the supply will lie enlarged
by the development of regions which
have not been touched by the plow.—
Cleveland Plnln Denier.
Literal.
William Chase, the painter. Is a
teacher whose criticisms ore awaited
with some trepidation by his pupils.
One “criticism day’’ Mr. Chase came to
the canvas of a pretentions and vain
young man. who was considering with
obvious complacency a portrait which
he had smeared thereon.
“It's coming out nicely.” he told Mr.
Chase.
Chase smd not a word, but took tur
pentine bottle, paint knife and rag and
worked industriously at (he canvas un
til there was a clean surface there.
“Ah. yes." he remarked, "It's coming
out nicely.”—New York Pitft.
Books,
God be thanked for books! They are
the voices of the distaut and the dead
and make us heirs of the spiritual life
of past ages. Books nre the true level
ers. They give to all who will faith
fully use them the society, the spiritual
presence, of the best and greatest of
our race.—William Ellery Cbanning.
A Monologue.
Tommy—Pop. wlint is the difference
between a dialogue and a monologue?
Tommy's Pop— When two women talk,
my son. it's a dialogue: when a woman
curries oil a conversation with her hus
band it's a monologue— Philadelphia
Record.
Do You See the Point?
Probably the man who gave circula
tion to (lie Idea that (here is always
more room at the top had never seen ii
pyramid.- Woman's Home Companion.
Ultra Modern.
"Madge Flighty is certainly nil up to
date girl."
"Pp to date! Heavens! She's np to
.'vorvthlng" Boston Transcript.
Sure to Hetu'.V,
One morning a merchant whose
goods did not very strongly substanti
ate his advertising claims put out a
new sign. He was pleased to see that
n great many people stopped to rend It.
but directly be was puzzled and an
gered to untie* tbar they all went on
laughing. There was nothing funny
about the sign. It merely read:
If You Buy Here Once
You Will Come Again.
Tbe merchant went outside In a cas- .
ual sort of way and glanced at his sign
to see what was tbe matter. Some
one, no doubt a former customer, had
added another line, it now read:
If You Buy Here Once
You Will Come Again
To Bring It Back.
— Youth's Companion. 1
Colored Glasses.
Wearing spectacles to protect tbo
eyes from tbe glare of tbe sun is a
very old custom. The natives of the
far northern regions long ago Invented
spectacles of wood with a very narrow
slit Id tbe center to diminish as fur as
possible tbe continuni glare of the long
arctic day. It is said that tbe Emperor
Nero, who was an albino and whose
eyes were therefore very sensitive to
light, used amethysts or emeralds to
shield bis eyes.
Hit Preference.
“Good gracious." exclaimed a vicar
as he met a village laborer wearily
pulling a loaded wheelbarrow. "It
would be much easier If you pushed
It." >
"Daresay." was the answer, "but I'm
Blck of the very sight of it.”-Loudon
Telegraph.
Hit Weigh.
“Wbnt Is the way of tbe transgres
sor?" asked tbe boob.
"Fifteen ounces to tbe pound." re
plied tbe grouch.-Cincinnati Enquirer.
Well, It’s Suspendtd.
‘Top, tell me one thing."
“What Is it, my son?"
“Is a suspended sentence a banging
matter?"- Baltimore American.
A good lookout drives III luck away.
-French I’roverb
Social Scale.
"Pa.” said Freddy, "what Is n social
scale?"
"Generally speaking.” replied pa, '
'It’s a place where they weigh money."
Why, Indeed?
“Mamma." said Little Willie, “why
does the minister always say ’lastly’ In
tbe middle of Ids sermon ?"- Woman's .
Home Companion
Imposing Facade of Machinery Hall, the
Largest Building at the Panama-Pa
cific International Exposition.
THIS structure will be 367 8 feet wide by 967 8 Xset long and will be dec
orated with more than a mile and a hall of ornamental cornices The '
architectural design of the bulldlnR is based upon the Roman arrh 1
motif, prototypes of which may ,be found in the big Roman baths of j
Hadrian and Caracalla The interior arrangement consists of three nsves ’I :
feel In width and more than 90V rest id length rising to a height of 100 fast j
from the hour
Festival Hall. Panama Paci'ic Exposi
tion, Where the Conventions oi the
World Will Be Held In 1915
FESTIVAL HALL, where the conventions ol the world will meet In lilt
during the Panama-Paciflc International exposition, will bs 380 feet dy
800 feet, with greatest breadth of 280 feet, the latter being taken up
by the wing* Each of the three main north and eouth court* will open
out at the north upon »h* enplar .<!► *»> Hrun larn oh\ *tnd upon a cr^ai
tropical garden, a varltabl* parudi* »t irunaptaiiiiiiH 4H,b ttit? **ou’h Thruunl
tba tropical garden a bmiiev irii wi» *•*»• • v»*ai Th*- hr*i viaiuf>
who enter the «xpoaltl«»n .*»»<• p fr**n» th»- lij will ba gained from lb#
j boulevard- lb tha boulevard will bo oat Ifaeuval dill, . J
ALGERIANS ARE LIARS.
They May Tell the Truth at Times, but
You Are Never Sure.
The chief fault <»t the native Alge
rians seems to lie a certain predilection,
for lying. It appears to be an Instinc
tive desire to deceive, not so much for
the sake of profit ns for the sake of de
ception. Albert Edwards, in “The Bar
bary Coast." tells us that he asked his
French host why one of his workmen
wore green braid on his turbans, since
in Persia only those who huve made
the pilgrimage to Mecca are thus at
tired.
“Mohammed!'' my host called. The
tall, dignified native left his plow and
came over to us.
“Have you been to Mecca?” M. Gar
det asked in Arabic.
“No, Sldi,” the Arab said and went
back to bis work.
“He says 'No.'" M. Gardet translated
to me. “But like as not be has been
there six times. If they would always
lie you could understand them. But
sometimes they tell the truth. Perhaps
he hasn’t been there. If I should ask
six of my workmen nbout it three
would say that Mohammed bad been
to Mecca, three would say he hadn’t.”
Bo I stopped asking my host ques
tions about the Arabs. But in all tho
time I have been In Algeria I have
never found a Frenchman who felt dif
ferently about It. Guy de Maupassant,
whose eyes pierced so deeply through
the lies of French life, could not fathom
the Arabs. ’They are Incomprehensi
ble.” he writes. "They lie."
THE WORLD’S WATER POWER.
PorcM That May Ba Utilized When
Our Coal Is All Gone.
The following figures mny prove of
Interest to those fearing the exhaus
tion of the world's eoal supply, says
the American Machinist, in a sum
mary of the water power of the world
the possible horsepower of France is
estimated at 4,500.000, of which only
800.000 Is utilized. About an equal
amount of power Is available in Italy,
but only 30.000 horsepower is utilized.
Falls of 10.000 horsepower are abun
dant in the Alps.
The estimate iu Switzerland .is In
complete. but about 300.000 horsepower
is in use. Germany hns 700,000 horse
power available, with 100.000 applied.
Norway hns 000,000 horsepower avail
able. with a large part already devel
oped. In Sweden there Is 703,000 horse
power available.
The resources of Russia are estimat
ed ut 11.000.000 horsepower, of which
only 85,000 has been developed. The
I’niled States is credited with 1.500.000
horsepower, while Japan has 1,000.000,
of which 70.000 has been exploited. In
India 50.000 horsepower has already
been developed, mostly at a consider
able distance from any Industrial cen
ter. In Great Britain there is 70.0u0
horsepower already utilized, and an
equal amount in Spain.
Promoting the Janitor.
They were Joint owners of an apart
ment house and one day the junior
partner sought his colleague in some
trepidation.
"The Janitor wants 810 more a
month or he'll leave, t hate to give
up the money, but we can't spare him."
The senior partner disappeared and
returned in a few moments.
"It's all right." said he. “I've satls
tiid him. and It didn't cost us any
thing."
• How's ihat?"
"The Janitor is now the superintend
ent."
"Good work:" declared the junior
partner. "But why didn’t you make
him superintendent in the first placeV"
"Because." answered the senior mem
i er, "I knew he'd want a promotion
outline,'. Every man wants a pro
motion some time and. to ray mind, a
good man deserves one.’-—Judge.
8mok/ Cities Alto Foggy.
The relation between stnoke mid fog
Is nhly set forth in n bulletin issued by
the Mellon Institute of Industrial Re
search. University of Pittsburgh, and
writteu by !>>•. Herbert H. Kimball,
professor of nieleoroogy. United States
weather bureau. He sums up the mat
ter by saying:
"City fogs are more persistent than
country fogs, principally because of
their increased density due to the
smoke that accumulates in them.
"in consequence of the above tt >re
are fewer hours of sunshine in the
cities than in tile surrounding country.
"The sunshine Is less intense in the
city than {fi the country, the light of
I short wave lengths, or the blue light
suffering the greater depletion.”
Saving Time.
Say." excli in.ed the excited young
man with the discolored optics, “1
want you to strike me off a few thou
sand cards."
"All right, sir," responded the print
er. "What shall 1 put on them?"
"Just print ‘None of your business'
in big type. Then when the next per
son asks me how 1 got this black eye I
can Just hand him a card and save
words." Philadelphia Ledger.
Ethan Allen’s Foundry.
Gthan Allen prior to the American
Revolution operated an iron furnace
and foundry in Litchfield county.
Conn. His iron foundry subsequently
furnished much of the shot and shell
that was used in the Revolution.—Mag
azine of American History.
Tact.
Willie—Paw, what is tact? Paw
Tact Is the art of making other people
think they know more than you do, my
eon. Ul i biuntl Enquirer.
He that will not be counseled cannot
^ be heli>ed.-German Proverb.
CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
The Old Time Custom of "Plowing at
the Horse’s Tail.’’
Animals seem to have no lilea of ex
ercising to keep warm. They just turn
their backs to the wind and crouch,
but perhaps if one had only a limited
amount of fuel it would be better just
to keep a spark alive till the snap wns
over thau to burn it all out in a few
hours. —
The first legislation against cruelty to
animals is said to have been an enact
ment passed in the days of Queen
Elizabeth prohibiting "plowing at the
horse’s tall,’’ us then practiced in Ire
land.
This custom consisted in lashing the
plow beam to the horse’s tail with a
bit of rope and then, while one man
held the plow, another walked back
ward before the animal, guiding it with
blows of a stick. It seems ns though
this plan must have cocked the plow
so high into the air that the poiht
would take no hold on the soil. It
seems also as if only the most spirit
less of equines would have submitted
to the treatment, but that it was fre
quently done the act against it proves.
The cruelty of the practice needs no
demonstration: it could not have been
profitable, but wns perhaps preferable
to starvation. Whether the English leg
islators were moved solely by pity of
the miserable beast or whether they
desired to make n market for English
plows and harness does not appear.—
From “A Farmer’s Notebook," by C.
E. D. Pbelps.
JOHN LEGG’S PLAIN TALK.
Made In an Advertisement He Put In
the Paper In 1837.
Advertising in the Sun three-quarters
of a century ago was worded more pic
turesquely than it is now in some re
spects. No big type was used, but the
advertisements hit the mark without
its aid. It is to be doubted if some of
the advertisements which appeared
then could get into print now, for they
were outspoken to n degree which
would offend modern susceptibilities.
For example, here is an advertisement
which appeared in the Sun of May 20.
1837:
To Shoemakers—10 Kackmen Wanted —
The subscriber gives the highest city
wages for good work and begs those
worthies who would filch him of his stuffs
not to visit him. It would he an agree
able surprise to him if John Kemp, Thom
as Pringle, Isaac Morgan and a few oth
ers would bring in. the work they have so
long "forgotten" to return.
JOHN LEGO, 1G4 Sth avenue.
The trade supplied cheap and' good.
"Kackmen" seems to have gone out
of use completely. It Is not given in
any of the modern dictionaries, hut one
of them has “caek, a baby’s shoe,”
which It calls shoemakers’ cant.
In the same number of the Sun T.
Baxter of 8 Fulton street advertised
that he wanted broken bottles, but be
did not state liis use for them. There
are several advertisements for men to
go on whaling voyages.—New York
Sun.
The Fog Peril.
One of the great conquests of science
for human safety will he the discovery
of some effectual means of disclosing
to every ship at sea the approach and
position of any other vessel which may
come near in a fog. So far the fog
peril remains as deadly as it ever was.
In some respects the conditions change
for the worse. The growth of com
merce increases the number of ships
which traverse the seas. Every year
the water highways are more fully oc
cupied, nnd tiie tendency is toward a
higher average speed. Nothing can be
seen through a dense fog. Nothing can
be heard with sufficient distinctness
nnd certainty as to distance and direc
tion to meet the demands of safety.
The best fog signals in use repeatedly
fall to avert terrible disasters.—Cleve
land Leader.
Real Thrift In Derbyshire.
An admirable thrift prevails at a
certain Sunday school in Derbyshire,
nnd this is effectually demonstrated at
tlie annual tea party. The needless
expense of printing new tickets for
this festivity is avoided, says the Man
chester Guardian, by tin* simple ex
pedient of using the same year after
year. Those at present employed bear
the inscription:
Queen Victoria: Diamond Jubilee.
Admit one to tea.
Probably the majority of the young
revelers had not been born when the
tickets were printed.
Symbolism In Japan.
When a child is born in Japan the
parents put up outside the house the
sign of a fish or a doll, according as it
a boy or a girl. The fish represents
a being who has to swim against the
stream and make his way in the
world. The doll stands for one who is
there to be petted and made much of.
Not Ideal.
“You nnd your wife never argue?"
“Never." replied Mr. Meektou.
“What an ideal state!"
“Perhaps it isn't so ideal. 1 some
times fancy Henrietta hasn't enougli
respect for my opinions to bother
about arguing with me."—Washington
Star.
Something Like That.
“Herr Schmidt is so fat that he can’t
get near enough to his counter to sell
goods.-’
“H'm! Sort of a corporation in re
straint of trade."—T.oudon Answers.
Might and Mane.
Tom Hood, the punster, once describ
ed the meeting of a man and a lion,
nnd in doing so he said, “The man ran
off with all his might und the lion with
all ills mane."
MEXICAN POTTERY.
Primitive Methods of the Skilled
Workmen of Duranga.
Practically all Ihe pottery "used in
the Durango section of Mexico., from
the tiniest teacup to Ihe largest llower
pot, Is fashioned by hand from Duran
go clay. There are about twenty such
factories In the city, employing from
five to fifty men' each. The clay used
In this Industry is obtained from tho
base of Durango's famous Iron Moun
tain, one mile north of the city.
The vessels are all fashioned by hand
and foot power. The only Instrument
used is a large wooden wheel, through
the axis of which passes n pole about
three feet in length, terminating at
the other extremity In a small wooden
wheel set parallel to the big wheel.
The operator sits so that he may turn
the lurge wheel (set horizontally near
the door so that it will move freelyi
with his foot, which in turn causes
the little wheel above, ou a level with
his chest, to revolve very rapidly A
convenient sized lump of the clay
dough is placed upou this little wheel,
uud as the mass revolves by the im
pulse of the laborer’s foot, he hollows
out aud fashions the vessel.
The skill and dexterity of these work
men is little short of remarkable.
With only the eye to guide, he fash
ions with astonishing rapidity vessels
which do not differ one from the other
In either size or shape. A single la
borer is able to complete about thirty
six dozen Jars of nearly a quart ca
pacity In a day.—Argonaut.
LIGHT AND THE EYES.
Glaring or Dazzling Effects May Re
sult In Permanent Injury.
In a paper read before the Interna
tional Exposition of Safety and Sanita
tion in New York city G. H. Stickney
called attention to the fact that th»
most common defect in lighting is ex
cessive glare and absence of diffusion.
Glare may emanate directly from the
light source or be reflected to the eye
by a glossy surface; it can also be
caused wherever excessive contrast of
intensity appears in adjacent fields of
vision. The dazzling effect is unpleas
ant and interferes with seeing. Under
continued exposure eye strain and
even permanent injury to the eye may
result
An unshielded light hung over a ma
chine is a common source of eye fa
tigue. The glare may not be so evi
dent on first glance, but when the
workman's eyes have been subjected
to such light for u long time diseom
fort and inability to see result.
Glare from glazed paper, desk tops
or polished metal often iuduees eye
trouble, headache and other indisposi
tion, though the sufferers may not be
aware of the cause. The remedy is to
change the relative positions so that
the reflected light is kept out of the
eyes as much as possible and to en
large the dimensions of the light source.
—Engineering Record.
Popular Judgment of Genius.
Fable's first entomological work gain
ed the honors of the Institute of France
and a prize for experimental physiol
ogy. His extraordinary absorption in
his entomological pursuits was a source
of perplexity to those among whom he
dwelt. One morning he was passed by
three women vintagers on their way
to work. When they passed him again
at sunset he was still seated on the
same stone, with his eyes fixed on the
same spot, whereupon he saw one of
them tap her forehead as she whisper
ed, “A poor innocent." But more than
one country guard suspected that he
was up to no good in his mysterious
wanderings about the countryside.
However, ttie sight of the little dark
ribbon of the Region of Honor, with
which he had been decorated by the
French government, was generally
sufficient to allay suspicion.—Westmin
ster Gazette.
Hail to the Chiefl
Jones bin] not wanted to go to the
gregarious feast where the speeches
strung out endlessly. Circumstances
obliged him to stay. The speeches
were strung out partly because the
chief and dullest orator was not ex
pected until late. Finally lie came,
and there was a rush of committeemen
to escort him to his place.
“Hello!” exclaimed Jones’ compan
ion, “what is that they are making
such a pother about?”
“We still follow,” answered Jones
sourly, “the ancient custom of bringing
in the bore's head.”—New York Post
A Vaishnava Love Lyric.
In one of our Vaishnava lyrics the
lover says to his beloved: "1 feel as if
1 have gazed upon the beauty of thy
face from my birth, yet my eyes are
hungry still; as if I have kept thee
pressed to my heart for millions ot
years, yet my heart is not satisfied.”—
Rabindranath Tagore.
Look Pleasant, Please.
"How did you manage to quiet that
ugly, howling mob so quickly?"
“Cot a camera man on the scene.”
answered the resourceful police cap
tain. “Then every man of them perk
ed up and tried to look.handsome.”—
Louisville Courier-Journal.
Some Heat Left.
First Married Man-Is there ever an
occasion when everything at your din
ner table is stone cold? Second Mar
ried Man—No, not everything. We al
ways manage to have a heated argu
ment.—Judge.
Old Saw With New Handle.
The pessimist Fletchelizes his qui
nine pills The optimist gets treed by
a bear and enjoys the view.—Yule Rec
ord.
J
AVERTED THE DUEL
Valpr Vanished With the Choice of
Weapons and Conditions.
Representative Borland of Missouri
gives an account of tlie challenge to a
duel which occurred in Louisiana, sup
posedly among tlie lust challenges of
that environment in the state. The
affair was between a gentleman who
belonged to one of the oldest families
there and a sturdy blacksmith of Geor
gia, who had become a man of political
Influence.
Tlie gentleman took offense at some
remarks of the Georgian and sent him
a challenge. The powerful blacksmith
was nonplused.
“ ‘I know nothing about this dueling
business,’ said he, ’and I positively will
not tight.’
“ ‘You must,' urged his friend. ‘No
gentleman can refuse.’
“ ‘I am not a gentleman,’ replied the
honest citizen of Georgia. ‘I’m only n
blacksmith.’
“ 'But you will be ruined if you do
not fight,’ continued ills friends. ‘Y’ou
will have the choice of weapons, and
you can choose so as to give yourself
an equal chance with your adversary.’
“The giant requested time in which
to consider the matter and ended by
accepting. lie sent the following reply
to the Louisiana gentleman:
“ ‘I accept, and. in tlie exercise of my
privilege, I stipulate that the duel
shall take place in Lake Pontchartrain
in six feet of water, sledgehammers
to lie used ns weapons.’
"As his adversary was about five
feet eight inches in, height and the
blacksmith was seven feet, the con
ceit of tlie latter so pleased tlie Louisi
ana gentleman that ho declared him
self satisfied, as ho was one who
could appreciate a joke as well as
perpetrate one. anil he declared the
duel off.”—Exchange.
HIS DREAM MATERIALIZED.
Curious Incident In the Career of
Novelist S. R. Crockett.
One morning the postman brought to
S. It. Crockett, the novelist, a letter
from the editor of the St. James'
Gazette containing n small check as
payment for a contribution. Mr.
Crockett knew that nothing was due
to him, that lie had been paid for all
articles, and—remarkable mau—he did
the cheek up in 1111 explanatory note
and returned it to the editor.
The next day hack came the check
from tlie editor—remarkable man—
with a note saying it was due. The
St. Janies Gazette had published an
article from the pen of Mr. Crockett
which had not been paid for, hence
the cheek. Again Mr. Crockett—re
markable man-returned the check,
and still the remarkable editor refor
wanled it. this time with the article
cut out of the columns of the St.
James' Gazette.
Now comes the curious feature of
the incident. When Mr. Crockett
clapped ids eyes on the article he was
astonished to find it one of his dreams
materialized. One night, going to bed
extra tired, lie dreamed that a good
idea for a St. Janies’ Gazette column
laid occurred to him. that he then and
there sat down, wrote it and posted it.
Next morning he remembered his
dream and made up his mind some day
to write tlie article exactly as ho
dreamed lie had written it, when, to
liis astonishment, came article and
check from the newspaper. Few writ
ers earn checks while asleep.—Loudon
Standard.
East Africa’s Big Game.
Big game of British East Africa, out
side of tlio three preserves of the col
ony, is rapidly vanishing and, accord
ing to W. T. Ilornaday, “is absolutely
certain to disappear in about one
fourth the time that it took South Af
rica to accomplish the same result.”
Mr. Ilornaday points out that the pres
ent legal bag limit is ruinously extrav
agant. For $2.10 any man may buy tho
right to kill 300 head of hoofed and
horned animals of forty-four species,
not counting carnivorous animals that
may also lie killed. Thus the richest
liig game fauna of any one spot in tho
world, which nature lias been several
million years in developing and placing
there, seems likely to be wiped out by
limn within the next fifteen years.—
Chicago News.
Just an Oversight.
It was 0 o’clock in the morning in nil
English town, and tho roads were
blocked with snow. The maid, who
had been given a week’s notice, was
facing the last day of her sojourn ini
the house. She handed the usual cup
of ten to tier mistress in bed and then
said sweetly, "Oh. ma’am, when ye
asked me yesterday if we had every
thing in for tonight's party 1 forgot to
tell ye we are out of cool and the fur
nace is goln' out.”
This Earthly Stage.
“The sun.” remarked the kindly citi
zen. “shines for all."
"And that's what worries soma
people." averred tlie caustic citizen.
"They seem to think the sun ought to
be handled as a spot light.”— Louisville
Courier-Journal.
As He Saw It.
Wife—Oh, I saw the dearest little
hat today.
Ilub—That's just like you—always
looking for the dearest instead of the
moderately priced.—Boston Transcript.
Temperamental.
"How is the star actress today?”
"I don't know. The doctor's in her
room now taking her temperament."—
Baltimore American.
Too much ia worse than want.—Ger
man Proverb.
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