HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Advocate, 1901-8-1, Page 60---0-40-0
Caged by
A Lion.
"1 can coneeive of no human qual-
lay more fleadish in its action than
jealousy; and of the various kinds
of that poisonous power, profession-
al jealousy is the cruellest and Moan -
SL
A look, of horror was on the speak-
er's face and a sort of shuddering
spasm, seemed to twist his features
as he epoke. ile wasa comfortable
Pierchaat, John Jelly by name, and
his stout, jolly, good-looking wife
was with. him, They were in Swit-
aeriand, enjoying a well-earned. holi-
day after the rigours of business.
Just then they were in company
with other holiday-makers on the
deck of the steamer that was plying
betweea towns on the Lake of Ge-
neva,
One of the party, a littae, dried-up
dark man, already notorious for try-
ing to get information on all sub-
lects, scented a story.
Well, perhaps I can give you a
,rarn. You all know 1 ain a manu-
facturer and a. merchant in a fair
way of business. I was not always
so well off as I am at present. Once
I had not a spare half penny to my
name, yet I had in my head the idea
for the making and putting on the
market ofthe world-famous articles
manufacture now. Only capital
was needed for patenting ancl float-
ing the things. Capital was as hard
to get in the sixties when I was a
young man as it is now. I wanted
to marry Lucy here. I was working
at that time—don't laugh! I'm not
ashamed of the fact!—in a wild -beast
show, and my duties were mainly to
keep the animals clean, to feed them
and to be generally useful.
One of the lions was Nero, a fa-
mous trick -beast, clever and intelli-
gent, but of an uncertain temper.
Ile was never taken on tour as most
of the other animals wero in turn,
but was always kept at our head-
quarters, a well-known sea -side re-
sort, where he formed one of the at-
tractions of the permanent menager-
ie there.
His trainer was a dashing fellow,
fearless and utterly careless of dan-
ger. His name was really Smith;
but as Smith does not look very im-
posing when billed, he was always
known as Signor Arati.
Arati was married, and he had a
family dependent upon him.
wife was one of the lady riders,
and -'hr ways were of the extrava-
gant order, therefore it took all
Arati's really splendid earnings to
keep her Supplied with all she Would
have.
With a woman of this kind tied to
„him Arati's life was not of the ros-
iest, and it was a perpetual .wonder
to inc how he contrived to keep such
a happy-go-lucky air about him. '171 -ie
danger of his calling wae as the zest
of life to him, and wheal, in all the
trickery of gorgeous circus gear, he
entered: Nero's cage alld put. the
great beast through his paces; he
was as a man. intoxicaed with a
species of strange pieasura.
Nero's tricks took about an hour.
and a half to go through. He was.
the star lion. As a rule wild beast
only learn thoroughly one or two
tricks, but Nero knew a dozen. Arati
had a little play of twenty minutes'
duration in his cage, and the lion
himself was the principal character
during this act. That was after his
tricks had been duly exhibited.
One evening when the lion -room
was crowded as usual, aiad a mass of
interested spectators with breath-
held lips watched Nero perform his
feats, a catastrophe occurred. Net()
had been sulky. Arati had been
'obliged not only to use whips but
the hot irons that afternoon at re-
bearsel, and the brute had not for-
gotten it, The trainer, lithe, grace-
ful, gorgeous, full of quips and jokes,
entered his Cage' and delighted the
folk as usual; but he had an anxious
face upon. him before he went in, and
1, with another assistant, had in-
structions to stand ready benind the
scenes With hot iron bars; :in case' of
need.
An instinct told ine, and told Ar-
ati, too, that there would be need,
Nero had been so unwilling to work,
so rebellious, so dieagreeable in grin,
that afternoon, that even careless
.Arati had said. he should be glad
,When his night, turn was done.
A cry froin the, audience, a horri-
fied catch of all breaths, then shrieks.
and screams, gave us' the signal sud-
denly.. We sprang to :the cage; and
were just in time. Nero, withomin-
ous growls, had thetamer down and
his great paw 'was On him; :.just as
you may have seen acat's paw on a
MOUSC.
A touch of two hot irons on his
nose, a bang of another on his face,
and, with. ,growls- of anger; succeeded
by a roar of agony, the fire -stung
lion darted from his victim, shaking
"his head *ith the pain- that had ,de-'
feated -him. In a second Arati Was.
dra,wn outside the cage, the door Was
'banged shut and all was safe: The,
people were dismissed andthe lion,
tamer. secfl to.•
Arati Was hurt, but not so serious-
ly as had.been feared. When he was
fully recevereari•ra body; however, he
. remained seriously sick in mind.. Hie
splendid nerve was utterly, gone;
- there would nevermore be any quel-
ling of: wild beasts bY '.He
had 310 idea of the inichief Nero
had. wrought -until' he tried to • take
up his Weak again,and found he was
quailing in the ,face. of the quietest
lion., He Was Cowed, and the beasts
, knew' it. That made an: end 01 Ar-
ati's..Work•.at .Once. • • •
This wae a Calamity not to him
only who had lostH Ida good livelia
-Mod; but to tho' proprietor Who
could not afford to lose the speCtacie
of • Nero's- cleverness in hili twenty
Minute's play. The lion was quiet
again. I, Who fed hint; Cinder pit
,hirn. through senile of his paces' read-
ily.
When'Arati'S broken PerVe beeathe
evident the. proprietor approached
inc on the ailbjeet Of taking his place:
I :Was to have thq handsome Salary
hitherto received by Arati, l• and
Waa also t� take aia name, thc. train.,
ea to take his own riaUX0 of Smith
and to do my work.
This Was rough on poor Arati, as,
from, fOrCe of habit, we still called
him. The proprietor was a business
man and could not afford to do any-
thing else as he pointed out. He in-
creased the salary of Area's wife,
however, and offered to give the
poor fellow more than he had given
me,
1 dreaded the task, but though
was sorry for Arati essayed it. I
coVoted that salary', which would en-
able me to realize ray heart's desire.
I should be able to patent ray inven-
tion, and to put it on the market,
if, for a very few months, I could
dare this awful task of lion -play
and nightly risk my life as Arati had
done for years, ia ministering to the
morbid fancies of a populace desir-
ous of enjoying the spectacle of a
life in danger.
o Arati and I changed places and
names, for he took mine or tried to
take it, so great was his dislike of
his own; yet Jelly was no better.
Arati's manner, hitherto pleasing-
ly patronizing, changed towards me
from the first night I entered Nero's
cage, His look was mimierous, and
yet agonized, as I came Out ancl pas-
sed hini as he stood where °nee
had been used to stand holding the
hot bars.
I pitied hiui exceedingly, knowing
his bitter cause to feel his degrada-
tion, for his wife, now she was de-
prived of his salary as it had been,
was known to lead him a direful life
at home. At last, however, his con-
duct grew so bad that 1 was roused
and spoke so plainly that blood was
up with both of us, and h om words
we came to blows. Aftek• -that I
never spoke a word to Arati nor did
he to me.
Each afternoon rPut Nero through
his act, enticing him by gifts of
meat, and using the whip less than
Arati had used it, though I had to
lay it upon the animal sometimes
when he was ugly, just to let him
feel he had his master.
•One afternoon as I entered the
lion -room I heard an ,unusual turmoil
and roaring going on. Then out, in
a great hurry, sprang Arati, with a
wild face and terror -filled eyes. I
wondered what he had been up to,
and eyed him keenly as he rushed
past. As I was opening the door I
caught sight of his face at the foot
of the stone steps, and was struck
..by the strange look he had.
-Arati will go mad if he keeps
on," I said half aloud to myself as
I went into the room where the roar-
ing still went on. "I hope he has
been up to no tricks with Nero to
make the beasts roar so!''
Tricks! Little did I dream of the
full devilry of Arati's deeds. I got
half way up the .room when a sight
met my eyes that absolutely froze
me into ice. For the most vicious
of the beasts, the most intractable
of thorn all, Maris, the evil -natured
lioness, .whose cubs had been removed
froin her only that week—Maris was
out of her .cage, the door of which
stood wide.
I took in the horror at one glanc,
and then I lost my nerve. I felt
that death was upon '/210, and losing
my head as I saw the beast crouch,
I flung •the contents of Nero's meat
basket full at her, foiling her leap.
Then I turned—a fatal thing to do,
but I WaS in a panic brought by the
shock and the surprise—I turned and
ran back to the „door, reaching it
just in time to hear the key turn in
the lock.
I seized the handle, shook the door,
and screamed in nay terror, calling
wildly upon Arati to come and open.
Never shall I forget that awful mo-
ment! I quiver at the horror of it
Row! For Arati had lost his reason
that day, being wife -goaded to his
mad deed. He had loosed the lion-
ess and locked nfe in with her.
Maris was engaged with the meat.
Nero's horse -flesh proved my salva-
tion. I had but one chance of safe-
ty, which I seized. even as the
thought Came that I was lost—the
cage.
With a couple of leaps I reached
the empty cage and sprang within,
drawing the door towards me fever-
ishly. All the cages shut with
springs: caged like a 'beast, but safe.
Then I considered that; should any-
one else enter the lion -room, that
person would run a tmrible • risk.
Though I might shout any hardest,
Maris would be upon the intruder
like a flash before he would realize
where the voice came from. And I
was supposed to be a lion -tamer, yet
there I was inthat ignominious po-
sition! I began to boil as I thought
of it. Then Maris came up and
stood looking at -me with low growls
with lip-lickings, with tail -lashings,
and I was very glad to be where I
I wondered how long it would be
before the room was entered. Then
I could have howled aloud. For
Maris was close to the door and the
key was moving in the lock! Some-
one was coming in. I got ready for
a tremendous shout, hut my dry
throat seemed ill able to utter it,
and it died on nay lips as I saw a
mad fac? look in—Arati's face. He
saw the lioness and, with a miracu-
lous return of his old power he
made straight for her.
And, oh! joy, he had repented of
his awful deed. He had the red-hot
bars. I-1? was again the fearless
trainer. 1. -Te applied the bars re-
morselessly to Maris. :The lioness
shrank, whined, retreated. She was
cowed. I forgave him on the spot
for his late work as I saw him be-
labor the beast and drive her to-
wards the cage. She went Under,
but he pulled the door.of the next.
cag4i to mine open, then droVe the
lioness from her refuge and beat her
into the ca,ge.
But what was Arati acing? He
had caged Maris and shut the door.
,Surely, sorely he was not opening
the partition between the cages?
There is a partition which can be op-
ened between every -cage in a lion -
row to admit of cleaning. And Ar-
ati was now opening the barred side
that divided me f..'om Maris!
"Ah! brave tamer, look after your
lioness now!" he said, with inde-
scribable malignity; ancl then I saw
his Mad face as it glared I11 at the
Parc.
"Arati, let me out! Let me out!"
I kept erying, but he went away,
'with wild, mad laughter, rtiehing
STOPPED A BULL' ET.
The accompanomg cut is from the
photograph of n watch that was sent
home a short time ago from Kimber-
ley, South Africa, by Private Peter
Flynn, Third K. 0, 5. B., to his re-
latives at 19 lltath Street, Maxwell -
town, Dumfries, Scotland, Mr.
Flynn bought tha watch from a com-
rade in-Kimberle3- who was short of
money, else he shmild scarcely have
parted with it, foi in all probability
it saved his life. During one of his
engagements with the Boers the
watch was in the breast pocket --
wherein it must have been face out-
wards at the time—o,f his khaki jack-
et when it stopped the flight of a
bullet, 'which firmly embedded itself
in its centre, penef.rating right
through the • works, and making a
deep dent in the back.
from his lips: Aad I heard
'Maris move!
Then.' I knew no more. I came
r'ound to find myself in safety oat -
side 'the cage, . with many of the
Show people roandainc..
it -seemed that Arati had:been met
rtinningout of the building with
wild' cries of satisfied yengeanCe. 1-10
Was, Secured; ,.and discovered to be
quite insane.. 110 wa.s babbling of
what Pc had done. At once hit hor-
rified listeners rushed to the lion -
room' •to .: find the boasts settling
down :to quietness, While Maris, who
had been badly burned by the Mad-
man, sat .subdued- in a corner of her
cage 'licking: her wounded paws and
rubbing: ar injured ..:eyes as she
whined with. palm, and I was lying
in a senseless,- heap in'the:nekt cage,'
open to hera: They flung the par-
tition •slatit'and. got inc out I never
again entered a lion's cage,:nor ever
shall. -London -'Tit-Bits.
TRAINING. THE SILKWORM.
—
Methods Adopted by a, Tribe cf
South American PeOple.
How would you like to have a
silken garment spun upon your body,
direct from the "silkworm to the fin-
ished product ? It ought to be eco-
nomical, for there would be no man-
ufacturers' or middlemen's profits to
divide, akd it ought to give satis-
faction as to fit.
But the chances are that you
would be tickled to death, for, in or-
der to adcomplish this result as it is
done by a tribe of South American
People, you would have to allow the
silk -worm to crawl over you, forth
and back, until the silken fibres en-
veloped you.
The people who clothe theinselves
in silk in this remarkable manner
live far up the Amazon, and are
called the Silvas. They collect the
eggs of the silk -worm moth; and
carry: them about in their belts
about their bodies. Thus the
warmth of the body helps to ,hatch
the eggs. When the caterpillars
come forth, they are not allowed to
leave the body, but are trained to
roam over it, and make it their home
About one minute of these crawl -
ors about a white man's body would
Pc enough to tickle him to death,
but the natives have them crawling
about for two months, a whole army
of them. Leaves are stuck upon
the body for the worms to feed up-
on, and .while they are feeding the
natives assist each other in placing
the food upon tam 'body so that the
tvorms will form the habit of going.
round and round while eatieg.
After a sufficient period of feeding,
quite naturally the worms want to
spin their cocoons. In this , how-
ever, they are prevented by the outer
shell being destroyed, because if it
formed it would spoil the silk. The
caterpillars do not know what to
make of this for a time, but event-
ually they conclude it isall right,
and , they begin, spinning the silk.
This end 'attained the native is de-
lighted, an.d they make the worms
crawl about them rapidly, spinning
the delicate silken thread as they go,
each 'worm spinning perhaps four
thousand yards, of shining filament
Round the neck, and chest, and arms
and legs they go, as though racing
each with the other, and presently
the work of the worm is over.
The transformation is complete.
From a naked savage, the native is
turned into a perfectlyclothed being,
with a garment of silk that in fit
and appearance would make hira
envied of every ballet dancer.
4
The ex-Qneen of Madagascar, who
is now in Paris, is a somewhat re-
markable woman, and some Years
ago -voluntarily *eat to the English -
missionaries. to be, educated. lier
Majesty, however, is a firm believer
in her native ,soothsayer, and it was
in consequency of his prophecy that
she was anxious to visit Paris. The
story is told by a young French of-
ficer, who was present, that, the
soothsayer—a native of the tribe of
black dwarfs known as the Tanalas--
predicted, some six years ago, that
a happy turn in her fortune would
date from her first visit to France.
The prophecy was uttered on the
very day that Antananarivo was'
taken, and only a few hours before.
the Queen was dethroned.
Out of an average annual' loss to
the world's shipping, of 2,172 vessels
94 are completely migsing a,m1 never
heard of again,
.10,0.0ectoetiotto4006,304440•04
About the House, •
•
r13,0,ZEN DA.INTIES.
To the casual observer who eats
Whatever is set before him, provided
it is good, asking no questions—the
difference between' sorbets, gx•anites,
frappes, sherbets and water ices
seems as inconsequential as that be
tW eel], tweoldeduill and', tweedledee.
To the initiated, however, there is a
considerable differentiation.
A water ice issimply a lemonade
or fruit juice and water frozen with-
out stirring. Motion interferes with
the clearness. A sherbet is a water
ice to which white of egg or gelatine
has been added to give it a creamy
consistency. a-lherbets should be
frozen more rapidly than ices.
,A sorbet is frozea more like water
ice, not so hard as a sherbet, and
usually has liquor added.
A frappe is siniPly a half frozen
ice. Its distinguishing characteris-
tic is mushiness. 11 liquor is added
to a frappe it becomes punch.. •
Granites are fruits or water ices
frozen without much motion and
with equal parts of salt and ice, so
as to ensure a granular texture.
'they are not frozert hard. Small
fruits or large preserved or caudied
fruits cut in small pieces may be
added, just long enough before serv-
ing to get thoroughly chilled,
A mousse is frothy mass-like cream
prcipaa'cct by freozing whipped cream
without stirring. It should be made
a number of hours before using and
packed in salt and ice, using a
'greater proportion of salt than for
ice cream.
VALUABLE RECIPES.
Almond Paste for Cakes.—Beat
the whites of three eggs to a stiff
froth; grind and pound very finely
one pound of best almonds, and add
to this one pound of caster sugar.
Lay the paste over the cake, and let
it dry in a slow oven.
To Clean a Leghorn Hat.—Stir
teaspoonful of powdered sulphur into
the juice of a lemon. Brush this
thoroughly into the hat with a tooth
brush, and when clean place it under
a tap and let the water run over to
free it fromthe sulphur. Dry- in the
air out of the sun. Brush over with
the white of an egg.
Mixing Salad. Dressing. -- Many
housekeepers complain of the trouble
they have in mixing the French dres-
sing. Put the ingredients (one
tablespoonful of vinegar, three table-
spoonfuls of oil, a saltspoonful of
salt and quarter that amount of
mustard) into, a bottle. Cork tight-
ly, then shake the bottle vigorously
for a few minutes, and you will have
a perfect emulsion. This is by far
the easiest way to mix the French
dressing.
Potted Beef.—Slice ' thinly two
pounds of thin, raw beef and beat
the slices with a rolling pin, sprinkle
over them about a teaspoonful of
powdered allspice, Pepper and salt
to taste and add a pinch of cayenne.
Leave the meat in a cold place with
the spices and turn it once or tWice.
Then place ia a jar and add only
just enough cold water to cook it.
Tie some paper over the top of the
jar, cover with a saucer, and cook
in a very slow oven all night. Let
the meat stand in the jar till cool,
then pound it to a paste, using a
little of the. gravy in. the process and
adding more seasoning if necessary.
Place the meat in small jars and
run a little melted butter over it,
This will keep for some time in a
cool place and when served may be
cut in thin, delicate slices with a
very sharp knife.
Mushroom Ketchup. --Take a peck
of fresh mushrooms and half a pound
of salt, place them in a deep pan in
layers with salt sprinkled between.
Let it stand six hours then break
up the mushrooms with a wooden
spoon and allow them to stand in
the cool for three Ola four days, stir-
ring daily. Ascertain as nearly as
possible the quantity of liquor there
will be when strained, and to each
quart allotv a quarter of an. ounce
of cayenne,half an ounce of allspice,
quarter -of an ounce of ginger, half a
.teaspoonful of powdered mace. Place
all in a jar, cover closely, place in a
saucepan of boiling water and boil
for three hours. Then pour the con-
tents of the jar into a saucepan and
boil slowly for half' an hour. Pour
the ketchup into a jug and strain in-
to small bottles for use. Do not
squeeze the mushrooms and be care-
ful to leave all the sediment in the
jug. Before corking the bottles and
covering them with sealing wax, add
a few drops of brandy to each. Ex-
amine the ketchup from time to time
to see that it is keeping well.
Should it ferment, boil it up again
with a few peppercorns.
WORTH KNOWING-.
Paint made with turoentine is a
better protection to iron work than
paint mixed with linseed oil.
For a refreshing bath dissolve a
tablespoonful of rock ammonia in it.
The water is ,thus made soft and in-
vigorating.
A little' vinegar put into a frying
pan and heated on the stove removes
the odor of onions or fish from the
utensil.
Lettuce for salad isgreatly im-
proved by being put In cold water
for- several hours before it is to be
prepared for the table.
;Soiled photographs may- be cleaned
by sponging with clear cold water.
The cardboard mounts may he clean-
ed by rubbing' with dry ,bread.
To cool butter in warm weather,
such as we are at present experienc-
ing, you will find the following a
good plan. Plunge jars containing
if to the neck in an airtight box
that has wet sand fitted closely
round the butter jars. Salt nia„y be
mixed with the sand with great ad-
vantage. Keep the sand wet with
plenty of cold water; a biscuit tin
is quite large enough to hold the
necessary jar.
To Clean Oil Paintings. ---Take some
old potatoes, and peel carefully. Af-
ter rubbing the potato over the
painting (with very little water) a
slice should be cut off and the rub -
Wag continued. ,4,.s you go on tho
lather should be wiped off with a
very clean, very soft, wet sponge.
When the whole surface has been
thoroughly rubbed, 'the painting
should be well washed with hake
warm water, and then rubbed with
cotton wool, which will remove all
dirt, Finally polish by gently rub-
bing with a silk handkerchief.
DISINFECTING A ROOM,
Sometimes a doctor orders a room
to be disinfected and if this is not
done properly it might as well not
be done at all. An exchange gives
the following directions: Soak tWO
teaspoonfuls of powdered guam traga-
canth in a pint of cold water for an
hour, then place the bowl in a pan-
ful of boiling water and stir fre-
quently until the gum is dissolved.
Have newspaper cut into strips about
two inches wide and paste six thick-
nesses together. Paste these over
the cracks of doors and windows,
leaving the door by which you leave
the room to be sealed after the
fumigator is lighted, lf there is -a
fireplace in the room, it must be cov-
ered with several thicknesses of
brown paper. The gum tragacanth
is easily washed off and does not
discolor either paint or woodwork.
EATING FRUITS.
Sickaess may be produced by irre-
gular and excessive use of fruits and
vegetables but there is no danger
when they are eaten in proper amount
Children are, ,as a rule, exceedingly
fond of fresh fruits and green vege-
tables, arid if they are allowed the
free and prudent use of wholesome
faints and, vegetables they will not
eat them in excess. The greatest
danger lies in eating these foods
when they are not in proper condi-
Select only those that are properly
grown and ripened and of the fresh-
est, otherwise they will excite dis-
ease. Never consider perishable
foods cheap which are not strictly
fresh and sound.
PERSONAL POINTERS.
Notes of Interest About Some of
the World's Great People.
Sir Squire Bancroft has, perhaps,
the most astonishing, menory among
actors. He is not only able to re-
peat any part he has ever acted, but
he can recall exactly when and where
he appeared in any of the hundreds
of characters he assumed while on
the stage.
Perhaps the only living explorer
who is equally familiar with the dark
places of 'Equatorial Africa and the
"Land of the Midnight Sun," is M.
Paul du Oliaillu. The mysterious
fascinationol the "Dark Continent"
hired him frOni an East African
-counting-house when he was quite a
young man, and he was away four
years, retura-Ing with a live gorilla
as trophy: 'Men he went far north,
and his faSbination of manner and
kindness ofheart won Win hundreds'
of friends.
Mr. Henry Richards, Worthenbury,
near Wrexham, England, a retired'
agriculturist, has attained his 102nd
birthday. When over ninety years
of age he sang in the Worthenbury
choir, and was probably at the time
the oldest chorister in the country.
In his 100th year he received a con-
gratulatory letter from the Queen.
His eldest son is about eighty years
of age and his youngest descendant
is but a few months old. There are
132 descendants of this grand old
man --namely,, 11 children, 66 grand-
children, 97 great-grandchildren, and
eight great -great-grandchildren. '
Earl Russell, whO during the last
ten years has had considerable ex-
perience in legal proceedings, is the
grandson of Lord John Russell, the
first Victorian Premier upon whom
Sir John Tenniel exercised, his pencil;
and great-grandson, therefore, df`the
sixth Duke of Bedford. The Earl,
who succeeded his grandfather in
1878, is 'unromantic in appearance:
A rather stolid, ruddy face th're-
deenaed -by smiling eyes' that look
out naildly from the shelter of gold -
rimmed. glasses. John Francis Sta-
ley possesses none of the ,,pratbrical
or literary qualities of his famous
grandfather, though he has spoken
once or twice in a modest way in the
House of Lords'.
A most exciting career has been
that of Sir Rudolf 'Slatin, better
known as Slatin Pasha. He left
Vienna, his birthplace, when a lad of
seventeen, to become a clerk in a
commercial house in Cairo, and six
years later came under the notice of
Gordon, who appointed him Gover-
nor of Darfur.- In this position he
became known as "The Hammer of
the Alltbs," owing to his many vic-
tories over the turbulent tribes, but
in 1883 he had to surrender to the
Mahdi. Then began an imprison-
ment that lasted till 1895, when, by
s,epret aid from the authorities at
Cairo, Slatin managed to , escape.'
The late Queen had Sir Rudolf at
Windsor several times to hear him
relate his adventures.
The Hon:" Walter Campbell; who
has just published a book of humor-
ous poem, 'illustrated 'by the prin-
cess"Louise, is said to be, one of tlie
best amateur reciters and Scotch
storyetellers ha Society. Always a
great favorite of the late Queen, he
would bring a smile to her lips at
every Moment with his quaint tales,
his imitations of the ' peasantry'
Ways and doings --copied first hand
from real life—their shrewd, canny
sayings and their homely mother
wit. One of his comic songs, says
Lady Violet Grenville, "Jean Jamie -
son's Bonnet," would send the most
stolid' of audiences into fits of
laughter. Ile has the quiet, sedate
manner, the right accent, and the
latent senae of humor which give the
true flavor to a Scotch story.
"A Woman'," said Mr. Plaaaitood,
"can't keep a secret." "Go on I"
said little Johnnie. "Tepacher kep'
ma working on a a•Totelled sum,
when. she might have- told me the
answer."
THINGS WORTH KNOWING.
BITS OF INFORMATION WHICH '
'YOU SHOULD READ.
raSeillatiI1 Facts About ,Almo
Everything Under the Sun.
One sailor in 256 is lost at sea.
In the eye of the State all religi-
ons are equal in Australia.
England is a creditor to the world
weightforrl:evecia0. r5u:0
sseC0il0sh0L1:0es0art0ai.irrin a ot h
d ita;
wheat.
Each year about $50,000 is ex-
pended in sand in English big towns
to prevent the horses from slipping.
The diamond if laid in the sun and
then carried, into a dark roona,
shows distinct phosphorescence..
It is estimated that the electrical,;
organ of a lively electric fish would
give a discharge of about '206 volts.
A Systematic count by State,s
shows that there were. ,2,583, -lynch-
ings in the United States during the
past sixteen years.
Ithas been estimated that jt will
require eighty-five men working ev-
ery day until 1947 to unearth the
entire ruins of Pompeii.
Probably the most extraordinary
journal in the world is published
weekly in Athens., It is written en-
tirely in verse, even the advertfsa,'
Meats.
A North Sea .cochnan carries an'
outfit of lines which extends' eight
miles in length, and has usually fix- 1,,
ed upon it -the amazing number of AP/
1,680 hooks, every one of which' •
inust'be baited,
In 1791 the secretary to the Turk-
ish Embassy in London shot an ar-
row against the wind the extraor-
dinary distance of .,,11.5 yards, and
back with the wind nearly fifty
yards further.
The tip of the tongue is chiefly
sensitive to pungent and acid tastes
the middle portion to sweets and
bitters, while the back is confined
entirely to the flavors of roast
meats and fatty substances.
Nearly 1,000,000 women in Spain
work in the field as day labore3s ;
350,000 women are registered as day
servants --- that is, they work for
their food and lodging. There is no
such class anywhere else.
Although volunteer enrolment has
never been extended to Ireland, 'yet
in the days when archery formed a
part of the defensive ;instruction of
the manhood of our nation the use
of the bow was, by law, taught to -
the men and youth of Erin.
Archery targets are 41 t. in diame-
ter, and have a gold spot in the een-
tre, surrounded by rings of red,1
blue, black and white, with a border'
of green. 'Every hit in the gold is
counted nine, in the red seven, in
the blue five, in the black three, and
in the white one.
The French military authorities
are considering the formation of six'
railway regiments. The Boer war
has shown the importance of rail-
way operations, and the new regi -a
ments will be recruited from railway
servants, who will be drilled in run-
ning trains, ,destroying and repair-
ing tracks, telegraphing and other
duties.
A curious tram line is that be-
tween Atami and Yoshilioma, :-two
coast towns in the province of Izle;
Japan. The line is seven miles long,
the rolling stock consists of a single
car, and the inotiVe power is fur-
nished by a couple of muscular coo-
lies, who actually' push_ the car along '
wherever power is necessary. When
the car conies to a down grade, they •
jump on and ride.
The yakamik, a species of crane, is
said to be one of the .mostinbelli-
gent birds known. The bird is used'
Py the natives of Venezuela, South
America, in -the place of shepherd
dogs, for guarding and herding
their flocks of sheep'. "It is said that
however far .the yakaanik may Wan-
der with the flocks, it never fails to
find its Way home at night, driving
before it all the creatures entrusted
to its care.
Tho visitor to the Falkland Ji•
lanais sees a- numner ot synat appear- •
to be weather-beaten, amoss-covered
boulders of various sizes 'scattered
here aed_. there. On attempting to
turn , one over, he is surprised' ta
find that, .it is anchored to the
ground by roots of great, strength,
These are not boulders --they ago
trees! No other place in the world
can show such a 'peculiarity of "for,
est." growth. The Falkland Island;
are exposed to a strong Polar wind,
which renders it impossible for trec:. r
to grow in the proper form; Nature
has consequently -adapted herself td
the prevailing conditions, and , pro.,
clamed this strange foien. of plant •
life. These "living stohes," as they
are called, are quite, devoid of
"grain," and it is next to impossi-
ble to cut them up and.. utilize them
for fuel.
COURTING SUNDAY
Throughout Holland the four Sint, eager
days in November are kept as fete Neag'
,days. ,.They are named severally
Review, Decision. Parches° and Pos-
session. On 'Review Sunday every-,
one goes to church, and after sela
viee there is a'church parade, when ,
all the young men and maidene look
at each other, but forbear speaking.,
On Decision Sunday each would -ba
benedict approaches the'maiden of
his choice with a ceremonious bow,
and from her response judges wheth-
er he is acceptable as a suitor or
not. On Purchase Sunday the con-
sent of parents and guardians ia
.sought, if the wooing during the
week has been happy. Possession
Sunday witnesses the first appear-
aiice of the various lovers before the
World as actual or prospective brides
and bridegrooMS.
Out of the 206 wooden vessels built
in British yards last year 1,47,, werA
under 600 tons. 'More than half
these were yachts.
-
The largest opal ' in the wort'
weighs 17 oz., worth $300,000 and
belongs to tke Enaperor of At:Istria!,
a