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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron News-Record, 1892-12-21, Page 7Ohrleienne Theatricals, A. . Ito.wlui #10 111010 i standins theta Dark) : herr some and debonair, • An 'hade hint be ggone with a lofty air, Wet leas part of the p1tU', erolnsahe.l and n•gown traria Franco arful•beauty ,did:oneh enhance; think she gave: hint oneawitt, aweet glance, that lead not in the play. s r . He Tenably seleed her dei nate wrist, "'Yon ateMine ad yp14 raad ppp a Iliiowe tevermissed!" But that peas prrt oe.the play. • Den voice rang out like a clear -toned hell, Mnil bLe lotttthed advances she did repel ; Taut he kissed her atter the curtain fell, daldthat.was net in the PlaY. QLL'S CHRISTMAS EYE xt.was bitter cold on the night before „Qhrl,trime in latitude Cr 30' north, longi. tilde• li0 , west. That lies just south of tha soathern extremity of the. Grand Banks of Newfoundland, and a wild, melancholy, un- ' 4asy part of the Atlantic Ocean it is at the • hest`of ` times. But on a Christmas eve, with th'e:wffid in the northwest, it is a home Of desglatien. The wind was northwesterly ' on that:: particular Christmas eve, and it was • blowing what landsmen would call' half a gale and aaeailor a brisk breeze. But the • gc od steamer "Astoria," from Liverpool to Nosy 'York, made no account of a wind which served only to increase the draft in bef•,fire-room, and to enable the engineer to. ,.egUeeze half a.dozen in.ore revolutions per minute but of the propeller. She was mak- 5tig a; fair nineteen and a half knots per lbur: When the cold spray came over the weather -bow like a discharge of shot made 'of ice, and slashed the face of the first of `far away up on the bridge, he only pulled • hceia cap down more tightly over his ears, `hanged the muffler higher around his neck, w;;:,'snuinted at the compass -card and gritted hiss teeth, for he realized that the mighty machine under his feet was letting the de- sgrees.of longitudedrop astern at a pace whielrproiniaed the steamship a splendid Winter record. "If the Captain had only laid the course 'to 'the nor'rard," he muttered, "we'd 'a' broken the record. I don't see wot he's a•b"itggaluggin' around here for as if we was `inthe middle o' summer, with ice on the :banks. Keep your eyes in the bowl, you !" The .last remark was addressed to the man at the wheel. I thought I seed summat w'en we riz to • the last sea, sir," said the man. •. - :`!See ! Ye couldn't see your grand - •mother's ghost on rich a night, lad. It's blabker'n the inside o' a cuttle-fish." 'It was black, and no mistake. Little Molly Ryan,who was among the poor steer- ^: age • passengers with her father and mother, wondered if the ship was sailing on the ocean or just on .darkness. Molly- ought hot to have " been on deck, and if any sailor had seen her she would have been quickly •.: ekit'below. But. she was such a little • body, and she huddled up so Closely under the- edge of the poop that no one discovered 'her. ' Itwas so gloomy and close in the 'steerage quarters, • and so many poor wo- ane were sick, that Molly had stolen �aw• -while her parents were dozing, to '!'oafle ' breath of fresh air. The cold wind -' e•"' If to pierce through her, but shewas s e 8 .",`fascinated by the darkuesa; and after a time 'elle climbed up and sat on the rail, looking atghostlyfoam a thef m e it hurled itself 1: , against the iron side and swept , hissing 'away under the quarter. Molly was in' freat danger; but she did not know it. She ancied she saw away down there in the -r. Black -and -white waters a beautiful Christ- mas tree and loaded with silver 'toys that came and went with the foam. .Molly hae never had a Christmas tree, but she had heard about thein, and her fondest hope was that some day she might see one. She leaned far out, looking down iutothe waters, and, of course, she could :;not know how close the bark "Mary Ellis" 'was. ',But the Mary Ellis was altogether too 'close. She was flying swiftly along, befa'be the wind, thundering down into the yawn- ing hollows that flung her bows aloft again with terrible force, and her course was diagonally across the bows of the steamer. 'Now the skipper of the Mary Ellis was a rough, mean man, and he was trying to save oil;'so hie side -lights were, not burning. But those of the steamers were, and the watch on the bark's deck ought to have seen them. But for some reason they did not. • So every moment the. two ships kept `drawing closer and closer together, and just AO the steward happened to catch sight of ,11io11y, and called to her to get down, there was a sudden outbreak of shouts forward. The first officer immediately called a Lewift order to the man at the wheel, then Sprang to the engine -room telegraph, and 'signaled the engineer to stop. A.few seconds later there was a jar, a noise of rending wood, and the Astoria Struck the Mary Ellis a glancing blow on : �. tea• ;"h.4 rs COMING CLOSER AND CLOSER TOGETHER. her port quarter, carrying away a part of her bulwarks. At the same instant Molly n fell off the Astoria's rail into the sea. Man overboard !" screamed the steward, I reached the spot just a moment too catch to c her. But it takes a long time to stop a steamer ,going nearly twenty knots an hour, and by the time that the first boat was lowered, the Astoria was far beyond the spot where • Molly went over. Fortunately for Molly, when she came to the surface half strangled, her little hands sti+iick something hard which floated. With the strength of despair she climbed upon it. xt Fuss the part of the Mary Ellis's bul- s'varks knocked off in tbe collision. Still More fortunately for Molly, the captain of the bark, rushing on dock and hearing thu cry, "Man overboard," thought tthat the words came from some one on kiss own vessel, and ordered one of his boats lowered away. Groping -in the black. ' i ae Odd the tumbling water evii,tlroleo#' : Iii* bog found :lolly,,a i took her aborted lila b1r. "WO 1"" a claimed the oaiptafn1 •""only a e O FYa All' WI aka.b 1 r x so a.of "ou. . seely lofked after",•"t m ' # ' ^, u" ,tAnd:baviag. rita(la euro that the. ballr.was not ty,orrioual ' 144ulred, hie ratuxued to his cabin to alee�, " , . "3�V'a1,11'au'some,"" ,said a fang, loan' sea' , magi, with tt puittted beard, who looped for all thewol'la 'tilts a Conneotiol b farmer, "%Pot ye gain" to dew with Ter wreckage! now, /0 got her 1" , "Thaw her out," fin,id !'I3attdsome;'t as he was called, carrying 'Molly into the galley, The sailors fell into a genore1 •aliseession ae to how Molly should .be ,treated, for the pool' little thing utas quite unconscious, and ' her clothes were freezing on her, However,, after a while elle was undressed, properly and gently "thawed out," and put to bed. The stlilor ,called Handsome mixed, a warm drink and pour- ed it between her teeth. She gave a little gasp; opened her eyes, and gazed around. Oh, eho in ttored, there isn't any Chriatmae tree after all." And with that she fainted away 'u alit. The sailors looked at one another in solemn silence, till finally one said, in a deep base voice : "Well, if she hasn't a•'untin' for trees on the so'therly end o' the Grand Banks I" " Wel, that's wot s1le'41 a-lookin' fur, au' that's wob die's a-goin' fur to get," said Handsome, slapping one huge fist into the other ; and then he and the other seamen sat down under the fore- castle lamp and conversed earnestly in low tones, After several minutes of talk they all arose, and Farmer toe said : J • "HANDSOME.,' CHRISTMAS TRE::. "Han'soi»e, ,xeou air consid'ble peert w'en yeou re peert. But there 's no tine to lose. We must get to work- right away." While the rough sailors were at work, little Molly passed from a state of uncon- sciousness to one of sleep. The big seamen took turns in watching over her. It was not a pretty bedroom that Molly had that night, It was dark.and dingy, and full of weird noises and groaning timbers. A swinging lantern threw changeful shadows into all the corners, and showed some very rude bunks,in which several sailors off watch were•frying to snatch a brief rest. Just behind those bunks against the stout sides of the bark the seas burst in blooming shocks, and ever •and anon there was a noise of falling water overhead. Up and away the bows would soar and then plunge down again with a sickening rush into the tur- moil of foam. But of course the sailors thought nothing of all these things. The forecastle was their home, and they were long ago hardened to ite sights and sounds. In spite of everything,. Molly slept quiet soundly, wrapped in a rough blanket and with a pea -jacket spread over her shoulders, while Hand- some and the other` sailors were at work with a boathook, some small pieces of wood, oakum, and green paint. Whatever it was that they were making, it was strange enough to look at ; but their hearts were in ' their work, and ttiey conversed earnestly in low tones. At last it was finished and set up in a bucket close against the bulk- head. where the lantern shed its fitful light full upon it. " 'IS N'T THAT A CIITISTMAS TREE ?' "Werry good, too," said Handsome, gaz- ing at it ; "but it won't do unless it's got somethin' onto it." And then those sailor -men went rummag- ing in their chests, and as they had been voyagers in all parts of the globe, they brought forth some curious toys to put upon the wondrous Christmas tree which they had made. Handsome contributed three large shells from the Indian Ocean, a dried mermaid, and a small Hindoo god which answered very well for a dolly. Another produced a South African dagger, Chinese puzzle, and three brass nose -rings from a South Pacific island. Farmer Joe brought out a stuffed marmoset, an Indian amulet, and a tintype likeness of himself. A fourth sailor fished out of his chest a beautiful India silk handkerchief and a string of coral. Handsome gravely hung them on the Christmas tree. When all was done, he stepped back and studied the effect. "Werry good, too," he said. "Yas," said Farmer Joe ; "I guess yeou couldn't get any such tree as that to haeme," At six o'clock on Christmas morning Molly awoke. It was still dark, and the lantern's light was but dim. The sailors were huddled back ,_ in the corner farthest from their wonderful Christmas tree, which was set where the child's eyes were most likely to fall on it as aeon as she eat up in her bunk. So when Molly awoke she did sit up and stare straight in front of her with sleepy eyes, o'rytug to collect 'her thought* and, .make out 'where site >i s. s rochni rhe booms ottsolous of ;the, .tree. Ilier eyes" .opened wider and wider. She • almost ceased to breathe for u..few lnutltents. Then `sudden - IT she clasped her hands together and, with a little ceresin of delight, cried �oyotioly >1 t"•V11llyt. it 'a It Christina*? tree 1'" The eailora nudged one another, ands Handsome could not restrain a' cltaeltte. 'Dolly heard, and looked around at thew A uxzled expression oame over ,her face, and she studied het' surroundings fair ,a minute. ' "Iaf't that a Chi'istnias tree r, she asked,' "That'swet it is 1" cdccl I';nglieh ; ('at1' we. a ,leo is Santa Qiduaes. , fr`Ph 1" exclaims4 Dolly; ;"'wliut funny, "Santa C1aue the Highwayman", IIs "hold! up" the Lather of the family every .Christ - MU. Santa Clauses 1 I always thought there'was only one." - "Well, aboard this 'ere bark there is several." . "And oh !" cried Molly, clapping her hands and jumping out of the bunk, "what a lot of funny things I've got for my Christ. mas 1, 1 never got much before. But I think I'd rather have my father and mother, please." And then she looked as if she were abort to cry. "Don't go fer to cry." said Handsome, "an' I'll sing ye a song." "Oh, you aro a nice Santa Claus !" cried Molly, brightening up. "All the rest o' you Santa Clauses jine in the chor-i-us," said Handsome, standing up and taking a hitch at his trousers. Then he sang ; • Oh, the cook he 'a at the binnacle, The captain 's in the gallery, An' the mate he 's at the foretop, Wi' Sally -in our alley : An' the steward 'a on the bobetay, ' A-fishiu' hard ler sole : The wind is up an' down the mast; So roll, boys, roll. "Crura -vs." Roll, boys, roll, boys ! Never mind the weather, No matter how the wind blows, We'll all get there together. Oh, the ca stain couldn't steer a ship, Because he was a Lasear: The cook he had to show the way From France to Madagascar ; The ship she couldn't carry sail, 'ieoause she had no ricgm' ; The crew they had to live on °tants,— 'Twas werry deep ter diggin'. Roll, boys, roll, boys ! eto. The cook says : "Let the anchors go!" The crew says: "We ain't got 'em." The captain yells : "Then pack yer trunks Well all go to the bottom." The steward hove the lead, sirs, 'Twas three feet deep, no more ; So every mother's son of us Got up and walked ashore. Moll, boys, roll, boys ! eto. The land was full o' cannibals, W'ich trade it interestin'. We told 'em not to eat us, ter Wo was sich bad digestin'. The kin comes down to see us, An' he spots a paper collar ; An' he says if we '11 clear out o' Out, He 'II give us half a dollar. Ro11, boys, roll, boys ! eto. So we fells an ink rubber tree, , An' makes a big canoe, Abont the shape and pattern Of a number twenty shoe ; The cook he draws a sextant, .. An' the captain draws his pistol One shoes the sun, an' one the king, An' off we goes fer Bristol. Roll, boys, roll, boys, eto. • An' new we 're sate ashore again, 1 We 'ix goin' fer to stay. There 's grub to eat, an' grog for aa, An' wages good to pay, I '11 cross my legs upon a stool, An' never be a saflor ; I'd rather be a butcher, or a Baker, or a tailor. Roll, boys, roll, boys Never mind the weather : No matter how the wind blows. We '11 all get there together. At the end of the song, all the seamen rtood up, joined hands, and danced around, roaring out what Handsome called the "chorius," in such tremendous voices that the captain, who had come on dock, ran to the forecastle hatch to see what was going on. He dropped down ainong Ws men so suddenly that they all paused in silence, expecting an outbreak of anger. But the captain slowly realized the meaning of the scene upon which he had intruded, and said : "All right, lads; amuse her and take good care of her. And when we get to New York I'll make it my business to find her father." He was as good as his word, and in due• time •Molly was placed in the hands of her parents, , who had been mourning her as dead. It was a joyous reunion, you maybe sure. But all the rest of her life Molly re- membered her strange Christmas eve at sea, and her wonderful Christmas tree. That Would Not Suit. "Let's be married on Christmas, darling," said the impetuous young lover, after Miss Fosdick had said yes. "No, indeed 1" replied the far-sighted young girl. "I'd lose one set of presents." The Proper Greeting- Margurito-1 hear you are to be married' on the twenty-fifth of December? Carolyn (with a blush)—Yes. Margurite—Then let me wish you a marry Christmas." "I mustgo to the Woman's Gymnasium and learn Boxing and Wrestling." d "What for, dear '1" "To get in training for the Christmas shopping." Wilkins litemombers His Cook. "Mary," said Mr. Wilkins to his cook, "you have been a good and faithful servant to me, and I intend you shall be rewarded now that Christmas has come. You may use the telephone for ton minutes every Saturday afternoon during .the holidays." and aimagasiO01F bewailing the'taurde)t eV toil and avor'ry?andexpense, in the, ptomains and tnakin$, or jlurobasing :gI • Christmas Preis* arta, "Krienlias gifts we Culled thorn when x akl'ae at boy, lit .aidla't, n,9d•doltcfi"t Moto snitch re11nerneiit of onttltro is ,Gho :spotting .atad•tbe situtxd thereat flat .the. • • • Raitging up .our staokings,when x was a boy was not he hollow farce whish f t a low 15. There were fireplaoee by which stock' lugs could be hung up. TO hang a wilco, tion of stockings of assorted sises aroupd a black' Arid cheerlcse register, emelling.of sulphur from a defective heater, is a pre, fanatical, And hanging them in trent of a- cold and clammy steam radiator should be pgoliibited by law, It teetls to make chil- dren skeptical and atheistiot, In. the older days Kris Tringle had a broad chimney to come down, and' fireplace•es ;big as a store )"lox to jump out of. There was a mantel, piece like unto a sideboard, from which the stockings depended. Sometimes, if a long stocking wore hung in the middle, insecure- ly held'by a pin, the draft would draw it partly into the fireplace during the night. Then the wliole fancily would' be aroused, and we would. go shuffling about the house, like so many shivering phantoms, hunting for the fire. The old-fashioned fireplace had more drawbacks than the bank -log. As a rule, the bigger tbe fireplace the colder the room. All the heat that could be drawn from every room in the houeo went up the big sitting room chimney. Eternal summer must have lingered somewhere up in that great stack. Those old fireplaces were splendid things in which' to roast apples. And the soles of your bare feet. You could hold your feet out before the glowing fire until they curled up and warped and crinkled with intense heat. And by the time you got then to bed they were cold aa blocks of marble, Your feet, that is. Not the apples. You didn't take them to bed, You took long strides and walked cut your heels to keep them warm], That is, your feet. They filled the room with a grateful flavor when they began to sizile. Tho apples did, The old.fashior-ed fire -place "Was no less romantic and interesting in the summer time, when it was. enclosed with a light paper screen. When a child, rompingabout the ronin, fell up against that pictured . screen, and wont plunging and screaming right through the Lake of Como, those placid waters never regained their pristine placidity. Even when the artist of the family restored the picture, by pasting its shattered edges together, and coloring them with laundry bluing, the scene of the trage- dy was emphasized in a manner too ghastly to contemplate. The tragedy always followed the act of breaking through the lake. The drowning, indeed, was looped upon as a sort of comedy, and was highly enjoyed by tri the bystanders, until the Life Guard, armed only with her slipper, rescued the survivor.of the wreck. Then any person under the age of fifteen, who had any tears on hand that h t were 4tbout ripe enough to shod, could find a ready market for the en- tire crop as fast as the shedder could turn hem out. Most of the Christmas presents in those days were designed by the manufacturers for the hanging stocking. Anything too big to go into a stocking had to go over to somebody's birthday. In any family where there was more than one child, the old re- liable "Noah's Ark" was always looked for. We hailed, with acclamations of astonished recognition, Noah and Mrs. Noah, Messieurs and Mesdames Shen], Ham and Japhet. There. was no way of telling the men and women apart ; they were exactly alike ; but the elephant and giraffe you could dis- tinguish at a glance, on account of the spots on the giraffe. So also the dog and the cow ; because the cow was always white and blue, while the dog was invariably plain blue. Within twenty-four hours after the landing on Ararat, the baby would have all the paint sucked off Shem, Ham and the hired man, and the doctor would he sent for. He told us, once a year, returning with the breathless messenger. to keep the candy out of the baby's reach, and let it wean itself on the rest of the antediluvians if it found them to its liking. The red monkey climbing a red stick was another regular Christmas visitor. Ho was highly esteemed as a light luncheon by the baby. It never seemed to affect the infant unpleasantly, to himself that is : although the cloudyi symphony hon • in red n andblue y p 3 Fl bout nis innocent mouth was apt to make the be-' holder shiver. But it made the monkey ' look sick. Then there was a soldier on a box, with a•major•goneral'a uniform,beatinc a drum. You tarn a crank, the general lifted his sticks high in the air, and some- , thing in the box male a noise as mach like a drum as a peal of thunder is like a pic- colo. These things as toys were of no great people who trade thein .didn't rash into the paper's to tell how nuo`h it cost them, and how tired to death it made thein, and ,how g1ad they^ worst 00.4 was all over for an.'other year: But last year and the year be- fore, read'snoh articles fn pprint,v • Oct did you, Wherefore at seems to ma" that. we hilted Kris Kringle, u all centttry tooeoon, We have more Curran s it; our Chrletmas cake Under thereign o f Santa Claus, it le true. But we have also more flies Robert T. Burdett() in Ladies' Homo Journal, THE FIRST TEARS" He was tall and rough -looking, and moved along the crowded streets with the heavy, awkward gait• of a hard-working roan. The ill-fitting ready-made clothes he wore contrasted strangely with his intelli- gent face, to which the stern lines of a aor- sow born with manliness gave additional dignity. There was a narrow band of crape around itis hat. A stout old lady ran against him at the street corner arid dropped an armful of bundles and packages. He assisted her in picking them up, tlAhl as he handed her the last one, through the torn wrapping paper whereof protruded the bead and an arm of;a cheap doll, his ho,m,d trembled. The red-faced woman was busy catching her breath, and hurried on without thank- ing him for his teouble. Slight es the irteident was, it reminded him that it was neat Christmas time. The corners of his mouth began ' to twitch. Last year ho had bought presents, as did thousands who were flurrying hither null, thither like ants. Last year he had proudlp iaid a heat gray shawl ...on the Cbi iot. ,as imlrle, and had pinned to it a little card whereon the ship- ping clerk of the factory, who wrote a nice, flourishing hand, hail written for him, "To my good wife, Mary." And besides this he had placed the doll and a pair of warm mittens and a picture book for their little girl. - And then he thought of the two bright tears of joy that had sparkled in his wife's eyes when, after her first pleased surprise, she had turned around, and laying her arms around his neck, had called him, amid smiles and sobs, her "dear, silly old Dick." But Mary and the curly-haired tot that had danced so gleefully around last year's Christmas tree were sleeping side by side out in the silent God's acro. There arose before him the vision of a gray November day, a pitifully short funeral procession, a hurried service by the minister over two plain coffins, and then the awful thud, thud of the earth heaped upon dust that had returned to dust. A big lump rose in his threat, but his eyes stared tearlessly before him. A servant girl leading two children pass- ed by him. The little ones prattled baby talk in the high key common among chil- dren, and loud enough for the bereaved workman to hear. Like the echo of an old Bong the notes fell upon his ear, pleasing and yet so immeasur- ably sad to him. Ah, if he could give vent to his grief— could weep a single tear ! Mechanically he entered one of the large stores, and without knowing how he came there he found himself in front of .the ver counter where last year he had bought the doll for his little daughter. From those displayed he now selected the largest and most elaborately dressed one. He knew not, nor thought he, what to de with it, except that he had an indistinct idea of placing it upon the child's grave on Christmas Day. The clerk, a sharp, businesslike young , woman 'with glasses on her tip -tilted nose, looked dubiously from the expensive pur- chase to the poorly dressed customer, and ventured to say . "This is six dollars. Do you really want to buy it ?" In answer he handed her a ten -dollar bill. She gave the doll to a little cash girl, who admiringly smoothed down the silken dress and flaxen hair with affectionate ten- derness, while the clerk made out the cash Blip. The man looked down upon the little one and asked : "Say. sissy, wouldn't you like to have a doll like that?" • Shealooked up at him quickly with an ex- pression that began with enthusiasm and joy, and finished with tearful eyes and a half -sob, for she thought he was making fun of her. She scampered away, and presently re- turned with neatly wrapped parcel and with the change. The customer carefully placed the money in his purse, and then, as he turned toward the Stairway, he dumped the doll into the arms of the astonished little girl, hurriedly said, "Here, sissy, here's your Christmas," I and walked rapidly away. When the little girl had sufficiently re- covered from her surprise she ran after him i and .caught him on the stairs. She had the advantage over him in being i two steps above him, and so put her little arms affectionately around his neck, and as he turned she kissed him squarely on the mouth. He took her face in both his hands, look. ed for a moment straight into her blue eyes that sparkled with delight and gratitude, and kissed her on each cheek. As he walked away the tears flowed from his eves for the first time since Nary and the baby had died. value, but as practical and useful object lessons they were beyond all price, on the minus side. It seems to me—and it isn't my fault that the sunset is fairer and lovelier than the sunrise—that there was something more Christmassy abort Christmas when I was a boy. Its pleasures were simpler, its gifts were cheaper land heartier. At least, I cannot remember to have read, save in these later years, articles in family journals Their Christmas Gifts. "I thought it better to got yon something useful," said Mr Dossill to his wife, "so I have bought you a couple of good brooms for your Christmas present." "That was very thoughtful of you, my dear," replied Mrs. 1)ossill. "I share your ideas, and have '°ought you a good strong coal -scuttle for you to carry up fuel from the cellar in." THE WORLD Q LAB, RCHQXS F'RQM'Tile BUSY 1411,10, ANCA "TH§ W9111014 9P??, ,1V'aw.k and Illeppentnem off 8peoiAf' Ifteresc 1n the 'i'griens Elelldi Where the Mt' .cltaillo Artisan Jlo1i1 nr'.4 Ila.'" , Paris has tlld la1`geet sewers, A stearal dynamo is the lutost,. There are 110000 *Testes of plaitth . nl Sam:'has..s,OQO poslmiistressea, There are,,,17,000 stylce of silly goods,. London. -has ;fifty miles of pneuln4tin. tubes, Indelible ink is made from banana "juige, 1'arie has a 41 foot k inch long baro, meter. In New York oity dwell 800 Arinenfans. The world ,has 33 magnetic observateries.. Smokers now have an eleotrio cigar lighter. • The Uniow1 aoifioRoad cost $198,778 per mile. Telephone receivers have pneumatic cushions. St. Louis street cars are.to carry the oity mails. Georgia taxes every cigarette seller $200 a year. Stone bridges were built in China 2,900 years ago, Paris gardeners use toads as insect exter- minators. Calcheell, N.C., has produced an 8 -pound potato, Mexico exported 43,750,000 pounds of coffee last year. In India the Government rune the opium business. Paris hopes to secure its water supply from Switzerland, A colored woman controls the ice trade in St. John's, N.B. One of the New York weekly papers f» run by a woman. Consolidation of the lead and oil interests is contemplated. The London sewage -tit carried 14 miles down the Thames River: Ten. horse plows shovel snow from NIA (Jiaider, Chinesehysicians prescribe eats west as a remedy forplung disbases. Clocks were worn as ear pendants in Ger- many in the days. of Charles V. A Dunkirk locomotive company conduct a training school for mechanics. There are 80 miles of tunnels in Great Britain, their total cost exceeding L6,500,- 000. A ship canal '60 miles long is to be built to get around the falls of the Columbia River. The Croton aqueduct in New York sur- passes all modern engineering efforts of this kind. The damage to wheat and oats in Michigan by smut this year is estimated at $1,000,000. The production of distilled spirits of all kinds in this country last year was 117,186, 114 gallons. A New Hampshire man has invented a machine that trims and punches belts in one operation. A block of marble 15 feet long, 5 feet 4 inches wide and six feet thick bas just been quarried in California. The engineers of San Francisco propose to supply that city with water from Lake Taooe, 150 miles distant. In manufacturing occupations the aver- age life of soap -boilers is the highest, g pand that of grindstone -makers the lowest. Owing to the contractions of the iron of which it is built, the Eiffel Tower is 8 inch- es shorter in summer than in winter. Most heavy tunnel work is done 1y ma- chine drills, driven by compressed air, which also serves to ventilate the works. Jonesboro, Ga., has a resident, who, it is reported, has only spent $8 in the past six years for clothes. - He is said to be Worth over $10,000. The fleeces of ten goats and the work of several inen for half a year are required to make a genuine cashmere shawl a yard and a half wide. Of the whole length of the Suez Canal, 6G miles are cuttings, 14 have been trade by dredging through the lakes and eight miles required no labor. The celebrated high electric light mast at Minneapolis, which is 237 feet high,is prov- ed ineffective for lighting purposes and is now no longer used. Some of the English pumping engines per- form work equaling the raising of 120,000,- 000 pounds else toot high by the consump- tion of 100 -weight of coal. • In a shingle trill at Gray's Harbor,Wash., recently, the entire works were kept ren- ning all day on a single cedar stick, which made 188,500 shingles. Stenography was first used in the French Parliament about the year 1830, and one of the few official stenographers of that period still surviving is M. Lagache, now a Sena- tor of France. In China the cobbler still goes from house to house, announcing his approach with a rattle, and taking up his abode with the family while he accomplishes the necessary making and mending. A magnet at Wyillett's Point Long Island, is considered the largest and. strongest in the world. It it made of two 15 -inch Dahi- gren guns,wonnd around with eight miles of cable charged with electricity. According to the international telegraph bureau of Berne, there were dispatchedln Europe during last year 207,595,000 tole - grants, and in the remaining portion of the world 85,422,000, a totaliot 206,017,000. Tho $.1,000 presented by the German Em- peror for the advancement of aerial naviga- tion is to be used for the construction of a large balloon, with which it is proposed to make. weekly ascents during the year for scientific observations. Count Tolstoi purposes paying a visit to the United States next spring. His object is "to live with the farmers, to !study their methods of agriculture and stock raising, to become acquainted with the people of America who cultivate the soil." The largest vessel vet built on the Weir, , England, said to -be •e . ing the gt. test cargo vessel itt the world, was successfully launch- ed last month. The vessel, which is built of steel, is .9;5 feet long, 52 feet breadth and 30 feet depth, has a gross register of 0400 tons, drad(veieht caa'eity of 9250 tons on 25. feet drought, an,f gross displacement of 13,600 tons. The engines will drive the vessel when fully loaded a speed of 10i kno as. The Iariori ('"it rtenu s, At dimer recently an old fogy had been hurrying the comp wv with ,, ,i: c1 and un- pleasant remarks aoon1 n;tture1 history. At length. hi that peculiar tow! of voice in which then rylett Linc -t1,, 5 arc tittered in the pa:pit, the logy s,,,i : ":I:Ls an oyster brains't "Certainly," realtc,l the haat "for an oyster knows when to dun. up," 0 r' -i