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Exeter Times, 1897-4-8, Page 6Granny Was Oozing over sus erapta ; old woman, their light-hearted alt- ta.nce in the game of life. head twitobed. She beaved. up her They danced down the avenue like e,yelich with an effort. a pair a overgrown fairies, but in "AY, *deed L warrra oot their faces was a prettier vehemence bY?" shit enewereet. than is ever seen. in the tra.nquil aimo- ealae, ,waaereeaa. fine 1 Rae ye „ s,phere fairyland. Blue -eye& long- ' legged Ethel's brows were puokered licet yer firer under the hood of her scarlet eloak, "Ou ay; though I kerma' hoo lang and sturdy little Katheleext's black 111 hae GOY coal for'a They're slienize eye.; burned with tlae intensity a the matt some gait 4,0 ye for a dreate,„ purpose that lay belaind. them. Poor da" ad Granny! Disaster was marching "I had. thoohts a't." towards her in eix-inch strides as she "Come ben for yer light, then." 1. sat in the sunshine stoking the heart Nero, of Danny's cherished dottle. Danny arose without straightening , himself, and, subduing the twinkle in ; neenereoeh i31 his- 231°st astable 13193a` along in, front o1. the tWu1S. his manning eyes, entered Granny's I His great tongue lolled, out at the side h:o,spitable abode. He knew that ' of his black muzzle, and the ponderous Granny 'would expect a draw for tie muscles bulged, under his skin Be he lunged up the banks or leapt around light. but he mea,nt to get 5emettkiug the tveine like a real kitten ramping in else out a her an a makeweight to the a toy world.. bargain. "Mind, Katby," said Ethel, trying to Upon the invitation of the oldlady's frown "It MUSt be this tirae It's not right frown, Granny,thould go 'about al - blink at the fire, Danny thurst callous war; with such a dirty face. She's old fillgers into the embers and. extracting enough to know better." a. live coal, set it int the bowl of his pipe. The fragrant smolee drifted towards Granny's nostrils. She weed her head. to and fro in it, and. Danny csould see that. she was rising eagerly to the bait. "Hae ye bad. yer parritola?" she asked, in the unexpected way peculiar to leer. Her remarks were as expres- sionless sometimes as those of a. raeohanical doll. "I've had my cogfu', gey thin," ad- mitted Danny, reauetantly. "Could ye scrape a pat?" "Bravely. I'm sharp -set, wunenien, thee morn." Granny went to the sink for thepor- ridge-pot end brought it to Danny, with, a horn spoon. He put, his pipe on the chimney -piece, and. scraped till Granny began to be Afraid for the bot- tom of her pot. She was blinking eagerly at the pipe, but Danny feigned not to know What was in her heart. He meant to fiaish off his repast with a. cup of tea, and Granny was keeping the second draning for her own mid- day meal. "I'd best baud. the pipe in the ye're ready," she suggested, reaching up a trembling hand to the elaimney-piece. "Thenk ye," Danny ietterposed, throwing the sppou into the pot, and clutching his pipe, "I'm just dune, an' It's no oot yd." He puffed. till the thick yellow smoke flew from his lips, "I'll gang oot by," he added; "I like the smell o't in the miler air." Granny acknowledged that she was beaten. "1 wader'. mind. a draw o' the pipe maeel," she said. "Weal, if ye're roma by the back I'll maybe see ye," was DanaY's &Pio- matio re,ply. Granny felt that she had wasted her porridge on the desert air. She dis- sembled the wrath that was in her. but made up her mind savagely to naake Danny pay to the last suck of hUs pipe far the cup of tea which she was forced. to offer aim. "Wad ye no' like a cup o' tea," she said. civilly ; "the kettles on the bile, could mask it in taw meenits." Denny ensiled. all over. "Dod, wununan," no answered, "it wad. tak' the stour oot o' ma thrapple fine, I'm rad obleeged to ye for the offer." "An' ye gie roe a draw o' the pipe whiles ye're takin'tr "Ou, ayl Ou, ay 1 Ye're welcome tee a bit draw, Granny." The bargain, was struck, but both diplosnats had still a mons in hand. Danny puffed. for dear life to get as muoh out of the pipe as possible before it left his hands. ale knew the tenac- ity of the old woman, who had once smoked his dottle out, a, feat onevrould scarce have thought she had. breath enough to perform. But Granny was quite alive to this move of her adversary, and took promp.t measures to checkmate it. At lead the time that one of her own sleepy eyelids took to twiekle in .the had. poured hot water into the teapot and out again into the oup. She knew that Danny liked his tea hot, and would give up the pipe rather than see it cooling under his nese; and, sure tleaeup by tae side of the fire. Her iproeth was a move of sinister impor- enbagh, with a. laeavy sigh and a 1.si that if she could chance afterwards long -drawn inhalation, he put the pipe to catch sight of herself ia the cracked Into her eager hands, and busied him- mirror on the chimney -piece, the would self with the scalding tea. probably die of fright. While they Granny closed her lips upon the talked, Granby woke up suddenly, like shank as if she had. been an AuntSally a dead person coming to life, and cried angrily .— "Ma pipe? Whaur's ma pipe V" "Danny caught it as it fell," said Ethel. "The black -hearted auld thief 1 San - tan choke 'm 1 Tilers was a dizzen draws int yet," and again Granny fell softly asleep, her heacl hapigen.g over on one side, looking a,s if it. miglat drop off at any moment. tbsough this snap- pin,g of the frail link of neck that held it ou her shouldere. Granny sleeping with her mouth firain mair open, her eyelids blinking, and her "era if s'e kvirtes again, Effie/ "I dont believe it hurt.; grawn-up people to cry. It doe,s them good." "If it 'met tum off, wag% 'oo do7 "Oh, butt it will. I'll make it. Have you got tale soap and the flannel?" "Vef, an ve Lacey. Mind, I'm to give vat to Danny.' "I know what do with Granny's half -sovereign. 111 put it where $he can see it vixen we're sorubbin.g her. She won't ery then." "W'ot'll 'oo do, nine, ii e'e; dies?" "Drown mrself in the quarry, that'd all." They were passing the dismal hole/ Kathy Peeped through the brambles and her feelings overcame her, She .stood still Wad, wept aloud. Nero dashed up and began to bark in fero- clew; sympathy. But the power of' Ethel's will was equal to the occasion. She caught Kathy's hand, and began to run. Thus, with Nero dashing on in+ front and barking as if he wouldrak a mouthful of the world, the expeditioni debouohed in a whirl of excited feeling, upon the main road where Granny sat serenely smoking with Dannya angry eyes fixed upon her face. Nero, at once concluding that the oc- casion of Ins young mistress's tears was the presence in the world of this bad old woraen rushed at her open- mouthed as if the moment had come when he must make a meal of her in- iquity. Granny did not know how gentlenea,nly a dog he was when off t,he chain. She only knew that her =aural enemy had taken her una- wares. The pipe dropped from her mouth, and Danny caught it as it fell. She rate to her feat and advanced un- dauntedly upon Nero with her skinny fingers extended like the claws of a cat. The dog stopped so suddenaY in his mad career, that he sank upon his haunches in the middle of the road. He could not turn at once, and before he recovered full cootrol a his mind and musoles th.e old woman's fingers were almost at his muzzle. He backed slowly, growling and, baring his teeth in nervou.s excitement, and, having gained detente enough to turn in, whisked roun.d suddenly and fled as if the devil were after him. And indeed granny, her mummy -like face con- torted with passion, mowing and mouthing, and threatening the crea- ture with. her shrivealed claws, was a. sufficiently terrifying object to justify his flight. But when Ethel and Kathleen came running up to her, crestfallen Nero slinking far in the rear, Granny's ex- citement had rassed away. "Eh, deary me," she peghed, leaning on Ethelts shoulder, "that dug's no canny. Ma strenth's no what it was, but him or me'll be the veaur o't some day.. "Itm so sorry he frightened You." said Ethel soothingly. Granny's face showed a fine con- tempt, "Him friobt me. Na., na, hinny, but I canna' thole the brute." "Go home, you bad dog," cried Ethel, stamping her foot angrily at poor Nero, whose eyes were full of sad reproach, and who yet would not leave k9 yelling mistresses in such deadly peril, but went and sat afar off, and watched the door of the cottage with an aching heart. Granny sank into her armchair and struggled for breath, the whole meth- ane= of eact respiration visible in the workings of the sinews of her lean throat. When her lungs had ceased to strain and labor. Granny's bleached eyelids began to droop wearily over her dull eyes, and to Ethel's consterna- tion; she seemed about to go to sleep peacefully in the presence of her vis- itors. This was disconcerting to the twine, who constulted together in whis- per; as to the possibility of washing her face while she slept, but decided THE EXETER TIMES Ithe ?ea:de-hate ,Diulna Itawful' breakvrastrythegaitla About the House. emir, aearm. 's ." But leb,e deed was done, and -While the flame% leapt under the kettle. Ethel moved over to the window, HINTS FOR YOUNG HOUSEWIVES. "Why, Granny," she cried. "there's heap.; of coal in your shed." "Na, nee juist twit, three bitties, an' vella kensif they'll be there the morn? Come here tae I whisper in Yer ear. Ian feseat for ma life to speak oot laud." Ethel daubed over to her chair, and into an ear like a little pink shell Granny poured the tragio seorete— "Danny steals me coal l" "Oh, no, no." proteeted Ethel, "Danny wouldn't do such a thing," "Tben vrlaaur does it gang?" oried the old woman tritunpleantly. "Why, your fire is never out, Granny, night or day." "Ma fire I No muckle o' it gangs an me fire. But Pll catah ara yet. He's no dune wa me." "Now, Granny, don't excite yourself. When you've taken this nice soup. Kathy and me are going to wash your band; and face, and make yen/pretty and. clean." Granny's expression fell from the A Ten Shilling Tragedy ad height of passion into the depth of ab- ject deeper. "I can= thole wetter on ma skin." she whined piteously. "It'll soon be over," Ethel said, coax- ingly. " get ma dalth o' cold," moaned. Granny. "What, with warm, water?" "It's no tbe waehilre but the win' blaws cauld on a clean skin." "Nonsense, you old silly, Andrew washes the Pigs to fatten them." with a. hole bored. in:her face. Then, seizing her atiok, she shuffled out into' the sunshine and sat down upon the b,eneh with the oontented look in her face that always came there whenshe was being fed with soup, or was watehing the addition of a barrow -load of octal to her store. Soon afterwards Danny came creep- intg out and. sat down humbly beside her. After a short silence he ven- tured to say:— "'Ye% hurt, .yerser, Granny, gif ye T,he old woman, snorted and looked. head In danger of falling off, so thrra straight ahead of her, puffipg with the fied little Kathleen that her heart steadiness of a steam enema Danny sank into her shoes. She buried her began to whisper .gossip nito her ear, face in Ethel's cloak and felt, safe, for boinng that she might ans'w'er him and never scarlet covered a stouter heart let the pipe go out; but beyond grunt -1 than nee sweet lass's, whose blue eyes ing softly et intervals and sucking mask so kindly the resolute temper of with methanical precteion, shegave no her men sign of beintg 1 "Wake up, Granny 1" cried Ethel, Aral so peace reigned in Blunted., pulling Olio wrinkled fingers with her while the midst rolled. an the hillside soft warm eau& Granny snorted in - arid the s1133 dried the vrithered leaves ' eteneetay, and nee head fell over still and warmed, the blood in the VeinS 01 [ further with a defecatiog jerk. the old. couple oa the bench. Nor were Ethel might Up eae poker and began the soft grants of Granny, the tre.ble. to break up the leathering coal that of the did man igothiping, the purl of Granny had putt a on the fire to keep the stretini aria the twittering of the sparrows overhead, an orelaestration wholly out of sympathy with the wc,r1a-forgotten spirit of the scene. SCENE II. Mysterioue are the ways of Provi- denote As Granny Wilde sat scowl- ing at the inoffensive mill -wheel and sucking the lest vestige of taper out of Danny's pipe, great things veers on their way towarde her. If she had gueesed what was in; store for her, -the elation of her soul over the defeat ot Danny would levee lost somethiug of its edam expansiveness. The twine, who svere, this in- stenee, the messengers of fate, were net in I.lienneltres eve -inspiring, bat in virtue of the dead weed, tbey had iteeolvett to do 'upon the Lady of the "Ay, maybe, but I'm no a rage an' tan ower auld to fatten noo.' And Granny caugbt up a corner of bar drugget apron with an alarming snif- ter that made Ethel drop the argument for the moinent. She poured the soup into a willow -pattern bowl that stood ever at Granny's elbow to receive the daily dole from the big house. Granite never stopped to think of her plight if this cruse had failed her. The soap came and she supped it. If it didn't come, she went for it to Barncraig and grumbled all the way there and back again. She needed so little food, and it seemed so easy to procure, that no fear of starvation ever troubled her. Coal was her only anxiety. She did riot dream that death could get at her ex- cept by cutting her off from the exter- nal warmth that kept the blood liquid in her veins. She fell asleep more than once while Ethel fed her. It scented to her that. there was no urgency, for if she took long enough over the soup the little la- dies would forget what they had come to do. Ethel. too. did not hurry.. The fixity of her purpose disdained pre- cipitancy. When the soup was fin- ished she whisked off her cloak and stood forth in the dainty browu apron that she wore when she washed the faces of her dolls. She filled the big- gest bowl she could find with hot water and pluraped into it the beauti- ful new cake of soap which Kathy had brought. "Now, Granny," she said, "you raustn't splutter, or you'll get the soap in your mouth and eyes." "Let me aff this ae time, dewy. I'm feelin' unco queerlik' the day, an' I canna' be fashed wi' nae nonsense. I'm feast Ian gaun to dee," pled the old woman tearfully. "You promised, Granny, and you mustn't draw bank," Ethel urged firmly,. it in through the ,eat of the day. The sound penetrated the old woman's sleep instantly., and in a =cement she was wide awake. - "Eh, mind the coal, misste, mind the real," she cried. "The winter's near haun" an' they're maist dune. I deem ken what I'll d.ae vrantin' ooal. Could Yd no ;spare a bianner' or twa up lay?" ''All right, Granny," said Ethel, who bad slipped the kettle on the fire, "email get some before the winter; but eehat have you done with the lasi lot? it's not n week since you got it. me, deary me, d'ye say sae; OITGIIT TO SATISFY HIM, Weel, wee', it cenaa, de dune yet, but it elips avean slips awe' like suave oft Ile—Are you sure, darling, that I I dyke, I'm aye feat Pll dee in the am the first man you ever loved? cauld some. Dealt. There's na,e evarrm See. --len ewe you're the lett one, days Imo. I mind days whin a fire wail That simile(' be sufficient. "E& but I'm a' in a tremmle. It's an awfu' cauld thing dookine" "The water's nearly boiling. Feel it," said Ethel. "I% be sca'dit to daith then. Tak' awa' that bowl. I'll whummle it ower ye if ye come a step; nearer me I" ''Granny, if you dare I You'll get no coals this Christmas." " Kirs'miss? ne'er see anither Kirseniss. I'll be could anemia or that. I haena' a week's coal left, an' wham it's dune, I'm dune." "Well," said Ethel, sharp to see her advantage, "do you know what that is?" She held the half -sovereign up temptingly. 'w' Td 30hie, mercy o' the Lord upon us, it's And it's for you, Granny, when your face is washed. You'll be rich and ab/e to buy coals. There it is—waiting! Now, are you ready?" " Ye're no' cheatisa me, missie? no talc' the bonny bit awa' again?" "No. It's yours the moment we're done. Quick, Kathy, the soap! And put the towl on Granny's knee." "I'm bocht, I'm bocht," whined the old woman. "Has your wull o' me. I ne'er thoct to be washt tae I was streekit." Then shutting her eyes tightly, she gripped the elbows of her ochaeir.arand moaned, "Tell me whan a's w The washing prooeeded apace. Kath- leen held the bowl, Ethel scrubbed at hands and face and neck. The poor old creature blinked and gasped, and uttered little sobbing death -cries when the soap strayed Into her eyes or mouth, which it did often, for, between the half -sovereign and her outraged feelings, she could keep neither shut for more than a second at a tiem. It the middle of the washing Nero looked in at the door and gave vent to his feelings in a prolonged howl of terror and dismay. The dog's pro- test brought Danny upon the scene and there he stood staring, with dropped jaw and bulging eyes, till a deadly fear crept about his heart and he fled back into his den lest it should be his turn next to suffer the tortures of the botvl. The twins left their victim with an unfamiliar face and a broken heart. sleeping the sleep of exhaustion in her ohaar, an old shawi thrown over her head to keep the chill out of the pores. But she was not wholly wretched for, if she was clean, she was rich. While she slept, her fingers, plunged deep in her great bag-pooket, played with the wonderful gift which God or the devil had sent to her. Her troubled dreams were full of dog -fiends, and thieves, and avarice; and the firmament seemed suddenlyto crawl like a mitey cheese, with prying eyes and lean, cov- etous fingers that waved, fringe -like in the air. And Danny hid his tobacco under the mattress of his bed, and sat byit wondering and wondering if the twins hed told Granny of the great store of joy that had came to him, He resolved that while the fine weather lasted, he would smoice down in the wood by the burnside, and viten it became too cold to do that, he would bar the door and cheat Granny's keen old nostrils by blowing the reek up the chimney. The twins had come down like fair- ies upon lawnfoot, and the devil, with bia,isid.torigue in his cheek, was quietly putting a match to the train they had (To be oadinuedn Many young housekeepers oaten find themselves in a "sea of doubt and per- plexity" as to bow to proceed with this or what ails that, and. are often over- whelmed by the amount of waste in- curred ie experimenting writes a cor- respondent. For the benefit of those who, like the writer, may be sittuttecl several miles from kith. or kin, and, imbued with too much false (V) pelage to ask advice of friendly neighbor, I will tell of a few things I have le,arn- ed from actual and. ofttimes bitter ex- perience. In most nouseholds the hardest task of the week comes on Monday with the family wa.sheng. I was educated to a enshing machine, and considered that one of the indespensables. But I soon found that the more soiled articles needed so much. extra rubbing by hand that the =thine was Ithandoned ex- cept fetr washing bed clothing, which seercis to be ita proper sph.ere, and have since used. "nine o'clock washing tea" or sometbisag similar, with the best results. New, you, older housewives who still rab and boil will shake your heads and. be filled with horrer when ,Yotl. hear the rest. Only give it a tborou.gb trial and you, too, will be 000 v inced The wash beater is always filled as soini as passible and before the water beceiroes scalding bot the required amount of washing tea is thrown ill. The finer white clothes are merele dip - Pad and wruna out of cold water, soil- ed places well tamped, mad put into. boil one-half hour, while breakfast week Ls clewed away, They should be stirred often to loosen the dirt and when removed to tub but little rubbing NVill be required. After this "suds - tug" it is best to let them lie as long as chavenient in the rinse water, af- ter whiolt COMee the blue water, nevi the clothes are ready for the line. Some may say the continued use of "waseina tea" and emit helps wiee in. jure the fabric of clothing. But I think not, if used rightly. rra sure ma clothes are not injured in the lease and last as long as could be desired or expeeted. When removing clothes from the line never jam them down in the basket in any kind of way, for if each piece is pertly folded and laid in separately there will be fewer wrinkles to con- tend with when Leaning day oomes. Same say t "0. I can slight my iron - fag if tbe clothes are only clean," and they will simply fold towels, ete., and lay them away. But I think the sat- Lefaction of seeing and using nicely ironed articles more than pays for the labor and time spent. Many think that good home-made yeast cannot be made without hops. But such is not the ease. Hops are etpt always at hand and the following as Food reelpe for jug yeast, . which we always make in oold weather: Six large potatoes rubbed through Mender; I cup sugar; 1-2 cup salt; 2 tablespoons ginger; 2 quarts hot wa- ter. When cool and ingredients tbor- oughly dissolved, add. one cake of dry yeast well soaked.. No flow., or it may become sour. Cork up tight and keep La a cool, dark place. Use two-thirds cup for ordinary baking. This makes livelier, better bread in oold weather and is more economical than the store yeast. When butter is found to be too solid for immediate workiing, cold water poured over will seen have the desir- ed effect. Butter ebould never be rubbed in tvorking, as that spoils the grain, and gives it a, greasy appear- ance. ; for tableepoonfals of flour into a bas- in, break into the flour two eggS, stir all together with a spoon, then add alowly a plat of new milk and mix till you have a semen; batter. Place the hest in et pie dish with the batter. Bake steadily fax two hours. This dish is very good if eteemact for the same time. It may also be made with cook- ed meet. Cake Without Eggs.—.One coffee cue at sugar, powdered, two large table- spoonfuls of butter rubbed into the sugar, one and a half cups of flour, one -halt cup of sweet cream one-half teaspothful of soda. Bake quickly in small tins and eat wlalle freala and warm. t Dry Yeast.—One way of making a dry yeast is as follows: One quaxt of wa- ter, put it on to boil with a handful, of hops and let it boil for half an hour. When done strain the boiling hop water on one quart of flour, let it stand until .quite oold, then add one teacup of brisk yeast, and two quarts of sifted corn meal; make a stiff dough, then squeeze it throulgh your fingers into dieh, and put it to dry in the sun, or in cool weether near the stove. When used soak in a little water. Some persons prefer this kind of yeast in warm. weather, as it is not apt to sour. • OAHE OF THE SINK. dirty sink is an abomination, and ehould not be allowed. From the kitchen comes health or disease, ac - tending as our food is prepared, and the °poking vessels clean or otherwise. A dirty dislecloth 'is oovered with disease germs which, if allicrived to re- main on it, will Multiply to an alarm- ing extent. The practice of using any old rag that comes convenient for dish- cloths., and hanging them wet under the sink and oat of sight, cannot be too strongly condemned. The disheloth should be of strong, loosely woven crash, hemmed and pro- vided witha tape for hanging it in plain sight. It must be dried before it is used again. The dish -towels mast be rinsed after using, and hung neer the fire. They should be put with the dish -cloth into the weekly washing to be boiled and hung out in the open air to dry, and fresh ones provided in their places. Every particle of refuse simile be steeped from the sink eaoh time it is used, and the sink 'washed out careful- ly. One of the open wine dishes for placing over the strainer , will be Lound of great assistanoe in keeping the slink fxee from crumbs and food. Pouring over the sink every night boiling water, in which washing soda is dissolved, will remove grease from the sink andpreventthe pipes from getting clogged with grease. SUGGESTIONS TO FIOUSEKEEPE,RS. Nuts that have become too dry for picking out entire may be frealaened rtud "plumped" by soaking a few hours in water. Lacquered brass—like tent on most of the iron beds, etc., nowadays—should not be cleaned with acid otr scoured with anything. Wash with het suds and dry quickly. A silver polish that it is alleged will clean silver without hand rubbing is made by mixing whiting with a few drops of ammonia, then thinning it with water to -the consisthnoY of °ream. It, will keep if tightly corked in a. bot- tle. To prevent the icing of a cake from running down the sides, double a piece of buttered paper about three inches wide and pin it round the cake, letting the upper edge project half an inch above the cake. In this way a cake may be frosted evenly and thiekly to the very edge. Do not remove the band until the icing is PerfeetlY dry. 11 you are tired of your white lace curtains, or if they do not harmonize with your new cream tinted 'paper, make them of a pretty ecru tint by wasbing, drying and dipping in thin starch made with coffee instead of clear water. Dry them as rapidly as you can by pinning them in a room where you can have the ;Irina blow on them. The worst spot made by greasy bead on wall paper can be removed by pa- tience, perseverance and a hot flat kexu and blotting paper. Wipe the spot first with a clean dry old& lay white blotting. paper against it, then hold the' hot teen to the paper till the grease is absorbed. Try, try again With fresh paper till you get it out, SOME GOOD RECIPES. Tripe Soup.—Necessary ingredients: Half a pound of tripe, three pints of water, a turnip, a carrot, three onions, sweet herbs, parsley, half a pint. of oold milk, and two tablespoonfuls of cornflour. First scald the tripe, and. cut it into very email pieces, before sitting on to boil With the cold water and herbs. Chop all the vegetables la- te small pieces, add to the tripe, and boil slowly for one hour and a half. Then take the cornflour, work it into a paste with a little oold milk, add to the boiling. soup, end stir over the fire for ten minutes.. Just before serving, add the remains of the milk, the chop- ped paxsely, with pepper atnd salt th taste. Serve the seep very hot with fried bread. , Brawn Betty.—Pare and core some apples, then chop them up very small. Mix with a thud of the euailtitY in fine breadortimbs, add a bit of butter, a little eisaimmen and nutmeg, and sweeten with Intown moist sugar. Mix all well tog;elher and bake in a mod- erate oven. Toad In The Hole.—Is a Testily good and inexpensive dish. Take one pound .and a heat of nice gravy beef; if you can afford rump steak instead, your dish will be more a.pprecialed. Gut up the meat into neat piece,s, flour it vveli, end seinen with pepper and salt, Put A HUNAN BICYCLE FLY. A Woman Who Bides is Wheel Head Down Wards. A daring bicyclist, who rides head downward, suspended from the ceiling. is the latest freak of the magicians of wheeling. The management of a bi- cycle under the most advantageous circumstances is a feat in itself suffi- cient for most people, but when the natural order pi things is reversed, and the wheelman. or rather the wheel - woman. chooses a ceiling seventy-five feet above the floor for a track, and calmly drives her wheel about, now here, now there, like a human fly, the performance becomes marvellous in- deed. Annette Paula is the name of this wonderful expert, who for a lona; time past has been noted as one of the most skilful trick riders in France. One day in a circus in Berlin she saw a young woman who called herself a " human fly," walking about, head downward, on the ceiling. "I will wager a new hat," she said, that 1 can ride a bicycle on the ceiling." On the night of the exhibition the cercus was crowded with speotators, who gazed curiously at a huge circu- lar diso which was firmly fixed to the roof of the building. seventy-five feet above the heads of the audience. Al- most twenty-five feet above the floor was fixed a stout net, to catch the rider should she fall. As seen from below, the hugh disc high up against the roof appeared to be covered witb rubber or some similar substance. Mlle. Paula. appeared upon the small platform at the edge of the disc, dressed IN RACING COSTUME, TELE FIELD OF 0014BIE1tCE.1 Some Items or Interest to •L'Ito �usy Business Man. 3 I1-112Lopenraocetatnthe.rae6bitazteeurle7 oaft TloorBento The net gold balance of the United Sthtes treaaury it; abut $151,500,000. Money oentinites to rule easy, the rate for call loans at Toronto being 4 1-2 per oent. and at Montreal 4 per cent. The stook of wheat at Toronto is 184,236bhels els a w'eek ago end 30,033 bushels a year ago, an'ainst. 208,407 bush- Tihe stocks of wheat at Port Arthur abad-ush:lsa °rl bushels as compered with 3,445,010 yeetairilin,anego.are, now 2,901,800 The world's visible supply of wheat! clecraased 5,000,000 busheas last week. 'I'he visible supply in Canada and nag Dr:ttemedbSetrnatesp.its5now the smallest sinc siee The world's shipments of wheat, laat week were only e,957,000 bushels as againd 3,687,000 bustheas the previous week axle. 5,408,000 bueltels the corres- ponding week ta last year. Teta visible supply of wheat in the United States aud Canada Ls 40,430,000 bushels as compared with 61,318.00V bushels a year ago and 76,773,000 bush - BIG CHUNK OF WE. One That Should Fut the hely teentitu's Citeel‘ to 1111ask. The Royal Geographical Society ;of Lundell is said to be promoting the in- terests of initarotio exploration, aud its els two years ago. The amount lea passage to Europe is 18,960,000 buelee els as againd 28,480,000 bushels a year ago. The February statement of Cana-. dime banks shows a slight increase in nide oirculation for the month. Tb,lat total is $30,409,000 as against $30,208,- 167 in; January and $29,819.636 a Year. ago. Deposits show a decrease of $1,500,000; wad the total is 3192,032,000 as compared with $193,451,000 in Jan- uary and $181,865,000 a year ago. Cur- rent disoounts are $208,732,000 as against 3208,433,000 on January 31. end $207.484,000 on February 29 of la,st year. Call loans 313,764,000 as against $14,083,000 a year ago. The balances due from United States agen- cies are $16,608,000 as (tampered Wall $18,662,000 ct year ago. Speoie holdinge decreased $300,000 for the month while Dominion note holdings increased $230,- 000 during February. General wholesale trade at Toronto shows bo change. In some depart - meats a fair volume of business is re- ported but there is not that activity that was expected, by many. The dull- ness is likely to be prolonged. novr that perliamene is in session and tariff re- vision the prominent subject before the Rouse. Eusinese men well wattle the arogrees alt Ottawa on this most fine portant matter with the olosest at-, tention. The weather bas been some-, what =favorable forlancy goods, mil- linery and. the like. The demand for leather, hardware and metals is fair, with the to of the market.; firm. The supplies of wilipac't and flour are large in ads province, and the trade dull. The export enquiry still continues mea- gre, but xnaiay battlers have not al- together lest hope, end expect bcittee prices later on. They tacent to, tbe 'hige prices ruling in $t. Louis, Detroit. and Toledo for wider wheats. On- tario grades are relatively much, lower. The advance in corn has be.en sustained. Prices are 27e. and 28e. west. Tlh;e cli- que fear imports from theUnited; States, and consequently it is not likely taint pekes svill go eny higher. There is 5 alight advantee in Sterling Exchange, but re.te.s at New York are still too Iow to make it profitable, ,to shin gold. On the Stook Exoli ernes Inere been, irregular this Montreal Gas Ins been especially weak, while bank stooks continue firm, with, a good investment demand for small lots. while an attendant carried her ma- chine, an ordinary diamond frame mo- del, with a steel and wire strap sort of harness arrangement firefly fixed to the saddle. This harness 'eves so made that when the rider took her seat a belt of stout leather fastened around the waist, while two steel rods, well padded and reinforoed with leather straps, passed over the shoulders and were securely fastened to the frame- work of the wheel. Set about half an inch apart along the circumference of both teres were what appeared to be tiny cups of rub- ber. Fitted to each side of both wheels were supplementary wheels of most peculiar construction. •The rims were made in seotions, each about /mar inches in length, and joined together on the inside by hinges. To the out- side of each, of these sections were firmly -fixed two of the rubber cups. When the bicycle was placed in pos- ition, with the wheels on the lower surface ofthe disc at the same time. dowviward, the purpose of these little cups was evident. as each cupcame in contact with the xabber flooring of the diseathe air was forced out of it, and the suction which resulted held the machine in place and prevented it falling. At least two of the sec- tions presented a flat surface to the surface of the diso at the semi, time. Mlle. Paula finally got herself into the saddle and harness head downward, and then darted the machine, riding slowly, but apparently without effort. After several trips around the disc she became venturesome and increased her speed. For ten minutes she scorched in the air, whirling about like a human tepee , There are seven hundred men ,of the British fleet now at Simonstown, South Africa, suffering front malarial fever, coneracted during the recent' expedition to Benin. A FATAL BUTTON. imedemp efforts are likely to result in sending a well-equipped expedition th south polar waters, to begin its researches in the season of 1$97-9$. It is said that a Beagiant expedition will also oat oupy tent field at the same time, but the German enterprise in the same di- rection. though it leas arranged an ad- mirable scientifio programme, stilt leeks the money to carry it out. There is no doubt teb,t south polar explore - thin will be resumed at. an early day, after over a ,half century of inaction. We leave often, heard of the enormous ice menses that are found floating in those waters, but a story that 7 Bull broieglib home frain.the c of the steamer Antarctic in 189i ,5 re- lated to the largest chuna of ice that ha,s ever been seen afloat. Mr. Bull. is a trustworthy ana& and has writ- ten a book about that notable cruise, when. the Antarctic in her search for the right whale, pushed south to the' coast of eouth Victoria. Laud, supposed to be part of a continent, which had. not been visited before sines Sir James Ross discovered it. Mr. Bull says that on,e day they sighted, a long island, flat on the top. Vat rising in one place to a greater beight, ealling along at a distance they found that it was about fifty miles in length. No land in that po- eition was marit'ect on the chart'. Draw- ing nearer, the captain announced that tbee had. found new land, the erew was called up to greet the discovery, with a "hurrah," grog was served. all round, and the island was christened Svena Foyle in honor of the fa,mous Norwegian 'whaler of that name. There was severe diseppoittarnent a little later when it was found that the big tract was raerely a floating iceberg of hitherto unprecedented dimensions. Its dirty gray color, probably produc- ed by the sifting &shoe of a volcano. tra,s responsible for their mistake. The berg was about fifty 'miles long, of unknown width, and as 600 feet of it rose above the water, it must have extended about 4,000 feet into the sea depths. It was suggested at the Berne Geo- graphical Congress several years ago that as likely as not some of the lands seen only at a distance, and marked on our south polar charts, were noth- ing but great icebergs from the ant- arctio continent. Thee probability Ls strengthened by the interesting ince. dent vebith Mr. Bull hes recorded, Strange Mark on the Foreheads ot Those Anileted by a New Disease. A strange malady (has brelehn out among taie lower classes in portions of Mexico and in the State of Guerrere. Doctors of the city bave been entirely baffled in their diagnosis and are powerless to alleviate the suffering or to prevent the spread of the disease, which has pawed -fatal in a large pro- portion of cases. The symptoms are described to be langour, followed by the appearanoe of a bright yellow button upon the fore- head, deathly. sickness and vomiting, acoompanied be exhaustion and col- lapse. The disease is not allied to yellow fever, according to the physicians, and Its symptoms more nearly approach the mysteratus malady known in Asia Minor than shy 'Other. It is slated that the people of Aleppo, Asia Minor, are all attacked by the disease at least once during their lifetime, and all newcom- ers to the ray are attacked within a few days, but the disease, curious as it is, is rarely ever fatal in the far east. In Mexico it assumes a malignant phase. The State and National Boards of Health are bestowing muth atten- tion upon it. Dr. Demetrio Majm, ofthe City of Mexico Board of Health, m vestigating the epidemic. BANEFUL EFFECTS OF DIVORCE. Dr. Enrioo Morsall deolares that. di- vorced persons are particularly liable to commit suicide or become mad, and gives these statistics in proof of his statement: In Prussia there are for every miltion of inhabitants 61 suicides of married women, 87 suicides of young girls, 124 euhicles rif widows, 348 sui- oides of Women divorced or separated from their husbands, 286 suicides of married men, 298 suicides of bachelors, 948 suicide,s et widowers and 2,834 sui- cides of mein divorced or eeparated from their wives, 'Tji Wurtemburg we find for every - Malian of itihabi tante 14 lunettes . among, nuerried women, 22 lunatics among young girls, 338 among widows, 1,540 lunatics among women divorced or separated trenttheir husbands, 140 lunettes among married. mein, 236 ,among bachelme,- 338 among widower a and 1,484, beneties among men ,dtverced or se ted from their wives. RiA.UOVV,A.Y Ilia HIS PALACE. Tbe extreme, of luxumr hes perhaps been reached by the Sultan of Moroc- co. Ile has s. narrow-gauge railway running through all the rooms of his palace, apa travels about on a sort of sleigh propelled by a nettle motor, The "line" enes at his bedroom. GREASING AN OCEAN PATH. Thls Inventor Frol to 011ShIps, Hulls, Thereby luer ;I Speed Through Heaviest sem, Te, are soon t made of an in-. ventiM which p ;Va. prevent. ba.corrosior and the vv rnoales below the water -line of and in, e-Tosiuog.s;bffoesciliships, cideneally inertias° the speed 25 per malt. Badolpflai Altschul is the man who elaborated. the aoherae, and it looks someatiat plausible on the face, His system is also arranged so that in, rough weather a large quantity of oil con be dieobanged along the sides of the ship and distributed over the surface of th.e water, thus proving a more effectual method of greasing and smoothing high, sees than any yet de- vised. The covering composition is an olea- ginous preparation of tallow, calcined carbon and several other ingredients welch the inventor keeps secret. It is said that it hardens in the water and cannot wash off, and can be applied to submarine war projectiles, per- mitting double velocity. A series 01 iron flangs are fastened along bhe bottom wet sides of the ship below the water-lixue, iai whieh are insertedsheets af woven wire netting, lathing or sheet iron, covered. with an ahsorbent com- position saturated with oil. '.Phe flange have a semiciroular covering on top, below which runs a, fin.ely per- forated. pipe, veleta ejeots a fine spray, of oil against the inside of the flange and on to the sheets from which it spreads downwerd. Ithe oil as gob carried away by the water, but through capillary ateraction h spread, thes keeping bbs ship's hull greased with- out any waste of oil. It Le said that the compasition is a perfect carrier of oil under the surfs:es of the water, a feature which has never before been achieved and :which' will make oil perform below the water- line the same service that it does in quelling a rough sea. lt is claimed that, applied to any vessel, either, steam or sailing, it will increase the speed by at least 25 per cent, with- out angseve.nting the amount of mach- inery or the expenditure of fuel. 4. GLEANINGS. It is said that stoats, weasels and ferrets, which were for years import- ed into New Zealand, for the extermin- ation of the rabbits, are now more in- clined to eat lambs than rabbits, and are proving more dangerous. to the sheep business than the rabbits them- selves. Salt causes stock to eat more, stimu- lates digestton and helps to preserve the general health. In moderation it is a great help to the physical organ- ization and growth of all animals, es- pecially those put up to fatten. Some farmers make tbe mistake of ' shoeing horses vvhen it is unnecessary and others refuse to shoe when it should be done. !Some leave the shoes on too long, just because they seem to stipk , well. An expanding, growing hoof will soon outgrow the shonot be lett on longer than fine weeks. , e. The shoes should 4),, , When the ground is in condition to haul over, it will save time, labor and Manure to have a wagon to throw the manure on right from the stables and haul direct to field, ispreading froin wagon as hauled. A rotation that will bring the land in clover and grass reg- ularly and then apply this entree man- ure to meadow ar g*sture lend, would be a more economical system than now practiced on some farms we know of. ,HEAT WITHOUT COST, have discovered, said Blinkley, s plan for economizing in fuel that has saved Me a great deal of money this wiinter. How is Met asked Dinkley. 11 Whenever my vele tells me to meter coal 1 tmake it a peitit to forget it, and ' see makes things; so hot that (we don't need itt all. 4 ;2