Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 June 1896 — Page 5

GOSSIP FOR THE FAIR SEX

TEMS OF INTEREST ON THE FASHIONS. To Banish a Double Chin—London Home for Lone Women—Where Women Are Queens—Beauty in Belts. THE QUEEN AND THE EX- EMPRESS. Years ago, when Eugenie was Empress of the French, she and Queen Victoria used to exchange birthday presents of “gold, silver and precious stones.” Now that they are feeble old women and Eugenie's crown has vanished, they stm keep up the custom of birthday gifts, but send each other warm, easy slippers, thick woolen undergarments, widows’ caps and such things. TO BANISH A DOUBLE CHIN. It has been discovered that a double chin can be banished by correct breathing. The woman with a short neck must hold her head high, even stretching her neck until conscious of the tension of the cords. She should also practice droppng her head and letting it roll listlessly about. This will give a graceful poise to the head and the exercise of the muscles will help conseme the extra amount of fat. FOR THE LITTLE ONES. A “split” sunbonnet is made of striped and checked ginghams, and is delightfully quaint over round, serious little faces. A washable material for sailor collars and revere of cheviot, serge and flannel suits is a thick linen canvas that comes in white and color. , Sunbonnets for small girls are more than ever plentiful this season, as are also dainty frilled and lace-trimmed aprons in all degrees of dressiness. For everyday summer use there are the usual delicately figured.and striped linen lawns, cambrics and percales that, come weal or woe, appear every year. For young gentlemen up to ten there are matelot suits in the Russian crash that, with their long bell trousers and very low-neck blouses, have quite a professional sailor air. For country use many mothers are having frocks made for the small fry of the new madras ginghams, which, in delicate blue, green and pink stripes, are in weaves oi extreme flJneness. PROUD OF HER ORCHIDS. Of all the orchids owned by Miss Helen Gould she is said to prize none as she prizes a certain great water lily pond in her domains. This is stocked with lilies that seem to wake up with the sun and go to sleep only when blanketed with ice. All summer there is a sheet of sweetness lying over the water. The little cripples of Woody Crest enjoy these lilies. At Woody Crest all the useful arts are taught, and the curiculum embraces a knowledge of flowers. With crutches or without crutches, with legs or without them, the little sick fellows are brought to the lily pool and coaxed back to strength by the magic of its beauty. Almost any day, with a borrowed child or two, you may see Miss Helen wending her way from the lily pool to the house and back again. With so many fine friends as this young woman boasts she is not driven to the society of her Woody Crest acquaintances. All the children of the wide Hudson River colony are glad to accompany her if she will only be “at home” to them. Her .$35,000 palm is not more a source ■ of pride than her lily pooh

HOME FOR LONE WOMEN. In London there is an establishment where lone women can be lodged and boarded at a moderate price. The Sloane Garden apartment house is different from anything in America, and there are no restrictions placed upon the coming and going of the guests. There is a handsomely furnished parlor and music room. The charges for furnished rooms range from $2.50 to $3.50 a week/ For 8 cents to 16 cents one may obtain a good breakfast; and luncheon costs from 8 cents to 24 cents. The uniform price of a dinner is 24 cents. Soup, two vegetables, a joint and a simple dessert comprise the latter meal. There are, however, certain rules which must be observed on entering. No cooking is allowed in the rooms, and not a nail must be driven; no trunks or bundles are allowed in the halls. The inconvenient part of it is that each person must furnish her own towels, sheets, pillow cases and table linen. A deposit of about $5 is required upon entrance, which sum is returned when the visitor’s time of occupancy expires. The questions asked would seem rather inquisitive to an American woman; the applicant is required to sign her full name, address, age, state of health, and whether married or single. The occupation of the father is asked, as the guests of Sloane Garden house are supposed to be gentlewomen, all others being strictly excluded. WHY A MOTHER DOES NOT BIKE. The bicycle craze burns fiercer than ever this year. A lady who went the Ist of April to buy a wheel for her daughter of a large city shop was astonished at being told they had not one in the establishment. The explanation was scarcely less surprising. “We ordered 4,000,” said the shopman, “for our summer’s trade, and, before the middle of April, they are every one gone.” This woman herself, although still young and of a slender, graceful figure, not unfitted for dislpay upon a bicycle, has a curious theory of her own as to its capabilities for herself. “I can’t bring my imagination to see my mother,” she says “mounted upon a wheel. She never did anything in my remembrance that was undignified. Now after I am dead, I don’t want my children to call up a picture of me perched upon a bicycle. It is all very well'for them, but I draw the line at myself. A mother’s position is different. I shan’t buy myself one of those things.” And she hasn’t.

WHERE WOMEN ARE QUEENS. ] Not even in America are women such absolute monarchs as in heathen Bur- 1 mah. There, in law and custom, worn- ‘ an is on absolutely the same footing as I man. In spite of this, it is claimed no women are more womanly than the Burmese women, whose good sense enables them to perceive the line where they ought to stop. In the higher classes a woman has property of her own and manages it herself. In the lower classes she always has a trade and runs her business on her own responsibility. The sexes choose their own occupations, and it is curious to see the men sometimes sewing and embroidering, while the Women have nearly all the retail trade of the island on their hands. Just as the men farm their lands the women run their business. They do not hire out to others, but trade on their own account, and with the exception of being in the silk and cloth business it does not interfere with their home life. The bazaar lasts but three hours each day and the woman has ample time for her home duties after that is over. The Burmese woman’s home life is to her the most important thing, and she could not neglect it. Still, her business life has a strong influence on her—it broadens her views and teaches her things she could not learn in the narrow confines of four walls. BEAUTY IN BELTS. Belted women are everywhere. Shirt waists and bicycle costumes are responsible for the belts, and the ingenuity of manufacturers has been stirred in devising new fastenings. For the buckles of odd shapes, emblematic of everything under the sun, are the dearest vanity of the girl and woman who wear a belt There is a great bejewelled Egyptian buckle. It is ornamented with barbarous magnificence, and it bears the awful name of “Isis,” to give it the due ancient stamp. Then there is the Rob Roy buckle. It is Scotch plaid, with two thistles crossed in the centre. The belt that goes with this ribbon is a tartan ribbon, broad and Caledonian, and it is one of the most attractive of the many belt of the spring. The big Father Knickerbocker belt is a popular design. The buckle is like that worn by the villain in ‘ancient plays—large, square and plain. It is like those placed on the fronts of the shoes of the old Dutchmen who ruled New Amsterdam, and were perfectly satisfied with themselves. There are bicycle belts beyond count Many of them have a wheel arranged in some ingenious way for. the buckle. Large horseshoes are seen in some bicycle belts, probably in ironical reference to the decadence of the horse, now that the wheel has come into general use. The belt portion of the bicycle is five inches w’ide, and is elastic, so that it will keep the skirt up and the waist down, and at the same time give support to the back of the wearer as she hurries along on her silent steed. Besides these freakish belts there are scores, of dainty little girdles, of elastic, enameled with daises, buttercups, forget-me-nots, and other simple flowers of the woods, giving a pastoral effect that Is inexpressibly charming. The buckle is sometimes a water color portrait of a friend, or of Martha Washington, or Mrs. Cleveland, or Queen Victoria, or Lillian Russell, or some other well-known woman for whom the wearer has a regard. These belts cost as high as $35, and each one is warranted to be worth the money. A pretty custom is that of giving buckles as keepsakes. The young man of the day gives the young woman a buckle of some quaint and attractive design as he might give her a book or a bouquet If he gives her something ■ that no one else has, it is so much the more acceptable. All belts are not $35. You may buy them for twenty-nine cents in some of the stores. But every one is wearing a belt, cheap or expensive, ugly or beautiful, and every one is interested in the subject of belts.

FASHION NOTES. A pretty fan adds greatly to the beauty of an evening toilet, and it need not necessarily be an evening toilet, either. Turn-down linen collars and cuffs turned back about an inch around the hand are to be worn very much this season. The silk balayeuse is in use again, and many of the new summer gowns have the narrow pinked ruffle inside the skirt. The combination of black and white is to be much worn this summer. It has the advantage of looking cool and being stunning as well. Small fans being in fashion have brought back again the pocket fans, which really are very useful for every day wear, although ugly. To be really sincere one’s underwear must match one’s gown. And, above all, must her corset repeat the tones of the trimming of her bodice. The smart visiting gloves of the season is to be cream-colored French kid sewn with slender black spots. For cyclists the deerskin glove is the rage. The Empress of Russia recently chose a white veil with a fine web-like ground and a black border, consisting of a single row of black chenille spots. Transparent crepons and grenadines are largely in vogue for dinner gowns, and made over chameleon silk of a decidedly lighter shade are most effective by candle light. The smart woman's lingerie is distinguished by elegant simplicity, and the old-time underwear, made heavy with lace and elaborate embroidery, is a thing of the past. Even among the diaphanous affairs of chiffon and mull masquerading as parasols, the old-time . favorite, the coaching parasol, stands out in stylish and serviceable relief. There is no truth in the rumor that black stockings are no longer to be worn. Though brown are often worn for cycling, the black are just as fashionable as ever, and open work especially so. Tan-colored shoes of a darker shade than heretofore seen will be the correct summer footwear for the little folks, a fashion which commends Itself to the small boy, as It does away with blacking.

Some of the pretty veils selected by European royalties soon to be married are crescent-shaped and drawn up to fit the hat. They are of brown with white spots, white with black spots, and pure white. Princess Alexandra is very fond of neat muslin and lace sets of collars, cuffs and fichus, and they will undoubtedly be more popular on this account Trimmed with tiny tucks and narrow lace they are very dainty and girlish. These small fans are of parchment, canvas or spangled tulle and silk. The latter two materials are in fashion, but are really not in keeping with the empire style. The parchment and kid are painted in odd designs, the watteau predominating. The latest novelty in capes is made of chine glace, with a black velevt scroll pattern all over it Full panels of Russian net edged with ostrich feather trimming hang over the shoulders. and black and white tulle with ostrich tips form the ruche at the neck.

HEADACHE.

A Common Disorder—lts Causes, Symptoms and Remedy. Head pain is common in all disordered conditions of the system. It may occur in the progress of almost all acute and chronic diseases, at some time in their course, or it may precede them. The pain may be external or internal, and is due to a variety of influences that affect either the scalp or the contents of the cranium. The determination of the particular tissues involved is extremely difficult; especially because the sufferer is unable to locate definitely the pain. Headache is rarely regarded as a distinct disorder, but is considered rather as a symptom or accompaniment of some other disturbance in the system. Variations in the circulation, with the resultant modifications of the blood-pressure, the presence in the blood of poisonous matters, irritations transmitted to the brain from more or less remote parts of the body, or abnormal or diseased conditions of the digestive organs—all these enter into the production of this most common form of distress. These causes, acting singly or collectively, associated with an oversensitive conditions of the nerves of the brain, and the membranes which envelop it, cause the pain. By far the most common form of headache is that due to a disordered condition of the organs of digestion. Such headaches are the result of indigestion and constipation, as well as of overindulgence in earing or drinking. A disordered stomach or a sluggish condition of the bowels, combined with overwork and too little exercise in the open air, are frequent causes of headache in persons who pursue sedentary and indoor occupations. The remedy in this kind of headache is the exercise of regularity and moderation in eating, with an avoidance of food which is innutritions and difficult of digestion, and attention to the regularity of the bowels. The last point is of especial importance. One variety of headache, the cause of which is sometimes overlooked, results from eye-strain. The provision of proper glasses, and treatment calculated to improve the tone of the muscles of the eyes, have been followed by prompt relief in numberless instances.—Youths’ Companion.

Cheating the Treasury.

Frauds ou the redemption division of the Treasury are constantly being tried. What are called “drawer scraps” are presented almost every day with the demand for new money in exchange. These are torn-off fragments of notes which are found in tills and cash drawers. A man employed in a New York bank once sent a boxful of them, claiming S2OO. They were the result of many sweepings carefully accumulated. Unfortunately they represented SI,OOO or more, if anything, and the youth was lucky to escape prison. An Ohio woman not long ago mailed to the Treasury a number of rolled-up pellets of paper, which she said represented a five-dollar note'torn up by a child. The pellets were straightened out and found to be thirteen center strips cut lengthwise from as many five-dollar bills. It is hardly necessary to say that the woman got nothing in return. People seem to think that Uncle Sam is precious green; at the same time the redemption division does get cheated now and then, undoubtedly. Late in the year 1892 it was discovered in the redemption division that the full number of SSOO notes of the series of 1874 had been redeemed. Nevertheless, notes of this series .were still coming for redemption. At first it was thought that there had been an overissue by some strange mistake. Accordingly all of these notes from that time on were with held from the customary destruction, and their numbers were registered for the purpose of seeing if duplicates would appear. But no duplicates did appear, and it is now believed that the trouble arose from an error on the part of the officials appointed to act as a destruction committee. They must have made a mistake in their record of notes destroyed, putting down the figures 1874 instead of some other year.—Philadelphia Times.

False Teeth for a Midget.

Dentist Oscar Adelberg, of Elizabeth, N. J., has just completed a set of false teeth which is probably the smallest ever made. The set is intended for Baroness Magri, knowp, to the world as Mrs. Tom Thumb. The set can easily be placed within the circumference of a half dollar. She is greatly pleased, and takes delight in showing the plate to her intimate friends.—New York Journal.

“Horrible Discovery at the Pole."

The shouting “speshul edishun” newsboy is as well known in London as in Chicago. Recently when the Nansen North pole excitement was at its height pedestrians along a certain London thoroughfare were over whelmingly amused at hearing a strong-voiced youngster laden with papers and hurrying by call out earnestly: “(Evenin’ paper, speshul ’disbun, ’orrible discovery al the North pole.”

FARM AND GARDEN NOTES

ITEMS OF TIMELY INTEREST TQ THE FARMERS. Clover for the Dairy—A Wet Soil—The Butter Drier—Commercial Melon Crowing Under Irrigation. PRUNING QUINCE TREES. Part of the lack of success in growing the quince is owing to the lack of pruning which this tree receives. Very often its pruning is entirely neglected. The tree is much more certain to be productive if trained to a single stem and its weaker shoots are cut out every spring where they grow too close together. A well-pruned quince tree, with its mass of pink and white blossoms, is a beautiful sight in spring, and when covered with golden fruit in fall is still more beautiful.—American Cultivator. STARTING CHRYSANTHEMUMS. Select the strongest soil to be found on the premises, rich in old loam, and make it richer by adding well-rotted cow manure, the strength of which has not been wasted by ex insure. It might be possible to make the soil too rich; many things are possible which are not probable. At any rate, follow the rule for sweetening currant pies: “Put in all your conscience will allow, then shut your eyes and add another handful.” Thoroughly mix and make mellow. When the soil is warm, and on a damp day, if possible, take the plants, which if secured from a florist are probably thrifty single shoots, and set some three inches below surface and sixteen Inches apart, spreading out the fibrous roots and pressing firmly in place. Water and shade for a few days, and they will begin a rampant growth refreshing to see, while you gaze aghast at your roses, which have quietly departed, or mourn the absolute repose of your bedded plants.—New England Homestead. CLOVER FOR THE DAIRY. Clover should be grown by all dairymen, and fed either as a soiling crop, pasture, hay, or silage, it reduces by so much the cost of purchased proteins in the form of bran, oil meal, etc. One of the great features of the clover plant is its power of gathering nitrogen from unseen sources, and not only supplying its own needs, but leaving behind a great per centage of nitrogen in the soil to benefit the succeeding crop. Clover is of great manorial value to the dairy farmers, for aside from its great feeding power fully 80 per cent, of its original nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potasli are left in the excrement of the animal. If watertight gutters and absorbents are employed, this will be saved to go back upon the soil; there to be added to a large per centage of the same elements found in the roots and mulch left in and on the ground after the clover is removed as hay. All sorts of legumes are being tried as a substitute for clover, but in each and every case they prove to be only helps to bridge over an accident or a drouth, or afford a quick soiling crop. As the dairyman looks for a better and cheaper food for his stock he cannot neglect clover, but in every way should grow more of it both in acreage and amount per acre.—Colman’s Rural World.

ALFALFA FOR HOGS. It will sustain life and produce some growth in shoats. It will not make them fat, but it will keep them in condition to make good use of a little extra feed. One acre of good alfalfa, with a dividing fence in the middle, so that as soon as one part is eaten down the pigs may be changed to the other, will support twenty pigs from the middle of May till the first of October, or a little later, providing the land is properly irrigated and the work is done systematically. Counting upon alfalfa to furnish the sustenance ration. the addition of grain will produce good, heavy porkers, which will return a good profit, providing the price in November is four cents or upward. Alfalfa is also of great value in wintering brood sows. If the leaves which drop off in the mows, and which are unfit for horse feed, be saved and mixed with bran or slops, they will be eaten greedily with good results, making a valuable saving of other feeds.—American Agriculturist. A WET SOIL. A wet soil is one that contains more water than a merely moist or humid soil. Appearance will practically determine the amount of water any soil contains. A soil subcharged with water is readily discernible from one void of water. So also will thfe intervening degrees be known by observation and experience. Increasing shades of darkness accompany the changes from dry to saturated. A dry soil has a dry appearance and a wet soil has a wet appearance. The soil’s conduct under physical force is also a guide. The pressure of the foot scarcely disturbs the surface particles of a dry soil. The same pressure slightly displaces vertically downward the surface particles of a merely n.oist soil. With a wet soil there is a displacement laterally of both surface and sub-particles. There is a spewing up about the foot, and the soil itself mires. Usually a wet soil is tenacious and always heavy. The effect of plowing soil wet w decidedly injurious. ' Early rains will diminish the injury. Without these the soil will become hard, lifeless and void of moisture. Good soils habitually broken and tilled will lose their vitality and become unproductive. Soils broken merely moist and afterwards thoroughly tilled even gain in moisture, and crops thereon thrive during continued drouths. If soils be broken and tilled wet and drouth follow, crops thereon will perish for want of moisture to set free fertility. Besides the soil will suffer a permanent physical injury.—Progressive Farmer.

THE BUTTER DRIER.

A new invention now threatens to supplant the butter-worker—the but-ter-drier, which rids the granules of water without rolling or bruising them. In a recent issue of a London paper, Professor Sheldon goes on record quite

stsntly against the practice of working butter, and commends warmly the work of the Bradford drier and molder. In the use of this invention the butter is churned as usual, washed in the granular state, and then "brined.” After remaining in the brine half an hour, tbe granular butter is ladled out and put in muslin lined tin molds of any desirable sire—for pounds, half-pounds or other weight packages. The filled molds are then placed around the inner periphery of a wheel that is revolving at high speed, and the centrifugal motion drives out the water in the form of spray and also packs the butter in the mold without injury to the grain, so that in two minutes’ time the dried and molded butter is ready for the wrapper or package. The butter is perfectly granular, and breaks freely on slight pressure, being somewhat crumbly and on that account possessing—so it is claimed—an aroma and flavor that cannot be retained under the crushing of the rollers of the butter-worker,— American Farmer. COMMERCIAL MELON GROWING UNDER IRRIGATION. The watermelon delights in a light sandy soil, while its companion, the cantaloupe, succeeds best on clay loam, or at least a heavier soil than the former, says Frank Crowley, of Colorado. Both do best on the new land, and as this is about all exhausted that is under irrigation in this section some plan of renewal must be adopted. We are having very good success by allowing the land to produce a good crop of corn every other year, but it seems the best results will be obtained by plowing under alfalfa sod and growing almut two crops of melons in succession on the same land. The ground for melons should be irrigated during the winter or early spring, so that when plowed and harrowed in April it will hold moisture long enough to bring up the plants, seeds of which should be planted about the first of May,or after the soil has become warin enough to hasten germination. The furrows for irrigation are made before planting, and should be run in the direction the water will run most readily, the tools generally used being either a single shovel or six-inch diamond plow. For watermelons these furrows should be about nine! or ten feet apart, and the hills about eight feet In the row. Cantaloupes need less room, and six by four feet will do very well. The planting Is usually done with a hoe; a hole about two Inches deep Is drawn out, into which five or six seed are scattered when the seed is replaced and finned a little with the back of the hoe. When this is accomplished the top of the hill should be on a level with the land, and the seeds about on a level with the edge of the water when It comes slowly down the furrow In irrigating during the summer. Then the plants when they come up should bo near enough the brink of the furrow to get their roots thoroughly saturated, but never be flooded. The ground between the rows should be kept free of weeds and well cultivated, while the hoe should be brought into frequent use around the hill, and when the plants get large enough to judge of their vitality they should be thinned to about two or three of the strongest, standing two or three inches apart in the hill.

HOW TO KILL. ELM BEETLES. Professor John B. Smith, the ontomologlst of the New Jersey State Experiment Station, connected with Rutgers College, at New Brunswick, N. J., has devoted a great deal of time to the subject of elm beetles and how to exterminate them. The ravages of these insects have caused widespread regret in various parts of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, particularly New Haven, over the destruction of hundreds of noble elm trees, and Professor Smith was particularly busy last season explaining his experiments and advising precautions against the insects. He has found that the pests are vulnerable to stomach poisons, and he makes his exterminator on the following formula: One pound of Paris green or London purple, mixed with 150 gallons of water; add a sufficient quantity of stone or shell lime, a pound for each pound of the poison; in order to give better adhesive qualities, add two quarts of glucose, or thick molasses, to every 100 gallons of mixture; when the water and lime have come to the boiling point, put in the poisons. This formula will have no bad effect upon the trees, for the soluble arsenic is neutralized by the lime. Another exterminator prepared by the professor is: Lead acetate, 11 ounces; sodium arsenite, 4 ounces, in 100 gallons of water; add adhesives to the mixtures as before; thoroughly stir and apply. The cheapness of these preventives and exterminators is remarkable. A hundred gallons of the first formula, which will thorough spray four large elm trees, cost about fifteen cents. Arsentlte of soda in the second mixture may be obtained at about eight cents a pound and the acetate of lead at fourteen cents a pound. One of Professor Smith’s contemporaries has recommended an emulsion of kerosene as a remedy. This he declares Ineffective because non-poison-ous.—Scientific American.

Facts About Shoes.

The Portuguese shoe lias a wooden sole and heel, with a vamp made of patent leather, fancifully showing the flesh side of the skin. The Persian footgear is a raised shoe, and is often a foot high. It is made of light wood, richly inlaid, with a strap extending over the instep. The Muscovite shoe is hand-woven, on a wooden frame, and but little attention is paid to the shape of the foot. Leather is sometimes used, but the sandal is generally made of silk cordage and wooden cloth. The Siamese shoe has the form of an ancient canoe, with a gondola bow and an open toe. The sole is made of wood and the upper of inlaid wood and cloth, and the exterior is elaborately ornamented in colors, with gold and silver. The sandal worn by the Egyptians is composed of a sole made by sticking together three thicknesses of leather. This is held to the foot by passing a band across the instep. The sandal is beautifully stitched with threads of different colors. i '

AN ELECTRICAL WEED KILLER.

Designed for Use on Southern Railway* Where Weeds Crow Densely. Weeds often grow so' high along the railroad tracks in the South that they interfere with the running of trains. The roadbeds of many of the smallei lines are not covered with cinders ot stones and the weeds grows as high beside the tracks as they do in the open fields. This often makes it necessary for the crop of weeds to be mowed every summer. One of the single-track lines down on the Delaware Peninsula ceases running trains for two weeks every summer while the employees mow a passage for the trains. An electrical weed-killer, which will destroy weeds by the wholesale is about to be Introduced on some of those lines. The new Invention will run at express train speed and cut down every bit of vegetation on or near the tracks. Weeding has always been considered very hard work, but with the aid of the electrical weeder a man has only to touch a button and the weeds vanish. The plan of the railroad weeder is simple. An ordinary flat car Is equipped with metal brushes which extend out over each side of tbe car. Their height is regulated so that they will brush the top of the weeds as the car moves along. A dynamo on the car, run while the train is in motion, is connected with the metallic brushes, which receive the full force of the current. The circuit is then grounded through the wheels to the track. When the current is turned on it passes through the metal brushes through the weeds to the ground, thus completing the circuit The current is so powerful that the weeds, which serve as a conductor, are instantly shrivelled up. It is necessary to wet the weeds In order to make them good electrical conductors, so the mowers wait until after a rain. The electrical weeder does Its work more cleanly and more thoroughly than any mowing machine, for the weeds are literally burned up. When they are cut off they soon sprout up again, but after they have been touched by the electric current they are destroyed dowp to the ends of their roots.—New York World.

Making Pianos of Paper.

All manner of articles in place of wood have been used In the manufacture o£ pianos. Perhaps the most successful of all these Is paper, of which many pianos of exquisite tone and appearance have been made. The Duke of Devonshire has one of the finest specimens of the paper piano, this being of French make, and decorated most ornately with pictures by wellknown French artists. The Duke gave $2500 for this, mainly no doubt, on account of the ornamental ion. I suppose, says a London correspondent, you know that pianos for very hot and very cold climates—all instruments for export, in fact, have to be specially made, and in this direction all manner of experiments have been tried. Among others, a sort of cellulose, one factor in which is actually common molasses, from which sugar is made, is employed, and a composition made from the chemical treatment of gutta-percha, and leather pulp has been tried. Ivory pianos are by no means uncommon, and the Dowager Countess of Dudley has a magnificent carved specimen. Pianos of ivory are, I might say, made every year in numbers, but chiefly for Indian princes and rich Spanlsh-Amerl-cans. Many pianos of solid silver have been made—lndeed, one was only lately completed by a London firm for the Nizam of Hyderabad—and piano cases have at various times been made of bronze, a species of aluminum, glass, porcelain, and, In combination, mother-of-pea rl.—M uslc.

Intelligence of Animals.

Dogs and cats, suffering from disordered stomach, eat certain grasses, which have the effect of purging and vomiting. The dog also eats fat with avidity when In need of purgation, but abstains from it in his normal conditions. The horse will eat fat for the same purpose, and earth, coal dust, etc., when suffering from worms. Cattle seek certain herbs when ill—medicinal herbs, such as they would not eat when well. Horses and other animals, when suffering from chronic rheumatism, expose themselves to the sun. Dogs and other animals seek water in which to bathe their wounded limbs. M. Delaunay, a French writer, has recorded many instances of instinct ive therapeutics among lower animals when suffering from fever, infection, wounds, etc. He relates the case of a dog that, on being stung by a viper, held the part in running water for days until it finally recovered. He instances also the case of a dog that was badly injured by being run over by a carriage, and that remained lying In a brook during three weeks. The animal recovered. A terrier was severely wounded in bls right eye. It secluded itself from the light and heat and ate a light, abstemious diet. The wounded eye was treated with spittle applied by itself by means of its paw, which it licked on its upper surface and then applied to tbe wound. This It did repeatedly until the wound healed.

An Anomalous "Bruiser.”

Couper, “the ex-prlze fighter and author,” who was one of the enrolled police force during the troubles at Johannesburg, formerly enjoyed a great reputation in South Africa, by defeating a local Goliath in Kimberley. Since then he has done a great deal for athletics in South Africa, and has written a book—an exceptional accomplishment for a prize fighter, but not surprising in Couper’s case, since he Is a well-educated man and, indeed, in most matters a complete contrast to the accepted type of “bruiser.”

Pawnbroking in Germany.

In Germany, pawnbroking is conducted by the State, by the parish, or by private persons under State supervision. During the year 1893, the sum of $1,200,000 was loaned on about 220,000 pledges. California produced gold to the value as $13,923,281 during the last year.

THE JOKER'S BUDGET.

JESTS AND YARNS BY FUNNY MEV OF THE PRESS. False Alarm—Tramp versus Dude—True Economy Waiting EmbarrassingCrushing Sarcasm. HUI ALARM. Brown—l hear you had some money left you. ( Jones—Yes, it left me long ago. PLEASURES OF SEASICKNESS. “Did you enjoy your ocean trip?” "Yes; I gave up all care and— every, thing else.” NEATLY OUT OF IT. She—You said I had a face that would stop a trolley car in the middle of the block. He—l did. It takes a mighty goodlooking woman to get a conductor to do that. TRAMP VERSUS DUDE. Tramp —Remember, boss, I was once just like you. Algy (giving him a dollar) — How did you get so different? Tramp - Oh, I was too proud to live on my father. TRUE ECONOMY. "I have saved a big pile of money today,” said Mr. Hardhead. "That is lovely. How?" said his wife. “Instead of going to law with a man for what he owed me, I let him have it.” WAITING. Bacon—lt’s funny you don’t ride.” Egbert—l’m waiting until they have bicycles built for two. “You can get tandems now.” “I know; I mean a bicycle built for $3.” EMBARRASSING. "Doctor, what is the trouble with Mrs. Nerves?" “1 haven’t made up my mind just what to call it yet. To tell you the truth, I haven’t found out what she wants me to say she has.” CRUSHING SARCASM. "You must admit," said tbe drill with a rasping chuckle, “that my point 1* a good one." Tbe rock maintained a stony silence. A casual observer, however, would have noticed that it looked bored. ms onißor. Johnny—May I wake the baby, mamma ? Mamma—Why do you want to wake the baby ? Johnny—So’s I can play on my drum. REPROACH. Dude (to his tailor) —I will never give you an order again; you charged me three times too much for my last suit. I found it out when I pawned it to-day. CROOKED ADVICE. Doctor—l don't think that boil on your na*e is a very serious matter, but you had better keep your eye on it. Patient (nervously)—Great Scott, dootor, that'll make me squint. SUFFICIENT reason. Mrs. Wickwire—Why don’t you ever wash your face ? Dismal Dawson—Don’t want the sun to git a chance to spile me complexion. A WOMAN’S HOLIDAY. Rose—“ What arc you going to do today ?” Marie —“Why, nothing. And you?" Rose—“ Nothing, either.” Marie— ‘ ‘Then let's go shopping.” Rose —"But I don't want to buy anything.’’ Marie—“ Neither do I. We’ll just shop," a man’s view. “My dear, 1 think you are a trifle too particular." “Why?" “In putting wire screens over tbe door* and windows so our tiles cannot get out and associate with the neighbors’ flies.” STRANGE. Mistress—Look here, Jeannette; you have brought me two shoes for tbe same foot. Maid—How strange! This other pair are botli for tbe same foot, too. TO HEAL THE DIFFERENCE. •'I cannot be your wife, Algy. Then is too great a difference between our fortunes.” “But, Mabe), I’m sure there would be no difference between them if we could bring them together.” A SOLILOQUY. . "These family quarrels are jnst as needless as they are horrible," mused Mrs. Younglove. “Now, George and I have been married four—long—weeks, and yet be hasn’t said one—cross—word to me yet! I knew that we could surprise people! ’’ A pause. “But, then, George isn’t as other men are." HIS SUPERSTITION. “Tompkins, do you think a mascot is any help in learning to ride a wheel?” “Well, there are times when tbe presence of a feather pillow doesn’t go so bad.” ESCAPED. “Madame,” said the new boarder, “one of your family came very near dying last night." “Indeed; I was not aware that anyone was ill. Who was ill ?" "The man in the next room to minei who played tbe cornet till Ba. in. He stopped just in time to save his life.” IDENTIFIED. “You say you know this man? Is there any particular sign by which you recognize ti.e corpse ?” “Oh, yes, your honor; he was deaf.” WEBSTER BOBROWS A DOLLAR. “Sam, can yer lend me a dollar that yer has no use fer ?' said Jim Webster to Sam Johnsing. “Certingly, Jim, I’se pleased ter'commodate yer?" said Sam, banding Jim a dollar. Jim was so surprised at his luck that he bit the coin to see if he was awake, or merely dreaming, and in doing so discovered that it was made of lead. “This yere is counterfeit, Sam; I didn’t think yer would do me datter way.” “I know its counterfeit, Jim; yer axed me fur one I bad no use fur. an’ I gib it ter yer. Ise always 'commodatin to my friends.”

Negative Sort of Animal.

Double-headed, double-tailed, fourhorned and six-legged calves have been exhibited throughout the world, but Adelbert Bivins, who lives near Roscoe, N. Y., owns a calf without eyes or a tail, and the sex of which cannot be determined, or which is sexless. The calf is now over a week old, apparently hapyp and thriving. The freak has been seen and examined by a multitude of persons in its short existence.—New York Press.