Ligonier Banner., Volume 28, Number 50, Ligonier, Noble County, 22 March 1894 — Page 3

. " . Soty 7 oeR * Gdiin STUDY £ Ry { %\V ; iﬁi : Syl T A 1) SCARLET ' BY A. CONAN DOYLE. - CHAPTER IIIL—CONTINUED. - “Why, that’s true, sir,” he said; “though how you came to know it, Heaven ‘only knows! Ye see, when I got up to the door, it was so still. and 80 lonesome that.l thought I'd be none the worse for some one with me. I ain’'t afeared of anything on this side of the grave; but I thought that maybe it was him that died o’ the typhoid inspecting the drains what killed him. The thought gave me a kind o turn, and I walked back to the gate to see if [ could see Murcher’s lantern, but there wasn’t no sign.of him nor of anyone glse.” o ' ~ . “There was no one in the street?” . ““Not a livin’ soul, sir, nor asmuch as f dog. Then I pulled myself together gnd went back and pushed the door spen. All was quiet inside, so I went fnto the room where the light was a-burnin’. There was a candle flickerin’ on the mantle-piece—a red wax one—and by its light I saw—" *Yes, I know all that-you saw. You walked round the room several times, and you knelt down by the body, and then you walked through and tried the kitchen door, and then—" John Rance sprang to his feet with a frightened face and suspicion in his eyes. ‘‘Where was you hid to see all that?” he cried. ‘lt seems:to me that you knows a deal more than you sHould.” ' . , _?Holmes laughed, and threw his card across the table to the constable. “Don’t get arresting me for the murder,” he said. “I am one of the hounds and not the wolf; Mr. Gregson or Mr. Lestrade will answer for that. Go on, though. - What did you do next?” Rance resumed his -seat, without, however, losing his mystified expression. *‘l went back to the.gate and sounded my - whistle. That brought Murcher and two more to the spot.” “WWas the street empty then?” *WWell, it was, as far as anybody that could be of any good goes.” ““What do vou mean?”’ _

* The constable’s features broadened into a grin. “‘l've seen many a drunk chap in my time,” he said, ‘*but never anyone sso cryin’ drunk as that cove. He was 'at the gate when I came out, a-leanin’ up ag'n the railin’s and a-singin’ at the pitch of his lungs about Columbi-ne;i'ne“:-fangled banner, or some such®stuff. Ie couldn’t. stand, far-léss help.” “What-sort of a man n@\e?" asked Sherlock Holmes: i John Rance appeared to be somewhat irritated at this digression. “He was an uncommon drunk sort o’ man,” he said. “He’d ha’ found hisself in the station if we hadn’'t been sa took up.” **His face—his dress—didn’t you notice them?” Holmes broke in, impatiently. : - “I should think I did notice them, seeing that I had to prop him up—me and Murcher between us. He was a long chap, with a red face, the lower part muffled round—" ' ¥ “That will do,” cried Holmes. ‘“What became of him?” - “*We’'d enough to do without lookin’ after him,” the policeman said, in an aggrieved voice. *“I'll wager he found his way home all right.”

How was he dressed?” ‘ A brown overcoat.” . Had he¢ a whip in his hand?” A whii;—_no.” e

“IHe must have left it behind,” muttered nmiy companion. “You didn’t happen to see or hear a cab after that?” “No.” .

“There’s a half sovereign for you.” my companion said, standing up and taking his hat. . *‘l am afraid, Rance, that you will never rise in the force. That head of yours should be for use as well as ornament. You might have gained your sergeant’s stripes last night. The man whom you held in yvour hands is the man who holds the clew of this mystery, and whom we are seeking. There is np use of arguing about'it now; I tell you that it is so. Come along, doctor.” - We started off for the cab together, leaving our informant ineredulous, but obviously'ancomfortable. “The blundeéring fool!” Holmes said, bitterly, as we drove back to our lodgings. ‘““Just to think of his having such an incomparable bit of good luck, and not taking advantage of it.” “I am rather in the dark still. It is true that the description of this man tallies with your idea of the second party in this mystery. But why should he come back to the house after leaving it? This is not the way of criminals.” “The ring, man, the ring; that was what he came back for.* If we have no other way of catching him we can always bait our line with the ring. I shall have him, doctor, I'll lay you two to onie that I haye him. I must thanlk “you foritall. ¥might not have gone but for you, and so have missed the finest study I ever came across; a study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn’'t we wuse a little art jargon?, There’s .the scarlet thread of murder running through the colorless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.. And now for lunch, and then for Norman Neruda. Her attack and her bowing are splendid. What's that little thing of Chopin’s she plays so magnificently: Tra-la-la-lira-lira-lay.” / Leaning back in the cab, this amateur blood-hound caroled away like a lark, while I meditated upon the manysidedness of the human mind. Lo CHAPTER V. . ‘ OUR ADVERTISEMENT BRINGS A VISITOR. Our morning’s exertions had- been too much for my weak health, and I was tired out in the afternoon. After Holmes’ departure for the concert, I lay down upon the sofa and endeavored to get a couple of hours’ sleep. It was a useless attempt. My mind had ‘been too much excited by all that had occurred, and the strangest fancies and surmises crowded into it. Every time that I closed my eyes I saw before me the distorted, ~ baboon-like countenance af the murdered man. So. sinister was the impression which that face had produced upon me that I found it difficult. to feel anything but gratitude for him who had rémoved its owner from the world. If ever human features bespoke vice of the most ‘malignant type, they were certainly ‘those of Enoch J. Dreébber, of Clevelafd. Still'l recognized that justice must be done, and that the depravity of the victim was no condonement in The more I thoughs of it the more

extraordinary did my ecompanion’s hypothesis, that the man had been poisoned, appear. I remember how he hsd sniffed his lips, and had no doubt that he had detected something which had -given rise to the idea. Then, -again, if not poison, what had caused the man’s death, since’ there was neither wound nor marlks of strangulation? But, on the other hand, whose blood was that which lay so thickly upon the floor? There were no signs of a struggle, nor had the victim any weapon with which he might have wounded an antagonist. As long as all- these questions were unsolved, I felt that sleep would be no easy matter, either for Holmes or myself. His quiet, self-confident manner convinced me that he had already formed a theory which explained all the facts, though what it was I could not for an instant conjecture. He was very late in returning—so late that I knew that the concert could not have detained him all that time. Dinner was on the table before.he appeared. “It was magnificent,” he said, as he took his seat. ‘Do you remember what Darwin says about music? He claims that the power of producing and appreciating it existed among the human race long before the power of

{ g R | :f'fg—/; ;“w //%[,/ ;{ ‘/\ . L”‘"‘: =g WL LA — VT AR RN // L .'H . N S¢l &LN &N \.'muu {,\_ R 7:/;/;' ~/ ! \..‘i\ﬁ'\\\ \ F*l ’H‘ AT =g ek g\ i s Y it 4 Iy . "\ i ‘}:'H‘"\‘\;) :]' ), I'\ ,lllﬂt ”\\\ \\\\:» o g s> LN -z AN _,'7 T B R I NS P — AT Ry NS N e NS = = : I GLANCED AT THE PLAN INDICATED. speech was arrived at. Perhaps'that is why we are so subtly influenced by it. There are vague memories in our souls of those misty centuries when the world was in its childhood.” “That's rather a broad idea,” I remarked. i ‘ “One’s ideas must be as broad as nature if they are to interpret nature,” he answered. ‘“What’s the matter? You're not looking " quite yourself. This Brixton road affair has upset you.” i . “To tell the truth, it has,” I said. “I ought to be more case hardened after my Afghan experiences. ' I saw my own comrades hacked to pieces at Maiwand without*losing my nerve.” . “I can understand. There is a mystery about this svhich stimulates the imagination; where there is no imagination there is no horzsr. Have you seen the evening paper?” o EONORE ) '

‘lt gives a fairly good account of the affair. It does not mention the fact that when the man was raisecl7 up a woman's wedding ring fell updn ‘the floor. It is just as well it does not.” A“\‘hy?” . “Look at this advertisement,”” he answered. ‘I had one sent to every paper this morning immediately after the affair.” ' He threw the paper across to me, and I glanced at the place indicated. It was the first announcement in the “Found” column. “In Brixton road this morning,” it ran, “a plain gold wedding ring, found in the roadway between the White Hart tavern and Holland grove. Apply Dr. Watson, 2218 Baker street, between eight and nine this evening.” “Excuse my using your name,” he said. “‘lf I used my own some one of these dunderheads would recognize it and want. to meddle in the affair.” “That is all,” I answered. ‘‘But supposing anyone applies, I have no ring.” - ““Oh, yes, you have,” said he, handing me one. “This will do very well. It is almost a fac-simile.” . ~ “And who do you expect will answer this advertisement?” “Why, the man in the brown coat—our florid friend with the square toes. If he does not come himself he will send an accomplice.” o “Would he not consider it as-too dangerous?”’ ‘e o . ‘ “Not at all. If my view of the case is correct, and I have every reason to believe that it is, this man would rather risk anything than lose the

— Z . #\: _,l\\ | \\‘, : -\i!‘ EIH\U" 8 J!‘ o~ N ’ ol &\{g;;_«‘ NI 1P '\[ = !}\'l(. q{-@lw“ W’f A . ‘Jllt gy ‘llf!ii%xl‘ R ;‘ \ie i g N ] ;\/ r\% (R _;'( s - -_hj g |— \\\ 0 =l \ g 2 \E~ ) 8o TE\\Z Mk B Eose 2 el i WMW“QM:? i IV == A VERY OLD AND WRINKLED WOMAN HOBBLED INTO THE APARTMENT. ring. = According to my notion he dropped it while stooping over Drebber’s body, and did not miss it at the time. After leaving the house he discovered Ris loss, and hurried back, but found the police already in possession, owing to his own folly in leaving the candle burning. He had to pretend to be drunk in order to allay the suspicipons which might have been aroused by his appearance at the gate. Now put yourself in that man’s place, On ‘thinking the matter over, it must have occurred to him that it was possible that he had lost the ring in the road after leaving the house. What would he do then? He would eagerly look out for the evening papers, in the hope of seeing it among the articles found. His eye, of course, would light upon this. He would be overjoyed. Why should 'he fear a trap? There would be no reason in his eyes why the finding of the ring ghould be connected with the murder. He would come. He will come. You shall see him within s homt” : “And then?” I asked: v “Oh, you can leave me to deal with him, then. . Have you any arms?” ‘I have my old service revolver and a few cartridges.” : ° “You had better clean it and load it. He will be a desperate man, and, though I shall take him unawares, it is as well fo be ready for anything.”

I went to my bedroom wnd toiicwe his advice. When I returned with ti., pistol the table had been cleared ang Holmes was engaged in his favoritg occupation of scraping upon his violin. “The plot thickens,” he said, as I ‘entered. “I have just had an answer to my American telegram. My view -of the case is correct.” ‘

““And that'is?” I asked, eagerly.

“My fiddle would be better for new strings,” he remarked. ‘‘Put your pistol in your pocket. When the fellow comes spealkk to him in an ordinary way. Leave the rest to me. Don’t frighten him by looking at him too hard.” : i

“It is eight o’clock now,” I said, glancing at my watch. S oo *“Yes. He will probably be here in a | few minutes. Open the door slightly. | That will do. Now put the key on the | inside. Thank you! This is a queer‘ book I picked up at a stall yesterday—‘De Jure inter Gentes’—published in Latin at Liege, in the Lowlands, in ) 1642. Charles’ head was still firm on ’ his shoulders when this little brownbacked volume was struck off.” “Who is the printer?” WA “Philippe de Croy, whoever he may | have been. On the fly-leaf, in yery ! faded ink, is written, ‘Exlibris Guli- ; olmi Whyte.” I wondered who Wil- ' liam Whyte was. Some pragmatical | seventeenth century lawyer, I sup-! pose. His writing has a legal twist | about it. Here comes our man, I | think.” — - , . I

As he spoke there was a sharp ring at the bell. Sherlock Holmes rose softly, and moved his chair in the direction of the door. We heard the servant pass along the hall, and the sharp click of the lateh as she opened it. “Dbes Dr. Watson live here?” asked a clear but rather harsh voice. We could not hear the servant’s reply, but the door closed, and some one began to ascend the stairs. The footfall was an uncertain and shuffling one. A look of surprise passed over the face of my companion as he listened to it. I came slowly along the passage, and there was a feeble tap at the door. “Come in!” I cried. -

At my summons, instead of the man of violence whom we expected, a very old and wrinkled woman hobbled into the apartment. She appeared to be dazzled by the sudden blaze of light, and, after dropping a .courtesy, she stood blinking at us. with her bleared eyes and fumbling in her pocket with nervous, shaky fingers. I glanced at my companion, and his face had assumed such a disconsolate expression that it was all I'could do to keep my countenance. o o 3

The old crorie drew out an evening paper, and pointed at our advertisement. “It’s this as has brought me, good gentlemen,” she said, dropping another courtesy; “a gold weddingring in the Brixton road. It belongs to my girl Sally, as was married only

—— iﬂlßﬁ / am . iil , ’(’\ & i ‘ | .-'g’}‘s.a ,ml T \\\-ﬁ“m.“ i IR T )M\Wi i L ‘\‘l ‘ ! : SR N 2 :ﬂml’,ﬁ,”’ ‘r‘wl‘ Ms\\ A y g ’ ; J‘ “;\:'; \l| i !\ll‘}' | 3 1 - 11 lh ”i b l ( { o N ;‘s . | l" s\ - ‘;:c".'ﬁ,i { | J::.&_Li Al l\ ; ﬂ.,’&\\ {l]{ v kfl‘ (?1’ ‘\f' __\"‘(,\ \ ,;‘ Ml e f'.\ \ ~r T 3 \ i HER PURSUER DOGGED HER SOME LITTLE DISTANCE BEHIND. this time _ twelvemonth, which her husband is steward aboard a union boat, and what he'd say if- he come ’ome and found her without her ring is more than I can think, he being short enough at the best o’ times, but more especially when we has the drink. If it please you, she went to the circus last night along with—" ‘“ls that her ring?” I asked. ‘“The. Lord be thanked!” eried the old woman. ‘“Sally will be a glad woman this night. That’s the ring.” ‘““And what may your address be?” I inquired, taking up a pencil. : ‘l3 Duncan street, Houndsditch. A weary way from here.”. 2 “The Brixton road does not lie between any circus and Houndsditch,” said Sherlock Holmes, sharply.

- The old woman faced round and looked keenly at him from her little ‘red-rimmed eyes. -‘“The gentleman ‘asked me for my address,” she said. ““‘Sally lives in lodgings at 3 Mayfield Place, Peckham.” : ’ “And your name is—” - “My name is Sawyer—hers is Dennis, which Tom Dennis married her—and a smart, clean lad, too, as long as he’s at sea, and no steward in the company more - thought of; but when on_shore, what with the women and what with liquor shops—” : “Here is your ring, Mrs. Sawyer,” I interrupted, in g¢bedience to a sign from my companion; ‘it clearly belongs to your daughter, and I am glad to restore it to the rightful owner.” With many mumbled blessings and protestations of gratitude the old crone packed it away in her pocket, and shuffled off down the stairs. Sherlock Holmes sprang to his feet the moment she was gone and rushed into his room. He returned in a few seconds enveloped in an ulster and a cravat. “I’ll follow her,” he said, hurriedly; “she must be an accomplice, and will lead me to him. Wait up for me.” The hall door had' hurriedly slammed behind our visitor before Holmes had descended the stair. Looking through the window I could see her walking feebly along the other side, while her pursuer dogged her some little distance behind. ‘‘Either his whole theory is incorrect,” I thought to myself, ‘‘or else he will be led now te the heart of the mystery.” There was no need for him to ask me to wait up for him, ‘for I felt that sleep was impossible until I heard the result of . his.adventure. , 9 JTO BE CONTINUED.] Fire Hazard from Klectricity. - The subject of fire hazard from electricity is receiving considerable attention just now, both from the electrical engineer and the insurance man. The general public has a mistaken idea as to the danger of fire fron}ielectrical eircuits, as all mysterious fires are popularly assigned to this agent. A wellknown statistician- has recently compiled a little pamphlet on this subjeect, in which are shown reports from the fire departments of eighty-two cities in the United States. In these places there were 118,118 fires during 1891, and of these but 225, or about 1 per cent., could be traced to electrio currents

THE BALLAD OF BENJAMIN.g Into the west rode Benjamin H., ' On his iron steed so fair, He rode all day and he rode all night EhiEs To see what might be there. g ‘ Into the west rode Benjamin H., . And he trimmed his words with care, For the speeches he spake and the talks he talked Said nothing of getting there. v Into the west rode Benjamin H., : And grandpa’s hat went, too, : But he kept it hid in a dark valise, Entirely out of view. Into the west rode Benjamin H., - And Maj. McKinley sighed; : For he had some doubt of what might be The result of such a ride. Into the west rode Benjamin H., ; - And Mr. T. B.. Reed Beratched his dome of thought reflectively And gave the matter heed* . 1l Into the west rode Benjamin H., : .Some pointers for to get; He rode all day and he rode all night, JAnd he hasn't *‘got there” yet. : —N. Y. Sun. THE FAILURE OF PROTECTION. The McKiunley Theory Based Upon a Dis--2 aster Producing System. - It is interesting to note that while the United States is engaged in the attempt to shake off the incubus of the McKinley law, all Europe is in ‘“an economic ferment,” as some writer has phrased it. It is well known that all the principal nations of the continent have high protective tariffs. According to the doctrines which have dominated our legislation since 1861 they ought all to be happy. On the contrary, they are all unhappy. France is giving another turn to the screw, showing that the tariff of 1891 has not brought about the blessings expected. Quite the reverse. The chamber of commerce at Marseilles declares thatsince its adoption there have been a constant reduction of.commercial operations, a lack of new enterprises, a suppression of many that previously existed, that no new factories are building, that those burned down are notreplaced, that thenumberof idle ships grows larger every day;in short, that there has been a change for the worse in foreign commerce, attended by a similar. condition in agriculture and internal commerce. "Phe remedy now proposed is a still higher-tariff, another turn of the screw, an expedient certain to aggravate the evils now prevailing. :

In Italy there is chaos. Uprisings have occurred to resist the outrageous taxes on the necessaries of life, and these have to be put down by military force. At the same time there is a deficiency in the revenue, and while it is proposed to reduce expenditures the provosed economies are admitted to be insufficient to avoid a deficit. New taxes are proposed, to be levied upon a people already exhausted by excessive taxation. :

Fifteen years. ago Germany entered upon the enterprise of making the people happy by protective taxes. This ‘was largely in the interest of agriculture, which demanded to be shielded from the curse of cheap food. The system ran its usual course. It did not answer expectations, and its advocates said it was not high enough. So in 1885 rates were put up again. Two years later it was thought necessary to make a further increase.

These constantly augmenting imposts on the necessaries of life have caused great distress among the poor of Germany. But what effect have they had upon agriculture? For answer let us turn to the recent speech of Dr. Miquel, in the reichstag. He has been counted on in some quarters as an opopponent of the treaty with Russia, as he is zmown to be in sympathy with the agrarians. . He said that the main ‘task’ of the Prussian government for :the next few years must be to devise effectual assistance for agriculture. In spite of this he favored the treaty. ‘‘ln any case,” he added, ‘‘the treaty can not render the condition of husbandry any worse than it is.”

Such is the ‘effect of fifteen years of high protection upon German agriculture. Even in the opinion of its warmest friends its condition cannot be any worse. This is but a repetition of the experience of the United States. We have had a continued demand for higher rates, and they have been advanced from time to time. The McKinley bill went to the extreme of high protection, and what is to-day the condition of our industries? According to the statemelrts of the parties interested they were never worse. They are waiting “for the repeal of the McKinley act that they may have a chance to revive. It is alleged, of course, that business depression is due to the prospective reduction of the duties. To what then is it due in Italy, where there is a prospect of an increase? To what is it due in France, where an, increase has just been made? There is no fear of taritt reform in France, but there is a paralysis of industry and trade. To what shall we attribute the depression in Germany, where agriculture, its chief beneficiary, is admitted to be in so desperate a condition that no commercial treaty can make it worse? The limit has been reached in putting up duties, both in Germany and the United States, but the expected blessings have refused to materialize. .

There is a deep philosophy underlying this ““economic ‘ferment” that prevails in all protective countries. The theory of creating prosperity by high taxes is breaking down. Protection has been tried and found wanting. —Louisville Courier-Journal. IN POWER ONE YEAR. Splendid Record Made by the Democracy Since March, 1893, One year ago the democrats assumed control of the national government after a total or partial exclusion from power for over thirty years. They found the tariff taxes higher than at any previous period in the history of the government. They found a treasury deficiency impending where they had left a surplus. They found the free gold excess of nearly $100,000,000, turned over by President Cleveland four years before, scattered in foreign lands. They found the country on the verge of a monetary panic owing to the operations of a republican silver-pur-chase law. They found on the statute book the slkeleton of an elections force law which the republicans had desperately endeavored to strengthen with federal bayonets at the polls. What is the record of the year? - The World has not shunned the duty of eriticising the administration and the democrdts in congress when the honor and welfare of the country required it. But iu spite of blunders and delinquencies it is true and it deserves to be said that notin half a century before has the first year of & new administration and a new congress been so rich in important public services as has the year which has just ended.

The Sherman silver-purchase act has been repealed. So mischievous had this law, passed solely by republican votes, become that business men of all parties united in demanding its repeal. The firm attitude of the:democratic administration secured an unconditional stoppage of silver purchases, and for the first time since the passage of the Bland act, in 1878, the currency of the country was relieved of the danger of debasement. : :

The elections law has been repealed. With it disappeared the last vestige of centralized coercion, the fruit of the war. Elections are hereafter to be free. The threat of ‘‘a bayonet behind every ballot™—of the party in power doing, as Speaker Reed said the jrepublican party intended to do, ‘‘its own registration, its own counting and its own certification”—is removed. This achievement alone is enough to have made the first year of the democratic restoration memorable. -

A genuine tariff-reform bill has passed the house. The Wilson bill is the most scientific and just tariff measure that has passed either house of congress in thirty years. If enacted into law it will free the great body of the people from needlessly burdensome taxes, it will relieve our manufacturers from a hindering handicap, it will en~ large the activities and increase the re~ wards of labor. It executes the man< date of the people. It fulfills the oft~ repeated pledge of the democratic party. - i ‘ There has been a-promising startim pension reform. The greatest source of extravagance and fraud in the entire federal system has been boldly and honestly attacked. The pension approv priation bill reported to the house ix nearly. $15,000,000 less than the amoun? appropriated for the current fiscal year. ‘ o : This is a record of which the democratic party has a right to be proud, despite the shortcomings and wronggoings in other directions. As to the reverse side of the picture ‘there is this to be said: Every mill that is closed was shut up under the operation 'of the McKinley fifty per.cent. tariff. Every workingman that is unemployed is idle under the law that was framed ostensibly to ‘‘protect” him. Every dollar of increase in the public debt represents a dollar of the republican deficiency. Every lack in the treasury is due to the republican law which cut revenune by raising taxes. Every expedient to obtain gold to maintdin the public credit is the necessary result of the net loss of gold to the country during the republican admijnistration of over §122,000,000. Every -deficiency, increasing payment from the public - treasury, bears the sign manual of a republican president. That there are dangers ahead of the democratic party none will deny. But the record of its first year in power challenges comparison with any similar period in the history of the country.— N. Y. World. S ‘

HIGH-TARIFF PRICES.

How the Farmer is Injured by the Opery ation of the :meKinley Bill.

It is not to be denied that recent prices of wheat are extraordinarily low. The statement that they have been lower lately than they ever were before is also true in a sense, but the statement needs qualification, because otherwise it is misleading. Conditions have changed essentially within the. last fifty years. Our railroad system was then in its infanecy, and where railroads existed freight rates were much higher than they are now. Consequently there was a corresponding difference in the price of wheat in farmers’ hands and the export price. For the period before the west--ern exchanges were established, we depend to alarge degree upon the export price, or, in other words, the price at New York, the chief port of exportation. Now, the export price of wheat has been lower this year than ever before. But it does not follow that the price in farmers’ hands in all parts of the country has been less. How this operates is illustrated by a glance at the conditions existing in the summer of 1846. The New York Commercial Bulletin learns from reports of sales made in New York city at that time that on June 11 2,500 bushels of Indiana red. wheat, part inferior, sold at 75 cents. On July 15 red wheat sold at 83 and white at 95. This shows the condition of the market at the seaboard. But it would be a great mistake to suppose that the state of the market in the west could be ascertained by deducting the difference now existing between eastern and western markets. A correspondent of the Bulletin says that about this' time a man was sent to the Illincis and Mississippi rivers to buy wheat, and that he purchased a large quantity at 25 cents for red and 37%4 cents for white, that being the difference then in the market value of the two varieties. At the same time 1,000 barrels of flour were bought on the Illinois river for $2.75 to $2.87 per barrel. In the next spring and summer, he says, flour sold in St. Louis at $6.12%¢ per barrel. » The great difference between prices east and west at that time is highly instructive as showing the enormous strides since made in our methods of transportation. [t cost to transport grain from fields near the Mississipypi river to New York something like fiftytwo cents per bushel. - From other' wheat-producing regions rates of freight, of course, varied greatly, according to the distance and facilities of transportation. ' Prices of grain would also vary greatly according to local demands. They were not necessarily low at a distance from New York; because in an isolated region, where the production of wheat was insufficient to supply the home demand, the high rates of transportation would ténd to put up the price instead of putting it down. e :

These low prices in 1846, it may be roted, were shortly before the passage of what Mr. Blaine used to call the “free-trade tariff” of 1846. The country was then under the blighting influence of the high tariff act of 1842, as it is row suffering from the effects of the McKinley bill. The bill became a‘ law on July 80. It had been predicted that it would ruin the country, but it had just the contrary effect. A period of general prosperity followed; wages were increased, prices of farm products became remunerative, more factories were built, and existing ones enlarged, and the country came to realize the fact. that prosperity is not attained by destroying, but by promoting, commerce.—Louisville Courier-Journal, ——The republican newspapers are now engaged in carrying next November’selections for their party. Thisisnot the first time the republican party has attempted to anticipate the output of the political ‘incubator,~-N. Y. World.

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

THE DRUM.

I'm a beautiful red, red drum. : : And I train with the soldier boyss ~ As up the street we come : | ‘Wonderful is our noise! | , There’s Tom and Jim and Phil C And Dick and Nat and Fred, - o While Widow Cutler’'s Bill ; . And I march on ahead, e With a r-rrat-tat-tat B And a tum-titty-um-tum-tume= - Oh, there's bushels of fun in that it For boys with a little red drum! , . The Injuns came last night o While the soldiers were abed, e And they gobbled a Chinese kite - And off to the woods they fled! _ The woods are the cherry trees S . Down in the orchard lot, / - And the soldiers are marching to seize The booty the Injuns got. : . With tum-titty-um-tum-tum, i - And r-r-rat-tat-tat, . . - When soldiers marching come e Injuns had' better scat! Vel Step up there, little Fred, L And, Charlie, have a mindl .. i Jim is as far ahead : : As you two are behind! : : Ready with gun and sword G Your valorous work to do- ° . Yonder the Injun horde Lieth in wait for you. ; i ’ And their hearts go pittypat G When they hear the soldiers come | With a r-r-rat-tat-tat . | And a tum-titty-um-tum-tum! - : | : | Course it's all.in play! P }' The skulking Injun crew - e | That hustled the kite away - P —Are little white boys, like youl _ But “honest” or “justicfun,” ~ - . It is all the same to me; ' -And, when the battle is won, | * Home once again march we - : With r--r-rat-tat-tat , . : And tum-titty-um-tum-tum; . > And there's glory enough in that ~ . For thé’boys with their little red drum! ‘ —~—Eugene Field, in Chicago Record. : LAWS OF GRAVITATION. | . e : The Professor Tells a'Story‘fshovylng That They Can’t Be Trifled With., “No, young gentlemen,” said the ‘professor, fondly toying as he spoke | with the strings of the Atwood’s mal chine, “no; man cannot trifle with the | laws of gravitation. I once had this | brought very forcibly to my notice; yes, very forcibly. The story of the occurrence may be of value to the ' class as an illustration. I was camping one summer at the mouth of a trout stream on Lake Superior. One ‘} day I went up the trail with my rod, but, meeting with no success, started back WBwn stream. 1 should ‘say that ! the trail ran parallel to the stream for several miles, crossing: it onge about . half a mile from the mouth by a log bridge. Thishad burned away, but on ‘ my way up I had no difficulty in crossE ing the gorge by a running jump. It ’ was, however, deep, perhaps sixty feet or more. As I was retracing my steps ; my attention was arrested by light ' footfalls behind me, and turning‘ I saw in the trail a full-grown black bear. I was naturally eager. to secure such a fine prize, but my rifle was at the tent, and I hastened on to procure it. Soon I noticed that the bear was also hastening, and I immediately suspected mischief. I confess that my usually firm nerves were somewhat shaken by the thought'that he might contem- | plate incorporating me into his anato- ' my. So I considerably accelerated my pace and hoped soon to terminate the chase by a leap across the chasm I just mentioried. At last we reached the spot, I jumped over, alighted in safety on the far side, and turned with a smile at my foiled pursuer behind me. “What was my surprise and anxiety to see him just taking a short run preparatory to following me. Nota mo-

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ment was to be lost. I pulled myself together, and we sprang from opposite. banks at the same moment, passed in mid air and alighted simultaneously on opposite sides of the river. Again I saw him prepare to spring; therg was no alternative. Again and still ggain we made the leap, and at the fifth crossing the expression of mingled cunning and ferocity in his eye—it was the left eye, sirs—appalled me.: No, gentlemen; I could not see the other eye, but it doubtléss expressed fixity of purpose. I have seldom seen a more persevering bear. It appalled ‘me, and I was prepared for a changeof tactics. Sure enough, the infuriated animal took a longer run, and as we passed he arrested his progress. through the atmosphere, gave a vicious growl, and aimed a savage blow at my flying form with his right forepaw. “Jle missed me, and his fate was sealed. Of course he-had never studied’ the laws of nature in the light of modern science, and did not know that a heavy body arrested in its flight | must fall. As I struck the cliff I heard l the bear strike the rocks below with a sickening thud. i l “No; you cannot tamper with the| {fmmutable laws of gravity. I see that | the recitation-hour has expired. You | are dismissed.”—W. 8. Telford, in Leslie’s Weelkly. Woman's Way. 2 * Upon her neighbor's hat she gazed o Awhile with iook intent, : And in these terms the structure praised: It’s grand—magnificent.”” o Upon Niagara she looked : - ; Anl to her lover said, : : AS to his arm her own she hooked: . : “It's pretty, ain'tit, Ned? . . —N. Y. Press. : Too Warm. e Borus - (struggling author)—~Naggus, I always thought' you were a warm friend of mine! e B Naggus (literary editor)—Borus, I am. That's why I roasted your book.— Chicago Tribune. bt e —— e et ¢ The First Thing. | Briggs—Well, old man, I've been down to the academy all the morning hanging pictures. ¢ . il Palette—Did you hang up mine? ' Briggs—Oh, yes. We began at the | top.—Rßrooklyn Life. o e

. EASTER CUSTOMS. ' Some That Wiil Please the Little Ones of e e Every Family. ¢ - Among the customs observed at Easter by some families, a very pretty one, where there are a number of children, is the “Egg hunt.” - For this purpose mamma or aunty colors two or three dozen eggs—pink, green, yellow, blue, etc.—and -the night before Easter hide five or six for each child, anywhere, everywhere, in all sorts of places. In the morning the children start out on their hunt. When each child has found its number, it -stops, while the others still hunt on. This gives the children a great deal of pleasure, and * R : : . v}*\ti, : :; : f A /{‘S}, N \“\\ . | (M NS N NN (t’( -\\\‘\\ =ZA i BN RN ; BIDDIE ON THE NEST. it is very interesting to see the little tots with their aprons full of brightly colored eggs. o ; There is another pretty: way. Have the colored eggs just the same, but malke a nest and have Biddie sitting on it. To do this, take a round box, cover with white-fringed tissue paper, line neatly, have a cover just to fit, make a white tissue paper hen and stuff with a little cotton wadding. Glue her to the top and fill in all around her with fringed tissue paper. Paint her comb red, her bill yellow. On Easter morning set her on the breakfast table, and hear ‘what shouts the children will give when told to lift Biddie off and see if she has laid them an egg. In a number of Sunday-schools last year colored eggs were given to each child in the. infant department, and they pleased wonderfully. These eggs should be hard boiled, so that if by accident one should be broken no harm will be done to clothing or furniture. —NMillie ‘Abbott, in Good Housekeeping. [ AN ALPHABET PARTY. .

Unique Entertainment In Honor of = . Child’s First Steps in Learning. A children’s party that will be given for the first time in this country is being arranged by the wife of one of the Central American ministers to the United States.- S : It certainly ought to capture the fancy of United States parents, for they always take pride in displaying the early learning of their babies. . »The party is called the ‘‘Alphabet party,” and is to be given in honor of the minister’s second child, and will take place as soon as the children can go out of doors in their new white party frocks without catching cold. Madame explained its meaning. In the country from which they hail the alphabet party is always an event in a child’s life, and there is a gentle rivalry among friendly mothers as to the age at which their children are entitled to the right to the party. As soon as a little boy or girl has mastered the alphabet thoroughly the party occurs to celeprate the child’s accomplishment. The table is decorated with pretty boxes and souvenirs for the -little guests which are: always made at home. - The little cakes have letters in frosting or are made in the shape of A B C’s, and the alphabet figures in-all sorts of devices. | The little hero or heroine has to convince the guests that he is master of the letters, and then comes the interesting event of the occasion. = There is a little balloon at hand waiting. The little alphabet book out of which the tiny senor or senorita has learned the lettersis shut upin the balloon or tied to it, and the balloon is then set a-filying, and if the alphabet is thoroughly mastered the balloon will bear the book faraway, and that’s the last the little son or daughter is supposed to need of it. : ‘The children themselves are in a hurry for their alphabet -parties, and ‘the mothers, of course, delight to get ahead of other .mothers even by a few weeks.—Chicago Inter Ocean.

= Eagle Caught by a Dog. L AD Oregon farmer was returning from meeting - éne Sunday morning when his dog started in pursuit of ' something on the other side of a wire fence inclosing. a pear orchard. The farmer jumped over the fence and, to -his surprise, saw an eagle just spreading its wings to fly. The dog immediately fastened on to the bird’s leg and the farmer seized it around the neck. For a féw minutes. there was a tremendous scuffle, but the bird was final1y scared or choked into submission and its legs and wings tied with a section of the wire fence. Then the farmer carried his capture home, put it in a cage and now proudly exhibits . % . Too Mucli of an Invitation. i - Mprs. S. was extremely busy one morning when her little boy appeared in the kitchen and asked for something to edt. - He, seemed content with her “Yes, in a minute,” and went back to his play. About ten minutes later she hurriedly hunted up one of his favorite cold cakes, and, calling him, said: “‘Here, take this and go to Mrs. B.’s and tell her that 1 would like to have ‘her take tea with us at “six o’clock tonight.”. The child trotted off obediently, and, though it was some distance up the street, he soon came back, and, gravely returning the cold griddle cake ‘to his horrified mother, said: *She didn’t want this, but she says she’ll eome.” : i A Heavenly Match. . Husband (irritably)—lt isn’t a year since you said you believed our marriage was made in Heaven, and yet you prder me about as if [ wasn’t anybody. oty : o Wife (calmly)—Order is Heaven's first law.—N. Y. Weekly. * A Particnlar Doll : . Kittie—My new doll has been very mnaughty. i / " Louie—What's the matter? . Kittie—Well, I don’t think she likes to be called Mary Ann Jane, after the cook and nurse.—larper’s Young Peoble. - b o L 0 " An Angel In Disguaise. . i;tQuﬁﬂGuHSo the doctor saved his e o b o 0 e _ Cynicus —His poverty, ' rather. I should say: He was too poor to have. the prescriptions filled.—Judge.