Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1896 — Page 2

OUR STORY TELLER

Trapped by apaches. =£'£v: , ‘" 1 •"*'"• ■ ll,l - -». ■ V.” - i--.“ ' ' ’■’■■■crT ~

HIS closely-cropped beard and mustache were whitened by the snows of many winters, but his eyes were still bright with the line of manly vigor and his frame as upright-and supple apparently as when he left West Point to take his first gaxette. Long years had elapsed since that time, when a raw subalterh, possessed as they all are, with the belief that his presence was needed to lm-* prove the morals and discipline of the service, he tad taken the train for the Southwest, where his regiment was distributed among the? various frontier posts which at that time dotted the sand-covered plains of the territories. Many.a'brisk fight with hostile Indians and several pitched battles with them • had seen him at the head of hjs platoon or troop, but that was over as he stood before the fire-place ans calmly smoked his after-dinner cigar. Still full of martial ardor, he was on the shelf, Father Time having registered the statutory number of years against him only a short time ago. He is on the retired list. His bronzed face is seamed with scars. They cross the wide forehead, made wider by the scant foliage which time has left, and mark that feature with furrows which add greatly to the stern nnd forbidding aspect. Yet he is as gentle as woman and noted for his kindly courtesy to the young. Major Malachi U. Cornwall," U. S. A. (retired), is a fair type of the ancient warrior, full of years and reminiscences. All that is left to indicate his calling is the Loyal Legion button in the lapel of his coat and the unmistakable air which the military man cannot divest himself of. “Major,” said a young friend, for the old warrior much affects the society of his juniors, “pardon my curiosity, or rather let it be my excuse for seeming Impertinence, but I have often wondered in what desperate couffict you received that scar on your forehead." “That, me boy,*’ was the reply, as the major passed his hand over the indicated spot, “as you say. is the record of a fearful fight. No offense, not at aIL lam always delighted to talk for my young friends, but, someway, I never felt proud enough of that fight to tell it around the mess table. Gad, sir, as nearly as I can recall. I finished a bad second that time. Still, It was a beautiful fight? if I do say it myself.” “It was, indeed,” murmured Colonel Herrick, also retired, who was a member of the party at the club that night. “Tell us about it, major,” was the eager demand of the group, which now numbered half a score. The old soldier’s yarns were always Interesting, and the boys, as he called them, never missed an opportunity to &et him to talking of his youth when in the service, “Hang It all, I didn’t figure In that affair to any great extent,” was the testy retort, as the major shook his grizzled head. “You thll It, Herrick.” “Not much,” growled the colonel, lighting a fresh cigar. “It's your yam, and if it is ever told, which I don’t believe will be the case, you will reel it

“EACH PICKED OUT HIS MAN AND LET DRIVE.”

off. I had bu! little to do with it, anywa y.t* “The d&vil you didn’t!” said the major. “Confound your obstinacy, don’t you know that if it had not been for you I would not be here to-day?” • “This Is growing interesting.,” said the first speaker. “Boys', the major's Story. Silence far the major’s story.” “Well, I suppose I must,” growled the major. “Here, George, fill up all ’round,” and the major settled himself comfortably and smoked in silence un-_ til the grog had been served and disposed of. Then he took his cigar in his fingers, leaned far back in his chair, and with half closed eyes commenced as follows: “You see Herrick and I were at the Point together. He was-a first-class-man when I was a ‘pleb.’ ” •“Never mind ins, Malachl.” said ihe colonel. “I have nothing to do with It,, or, rather, our experiences at the I’olnt have not.” “May be telling this story. Well, then, I*did save you from getting •skinned' once.” In spite of the colonel’s winks and waves of his hands as be deprecated the remarks of his old comrade. , “No nse denying It, I did. Well, while £ we were not of the same class, we became great friends an<T when Herrick left for the regiment he made me proju-

ise to work for the same corps. Of course I had little to do with where I should go, but it fell out that when I was commissioned I got-orders to report to the commanding officer at l'oit Bayard, ip New Mexico. I thought this pretty tough, but it was nothing compared to what followed not so darned long after. Well, I left the Point the biggest idiot of all the young fools who leave Impressed with the belief that a‘ field marshal's baton is the least that he could expect in the service. I joined my people, and as luck would have it found that I was one of the regiment to which Herrick had been assigned. This made it easier for me, as he introduced me to the regiment and everything was lovely. We were

“WE RODE AT THOSE INDIANS WITH THE YELL OF DEVILS.”

bachelors and were quartered near each although he got his grade since I saw him and now wore a bar ip his shoulder strap *Tt would have been nil right if it had ended there, but it didn’t. Not long after 1 joined, our squadron—we were In the cavalry—was ordered to Flagstaff, A. T„ as dismal a place at that time as ever happened. You see there was trouble with roving, bands of Apaches all the time, and the old post, abandoned now, was heavily garrisoned all the time. This order took our major with the four troops away from Bayard into the region of the heavy forests and hills south of the Grand Canyon of Colorado; Well, from that time on it was field duty nearly all the time. I was sent out to scout and spy on the Indians, and but for m,v sergeant, a veteran Indian fighter, might have been left there to bleach my bones as a second lieutenant. One of my fool tricks—you see, I thought I knew it all and disputed the wisdom of a suggestion of my sergeant’s while away on the plains and got myself and little command in a, devil of a fix. It makes me tired now when I think of It. “This is where Herrick gets into the game once more. I was out on this scouting trip and kept on going, when It would have been better to turn back. I thought it would be great fun to round up alj, the redskins in Arizona

with half a troop. ( That's where I” missed'’any guess.’ I was years wiser when it was ail over. We trailed the band I \vas sent out to scout for two or three days and saw them safely itv'lthe lava rocks. It was my business to) locate them where they had reason to believe we could not fallow and then,. retire until -I fell back On Somers,- commanding B troop. - Gordon’s and my own, K troop, or rather the balance of mine. I knew these fellows were on my trail somewhere, though where tile Ldfd only knew, so 1 decided to push on and- have it out with the reds. You see, I wanted ytars and other trappings before I knew the of an empty strap. p “I think' the k&rd loves a fool. jUklllSthe only hypothesis to go on in this case anyway. Well, we marched ahead, in spite of Mclntire’s protests—he was my sergeant—until what he f»a»rod actually happened. We went lino camp one night and saw the watch fires of the red devils all around us. • We were trapped, instead of trapping the other fellpws. Then I had sense enoifcn left to listen to reason and «u the suggestion of Mac I sent a Pueblo out to find a good place to make a stand. It was all off If this could not be done. I had twenty rounds and fifteen men to go against 400 or 500 redo. Yah, it makes

me feel chillyJto think of It Well, that Indian foun<j‘a spot -where my little force could He hidden and if attacked could keep under cover, while inakiug every bullet count. So we silently struck camp and stole away like a lot of thieves, hunting for safety. , “Did we make that hole’ Not without a scrap. We had only about 200 yards to go, but we ,had scarcely gone half the distance when ping! and my cap flew into the air. I stooped to get it —we were dismounted—and another shot sung out where my head would have been if I had been erect. We formed in square and the men speedily got ready for the charge which sefemed inevitable, but it.did hot come. Those Indians just kept up am annoying fire until they saw where we were going to, and then they cut loose with a volley which pearly swept me off my feet, ‘hi with you, sir,' .screamed the sergeant, as hp gave me a shove and soon afterttaid followed with the boys, some ofNvhoffi showed sighs of feeing hit. 1 found myself In a natural stronghold, covered bn all sides from p]uturing fire, closed in so that the enemy could only approach by one narrow way and safe as long as my ammunition held out. Water there fvas none, and the sergeant was the first to deplore this. “Well, I placed my little force as well as possible, toldHliem pot to waste a* Shot, and’ then sat down to wait Lor daylight and tlpaPconflict which fny fooihardines%had brought on. It came before. We had just got in readiness when the sergeant held up a warnings finger and crept out to the mourn of out fortress. He kept his body -’aref illy screened, and waved for me.- I went to him and found the reds, massing for a charge. The old trooper said ’his was. the best possible ip.dication hat they knew exactly how niauf men I had. I ordered up a few of the hoys, and then we waited until the dusky forms got out into the moonlight. I saw it was fight, and made up my mind to leave my marks. ‘As 'the leading files

roseover the hills until they were fully revealed I ordered the men to firO. “Each picked out his man 1 and let drive. The effect must have been fen rful, as the men were picked shots, and they wasted no lead that night. They fired regularly and steadily half a dozen shots each, and the attacking party melted away. They replied, but we were so well covered .that we suffered no loss. Thus the night wore away with desultory firing on the part of the Indians and the sharp replies by my good fellows whenever an Apaohp was indiscreet enough to get in range. Then a new danger arose which nearly cost us all our lives. of the carbines was driven baeit into our den. This was-a good thing I’of the men at the doorway, for jt cleared their vision for another shot, but It nearly bhoked the other men to death. It filled the little chamber after a while, and I saw that unless some, means were devised to get it out, the dread of all would be realized, we would have to abandon the only position which held out any hope of rescue. Still we could not stop, as that meant death fdr all in its most horrible form. Well, to make a long story short, we were coop ed up in that hole for the better portion of two days. Three of the men were dead, Melntire had a shattered bridle arm, and thy scouts were lying in front of our positiuip, mute.evidences of the fate which awaited us as soon os our cartridges failed. .“Finally I concluded that, with no water and the men almost insane from thirst, it was all over. I decided to make a dash and go down fighting in the open. I asked the men to follow me and they all shouted their approval. We masked our intended movement sis well as possible and rushed out to the plains with a yell of defiance. A rattling volley' fell around us. but fortunately the surprise of our dash prevented the *1 Lid in ns from'staking accurate aim and -a few unimportant flesh wounds were all that were received. I was drank with despair and so were the men. It was certain tjeatli we Jill believed, and we rode at those Indians with the yells of devils. "I shall never forget the shook of our contact. We rode down the first lines, but were too weak to force out* way through their entire-column. The carabines were emptied at half pistol distance as we charged, and the heavy revolvers made £weet music as vanced at a furious gallop. Then there was tlie shock of the meeting and we knew that we were making our last stand. The bright steel circled around the heads of that band of desperate men and the enemy toppled and fell in windrows about each horse. The men shouted, yelled and laughed as they fought on with the fury of demons. They were going down too rapidly, however, for that unequal contest .to last long. 1 was blind from a slash across the forehead and rut away with all the strength of my arm. scarcely knowing what I was doing. I scented to be in some horrible dream, where blood out. The waves rose higher and higher and I was ’being rapidly engulfed in that red flood. “Suddenly I felt a sharp pain as if a rod hot iron had been drawn across my forehead, there was -a wild shriek, the rapid thud of horses’ feet, and I fell to the ground, in a faint; I was told later that I'Was down and an Indian had commenced the process of scaling me, when the troops rode down into that straggling, bunch nnd Herrick's saber -swept off the head of my assailant. "I don’t know.much the succeeding events. When I “Came to I wa«

■stretched out on the floor of otfr aihhula nee, my head) splitting and bound in bandages. Near me, with bis arm in a sling, was Melntire. As we were driven along Somers poked his head into the wagon and complimented me on my stand and the skill shown in choosing the position from Which X had worn out the reds. I was too sick then to say anything, but when they talked of recommending me for a Congressional medal’for my first fight I rebelled and told the regiment how I had made a d d fool of myself. Melntire wears the medal, and I have this scar as a’ memento of my first setto with old Chi-huahua.’V-Chieago Chronicle.

"PICK UP” FOR UNCLE SAM.

Millions of Dollars of Unclaimed Money in the Treasury; 1 There are millions upon millions of j dollars in the treasury paid in Tram different sohrees which belong to citizens of the United States. To this wealth the postoffice department, through the trroney order office', contributes largely. A few years back the postmaster general deposited with the treasurer nearly $3,000,000, the money from uncashed orders which had accumulated since the office was- started in 1803. At first no effort tvas made to restore this unclaimed money to its rightful cjwners, but the letters of advice, turned in as unpaid by the postmasters from all,ove* tiie country- were kept, in case a demand should be made for their payment. This money remained to the Wedit of the money-order office, show--Ing a large profit for,the service. This polfct-y was subsequently changed, and now the office endeavors to refund the timmey to the remitters by a draft drawn on the treasury. This rule obtafiisrin case of money orders less than ten years old. Letters of advice older than this are destroyed. Every year about 1 per cent, of the money orders issued are not cashed, leaving from SBO,OOO to SIOO,OOO unclaimed, which is deposited in the treasury*. There are many reasons to account for this large number’ of money orders not being cashed. In some instances orders are filed away with other papers and forgotten. More frequently the letter containing the order is lost 6r stolen, and the order never reaches the addressee. This is true of the orders made out to the large shops which do not receive the order or the accompanying letter containing orders for goods to be shipped, owing generally to the dishonesty of employes. There are cases, too, where men have used the money order office as a bank and have made out orders to themsehc-s which, owing to sudden death or other cause, have never been claimed. It is difficult, however, to explain why such large sums remain unclaimed, for in case fin order is lost-a duplicate is easily obtained. Application is made by either the remitter, the payee or the ..office of payment; and a duplicate is issued with only the delay necessary to comply with the forms. A year ago t lie department made a ruling that tupplicate money orders could not bo issued in less, than three months from the time yvhen an application was filed, but tliis was found inconvenient, and this order yvas rescinded.

Didn’t Approve.

“What am your opinion ob dis ‘manual training’ dey talk ob introjucing into our schools, Uncle Samson V’ .irt■quired Mr. Marc Antony Washington, in a respectful tone, of Bis nearest neighbor. ‘T habn’t gibben de subject de full benefits ob de probnostTcatlons ob my mind, yet, sah,” replied Uncle Samson, promptly, though a close observer might have noticed a puzzled look on his sable countenance at tlie moment he heard his neighbor’s question; “but on de whole, I don’t approve ob It.” “Is dat so?” said Mr. ’Washington, in evident surprise; “qow 1 thought you’d be right’ down pleased to bab your Louisa’s Joshua get dat manual training.”, • "Xp, sah,” said Uncle Samson, growing secure in his own mind, as he went on, “not so long as his maw and me is alive, I don’t approve ob manual training in de school for Joshua Romulus, Hu am a mighty servig-rous chile, dat’s true, but his maw has got a good strong arm, and dere’s consid’ble power left In mine yet, sah, and what ffianttal training dat boy needs, his maw or me will gib him right here at home, yes, sah!”

Large Block of Granite.

Recently a block of granite weighing 1,217 tons was used as the pedestal of the equestrian statue of Peter the Great at St. Petersburg, having been transported four miles by land over a railway and thirteen miles in a caisson by watpr. The railway consisted of two lines of timber furnished with hard metal grooved, between which grooves were placed spheres of hard brass about six inches In diameter. On these spheres the frame with its load was easily, moved by sixty men, working at the capstans with treble-purchase blocks. Another large block, measuring 30x10x14 feet, was a few months since taken out at the Craigneth quarries, near Dalbeattie, Scotland. Ifs weight was estimated at 050, tons.

An Awful Risk.

Two impecunious Scotsmen came upon a saloon. They had only “saxponeo” between them, so tliey ordered one “nip o’ whusky.” They were hesitating who should have the first drink, when an acquaintance joined them. Pretending that they, had just drank, one of them hqnded the new-dombr the whisky, Requesting him to join them in a drink. He-drank, and, after a few minutes of pain)fiiil and silent suspense, said: “Now, boys, you’ll have one with me?” “Wasna that weel managed, mon?” said one to his pal afterward. “Ay,* it was,” said the other, solemnly; “but It was a dreadfu’ sisk!" tittle Sister (studying her grammar lesson)—How can you compare the words “beautiful girl?” Big Brother (absent-mindedly)—Positive, you call; comparative, you propose; superlative, she accepts.—Baltimore News. * “Skorcher’s a perfect wreck.” "What ails him?” “The doctor says he has bicycle heart, bibyele head, bicycle face, bicycle eyes, bicycle teeth and bicycle knees.” —Chicago Record. * ' '♦ When fishing is good it is surprising bow many idle people can be found to take advantage of It *

WOMAN HOME

GOTHAM SOCIETY-LEADER. • » ____________ M ISS DE BARRIL has been elected by the New York Patriarchs to fill the place of Ward McAllister. The Patriarchs decided that there must be some one person selected to attend to'the details of their future functions. Miss de Barril has been their choice. One of Miss de Bar-

MISS DE BARRIL.

El's duties will lie to keep herself informed of tlnf* names of those to be invited, so that there will be no repetitions or omissions. Miss de Barril corner of old Spanish stock and her family was at one time wealthy. Toilet Hints. If one's completion is "muddy,” sallow or covered .with blackheads, the lotion bottle is not the remedy which should be sougliMlrst. instead, the candidate for a complexion of roses and cream should begin to diet. Hot water taken half an hour before breakfast with a little lemon juice in it is better than creams to restore the skin to clearness. Graham and whole wheat bread, fruit, clear tea and coffee, if tea and coffee are used, plenty of green vegetables, lean meat and broiled fish form an admirable complexion diet. Poultry and candies should be avoided. After diet and excreis eh av e paved the way for other treatment, a weekly face steaining may be tried. The woman whose purse does not permit her to gfo to the professional beautiliers should fill a bowl with boiling ,water. Over this she should hold her face, into which a cold cream has been rubbed, for ten minutes or so, covering her head and shoulders, and the bowl with a heavy Turkish towel. After drying the face she should rub more cold cream Into It and she should not venture out Into the air for at least three hours.— American Cultivator. Making: a Wood Box. Following are directions for making a wood box of medium size from that excellent authority, the Ladies’ Home Journals The box should be 36 inches in length and 18 in width, the height from 16 to 18 inches. The interior may be divided into two compartments—one for wood, the other for coal—and treated of dark paint or asphaltum varnish. An ordinary canned goods box can be fixed up and painted to appear like an, ironbound chest. Cover the surface of the box with heavy builders’ paper, gluing it on smoothly, avoiding creases or wrinkles, and paint a rich mahoganj brown. Two or three coats; each thoroughly dried and'afterward varnished and rubbed down, will make a good, durable surface. Strap iron corners and cross bauds, embellished with big

ARTISTIC WOOD BOX.

rough-headed, hand-made nails, add to the apparent strength of this chest and give it the character of an antique ‘Strong'box.—* i —— r: — A box of tliis sort may be put to use ns a silver chest, and,, if so, it should be lined with cpnton flannel or felt, whiPli may be tacked or glued fast. Several trays may j>e provided in which to keep spoons, forks and other small articles of plate. , Revolted at the Crinoline. Sometimes the American woman declines to be dictated to even by her dressmaker or tailor, but with the recent advent of smaller sleeves people begin to wonder if the next step may not be in the direction of those*skintight abominations worn some fifteen years ago and from then on for five or six seasons. The American woman has shown herself muth more independent of late tlinn she was on.ee in matters of comfort or convenience or looks. She, for instance, would not adopt the.liideous crinoline recently, although dressmakers and importers tried their best to bully her Into doing It. She stood her ground and so absolutely refused that the threatened fashion died in its tenderest tufancy. But that was a matter of the becoming. The American woman sensfc enough to see that she wouid~ma¥e n'"guy oT'lßd'ScirTn hoops. » Pnddine In the New Gowns. » After a woman has been through the hands of her dresstnnker it will be more than ever difficult this year to determine her physical proportions, or even to make a reasonably nceurate guess as to whether she Is plltmp or scrawny. In the first place, the new sleeves, tight almost to the shoulder, call for pretty good looking arms Inside' of them or t they have about as muchotyle as pump handles. “In the meantime." said a fashionable dressmaker, “we pad. 1

have sent home Jjut two tvaists this month that haven’t had the sleeves plumply interlined to give a good outline. And-then the prjflcess gqwn that is coming back into favor looks a sight unless’the wearer has an ideal figure. It’s an art to pad up to the requirements of Yes,* indeed, it’s a year of figure padding, sure’enough.” * Benefits of a Nippine Air. Women should not be afraid of outdoor -exercise,; even, though the winds may blow fresh and chill from the lake or prairies. The cold aid will do ho injury if they are properly protected and take exercise enough to keep the circulation active. On the contrary, it will do good. It will purify the blood, it will strengthen the lungs, it will improve the digestion. It will afford a healthy, natural stimulus to torpid circulation and strengthen and 1 energize the whole system. The injury which often results from going into a cold -atmosphere is occasioned by a lack of protection to some part of the body, exposure to- strong draughts, or from breathing through the mouth. Avoid these and you are safe. «L Ma-Jee Kendall’s Tea Cloth. “Promptly at 4 o’clock I serve tea in my Efiglislf home,” writes Madge Kendall to an American friend. “My embroidered tea Cloth must be one and one-half yards square, with a plain oval shaped center on which to rest my tray, containing.sugar bowl. teapot, cups and

MADGE KENDALL’S TEA CLOTH.

saucers, etc. 1 chose clover for-ma- design, because when first landing in, America I was presented witli a bunch of the t ffagrant plants, and I have ever since associated them with your country.!’- L - . —Wr —~ i 1 Women Are Good. Women constitute - two-thirds of all the church members of the United Sjtates, but only one-thirteenth of all the criminals. Feminine Fancies. The new neck are more elaborate than ever. Women who own a superfluity of jewels use real diamond ornaments on their bonnets. Leather is being employed in the formation of many dainty fancy articles for tlie boudoir desk. _ ■ 1 , —Facial massage is particularly necessary when wind and cold combine to make the skin rough. A unique combination of colors is a toque with a steel crown, surrounded by a mass of violets from which spring upright loops of cherry red velvet. The tailor-made girl does not bundle up until she looks like an Eskimo baby, but she puts on alleeee-linecf or chamois jacket under the coat and thus gets all the required warmth without disturbing the graceful lines-of her figure.

Two Views of Pens ons.

“There may be' fair differences of opinion as to the extent and conditions of pension relief, but there is no room for doubt as to pensions,” writes, exPresideut Harrison iu the Ladies’ Home Journal—“ This HountrjjL'Of Ours” article. “Eleven dollars a month for war service implies, at .least, relief in case of wounds or-sickness for the soldier, and that the public will care for Ids Widow and minor children. When the law of pillage prevailed it was otherwise; and when our rich men take to fighting our, wars -we • can trbolY&i the pension system, but tints far it is as historically true of the-armies that won our, independence, delivered ’us from the Indians and the British, and saved tire natitm in tlio great clviL.war, as of the kingdom of heaven: ‘not many rich.' “There are two views of the pension question—one from the ‘Little Round Top’ at Gettysburg, looking out over a field sown thickly with the Head, and around upon bloody, blackened and maimed men cheering the shot-tom banner of their country; the other from an office desk on a busy street, or from an endowed chair in a university, looking only upon a statistical table.”

A Joy Forever.

1 When Gen. War re was commander-in-cliief of. the Bombay Division, he once gave a luncheon at I’ooua, where about forty officers were Present. The* onjy lady present was Mrs; Warre, who sat at the. other end,of the tftble. Now the general, in the course of conversation, often addressed Ids wife, and whenever he did so called her “Joy.” Among the guests w.a« a cheeky yolmg subaltern!, from "the gunners, by name Maedtmald. This youth suddenly paralyzed tile guests by saying to the general: “I say, who’s ‘Joy,’ gefaeralTl.-.w-——- - awriir'i>‘ause, and the general saidlvery slowly and distinctly: “Joj l ,” M* Macdonald, “Is a pet name I sometimes give my wife!” “Quite right, too, general,” sang out the unabashed subaltern. “A thing of beauty is a Joy.forever. 1 * This remark saved the situation.— London Answers. ’ V ■ 1 . • -

Care and Prevention.

Ancient medals represented the goddess with a serpent three times as large as! that carried by Aesculapius, to denote the superiority of hygiene to medicine, prevention to cure „ ' *

HANDS TELL A STORY.

Palmistry Will Reveal Many Secret* of Character. "A person has but to open his band and be opens the history of his life to a persop well versed In palmistry',” sald a professor of the art “The palm reveals more of a person’s true character and disposition than conld he learned In a life-long friendship. A. person’s peculiarities are written there as plainly as if in a book; each line la full, of meaning. Chronic diseases as well as acute ailments leave their marks upon the palm. I have known instances where diseases that hare nonplussed learned doctors have been correctly diagnosed by persons knowing nothing of medicine or physiology, who formed their opinion from the appearance and condition of the hand alone. The moisture, color and Condition of the cuticle! and nails-are just as important to the palmist In determining disease and condition of the system as the lines upon the hand?., “Malformations Of the body are. reflected In the hand. So far Is this true that Rice, the promoter of so many spectacular productions, selects his chorus girls who are to appear in tiights by looking at their hands, and that his system, is not a faulty one is evidenced—by the appearance of the girls on the stage., I have' never known a case where the hand of a criminal or thief has not shown just what he was. In examining the of people who come to me just for the sport of the thing I have frequently seen the line of the thief well developed in hands whose owners are away up in the social world. Naturally,, I watch with interest the careers of such people, but only in one instance have I ever discovered a.proof of what the palm revealed. I have no doubt the thief existed in the life of the others just as in this man’S*life, but undiscovered. “The case I refer to was a bright society man of Gotham who moved in ■the best circles. About three years after 1 examined his hand i a theft of tena of thousands of dollars from a bank in lie was employed was hushed up, but not before rumor had given it to the winds among ~ his friends. “So firm is my faith in the psychometry of the hand that I believe suspicious characters could be judged by a well-informed palmist so that crimes could be prevented by-the detection of such parties. Bankers selecting their clerks and business men their trusted men would have a test for honesty as sure as any acid in the requirements of chemistry. The life of the street car ‘spotter’ would be at an end, for none but honest men would obtain positions. If the science of palmistry develops in coming years as it has in the past ten, the time may not be very far distant when every well regulated business house will have a palmist in its employ as it now has a typewriter.”

Wash ngton as Fireman.

Some interesting little stories are told of George Washington in connection — “with the “Friendship Fire Company,” organized in 1774, in his home, Alexandria. At first the company consisted of citizens wlio, out of “mutual friendship,” agreed to carry to every fire “two leathern buckets and one great bag of oznaburg or wider linneu.” Washington was made an honorary member, j and when he went as a delegate to the Congress of 1774 at Philadelphia, he examined the fire-engines in use there. On his return to Philadelphia to the Continental Congress in 1775, he bought from a man named Gibbs a small fourth-class engine, for the sum of eighty pounds'ten shillings, and just before lie set out for Boston Heights to become commander-in-chief, he dispatched this little engine to the Friendship gomp;|ny. During his younger days he always attended fires in Alexandria and helped to extinguish them. In the last year of his life a fire occurred near the market.' lie was riding down King street at the time, followed by his servant, who was alsq on horseback. Washington saw that the Friendship engine was insufficiently planned, and > riding up- to a group of well-dressed gentlemen standing near the scene of action, he called out authoritatively: “Why are you idle there, gentlemen? It in your business to lead in these matters.” After which he leaped off his horse, • and, seizing the brakes, was followed by a crowd that gave tire engine such a, shaking up as it had not had for many a day.

Standard for Light Wanted.

A' Stibcommittee’of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, ape pointed in 1593 to investigate the subject of a suitable staiulard of light for' photometric purposes, jtas recently Issued a preliminary report. Of all the standards thus far used it finds the candle the least reliable.- It i's-Ltlso evident from the bolometrlc curves that naked, flames are subject to sudden and rapidly recurring fluctuations that nffty be alippst entirely eliminated by the use of a properly constructed ehimftey. it sodms likely that many of the diffl(%lties Which are unavoidable with flame standards may„be overcome by the adoption of a standard consisting of Some surface electrically heated to a standard temperature. With this objedt the results of tlie committee's experiments on incandescent earbou will be looked forward' h>- ‘ ~

Joke by Holmes.

At the time of the Peace Jubilee, Dr. C. B. Porter, of Boston, returned to his office one day, and fouud the slate in the hall covered with Latin words and signed O. >V. Holmes. He immediately got down his dictionary, and with much effort discovered Jbuj; he had been to the Peace Jubilee, had soiled his boots so thorouglilyjnrl'tli dirt.— ih»t-hedtd ndtlikeTo go down town In such a plight, and had stopped and asked Mr. Porter's servant for a footbrush that he might clean up his boots; and dignified tlite rather menial performance,by writing it all out In Latin and leaving it on the Glaffe. He squandered $lO for roses, you see— Her joy in the gift was immense; But little she dreamed that his dinner would be Three buck whoa ui that coot him ten. cents. • —Chicago Record/ 1 *■ It coats ns’ much to be popular as to send a 1 (byear-old daughter -away to. . boarding Ichdol