DECIDEDLY DUTCH
Queer Phases of Life on the Island of
Curacao.
SPANISH INFLUENCE IS STILL FELT
Was Formerly the Haunt of Pirate
and Privateer.
SOLID AND SUBSTANTIAL
Written f?-r Tlie IvTcniuj? Star.
1ST WHEN. AND
J
why. and how, the
Dutch became pos
sessed of their hold
ings in the West In
dies nobody seems
to know. They were
never much at col
onizing. save in a
desultory way, and
they seem to have
taken over what the
English, Spanish and
French did not think
worth keeping. Since
the time of Martin Harpetzoon Von Tromp,
that brave admiral who lashed a broom at
his masthead in token that he had swt.pt
the English channel clean, the Dutch have
not done much in the West Indies cxcept
to hold the small islands they somehow
acquired when their sailors were a power
on the sen.
They now own Saba, an island less ac
cessible than any other in the world; Saint
Eustatius. where the American flag was
first saluted by a foreign power; half of
Saint Martin, and Curacao and its depend
encies on the north coast of South America.
Curacao was discovered in the year 141)0,
by the galh'.nt Spaniard, Alonzo de Ojeda,
whose remains were interred In the now
ruined convent of San Francisco, in Santo
Domirge. He had with him on that voy
age one Americas Vespucci, whose name
has become more famous than that of the
captain of his ship, and the twain extended
the discoveries of the third voyage of Co
lumbus, and found, not far from the point
where Columbus left off. an is.and so rich
in pearls that they loaded their vessel with
tntin and went back to Spain rejoicing.
Worth Million*.
These ill-gotten gains were claimed by
Columbus, who was entitled to a tithe of
everything found, by his kings patent: but
Ojeda and Vespucci went on the principle
that "findings Is havings,** and net a sin
gle pearl did Christopher get from them.
They didn't find anything worth m<nfiou
itife in Curacao, except its aboriginal name
and Its Inhabitants, who were of great
stature and quite fierce. And the placid
Dutchmen held it for two hundred years
and more before they themselves became
aware that their island possessed a mine
of wealth far surpassing the pearls of Mar
garita. They did not discover it, though,
nor directly benefit by Ii. One eventful
day. perhaps twenty years ago, a Cornish
miner drifted to the inland, "strapped,**
hungry, an object oi" pity.
He had Cornish pluck, however, and it
was not long before he had negotiated for |
and secured title to a vast quantity of
waste land lying not far distant from the |
chief port. The highest hill on the south
coast is pointed out as a portion of that
"waste land." and is said to be one solid
bed of phosphate?at least l>7 per cent ol
it is that deposit; and if the Dutch fathers
of Curacao were not constitutionally un
able to perform the operation they wou'd
be "kicking themselves" to this day. ft?r
the poor Cornish miner has long since be
come a millionaire. He runs a yacht, the
wonder of those seas; the steps to his
landing pier are solid mahogany, he enter
tains lavishly every friend and stranger
who visits him. and he or his company (it j
is ail the same) pay into the island treas
ury |r.<>o.ooo every year their mines are
worked. The steady-going Dutchmen who
committed their government to the con
tract whereby Curacao was deprived or
her only treasure-trove still meet nightly
on the shore of the tranquil Skattegat. and
smoke and sigh and shake their heads
whenever they look toward the mountain
whence the necromancer's wand has ex
tracted the millions their poor U?t>.? i^ian?i
ought to have and needs so much.
Nobody knows just how much has been
taken out, nor how much there Is left to
mine; but all agree that this phosphatlc
deposit is one of the world s biggest bo
nanzas. No stranger is admitted within
the gates of the works, nor allowed to get
a glimpse beyond the portal. He is hos
pitably received and entertained, feasted
on the choicest viands, .flooded with the
rarest wines; but no blandishments avail
to serve as an open sesame.
A nnvKfil Inle.
Curacao, the little Island discovered iho
last y?-ar of the fifteenth century, so long
in possession of the Dutch, an.l recently
visited by Admiral Cervera. 4?jO years after
his countrymen first landed here, U less
than forty miles long and from three to
seven miles wide. It is merely a volcanic
fissure forming deep harbors, with rims or
rock around them, the coast everywhere
rent and rugged. From the highest hills
on a clear day the blue mountains of that
stretch of Venezuelan coast known as the
I'araguana are distinctly visible, and it
seems to have been created expressly as
h haven for Venezuelan revolutionists?the
unsuccessful ones?w ho plan ami pl.u here
and escape hither after their schemes havt
failed. Those who have succeeded?such as
Bolivar?are now known as hero?s, and the
places of their residence here still points
out.
Coasting the southern shore in a steamer
of the **Ked ID l.ine"?If it has not been
purchased bv our government?and sailing
par t the phosphate region, a town suddenly
springs to view, and then a narrow inlet
appears, as though some Hercules had rent
apart the bare brown hills that form the
backbone of the Island. It Is straight, hut
,H*P. and leads into a capacious harbor
]?? rhaps a mile In length?the Skattegat?
beyond which is another natural lagoon,
called "Spanish Water." capable of float
ing a navy. Perched above the latter is a
line old castle of Spanish times, and on
each side the inlet giving entrance to the
two lagoons is an old fort, one ealled Fort
?*her Fort Amsterdam.
Their cannon are old and rusty, dating
back to pre-Columbian times, apparently
and their garrisons of dumpy Dutch sol
diers are so quaint and funny that one al
most laughs |? their faces as the steamer
sweeps by. So narrow Is this entrance
that the sentries of either fort can haii
those of the other; and when well within it
is discovered that a pontoon bridge spans
the harbor mouth. The deep bass of the
steamer's whistle Is answered by a shrill
"toot from a diminutive launch, and soon
one end of the pontoon is seen to move
slowly toward the opposite shore The
strip of blue water grows wider and wider
until at last the bridge of boats lies parallel
to the shore, and another "toot" tells the
stranger that she may enter. A few mln
th! Ilttle Iarfnch ,ues her pon
toon back to its original position, and long
before the steamer is tied up to the dock
heInterrupted traffic between the people
In the two sections Is resumed.
A Hit of Old Holland.
If one were not quite sure of his bear
ings and positive that he had not sailed
Into the Zuyder Zee he might be pardoned
fcr imagining himself within the confines
?f some Dutch settlement; for the town of
TVilhelmstadt. which surrounds the lagoon,
Is filled with fine houses unmistakably Hol
landlsh in architecture. They are solidly
built, with stone and mortar walls, quaint
dormer windows and balconies, bricked
courts and tiled roofs; Spanish "casas," In
fact, with Dutch trimmings, and modified
to suit the climate: the windows broad and
open, but with glass Instead of Iron bars,
and both balconies and corridors shielded
from the sun by green "Jalousies." They
arc bright and cheery, too, for the roof
tMrs are red and the walls are yellow,
plr.k or blue. .
The lagoon in which the steamers lie and
W her* ?11 traffic centers la In three sec
tions. like a clover leaf, the central leaf
Crl-in* straight to the Island's center, and
the others lying parallel to the shores. The
most populous town on the right as you
enter Is divided into Pietermaay and
Sehardo, while across the lagoon, reached
by th" pontoon, is Otrabanda, literally the
"other side." This mingling of Spanish
and Dutch is most pronounced, and, In
fact, the prevailing speech is a patois call
ed the "Papiamento," which is structurally
Spanish, with an overlay of Dutch, a little
Knglisli. seme African, and perhaps a fev.'
aboriginal words. In illustration, the
writer may mention that one day, befng
out with a native negro hunting, he saw a
very pretty plant having a soft rilken
lringe. and-asked his guide the name of it.
"Eso se llama barba de ycong maan," he
n nswert-d?"They call' it young man's
beard:" his reply being composed of five
Spanish and two barbarously mutilated
English words. Papiamento is a pntnts.
or language in its nascent state, not yet
crystallized. Any one speaking Spanish
can understand it, but it is always detri
mental to one's speech to condescend to
speak a patois, and hence should be
avoided.
A Curious Patois.
Both Dutch and English, as well as Ppe-i
Ssh and French, are spoken here in their
purity, but the speech of the negroes is the
pj.pianiento. These last arc- most numer
ous, and comprise the greater portion of
the :!0,ot?> inhabitants of Curacao. It Is a
long tim ? since slavery existed here, and
the blacks have been so shiftless and also
so prolific that poverty is well nigh uni
versal. It is the only disease endemic in
the island, the islanders claim; but It Is
deadly. When the slaves were emanci
pated. about thirty-five years ago, their
owners received !fSO a head for every one
manumitted, but today he Is worth scarce
ly more than his food and clothing. The
fair average wage of a day laborer is an
English shilling, or a "quarter," and skill
ed labx* goes begging at twice that
amount. The natives are honest and hard
working. and have so good a repiitatlon
that they are in some demand outside as
sailers. As the steamers of the-"Uc-d D
Liny" touch here coming and going, on
the Venezuelan voyage, their crews are re
inforced by gangs of Curacaoans every
trip, who load and discharge cargo at La
Guayra and Puerto Cabello, where the na
tives are unreliable.
The land throughout the island Is very
loor, even sterile, as there are no streams
or springs and the people depend for water
upon the infrequent rains. It is very tan
talizing to the native to see the phosphatlc
rock, so rich in the elements of fertility,
being transported to other lands, and yet
unavailable at home. Wherever water can
be had, vegetation is abundant, luxuriant,
as in a few private gardens, where it has a
purely tropic cast.
All the tropic fruits may be grown here,
such as pines, paw-paws, mangos, guavas,
soursops and custard apples; all the citrus
family; and the island Is locally noted
along the Spanish Main, for Its "nisperos"
or sapadillos. The nispero tree grows vig
orously in the stony soil of Curacao, .and
its green bulk is a refreshing sight, in this
dry and barren ccuntry.
Scanty Vegetation.
The dry fields are chiefly covered with
cactus and spiny shrubs which are so much
prettier a' a distance than near at hand,
and. as the vegetation Is scanty, so is the
fauna. Sailing up the inland lagoon, you
may find lizards and iguanas, herons and
other water birds, basking on its shores,
and 011 the old plantations rabbits, turtle
doves, trouplals, curlew and humming birds.
The "hummers" and the trouplals dart by
011 green and golden wings, anel light up the
shade of bre>ad-sprcadtng silk-cottons and
nisperos.
The government of this little Dutch Para
dise is paternal and btneiicent--so far as
its poverty will allow it to be?and the gov
erning classes are housed in spacious build
ings of lioliandesQue architecture, modified
to suit climatic conditions. One should see
and visit the old forts and the fetrtrcss on
the liiil. the church, the synagogue, the
Masonic lodge, and the government build
ings. as well as ramble through the various
streets. There are good roads throughout
the island, and a one-Jackass tramear
makes an hourly trip areiund the- Schardo
and through the Pietermaay. The motive
power consists of a donkey ?tot muoh lar
ger than a Har'.err goat, anel anent tram
car and donkey they tell a story in Pieter
maay. which is supposed to reflect upon
the intelligence of a small party of ladies
who visited here not many years ago. It
seems they walked ashore from the gang
plank, and seeing the rear end of the
"tram" they stepped aboard. The dash
board was so high, and the beast so small,
that they did not see the motor, and when
the car be-.,an to move they were filled with
wonder and delight. They made the circuit
of the luge on. and the car came back to its
original starting place, where fares were
collected by a small black boy. How
lovely it all was," they exclaimed ecstati
cally; "what a most charming ride! And
to think such a bit of a place as this
should have an electric car!"
"l"nd all der dime," said the Dutchman
w'no related the story to the writer "dot
poy vos on der vront sead of der elegdrto
gar' und bunching mit a sdick dot leetle
yackass!"
In the Capital.
There Is hardly room for a car to run be
tween the buildings on either side of the
main street of the town, and from the bal
conies of some of the principal buildings
their occupants can shake hands across,
as in some Castilian cities. But Curacao
Is a free port and business is often brisk.
One vast bookstore here, the ' Libreria Bi
tancourt," Is said to supply the whole of
Venezuela and the north coast of South
America with Spanish books. A deal of
the business here is also contraband, anl
smugglers flourish as aleing the Mexican
border. You can buy pure "Hollands" for
three dollars a case that never fell tile
touch of customs ofHcial nor saw his frown,
and as for the beverage which bears the
island s name. "Curacao." made in Holland
from orange peel imported from other isles
and taken back here again, it is the favor
ite tipple.
The Dutch still control the wholesale
trade, it is said, but the retail is mainly
in the hands of Jews. The one bonanza
other than the phosphate business is that
pontoon bridge, and it should be a cause
for American congratulation to know that
it was built by a down-east Yankee, Cap
tain Smith, our consul at Curacao. He is
a living witness to the beneficent climate
of this island, for he came here an invalid
many years ago and soon recovered suffi
ciently to e-stablish a flourishing ice busi
ness. which he still conducts. But his great
achievement and the monument to his in
ventiveness Is the pontoon bridge which
spans the Skattegatt. Before he construct
ed it those who wished to cross the lagoon
were absolutely dependent upon the negro
boatmen, nearly two hundred in number,
who charged for ferriage five Dutch cop
pers, equal to a penny or two cents Amer
ican money. Now the toll on the bridge is
but two cents (American) for "quality"
people, and only a copper for those who go
barefoot.
Once u lienor! for Pirate*.
As to the inhabitants of Curacao, It !s
surprising to find people resident hero
many years, and families descended from
the first conquerors, who have preserved
that freshness of complexion for which
the Dutch at home are noted. There is
but one other place where they are sur
passed in this respect, and that is in Saba,
whel-e. at an elevation of between 1,500
and S.tHW feet above the sea, reside de
scendants of the Dutch, who have com
plexions marvelously clear and delicately
tinted.
The old residents yet tell tales of the
buccaneer times, when Curacao was the
haunt of pirate and privateer, as well as
of "contrabandista" and political refugee.
Lying right abreast the famous Spanish
Main, its snug harbors offering secure shel
ter for all sorts of small craft. Curacao
was once infested with as lawless a popu
lation as any Island In West Indian wa
ters. That great Inner lagoon known as
the Skattegat. deep enough and large
enough to hold the Spanish fleet. Is entire
ly landlocked, and above it towers a
fertress built In Spanish times, before the
Dutch came into pe>ssession, in 1634. It is
extremely picturesque, though useless as
against modern cannon, and Is used now as
a signal station Beneath and behind the
beetling cliff on which the fort Is perched
the pirates of the Spanish Main were wont
to lie in wait for prey, their vessels' masts
completely hidden from sight of craft at
sea, and their spies watching from the
rock. When a galleon was sighted, richly
freighted, bound for Spain, with cargo of
silver or gold, the buctfaneer craft would
slip warily through the narrow passage,
bear down upon the ship, murder its crew,
and bring Its treasure back to their eyrie
on the era* above the lagoon. Many a
million, the old Inhabitants say. has been
broucht here to be divided; but they add,
with a sigh. It ia many yaara since the
good old buccaneer times; Curacao isn't
what It uMd to be. . F. A. OBER.
THE FREAKISH RIO GRANDE.
Two Illustrations In One Day of the
Queer Tlilnjc* It Can Do.
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
"To give you some idea of what sort of
river tlie Rio Grande is, I'll tell an experi
ence I had In getting across It with a der
rick," said a mining man from New Mex
ico. "If after that you don't agree with me
that it is a freakish river you're hard to
suit. I was a contractor in rock work in
those days, and was taking my derrick
from the east side of the river to the Mag
dalenas, where I had a contract to sink a
mine shaft. The derrick was on four
wagon wheels, and four mules were haul
ing It. I had my two helpers along, and
one of them, a man named McCartney,
drove the mules. He was an old-timer,
which was lucky, for I was new to the
country, and If I had trusted to my own
judgment I might have made a mistake
that would have cost me my mules and
derrick, if not my life.
"We came to the Rio Grande an hour be
fore sundown, and I saw a wide river bed,
but no water, only dry sand, from one
bank to the other. That was a new kind
of river to me, but McCartney said it was
all right; that it was a way the Rio Grande
had of doing in places for five or six
months in the year. The water was there,
only it was flowing through the sands un
der the channel instead of in it. I, being a
tenderfoot, was for camping on the nearer
bank, where the grass was good, but Mc
Cartney said that would never do unless I
was willing to take my chances of staying
there a week or two: that water sometimes
came down the'channel, a good deal of it,
and it would be well to get across while we
were sure we could.
"YVe started across over the dry sands
and 1 was thinking what an easy way it
was of fording a river when of a sudden
the two lead mules were floundering in a
quicksand and the whole outtit came near
being drawn in. We got the two leaders
clear of the harness and then the other
two mules drew them out, one at a time.
We hitched them up again, and by making
a long circuit got past the quicksand and
to the other bank. By that time it was 10
o'clock and the moon had just risen. The
mules had just begun to climb the bank,
when we heard a roaring noise up the
channel. It came from a wall of water
that stretched from bnnk to bank, and was
traveling toward us fast. It looked in the
moonlight to be four feet high, and there
was higher water behind sending it on. "\\ e
didn't need to holler to the mules. They
heard wnat was coming and clawed up the
bank like cats. We got out all right, der
rick and all?and there were not three min
utes to spare. Before we had finished our
supper the rive." bed was full, bank high,
with a current that eddied and roared as It
rushed past our camping place as if it had
been sorry to miss us and would like to get
up where we were. There wasn't a cloud
in the sky, or sign of rain anywhere, and
the flood may have come from a cloudbust
in Colorado 200 miles away. But it came
near getting us. I had learned one lesson,
and that was, in traveling by wagon, al
ways to camp on the further side of a
stream. And I had learned to put no trust
in the Rio Grande."
ELECTRIC LIGHT I\ ITALY.
The 1 *<? of I lie Wire for Illnnilnation
1m Growlnis Rapidly.
Frcm Electricity.
Italy Is said to be fast appreciating the
advantages of the electric light. This is in
part due to the fact that the price of pe
troleum, which has heretofore been exten
sively used for illuminating purposes, has
been forced up by restrictions and pro
tective duties. Most all the theaters, many
of the streets and the principal shops and
offices are now lighted by electricity. This
form of illumination is extremely accepta
ble, owing to its cleanliness and conven
ience and to the fact that It does not per
ceptibly heat a room, which is much to be
desired in a comparatively warm climate,
such as that of Italy. Wherever water
power is available, advantage has been tak
en of it tor generating current for illumin
ating purposes. The thriving town of Ca
pua is lighted by energy obtained from the
River Volturno, and Cava del Tlrreni, also
an Important town, derives its power from
the machinery of a large mill, driven partly
by water and partly by steam, which
grinds corn during the day and illuminates
the town at night.
There are many other centers of popula
tion in Italy that have made good use of
water power for the purpose of operating
electric lighting plants, or that contemplate
so doing. The town of Amalfla, which is a
favorite resort of travelers in the winter
season, owing to the salubriousness of its
climate, has a swift stream of water run
ning through it which is utilized for oper
ating numerous paper mills as well as sev
eral large factories. To Install an electric
lighting plant there, as proposed, would be
neither costly nor difficult, and that it
would pay to do so cannot be doubted, as
it Is claimed the large hotels alone would
Insure remunerathe retuins.
Naples is now illuminated by electricity
and is supplied with a continuous current
of 110 volts. The lamps most generally
used are of German manufacture, either
the Schubert or those turned out by the
Allgemelne ? Elektricitats Gesellschaft;
lamps very inferior In color of globes, fin
ish and illuminating power to those manu
factured in this country. In view of this
fact and the general conditions existing in
Italy, there seem to be excellent opportuni
ties for the introduction of American lamps
and other electrical apparatus. During
the last fiscal year this country exported
but worth of electrical machinery to
Italy, which can scarcely be said to com
pare very favorably with the $208,000 worth
exported the same year to France, or even
to X04 which represents the amount ex
ported to Belgium. We have noticed, how
ever, that several contracts tor electrical
installations in Italy have of late been
awarded to American manufacturers, and
it would not be surprising, therefore, if the
amount of electrical exports to Italy this
present year much exceeds that of last in
spite of our war with Spain.
The World Does Move.
From Puck.
"Let me see," said the first man, reflect
ively; "you may be better posted on history
than I am. Was Alexander the Great
known as Fighting Aleck?"
"No."
"And Frederick the Great wasn't known
as Fighting Fred, was he?"
"No." ?
"And the Romans didn't call Julius Caes
ar Fighting Jule, did they?"
"No."
"And George Washington has rfot come
down to posterity as Fighting George?"
"No."
"And nobody ever called Napoleon Fight
ing Nap?"
"No."
"And Hannil?al was just plain Hannibal
without any frills at all?"
"Yea." ?
"How very peculiar!" murmured the first
man.
Social Barriers.
From the Detroit Journal.
Caller?"Is Mrs. Smith in?"
Servant?"I don't know."
Caller?"Can you ascertain for me?"
Servant?"No; that is the housemaid'*
work, and she's out."
(Copyright, 1698, Life Publishlug Company.)
Materials That Are at Once Sea
sonable and Becoming.
FIT IB WELL WITH THE LANDSCAPE
Combinations of Color That Are
Particularly Attractive.
DAINTILY DRESSED WOMEN
Special Cirrrsponilenre of The Eveuins SMar.
HEMPSTEAD. L. I., July 1, 1808.
St: MMER INDO
lence reduces one's
neighbors to land,
scape features, to be
looked at rather than
dealt with. It 13 as
a bit of foreground
that I remember the
large, fair, English
looking girl who roll
ed by on the box seat j
lof a coach this morn
ing. glancing down at
"the group of cyclists j
?>y the roadside in a 1
way to remind that wheeling is a hot.j
and dusty occupation. Her white duck !
skirt, pin'; shirt wftiAtind broad, light gray
slouch hat offerjjujUj'ng distinctive in the '
telling; but add.M|iiit>( eyes, a cool skin of 1
wholesome tints mnd'ia firm-set chin, not 1
too square, anfl you get a personification of
early summer, byigfrt" breezy, good to look
at and wholly uiis^Jifijra.ehtnl.
Another sumny-r picture Is the girl who
is coming up the ^iatltjimong the trees from
the river, the )ong stems of pond lilies
hanging from lij^r ttt^h. She is a slighter
figure than the othur, a branch hid?j her
face, her white woolen dress hangs as
straight and close <ilK>ut her as If it wore
heavy with water. She has a broad, soft
green sash at her side, and her fiat, white
sailor hat is swathed In green. The girl
may be pretty, she may be piquant at close
acquaintance; 1 like her best where she is,
a naiad coming up from the stream.
Sustentive of Summer llrnf.
There is something in the muslins more
languorous, more suggestive of the heats to
come; something that belongs with the
warm, sweet scent of clover and the rattle
of the mowing machine. There Is a white,
vaporous cloud overflowing a hammock,
swung Just in the edge of the grove; a tall
figure is approaching it. There ought to be
laws against disturbing a person in muslin.
White "muslin?all white?belongs to the
dolce far nlente of the drowsy days; to the
lapse of personal identity In the sunshine
and the earth hum. For a permit to con
versation some color must be worn, some
sharp accent put Into the monotone. I have
seen a woman In muslin conducting herself
most energetically* but she knew how to
make thi appearance congruous; how not to
violate the proprieties. Her pale green and
white transparencies subordinated them
selves to the rcyal blue that ruled at throat
and waist and permitted any sort of vivaci
ty, even dancing.
Blue and white is merry; pink and white,
girlish. Golden yellow and white or lemon
color and white requires more particular
consideration: neither combination is abso
lutely inconsistent with action, but they
are more sultry, more suggestive of tropic
heats anu thunder storms than white alone.
There is a delicacy about heliotrope and
white or black and white properly handled
?a great deal of white and a very little
black, but used boldly?that fits with a va
riety of summer purposes; but the muslins
that chime best with the summer gayetles,
that have the joy of the season without its
droop, are the new-old Watteau patterns,
with their little bouquets or baskets of
flowers thrown upon a cream-white surface
I and tied together by blue ribbons. Next to
these for daintiness, lightness and hints of
( airy freedom. I reckon the other floral mus
lins with indeterminate cloud designs be
hind the flowers, scarcely visible except in
certain lights, but giving a misty effect,
when the fabric is not too much snipped up
In flounces.
Combination* of Color.
It is a wholesome symptom, however,
that we are not bothering so milch as
usual about color" significance or the sub
tleties o( combinations; rather we dash for
ward as boldly as in the early ' sixties,
whose fashions we Continue to copy, with
any set of tints lUa.:. gature Has set us the
example of appi??iaar, At the first largely
attended meet oMtf sfcmmer club 11 faw days
ago the positivtj-cMbrs of yellow myrtle
with its green |, turquoise blue and
the old-fashionech ptoks and reds that re
mind one of th-aoVSSeeet Williams" of New
England gaidemAonfcrs were more in evl
donce than any Jit hear hues.
A blue and \MiJtd mrslin, for example,
was made up owr anaeparate- foundation of
grass-grejn gjllcillndrtrimmed with a trellis
work of block* Qhantilly insertion. A
shoulder rosette' otfi' deep crimson was
added. >t> -
A cream-colorai lMwn, almost as fine as
muslin, was drajiedliover yellow silk and
flounced with cAanflace run with narrow
yellow and blackeribhons. The long sash of
Hack chiffon wte pressed with yjllow.
A pale green'^fcndtwhite" muslin had a
foundation of rtoieldif pink silk and many
frills and insertions'?f fine cream lace; the
j-ash of pink ehiffBn finished with black vel
vet ribbons was fastened with a large paste
buckle. ? -
Of India Moulin. '
An elaborate costume and one suggestive
of crinoline was a beautiful India muslin
faintly cream-tinted and made up over
India yellow, at once deep and soft. The
skirt was arranged in a style familiar
thirty or forty years ago, with six or eight
flounces forming a sharp point in the front
and back, but rising high on' the sides. The
flounces were frilled with lace and headed
with rows of openwork and insertion. The
waistband was of green ribbon. The bodice
was arranged with lace and muslin frills
to form a fichu drapery over a chemisette
of muslin finely tucked and ran with green
and cream-colored ribbon*.
If blua Is the color of the season green la
almost as popular, and the changes rune
I upon the two with each other and with
gray are past counting. In New York I
have seen within the week a silvery gray
canvas made up over blue glace and trim
med with three narrow black lace ruffles.
Green velvet ribbon was applied upon the
skirt in such wise as to produce the illu
sion of a double overskirt, open in front
and hanging in long points down each side.
The bodice was a blouse of the canvas with
a pointed chemisette of muslin and with
ribbons simulating a small bolero.
A gray and white foulard worn at a race
meet wss flounced with gray chiffon. The
bodice had a puffed yoke of curiously min
gled gray and grass-green chiffon, from
which floated long chiffon scarfs like stole
ends. Straps alternately of green and sil
ver velvet came from under the arms and
fastened in front with clasps of green
enamel and gold. The sleeves were of sil
ver chiffon, striped up and down with green
velvet libbon. ELLEN OSBORN.
KILLING RATTLESNAKES.
An IngenitinH Method of Raiding; the
County Treawury.
From the Glens Falls Star.
John Lamb of Bolton was arrested on
Saturday afternoon on a warrant issued
by Justice S. M. Pratt on complaint of
j Supervisor Taylor. Lamb is charged with
: an attempt to defraud the county <f War
| rent, in that he made affidavit to the kill
I ing of seventy-one rattlesnakes. Hs pre
i seiited what he claimed were rattles from
i each of the snakes, and asked for the
j bounty of $71. Lamb had already been
paid $324 by the county treasurer upon
orders given by the supervisors of Belton
and Hague. The plan, as exposed l>y Su
I ptrvisor Taylor, has been to tak'j the rat
I ties from a snake, divide them into pieces,
leaving#two rattles on each piece. Then
take a piece of fiesh front a snake and in
sert it in the upper end of the seveted por
tion of the rattler, thus giving the appear
ance of having been cut off from the tail
of a snake, and get the bounty of $t on
each piece having two rattles. Affidavits
were presented showing that on last Tues
day Lamb obtained seven snakes' tails
fiom two boys who had killed the reptiles.
Lamb then presented an affidavit swearing
to the killing of twenty-three snakes, pro
duced twenty-three pieces with two rattles
on each, and obtained an order for on
County Treasurer Packard. Un Friday
night l^amb received of the same parties
fourteen snakes, and on Saturday mornirg
presented* an affidavit to the killing of
seventy-one sr.akes and asked for an order
for $71. producing seventy-one pieces with
two rattles on cach piece. Supervisor Tay
lor caught on to his plan and swore out a
warrant. The county has already paid
al out $t>Kl upon orders, and now the ques
tion is, How many snakes have really been
killed?
In Washington county the bounty on rat
tlesnakes is fifty cents. It is claimed that
quite frequently snakes killed in that
county are brought to Warren county,
where the bounty ptiid is just double, and
that the amount fraudulently collected on
Washington county snakes during" the last
year or two is quite an item.
LenioiiK in Hot Weather.
We know in a dull sort of way that
lemons are useful, and if we didn't we
might easily find this out by looking over
the papers, says the Louisville Courier
Journal. But just how valuable they really
are few of us realize. They are of very
Ei'tpi mrdicinal value, anJ are better than
patent medicines and nostrums put up in
bottles and boxes for the benefit (?) of the
human family.
A teaspoonful of lemo.t j':ice In a small
cup of black coffee will drive away an at
tack of bilious headache, but It is betur to
use them freely and so avoid the attack of
headache. A tlice of lemon rubbed on the
temples and back of thi* neck is also good
for headache. These facta help In beauti
fying one, for who cull be beautiful and
ailing a' the same time? The dtys are past
when the elellcate woman with "nerves"
was the heroine of all the novels and the
'clinging \lr.e" supposed to be admired by
all the men.
Lemons taken externally, or rather used,
will aid in beautifying any e-ne. There is
nothing more valuable for the toilet table
than a solution of lemon ju'-ie; a little nib
bed on the hands, face and neck at night
will not only uniten but soften the skin.
A paste mad; of mignesl i and lemon Juice
appiied to the face and hmd.; upon lying
down for a fifteen minutes' rest will bleach
the skin beautifully.
For discolored or stained finger nails a
teaspoonful of lemon juice in :i cup of warm
soft water is invalu^b.c; tins is one of the
very best manicure acids. It will loosen
the cuticle from the linger nails as well as
remove discolorr. lions.
Lemon Juice in water is an excellent tooth
wash. This is about th; only thing that
will remove tartar. It will also sweeten the
breath.
A Gupkh.
From the Cbicigo Record.
"What are his stenographer's hours?"
"Nine in the morning till 4 In the after
noon, with an hour and a half for
luncheon."
"Goodness! She must be a remarkably
homely girl:"
"No, dearest, It would not be at all tiarht
to take dollies to church."
"But, mamma dear, it would not matter
if I only took the one who shuts her eyes,
would It T"?Punch.
Cleveland's
Baking Powder
does the work
just right
every time.
That's why all the leading Teachers of Cookery
use and recommend it.
HAHIKS 1\ (lll>\.
Little Oncii in the Celeatliil Km III re
Recrlve Marh Attention.
From the Ladies' Pictorial.
Babies are made much of all the world
over, but In China especially they are sur
rounded with a host of mysterious super
stitions and practices.
They are very comical to look at. these
children of the celestials; from the day
they are born they are put Into a little coat
and trousers, with a wee cap to keep the
head warm, and little shoes on their feet.
In fact they are the exact counterparts of
their parents In miniature.
A child Is not bathed till the third day;
it is not considered lucky to do so before.
When this has been done, charms, consist
ing: of lucky cash (smallest coin) and small
silver toys, are attached by red cord to the
child's wrists, and worn for many months.
This _ie to keep away all evil spirits.
Red strips of paper, with certain charac
ters written on them, are also nailed up
outside the door of baby's room, to ward
off all evil influences.
These strips are kept up until after the
eleventh day, and it is usual for no stranger
to enter until tliey hav; been removed.
When a Chinaman has lost several chil
dren, on the birth of another he is especial
ly careful to guard it from evil spirits, who
evidently have a spite against him. He
therefore Invests in a sword made out of
cash, aid strung together with red cord.
This is hung up by baby's bed as a
charm, and is considered very effective.
The child generally leaves the room at
the end of the month, and on that day the
head is shaved for the first time.
1 canr.ot learn that any great importance
Is attached to the giving of a name to the
child. It is, as a rule, the grandfather or
grandmother on the father's side for choice
who names it, but If they are dead It de
volves on the mother's parents or some
elderly relation.
When baby has arrived at the mature
age of four months, the maternal grand
mother makes it a present of a most elab
orate chair with a table attached. There is
generally a feast on this day, and many
friends are invited.
A curious custom Is observed when the
child is a year old. Again a party is given
to celebrate the event, and a large sieve is
placed upon the table with various articles
laid upon it ? books, writing Implements,
gold, silver, fruit, etc. Baby, attired In
new red clothes, with red cord braid-d in
his lialr, is placed in the center 'jf the
sieve, snd according to what articles he
seizes first will his fortune be told. If he
takes up the money, of course, he will be
come a merchant and rich; if a book, why
ne will be learned and distinguish himself
in literature.
In every household there Is an image of
the goddess of children, who is supposed to
have the care of the little ones till they
grow up. Many offerings are made to her,
especially on the child's birthday. When a
child reaches the age of sixteen years he is
supposed to pass from the control of this
particular goddess, and a ceremony is gone
through called the "going out of child
hood." Afterward thank offerings are
made to the goddess of the children for the
care bestowed.
But to return to our babies. As 1 min
tioned before, the head is shaved when a
month old ? som'times entirely?but very
often a small patch is left at the crown of
the head, and the hair plaited into a stiff
little queue, which stands out straight
from the head through a little nole in the
cap.
If it is a little girl, her head Is ift^-n not
shaved, but her hair plaited into two plaits
above the ears. Red cord is plaited in >vith
the hair as a charm, for spirits carnot face
red?hence baby's red clothes.
Seen Willi 111m \o*e.
rrom the London Telegraph.
An extraordinary case is reported by a
French medical man named Domlot. A man
who had lost his right eye some years be
fore, whue still a child, fell from a cherry
tree, his face striking upon a sharp stick
in such a way that the nose, the cheek an l
the left eye. with the eyelids and the eye
brows, were horribly mutilated. The at
tendant surgeon believed the eyeball had
been completely torn away, the i>atient, of
course, being left -Ightless. A year after
ward the man was surprised to notice thai
he could distinguish daylight and the col
ors of flouers through his nose, and his
vision improved until he was able to see all
objects below, though still insensible to
light frooi above. A simple explanation is
found- The blow, falling obliquely upon
the eyeball, must have permitted the es
cape of the humors of the eye, and pierced
the orbit, but without injuring the mem
branes, particularly the retina. On heal
ing, there must l.ave remained In the bony
case behind the closed lids a small opening
putting the eye cavity in communication
with the nasal foshal, thus permitting the
light to reach the retina through the nose.
It is pointed out that this ser\es as ex
perimental proof of the theory comparing
the retina to a dark-room screen, on which
images of outside objects are formed, even
without refracting lenses, when the light
?ays come through a very narrow opening.
???
Where It Came In.
From Puck.
Hardfuct?"Well, I must confess I don't
see much poetry In a moonlight excur
sion."
Oberheintz?"Gott in himmel! Haf you
seen dose nine kegs of beer?"
A CI RIOt S At STVIAV ClflTOM.
Emperor Ir??cl. J.,.eph M o.he. the
Ff" Twelre Old Men
From the I-all Mall Gaiette.
The Emperor Francis Joseph, a, the heart
of the must ceremonious court In Europe
the ceremony of washing the feet Th#. r*
twe^'oM men ^ "*
I ^ ,he eame number of
agt-a dames. This v..a .<
w.shtn? 1 k . he ceremony of
washing the feet of the old lad lea was
omitted, owing to the absence of the em
bUt U,t ancWnt J??"
majesty and the whole court ,li
;~ri" ~ ^?r^V?n;
l?^rdlertn,r)ip1omItUu an'd^thelr?w"vea
^ ^P?",'he ?c"n< from the
rnT^hVr"hd,^"ra?'^ generate
1 of ,heeHu^H?.W- Thr *"""dld untfor^r
i r?~?? - asMs
aaa & war3TS
srs rs x-ss? xszvx
placed them before the infirm old peouii
The ceremony of washing the feet ^iX-h
" of the old men and placed a towel
,a;"T thT}': kn^s- The court <'hap*aln"n!
id hi hat toa?nBV''U"?'" lh" mora:' h 1 ??'<!- "
handedT. ^ chamberlain. and the latter
,Tt''1 o?lcer of lower rank. When
lon.^ ' h. , pedes disci;,'
'J ," '>ad b,'on reached the monarch fell
on liia knees and formally washed and
A prelate rVL'^i Jh* ""''V0 nu*" ln ,urn
A prelate poured the water over the feet
and a papal house prelate held the ewer
mLl^K c?K,iUf'lon of the ceremony the
monarch w.Liked to the lower end of the
estrade and washed his hands, a page hold
Ing the ewer and the lord chamberlain
hanuing h;m the towel The imperial bur
ton ??e'iS\,vPOn har'd,,,i |,urR,'s' <-a< h> contain
ing .10 silver crowns, to his majesty who
hung them around the necks of the old
homes!1 Were thtn drlv<-n to their -
Trampa Frarfally rnalahrd.
From the Chftigo News.
Tramps unlucky enough to fall Into the
dutches of the hard-hearted authorities of
Berks county. Pennsylvania, are put
through such a course of sprouts that they
wish they had never been born. They have
to march up and down in the prison yard
for eight hours a day. carrying seventy
five-pound boxes of sand, while a grim
overseer stands ready to prod them if they
falter. Edward Lawrence Is the man who
besses the operations for (AO a month and
the tramps ihtnk he Is a Tartar. His sal
ar> Is one of the best Investments the
ctunty ever made, for no hummer, after
sprung under him for a term, has ever
come hack and 'he warden's board and
lodging bills are growing lighter.
riilirt4e,rILf fence's system the tramps are
*>,d?J two gangs, each assigned to a
th*v tit I B/t, ? the word of command
they till their boxes and with military pre
cision pick them up and march to the op
Fn Jif the yard' P^'ng each other
In the center. The boxes are emptied on
the opposite piles and refilled, after which
!. n m^.h back to the starting point be
gins This operation is repeated without
inter\al of rest for. four hours each forc
cr?nv r ..a ",kt tlmc ln ,he afternoon. No
ccn\ersation Is permitted.
?
K.-ed of Oiivrriaa l)urluK Sleep.
Fiob the Kvenlu* Wlaconain.
The reason It Is necessary to be well
covered while sleeping Is that when the
body lies dt wn It is the intention of nature
that It should rest, and the heart especial
ly should be relieved of Its regular work
temporarily. So that organ makes ten
strokes a minute less than when the body
is in an upright posture. This means ?M
ftrokes ln sixty minutes. Therefor*. In
the eight hours that a man usually spends
in taking his night's rest, the heart Is
raved nearly five thousand stroke* As It
pumps six ounces of Hood with each
stroke. It lifts ounces less of blood
in this night's session than it would
durir.g the day, when a man is usually in
an upright position. Now, the body is de
pendent for its warmth on the vigor of the
circulation, and as the blood flows so much
more slowly through the veins when one
is lying down, the v.annth lost in the re
duced circulation must be supplied by
extra coverings.
Three miles an hour is about the average
speed of the gulf stream. At certain places
however, It attains a speed of fifty-one
mil38 ao hour, the rapidity of the current
giving the surface, when the sun is shining
the appearance of a sheet of fire.
(Copyright, 1898, Life PuMieking Company.)