The Leon reporter., December 28, 1899, Image 9

About The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
ia
IS HEB, PORTION.
COUNTESS D'BLVA SEEKS
THE GRAVE.
That Wm a Crime Agalmt
WMiuhood—Sho Was of Dark Color
Caald Not Harry the Man She
sin
(Paris Letter.) "sSv*»S
,'/It Is a strange, tragically picturesque
f'hUtory, that of Yette d'Elva, the
ef^tttlful New Orlean girl who lies
W*® embrace of death—an ugly death
^jfrWeft ahe herself haa invoked. What
fpWUl you not find in this teeming, bust
Bpjlng"capital when you scratch the sur
beyond the shimmering out
of gayety? Yette d'Blva haa
'bf®®* been recognized as one of the
beauties of Paris. She is twenty-five
-n°t
Quite of gorgeous physique—
tfktall, strong, luxuriantly modelled yet
EDWARD SANFORD.
|fcnehantlngly sinuous. Countess—she
'.was a countess like Anna Gould. She
jjiras more. Her husband, for many
pj^Tears attache to the Spanish embassy
Paris, was the very noble Count
d'Elva, Marquis do la Piedra, a scion
otgrandees whose plumed hata were
never doffed to royalty. And yet
•Any yet, liatefa! Her name before her
marriage was Henrietta Bushnell. She
(the
daughter of William Bushnell, a
wealthy planter and speculator of
^Plaquemine parish, Louisiana. Her
I^Wother was one of those splendid mu
'"'jUttto girls that you see down there.
*Her grandmother—now living in Paris
jrith. Yette d'Blva—her grandmother
black! Yes. More easily aristo
cratic than the proud daughter of
^aristocracy among whom she once
reigned, this young marquise is an
||pctoroon. In his way of dealing with
(Ute, William Bushnell had always
en ambitious, rash and lucky. There
jcame a time when money-making had
glost-all power of interesting him, when
the pleasures of his native land had
j^lost all flavor to his palate. He real
ised on his property, and came to see
what Paris could yield in the way of
tj|«f
The whole family—black
inother-in-law, mulatto wife and oc
child—Bushnell installed in the
palace that Djevad Bey had built with
ental magnificence. A novelist
jtfPHid wish for no better environment
his romance than that house while
^Bushnell and his wife (each quite in
of the other) kept things
'^humming.
It was a curious household.
h.
$
jKevertheless it was the one persistent
infancy of the Louisiana planter that his
ipSfUghter should be kept apart from
1 turmoil, educated with all the lov
care lavished upon the heiress
Y-wttiose innocence of mind is held most
precious. Bushnell loved Henrlette—
pette as he called her fondly—Yette,
rbci was budding into the beauteous
Bower of the far-away, warmer clime
their native land. No sooner was
out of the convent than suitors
|$$ra legion. And when she was near
lr love never thought of her vast
IfjtUh. Suitors were many, but Bush
el was on guard. He died suddenly,
koiteyer, and for some reason his wife
|ave'Henrietta away to the Marquis
la $jtedra:
(That marriage was a crime. The
arquls was forty the young octoroon
pas plxt^en. She submitted, as a girl
Bd in a French convent will she
gn$ to the sacrifice with obedient res
ion, Her marriage to the Span
|tache opened to her daughter the
lv« salons of several capitals, for
uro^e the prejudice against dark
does, not obtain. But Mrs. Bush
compelled to witness the trl
6t her offspring from afar.^ She
was ignored by society. The
mulatto a little later married
k-Toche,
the French dramatist,
plays are still giving Joy to the
in tyro-years he went Into an
iMjrlum. There, after a few
to died. She soon followed
in her Attempt at
enjoying all the^^Hures of IWls at
once. Meanwhil^Eaglc things^ were
brewing elsewhere. jDuring four years
the Marquise de la Piedra had lived
her new life serenely. She was quite
at home in high spheres, an amiable
matron of twenty, who coached with
enthusiasm, entertained sumptuously
whose victoria at the Bois was the
model of elegance, Just as her gowns
were the despair of imitators. Tho
sudden separation of the young wife
from the marquis came as a bolt from
a clear sky. And almost immediately
shocking things began to bo whispered
from ear to ear. The husband had
not only been grossly unfaithful, but
he had Iraen brutal in fact, a constant,
relentless torturer. The marquis this'
time had chosen to go on an excursion
with a lady whose love was easily ac
cessible yet expensive. To clinch rs.rr
wavering devotion the Spaniard had
Imagined nothing sweeter thau to
adorn her with most of his wife's
Jewels. The wife drew the line at this
insult.
Peremptorily she signified to her
husband (through powerful attorneys)
that all connection between herself
and his noble person was at an end.
But the Marquis did not yield grace
fully. There was an awful scandal and
nasty revelations. Finally he lost hig
wife and had to resign from the Diplo
matic Corps. Now the Marquis de la
Piedra is living on the Avenue Niel.
Not far away his wife, content
"Vith tho lesser title of Countess
d'Elva, occupies a luxurious house in
the Rue Theodule Ribot. Occasional
ly, when the pension she serves does
not satisfy him, the old man sends a
very polite note to his former wife,
who forthwith writes an extra check.
They never visit, never see each
other.
Now to go back a little. To the
friends Yette d'Elva had made in the
high set she remained Just as dear as
ever for nothing was advanced
against her. But everybody who ap
proached her soon noticed a curious
change in her manners. She became
i-
COUNTESS D'ELVA
capriciously gloomy or unbecomingly
gay, always Jealously independent.
Was it the inconsolable grief of hav
ing been cheated in life which she
sought to amuse away? Or had brood
ing transformed her hatred of the one
responsible man into a desire for re
venge on the sex at large? At any
rate she began to play havoc among
the men who congregated about her.
Her mansion became the rendezvous
•of a fast set. But in the midst of all
that dancing and banqueting, to the
music of those orchestras, men's ca
reers were being ruined, men's lives
wrecked, suicides prepared. Nobody
knew the extent of this work nobody
will ever know. For if one poor young
fellow, Pierre de Fantanes, actually
did blow out his brains on her door
steps, how many went away to die?
'During two years the Countess d'Elva,
superbly gowned, langorous and calm,
unmoved, presided over the revels with
the same maddening smile. But one
night a man came. A friend of the
house presented Mr. Edward Sandford,
of Virginia. "I have come to face the
evil genius that they tell me you are,"
said he, laughingly. The mistress of
the house extended her hand with a
languid smiley,
"Do my friends give me such a
reputation?"
"Fascinating and dangerous, they
•ay. But I do not believe it."
It may be inferred that once again—
and this time more Kbvprely than be
fore, for she was in love—Yette had
THE LE
met. with disappointment. A month or
so ago she returned from no one
knows where. She was sad, silent,
evidently ready for another desperate
plunge into the whirl of wicked pleas
ures. The wild associates that Sand
ford's presence had dispersed flocked
to her, and new revels began. Two
weeks ago Paris was startled by the
announcement that the famous Ameri
can octoroon would be on the stage of
the Olympia, the music hall of the
Boulevards des Capucines. Clad in
black satin tights, with a scarlet cloak
fastened at one shoulder by a Jeweled
bucklo, she was a vision of arrogant
beauty, somber and defiant. For some
days the hall was packed, tho papers
full of her name. Then she played
no more. The Virginian had come and
appealed to the Countess. Such con
duct was unworthy of her he said.
"Am I not unworthy of all that is
good?"
"Nonsense! You are a good girl,
and, despite all you have done, a wom
an of noble instincts."
"But you will not marry me."
No, he would not, could not. He was
a Virginian and Yette d'Elva had dark
blood. She did not rebel. She cried
long on his shoulder, gently that was
all.
That night at 12, around a magnifi
cently decorated table, sho gathored
twenty-five of her preferred guests. It
was a Joyous company and a Joyous
occasion. When the merriment was
at its height the Countess d'Elva rose
with a champagne glass in her hand.
From the conservatory came the
strains of a musical caress, sometimes
warmly, amorous, sometimes a moan
ing appeal to mercy. More beautiful
than before, more rebellious than ever,
the octoroon spoke:
"I drink to the God who gives hap
piness to some of his creatures and
tortures the others to Him who made
some of us white and others negroes
despised by the rest. I drink to God
to show that I am quitting the game
with no hard feelings." And with the
blasphemy on her lips she emptied the
cup of poison before her petrified
guests. Three of the best physicians
of Pari3 worked long and skilfully,
and saved her for the time being. Less
than a week after, taking advantage
of lax of vigilance on the part of her
nurses, she got hold of another vial
of poison and again tried self-murder.
Ha Fonnd Out Why. ^5
Ripley (Ohio) Bee: A few evenings
since a certain young man called on
his best girl to spend the evening.
When about to return home the con
versation chanced to turn to art, and
the young lady said to him tjiat he
reminded her of the Venus de Milo,'
whereupon the young man was delight
ed, thinking surely it was symmetrical
form she alluded to. When he got
home he consulted an encyclopedia,
and in his deep chagrin and mortifi
cation found that the Venus de Milo
had no arms. He went down in the
cellar and tried to butt out bin hi-ain.
on a Eoft cabbage.
Unreasonable Man.
Husband (meekly)—This Is the
fourth time this week we've had
tinned beef and cabbage,/Maria,, and
I'm a little tired of ty^Hls Wife—
I'm sure, Thomas, you^K^^ unrea
sonable. You know ^^^^Hto cor
rect the proof-sheets book,
Que'Hundred Dainty
JPOKTEK, •mURSDAY,
NOTES OF THE WHEEL
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO DEV
OTEES OF THE BICYCLE.
The Battle of the G«arfT-MoDi flee Ties
His Mile In 1:31 and Bides a Third
In :S7 8-fl—Taylor'* (|narter In 180—
A Runaway Tandem.
The Battle of the Gears.
Attempts at record breaking are be
ing continued at Garfield park track in
Chicago by McDuffee and Taylor, says
Cycle Age, the Bostonian cut the
quarter-mile figures to :21 2-5 and
the third-mile figures to :27 2-5.
Meanwhile Major Taylor stood around
dolefully looking on, unable to
make and trials himself because
his steam motocycle refused to per
form its part. There were hints
that it would make the game interest
ing and be a magnanimous thing if
Manager Culver would allow the col
ored boy to make a trial behind Mc
Duffee's machine for a suitable com
pensation, but the suggestion fell fiat,
as the latter was not minded to relin
quish his advantage to help his rival
out of misfortune.
Taylor's inning came on Thursday,
however, and McDuffee saw his newly
acquired quarter-mile record move
over into the opposing camp, for, paced
by his repaired motocycle, the dusky
Worcester lad rode the quarter in :20
flat. In his trial for tho third, how
ever, his tandem ran wide, and he
missed McDuffee's latest figures by
three-fifths of a second. The Bostonian
EDWARD M'DUFFEE.
went for the quarter again, but could
not get under Taylor's figures, his time
being 20 1-5. He also tried for the
third, but could not equal his time on
the preceding day. Both motors were
working well, but the teams running
them ran wide on tho turns and the
men lost the pace.
MrDuffee Repeats His MUe Flsores.
McDuffee did not ride that day, but
on Saturday he attacked the mile rec
ord and succeeded in tieing the mark
of 1:21 made in the last milo of a *lve
mile record trial down at Brockton,
The weather was chilly and not in the
least conducive to record breaking, but
the Bostonian tucked himself in behind
his widespreading machine and the
ride began. The half was clocked in
:40 1-5 and the last half in :39 1- 5. Al
though his new figures tie those made
before, he is not yet satisfied, and will
remain in Chicago for another week
in the hope of putting them down to
1:20. Taylor made a trial for the
same mark, but missed by several sec
onds, his motor being perceptibly
slower than the other and the rider
himself being too heavy and out of
form from the recent bad weather. His
rival is also several pousds over
weight.
A Runaway Tnndein,
While McDuffee was following his
tandem in a warming-up nue, the
steam-gauge blew off and the rider on
the rear seat Jumped to prevent a
scalding. This left the controlling
valve set for less than a two-minute
gait and no one to turn it off, as (he
steersman could not remove one hand
from the bar and turn around to stop
the engine^ithout risking his life and
the machine. Thus the few spectators
were treated to the most unusual sight
of a runaway tandem emitting clouds
of hissing vapor and steered by a
blanched-faced cyclist who did not
know how soon he might get scalded
tnd could or.!., wait for the boiler to
exhaust itself, which it did after three
or four laps. To prevent possible dis
aster resulting from a similar accident,
it seems that builders of motor tan
dems should place duplicate controi
lng levers on the front handlebars,
which would also make it possible for
veteran steersmen like Waller and
Fournier to not only operate their own
motors, but steer the machines as well
in the absence of a fully capable team
mate. On Friday Taylor went for and
M'DUFFEE'S STEAM TANDEM,
broke McDuffee's half-mile record by
four-fifths of a second, placing the fig
ures at :41. The colored boy stuck
within two inches of the rear tire of
the tandem all the way around until
within a few yards of •ha tape, v. 'ien
he lost his pace and finished several
lengths behind the motor.' ... His ma
chine is of the same make as that of
his rival, but he uses no wind shields
of any kind nor auxiliary tanks.
In a Class by Itself.
Monday McDuffee called on Fred
Gerlach in his Chicago ofSce to ask
if the L. A. W. could not place the fig
ures in a class by themselves, as the
French union does with wind shield
records. The racing board chairman
stated that such a plan met his ap
proval, notwithstanding the racing
rules of the league make no provision
for wind shield records, and intimated
that he thought there could be no ob
jection to accepting the new mark «v?
a aneclal record, although Taylor's
1:22 2-6 Would be the standard marl
DECEMBEK 28, 1899.
"I'm satisfied with that arrange
ment," said Culver. "I will ask for
wind-shield records and they will be
granted. It is Impossible for a man
to beat 1:20 without wind shields, and
that Is the reason why we have them
on. In France such records are rec
ognized, for 'French' Taylor's hour
record was made behind a wind shield,
attached to a tricycle, which is even
better protection from the wind than
our arrangement. I think Major Tay
lor will go for the record with shields
on, for Sager told me he had had them
made." Manager Sager had called on
Gevlach to protest against the use of
thu big cylinders on the rear of Mc
Duffee's machine and to ask regarding
the advisability of equipping Taylor's
tandem after the same manner. The
chairman told him that records made
behind such an arrangement would not
be accepted and advised him to leave
them off.
McDuffee stated to his friends that
ho would retire from cycle racing at
the close of the present season and
might not do any mora fast riding
after leaving Chicago. At the same
time Manager Culver announced that
he should seek new stars to compose
a team to compete in open or match
races at the Paris exposition and
through Europe next year.
"In the first place." said McDuffee,
"I've been in the game nine years and
desire a change, and secondly I am
offered a position with an automobile
concern In New York for the winter,
and am likely to settle in some such
business. Again, I am having trouble
in training down to the proper weight
for good riding and I think I am enti
tled to a rest."
Novelties of tho Roail.
In a Jaunting trip through the east
ern counties of England, Mr. Hissey
noted some of the curious sigrs which
show how modern life differs from life
in the past. What, I wonder, would
our ancestors make of the following
notice appended to the sign of an old
inn on the way, which we deemed
worthy of being copied? "Good ac
commodation and stabling for cyclists
and motorists." The following notice,
affixed to the. porch of a country
church, plainly tells a story of changed
times and of changed ways: "Cyclists
welcomed in cycling dress." On the
road from Crowland to Spalding, by
the wayside, we saw a large notice
board bearing this legend: "One
thousand miles in one thousand hours,
by Henry Girdlestone, at the ago of 56,
in the year 18-14."
Wears a Itlanlcet and Practices Lnw.
Down in Indian Territory lives prob
ably the only Indian who speaks
French and German and who has been
the guest of the czar of Russia and
other European royalties. In addi
tion to these claims to distinction,
Chief Storm Cloud, who Is a full
blooded Comanche, Is said to be an
able lawyer, though he still wears his
blanket and in other respects conforms
to the customs of his tribe. When
Storm Cloud was a boy he happened
to form a friendship with Arsayne
Beaujen, a French-Indian trader who
had made much money in dealing with
the Indians. The old Frenchman was
about to return to France and offered
to take the young chief along as his
guest. The Invitation was accepted
and Storm Cloud spent more than four
years in Europe. During his lo~g ab
sence he learned to speak French and
German, called on the czar of Russia,
who was greatly interested In him, and
attended lectures in law and oratory
at the University of Oxford. He has
now settled down to the practice of
law and has often defeated prominent
white lawyers in the courts of the ter
ritory. His latest plan is to unite all
the surviving Indian tribes into one
great state, for which he will then ap
ply for admission into the union.
Steel Roadway in Spain.
In the advance sheets of the consu
lar reports for Oct. 31 is an interest
ing paper on a steel railroad in Spain,
the contribution of our consul at Val
encia, Horace Lee Washington. The
two miles of road between Valencia
and Grao sustain an average daily
traffic of 3,200 vehicles. Up to 1892
this roadway was constructed of flint
stone and cost about $5,500 annually
to keep up. The authorities in that
year determined to construct this steel
roadway to relieve the heavy traffic
on the central zone of the road, and
so successful was the scheme that the
repairs have cost only $380 a year
since. During the seven years that
the rails have been In position they
have shown a wear and tear amount
ing only to one decimal of a mili
metre yearly, and have not required
repairing. As the first cost of the
construction of the steel roadway was
only $9,500, It can be readily seen
what a tremendous saving there has
been already since its construction.
There are many roads in this country
where this scheme could be adopted
with the probability of equally good
results.
Catastrophe In Norway*
Bergen correspondence Cnicago Rec
ord: Norway has not shown such a
heartrending calamity in many a long
day as was caused by the recent storm
on the west coast Thirty persons,
mostly married men, residents of the
little island of Roder, who had been
attending a funeral on the mainland
near Haugesund, endeavored to put
back to their homes. Storm signals
had been telegraphed to Haugesund,
anu the men were warned not to at
tempt the passage, but tlhey feared
their families would be alarmed by
tneir absence, made the attempt and
perished. The smack In which the
men sailed was loaded with provisions
for their families. These being lost, a
steamer was sent with a fresh stock
of victuals, and bearing also a clergy
man, whose mission was to break the
news to the families of trie drowned
men. The entire population of the
little island was gathered at the
wnarf when the steamer arrived, and
the scenes of anguish that followed
were indescribable. On some of the
farms of the island only the widows
and minor orphans are left to carry
on the work, and there is not a family
that la not in mourning.
'Si
Nero was determined to have his
soiree, whatever the holocaust
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
SOME GOOD STO.RIES FOR OUR
JUNIOR READERS.
Fldo In Trotrble—All Becanse He Was
Inquisitive anil Greedy—Brave Little
Indian Girls—Mice That RUig A
Gume for Quick Wits.
The Foster Mother.
Sleep, little one! Again 1 feel tho thrill
A babe's soft hand can In my breast
awuken.
Hide in my bosom, thou art not for
saken:
Sleep, little one! thou hast a mother
still.
My lips I press to thy sweet brow
anew
Sleep, little one! I am thy mother, too.
Mine to protect, to cherish, and to rear
Why should the baby hand, the flaxen
hair,
Set me a'drenmlng of a bygone care,
And make a far-oil sorrow seem so near?
Wake, little one! Too much am I be
guiled,
Too near, too close, the little hands are
wrestling.
Too soft, too warm, the little head is
nestling,
For I am not thy mother, O my child!
Wake, little one! Thy mouth too sweetly
smiled.
For I am not thy mother, O my child!
Vet do not wake—sleep on—full well I
know
God. In my heart, maternal love renew
ing,
Intendeth not for my poor heart's un
doing,
Nor builds again a joy to lay it low.
Sleep, little one! 'Tis sweet to feel the
thrill
babe's soft hand can In my breast
awaken.
Klde In my bosom, thou art not for
saken:
Sleep, little one! I am thy mother still.
—By Edwin II. Keen (After the French.)
Fldo In Troablo.
On one occasion Fiilo was punished
for his misdemeanors and greediness.
1 was suffering with a cold, and some
one suggested a hot stew of syrup with
plenty of red pepper. I was fond of
syrup candy, and often made it in my
little saucejian over my lire. Fido was
fond of it, too. As 1 sat over the fire
on this particular afternoon he sat
by me watching and waiting engcrlv,
impatiently, wagging his tail, raising
his ears, giving way to short, impa
tient barks and growls as time went
by. I endeavored to make him under
stand that he was mistaken that he
really did not want the stew he
thought he did, and, in short, that it
was not for him at all. In vain, Fido
had recognized the syrup jug, the little
saucepan, the smell of the candy and
was wild with impatience. Finally 1
poured out some of the syrup to cool
in a saucer, and sipped it as I did so.
It was very hot, so hot, in fact, that,
with thoughtless haste, I put the
saucer down on a low stool and hur
ried out to get a glass of water. Fido,
left to himself, leaped upon the stool,
lapped up one greedy mouthful and
swallowed it. Poor Fido! Bewildered,
horrified, tortured with pain, he stood
for a moment motionless, then around
and around the long dining table he
sped at the rate of sixty miles an hour.
Around and around he ran, wildly,
frantically. Suddenly he paused—an
idea had occurred to him. Dashing
across the hall he sped into my dress
ing room a small tub of water was
on the floor near the washstand he
drank about a quart of it, then re
turned looking calm and serene, and
stretched himself down on the rug for
rest and repose after his unusual ex
ercise and excitement. His serenity
was of short duration, however. At
first a meditative and then a troubled
look gradually stole over his coun
tenance. Presently, with ears and tail
ercct, he was once more racing around
the room at full speed, and then, as
before, he fled to my dressing room
and drank another quart of water and
returned with a countenance less ser
ene and hopeful, and tried once more
to rest and sleep. This performance
he kept up, at longer intervals, during
the entire afternoon, and that evening
when I gave him his supper, in a
saucer, he closed his eyes tight and
declined to notice it. He has persist
ed in his refusal to eat anything out
of a saucer since that afternoon.—Our
Animal Friends.
Mica That Slnjy,
If you were to walk along a certain
street in London, past a certain bird
store, you would see this sign in the
window: "Singing mice a specialty."
If you should go inside the store and
talk to the fancier, he would tell you
that such mice were very rare, and that
his 6tore was the only one in London
where they were kept. When they are
scarcer than usual, they sometimes
bring as much as ten dollars apiece in
our money. These mice are piebald and
quite tame and seem like ordinary
mice, but when they sing you feel they
are quite extraordinary, for it seems
very strange indeed to hear such
sounds coming from mice. It is not a
tunc exactlj, but sort of a piping
sound, pleasant to hear and really
rather musical. Some people say it is
a peculiar kind of lung disease that
makes them make this strange music
but this fancier says that it is a nat
ural gift with the mice, and that there
is only one kind that has the gift. He
also says that he is the only person
who knows anything about these sing
ing mice. He has had some strange
requests for these queer little animals.
One lady asked him for a mouse that
could sing "God Save the Queen," and
said she was willing to give £10 for
it, amounting to about $48.40. When
told there was no mouse that could
oblige her she went away quite dis
gusted. A violin player had bought a
couple of mice, and one day returned
them, complaining that they did not
keep together well when they 6ang.
Brave Little Indian Girls.
This is a true story of two little In
dian girls living in the western part of
our country. Their names are Louise
and Amy Antelope—Louise, 7 years
old, and Amy, a year younger. A week
or two ago it seemed best to send them
away from the school in Oklahoma,
where they had lived almost all their
lives, to another larger one near Law
rence, Kan. It puzzled the kind teach
ers to know hoy the little girls were
to get there,/"for no one thought of
sending U*€m alone. But at last they
found ay. One gf the teachers was
goingjNorth to ,^HMIK»yacaUo|D.
and would take them with her as far
as Lawrence, where they would be met
by a teacher from their new school.
This was a wonderful trip for the little
Indian girls. They had never been In
a train before, so it was all very new
to them. When the train drew up at
the station at Lawrence, they saw
something else they had never before
seen—a city. When they got oft the
train they expected some one to speak
to them, and take them away, but no
body did. Just think of two little chil
dren left suddenly alone in a great,
strange city. Hut what was the use
of being frightened? They soon made
up their minds that nobody was com
ing, so they planned to go to the
school alone. Leaving little Amy with
their bags, Louise went out and found
a man with an old-fashioned yellow
'bus who would take them to the
school. The driver seemed very much
astonished to hear them talk, and see
how womanly they were. When they
arrived at the school, our little friends
Jumped out, got their baggage, and
Louise, with the most grown-up air,
took a big silver dollar out of her tiny
purse, paid the driver, and sent him
away. What a lot of questions to be
asked and explanations to be made.
The truth was that the teachers at the
school had thought tne little girls were
not coming until the next day, and
that was why there was no one at the
station to meet them. If ever two
small girls were praised and petted
these two were. Don't you think they
were very brave?
I)eep-Sea Pressure.
The temperature at the bottom of
the ocean is nearly down to freezing
point, and sometimes actually below
it. There is a total absence of light
so far as sunlight is concerned, and
there is an enormous pressure, reck
oned at about a ton to the square inch
in every thousand fathoms, which is
160 times greater than that of the at
mosphere we live in. At 2,500 fath
oms the pressure is thirty times more
powerful than the steam pressure of
a locomotive when drawing a train. As
late as 1880 a leading zoologist ex
plained the existence of deep-sea ani
mals at such depths by assuming that
their bodies were composed of solids
and liquids of great density, and con
tained no air. This, however, is not
the case with deep sea fish, which are
provided with air-inflated swimming
bladders. If one of these fish, in full
chase after its prey, happens to as
cend beyond a certain level, its bladder
becomes distended with the decreased
pressure, and carries it, in spite of its
efforts, still higher in its course in
fact, members of this unfortunate class
are likely to become victims to the
unusual accident of falling upward,
and no doubt meet with a violent death
soon after leaving their accustomed
level, and long before their bodies
reach the surface in a distorted and
unnatural state. Even ground sharks,
brought up from a depth of no more
than 500 fathoms, expire before they
gain the surface.—Nineteenth Century.
A Game for Qnick Wits.
The game of "Composing Sentences"
is one that has the advantage of mak
ing people think quickly, and will
quickly show which player has the
most active mind. The idea is to deal
out a dozen cards, each having some
letter of the alphabet on it, to the play
ers—such cards as are used in word
games, or they may be made for the
purpose. All begin by turning over
a letter at the same time. As soon as
the letters are seen a sentence has to
be devised, using them all as the in
itial letters. The first to make a
grammatical sentence of them is given
a point on the score card then new
letters are turned up and sentences
are made until one of the players has
won 10 points. Of course, it is neces
sary to have a large quantity of cards,
so that when dealt out there will be
a variety of letters. The game be
comes lively as personal sentences
suggest themselves, and it affords good
practice in the formation of grammat
ical sentences.
Flowers That
W
Pfnoh.
A peculiar species of climbing plant
from Brazil has lately been introduced
in the south of England, where it
grows in the open air. its flowers are
provided with flat, horny plates, sit
uated above the nectar cups in the cen
ter of the blossom and which are called
"pinching boc'ies." When an insect
thrusts its proboscis into the nectar,
the plates pinch it fast, and on its de
parture the insect mu=i either carry
off the -pollen masses of the flower or
leave its proboscis behind. In
former case the pollen is likely
reach and fertilize another flower
the latter the unfortunate insect, de
prived of its proboscis, dies. Some
times the legs as well as the noses of
insects are found sticking in the flow
ers. Only the bumblebees appears to
be strong enough always to escape am
putation.
A Woudcrful Storm,
The records of the Hydrographlo
Bureau at Washington show that the
terrible hurricane which wrought
wholesale destruction in Porto Rico in
August last was longer lived than any
storm hitherto reported to the bu
reau. It lasted from August 3 until
August 21, within which time it trav
eled between 4,000 and 5,000 miles. Iti
also began its career farther east than
any tropical storm yet on record. It
was first noticed on August 3, about
half-way between the coasts of Africa
and South America, a little below
north latitude 12 degrees. On the 8th
its center ravaged Porto Rico, then It
turned up the coast of the United
States, and was last noticed, fast dy
ing out. about 800 miles directly east
of New York.
3SS3JR
Cleaned It Well.'
"Alice, it seems to me that this tur
key has a most peculiar flavor. What
do you suppose the trouble Is? It lal
like nothing I ever tasted before." "I
don't know, I am sure, mamma. 1
was very careful, and I know It must
be clean, for I scrubbed it thoroughl»
with soap." And this is a true storjj
of a little girl and the first turkey he*
mamma let her clean.
It 1b calculated that the skins ol1.
more than 100,000 animals are *^sed
annually in binding OxfonT:
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