Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

The Covington ’AR. J. W. ANDERSON. Editor and Proprietor. Ode to Spring. I wakened to the singing of a bird; I heard the bird of spring. And lo! At his sweet note The flowers began to grow, Grass, leaves and everything, As if the green world heard The trumpet of his tiny throat From end to end, and winter and despair Fled at his melody, and passed in air. I heard at dawn the music of a voice. O my beloved, then I said, the spring Can visit only once the wailing year; The bird can bring Only the season’s song, nor his the choice To waken smiles or the remembering tear I But thou dost bring Springtime to every day, and at thy call The flowers of life unfold, though lcayes of autumn fall. —{Mrs. James T. Fields, in the Century. A BOX OF DIAMONDS. In the year 1867 I fouud myself at Rio Janeiro, Brazil, just out of hos¬ pital, not a dollar in my pocket, and ready to ask tiie American Consul to send me to tiie United States in tiie name of charity. I had been out with an American whaler, and had boon left there so broken in health that no one supposed that I could live two weeks. As the ship had taken no oil there was nothing coming to me. In¬ deed, l was in debt to her, and but for tlic few dollars raised among the men I should have been a pauper on land iug. One afternoon, while 1 was on my way lo tho Consulate lo see what help 1 could obtain, 1 encountered an Eng¬ lishman, whom I at once identified as a sailor—captain or mate, lie .-topped nnd inquired my name, nativity and occupation and when I had given him the information lie slapped me on the back and exclaimed: ‘It’s a bit of luck that 1 met yon! I’ve got a place for you, and wo’ll drop in sour;where aud havo a talk. He was a blunt-spoken man, but a cautious one. He did not unfold his plans until lie had pumped me pretty dry and apparently satisfied himself that l was a man ho wanted. Even then 1 only got a part of tho story, and aui still in the dark as to many particulars. The sirangWo h«hk C aptain Roberts, and ho had given up tho command of an English brig on purpose to enter upon a limit for treasure. Two years before, as he informed me, a coasting schooner, which was earning half a million dollars’ worth cf diamonds, besides a large sum in rough gold, between Rio and Montevideo, had been wrecked about seventy miles below Bor to A'e gre. Why this treasure had been in¬ trusted to a sailing vessel and wheth¬ er it belonged lo church or state or some individual I never learned. The captain had nothing to gay about that, and I bound myself to secrecy regard¬ ing the whole affair. IIow Captain Roberts had located the wreck was a matter 1 did not ask about, but I did hear it said that all the crew were lost. I ivas a sailor and a diver and he offered to stand all tho expense of the seareli and give me $10,000 in gold if we recovered tho diamonds only, if we got tiie gold as well I was to have a larger share. He had chartered a coasting schooner for three mouths, aud was then getting aboard whatever ho thought would be needed. I signed with hi in that after¬ noon as mate, and three days after we bad picked up all our crew. For' tunately for us a ship came iu with twelve seaman rescued from a burn¬ ing bark at sen, and we took eight of them and a cook. This gave us eleven hands all told on the little craft, but wrecking is a thing demanding plenty of muscle at tiie cranks, windlasses and tail ropes. The crew proper were not let into the secret, lut signed for a voyage to Buenos Ayres and return. There was a Rio banker behind the expedition,as I nccidentlly discovered, but lie did not come near tiie schooner, and Captain Roberts visited him only by night. Wc were so well provis ioned and provided that it must have token a snug sum of money to fit us out. Tliis tho banker no doubt ad¬ vanced and took iiis chances. At tho Custom House we cleared for tho La Plata in ballast, but some of that bal¬ last bad been taken aboard under cover of darkness. Wc bad a diver’s outfit, timbers, plank*, spare casks, extra ropes and chains, and about the last package received contained a dozen muskets and a lot of fixed am munition. Weslipped out quietly one night witli tiie tide, and before day¬ light came we were far away. Captain R berts had a pretty fair chart of the of the wreck, and after Bpeedy run down tiie coast reached it one afternoon about o’clock. When we came to work shore we got sight of the peaks laid down on the chart, and a couple of hours were sari-tie.1 the wreck was within a mile of north or south. Just thero was a reef about four miles off shore and extend¬ ing up and down tiie coast for thirty miles. Behind this reef in many plaoes was deep water up to die shore line. It being summer weather, witli the winds light but holding steady, wc anchored off the reef, and then tiie men were told that we had come to search for a wreck. It was all right with them, and after dinner two boats were lowered to begin the search. Taking the schooner as the centre, wo jiu led botli ways, running close to the reef. Tiie treasure craft had been dismasted in a squall and driven shoreward, and we confidently ex¬ pected to find lier hull, if it had not gone to pieces, on or near the reef. Before sundown we had made care¬ ful search for three miles away, but without finding tho slightest (race of her. Next morning \ve tried it again, but nothing was brought to light, hi Boino places the reef showed above the surfaco at low tide, iu others there was plenty of wuter to carry us over at any time. The treasuro craft might havo hit the reef at a favorable spot and been driven almost to the beach; but before accepting this theory we got out the drag and ex¬ plored the deeper waters seaward from tho reef. We spent throe days at this work, grappling only the rocks bidden away from 30 to 60 feet be¬ low, and using up the men with tho hard work. The schooner was then sailed over tiie reef and anchored in a Bimg berth in 30 feet of water, and we began tho search of the shore waters. Tiie shore was a rocky bluff crowned with a dense forest, with a few yards of shingly beach at long intervals. "Wc had searched this bay for four days without luck when I had the good fjrtuno to discover tho wreck witli my own eyes. She lay within half a mile of the beach in 22 feet of water, and was bottom side up against a big rock. She bad probably passed the reef in safety, but bad struck this rock, which thrust its bead within three feet of the surface, and in going down had .turned turtle. It soeuied now that not a soul of her crew bail escaped, and how anybody li id after¬ ward loea’od the wreck and made a chart of the locality was a greater mystery than ever, Our first move was to bring tiie schooner as near as possible, and then wo began prepara¬ tions to lift tiie wreck. She must bo turned over, so as to float ou her keel, if nothing more. Lying boitoin up, there was no possible way to get into her cabin. Next day after the discovery, I went down in my diving dress and attached chains to her starboard side. These were spliced out with stout ropes leading aboard our schooner, and after half a day’s work we were ready to haul, We could lift her a bit, but not more than a foot, and after working one day wc gate up that method for another. Casks were sent down to me and attached wher¬ ever possible, and but for tho presence of sharks we would have had her over in a day. As if one monster had communicated with another for miles up and down the coast, tliey gathered about tiie schooner and tlio wreck, and I had tho closest kind of ft call from being seized by a man-eater that was fully 15 feet. long. Standing on Olll • decks 1 counted 86 dorsal fins moving about us at one time, and 1 don’t believe that was half the num¬ ber of sharks within a circle of a quarter of a mile, There could bo no more diving while they were hanging about, and we set to work to get clear of their company, Captain Roberts had foreseen such an emergency and bad come provided. I doubt if a ship's creiv ever had deeper revenge ou Sailor Jack’s impla¬ cable enemy, Tlic mu-kots were brought up and four of (lie men told off to uso them, A fifth man was given charge of a whale lance, and the rest of us were kept busy admin¬ istering a punishment which isight be called barbarous by humanitarians. Wc licntcd bricks red hot on (lie galley stove, swiftly wrapped them up in cloths, and they no sooner touched the water ihan they were gulped down. As soon ns a shark was wouitded by ball or lance so us to leave a trail of blood lie was at once eagerly attacked by others, And our hot bricks soon turned a dozen or more big fellows on their backs. It was a regular circus for about three hours, during which at least fifty of the monste; s were slaughtered, ai id then those that were left alive suddenly drew off to tlio last one, and | we did not sight another shark during our stay. I did not go daws again for twenty-four hours, however, not feeling certain tiiat som.i big fellow was not lving in wait behind tiie wreck. When I did descend l found the schooner liflimr to the ensks, and COVINGTON, GEORGIA'TUESDAY, APRIL ID. 1892. after attaching three or four more she slowly rose to the surface, We then got the boats out and towed her into a depth Of fourteen feet and then swayed her over until she righted. She went to the bottom again, of course, as the casks no longer buoyed her, but we expected (hat. When I came to go down in my suit l found almost a clear deck. She h id been schooner-rigged and both masts had been carried away at the deck. Beginning at the heel of the bowsprit and running along the port side about twenty-five feet of her bulwarks were left standing. Capstan, windlass, hatch covers and the skylight of the cabin had been swept away, This latter fact wa3 greatly in my favor, as I could drop directly into the cabin. I was told to look for the treasure in the captain's stateroom, but my feet had no sooner touched the cabin floor tliau my outstretched hands encoun¬ tered something which I know by the feel to be a dead man. My finding him in the situation I did still further deepened tire mystery of the whole expedition. lie was tied fast and 1 had to cut him loose with my knife. As soon as released the body floated upward, and the men told mo that it floated out to sea with the tide, riding on the surfaco like a cork. Evening was now drawing near,aiul further search was abandoned until another day. After breakfast next morning I descended again, and with¬ in two hours iiad (lie treasure out of tiie wreck. I found it, not in tiro captain’s stateroom, but on the floor of tiie main cabin—the diamonds were in a cast-iron box about as large as a child’s savings bank, and tiie gold in stout wooden boxes, and I left nothing behind. From t he treasure being found where it was I argued that there had been a m nitty before the storm, and that tho captain had been tied in tiie cabin and ilie crew was making ready to divido up tiie spoils. Perhaps after driving over the reef and striking tiie rock one had been cast aslioro to tell the story, and it was on his informa¬ tion wo acted. If so, however, the ract was not admitted. I learned no more than I have told you. Not one of the crew know the value of our find, and, sailorlike, asked but few j questions. "When the treasure was safe aboard ' we returned to Rio. For four days uol a man was permitted to leave the vessel. Then I received tiie sum agreed upon, with a considerable in¬ crease, the men were made happy with a snug sum of money counted down to each, and we were all bundled aboard a steamer bound for Cuba, each giving his promise to say nothing of the wrecking expedition to anyone. I learned later on that Government vessels searched for weeks for tiie wreck, and that tho Rio banker had to fieo to England for safety, but that only added to the strangeness of tiie adventure instead of clearing up the many mysteries.— [M. Quad, in St. Louis Republic. Devil's Lake. Few people outside of the Ozark wilderness iu Southwestern Missouri have ever heard of Devil’s Lake, one of tho strangest of natural phenomena. A traveller Unis describes it: “Fancy a lake perched on the top of a moun¬ tain, its surface from fifty to one hun¬ dred feet below the level of (lie earth surrounding it, fed by no surface streams, untouched by the wind, dead as tiie Sea of Sodom. There is nc point of equal alti'udc from which waier could flow within hundreds of miles, and yet it has a periodical rise of thirty feet or over, which is in no way affected by the atmospheric con¬ ditions iu the country adjacent. It may rain for weeks in Webster coun¬ ty, and the return of fair weather will find Devil’s Lake at its lowest point, while it may reach its highest point during a protracted drought. >> ,T hn Lee, who lives within a mile or two of tiie lake, says tiiat a sound¬ ing of 100 feet has failed to reacli bottom. Owing to tho steepness of the sides of the howl in which tiie water lies, it is very difficult lo meas¬ ure the depth. Ho believes that the lake is fed by a subterranean stream, and that the water so supplied flows out by a passage many hundreds of feet below the lake’s surface. A Mr. Crabbe, who lias lived in the neigh borhood for years, .ay. that he always knows when the rise is coming by re¬ ports in the papers from the Upper ! Missouri River it. Montana. His riieory is .hat the Devil’s Lake is a part of an underground river, whose entranco is larger than its exit, and whose source is somewhere in the ex treme Northwest Devil’s Lake is 1500 feet above the 6ea. It is situated a few m iles north of Fordland on the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad QUEER AILING. Some Ingenious Oiertal Ruses to Catch Warr Fish. The Chinese Halve Trained Cormorants to A33Ut Them. “Tiie Chinese have niaiy very cu¬ rious ways of catching l|h said a piscicultural sharp. “In winter they dive for them. A certaitupccies de¬ manded in the market seks shelter during the cold season tudor rocks at a considerable depth, ’hey cannot be got witli a hook and line, and so tiie fishermen go down iito tiie water after them, plunging fi>m a boat. Three dives arc made eaci hour, aud a fire is kept up on board tho boat for the purpose of warming (Hose at work between whiles, Not infrequently they come up bleeding fresn tho lungs, i and rheumatism and stiii diseases render them disabled by he time they are forty years old. “It was the Chinese who invented tho well-known plan cf capturing ducks aud other water fovl by wading toward them with a baskit over the head and dragging them inder water before they knew what bad caught them by the legs. Tlieiri is tho idea of employing cormorants to aid them in fishing. You have heard, doubt¬ less, how the birds used for Ibis pur¬ pose have collars arouad their necks to prevent them from swallowing tiie food they capture. At a signal given by their owner they plunge into the water after the prey. Whatever they get is taken from them, aud they are rewarded for every success witli a bit of fish small enough for them to eat. They are forced to work very hard all day long, but great care is taken of them and they are nursed most atten¬ tively when they are sick. A bird is usually good for service until it is ten years old. The cormorant fishermen are organized into societies, the birds belonging to each association having a peculiar mark. H In India also tiie natives employ UO VI. •4vlllUg .. »-<• • odd to us. There is in the district of Oude a species of so-called ‘Walking fish’ with snake-like heads, whicli are often seen floating on tho water as if asleep. The people shoot them with cross bows. Usually they sink when they aro killed, 60 that they have to be dived for afterward. In the Indus, the Ganges and other streams are nu¬ merous fish-eating crocodiles which attain a lengih of more than 20 feet. Except when near their nest and anxious to defend their eggs they run away from human beings, Of fish they catcli au enormous number, and it has been thought very strange that the fishermen should not destroy such rivals in their own business. But they regard the mere suggestion of such au idea with horror, saying that the croc¬ odiles are brothers in trade. H Tiie man-eating crocodiles of those rivers arc regarded as sacred and tire never harmed, Of late years they have destroyed more lives than form¬ erly, owing to the prohibition by law of the ancient practice of consigning corpses to the streams. It was tiie good old way to fill tho mouth of the defunct respectfully with mud and leave the cadaver to be swept away by the current. Upon such supplies of food the great saurians depended largely, and, being deprived of them, they lie in wait to snap up living peo plo and cattle. Five persons have been known to be carried off in one year at a single pool. However, the country is over-populated, but one would not tliink it au agreeable death to die. “The Buddhists in India have a horror of earing the flesh of animals, believing them to be incarnations of human beings' souls; but they permit themselves the luxury of fish, usually getting around the difficulty by saying that the fishermen take away Ihc fishes’ lives and are responsible- On the walls of their temples are numer¬ ous frescoes vividly depicting the ter¬ rible tortures which fishermen will have to endure in a future state. In tbe8C Paintings fires are represented 8lir,ed b ? i,n l }S > "ho are dragging the fishermen into the flames in nets, *•«»>«* ,bem b ? book8 * ,d llHes a,ld prodding them from behind with fish «pears. “There u a story of a Buddhist priest who lodged for some time at the house of a fisherman. The latter bad recenli ... -V reformed . and . was pursu '*"<? anotbel ' occupation. After two da >’ 8 S ucst asked wh v 1,0 fisb we,e - served upon the table, and, being in¬ formed that his host was withheld by conscientious scruples from eatebing them, lie expressed his approval in b, S b term8 ' At ,he eud of a week > however, he felt a craving for fish strong upon him, and inquired jiow the tUhernian’s net stretched across neighboring stream. He was told it extended one-third of the way “ ‘If that is the case,’ said the ‘ihc flsh have their choice as to they will bo caught or not. So. if they choose to be taken nobody is responsible. Therefore, you will do right to try to catch some.’ i i Accordingly the priest was served therewith with fish, of which delicacy he would have been deprivod had it not been for the wisdom which sacred books had taught him.” To Make Tea. The tea question steins to have many phases. Articles aro written for and against its baneful qualities, and women who preside at 5 o’eiocks are as tenacious of (he superiority of the particular sort tliey offer as they are of (lie virtues of llieir family physicians. Oolong, Formosa, Or¬ ange Pekoe and the rest of them all have (heir zealous advocates. One of the best of teas is undoubtedly a choice and mild English breakfast. This tea lias many grades, tho best being as delieale and delicious ns tiie poorest is rank and undesirable. When it comes to the matter of brewing, theories again clash. IIow much to eacli cup and to the pot, how long to stand, to stir or not to stir—these are some of the rocks upon which the ignorant go to pieces. C. P. Huntington, who is considered a connoisseur in tea, and who frequent¬ ly offers a cup to a business friend in his effiee, believes in tho stirring clause. He ladles out the precious leaves, a teaspoonful to tho cup and one to tho pot, pours ou a very little water, stirs it well, pours on a little more wator, lets it siaud for a little less than a minute, then pours off this first decoction, which ho asserts is not acceptable to tiie eduentod tea palate. After this he fills the measure with water, of course, freshly boiled, and in three minutes oilers a cup of amber liquiil, fragrant, smooth aud dolicL us, to his favored guests. Real tea lovers take it unsugared 1 , days are such vandals ns to take the latter “trimming,” though many still incline to the sweetening part. As a somewhat romantic man puts ii: .. Part of the poetry of lea drinking is the fascinating moment when tho pret¬ ty woman, clad in her dainty teagown, pauses, cup in one hand, and tongs daintily poised over it witli tho other, and, looking up into yeur face with a most engaging expression, murmurs softly, ‘One or two lumps? • ft -[Phil adelphia Record. IIow They Came by Their Names. The study of philology develops such curious derivations as those be¬ low, and proves a most interesting— even fascinating—study. Blankets, it is said, wore named after their first makers, three b:others of Bristol, England, named Edward, Edmund and Thomas Blanket, who established a large trade in th's article of woolen goods, and were tho earliest manufacturers of it in the middle of the fourteenth century. Cambrics, we are told, came from Cambray, a town iu French Flaude.s famous for i s fine linens, and damask originated in Damascus. Calico is derived from Calicut, on tlio Malabar coast, and muslin from Moussoul, a city of Arintlc Turkey, giving evidonce- that, though these goods are now sent to India and tho East, they wore originally imported thence. Few persons have ever troubled themselves to think of the derivation of (lie word dollar. It is from the German that (valley), and came into use in this way some three hundred rears ago. There was a little silver mining city or district in Northern Bohemia called Joacliims:hal, or Joachim’s Valley. Tiie reigning duke of the region authorized this city in tiie sixteenth century to coin a silver piece which was called “joachims dialer. fl The word “joacliim” was soon dropped and tiie name “thaler” only retained. Tiie piece went into general use in Germany and also in Denmark, where the orthography was changed to “dealer,” whence it came into English, and was adopted by our forefathers with some alterations in the spelling. The Most Durable Voices. All other things beir.g equal, a bari¬ tone voice in a man, and a contralto voice iu a woman will wear better and last longer than any of tho others. It Is, however, impossible to lay down any absolute rule as to the voices of individual singers, because so much depeuds on the method of life, tem¬ perance in food—solid as well as liquid—and tho care of the voice ex ercised by each individual.—[Detroit Free Press. VOL. XVIII. NO. 15. SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS. Rotting paper is made of eot ton rags boiled in soda. Rabbits signal with their fore pawj and have regular signals and calls. Scientists say that bees will visit fields twelve miles from their hives A man lias invented a macliint which will register the paces and the ground covered by a horse. Tho power of flying possessed bj ninny sea-birds is so enormous that they arc, practically speaking, uever out of reach of fresh water. A four and a half foot vein of coal has been struck near Niobrara, Neb., by artesian well drillers, Tiie fuel is of good quality and from superficial examination seems to be plentiful. Two pieces of aluminium can be soldered together by the use of silvet cldor.de. Finely-powdered fuzed sil ver chloride is spread along the junc¬ tion, after which tiie solder is ineltod on witli a blowpipe. It is figured out tiiat, if tiie entire population of- tho world, comprising 1,400,000,000 people, were divided into families of five, Texas could furnish cacti family with a half-acre lot and have plenty of laud to spare. The shad of Florida are not tiie same as those of the Hudson or the Connec¬ ticut or the Susquehanna, The same li-li come eacli year to the particular river where tlioy were born, an.l iu their appearance are slightly difterent. At a meeting of Florida orange growers a Kentuckian present, who had tried it, suggested cave storage for oranges for summer consumption. He told that in the Mammoth Cave for instance, the temperature is about 52 degrees tiie year round and the air dry. A man weighs less when the barom¬ eter i,s high, notwithstanding the fact that iho atmospheric pressure on him is more than when the barometer is low. As the pressure of air on an ordinary-sized man is about 15 tons, tiie rise of tiie mercury from 29 to 31 indies adds about one ton to tho load Hv i»«» ..... r. Tho first coining of money is at¬ tributed to Plieidon, Kingof Argos, in 895 B. C. Coined money was first used in this country twenty-five years before the Christian ora, but gold was not coined here till tiie eleventh cen (ury, and money was not given the round form to which we are accus tomed until tho lapse of another hun> dred years or so. Is There a Maelstrom I Every school child in the early par of the present century was taught to believe that there was a terrible aud wonderful eddy or vortex several miles iu diameter on tho coast of Norway, into which ships, icebergs, whales and all tiie monsters of the deep were indiscriminately dragged and buried forever in tiie ocean’s awful depths. A correspondent says: “I have been informed by a European ac¬ quaintance tiiat the maelstrom has no existence outside tiie imagination of sensational writers. A joint commis¬ sion of Swedish and German nautical and scientific men recently went in search of this, tiie greatest bugbear ol antiquity, anil report themselves un¬ able to locate it, and that the sea was perfectly smooth where the whirlpool should have been.” “Ye Curious Mai is of the opinion that the above is correct. The latest geog raphers barely allude lo it. One marks its site upon the map, but docs not mention it in his article on Nor way. According to our way of view¬ ing thesubj ct, the maelstrom romance lias been pretty effectually destroyed. — [St. Louis Republic. A Century’s Famines. Only three or four periods Ol scarcity of food that can be called famines have occurred in Europe dur ing the present century. These were in 1812. 1817, 1847 and 1853. In 1847 315,000 starving poor had to be fed in Paris. In 1853 the crops failed in France, Germany, England and Pied¬ mont, and Louis Napoleon, to prevent a rree in the price of grain, caused the Sll ppiies of the army to be purchased abroad. It is to be noted that the destitution that prevailed iu England in 1847 was one of the causes that led to the abrogation of the com laws. Droughts are of late years the most frequent cause of famine, which usu¬ ally occur among people who depend ou a single crop, as on rice in the East Indies and China or on wheat in Rus sia, aud we may add iu Nebraska. In Ireland the potato crop fails from an excess of moisture rather tbau for the want of it. Families sometimes oc¬ cur among fishermen from the failure of fidi to visit their coasts iu sufficient numbers.—TSau Francisco .Chronicle. The Return. Now home again comes Lovs who long Has absent been, and Joy once more Kvom sleep awakes and, with a song,); Hastens to meet him at the door. He sees in each familiar spot The friends who sorrowed when he went, And all his exile is forgot.,— ’Tis they who tell of banishment. For, like that wayward son of old Who left his kindred, far to roam, Love knew but half the grief they told Who long had exiled been at home. -fF. De Shermon, In Youth’s Companion. HUMOROUS. Sausage at wholesale price is dog cheap. U There goes a man to be trusted,” said Jagson, as Dudeson entered the tailor shop. The depth of misery lies at the bottom of a mud-puddle if you happen to step in it. “Did you ever write any ‘Beautiful Snow’ poetry: “I tried it once, but the editor pronounced it beautiful slush. ft A school j lurnal advices: “Make the school interesting, 'J That’s what the small boy tries to do to the best of his ability. To the chiropodist frankness is the most admirable of human character¬ istics; lie delights in hearing men acknowledge tho corn. Harry—-So she refused you, did she? Jack—Yes, and I shall remem¬ ber what she said as long as I live. Harry—What did she say? Jack —She said No. James—I understand a new motor has been adopted for increasing the speed of horse cars iu this place. Brown—So? Wliat is it? Jones—A whip for the mules. Hunker—Ever since I can remem¬ ber, Miss Flypp, I have searched for the beautiful, the true aud the good. Miss Flypp—Ob, Mr. Hunker, this is so sudden. But you may speak to papa. Bingo (at the table)—Seems to me we have less and less to eat all the lime. What’s the matter? Mrs. Bingo <«weetly>—Yo« -tawt £ I>eet “j to have as much as usual, my dear, when I am paying for my sealskiu on tho installment plan. Teacher—Now, Willie Wilkins, I want you lo tell me the truth—did Harry Thomas draw that picture ou the board? Willie Wilkins—Teacher, l firmly refuse to answer that ques¬ tion. Teacher—You do? Willie Wil tins—Because I gave Harry my word if honor 1 would not tell on him. •‘I have an idea!” she suddenly said. Her lover was sitting near; He gazed at her fondly: “I see that you • have, And an awful bright eye, dear.” Superstitions of German Miners. German miners have many extra¬ ordinary superstitious, which are tianded down by tradition aud firmly believed in. They imagine that the subterranean domaius are ruled by good-natured and benevolent gods. There are chiefly two, one being good and tiie other bad. The former is called Nickel and tho other Kobold. To propitiate them their names have been given to the metals nickel and cobalt, whicli were originally discov¬ ered in the mines of Saxony. They are tiie gnomes who fill or empty the lodes, and who reproduce tho ore as fast as it is removed. Tliey prowl about tho old galleries or abandoned working places; they blow upon the lamps in order to put them out, and drag by the noso or hair the miner whom they encounter alone. When he iias greatly displeased them they cast spells upon him, throw him down the ladders or email him under a fragment of rock. Provisions are made in the mines for theso formidable goblins, bread, cake and pieces of money being placed in niches where they can got them.—[Washington Star. A New Use for Gas. A field in which gas is likely to play an important part is to heat boil¬ ers and raise steam. The system has been at work in a large establishment iu Loudon, England, and the results obtained aro simply astounding. Burning about 300 cubic feet of gas per hour under a 30-foot boiler, steam is said to have been raised to 50 pounds pressure in 40 minutes. Gas and air are supplied under pressure to pipes that run parrallel with and un Jer the boiler, and furnaces and chim¬ neys are dispensed with. - [Gas World. Reparatiou. Jones—I say, colouel, your dog bit my child, and you’ve got to make reparation. Colonel Brown—AH right, Jones, I’ll make suitable eparation. You (*adly) may have the dog. — [Yaukee B ade. .....