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is f«y that the time ' 1 n ovary known disease can The police force of Alaska is prob the smallest in the world for a Sat itry of its size—two chiefs and nineteen privates. In spite of liberal rewards for kill lag dangerous animals in India, the .«tms«l mortality from that source is still on the increase. The New York Observer maintains that the taste of mutton is far less strong and disagreeable than it was ten or twenty years ago. Berlin is one of the most cosmopol¬ itan of European cities. Though it is the capital of Germany only thirty •even per oent. of its inhabitants are Germans by birth. The French have made great prog¬ in devising motors for carriages to take the place of horses. Thus far •mail gas engines are found superior to electric storage motors 1 Dr. J. L. Kevin, who wu called as a witness in a New Jersey court, de¬ clined to kiss the Bible, having scru¬ ples against taking in any of the bacilli luxuriating in its covers. He was allowed to affirm. The Duke of Newcastle hae been de¬ feated as a candidate for membership of the London School Board, and by • woman, maintains the San Franoisoo Examiner. The successful candidate STM Miss Davenport HilL The United States Government has Irailt at the harbor of Galveston, Texas, • jetty system upon whioh millions of dollars have been expend¬ ed, with the result that ships oan now pass out to sea drawing from fourteen to fifteen feet of water. After careful consideration of the question, the Emperor of Germany and the Berlin War Office have now d«flid«d that artificial teeth are to be provided free of charge to the sol¬ diers, on the ground that the troops •re better able to render good service with sound grinders than with teeth whioh either ache or are inadequate to the performance of their work of teaatioation. It hae for • long time been the be¬ lief, states the New York Ledger, that maters for gas and water were not as ••liable as the companies would like to have consumers believe. Interest¬ ed parsons at Mannheim, Germany, have been investigating meters, with not at all favorable to the themselves. Many of them __ ed far more than was con and, as a role, they were : •ooorate regular. The not os do* to bad plumbing and eoooanted for some of Urn waste, and a obeok-valve and air chamber were recommended in order to equalise the pressure. It is said that vary sudden abutting off of either fM or water will cause the meter to -ovar-Ngtetec. Thera should ba soma simple and effective way to regulate meters. As matters now stand the producer has things all his own way, and the oonsumer has no redress what The Atlanta Constitution lsoonvinoed that the Japanese are a patriotic peo Pi* In the struggle with China they hat* voluntarily contributed $ 15 , 000 , 000 to oarry on the war. The Bank of Nobles has dqnated $ 1 , 000,000 and loaned $ 15 , 000,000 more without in Many noblemen and have gi $100,000 each, and ST citizens have con is. Bat the Chinese t no such spirit. They are not to part with thair money or ir Uvea The highest offloiate sol M , try to skulk out of every battle, toe naval fight of Tain said take no part inherit* Captain Mg salted away with bis ship before fired. His eowardly con t ceased him to teas his head. The •re indifferent to the of the war. All they la • - *£&**&> s i * THE urn* MEETIHO LASS, _ ^ When meeting bells began to toll, And pious folks began to pass, She deftly tied her bonnet on, The little sober meeting law, AU in bar neat, white-curtained room, be¬ fore her tiny looking glass. Bo nicely round her lady cheeks - She smoothed her tends ot glossy hair, And innocently wondered If Her bonnet did. not make her fair— Then sternly chid her foolish heart tot har¬ boring such tanciss there. So square she tied the satin strings, And set the bows beneath her chin; Then Mailed to see bow sweet she looked; Then thought her vanity a sin, And she must put her thoughts away before the sermon should begin. But, sitting ’neath the preached Word, Demurely in her father's pew, She thought about her bonnet still lea, all the parson’s sermon through, About its pretty bows and buds, which bet¬ ter than the text she knew. Yet sitting there, with peaceful face, The reflex ot her simple soul, She looked to be a saint— And maybe was one on the whole— Only that her pretty bonnet kept away the aureole. —Mary E. Wilkins. Widow Muggins’s Revolt BS. MUGGINS stood at the door of the little two story house in which she and her two brothers had lived since Mug¬ gins had beau re¬ moved from the responsibilities of Ufe through the convenient agency of a railroad smash-up. His widow, capable soul that she was, felt more keenly the financial smash-up than the other one, that had forced her into unbecoming mourning attire, and 'when, after a sifting out of assets and liabilities, she found herself with less than $1000 to call her own, she de¬ termined to put pride in her pocket and go back to the little home on the edge of the prairie, from which she had walked proudly forth a bride some twenty years befote. When the letter announcing Mrs. Muggins’s intention of taking up her abode with them reached the two brothers it created a distinctly disa¬ greeable-sensation. Henry and James were “sot in their ways," as and the reighbors would have told you, the thought of breaking up the regu¬ lar routine of their existence, even for the sake of their only sister, bachelors was a bitter pill for the two old to •wallow. “Thank goodness, she ain’t got no children,” exploded Henry, as he tipped his chair stiU farther back af ter having refilled bis pipe for its final doty, just so many pipes being e part of the regulation evening formula. “Yes, we couldn’t abide children , no how,” echoed James, pulling off his great boots and tossing before the blase a pair of decidedly ample feet in woefully holey gray socks. Tho light of these foot coverings evidently furnished Henry with minutes’ food for reflection, for after a few silent puffing he remarked: “P’raps it wouldn’t be such a bad idee after alL Seems if we kinder need a woman to look after us. Phoebe Jones is all very well as long as the oookin’ goes, but there’s other things—dook at they’d yer socks been fer instance. Looks as it shewed, an’ mine’s jest es bad. I kin remember we didn’t her no sioh look¬ in’ rags when ma wus alive to look arter ’em.” “No more we didn’t P’raps Mary’s now, oome to think on it, cornin’ might prove a savin’. We kin do away with Phcsbe Jones’s help, and she writes she’s got some little money of her own, so she won’t expect us to give her no clothes. We’ll let her oome, though I s’pose it’ll sorter upset our evenin'* ” “I’m 'fraid it will,” responded Henry, “but then she's our blood re¬ lation, an* there may be a savin’ in it” Thus it was that the Widow Mug¬ gins reoeived a terse, cold letter an¬ nouncing that she could once again taks up her abode in the hones of her youth, the selfish sentences had winding up with: “Ef yer had children we couldn't have stood it nohow.” . Ten years had passed ainoc arrived the day the little pate faced widow at the old farm, and aa aha stood at the open front door, shading her eyes with her hands, one could see the change that the yean had brought to her. The soft brown eyes had in them the took that oomca to those ae to viewing great plains, to gasing out and beyond, away off into another world from which the gamer is tout by the unvarying tedium of daily toil. in their There depths waa that a wistful crept hopelessness there only as when alp waited for the folks to window of her little room. “I wouldn’t care,” ns mu--1— tbe test dish gmd kind a »only way to make them ‘ .1 the brothers were economical 0 ^bm though they never would have l she had forgiven JveAo Mary if ever ven tured to much as a stale bis cuit to a tramp or any of the poor -«■ queried Mrs. Muggins, as she passed* the speaker a fragrant cup of tea, which he at once proceeded to turn into his saucer before appearing to notice the question. days,” he replied, "Nigh onto ten after the first gnlp. sick meetin’, ” •q heard she was at put in James, who was a regular at tendant at all religions services, but a most reluctant giver when the plate was “You knew she was sick last Sun¬ day and never told me,” here put in Mrs. Muggins, with more spirit than she had ever shown in the whole ten years of her service in the old house on the edge of the prairie. When folks is “What was the use? sick they ain’t no account, and there’s no sense of well folks bein’ worried about ’em. I thought as how ef you’d a knowed Phoebe wuz took down you might er had some notion of goin’ over to see her, and knowin’ it wuz soap-mokin’ time I thought I’d better not.” Mrs. Muggins only * bit her lip at this .typical selfish explanation, her hand trembled m she refilled ry’s cup, and into her eyes crept look of determination such as they seldom worn since Muggins died. “I s’pose the pa’son wanted some¬ thin’. 'Pears as if that man ain’t con¬ tent with a decent house and $150 year for preachin’ only twice on Sun¬ day. Some folks never know when they’re well oft ” “A hundred and fifty dollars a year ain’t much when there’s five mouths to feed, and besides, you* know he don’t get that regular,” put in Mrs. Muggins, the new spirit of resistance making her feel inclined to argue every question that was raised. The brothers looked at each other iu alarm. ♦ They did not know what to make of this outbreak from the usual¬ ly passive third member of the house¬ hold. James, who recovered first, evidently thought it best to nip any such argumentative tendenay in the bud, bo, with an impressive cough and a look indicative of the pride he felt in thus suppressing the offender, he said: “Mary, wimmen folks wasn’t made to think. how What Pa’son High’s salary is, or it is paid, is no oonsarn of yonrn. I think your kittle has biled over." * When Mary went to look after the imaginary trouble on the stove he turned to his brother and as nearly winked as he had ever been guilty of doing, and then took up the thread of the interrupted discourse. ailin’ “What did the pa’son say wuz Phoebe?” “Fever,” laconically answered Henry; “it’s some kind of catchin’ thing, an’ no one’ll go near her. She ain’t go no dootor, nuther, but pa’son knows a good bit about medicine, an’ he says she’ll die ef some one don’t go an’ nnss her pretty quiok.” , “Wny don’t his wife go ef it’s so bad as all that?” put in James. “’Nother baby,” graffly replied Henry. me,” said his brother, “Goodness up*; “here we’ve set a talkin’ and it’s ten minits past our usual time fer goin’ ter bed. Good night, Mary. Henry, don’t set there starin' like an owl,” at whioh the other arose and the two went above and were lost in dreams long before poor, tired, little Mrs. Muggins had finished tidying np Hie kitchen. The brothers would not have slept so peacefully if they had known that up in Mrs. Muggins’s room the single candle was spluttering along until close on to midnight and the former little sister in its feeble light busily engaged in putting some her- belongings into the capacious that she had brought out ten years before. “It’s downright that’s what it is,” she said herself as she patted down an extra “If they want to go before Maker with that girl’s death on oonscienoe it is more than I do, even though the; torn me out of Pm going to go and do my duty Phcsbe—poor girl; many a time I given me a helping hand when ready to drop, and the knew right too, she oouldn’t expect any pay it I’ve got my $1000 and its ac¬ interest, and if the worst to the worst I'll just pack up, when Phcsbe gets well the and I’ll East and see if wa can’t make a living aomehoW. Land know* I oouldn’t work any harder than I in the last ten yean if I had to go into a factory.'* it that in the morning Thus the brothers they found a on the table ex piiittisxg whose loaa they already keenly drudge, cold and unprepared felt, the ve toy n of ki H amen is ‘ a ■-7* : "Do without her,” x&ptie& Henry, sasrits? that his brother wm losing com* modity. days went onthey .. found . . Butas the they could not do without her. lhe sssy Mrs. Muggins, * now Msi-s-; absolutely refused to come to the aid of the helpless despots, who saw their pretty* tody home slovenly assuming an that uncomfortable,^ had not been appearance there for years, Mrs. Muggins, on her side, was in her element. She had found poor Phoebe far on the road to the other world when she stepped into the little ctojn in the, wee sma’ hours of that morning when she had crept from her brothers’ house like a thief. Good nursing, however, had done wonders for the girl, who was now able to sit up. The plan to go East became more and more a delightful prospect as she thought of it, nntil so full of it was she that she confided in the minister, who in turn told James all about it when next he passed by the field where the old man was at work. This information was the climax of the brothers’ woe. “James,” Said Henry, “Mary’s prettier than I thought—ef she once gits East she won’t come back, an’ you know how bad that ud look to the neighbors. I think we’d better drive over to Phoebe Jones’s and ask Mary ter come back. ” “Ef it wasn’t for what folks ud say I wouldn’t go near her—for we’re get tin’ on very tolerable well without her,” capitulated James, who on the eve of surrender would not acknowl¬ edge how much they missed and needed the sister who had been given so grudging a welcome. The next day the lumbering old farm wagon drew up before Phoebe’s door. Mrs. Muggins had seen it as it crawled over the dusty road, and, feeling that her one chance of eman¬ cipation was at hand, prepared to make the most of it. Phoebe was asleep in the room that answered for kitchen and bedchamber as well, so Mrs. Muggins walked out to the road as the ramshackle wagon drew up be¬ fore the door. “Pa’son says yer thinkin’ uv going East,” was James’s salutation, as though no long weeks of separation had intervened since he saw her last. “Yes, I’m off in a day or two, as soon as Phcebe’s strong enough to travel. ” Being thus admonished, Jamaa looked over the head of the little wo¬ man standing at the side of the wagon and stammered: “Yer brothers’ house te the place for you, Mary.” when “I know that, James, but brothers don’t know how to treat a sister as though she was a human be¬ ing, it’s time for them to quit part¬ nership. ” , „ in “Why, what do you mean?” came astonished choruB from the two. “Haven’t you had your board and lodgin’ free for ten years?” “And haven’t I worked hard enough to pay for it? You haven’t hired any kitchen help since I came. Yon’ve never had to give out any carpet rags to be sewed or feather beds to be sort¬ ed, and I’ve served and slaved until I’m sick. Board and lodging, indeed 1” and the little woman, who now real¬ ized that she had the upper hand, sniffed scornf ally. words apparently The truth of her struck home, for James, after sundry telegraphic nudges from Henry, went on: “P’haps we have been hard, Mary, bnt if you’ll only oome we’ll back home and try us once more, try to do better; indeed, we will,” and a ray of kindness flashed for a moment m the old man’s eyes as he surveyed the small figure bristling with the same spirit of which he was so proud. “Will you hire Phoebe to help me in the kitchen?” “Yes.” “Will you carry out the tubs to catch the rain water at night, instead of letting me tote them when my back’s nigh onto broke?” “We will," came the subdued ohorus. ’ “And will you let me go to meetin’ when I want to and have oompany to tea, and give away cold victuals?” went on the little general, making terms once and for alL “Anything, Mary, if you’ll only oome back and look arter us as you used ter.” “AU right, then, Ill oome. ” And thus Mrs. Muggins’s —Philadel¬ mutiny ended in • blase of glory. phia Times. _ _ A Big Cedar. fl. A. Dyer, of this oity, has the largest tees on exhibition ever shown in the State, says the Tacoma (Wash.) Ooosta, News. It is a cedar, eat near Wash. It took right men twenty-four days to eat end load it on the car. The part exhibited consists of four¬ teen Mjtfmrr feet of of the the root* butt, together 'Die marked with features of this tree are that it waa felted it was split into and oould ba handled out. It is now set t*MWM 407 fast in bright, and that feet in ■ the • and •mo, white at its feet. It wee sixty mid teat be to ib, which te to SO0 N»t at the top. U.____W .....- - - . j « & agricultural TOPICS OP INTEREST RELATIVE TO F VEM AND GARDEN. AS EXCELLENT DRINKING TANK. The illustration of a drinking tank is from M. K. Baramn, Nebraska. It is simple, cheap and easily cleaned. It is a tin box, about two inches deep and a foot square, having a detachable cover, with the corners of the cover cut away to permit the chicks to drink. The portions cut ont may be small, so as to prevent chicks from getting in the water, bnt with such a shallow tank they cannot drown at all events. The cover also keeps the dirt out, and prevents evaporation of the water. Mr. Bsrnmn states that there is no patent on it, and he sends it as a gift to our readers. A larger and deeper tank on the same design may be used for fowls. The plan may also be adapted to a tight wooden box if desired.—Farm and Fireside. WINTER MULCHING OF STRAWBERRIES. As plants grow until freezing weath¬ er sets in, mulching must be delayed until the ground is frozen sufficiently to hold up a loaded wagon. With a wide-tired vehicle there is less danger of injuring the crowns. Any kind of straw may be used. That most free from weed or grass seeds is best. Stable manure is good where the laud needs enriching, but it must not be placed directly on the plants. Marsh hay is most desirable, but any straw or coarse litter will answer. The object of mnlching strawberries in autumn is to prevent rapid thaw¬ ing. When once frozen the frost should come out very gradually. If the ground is merely shaded this ob¬ ject will be accomplished. To con¬ serve moisture in the , spring until after the berii^s are picked, apply the mulch thiokly between the rows. Put a little light chaff directly on the plants. Bake off this chaff when growth begins. As freezing and thawing is not rapid or frequent in December, mulching may often be delayed even to the latter part of Jan¬ uary.—American Agriculturist. ENSILAGE NOT A COMPLETE FOOD. Ensilage alone is not an economical food, as it is deficient in the starchy matter, and has so muoh water in it that a cow must eat 100 pounds of it to get enough nutriment to live upon. For in 100 pounds of it there are only twenty-two pounds of dry matter, of which one-fourth is not digestible. The digestible matter has about two pounds of protein, or matters that go to make flesh; six pounds of carbon¬ aceous matters, that go to support the animal heat, and not quite half a pound of fat, while an animal of 1000 pounds must have fully two and one half pounds of the first, twelve and one-half pounds of the second, and nearly half a pound of fat. Thus the ensilage is deficient in the heat-form¬ ing substances, and it will need some addition of starchy matter, suoh as middlings, to oomplete it. But 100 pounds of food of any one kind, ex¬ cept it be of the best pasture grasses, is too much, and especially of ensilage, which is by no means desirable for the Bole nutrition of an animal. Thus is better to give one-half this quantity, or fifty pounds, or even fortv of it, and make up the rest of dry fodder, clover hay, with sufficient grain food to make the even ration. With pounds' of ensilage and ten of hay, adding four pounds of cornmeal the same of bran, or the equivalent any of the oil meals or the meals for these, will make a fall tion for a cow giving a pound of but¬ ter a day.—New York Times. HANGING A STABLE DOOR. In windy climates some other w^y hanging the stable door than swing¬ ing it on hinges is greatly desired. device to do this is shown in the graving from a sketch by J. L. send, of Utah, and can be 3 HUH DOOR. tbe following d e s cri ption: For a way tores by right feat, make a ten door in the easel manner, it, and the door, or make the door belaaee the weight* Purchase eight pulley* yards cf aato Place cord in and position two frame made of two by eight ineh plank having the pulleys near the top, and fit the door so shot it will slide up ine the cord. cords to the bottom of eu. On each of the to toe frame to hold or te A ttaxTa boxed in to protect them w?« and the co»a frpm the weather. This method costs less than is yery the durable, common overhead be hatf ers, can used fa, doors or shutters, and any farmer »u is handy with tools can easily p^tit into practice.—American Agricnl turist c HOW A MULCH acts. The value of a mulch is only pa tially appreciated by Americans, and there is a wide field for development in using mulches of all kinds, thinks A. B. Barrett. We obtain our ideas of mulches from the prairies and for ests, where nature forms her own mulch. The decaying leaves and stems soon.form a mass on the sur¬ face, which prevents the soil from losing much of its moisture. This leaf mold and accumulation of vege table matter acts as a protecting covering for the soil, and it will be found around the trees in everv for. est, and around the roots of wild grasses on every meadow. In imitat¬ ing nature, as she works in the field and forest, we adopted the artificial mulch around our fruit trees, and found that it worked to their advan¬ tage. A mulch, besides retaining the moisture in the soil, also secures a more uniform temperature and adds considerable plant food to it. The nature cf the mulch is an important part of the work. Flat stones may be used around trees, forming a perma¬ nent mulch, but their action is merely mechanical. It retains the moisture and temperature of the soil, but it adds nothing to it. Sawdust is but little better, but straw and new-mown lawn grass form rich mulches that add plant food to the soil. ** The exaot change which takes place in the soil when a covering is placed over the surfaoe is not generally un¬ derstood. Some chemical change takes place, and the soil is enriched for a time. In some of the gardens of France the benefit derived from shad¬ ing a portion of the soil is understood and carried out successfully. Tiles cover tho strawberry beds, with holes made through them here and there for the vines to grow out of. Flower gardens are likewise covered with tiles or cement, leaving no part of the soil exposed except where the plants coma through. Expert horticulturists there find this method of great advantage. In a less expensive way parchment paper oan be used for covering the garden soil. Brown paper dipped in sulphuric acid should be used for this purpose, as it is then made tough Mid waterproof. In times of drought this* mulch acts splendidly. It retains the water, accelerates the growth of the plants, and keeps down the weeds. More experiment with mulches will in time make gardening much easier and more profitable. The parchment paper mulon, however, for small places is the simplest, oheapest and most effectual that has yet been ex¬ perimented with. —New England Farmer. * FARM AND GARDEN NOTES. Ventilate tbe frujt cellar. Let the strawberry patch be thor¬ oughly frozen over before mulohing. A warm blanket on the horse will save more than its cost in feed daring one season. Wagon grease costs but little, and is hardly any trouble to put on, Be member this at all times. Do you raise calves from your best cows only. If your best cows make $10 a this year moTe than your poorest cows is five per oent. interest on $ 200 . * The feeding and milking the training af^the butter cow operates just as It tends and racing of tbe horse. to fix tbe performing habit—and heredity tends powerfully to transmit all fixed habits. Feed the fowls whole corn at night if you wish, but in the morning let them have wheat, oats, bran or corn meal, mixed with the soraps fronf the table; mix to a stiff dough with water or milk. When the real oold weather comes, keep the horse’s bridle in the kitchen by the stove. This will be appreciated by the animal, as it will overcome the necessity of having to take a oold bit in his month. The Alabama State Farmere’ Insti tnte and Agricultural recommended Society that at their the lateqneeting of that Stite reduce their oot farmers ton acreage twenty per oent. and grow diversified crops. Cottonseed meal fed to excess will injure tbe flavor of butter just as lin¬ seed meal in excess will injure the grain and flavor. The wise way is to mix the different foods so as to — the'beet flavor, grain and hardness. Fowls are creatures of habit in the strictest sense, and when onoe they form a habit, suoh as egg-eating, feather-pulling, or eating to excess, they will continue the fault aa long as they have opportunities for to doing. Every farmer is, at ought to he, in¬ terested * in protecting hie own products, and every pound of but ter properly made and sold at a fair valuation; <5a a paying factor in the interest of every other batter maker. It would be well to during the long winter profftebfv evenings you by can occupy your time reflecting upon the mistakes of teat i by which you overcome ntm. *■ ■ A lhe time has fully be sub se t r ed by a monioua working together of all who are in any deg* with, and in no of §