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UAL
BIDDY'S ADVENTUEE.
I have it on the authority of Robert
that Henry Howard Burke could be
more kinds of a fool thau any other
mau m Carson County. Robert, be¬
ing the only man on that range who
answered to no nickname nor sub¬
title, is an authority I feel bound to
respect.
When youug Mr. Burke, fresh from
an Eastern school, came westward, to
grow up with the country, the live¬
stock interest was just then paramount,
and all the boys expected to become
cattle kings. So, some weeks after
closing his school-books, Henry found
himself taken on trial as horse-wrung
ler on a cattle-ranch, where his asso¬
ciates promptly dubbed him “Hen.”
He did not like it,and said so. Where¬
upon Robert informed him that if
Hen didn’t please him, he should be
called Hen no more. “Your name is
Biddy.” And Robert’s decision was
final.
Like a colt in a harness, Biddy
thrashed about a good bit before he
became somewhat adapted to his en¬
vironment- He was the butt of all
the old jokes, the victim of the usual
impositions, until a greener man ap¬
peared, when he settled down to the
routine of his work like the other
men, except that he usually did the
unexpected thing, and reached his
ends by devious and difficult ways.
It was on the occasion of his taking
a short cut over a rough mountain,
with the horse herd, to save a couple
of miles of smooth road around the
point, that Robert first made the re¬
mark set down at tho beginuiiig. I
have an idea that Biddy’s veasatility
in folly was the result of his greater
intelligence. Robert himself prob¬
ably knew just enough to be a fool in
two ways; while, with no more effort,
Biddy had the choice of half a dozen.
But I never mentioned this view to
Robert.
The chief work of tbe horse-wrang¬
ler is to graze tbe saddle-horses at
night and bring them into camp at
dawn, where each man selects his
mount for the day. One early even¬
ing a thunder shower caused the bunch
to drift awuy from camp, and as the
clouds began to break, and here and
there a star showed through, Biddy
realized he had lost bis bearings.
Robert said afterward that any other
man would have held tho bunch right
there until morning and turned them
into camp half an hour late. But
Biddy had another way. Catching
eight of Antares through the clouds,
he recognized it for the north star,
and knowing he had drifted south¬
ward in the rain, he drove his herd
for half the night toward tbe South
Pole, and was half the day getting
back.
And that was tbe beginning of his
carrying a compass. On his first trip
to town, he bought a pocket compass,
and he learned frpm the county sur¬
veyor that the local variation of tbe
needle was tbirteeu degrees east. Thus
armed and equipped, be felt himself
equal to any emergency, and be got
along smoothly enough until Robert
broke his leg.
It was a “mighty bad break,” the
foreman said ; “looked like the bone
was crushed. ”
Biddy was sent off post haste for a
doctor. He took a hurried lunch, he
took the best horse in his string, he
took his compass—and that was the
last seen of Biddy until the third day.
His orders were to ride forty miles to
town, get the doctor, and be back in
eight hours.
I think Biddy might have made it
in that time but for the compass and
his saddle. Experimentally, he had
used the compass with success, nud he
now had no doubt that it would lead
him into the town by midnight.
But the saddle ho rode had a broken
koru, which was mended with soft
iron. As Biddy rode along, ho lit a
match from time to time, aud con¬
sulted the compass. The night was
windy, and to protect the light he hold
it and the compass close down along¬
side of the saddle-horn, where the
iron deflectod tho needle six to ten
degrees. An error of that extent
amounts to one mile in eight. When
he had been riding an hour, ho was
well off the true course aud already iu
trouble iu the sage-brush.
By morniug he was iu a thicket, in
a truckless canon,his horse played out,
himself exhausted. He climbed a hill
and found water on the other side;
then he could not lind his way bock
to his horse. Ho spent hours looking
for tho horse, gave it up, and fortu¬
nately lost the compass. It then oc¬
curred to him to follow down the
canon, which soou opened out into a
little valley with a settler’s cabiu.
Here he learned that he was about
the same distance from town as when
he started upon his ride. Getting a
fresh mount aud this time following a
traveled road, he reached town just
twenty-four hours late.
More delay ensued here, the doctor
being out. Finally, with Dr. Cutler
in tow, he started back for tho ranch.
During the long hours of waiting
the injured man was, by his com¬
rades, made as comfortable as might
be; aud, as tiihe passed beyoud when
Biddy should have returned, they
sought to shorten it by anecdotes of
other accidents.
Smithy said it reminded him of n
man down in Arizona got hit by a
snake. “They sont me down to tho
nearest station for whiskey. On the
way up I intended only to take ouo
sip, but I took two, aud I never re¬
membered exactly what happened after
that, until I got back with the empty
jug. And the joke of it was, the mau
was dead.”
Another said Robert’s hurt was just
like a case he had known, where the
doctor cut off a man’s leg iu two
places.
“Say, hoys,” said Robert, “put my
gun where I can reach it before that
doctor comes.”
The next morning Ed Reese came
running up. Ed was what the cow¬
boys call a natural doctor. He had
pulled teeth and cut hair on that range
for years.
“Ed,” said Robert, “I’m powerful
glad to see you ; I didn’t kuow you
was this side the mountains. You got
to stay aud fix my leg.”
“Well,” said Ed, “I shaved you lots
of times; guess I cau moud your leg.”
Ed at once set about reducing the
inflammation by applicatiou of fresh
meat, preferably newly killed rabbits,
split up the back and renewed every
five minutes, and by other expedients
well known to cowboy doctors. After
some hours ho announced that the leg
would come out all right.
I may say hero that it did, and
eventually became a better and longer
one.than its mate.
Robert was comfortably asleep, and
the boys were taking an after-dinner
smoke outside, when Biddy came iu
sight with Dr. Cutler. It was agreed
that the doctor was not to be allowed
to see Robert, but Smith said he ought
to have some kind of a job after com¬
ing so far and how would it do to
break Biddy’s leg and let him set
that?
When they rode up, Ed Reese
stepped forward and informed the
doctor that it had all been a little joke
on Bnrke, that Robert was only
slightly bruised, had recovered ami
bad goue away. .
Was he mad? Well, he didn’t say
much, and only gruuted whe*. Ed
handed up a twenty, saying they
wished to pay for the joke.
When the doctor had turned his
horse’s head toward them, Biddy told
the story of his delay. It was doubt¬
ful what his standing was to be until
Robert settled it.
“I am awfully sorry,” said Burko to
Robert.
“Shucks 1” said Robert! “me and
yon are pardners from this day. Yon
saved my leg.”
“That’s right,” said Reese. “Dr.
Cutler never lost so good u ohnnoe tt
cut off a leg as yours was yesterday
—Argonaut.
The Propriety of Exclusive Clubs.
At some of tho great schools in thie
couutry there have come to be clubs
of very much tho same sort as flourish
in most of the colleges, announces
Harper’s Weekly.' At Phillips Acad¬
emy, Andover, thoro aro at least throe
of those societies which have club
houses, aud annual dues of something
like oue hundred dollars. No doubt
tho members of them herd together
ns the members of college clubs do,
aud see vory much of one another and
very little of auy one else. The ob¬
jections to clubs in. colleges, which
are strong enough, would seem to ap¬
ply with even more force to clubs at
preparatory schools. Tho jealousies
and heart burnings which spring from
these exclusive organizations come
soon enough when they come to lads
iu college. It seems a pity that school
boys should be subject to thum. Ouo
particular objection to such clubs as
those at Audover is that membership
iu them or exclusion from them is un¬
derstood to have a decided effect on
the social fate of the Audover boys
when they get to Yale, so that lads
who are not joined to tho club of their
choice at Audover nre pretty confident
that similar disappointments await
them when they got to New liaveu.
There must be a good side to these
Audover clubs or they would uot be
tolerated. Perhaps a club which
happens to have a particularly good
set of lads iu it is a good thing for
those lads. But it might bo that,
and still be rather a bad thing for the
lads who are not iu it, and so for the
school iu geuoral.
A Little Fraction.
How wide would bo a strip of land
containing oue-vigiutillionth of an or¬
dinary city lot? Tho question recent¬
ly came up in an Illinois court. Tho
Connecticut Mutual Iusurauce Co. hold
a mortgage ou a city lot iu Chicago.
The owner allowed it to bo sold for
taxes. At the tax sale a bidder ob¬
tained on the east one-vigintillionth
part of the land, und a tax certificate
was issued for the same, The
insurance company brought suit
to foreclose on the ground that the
owner had suffered a cloud to come
ou the title by the tax salo of the
small fraction. Tho county court hold
that since tho fractional part was so
small that it could uot bo marked off
by a surveyor nor even seen by a
microscope, a tax deed to so small a
part indicated practically nud virtually
the sale of nothing. But the higher
court reversed the decision, und holds
that, although one-vigintillionth of
the property could not be appreciated
by the senses, it is recognizable by
the mind, and that tho tax deed rend¬
ers the rest of the lot inaccessible to
tho street which runs along tho oast
side of it.—Western Teacher.
Why They Do Not Own Their Houses.
The New York Stiu says: Some per¬
sons indulge in sentiruentul regrets
that no New Yorker of moderate
means may own the houso ho lives in
if it be centrally looated, but on tho
other baud there are men abundantly
able to own their own homes who de¬
liberately prefer to be renters because
they believe that tho money repre¬
sented by tho value of a house such as
they choose to occupy is more profit¬
able iu tho form of active capital.
Many wealthy business men postpone
to old age the building of a houso
chiefly because of such considerations.
A Scheme That Failed.
“Good gracious,” he cried, “was
that a rooster I heard crowing then?”
“Yes,” she said, “but don’t hurry
away. The people around here won’t
be iu for an hour yet."
Next day he learned that hor father
had an educated rooster that crowed
every night at 10.30 o’clock, and of
course, tbe match is off.—Cleveland
Leader.
At the present day a perfect ruby
of five carats will average at least five
times the value of a diamond of the
same weight und quality.
TERRAPIN TALK.
A Food Dainty Worth Almost Its
Weight in Gold.
Most Expensive Kind Caught in
Chesapeake Bay.
First catch your terrapin. This re¬
quires a golden hook if you aro not
uk expert angler in tho waters of
Chesapeake Bay, for the diamond
backed terrapin is nu aristocratic den¬
izen of those waters and worth almost
his weight in gold to the epicuro of
tho fashionable cafe. This value set
upon tho terrapin prevents tho edible
reptile from becoming food for tho
masses, his scarcity enhancing his
worth and making him n more tooth¬
some tid-bit for tho euuuied digestion
of tho professional dinerout.
Tho diamond-back terrapin is only
another name for a small species of
turtle, and time was whou the colored
people of Maryland ate them after
roasting them in their shells, and
never droamod of their value as food
for a royal menu. Now a terrapin
farm is a miuo of wealth to its pos
sensor. A true story is told of a
poor negro fisherman who chanced
upou a uest of diamond-backs near
Tnugicr Island in 1803. In four hours
he took out tweivo hundred dollars’
worth aud stopped only when too ex¬
hausted to work.
Terrapins “iu pound” present an in¬
teresting but by no means an appotiz
ing nppoaranco. Tho pound is a
placo whero tho fishermen keep tho
turtles until thoy aro shipped to soino
city to the markets. There is a pre¬
judice in tho minds of the dealers
against pound terrapin as losing some
of their delicacy when kept from salt
water, but only an epicure could dis¬
tinguish a difference. The farms
whero they aro cultivated are flooded
with sea water, so that tho littlo ob¬
ject preserves its delicatessen quali¬
ties unimpaired.
There nre certain rules understood
by those who purchase terrapin. They
are careful to observe that tho extremo
tip or muzzle of the head is uot in¬
jured, that the bottom of tho foot are
not worn off, that the head is prettily
shaped—small, thin and pointed, and
the eyos brilliant. The feet should bo
small and slender. Those who liuvo
seeu theso same diamond-backs crawl¬
ing over each other in tho windows of
fish stores did not perhaps appreciate
their great worth.
Cooking terrapin properly is such
an art that only a chef or a Mary¬
lander should bo permitted to givo in¬
structions. It is rather hard on the
epicure to bo told that unless the
small bones of tho terrapin are left in
bo will not know whether he is eating
tbe genuine article or not. But it is
absolutely true that the only people
who can cook it as it demands are tho
Maryland cooks who learned from the
colored people, nud their secret of
success is to handle it as little as pos¬
sible, and to serve it from tho dish in
which it was cooked, thus preserving
its native juices and aromas.
Ou tbe terrapin farms of the Chesa¬
peake o peculiar sport is indulged iu
by the meu, called “terrapin racing.”
The turtles are let loose in u large
room, where at oue end a hot fire is
blazing, protected by a guard. They
all begin a scramble for the light und
wnrmtb, the meu betting ou particular
ones. They have no continuity of
purpose, and are likely to branch oft'
in a dozen devious routes, but the
terrapin that first puts its nose against
the fire guard wins the race.
Terrajiin are rated according to
their value with a family pedigree tag,
which simply gives the name of the
state whence they come. First on the
list for its terrapin is Chesapeake Bay.
Next cornes Loug Islund. Then Vir¬
ginia, Charleston and Savannah,
Florida, Mobile and the gulf follow.
Mississippi aud North Carolina and
other points south furnish excellent
terrapin.
Eighty dollars a dozen is not con¬
sidered high for choice terrapin at
certain seasons and on special occa¬
sions. A modest housekeeper saw one
crawling over some lobsters in a fish
market, and out of curiosity inquired
the price.
“What time is it?” asked the mar¬
ket man, looking at his watch. “You
may have it for S3, but if it was 6
o’clock tonight and I only had that
one I should have to charge you more.
I oxpect some in any moment.”—De¬
troit Freo Tress.
Suicides Increasing in Japan.
An essay on tho prevalence of sui¬
cide in Japan has been written by Mr.
Haiti) Koknfn, a native statistician.
Tho statistics extend over ten years,
and show that suicide has been on tho
increase in Japan, both actually and
in proportion to the total number of
deaths. Iu 1885 and 1886 tho num¬
ber iu proportion to tho population
reached its highest. Mr. Salto ob¬
serves that during these years there
was a great rise in tho price of tao
necessaries of life. In tho cast*
of Japanese women, tho age at which
suicide is met frequent is about
twenty; tho corresponding period
with men is twenty-five. Compara¬
tively few women commit suicide af¬
ter tho twenty-fifth year, but men are
not Hafo until they aro past forty.
Female suicides nro rather more thau
half those of males, but with a distinct
tendenoy to increase. From January
to May aro tho worst months for sui¬
cides. Tho number mounts rapidly
month by month from January to
May, aud keeps high until July, fall¬
ing to its lowest in November. Tho
suicides of December and January are
attributed partly to pecuniary troubles
at tho closo of the yoar, when all
accounts aro supposed to bo closed
and all liabilities met- A rise in July
is attributed to'flnaucial troubles at the
half-year. Ju rocentyears the use of the
sword by suicides has decreased
greatly ; hanging is tho method most
frequently employed, nearly three
fourths of tho mule suicides and near¬
ly half the females terminating their
lives in this way; but among women
drowning is more common even thau
hanging. Firearms and poison are
very rarely used, probably because
they aro not readily obtainable, while
a Japanese of either sex always has a
long girdle and always has water suf¬
ficient in the doop wells in every vil¬
lage and adjacent to almost every
house. The figures show that the
number of suicides varies year by
year with the price of rice.
Successful Substitute for Blass.
“The first successful substitute for
glass,” says au architect iu the Wash¬
ington Timos, “is teotorium, a gela¬
tinous composition. It has uot ap¬
peared in this country at all as yet,
but it is beiug introduced iu Europe.
This gelatinous substance is given rig¬
idity by being spread on a gulvanized
iron web, which holds the sheet in any
desired shape, but does not obstruct
the passage of light. It is truuslucent,
but uot transparent, nud can be
stained in such a mnnner as to
exactly imitate stained glass. It
cannot bo broken nor softened
by the rays of the sun, but is flexible
auu easily bent into uuy desired shape.
When unstained it at first is yellow,
but ou exposure to the sun it turns
white, ut tho samo time becoming
hurdor and more durable. Like glass,
it is a poor conductor of heat It is
lighter than glass, and on this account
is well adapted for roofs. Unless it
can bo made transparent, it can never
hope to entirely supersede glass, but
its cheapness aud superiority to glass
in other directions are securing for it
exteustve sules for factory windows,
skylights for hothouses, roofing, and
like pusposes.”
Care of tin Umbrella.
If you wish to take care of your um¬
brella after comiug iu out of the rain,
let it down aud staud it on the han¬
dle, that it may dry in this position.
The water will thus drip from the
edges of the frame and the cover dry
•uniformly. A silk umbrella is much
injured by being left open to dry.
The silk, becomes stretched aud stiff
aud will soouer split thus cared for.
When not iu use let the folds lie
loose, uot fastened down. The creases
are less apt to split from this usage.
More Singers Than Hearers.
More thau 14,000 singers took part
in the Stuttgart sangerbundesfest. A
special hall had been constructed with
8,250 seats and standing room for
4,000, Assuming that the house was
full and that all the societies sang to¬
gether, there must have been more
siugers thau listeners,which, however,
is not an unusual experience with,
choral (especially oratorio! societies.