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Fitzgerald Leader. FITZGERALD, GEORGIA •— PUBLISHED BY— HJSrAPF db SON. m In Germany there is an educational Institution for teaching the technique if butchering and packing. Miss Mary C. Collins, the well- known missionary to the Sioux, thinks that tho ten* “hobo,” as generally applied to the Weary Waggles tribe, is of Indian origiu, and instances several cases of its use amongst the aborigi¬ nals, amongst whom her missionary labors have been directed. In accordance with a law recently enacted in the Argentine Republic, un¬ married men between twenty and eighty years of age are obliged to pay a special annual tax; and if any un¬ married person of either sex refuses an offer of marriage without being able to give a valid reason, the penalty is $500. _ What next! exclaims the New York Observer. A proposition . made, is now apparently in sober earnest, to utilize the cataracts of the Nile for electric light and power purposes. The power that these cataracts, which are more properly rapids, would supply, how- ever, would be much less than the available head furnished at Niagara Falls. A trolley line down the Nile would truly be an odd consummation. The wealthiest Nation in the world is the United States, declares William George ~ Jordan the T Ladies , w Home in Journal. The census of 1890 shows the true valuatioii, or fair selling price, of the real and personal prop¬ erty of the country to be $65,037,091,- 197. It is an increase of over forty- nine per cent, on the valuation of tjie previous decade, and is about six times the value of the money of the entire world. The mind cannot grasp the meaning of such figures without graphic illustration. This amount in gold dollars would load 123,570 carts, each carrying a ton. If 2000 gold dollars were piled one on the other they would form a stack three feet high. Make similar piles close together till a wall of gold one mile long and worth $230,- 400,000 is formed. Increase this wall to twenty-eight and a quarter miles and the amount would represent our National wealth. Placed side by side the coins would form a carpet of gold covering five square miles. J. C. Merryweather, the well-known manufacturer of fire apparatus in London, makes a most useful sugges¬ tion on the subject of the protection of churches from fire. After referring to the dangers of fire in such build¬ ings from defects in the heating and lighting apparatus, he proposes that each church tower should be fitted with a tank or tanks, kept full of water by means of a pump and hose or fixed pipe, the pump to take supply from a well or other available source. From the tank he suggests a pipe being carried into the church, with hydrants and hose in convenient positions. The water tanks would ^Jien enable powerful jets to be brought to bear im¬ mediately aa outbreak of fire was dis¬ covered. The cost of the arrangement would be small, and doubtless the de¬ struction of many sacred buildings by fire would be prevented. Canterbury Cathedral has been saved three times by its own fire apparatus, and the recent fire at St. George’s, Hanover Square, proves that even in London there is lonsiderable risk of fire in places of worship. With the progress of civilization one pursuit after another seems to be ele¬ vated to the distinction of an “art” or even of a “science.” Perhaps the latest claimant for such rank is the cunning of cookery. Dr. Pilcher, of the United States Army, remarks that the rendering food savory and di- gestable and serving it in a tempting manner, is a study worthy the atten¬ tion of a higher grade of talent than is ordinarily devoted to it. “Recent ex¬ periments by Edward Atkinson have shown,” he says, “that the art of cookery is still in iis infancy.” Who shall presume to say that he (or more likely she) who cooks a thing well is not a benefactor to humanity? observes the New York Observer. Bad cook¬ ing may have had nothing to do with original sin, but there is no telling how much of unoriginal later iniquity is to be laid to the account of a soggy bit of pastry or of an impossible beef¬ steak. So long as average humanity Tacks sufficient moral courage to de¬ cline a favorite dish set before it, even when the viands are wretchedly prepared, it will be urgently incum¬ bent upon all chefs or Bridgets to put more of skill, science and religion (if they have any) into the service of the dining room. SMALL THINGS. It may be glorious to write Thoughts that shall glad the two or three High souls like those tar starts that come in sight Once in a century; speak But better far It is to One simple word, which now and then Shall waken their free nature in the. weak And friendless sons of men. —James ltussell Lowell. aOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! OOOOGOOOGOODOOOOi / © O, I’ve never been ship¬ wrecked nor fiv been in a co- lision all the •V time I’ve been k at sea—a mat- ‘A. ter now of over Z.J \ forty years. But I ve car- k ried q ueer passen- some xW&Z?' gers in I’ll tell my time. you about two who exercised a powerful influence over me; but whether for good or evil you shall hear presently. It was in the fall of ’72, just when 0I1 the eve of sailing, that an old gen- tleman stepped on board, and hurried- ly approached me. He was a tall, spare man, with iron gray shoulders. hair, and had a slight stoop at the he. “Good day, captain,” said “I only heard this morning that you were sailing for England, and hastened do "' n to ascertain if you could find ac¬ commodation for myself and daughter at so short notice. ” “Certainly,” I replied, in my hearty way; “I shall only be too pleased to take you. As it happens there are onl / * hree passengers booked this trip, and they £ are second-class, so you can haye th saloon pret ty much to your- selves.’,’ He thanked me effusively, and dis¬ appeared into the saloon. I marveled at his precipitancy, and wondered where the daughter was to come from, for she was not visible anywhere. I gave instruction to the apprentices to have their luggage conveyed on board, and myself superintended the stowing away of their trunks in the two best appointed cabins of the ship. While so engaged, I heard a light foot¬ fall behind me, aud, turning around, I beheld the fairest vision of loveliness that ever brightened my saloon. “My daughter—Captain Harnott,” said Mr. Brandon, introducing us. I was so taken aback by her exceed¬ ing beauty that I awkwardly touched my cap, and, with the wind clean out of my sails, stammered: “Glad to see you, miss.” She placed her soft little white hand into my big, sun-browued paw, and, looking me squarely in the face out of her laughing blue eyes, said: ‘ ‘I’m sure we shall be good friends, captain, during the voyage.” She spoke with a charming colonial accent, and from that moment I was her most devoted, humble servant, slave, anything you like. I went head over ears in love with her at sight. You may smile, but recollect I was a comparatively young man then. Leaving them to arrange their cabins to their own satisfaction I ascended the companion steps and went on deck. It certainly occupied them a considerable time, for neither father nor daughter appeared on deck until the ship was well outside the “Heads” and the tug had returned to port. That voyage I look back upon as the happiest and saddest I ever made. Miss Brandon was a splendid sailor. In fair weather or foul she’d be on deck, delighting me with the admiration she exjiressed for my handsome three- masted clipper, .and the childlike naivete of her questions. I used to pace the quarter-deck in the morning, impatient for her first appearance. On the dullest or dirtiest day it was like a ray of sunshine suddenly bursting forth from a lowering sky, to see her emerge from the companion hatch, looking as fresh as a daisy and a thou¬ sand times more lovely. Of course it was only natural that my mates should fall in love with her also, but she treated them with marked indifference, if not absolute coldness. Her smiles were all reserved for me, and she lavished them upon me in no niggardly manner. There was a piano in the saloon, and often in the long evenings she would sing and play for my sole delec¬ tation, while I wouid sit on the settee alongside and gaze rapturously into her pretty face. The song I liked best was “Tom Bowling,” and she infused such an amount of pathos into her ex¬ pression that the tears would some- times trickle down my weather-beaten cheeks as she sang. Ah! those were happy days; it was heaven while it lasted. I have scarcely mentioned her father yet. The fact is,, I was so engrossed didn’t with his beautiful daughter that I pay so much attention to him as perhaps I ought. At the best he was a saturnine, unsociable sort of person, who seemed to prefer his own com¬ pany to other people’s. When not in his own cabin, where he spent most of his time, he was walking with his hands clasped behind him, apparently in deep thought, in the waist of the ship. One evening, when abont nine weeks out, I was sitting in the chart honse alone with my idol. The sec- ond mate was stepping the planks out¬ side, old Jobson was at the wheel away behind ns, and the watch on the deck were lounging about for¬ ward. Some days previous to this I had had the temerity to confess my love to her, and asked her to be my wife. She had made me inexpressibly happy by promising, subject to my ob- taining father’s consent. This, after some demur, ho had granted, and that night the future appeared very bright for me. We’had been sitting silent for some time, too happy for words, gazing on the setting sun as it disappeared into a glowing mass of golden rimmed clouds on the horizon, when to my in¬ finite amazement she suddenly burst into tears. “Darling, what is the matter?” I exclaimed in an agony of apprehen¬ sion. “Oh, Alfred, I have just heard such a dreadful story from my father. I shall never be happy again. We can never be married now.” “Never be married?" I ejaculated aghast. “Why?” criminal. “Because my father is a—a Oh, I feel so miserable. I think I shall throw my self overboard!” “Alice, for heaven’s sake don’t talk like that, or you’ll drive me mad. What has he done?” “Something dreadful. Oh, don’t speak to me any more,” she sobbed violently. mad At that moment I was so that I felt half inclined to go down and tear the old scarecrow out of his berth by the cuff of the neck and demand what he had done to cause my darling such poignant grief. But I didn’t. Instead I drew her to my side. “Tell me all about it,” I said sooth¬ ingly. “Well, my father, as you are aware, was an agent in one of the banks in Arlington, Victoria, and it seems he embezzled large sums of money be¬ longing to the bank to speculate with. Of course, he meant to replace it before the audit, when the deficit would have been discovered. But he lost it, and that is why he fled the country.” “Is that all?” said I, with a sigh of relief. “It’s bad enough, certainly, but I fail to see that in itself it forms sufficient barrier to our union. ” a “But that is not the worst. My father is convinced that the police may have traced him to Melbourne and to this ship. He declares he will be ar¬ rested on landing.” “Nothing more likely,” I thought. But I remarked casually, “Has he any plan to suggest?” will only assist “Yes, oh, yes, if you him. But it seems too terrible to con¬ template. He says it is his only chance to escape.” “What is it, then?” “That he should die and be buried at sea!” she responded, with a per¬ ceptible shiver. “I don’t understand.” “He proposes to feign death. Then, after he has been sewed up for burial, we must find the means to liberate him and substitute something else.” The daring audacity of the proposal fairly took my breath away. If dis¬ covered, the consequences to me in aiding and abetting a felon to escape would be disastrous. I resolved to have nothing to do with such a crim¬ inal proceeding, but a look of entreaty from those tearful eyes made me falter in my resolution. “For my sake,” she murmured, pleadingly, placing her fair, white hand on my arm. Her touch thrilled me. I hesitated no longer, but gave folly an unwilling con¬ sent. Ah, what will not a man commit when in love! Next day it was reported that Bran¬ don was seriously indisposed. I took out the medicine chest as in duty bound, and ordered the cabin steward to attend him. Three days later Mr. Brafidon wa3 reported dead. When I was informed of this I en¬ tered his cabin. He was lying in the under berth, pale and motionless as death. I felt the body; it was cold and rigid. If this were not death, he sim¬ ulated it to perfection. I sent for the sailmaker, who sewed the body up in my presence. When the task was completed I dismissed him, and, se¬ curing tbs cubing door inside with a sharp knife ripped open the stitches. My hand shook painfully. What if he were really dead? I confess to experiencing a singular feeling of relief when the man opened his eyes, and the resuscitated Bran¬ don sat up. I administered some brandy, which helped to revive him. He quickly and noiselessly dressed himself. Then he produced from a trunk a dummy figure which he had previously prepared and weighted, and inclosed it in the shroud. This he sewed up with his own hands. Not a word was spoken by either of us. When all was completed I stepped out to reconnoitre. Seeingthe coast clear, I signalled him, and he crept swiftly across the passage into his daughter’s cabin, where he concealed himself. In the first dog watch of the same afternoon, the bell commenced to toll its solemn knell for the funeral of An¬ thony Brandon. Officers and men and passengers stood round me with heads uncovered as I read from the Book of Common Prayer the beautiful and im¬ pressive burial service. God forgive me, it was an awful mockery. I don’t know how I got through with it. Af¬ terward I heard it commented that I was much affected during the service. Heaven knows I was, but ’twas with guilt art! fear. After the funeral Brandon returned to his own cabin, which was kept con¬ stantly locked, and the key of which I retained in my own possession. With my connivance Alice smuggled food to him from day to day. About two weeks afterward, while proceeding up the channel under all sail, we were hailed by a tug. Antici¬ pating danger, I slipped down the companionway, and conveyed Brandon to my own cabin for concealment. When I got on deck again, I was just in time to see a stout, well-groomed party clambering over the vessel’s side. Without any preliminaries he brusquely demanded: “Got a passenger by the name of Brandon on board.” “I had, stranger, I had.” He gazed at me inquiringly. “Come below, sir,” I said. As we descended, he explained that he was a detective in pursuit of Bran¬ don, who had absconded from Australia with a considerable sum of money and valuable negotiable securities. When he had produced his warrant, I ordered the mate to fetch the log-book. Un¬ der date the 15th of .January, he read this entry: “Buried at sea in lat. 35 degrees 4!) minutes N., longitude 33 degrees 16 minutes W., Anthony Brandon, cabin passenger. Cause of death unknown.” He muttered something under his breath which was quite unintelligible to me Then he demanded to see Brandon's effect I led the way into lns and^ortmaiHe^u^'tnit P'll.in He ransacked everv ^estigeof trunk not a paper or anything of value did he dis- cover. The expression on his face when he left the ship some hours later was not particularly pleasant. the dock at When he arrived in London I smuggled Mr. Brandon ashore in one of his daughter strunks, after they had been searched by the customs’ officer No one in the ship ever expected the truth. Then secret remained alone w ith me. It was arranged that Alice and I should be married quietly before and set- ting out on my next voyage, our honeymoon was to be spent on the bosom of the deep. When we parted that night she promised to commnni- cate with me when her father had se- cured some quiet retreat in the eoun- try. She kept her promise. Here is the letter. I have preserved it all these years. It has neither super- seription nor signature: “Dear old Captain—Many, many thanks for all your kindnesses. My husband aud I—for Mr. Brandon is my husband, though it was not known in Arlington—will never forget them, Pray forgive the deceit we found it ex- pedient to practice on you in order to carry out our plans. We are in fairly affluent circumstances, for my husband did not lose the money in speculation, as I thought it necessary to tell you. Dear Captain, I know I can rely upon you, for your own sake, not to inform the authorities about my husband. As he died at sea, we expect to live se¬ curely, unmolested by the bank of¬ ficials or the police. Good-by for ever.” And that was the end of my ro¬ mance. No, I never heard anything more about them. Whether they lived to enjoy their ill-gotten gains or whether they didn’t, I cannot tell. But this I do know, she was the first woman that ever fooled me, and, by heaven, she was the last. I never gave another the chance.—Tit-Bits. Common Soap in House Moving;. The lubricant generally used by house movers is common soap. It contains tho best kind of grease for the purpose. The wooden tracks are thoroughly rubbed with it, and, as it squeezes its way into the girders, rest¬ ing on the tracks, and does not easily evaporate it makes a very slippery path. In moving frame houses a single horse is used to pull it along, not. as he would pull a wagon exactly, but by means of a windlass. As has been pointed out, the girders which support the house are not even chained to¬ gether; the weight of the building holds them sufficiently rigid. To one of them a pulley with several sheaves is attached. Another pulley is attached to the track fifty feet or more ahead of the house, aud through these a rope extends to a windlass. The horse sim¬ ply winds runners,' up the rope, and the house being on become for a time a floating or wandering palace. One house was actually floated to a new destination. It originally rested opposite Holland’s station, Jamaica Bay, Long Island. It was raised from its foundations and floated a mile down the shore, and now rests on jail¬ ing in front of Hammell’s station. One house mover in upper New York State attempted to move a house across a lake, but with disastrous results, The lake was frozen over, and the design was to take advantage of the ice,which was thought to be sufficently strong to bear the structure in course of transit. All went well until the middle of the lake was reached. Then night came on, and a rest was taken until morn¬ ing. «f At daylight, however, the house was found to be resting at the bottom of the lake. The lake was not very deep, so that the greater part of the house was still above the surface. But a thaw took place during the day, and the house, careening to one side,began to float in earnest. It was afterwards floated to the destination at first de¬ signed for it, but a new house might have been built at less expense.—At¬ lanta Constitution. Tlie Farmer’s Wife Acted as Surgeon. About six months ago gangrene de¬ veloped in one of General Spotts’s feet. Mr. Spotts is a farmer about eighty years old, living at Rochester, Ind., and when his pbysiciaus in¬ formed him of the nature of the dis¬ ease he asked them to amputate the member. After consultation they re¬ fused to do so, giving as a reason that in his enfeebled condition he could not endure the shock. Thinking it was the only hope of prolonging his life, after the doctors left his wife sharpened a common butcher knife on a grindstone and suc¬ cessfully performed the work of ampu¬ tation herself. First cutting through the flesh she then unjointed the foot at the ankle and removed it. The pa¬ tient is reported improving.—New York Telegram. Preaching; of the Word. Some 80,000 sermons are pre%ched each Sunday in England and Wales. The average Sabbath day church at¬ tendance is computed to be between 10,000,000 and 11,000,000 persons. There is a place of worship for every 500 individuals, taking the country all through, and a stated minister for every 700. n n - !: Jsr. >f -mm rf Klll.n* Saurt . _ inMcte. Dissolve one-fourth pound of salt- P^er in water Make a small ditch about the hills of cucumbers, squashes ° r pumpkins while the vines are small ami pour m this solution of saltpeter, It will keep off striped squash bugs all( l kill the squash or tlatiron bug which eats the vines. Making Horses Eat Slowly.' Many horses, especially if fed grain, ^ it much too fast to get the most q f,. om A good way to compel cati 2 is to mix with the grain a few clean * ebbles that will oblige the ho] . se to ather his food s i 0 wly. A g ^jj i, e ttei' way is to grind the grain ftnd mix the meal with three times its bulk of eut h twice its bulk of gkraw . Trimming; Itoscs. When any * plant in the flower garden begins to produce seeds freely it usually inclines to stop flowering, Plants such as roses, which we desire to have flower as long as possible, should therefore not be permitted to fruit. All faded roses should be at once cut away. Even those which are known as everbloomers are benefited by this practice. Indeed, the reason that these roses have this lengthened period of flowering is that they show a natural indisposition to make growth. Roses flower only at the end of a young branch; when the faded flowers are cut away the buds in the leaf axils push into growth, and it is from this second starting of young branches that the flowers come.—Mehan’s Monthly, maintaining tlie Dairy. A writer in the Dakota Farmer gives this advice: 1. Select the best cows in your herd, or that you can buy, to keep, and dis¬ pose of the others. 2. The best cow for the dairy is the one that produces the greatest amount of butter fat in a year (for food con¬ sumed) when beiug rightly fed. 3. To renew or increase your herd raise the heifer calves from your best cows. 4. Test your cows by weighing the milk of each cow for a year and test¬ ing it occasionally with the Babcock milk tester, and know how much but¬ ter fat each one does produce. 5. Use the best dairy-bred sire you can get; one, if possible, that has a line of ancestors that have been first- class dairyanimals. record G. Keep a of the time when the cows were bred aud have no guess work about the time of calving. 7. It is neither profitable nor neces¬ sary for a cow to go dry more than four to six weeks. 8. The udder should receive prompt attention. An obstacle may removed from the teat the first hour that might baffle science later. 9. After separating the calf from its mother, feed the natural milk as soon as drawn for a week or ten days. A Homemade Clod Crueller. The clod crusher shown in the cut is useful both for crushing lumpy soil and for rolling and smoothing the land at the same time. Three logs, as even f" >: PrW v ■——- USEFUL CLOD CEUSHER. iu size and as round and true as possi¬ ble, are fastened inside a framework by round spikes driven through the sidepieces into the logs so that the lat¬ ter can turn freely. Where the large, carefully-made land roller is not at hand, this quickly-made substitute will serve a very good purpose. It can be weighted if necessary.—Ameri¬ can Agriculturist. Spontaneous Combustion of Hay. Whether or not hay ignites spon¬ taneously has never been determined. Usually the fire has originated where hny considerable quantities of clover have been stored. In nearly every case the stacks or buildings were en¬ tirely consumed, so it was impossible to determine the origin of the fire. At the Pennsylvania experiment station barns in 1895, fire was seen drop¬ ping from the ceiling of the cow stable. Investigation proved that the fire was confined to a mow of hay 18x23 and about 23 feet high. The drafts were stopped and the top of the mow kept cov¬ ered with wet blankets. Openings were made in the sides of the barn and all the hay, about 30 tons, was pitched out While removing this the entire centre of the mow was smoldering and ready to burst into flames when ex¬ posed to the air. Fortunately a hy¬ drant was near at hand and the top was kept constantly saturated and the barn thus saved. All the centre of the mow was thoroughly packed, hot and smoking. The high temperature of the hay made it decidedly uncom¬ fortable for those who were removing the smoldering fodder. The holes burned through the mow floor were over near the middle of the stable and not near the walls. It is evident that the fire could not have beeu either accidental or incendiary. The hay was second growth clover and timothy, mostly clover, and when har¬ vested was thought to be in unusually fine condition. The fact that it was very compact , gave color , to the theory that the combustion was spontaneous, Examinations of the hay, after being thrown out of the born, showed that a large proportion of it was so thor- oughly charred that it would crumble when handled gome of it had not been subjected to so great a heat and was only brown in color, but was wholly unfit for stock. For several days previous to the fire, a peculiar odor had been noticed about the barn, and examination seemed to indicate that the roven was heating, but there was no indication of fire. This odor soon became so strong that it was compared by some to that of burning grain. While posi¬ tive proof as to the origin of this fire may be lacking, the circumstances are such that it is safe to consider it spon¬ taneous.—.Orange Judd Farmer. To Control Chicken-Eating Hogs. A chicken catcher in a herd of hogs is a most exasperating and expensive. One such will soon transform a whole herd into ravenous chicken eaters. y/ m itoJP BLIND POE HOOnS. Being troubled in this way I tried the following: A leather blind wide enough to cover both eyes aud long enough to come down well over the face was cut from an old boot leg. The chicken thief was then caught, and pulling the ears forward, the top corners of the blind were fastened to them by means of pinchers and rings, such as are put in the snouts of pigs to prevent rooting. This blind will not prevent the hog from seeing his legitimate food, but does prevent him seeing chickens unless they are under his very nose, and then, if he attempts pursuit, the chances are that he brings his nose in violent contact with the fence or some other obstruction. A few such lessons and he concludes that he is no longer partial to chicken. A month of “leather specs” cured our most ravenous thief, and by blinding only the ring leaders the whole herd was soon as docile as well behaved porkers should be.—New England Homestead. Foiilfry Xotes. When you do not want them to breed do not let the hens and roosters run together. The laying of unusually large eggs is a proof that the hens are in an over¬ fat condition. Feed the cockerels for flesh, bone and muscle. Feed the pullets for your next winter’s layers. The nest egg, if not china, should be marked so that it will not get into a lot sent to market. The Plymouth Rock attains maturity earlier than the Wyandotte, but the latter is a more persistent layer. It must be a poor soil indeed in which the scratching biddies will not iind some reward for their labor. Those who think thirteen an un¬ lucky number can get the hens to spread over fifteen eggs for a sitting. If the hens are slow to wean the chicks take them away, as they crowd tho young ones at night when confined in a box. As soon as the cockerels Begin to crow separate them from the pullets. They will thrive better, aud besides, they require different feed. If the young chicks are confined in barren yards give them plenty of cab¬ bage, lettuce or grass from the lawn. They will relish it for a change. Don’t let the chicks roost with the old fowls until at least three months old. Their breast bones are tender and will become crooked if permitted to sit on the roost. If young broods are cooped for the first month it gives the chick two chances to reach maturity where it would have but one if running about while young and tender. Sunshine is the best medicine for poultry as well as men. If the house is dark and gloomy, the fowls will stay out of it even in the worst weather. Nothing likes sunshine more than poultry. Cholera among chickens i.s a disease which is a result of the poor conditions which surround them. With good food, fresh, pure water, daily clean quarters and a good range, it seldom gets a foothold. Lice sap the blood from the chickens, and cause restlessness of nights; and on mornings fowls come from the: roosts feverish and thirsty. around They and drink too much, and sit soon get indigeston. They take cold easily when their systems are so.im¬ paired, and the cold, if let alone, runs into roup.