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print] flaft Iimplmik J C. HEARTSELL, Ed. and Pub. VOL XII. A SHABBY OLD COAT. BT EVa KATHiaiXE CLAPP. Fold it gently away in this wide cedar cheat. 'Tia a hero’s old coat, late his only, his beat; There has dvwned on hia fortunes" a prosperou And, day, wolf-like, grim poverty slinks from tb way. But, Bound oh, the sweet memories that tenderly olio each rent, fold and fray of this shabb old tiling Stir each pulse of my heart until tears blind m view, And its dull, faded colors the bright drops reneu You were faithful, old friend, all those wintr When days the form bleak, you enshrined oft with nungs While grew his weak, courage stood firm and his liono shone bright, As it does, amidst plenty and friends, on tbi night. Yon were faithful, old friend, while the hard hearted crew, Who all crowded so close while your gloss wa. still new, With averred, cold eve, gazed afar down th Lest street, their paltry self-love your mute protea might meet. Twits just here ho once pinned, with a smil« grave and sweet, A wild blossom, bestowed by a child in th And street, the love that shone forth from that rugge* “Made tlie gift,” he said, softly, "a keepsake t< To a long-winded prayer that proud head sel doin bow ed. But to Love’s true religion his true heart wa! Ever stanch bowed; to a friend, ever just to a foe. While bis presence made home a small h eavei below. In their well-cushioned pulpits our natty di vines Between saint and sinner draw strict, rigit lines, And their clerical garb, with a manner austere They would hold far aloof if this old ooat drew ntar. Good, respectable friends, if the heaven yo* preach Should, indeed, dawn in beauty, let down to your reach, Oh, how stunned you would feel if its populat vote Should elect him a prince in this shabby old ooat. True, that’s never the way, in this blindfold ola earth, Where a diamond must glitter to herald its worth; But thanks bo to Nature, some few hearts still The prize ring disguise. of true worth, 'ueath all mask and So fold it away in the wide cedar chest, Just a shabby old coat, late Ills only and best, Letting Like softly the fragrance of lavender float. a prayerful “Well done," round our hero’* old coat. Chicago, 111. 1118 IU HAIRPIN; -OK- The Strange Tragedy of the Grand Hotel. BY ARTHUR GRIFFITHS. CHAPTER XI—Continued. “Ask her to describe this visitor. Quick. Ramon.” clew. I began to believe I had got a fresh “He was a forastero, a stranger, speak¬ ing little Castilian, bnt enough to tell me of my boy. He camo from him, I was sure. lie showed me the blessed image (hat Xavier wore always on his heart.” And which must have been removed by the hands of the murderer. Who else? The real criminal, who had secured it for this very purpose, probably to send it as a token to the mother as an authority to deliver up the sea-chest or any other property he coveted for reasons of his own. Who was he? We plied the old woman with ques¬ tions. But she shook her head and became impenetrably left her stupid, obstinately dumb. I at last, intending to renew the attack another day. liamon should go to her and try what persuasion could do. If all other means failed, he was to break to her gently the news of her son’s death, hinting at its violent nature so as to arouse a revengeful Bpirit, and thus win her support. An idea had been gradually taking pos¬ session of me that perhaps the mysteri¬ ous visitor was Mr. Sarsfield himself. Smart’s letter rather encouraged me in this. The long illness, I told myself, with its close confinement, might be only a blind. What if it were a mere subter¬ fuge hurried to cover his departure, to conceal a visit to Spaiu? True, he could not leave Bytliesea with¬ out the collusion of the two ladies; but might tbps not have been secured by some spec ous excuse to Miss Bertram, if needs were, by a half confession to his wife? There was much to support my theory that Mr. Sarsfield himself had come to Cadiz. Where could he find another messen¬ ger whom he could trust? It was every¬ thing to him, his secret. True, he might employ his some messenger and still keep own how counsel; bnt how much safer, if not much easier, for him to go him¬ self! Following out this line, I set inquiries on foot for Mr. Sarsfield. Had he, or any one like him, been seen in Cadiz these last few days? The same result met us at the railway station and the steamboat offices—no Mr. Sarsfield, no person at all resembling him, was to be heard of any¬ where. But he might, and would probably, be in disguise, to which, n-iturally, I had no cine. So I changed my line of investiga¬ tion, and devoted it now to the sea-chest of which the old woman had spoken. A stranger with a sea-chest, but not a sea-faring man. I felt that this was a part Mr. Sarsfield would hardly assume. Could we come upon the traces of any ei this kind? CHAPTER XII. THE DOS HEBMANOS. While I awaited the result of Ramon’i further search I passed my time as best I could in this dull seaport. Time would have hung very heavy had I not culti¬ vated closer relations with the officers oi the United States frigate that had brought den me had to Cadiz. joke Captain Verhey< I always a about the inquiry was \tr- conducting. v m SPRING PLACE, MURRAY COUNTY, GA. APRIL 14, 1892. " aai, now does it progress?” he «»ic to me one evening as we sat over our win. at the “Fonda del Mar." “Not so fast as I could wish; still, wi ed an making heart progress." And then I open what my I to him, telling him plainly I encountered. was doing and all the difficulties “Case looks ugly against^arsfield—it that how you call him?—there’s no gain Baying it, ” remarked Captain Verhevdeu who had listened attentively. “Bat I've got to prove he came to Ca dlz. “That ought to be easy enough. You’vi got the chest as a clew. ’Tain’t easy u hide a sea-chest." “Unless he took it off altogether—to- England, his own country.” “He’d be far more likely to break i open and extract what he was in searc. of than destroy or leave the chest behin him. “But what was the murdered nian’i real name? You have not told me thBt. He was deeply interested now, I coul see that, “The Dos Hemanosl Yriarte That’s thundering strange,” he criei when I told him. “Those names ain’ new to me, Mr. Leslie. IS hot like wai the ship, and where did she hail from?" “She was a bark, 400 tons registei Cleared from the port of Cadiz on Marcl 19, 186-, bound for the Havana witl a cargo of wine.” “Wine was on her manifest—sherr wine, priorato, and Taragona port—whei I boarded her in the Great Bahama Chan nel, but nary cask did 1 find in her." “When you boarded her, Captain Ver heyden? Gracious goodness! what hat you to say to her? I was just going t< ask yon whether you could help mo tt trace her in the Cub. n port, and now vot tell iue you knew the ship.” her, “Knew and h*r her! Yes, by" thunder, knei captain and all her rascalb crew!" “Go on, please, tell me all about her.' “ 'Tain’t a long story, but it’s full o meat. In that year, 186-, I was Lieuten ant-Commander of the United Statei sloop Florida, Opossum, cruising in the Gulf o: in and about the Bahamas, an< round the Havana. You know Wd just put down slavery, and we didn’t mean tc let no one else carry on the trade in hu¬ mans, either. My orders were to keep i sharp lookout for any craft with niggerf on board, and seize her then ami there, 1 fell in with nothing, sir, for weeks and weeks, and might not till now but for the master of a cutter from New Providence, who told me a rakish-looking craft, with heavy been spars and strongly manned, had driven northward by stress of weath¬ er, and when he met her was trying t| beat back toward the Havana, “Suspicious description this, so ] cruised' her course. It was still blowing a fresh breeze from the south-southwest: but at daylight on the third day w« sighted have her sailing on the wind. She must seen us, too, for she fell awaj at once, and went before it, cracking or canvas and trying hard to give us the slip. I went ahead full steam, and ol course had the legs of her. But she was chase. a clipper, you hot, and gave us a long It wag late in the afternoon be¬ fore I overhauled her. Waal, we raB within a few fathoms’ length of her, and hailed. ‘What ship’s that? Show your colors and send a boat aboard,’ I sung out on the trumpet. “She ran up Spanish colors, but still sheered off, and seemed anxious to avoid close quarters, “ ‘Li* to, or I’ll sink you,’ I shouted again, and, ns she continued her course, I ordered a guu to be fired aero s her bows. The blackguard now opened his por.s and showed his teeth. He’d have given me a broadside, bnt I ran alongside, grappled their and boarded him. The crew were at stations; the Captain with » drawn cutlass ready to show fight, but h* saw how strong we wore, and caved in. ‘This is an outr go on the Spanish flag,’ he laid, sullenly, in fairly good English. ‘Y'ou will have to auswerforit.’ “I ran down with the quartermaster and saw the ’tween decks. There was not a doubt of it—the benches, the chains, scraps of food, water-gourds, all the signs that tell the story of human occu¬ pation. Bnt where were the wretched beings that filth had so recently been cooped up here in and utter misery? Then, at least, they were aliv*. What had become of them now? “I returned to the upper deck, deter¬ mined to fathom this to the bottom. “ ‘Send all the hands aft,’ I cried; and when every man was mustered 1 made them a short speech. I told them what I suspected—that some black deed had just been done—and I promised, in the name of the United States Government, a full pardon to any one who would sneak out. “They were as ugly a lot as you evoi clapped Greeks, Maltese, eyes on, Mr. Leslie—Spanish, and mongrels of all na¬ tions—black-faced, murderous-looking, villains who would not go back upon anv bloody job. right But my address touched them in the place, for it gave them a chance of selling one another. “Half a dozen chaps came forward, and more would have done so, but that they were too late. “You never heard such a story! If lickened us, maddened us. I believe my fellows, if they had not been under disci¬ pline, “What would have lynched the lot. ” had happened? What had he lone with them?” "Drowned them—two hundred and fifty luman souls drowned lik* blind puppies a a pond." “But why, in God’s name?" “To get clear of our clutches. He ■bought liave he’d escape us, that we should no evidence against him." “It was the captain’s, thi* Yriarte’s do¬ ing?” “Not entirely, although he was held re¬ sponsible. He tried to shelter himself under bis instructions. Said his owners had told him to make away with his cargo.” “Was that proved?” I asked eagerly, scenting a reason at last for Yriarte’s threatening these Mr. Sarsfield. Who were owners?" “Cooch & Izquierdo. We got their names against right enough. But what could we do them? They were merchants of Havana, beyond the reach of Ameri¬ can law. Besides, the captain’s state¬ ment w«b never substantiated; he could not produce his instructions. * “Anyway, “’Taint likely. he did I not took escape." him and his into Galveston with prize ship a crew on board. They were tried before the Su¬ preme Court for murder on the high seas, found -----»• guilty”- -—-- “TELL THE TRUTHS to have nut not been?” hangea, as they surely ought “It was not a hanging State, Mr. Les¬ lie, so they got off with imprisonment. The captain was put down for life, but he seems to have got away somehow—es- eaped, “Fate pardoned. brought retribution to the end. To be stabbed in the back with his own clasp-knife-" “Was a death almost too good for him. I am inclined to think that the man whd killed him did good service to society.” “That would be a rather dangerous doctrine to publish, Captain Verheyden, ” I said, protesting; “besides, in this case the murderer shared his victim’s crime.” “No, no, you must not say that; you are not certain Mr. Sarsfield was a party to the massacre.” “There was a strong suspicion against his firm, anyway, and if his conscience was not sore, why did ho go to such lengths? If he could have braved Yriarta’s threats he need not have killed him.” “You still charge him with the murder?" “Can you doubt it, now that we know so much?” “I’d rather not stand in his shoes, that much I’ll allow. But you’ve got more to do if you want to convict him.” “His recent visit to Cadiz-" “Ah, if you can prove that; but o»l v«u?” We went all over the points again one by one, and while we were discussing the case, detail after detail, trying bard to fix our conclusions by logical proof, a waiter came in to toll me that liamon had call¬ ed and wished to see mo without delay. “Well, “Well, you you have have something something important imp to to say,” say,” I I remarked, remarked, when when the the guide guide came in, “l ean see it in your face.” “Si, Senor, I have found the chest.” 'Where? Then you know the man? Hoiv did you manage?" “One moment, sir. The old woman, •fter much pressing, let out that the chest was fetched away by a man-” “You have his description? Out with it, quick.” “By a man," continued Ramon, deter¬ mined to tell the story his own way, “who came in a rowboat from Cadiz. I found the boat and those who rowed it. They tell me they helped to carry iho chest on board, and brought it back with the man to Cadiz." “But this man? Describe him, I in¬ sist." “He was a foreigner, speaking Spanish not badly, although but still a foreigner; not a sail¬ or, he triod to pass for one, and was taken with his chest to a sailor’s looking lodging-house near the quay. said, He was out for a berth, he in a ship bound for South America. ” “And he found one?” 'No one can tell; he disappeared after the second day, leaving his chest behind him to pay for his lodging. '1 hero was moth-eaten, nothing in it except some old clothes, which must have lain there for a dozen years. ” “Clever trick,” said Captain Verheyden, who had been listening attentively; “he got well rid of the chest. ” “After extracting all he wanted. But now, Tall, liamon, for the man’B appearance. ish hair-” middle-aged, dark complexion, gray “No, sir; rather young, short, inclined to be fat, with a white face, straw-colored hair, and pale-blue ovos—that’s how they all describe him." It was the waiter, Cornelis Janssen, there could be no doubt of it; and instan¬ taneously thoughts tho whole current of my was diverted into another channel. "What had brought him to Cadiz?” I asked myself at once. He had come for no good purpose. Of course, lie was in search of further evidence against Mr. Sarsfield, aud knew exactly whore to find it. CHAPTER XIII. BANGLE’S BATHING MACHINES. friends, Bidding farewell to my American X left Cadiz next day, turning my face homeward with considerable sat- isfaction. My mission had borne fruit, not that which I had expected, but fruit c l l-T P' easan *° r an| l more substan- 1 >„!!, T ^m/^onvLTio^ ■ , . , . , , , to the arrest of toe murderer, hut I had relieved Mr. Sars- field of a wrongful imputation. I went on to Bythesea without pausing in London, and reached the Grand Hotel late one evening, just a mouth since I had left it. “I could scrag the murderer myBelf,” Mr. Gray confessed to me in his little inner room, as we sat there smoking a cigar before we turned in. “The police are still at fault, eh?” I asked. “I expect you know that better than I do,” he replied, with a meaning look. “What makes you say that?” “Mr. Smart gave me an idea what took you lot.” to And Spain. They’re still here, that I gathered from his tone that he no longer looked upon the Sarsfields with affection. “What lot?” I asked, willfully stupid. “Why, toe Sarsfields. I wonder he has the cheek to stay on here. But it will be all the easier to run him in. ” “What! Mr. Sarsfield? I don’t under¬ stand. I thought he had been ill.” “They said it was a fit,” replied Mr. believe Gray, contemptuously. “All sham. Don’t a word of it. Why, he’s about again, "I as well as ever.” have am delighted to hear it. It must been a trying, anxious time for the ladies. Good-night, Mr. Gray,” I said, abruptly, as I got up from my chair in a way to show that I had had enough of his gossip. My first visit the next morning was to toe police office, whore I told Mr. Smart and Hasnip, at great length, all that had happoned *We at Cadiz. must have that chap Cornelis,” said the Chief Constable, after eon- gratulating “I remember me warmly on my success. the fellow. Wouldn’t touch the corpse that first morning. It looked odd, I thought then. ” him “Ay, easily,” but where is he? We shan't catch “It’s quite said likely Hasnip. he'll Depend give himself away. to England and upon it, he’s come bick means to put pressure on Mr. Sarsfield." “He'll never show up himself,” said Hasnip. “He needn’t. The threats can come through another, or he can so work the pressure himself.” as to keep in the background Smart. “Well, “In it may happen so," said Mr. the meantime we’ll put Mr. Uorpelifi Janssen intoittw Hue and Cry.. kiud. Don’t let him suppose he’s wanted; it would put him on his guard. I be¬ lieve he haB no idea what we know against him.” “ Are you sure of that?" “Almost. At any rate, to advertise for him would be to give away your chance of “And dropping on him quietly.” you will get the Sarsfields to tell us if Cornelia makes any move?” Yes,'' 1 said, “I will try and arrange II* a b ’ hoping to get few quiet with Miss Bertram a words It not during however, the day. was so easy, to reopen communications with the Sarsfields. They knew I had returned; the hotel party was now a small one, and we had met at table, where we had exchanged bows, but I had no opportunity of speech with any of them. I fancied they all avoided me, including Miss Bertram and Captain Fawcett. On the second morning none of them appeared, that Mr. and I heard to mv surprise Sarsfield was much worse. He had had a relapse. Yet the day previous 1 had seen him at dinner, looking white, hesitated worn, more aged, but otherwise well. I to intrude upon them, and yet, for their own sakes, especially for Mr. Sarsiield’s and in the interests of justice, it was most desirable that they should know what I knew against Coruelis .Tans son. Accordingly, I made up my mind to ask for an interview with one or other of the ladies. I sent up my name, giving important as reason my desire to make an communication. The answer was asked long in coming, but presently I was to go up to the private sitting- room where I had spoken to Mrs. Sars¬ field. [TO BE CONTINUED.] A MAN has give himself up in Cali¬ fornia for the murder of Jim Illaze in Mississippi dently twelve years ago. He is evi¬ sorry that he extinguished that Blaze. Recluses iu Australia’s Mines. Iu parts of Australia one comes across a characteristic class in the shape of old miners who haunt the deserted digging, or the hanks of gravelly-bottomed itreams which hold some traces of tho shining tho old days treasure in their beds—relics of of tho mining craze, ancient hulks stranded where the reflux of the great wavo of excitement and specula¬ tion has left them. One comes across their huts notv and then in tho thick scrub along bronzed tho water course, and finds in each a and bearded hermit who greets the visitor witli a quiet “Good-day, friond,” as ho looks at him with lustre¬ less eyes. The old firo of expectation and hope has gono out of those orbs; they show nothing hut the settled and putient acceptance of disappointed hopes, has which in tho case of many weaker men, caused madness or seii-distruc- tion. The history of muny of those recluses would furnish material for absorbing romances; of wild, ungovernable youth when homo and friends were left on tho other sido of the world in tho eager on¬ set upon fortune in the Australian gold shafts diggings; of manhood spent in dark or under the blazing sun in rocky gullies amid the hopes and disappoint¬ ments of an army of men who thirsted and gambled for gold; of an old age which had nothing but. momories to live upon, when life was supported by tho few grains of gold which daily labor esuld still extract from tho banks of the improvised experienced stream. these Tho men who have vicissitudes are not, as a rulo, drawn into companionship there¬ by; they prefer to live alone, nor from week’s end to week’s end do they see or desire the presence of any other human being;. bush, they Lost have in tho acquired remote wilds something of the of the shyness and love cf solitude which factorizes the furred and feathered creature* about them—as silent as tho wingless birds, living lives as destitute fragrance ns tho scentless flowers, Tall War Stories. “1 saw a follow shot clean through the body by agrapnelishoil within an inch of bis heart,” he said. “The shell came out behind and killed a mule, but the poor fellow that was struck only gasped a little for air and then ho kept on fighting just as fresh as ever.” The room became Tangle, very quiet and several looked toward who was present. Tangle “I arose and looked meditativoly around. saw something of the same kind as that,”he began, “It was at one of the first engagements we had when wo went to the front. There was a soldier who stood right beside me who was struck square in tho head with a twelve pound cannon ball, and, gentlemen, he never knew it.” The oid soldier who had told the first story looked a little sheepish and several laughed a little. “But,” some one thought to enquire, “didn't it kill him ?” Tungle looked up, a little bit surprised. “Oh, yes, certainly it killed him,” he replied. “But, then, maybe it was all for the best. He might have lived to tell the story. It’s proba¬ bly just ns well,” he added, looking at the old soldier.—(Milwaukee Sentinel. Chicken With Three Legs. A curiosity in the shape of a chicken is now on exhibition nt St. Francis. It consists of a perfectly formed chicken with three lees, hatched about live days ago—one closely tho under tho wing, one that is near lower end of tho back, while the other is in the proper place. The little fellow is yet alive and healthy looking, and while the side with two legs is an obstruction to navigation, he is ap¬ (Fla.) parently Facts. enjoying life.—[St. Francis Twilled China silks show stripes that have a slight bourette effeot. $1.00 a Year in Advance. the national library. A GREAT COLLECTION OF BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS. Nearly 900,000 Volumes — Facts About Copyrights—A New Libra¬ ry Building. T HE great American brain is the most active in the world,writes the Washington correspondent of the Times—Democrat. The gray matter which lines our cranium seems to grow in power from year to year, and there are almost as many liter¬ ary inventions as there are mechanical ones. We are fast becoming a bookish nation, as well as a working one, and the day will come when our national library of Congress will surpass in size any of the other great libraries of the world. We have one of the finest librarians in the world iu the Hon. Ainsworth B. Spofford, who for a quarter of a century has been dealing out books to the Con¬ gressmen, scientists and literateurs who make called Washington their headquarters. I on Mr. Spofford and asked him to tell me the extent of the library, and to give me the condition of the copyright bill. Said liev “We have nowin the National Libra¬ ry very nearly seven hundred thousand bound volumes and two hundred thou¬ sand pamphlet*. This is an immense amount of literary matter, and we now rank as the sixth great library of the woild. The five greater oies are the National Library of France at Paris, the British Museum Library at London, the Royal Library of Germany at Berlin, the Imperial Library of Russia at St. Peters¬ burg. The Paris library is the largest, containing two and a quarter million volumes. The British Museum Library ranks second,with one and a half million volumes. “These foreign libraries are much older than ours. The Library of Con¬ gress had a small beginning in the year 1800, when an appropriation of $3000 was made to purchase books for the use of Congress. The selections were limited to such works as were needed by the members for reference. As a people we were then almost unknown in literature. There was evidently no thought of giving to the library its pre3ent wide scope. Additions were made from time to time, and the library gradually assumed a more extended range. “Besides copies of all books copy¬ righted and published iu the United States, the library contains probably 200,000 foreign books, which are pro¬ cured by both purchase and exchange. About three-fourths of the whole num- ber are of American and English issue. The remaining fourth represents all civilized nations of the world, with France and Germany in the lead. There are books in all the languages of Eu¬ rope, and a limited number from Asia and other countries. Any foreigner vis¬ iting Washington and wishing to consult books in his mother tongue may find them here.” “Doe* the library grow much from year to yeai ?” “The yearly increase of books in the library is from 15,000 to 20,000. In the actual number of volumes the in¬ crease is 10,000 to 12,000 greater, as the copyright law requires the filing of two copies of each publication. One copy is placed in the library and the other is deposited in the copyright ar¬ chives. From 3000 to 5000 volumes, chiefly foreign, are added by purchase each year and as many more by donation and deposit." “Tell me something about copy¬ rights.” first copyright law,” replied Mr. Spofford, “in the United States was passed in 1790. There are books on our shelves bearing that date. In these later days of making books there is no end, but at that time the copyright business was not a hundredth part of what it is now. Last year the number of entries for copyright was 36,225. Of these there were: Books, 14,783; peiiodicals (in round numbers), 7000; musical and dramatic compositions, 9000; photographs, 3000; 2000; engravings and chromos, the remaining 3500 embrace prints, cuts, designs, drawings, paintings, maps and charts. Formerly business trade-marks and labels were also issued under the copyright law, but in 1874 these were transferred to the Pat¬ ent Office. The issue of copyrights by the librarian of Congress is now confined to literature and art in their various branches. A copyright secures the au¬ thor against pillage of the product of his brain, as a patent does to the Inventor. The life of a copyright is twenty-eight years. At the expiration of that time it may be renewed for fourteen years more by the author, or by his heirs if he be dead. It cannot be extended beyond forty-two years. There are very few pub¬ lications the vitality of which is not ex¬ hausted long before even the first limit is reached. “The library of Congress is open to the people of Washington. Books may be drawn upon a deposit of money to cover their value, the money being re¬ turned when the drawer wishes to clo 3 e the account. The books that may be takeh out are the duplicate copies upon the shelves. Those in the archives are not disturbed. There is no library in Washington that is accessible to the gen¬ eral public. Each of the departments has a library for the use of its employes only. The loss of the books of the library of Congress in consequence of the circulating system is small and is made good from the money forfeited in NO. 6. such cases. The rebinding of boa&t when necessary is done out of the librao^ appropriations.” “The library is now very muei crowded, is it not?” “It may be safely said that no branch cr bureau cf the Government has such urgent need of more commodious quar¬ ters as the library. The space alloted to it in the Capitol Building was full fifteen years ago. Since then the alcoves and recesses have undergone a process of absolute cramming. Every shelf was full long ago, and in every corner upon the fioor Ue great heaps of books, pam¬ phlets and newspapers, for which other place can be found. Eleven rooms elsewhere in the Capitol are filled with the accumulation, and still the stream flows in day by day, in every week, month and year. “A new and adequate building should have been erected years ago. Congress has long had the subject under consid¬ eration, and it is a matter of congratula¬ tion that at last the project has crystal¬ lized into definite form, ana the walls of the new National Library building are slowly but surely rising. An entire square, just east of the Capitol, was bought for the purpose. Architects were sent to Europe to examine the great libraries in order that the best possible plan might be perfected. As matured, it is believed to be second to none in the world. The building will cover three acres. It will be larger than the great State, Army and Navy building. Its estimated cost will be $6,000,009. It is the only structuie yet undertaken by the Government that will be built for a cen fury. Not one of the present publi buildings in Washington is even no' sufficient to meet the needs of the va and rapidly growing business of t country. The new library building w suffice for 150 years to come. Wi finished it will afford room for 4,000,C than volumes—nearly fifty per cent, ir are now embraced in any librai the world.” SELECT SIFTINGS. \ Envelopes were first used in 1839. Anesthesia was discovered in 1844. The Franciscans arrived in England in 1224. The first horse railroad was built in 1826-27. A Macedonian gold coin dating from about 200 B. C. was found at Bergerae, in France, the other day. John Carney, a Kansas farmer, re¬ cently plowed up a gold ring which his daughter had lost seven years previous. The first society for the exclusive pur- pose of circulating the Bible was or¬ ganized in 1805, under the name of the British and Foreign Bible Society, The first telegraphic instrument was successfully operated by 8. F. B. Morse, the inventor, in 1835, though the utility was not demonstrated to the world until 1842. A penman of Vienua, Austria, once wrote 400 Hebrew letters on a single grain of wheat. At another time he wrote a Hebrew prayer on the edge of a visiting card. Almost any place in tho Sahara desert one can find glass sticks or tubes from one to three feet in length, caused by lightning striking the pure sand and in¬ stantly converting it into that fragile substance. The La Plata was discovered by Juan Diaz de Solis in 1516, who took pos¬ session of the country for the crown of Spain. Buenos Ayres was founded by Don Pedro de Mendoza, who became governor in 1535. It is recorded that in the time of King William n. there occurred in England a wonderful shower of stars, which “seemed to fall like rain from heaven. An eye-witness seeing where an aerolite fell, cast water upon it, which was raised in steam with a great noise of boilinar.” One of the earliest accounts of star- showers is that which relates how, iu 472, the sky at Constantinople, Turkey, appeared to be alive with flying stars and meteors. In some Eastern annals we are told that in October, 1202, “the stars appeared like waves upon the sky. They flew about like grasshoppers, and were dispersed from left to right.” The “National Guard” was first or¬ ganized in Paris, France, in 1789 by the revolutionary Committee of Safety. There were 48,000 in Paris, 300,000 in France, and the whole were under La- foyette and carried the tricolor flag. In 1745 they were defeated aud broken up by Napoleou, were reorganized by him in 1814, dissolved by Charles X. in 1827, again reorganized in 1830, and again in 1831. They fell away from Louis Phil- lippe in 1848, were remodelled in 1852, served against the Germans in the war of 1870-71, and in the latter year a part of them took a share in the Communist struggle. Of late years steps have been taken to prevent the destruction of forests by fire in certain districts of India. This care has had one curious result. Cover and water, which vanished with the timber, have again become commou, and there has consequently been a large increase in the number of wild deer. In one sense it is fortunate that the deer have grown iu numbers with the tigers, for the latter have preyed upon them instead of upon cattle and human beings. When, how¬ ever, they shall have scared away the deer, or have become tired of venison, they will probably prowl around villages and play havoc with battle, besides kill¬ ing their man or two.