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Show i & Moccasin Snake Is One of the Most Vicious sent it as an encroachment upon their rights and no amount of shooting or "When It comes to downright among snakes, said a man from Arkansas, I will put the water moccasin agalLst every other kind ol snake on earth. I was reading a story about the snakes of Martinique, and it seems that they are afflicted on the is land with a rather bad brand of makes, snakes that really go around lookirg for trouble. 1 could not help thinking that the Martinique reptile must be related in some way to the vicious water moccasin which Is to bo found in the St. Francis basin, up in Arkansas. They arc savage, and what Is worse and more of It,' they seem to have organized for offensive and defensive purposes. There are millions upon millions of these et akes in the basin of the St. Francis river between the Sunk 1 ands and the mouth of the river, a few miles above Helena. I have seen the lakes alive with them. I have known of Instances where it would be impossible for a farm hand to water his horses after his days work on account of the snakes. The makes fed In the edges of the lake durirg the evening, and as soon as an effort would be made to water the horse at a certain place they would make a charge on that particular place, wriggling In from the lake In great numbers. They seemed to re chunking would drive them away. They would simply choke the drinking place. I have seen this same thing Lappen a number of times. Of course, it would be necessary to take the horse elsewhere for watering purposes. They are exeremely poisonous, and I l ave heard of many instances where the moecasin bite killed animals. Dogs in that part of the rountry frequently die as the result of being bitten by a water moccasin. They are not bad about running away when they are in flock. In fact, tae running bad better be on the other side If It happens to be either rear the beginning or at the end of the snake season, for they really seem to be more vicious and more petulant, if I may say it, at the extremes of the season than at other times. I suppose thero Is some natural reason for the fact. At any rate, it la a fact. Coming back to the point I will put the particular brand of Arkansas water moccasin to which I have icferred against anything In the reptilian line to be found In Martinique, or in any other place, for that matter, for I really believe they are the most desperately vicious snakes on the face of the earth. New Orleans i Timcs-Dcmocra- t. soft-voice- d tremor, said: ; If yon move as do. will Is, you probably ill explode It There, quite still, that know, the moat terrible medium of destruction ever perfected. It Is Ignited by a fuse of mercury. See, here in the handle of my cane la the fulminating cap. Don't look round. If anyone cornea in, say you will be busy for half an hour. Thank you. There was a knock at the door. Cheever looked an Inquiry at Trefny. Say what I told you or not, as you please, said the latter, quietly. Not In for thirty minutes, said Cheever. Now, to resume. I have here, taking from his inside pocket a check, an ordinary check on the Plaza Bank, your rival, you know. It is made payable to me, James Trefny. It la signed lets see oh, yes. It is signed Homer O. Dunlevy, and calls for $50,000. You see, turning over the slip of paper, 1 have Indorsed It In form. Now, my business with you Is this: you must call a dollar hills, get them and hand them clerk, tell him to fetch fifty over to me. I need hardly tell you that my name, James Trefny,' Is wholly mythical. This cane, loaded with Instant death for all of us, is the only argument 1 have. See, my finger is just above the disk. The first sign, word or motion you make to betray me down it comes. Now get the money. Ramon, Ramon, called the banker, without moving. And to the suave clerk who came in he said: Bring $50,000 at once for this check, and I want all the large hills, a thousand each if possible, Interrupted Trefny, smiling blandly. The clerk disappeared bowing, came hack with the money, laid It before Cheever and departed. Trefny reached across the table, picked up the money. stick la filled with Mr. Cheever, this walking Nltro-cotto- Strange Chance Proves the World Is Not So Vast I have a cousin in America. No doubt you have mot him. lie lives in Topeka, Kan. Few are the voyagers to the other tide who have not bumped against some auch assertion and then fallen under suspicion of being themselves unknown, since the provincial mind of the foreigner cannot realize that the Western hemisphere is slightly larger than a parish in Kent And this, apropos of the fact that some years ago a certain New York man who happens to be a "mighty hunter before the Lord, journeyed to British Columbia In search of big game. While sojourning at Winnipeg he expressed a desire to bag eome caribou and a friend who knew the country thoroughly advised him to go to Wauhagun, a station on a branch of the Northern Pacific. There la nothing but a water tank there, said his friend, and only one man Ip the whole section, a enob XiiOhj after ulti t&okj but nuiliiaA he Is a superb guide, and as he has only one train a day to watch out for he will give you all the sport you want" The New Yorker went, won the Worthington Cheever, the president of the Banco del Prado of Bogota, was sitting In his private office slicing open hla private mall. Moat of it was from New York, for Mr. Cheever was an old Broadway beau, and many a pink and pale blue envelope, exhaling dainty perfumea, bad found him In hit strange environments In South America. Senor James Trefny of New York would wish that he may apeak with office boy In dulcet Spanish accents. you, senor, said the Thank you, Emilio. Show the gentleman In, said President Cheever. The young man who came In was perfectly attired in well fitting flannels. In the pale buff stock about hla neck was a fine gold scarf pin set with diamonds. Upon bis finger a splendid solitaire sparkled in a heavy gold band Cheever liked his looks and showed hla welcome in a frank smile and a hearty handshake. But he had reasons to quickly change this first favorable Impression, for Mr. Trefny of New York, sitting calmly beside him and speaking In measured, clear tones in which there waa not a suggestion of a re-- card of the hermit, and slew caribou by the score. LaBt Bummer he was In Scotland, and while roaming over the moors one cay lost his way. At length he eBpled a little cottage, and making for it inquired for directions and asked if he could not be accommodated with a something to eat. His hostess, motherly Scotch body, at once set about getting him a snack, and, like all rustics, during the course of her preparations deluged him with questions. "An so yere frae America, ye say? Bhe finally interjected. Happen ye ken my son, Sandy McNeil? He's been over there mony a year." I think not, replied, the visitor, You see America is a very wearily. large place. Where does your son reside? "At Wauhagun water tankVrenlled . nltro-cotton- n d tb Strange frean of chance! A habitue of Fifth avenuo was made the link of communication between the lonely mother and her equally lonely son, separated from each other by half the al8tance around the globe. Biblical Writings in ' Old Turkish Mosque Some very Interesting manuscripts have been discovered in the vault of the mosque, in Damascus. Relying on an ancient tradition, which said that Important documents relating to the early Christians were Btored there, certain Biblical scholars requested the sultan to let them search the vault, and after considering the matter for a year and being assured by oriental scholars that there were no ancient documents In the vault relating to the Mahometan creed, he finally gave his consent. As a result a thorough search was recently made and many vaiuaLlo manuscripts were found. These were taken to Constantinople, and an examination showed that among them were several fragments of the Old and New Testament in the ancient Syralc tongue, as well as portions of a translation of the Old and New Testament in that Syrair dialect which v.as spoken in Palestine in ancient times. Jaiul-and-K'ba- Among the latter was a translation of some of tl.c epistles of SL Paul, the existence of which was unknown to scholars, and which is of great value, as the dialect in which it Is written was spoken during the life of Christ. Among other treasures discovered were fragments of the Pentateuch, In the Samaritan tongue, an Arabic translation of the 7Sth seventy-sevepages of a hitherto unknown commentary in the old Syralc tongue, and several psalms and eleven pages of the Pentateuch, written In Greek, and dating hack to the 11th century. Ilaron Marsrhnll, the German ambassador to Turkey, has shown much interest in this discovery, and it Is said that the sultan has granted him permission ( send the manuscripts in Hi Kin. with the nbjert of having them (ar-.- j'Iy examined by the best hiViral scholars in Europe. Stray Stories. r bed and can't Then 1 get up ur.d take n pood dram of corn ; to lied, and if sleep Why Insomnia Had No Terror for the whisky, l jo doe.-- n t n .m I Lats Senator Vance. get up and During the lar-- t term of the late Sen- take another dram. I go bark to bed. ator Zeb" Vance of North Carolina a and then, if I see that sleep is still bnekvard pV.ut riming to me, I'll get man noted at Use capital and throughout the South ns a wit, li? was met up and t u ' a e,,i at big dram. And walking down Pennsylvania avenue do yen know, Mu.kiii Pope, after I've about 2 o'clock one winter morning by bad li'.e or six I'.nuis of eorn whisky, I don't care a rap if I never go to Maj. E. P.. Pope. a senatorial Scenting poker party sleep. somewhere or cli-- a late supper at Chamberlin's, Maj. Pope, with leigneJ Best Methods of Cooking. seriousness, said: Boiling nvat ii less wasteful than Good inoming. Senator, bn't it a baking and baking less wasteful than little early fur you to be taking a roasting. stroll? No, Fall, drawled the Senator, with 11 faiii Dentists Are Philanthropic. Sirilh'Ta dlyuiy, "It is very Fwedirii dentist? have subscribed Usual for me to walk about WuMiing-tofor the pratuitoiM di:-- i rilin' !i n In their at thi- - liour. :1 which Is to ln-- i i on:. try of a Ah, I ree," rr;.dl Maj. Pi ;o. backid n nicaie I ii .is "insi liin'n. fir ;:.r.ilng the care wiie. ing waif.1, tn !i. ot' thi know how ii i - v. i1'.' Mai" mr.1.. i ," M.ijrh I long l.fM v.,.,,:.i! i: um'.a. It ll i ; s ; hew easy it FcrmS I Is quite trio t!: i( n:. ;o to (o ?'. to :.1 '.i.i: '!ii ducMi'C want. AS GOOD AS SLEEP. bn-!- imtm-dir.tel- : e n 1 1 f I ! I i FAILED ONCE He Tried to Be a Horseshoer, but the Horse Objected and He Quit. Even a great man has to choose his trade, lie cant succeed at any old thing," a horseshoer told an outsider at the recent Philadelphia convention of the trade. "A genius In the Iroa trade once tried mine and gave It up after one attempt M. You've heard of Charles Schwab, the steel magnate who is building a palace for himself in New York with a few of his millions. Well, he tried to shoe a horse once and couldn't do it. It was when he was a ycung man just about old enough to earn his own living. lie used to take his fathers horse to the shop of Pat Moran, the horseshoer In Loretto village, to be shod. Time and .fme again he asked Pat to let him nail on a shoe, lie seemed to like the business. Ah, g'wan,' Pat would tell him. Yer can't shoe yerself. Yer daddy hat to do It fer yer. "But young Schwab stuck to It and finally one day the smith let him try it. And he bungled It so that after a while the patient horse landed out with hla foot and away went the youngster to the other side of the smithy. I guess I can never learn horseshoeing, he said when he picked himself up. He never tried again, but took up a trade of which he could make himself the master. He calls to see Moran whenever he goes home to Loretto now, and they talk about how a promising recruit to the trade gave it up. "Well, he couldn't shoe a horse, whatever else hes able to do,' the blacksmith says when he hears about another of Mr. Schwab's successes. THE FOR NEXT GENTLEMAN Street Gamina Fellow Feeling for Those In Distress. An amusing Incident was witnessed in a cigar store on Chestnut street the other afternoon. A newsboy, having picked up a cigar stump, walked in and, addressing the man behind the counter, said: "Say, The man beboss, give us a match. hind the counter, looking down, said: "My young friend, we are net here for the purpose of giving away matches; ' we sell them. "How much are dey? was the question. One cent a box. the clerk announced. The urchin stuck his hand Into his pocket and produced, after a great deal of hunting, a penny and handed It to the man. He received his box of matches, and, taking one out, lit the butt Returning the box to the man back of the case, he said: Say, put dls hack on do shelf, and when a gentleman comes along and asks yon for a match, why, Philagive him one out of my box. delphia Times. t Wrong Environment. Louis Evan Shipman, the novelist and playwright, when In Philadelphia a fortnight ago, looking after his interests In Actor Harketts performances of The Crisis told of an aged negross who, visiting in a strange strolled into a Episcopal church tl.rL had a "Strangers Welcome placard displayed at the door. She was a good Zionist, and very regular and devout with recard to the services in her own church at home. The responsive reading and the frequent Amens interested her and, in time, made her very fervid; and she began to punctuate the service with lusty HalleluShe attracted attention, and jahs. was approached by the sexton, finally who said: Madam, you cannot carry on that way here. But Ise got religion!" she explained, ecstatically. That may be so, answered the sexton, hut madam, this is no place to show it. tri, n f 8CHWAB M. MR.CHEEVER,THIS WALKING-STIC- K IS FILLED WITH NITRO-COTTO- counted It, placed it in his Inside pocket, waved his terrible cane as in a salute and said: "Thank you. I want hut ten minutes to catch my train. If you pursue me within that time. I'll come hack and wreck the bank as a mere matter of protest. Adlos, senor. And lie was gone. Of rourae Cheever had sent a messenger to the police inside of two minutes. They searched the town and about an hour later, found the robber, slippered and at ease over his cigarette and high hall in his sumptuous room at the Hotel del Orinoco. As none of his raptorB could speak English, and only Cheever was there to complete his identification, a messenger was dispatched for the magistrate, who presently arrived to begin an inquiry. When the court was thus installed, and the prisoner put under oath, this odd criminal explained matters thus: In the first place, gentlemen, especially you, Mr. Cheever. put yourselves at ease nbout that cane. It's quite harmless even in my hands. It's a sword cane. Now, my name is Homer O. Dunlevy of New York, ami 1 robbed the Banco del Prado don't laugh, gentlemen just to test my persona courage." Put on the manacles, ordered the magistrate, gathering courage after a hesitating glance at the walking stick. But, 1 protest!" cried Trefny, looking quite pained as ho saw the fierce I protest. Mr. Cheever. Don't you understand? glances of Cheever. Understand! The devil! Of course 1 don't understand anything but that " you forced mo to pny you $50.(100 on a worthless Why, my dear "Check? Interrupted Trefny, or Dunlevy, ns lm claimed. tro-to cash It? Of course you sir, that cheek is as ps'il ns gold. Have you haven't. I might have known you wire too excited to think of that. Hut, before I explain any further, would you. Mr. Clwever, tind you. senor, to the wondering magNtrate, would you mind taking my rheck over In the Plaza Bank? It will in :id fini! n ndily. on my word. AM yo;f have to do is endorse h iters of i redit. nre more than o:n.!:'li to cover It. I'll :n-1L Sly but over iMl'ius w:irri r: o tl.e polioo." wait her" with il.e-j- pha-n-i wcr.t away togol! r. Wl.i n they returned la i: l;::f ver Che lie t'n y -- e.e s.i.i!!::;; audibly. The flier's was good! .I.i- u 11. Itaf'.cry ten : :?.! !. la Ctir.Tio ilep-'sl- i l n- V- - .1 : I Fagged Out. (Thin poem in an Imitation of Paul Kh-ter'-s I Want to Go Home." Too tirod to originate. Author's Note.) I want to let an. To drop the whole thing. The worries. the frets. The Furrows, the Finn; Just to let mykelf down On the lied or the ground Anywhere, no It's down And let myself go. And the folks? I dont care; And my business? The same. Hell and heaven? Too tired. I want to forget, And don't want to I want to forget. And I don't want to think; Just to let down my nerves. Just to smooth out my hruln, Just to sleep. And Unit's all. sny-Wha- t , Please leave me alone With your pillows and things; 'Tlsn't that that I wont, Nor a doctor, nor folks. I Just want to let go. Oh, 1 wont to let go. Amos It. Wells In Lipplncott's Mags sine. ' Editress Complimented. has been no deterioration In (ho Emporia Gazette fIiico William Mien White went to Malm and left Mrs. Whito to get out the paper. Kansas City Star. |