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Show One of the curiosities of Brazil is a tree whose wood and bark contain so much silica that they are used by potters. pot-ters. Both wood and bark are burned, and the ashes are pulverized and mixed in equal proportions with clay, producing produc-ing a very superior ware. The tree grows to a height of 100 feet but does not exceed a foot -'n diameter. The fresh bark cuts like sandstone, and when dried Is brittle and hard. Demorest Mag cine Pope Leo's Mistake. The pope is said to have made an awkward awk-ward and amusing mistake when Mr. J. G. S. Cox, editor of The Tablet, London, Lon-don, -was presented to him. Catching of the words of introduction only the announcement that his visitor was the editor of a celebrated English paper, the pope, with a radiant smile, said, "II Punch. " The pope is pardonable if lie doesn't read all the religious rjaners unit to the Vatican. Boston Transcript A UTaid of All Work Adjective, I inquired of the head mistress of girls' school why she eo frequently made use of the adjective "nice. " She replied, "Because It is such a useful maid of all work adjective and saves one tho trouble trou-ble of thinking !" 'Then you teach your girls to be inaccurate?" "I don't think it is being inaccurate The word in most cases expresses my meaning better than any other. ' ' A relative of mine reproved one of her nieces for her liberal use of "awfully jolly." The young lady replied: re-plied: "Oh aunt, do not deprive me of that awfully jolly expression If I were deprived of it, I shouldn't know what to say." The frequent use of tho expletive "you know" was justified to me on the ground that it keeps the listener's attention at-tention awake The fashionable novel presses into its service these flowers of speech. In Mr. Norris' "Countess Radna" a young gentleman gen-tleman thus addresses a young lady, "I'm so awfully sorry that you arf going to desert us. " "I'm awfully sor ry to have to go," replied tho girl com posedly, "and my parents will be awfully aw-fully 60rry to see me " Of this young lady's two lovers the author himself declares in the same chapter (24; that one was much "nicer" than the other. In chapter 37 the nicer one, in declining an invitation, says, "Thanks awfully, but" I'm afraid J an't, Notei and Queries. |