Evening Star Newspaper, February 27, 1897, Page 21

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 927, 1897-24 PAGES. MODERN ARMY RIFLES - Do They Violate the Terms of the Geneva Convention? WHAT EXPERIMENTS HAVE SHOWN Effect of the High Velocity Bullet on Metals and Fluids. - FACTIN [Ww PHYSICS meetings of the in-| s which met at Geneva, deciding | urpese of rules for the relief ot| les it was tacitly i ontracting nations | not to be used | -velopments in Nets were Late firearms Jicate that the spirit 4f not the of the coavention is being | violated r have the violators gone | “around Robin Hceod’s barn” to accom plish their purpo It is the result of or rather, of a development in We have simply found that we were not as well acquainted with the rule | or inertia or momentum as we thought we were. eva convention or not, if any civilized country were to put dynamite or other explesive ¢ nd into its bullets all the ountries would rise up in c inst the pra tice. Yet are now using EFFECT OF BULLET FROM OLD TIME RIFLE, 21 the explosive effects of bullets were no- ticed. Some anatomical specimens were placed in a convenient position to be shot at. They were wrapped In sheets, so as to give the effect of wearitig apparel. The tissues were made as lifelike as possible by the injection of fluids, particularly the in- jection of blood into the blood vessels. Bul- lets were fired at various distances up to 2.000 meters. Even at this distance, with the bullet traveling at the rate of 170 me- ters a second, the explosive effect was no- ticeable, while at a shorter range the lat- eral disruption was very great. Experts in Doubt as to th se. The reason for this explosive effect in wounds produced by bullets of high veloci- ty has not been clearly explained. Even Major A. C. Girard, one of the foremost surgeons in the United States army, is at a loss to explain It. He says concerning It: “The centrifugal action assumed to be pro- duced by the rotation ef the bullet has been believed to be the cause of expiosive action. Unfortunately for this theory, this effect was observed with round balls propelled frem smooih-bore guns whenever the veloc- ity reached a in degree. Another cir- cumstance tending to disprove this theory is that, although in the modern rifle the bullet_make: ») revolutions in a second, its velecity is such tnat in a flight of three feet, approximately, only four revolutions are accomplished, and it would, therefore. perform but a small part of one on striking the human be The fusion of the lead and the scattering in all directions of melten particles has been given as another explanation. Positive experiments, with careful thermometrie measurements, have shown that the bullet, while it is heated In its passage through the barrel of the rifle, never acquires the puint of fusion thereby. The theory had its origin from the observa- tion that the buliet, on striking iron plates or stones, be Seated to the point of fusion. This, is due to the sudden arrest of its energy and its transformation into heat under well-known physical laws. Such an arresi does not take place in the human body unless the velocity of the bul- let Is greatly reduced, when the transform- ation into heat is not sufficient to cause fusion, or even scorching.” The last number of the Journal of the EXPLOSIVE EFFECT OF BULLET ON’ SAME MATERIAL FROM MODERN RIFLE: guns the b plostve in their effect st of compour fact that t worse than t $ of which are quite as ex- though filled with Most remark- se bullets affect ey do any other Practices Which the Geneva Conve tion Prohibits. The Geneva convention prohibited tie “ * rifle bullet. This bullet was | er than the bullet of today. | = of soft lead, was holiow. | and had a small steel point. When this | struck a bone short while the lead, ng softer, able to go forward, spread aped funnel in ail direc- g a terrible wound. Pieces of © used in place of the steel point, the effect being to Lunch or “set up” | the lead behind, creating, so to speak, a | bullet a a_knob on tructive in its iifficult to extract. All this was and as such had a_ defini et upon it. But nearly every country now 3 rifles with a i ss of that of the while they have no e to increase the de- e bullet, they are yet in their effect on human joned above, this happens t of an unexpected develop- ment in ph It is found that when a bullet of very high velocity enters living tissue it pro- duces an explosive or lateral effect directly in proportion to the force of its flight. The Phenomenon may be said to resemble the dropping of a stone in a pool of water. The nues down to the bottom, but ings of for may be seen | of in ali directions. The more | substance, the greater the effect, | e Pi les of matter and hence the | waves of motion more easily communicate ; their force to one another. Thus a modern bullet x enter a man's body and make but a small-sized hole, yet the communi- cated shock would be terrible, shattering te organ in its way and ex-} tending in its immediate effect throughout the whole system, and proving fatal, if not | fn one part, then in another. Dynamite | could not be more deadly. Conclusive Experiments. Rocher of Berne, Switzerland, has made some very interesting ex- showing just how this explosive effect acts different substances. He caused to be set up targets made of glass soap, rosin, stone, meta! and d with various substances. At these and into these he fired bullets of high velocity. Now, in regard to glass plates. The man who remembers his nat- ural phil 1) you that a stone thrown th ld probably smash the pie while a bui- let would a smali, clean hole where it had ¢ rough, without otherwise | eshatte! these old-time tions are et at naught under the new A low velocity bullet shot through nis caused a p foration vf about the diameter of the bul let. A high velocity bullet made a s. from which rotated numberless fractures communicating and unicating with % g 4 = H i g made it erforation was much r of the bu s of weight in clear that the large holes we lateral compression due to the e effect. Most curious was the effect of high ex- plosive bullets on clay targets. After the bullets | i passed through, it was found that at the peint of entrance and of exit the hole was but little larger than the diameter of the bullet, but in the center @ cavity somewhat oval tn shape and fully as large as a man’s fist had been formed. The explosive effect of the bullet had thus expanded or, rather, compressed the clay outwardly in all directions as it passed through the mass. How terrible would be this lateral force when acting on the tis- @ues and fluids of the body. If the e ct on solids was startling, what shall be said of the effect on fluids? Tin cans, elther empty or filled with dry sub- stances, were fired through with the result of boring a small hole at the point of en- trance and exit and of compressing out- wardly the substance contained in the can, but when cans of fluid were perforated by high velocity bullets they burst in all di- rections, conclusively proving that the ex- Icsive effect is worse when opposed by \quids. In a recent experiment made by the German government the terrible results of Military Service Institution, which is pub- lished by the officers of Governor's Isiand, ves us a list of the high velocity rifles used by different countries. It is as fol- ria uses the Mannlicher and Por- Kropatsche ( m m); 1, cal. > Denmark the Krag-Jorgensen, : Germany, their Mann- 31 (7.9 m m); Belgium er, cal. E Lee-Metford, cal. Ergland, m):; Switzerland, the Schmidt Spain, the Mauser, cal. 283 ( the Ne ds and Roumania, the Mann- he (6.5 m m). : weight of these guns is eght pounds. The average length of the bullet is 30 mom. The velocity at 1,000 yards will average about 885 feet per sec- or Now with the small caliber and con- sequently the reduced weight of the car- tridge each soldier can carry a larger amount of ammunition than heretofore,, and as the Journal points out, the methods of replacing the ammunition expended by rapid firing will be so perfected in the fu- ture that troops within firing distance will hereafter have to meet a perfect hall of bullets. When the explosive effect of each of these bullets is considered we get some idea of what a battle of the future will be like. Some time ago reports of the ineffl- ney of small caliber, high velocity bul- were published, in which it was pointed that their perforating power was so great as to reduce their power of destru:- tion, the intention being to show that they would perforate a bone or tissue so quickly and so neatly as to cause hardly any wound at all. It is evident, however, that the otservations must have concerned “spent” bullets. For minus and explosive ‘ect. which ceases as the extreme range is reached, the effect of a wound would be exactly as recorded. It was noted by the surgeons of the Chitral campaign. New Horrors of War. In fact, the horrors of war increase In Prospect a3 time passes. It well need more than tacit agreements at peace conventions to overcome the future tendency to highly destructive ergines of war. The Maxim and other guns of a similar nature simply mean, if fired into an enemy's ranks, death and destruction ten thousand fold greater than was possible under the old system. But even these are surpassed by the pneu- matic dynamite gun in use in Cuba. This sun shoots dynamite shells, which ex- plode when che object aimed at is struck. Manifestly the gun itself could not be ex- ploded with powder, or the dynamite in the | shell would also explode as a result of sympathetic concussion. The Cuban gun is, therefore, operated by compressed air, which practically blows the shell to its destination. Extending in a coll under the | gun proper is a long compressed air tube. At the proper moment the air, acting | through the tube, impinges on the dynamite cartridge ard projects it to its destination. Quite a lengthy range is attained. Of course, such a firearm is in direct viola- tion of the articles of the Geneva conven- tion, inasmuch as the dynamite cartridge constitutes what is known as an explo- sive bullet. But as the Cubans had no part in the preceedings of the convention, und as the belligerency of the insurgents has not been recognized generally, the practice of this kind of warfare on the 1s- land 1s rendered paradoxically legitimate. is therefore an interesting question to sider, in case Cuban belligerency is ac- knowledged, whether the use of the dyna- mite gun would be permitted by other coun- Spain certainly could not resort to same tactics, inasmuch as she is a party to the convention. In fact, with the acquisition of new states, the changed conditton of firearms and the decidedly an- archistic methods of warfare which have been lately suggested, it Is the opinion of some prominent army officers that new articles will have to be added to the con- vention if it is to have any influence on the battles of the future. oe a The Mirror of Life. From an Exchange. Do you wish for kindness? Te kind. Do you long for truth? Be true. What you give of yourself, you fad Your world ts a reflex of you. Bear hate in your beart and erewhile All your worid with hatred will burn. Set love against love. Every deed ‘Shall ‘armed as a fate recall, You shail gather your fruit from the see@ ‘That you cast yourself 1n the soil. Mita ora at you y s SSS ToS Ao re wee taste of thelr dregs you shall kaow. BIRDS IN SPRING What the Feathered Songsters Do in March. ACTIVITY APTER THE WINTER Changing Their Costumes and Tuning Their Voices. SOME WELL-KNOWN VISITORS Se Se Written Exclusively for The Evening Star. ARCH 1S GENER- ally regarded as a month of blustering winds and fiying dust; and so much of this style of weather does it usu- ally offer that its reputation ts fairly well earned. But during the month there are always days that are thor- oughly vernal in character. Days that are calm, temperate and sunny, and that offer a bounteous return to those who utilize them in the search among rural Jo- ealities for signs of the growing season. To the dweller in the city who never leaves its precincts until driven out by the tor- ridity of the dog days, there is nothing that ‘tells of the reawakening of nature until the trees of the parks begin to don green robes. Hence to such March is mere- ly the last chapter of winter. But for the lover of nature, whose ardor draws him into her own domains whenever the de- mands of artificial life will permit, each day’s jaunt throughout the month is a page full of fresh happenings and signs that inform him of the rapid progress of the great change. Indeed, if he wait until the arrival of March he will find himself iate upon the scene; for the advance of the season is well under way by the Ist of that month. He will find that the concert of the birds has already begun, and that he has consequently missed the earliest num- bers on the program. Harbingers of Spring. He, of course, will be unable to record the beginnings of the concert; but one who has been present throughout could tell him of certain mild and sunny days early in Feb- ruary, or perhaps even in January, when meadowlarks, cardinals, tufted titmice, Carolina wrens, bluebirds, chickadees, juncos and field sparrows were giving to the world a slight foretaste of that flood of melody which was to fill the woods and fields of the fully developed springtime. Of how during the latter part of February the fox sparrows (those Titans of their race), tree sparrows and song sparrows added their voices to the chorus; and the nuthatches, spurred by the general rivalry, sounded their elfin trumpets in ecstatic bursts of notes in place of their us connected dual blasts. Of how the: blue jays, those rollicking cavaliers, had yield- ed to the softening influence about them to the extent of trolling occasional hoarse lays that suggested such love songs as the hardy Norse vikings might have uttered. Then, too, the March observer will tnd that be has missed many other beginnings of the spring. He will be too late to wit- ness the emergence from their wintry re- treats of the turtles, the spiders, the hold- over flies and the ants. He will, perhaps, be unable to record the hum of the earliest hone’ bee. The brooks will be filled with minnows which have risen from the depths ard holes to sport in the warmer stratum above, while on their surface water spiders will be skipping and sliding. ‘The minute searlet harvest mites will dot the fields, and the neighbochood of pools and runs will be musical with the fife and drum music of the young frogs. All this will have com- menced before his arrival. Appear in March. But in March there are many indications of the coming season. to be noted for the first time during the year by the attentive observer. Lizards, beetles and crickets make their first appearance during this month. Butterflies become _noticeabie, though one or two species may have pos- sibly appeared during the latter part of February, if the season be unusuaily early. Bats commence to zigzag through the dusk. An occasional snake will crawl out of his den to lie in the sun and thaw the torpidity out of his body. Grasshoppers may be seen here and there in the open fields: and in the dark pools and stagnant waters in the ccol, shady depths of low woods great masses of frog spawn lie glued to log or leaf, globules of jelly, each with a dark ck in the center, the embryo tadpole. ‘These globules are joined together, so that the entire mass may be transferred in a quivering lTump to a bucket or can in case you wish to take some of it to your home in order to observe the process of hatching out. It may be safely predicted, however, that such an action on your part, unless you are ex- perienced, will ultimately be the means of destruction to all the life that is contained in the jelly you remove. For the tadpoles when hatched are most voracious young- sters, and after they have eaten all the jelly which incased them before hatching, if you have not prepared for them the proper food and plenty of it, you will wake up one morning and find that famine has completely annihilated your entire colony. While you are securing your frog spawn. If after the caution here given you are not afraid of the responsibility attached to the action, it would be well to keep your eyes open for the Maryland yellow-throat frog (rana sylvatica). For it is in March that this handsome batrachian makes his debut for the year. His specific name, syl- vatica, intimates his habitat. From the same dark pools in the woods in which you find the spawn come his deep gutteral tones. He is only about the size of a tree frog, but his voice is so heavy that it might easily be mistaken for that of the bullfrog by a careless observer. His En- glish name is due to his resemblance in coloring to the Maryland yellow-throat, one of the members of the warbler family. that spends the summer with us, the neu- tral-tinted back and the rich yellow throat bordered on each side by a glossy black stripe being very suggestive of the appear- once of that dainty little ground-haunting ard. Birds and Their Coats. Among the birds March is of much mo- ment. To them it is not, as with us of the town, simply a gusty epilogue to winter or prologue to spring, to be endured with as much patience as surfeit of the former and longing for the latter will allow, but a period of activity and important changes. Almost all of them brush their clothes and make themselves spruce and tidy in prepa- ration for the contest of gallantry at hand. Among those birds that have remained with us all the winter the bluebird and goldfinch are particularly noticeable in this respect. The blue of the coat of the for- mer does not suffer by contrast with the sky itself, while the change in the gold- finch is so great as to suggest the thought that he has been wearing a dingy over- coat throughout the winter, which he now casts aside, revealing his handsome uni- form of gold, trimmed with black and white. So gay and debonair does he be- come, this little feathered Palmerite, that he makes the entire spring one careless holiday, and does not assume the duties and responsibilities of householder and head of a family until midsummer. Each of these birds may be readily known, not only by his striking costume, but by his characteristic call note. That of the blue- bird is a rich contralto and very loud, of- ten sounding hearse when the bird Is near. The goldfinch has no heed of any vocal corrective, classic or otherwise, for his voice is clear and sweet, and posscases what is called the magnetic quality to a striking degree. Perhaps there Is a touch of pathos in it that appeals to his audience. However that may be, he always has his hearers thoroughly en rapport with him. Whether it is the little yawning note or the short staccato phrase that accompanies his undulating flight, there is a touch of something there that at once enlists the fullest sympathy. Insecet Diet. Upon a dry, sunny day early in the month, when air is still, if you come upon a mixed flock of small birds you will see individuals darting up a few feet into the air,’ futtering there a moment and then returning to their perches: You might imagine that the birds were celebrating some high feast with peculiar ceremonies. A feast it is, but not a ceremonious one, as an inspection with your,field glasses. will show. They are feeding on the inse> with which the air is filled, and a most attractive change of diéf it Qffords them from the dry food of winter. It is a rather solemn occasion, though; for-the insects. ‘Their enjoyment of the mild air and sun- shine is cut off in its 'geipleficy. What a satisfactory provision’ of‘nature {it ‘would be did animal life require for its suste- nance only those things In which life has run its course and become extinct! The ne- cessity for the destruction ofjlife to sus- tain other lives seems the sternest, hardest law of nature. Vegetable life. is less ex- acting; it can be supported by substances which are the cast-off vestments of lives that continued to their natural limits. Most of the insect-catching birds of this period are song sparrows. Not’ because they are fonder of fresh meat or more en- terprising than their fellows, but because they have by this time become the most numerous, the large number spending the winter being greatiy augmented by replei ishn.ent from the south. The juncos have meantime become fewer, while the tree sparrows are greatly reduced in number. The latter have further to go and so make an earlier start for their northern homes. By the end of the first or secend week in April they have all gone and their clink- ing notes will no more be heard until they return in autumn. Juncos maybe obser ed for a fortnight later. Of the fox spar- rows some few remain all winter, but most of those with us during March“have come from the south. By the first of April they have all passed througn. Great, heavy sparrows they are, near!y twice as large as any other members of the family that are found here, and marked with large splashes of reddish brown and black. Their backs are redder than those of any of their cousins. They keep to the ground in shelter of bushes, usually those margin- ing a stream, where they scratch among the leaves like chickens and chewink: Their song, which may be heard through ont the month, is a fine specimen of pas- serine melody. White-Throated Sparrows. Similarly augmented is the small band of white-throated sparrows that is here through the winter. This bird is easily distinguishable from his relations by his white chin and the longitudinal white stripes on his head. But the ear is a bet- ter guide to his identity than the eye, for he has the quaintest and most distinctive song of them all. His voice is very high in pitch and is plaintive and tremulous in tone; and he sings a song consisting of two or three long notes fotlowed by sev- eral triplets, thus: epee eee eeet The style of this phrase is seldom dif- ferent, hut the theme affords a founda- tion for innumerable variations, and white throat allows none of them to escape. If the word bedlam could be applied to any- thing so musica! and so pleasing, it would fitly describe the effect produced by a flock of white throats during, one of their vernal musicales. Toward the end of March the dude of the sparrow family makes his appearance upon the scene, the chipping sparrew, or chippy, as he is familiarly. known by his friends, and who that lives in the country, or in smaller towns not yet monopolized by the English hordes, is rot a friend to chippy? Always as spruce and neat as though be had just ived from his tailor's, and so sociable that he will place his nest by choi in the vine over the porch or the rose bush on the lawn, and will, with a little encouragement, perch. on the porch rail beside which you are sitting, or even on your shoulder, it is not strange that his brownish-red cap and buish-gray waist- hould be a welcome sight, and the ion of bell-like high C’g sometimes ning into a trill, which. by courtesy we his song, a pleasant sound to those who know him The Flicker. ‘The flicker's song is; like chippy’s, a repetition of high notes cf one pitch, but how different is it from, ¢hippy’s monoto- nous performance. Heard, as. it usually is, from a wood- nearby, it falls on the ear like the pedal notes of an organ. 1 know of no more inspiring séund in na- ture. It is the formal ‘gnnoyncement of the official herald that’ spring is ‘here. “Flicker” is one of the’ thirty-six’ names given to this large woodpecker. AS he flies away from you he suggests the cot- ton-tail rabbit, owing to the bit of white that gleams out amidst the dingy light brown. He is so Wary that he always presents himself at a disadvantage, for when you obtain a close inspection of him face to face (and vou cannot do this wita his consent) you find that he is not at all the dull-looking fellow you imagined from the hasty rear views you have obtained, but is quite gaily dressed, yellow, scarlet, wine color and black being conspicuous among the colors he wears. A Professional Insect Catcher. The catching of insects by sparrows and others in the first part of March is awk- ward and comical. They are not used to the business and make but sorry figures at it. But when the phoebe arrives, which is about the same time, you will, if you Watch him, have a chance to compare their amateurish efforts with the professional skill and ease with which he pursues the game. He is the pot-hunter, to whom suc- cess means daily living, and failure, star- vation. Every click of his mandibles is the knell of a winged insect. His gun never misses fire and his aim is deadly. How he must smile inwardly when he wit- nesses the rambling and often futile ex- cursions of these dabsters of early spring after the elusive morsels for which their mcuths are watering! But when it comes to celebrating their victories with song they have their revenge. Phoebe's note is a silvery enunciation of his own name with the accent usually on the last sylla- ble, and never rises to the dignity of a sorg. Still, as with every sound that an- nounces a ‘new arrival in the spring, it Is very pleasant to hear and appears quite smooth and mellow after the hoarser imi- tations of it that chickadee has been giv- ing us for a month or two previous. The King Fisher. Phoebe, like chippy, enjoys human s0- ciety, and attaches his dainty nest, all siuccoed with lichens, to the rafters- of barns or other buildings. He is ready to take full advantage of the improvements that accompany civilization. But the king- fisher, who also arrives during this month, disdains the effete products of social evo- lution and lives in the manner and locall- ties of his primitive ancestors. By the side of streams, rivers and ponds you will find him springing his Watchman’s rattle from the limb of a tree on the bank or plying his ancient occupation of fisherman in the ur disturbed ‘solitudes. ' ‘To look at him one might imagine from his high collar and pempadour hair that ‘he was not ofily up to date, but even extreme in his following of the fashions; but it must’ be remember- ed that fashion is a wheel and his is 9 style of many revolutions back. It is during March that the crow black- birds begin to darken thé air above us with their immense swarms, or settling dewn for a short call upon ug in suburbs or parks, fill the air with’ noigé of such a character that a blind man who happened in their vicinity might imagine himself in some pleasant resort, where score or more of rusty tron swings were all in ac- tive use. With them come large companies of robins: though so many robins winter in this locality that they: are catalogued as permanent residents of,JWashington and vicinity. By far the greatest number, now- ever, are merely transitory+ visitors in spring and autumn, those that are to be seen in winter or in summer ‘being insig- nificantly few compared withthe passing aut 96 Spring Flowers. And what of the flowerg?; The first blos- som of the year generally m@kes its ap- pearance early in February. The skunk- cabbage, and it deserves both names, opens the little yellow flowers it guards within its purple or variegated spathe oftentimes: be- tween snowfalls. During March it 1s ex- panding its immense leaves, which follow the flower, though the flower itself may also be found in its swampy woods for..a week or two after the month opens. The hepatica, or liverwort, unfuris its fuazy sprout and floats its blue banner up- on ne LEE at any time from the 1st of ‘ebruary to the Ist of April, according, t Beeipenteercty furard aes of 5 ever, pret! SES dy retreats in’ the taal ys 0! ie mon’ Several ot! . flowers may be gathered. bee ‘The small white flowers of the early saxi- frage, with its sticky stem,.which erects itself from, the little rosette of leaves at its base, begin to line the woodland streams. In the: shelter of low-woods the first blos~ soms of the claytonia, or spring beauty, with their streaks of pink, give promise of that carpet which they will form early in April, while on the hills nearby the large but fugacious white petals of the blood- root expand. Very rarely specimens of this plant may be obtained in which the petals are pink, but these are botanical prizes. The early everlasting, which the novice will scarcely distinguish from the frowsy heads of some of last summer's flowers, also in- habits woodland. And the periwinkle, often incorrectly called myrtle, prefers a shady place for its light blue or white blossoms. But the houstonias (bluets) and wild pansies are not afraid of the sun, found out in the open as well as in pro- tected places. (The wild pansy is a small, leafy-stemmed, pale-petaled flower, and should not be confused with the bird-foot violet, a large, showy bloom of April.) And the open fields and pastures are covered by | the minute, almost microscopic, blossoms of | the whitlow grass, which, small as it is— and you might easily pass over a meadow filled with it, treading it under your feet, without being aware of its presence—yet scorns to seek shelter and nurture from the trees. i Lastly, the end of March witnesses the beginning of the blooming of the trees. The sassafras turns yellow, the swamp maple re@, while willows, poplars, birches and alders are decorated with drooping tassels of various shades and sizes. "These are some of the signs and indica- tions which March offers to the rural ram- bler who chooses to read what Nature has written, and it does not seem rash to con- clude that the month is truly a spring month, whether, as last year, she is dom- inated’ by northwest gales and blustering snows, or whether she is truly lamblike throughout her entire career. is HENRY OLDYS. A BOY HERO. His Legs Wooden Ones, but He Trav- eled Far and Fast to Save Lives. From the Sandy Signal. Not far from the Virginia line lives a two-thirds youth, for, unfortunately, both of his lower limbs are artificial, who has to his credit an act of heroism which should make him a loved lad as long as the memory of those who know him lasts. It is little crippled Tim Oliny whose home is away up in the mountains, tnirty-five miles from everywhere, as a book agent once said of that part of the country. This bit of a boy about three weeks ago heard that forest fires were sweeping everything that would burn before them along the Virginia side of the mountains. One afternoon he climbed through the snow to the top of the mountain, one cf the steepest of the Cimberland. and took a view of the fire-swept country below him. He was surprised to find the fire so fierce, and as he watched ‘Tim saw that the red tongues were creep.nz on toward a ttle log cabin in which lived two oid and helpless women, the Ober sisters, and their blind and crippied brother, who is one of the oldest men over on the otner side. The lad realized that the house was a long ways from any other farm ionse, and knew that the peope in the humble cot would find themselves powerless if they were left in the cabin until the fire got to their home. Without thinking of how much suffering it meant to his poor aching limbs, Tim started down the rugged hillside on his perilous journey of heroism. He had a race with the fire and twice fell from ex- haustion and almost paired of saving the old folks. But his indomitable cour- age never flagged, and he kept going. He reached the old homestead just as the prairie fire was attacking the old frame crib. He hurried into the house and in- formed the old and thoroughly frigatened people of their danger. It only took him a few minutes to hitch the horse to the sled, and the old man was helped en to this. The four drove on to shelter at the nearest neighbor's, leaving the fire to do its worst. The home of the old people was partly burned during the nyat, but the boy had gotten some of the neighbors to go and fight the fire, and they were able to save most of the contents cf the house. ‘The modest-looking lad has never recov- ered fiom the injuries he sustained in making the awful trip, but he is very proud of the deed. The old people will neyer cease to love and contribute to the boy’s support out of their limited racans, —<+e--____ Strategy Behind the Counter. From the Detroit Free Tress, The woman was one of those nightmares of busy clerks—a professional shopper—and she had the man at the dress goods counter take down half his stock for her examina- tion, and, after consuming nearly an hour of his time, she decided that nothing suit- ed her exactly, and rose to leave. The proprietor of the store was standing in the door, as was his custom, and he always accosted the customers as they came out to see if they had found what they desired. If a clerk had failed to make a sale he generally heard from it as soon as the customer left. This particular clerk was in line for the chief place in his de- partment, and he wanted it. He knew that if the proprietor should find out from the woman that her wants had not been sup- Plied it would not be greatly to his credit, so he said: “Madam, do you see that man standing in the door?” “Well, if he should speak to you as you go out don’t be alarmed. He is a lunatic, but, being a relative of the owner of the store, he is allowed a great deal of liberty, as he is dangerous only at times.” The woman gathered her handkerchief and umbrella and started for the door, looking a little nervous. When she was about to pass out the proprietor turned to her suddenly and said: “Madam, did you get what you wanted?” The woman uttered a frightened squeak, swung her umbrella at a parry, skipped out the dvor and fled up the street three cr four doors before she slowed down to a fast walk. The proprietor, filled with surprise, went back to the dress goods counter and said: “What in the world was the matter with that lady who just went out?” “I'd like to know myself,” said the clerk. “She acted very queerly while she was back here. I really think she must be crazy.” 2 And the proprietor evidently thought so himself, for he said no more about it. ——_-+e- Her Preference. From Harper's Bazar. Maud—“Which style do you prefer in the opera, German, Italian or French?” Ethel—“Oh, French, by all means. There was 8 lovely one in front of me last week, green velvet with black and white ostricn Up combineé with lace and pink roses.” “There is one thing about Wagner,” said the erthusiastic opera goer. “If he had nothing else, he'd be great for that.” *‘What js it?” asked his companion. “The' girl next you can’t hum ‘Siegfried’ while De Reszke is singing it.” ~ —Harper’s Bazar. and may be; | | A wealth of facts re- garding local the govern- ment, statistics on the District’s educa- tional, financial, chari- table and commercial institutions, etc., all find ex- tended space in this handy little volume. | HAS LUCK. An Innocent Repo Makes 2 Good Haul Out of the ‘alled Tape Game. From the St. Louis Republic. A reporter recently wandered into the dangerous confines of a view to writing up the gam eral simoleons aboyt his person and more than several drinks under his belt, and didn’t care whether school kept in or not. There were four stocks on the board, “Skin 'em,” “Dead Cinch,” “Fake” and “Bunco.” The last named was nearest to the door, and that fact, together with the appropriate ring of the name, caught the reporter’s fancy and appealed to his specu- lative proclivities. So he walked up to the ticket window and modestly ejaculated: “Gimme five shares Bunco.”” The clerk, who didn’t like to see a new customer blow himself in such sudden fash- ion, remarked: “Bunco is now 517 and has been steadily advancing for ten minutes.” The inference, plain to anybody but a fool reporter, was that Bunco was due to go down immediately, if not sooner, with a dull, sickening thud. But the fool reporter felt too gay to take any sound advice and remarked: “Gimme five shares Bunco.”” Seeing that the fresh guy insisted on burning up his money, the clerk took his $ and gave him a ticket, certifying that bearer had purchased five shares of Bunco at 517, and that If the same should touch 516, the bearer would be out in the cold eating snowballs. The reporter took the ticket, himself into a convenient seat asleep. Strange to say, notwithstanding the fact that everybody but the fool reporter was playing Bunco to go down, Bunco persisted in going up; 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523. 524, 525 were successively recorded on the tape, and still the reporter slept. A half He had sev- plumped and fell to wake him, but "twas no use. He appear- ed to be drugged. “Bunco, 526,” said the ticker, and still the reporter sl “Bunco, was the next tick, and everybody went wild, but the fool reporter only opened his eyes to look dreamily at the board and then relapsed into a coma- tose condition. “Bunco, * That woke the reporter like an electric shock, and caused him to rush to the cashier's window and hand in his ticket. He got $45.85 in cold cash and then languidly disappeared through a side door. And now the idiots who habitually buck the tape game are wondering where the reporter got his tip. — + e+ ____ All Need Revision Now. From tke Chicago Port. The man with the protruding jaw threw down his newspaper and turned with ashen face to the man with the striped shirt. “We'll have to revise the terms of my challenge to the work he said. “What's the matter with it?” demanded the man with the striped shirt. “Why, we'll ‘have to make it read that I am prepared to fight anywhere except in Nevada.” “But Nevada seems to be the only state where you can fight now,” protested the man in the striped shirt. “Yes; that's just the trouble,” returned the man with the protruding jaw. ——__+e-+___ Well-Founded Grievance. From the Chicago Tribune. “You have ruined my reputation‘as a lit- erary man, sir!” exclaimed the frantic call- er. “How?” asked the astonished Sunday edi- tor “That story of mine you published yes- terday was a story with a surprise at the end of it. I had it worked carefully up to a climax and the reader was to be kept in utter ignorance of the denouement until he reached the closing ,aragraph. You gave away the whole blamed business in the headlines you put over i And with a howl of despair the ruined lit- erary man rushed out of the office. Pe a PAN ape joint, with a | THE EVENING STAR ALMANAC. i dozen men who were onto his trade tried | The most valuable Handbook obtainable office It subject for the and library. covers briefly Chap- every and intelligently, ter after chapter of needed information, found nowhere else, makes it doubly attractive. Cents a Copy. For sale at the counting room of the Evening Star and by all newsdealers. And That He Was Caused the Spi ster to Ask an Awkward Ques From the Chic ‘Tribu Jt was at a woman's luncheon, and t had been exchanging opinions in re the husband question, both as a who! with particulars. By was served the discus heated, and the ho: Was beginning te lock anxious. At the top of the table the woman ™ the chiffon vest and her com- panion in the fur-trimmed gown were at deggers drawn, “Well, I don’t care what any one says, my husband is as good as they make them,” said the woman in the chiffon dr excitedly. “He alway when I have a sick breakfast when t a@iways gets up in the cries!” She glared at the woman in fur-trimmed gown triumphantly, and in turn glared back and took up the par ble of speech. “Well, my husband,” she remarked, with a strong accent upon t “never does any of thos I shou be sorry to see him do any of them. I di test a man who sieps over into his wife’s province. But he always looks after th furnace, and I never have to worry about the coal bili.” The woman in the chiffon vest smiled disagreeably, and the hostess was about to interpose when the pretty woman at the foot of the table spoke up. kK is away, » night if the bal th “My husband does all the things you have mentioned. she said, sweetly, “and a lot more. When we have no girl he washes the dishes and swee; and I've never had to get dinner onc ce we been married. I always knew he w ing to be so lovely that wa ause said so little about it. I never had much faith in the men that talked so much. When we were first married we talke alout it, and he spoke beautifully. ‘I don’t say I'll always do it, Jennie,” he said, the first time I was without a girl; “but I'll al- ways help.” And he's been better than his werd right along. Last night he even made the porridge, so it would be ready for breakfast this morning, and every morn- ing he brings me a cup of coffee before I Bet up. With “the smiie of a conscious conqu she toyed with her menu card and smil sweetly at the angry woman at t end of the table. They were spe but the woman in the gold-rimmed gla: who sat in’ the middle, gave her a k look and smiled, too. “Something has got to be done for the protection of us poor spinsters,” she said, merrily, “and if anyone else telis a hus- band story I shall retaliate with a tale garding a wonderful cat which I p But, first, before we quit the sub, let me ask a question. How long.” turning to the pretty woman, “have you been mar- ried?” The pretty woman blushed vividly. “Nearly two weeks,” she stammered out timidly, and the other women laughed in the unfeeling manner they so often affect. —-- _— Vindicating Her Idea. From the Chicago Record. The vindication of an idea is a great thing. One of the teachers in the public school in Wells street was speaking to another a few days ago of the carelessness of pu- pils in certain directions and measures to be taken to cure them. “Why,” she said, “on one of the bitterest days of the early part of the week a ilttie boy came to school from his home, nearly a mile away, without an overcoat. The tem- perature had been at nearly 30 degrees be- low zero, and think of that child walking all that distance in such weather! It was terrible. I don’t see how he kept from perishing. He said he had forgotten to put it on.” “Forgot to put it o n't that silly! “I sent him right back home,” the teacher said the other. What did you do about it answered, with the firm conviction of who has faced en emergency and has quered. ———__+e+ Attacked by a: From the Denton Journal. Mr. A. T. Willoughby, who resides on the farm of Thomas A. Smith, near Ridgely, while returning from a visit to a neighbor Thursday, with heavy cane in hand, saw a large gray eagle sitting in a tree in the woods through which he was passing. As he approached the tree the huge nird, very much to the surprise of Mr. Willoughy, swooped down toward him with a velocity as swift as it was startling to the pedes- trian. Quickly realizing the danger of his position, Mr. Willoughby, by dodging, eluded the direct course of the bird, and at the same time struck at the eagle With the heavy stick he had in his hand, but the bird, with the agility of his kind, escaped the hurriedly-aimed blow, and immediately renewed his attack. Mr. Willoughby, with the danger to his life staring in his face, quickly met the half-starved bird, this time dealing him a blow upon the head so stun- ning that there was no further doubt us to the outcome of the battle. Mr. Willoughby carried the eagle to Ridgely yesterday morning, when it was found to measure six feet nine inches from tip to tip of wings, two feet ten inches from bill to end of tail. Six inches was the circumference of the head, while his immense talons were about two inches long. Mr. Willoughby considers his escape almost miraculous, and some say he still has a wild look in his eyes. Eagle. New Industries, Boston Teacher—“Name the products of