Evening Star Newspaper, February 12, 1898, Page 14

There is an embryo Rufus Choate in this city who is hunting with a gun for the person or persons who attempted to play a joke upon him recently. This young man is extremely careful about his dress, and some of his acquaintances are 89 grossly inelegant of speech as to say that he ts “stuck on himself.” a-? The young man has never eVinced a de- sire to be “up with the lark” in the morn- ing. In fact, he “prefers toywoo natur2’s sweet restorer while the janitor still dal- lies with the dust accumulations in the hallway and the hired girl wrestles with the festive buckwheat cake. The mail car- rier on this beat always puts in an appear- arce before the young man is up for the day. Now, the young man carries on an extensive correspondence, and he is too impatient of nature to wait till after break- fast to read his mail, so he invariably goes to the door in his pajamas. ‘A few afternoons ago there appeared on the side of the entrance to this young man’s apartments a placard which read: WANTED. writer. a o—________________o ‘The young man passed in and out of his veral times that afternoon, s too intent on other things to Notice the advertisement. Not so with a goodly number of Washington's handsome young ladies who wield a typewriter. The street is a muchly frequented one. Every little while that afternoon a young lady would stop long enough to read the card, firmly impress 8 o'clock on her mental tympanum and then move on. ‘Thursday morning came and 8 o'clock found the young lawyer stili in bed and dreaming of the time that he should some day be the chief justice of the United States. There also came the usual ring of the door bell. Again it rang. And again. “Blast the impatience of that postman,” the young man muttered as he jumped out of the warm bed. He took a reef in the cord that encircled the waist of his sleeping garment and opened the door. Was the postman there? Not much. But there ‘were instead about thirty as fine-looking young ladies as one would care to look upon. The young man took one sweeping giance at the group of fem- inine loveliness that confronted him ard the docr closed with a bang that could have been heard two blocks away. The young ladies were equally surprised, end they exhibited it by ejaculations of “on!” While the ycung-man was dressing rein- forcementts appeared on the outside. The rest of the day he devoted to explaining that he had no use for a typewriter; that he was the victim of some malicious scoundrel. The applicants strung along throughout the day. When the last one turned the corner after leaving the young man she was heard to say: “I think he is just too mean for any- thing.” The young man now cares more for get- ting even with. the perpetrators of the rude joke than to further his knowledge of the intricacies of the law. A few mornings ago "a “tail, handsome gentleman, with mustache and hatr tinged with gray, walked through the lobby of the Ebbitt and stopped in front of the news stand. He was about to pick up a newspaper, when a littl old man, with gray, shaggy Burnsiders, got up from his seat in one corner of the lobby and walked cver to him. “Isn't this Gen. James R. O'Beirne?” the little man asked. “I am Gen. O'Beirn2, sir,” was his reply, “and who are you, may I ask?” “Do yeu remember Maj. Bell of New York” “Do L remember him? Well, I have cause to remember him. He saved my lif> once.” “Well, I am that very person,” said the little man. ‘Tears came into the eyes of both as they grasped each other’s hands and adjourn2d to a convenient seat to talk over old times At the battle of Chancellorsville O’Beirn: who was then colonel of the 37th New York regiment, was shot through the breast by a bullet. It made a hole clear through one Ivng. Bell, who had been in the same regiment, called to his assistance one of his comrades, and they carrizd him off the field of battle. O'Beirne ent to his Yerk, and it wi not live long. B home in New t, under good nursing, he recovered, and went back into the Union service again. At the time of President Lincoln's second inauguration he was pro- vost marshal in the District of Columbia. = ceremonies on the east side of e Bell, who was in Washington on a leave of absence, detected a pickpocket pursuing his work in the crowd. He called the attention of a policeman to the man. ‘The policeman arrested the pickpocket and took Bell along for a witne: The hearing was delayed for several days, and in the meantime Hell's leave of absence expired. When he presented the outlawed Ucket at the steamer wharf he was placed under arrest for having disobeyed the or- der. Bell tried to explain, but the rules of War were fixed and relentless. Tne case was brougnt to the attention of General O'Beirne as provost marshal, and as soon as he saw the name, he had Bell brought before him. - eneral, I wish you would let me I am anxious to join my regiment,’ Bell piteously. “You will be dealt with as a man should be who has dared to disobey the injunc- tions of his commander,” O' Beirne replied ternly. He then issued a new order extending Bell's leave of absence two weeks and ac- companied it with a command that he ap- pear at his home in this city. Bell visited the man whose life he had saved, spent a week, and later joined his regiment. While they were talking in the Ebbitt the other morning, another man ‘accosted them and introduced himself. He was Cassius M. Rose of Chicago. Rose was fifteen years old when he enlisted in the 57th Pennsylvania Regiment. He was in O’Betrne's division and served throughout the war. Old times were talked over in earncet O'Beirne was a commissioner of charities in New York under Mayor Strong’s admin- istration. 0, as said eek KK The force of Jerry Simpson’s remarks upon the London trade-mark in Represent- ative Dingley’s hat, in the House the other day, has been far reaching. Even the street urchins who make their living sell- ing newspapers and polishing shoes ap- preciated the Kansas statesman’s discov- ery. One day this week Mr. Dingley was tak- ing a stroll down Pennsylvania avena>. As he reached the National Hotel corner, half @ dozen youngsters with newspapers un- der their arms spied him. One of them broke out tnto the srstwhile popular vaude- ville song: “Where did you get that hat? Where did you get that tile?” The others joined in the refrain, and it was given with a will. The distinguished protectionist from Maine never looked up, but plodded along down the avenue. eek kK * Ereeted over the graves of two children im Mt. Wood cemetery at Wheeling, W. Va., is an old-fashioned, perpendicular slab of marble which bears a unique epitaph in verse. The inscription purports to be a supposed that he could | dialogue between the dead children and their parents. It was composed by a mem- ber of the family who esteems herself quite @ peetess, and writes much touching verse for obituary and “in memoriam” columns of the local papers. Here is a verbatim copy of this naive inscription: “Parents— Children dear, what made rou go far away ete., And leave us ‘ir our lef below? far away ete. tter home, better friends where’er you roam, Ince you have left your earthly home, far away ete. S Children— Fy oo ond ot he hens wie aieed Il is well ete "0 BO a nt ven! , all is well etc. Vith gol trumpets in our hands, & holy pavement do we' stand, afl is well ete. Par You are strangers in thatplace, children dear.etc., ie have no “friends that you know there childrea lear ete., We wish, we wish we could but see ‘That heavenly place where you be And bring you home again with we, far away ete. Children— Dear parents weep no more all is well ete. We landed cafe on Canan's shore, all Is well etc., Ab! friends we have, we are well known With saints and angels around the Throne And Jesus claims us for his own, all is well etc.” Seong FROM THE CZAR OF RUSSIA. Handsome Present That Was Recent- ly Received by Dr. Talmage. One of the most remarkable gifts that ornaments the home, of Rev. Dr. Talmage since his return from his recent wedding trip is a Russian tea service of gold and enamel, a personal token from the Czar of Russia. It would sound sordid to measure the value of a royal gift in cold dollars and cents, for its associations add immeas- urably to intrinsic worth, but as a matter of fact, the latter runs high into the thou- sands. The service ts of seven pieces, the regulation teapot, sugar bowl and cream jug, sugar tongs and tea strainer, a small sccop for measuring out the tea leaves and a small fork, broad, tined like a salad fo: and probably essential in a Russian serv- ice, but its use is unknown to the devote2s of Dr. Johnson's beverage in this country. At first glance the set looks like a very beautiful grade of cloisonne, but unlike the older Byzantine specimens of that art and the modern oriental, the enamel is not ground down to an even surface, but stands in low relief, presenting the surface of the tiny figures at various angles to the light, increasing its brillancy and bringing out mote effectively the almost barbaric rich- ness of the design. But the most decided difference between this specimen of art work and the ordinary commercial samples is that the brilliant enamel surface is sup- Forted on a base of soiid gold, while the thin metallic filaments which separate the fragments of enamel in the arabesque orna- mentation are also of gold. The whole is the work of the emperor's private establish- ment and bears the distinctive royal mark “Tulon™ on each piece. The friendship of the czar for Dr. Tal- mage dates back to the hard winter when the famine sufferers of Russia were aided by the food contributions of the United States. The reception of the American ves- sel at St. Petersburg was enthusiastic in the extreme, rather in ccntrast to the spirit in which the same action by this country has been hailed at Havana. Like the pres- ent gift of the czar, the intrinsic worth of the contribution, however welcome at the tire, was less considered than the spirit which prompted its tender. Dr. Talmage at the time the relief expedition left the | United States was in Great Britain. He was requested by this government to pro- ceed to St. Petersburg and make the offi- cial presentation to the Russian govern- tment. He was warmly welcomed by the Errperor Alexander, then on the throne, re- ceived at the palace and presented to the royal family and there made the acquaint- arce of the Czarewich Nicholas, now the emperor of all the Russias. The friendship thus formed has lasted till the present time. As a matter of fact, the present of the Emperor Nicholas, while a welcome additiom to the doctor's house- hoid effeets, was not primarily intended as a wedding present, for, to speak in news- | peper parlance, the doctor had “scooped” his friend the czar on his ruptial event as well as all of his friends in this country, and the present had started from the other side considerably before the announcement of Dr. Talmage’s marriage was received here. However,when he received notice that a gift from the emperor awaited him, he went none the less willing to get it. Ac- cording to royal etiquette, the presentation had to be made on Russian soil, and the only conveniently adjacent bit of Musco- vite territory was the deck of the Russian yessel Leo in the harbor of Philadelphia. Thither the doctor repaired and the pre- sentation was made in due form. The Benevolent Person. The large and benevolent person was in the 10-cent eating house indulging his ap- petite as far as the limits of the place per- mitted, when he was approached by a small | boy with a bundle of newspapers under his | arm and a cheap indelible pencil for sale. “Want to buy a indelible pencil?” sald the boy. “How much is it, my son?” inquired the benevolent person, “Only 5 cents.” “If I bought it I wouldn't have any use for it.” “Wouldn't you?” No. It sell it mighty cheap,” persisted the boy, somewhat encouraged by the conver- sation. “I don’t think it is of much use, is it?” ‘ou've got no use for it, have you?" T want to sell it, that's ail.” “Why,do you want to sell it?” T waft the 5 cents I'll get for it. ‘Then you don’t want the pencil? The boy hesitated before committing him- self. “I'd rather have the 5 cent! tured at last. | “How much alike we all are, my boy," aid the benevolent person, unctuously, as he wiped his mouth, “and I am fust like you. You would rather have 5 cents than have the pencil and I would rather have 5 cents than have the pencil. Now, then, when we are so perfectly agreed upon a point, why should you seek by persuasion to disturb that harmony? No, no, my son, let us permit things to remain as ‘they are. Thank you ever so much, though, for ask- ing me if I wished the pencil. Good-bye, little boy.’” he ven- see ee A Few Requisites. The hired girl out of a job cast her eag.e eye over the want notices of the newspaper. “Wanted, Wanted, Wanted,” she read in one or two-line ads. straight down the col- umn, shaking her head at intervals as if disappointed in her search. Finnally her face lightened as she saw a leaded notice in another column of more pretensions than its fellows. She turned to it and read eagerly. Then she threw the paper from her. “What's the matter?” asked the girl with her. “Read that,” and she gathered up the sheet and handed it over to the other one, who read this notice: “Wanted—A young and strong woman of good disposition and habits, obedient and knowing her place, willing and ready, act- ive and efficient, to cook, wash and iron, do general housework and take care of chil- dren. Hvenings and afternoons off when Possible. Apply, with references, &c., &c.”" “Well?” said the reader. el “It's not well, at all,” responded the one looking for work. “That man, whoever he is, is advertising for a wife, I from the advertisement, and I’m not look- ing for that kind of a job. Just a plaif hired girl’s place is good enough for me. ee ~ A Settlement. From Harper's Basar. Constance—‘Yes, but, father, the count insists that you agree to settle half a mil- licen on him before our marriage.” Father—“Let it be so, :ny dear; after marriage I will settle for five cents on the the Fespeciaiiy. useful in case of unexpected enow.—Life. * A KLONDIKE BONANZA|STR “Yes,” said the man with a face that locked as if it ha@ been“exposea to a cold storage temperature for ten years, “y2s, I left my partners up on the Klondike, about” twenty miles from Dawson City, but they are all right. They sent me down here on business, and I've got a snap, I have. Of ‘course, I'm not afratd of their freezing; they are as warm this minute as you are. They have been up there in the same place for two winters, too. Tell you about it? Certainly I will. You see, there were four of us, and we concluded to bunch-our in- terests and organize an Anti-Freeze-to- Veath Trust. We had a claim apiece that was worth a barrel of money, etd we wanted to stay right them. We wer3 the only people on the*spot at that time, too, to amount to anything, so we had to depend on ourselves. “Being a Jack-leg car- penter, the boys s2nt me out to select a site for qur winter residence, and I went Lp among the cliffs on a mountain side and began hunting a place where the wind would have some trouble in r2aching us. As I was pottering around I struck a ‘hole in the ground, and,-after pushing the rocks away and spreading the opening, I got it so I could get in, and in a few minutes I was back ‘into the ground so far that I got scered and broke for daylight. Thea I went after the boys, and we fixed ourselves with lights and proceeded to explore our discov- ery. “The boys thought they were going to find gold and silver and Giamonds, ard pretty much everything else they wanted, including stocks and bonds, and after go- ing back for nearly a mile and finding nothing except a coal seam or two and scme springs—warm and coli—th2y began to jump me for taking them away from their panning to waste a lot of time wan: dering around the inside of the earth, at nothing per wander. I let them growl awhile, and then I stopped them and told tham they were a lot of blamed fools, for the cave was our salvation. They gave me the laugh, but I turned them down and proceeded to show them how we could put up our shack in there where the temp2ra- ture was the same the year ‘round, and never far from 50 degrees, no matter how cold it got outside. And so on, till they were all broke up and began to look upon me as their benefactor, and agreed to do anything I said. “This was in September, and the weather wes decent enough for a time, hut we went right to work, and after building a blind shack ov2r the mouth of the cave, we tcok timber inside and put us up a four-room palace in there with a kitchen and stove in it, and a stone grate in our loafing rcom. It wasn’t as elegant as a royal drawing room, perhaps, but it was cczy and comfortable, and when we went to sleep at night w2 knew we were not going to freeze before daylight. We put our shack close to the coal seam and as near the springs as we could, and we had fuel ard kot and cold water handy. We hadn't much fresh feed, but we had plenty, such as it was, and as the weather got colder, we began to realize what a snap we had. Indeed, after the 1st of December, we didn’t go outside at all for sixty Gays. “When we did come out again the sun- shine, even the kind it was, was a blessing, and we thought we would stay out till the weather froze us in again, but, by hokey, the musquitoes swooped down on us one night and we took to the cave to get rid of them. It was a gloricus sleeping pla and then we made up out mind we mi; as well become cave dwellers altogether. And why shouldn't we, with all the modern conveniences, including hot baths in the ratural water? “I left the boys in November comfortably fixed for the winter and with plenty to eat and to wear and to read and to be happy with, and I came away and have heen ever since my arrival ir the states or; ing a hotel company to take the cave and epen it as a miners’ resort at fair prices. ‘There's money in it, end we can give a clear title, reserving a portion for our private residence. Affidavit? Of course I've got an affidavit. I don’t look like a man who would tell a lie about one little cave, do 1?" =e STRANGE SCAVENGERS, How the Markets of Charleston, S. C., Are Kept Clean. Charleston, 8. C., has the most primiti-> and peculiar scavengers in the world. Hun- dreds—it seems thousands—of carrion crows or buzzards, in the very early morning, swoop down upon the historical old city from the tall palm or palmetto forests which skirt the western suburbs. In the waking hours any passenger en- tering Charleston on the Columbia express can see huge black lumps fall from the trees about. They never hit the ground. Out in the open these black lumps gather in a struggling flock and flop their way over toward the custom house. They are buzzards. While the twilight is yet gray these vulgar birds go to the city market and infest it for an hour or two, The pas- senger who was startled by their dull flop from their palmetto perches, and saw great black clouds of them move across the low rice flats, can, if he goes to the market place, see the same birds, disgustingly tame, running about the stall flows of the meat mart, fighting with the hunger of dogs of the city for the bones and waste which fall from the butchers’ meat block. A stranger who did not appreciate the health value of these buzzards is liable to kill one of them. Then he Is Hable to be fined $10, for the city does not allow its curious scavenger birds to be destroyed with impunity. The Charleston market is a noted place in the south. It runs from Market street to the water’s edge, and is the main thorough- fare for the crowd of pedestrians who come and go from the harbor boats. It is a novel sight to see the hurrying feet of workmen treading their way carefully among these wild birds gathered there by the hundreds. Like domestic chickens, they stand about, and, like domestic dogs, they watch for every piece of waste as it is dropped from a meat block. One would hardly think, as he pushes the big birds out of the wi that these same feathered things roost in the forest, and are tame nowhere else. In the markets they never attempt to steal meat from the counter. Going through the three or four blocks of the big market one morning the writer counted over 300 of these buzzards walk- ing about as nonchalantly as though it was their own poultry yard. They will not get out of your way. They fight every dog or cat that attempts to run in opposition, and will scramble with a man or a child who competes with them for a fallen scrap of meat. But they keep the Charleston markets clean, perfectly clean. As a re- sult of their thorough scavenger work this is the cleanest and healthiest meat market in_the world. ~ In _ consideration of their assistance in keeping the city clean the municipal coun- cil has made it an offense to injure or kill one of them. An offender not only has to pay a $10 fine, but usually gets a free lec- ture on the laws of health and the value of the buzzards as assistant members of the local board of health. By an hour after sunrise the birds have all left the city. It is for this reason that the visitor to the city, who usually gets up after that hour, and strolls out later, never sees this extraordinary sight of wild birds acting as market scavengers. ‘The curved ends of this particular wagon make it GER THAN FICTION “There Was rathér a queer coincidence at @ recent dinner given in this city,f-said a young man who “‘gges out a good deal,” as the phrase has ft. “It so happened,” he continued,-“that the dinner was givén-ig honor of a young bridal couple from” Dun N. ¥., the bride be- ing a niece ot = The dinner. Was on quite an eldberate ‘Scale and. the dinner cards were decidedly h: . Each was hand-painted an “appropriate sketch on 1t-€0; ‘prides, bridal bouquets and. théike. ~In thé“lower right-hand cor- nef of each-card Were the initials of the bride and greem, §nked together and tied with a true lover's/knot. The groom’s last name began with 'thé$letter ‘M,’ and the name which the fair. le had surrendered —for better or worke, \as time will show— began with-the jetter ‘C”. It made a very pretty combination*on the cards. “Now, among the h or more guests who sat down and até’and drank in honor of the young people from New York state Were two other young ¢ouples whose wed- dings, occurring during: the’ course of the Present season, had each been ‘heralded as of considerable moment jn local society. “Why, that’s curious,’ said the more re- cent of the two other b: , about the time the fish’ was served. “‘ ‘What's that?’ said the host. “‘Why, you've put our initials on the cards.” “And it was true. Her maiden name, it seems, began with the letter ‘C,’ while the nameé that she goes by now, at least among the people who remember ‘to address her by her married name, beging with ‘M.’ “Well, that’s nothing,’ said the other bride, whose wedding, by the way, took Place but a couple of months ago, aren’t they our initials, too?’ “And this-remark was just as true as-the other. In the case of each of those young couples the maiden name of the’ bride be- gan with ‘C,’ while the name of her hus- band began with ‘M.’ And the funny part of it was that there were no other young bridal couples. present, so the rule applied in every possible instance. “On the doctrine of chances, I presume such a thing as that would happen only once in a good many millions of times. At any rate, if you do not think with me that it was a very unusual happerfing I will agree to eat another dinner as good as that one was.”’ “Which only goes to remind me of a curi- ous experience I had up on the Island of Nantucket a few years ago,” remarked one of the best-known artists in Washington, who happened to be in the party when the story was told. “I was spending the summer on that quaint old isle before the rush of summer tourists had put an end to its old-time charm. I sketched a good deal out of doors, but when the weather was bad I made the best of it by working on what I considered a pretty good picture of the in- terior of one of the old houses, or at least of the one big room that lent itself best to my purposes. “The people who owned the house were so very nice to me that when I finished my picture I thought to repay them in part for their tourtesy by making for them a sketch of my mere ambitious eanvas. For the sake of variety, however, I drew in the figure of an old man sitting in a big chair and gazing abstractedly into the fireplace. It was a fancy figure, pure and simple, and drawn without a model, but the face be- lon, d to the type that one so often sees along the New England coast, a type that is, unfortunately, growing rarer as the years go by. t imagine myssurpHse, however, when I came to present the sketch to my friends, for they drew back, from jt as if I had giv- en them something uncagny, and the man said: “Why, that's a picture ‘of my father, pre- ely as-I have sen him sitting in: front’ of that fireplace hundreds of times, gazing into the coals ang, thiaking of the days when he captained one of,the biggest whal. ers that sailed out of the harbor of » tucket.’ a ie “And his wife bore Gut his statement when she said thet it was. an admirable likeness of the old may, who had died ears before I ¢ver visited the island, neighbors Wére summoned in and eyery one of the peopie Who had known the old man. recogniged:'the likeness without a moment's hesitation. They said that in every detail of face and figure it was ag accurate aS a photograph could possible have been. “Nowy of course, it was only a coinct! dence; but you could never have made any of those people thik there was not some- thing supernatural about it al—and, do you know, I am more than half inelined. to think they were right.” : —.__. Imposing on a President. “Why wouldn't it be a good idea,” re- marked a well-known politician from a western state now in Washington, “to put senators and representatives under a civil service examination as to honesty and in- tegrity, trusting to luck for their fitness?” “Why?” inquired the reporter. ‘I heard something at the White House today which reminded me of something that came under my notice there once dur- ing Cleveland's first term. I had gone with @ couple of men from my state, and the President received us in the room on the right of the cabinet room. We were pre- sented to Mr. Clevéland in turn, those hay- ing business transacting it as soon as pos- sible and the others making a little talk and giving place to the next. I was waiting my turn to speak when an incident oc- curred whica showed how the President could be imposed upon and how such a rule as I suggested might get in some good work. Befcre me were the senator and a representative trom my state, and when s met the representative he I understand that the man you hai me appoint postmaster at K—— was a saloon keeper.’ The repre- sentative denied it emphatically. ‘And not only a saloon keeper,’ continued the Presi dent, ‘but that he kept a common doggery. ‘The representative said the President had been misinformed and flatly denied the whole story. The President then turned to thé seator. ‘By the way, senator,’ he said, ‘I am told the man you had me appoint post- master at R- is a saloon keeper also.’ ‘Mr. President,’ replied the senator, ‘that is not the He is not a saloon keeper.’ “Really, I never felt so odd in my life when I heard what that senator and that representative said to Mr. Cleveland, for to my certain knowledge both appointees were saloon keepers’ and both statesmen had lied to the President in cold blood, and with full knowledge of all the facts. Now what have you got to say why sentence of the court sould not be pronounced?” and the reporter hadn't a word to say. SSS Stanley's Battle With the Bangala. From Harper's Round Table. The hardest and most furious battle Stan- ley had with the Conga natives during his first descent of that river im 1877 was with the Bangala. Sonic yeats ago Muele, one of the chiefs of the Bafigala, gave to Capt. Coquilhat, the Beigtan ‘commander of the station at Bangala, the native version of the great fight. (5 “We had never seen’® white man,” said Muele, whose tribe;"thifkly populating the river bank for Mijles, is supposed to rumber 50,000 souls... “We had not the slightest idea thay sugh beings existed. re day, some doggn ng ago, when the sun stood right over our heads, @ great lot of cances, of a had never seen CONCERNING PALINDROMES The professor had said something about palindromes. +2 “What's a palindrome?” inquired a young fellow who did not~Show any signs that he would have'tisked many questions as to 1 } be comet ed of fcot ball was. Palindrome,” explained the professor, ‘is @ word, verse or sentence which reads the same forward or backward, and is from. the Greek words palin, again, and dramein, to run. Of palindromes, possibly the first ever presented to the public was Adam’s well-known introduction to his wife in the garden, on which occasion the first gentleman of Eden is said to have said to the first lady: ‘Madam, I'm Adam,” which you will observe reads the same each way. Another famous one was that imputed to Napoleon, who was scarcely an Adam to a new race of rulers, which was: ‘Able was I ere I saw Elba.’ Less prominent, but no less palindromic, are these: ‘Name no one man,” guns and war,’ ‘Red root put up to order,’ ‘Draw pupil’s lip upward,’ and a few of that kind. “Some lines addressed to St. Martin are as follows: “Signa te signa; temere me tangis et angis; Roma tibi subito notibis ibit-amor.’ Which, being interpreted, read: ‘Cross,cross yourself; you annoy and threaten me un- necessarily, for owing to my exertions you will soon reach Rome, your object.’ An odd one is that of the lawyer: ‘Si nummi immunis,’ which Camden translated to read: ‘Give me my fee, I warrant you free.” However, the finest specimen we have is the well known: ‘Sator arepo tenet opera rotas,’ which not only reads each way the Same, but the first letter of each succes- sive word unites to spell the first word, the seoond of each the second word and so on throughout, and the same going back- werd, making it on the whole rather the mest remarkable collection of words we have. In the domain of romance we have a very pretty one presented by a lady of the-court of Elizabeth—and, by the way, our modern litterateurs are by no means as plentiful of product In this line as were their predecessors—who had been banished by the queen on suspicion of too great familiarity with a nobleman. This lady adopted as a device the moon covered by a cloud. and for her motto took the palin- drome: ‘Ablata at Alba,’ (Secluded but pure). And I may remark of this that the judges of such matters say that the merit of this kind of composition was never in any example so heightened by appropriateness and delicacy of sentiment.” “They are easy enough to make, I think,” said the young fellow at a lull in the talk. “Make a few,"’ responded the professor and dismissed the class. —— REMINISCENCE OF LINCOLN. How Gov. Pratt Secured His Son's Re- lease From Fort Monroe. “The approaching anniversary of the birth of President Lincoln recalls to my mind one incident which came under my observation and which has never been printed, said former Congressman Henry G. Worthington of Nevada, now a resident of Washington, a few nights ago. “Former Gov. Thomas G. Pratt of Mary- land was the first whig governor ever elected by the people of that state. During the war he was arrested by order of Se retary Stanton and imprisoned at Fort Monroe. “During Pratt’s confinement at Fort Mon- roe Lincoln and Secretary Seward paid a visit to the fort on important business one day. While there Seward saw Pratt. They had served in the ited States Senate to- gether. There w a feeling of personal fricndship between them, and Seward inter- ceded’ to have him released. “Just at the close of the war Pratt’s only son was wounded and captured and heid prisoner at Fort Monroe. Pratt applied to nton and Mr. Dana, his aasistant, for the release of ‘his son. It was ‘very promptly and without ceremony refused by both. “Gov. Pratt then appealed to me for an introduction to President Lincoln. I com- plied with the request and went with him to the White House and introduced him to Lincoln. Lincoln grasped his hand cor- ‘ially anu expressed great delight in meet- ing him; as he was the first whig gove elected in Maryland. You know Lit was originally a whig and a strong parti- ean. ‘What can I do for you? the President asked. “Pratt told him about the confinement of his wounded son and appealed to the Pres- ident for his release. “The President became very reflective, and, after a few moments of silence and thought, he asked Pratt if he would ex- ercise proper control over the boy and try to effect a change in his mind and con- duct. “Pratt gave him every assurance, and, after another long silence, the President sai “Pratt, do you know what I was think- ing about?’ “Pratt did not. ‘ET was thinking how I could comply with your request and release this boy without setting a dangerous precedent or being a detriment to the public service. 1 am glad that it is in my power to do you this favor, but I shall hold you respon- sible for the return of your son when called for, you becoming bail for his good con- duct.’ “Upon which Mr. Lincoln wrote an order to the officer in command at Fort Mon- roe to deliver tc Governor Pratt his ‘son, Thomas Fratt, to be returned to the Presi- dent when called for. He handed the card to Governor Pratt with the remark: “Governor, teach your son to sin no more.’ “Governor Pratt was very much affected, and as he arose to bid the President good- bye. he said: ‘would to God, Mr. President, that the scuthern people might see and know you as I have seen and known you today.’ “As we left the White House, tears gush- ed into the eyes of Governor Pratt. Trem- bling with emotion, he grasped hold of my arm to steady himself and keep from fall- ir ‘This was the most interesting and af- fecting incident of all my relations with the dead President. “Yes; I remember well the first time I met Lincoln. It was during the war that I was sent to Washington as the first rep- resentative from the new state of Nevada. When I called to pay my respects at the White House, the President cordially thrust out one hand, and, placing the other on my shoulder in a friendly way, said: “Tam glad to meet the representative from Nevada, and I am glad that we have stch a state as Nevada just now, a state that is aiding us so much in paying off the beys who are protecting our flag and coun- At that time silver was worth more than at the present.” ae ‘The Queen and Lady Millais. From the St. James’ Gazette. It is related that, when Sir John Millais fell ill, the queen sent the Princess Louise to the dying man to inquire what favor she could accord him that could alleviate his sorrow, if not his pain. Sir John there- upon called for his writing tablet and in- scribed upon it the words, “I should like the queen to see my wife.” Then the queen broke tnrough her iron rule not to receive any woman whose marriage tie had been once dissolved—whether there be blame or not—graciously acceded to the request, and accorded the sorely tried lady a tender and sympathetic interview. ——_——__+ e+ —____ Not a Pleasant Way of Putting It. " JOHNSON» “Snug and raw was I ere I saw | Written for The Evening Star, Equality. Baby is a baby— Diffunce now an’ then, In complexion, maybe; But dey ain’ like men Froo de swif years fiyin’ Into bloom or blight; Babies, dey ain’ cryin’ "Case dey’s black or white. Pickaninny playin’ On de cabin flo’. Sunbeams comes a-strayin’ Froo de chinky do’. Staht in foh ter foller Try ter ketch de light; Clap ‘is han’s an’ holler Same as if he’s white. Cur’us way o’ talkin’; *Tain’ no words at all, Funny way o° walkin’. Lible foh ter fall. Days shine bright above ’im, Sleep comes wif de night, An’ his own folks love ‘im Mo'n if he's white. * x Looking Out for the Future. He was an odd-looking man. cipal of the educational hat and making a bow observed “I look like a crank, don’t 1.” “II don’t care to venture an opinion,” replied the principal. “That's all mght, sir. my feelings in the least. it. that I hadn’t h tion, I used to struggle to conceal it. I have gotten over that. what they like. tion of young boy “Well, do you use copy books?” vYes. “Would money be any inducement pleying them?” hy, I suppos write in some other way.” “I don’t want you to. learn everything orally. thing that positively you can put him keep You see, service, and with his secure a similar career for this boy. heart is set on making a di and I wish to remove from his possible temptation to write personal ters. That's an idea that I got demands a it in a phonograph and the cylinder. I'll pay for M. I think of it, the more I suspect t be Iam not such a crank as I lool * Pa Connolation. I often call to mind one of my boyhood summer days When I was loiterin’ I come across a curious find; some stuff the workmen ‘use I knowed that it exploded, but I couldn’ + find no fuse. I flung it ‘gin the stone wall, but it didn mind the shock; Then I stood behind a tree an’ tried to hit it with a rock, I worried an’ I fretted an’ my temper ‘gun to spoil ‘When I found that only failure waited on my patient toil. But later on I seen it used by them as had the knack. I shivered when it tock great rocks an’ tore "em up the back. An’ when the noise subsid +d, I says, skyart as I could be, “Ef it uses granite that wiy, what woul it have done to me?” An’ every now an’ then I'd start an’ wake up in the night To git away from goblins that was throwin’ dynamite. An’ then I'd think it over as I'd ‘ie an’ wait for day And thank the lucky stars that lidn’t let me have my way. The happenin’ brought me comfort when in later years I'd find That cherished undertakin’s didn’t end jes’ to my mind. When I see the difficulties pilin’ up so thick an’ high An’ mockin’ my endeavors, as some hopeful scheme I try, To have a celebration whose results couldn't know. It ain't success that allus makes yer plan- nin’ turn out right, "Cause ther’ ain’t no way o’ knowin’ that it isn't dynamite. «xe Again the Public’s Fault. Society in Foggy Bottom was all agog. The announcement that the Primrose to give an amateur theatrical performance sufficed to arouse | general and lively interest, and flaming posters, executed by hand on pasteboard Pleasure Club was box lids, assisted In arousing expectancy. The play announced was “Othell power: ye all whah you learn’ Pinkley. The prin- i institution was prepared by his appearance for some un- usual ideas. He took off his flat-crowned You won’t hurt I have been called a crank so often that I’m used to Formerly when I'd have an impression ard somebody else men- But} I tell my owt thoughts out plainly, and let peopie think You attend to the educa- to you to try and educate a boy without em- we could teach him to I desire him to If there is any- record, let it. he has an uncle in the dipiomatic | ssistance I hope to omat of him ath every let- | in the | past few days and, do you know, the more may- round, a-follerin’ idle and among the elite of the neighborhood who were to lend their talents to the occasion were Miss Prosperity Jenkins, as Desde- mona; Mr. Erastus Pinkley, as Iago, and Mr. Judicious Morgan, as Othello. It was Mr. Judicious. Morgan, whose years lent prestige, who had evolved the idea, and to whose industry were due the preparations for carrying it out. He had cast himself for the title role, and had called the other members of the company together for re- hearsal. Owing to the lack of previous study on the part of other participants he decided to start with his first important speech, which he did as follows, delivering it with great unction and unlimited vocal “Mos’ pushin’, grave an’ several seen- “Might I take de puhmission to ask you ‘dat talk?” inquired Mr. = Pocket book ain’ nuffin’ but trash, no- ow.’ Turning away in disgust, Judicious start- ed once more with his speech, when an al- tercation caused a second interruption. “Whut's de mattuh?” he inquired. “Dah has been some remahks passed which calls foh er *splantfication,” Mr. Rosewood Robinson. “One ‘er dese tar-faced Venetians hab satd dat I warn’ nuffin but a hammer-chewer actor.” “Don’ pay no "tention ter "im. Evybody knows bettuh. You ain’ no hammer chew- er. You's a scene chewer. We'll skip dat talk an’ git fu’ther inter de piece.” “Looky hyuh,” said Mr. Pinkley; “might I take up time ter ax who wah disshere gemman you's actin’? War be Awrish? I notices dat mos’ er de gemmen dat stahts dah names wif O° comes a. knows a Miss 0° but I doesn’ fum Ireland. I Brien an’ Miss O'Hagan, w any! dat evvuh "No; de res’ er dem wah white folks.” ‘Whut happens ter ‘im?" “He got jealous of bis wife an’ kills huh.” “How?” bre: “No, sub!” exclaimed Mr. Pinkley. “No, suh. I wants yer to un'stan’ dat dis lady is & frien’ er mine, an’ she gwineter hab a#il de air she wants. An’ futhumo', when you shows a cullud gemman takin’ a cullud lady’s life by shettin’ off huh bref, you is tainperin’ wif de facks an’ castin’ discredit whah you ortanter. No cullud gemman would shet off a lady's bref. Ef he meant it, he'd Lake a razzer. “I "spose he could use @ razzer,” con- ceded Judicious Morgan, “But I'd itke ter git mo’ infohmation befo’ I takes too many libuties. You se2, dishere play— He was interrupted by the notes of a ditty, which Mr. E. P. U. Mott (whose in- itials stand for Pluribus Unum) was singing. It ran: “I wucks in de brick-yahd day by day, An’ I shows my gal politeness; But she’s gittin’ ready foh to run away | Wit a nigger of half-way whiteacss. | He's de new head waiter in de big hotel Dat to my place has rise1 I blowed my money foh An’ now he's blowin’ h An dat’s de reason dat I done turned out A ccmmon crap-shooter an’ a race track tout An’ if ever I wins on dis here stake Dar ain’ no end to de trouble I'll make— “3 laken a pillow, an’ he shet off huh n n; er treat huh well, I's shootin’—umph!—foh dat pair 0’ shoes An’ a high-neck collar like de whit: men " I turns "em loose, maybe I'l win dat bab; shootin’ to buy me a razzer keen Yr. To kyahve dat nigger whah de meat am jean, An’ a gol’-head cane an’ de white kid gloves. I's shoctin’ to win de gal I love Judicious had succum of the music, d y 4 to the influence no protest until Then he real- “Kain’t 1 fin’ nuffin’ bettuh ter do dan inquired, lot mo" songs,” replied lad,” chimed in Miss ‘An’ I kin dance,” added the young man who had started the ditt ) “Sho!” exclaimed the cld man. “Any+ body Kin dance.” “I reckons anybody hab-a right to "magine he kin dance,” was the reply, with | ironic emphasis. “I's willin’ to stand com- parisons.” “Kin you play de banjo?” “Yass, indesd.” ll, yau jes’ wait a minute tell I runs oyuh my house an’ gits my banjo. I'll Piay foh you and you kin show whut you kin do. Den you play foh me an’ I'll give you lessons, As Judicious was returning with the banjo, he paused beside the door where the announcement for “Othello” had been posted. He tock it down, and, turning over the pasteboard, proceeded to write laboriously on the other side with a lead pencil. “What is the matter?” said the man who runs the coal yard near by, and who had taken some interest in the snterprise. “Aren’t you going to give the show?” "t ‘3 | uh,” replied Judicious; “we's gwine- jd | ter gib de show. But we4sn" gwineter play ‘Othello.’ De troubls dese yere times is dat de legitimate drama doesn’t stan’ no chance. You's gotter gib de public whut it wants, an’ it won’ stan’ de legitimate. It doesn’ make no diff'unce how good you does it, de public wen’ hab ft. Some time we may gib er puffo‘mance of ‘Othello’ jes’ | for our own artistic satisfaction, but foh i de present we reckons we'll cater to de public an’ gib er high-class vaudeville en- tuhtainment.” —_>—_—_ “Animals on the Stage. From the Westminster Gazette. The number of animals who make a Itv- ing on the theatrical stage is very large indeed. Just now eight English fox ter- riers are delighting all Paris with the part they take in “La Jeunesse de Louis XIV,” and there is no doubt that they are the “men of the moment.” Dogs, {t seems, are the best animal actors, and cats are the worst. Only last year a St. Bernard died for whom an American theatrical man- ager had pald £6,250, solely because he was “so splendid in melodrama.” Lions, bears and elephants have done well on the stage; lizards and serpents (vide Mme. Sarah Bernhardt!) have also been covered with stage glory, and mice have come to the fore with great credit to themselves and their trainer. But while so many “dumb things” have been excellent actors, one of their number at least has been immortalized through failure. Moliere himself was the actor who brought about the unrehearsed scene between himself and his ass. The play was “Don Quixote,” and Moliere played Sancho. Some minutes before he had to appear on the stage he was waiting in the wings, mounted on his ass. But the lat- ter suddenly forgot bis part and insisted on appearing upon the scene without de- lay. Nor was it of any avail that half a dozen aesistants hung around his head and clung desperately to his tail. The ass, with Moliere on his back, dashed wildly among the actors on the scene, and the fiasco would have been complete had not Moliere saved the situation by shouting to the audience while jogging along, “Par- don, gentlemen! Pardon, ladies! But this confounded beast has come on against my wishes.” The public responded at once with roars of laughter and applause, bat Moliere never again mounted an ass. —_—_——__+0-+_______ Starting a Conversation. From Life. I “Is dar anyfing de mattuh wif it?” in- quired the star, with digni ‘ified resentment. “I isn’ makin’ no iticacious observa- was the answer. “I jes’ wanted ter