Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, April 7, 1889, Page 15

THE VENICE OF THE ORIENT. Bangkok and Its Fifteen Miles of Floating Houses. THE COSTUMES ARE DECOLLETTE Biamese Maldens and Their Scanty Dress — All the Women Wear Short Hair and the Ba- bles Smoke Oigarcttes, Siam and the Siamese. BAX6KOK, Siam, Feb., 2. —[Special Corre- spondence of Tie Bee.|—Siam is one of the out-of-the-way countries of the world. None of the great steamship lines of the Pa- oiffc or of the Indian oceans stop at it. Few globe trotters visit it and it is about fifteon huncred miles out of the regular line of travel around the world. The great Siamese pentusula juts down from tho cast coast of China. It contains half a dozen differont countries, the chief of which are Burmah, Siam and the French states of China, Siam itsolf is at the lower end of the peninsula aud it bounds thoe greater part of that mighty body of water known as the Gulf of Siam. 1t is 1,200 miles long, and at its widest part it is 450 miles wido. It is almost as flat as your hand though it has here and there a a few mountain chains. It has many big rivers and the country is as much cut up with canals as is Hollandt During the rainy season: it becomes a mighty lake, and the people move ‘here and there from one city to another in boats. The greatest river is the Meusm, which the Siamese know by the same name as the Indians knew the Mississippi. 1t is “the father of waters" and 1t forms the great highway of the king- dom. This river flows into the Gulf of Siaw at 1ts head and it 18 about forty miles from its mouth that I sit here on its banks and write this letter in this floating city of Bangkok, Imagine A CITY AS LARGE A8 CHICAGO, of which ninety-nine hundredths of the peo- plo tive on the water. There are fiftoen miles of floating houses on the two sides of this river, and these, with the king's palaces and a few foreign buildings on the land, make up the capital of the Siamese people. There are six millions and more of these Siamese aud their country covers a torritory of about twice the size of Colorade, four times the size of New York, and it is about five times as big as Ohio. Tt 18 a tropical country and the click of my type-writer falls upon my ears mixed with the songs of the thousands of Dirds which sing in the branclies of the trees outside the Oriental hotel. The doors and the windows are all open and the lightest of white duck linen is oppressive as clothing. It is February, but 1long to go as naked ns the Siamese them- and it makes me perspire to think of n overcoats and of the clothing which you people wear as 1 write. It is too hot to go out in the middle of the day and we have all the surroundings of the tropics. The cocoanut and the palm treo line the banks of this Menam river and the boats flit in and out of jungles which remind ono of the swamps of Florida, save that you may see the wonkeys upon the trees, and the plumago of the birds is more splendid. Twish I could give you & picture of our ride up the Menam to Bangkok. The sides of the river are lined with these small float- ing houses. They are anchored to piles and they lic half hidden by the great palm trees on the banks. Here and there a canal juts off into the jungle and the houses on it makos this a floating street, These houses are made of bamboo with their sides and their roofs thatched with palm leaves. They ure somotimes on piles high above tho water, but move often they rest on its sur- face. They are tied to poles driven into the bed of the river and they rise and fall with the tide. Their avorage height is not more than ten feet and each looks like two large dog kennels fastened together aud covered with palm leaves. Here and thera there is an opening in the paim trees and you geta glimpse of the the country; itis flatas the waters of the river and whero it is plowed it looks as black as your hat. The only beasts upon it aro ugly water buffalos. There are no fences, no barns, and only these thatched Touses on piles. The river is winding. It is perhaps a quar- of amile wide and every turn brings new surprises. As we near Bangkok the watcrs aro nlive with craft of all kinds. Little, naked, brown, shock-neaded youngsters pad- dle long canoes not over two feet wide and 80 sharp that the least balauce would unseat the rower. There are half naked women, with great hats of straw, which look like in- verted work-baskets, sitting vave-legged and bave-breasted in boats which thoy paddle slong, and boats of all sizes aro worked by all ager and sexes from babes of six to wrinkled old men and short, gray-haired women of sixty. As you enter Bungkok the crowd iucreases. Instcad of one line of flonting houses along the banks there are three and sometimes four, The wholo river is alive and you turn your eyes this way and that, moeting a mazo of new objocts at every turn. What a curious crowd it is and HOW QUEER ARE THE PEOPLE! 1 feel mysclf blushing as Ilodk at the women. Youug and old, themost of them have noth- *ing but astrip of cotton oloth a yard wide and perhaps three yards long wound around thewr hips and the end pulled through be- tween their logs and tucked iuto the belt at tho back. Ihe dressy people among them add to this another strip of equally thin cot- ton, which they pull tightly around the bare body under tho arm pits and fasten with a kuot just ovor the bust. Thers is three fnches of bare sicin between that and the waist cloth, and the neck and the shoulders nre decidedly bare. ‘The bust is always de- coilette and this cotton nides none of the outlines of beauty. There is beauty, too, in the outlines of these plump, straight, lithe- limbed Siamese maidens A partof their cducation is the bending the joints back and forth to make them supple,and they are as straight as so many pine trees, and they move with the grace of the India yubber man in the circus. Their step is 1ight one, for they walk without shoes, and all native Siam goes bave-footed. They are all short-hmred, and these Slameso girls have heads which seem to beaficted with a perpetual cow-lick and thelr short ‘wirey hair, black and oily, stands up hiko a shoe-brush all over tloir heads, Here one turns her face. She has a dark brown com- plexion, Her forehead is square, her cheek bones are high, her nose is half flat and it turns slightly upward over a pair of ripe, Juscious black lips. She opens her mouth and the blaok of her lips is equalled oniy by the jot of her teeth. The sight is disgusting. Bhe has a quid of brown snuff between the 1ips and the teoth aud a thiok stream the oolor of blood is seen ou her tongue. She squirts it forth and wipes the saliva on the back of her hand. This maiden, like all the men, wowen and children in Bangkok, is a CHEWER OF TUE UETEL NUT, which turns the teeth black, puffs out the 1ips and makes them cvack. The betel nut 1s & native of Siam, and imwmense quantitics of them are exported to India and other coun- tries where the chewing of it prevalls. It has a green skin and is of the size of a black svalnut, Itis sold in pieces the size of a hickory nut and it is of a soft, spongy nu ture, having @ bitter astringent taste. Thoe lamese mix it with lime colored red, und a it of tobacco. The red colored llwe is up in green leaves, and every one in country has u betel hox unear niw, He iews and spits and spits and clicows all day sod it is sald n::@' this babit costs the people fully as much as their food. It has much the same effect as tobacco in that it takes Away hunger and vroducln‘ A stimu. lating and soothing sepsation, It is used everywhere and the bridegroom gives & present of betel nuts to his bride, Babies are given it sometimes before they are weaned and I saw a young Siamese hoy yes- terday, of ten, as naked a8 was Adam before the fall, squirting betel juice between his teeth and aiming at a mark. It is a vile, filthy habit and it turns the Siam- ese from a moderatel handsome nation into & most ugly one. The old women have to have it pounded up for them in or- der that they may masticate it between their toothless wums, and I have seen no moredis gusting sight anywhere than one of these lean, wrinkled, withered old hags chewing away under her short, stiff, gray hair and spitting out blood 1n puddles. The Siamese girls have beautiful eyes and the plump, olive checks of maidens of fifteen would be very attractive were 1t not for the betel. Their eyes are black, lustrous and full of soul. They are a friendly set, too, and they do not shrug their rosy uncovere shoulders nor attempt to pull down their ballet girl costume in the presence of tho Men, Many of them are peddlers in this city of Canas, and they sit in these long, narrow canoe-like boats and paddle along their wares from house to house. They soem to be tho managers of tho stores and these river shops of l{nmkuk are out on the water and the maiden store-keeper squats down on the floor with her goods all around her and with her betel box and tobacco beside her. Her husband is usually lying in & back room or loafing. Her stock is very small, and_there is nothing for the foreiguer to buy. The wants of the peo- ple are few, Siamese washing takes noither soap nor starch, and vegetablos and rice con- stitute most of the food of the people, When they want a dainty they take a little raw, rotten fish and mix it with their curry and majority of them do not know what meat is, The Siamese wash their clothes and their bodies at the same time and this viver Menam is always full of bathers. The girls step down into the water with this yard-wide strip around their waists and roll about like mermaids. The men bathe in the same way, and they delight in taking a vessel and fiil: ing it with watgr and standing or sitting on the wharves of their houses and raising it high above their heads and letting the cool stream pour over their warm persons, After they have had a bath they stand a minute to let themselves dry, then slipping another cloth loosely aboui the waist, over their wot garment, they let the other fall to tho floor, ring it out aud dry it for u second wearing. 1u the evening you see this bathing going on everywhere, and the playground of the chil- dren of Bangkok is in the rive So far I have seen none with floats upon their backs such as 1 saw upon the river on children of Canton. They are VEIY WATER RATS, and even the smallest of thein seem to be able to take care of themsolves. Children of the poorer ¢ under ten wear no cloth- ing, but nea 21y baby and every boy and girl hasgold or silverjewelry upon its nake: body. The most of the children have anklets and bracelets, as well as neck- laces of gold or~ silver, and the boys wear around their naked wrist a string of charms of silver and stones, while the girls have sim- ply a string, to the center of which a silver or gold heart, perhaps two inches in diame- ter, hangs down, forming a miniature fig- lenf apron, as it were. Of late the children of the better classes, those of the princes and nobles, have taken to wearing bands of woven gold and silver about the waist, and as I patted the son of the governor of the city on tho head yesterday, I noted that around his waist cloth of bright green sili was buckled a heavy silver belt of woven links, at least an inch wide and of the most beautiful workmanship. The children seem to be quite as happy, however, as though they had pantaloons, vest, underwear and overcoats, and the music of their voices is as sweet here on the waters of the Menam, as it is anywhere. On their floating homes they have not more than ten or fifteeu square feet as a play ground, and many of them have never been upon the land. These floating homes are more like cot- tages or huts thun houses. The average size of them js three rooms, and you could sct one roof all down within a good-sized Amer- ican parlor. [irst there is an outer ledge covered with a roof aud open to the river. Inside there is a kitchen and bedroom, They have no windows, and in Bangkok I don't suppose there are o hundred panes of win- dow glass. The climate is so warm that the peoile want every breath of air they can get, and when you pack the survivors of two or three geuerations of one family into ono of these huts you have no need of either win- dows or doors. There are no chairs in these flonting homes. The people sleep upon maf or straw, or skins, and their pillows are stuffed with cotton, or are mcre pieces of wood. The beds of the ordinary family filled with bugs and of all the numerous species of the reptile creation, Siam seems to have its share. There are ants, mos- quitoes and lizards everywhere, afd the bodies of the naked childre; rubbed with a yollow powder, which keeps the mosquitoes away. A Siamese kitchen has no chimney and the peopie never need a base burner. ‘'he cooking is all done over conls in a box filled with earth or ashes, and thechief culinary articles are a vice pot, a kettie and a frying pan. Many of the ent- ables are bought cooked, and the rice is first boiled and then set to steam 1 an carthen pot, Kice forms tho bread of the couutry and the Siamese knows nothing of the af! joys of the undone American pie or the oily Boston baked beans. These mese girls never learn how to make cake or pudding; they have no roasts and no soups. They squat on the floor, around a little table not more than a foot high, when they eat and each puts her own hand into the common dish and picks out the morsel which pleases her., In eating rice they put the whole hund into the steaming kettie, and rolling the steaming mass into a hard ball between their fingers, they crowd it into their betel- stuined mouths. The men, as lords of the family, get tho first bite and the WOMEN TAKE WIAT I8 LEFT, hero is, however, no fixed dinner liour, and gastronomy hus a long way to go before it will becowe u seience in Siam, 1 visited one of the big markets here yesterday. It was on the main land and consisted of a_great, low shed fillod with platforms about twenty foet square and a foot high. Upon these platforms on green palm leaves were spread the wures of the market women. Thero were no men among the seilers and few among the buyers. Through the center of each platform thore was a pillar which helped support the roof of the shed, and there were four women to each platiorm, These, half nuked, sauatted with their backs against the pillas and their bare logs er . Each bad a betel box and some cigarettes beside her,and they either chewed or smoked whilo the market went on. Their wares were littlo piles of onions, pieces of cabbages and othor vegetubles, The quanti- ties woere not messured except by the eye and the puper used was this green palm ieaf, in which the purchaser wrapped up his food and fastened it with a little woodeun tooth- pick-like pin. Speaking of smoking, everyone in Siam smokes—men, women and o 0, The paonie have no pockets, aud the favorite pluces for carrying cigars and cigarcties is nd the ear, just us our Awmerican clerks carry their pens aud pencils. 1 saw a naked boy of four yestarday standing in a crowd smoking a cizarette. He was pufling away lustily at tho weed in his mouth, und he had Lwo others yet uniit—one behind each car. He apparently enjoyed his tobucco, and smoked and spit and spit and smoked as though 1t was an every-day matter, aud | doubt not it was, His browu-skinned fatlier in 4 waist cloth stood beside him, und when 1 still smok- ide of his Lip car. he started away he picked up ing youngster and set him a ana then walked off, Babies are alwa) riod on the hip here and not upon the a8 in Chima, Corea and Japan, 'Phis carryivg is done by the mon.as well as the women, and only tho poorest of the men do any work, The King of Hiam is SULTOSED TO OWN THE PEOF and each man in the realm bus o serve for three, six or nine wooths a5 a servant of the government, At a cortain time of the year the eutire population is marked off to par- ticular nobleien OF ROVEFNIMOUL Disters, These masters, whonever the goyernment demands uxything of them, can con men marked off o ther to'serve, Al K of work are dewardiod, and tho v marks put upon the men indicate tielr trade or profession. Howe men are required to give all their tane to the zovornment, and in this caso thoy get nomiaal salarics, who give half their timo work for tho king fifteen days and then have fiiteen days off, The threo montls subjocts get no pay during the time they are in Hangkok they have to flnd themsolvos in food and lodging. This work practically cnsluves the whole population of mules, aud slavery is commosn in Sium. Criminals convicted often become slaves, aud thoy are sopietimes wmarikod or brauded on the forebead. [ hute soou wauy By men in ohains during my stay here, and just outside the walls of the palace there are at least two score of men, bright-eyed, Rgood-looking, lusty fellows, who have iron coilars about_tholr necks and chains about their legs and arms, who were making basket work, and who offered to sell mo thelr wares as I passed. The debtor who does not pay in Siam must become the slave of his creditor, who charges him from fifteen to thirty per cont a year, puts him in chains and takes his work as interest on the debt. Thera are hundreds of such slaves in Bang- kok and many of the men become slaves by gambling away thoir living. Thoro are gam- 1ing housys everywhere, and the men and women, old and young, are addicted to gam- bling. 'One of the great games seems to be fautan and there are big sheds scattered along the main streets of the city, i which these half-naked, brown-skinnoed, blood-spit- ting Siamose colloct in groups about mats, where Chinamen act as the bank- ers and conduct this game. Little sholls aro used instoad of cash and tho &ame 18 substantially the same as the fantan of China, Gambling also goes on upon the river and it takes piace among the ladies of the harem, I am told, in the very palace it- self. The nation all fold seems addicted to vice rather than to virtue, and it is nearer akin to pure heathenism than any other I have yet seon. Still it claims to be progross- ive, and :ts king has made some steps to the front. The whole, however, compares more 10 the colored republic of 'Hayti or to tho blacks of San_Domingo than to any other civilization. The peopla are devoted to Buddhism and the priests are numbered by thousands. I will visit the palace and the gorgeous tomples to-morrow and in my next lotter oan give you n taste of high life and culture as gathered under the very feet of tho sacred white elophants and in the shad- 0ws of the harem itsel. FRANK CARPENTER, After a sleepless night, use Angostura Bitters to tone up your system. Buy only the genuine, manufactured by Dr. Siegert & Sons. At all druggists, e “emiberds GIUSEPPE ESPOSITO. The American Carcer of a Brigand Who Was the Terror of Sicily. The Louisville Courier Journal says: The young son of afamous [talian band- it has met with a very unroméntic in Now Orleans. Giuseppe Esposito, many years ago, was the bold and suc- cessful leader of a band of brigands in Italy, where his many exploits had gained for him a Kuropean reputation and invested his name with a terror to all travelers in the moutains of Sicily. To the qualities which have been cribed to the outlaw in sang and story, he added those of cruelty and bloodthirstiness, aud the unlucky captive who fell into his clutches, if not vedeemed by # ransom, ‘»:\nl the penalty of his misfortune with his life. The heartless Esposito pur- sued his career as a robber and murder against his fellow countrymen un- checked, but finally aroused the wrath of John Bull, an act which has always been haZardous in either an individual or a nation. He seized an English trav- eler one day, and after due notice and proper waiting the stock of the bandit camp had not been increased by as much as a single piastor on account of the last adventure. One of the prison- er’s ears was then sliced off and for- warded to his friends, and this in turn was followed by its fellow useful and ornamental appen But by this time the British government had been notified, and such a demand made on the Italian autho; s that Esposito’s gang wus quickly dispersed, und he was apprehended and imprisoned. Escap- ing he fled to America, and from New York went to New Orleans. In _the latter city he shortly manifested his lofty contempt for hon pursuits by becoming chief of a society of black- mailers, an occupation hardly as gens teel us the one he had followed in his native land, but less dangerous. It was not adventurous enough, though, and before long he got to be captain of a small coasting vessel, marrying in the meantimtime a pretty young girl of his own race. A reward wasout for him, though, by the Italian government, and in 1880 Detective Hennessey. now the chief of police of New Orleans, ar- rested him. He was sent back to Italy, where he was tried, twice senten be hung, and finally seént to pr life. The wife was left in New Orleans. with an infant son of Espos Last week she applied to the mayor to have the boy, Joseph, and a younger child placed in an orphan asylum,as she could not support them, and it was done. Should the news penetrate to the Sicilian dungeon of Esposito, the refiection that his child will at least be comfortably cared for will lighten a little his dark and revengeful heart. -— Horsford's Acid Phosphate, The Best Tonic [ known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. % DANGER IN A KISS. Disease Ofien is ‘Transmitted From Lip to Lip. *“One of the most pernicious of Ameri- can habits,” said a Philadelphia phy- sician to a reporter for the Record, *‘is the common custom of passing around a plug of tobacco from one chewer to another. The moisture that is then transmitted from one man’s lips to an- other’s may, and often does, breed foul disense. [ have seen men’s faces fear- fully contortea from the effects of this habit, though it is difficult to convince them that so great a matter has resulted *from so simple & cause. Disease may lurk, too, in a postage stamp. It is a disagrecable practice at hest to “lick”” stamps, but to touch with the tongue a stamp already touched by another tonguoe is positively dangerous. Stamps transmitted by mail inside a lettor may often thus' carry disease. The corner of the stamp is at first caused to adhere to the letter by the applica- tion of saliva by the sender, and then the receiver puts it to his tongee when he wishes to mail o letter. The origi nal sender may have had a mucuos pateh upon his tongue, in which case the danger of contagion of blood disease is considerable, Throat and skin dis- casos may be similarly transmitted by the sal “*A kiss, however, isa much m potent source of disease. Not only is promiseuous kissing of men and women to be condemned. but mothers should be cavefal about their babies’ kisses. The contact of lip with lip contains far more risk that is genevally recognized, and it i% a great wonder that so many babies come out of their infancy unscathed, Young men should be very sparing of their ki und their sweethearts chavy of veceiving them, on physical s well as sentimental and moral ground 1 have seen young ladies hor- vibly blotched and pimpled, whose cases have bafled the learning of country ractitioners, Their friends have be- liv\'wu ash Lo be a sign _of cancer, but it was really some hideous incurable malady that had developed from a kiss, have known also instances where infants have been carrvessed by some un- safe person and have been the inngcent agents of transmission *of disease to their mothers or nurses. Such cases ave rare, as sinall ehildren do not read- ily develop disenses of this character, bt the bad effects of promiscuous kiss- ing are inually being proved to medical me J A A An Absolute Cure Tre OIIGINAL ABIETINE OINTMENT is ouly put up in large two ounce tin boxes, aud is an absolute cure for old sores, burns, wounds, chapped hands, and all skin erup- tioas. Wil positively cure all kinds oPBilch. Ask for the ORIGINAL ABIETINE OINT- MEN Soid by Goodmau Drug Co., at 25 eats per box—~Ly wisld 0 cents. CULT AENG THE FRONTIER. 1: Another Odllection of Gems From Our Riifal Contemporaries. b THERE WAS,NO FLIES ON GEORGE Histrlonids ‘at the Capital-A High Society 'ScAndal at MoCool—Jus- tice as She is Understood ~The Aridona Kicker Distanced. Country Breezes. Tar Bee is again delighted to lay before its readers a collection of gems from the rural press of this groat and growing state. The Cylone published at Kenesaw is doing what it can to encourage cult in Adams county. ‘‘We had the pleasure on Wednesday cven- ing last, says the dramatio critic of that paper, of attending the literary meeting at Liberty. We arrived in time to hear most of the programme, which on account of some misundorstanding was not prepared until after the society had gathered at tho school house. It was good, however, as far as it went. The usual number, of course, were ‘not prepared,’ ‘aint here,’ and oue who was callod upon for a song had ‘lost his singer a comin' up’ A recoss of ten or fiftcen minutes wus taken for the purpose of arrang- ing a programme for the balance of the even- ing. Timo was then called and, in response to a call for music, Bob Findlay appeared upon thescene with a violin and favored the saudience with ‘Nellie Gray,’ in his own veculiar style. George Whitesell was called upon for a song and favored the company ‘with a selection, entitled ‘Poor Old Dad,’ in [ which George did himself proud and con- vinced the audience that there was no flies on him as a vocalist. Ye scribe was then given an opportunity to display his ability as a song and dance_artist, but gracefully de- clined.” Our vigorous young contemporary. the Lincoln Call, is equally generous in its ef. forts to establish Melpomene and kindred deities on a firm footing in the capitol city. A recent Sunday issue contains the follow- ing accounts of the attractions at the various theaters the previous evening: This is the season of the year when opera houses, and circuses and theaters and trass bands have a great run. Lincoln is never behind in any- thing in the amusement line. The Globe last night was the principal place of attrac- tion. The play was ‘“Ingomar, the White Slave,” and the vociferous appiause accorded the heavy villian, who played Little Tops, was a fair index of the culture of the audi- ence. Charley Mosher played this part. When he came on the stage dressed in wolf skins, with a large knite in his mouth, and said tearfully and almost pathetically, “Up yonaer, Uncle Tom, up yonder.” Judge Mason, who,led the orchestra, said he could stand 1t no longer; “it wastoo much, too much.” A this juncture, Mr. Mahoney, of the Westery Unlon, announced a telegram which stated that Brad Slaughter had not only been confirmed, but had drawn a month’s salary, The curtain was run down by Colonel Hyde, and the lights extin- guished. During the rush that followed Semmons, the clothier, anounced a cut in ready made clothing, and E¢ Roggen passed through the house singing out: *Lemo, lemo, lemo, not ten, but five; good people—ice cold lemo- nade.” ? ‘‘Order was pnnlly resored, and the Salva tion army, Which. had taken advantage of the situation, starfed up a lively air, and Cap- tain Lee again fell in the soup bowl which he was wearing that evening as a scarf pin. **Little can be said of the play. Everybody knows the plot; all people know how little Eva's heart thumped when Uncle Tom an- nounced his intention of going up yonder. The Call does not think that Ingomar should chew plug tobacco in the parlor scene—but habit fastens itself upon genius, the same as it does on anything else. “The music was excellent. It may have sounded strange to hear General McBride playing the bass arum when Simon Lozreo was dying, but the general knows more about music than the Call, “The attraction at the Olympic this week was Julius Crosar. Mr. Ike Lansing played in the title roll, but did not have his roll with him, He impersonated Brutus. A.J., Wright of Tecumseh playea Cwsar. lke did the best. That was not any good. He insisted on departing from the general ruses, and in- stead of stabbing Ciwsar with a dagger he shot him with an army musket. When he came to the beautiful lines to the effect that he had pagged his game, not that he loved Cuesar less but Rome more, Ike said ne did it not because he had anything in particula r against Jule, but because he loved to hear Rome howl. “John Knight played Lady McBeth and Tom Cook the Merchant of Venice. Mr. Cook insisted that he did not want the pound of flesh, as he was agsinst beef trusts, Charley Whedon was the end man and asked Cook what he was beefing about. This caused a panic and the police took possession of the house. “The able editor of the Echo, publighed at £lmwood, was busily knitting ' up the ruv- elled slecve of care according to Shake- speare's recipe the other night when he was awakened by a strange concatenation of sounds, which he says *‘made us rear up in our bed and reach for our leather gun, Our first impulse was that Fletcher and Duff had come back and were singing one of their sweet refrains at our window. We hustled into our standing pants and rushed out to greet them, only to be faced by two fierce looking Thomas cats that were perched on the well curb quarrelling about who ‘stood in’ the best with Rosencraus’ speckled catty." McCool Junction has just recovered from a sensation which for a fortnight was on every tongue and threatenod an irreparable dis. ruption in social circles, rom the weckly Record of thav villa are gleaned the follow= ing facts in regard to the affair: Several young ladies arranged an entertainment for the benetit of the church, which, from the factthat each young lady was to place on sale a basket, was called a ‘*‘basket social.” According to the plan agreed upon, the gen- tieman who pugchased lady's basket was to act as hey escort for the ‘evening. The basket furnished by Miss Ella Brooks was s0ld to rural knight, who, instead of assum- ing the ,pleasing duty thereby im- vosed, very ,ungallantly exchanged his token with apother young man who bore the suggektive name of Hugall. Wheth- or or not Migs Hrooks objected to tne sweep- ing proposition’implied in Mr. Hugall's cog- nomen, whén she learned of the transaction she flatly refuséd to accompany him to the festive board, "Phe announcemoentof her de- termination fell like a tuunderbolt into the hitherto plagid depths of the basket social There was & hurrying to and fro. Ambas. sadors Hew from Mr. Hugall to Miss Brooks- and from Miss girooks back to Mr. Hugall® But all to go purpose. It Brooked not. Whether Mu, 41, succeeded in securing some other fair pavéner THe 13EE is unable to state but it is certain that he was not accom- panied by Miss Brooks. The affair threat- ened Lo split all McCool into Hugall and anti- Hugall factions and for several days busi- ness was practically at a standsull, Finally the Record came 10 the rescue in the follow- ing editorial paragrapi : “Considerable blame was attached to M Ella Brooks for her actions in refusing to eaf eupper with Mr. Edward Hugall, at the bas- kel social. M Hrooks desires us to state that Mr, Hugall did not purchase her basket, and says that Mr. Lord purchased and trad- ed, It was her intention 10 eut with who- ever purchased her basket, but she did oot propose to bave it traded.” r, Hugall accepted this explanation and MeCool Junction 18 again owing smoothly in its former chanuels. ‘The journalist who directs the course of the Leader, published ut Genoa, has certain igeas of justice peculiavly his own, Randall Fuller, the proprietor of Fullerton, Nunce county, is now quite advanced in years, As cordiug to a citizen who had him arrested ' the other day the snows o?_:ovonty winters have not tamed the heyday in the old man’s blood. The jury, however, nitted him whereupon the astute editor of the Leader observes: ‘'If the old sinner had not been up to some dirt, it is certain that no action would have been brought against him, and though the jury, in the light of the evidence given, could not condemn him, yet in the eyes of all well meaning people he must atand as an aged sample uhumnn depravity, It is high time for the old man to die off and take his stall in hades.” The Newport Advocate, which edifies the sottlers of Rock county once a week, has been exchanging civiltios with the editor of the Herald, published at Bassett, 1n the same county. The Advocate's Knight of the quill thus flung down the gauntlet to the Herald man in & recent issue: ‘‘The Bassett Scurvy last week, after having been crowded to the wall with facts, made a desperate effort to calm this Daper in its exposure of tho Das- tt election frauds, by assaulting the char- acter of the ecditor hereof. Tho Advocate oditor dares the cowardly, lying scab of the Scurvy to make charges against_him in a di- rect and intelligible manner. Let the re- buttal evidence against the Croator of men insiuate. Lot the chimpaneze gibber, Let the red-headed wood-pecker peck. But don't let it walk on dangerous ground, unless it wants its head hammered into shape.” As wo were makiog our usual rounds the other evening in quest of news,” says the controlling spirit of another rural weekly: ‘‘We caught a glimpse of somethg that made us wish for our boyhood days. It was nothing but a mere kiss ; but, O, my !the way it was imprinted faiily made us prance, We got real nervous and wanted to go through that window and yank that young fellow clear out of his high-water pants— Moral: Pull down your blin Some time since an item appeared in the Minden Democrat to the effect that a gentle- man of that city wanted a wife, but had re- cently been refused by two Iadies of that place. The editor of the Democrat within a few days received a communication from other ladies, which he printed with the re- mark that “‘while we are not a matrimonal agency, wo are willing—nay, anxious to do all in our power to secure helpmates for all among our subscribers who are unmarried.” Following are two of the communications: HiLbrETH, Neb., March 27, 1850.—To tho Minden Democrat: I saw @ peace in the paper consuming an gentleman huuting a wife, I'think he could get one in this plase. She is a war widow, she is jobel, lively, helthy, pretty, good looken, she got friends in Mindin, she often visits there. Yours re specktfully - HoLstErN, Neb., March 27, 1889, —Dewmocrat Ofiice: Please give me what informatién you can regarding the man that wants a wife, or have him address me at once, as 1 have a notion of marrying if I can et a man that suits me. Please answer at once. Mus. The Sioux City Sun dou't propose to have the characters of its constituency maligned. A Sioux City paper intimatea that the mem- ber of a prominent liquor firm in_Covington (and it may be remarked that all liquor firms in Covington are wmore or less prominent), had boen acting as a ‘‘fence” for a gang of Chicago thieves, Whereupon the Sun comes to the rescue in a double-leaded paragraph concluding with: “These are the most gen- tlemenly young men in business at that place, 1ot only conducting the neatest and most orderly place in Covington, but devote a few minutes every evening to prayer meet- ing.” Some of the papers of Nebraska may not be so polished as their contemporaries of the effete oast, but when it comes to bonhommie and that’ sort of thiug they generally arrive at their destination, as note the following from a West Point’ paper: *Kim Thompson says we were mistaken in our statement last weelk that he had been having trouble with his mother, ys it was with his wife and sa, ri- ble time.” Our euterprise may cause us to be a little previous sometimes, Kim, but we al- ays aim to give a man a square de But for enterprise and tireless vigilance in covering its field, commend us to the Blaine County Democrat. A recent issue contains a notable example. Picture the scene: At the end of a week of ceascless activity on the part of the staff, the paper, overflowing with the result of their joint effort, is about to go to press, when a breathless reporter rushes in seizes a fragment of paver and writes fur- iously. Ina few moments the item is fast in the forms, the Blaine County Democrat has been saved from a *'scoop” and its many readers are edified by the intelligence that “as wo go to press we learn that John Davis hassold four Logs and ten bushels of pota- toes to George M. Baker.” The following . is taken from the society columns of the Harrison Herald, published in Sioux county: “Mr. Trimbur is suffering from a severe cold contracted while entertaining some friends at the ciub rooms on Monday night. His costume worn upon that occasion w remarkable for its elegant simplicity, but was a little too open for this season of the year, hence his cold.” “Bungling types on Saturday, Norfolk News, “'made our socicty columns say that ‘Mr. J. W. Kreiter _and Mrs. H. Warner had gone to Omaha, It should have read Mrs, Kreiter and Mrs. Warner.” ” “The Schuyler Herald has for some time been very successfully edited by a bright and energetic young lady named Miss Helen Phelps. Miss Phelps recently married one of her heaviest advertisers, a_Mr, Reinecke, and the name at the head of the editorial col- umus was changed from Miss Helen Phelps to Mrs, Helen Reineclce, wheroupon a con- temporary remarked: “The Schugler Her- ald has changed proprictors, ~Miss Helen Phelps retring and Mrs. Helen Reinecke taking charge. ‘This is Helen repeat.’” The editor of the Iremont Flail is a philosophes: ‘Examine our North Bend paeo for babies and marriages,” he says in a recent issue. *“I'he two departments soem to go hand in hand.” Two evangelists recently undertook to in- fuse some religious sentiment into the lives of the people of Blaine county, but met with such small success that they soon left for more inviting fields. The News published at the county seat thereupon condoles with the reverend gentiemen as follows: “The minis- ters who fiad charee of the revival destrye great praise for keeping it above ground as long as they did. A man who could preach more than one evening to a congregation made up of three foreigners who don't un- derstand English, one deaf woman, five small boys and a_yellow dog would indeed have iron nerves.’ .— ML Dr. J. H. McLean’s Liver and Ki Pellots are o remedy and specific for chills and fever, mild in their action they are agreeable to take and a certain cure, il City or Conntry Air ? The Lewiston (Me.) Journal raises the question as to whether town or country life is most healthful, by relat- ing the. following circumstance: “‘Something over three years ago a man in Augusta boughta farm and settled down, with his wife, mine children, mother and brother-in-law, to enjoy life. . Ior seventeen years the family had lived in a tenement house, an during that time, had never exper enced a day’s sickness. Naturally they looked for even better health on the farm, but the brother-in-luw soon sick- ened and died of consumption, A short time afterward another child was born, which soon died of consumption, fol- lowed by its mother in a few month: Then the grandmother of the chiid died of the same ease, and, last Sat- urday, the futhe 2 s A Russion joint stock compady is building an_immense boat theater to float up and down the Volga river, Per- formances ave to be given atevery large town. PATRONIZE HOME * INDUSTRY BY SMOKINC “Red Label” Cigars. KlquYnmnn urinaey trobles esally, qulo 1y and safely cured by DOOT(RA ¢ sules. Beveral cases cured in seven davs, Sold #1.50 per box, all druggists, or by mail feom Doc- ura Mfg Co.' 112 White 8t.'N.¥. Fulldirections. NESS RED! Podnrui ANVISINLE TUBULAR EAR CUSHIQN! FUEE: Address of calivo ¥, HISGOX , 663 Broadway, N, The ONLY Lawn or Garden Hose MADE which will stand 250 POUNDS PRESSURE. 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We carry an immense line of Tools suitable for all kinds of work. Amongst our specialties are: Bailey’s Tron and Woed Planes, Standard Iron and Wood Planes, Stratton's Levels, Disston's Saws, Wood and Iron Plows, Fancy Planes of all kinds, RULES, SQUARES, ETC., ETC. CALL AND SEE US AT OUR NEW STORE, 151l DoIeE SEcEi=atas Telephone 437. - DEWEY & STONE Furniture Company A mognificent dis, L lure maker’s art at reasonable prices. Jas. Morton & Son. play of everything useful and ornwmental ix the furni " OMAHA STOVE REPAIR WORKS. Brilliant Gasoline Stoves. Gasoline Burners made to order and thoroughly repaired. we will call and estimate work of any kiund, Repairs for all Stoves and Ranges made, part payment, Telephone to us or send card a HIMEBAUGH & TAYLOR, Hardware and Cutlery, Mechanics’ Tools, Fine Bronze Builders’ Qoods and Bujalo Soales. 1405 Douglas St., Omaha. 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