-. ”4- man——a great shot—called Wells, an’ - went into camp. I jest stepped off 15' buckskin hat and a hitch to his fringed .~ . I W E is KLYNORWA 11K :- GA Zn 'r A. o THE SONG OF THE GUN. The furnace was white with steel a-li'ght. 'VVhen my new-born spirit came In a molten flood of the war-god’s blood, In a passion of fire and flame. I looked o’er the deep from a lofty steep With a strong heart full of pride; Like a. king alone on his stately throne Whose word no man denied. - My thunder spoke from the battle smoke, When the waves ran crimson red. And heroes died by my iron side, " Till the foreign foemen fled. The sentence of death was in my breath, And many a ship went down—- Oh, the gun is lord of the feeble sword, And greater is his renown. Now the long grass hides my rusty sides, And round me the children play; But I dream by night of a last great fight, Ere the trump of the judgment day. For men must fight in theeause of right, Till the time when war shall cease; .And the song of the‘gun will ne’er be done. Till the dawn of lasting peace. -—N. Y. Tribune. SHE RODE Fb—lt— FUN. BY 'WILLIAM B. CAMERON. "My name is Jim Vue: amule—skinner am I: The first time I went «courting I felt rather S ; - I stooblyunder the rain-spout till I got wet . clean through— . .(Then Sal stuck her head out o' the win- der an’ says-— ‘Jim! Come in out o' the rain.’) Says I—‘My old girl, I don’t care if I-” " “Jim,” said I, breaking in upon his ditty, “what was the yarn you were going to tell about the time you en- gineered that English himting-party through the Bear Paw mountains?” We were riding along the trail, which stretches its serpentine length at the feet of the eternally grand old Rockies between Forts McLeod and Calgary, on a bright, warm afternoon in January. 'When they have a “Chinook” out there, Sporting in its rude, .boisterous, yet withal genial fashion, through the deep Adefiles of the mountains from over the Pacifieywith a rumble like Niagara at :a distance and a force which makes you button your coat up tightly to keep it from blowing off, 'the snow soon van- ishes, even in midwinter; and the ther- mometer jumps from “40 below” to “temperate” so suddenly that you won- der if the sun has not wheeled himself several degrees out of his normal course at such a season, or the breath of an approaching prairie-fire is not fanning your check. The singer gave the wad of tobacco in his jaw a twist with his tongue and aimed an amber jet at a “bulldog” on his horse’s car before turning upon me a pair of 'glistening eyes, with black points set in saucers of milk, a short, impudent nose and a rather weak mouth, round the corners of which lurked a musing smile. Then, after a pause, he said: “Oh, yes. Well, Littlefield was the chief of the outfit, an’ he hed his wife along—fine, Spankin’ woman, good to look at. There. was another English- a nigger cook—a big, slashin’ buck, but with no mo’e sand in him than a pusil- lanimous jack-"rabbit. Lordl—how we did scare that poor critter! His teeth used to chitter like a squirrel's; it’s a wonder he didn't shake ’em out of his big woolly head. ‘Fraid of his own shad- der after night, an’ he’d make one any time, even if it was pitch dark, he was so infuna-l black. You might as soon git this here buzzard-head I'm a-ridin’ to stand on one leg as coax that. nigger to mosey outside the flare o' the camp- fire after sundown feral. pail 0’ water, or fer any other pu’pos’, fer the mat- ter 0’ that. You see, he was a ‘pilgrim’ -—never been on a lay-out 0’ this sort afore, an’ he was that blamed tender '4 goat would nibble him. “But, I b’leeve, to talk Christian, I was partly responsible fear his being so extray-ordinary skittish. He sta’ted, oncet or twicet, fer water after night to a crick quite handy, sho’tly after we. paces into the pines an’let. a ‘Yee-ow’ or two out 0’ me, an’ Jumbo, he throwed back his ears an’ yelled—tee-rifiic, I tell yeh—an’ come prancin’ up to the camp- fire—jest techin’ high spots, you under- stand—with his two sighters stickin’ out like the knobs on the horns of a. emery freight-ox, shalcin‘ like a sick cow in north wind, an’ dern a. pail in sight. ' ‘ “After that a Quaker meetin’: ner a cyclone wouldn’t budge him; an’ if you asked him to put a tree bet-ween him an’ the blazeafter dark he’d weep like a. wolf. 'An’ that woman! * * * No———she didn’t laugh none—o-oh, no-o!” And Jim lay back in his saddle, and sent a peal echoing up among the foot—hills which shook the few lingering traces of soft snow from the branches of the spruces. That Jim was 1a “mule-skinner” does not imply that he was expert at remov- ing hides—in toto. Simply that he belonged to that select bunch of frontiersmen whose superlative boast is that they can drive or ride “anything that wears hair”——that he was past- master in the craft. of teamsterism. He adjusted the pistols in his belt, gave a' forward tilt to his broad-rimmed leather “chaps,” and kicked his big’jing- ling Mexican spurs against his cayuse’s flanks before resuming: . “But I was a—goin’ to tell yeh ’bout Mis’ Li’l’field. She was a mighty fine woman, as I said before, an’ well put up ———fond o’ out-o’-door sport, an’ of ridin’ in partic’lar. Well, one bright, warm mornin’ Li’l‘field an’ Wells went. off huntin’, an’ I got orders (I was teamster an’ guide to the outfit, yeh know) to move camp across the ‘Divide’~—about 2O mile—in the meantime. So, after breakfast an' the dishes hed been wiped, we packed up the outfit an’struck camp; but it was well on in the day before we pulled out. , “Now, Mis’ALi’l’field hed a spankin’ bay hoss specially fer her own use. I hedn’t no objections to her ridin’, of co’se—not commonly. But yeh know it ain’t jest nice to be rollin’ down a blamed, co’kscrew mount’in trail after , Mm.sg.u:nnwpflx .. . - 6 - A ‘ _ ‘5 dark, an’ gettin’ into camp late, an’ hevin’ to plant yer tents an’ squat! things out, out yer kindlin’ an’ git yer water by cat-light, an’ wait till nine o’clock, mebbe, fer yer supper. This was what happened different times through Mis’ Li’l’field. She allers wanted to ‘ride’ when we shifted camp, an’ follered the Wagon on her bay hoss. It was unde’stood that when I was goin’ too fast or bed gbt fur in‘the lead, she would wave her handkeroher’, an’ I was to slack up or stop till she ketched the Wagon. 'So I jest natterly ’lowed I’d give her a song—an’—dauce, hevin’ a pretty smart day ahead 0’ me an’wantin’ to git into camp early. Consekently, I told the nigger—who rode with me— not to look back. “When we sta’ted, of eo’se, the fust ten mile or so was up—hill mostly, an’ I couldn’t travel extra fast; so it was ’bout two when we hit the summit, an‘ everything hed went lovely. Then we hed a little ‘hand-out,’ and the descent begun. "I didn’t lose no time. The mules stepped outgay—me arpoppin’ the buck- skin among ’em oncet an’ awhile jest to keep ’em chee’ful an’ in good humor; an’ the hill—well, chain-lightnin' could go down—with britchin’. I hedn’t went a great ways when I heerd a fur-off call ~—-]ike a coyote got astray. Jumbo shifted kind of uneasy like, on the seat, and squinted sideways at me; but I was a. whistlin’ ‘The Gal with the Trav- ail Train,’ and didn’t see nor hear nothin’, of co’se. Pretty soon the nig- ger he couldn’t set peaceful an’ on- coricerned no longer, an” stealcd a look behin‘. Then he leaned forrard, ’th his han’s ’tween his knees, an’ chuckled to hisself. I paid no manner of notice. Now he screws round again in his seat, chuckles an’ twists a little harder, squints at me sidewaysagain, and says: “ ‘She's a-wavin’, Jim.” -“"Set still, you blamed, black-breast- ed sand—piper,’ says I; ‘let .’er wave.’ “He was tol’abul quiet for a. sho’t space—whilp you might cut a pipe 0' tel-backer, mebbe. The calls sounded pretty faint now. Far back up the rocky trail, I could ketch the clear, sharp ring of her hoss’s beefs—‘pit-e- pat ! pit-e-pat! pit-e-pat! ’—remindin’ me somethin’ 0' one 0’ them gals from the east down in Benton chassayin’ up an’ down the room in a. new-fangled war-dance they call the ‘Rushin’ Polkayfi “J umbo’s head swung around again on its pivot. He squirmed a-n’ twisted an’ chuckled some more; the fun was too fast fer his ornery, woolly scalp, an’ he bust out: “ ‘Dah she waves, Jim. Now—now! she waves. Dah—dah! she’s a wavin’. Now—now! she’s a-wavin‘, Jim. Now! she waves. J im—J im — Jim — she waves. J im—she waves—she waves! —-she waves!’ . ' “Here he throwed out his wings—- undulatin’-like, and very takin’, and winds up in a- loud ‘Yah! yah! yahl’ —doublin’ hisself up an’ contortin’ an’ rollin’ round on the seat till I thought he’d drop out 0’ the wagin. He was the most extropulous coon I ever see-— that’s right! I tried to kick him under the seat—but fact. is, I was a—laughin’ at him till I was nigh non campus Mem- phis myself. “ ‘Pit-e-pat! Pit-e-pat! Pit-e-pat!’ come from far back in the distance. “Now I commenced to pull in my mules. We were git-tin’ pretty well down the slope, an’ a few miles more would fetch us to the camp-ground. (I hed changed ‘The Gal with the Travail Train’ fer ‘The Gall left Be- hin’ Me.’) It- was still middlin’ early in the afternoon, an’ mighty hot. After awhile I got my team down to a walk, an’ before long I heerd the. hoss’ hoofs comin’ closter. “I turned around an’ watched her as she come up. Sayl—I’ve eat canned lobsters—but you’d oughter seen that woman’s face! . . . Whooshl—to sta’t- a fire fer the pu’pos’ o’ toastin’ a bannack while she wer’ round an’ that color lasted, as the poet says, ‘wer’ on- neeessary.’ But that wa’n’t all, neither. She was mad clean through—as a sage hen with a brood 0’ young ’uns; it stuck out in pints all over her. An’ yeh could see where the tears hed left marks on her cheeks—through the dust; an’ her hair was like a shower-bath on her shoulders. “ ‘l-Iow could you be so mean, Jim,’ she says. “ ‘Well—you see, mum—er—this here -——ah—bla.med hill is so confounded ornery pu’pendic’lar — uh — I couldn’t hold ’em up—-’pon honor I couldn’t!’ “Of co’se I guess she didn’t b’leeve me ha’dly, but what could she say? We traveled pretty slow the rth 0’ the road to camp. I did feel tarnation mean, as well as sorry fer her, an’ that’s right! I wanted to kick myself, to make myself feel—er—ah—oncomfort- able. I hed half. a mind to make Jumbo do it. But, then, he was a nigger, an’ didn’t know nothin’. “Well, Li’l’field got his leg broke sho’tly after, an’ that bu’st up the ex- pedition—got into a wrestle with a grizzly an’ took second money. He left his hoss an’ went close to gltagood pull, but the bear was only wounded an’ charged. He waltzed with him. I reckon it ’ud ’a’ been all day with Li’l’- field if Wells hedn’t been nigh; he was a dead shot, yeh know. As it was, he got out of it with a broken thigh an’ a gash in his hip from the bear’s claw yeh might cache a flask in. So as soon as he could be moved we went into Helena, an’ they left there fer Eng- land. I u I “Eh? Oh, the woman! Why—well, she rode with me on the wagon after that en we moved camp—jest orner- ly didn’t care to much as look at a. sad- dle fer more’n a. week. When she shook han’s an’ says good-by (a-n’ I was real sorry to see the last of her), she looks at mean’ smiles, an’ says; . r “ ‘An’ Jim, next time we come to Montana to hunt, try an’ pick us out a- span 0’ mules that ain’t so hard to “hold up,” will yon?’ “An’, I hanged my head like a- domed idjut an’ said I would.”—San Francisco Argonaut. MURDER IN DANBUR—Y? Th_re was a shooting affair in Don- bury early Sunday morning that may result in a double murder. One man is dead and another is dying in the hospi- tal. William Flitcroit, who did the shooting: is under arrest. His victims were Frank Ketchum ‘of 31 Osborne street and William Tomlinson, who boards at 62 Beaver street. The form- er was killed and the latter mortally in- jured. Ketchum and 'I‘omliuson were two of a party of four young men who were out. on a. lurk Saturday night. Early Shuduy morning they went to Wild- men’s lane, which leads out of Main street and into a thickly populated set- tlement where several hundred people of various classes live. The party went to N9. 12, where Mary Fisher, Lizzie O’Brien and William Flitcroft lived. The young men knocked at the door but were refused admittance. They then tried to break into the place, whereupon Flit-croft appeared and told them to desist, emphasizing his demand by producing a gun and threatening to sheet if they did not obey. ‘ The young men withdrew but to- l-lll‘sied in a few minutes and again tried to gain entrance. Flitcroft again ap- peared and said he would certainly shoot if they did not leave. One of the natty made some derisive remarks and Flitcroft fired. The party then ran to Miiu street, and it was not until-Ketch- um had gained that thoroughfare that he said to one of his companions that he had been shot and felt as if he were dy- ing. His companions and Tomlineon went to Ketchum’s assistance and helped him across the street, where he lay down on the sidewalk and expired. He had been shot in the heart. Tomliusnn then said that he had been shot and sank to the ground. The rest of the party ran for assistance and Tom- linson was removed to the hospital. Ketchum’s body was taken to the morgue. Tomlinson was hit in the face and neck by the shot. Flitcroft dis- charged one side of a double barreled gun. Flitcroft, the two women, Rufus Ganung, Theodore Veedenberg, Thomas Marasco and Charles Young were immediately arrested. The four lust mentioned were the companions 9f the men who were shot. Their ages ranged from 20 to 25 years and all be- long to'good families. The afl'uir has createdaseusution from the fact that most of the young men are well known and their families are prominent social- ly. Ketchum was 20 years old. He went to Danbury about a year ago from Farmingdale, N. J., and was a hat maker. His father is in business in New York City. Tomlinsbn’s parents live in Danbury. Flitcroft is a well known pedestrain who a few years ago took part in all the go-as-you-plcose walking matches in this part of the country. A couple of months ago a party broke into the same house and Flitcroft was badly pummeled. He had his assailant arrested and it is said that the police advised him to use his gun if another incident of the kind oc- curred. FLITCROFT HELD. William Flitcroft, who shot and killed Frank Ketchum and probably fatally wounded Willie T'omlinson, the two members of the party of young men who were trying to gain admission Sunday morning to the house in ‘fWild- man’s lane,” Daubury, in which he lived, was given a hearing in the city court Monday and held without bail on the charge of murder in the first degree. The cases of Mary Fisher and Lizzie O’Brien, who were in the house, and Rufus Ganung, Theodore Vreden— burg, Thomas Morasco and Charles Young, of the party of young men, all of whom were implicated in the affair, were continued. An inquest was begun after the hear- ing and a. number of witnesses were examined. Coroner Doten of Bridge- port conducted the inquest. John Ketchum of Farmingdale, N. J., father of the young man arrived and arranged for the burial of the body. Tomlinson’s condition remains about the some, but his recovery is looked for. Coroner Doten will not render his finding until after he has investigated further. ' County Health Oflicer Hill Talks. County health officer Hill made an address before the Norwalk physicians at the Club rooms, last evening. He called attention to the laxity displayed by some physicians in' making returns of vital statistics, and gave an interest- ing talk on sanitation. It was alto- gether a very instructive meeting and good results will, it is expected, follow in its wake. —-—i-—.-‘.~—. Without 'a Grand luror. Norwalk is without a grand juror, the only one who qualified after being elected, having left town. The town, however, will try and worry along with cut him until 'another electibn. His office was a sinecure so far as there be- ing anything for him to do 'was con- cerned. In past years there have been people who gained quite a com- fortable maintenance from the office. But that was before our town court was established. THEY-MUST AGREE. In the Superior Court, Monday, Judge F. B. Hall heard further argu- ments in the appeal of the NorWalk Street Railway company from the lay- out the city (if Norwalk gave the coin- pany up Mill Hill. The city was repre- sented by corporation counsel, Attorney E. M. Lockwood, and the street Rail- way company by Judge John M. Perry. Some weeks ago there was a hearing before the some judge, who then is- sued an order which it was thought at the time might settle the question to the satietation of all cencerned. The city council agreed to give the Street Railway Co a lavout up the'hill oucon- dition that the company ’would pay one- third of the expense of cutting, grading and improving the hill; one-third of any damages! that might be claimed against'the city; also that there should be double tracks with joint trackage up the bill by the Street Railway and Tramway companies, the tracks to be laid in the center of the street. But the committee and Street Rail- way Co. could not come to an agree- ment on this offer, the railway people being unwilling to accept the terms. The matter then came back to Judge Hall. Counsellor the city, Tramway and Street Railway Cos. appeared Monday with copies of proposed agreements, maps, arguments, etc. Both companies had plans for a. layout which would be suitable to them and in each there was an offer to share a certain proportion cf the damages if _the layout, grading and widening of the street should be made in accordance with the city char- ter. In order to make the street avail- able for the location of tracks as pro- posed, it will be necessary to widen the street and cut the hill do wu some. This it is estimate-(Twill cost about $15,000. As the propositions submitted by the companies differed but little, Judge Hall suggested that counsel confer and arrive at an agreement, if possible. Court then took}; recess while the con- ference was held. The result of the conference was a continuation of the disagreement. ‘ Judge Hall then remarked that it ap- peared as if one of the proposed plans for settlement was particularly exas- perating to some one. To him the dif- ference in the proposition submitted seemed too small to warrant any or- gument as to which should be accepted. He directed counsel to confer again, and agree, if possible, on such an or.- der as they desired him to make, and submit into him one week from Mon- day. If they could not agree he would then make such an order as seemed proper. CREDITORSWILrL NOT LOSE. Lockwood Manufacturing Company Will Pay Every Dollar of Its $250,000 Liability. Application was made to J udge:Town- send in the United States Gem-t at New Haven Friday afternoon for the dis- charge of William A. Curtis 0! this city as receiver of the Lockwood Manufac- turing Company of South Nor-walk. The concern went into a. receiver’s hands last August, and its affairs got into that favorable condition where it was thought advisable to discharge the receiver and turn the property over to the trustees. who would in due time settle with creditors. The proceedings were entirely friendly. Receiver Curtis says that the com- pany’s liabilities were $250,000, and that he believed the creditors would be paid dollar for dollar. This showing would allow the company to proceed with its business as before. The concern has branches in several states and because of this the applica-‘ tion for the discharge of the receiver was made in the United States Court. THE PROBABLE DELEGATES A New Haven politician ventures his reputation as a prophet that he can cer- rectly name the twelve delegates who will represent Connecticut in the Re- publican national convention, and the following are their names: Delegates- at-large,‘ Samuel Fessouden of Stem- ford, Morgan G. Bulkeley of Hartford, A. H. Brev’ver of Norwich and John I. Hutchinson of Essex. Delegates from First District, George Sykes of Rock- ville, James A. Cheney of South Man- chester; Second, John M. Douglass of Middletown, and either James Graham of Orange or George Rockwell of Meri- den; Third, Charles E. Scarles of Thompson, Thomas M. Allen, Sprague; Fourth, Hubert Williams of Salisbury, E. O. Keeler of Norwalk. ‘ To Them a Son is Born. The beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Hoyt ,was made happy Monday night by the advent of a cherub grand- son boy, that “slipped through Old St. Peter’s gate” and came to bless the hearts of their only son and his 'wife, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Hoyt, whose joyous home is with their parents. This is the first male descendant in the third generation which has come to the honored house founded by that long deceased nature’s nobleman Captain Stephen Hoyt, of Hoyt’s Nursery fame. The GAZETTE extends its heartiest con- gratulation‘s to all interested. in the angel heir. A any FIND. The little hamlet of Rowayton was thrown into excitement Tuesday, by the finding of a box containing the skeleton of a man buried ouCrab Island, one of the small island at the mouth ‘of the Five Mile River harbor. sons of John Raymond of Rowayton, visited Grab Island to dig a mess ot long clams. While engaged in their work‘ they noticed two large stones lying together as though to mark a cer- tain spot. Out of curiosity they rolled the stones to one side and began digging with their clam hoes. While thus engaged John’s hoe sud- denly struck what. he thought. was 'a board. Digging around the wooden object a long narrow box was soon dis- closed which looked like the outside; box that usually encloses a. casket or" coffin. . This was broken open when both young men were startled to find the skeleton of a man inside. They quickly returned to the shore and sent word to Medical Examiner French of Dorian of their discovery. Dr. French responded and viewed the skeleton and was of the opinion that it had been there for some time. He ordered it left on the island and re- turned to Darieu. . How the body came there is a mys- tery to the Rowayton folks who have no recollections of any one ever having been buried at the island. Others be- lieve that it has been there for years and is the skeleton of some Indian, who died many years ago. The box is well preserved, owing no doubt to being in the water, but. the bones of the skele- ton were separated as though 'it had lain there many years. -_ .4...__-..____ FAIRFIELD co. Demons. The Foirfield County Medical associa- tion held their 104th annual meeting at their rooms in the Barnum Institute, Bridgeport, Tuesday. There were about 40 members present at the fore- noon session, and the number was larger in the afternoon. Dre. F. W. Wright and Max Mailbouse of New Haven were present as guests of the society. Dr. George H. Fox of New York read an interesting paper on Skin Disease to the meeting this afternoon. President F. 8. Baker of East Nor- walk called the meeting to order shortly after 11 o’clock. 'l‘he secretary’s re- port showed a guin in membership of eight. At the last meeting the mem- bership was 111. The association lost two members by death, 4 by removal, and 2 by resignation. At the two meet- ings last year they made a. gain in membership of 16, and the total mem- bership is 119. After the introduction of guests the following officers were elected: Presi- dent, J. W. Wright, Bridgeport; vice- president, W. H. Donaldson, Fairfield; secretary, L. T. Day, Westport; county reporter, W. B. Cogswell, Stratford; censors, M. V. B. Dunham, Greenfield Hill; W. S. Watson, Danbury, and F. B. Baker, East Norwaik. Dissertutors—B. W. White Bridge— port, F. Shavoir, Stamford; alternates, C. P. Bennett, Donbury and H. Adeline Thompson, Bridgeport. Delegates to the American Medical association—W. W. Gray, N. E. Wod- rin, W. B. Cogswell, A. P. Geib, S. M. Garlick, J. G. Steven, J. W. Wright, L. '1‘. Day, A. J. Smith, Robert Lauder, F. B. Baker. Delegates to the New Haven County Medical association—F. B. Downs, J. R. Topping. To Hartford County Med- ical association—F. M. Wilson, A. E. Baker. ’ Fellov'vs to the Connecticut Medical Society-—A. E. Baker, J. G. Stevens, D. W. Osborne, J. F. Smith, L. T; alternates, M. V. B. Dunham, B. W. White, F. M. Wilson, S. H. Garlick, A. J. Smith. Members of the nominating commit- tee. A. E. Baker; alternate, F. M. Wil- son. The most important measure passed was a resolution regarding the admis- sion examinations. The preamble reads that in consideration of the fact that a large number of graduates of colleges, which in this state are recognized as legal and reputable, but are rejected by examining boards in other states, the possession of such diplomas not being sufficient to be allowed to practice, it was voted that the State committee on Legislature be instructed to advocate an amendment to the existing lawthat all candidates be required to pass the some kind of an examination as is re- quired in New York and Pennsylvania. The following new members were ad- mitted: Charles Franklin Craig, Dan- bury; John Alexander Wade, Daubury ; Andrew Melville Ewing, Fairfield; Ernest Herman Smith, Redding; Henry Clifford Sher-er, Nor-walk; John Timo- thy Kennedy, South Norwalk. ‘ The following papers were read at the aftei'noon session: .. ‘ “Uterine Drainage,” 0. P. Bennett; “Report of a Case of Severe Railroad Injury,” W. J. Burke; “History of a Porro-Caesarian Operation for Fibroid Tumor and Pregancy at six months,” N. E. Wordin: “A Talkon Bacteriology .with Illustrations,” J. C. Lynch; “Prac- tical Hints in the Diagnosis and Treat~ ment of Skin Diseases,” Dr. George H. ‘what it has, 0 ~ . Important Assembling. Early Tuesday afternoon there might have been seen a. gathering of “city fathers” and engineers on Mill Hill, brought together for the purpose of solving a problem as to the layout granted by the city. to the Street ~« Rail- way company, over Mill Hill and which has been brought before the courts. " Mayor Wheeler and members of the George Raymond and his, brothergt council were interested listeners as to propositions, and property owners in that vicinity took a lively interest in what was going on. Surveys were made in the morning at the foot of the hill and near Smith street, the dovelop- meat of all of which will be watched for ith more than passing interest. —----——40 Better Roads. Selectmen Selleck and Merrill have been riding over our upper section town highways to personally inspect the injuries done by. the exceptionally heavy storms of the past winter Mid with a view to their being put in good and immediate repair. ’ The Selectmen have decided upon the contract system of road repairs for the coming year. All contracts are to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, with guarantees that all such work is to be done to the satisfaction of the Selectmen. ' Thus, a large saving; to the town is assured over the loose methods of former years. —-‘->——--——-—' Mai 0. Hungerford Dead. On Saturday morning last, Miss Mai C. Hunger-ford died at St. John’s Hos- pital, Stamford, where she had under- gone on operation for appendicitis. The deceased was a sister of the late Dr. Harry Hungerford and formerly 1ived on West avenue, this city. Crofut Homestead at Auction. 02] \V-zduesday, April 22, the handc some homestead of the late Andrew J. Crofus, situated on West avebue, will be sold at auction to the highest bidder. .6 PARADISE AT THE NORTH POLE.‘ Geologists Contend That the Garden of Edep Was Located There. In an interesting and highly instruc- tive article Edward S. Martin, in the Ladies’ Home Journal, reviews the numerous theories advanced by sci- entists in the endeavor to solve the per- plexing problem as to the exact locali- ty of the Garden of Eden. After sift- ing the theories the writer concludes that the question is no nearer answered than it was two thousand years ago, and that there are no present indica- tions that the matter will ever be defi- nitely settled by any man. To one of the latest and most ingenious theories Mr. Martin thus refers: The north pole will seem atofirst thought to the av- erage investigator the most unlikely site on earth for paradise to have occu- pied. Nevertheless several sober and thoughtful books and pamphlets have ’ been written in support of the north pole’s pretensions. The north pole nowadays is bitter cold, but it has not always been so. Geologists tellvus that the earth was excessively hot when it first began its course—much too hot to admit of the presence of any living creatures, except, perhaps, a salaman- der. As it grew cooler vegetation be- gan on it, and then it began to be peopled, first with fishes, and then with birds and beasts, finally with man. The first spot on earth to get cool enough to use was the north pole. In the process of time it got too cold, but there must have been a long period when the north pole was the most comfortable part of the world. During this period, many eminent geologists believe, there existed around the north pole a continent now submerged, and on that continent our progenitors were comfortable in their first home. It is known with entire certainty that the polar region was once warm enough for tropical vegetation to grow there. There was light enough also for such vegetation—abundant light, indeed, for all uses, and plenty for primeval man. Geology tells us that man might have lived at the north pole. OPALS ARE NOT UNLUCKY. Superstitions Connected with Such Gems Have No Foundation. “The superstition which causes peo- ple to regard Opals with awe as the cause of ill luck and even death,” said a jeweler, according to the Washington Post, the other day,"is due to a peculiar observation made years ago. Opals were considerably in use in Venice dur- ing the plague, and it was noticed there in the hospitals that before death the stone would somewhat brighten upon the victim's finger. It never seemed to occur to the people that the illness could, produce a glow of color. They took it for granted that the stone occa- sioned the illness. As a matter of fact, opals are affected by heat, even by that of the hand, and the fever, being at its height just before death, caused the colors to shine with unwanted clear- ness. This confirmed the superstition, - and to this day there are sane and able- bodied people who believe that a chip of the stone in the house can cause calami- ties. Probably another reason for the distrust excited in Opals is the fact that they I_-’::::;1r:e and lose their color. That is due to me softness and porousness of the material and its capacity both for absorbing water and of parting with one of which tends to make it dull and the other chalky and opaque. They have been known to be carefully cut and laid away, and upon opening the paper had crumbled into dust within a few weeks. A species of opal known as the hydrophane, found in small quantities lately in Colorado, has wonderful powers of absorption. In its usual state it is of a yellowish, waxy tint, but when water is dropped upon it ‘the tint passes slowly away, . and from «being translucent it becomes . transparent. 0n exposure to the air the water evaporates in an hour, leav- u.-. . Fox, of New York city. ing the stone as it.was before.” 1..”
Norwalk Chronicler