a
A FREAK AMONG FLOWERS.
Venus' Fiy Trap and Its .Alinost Human
' ' Action. *
’Li—‘Now and again, in exploring Ameri4
can woods and swamps, botanists have
come across floral curiosities that al
most bridge over the great gulf that
divides the animal and vegetable king-
doms, Says the Designer. One of these,
to be met with nowhere in the world
save in North Carolina, is scientifically
classified as dionoea muscipula, but is
. colloquially known as “-‘v'enus’ fly
trap.” - _
1n appearance the , extraordinary
plant is prettily but unassumingly the
leafless flower stem, running from six
to eight inches in height and sur-
mounted by a cluster of five petalled
blossoms, rising erect like a rosette-
like bed of leaves. It is in the edge of
the leaves that the death dealing appa-
ratus is set—for this modest littleplant,
which is so delicate that it dies of the
slightest injury to root or stem, sus-
tains its life by feeding upon the un-
wary insects that chance to alight
upon its leaves, enticing them to their
destruction by exuding from the edges
of its fatal traps a viscous fluid, some-
what resembling honey.
The traps consist of two soft, velvety
l‘eaveshfringed with delicate bristles
and hinged-together on one side. The
unsuspecting fly, lured by the honey.
alights on these bristles in anticipatibn
of a feast, but at the first touch of its
feet the hinges close, the two leaves
come together, the bristles interlock,
and the hapless insect is imprisoned in
:1 cell from which escape is impossible.
Under the stimulus of the victim's
struggles the tiny glands with which
the inner walls of the trap are furn-
ished pour forth a secretion which
Darwin analyzed as a vegetable gas—
tric juice, resembling that which in-
sures digestion in animal life. Under
the influence of this curious fluid the
fly is actually digested alive, and its
juices being extracted the trap doors
are reopened and the skeleton is flung
out.
The set of muscles controlling its
leaves are said to resemble those of the
human eyelid—New York Herald.
33""; I ‘ He W‘on the “lager.
‘ Frank Ruggles, a son of Brigadier-
General Buggies. of the Army. who
recently passed his entrance examina-
tion for a cadetship at West Point,
has shown his contempt of supersti-
tion in a striking manner. The “older
fellows” at the Military Academy, in
View of the stringent regulations
against hazing, decided on another
way of having a little fun with the
”youngster,” and made a wager with
him that he did not have the nerve to
go to the cemetery at midnight, de-
scend into an open grave, and bring
back some evidence that he had done
so. The challengers went to the cem-
etery in the afternoon and dropped a
white handkerchief in the grave, and
promptly at midnight Ruggles started
on his mission. A few minutes later
he returned, waving the handkerchief
over his head, and after voting him
the pluckiest fellow at the Academy,
his companions presented to him an
order for a silk hat and a blanket.—
New York Tribune.
A Conscientious Bootblack.
An Oakland bootblack, an honest
man, who would not deceive his pa~
trons, when he first went into busi-
ness, six years ago, put up a sign
which read: “Joe Garibaldi, bootblack.
Has two small children.” Each suc-
needing year found him deserving of
more sympathy, for he kept amending
the sign until it read eight small chil-
dren. A few days ago Joe’s stand was
locked for a whole day, and when""he
returned the next morning, he con-
fided to the butcher’sfioy that his baby
had died. His first work was to
amend the Sign, so that it might not
mislead the public, and then it read:.
“Joe Garibaldi, bootblack. Has seven
small children." Then, to avoid be-
ing placed in a. false position before
the public, he added with his finger
and shoe-blackin“: “One he die."-—.i.r-.
great a ut.
Shoes in Japan.
One of the most striking sights that
takes the attention of the traveller in
Japan is that of the wooden sandal
worn by . the 35,000,000 of people.
’l‘hvse sandals have a separate com-
partment for the great toe, and make'
:1 clanking noise on the streets. Straw
slippers are also worn, and a traveller
starting on. m a journey will strap a.
supply of them on his back, that he
may put on a new pair when the old
is worn out. They cost but a cent and
1 half a pair. They are rights and
forts and leave the foot free to the air.
‘We never see those deformities of the
foot in Japan Which are so frequent
25:: this country. They are never worn
In the house, but left outside the door.
Passing down a street you may see
rung rows of them at the doors, old
:snd new, large and small.—Boston
Journal. .
To Prove lnsanitv,
A physician declares that there is
mam,“- infallible symptom indicating
whether a man is sane or not. Let a
person speak ever so rationally, and
not ever so sedan-1y, if his or her
thumbs remain inactive there is no
doubt of insanity. Lunatics seldom
make use of the thumbs'when writ-
.‘mg, drawing or saluting.
American Tin Plate.
American tin plate monopolizesv the
ginmestic’nmrket. except on the Pa-
eiiic coast. and is selling from 25 to
it} per cent below the foreign product.
Only one American mill failed in 1896,
whileduring the same year the total
number of mills increased from 155 to
184-, with an annual capacity of 5,500,-
1.300 boxes, against-1,200,000 boxes at
the end of 1805.-—Gltibe-Democrat.
A
r
CUSTOMSOFTHEMIKADQ.‘
His lilajesty’s Met. ht’uls of Dealing Wit]
Ministers and People.
His Majesty’s daily customs are. very
peculiar. 'He always goes to his study
at 9 a. m., and r mains at work there
until 4 p. 111. He reads and signs all
parliamentary lavvs and decrees.
When a Cabinet minister addresses
his Majesty about any public matter
he impiires about the subject, the pur-
pose and condition, and decides it. He
is firm and not changeable. “'hen
he decides a niatter once he' can not
al'tvr that be moral.
At the. beginning of Matsukata's
Cabinet. Parliament decided to reduce
the salaries of the' Cabinet ministers
and other government oflicers.’ The
Prime Minister, Count Matsukata, ad-
dressed his llajesty about it. His
Majesty did not consent, and he said:
"Many oilicers can not live upon a
fixed salary. Some Cabinet ministers
have been obliged to borrow money,
and I have advanced money from my
treasury to support them. If the pres-
ent Cabinet ministers retain their posi-
tions by borrowing money, all Cabinet
ministers therefore can not. do so.
Therefore, I can not consent to the re-
duction of salaries.”
Count Matsukata retired from his
Majesty. However, the Cabznet once
more debated the question with the
Count, and. Matsukata. went again to
consult the Emperor.
His Majesty was not inclined to see
him again, and sent an attendant to
say to him: “I have already com-
manded about the reduction of sale»
ries. I can not see you any more."
The salaries were, therefore, not re-
duccd.
His Majesty dislikes all pretense and
hypocrisy.
When it has been reported to His
Majesty that some of his subjects have
given their lives in times of flood or
earthquake to preserve his Majesty‘s
picture, he has been much touched; but
he is anxious to discourage his sub-
jects from such Quixotism, and to pre-
serve them from any but necessary
danger. ,
\l'ithal, the Emperor’s life is a very
happy and peaceful one, blessed by the
love and respect of grateful subjects:
and when his Majesty makes a tour
anywhere in Japan without his guards”
he is in no danger, but is received
everywhere with reverence and joy.—
Japanese American Voice. .
A Novel Invention.
A Rusisan philanthropist has just
completed an invention which should
bring comfort to the minds of them-
who have the fear of premature burial
always before them. It is a coffin de-
vised with a tube. the lower end of
which is placed a little above the chest
of the presumed corpse, while the up-
per endgrises above the surface of the
ground. The slightest respiration leads
to the loud peal of an electric bell ar-
raged at the top of the tube, while at
the same moment a small flag is shot
out for the purpose of indicating to
any one who may be on the watch the
precise grave at which the phenOme-
non has occurred. Simultaneously air
and light penetrate into the coffin, the
tenant of which can converse without
the least effort or difficulty with the
persons who have hastened to his res-
cue.
Mixed As To Dates.
A gentleman was riding on the out-
side of a coach in the West, when the
driver said to him:
“I’ve had a coin guv’ me to-day 200
years old. Did you ever see a coin
200 years old?"
“Oh, yes; I have one myself 2,000
years old.”
“Ah!” said the driver, “have ye?”
and spoke no more during the rest of
the journey.
W'hen the coach arrived at its des-
tination the driver turned to the other
with an intensely self-satisfied air and
said:
“I told you as we druv' along I had:
a coin 200 years old." '
“Yes.“ "
“And you said to me you had one
2,000 years old." “
“Yes, so I have.”
“That's not true.”
“What do you mean by that?"
“What do 1 mean? Why, it’s only
VI!
1897 now .
£-
Paternal Riv-rtsightedness.
Old Gotrox (indignantly)—“I am sur-
prised, sir, that you should be sodesti-
tute of all reason as to ask for my
daughter’s hand in marriage!” Young
Hardupp—“Well, you needn’t be; that
girl has some really fine points about
her; you don't know her as well as I
do, or you would think the world of
her.”—Puck. '
f "-11 e ‘m- Comp’ninf.
Weller—Wha t's the matter, old man?
Seller—Matter enough! I ordered a
plaster cast of some famous sculpture
to be used as a Sign for my glove
store, and they sent me the Venus of
Miler-New York Journal. .
To Train the Voice.
Trainer—’SSost. Jim! I hev me eye
on wun 0v dc gre-ates’ trainin’ groun's
fer yer on de map.
Jim Tawk—VVhare?
Trainer—’S-h! it’s de mammoth
cave. .
lJim Tawk—= W’ot good is a cave fer
trainin‘? _
Trainer—Look at de great practice
yerlll get wid yer echo—Judge.
Extent of His Privileges.
“Who is that slovenly looking man
over there by the piano?”
“ ’Sh! - That 'is Mr. Vlimmerdown,
the famous musician.” '
“Well, I’ve no objection to his tan-
gled hair, if he’s. a musician, but he
has no right towear those dirty cuffs,
by George! "He’s not a literary mun.”
—Chicago Tribune.
w.
PENNY OF ‘1856.
._._
Story that Gold “‘35 Used in Place 0
Nickel Has Enhanced. its Value.
“Thoughthe penny of 1856,” ob.
served a. numisnlatist, “was issued i;
great sufficiency, the coins soon disap
peared from circulation and are hell
as rarities. They are seldom of ere:
for sale, but those which have her
offered brought a large price. ’l‘herv
are several theories existing anion;
coin experts as to the disappearance 0
this penny, being of the older style ant
large, but the one most generally ac
ceptcd is that the penny 'as gobblet
up in consequence of a rumor whicl
was started on the authority of an em
plcye of the United States mint when
the pennies are made. This‘ rumor wa:
titut in making the composition of thc
nteuiis for the coin, a bar of gold wa:
it: ”led up by mir-ztake for a bar 0:
nifl-a'el. .nd that the reason why tht
penny d§sappoarcd was in consequenCt
if its intrinsic 'alue. The result 0:
this and other stories about the 185(
penny is that though there were jus
as many coined as there were of ’54
7.". or ‘57 pennies. one of the ’56 pen
ni: :»: will to-day bring nearly one hun
tlll‘:l times as much money as those 01
th; <3..;.;V;.'e.1rs mentioned. Some u
llllxll‘dli
test the composition. They found in
tr‘ :‘t' 'z'aeld. It is one of the man)
peculiar things about the scarcity 01
some coins."—\‘l'ashington Star.
Firingr Dynamite by “'ater.
In these days. of invention the mos:
extraordinary discovery CHUSLS very
little astonishment. Still, it is a bit
surprising to hear that the newest
method of firing dynamite is by the
use of'?‘ water. Electricity or a time
fuse were the modes in use till now
and both had their disadvantages. The
present ingenious arrangement is as
follows:
A sensitive detonator, which ignite:
at the temperature of boiling water, is
placed in contact with the charge 01
dynamite. and around it is placed 2
layer of lime, which, in turn, is sur
rounded by a piece of lamp-wick
“hen the whole arrangement is sunl
to the bottom of a boring, the wick ab
sorbs water from the surrounding
earth and conveys it to the lime. 0]
course the lime gets hot, and heats the
detonator. And, in half a minute aftei
rcaching bottom, the dynamite does its
work.
The great advantage of this means.
of producing the explosion is that
there is no flame.
Ftitucs.
To the uninitiated it is always a puz-
zle to know how a bronze or marble
statue is made. The natural impres
sion is that the sculptor, armed With
mallet and chisel, chips his conception
from a huge block of stone after mod-
, elliug it in clay.
Such was the method of Michael An-
gelo. but to-day another manner pre-
vails. The sculptor having modelled
his figure most carefully, a plaster cast
is taken. In the meantime skilled me-
chanics have prepared a block of mar-
Die. The plaster cast is placed beside
'this block and used as a model, the
stone-cutters copying point by point,
measuring the cast with square, rule
and calipers. The cutting goes on un
til :1 general outline of the statue is at-
tained, when a , skilled artisan, spe-
cially trained, takes it in hand, making
a most faithful copy of the model un
der the sculptor's personal superin-
tendence and direction.
When this work is completed it only
remains for the artist to give the finish
lng toudhes, a line here, an indentation
there, bringing the statue into nearer
realization with his conception.
The Russia.” Royal Baby.
The little Grand Duchess Olga is de-
cidedly a pretty child, and her roseleaf
cheeks and crown of fair hair look
well against "the background of the
large white picture hats which she us-
ually wears, and which form a kind of
halo round her dainty little head. So
far she“ has no marked preferences,
but seems to like everybody, and her
nurse remarked somewhat dolefully
that although her imperial highness
was very happy with her, she never
sulked or cried when she was given to
one of the others." The one exception
she nukes is in favor of her young
moth: -._ Ll «‘ ihe hardest lesson the
grand Linux has yet to learn is that
she must sulfer in silence when the
Czarina leaves the nurseries—Lt.
Louis Glob: -E\emo rat.
map-:rr—uAV-W
It. .«l y hauled.
Crimsonbeak—'l‘here's one thing I‘ve
ioticed about the moon.
Yeast—And what’s that?
‘flt only takes two quarters to get
'ull."—Yonl;nrs Statesman.
ists have even gone so far as t(.
/
. Positively cured by these .
Little Pills. ‘
They also relieve Distreés from Dyspepsia,
Indigestion and T00 Hearty Eating. A per.
feet remedy for Dizziness, Nausea, Drowsi.
ness, Bad Taste in the Mouth, Coated Tongue.
Pain in the Side, TORPID LIVER. They
Regulate the Bowels. - Purely Vegetable.
Small Pill; small meg.
, ‘j small .Ifrice’.
5'
,work to.do,'write to us. ‘
THE"EvnNinowoAznTrn
Knights of old~crusaders who went to
conquer the world. could not hope to
succeed unless they were in virile, hearty
health. A man cannot face difficulties if
his stomach isn’t in good order. Dis.
ordered digestion will make a sluggish
coward out of any man. It makes his
mind stagnant, and he cannot think
quickly enough to accomplish anything.
It makes his movements slow, and takes,
all of the snap out of him. Every man
in business in America has a fight on his
hands just as much as ever had belted
knight. It is a matter of life and dealt,
just the same with him as it was with tin.
crusader. Indigestion and all the ills
that go with it, most frequently start in
constipation. That keeps all sorts of im-
purities in the body, forces them into the
blood, and so deranges the whole system.
Constipation is one of the commonest
ills, and to it are traceable most of the
disorders that make people sick. One/e
it gets a firm hold on a man, it is most
difficult to overcome it. Temporary re-
lief can be obtained in a thousand ways.
There are medicines on the market that
will 'help as long as you take them.
There is only one remedy that is a real
remedy—that you don’t have to keep on
taking forever. That is Dr. Pierce’s
Pleasant Pellets. The “Pellets” are
tiny, sugar—coated granules, mild and
efiicieut .in their action. They effect a
permanent cure. You don’t become a
slave to their use, as with other pills.
If you will send 21 one-cent stamps to cover
cost of mailing only, we will send you FREE the
most useful medical book extant. This is Dr.
Pierce‘s Common Sense Medical Adviser, in
plain En lish; a book of 1008 pages,_profu5ely
illustrateg. the great expense of preparing which
has been covered by the sale of 680.000 copies ‘
at the regular price. $1.50 per copy.. Address,
World‘s. Dispensarv Medical Assocmtion, No. 663
Main Street. Bufliilu. N. Y.
RUMMili
sh
—— MANUFACTURERS OF —-
IMPROVED sou AND lllll-
"iui an. 3.
Flavoring Exlraczs Also the
Syrups and Olden Time
Fruit juices, Root Beer.
lemon Soda, Soda Water
Sarsapar‘illa, Supplied in
Birch Beer, steel Fountains.
Seltzer and Vichy in Siphons,
Address
H. J. & G. S. ERUMMH,
a t Main Street, - Kai-walk, Conn
The. GAZETTE
Departed-
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Merchants, Manutaotm
ere, Lodges land 'Sbcieties
will consult theirhown inter-
ests by giving us a call.
iRlBMEMBER-dfyou have
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Norwalk Chronicler