The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-12
ALI. SORTS.


Why is spendthrift's purse like .
thunder-cloudP Because it is continue
ally lightning
False fronts of shirts, vest and coat
are now furnished corpses by the New
York undertakers for $10-a saving OF
$50 on q suit. ssAin't the deceased loss
enough without chucking in his clothes
toor queried one OF them in defense
of the sham. He computed that S3. 000.-
900 is annually wasted in grave clothes
besides being a temptation TO grave
robbery.
The S-year-old boy had been TO Sum
day school. where the teacher had told
the class the story of Moses leading the
children of Israel through the Red Sea;
how the waters were divided. and
Moses and his people passed over on
dry land, and how, when Pharaoh and
his hosts attempted to follow, the wa
tiers closed and destroyed them. The
little fellow, walking home with his
father, asked him if he believed the
story. The father replied, eyes, my
son, of course do. 1t is in the Bible,
and I believe everything in the Bible"
The boy remained silent for few min.
utes when he said: Spa, would you
believe that story if it was in the news
papers?" Pa had been candidate for
office, and the boy had heard him make
some disparaging remarks touching
the reliability of newspapers.
One of the gems in the collection of
diamonds owned by the Duke of
Brunswick and presented to the city of
Geneva, is now owned by gentleman
in Boston. 1t was purchased at a sale
of the Dukes effects for $4,000 francs.
hn etc IF ftxro
six carats weight, and was specially
cut by order of the Duke in the form of
a star. In the tedious process of re-
ducing it to this form, which occupied
over two years, the gem lost nearly
two-thirds of its weight, its present
status being nine and fifteen-sixteenth
carats. The stone, SAYS the Boston
Herald, is acknowledged to be the on
ly genuine lemon-coior star-cut dia-
mond in the world. It's appearance,
either in light or darkness is brilliant
beyond description.
A new project for the exploration of
central Africa has been presented to
the Lille Geographical society By M.
Leon Lacroix. The extensive region
comprised in the general limits marked
by the River Congo on the South. the
Blue mountains and the White Nile on
the east. the country of Darfor, the
Rivers Shari and Binne on the north,
and the coast of Guinea on the west,
are as vet almost entirely unexplored.
1t is this region which nj. Lacroix de-
sires to penetrate. Nj. de Brazza is at
lacking it from the west by ascending
the Oyov or its ailments; M. Lacroix
wishes to start from the east. He pro-
poses to ascend by the White Nile and
by one of its ailments, the Djiour, to
the neighborhood Of the sources of the
Welle. region which is partly known
from the explorations OF Herr Schwein-
furth, the brothers Poneet. and NJ. de
Potaeos Thence he would seek to
penetrate, following the course of the
Welle and its affluents, into tho I'M
known countries indicated above.
The latest society rumpus in Rome:
| The municipality of Madrid invited the
syndic of Rome to be present at the
| Calderon festival. 1t was decided that
for the syndic to go in such p manner
| as the syndic of Rome should go would
| be too costly an affair, and that nobody
| could be sent moro appropriately than
| Sionor Pietro Cosa. But it was recol'
lected that COssa was not III q position
/ to take on his own shoulders the ex-
pense, and it began to be talked about
| that Duke Torlonia was to go. The
duke could not be 50 fitting a repre-
sentative of Rome on such an occasion
as the dramatist. On the other hand,
| the millionaire duke would no doubt
do the thing splendidly. Nobody
dreamed for an instant that the journey
would be made otherwise than at the
dukes own expense, and everybody
| was content. Now the duke has re
turned, the representative journey has
been made with all due splendor, blu
Rome's millionaire representative hal
presented his little bill of 5000 franc:
| for his expenses.