, 1889-02-28

terday from the counter! OH yco
1 did and rubbed it on well, and l
think it has cured me. But it was
awful sticky" "Why! you Ounce"
said Mr.. Harmed, "that was a bottle
of shelIac varnish I had just put up
for carpenter Had you no better
sense than to rub it on yourself for
IinimentT. "Well, 1 did think it
queer stuff" replied Jimmy, "but If
it had been coal tar 1 would have
used it I have SO much faith in your
remedies Now, how can I get it off"
"Oh, go away" said Harmed, COM
pletely Disguised. go home and
scrub yourself with hot water and
soap" Jimmy did SO. but without
effect. He said that when his constl-
tuition had absorbed the alcohol from
the varnish "the blamed stuff peeled
off of itself"
But it was cQPslstss cure for
Jimmy's rheumatism and no has not
been troubled with it since, and
years have elapsed since the apph-
cation. Thus it is that valuable
remedies are discovered by accident
This is certainly heroic remedy for
rheumatism, and shellac varnish may
yet be given in druggists lists as a
sovereign cure for that dreadful
disease.
he DID NOT WANT HIS STATEMENTS
ENDORSED.
Several years ago there lived IN
Medford, Massachusetts,, two old
friends. Mr.. Sam Parker, cashier OF
Boston bank, and Sam Train, leather
dealer, both wealthy men, Train was
deacon of the Orthodox church and
Parker was a Unitarian During q
great revival deacon Train urged his
friend Parker to accompany him to
an enquiry meeting and seated him
in a seat beside himself. Tho dea-
con in fervid, solemn manner rela-
ted his experience; he told what q
sinner he had been, that he was but
a worm of the dust and not fit to live
among his fellow men. and it was OF
the Lords mercy that he was not
consumed. After he had finished he
called upon his friend Parker to tell
his experience. Parker rose and in
an impressive manner said: My
friends, / have not much to tell
about myself. I dislike to boast of
my sins or my virtues, but I have
been acquainted with my friend, Dea-
con Train, for many years and l can
fully endorse every word he has said
about himself. He has told the
truth. This hearty endorsement was
so unexpected to the deacon that he
lost control of his temper and want
ed to fight. He upbrsided Parker
for perfdy. "How could I do other
wise?n said Parker; 81 did not want
to make you ont a liar, by saying
We must not believe you as bad as
you say you are. preferred to
back you up as a man of truth"
a GOODNESS sprang up between the
families of the two old friends, and
the deacon Rever invited the cashier
to another inquiry meeting.
Those persons who are SO ready to
tell of their shortcomings and fails
ings themselves, don't like others to
endorse them. it makes them mad.
INSECTS THAT CAN EAT METALLIC SUB
STANCES.
At a recent meeting Of the New
York Inicroscopical society at their
rooms, 64 Madison avenue, Mr. 4. w.
Devoe read paper on the Zopher,.s
Me.ricanus, the cutting beetle of Cen
trail America, called by the natives,
Markeche, a strong jawed, powerful
insect. capable of cutting its way
through sheet lead, pewter and tiB
plates Specimens were exhibited by
Mr.. Deyoe to the society, which had
eaten their way through a tin can.
Holes had been punched in the can
to admit air, and tho beetles had cut
the edges of the holes until they had
enlarged them sufficiently to permit
of their escape.
Mr.. Devoe says: II will be graft
ned to learn from any person if they
have ever seen any insects that has
bitten off any chip of metal"
Dickens relates that old Captain
Jack Bunsby told him that on one
voyage fIom the East Indies he was
shipmste with q variety of large
cockroaches that eat the edge of his
razor like the edge of circular saw,
and they actually eat off one of the
ring bolts in the deck.
Yesterday Captain Cutie told Us
that on his last voyage to Hong
Kong, be saw railroad iron which had
been riddled like honeycomb by a |
new variety of very destructive ants
They exude fcrmic acid from their
jaws which cuts the metal as easily |
as a hot poker can go through bar
of soap.
We don't vouch for these yarns, |
but IN these days of new and start |
ling discoveries it is no good to set
such statements down as lies. We
may doubt, but We can wait, and if It |
is true that pismires can chew rail-
road iron, some smart Yankee viii /
have lot of these bugs on exhibition
and we can judge fer ourselves of
their new discovered properties.
Bunsby's cockroaches and CnttIa,s