The Washington critic., 1889-03-09
MATTER WORTH READING.


hour after his marriage. lie was on
friendly terms with Thomas Jefferson,
whom Mrs. Massie remembered we'll
An Alarming Noise.
Two young men who keep bachelors
hall in Heard County, Georgia, went home
late the other night. As they were about
to enter the house they heard low,
gurgling sound, which so frightened them
that they ran half mile to a neighbours
house. A party from there armed them
selves with axes, scythes, pitchforks and
other deadly weapons and returned to ln1
that the noise had been made by dog that
was choking to death ON a bone.
A Royal skeleton.
Skeletons In the closets OF royal families
continue to rattle. The recent death Of the
young Emperor of AMMAN is now locke |
upon with suspicion. According, to DR..
Lagrange of Bordeaux, who was formerly
employed In the Court of Hue, when the
regency council resolve to get rid Of an un-
satisfactory emperor they present him with
three dishes, on one of which there IL a
dagger, on the other silken cord, aud on
the third poison. His imperial majesty has
only to take his choice.
The Oldest Wine.
Savannah, Ga, claims the Oldest wine in
America. Some of the Oldest inhabitants
have Madeira nearly century old. One
gentleman has several lots Of the famous
All Saint Madeira, imported in 1901 aud
1893, the year of the great fire in Savannah
Then there is the famous Hunter wine, i'm
nsrted about the same time. Some OF it is
still in the hands of friends of the family.
The late Mr. De Renne, who Inherited some
of this wine, was often offered 500 bottle
for IT.
An Italians Bravery.
An Italian ragpicker, walking along the
street in Springfield, Mass, heard child's
cries, aud, looking through window, saw
little girl, her clothing in flames, vainly
trying to get out of the room. He ran to
the door, but 1t was locked then, with one
spring, he jumped through the window,
seized thee child, bore her outside and
rolled her in the snow. She was SO badly
burned that she died within q few hours.
She was the s-year-old daughter of work
ing woman, who had left her at home TO
take care of a young baby, locking both In
the room.
a Managers Experience.
An operate manager, who was about to
give grand opera in Rio Janerio, engaged
three different men as first tenor in Paris.
During the voyage this fact came out, and
the three men Indignantly demanded an
explanation from the manager. ''Gentle-
men," he said, in suave tones, ''it will be
all right. am an old manager in the Rio
Janerio business, and either one of you
would be perfectly satisfactory to me; but
we shall not be there week before two
fever, and the one that is left will be my
first tenor for the coming season. have
tried 1t many years and never knew 1t to
fail, so there is no use quarreling about 1t
at this early day."
The New Fur Craze.
1t is some time since 1t became an ac-
cepted fact that the now advancing season
favored, particularly furs of all kinds. The
temperature has not at all times warranted
the "craze,n but true 1t is that owners Of
rich furs have worn them, even at the cost
of being made uncomfortably warm. Nor
has the idea stopped here. In several nota-
Bile instances rooms are extravagantly fur
nished with furs; that is to say, superb
rugs are laid over waxed floors, and smaller
skins are thrown over the backs of easy
chairs. The effect is, indeed, luxurious.
In one Gotham parlor the conceit is so
well carried out that the stained floor
is scarcely visible between the sections
of soft white fur that are spread thiclsly
over III the White and gold decora-
ted furniture is upholstered In antique bro
cade, in the colors of old pink, "Ficur
a or and Dresden blue; rich brass lamps
and Worcester and Doulton vases stand on
onyx and bronze-mounted tables, a Turk
ish lamp, with iridescent shade, hangs from
the ceiling, and sheds light over this small,
but sumptuous, apartment. The hostess,
tall, slender woman, with fair skin and
Titian's red hair, completes the picture,
when she enters the room aud rests her
radiant-crowned head against the Arctic
fox skin that is thrown over the back of
her favorite chair. Should the ''crazen con-
tinue, manufacturers promise that by next
winter we shall have entire carpets of fur.
March Table Talk.
Wealth of the Cabinet.
The aggregate wealth of the members of
Mr.. Harrison's Cabinet is not very much
less or more than that of the one which has
just retired. At least two of them, indeed
are what might be called poor men, and
will Soon discover that 1t will be impossible
to live in Washington on their salaries
alone. They will be compelled to spend
more money than that or else follow the ex-
ample OF Attorney-General Garland, and
neither give any receptions nor dinners nor
attend any. Blaine will be much better
able to Keep up with the procession than
was Bayard, who had to economize care
fully to make his salary, together with his
modest income, cover the outlays absolutely
required by his position. John Wanamaker
has plenty of money, but he and the Secre-
tary Of State are the only two men in the
Cabinet who might be called wealthy.
Secretary Window Is comfortably wen of,
but by no means rich, and Proctor has a
good income from his marble quarries In
Vermont But, then, what is called for
tune in Vermont ceases to be one when
brought to Washington. Noble and Miller
are the poorest men IN the Cabinet, and
Secretary Tracy lived very modestly when
resident of Brooklyn. Secretary Rusk has
neat little sum laid up for the proyerbial
rainy day, but It is a common saying out In
Wisconsin that he would never have had
this but for the financial ability and watch
fulness OF his wife.
NOTES OF INTEREST.
Johns Hopkins University has had nc
source Of revenue since the passing of the