Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-03
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

"A calf whose back is covered with nne
fur instead Of the regulation hair, is one OF the
curiosities Of Appleton, NE.
The largest infant ever born in Con-
necticut was that of Mrs. Lewis Duke, OF
Meriden, which weighed 25 pounds at birth 1t
babe.
In the windows of the principal clothing
stores in Detroit one now sees live turkeys,
fantasueally dressed in garments made OF
eneaP United States flags. In those stores
turkey is gwen away to whomsoever buys
suis OF clothes or an oyercoat.
I The Connecticut muskrat's winter hut
rises like Chinese pagoda out of the waves
OF ponds and rivers this fall Last year the
water rat built his house in a similar way and
he had to run 1t uD two or three Stories higher
after winter set in Everyone knows what
phenomenal rains and floods followed Conse-
qaenly y, Weatner prophets surmise that the
winter viii be very much like the last one, with
Little snow and 1rosts and plenty OF water.
There is an uncommonly frank and hu-
morous darky porter on one of the Wagner
cars that ply between Chicago and New York
The other day when he appeared before the
passengers, brush in hand, to get them all to
stand up and deliver their Quarters and half
aoilars In the usual way, this Is what he said:
stand up. tell brush you of, gemmen. II
don't amount to nothin', and you may not need
1t, but you want to let me 20 tbron0h the mo
lions, SOS to feel as If earned what you're
goin to give me-"
-Vashti is beautiful Persian cat living
IN East Fifty-ninfh street New York. a great
pet, and until within week queen of the man.
sion. A visitor came, bringing parrot Vashti
saw and Immediately felt a huuperinO dasira
for parrot flesh. She approached and pTepared
for spring, when she heard in amazenient a
sound as Of human voice issuing from the
nan nW1df fanu 81
of oaths such as had never before been heard
in that well-reguIated household The horrified
cat hed from the room, which she has never
since been induced to enter.
Mr.. Roscoe Whitcomb, of Waldo, Me-,
has a shepherd dog which he prizes highly. One
day last week q colt that was fastened by a
halter got his feet through the stall and fell in
such a manner that he was choking to death.
The dog was IN the barn, saw the trouble. and
running to the house, caught Mrs. Whiteomb BY
the dress and attempted 20 pull her out of doors
Ihe dog would run toward the barn and then
catch Mrs WhitcOmb by her clothes. She final
ly went to the barn. arriving Just IN time to save
the colt Nh. Whitcomb said be had been offered
slOO for the colt. and he feels very grateful
toward the dog for saving the animals life.
The term Johnnie, F" which was origin
allyi coined in London, is now very generally
used in New York to describe the peculiar class
OF pallid youngsters who hang around stage
distinction between Johnnie and a dude seems
to be that the former has money while nothing
is needed to equip the latter but silver-head-
ed stick, cigarette, considerable i'll health and
Vapid SMILE The Johnnie is also an improve
meht on the dude to the extent that he has an
object in life beyond cigarette smoking even IL
tnat object is only the worship Of stage
divinity.
This story is told by Cornell student
of President White and the college football
team of'74 A match had been arranged be-
tween the elevens of Cornell and Rochester
Universities, and it was to take place in Geneva.
When the captain of the Cornell team called
upon President White for permission to go to
Geneva: What, go all that distance to kick
bag OF winuP' President White exclaimed
Never, gentlemen. with my permission. Just
think, and you'll see that it is ridiculous to go
kicking bag around q ten-acre lot Then to
think Of going 80 miles to do ItP' The game did
not take place.
The first aerial voyagers were sheep, a
cock and a duck, which were placed in an osier
basket attached to the lower part Of a bal
loon that assembled on the 18th of September.
1783 at Versailles, France, the King and royal
family assisting" at the spectacle. The aseen-
sion was made at the instance of commission
appointed by the Academy of Science and the
balloon was constructed under the supervision
Of Stephen Monfgolfer, to whom, with his
brother, Joseph, the invention Of the balloon
is due. The sheep and duck and cock reached
the ground again in safety. The first air Voy-
age made by any human was also made in this
year, l763.
Charles Kellogg recently shot a very
peeuliar-looking bird near his grist mill on the
outskirts of Great Darlington, Mass. No one
seemed to know to what species it belonged,
and it was sent to naturalist in Boston, who
writes as follows: 1.-THE bird is Florida gal
linule; Its native place is in the South, prin-
eipally Florida. This bird was harched this
year, and it is not unusual for young birds to
leave their place of nativity and travel in the
opposite direction from which they should.
Y You can consider this bird decided prize on
account Of the locality from which it was taken,
as 1t is the first recorded instance of one being
found in the Berkshire Hills" The bird has
gray plumage and is Web-footed.
The latest version of ''The girl I left
behind me-" comes from California. In this
case the young man did not seem to realize the
girls attractions until he got across the conti-
nent and then, after a year OF two Of hard
work in California and with the prospect Of
wealth before him, he bethOught himself Of
young lady who used TO be schoolmate Of his
forgotten hlm. She hadn't, and cordially an
swered the letter The return mail brought
proposal of marriage, which was accepted. A
ticket for California came next, and though
journey the young lady started Unlike some
who have made similar trips. she liked both
the farm awaiting her and its possessOr even
better than she thought she did before she saw
them. The wedding came next, and everybody
was happy at last accounts
"A lsborer near Starke, Fla, who owns
a large flock Of chickens, has been much
troubled of late by wildcats and hawks, which
caught his fowls. Compelled to be away from
home all day he cannot shoot the hawks. The
other day he tied his heavily loaded gun to a
stump in the potato patch and trained the gun
at the top of q dead tree, where hawks often
light tied long clothes line to the trigger and
told his wife to pull it when she saw hawk in
the tree. Soon hog broke through the fence,
and after filling up on potatoes proceeded to
scratch himself against the gun, whereby its
muzzle became lowered He got tangled in
the line and drew the trigger, the charge ex-
ploded and it was afterWard found that it had
killed an enormous wildcat hid in some ral-
mettoes in q fence corner. The butt of the
gun in recoiling, struck the hog between the
eyes and killed him, and thus By good luck the
man got rid Of two beasts of prey at one time.
THE FUN.MAkERS.