Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-22
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS

Maine expects to make 81, 500, 900 on
the sale of ice this year.
The late Duke of Aosta has left e1,-
100000 to his three sons.
The Gear possesses "A uniforms, one Of
which he has never worn-Viz: that Of a Rus
sian Field Marshal
In place of stones, Nashua, Z. H., cot
ton mill strikers use snowballs to impress non.
union workmen with the Nervousness Of their
offense.
The cheapest place in Missouri to live
is at the penitenriary. The daily cost Of main
tanning convicts at that institution is only X
cents per capita
"A large gray wolf was recently caught
in COnemaugh township, Indiana county. It
was the first animal of the kind seen in that
section for many years.
There is a movement on foot just now
to purchase the house in which Beethoven was
born. at Bonn, for the German nation, and con.
vert it into museum for Beethoven relics.
The Gulf Stream really starts in the
Antartic Oeean.it then skirts the west coast Of
Africa, crosses to Cape st Rogue and enters
the Caribbean Sea, and SO into the Gulf OF
Mexico out Of which it emerges bearing its
beStknown name.
Flint, Mich, has the champion. He
has popular well, and few days ago he was
seen fishing for something at the bottom.
Asked what he'd lost, the man satisfied the
curious by saying that he had dropped his false
teeth, and since that time the well hasn't been
visited by anybody except the owner and his
family.
Miss Ella Ewing, living near Rainbow,
Mo-, Is years old, is now feet and inches
high, weighs 225 pounds, wears a No. Is shoe,
which Of course she has to have made to order,
and her shoemaker had to order special last.
The girls parents are of about the usual size,
the father being possibly little taller than the
average man.
There's an old aunty on Lombard street,
Philadelphia, who bakes rabbit very tempting
ly in this way: She Plasters the animal all over
with softened clay, bakes the statuary in An
oven till it is like brick, shivers The brick to
atoms with hammer, and there you are. The
rabbit skin has stuck to the clay, and only the
crisp, white meat is left.
There is curious bit of interesting in
formation that will be new to many readers.
In Africa the prefix serves for the purpose that
the suffix serves for in European languages.
For example: Spain. Spaniard, Spanish-so in
our mother tongue; but IN Africa Uganda is the
name OF state. Waganda are the lnnaoltants
thereof, and Maganda the language.
The story of the discovery of a gold
mine of astounding riches in China is supported
Dy many 406 BOlu-DedENlB
quartz is reported to be on peninsula across
the Corean Sea from the Peninsula Of Corea,
and directly west. The mountains are very
precipitous, and the outeropDIngs of rocks rich
in gold have been traced for go miles.
"A Catholic Indian missionary, the Rev.
Father Jerome, of the Benedictine Order, has
compiled prayer book for the Sioux. 1t will
be published by Bishop Marty, and will be
printed in the Sioux language. Besides the Or
binary Catholic prayers the book will contain a
catechism of Christian doctrine and Catholic
hymns with appropriate music. Five thousand
copies Of the prayer book will be published.
AT the Schaghticoke, n. z, powder
mills there is great activity Just now, and the
mills are turning out large quantities of rife
sporting powder. Peas, instead of charcoal,
enter into the composition of this brand and
the roaster in which they are prepared is capa-
BILE of roasting a ton Of peas every "A hours.
Peas thus prepared are also sent to the New
burg mills, which are making the same kind OF
powder.
AT Hamilton, o., the other night, as
the late Toledo express pulled in at the Cincin-
natl, Hamilton and Dayton station, gentle
man alighted from the sleeping car and began
walking up and down IN front of the station
under the electric light in his night clothes.
His scanty apparel at once attracted attention,
and it was soon seen that the man was walking
in his sleep. When awakened he beat hasty
retreat to his berth.
Mr.. Lawson has commenced work on his
colossal statue of Robert Burns, which is des-
tined for Ayr. The main feature of the figure
is its attitude of eontemplatiVe repOse. the only
movement suggested lyingin the slightly raised
and elenched right hand. No poetic pose" ls
attempted, simplicity and dignity being in
sisted upon in every detail. The garb Is that Of
a Scottish yeoman. The site of the statue will
be almost opposite the railway station at Ayr.
1t will be fenced round, and planted with how-
ers and shrubs.
1T is not always judicious, says Scot
tish paper, to use Scotch idioms. A Scottish
gentleman was down in England visiting some
old friends, and while with them was invited to
a dinner party. The worthy Scot made him
self as agreeable as he could, and after dinner,
over the wine and Walnuts, grew quiteJeonf-
Dental with his neighbor. This gentleman
was suffering from a severe cold, and Mr.. Nc
Intyre (the Scotehman), to show his sympathy,
said: "Man, it's an awful host (eougb) you've
got" The host overheard the remark and nat
urally took it to himself, and there was de-
cided GOODNESS between the parties till the
Seotchman's friend explained the meaning OF
host.
"A great deal Of excitement has been
caused IN the village of Alexander, N. Y, by
an alleged haunted house from which weird
and uncanny sounds have been heard issuing
at various hours in the night and day. The
story runs that 20 years ago woman was muir
Qer6u IN bue uOuc6, anu oluC6 budb uO Laul-
lily has inhabited it more than few weeks at
time. Day before yesterday an investigating
party composed Of four reputable citizens Of
the town visited the house and heard mOans,
groans and shrieks which puzzled themgreatly.
as to all appearances the house was empty.
They left the place in perturbed state Of
mind and since that time a strict watch has
been kept on the house in the hope OF solving
the mystery.
1t is said that in olden times when
negroes were taking employment in Maryland
they insisted that their master should put q
clause into their contract agreeing that the
negroes should not be fed upon canvasback
duck and serrapin. There was so much Of ter
rapfn in those days and canvasback ducks were
so numerous thar even the colored help turned
against them, and there was an everlasting pro-
test when these two famous ingredients of a
great dinner appeared upon the table The
times have changed since then. The canvas
back duck is, IN the opinion OF restaurant
keepers slowly taking second place to the red
head duck. The meat of the redhead is not
quite so tender as the canvasDack, but great
many people profess to prefer the flavor. One
reason why the restaurants are pushing the red
heads into prominence Is TO be found in the
fact that they are far cheaper than the canvas
backs. It has been impossible for q long time
to buy a brace of canVaSback ducks in any Of
the big city markets for less than So so or 81 If
they were really trst-class birds. The restau-
rants charge 81 duck, and when they pay S3 so
apiece for them before the birds are plucked,
cooked and served, there is often positive loss
10 the house. With the redhead however,
there is a larger margin for speculation. A fad
his season in Baltimore and Washington is to
take roast oysters with the duck instead Of
-arraDin.