The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-27
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

". O. BLAKE, a private 10 the Michigan In
fantry during the late war, while on duty at
Chattanooga, Tenn, was presented, by a COM
rade, with watch charm. He wore the char m
a few days and then lost it, and during the ex-
perlences OF after years forgot all about 10.
Some time ago Mr.. Blake removed TO Chatta.
nooga, and short time afterward while Dig
giug in the yard, he'claims to have found the
long lost charm
ONE Of the most curious stones in the world
is found in Finland where it occurs in many
places, says the st. Louis Globe Democrat. 1t
is natural barometer and actually foretells
probable changes in the weather. 1t is called
semakuic, and turns black shortly before an Ap-
preaching rain. while in fine weather it is mot
tied with spots of white. For a long time this
curious phenomenon was a mystery. but an
analysis or the stone shows it to be fossil
mixed with clay and containing q portion of
rock salt and inter. This fact being known, the
explanation was easy. The salt, absorbing the
moisture, turned black when the conditions
were favorable for rain, while the dryness of
the atmosphere brought out the salt from the
interior of the stone in white spots on the sur
face.
AT THE recent Neuilly fair, Paris. which this
year has been OF a more attractive character
than ever and visited by many American resi-
dents and tourists, a new fad was introduced
which, like the confetti of Italian fame, gave
rise to some serio-comic encounters Peacock
feathers were sold every where, and hundreds
OF people were seen carrying them In bundles
through the thoroughtares and over the side
walks every day for the purpose OF tickling the
the necks and the faces of the visitors. When
the sellers attempted to transfer the sale and
use OF the peacock feathers 20 the boulevards
of the city they promptly fell under the ban
Of the police. The Partisan dudes tickling
each others noses on the streets or in the Bois
would undoubtedly have been a very edifying
spectacle.
LIKE all primitive people the Maorles are very
inquistive, and in the manner Of children are
to hrir,
test its qualities. In the early days party of
Maories came across some bars OF soap which
had been washed ashore from q wreck. Find
ing that the stuff too sticky to be eaten
raw they resolved TO cook it. Accordingly they
cut it up into small pieces and sprinkled these
pieces over the sweet potatoes and fish which
formed their evening meal. Finally they Gov
cred the whole matter over with fern leaves and
mats, and put earth on top, leaving everything
TO bake quietly in the ovens till the evening.
The scene at that evening meal must have been
very funny. Not only did the tribe have TO go
supperless to bed, but the whole set of ovens
was spoiled aud new ones had TO be constructed
before any further cooking could be done.
DURING the heavy thunder storm last Wednes-
day at Fishkill, y. Y. large black walnut tree
by the Kitchen door OF r. Whites residence
was struck, says the + mes of that place. A
day or two after it wls discovered that the fluid
had entered the buffers pantry the north
eaIterly corner of the house. On shelf about
four ieet from the floor stood on edge row of
Royal Dresden plates leaning against the hard
finished wall The face Of these plates is hI}hly
decorated in brilliant colors. Around the edges
of several Of them standing nearest the corner
was found band of dark discoloration, while
on the wall, about an inch above them, in cir
cles corresponding in shape with the plates was
fair copy of the ornamsntation on the crock
cry, done in the same colors, though slightly
less brilliant. The discoloration on the plates
was easily removed by washing, and the ware
and ornamentatioE appeared entirely uninjured
by the shock. No place was found where the
lightning entered or left the room, though there
is a small smoke colored mark by an iron
bracket near where the first plate stood.
LET us take a turn with the animals and in
sects Of metaphor, says the Detroit Free Press.
The Scotch have a saying, ''Ycu have a bee In
your bonnet" The meaning is that the head has
a new idea or fancy that is for the time para
mount. Your head is full of bees" is an old
time phrase, meaning that dreamy theories have
taken possession of the brain The connection
between bees and the soul was once generally
manta ned; heucs Mahommed admits bees to
Para Use. The moon was called a "bee" by the
pr1estesses OF Ceres, and the word lunatic still
means one with "bees in his head" 1.-The wolf
at the door is a common expression in all coun-
triss, and we say OF a ravenous eater, The has
wolf In his stomach" II implies hunger
starvation. 1t is said that there are people who
use the term literally to brighten their young
children into habits of industry and economy
so that the wolf of hunger may never appear at
their doors "A frog in the throat is a COM
mon expression referring to a husky speaker
II smell a rat" has long been a popular saying
when some mystery has been discovered, or a
hidden clew found. 1t was an Irish barrister
who got off the mixed metaphor: 81 smell a
rat. i see him waving In the air; but if we are
careful we shall nip him In the bud"
81 WAS present at the autopsy of a noted old
'rounder' of my town few weeks ago." said
John A Holiday of Troy, N. Y, to a reporter
for the St. Louis Globe Democrat, land l was
startled and shocked at what saw The dead
man was about 90 years old and had been the
town drunkard for forty years The doctors
had surmised that when they cut his head omen
a pronounced smell Of alcohol would issue from
the skull thought it only one Of those grim
sort Of jokes that the Esculapians indulge in
sometimes when they are carving felloWman
to mince meat in the interest OF their SC ence
But soon learned that it was no Joke for when
the surgeons saw had cut off the top of the
mans skull the odor OF alcohol that filled the
room ives strong enough to almost scken one
Then one OF the surgeons struck q match and
held it close to the brain. Immediately a blue
flame enveloped the entire portion of the cere-
bral organ exposed, aud the Quivering flesh
szzled as il on a gridiron. That experiment
and disclosure set me to very seriously thinking
about the error Of my way lam not a temper.
ance lecturer nor q prohibition politician, but
must most respectfully and firmly decline your
invitation to have something, don't want nv
brain to float around in a sea of alcohol as did
that Of the poor Old town drunkard Of TROY
There is no telling how many other men g brains
will reveal the same condition il an autopsy IL