The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1893-09-30

of the remoter wards of the city cam
across an ancient edition Of "Quixote,
but mistaking the date concluded IL wa
not a first edition. Next day he dis
covered by reference to his library tina
the book was n genuine first edition
lie went back to find the treasure but
had been sold for waste paper in the in
terim, and although search has bee
made in every small shop in the ward
the precious volume cannot be found.
few years ago Californian book collec
tor bought in an old bookstall In tn
Mexican capitol first folio edition o
Shakespeare, paying sl5 for a bool
worth $4,000.
! A STRANGE story comes from Dough
trey county, Georgia. IL is that OF ne
gro being ''treed" by snakes, something
hitherto unheard of--at least, In Geor
gia 1t seems that the negro was walk
| ing in the woods. when he heard 9
Kissing sound near him. Thinking that
he was about to be bitten by rattle
snake, and not knowing which way t.
turn, he climbed an oak tree. When he
had reached place OF safety on one ol
4
his horror, beheld ten or dozen large
rattlesnakes at the base OF the tree,
springing their rattles and preparing foi
deadly combat. Horrifed, he witnessed
the battle, which ragged long and fur
iuusly, until at length four snakes lay
dead, while the rest crawled away. The
negro then slid down from the tree and
took to his heels, leaving the dead snakes
where they were.
IN Siam, when there Is question at
law between two parties, and scarcity
Of witnesses to establish the truth in the
case, it is customary to resort to the
water test. Both parties are required to
dive simultaneously into deep water, and
the one that stays the longest under is
adjudged the truth teller, and gets the
verdict. 1t is said that there is n mer-
chant In Bangkok who Is fond Of liti-
CATION, but Is rather too old to undergo
the water test successfully, to say nothing
OF the fact that he can not swim stroke.
He was SO frequently worsted in the
courts that he took his son and placed
him under the tuition of the most expert
swimmer and diver in the Kingdom. In
due course the young man became ex-
ceedingly adept, and was then made u
member of the firm. Now whenever there
is II case to be tried this young fellow is
the representative of the house. The firm
often leaves the court dripping with
water, but always "without stain on his
character"
THE skill Of the Esquimau dog drivers
with the whips, by which they control
their unruly teams, is said to be some
toing marvellous. The whip consists of
a rawhide lash about forty feet long,
fastened to a handle not over six inches
in length. A contest was arranged
among them in the presence of an ex-
plorcr A nickel was the prize. II was
buried In the ground with ust enough of
the edge showing to allow it to be seen.
The contestants stood in line the
length of their whips away from it and
about eight feet apart. The most expert
whi p was little man not more than four
feet high, with slanting eyes and spiky
little beard that made him look very
Japanese. A.movement.of his wrist sent
the forty feet OF lash curving back in
straight line like a long snake. Another
aud it came forward, noise
lessly, shooting through the air just
above the surface of the ground, until,
with loud report, the tip end OF the
lash struck the exact spot where the coin
lay buried, dug it from the ground and
brought it spinning back to the Esqui-
mau artist. Such precision and such
force are certainly unknown to any other
whips in the world. One OF these fell
lows could cut a man to pieces with his
whip, If he had occasion to.
AMONG the attractions OF the little viii
lage of Quiambaug, in Connecticut, are
five rocking stones. Quiambaug is n part
Of the township Of Stonington. Mr..
David A. Wells has published apaper on
the "erratic boulders" in that part Of
New London County, and he attributes
their origin to great glacier that had
It's TERMINAL moraine first In Long Island
Sound and later at the mouth of the
Thames. He thinks that the glacier de-
posted a great quantity OF rocks in the
Sound and on the Connecticut shore.
Fishers Island is buttressed with these
boulders, and they have been found
submerged in the waters Of the Sound
along the coast. The New London Day
says of the rocking or balancing stones
in Quiambaug: "There is no doubt that
they are as excellent examples of the
glacial period as can be found anywhere.
They vary in size from stone weighing
about three tons on tho lands of Miss
Nancy j. Moredock, to one weighing
forty tons on the farm occupied by
James Lord. Another stone is found on
the lands of Elias Davis aud two on the
farm of Ambrose Miner. Perhaps the
best specimen of the whole lot is the
rocking stone on the land of Miss More
dock. 1t is about four feet long, two
feet wide, and three feet high, and il os-
cillates about five inches, and can be
rocked by the pressure of two fingers.
Ii sits on a sloping ledge, and 1t looks as
if it could be easily rolled off and down
the hill, but the combined strength Of
half-a.dozen men could not move 1t out
of its place"
AN ALL ROUND WOMAN.