Evening star., 1896-09-19
N HOTEL CORRIDORS


I concluded to try some of them, as have
a sort Of penchant for trying articles of
food with which I am not familiar. I sue
ceeded in getting about a quart of fine fat
snails one evening, and. not caring to use
them until the next morning, I concluded
to keep them. I put them in pan,
sprinkled q considerable quantity Of salt
over them. covered the pan. and left them.
The next morning 1 went to the kitchen
to cook the snails, the cook refusing to
have anything to do with them. Upon re-
moving the cover from the pan, found
that there was nothing there but some
salt. l accused the cook of throwing them
away. which She denied doing. and got
some more. These 1 sailed. and they van
taste snails. but 1 discovered that salt dis
solves them almost instantly, without
leaving q trace of them."
II would like to see the man who first
wrote about greasing little chickens to pre-
vent the gapes," said r. P. Lucas of
Peoria. ILL.,. at the National. 'I live short
distance from town and raise a good many
chickens. I saw a statement in number
OF papers to the effect that if a little chick
ems head and neck were thoroughly
creased 1t would prevent Its having
gapes. 1 had about two hundred small
chickens and caught them all and creased
them thoroughly. Then 1 turned them
loose. In about two hours l returned and
found that they would certainly never
nave the gapes. Every chicken was dead.
Inc action OF the sun on the grease killed
them. l have known several others who
have had a similar experience and think
1t Is time for the papers to tell how the
grease stops the gapes.'
Il don't know what besol stone is."
SAID d. L. King Of Jacksonville Fla. at the
81. James, but it Is universally believed
among the Crackers. as they are called,
tnat there are such things, and they possess
wonderful value, curing snake bites by
single application in the same way that
mad stones are used. The besol stones are
found In the stomach of deer, and no hun
ter neglects to search for a besol stone
when he kills an antelope. In many parts
OF the fowery state deer still abound, and
there are very few sections where snakes
are not numerous, and do not think there
Is hunter who does not believe implicitly
IN the virtues Of the besol stone. although
they are scarcer than fine pearls. The
nearest l ever came to seeing one, | heard
from several sources that certain man
had one that had cured many snake bites
l went to see him to try to get possession
OF the besol stone. His widow told me that
they had sold the besol stone a month be-
fore, and week later her husband died
from the effects Of a moccasin bite.
ut seems to be universally admitted that
Prices are too cheap and must be raised" >"
said E. P. Barton Of Pittsburg at the Ra-
leigh Il have been inclined to the same
opinion. and am still. but l happened to
look through an old ledger Of mine, kept in
the year 1S45. when l was in the mercantile
business in an Ohio town. 1 had a
bookkeeeper and clerk. To the former 1
a IN he LAT tor
are number of entries that show I paid
% cents q day for common labor, and 30
cents during harvest time farm !
owned. l find that l paid 80 cents for a
physicians visit. and % cents for pre-
Scrlption. l bought peaches at from IL
| cents to % cents bushe; potatoes.l5 cents
TO p cents a bushel: eggs. 5 cents dozen
butter, cents a pound. l see by the ledger
that during the absence of my family 1
boarded at the leading hotel of the town.
where l paid 81 week for board, with
| missed meals deducted. l also learn that /
sold fresh meat at 3 cents to > cents a pound,
and presume l made profit. as l do not
remember selling anything upon which
| cid not. These are prices of a half cen
| tury ago. and they certainly much
| lower. including those of wages, than OBJ
| tain now.
Il have seen various stories about mean
men and some of them are very good, bu,
none of them equal Cne l know to be true.
| said G. p. Willis of Tiffin. Ohio, at the
| Regent. Il have know a neighbor Of mine
for several years and if during that time
| he has ever had charitable impulse II
was concealed from his acquaintanees; He
| has three children and his wife, who Is
| wholly unlike him, insists that presents
shall be given them each Christmas. F'oul
years ago he was practically coerced intl
allowing the purchase of few toys. A
few days after Christmas the children hat
| lost all of these toys. and the father
| whipped them for losing them. The mex
Christmas be brought home some toys
duplicates Of those given the previous year
| In few days they were lost the chill
dren again whipped and nothing more wa!
seen of them until the following Christ
mas. when they once more did duty To-
Santa Claus. Since then the mother act
as custodian to prevent the father from
| stealing his children's toys"
"I don't know why 1t is, but the Ameri
can mania for gambling is dying out,
said Tom Brewer. one of the best known
of the Denver sports, at the Arlington
Take horse racing. and over two-thirds O
the tracks are closed. The breeding o
fast horses Is not nearly SO profitable a
it used to be and there is not one rae
where there were ten twenty years age
Then faro. 1t is fact that there are no
|
States as there were in Chicago or ,Denve
alone a few years ago. I have not see
keno card for ten years. There are
few rooms. but they are comparativel
small Poker is played privately and i
| clubs. There are few poker rooms wher
strangers can get into game, In all larg
cities, but there not one-fourth a
many ten years ago. and the games ar
very much smaller. only occasionally
game being played for heavy stakes. Th
l Iy1o1 toll 70 nVf
| by crap rooms, of a much lower ordel
but that Is being rapidly forced out {
existence. There Is probably less gamblin
among Americans now than among men {
, any other leading nationality"
1.-THE American song birds are rapid
being killed." said L. P. Dysart Of Mobil
} at Wizards. Throughout the south tn
rnocking birds are growing fewer ever
year. On plantation Of mine near Nc
t bile, where the air used to be full Of tn
melody of the mocking birds, I have nc
heard Or seen one for three years. 1t
the same way throughout the south.
have not seen an oriole in Maryland. a
though 1 was there a month, nor one 1
Washington. The parks used to hav
plerty of them in the trees In Ohio til
legislature passed a law making it erin
inal offense to kill a red bird or to kee
in vii of bod To