The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-12

DROPPING A DAY.
"'Next day-Sure enough, il has hap
pened- Yesterday II was September s.
Sunday: today. per the bulletin boards
al the mead OF the comparatively, il il
Sept. 10, Tuesday. There is something
uncanny ABOUT II. And uncomfor, sole.
In fact, nearly untninkable, and wholly
unrealizable. when one comes 10 consider
il While We We're crossing the 1seth
meridian it was Sunday in the stern OF
the ship and Tuesday in the bow. where
1 was. They were eating the half OF a
fresh apple on the sth. and 1 was at the
same time time eating the other half Of
ii on the l0tn-and l could notice how
stale il was already. The family were
the same age that they were when l
left them five minutes before. but was
a day older now than I was then
When Mark Twain was al Fiji Is
lands ne says that everybody went
ashore tolook around, and spy out the
land, nd nave luxury OF luxuries TO a
sea voyager-a land dinner And there
We saw more natives-w-inkled Old wo-
men, plump and smily young girls.
pleasure 10 look at: majestic young men
clothed IN bose arrangement OF dazzling
white with bronzed breast ana naked
legs, and the head OF a cannon swao
OF soiled hair combe5 straight out and
dyed a rich red. Only sixty years ago
they were sunk in darkness; now they
have the bicycle.
IN THE FIJI ISLANDS.
1--WE strolled about the streets OF the
white folks little town and around over
the nils by paths and roads among Eu-
ropean dwellings, and bye and bye We
stopped 10 ask an elderly English coli
onist a question or two and 10 sympa-
thize with him concerning the ;orrid
weather. but he was surprised and said:
"''This? This is not not. You ought
TO be here in the summer time once"
1--we supposed mat his was sum-
mer. But is il isn't summer, what does
it lack?"
ut lacks half year. This is mid
winter
81 had been suffering from colds for
several months and sudden change OF
season like this could hardly fail 70 do
me hurt. II brought on another cold.
It odd these sudden jumps from season
u season. A fortnight ago We left
America in midsummer, now it is mid
winter. About a week hence We shall
arrive in Australia in the spring
at is a fine race, the Fijians, with
brains in their heads, and an inquiring
turn OF mind.
1T appears that their savage ances-
tors had a doctrine Of immortality in
their scheme Of religion-with imita-
tons. That is TO say, their dead friend
would go 10 a happy here after il he
could be accumulated, but not other
wise. They drew the line-they thought
that the missionary's doctrine was too
sweeping, too comprehensive. They call
ed attention to certain facts. For in
stance, many OF their friends have been
devoured by sharks; the sharks, in
their turn, were caught and eaten by
other men; later these men were cap
tured IN war and eaten by their enc
mics. The original persons had enter
ed into the composition OF the sharks;
next they and the sharks had become
part of the flesh and blood and bone Of
the cannibals. How, then, could the
particles of the original men be search
ed out from the final conglomerate and
put together again? The inquirers were
full OF doubts, and considered that the
missionary had not examined the mat
ter with the gravity and attention which
50 serious a thing deserved.
The missionary taught these exact
ing savages many valuable things, and
got from them one-a very dainty and
poetic1l idea Those wild and ignorant
pO0r chil5rDe n ma -rIra bpliavaj that tba
flowers, after they perish. rise on the
winds and float away 10 the fair fields
OF heaven, and flourish there forever in
immortal beauty
- The story Of the ornithorynchus is
also good. He says it was perhaps the
only animal that did not 60 into the ark
at the time of the food, but the fact
did not seem to bother il very much.
for he says there were plenty of logs
floating around on which TO take rest
wnen not swimming. AS 10 food. IL had
plenty. When il wanted fish IL caught
them and when it wanted eggs il laid
them.
India was quite new field FOR M.
Clemens. Some OF the observations are
really very funny. Speaking OF Indian
railroads, he says:
After while We stopped az little
wooden coop OF a station just within
the curtain OF the somber jungle, a place
with deep and dense forest Of great
trees and scrub and vines all about them
The royal Bengal tiger is in great force
there, and is very bold and unconven-
tional. From this lonely little station
message once went 70 the railway man
ager in Calcutta: Tiger eating station
master on front porch; telegraph in
structions'
1T was there that 1 had my frsl
tiger hunt. 1 killed thirteen. We were
presently away sgin, and the train be-
gan 20 climb the mountains. In one
place seven wild elephants crossed the
track, but two .. them got away before
! could overtake them.
Some OF his stories. however, are as
pathetic ss others are humorous In
stance The following:
STORY OF FATHER DAMIEN.
I'VE al know about Father Damien.
the French priest who voluntarily .or-
SOCK the word ard went % leper is
Land Of Molokai u LABOR among lis 20
piatioD OF sr-roxful exiles VINO wait
there IN sl0w-cOnS1n.nz misery fo-
death % come ard release them from
their troubles: AMI Ee know that the
thing which We knew beforehand would
happen dii happen; taat he became a
lepsT himself. and died az that horrible I,
disease. There vas Sill another case (
o seit-sacr.hc>, i appears I asked Ehy +.
Billy Rsgsdale. Interpreter % the par (
Lament a my tina hzls gllte. He /
a brilliant v0-f-z <err0U a-+ v-s--- 49, 4