The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-28
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, low went through with his sweetheart.
 He thought he would have q joke upon her, and when her back was turned he ! slyiy pinned her skirt to one of the cloaks. As she started to go the skele- ton was pulled forward, and it fell upon her as though about to embrace her. The girl was terribly frightened and 1t is said that the shock destroyed her reason.
 Pretty Maltese Msdens.
 l like the Maltese girls. They have large, soulful eyes, beautiful features and
 complexions the color of the dark moss
 rose They wear great black hoods over their heads With long black eloaks hang { ing to them, so that the most of the per
 Son is hidden and little more than the
 lace and eyes show out. This part of
 their costume Is called the omnella 1t IS usually made of black silk. and the hood | IS bound at the front over thin piece i of whalebone, which is drawn over the head forming an arch The left arm is 1 usually covered by one part of this dress, | and the right is used for holding down the l other side and bringing the two together : In most respects the Maltese of the bet i ter classes dress much like the people of i Europe, and 1t Is only the peasants who i have costumes at all out of the way. Tho : peasant women wear hoods. Their dresses
 are of a striped native cotton, and they. ! i pantaloons, which leave the legs bare | to the knee, being tide about the waist 1 with gtrdle of cotton or silk. Above ] this they have on a cotton shirt, and | sometimes a vest, ornamented with rows | of silver buttons made of American quar- | ter dollars or English shillngs. They | seldom wear coats Their heads are us ualy covered with caps of bright colors
 made in the shape of bag so long that 1 the crown of the cap often hangs down
 to the shoulders They sometimes carry | their money and their tobacco in their i caps.
 The people here affect the simple life | Outside the cities the houses are of one story. They are usually stone huts, built 1 of materials gathered on the ground. The | doors and windows made by the car penters, and the village blacksmiths sup ! ply the locks and hinges. The people | have little farms. which they raise fruit and small quantities of grain. They 1 grow oranges, figs and grapes. Many of
 them have bees, and raise the honey for
 which the island is noted. Among the
 chief domestic animals are goats, Of
 which there are about 20000. l have seen ! them in Morocco Tunisia and Tripoli
 They are considered about the best along i the Mediterranean, and are imported not | only on account of their milk, but as
 breeders They give much milk that
 the whole population depends upon them | for it's support and the few cows which
 are kept are not regarded with favor 1n-
 deed. there is not enough pasture on the l island to furnish good cows milk
 | These Maltese goats are the chief com 1 petitors of the Angora goat; and 1t Is a | question whether they would not be more
 valuable for our country than the latter. l Their Is a demand In all the American cities for goats milk for babies, and
 young kids are said to sell at the price
 of lambs Here In Malta goats milk | brings about eight or ten cents a quart, and the average goat yields from two to | two and one-haf quarts per day. The milk is not used for cheese or butter, al- | though fresh butter and cheese made of
 sheep's milk are sold. I see goats in the | streets every morning. They are driven | from house to house and milked at the l doors A not uncommon thing is the tying
 rags about the goats nipples, to prevent
 the kids sucking their mothers between
 milking times.
 Malta in History.
 One of the most interesting things about | this island Is it's story in connection with
 the Knights of Malta, who owned and | ruled it for many years. The islands are
 among the oldest in history. It was on
 Gozo that Calypso lived. She was the
 nymph who enchanted Ulysses and kept l him for seven years, on the promise that | she would give him perpetual youth and l mortality If he stayed with her In this