Evening star., 1908-01-26

THe merriment was at its height. WHeH
suddenly an ominous sound of cracking
was heard, and a moment later the floor
had given way and the whole party was
struggling in the stable. into which fne
victualS and drink had also fallen. Many
of the guests were badly bruised. and as
they rose to their feet they naturally
looked around to see what had become
of the newly married couple. The bride
groom was there in a very tumbled state,
but otherwise little the worse for wear.
But as for the bride. she was flying out
of the stable at a rapid rate, bestriding a
COW. The young woman had fallen from
the upper room right onto the back OF
the COW, which, not being accustomed TO
such treatment and being, moreover.
scared by the crash, had promptly hrok-
en- loose, bearing the lady off on its back.
Right away the COW bolted fast as its
legs would carry it, and the bride stuck
on in truly sporting style. as to the man
ner born. Across the fields ran the cow,
hotly pursued by the ninloler members OF
the party. and then it entered lttlf
copse, still with the bride on its back
The pursuers had scarcely got into the
copse when they beheld the young woman
suspended by her raven treSSeS TO tn
branch of a tree. 1t took them some time
to rescue her from her uncomfortable po-
sition, but as soon as she was free she
laughed gayly over the whole adventure.
for which she was little the worse.
Inc LOnS-LOSC Will.
A remarkable will case is occupying the
courts at St. Etienne. One day a local
priest bought at a secondhand bookstall
a book in which he discovered will made
by wealthy old lady who had recently
died. The will left the whole of her prop
erty 100000, to a young girl. distant
relative. The priest revealed the will to
the girls family and a claim was imme-
diately made for the property. which, on
the old ladyS death had gone to her direct
heirs. These heirs contested the validity
of the will. asserting that it WAS for
gerry. They have now succeeded in prov
ing that the book which the priest alleges
he found on secondhand bookStall was
sold direct to the dealer by A person who
never had any connection with the testa-
trix. The question arises: How did the
will come to be found in a book which
had never been in the old lady's posses
sion?
Recently a man casually engaged one Of
the few women cab drivers to drive him
across Paris. From the exchange on
commonplace remarks he fell in love with
the driver. who is young and good look
ing and two weeks ago she left her box
permanently to marry Inn. OF all the imi
tators of Nine. Duffaut, the first woman
driver. only two or three are now left.
and even Nine. Duffaut herself is tenn
porarily off the rank for domestic rea-
son. Nine. Lutgen, better known as the
Countess Cabdriver," was persuaded by
her relatives to abandon an occupation in
Volving so much publicity, and has found
another way of earning a livelihood
Microbes Office Hours.
Prof. Miguel of Montsouris announces
that as the result of long study he finds
that microbes have their busy hours in
the day, besides being fewer or more
numerous, accordir to the season of the
year. In Decembe. and January their
number diminishes; in July and August 1t
increases. This is easily explained by the
greater dryness of the air. in which dust
floats for longer time in the summer.
But it is less easy to explain" says the
professor why, In the same day, the
number of microbes per cubic centimeter
of air varies with the hours. 1t is at 8
o clock in the morning and at o'clock in
the evening that we find them abroad in
the atmosphere in the greatest numbers.
At ) o'clock in the morning and at 3
o'clock in the afternoon their number Is
comparatively much smaller
Quite d tragedy attended the entrance
of a plum pudding at party in a fiat in
the Rue ST. Hyacinthe where in honor of
a young friend the host had ordered tn
pudding to be well lit up with rum. Just
as the servant was about TO deposit it on
the table the flames caught her ACE cap
With cry of terror she dropped the dish
on the table. 1t was smashed. and thu
blazing rum set fire to ladys dress. She
flung herself into the arms of her neigh
bor, screaming Same r1e." With great
presence of mind he emptied bottle of
mineral water over her corsage. The
flames We're extngushed. but she imme-
diately abused him for spelling her dress
The jealous husband next attacked the
man for embracing his wife
and the combatants had to be separated.