The Topeka state journal., 1908-04-10

~>.-s. - ~ aoA = w a1lJ 1AtVI9
It's not because he can't.
Our Ereat-grandfathers laugh
And now and then he makes q break
To hven up his chaf.
No circus ring would be complete
Without this nimble knave.
For whether on his head or feet
Hes lust the joy we crave
There never was single day
,,,,s since we were boys in school
Where some one played the fool.
Cost Of q Small War.
That even q little war is a costly
thing is shown in a calculation which
has been made In Paris as to the cost
of mobilizing the French force of 5000
men which has been sent out from
Casablanca to subdue the Beni-Snas-
sen and other turbulent Moroccan
tribes. The force consists of $500 in
fantry. 1000 cavalry, 100 artillerymen,
$50. of the army service corps, 800 native
irregulars. and 400 OFFICERS. On the very
day when the order of mobilization
was issued and before single move
had been made this force cost France
some $4,000. Under French military
law every officer receives a months
pay the minute he is ordered on active
Quty III lilo ASlQ. Ills ulS6u3 S4oo lOE u
colonel. $92 for a lieutenant colonel. $51
to $50 for a captain.
In addition to this, from the day
when active service begins, the OFFICERS
receive a material increase OF pay. The
colonel for instance. gets $7.10 a. day
instead Of A.52. a lieutenant $2.S5 in
stead Of $1.50. noneommissioned officers
receive / franc or 80 cents q day sup
Elementary pay, and privates 2 cents
additional. Therefore, besides the $780,
600 initial outlay the expedition costs
the country In pay over ana above the
peace standard about $500 q day for the
officers. $160 for the noncommissioned
and $40 for the privates. while the ir-
regulars and native guides draw any,
where from $40 to 500 day.
The expense of feeding the force IN
the field is figured at about $4,000 a day.
Ten thousand rations are issued to 1t,
all the superior OFFICERS receiving two
full rations and the Junior OFFICERS one
and half-or rather. perhaps. COM
muting at that rate-while the men re-
ceive one standard ration each, con-
sisting OF twenty-five ounces OF bread,
a pound Of fresh meat. two-thirds OF q
pound Of salt pork or half a pound Of
preserved meat, half a pint of wine.
lone-fourth Of a pound Of dried vegeta-
thirds of an ounce OF salt, one ounce
of sugar. and four-flfths of an ounce
of roasted coffee. Besides the cost of
these provisions In price of commuta-
tion the expense Of transporting them
to the front is estimated at about $500
a day. The cost of transporting the
men themselves to the base of opera
and medical expenses are minimized at
$1,000 a day.
Taken by and large, 1t is estimated
that the present punitive expedition Is
costing France an average of more
than 5000 a day, or $150, 200 month
New York Sun.
Deaf Mute at the Telephone.
You may not believe it, but I under
stand that deaf and dumb man better
than any one else who talks over tel
the other day. Better stop drinking, .
said friend who overheard the re-
mark: it's bad enough understanding
people who can talk II mean just
what Il say" declared the broker: "the
man I speak Of used to be a telegraph
call my number he grabs the receiver
and waits until he hears taps. for he
can hear taps or thuds, as you call
them. but can't distinguish oral words.
i used to be an operator myself. aud
he taps back the answers very dis
tinctly. We each use a small metal
plate as saunders, and an ordinary
penknife serves as a key tell you
we can talk for a whole hour that way
and understand every word that's tel
egraphed. And the beauty of it is any
one listening on a party wire doesn't
know what we're talking about. t.'-Phil-
adelphia Record.
Odd South American Animals.
Many curious animals haunt the
marshy parts of South America north
(the ceratophySs) given to making
vicious springs when closely approach
ed; the capbara, a cavy ''contented
with the bulk of Sheep" the huge
coypu rat and the swarthy piglike tapir
are frequently seen. Along the forest
met with. occasionally the jaguar,
sometimes the puma, likewise that
toothless curiosity, the great ant bear,
long to claw, long nOsed, and remark
ably long tongued. Very plentiful, too.
are those ''little knights in scaly ar
NOR" the quaint. waddling armadil-
loes. long-toed 5acanas pace about upon
the floating leaves. A familiar object Is
the great 5abiru, stork with a pre-
ference for the desolate lagoons, where
1t may often be observed statuesQue on
one leg and wrapped In prospection.
The Scotsman.
Suckers Take to Brandy.
With ordinary earth-worm bait,
which they first automatically sat
urated In brandy as an experiment,
Policeman Thomas Clark, of Darby,
and Policeman John Carr, of Yeadon.
returned home this evening with $50
pounds of fish. They left early this
morning for Darby Creek: but after
spending several hours without being
rewarded with bite, Clark, as an ex-
pertinent, saturated the worm On his
hook with 10-year-o1d liquor and threw
the line overheard. To his surprise his
hook was taken SO quickly by vora-
cious sucker that the hook broke off
short new hook was affixed, the
worm treated in the same manner and