Chapter XVI: The Mysterious Prisoner (2)

If it wasn't that we were going the long way, I kind of think I'd ask Pop to leave me home, and ask your Pop if he wouldn't take care of me this summer. You know what I mean about the long way, I suppose? You Boston boys generally do know all about everything; but in case you don't, I'll tell you that there's two ways of getting there. One way takes about ten minutes, and the other way takes three months. We're going the three-months way. You get on a ferry-boat to go the short way, but it takes an ocean steamer about two blocks long and a fog-horn on it to take you the long way. We're to get aboard of the steamer _New York_, go across to a place called Southhampton, where we take the cars for London. You've heard about London, I guess. Pop says it's the Boston of Europe, and the people there speak the same language; and I guess he is right, because he knows a man that's been there, and saw the Queen. After that we're going over to Paris, where Napolean Bonaparte lived, and Pop says he'll show me lots of fine things there, and maybe, if he's got time, will teach me how to speak French; and when I come back I'll teach you how to speak it; and then if we ever have any secrets, we can talk 'em right out loud before the girls, and they'll never know what we're talking about.

The next station we stop at will be Geneva. That's in Switzerland, and it's where they make watches. And while we're in Switzerland Pop's going to show me every Alp he can find, and he says if I behave myself he'll get me some snow and let me make a snowball in midsummer. Just think of that! Snowballs in winter is fun, but in July! My! Eh? I'm going to try to get him to let me have a sled, and go coasting down one of the glaziers, and if he does I'll tell you all about it; and maybe we'll get some skates and skate up Mount Blank on 'em. Talk about your views! Mount Blank is more'n twice as high as Mount Washington, and snow and ice most all the way. Just think of the bully slide it'll be coming down!

Then we're going to go over the Alps in a train that runs through tunnels that jirates like a corkscrew. You go in at the foot of the hill, and sort of meander around inside the mountain until you come out on top, and when you get over finally you're in Italy. There we're going over a few lakes and end up at Milan, after which we're going to Venice. That'll be fine. Venice is built right out in the ocean, and if you're in a hurry to get across the street you've got to row over or swim. My bathing-suit'll come in handy there.

After Venice we're going to Genoa, where Christopher Columbus was born, and from there we go by another steamer through the Mediterranean sea, which Uncle Joe says is made of blewing, to Gibraltar; on from there to those Azores Islands, where the stamps you swapped for my paper pencil came from, and that's the last stop till we get to Hoboken.

I thought I'd write and let you know about this so you'd know why I didn't turn up at the White Mountains. I'll miss you like everything, but I'll miss you less if you'll write to me once a week and tell me all that's going on. I'll write to you, and maybe, after all, we'll get some fun out of it. If Sandboys is at the hotel this summer with any of his stories about bears and things, please let me know all he tells you, and whenever I see anything exciting I'll tell you.

Good-by for the present.

Affectionately yours, BOB.

To become a successful broad-jumper the athlete must, to a certain extent, combine the skill of the sprinter, the high-jumper, and the hurdler, for the event now under discussion is a sort of combination of the other three. Like every other athletic feat, this one requires systematic work both of the body and the head, and persistent, continuous effort before any kind of form can be developed.

THE RUNNING BROAD JUMP.

From instantaneous photographs taken of Robert F. Lyons.

The first difficulty for the novice to overcome is the laying out of his run and the arrangement of his take-off. These details are both of the highest importance, for although he may be a good sprinter and a good jumper, these two qualities are nullified if the take-off is uncertain. The run differs with almost every individual, each athlete must determine this for himself by experiment. It is necessary to lay out two marks on the cinder track; the first one must be a given number of strides this side of the take-off, and the second at a distance further back, to suit the taste of the jumper. Bloss, for instance, counts back nine strides from the take-off to his first mark, and then goes back a dozen strides further. Lyons, whose jump is illustrated by the pictures above, goes back only eight strides from the take-off for his first mark, and about a hundred and five feet to the start of his run. Let us call, for convenience, the mark nearest the take-off the first mark, and the other the second mark. These have been laid out so that the jumper may feel certain that if his jumping foot, whether it be the right or the left, strikes fairly upon the first it will also come squarely upon the take-off, and the jump will be a good one.

It sometimes happens in contests that the conditions of the wind or of the track will be such that these marks will have to be slightly altered; and every athlete should be careful to examine the runway before his event is called, so as to be able to fix the points that he must depend upon for his success.

The position for the start of the broad jump is the same as that which used to be taken by sprinters a few years ago, before the present leaning-over method was adopted, and is illustrated by the first picture. The jumping foot, in this case the right foot, is on the starting mark, with the other slightly in advance. The sprinter starts down the track, measuring his strides carefully so as to come properly upon the first mark, and then he sprints at his greatest speed down the track to the take-off. If he has measured his distances correctly, he will land, as is shown in No. 3, with his jumping foot squarely upon the take-off. If he feels that he has gotten out of his stride, it is better not to make the jump at all, but to stop, for over-stepping the mark by a few inches will ruin the jump, and under-reaching the mark will detract just that much from the measure of his effort.

The act of the jump itself is where the greatest effort of muscle and nerve is required. Just before coming to the take-off, say at the last step, the athlete should gather himself together and crouch as low as his great speed will permit, and bring his jumping foot down as hard as possible upon the take-off, at the same time throwing his hands forward and upward. Bringing down the foot with such power serves to throw the body into the air, and this movement is aided by the lifting of the arms. The hardest strain comes on the back muscles, just as in high-jumping. The eyes should be fixed on some distant high point rather than on the ground where the jump will probably end. This seems to give a better "aim," and in many cases adds an inch or so to the distance. The fourth picture shows the jumper just after he has left the take-off. The next sees him well on his way, with his legs curled up close under the chin, and his arms reaching out far forward, so as to throw the balance as much as possible in that direction.

As he comes down the jumper should hold his feet as far forward as he can, in order to gain every inch that is to be had, and he should also keep his head and arms forward, so as not to lose his equilibrium and fall backward, thus making his jump void. The last picture shows the correct attitude for the end of the flight through the air, the feet being well ahead of the trunk, but the arms and the head held so far forward that they will bring the body along, too, as soon as the feet dig into the soft earth below. The feet should be kept well together on landing in the jumping-box, and a good broad-jumper will never allow himself to fall forward on his hands, but will always resume his erect position, and walk out of the soft earth, instead of rolling out.

Training for broad-jumping consists mostly of hard practice in sprinting short distances--say, from seventy-five to a hundred yards. This is to acquire the highest speed for the runway. High-jumping should also be practised, but the athlete should not attempt to become proficient in the number of inches he can clear, but rather in the form with which he covers a reasonable height. A spin now and then over the hurdles will also do a great deal toward improving a broad-jumper's form. After the athlete has become more or less a master of his event, he will find that half a dozen jumps, two or three times a week, will be enough to keep him in practice, and I should advise him by all means to rest for three or four days before going into a contest. When the time for jumping at a field-meeting arrives, never try to do the best work on the first jump. Be satisfied to make your marks well and to catch the take-off squarely. Do your very best on the second jump. Before making the first try, however, take a spin around the track, and make one or two small short jumps on the grass, so as to be thoroughly limbered up; otherwise, if you have not softened your muscles, you might injure yourself on your first attempt, and be laid up, as a result, for weeks.

The scheme for holding a large in-door interscholastic track-athletic meeting, which has been under discussion for some weeks past by the directors of the New Manhattan Athletic Club, has finally taken definite shape, and the games are to be given in the Madison Square Garden on the evening of March 28th. The New Manhattan Athletic Club, as is well known, has recently come under a new management, and I have been led to believe that, in the future, the much-tarnished cherry diamond will be polished up and made to stand for purity in amateur sport, as prominently as it was once degraded into representing exactly the other extreme. There is every reason to believe that such will be the case, if we may judge by the characters of the men at present in control.

These moving spirits have very wisely decided that the best way to achieve prominence in the field of amateur sport is not to gather in the reigning lights of the present, but to educate and bring forward their own men. It may take a number of years to do this, but once it is accomplished success will have been worthy of the effort. The plan is to recruit membership from the young athletes of to-day, who are to become the ruling athletes of the future. With this object in view the new club will take the greatest interest in all school sports, and will strive to assist school athletes in every possible way. The first step will be this large in-door meeting, open to all the schools of the country.

The meeting will be held for the benefit of the schools, not for the glorification of the club, and although the latter is to take entire charge of the business end of the enterprise, the schools are to control the rest. The plans, as yet, are not wholly completed, but doubtless they will be in a few days.

What is determined thus far, however, is that the meeting will be held at the Madison Square Garden on March 28th, beginning at eight o'clock in the evening. The events will be 75-yard dash, 220-yard dash, 440-yard run, 880-yard run, 1-mile run, 1-mile walk, 75 yards over the low hurdles, running high jump, putting the 12-pound shot, pole vault, and a relay race. There will probably also be a relay race for college teams.

The entrance fee for each event will be fifty cents, and the entries will close on March 21st. The events will be open to the school-boy athletes of the United States, the eligibility of contestants to be governed by the rules of the N.Y.I.S.A.A. (Here is the first occasion where the importance of a National Association is made evident. If the constitution of the N.I.S.A.A.A. were only completed now so as to cover in-door as well as out-door contests, the rules of the general body would have been adopted for the N.M.A.C. games!) The New York association has been amending its laws within the past few weeks, and it is too late at the present writing for me to make sure that the eligibility rules have not been changed with the others. For the benefit, however, of members of other associations who will enter these games in March, this Department will publish next week the regulations that are to govern the entries.

It is the plan at present to invite teams and individuals from every school near enough to this city to send delegates. It is expected that the Boston and Philadelphia schools will send large delegations, for this is practically the first in-door meeting, open to all schools, that has ever been held on such a scale. The relay races will no doubt prove exciting, and it will be interesting to compare the work done by the school and college teams.

The feature of this scheme which should particularly appeal to those of us who are clamoring for a diminution of the evils of athletics is that the entire business management of the affair is taken completely out of the hands of the students. If this might only always be so!

Of minor in-door games there will be plenty in the next six weeks. The Barnard games are to be held next Saturday, the 8th, in the Eighth Regiment Armory, and promise to be well attended. Moore and Washburn ought to be heard from in the runs, and the latter has also been doing some good work over the hurdles. Wilson, who surprised the know-alls in the junior events last spring, is another Barnard man that will be well up in the front, although Leech of Cutler's will make him do his best. Freshman relay teams have been invited to compete from the neighboring colleges, and a number of acceptances have already been received.

Relay races are about the most interesting contests to put on an in-door programme, and I am glad to see that the event is coming into such wide popularity. There is a greater element of interest in such a race because it involves team-work, and team-work is always more attractive than individual work. And then again, where a solid body of supporters are encouraging one team, while similar crowds are urging on another, the enthusiasm and rivalry reach a far more inspiriting level than in any other case.

These races also afford an opportunity for smaller schools, that have not any particularly able athletes, to send representatives in the form of a relay team, and such a team from a small school, if well trained, stands as good a chance of success as the runners from any larger institution, because success depends upon team-work. If relay races become fixed events on the in-door card, it is probable that the country schools--such as Lawrenceville, the Hill, and others--will eventually regularly enter a team at one or more of the winter meetings here. I think it very probable, from information already at hand, they will send teams to the new Manhattan Athletic Club meeting in March.

A number of school papers, in referring editorially to the National Interscholastic A. A. A., speak of it as the "International" Association. Now there is nothing international about the new organization, and many persons are liable to be led into a misconception of the Association's objects if this term is continually mis-applied to it. The N. I. S. A. A. A. is a purely American affair, and has been organized for the purpose of encouraging and promoting amateur sport in the schools of this country alone. That, as we all know, is a big enough undertaking in itself. The other nations will have to take care of themselves!

That the National Association is to be a power for good, there can be little doubt. Its rules will be of the most stringent kind, and the fact that the majority of interscholastic leagues now in existence are hastening to join the larger body shows pretty conclusively that they appreciate the value of a strong governing head. Another result of the new venture is the organization of additional school leagues. I spoke last week of the coalition newly made by Lawrenceville, the Hill School, and Hotchkiss Academy. A call has now been issued for a convention of the New Jersey schools, for the purpose of forming an association in that section. The convention is to be held at the High-School, West Fifth Street, Plainfield, New Jersey, February 8th, at 10 o'clock in the morning.

THE GRADUATE.

This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin
collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question
on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address
Editor Stamp Department.

An accumulation of answers to correspondents makes it impossible to illustrate the remainder of the rare Confederate Locals in this issue. I shall try to finish the list next week. Meanwhile, I advise all readers of the ROUND TABLE in the Southern States to look over any correspondence of the year 1861.

A correspondent sent me some Cape of Good Hope stamps to pass on, all of which proved to be counterfeits. By mistake these stamps were returned to another correspondent. Will the receiver kindly return the stamps to the Editor of this Department, in care of Harper & Brothers?

H. S. RIEDERER.--All coins made in Philadelphia are without any
special mint mark. Of the other mints the marks on coins are as
follows: O. for New Orleans; D. for Dahlonega; C. for Carolina;
C.C. for Carson City; S. for San Francisco.

R. W. L.--Dealers ask from $27 to $30 for a complete set of
Columbian stamps unused, and pay from $23 to $26 for the same, if
in good condition, well centred, original gum, etc.

M. F. EASTON.--The green Centennial envelope is sold for 25c.

C. R. BRAGDAN.--Many firms in England have all their stamps
perforated with their initials to prevent theft. This perforation
destroys the value of the stamp, whether used or unused, except for
postal service, and identifies the owner of the stamps. Russian
coins are not collected in this country.

A. CARRIER.--A Columbian dollar stamp with holes punched in the
same has little value. Collectors want whole stamps or none.

W. P.--The $5 gold coin is a common date. It is worth face only.

G. M. KELLEY.--See ROUND TABLE of December 17, 1895, for the value
of U.S. cents.

R. BENNETT.--"The Union" is a token, not a coin. It has no value.
The 3c. U. S. purple stamp, used, is worth 1c.

H. M. BALDWIN.--U.S. coins so badly worn that the date can not be
read have no premium.

S. J. DAYTON.--If the 3c. coin is in "mint" condition--that is,
practically just as it came from the mint, not in the least worn,
dealers in coins may pay half the catalogue value. It is not rare
in ordinary good condition.

H. W. TICKNOR.--See answers to S. J. Dayton and H. S. Riederer.

E. C. WOOD.--I do not recognize any variety from your description.
Probably you mean the 1890 and 1894 U.S. stamps. The last named are
printed from the 1890 plates, with the addition of a triangle on
the upper left and upper right corners.

PHILATUS.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

Arnold

Constable & Co

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CARDS

FOR 1896. 50 Sample Styles AND LIST OF 400 PREMIUM ARTICLES FREE. HAVERFIELD PUB. CO., Cadiz, Ohio.

This Department is conducted in the interest of Bicyclers, and the
Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the subject. Our
maps and tours contain much valuable data kindly supplied from the
official maps and road-books of the League of American Wheelmen.
Recognizing the value of the work being done by the L. A. W., the
Editor will be pleased to furnish subscribers with membership
blanks and information so far as possible.

This week we give the last stage of the journey from Philadelphia or New York to Washington. Taking up the route from Cooksville, the run into Washington to the Capitol is between thirty-two and thirty-three miles. On leaving the cross-roads in the centre of the town, run south to Glenwood, thence direct to Roxbury Mills, straight on through the village to Unity, keeping always on the main road to Brookville. The distance is about ten miles over a road that is not of the best, and has some pretty bad places. It is, in the main, sandy loam, and the rider should keep in mind that he is to avoid coasting down most of the hills, and, in fact, will do well to only ride down the hills where he can see the bottom, as there are one or two which it would be as well to avoid, in view of the sharp turns and disagreeable lay of the land at the bottom. From Brookville to Olney, and then on to Norbeck, is a clear road and in much better condition, being a regular turnpike thoroughfare. It is difficult to miss the way, in spite of one or two forks between Olney and Norbeck. The road is in much better condition, and improves between Wheaton and Sligo, which is just on the Maryland side of the line between Maryland and the District of Columbia. About half a mile out of Sligo take the right fork and cross the railroad, which at this point runs along the Maryland line. Immediately upon crossing you are in the District of Columbia, and from here into Washington the road is in admirable condition. It is about five miles from Wheaton to the District of Columbia line, and a good five miles further into the city of Washington. The route lies through Brightwood on by a straight pike road through Pleasant Plains into the city, where the Arlington is perhaps the best hotel for a cyclist's purpose.

It should be noted that all the rides in the vicinity of Washington, especially on the Virginia side, but to a certain extent on the north as well as the south, are apt to be very bad during wet weather. The clay formation of the ground forms a soft mud during a rainy period, which, if it does not make bicycling impossible, makes it most disagreeable and unsatisfactory in every way. This is especially true if you take the run from Washington to Mount Vernon, the best route for which being on the Virginia side. Here it is almost impossible to get along after much rain. This route, however, should be taken, as Mount Vernon, being one of the important places in the vicinity of Washington, should unquestionably be visited. To take this route, cross the river by the bridge to Jackson City, and from this point it is easy to find the road, which is fourteen miles down the river on the Virginia side.

This completes the continuous journey from Philadelphia to Washington, and the reader of this Department can easily fill out the entire journey from New York to Washington by looking up the maps already published in the ROUND TABLE. By taking these and studying them out carefully, it will be seen that the journey can be laid out in stages of whatever length is most suitable for the particular rider who is considering them. As we have published them, they are in short stages of between thirty and forty miles, and ordinarily good riding. He could take two of these stages a day, which would divide the journey from New York into half, and at a pinch he could make the run from New York to Philadelphia in one day, though that is a rather long ride for even the best; but by taking two days to reach Philadelphia, and four, or even three, to make the run from Philadelphia to Washington, not much time is taken, although the route from Philadelphia to Washington which we have given will require more than that amount.

Any questions in regard to photograph matters will be willingly
answered by the Editor of this column, and we should be glad to
hear from any of our club who can make helpful suggestions.

PLATINOTYPE PAPER.

The platinotype process was discovered a long time ago by Sir John Herschel, but it is not till within a few years that it has come into general use for photographic prints. The paper has been brought to such perfection, and the working made so simple, that the young amateur will find no trouble in using it when he wishes to make specially fine prints.

While one may sensitize the paper, it is better to buy the ready prepared, and as it is packed in tin tubes, the joint being made as near air-tight as possible, it will keep for a long time, especially in a dry climate.

The paper is of a lemon-yellow color, and it prints about three times quicker than albumen paper. Gas-light or a weak white light will not affect the paper, and it may be adjusted in the printing-frames in an ordinary lighted room away from the windows.

To print, place the negative and paper in the printing-frame in the usual manner, and expose to diffused daylight--that is, in the shadow of a building or at a window, but not in sunlight. The image is faintly printed, and then developed. After two or three minutes examine the print, and if the image is well defined, with detail showing in the middle tones, the picture is printed enough. The color of the printed image will be of a grayish-orange tint, and will not appear as distinct as on aristo or albumen, which are printing-out papers.

The developer for platinum prints comes in bulk, with directions for preparing, and better results are obtained by using the prepared developer, especially for the first few times of making platinotypes.

Dissolve the contents of the box of developer according to directions, and place in a tightly stoppered bottle. This is the stock solution. Make a clearing bath of 60 oz. of water and 1 oz. of muriatic acid (chemically pure).

The prints may be either developed by floating them in the developing solution, or the prints may be laid on a sheet of glass and developed by the "brush" process. The latter is better for small prints.

To develop by floating the print, place the print, exposed side down, in the developer by letting it slip evenly and quickly into the solution. Lift and see if any air-bubbles have formed on the surface of the print. If there are any, touch them with the tip of the finger or the corner of a card, and return the picture at once to the developer. The picture will develop quite fast, but it can be stopped at once by transferring the print to the acid bath.

The developer must be used in a porcelain or agate tray, and another tray--a glass tray such as is used for hypo will do--must be filled with the acid clearing bath so that the print may at once be placed in it as soon as it has been developed enough.

As soon as the print has developed enough remove at once, before washing, to the acid clearing bath. The prints must have three changes of the acid bath, leaving them in ten minutes each, and afterward wash them in three or four changes of water, lasting about half an hour altogether. Pin up to dry, blotting off the superfluous moisture with clean blotting-paper.

Developing with a brush is sometimes to be preferred to floating. Take a wide flat camel's-hair brush, turn some of the developer in a shallow dish, lay the print on a sheet of glass, face up, dip the brush in the developer, and beginning at the top of the print, brush it across from one side to the other, and then lengthwise of the print, using light even strokes. The picture will not be so evenly developed as by floating, but this unevenness may be remedied by floating the print for half a minute in the developer and then transferring quickly to the acid bath.

Stop the development as soon as the right depth has been brought out, and while the detail is perfect. If a print is developed too long the print will appear flat, as in the case of a negative when overdeveloped.

As platinum prints are more quickly made than aristo or albumen, this paper is very desirable for winter photographic printing.

The mounts for platinum prints have a plate sunk centre covered with India paper, and are usually of a soft gray color for the margin. The prints may be mounted on plain cards, but are much more effective if mounted on the cards prepared expressly for platinotypes.

The paper costs 50 cents per dozen for 4x5, 80 cents for 5x7. The paper can be bought in any size desired. The developing solution or salts cost 35 cents for a package containing enough to make 50 oz. of developer.

* * * * *

LAUGHING BABIES

are loved by everybody. Those raised on the Gail Borden Eagle Brand Condensed Milk are comparatively free from sickness. _Infant Health_ is a valuable pamphlet for mothers. Send your address for a copy to New York Condensed Milk Co., N. Y.--[_Adv._]

ADVERTISEMENTS.

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_But times have changed--_
_To-day he'd want_
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MONARCH.

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and a wheel fit for a king. Made in 4 models. $80 and $100. For children and adults who want a lower price wheel the _Defiance_ is made in 8 models, $40 to $75. Send for Monarch book.

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Beware of Imitations.

Postage Stamps, &c.

JAPANESE POSTAGE STAMPS.

Every one who sends me 100 good stamps of his land will receive 100 stamps, in 20 varieties, from Japan.

K. TODA,

BINGO MITSUNOSHO -- JAPAN.

FREE!

Send 10c. to pay the postage, and I will send you a 225-page catalogue with illustrations of every stamp FREE. 100 varieties foreign stamps, 5c.; 200 varieties foreign stamps, 25c.; 12 varieties Japan, Spain, and Portugal, 2c.; 400 varieties foreign stamps, $1.25; 500 varieties, $1.75; 750 varieties, $4.50; 1000 varieties, $6.50. Approval sheets for good references.

RICHARD R. BROWN -- KEYPORT, N. J.

STAMPS!

=800= fine mixed Victoria, Cape of G. H., India, Japan, etc., with fine Stamp Album, only =10c.= New 80-p. Price-list =free=. _Agents wanted_ at =50%= commission. STANDARD STAMP CO., 4 Nicholson Place, St. Louis, Mo. Old U. S. and Confederate Stamps bought.

STAMP COLLECTORS!

12 South America, 9c.; 15 Mexico and Central America, 10c.; 18 West Indian, 10c.; 15 Australia, 11c.; 16 Asia, 10c. Large monthly price-list free. Approval Sheet agents wanted; 50% com. and prizes given. C. W. GREVNING, Morristown, N.J.

100 all dif. Venezuela, Bolivia, etc., only 10c.; 200 all dif. Hayti, Hawaii, etc., only 50c. Ag'ts w't'd at 50% com. List FREE! =C. A. Stegmann=, 5941 Cote Brilliante Ave., St. Louis, Mo

1000 VARIETIES.

Any boy or girl may secure this fine collection of stamps by a little work. Send 6c. for =100 Var.= and outfit to

E. M. MANSUR, Box 2, Floral Park, N. Y.

FOREIGN STAMPS ON APPROVAL.

Agents wanted At 50% com. Lists free.

CHAS. B. RAUB, New London, Conn.

500

Mixed Australian, etc., 10c.; =105 varieties=, and nice album, 10c.; 15 unused, 10c.; 10 Africa, 10c.; 15 Asia, 10c. F. P. Vincent, Chatham, N.Y.

125

dif. Gold Coast, Costa Rica, etc., 25c.; 40 U. S., 25c. Liberal com. to agents. Large bargain list free. F. W. MILLER, 904 Olive St., St. Louis, Mo.

10 Stamps

free to every applicant for our app'l sheets at 50% disct. Franklin Stamp Co., 74 Fayette St., Allegheny, Pa.

=FINE APPROVAL SHEETS.= Agents wanted at 50% com. P. S. Chapman, Box 151, Bridgeport, Ct.

FINE PACKETS in large variety. Stamps at 50% com. Col's bought. Northwestern Stamp Co., Freeport, Ill.

STAMPS! 100 all dif. Barbados, etc. Only 10c. Ag'ts w't'd at 50% com. List free. L. DOVER & CO., 1469 Hodiamont, St. Louis, Mo.

* * * * *

Amateur Press News.

President of Pacific Amateur Press Association.]

At present there are four amateur press clubs on the Pacific coast--one sectional and three local. The Pacific Amateur Press Association is composed of amateurs residing in the States of California, Oregon, and Washington. It meets annually in different cities on the coast. The next convention will be held in San Francisco next July. At conventions we have an exciting time at banquets, political fights, etc. Mr. Edward A. Hering, of Seattle, Wash., is President. The dues are fifty cents per year, no initiation fee being charged.

The Golden State is the largest local association in amateurdom. It meets semi-monthly. The initiation fee is fifty cents, and the dues thirty-five cents per month. The officers are: D. J. McCarthy, President; L. M. Voorsanger, Vice-President; Samuel T. Bush, Recording Secretary; Ethel Neal, Corresponding Secretary; P. C. Mortimer, Treasurer; and William A. Day, Official Editor.

The Seattle Amateur Press Club is composed of amateurs residing in Seattle. The Portland Club is composed of amateurs residing in the city of Portland. The latter has just been organized, and is in a flourishing condition. W. L. MacMullin is President. For amateur papers, applications, or any information apply to Herbert Hauser, 1423A Bush Street, San Francisco, Cal. Of course you are welcome to the ranks of these amateurs if you live on the Pacific coast and contribute to or publish an amateur paper.

Neat and bright amateur papers to reach the Table are: the _Defender_, Grove City, Minn.; the _Newsboy_, 1609-1/2 Baker Street, San Francisco, Cal.; the _Boys' Club Magazine_, the Press Club, 740 Bryant Street, San Francisco, Cal.; the _Gleaner_, Walter A. Dyer, 274 Worthington Street, Springfield, Mass.; the _Monthly News_, Paul Foster Case, Fairport, N. Y.; the _Recorder_, 579 American Avenue, Milwaukee, Wis.; the _Recruit_, 1104 East Fifteenth Street, East Oakland, Cal.; the _Talisman_, 100 East Twelfth Street, Portland, Oregon; the _Monthly Visitor_, Haverhill, Mass.; and the _Albemarle_, Eau Claire, Wis.

Publishers of all the papers will be glad to hear from members of the Order. All, or nearly all, send sample copies free upon request, and all welcome bright contributions. They are creditable to their editors and publishers as well as contributors. Some time since we remarked that few amateur papers could be made to pay expenses. Several publishers write to say that they make both ends meet, and even realize a profit. But the greatest benefit is not a financial one, but the experience gained.

The following members are interested, and want sample copies: A. C. Bell, Garfield and Central avenues, Medford, Mass.; Philip A. Barry, 22 Clifton Place, Boston, Mass., who wants members for the "Round Table" Amateur Press Association; R. M. Shumway, Batavia, Ill.; Sigurd Rhode, 1202 West Michigan Street, Duluth, Minn.; and James F. Bowen, 36 St. James Avenue, Boston, Mass.

* * * * *

Biscayne Bay and Its Marvels.

Biscayne Bay is situated far down the east coast of Florida, a
little below the settlements of Miami and Cocoanut. It is a
magnificent sheet of water, the largest in Florida. If you enter
the bay in a boat, you will first notice the crossing of a bar.
Then you will naturally look across for the other shore and see
groups of white houses seemingly far apart. And then you will look
into the water below you and see, far down, "submarine gardens of
purple, yellow, and red weeds, bright green moss, and multicolored
shells of various shapes and sizes." The water is of the clearness
of amber, for it is seldom roughened by storms.

How to reach Biscayne by land. The journey to the bay by stage
requires two days, with a stop at Camp Stranahan, on New River. You
will obtain more fun, though, if you take the schooner at Lake
Worth and sail down the Atlantic, a distance of eighty miles. Going
south the boat hugs the shore to avoid the northward flow of the
Gulf Stream. During the autumn the band at the Royal Poinciana
Hotel, at Palm Beach, can be plainly heard. The freight and
passenger boats that run between the lake and the bay generally use
Bear Cut entrance to the bay.

The fish found in the bay are remarkable for their great variety.
There are the tarpon, the silver king, and the kingfish, all of
which afford great sport. They are from twelve to fifteen feet
long, and weigh from seventy-five to two hundred pounds. Then there
are the bream, Jack, mullet, trout, and salt-water shad, the angel
and hogfish, the baracouta, and the Spanish mackerel. There is also
a fish which goes under several names. Some call it the cavalier,
the negroes, "car-walley," and Dr. Henshall, in his _Camping and
Cruising in Florida_, calls it the crevalle. I forgot to mention
that pompano, sheepshead, runners, and mud-fish are also found
plentifully. But these are not the only species of fish found.
There are the shark, jew-fish, ray, and porpoise, and in the small
creeks abound alligators and crocodiles. The manatee, or sea-cow,
has just lately found its way here. It came originally from the St.
Lucie River. Huge pachyderms are found whose flesh resembles that
of bear steak. Of shell-fish you will find clams, oysters, crabs,
shrimp, conchs, and the logger-head, hawksbill, and green turtle,
and plenty of terrapin. Is not this sufficient to show you what a
fine fishing-place Biscayne Bay is?

The population about Biscayne Bay is cosmopolitan, possessing, on
one hand, a well-known author, and on the other a pure-blood
Indian, called Tiger Tom, or Old Tiger. Kirk Munroe and Old Tiger
are good friends. The original inhabitants of this region were
English and Bohemian settlers. The Everglades lies to the west of
the bay about six or seven miles. A recent poetic writer said of
them: "A huge lake, miles upon miles in extent, of cold, clear,
pure water, black as night, studded with innumerable small islands
thickly grown with moss-draped cypress-trees, nesting and breeding
places for millions of birds, hiding-places for deer, bear,
panther, alligators, and wild-cats, and the larger ones affording
camp, farms, and villages for the Indians. The scenery is beautiful
and weird beyond description; the silence is an anodyne that lulls
the senses to sleep as irresistibly as the croon of the mother
soothes her child.

"The sough of the cypress in the passing breeze, the rocking of the
canoe on the all but motionless water, the call of a bird, the dip
of a distant Indian paddle, the crack of a rifle, the bellow of a
'gator--these are only occasional sounds. It is a wilderness of
silence, beautiful and restful, if just a little aweful sometimes,
far away from the world, unmolested nine months of the year,
healthful and pure, because natural." A glowing description, is it
not?

The islands are fertile, and the Indians make them very productive,
raising corn, pumpkins, pease, and melons.

HARRY R. WHITCOMB.
UMATILLA, FLA.

* * * * *

How Granite is Sawed.

Not long ago I went to a granite-works. The first place was a
shedlike building where they were chiselling the granite. The next
was where they sawed the stone. The saws are straight, and are made
of steel. They have no teeth on them, but instead they let sand and
water in under them. The saws draw the sand back and forth over the
granite. The sand acts as teeth to the saws. It takes an hour to
saw an inch.

The next place is where they polish the stone. At first ground iron
is used; afterwards emery. The polisher is a flat iron disk, which
turns round and round over the surface. A man stands by to guide
it.

CLAUDE KENDALL, R.T.K.
NORFOLK, CONN.

* * * * *

A Bit about Autumn Birds.

Heretofore I have only occasionally seen a ruby-throated
humming-bird around my home. This fall they are very common. The
gentleman who lives next door is a florist, and this year planted a
long row of different varieties of nasturtiums. In September, when
school began, I spent my afternoons studying in the hammock. At
first I noticed only a few birds, but as the month wore on they
became more numerous. About the middle of the month I could always
see several of them poised in the air before the blossoms, their
throats gleaming with metallic lustre.

There was a small pear-tree with scanty foliage near the flowers.
Many a time I have seen the birds light on some slender dead twig
and daintily arrange their plumage with their bills, then shoot off
like a flash to gather some more nectar or to indulge in a turn at
watching their little ones. The flowers climbed the fence and came
over into our yard before the month was over, and then I could
watch them from my hammock without sitting up. Several times I have
approached the fence as noiselessly as I could and looked over to
find myself within a few feet of a ruby-throat.

I have witnessed several severe battles between the males. They
would fly this way and that, shoot upwards and then downwards,
sometimes uttering a not unmusical squeak. Before September was
over my feathered jewels were gone. My neighbor florist also
planted some sunflowers near the fence. They grew to be about six
feet high. As he did not pick the blossoms they went to seed, and
during the latter part of September and the first part of October
the vicinity of the plants has been the battle-ground of the
English sparrows--a regular "Delmonico's" for thistle-birds.

While the seeds lasted there was always a flock of birds around
clinging to the swaying stalks or picking the seeds up off the
ground. The English sparrows are the same that they were in the
spring, but the thistle-bird is quite different. That little ball
of feathers had given up his gaudy yellow colors and black cap and
wing coverts, for a general color of dark olive with the
above-mentioned black parts of a dirty blackish-brown. The American
goldfinch or thistle-bird or wild canary or yellow-bird is about
four and a half inches long, and in the spring has a general color
of yellow with a black topknot, wings, and tail.

ALBERT W. ATWATER, R.T.K.
SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

* * * * *

A Florida Prairie.

How different is one of our prairies from those out West! Ours are
low, flat, clay ground sometimes hundreds of acres in extent. Not
very large, you say. These prairies are interspersed with large
groups of shrubbery and palmetto, which stand alone on this wide
expanse of marshy land. In the rainy season these prairies are
covered from six inches to a foot deep in the water. Sportsmen in
water-proof boots used to tramp through the water, and many a
wild-duck did they bring down. Ducks are scarce now. But if the
ducks are gone, the prairie abounds in game in spring-time and
autumn. Then the sportsman is in his element--rabbits and quail
galore. At night the boys blow up their dogs and go 'coon and
'possum hunting, which sport is one of the most exhilarating and
fun-producing I know of.

HARRY R. WHITCOMB.
UMATILLA, FLA.

THE PUDDING STICK.

If you wish to entertain a number of young people on your birthday, Susie, why not have a spelling-match? This rather old-fashioned amusement combines pleasure and profit, and it has been a favorite diversion in drawing-rooms lately. Of course every person who possesses the slightest desire to be well educated will learn how to spell correctly, and an ill-spelled letter or note would, I hope, be an impossibility for any of my readers; and yet when good spellers are called upon in public they sometimes become confused and make droll mistakes. You may try this at the breakfast table to-morrow if you choose. Ask brother Tom suddenly to spell "polypetalous," or "madrepore," or "exfoliate," or "healds," or "septuagenarian," or "separate," or any other word you like, and unless he is a marvellously cool young gentleman, and as well a phenomenally clever speller, he will get a little mixed up over his vowels and consonants. At the breakfast table you will find that papa, and mamma, and the girl from Boston who is visiting your sister Ethel, and the neighbor who has just stopped in to tell how the invalid in the next house but two has passed the night will each and all be drawn into the game, and you will have a home spelling-bee soon started.

For a social spelling-match send out your invitations some days in advance. Ask an equal number of boys and girls, and make some preparations before the evening arrives. Your mother or sisters will help you in selecting a list of words from the dictionary, which should all be words in common use, not obsolete or specially technical words. Do not have proper names in the list. Do not avoid easy words. I have seen people stumble over "receive," and over "friends," and over "scissors," and "measles."

When the evening and the guests are together present, arrange the seats in two rows, lengthwise in the room, after the manner of the old district school. Let the referee sit at a small table at the top of the room between the heads of the lines. At the other end place the person who gives out the words. When any one misses a word he or she must change places with the successful one who spells it correctly. Those who miss three words must drop out, and words must be given opposing sides alternately.

Prizes must be given to the best and the worst in the class. Two of each if you like, or, if you prefer, only one of each. Light refreshments will be in order when the "bee" is over. About the prizes: do not make them expensive. Any small book, a cup and saucer, a photograph, a little picture frame, a silver book-marker, or a pound of candy will answer the purpose very well.

Another agreeable diversion for an evening is to select ten initial letters, first having given everybody a pad and a pencil. Any ten letters will do, as c, b, f, l, m, n, d, r, t, x, or any others you like. Five minutes are allowed, in which the party engage in writing telegrams, each successive word of which must begin in the alphabetical order of the letters given out. The reading of these telegrams is often very funny, and evokes shouts of laughter at the queer combination produced.

M. E. SANGSTER.

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* * * * *

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* * * * *

Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York

* * * * *

A JOLLY OLD TAR.

A London newspaper tells an amusing sea tale which concerns the recent experience of the Captain of a certain large sailing-vessel, who is probably the most polite officer in the whole mercantile service. He has, however, a great idea of his own importance, and loses no opportunity of impressing this upon his crew, who, while good tars and generally far from mutinous, do not always relish the Captain's airs, as they call them.

In particular, for instance, he insists upon being addressed as "Sir" by every one on board. One day a new hand joined the ship, and a short time after leaving harbor, being a well-seasoned old salt, he was intrusted with the wheel. The Captain came up and put the usual question, "How's her head?"

"Nor'-by-east," answered the old tar, very gruffly, taking the customary hitch in his trousers.

"My man," suavely answered the Captain, "on this craft, when one of the crew speaks to me, he gives me a title of respect. Don't you think you might do so, too? Now how's her head?"

"Nor'-by-east, I tell yer," shouted the tar, displaying not a little irritation.

"I'm afraid you don't quite understand me," responded the Captain, good-humoredly. "Let me relieve you at the wheel, and then do you take my place and ask me the question. I will then show you how it should be answered."

They accordingly changed places.

"'Ow's her 'ead?" roared the tar.

"Nor'-by-east, sir," replied the Captain, with gentle emphasis on the "sir."

"Then keep her so, my man, whilst I goes forrard and has a smoke," was the startling rejoinder from the old reprobate, who calmly commenced to suit the action to the word, and disappeared up by the forecastle, lighting a match as he went.

* * * * *

PAT'S RETORT.

Pat has turned up again in a collection of anecdotes. Here is a specimen of his wit lately come to hand:

A one-legged Yankee orator, who had been very successfully chaffing an Irishman, was finally asked,

"Oi say, soor, how did yez lose your leg?"

"Well," replied the Yankee, "I found, when I came to look up my ancestry, that I had a little Irish blood in my veins, and becoming convinced that it had all settled in my left leg, I had it cut off at once."

"Bejabers!" cried Pat. "Phot a pity it hodn't shettled in your head!"

* * * * *

BOBBIE'S PLAN.

Whene'er at night I'd know the time
And cannot see the clocks,
I feel about beneath my crib
For those upon my socks.

* * * * *

"It is very naughty of you, Wilbur, to answer back to mamma in this way. Where did you ever learn to do that?"