NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11200, 21 October 1899, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The army of Germany boast eight women colonels.

There are only three structures in the world 500 ft in height.

A gross of steel pens formerly cost £7. To-day they can be had for 4Jd. Korean paper is so strong and dense that it can be used to cover umbrellas.

It is believed that in China there is 20 times as much coal as in all Europe.

It takes 72.000 tons of paper to make the postal cards used in the United States each year.

More than 200 municipalities in England, Scotland, and Ireland now own municipal gasworks.

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the ordinary expenses of tho navy were only £6000 a year.

During the month which ended on August 31, 12,091 English, 2612 Scotch, and 422 Irish emigrated from the British Isles. The Queen lute given her patronage to an exhibition and sale of Irish industries to b» held at Belfast on December -7 and 8.

It is not generally known, but it is a fact all the same, that London is better off for trees than any other city in Europe.

At the ceremonial opening of tho Sheffield electric tramway system the first car' was started by the Lady Mayoress (Mrs. W. li. Clegg).

Rubber heels are to be attached to the shoes worn by French soldiers. It if claimed that they decrease the fatigue ol marching.

Kettering Churiji has been broken into. The contents of tie offertory-boxes were taken, and a quantity of sacramental wine was drunk.

The most ancient glass had exactly the same component parts as that of to-day, and the processes used seem to have been similar in all times.

Corks for bottles were first manufactured in Spain and Italy some time during the fourteenth century. Corkscrews were contemporaneous with corks.

Heretofore it has been possible to dissolve gold only in a mixture of strong acids. A way has now been discovered of dissolving gold in distilled water.

Yet another English minister for America, The second Presbyterian Church at Chicago has called the Rev. George Smith, of Glasgow, at a salary of 10,000 dollars. The Queen has awarded the Army Medal for Distinguished Conduct in the Field to 72 non-commissioned officers and men who took part in the Omdurman campaign.

In China, whero most eyes are narrow and long, a small, round eye is considered an extraordinary beauty. Chinese girls pluck their eyebrows to make them very fine.

A German circular that, arrived in London the other day had transcribed upon it "If the receiver be dead, please do not send this on to him." The instructions were carried out.

One reason for the beauty of Japancsi sewing, fancy work, and embroidery is tha\ it is till done by professionals. Women have little use for needles, and spend their leisure time in gardening.

Antiseptic gloves are the latest fad of a class which has been described as " microbe maniacs." The glove is worn to keep the hand from contact with door-knobs, bellpulls, germ-infected money, etc.

To quench the flames of burning petroleum, an Italian scientist advises people to throw milk on it. Milk forms an emulsion with the oil, and attenuates its cohesion, thus rendering the flame more easy of extinction.

Following on the concession to prisoners by granting them, the use of tooth-brushes cames the announcement that in'future female prisoners will be allowed to wear night-, dresses. Hitherto they have slept,in their day garments. > One experiment the Hadfield Projectile Company carried out lately, in which only one shot was fired, cost £1000. The shell pierced 16in of Harveyised steel armour, 9in of wood backing, and penetrated 30ft into a sandbank behind.

A German chemical expert has published a description of his method of preserving foodstuffs. He inoculates the foods with the proper microbes, and claims that- eatables so treated will remain pure and wholesome for any number of years.

rfom heacf fo foot wifli a sense of humiliation such as lie had never experienced oefore. When Gertrude Athol entered her own ? room after her return from the reception. ' she sat down and tried to calmly review the j recent scene between her discarded lover and herself, and to consider what influence it was likely to have upon her future. " I believe I can truly say that I am glad to be free," she said after a while, with a sudden proud uplifting of her head. "I ' have known from almost the first of our acquaintance that Philip Wentworth is a weak and selfish man; but lie is a handsome fellow, entertaining and well versed in all the ' little courtesies of life and possessing strong mesmeric power, and I believe that he was fond of me. I foolishly imagined that because of this supposed fondness I might be ' able to help him overcome his faults and arouse within him an ambition to cultivate the best there is in him; but I know him now for a treacherous villain a coward, and almost a murderer. Oh, yes; lam glad that I am free, and I shall not grieve for him; though, of course, any woman would naturally be keenly stung, to discover that she has only been made a tool of—simply held in reserve in the event of a failure ol other plans." Her cheeks grew crimson, and her eyes flashed indignantly at the thought, while two great drops splashed down upon her i jewelled hands. She flung them off with an impatient feature. ° " They are not for him," she cried scornfully; "they fell only for my own wounded pride! and they are the last I shall ever shed, even for that. The hurt is not so verv deep, thank Heaven! and will soon heal. So he has been in love with Mollie Heatherford all his life?' Well, she certainly is one of the dearest and loveliest girls I have ever met, and she lias shown good judgment in her choice of a husband, for Clifford Faxon is worth a dozen men like Philip Wentworth." A little later, after her acquaintance with Mollie had ripened into a strong and enduring friendship—when she learned how Philip had played fast and loose with her, according to the changes in her circumstances, her contempt merged into positive repulsion for the young man; while, it may be stated here, before the season was over, her acquaintance with a son of the British Amaas. 3 sador, and whom she met that evening foi - > the first time, developed into a strong mutual attachment which bade fair to result in 1 an early marriage. Upon their return from the reception Clifl lingered a while with Mollie before pro- 1 ceeding to his lodgings, and it was therefore quite late when lie reached home. ' ' . He ™ somewhat .surprised to'find a car- ' wage standing before he house where Squire Talford boarded, while the coachman was assisting his former employer up to the door, the man groaning at every step. Died Pbff 81 "" Mi lle(1 tL , e cabman as he es- 4 fiJ h V Wlll y° u ? d a hand here - I ST"- S entlem has sprained his ankle, and he is more than I can manage." .if ; Certainly Cliff cheerfully responded, jas he sprang forward with alacrity to ren- 'i | aer what assistance he could. . £ I„ ' ? ere , l3 j is latchkey, sir," the driver I continued, and passing it to the young man: /J j If you 11 open the door we'll make an arm ■'< chair and carl him up to his room, as easy % ' as SW y°" r finger an( thumb." ■'$ I Cliff did as he was requested, when the $ |, two clasped hands, making the Squire sit M upon them, with an arm around the neck ' of each of his helpers, and in this way he was bonne up two flights of stairs and de- ijjgl posited upon a chair in his.own room, which jUS? ; was little better than a closet at the back of a hall, very meagrely furnished, and de- -M stitute of the many comforts to which he j was accustomed in his own well-appointed II home. | (To be contined.) , '>J- ■