Various

“ THE FIGHT IN THE KITCHEN PASSAGE.
"Kneel down," said Lance, in quite his ordinary voice, kneeling himself, so that the armed negroes behind him could fire over his head. Lord Fairfax and George did likewise. The perfect coolness and self-possession of Lance and Lord Fairfax amazed George. He had never seen old soldiers under fire before. For himself, he felt wildly excited, and was conscious that his features were working convulsively, and his heart thumped so loudly against his ribs that he heard it over the crashing of the musket-balls. ”

“ For twenty-five years the men who make material used in warfare have been engaged in the sharpest kind of a contest between themselves. On the one side they have been trying to make armor so tough and strong that it could withstand the heaviest shots, and on the other side they have been trying to make projectiles, which is another name for big bullets, that will go through this armor. Sometimes the armor men have been ahead, and sometimes the projectile men have been foremost. The armor men have usually forced the fighting, and then the projectile men have matched them. ”

“ There is a smart little town out in North Dakota, and its inhabitants imagine they are a great deal smarter. They have an excellent opinion of their city, as they term it, and blow and bluster more over its welfare and growth than a Kansas cyclone. The main line of a railroad runs through it, and once a week a train stops there. This indifference on the part of the railroad people is a source of bitterness to the inhabitants, especially as the engineers make it a point to go through the place at full speed. ”

“ After a golf course has been in use for a short time, it will be noticed that the parts which suffer most are the places from which approach shots are made to the greens, and the putting greens themselves. The use of heavy irons is very injurious to the soft turf, and players should always make it a point to replace any sod they may have torn up by careless or poor strokes. When a green gets badly worn it is usually advisable to change the location of the hole to another part, and replace it in its original position after the turf has recovered some of its original good condition. ”

“ This answer was so unexpected that, although Laura twisted her lips in every possible direction, and contorted her pretty mouth until it was absolutely homely, she had to give way at last, and then followed such a hearty laugh that her friend Marietta opened her dark blue eyes to their widest, and simply stared at her.
"Dear little Mariette," she exclaimed, "how absurd of you to care so much about a cake!" ”

“ From the second to the third hole it is perfectly plain sailing, an even, smooth meadow with a slight downward inclination. This part of the course is so good that it has frequently been made in one drive. Between the tee for the fourth hole and the hole itself there is a potato patch surrounded by a fence, and, as every man who plays golf knows, a potato patch is a very unpleasant hazard. But to the careful driver its terrors in this case may be greatly reduced, for a good strong drive will put you out of all danger. ”

“ It is always well to have the holes well guarded with hazards on all sides. Of course few holes can be thus completely surrounded, but when laying out a links it is well to keep this object in mind, for hazards call out the skill of a player. Sometimes there are not enough natural hazards along the course, and it is necessary to throw up banks of earth, or to plant bushes, or to dig ditches. If it becomes necessary to throw up a bank across the course, it is better to build it in a sort of curve rather than along a straight line, for it thus makes a much better golfing hazard. ”

“ The home putting green, although level itself, is situated on a hill-side, and so the man who is reckless or over-energetic with his putting-iron is liable to make a long putt—and see his ball roll all the way down the hill. At the bottom of this hill are a fence and bushes, where many a game has been lost through the carelessness or misfortune of the players who have allowed their balls to get into this hazard at the last moment.
This St. Paul's links is situated in a very pretty part of the country, and there are enough natural hazards to make it interesting even for a first-class player. ”

“ Only a few hours before yonder ship had been animated with a happy crew, speculating, as they worked, about the queer presents they proposed to purchase for friends and sweethearts when the ship arrived in the pig-tailed kingdom, for it had been Captain Salter's intention to proceed to China for a cargo of tea after trading with the Indians. Now the only human beings on board the ill-fated Boston were the savages left by the King to guard the great treasure that made Maquina the richest lord among all the chiefs on the northwest coast. ”

“ The larger ring must pass freely over the projectile, and the smaller ring must not pass over it. When one thinks of the difficulty of pounding or rolling a heated piece of ordinary steel into such a perfect shape, he can see what a delicate task it must be. But think how much more difficult it must be when certain alloys are put into the steel to make it so rough that it can be made to pass through a plate of hardened armor, say seventeen inches thick. Probably no more delicate mechanical work exists than in shaping these projectiles. ”

“ Tom is so unhappy about it, so feverish and restless, that I am actually afraid of the consequences if he does not hear all about the game, so I have promised him to let you ride to Princeton on your bicycle; it is only twenty-five miles, and part of the way the road is good. You will have to stay all night, but Tom says that you can sleep in his room, and that Frank Porter will look after you. ”

“ Their object is to scatter bullets about a ship's deck and clear it of men, rather than to sink the ship.
A projectile is useless, provided it is of the solid kind, if it breaks in pieces when it hits its target. The energy of the gun and powder is all used up in breaking itself to pieces. If it passes through armor without injuring itself at all, the full energy of the gun is sent against the target, and the projectile does its complete work. ”

“ The length or distance between holes varies anywhere from a hundred up to five hundred yards, the distance being based on the number of full shots that a player must make to reach the next hole. The idea is to make it easy for a good player to reach the green, but difficult for a poor player, whose lack of skill must be penalized. Therefore a distance of two hundred yards is generally bad, for it brings about the objectional combination of a full shot and a short approach. ”

“ In the laying out of putting greens one should endeavor to have a space clear of hazards about twenty yards square. The hole should be sunk in about the centre of this green, and lined with an iron or tin cylinder. But on no account should the rim of the cylinder come above or even flush with the edges of the hole, or it will interfere with the play. These cylinders may be bought at almost any shop where sporting goods are for sale, or, if nothing better is at hand, an old piece of tin water-pipe will do. ”

“ He must either make a fine drive right over the willows, and land in the meadow which lies between the teeing-ground and the first hole, or he must make a careful drive so as to place the ball on the hither side of the bushes, and then loft it over them with an iron. If the ball drops in a favorable position, however, the player may use his brassey with advantage, and drive through a gap that exists in the underbrush. This move will generally save him a stroke over the iron play. If he uses the iron, and arrives safely on the ground beyond, a good cleek shot will land him on or near the green. ”

“ We are confining most of our efforts at present to making the armor-piercing and the semi-armor-piercing projectiles. The armor-piercing shot are practically solid pieces of metal. The semi-armor-piercing projectiles are hollow, and contain a bursting charge, usually of ordinary powder. The solid shot are for use in the large guns of ships, and are intended to pierce the armor of battle-ships and wreck their machinery. They simply break up the armor of a vessel. The semi-armor projectiles are for the same purpose, and also especially for use in mortar guns. ”

“ Few boys are ever called upon to go through such an experience as fell to the lot of John Jewett, and it is safe to claim that no boy of his age would have shown a braver spirit than he exhibited during his three years' captivity among the savages. ”

“ All the sandwiches would be neatly wrapped in white tissue or waxed paper, and the thin wooden platters would be far more suitable for picnic purposes than delicate dainty china, as no one would be afraid of chipping them; and, besides, they were so light, "the horses would be glad," Mariette was sure.
"What's the harm of burning them when we are through, and the napkins, for that matter!" was Laura's interjection. ”

“ Harrah, before I wrote this article, one may see many picturesque things in the manufacture of steel, and it is possible that one may look upon some of the more rudimentary processes of projectile-making without knowing it; but when one comes to the place where the projectiles are really made, he finds himself facing a big fence with a locked gate, and a sign saying that no one, not even those employed in other work about the immense establishment, is permitted to go inside the barrier. ”

“ There are a few country schools that cannot have links, for even if the school property is not extensive enough for the course to be laid out upon it, there ought to be little difficulty in securing the permission of land-owners to lay out a few putting greens, which would be about the only improvements required. Almost any section of country has a sufficient number of natural hazards to make it unnecessary to construct artificial bunkers and sand-pits. ”

“ It may seem at first a very easy matter to lay out a golf course, but when one begins work upon a links there are several things to be considered. A very hilly country is unsuited to the game, and stony fields or ploughed land is impossible. ”