Telephone poles were scattered all over town Tuesday, and the work of putting them in goes briskly on. The phones are here and the “Hello” business will soon begin. Thus, Marion leads the possession.

We present a pretty good picture today of the handsome little steam yacht, “Maud Murphy” which was recently launched from this great port and now plows the waters of the Cottonwood and Luta almost daily. The little steamer is a floating beauty. It is compactly built, encased in a coat of iron, and handsomely finished. It is twenty-five feet long, five or six feet wide, and draws about two feet of water. It has carried twenty passengers, though one-half that number is about the proper number for pleasure and comfort. The engine, which gets its power from oil does its work admirably, carrying the boat through the waters at the rate of eight miles an hour.

That beautiful place, Central Park, is enlivened by the presence of numerous red squirrels. The lively and lovely creatures can be seen most any day from the sidewalk, playing about the grounds and jumping from bough to bough. What could be prettier, right in the heart of a city, than a scene like this?

A new town is being laid out in Wilson township, midway between this city and Peabody, on the line of the Rock Island road, by the Golden Belt Town Company. About 80 acres is being platted as a “beginner.” The foundation for the new depot is already in, 18x55 feet in dimensions. The new town will be called Aulney.