Spectral steeples in the silver moon gleaming,
Cat's eyes a-glitter in the sepulchral glare,
Rustle of leaves where cold wind goes streaming,
Old house agape with window-frame stare,
Small things that scamper away from the light,
Dark shapes that flutter on the fringes of sight:

From out of our dreams these things have arisen,
Shadowy phantoms in the gibbous moon's sheen.
Old ones grow restless and break from their prison
When strange aeons come and the stars all convene.
Dreams become horror, all saneness forsaken,
When all of the eldritch old gods awaken.

---

Something different from the usual tonight, because I feel like it.

I haven't posted a vintage ad yet today, so here's one.  Maybe some older-timers than I can help me on this one.  Who was Colonel Larson?  What's his story?

I was alerted to this omission by a commenter, so thanks for the tip.

The .32-40 Winchester Center Fire started out as a Ballard cartridge, like the .38-55 mentioned in the original post.  The .32-40 was introduced in 1884 as a blackpowder round--a .32 caliber bullet with 40 grains of blackpowder.  Winchester later made their own version of the cartridge, and chambered some of their lever guns for it, including the Model 94.

The Ballard company's original intention was for this to be a match or target round for some of their single-shot target rifles.  Original blackpowder loads launched a 165-grain lead bullet at around 1400 fps for a muzzle velocity in the neighborhood of around 750 fpe.

In the early 1980s Winchester produced a John Wayne Commemorate edition of the Model 94 in .32-40.  They also produced special commemorative ammunition in a box with Wayne's picture on it.  The brass is nickel-plated with the headstamp of "DUKE" (according to what I have read about it today).  Marlin also chambered some of their lever-action rifles for this round.  Modern rifles can handle more powerful ammunition than the older blackpowder guns.  The last time Winchester produced this ammo, they had two versions, both firing a 165-grain soft point.  One version duplicated the velocity and power of the old blackpowder version, the other "high velocity" version launched the bullet at 1752 fps for a muzzle velocity of 1125 fpe.

This ammunition is no longer produced by any commercial manufacturer, but old brass is still available for the reloader.  Cases may also be formed by modifying .30-30, .32 Special or .38-55 cases.

See also Cartridges of the Winchester 94.

"When the mirror meets with an ugly woman, when a rare ink-stone finds a vulgar owner, and when a good sword is in the hands of a common general, there is utterly nothing to be done about it."

Lin Yutang was born in China, the son of a Christian minister.  He studied at Saint John's University in Shangai for his Bachelor's Degree, then went to Harvard and later to the University of Leipzig in Germany to attain his doctorate.

Lin's writings popularized classical Chinese literature in the west.  He worked to formulate a new method of romanizing the Chinese language and created an indexing system for Chinese characters.  He invented a Chinese typewriter and also invented a toothbrush with a built-in toothpaste dispenser.

Dr. Lin left Christianity to follow the paths of Taoism and Buddhism, but later in life rediscovered Christianity.

Dr. Lin wrote numerous books in both English and Chinese, both non-fiction as well as novels.  Among his non-fiction works are commentaries on Confucianism and Taoism.

He was buried on the premises of his last home in Taiwan, which has since been turned into a museum.