6 SELF-APPRO i/AL. JTm glad that me an' Mandy ain't the fash ionable kind *Vhose doin's in the papers so persistently you find; Them drawin's In the clothln' store, a hingin' on the wall— To be dressed up like them folks wouldn't suit my taste at all! X never seen a mortal on this earth a-look ln' so, But, seems to me, the folks that make them garments ought to know. 1 don't see how they stand there In per petual repose, Vor if they move, they're sure to git a wrinkie in their clothes. An' when I Fee the fashion magazine we've ordered sent, I'm mighty proud o' Mandy, 'cause she looks so different! Their waists are squeezed so tiny, so's to make 'em trim an' neat, That, to come right out an' say It, It's a mystery how they eat! An' scch a length from waist to foot! But here my language falls, J s'pose it ain't no subject fur discussion by the males. But speakin' of appearances, I say It with out pride, ■When we look each other over, me an' Mandy's satisiied. —Washington Star. "BORN TO SERVE By Charles M. Sheldon, Author of "IN HIS STEPS,'• • • JOHN KING'S QUESTION CLASS," "EDWARD BLAKE," Etc. (Copyright, 1900, by Charles M- Sheldon.) CHAPTER II .—CON TINUED. "Yes, you see how it is. If I should 'be willing- to stay with you, I might stay till I was an old, broken-down woman, always washing dirty dishes, always messing in a kitchen, always being looked down upon as an infe rior, always being only a part of the machine, my personality ignored and niy development dwarfed, never receiv ing any more wages than when I be gan, or, at most, only a little more, always in a dependent, servile posi tion. Once a hired girl, always one so ion»'.r as you choose to have nie and I consented to stay. Is that a cheer ful prospect for a girl to consider as final?" Mrs. Ward did not answer. Barbara bad spoken out all that the four weeks had been piling up in her mind. Once spoken, it relieved her; but she was troubled over the thought that, even if all she said were exactly true, there was still somewhere in the economic world a factor of service she had not fully nor fairly measured. She could not escape the self-accusation: "But ministry is still ministry. If this fam ily really needs such work as I have boon doing to help it work out its des tiny in the world, why is not my service for it as truly divine as if ministered in other ways that the world so often think* are more noble?" Mrs. Ward still sat with folded hands and a strange look, and Barbara turned from her and began rolling out a small piece of pie crust for Carl. When she had finished it and had put it in a plat ter, as she was turning with it toward the stove, she was amazed to see Mrs. Ward standing in front of her. She bad risen suddenly and had come over near Barbara. "What J-OJJ have said is too true —a great deal of it, most of it; and yet, Barbara, if you only knew how much 1 need just such help as yours in my borne you would not leave me. Isn't there some Way we can work it out together? 1 have not been to you what one woman ought to be to another. I have been nervous and faultfinding and—and—you have not said anything about that, I know; but, if you will stay, Barbara, we will try to study the thing out better—we will help one an other. That is not exactly what I mean, but we will understand each oth er better after this talk, and perhaps we can be more just, and study how to better matters." Barbara stood during this unexpect ed appeal trembling with a conflicting set of emotions. In the midst of it all she could feel a return of something of the old feeling of heroism in service that had prompted her to answer the advertisement in the first place, and her pulses leaped up again at the thought of help from this woman to solve the servant question and work with her toward a common end. What could she do alone? Only four weeks of trial, and she had despaired of serv ice. Already in the swift reaction from her despair Mrs. Ward's words pro duced a great revulsion in her feelings. Surely all things were possible if both the woman of the house and the serv ant studied the question together. And her grievances! They were there still, and still real. But they were not without compensation if what Mrs. Ward said was going to mean a new start all around. Still, as she facpd Mrs. Ward with a troubled heart, she hesitated, going over again the trials of the four weeks, the hot, insufficient little room, the long and irregular hours, the separa tion from people, even from the very people in the house where she was serving; the daily drudgery, the hope lessness of any future—it all came up again to dash an enthusiasm that had apparently been killed out of her at the first attempt to turn practical things into heroic tilings. And let us say for Barbara what was a very true part of her true self; she had so great s horror of doing anything from im pulse alone that a part of her hesita tion now arose not from her douY>ts concerning Mrs. Ward's sincerity, but from her own fear of changing her mind, of seeming to act from pity for Mrs. Ward rather than from a genuine conviction that she had not been heroic enough to test her service long enough to prove something besides a few griev ances. She was smitten even while Mrs. Ward was speaking, to think that she had not endured all Ihe hardships of. service to the limit of service. "Of course, I don't know how we are going to arrange all the things that are wrong, but I have gone over all the gTouivl you have emphasized this morning more times than perhaps you imagine," Airs. Ward continued, and Barbara, perhaps for the first time, gave Mrs. Ward credit for many things she had hitherto denied her. "My wretched health, and cares and trou ble with servants who huve had 110 am bitions and no abilities such as you have, I think have all helped to make me seem indifferent and thoughtless. But I need you, Barbara. Really, I cannot bear the thought of being with out help. You cannot realize what these last four weeks have meant to me in the burden lifted. You do not understand how capable you are in management. I ought to have let you know it. lam sure 1 have felt it deeper every day." "You are flattering me now," said Barbara, smiling a little. "No, only the truth as it ought to have been told you. My sickness, the children, my cares, Mr. Ward's busi ness complications, some of which have been serious the last ten days, have all conspired to make me careless of you; but even my carelessness has been a sigii of my confidence in you. Don't leave 11s now, Barbara. We need jou more than you can realize." What! Barbara Clark! Here has been trouble in this home, and trouble of a serious nature, and you have lived in your own troubles, absorbing all thought about yourself. She began to be ashamed. She turned towards Mrs. Ward. "I don't want to seem to act on just my feelings alone. Let me go home to night and think it out." Mrs. Ward looked at her wistfully, and again tears came into the older woman's eyes. "I am asking a great deal of you. Maybe I am promising n good deal for myself, too, if you decide togo on with us." "You mean?" Barbara began, and then stopped. "I mean that, if you will keep on as you have begun, I am willing to help make your place different in many ways from what it has been. I don't know all that this may mean to you. It is not an ordinary ease, as you are not an ordinary servant girl. There is another thing I ought to say. If you remain with us, it ought to be a great source of satisfaction to you that the children think so much of you. Do you realize how much it may mean to a mother to know they are being helped in every way while with her servant? That is another great reason I don't want you togo, Barbara." "Thank you, Mrs. Ward," Barbara answered, and the tears came into her eyes for the first time. Praise is sweet. Why don't we all give more of it where we know it will help, not hurt? "We cannot spare you out «112 the home. We have not treated you right, but—" "Don't say anything about that, Mrs. Ward," Barbara interrupted, a feeling of remorse growing in her at the thought of her "grievances." Some of them were beginning to seem small in comparison with her privileges. She was a real influence in it if what Mrs. Ward had just said about the children was true. Surely there was more in the position than physical drudgery. Could even a school-teacher expect to be more useful? A host of new ques tions rose in her mind. "Let me go home to-night, Mrs. Ward, and I will return in the morning and give you my answer. In any case, I "I OPENED IT, BARBARA." will not leave, of course, until you have secured some one else." "Very well, we will leave the njat ter that way," Mrs. Ward answered, and she went out of the kitchen as Carl began to clamor for his pie and Barbara turned to attend to him. But Barbara was strongly moved by this interview. It had begun with her heart full of discouragement and re bellion. It had ended with a feeling of doubt concerning her resolution to give up her position, with a renewal of her former enthusiasm. There were possibilities in the situation that she had not considered. And so, with all these 11. jv ideas crowding into her thoughts, she finished her work early that evening and went home. Her mother met her with a happy smile and instantly put into her hand a letter that had come in the afternoon mail. It had printed 011 it the address of a teachers' agency. "Another polite note saying there are no vacancies at present, etc. Is that it, mother?" "I opened it, Barbara. You remem ber you told me to if anything came from this agency, and I was going to send over to the Wards' for yon this evening if you had not come," Mrs. Clark said, as Barbara took out the letter and began to read. It was an offer from the principal of an academy in a neighboring state of a fairly good position as teacher in the department of French sud German, the two languages Barbara had made Ihe most of at Mount llolyoke. '"lt's a good offer, Barbara. Just the position you can fill, isn't it?" CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1901. "Yes, mother," Barbara answered, slowly. But she dropped the letter in to her lap and sat thoughtfully quiet. "What are you thinking of? Bar bara, you don't mean to refuse, after all this waiting?" Then Barbara told her mother all about the morning's talk with Mrs. Ward. "I am in honor bound to stay with her, anyway, until she finds some one else. I promised. If I accept this of fer I must go at once, as the place re quires an immediate answer in per son. That would leave Mrs. Ward without anyone just at a time when she is most in need of some one." "She will let you off for such an tin expected offer as this Barbara," Mrs. Clark spoke with eagerness. "You do not mean to losft it, to lose your chances of getting something better just for—" "Mother, you must not tempt me," Barbara replied, with a faint smile. And Mrs. Clark, with a sigh, made no further appeal. She knew from past experience that Barbara would not change her mind in such a matter. After a long silence Barbara said: "Mother, I may decide to remain with Mrs. Ward for good. This morning I thought it was all a mistake and that I could not do anything. But since this talk with her I see some hopes of working out the problem. I really be gin to think I may be of some use In that home." "But you have not been happy there, dear. And I am sure the work is too hard for you. You are tired out." "It is the heat, mother. I shall be all right when the cool weather comes this fall." Mrs. Clark shook her head doubtful ly; and when Barbara went up to her room at last her mother broke down and had a cry over the situation. Bar bara had handed her the four weeks' savings, amounting to sl4. It was more than she could have saved on $35 a month as a teacher, if she had been obliged to pay for her own board and lodgings and incidentals. But, in spite of all, Mrs. Clark could not understand the girl's evident purpose togo back to Mrs. Ward's permanently. Up in her room tjiat night Barbara turned to her New Testament with a purpose which had been formed since her talk in the morning. It had come to her mind, while Mrs. Ward w as say ing something about the need which she had of her, that there were a great many passages in the New Testament written especially for servants. And the idea occurred to her to search for all of them and make a study of them with special reference to lier own case at what was now a crisis for her fu ture. She would take one passage every week and dwell on it while at her work —if she should decide togo back to the Wards indefinitely. She did not know where to look for all the passages referring to the slaves or bond-servants common to Christ's and Paul's times, but she was familiar with the benutiful verses in the second eliaptor of Philippians, and she turned to them reading from her Revised Bible. "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of Cod, counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant (the Greek word is bond servant), being made in the likeness of men; and being made in fashion as man, He liumblfd Himself, becom ing obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. "Wherefore also GAd highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven and things on earth and things under the earth and that every tongue sjiould confess that Jesus»Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." (Phil, ii:5-11.) "The Son of God was a bond-serv ant." Barbara repeated the state ment softly before she prayed. And never before had she prayed more earnestly for wisdom and humility and courage. Never had the girl felt a deeper longing to be of use in the world where she was most needed. "Help me, Son of God," was the bur den of her prayer, "to decide now what I ought to do. Lead me in the right way." In the morning she went down, and, meeting her mother, kissed her affec tionately. Mrs. Clark looked at her anxiously. "Yes,' mother," Barbara answered, gently, "1 have decided togo back for good. I believe I can be of more use there than in a schoolroom. The dragon is very fierce and very tough, mother; and I have been scared and run away; but I am going back, and I want your blessing again. There are going to be some interesting fights with the dragon this time, mother, lam sure. For, if Mrs. Ward will do what she l-inted at, the drag on will have two women after him instead of one. We will make it live ly for him." So Barbara walked over to the Wards', and, going right lip to her room, put on her kitchen dress (her armor, she called it), came down, and at the kitchen door met Mrs. Ward. "I have come to stay," she said, with a smile. Mrs. Ward made a step towards her and Barbara thought nt first the wom an was going to kiss her. They both changed color, and then Barbara gravely said: "I hope we may be able to do some thing together, as you suggested." "I am ready to do something." Mrs. Ward spoke earnestly. "We cannot re form everything at onee, of course." "Ourselves, for example," said Bar bara, quickly. "To lie sure," Mrs. Ward replied. Then !<lie added, with a show of emo tion that had affected Barbara the day before: "I cannot tell you what a great relief it is to me to have you here. It means more to me than I can tell you just now." "I am glad of it," Barbara answered, simply, and at once bega* the day'i work. The next day was fcaturday. In the afternoon, as Barbara was finishing the dinner dishes, Mrs. Ward came in. "Will you goto church with me to morrow?" she asked, Abruptly. Barbara started, ar.d then, recover ing quickly, said: '"yes, if you really want me to." "In the morning; we can arrange to get dinner when we return." "What will This mean to you?" Bar bara asked, after awhile. "I don't know." "Mr. Ward is willing?" "Yes, I have talked it all over with him, and he is willing." "I don't want to cause you needless embarrassment," Barbara began in a low voice. "But it ma 3' not cause any embar rassment. We will try it, anyway." "Do any oilier women in Crawford bring their servants to church with them?" "Dr. Vane's wife always does. They are among the old families here. Very wealthy and—" "I know Dr. Vane. He and father went to school together in Fairview." "Is that so? Then 1 will introduce you to them to-morrow." Barbara could not avoid a smile at the thought. Nevertheless, she antici pated the event of going to church with Mrs. Ward with a degree of inter est that she had not felt in her work as a servant since those eventful four weeks in her life had begun. A new factor had come into the problem. The woman of the house was going to cooperate with her. How far the co operation was going to be carried, she could not foresee. Mrs. Ward's man ner was both reassuring and at the same time uncertain, and Barbara could not tell how far she might go if matters became serious for her so cially. When Sunday morning came, Bar ! bara joined the family at church time and they all started together. The church bells of Crawford were ring ing, and in Barbara's heart there was a mingling of the peace of God with tumult, the peace that goes with the consciousness of human conflict over selfish human passion. [To Be Continued.] REFLECTIONS OF A SPINSTER. Snplent find Slinrp Snvlnit* Concern ing the Frailties of Men mill Women. Happiness is the mirage of love, says Vada Agnew, in 1 Judge. The first lesson love teaches is de ception. Women make a woman's reputation; men her character. The best friends of a selfish man are those who know him least. It is well to keep your eyes on a very suspicious man or woman. The prejudices of women are intu itive and cannot be overcome. Perhaps the Lord made bachelors for the consolation of wives. The more diligently the phantom happiness is pursued the faster it flies. There are men so morbid that their fciere presence calls before us all our past sins. Matrimony is a two-handed play in which from the beginning one always cheats. Some men are so blase that they would tire of Paradise after the first hour. The man who has never seen a wom an he could love owes it to nature to travel. Men who are most undeserving of praise usually receive the most. That shows how little worth it is. Explicit Detulla. A rural correspondent of the Ports mount (X. II.) Times sent to his paper this intelligible account of a lo cal episode: "A man killed a dog belonging to another man. The son of the man whose dog was killed proceeded to whip the man who killtd the dog of the man he was the son of. The man, who was the son of the man whose dog was killed, was arrested on complaint of the man who was assaulted by the son of the man whose dog the man who was assault ed had killed." This has suggested them re fa miliar but equal'y brilliant remark of the young man whose temporary con dition required the servic. sofa cab driver. Leaning back on the cush ions, he sighed and said: "How u>i:cli pleasanter it is to be riding in a cab, thinking lio.v much pleasanter it is to be riding in a cab than it is to walk, than it i 3 to walk, thinking how much pleasanter it is to be riding in a cab than it is to walk." —Youth's Companion. Reflection* of n Splnnter. Routine is matrimony's deadliest foe. Man idolizes modesty, yet at once seeks to dethrone it. Froximity will bear the market of any man's personal stock. A jealous husband sees a rival in every man with whom he is thrown in contact. It is a miracle how the constant suppression of nature came to be called virtue. Fifteen generations of model hus bands and wives would produce deaf men and blind women. A woman's reputation for incon stancy is more frequently gained by satiety than fickleness. Few memories are more poignant than those oc love-letters written to one we have ceased to admire. Every woman has been called beau tiful by some man. This alone proves the disregard of the sex for truth.— Vada Agnew, in Judge. If use could be made of all the rain that falls in the United Kingdom i$ would give over <3,000,000 horse power a year. ITS AIMS ARE NOBLE, Plan of the Christian Builders' Union of Chicago. Would nentore Hnrmony Drlnpen Cupitnl anil l.nlxtr l>y ,>lnl>iiiK tlie iioldcn linle the Guide of Every Traimiictlon. If the Christian Builders' union succeeds in its purpose the time will come when there will be neither la bor unions, strikes nor lock-outs. Every man in the building trades will be a teetotaler and a Christian gen tleman. It is hardly expected that buildings will be erected in Chicago to an accompaniment of prayer and psalm singing, but, there will certain ly be praise and thanksgiving if the new organization accomplishes its aim. If employers and employes have differences they will apply the good old golden rule, and strive with good will and mediation to reach a just solution of their difficulties. "I found I had to qui I either rr.y church or the union," said Henry I'. Berck, a contracting carpenter et 10K0 West Harrison street, Chicago, who has been the prime mover in the new organization. "At the union meetings many of the men cursed and flourished revolvers, and as a Christian man I concluded it was time for me to get out. I noticed also that the old unions worked against each other, and that many of the members were addicted to drink, which is the great curse of mankind. It seemed to me. that it was time Christian workingmi n got together to form an organization and do business on Christian principles. "Our union started with 00 charter members, and we have many applica tions from men in all parts of Chicago, and even from other states. Our or ganization does not attempt to fix a scale of wages, and it is wholly differ ent from the old unions. It takes in employers as well as wage workers. We also admit dealers in building 111a f ' I!' I „A a A ' fel jfti I' | I CHRISTIAN BUILDERS' UNION. (Trade-Mark Adopted by a Peculiar Chi cago Organization.) terial, and we shall take in honest real estate men, though it is hard to find honest men among them. "In order to be admitted to full membership a man must be a Chris tian, but we will take others on proba tion. We shall have devotional meet ings at the churches from time to time, and we purpose organizing a Catholic branch for the benefit of members of that church, several of whom have asked to join. As all mem bers will be Christians, business will be done on the Christian policy of live and let live. There will be no strikes or lockouts, for if employer and em ploye can't agre,e they will go their separate ways. Every member must sign a pledge promising not to touch, taste or handle any intoxicating liquor while a member of the organization. We believe liquor to be the cause of many evils, especially among working men, and we intend to fight it all along the line. We shaii also discourage the use of tobacco, and members are ex pected to abstain from profanity. "You ask how our union is going to help its members in a material way? Well, here is a printed list of the mem bers just issued. It contains all t\»''ir names and addresses, classified by trades, and contractors are indicated by stars, This directory will be issued from time to time and will be an im portant feature of the organization, We expect members to help their fel lows. Christian contractors will nat urally prefer to employ Christian men. On the other hand, laboring men can apply to these contractors with the assurance of receiving Christian treatment. Members are expected to aid each other in finding employment. If one of them hears of an open job he will notify some friend in the union who may be in need of work. In other words, the union will run on the prin ciple of cooperation and Christian helpfulness. When we are thoroughly organized we believe it will be possible to put up a building without the labor disturbances now so common. Mr. Berck lias been chosen president of the union. The vice president is C. D. Hill, a contracting painter nt 274 Claremont avenue. The secretary is Frank Marshall, a carpenter at Har vey, and he has an assistant in the per son of W. T. Hart, a cabinet maker nt "Wrightwood and Avers avenues. The treasurer is Hi chard Oates, a car penter living at 895 Campbell avenue. President Berek's shop at 10S0 West Harrison street is the headquarters of the union. The Rtinnl of Thirty lien. A machine that will do the work of 30 expert mathematicians is being constructed by the government in its scientific instrument shop on Capitol hill in Washington. It is to be an improvement on an instrument in use in the bureau of the const survey, in charge of calculating the tides. MORE THAN HIS SHARE. Vountr Frenchman with 21 Flneer* unci Toe* In Attracting; the At tention of SclciitlMta. Men with one extra finger or toe may sometimes be seen, but very rare ly does one hear of or see a person with 24 fingers and toes. Consequently a servant of Marquis de IJulinpourt who is thus equipped is at present ex citing much interest among Euro pean scientists. lie is a young man and on each hand he has six well developed fingers, while on each foot he has an equal number of well developed toes. It is not known whether he inherited this anomaly, but tlie assumption is that he did. His supernumerary members are "TWENTY-FOUR'S" HAND. (Frenchman Who Has More Than His Share of Digits and Toes.) of no special use to him, but he is never allowed to forget*that he possesses them, as his comrades, for an obvious reason, have nicknamed hiin "Twen ty-four." Dr. Capitan, a well-known ethnolo gist, writing on this subject, says: "There are two forms of this singular phenomenon, the true and the hybrid. In the true form, as seen in the ease of the marquis* servant, the supernumer ary fingers and toes are complete ad ditional members, the fingers being usually placed beside the thumbs and the toes beside the great toes. In the hybrid form, on the other hand, the additional fingers and toes are merely a result of the division which has taken place in the regular members. I"The thumb is the part usually af fected, and it may be divided at the first joint, though the division gener ally starts at the base. All the other fingers may be divided in a similar manner; indeed, as many as 15 fingers have been found on one hand. Atavism is evidently the cause, but one would have to travel very far back in order to discover the origin of such fingers and . toes." WILLIAM B. RIDGELY. ChlcnKor HnnKerx l'r«e Senator CuI IOIII'H Son-iii-l.ilw for Comp troller of tlie Currency. A current political story is that William Barret Ridgely, of Chicago, | may succeed Charles G. Dawes as comp- I troller of the currency. Shortly after i Maj. McKinley was elected to the pres ' idency the first time he appointed Mr. | Ridgely postmaster at Springfield. Mr. | Ridgely resigned in 1899 to become sec retary of the Republic Iron and Steel company, with headquarters in Chi cago. Since that time he has been a resident of Chicago. Mr. Ridgely was born and reared in Springfield, where the Ridgely family, one of the wealth iest and most prominent in the Illi nois capital, has been engaged the banking business for three genera tions. After being graduated from the WILLIAM B. RIDGELY. (Slated to Succeed Mr. Dawes as Comp troller of Currency.) Rensselaer Polytechnic institute in 1879, he entered the coal and iron busi ness in Springfield, beooming the prac tical head of the Springfield Iron com pany. lie also was for a time vice pres ident of the Ridgely national bank. Ia Chicago his winter home is at the Vir ginia hotel and his summer residence at Highland Park. The fact that Senator Cullom, Mr. Ridgely's father-in-law, has recently returned from a visit to the president at Canton gives additional significance to the Ridgely boom. ItlKht and I.eft Cixars. It is not always because a cigar is badly made that the wrapper culs up and works olf. It is often because a right-handed man is smoking a left handed cigar. A "left-handed cigar" is one rolled by the maker's left hand, for all cigar makers must be ambidex trous. A piece of tobacco for the wrap per is cut on the bias and is rolled from loft to right on the filler. The other piece, for reasons of economy, is then used, and must b* rolled the opposite way by the operator's other hand. Hence a smoker who holds his cigar in. hie right hand sometimes twisting it about rubs the wrapper the wrong way and loosens it.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers