6 ROMANCE OF A RED EAR. .Many a country lass would fatn Have been chosen by Farmer Will, Who was young anil handsome, tall and strong. «■ And owned the farm on the hill. But he set his heart upon dainty Ruth, Whose father, a millionaire, Had sent hi r down from her city home To live in the country air. Will was too proud and shy to think She would care for such as he, Until autumn came and she went with him To the- Rockwood's husking-bee. The great barn iloor was heaped with corn And lighted by lanterns bright, And the merry buskers at their work Formed a novel and pretty sight; But Ruth looked up at her escort tall, .Vid puckered her pretty brow: "1 never did such a thing In my life. Suppose you show me how." So side by side they bent to their task. And it chanced there was no one near. When suddenly Ruth stripped the husks From a perfect deep r< d ear. Will told her then of the custom old. When a girl found an ear like this, Sit" had a perfect right to claim, l-'rom ftliy lad there, a kiss. With a smile of mischief back she stepped. In the shadow of the mow: "I never did such a thing in my life, Suppose you show me how." You can guess the rest, 1 will only say They were wed ere another fall. And the red ear tied with a ribbon gay Still hangs on their parlor wall. —Clara E. Cooper, In Farm Journal. h> c ss2, xyaxya Scoundrels 4 Co. 112 ByCOULSON KERNAHAN 9 Author 0! "Captain Shannon.*' "A Book ol p Copyright, 1599. by Herbert S. Stone & Co. CHA PT E R XX.—Con rix I;r.i>. "The chief's quite right in insisting upon everything being above board," I said, boldly. "We don't want any liole-and-corner business in a concern like this. We are all like so many mountaineers roped together on a. mountain. If one of 11s makes a slip and the others aren't prepared to set their feet hard and meet the jerk when it comes, the chances are that the lot ol' us get pulled over the precipice. And mind you, friends, a rope round your body 011 a mountain is one thing, and a rope round your neck on a scaf fold is another. I've sampled one, but I don't want to sample the other. So I think the chief is right in taking us into his confidence as he has done. We all hang by the one rope, so what I say is, 'Let us know where we're go ing.' Besides, in a concern like this, which claims before all things to be democratic, we don't want any one man show. Here are we working to overthrow the autocrat or aristocrat wherever you find him, and you pro pose setting up one man who is to be our pope and lead us all blindfolded by the nose." "Cive us your hand. Number Seven," said Number Six, slapping me familiar ly on the shoulder. "It's a good job you ain't a parson, for if I heard you preach a few times, I believe you'd convert me, and I'm damned if I could stand that. I'd no idea we'd got such an orator among us. Anyhow, he's convinced me; so go ahead, chief, and let's have the details in full." Good humor being tints restored. Number Two continued his explana tion. "The thing is to be done in this way," he said. "Hubbock was once chef at the lshmael club, and is still friendly with the steward and the other waiters. From one of them he has heard a little secret which is supposed to be known only to the secretary of the club and the committee. The Ish maelites are very fond of having what I may call unrehearsed effects at the house-dinner evenings, and the mem ber who is in the chair often springs a surprise upon the company by pro viding so 111 112 unexpected feature for their entertainment. The secretary— a whimsical fellow—has hit upon an idea which he purposes to carry out on the occasion of the prince's visit. 'Good fellowship' being a sin« j qua non for election to the lshmael, the prince of Wales, who is, as every one knows, the best of good fellows in the social sense, is naturally a prime favorite there. As you all know, the prince is only now recovering from a serious ill ness, and as his presence at the lsh mael will be his first public appearance after his convalescence, the Ishmael ites intend to give him an ovation. The speech of the evening will be, 'The health of our guest his royal high ness the prince of Wales.' Well, the secretary has sent the ten-minute timekeeper to Switzerland to have the ordinary gong replaced by a musical box which shall play 'God Bless the Prince of Wales.' The chairman, in proposing the prince's health, will pur posely outstay his ten minutes. The gong will strike, but instead of mere ly sounding ten warning notes on the bell it will lead off with 'God Bless the Prince of Wales.' As soon as the mem bers 'tumble' to it (for the affair is to be kept secret from all but two or ihreej, the chairman will spring to his feet, and take up the air, which will be sung, all standing, and ending up with 'three times three.' That's just the kind of thing to catch on with the Ishmaelites, and I shouldn't be sur prised if it. proved an immense success and pleased the prince into the bargain. "Well, Hubbock has contrived—in virtue of his old connection with the •club—to get engaged as an assistant chef for the occasion, and he also man aged to get a peep at, the address on the box that contained the gong, when It was "sent off to Switzerland to have the inside meohanism taken out and replaced by a musical box. The ad- j dress was that of a well-known instru- j nicm. maker in Geneva to whom Hub- i bock has since paid a visit. Need 1 tell you why? It was to get a dupii- ! cate gong made—a duplicate, that is to say, so far as the ouside is concerned, j But it isn't a duplicate inside, for in- , stead of the musical box, Hubbock is j getting an infernal machine wade from : a newly discovered explosn'a. It is an 1 explosive so death-dealing »wl terrible that even the small quantity that can be packed away inside the gong will j be sufficient to kill one in its j immediate vicinity, and, m fact, it is more than probable that it will kill every one in the room. Anyhow, the chairman, our old enemy Lord Cran thorpe, and the prince, who as the guest of the evening will sit on his right, will be as good as dead men. The joke of it. is that it will be Lord Granthorpe himself, who, by winding up the gong—according to the regula tions of the club—when he gets upon his legs, will with his own hand put into motion the machinery which will give him and his guest, the prince, as well as a good many of the mem bers, a bare ten minutes more of life. The secretary is no doubt chuckling to himself to think of the stir that his own ingenuity in preparing so pretty a little surprise is likely to make. 1 think that the surprise which we are preparing for his royal highness, as well as for his lordship and the other members of the club, is likely to xnako a bigger stir. That, however, we can discuss when the thing's fait accompli. I'm setting shy of counting my chick ens before they're hatched, since that miserable jubilee liasco. All the same, 1 think Ilubbock's idea for adding to the evening's entertainment is very curious, and as he is willing and, in fact, anxious to undertake the busi ness, 1 think that he should be al lowed to consider his scheme as under our 'distinguished patronage,' as the placards put it.and to have our best wishes for his success. Anyhow, there's his programme, and as discus sion is freely invited, I hope any of you who have anything to say will speak up." "It's ;♦ very clever little arrange ment," saiil Councillor Number Six, "and what 1 says is, here's my re- PROPOSING THE PRINCE S HEALTH. spects and best wishes to Mr. Hub bock, hoping as he'll go ahead and scoop the trick. What do my other two honorable colleagues say?" "We say 'ditto,' too," 1 answered, speaking for myself and for"the si lent councillor," to use the name by which I had dubbed the remaining member. "But if Mr. Hubbock and the chief will pardon me for saying so, there's a difficulty ahead which ii won't do to overlook." "What's that?" asked Number Two. "This. Isn't it very likely after Ilubbock has changed the gongs, that some member of the executive of the lshmael will want to test the mechan ism, if only to see that it is in work ing order? in that case the explosive would lie a bit previous. We have no quarrel, 1 take it, with the members of the lshmael club as Ishmaelites. In fact, I'm not sure that the mem bers of this council are not exception ally qualified for membership of a club so-called, and, indeed, it occurred to me while the chief was speaking, ihat the lshmael dub would be a very suitable name for the particular fra ternity of which we who are present in this room have the honor of being members." , "You are quite right, my friend," said Number " Two. with a laugh. "Hubbock and I both recognized that that would be a ticklish point. But Ilubbock's idea is not to change the gongs until the last moment, when the table is laid and ready for the dinner. The lshmael is a very free and easy place, and Hubbock is so well known there that he anticipates no difficulty in finding some excuse to effect the change. 1 think we may be content to leave it in his hands, since he is willing to undertake all respon sibility." , No one demurring to this, Number Two announced that the next meeting of the council would be held in the same place, and at four o'clock in the afternoon of the day following the pro posed outrage at the lshmael club. "I hope on that occasion," he said, genially, "that we shall be in a posi tion to offer Councillor Hubbock our heartfelt congratulations at having succeeded in blowing his royal high ness, the prince of Wales, ana the Right Honorable Lord Cranthorpe, M. P., to blazes." With which humane sentiment the meeting broke up. CHAPTER XXI. TIIE I'RINCE OF WALES AT THE ISILMAEL CLUB. It was the night, of the lshmael club dinner to the prince of Wales, and though the rule by which members are CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1904 permitted to introduce guests had on (Lis occasion been suspended, the mus ter of li-ihrnaelit.es in their handsome trophy-hung dining room was so great that even a director of the London, Chatham & Dover Railroad company would have acknowledged that for once in his life he had met with a genuine case of overcrowding. So democratic a gathering—notwithstanding the fact that the future king of England and emperor of India sat in the midst — is net often to be seen. At. the Ish mael, trains and "good fellowship" are counted greater righteousness than "coin" or a coronet Within its walls all men are equal. To a good fellow, the right hand of fellowship is readily extended. The "stick" will find him self as readily cold-shouldered, and the .assumer of "side" may think him self lucky if he be allowed to depart unbait.ed. To see the Ishmaelites "trail" a sufferer from "swelled head" is to undergo inoculation against that fell malady. The author who has sud denly found a public and as suddenly lost himself, or the moneyed noboby, who has made a successful bid.for a baronetage by placing his thousands at the disposal of his political party, would do well to air his new honors elsewhere than at the Ishmael. When such a man is known to be in the house, the word goes round, and to him these trusting children of na ture come to be instructed in the se cret of his greatness. They sit at his feet and drink in his words of wisdom as it Imping thereby one day to follow —be it ever so humbly—in his foot steps. They ask him artless questions about himself, and when he conde scends to gratify their very natural desire to be informed upon so inter esting a subject, they tell each other audibly what a great man he is, or si' listening with unconcealed wonder and admiration in their eyes. They beg to be allowed to present to him this or that friend or member who will es teem it a privilege to know so distin guished a person, and when their vic tim is most swollen —like a human wind-bag—with gratified vanity and a sense of his own importance, they un ostentatiously produce the necessary pin, and what is left of him when they have done with him is scarcely worth the trouble of sweeping up, not to say of interment. With the Ishmaelites the heir ap parent had always been a prime favor ite. Whatever their faults may he, they are at least not flunkeys, and his popularity with them is in no sense at tributable to his exalted position, but to their regard for him as a man. If there is one man in all England who may be pardoned for allowing a flat terer to get the blind side of him, it is surely he whose every wish "or whim it is the business of those about him to humor. Yet if there is one man in England who is absolutely in accessible to flattery, it is the genial, generous, but keen-eyed prince. This the Ishmaelites know well, and they love him for it, just as they hail him prince of good fellows, and the best and most honest hater of sham and humbug in the country. Hence the dinner which was being given in his honor was the most bril liant and at the same time the heart iest function that the clubhouse has ever witnessed. Brains, pluck and good-fellowship—these are what the Ishmaelites most delight to honor; but being a British club, they put bravery before even brains, and at the high table that night sat wearers ol the Victoria cross, leaders of forlorn hopes, admirals who had saved life as well as fought the enemy at sea, ex plorers, travelers and soldiers who with a handful of men had held an impossible position or not hesitated to face a thrice outnumbering foe. Everything had gone without a hitch, and there was 110 denying that the function was a magnificent success. The prince, still pale from his recent illness, was, it was easy to see, both touched and gratified by the genuinely enthusiastic and affectionate greeting which had been accorded to him; and never had he looked more thoroughly at. home than when hobnobbing with the Ishmaelites. Dinner being finished, and the per mission, "Brother Ishmaelites, you may smoke!" having gone forth and been received with the customary yell, the chairman rose in his place to make the speech of the evening, by proposing the prince's health. All - yell greeted the placing of the ten-mlnuto bell before him, and yet, another the setting of the machinery in motion. Then he began his speech. Nothing of the sort could have been happier, for there was not a false note throughout. He claimed for (he prince only that illustrious personage's due; and yet lie referred so sympathetically to his illness and paid so graceful a tribute to his qualities as a man, a sportsman and a good fellow, that the Ishmaelites interrupted him again and again with ringing cheers. The announcement—the unexpected announcement—that the prince had that evening expressed his wish to be come a member of the club and a Brother Islimaelite, brought the en thusiasm to the culminating point; but the welcome words had scarcely passed the chairman's lips before the first stroke of the ten-minute gong was heard, and at the sound he lieid up the customary silencing hand and dropped back into his chair. The rule of the club is that when the gong strikes, the speaker, who ever he may be-, at once resumes his seat, and every one sits in silence un til the ten strokes have sounded, when members are at liberty to give expres sion to their feelings, a privilege of which they avail themselves by yell ing, howling and hurling epithets, and even match-boxes, cigar-ends, or any thing else which may be handy, at the offender who has transgressed their time-honored ten-minutes rule. Hence when Lord Cranthorpe relapsed into his seat there, was a sudden hush while the members waited dutifully for the ten strokes to sound. Half a dozen seconds had not throbbed away before the Ishmael ites became aware th- t something out of the ordinary—l ilt what they did not know —was happening. There was a flutter of repressed exe'tement. Then some one called out "Hush'" and the silence became electric. What w»s that sprinkling of bird-song music thai percolated the smoke-hung atmos phere as if fairy hands were flinging the largest of tiny wafer-like silver coins for all to gather? "Hush!" some one said impatiently again. Expecta tion stood on tiptoe, as eVery ear was strained and every face became alert and evpectant Noto by note the thin thread of mu sic r.'ppled out. It was recognized, and a tremendous cheer set rattling the trophies 011 the wall as the chair man rose anil with a wave of his hand above lii 3 head took up the strain. In another second every man was on bis feet, and "God Bless the Prince of Wales" was being sung as it had never been sung before. "Willi heart and voice awaken Those minstrel strains of yore, "Till Britain's name and plory Resound from shore to shore. From all our aneient mountains, And from our lovely vales, O! let the prayer re-echo— God bless the prince of Wales!" The secretary's little unrehearsed effect was a huge success. Perhaps the prince's illness had left him somewhat weak and shaky, for as the hymn con cluded with the most deafening "Three times three,"and yet again "Three times three," that, ever left human ears buzzing and human hearts thump ing, the kindly eyes of that right royal prince of good fellows were suspicious ly bright, anil when in a few manly words he thanked his "brother Ish maelites" for the greeting that had been accorded to him, there was just the ghost of a tremble in the voice that is generally so firm and strong. ITo He Continued.] I.inly Cur/oa iin 11 llotoptive. There is a curious story, with dra matic sidelights, going* the rounds about Lady Curzon, the American vicerine of India. R is told by a retired Indian judge and is a leaf from his own experience. He was dining at the viceregal lodge one night when the conversation turned upon a sensational murder trial that ho was conducting at the time. After dinner Lady Curzon drew the judge aside and said: "I do not want to interfere with your judicial duties, but I know as an ab solute fact that the man who is charged with that murder is innocent. "If you will send a detective to me to-morrow morning I will direct him to the house where the real murderer is now hiding. I only discovered the fact this afternoon, when I was down there in disguise with one of our syces." Sure enough, the murderer was caught, as Lady Curzon had said, and the innocent man was released. Lady Curzon would not tell how she found Gut the murderer. —Philadelphia Press. I'rovorliH l'|i to It takes a big man to eat crow grace fully. Modesty is not so easily shocked as prudery. The more knowing a man is, the less he knows. A woman's train of thought is often on her dress. Sometimes a comedian's divorce is l.is first serious part. Marrying for money is more a mat ter of dollars than of sense. Marriage is seldom a failure when Cupid furnishes the capital. It is not considered to a man's credit to merit success if he doesn't obtain it. Many a woman employs a private detective when she looks in her mir ror. „ The heathen in his blindness uses a club, the civilized Christian a repeat ing rifle. We shouldn't mind woman having the last weird it she'd only pet to it sooner.—Everybody's Magazine. Ordeals of n Doctor. It is often claimed by outsiders that having a profession dulls»a woman's sympathies; but I cannot believe that this is true in the practice of medi cine, where one side of the work is so Immeasurably sad. 1 have seen a baby that came after 15 years of waiting and hoping, and was rejoiced over daily and hourly for a wonderful year, sud denly struck down and gasp its little life out in a day with pneumonia. These are the times when it hurts to be a doctor, to find that all the knowl edge that, you possess, all the skill at your command, is as so much chaff be fore the wind. To have a woman cling to you, begging you to save her baby, is an ordeal to which no human being can grow callous. You must feel as though the brand of Cain were upon you when, with all your efforts, you cannot save the little life. Not years nor experience can lighten hours such as these. —From the Autobiography of a Woman Physician in Everybody's Mazazine. AeeompliNlieil the Tusk. A iady who had been ill and under medical treatment for some time with out getting any better became very distrustful of her doctor's skill, and therefore wished to dispense with his services and to try another man in his stead. She had not, however, the temerity to inform him of this, so she communicated her state of mind to her maid, a gem from the Emerald isle. "Lave 'ini to me, mum, lave 'im to me," said Bridget. By-and-by the doctor knocked at the door and Bridget opened it about an inch. "Very sorry, sor," said she, "but ye can't come in to-day, doctor!" "Can't come in? Why not?" "The misthress Is too ill fer to see ye to-day, sor!"—London Tit-Bits. OPINION OF THE EDITOR OF "NEBRASKA FARMER". He EiprtiMß His Approval of Amer ican Immigration to Canada. During the Winter months the head of the family consults with the other members as to the prospects for the future, and doubtless one of the most interesting topics discussed is tha*. of moving to some district where it is possible to more easily secure what is necessary for a comfortable existence; where it 13 an easy matter to become possessed of sufficient farm laud to assure a competence for the future. This, not only interests the head of the family but every individual member of it. Having before me the knowledge where he can secure a home with the expenditure of but little money, it ia well for him to obtain all information possible regarding the productiveness of the laud in the country that he may select. For several years past a large number of Americans have removed to Western Canada aud as nearly a3 it can be ascertained almost all of these have expressed themselves satisfied witn the conditions that exist there. During the past Summer a number of the Editors of Farm papers through out the United States made a personal visit on a tour of inspection and the reports of these gentlemen prove in teresting reading. Mr. H. E. Heath, Editor of the "Nebraska Farmer," a paper enjoying a wide circulation a3 well as the confidence of its subscrib ers, after giving some idea of the ex tent of this wonderful country says: "Western Canada is the last unoccu "pied and unimproved good agricul tural land in America available to "day." He then discusses its possibilities for raising live stock and the advan tages it possesses for dairying, farm ing and wheat growing, and says: "What has been said about the coun try as to the ability of the soil, the "yield of wonderful of wheat, is "quite justified." To quote further from Mr. Heath, he says, referring to climate: "These people (skeptical ones) do "not know or realize that altitude more "than latitude makes climates; that "large bodies of water, both fresh and "salt, that, never freeze over, exert a "wonderful influence on climate. An "other influence on climate, more po tent than those named above, which "applies more to the Alberta district, "is the warm Chinook breeze from the "Pacific Ocean, which is COO or 700 "miles nearer than Colorado or Wyom "lng, besides the Rocky Mountain "range is not nearly so high nor half "so far from the ocean as it is down "in the States. "In further considering the climate "of the Canadian prairies, we should "not lose sight of the fact of the in "fluence of the rains; the total average "rainfall for the season is but 13.35 "inches for the territories, and 17.3-1 "inches in Manitoba, and that the "amounts falling between April Ist "and October Ist are respectively 9.3!) "inches and 12.57 inches, or about "three-fourths of the entire rainfall. "From the middle of June to the mid "dle of July there are over two hour 3 "more daylight in every twenty-four "hours than there is in Nebraska. The "main reason why Western Canada "wheat grows to such perfection is the "effect of solar light, or longer period "of sunshine it gets each day. This "is what makes seeds or grain mor9 "perfect, grown in this country than "elsewhere. This extraordinary rapid "growth of vegetation under the in tluence of this long continued sun shine exceeds anything known in low "er latitudes. * * * "We do not wish it understood that "wheat alone is the main product of "this country; it leads in that, yet it "is destined to become famous for its "cattle, horses and sheep and for its "dairy products. We saw more and "larger bands of cattle aud sheep graz ing in Assiniboia and Alberta than "we ever saw on the western plains of "the United States. One band of cat tic numbering 5,000 head were graz "ing on the rich grass and sheep with "out number." The Government of the Dominion of Canada is still using the same energet ic efforts which have been used for tlio past 5 or 6 years to settle up thesa western prairies, and on application to any Agent of th* Canadian Govern ment the settler will be able to secuto a certificate entitling him to a low rata which will give him the opportunity of visiting any portion of Canada's grain producing domain. A MOORISH EXHIBIT. Some ol the Attrnctioiis Noi'tli Africa Will Si ne! to St. Loilin Fuir, Rudolph Aaronson, who has just returned from the interior of Moroc co, closed arrangements with ,1. W. S. Langerman. the manager of the Mo roccan exhibition at the St. Louis world's fair. Over 200 natives hav» been secured. They include Kazenli, the famous Moorish brigand who cap tured Harris, the correspondent of the London Times, and i 22 nermaches, to illustrate the hatchet and shell play; 20 expert Moorish riders, for the power play; 12 Moorish women, for harem dancing girls, snake charmers, musicians, cunuclis, 50 horses anil 10 grayliounds. A iTlls»ourl Love Letter, The "devil" of a north Missouri pa per received a love letter the other day. anil the foreman got hold of it anil read it. This is what it said: "Dearest of All —At last I know you arc thee onley person on earth for me. Darling, iff you don't come to me soon I'll die. I adoor you. When you come out tonite bring that box of chocolates or I'll black bothe yure eyes. Now mind. Yure loveing Lizzie." Ajiiericnsi Apple* tor Fratiee. In eight months the French have bought 0,000 tons of American chop ped amdus for cider-maklpg Chicago, speaks to young women about dangers of the Menstrual Period. "To You?fO Women :—I suffered for six years with dysmenorrhea (painful periods), so much so that I dreaded every month, as I knew it meant three or four days of intense pain. The doctor said this was due to an inflamed condition of the uterine appendages caused by repeated and neglected colds. "If young girls only realized how dangerous it is to take cold at this critical time, much suffering would be Bpared tlicm. Thank God for Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com pound, that wa3 the only medicine which helped me any. Within three weeks after I started to take it, I noticed a marked improvement in my general health, and at the time of my next monthly period the pain had diminished considerably. I kept up the treatment, and was cured a month later. lam like another person since. I am in perfect health, my eyes are brighter, I have added 12 pounds to my weight, my color is good, and I feel ight andhappy."—Misa Agnks Mii.i.ek, 25 Potomac Ave., Chicago, 111. SSOOO forfeit If original of about letter prouing genuine iess cannot be produced. The monthly sickness reflects the condition of a woman's health. Anything unusual at that time should have prompt Bud proper attention. From Pimples to Scrofula Fro® Infancy to lie To those who have suf fered long and hopelessly from Humors of the Blood, Skin, and Scalp, and who have lost faith in doctors, medicines, and all things human, CUTI CURA Soap, Ointment, and Pills appeal with a force hardly to be realized. Every hope, every expec tation awakened by theni lias been more than ful filled. More great cure 3 of Simple, Scrofulous,and Hereditary Humors are daily made by them than by all other Blood and Skin Remedies combined, a single set, costing but one dollar, being often sufficient to cure the most distressing cases when all else fails. Pold throughout the world. Ontieura neaolvanf, ff*©. (in form of Chocolate Coatnl l'ilia, 22*:. per rial of Ointment, AO.S -tap, 2.V. Depots: I<ondon, 27 Charter house Sq.; Pari*, b Hue tie )a l'aix ; Bmton, 1.17 Coluiubua Ave. Potter Drug & ('hem. Corp . Sole I'ropa. »JT" Send for " All About tha Skin and Scaly." (, When the little folks take colds and coughs, don't neglect thera and let them strain the tender membranes of their lungs, Give them Consumptions R° !c Lung Lit will ctire them quickly and strengthen their lungs. It is pleasant to take, P-lces, 23c., POc., nnj $! 00. d K UU.t WiSH'IAU I 4» AllVKJtilsl.il* Vieime ttnle ti.ui you «uw the AUverUia* ojcu< lu tUI» i>ai»cr«
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers