RR - ms EEE SCE OCS EEN 2 x . . & OLD DON Ka - ie s 'o; » RS RY % * (©Db . J. Walsh. LLD DON threw another slice of bacon into the frying-pan, and cried. He was alone in the cabin now, so it didn’t matter. Johnny was gone; Big Red was gone. Only a blood splotch on the floor near the little stove, where it had dried, showed signs of a terrible struggle. But now it was over. John- ny was in jail awaiting trial, while hi victim lay fighting death in Lorene Ag Old Don emptied the frying-pan into a tin dish and sat at the rough table, the terrible scene repeated itsel” before his eyes. He saw Big Red, snow-covered, eyes bloodshot, appear in the doorway. Big Red was not himself. and be had come to tease Old Don. Everybody teased Old Don—that is, everybody from Prigly’s lumber camp, for Don's cabin was situated just below Prigly’s hill, four miles from the camp and five miles from Lorene. Returning from town on a Sunday night, the men would stop at Old Don’s cabin and laugh at him through the shuttered windecws., Old Don was the only one that prayed; that's why everybody laughed at him. They laughed, those sturdy men of the North, laughed at the old pictures he had hanging about the wall. They didn’t mean it, but it made Old Don angry, because they ‘thought he was crazy. But Johnny flooked a little surprised as he caught Old Don once crying before a broken crucifix. He didn’t understand, but he always removed his cap when he entered the cabin after the discovery. Old Don didn’t like to be laughed at, so he asked Big Red to go out. Red laughed—his condition, of course—and said he wanted to listen to Old Don pray. That was the climax. Old Don pushed Red toward the door, and the brute struck him. And then Johnny entered and stood motionless by the door, with the soft, white snow fall ing about him. He didn't say a word. He watched, until Red made another clubbing swing at Old Don. Quick as a flash his left arm shot out and caught the brute above the eye. Old Don didn’t remember any more until he saw the sheriff clamping handcuffs on Johnny. On the floor against the wall lay Big Red in a stream of blood That wa: all. They freed Old Don after a questioningz, but Johnny was taken to jail to face a murder charge if Big Red should die without recov- ering consciousness. Of course. Don had told them that Johnny struck the brute who had fallen with his head against the stove, but they wouldn't believe him. Johnny had used a club 01d Don didn’t know what he said; he was a funatic—a little “loony.” Old Don raised his grizzled head to the crucifix above the table and whis pered as a tear skimmed down his cheekbone and dropped, flavering his untouched meal. He had given physical hope; and this was his means of saving the boy from death. He knew they would bang Johnn; i Red died. That was their code. And the sheriff had come in only u few moments before to tell Old Don that Red wouldn't live. Red would die unless an operation was performed immediately. And Doctor Bromey. Lorene’s only surgeon, could not oper- ate, 2s he had broken an arm under a crashing pine a week ago. Johnny. the smiling youth from the aig city, would hang, because the Prigly crew said Old Don wus crazy No man could knock out Big Red with his fist, they testified. Johnny would feel the twang of the noose, be cause Old Don was crazy and couldn’ ‘help. And then, as it in answer to hi. prayer, a sudden thought flashed through Don's mind. Big Red dying — Johny to hang—an operation! The jumbled phrases burned sharply against his brain. Seven miles from Prigly camp livec Deacon Lome. He had been a doctor once—a famous surgeon. He had in vested heavily in oil and lost, and ‘then had come North to forget. I ‘Don could only make it through the SNOW. . Five frozen miles along the gorge .cross lake Mullet—five frozen miles of snow and ice, the shortest way And Old Don was past sixty. Yetshe did not hesitate. He tied the snow shoes to his feet—they seemed heavy without the snow. One look at the figure on the cross and he plunged in to the white shurpeess. It took his breath away. He reeled and hesitated. then diagonally cut across Prigly hill. There was no wind. but the sharpness cut his lungs and made him gasp for breath. He plugged along. Half-way down the gorge he labored, pufling heavily. Suddenly it drew darker. A wind rose above him and the crisp snow cut his nose and cheeks.. Straight ahead. across Lake Mullet. ne timber line grew dimmer and spotted with red and burnished gold The snowshoes were getting heavy— unbearably heavy. Old Don wanted to rest. But always to his mind were the jumbled phrases—Big Red dying— Johnny to hang—an operation! He swerved to the right and onto the frozen lake with the wind to his back In the momentary relief he could dis cern the faint light of the doctor's cabin in the distance. Shoe after shoe he hauled through the snow. His weary legs trembled unsteadily. He could have sat down for just a min: ute bkut—Big Red dying! He must ut | this they who removed his cap when he entered the cabin. ’ Only a hundred yards ahead was the doctor's cabin. A miilion little stars c¢ancec and sparkled before the light- ed window as Don struggled. A few more steps and the drooping figure stumbled against the door, whicii slowly opened against his weight, dis- closing an aggressive woman just forty. “Well!” she challenged, eyeing Don fearlessly Old Don gasped for breath. “The—deacon—" he forced out. “Lorene, for grub,” she said curtly 2nd turned to piling the wood near the stove. Like the snap of a crushed human back was the sound that escaped Ion’s lips Lle staggered oul His legs, tottering weakly under him as he crawled up the stumpy slope to Lorene, buckled under him. He stumbled over a snow-covered stump—and breathed a word of pray- er. And then bright spots began to dance before his eyes growing bright- er with every step. He did not feel the cold. How long he struggled he could not tell. Ie had lost trace of time and place. His chin hidden in the soft- ness of his collar, he bored ahead. Somewhere in the distance was John- ny—and death. And then, sudden as the swoop of a falcon. the snow flared before him and he dropped, burying his face in the snow. Faint were the voices that reached Don’s ears as he awoke. “Johnny!” There was a sudden hush, and the tobacco smell grew more pungent. Presently the doctor reached Don's side. “It’s all right, “How do you feel Old Don felt his face. and burning. “But, Johnny, how—" He turned his head from the pil low to the grimy, smiling face of thr men seated along the walls. “Talking to Big Red in the other room,” replied Doctor Bromey, ac’ justing the sling on his left arm. And then the doctor left him, and one of the men rose and put out hi hand. Old Don took it. “Big Red's comin’ through fine. Johnny's talkin’ to ’'im in the othe: room. The deacon fixed 'im up the day before yesterday. But you sure took a long time to come through pardner.” Old Don lay still for a minute, then smiled. “Who picked me up?’ he asked af’ er a pause. “Deacon. Was goin’ back after Red admits the kid laid him out with ais fist.” Old Don squirmed out from under the covers and stood shakily on the bare floor. There was silence in the little room. The door squeaked as the doctor and Johnny watched the solemn act. I'or, kneeling against the bed. Old Don was whispering a prayer; while, seated against the walls, the lumber- jucks bowed their heads. They dig not laugh. Comets Chiefly Made Up of Gaseous Matte: While we have no reliable data as to the precise mass of comets we are pretty sure that the biggest and show jest of the lot are no greater than about 10 per cent of the earth's at mosphere. 1f they came bigger than would produce effects on the planetary paths. Whether they should be regardec 4s mainly gaseous matter or finely divided solid matter is not just here material, but we may, it we like. im agine them as being equivalent to the 10 per cent of our air, water vapor and so forth, and see just what musi happen to it when it gets fairly ex: tended as a comet. The head of the comet would no. «ake up so much of the atmosphere of which we will imagine it is made. for diameters exceeding 150,000 miles are unusual, but when it comes to the Don,” he soothed 9” It was oily tail there has to be some stretching. Our atmosphere we may take as afty or seventy-five or a hundred wiles deep, bat the upper layers are so thin that we might as well take the H0-mile limit and let it g¢ at that. But to make a comet's tail with only a tenth of this air, the extension staggers the imagination. Tails are common with lengths of 50,000,000 miles and comets have been known with tails longer than from here to the sun, over 100,000.000 miles, with a diameter at the big end of easily 1,000,000 miles. To get at the extreme attenuatiow dgures of speech are better than those of arithmetic. There was an Arabian tale of a man who never went broke because each day he speni only an exact half of whatever money he had left. If this chap had started with ten cents and kept up his sys tem for a thousand years he would nave been richer in money than a comet’s tail is in matter, and it is probable that to get a close compari son we will have to imagine a single oyster in a stew containing as much milk as the Atlantic ocean holds water.— Kansas City Star. Ove~ the Phone «Is that the secretary of the Oil erg’ club?’ asked a hazy voice. “Can vou tell me when the club opens again?” “It opens at six o'clock tomorrow evening,” replied the secretary short- ly. “But what on earth do you mean bringing me out of bed at this time of right to ask that?” “Very sorry, old chap,” came the apologetic voice, “but, you see, I've save Red for Johnny—for Johnny, | just woke up in the lounge.” Could Not Dispense With Hat or Gloves toosevelt’s fondness for long walks in Rock Creek park during his Presi- dency is well known. Nothing pleased kin so much as te drop companions along the road unable to keep up with Ltm. If he thought anyone was too well dressed for an outing he would swim across a deep pool and every- body was compelled to follow. He was a great sport. Walking one day with a party among whom was M. Jusserand, French ambassador, President Roosevelt pro- posed that they all go bathing in Rock creek, without bathing suits, aot far off the public highway (says Genera! Scott). Jusserand waded in without any clothes except a pair of white kid gloves and a high silk hat. Roose- velt looked at him with astonishment for some time, but finally curiosity be- came too great and he had to ask the reason for the ambassador's costume “Oh, Mr. President,” Jusserand rve- plied, “suppose some ladies should go by I"—Kansas City Times. Big Fire Loss Laid to Careless Smokers Every year $100,000,000 worth of property goes up in flames in the United States because matches burn too long. That is the conclusion drawn from recent experiments by the United States bureau of standards. The average time required to light a pipe or cigarette was found to be ten seconds. The stick of a match burn: an additional twenty seconds. A million matches, says Science Monthly, are used in the United States every minute. Many of these start fires after they have been thrown away. The experimenters found that special matches, with wa- ter-glass coating the sticks up to half an inch of the head, burned only half as long as ordinary ones. While prov: ing as effective for lighting purposes. they were generally consumed before they could set fire to surrounding grass or rubbish. Popular Knew One Word Company from out of the city was peing entertained in an last side home. George, the visitors’ son, age three, and Raymond, the hosts’ nephew, age three, developed quite a friend- ship. When at last the guests were obliged to leave, the host asked the name of the street in which they lived. They replied as to the street and also proceeded to spell it. George, desir- ing to imitate his elders asked: “What is your last name and how is it spelled, Raymond?” Ray was acquainted with the speli- mg of just one word, so consequently he was slightly baffled by George's question. Soon, however, he smiled and replied, “Why, my name is Ray- mond Goodman, s-t-o-p.”—Indianapolis News. Dress Suit’s Origin The Haberdusher says: ‘As far as we know, the formal dress suit of to- day is the natural evolution of the dress coat of the Continental era aud before. Black came in when fancy colors went out, and found its place in formal dress apparel as it did in ordinary day wear. The dress coat, from a designer's angle, has changed but little from similar garments worn 150 years ago. Long trousers, as is commonly known, were first introduced by George Bryan Brummell and the vest itself is only an evolution of the waistcoat which previous generations had favored.” Had Use for It Above them the waterfall thundered down in a mighty rushing torrent. “A pity to see all that going to waste,” remarked one of the little party of tourists to another who stood watching. The other cordially agreed, added as ar afterthought: “] suppose you're a civil engineer, ike me?” “Oh, no,” he replied blandly; “1 am 4 dairyman in rather a big way” an Kill Trees With Poison The process of decay is hastened by pvisoning the tree while it is still liv- ing. Gashes are cut around ‘the trunk of the tree into which a solution ot arsenic is poured. The leaves all die within a week or two and‘ decay sets in soon and works rapidly in both tree and roots. In four months worms will be found working in the wood, in two vears most of the branches fall, in four vears the trunk is gone and the stump can be easily removed in six years. Year Ends on Same Day No century can begin on Wednes- day, Friday or Saturday. October al- ways begins on the same day of the week as January. February, March and November all begin on the same day of the week. But May, June and August begin on different days. And it may surprise you to know that the yeur always finishes with the same day of the week on which it begins. The only exception? to this order oc- cur in leap year.—Capper’s Weekly. Using One’s Talents Nature has given to each of us a certain amount of ability. The Bible tells us that to one man is given two talents, to another five, to another ten. This done, the rest ig left to us. Our use of them determiner the re- turns. —Grit. |lustrating the essence of the “A voluminous scarf of crepe | FOR AND ABOUT WOMEN. DAILY THOUGHT. THE HOUSEWIFE'S PART. Oh, men, and oh, brothers, and all of you others I beg of you pause and listen a bit, And T'11 tell you without altering of it, The tale of the housewife’s part. Mixing and fixing, Brewing and stewing, Basting and tasting, Lifting and sifting. Stoning and boning. Toasting and roasting, Kneading and seeding, Straining and draining, Poking and soaking, Choosing and using, Reasoning and seasoning, Paring and sharing— This is the housewife’s part. Filling and spilling, Pounding and sounding, Creaming and steaming, Skimming and trimming, Mopping and chopping, Coring and poring, Shelling and smelling, Grinding and mending, Firing and tiring, Carving and serving, This is the housewife’s part. Oiling and boiling and broiling, Buying and trying and frying, Burning and turning and churning, Pricing and icing and spicing, Hashing and mashing and splashing, Scanning and planning and canning, Greasing and squeezing and freezing-— This is the housewife's part. Aching and baking and making and shaking, Beating and heating and seating and treating, men, and oh, brothers, of you others— Do you envy the housewife’s part? —Susan B. Best. Oh, and all In the new fur coats favored in Paris there is less tendency to stray away from the straight pencil sil- houette than is seen in the winter's cloth coats. The sleeves sometimes follow more closely the vagaries of fashion by widening below the elbow into a pouched outline or into a point- ed bell flare, but the coats remain conservatively slender. The collars are apt to be straight bands of fox, so high they almost conceal the back of the head, but whether they are of fox or of some flatter fur they al- ways strive to stand high about the | head. For sports or for traveling Paris is still very fond of the fur-lined coat. Thebaut shows a black broadcloth coat lined and with a collar of dark leopard. Lelong believes that a beige basket weave cloth with lining of lap- in and collar of beaver is more in keeping with the aspirations of serv- ice for the coat lined with fur. In conforming to this tendency to favor for sportswear the cloth coat lined with fur, Paris chooses the furs or skins most nearly approach- ing the texture of cloth. Baby pony skin is a favorite and is very smart in Thebaut employs it in this color in a narrow straight coat with a square collar of beaver standing up behind the head and a wide band of beaver down the center of the front. A belt across the back gives the proper sports-like air. Beware of the ensemble costume, ladies ! If everything matches in color, your taste at this is terribly out of date. This edict comes from the Parisian fashion authority, Baron de Meyer, who explains, in Harper's Bazar, why matching of colors is the worst stvle indiscretion that can be committed this season. : “The idea of matching the gown to the coat as well as to the hat:nd shoes became several years ago, a new and luxurious habit, admits Baron de Meyer. “It did away with the prevailing bourgeois view that anything looked well worn with any- thing. But now this craze has disap- peared... An ensemble is a costume in which every article of clothing is re- lated to the other, merely by the laws of harmony and good taste.” The harmonized ensemble demand- ed by the mode is the acid test of a woman’s taste, declares the fashion expert. Nowadays any woman