SEVERN'S TEMPTATION. Arthur Severn raised his hca from the book which he hod boon poring over the greater part of the afternoon aurt gazed despondently at the dingy walls of the room. Finally he rose, and, go ing to the window, peered out through the. cracked and grimy paues of glass, now utreuked with the rain which was driving violently from the east. From early morning the rain had beon falling incessantly, and a darkness began to close around the village the wind blew more violently than evor and the rain fell in heavier torrents. A large brown patch appeared on the ceiling above and the water began to drip down and form little puddles on the uncarpeted floor. It was a melancholy day, and Severn felt that H accorded well with his own . evil fortune. He occupied the only habitable room in a lurge, old, tumble ' down house that stood off at one side of the village near the river and had been ailing to decay for years. Severn was striving to make his way through college, and when the landlord's gent suggested his taking a room in the "old Holloway house" at a much lower figure than he could obtain lodging for elsewhere, he felt constrained on ac count of his poverty to accept the offer. His parents' were poor, and, moreover, verse to his taking a college courso, so that he was unable to receive any aid 'from them. For sometime post he bad ' found himself inextricably involved in 'financial embarrassment, and he had of ten been on the point of giving up the ' whole thing, but the letters which came from Mary Eldridge, full of encourage ment and loving sympathy, always in duced him to take a brighter view of the oircumBtanoes. He had met Mary at the academy at Melville and a mutual admiration for each other's scholarly attainments had been the. first step in the formation of friendship that ripened into love. Mary had gono to 'Welloslcy to com plete her education and Severn was in his sophmore yeur at college. Miss Eldridge came of wealthy parents and hod always been surrounded with the comforts of a woll ordered home. Sev ern knew that her unselfish deposition would exact no conditions to their en gagement, but he was fully deormined never to let her share his lot until ho had completed hia education and so cured a competent income. During the lost year a series of mis fortunes had overtaken him. A friend, to whom he had loaned the money with which he expected to meet the bulk of his expenses, suddenly died, tearing his debts wholly unliquidated. Severn himself had undergone a severe illness during the Fall, and to satisfy his nu merous obligations he secured a few hun dred dollars from Mr. Holloway, who was always ready to make loans at usur ous interest but remorseless in exact ing his claims. Finally he began to re ceive letters from home urging him to return to the farm. " Unless he could ll&ve some aid they would lose the old place," his mother wrote. 11 amy called nun nome he would go, but he felt that if he did his prospects were gone An idea struck him. If he could induce Mr. Holloway to give him time on his loan and trust him for his rent until he could get to earning some thing, he would send the money home which he had been accumulating for the payment of his debt. He went to see Mr. Holloway, but the response was bo chilly that he felt almost guilty of some heinous crime. "It is not business," said Mr. Hollo . way, "not business. Would like to ' oblige you, but must have some method." A dunning letter from the agent, fol lowing conspicuously close upon his visit to Mr. Holloway, filled his soul with bitterness. The way out of his difficulties seemed as dark as the day on which we find him brooding over his evil fortune in the "old Holloway house." The water fell in torrents and the river is the rear was so swollen by the rain that it had overflowed its banks 3 V Al. 1 . una was wanning me xounaauon stones of the shaky old structure. The room was chilly and wet, but he built no fire, . and though darkness came on early he hardly observed the change, but sat pondering over the hopeless outlook without even the ghostly light from the earns in the rickety stove to reveal the outlines of the room. The wind con tinned to rise and the rain to fall faster, until the old shell quivered and quaked, but Severn paid no attention. His soul was shaken by storm also. There was as much darkness within as without. He knew his own disposition too well to attempt to study until he could quiet his nerves, bo he sat in the darkness un til long after midnight listening to the howling wind and the roar of the swol len river. 1 Suddenly there came a crash; there was heavy fall of plastering, and for minute Severn thonght that the old house was about to give way. To have its walls fall upen him he knew would be almost certain death, but with a ! tim -' i i i I I I uorui ui uituiwuueiT pieaeura jib nopea for a moment that it might happen. The old building creaked and strained, but there came a lull is the storm, and it finally settled back t its normal con dition. Severn lighted the lamp to see if his books had been damaged and to investi gate the injury to the reom. A large patch of plaMtering had fallen from the Mall and ky scattered over the floor. After the investigation he felt calmer and went to Vied for the night. The next morning, contrary to his usual neatness, he left the broom in its corner and the reom continued to pro sent a very dilapidated appearance. In the afternoon aftr returning from class he seated himself in his chair and gazed listlessly at the heap of rubbish on the floor. Stooping forward he took up a bit of broken plastering and slowly picked it to pieces, thinking of Mary and wondering if the days would ever brighten. He had been pursuing this aimless oc cupation for nomo time, when suddenly he observed that tiie fiioo of the piece which he held iu his hand was less dis colored than that which surrounded the edfia of the broken patch. Ito drew his chair closer to the wall, and in examin ing found t hat a hole had once beeaniado through the lathing about a foot square. The pieces had afterward been splieod and a new coat ef plantering overlaid. His curiosity was now excited to know tho object of the opening, and so he brought a hammer from a chcRt and proceeded to draw the nails. After re moving the pioces he reached iu and be gan to explore. There was nothing to be found, however, so ho washed his hands and began to clear away the de bris. Aa ho was about to replace the pioces of lath he thought he saw a string hanging down into the cavity, lie reached his hand again into the opening, took hold of tho filament and pulled, Imt it promptly broke. He ex amined the fibers and discovered that it was an old pieco of silk cord, now ex tremely rotten and discolored. He be came more curious and resolved to trace the mystery to its source. He reached his hand into the cavity as far as he could, following the cord. Again he pulled, and this time it resitted and he felt something at the other end move slightly. He gave stronger pull, but the cord broke, this time at the point of attachment. lie improvised a hook by driving a nail into the end of a piece of board, and with this succeeded in drawing something toward him. Finally he was able to reach the object He drew it in front of the opening, and with both hands lifted an old mahogany box out upon the floor. For some time he sat Etaring at it in curious suspense. "Well, you are a queer fish in queer waters," snid Severn to himself with suppressed excitement. "I guess you must have lost your bearings or you would never have been swallowed by this shark of a wall. I'll find out what's inside of you at any rate," and taking up a hammer he struck the old lock a heavy blow. Ho etrnck it again and again, but finally it broke and the lid flew open. Severn drew back in astonishment and wonder, for his eyes rested upon a large leathern bag and beside it were two bars of gold. With trembling hands he loosened the strings of the sack and opened it, to find it full of gold coins. There were several compartments in the chest In one he found a sparkling row of rings, and as he hold them up to the light he saw by their brilliancy that they were diamonds of rare value. Ho found some papers that purported I possession of a large amount of English 1 property in one Cyrus Holloway, great- I grandfather of his present landlord. ! There was an inventory of the contents ! of the box and the amount counted up i jnio me nunureas oi thousands. He was overwhelmed by the discov ery and sat down to collect his thoughts. He remembered now of having once heard that Mr. Holloway had come of wealthy ancestry, but that during the revolutionary war the largest part of the property had been lost and that the fortune of the present Mr. Hollo way was mostly of his own acquisition. There could be no doubt that the box belonged by right to his landlord, but the temptation was terrible. There was no chance of discovery if he kept it himself, and besides it could add no material happiness to the legitimate owner, for he already had sufficiency.' To Severn it represented all the corn forte of life. He could pay all his debts, free his father's farm from the mortgage, complete his education and afterward provide a bom for Mary. The perspiration stood in beads on his forehead as he struggled against the tempter. Finally he arose and with compressed lips donned his hat, and locking the door behind him he turned his steps toward Mr. Holloway'a. "Of course it's mine, every cent of it" said Mr. Holloway, when an hour later he stood before the opened box. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he beheld the contents. He tucked the ! box under his ooat and left the house, with an admonition to Severn to keep quiet for a few weeks. Severn felt intensely relieved. "I have been saved from worse fate than poverty," he thought as he sat down to his book. That evening Mr. Holloway's agent called to announce that Severn would be allowed time on his loan, and that he might have a much better room in one of his new houses, with unlimited time for the payment of rent Severn was overjoyed; he sent the money to his mother, moved into hit new quarters and afterward, by myster- , ious good luck, secured lucrative work, I by means oi wnicn he completed his course in college very comfortably. On the day of graduation Mr. Holloway met him at the door of the church, and, after grunting congratulation, invited him to 011 the salt morning at his oilico. At the appointed time he was on hand. "I need an honest man to at tend to my business, and if you wish to take the position I offor you will be able to pay what you ewe me," said Mr. Holloway. A year later Severn went away for few weeks and when he returned Mary 1 came with him. Mr. Holloway proved , a good friend in his way, and when he died a goodly share ef the proceeds of the old chest panned ae a legacy te Mi, Artuur bevern. Ubicago Hews, j The Queen f Denmark is partici- ' lorly clever ia millinery, talent whick ' has been inherited ay her three daugh ters the Empreas ef Russia, the Prin cess of Widen aua the Duchess of Cum berland. , Colonel Thomas . Bom, of the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, who is said to have designed the Libky Prison Tunnel, by which 609 prisoners escaped, is now an ofiloer in the regular service. ntn coins. Jtlrlhoitt of l)ctrlln Kollownl lh t'ntlril Klntu Tniimr. "Here's the way we test coins in the TivMMiry," Ami tiie expert quickly poised the dollar piece liorir.inlully oil tlif top of 1 1 in forefinger. ImMiiii; tho tlimiiii a quni ter of nil incii nwny from it mid gave it n brink tup with mother coin. A clear, silvery ring s nitnlcil out "UinkI, but here j listen j" unit le re prated the operation with nnotlier coin lliHt riivo out a (lull, lieary clink Hint cessed nlmost us soon as It begun. "Typo Metal mid lead; molileil, too. 'j'lmt is n wretched counterfeit. " "Hwtlo you ti ll tli.it it us molded?" lie held the two coins so tlinttlie liltl struck on llieir Ciles. "JiiKt compare the rending, will you, or milling. n most people cull it. In tliis Kentiin coin this is very clear nnd elirtrp cut ( Irj tlit counterfeit it is Coaroo uinl uliill. I'liut is liecunsn molded in Stea l of ltefn.i( stamped in cold metal, like the Govwntiieiit coins. " "Why do tiie c-Minierfeiters not use the snine cold proi-exs?'1 "It costs too iiiiicli uinl innke3 tixi iimcii noise. With a iimM, you see, n counterfeiter can carry on lib work in a garret, and if n policeman comes iu ho ran sIit the whole outfit out of the win dow. Hut it lakes great po er to run a die. Still minx- liigh-flying counterfeiters do uso tliein. and their work is usually harder to delect, though it is never so perfect us Hint of llie Government Mint." "What is the surest tent for the coun terfeit coiu for popular usef" "The looks of the rending, as I was telling you the milling, by the way. Is on the face of the coin, and not on the edge, as must people think. That's the surest mid easiest thing, but of course other teHls luive to be used, especially for weight ami thlcki ess. A little scale for weight nnd measure is the handiest thing to settle that. Then, for plated coin ft drop of acid pquii ted on the edge w hero the platiuir wtMm moot will chew up tho base metal in a hurry." " What acid do you line?" "For trold coin a mixture of 61 run,; nitric acid GJ ilrams, muriatic acid 1" drops, and water 5 ilrams, is used ; for silver, 84 tr.iin of nitrate of silver nnd Z ) drops of nitric acid, w ith one oiinc' of water. One drop is sufficient. If tho coiu is heavily plated we scrape it a little before putting on the acid. " Spring field Republican. American and Foreign School. President Eliot of Harvard University lins been severely criticised for some com ments he made on the public schools of this country before an educational meet ing in H.irlforJ, Coun. He said: "We are all m rotig in supposing that we have tho best school system in the world. There is not a country iu the North of Europe which has not a better system. The immigrants who come to our shores from abroad will be found to have a far belter school training in what are de nominated the common branches than the average of the rural population of this country. In democratic schools we close the gate to the scholar iu all the in teresting studies after the age of thir teen." Oue of the men displeased -with these statements is Commissioner of Education Strauss, of New York city. He pro nounced President Eliot's utterances as not ouly "extraordinary, but preposter ous." He claims that "the average of our school children between eight an! twelve years old are better, brighter, often know more nnd learn with greater facility, than the German children of the same age, whose school system is the best in Europe. Even in music our boys are away ahead of the foreigners. The pu pils in Europe are given the merest idea of arithmetic and such branches, wliilj they ore filled with a knowledge of tho ancient languages. Other critics have also dissented decidedly from President Eliot's position. The views of the President of Harvard Univorsity may be somewhat radical, and they may have been stated in rather plain mannered language. But it w ill not do to dismiss them too curtly, It ia probable that they have more foundation in fact than many people auBpect. The American public school system has been lauded to the skies. It has been de scribed as the foundation stone and the chief glory of the republic. A genera tion ago it probably deserved all that was aaid of it It was then for ahead Of any European school system, with the possible exception of the German. But within the post thirty years It is a question whether the public school sys tem of this country has kept step with the advauce of the people in other re spects. -Philadelphia Press. "The Editor's Eaajr Chair." Editor We can't use your poems now. Poet Why should you always de light in Bitting on me in preference to others? . Editor When I sit on a poet, of course I prefer a Spring poet. Smith, Gray & Co'i Monthly. Mat T11 Bald, "I dida't see you iu church last Sun day, Mr. Spiraea," said the dominie. "No; I slept at home last Sunday morning," replied Mr. Spiffles, Brook lyn Life. Correct. Leader of Vigilante Come, bow, over to this tree and put your head into thia noose. Horse-Thief (deflnntly) I'll be hanged if 1 dot-Brooklyn Life. Jail the falt. Cubbag (meeting Lejjer on the Mon treal train) You are going to Canada for a rest, I suppose? Lejjwr No ; to avoid arrest. Poverty ia uncomfortable, but in niae times out of ten the best thing that can happen te a young snnn is to be tosied overboard and compelled to sink or wiiM for himself. According to the cmmus office we art II wnrtli fl ,001 apiM'0. Rome unrtna otmliln people nr culling on Uncle Snm to settle up bow and call it square. Boa- luu Glolx. ' 'Ailing women, hear my story I" "I was about dead with womb trouble when I bepan to take Zydia E. Pinkham's Vcgetabh Compound. " I did not know what rest was foT months. I was so dizzy and faint at times I thoucrht I was dvinr. Oh! how my back did ache I and I was so cross and irritable I " I nm to-day a living w itness of the wonderful and almost miracu lous effects of Mrs. I'inkham's Vegetable Compound. Relief came with it at once. My appe tite came back. I slept at night I nm now as well as I ever was. " If you wish for health, have faith in Mrs. Pinkham's treatment and medicine." Mrs. Jennie Arthur, Taylor, Texas. From the uterus and womb spring nearly all of the troubles of women. Thousands of women write us to use their names in telling others how they have been cured by the Com pound. All dniMirti Mil It, Of ftnt , bf mall, In Amu of 11)1 or LrfMtnRM, on rtetlpl of V 1 . w.rnl ArtdrM l onnfl- VwmSjt Mf. dn, I. tin B. 11". r BAM Mm.iriL Co., I.1NH. JGAmsb.Kifmn UtrrtlU,lte. wmm Winter comes; You must have COAL. fflhwe jim seen how we ua3oal it fa ymit 2TO DUST, Just as &ood (Coal .'and jjist as cheap as any on the market. Tty our "Goal. and. you will use aa otaer. Rooms No. 2 and 3, LOCKARDS' BUILDING. BLOOMSBURG, PA. RELIABLE CLOTHING AAfD Comes to the front with the LARGEST ASSORT AND MAKING AND FITTING ' .'.OF THE.-. IBetf, ftfte fewest and Most Stylish, lowest ica Price ; and to prove $atifac&o3) is our I2iidcaror The best value for Money is to buy your Clothing, Hats, Shirts, Neckwear, Trunks and Valises of Corner ofj Main' and Centre Streets, BLOOMSBURG, PA. UNEXCELLED OLOTSJOm MABB Largest Clothing and J. R. Smith & Co. UM1TKI). MILTON, Pa., DEALERS IS PIANO By the following well-known makers ; Chickcring, XCnnbe, "Weber, Hallct & Davis. Can also furnish any of the cheaper makes at manufact urers' prices. Do not buy a piano before getting our prices. . .v. t Catalogue and Price Lists On application. Hat House in Columbia THOMAS' GOUUEY mimm d ( Plans and Estimates on all kinds of buildings. Repairing and carpenter work prcrrmtlv attended to. ' t Ds&ler in Builder's Sppliss. Inside Hardwood finishes . specialty. Persons of limited means who desire to build can pay part and secure balance by mortgage PATENTS. Cavpnts nnd Trade Marks olilalnoo, nnd i I'ntoiit bubliifss conducted lor Miidkkatk Miiml ninHl ilmu ltn. n. nht. . . tlon. We advliw If pntentHhle r ,,, MJ, clinrRe. Our fee not due till put. -tit I, ',,T7 A hook,"llowto01ii,,in Piilents ' T.' ences to actual client In your Mule, county 6r C. A. SNOW A CO,. Washington, li. r (Opposite U. S. 1'aU'nl Ollloe.) 3 TTX. and Montour Counties OI K OFFICII 18 OPPOHITK T11K f. KNT OFFICE. Wo litive no milMitfni ,i bUHlnoM direct, hnnrp can triitmni l pin,., 1 1'," nrHH in Ionh time and at U'ss Cost tlmn n, . ' Uintprmni HiiHiiiiiL'lon. v IT HOUSE
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers