Theme
for
By Maxim Gorky.
Every man has a stain upon his
"science. I am no exception. Hut
t ? majority look at these adorn
. -ti'ta very simply; they wear them
t-. lightly as starched shlrt. But
'i for me I never wear such shirts,
i :nl probably for that cause feel my
i :aln very uncomfortable. In one
word I wish to confess.
I do not confess merely because I
have no other agreeable recreations
in my life, or because confession Is
the only way In which I can attract
the attention of others; I do not en
ter into confidences because it gives
me an opportunity to expose my
virtues. Not at all. I am not guid
ed by any one of those motives which
usually impel men to public confess
ion. I confess only because I feel
the time has come. And so I have
taken up my pen with the Intention
of using It as a brush for the cleans
ing of my soul from that dark stain
which has pained me for years.
It all began on a merry May day,
when, walking up the street, I mej
a schoolgirl known to me. Her name
was Llsotchka; she had merry hazel
eyes though now they were sad; a
rosy, clear-cut, animated faco now
pale and deadly; a walk like a bird's
flight now she could barely move a
foot.
"Msotchka, how d'ye do? May I
auk at'iur the health of your dolls?"
I forgot to mention the class she
was in. it was the fourth. I loved
to play with her dolls; after relations
vlth men such play revives and ani
mates. "Good morning," answered Llsot
ohka; and in her voice I heard tears.
"What Is the matter?" I asked in
alarm. I confess I loved her; and
she returned my love with the force
and passion of her twelve summers.
I was myself then only fifty-three.
"They they have again Bet
composition," she said through her
tears.
"A comDOsltlon? Is the theme so
said that even before writing It
makes you cry.?"
She smiled.
"Yea. You are all right. You are
rt forced to write compositions I"
. "Alas, Llsotchka, I am. Only you
3 forced by your master, and I by
i rcumstancea. We wont say whloa
la worse oft. But don't cry; I will
write your comDOsltlon. What ia tha
theme?"
" 'Water, its Importance In Na
ture and In Human Life.' Write ltl
Dear! Got me five marks!"
"I will try!"
The reason I offered to write her
composition so unhesitatingly was
that that kind of work was familiar
to me. On one occasion a teacher of
literature awarded me two tnarks for
a composition written for a fifth class
Bchoolgirl on the subject of "The
Positive Traits In the Characters of
Skalozub and Moltchalln." On an
other occasion I received one mark
for a composition written for a sixth
claas boy, on the theme, "The Ad
vantages and Disadvantages of Re
spect, for Parents," or something of
that kind.
But though I knew the task I had
undertaken, I thought for a moment
before beginning. I desired that my
little girl should gain full marks.
How muBt I write it so that she
should receive the whole five?
After a moment's thought I de
cided. Before writing a word, I
must convince myself that I was not
a giant six feet high, but a little
rosy-cheeked schoolgirl twelve years
old.
It seemed beyond doubt that
when the teacher names the theme
he takes into account the child's
kuowlege of the subject, Its pys-
chology, its style, and finally, its
idealistic view of and relation to
the subject. That was beyond
doubt. The conclusion was that I,
as far as I possibly could, should
Imitate a child. Admirable!
Aud we conversed together on
tr-e subject of the elasticity of
friendship's bonds; how It happens
that you walk away from a friend's
bouse, and yet come to him, and
prevent him sleeping. Then we
spoke of wine and of people, who
drink wine, and we made the fol
lowing discovery; People who have)
money In their pockets or credit at
a wine merchant's may buy wine,
whereas those who h&ve neit.ir,
oannot.
When I returned home I lay on
the sofa, lighted a cigarette, and fell
asleep a thing I did not Intend to
do. I was awakened by a friend who
oame to call a thing which tt ap
peared ha had no Intention of doing.
He had toft bb bouse without hav
ing any thought of eomintf to me;
yet came. When my friend left it
was too late to write about Water.
The composition was to be ready
by Saturdaf , m there nemalaed two
days. Bet om the fotlowts day I
again failed, as ttwwuga friend Mp,
tut through via, whloa this time
proved Itself an eaeuty. When ah
last dr came, I at dowa to write M
"Water and Its Importance la Na
ture and Human Llfo." My head
ached badly, but I wrote resolutely
to the end. I then read it over, fail
ed to understand a word; and after
coming to the conclusion that I must
have Imitated a child with great suc
cess, and would more than satisfy the
teacher, I took it to my schoolgirl.
She met me Joyfully.
"It's done! How good! Five marks,
eh? Of course for you are a writer
-Come and play dolls!" ' v
- We went, and played, and then I
returned home and slept peacefully.
On Sunday I called at her house.
Her mother came into the room as
majestic as a church clock-tower; and
her eyes gazed at me like two revol
ver muzzles.
"Ah, this Is you my dear Blr!
You?"
"I am almost certain It Is I, no
one else."
"No Joking?" .
? ! ?
"You are an author! A writer! Do
you hear?"
"I think I hear But I am not sure
I understand "
"What have you done with my
daughter?"
"Allow me to try to remember."
"Look at her!"
I left the room and looked. She
lay In a little bed, and cried bitterly.
"Llsotchka!" I, began.
"Akh, maman, maman, tell the
dvornlk Matvel to cut him with a
knife with an axe to kill hluil"
cried Llsotchka.
This was amazing.
"Explain "
"Take your detestable composition,
which made my daughter the laughing-stock
of the whole school, and
which is responstbe for her not get
ting a single mark. Take it please,
and"
MAXIM GORKY.
I departed. I carefully concealed
the composition In my pocket and
walked home. It seemed to me that
my pocket contained a whole Atlan
tic Ocean and Its mysteries. On
arriving home, I read the composi
tion. Read it yourself!
Water Is a wet liquid, the first ap
pearance of which on earth Is pre
historic At first there was only
a little water In the world, but since
the Flood came by order of God,
there has been more water than land;
and from that time the water, never
flowing away, remains In marshes,
lakes, and seas. Water collects only
In low-lying places but it cannot rest
In high places because it is a liquid.
If you pour It on the top of a hill
It will soon flow to the bottom; for
that reason tlje bases of hills are al
ways surrounded by teas, lakes, and
marshes. If you pour It on an or
ange it will also run off, although the
earth Is round as an orange. All
the rivers also flow downwards be
cause they begin on the tops of hills,
and because water is liquid. Even if
you pour it on the floor, it will flow
to the lower parts, not to the higher.
It can easily be distinguished from
butter because It never gets solid.
Fast-butter (oil) is more like water.
In marshes water Is dirty, In seas
salt; and therefore such water is not)
drunk; people drink river-water, and
even that only where there are no
water-work3. It 13 dangerous to
drink water, as you may catch cold;
better drink tea or coffee. Water
also serves as a medium of communi
cation, and those countries which
have much water have great com
merce; such In ancient times were
Phoenicia and Greece, and in modern
times, England. Fishes like to live
In water. Water Is very convenient
for transporting merchandise on spe
cial ships which are called fleets; but
you cannot walk on It as it is a
liquid and slips from under your feet
bo that you drown. In Nature water
appears when It Is summer In the
'form of rain which makes a great
deal of mud. When rain falls, It
'first falls on the roots of houses, and
thence flows In rivulets on to the
I ground. When It la raining grown
up people go out In galoshes and
umbrellas, whllo children alt at horn
and find It vesf tedious. In winter,
rain freesee and falls on the earth la
the form of snow, which makes It
very cold. In human life, water has
several uses; It Is used for making
tea and aoup and for washing; and
when In washing It Is used with
soap. It gets Into the eyes, and makes
them smart. Soap and water are
used for making bubble. To make
bubbles you should mutt some soap
In the water, take a straw, and arte
dipping It la the mlxtur, blow Tery
carefully. At the end ot fee straw
wtU grow a bi& pretty twbbl of
varied o4oi aod. Preaktag away
from tfc straw kt will fly througa
Cm air mntfl tt bmasta, H
THE COLUMBIAN.
Ing the floors of roomaj and It glvei
you cold If you drink it when you art
very hot. People also bathe ln'watnt
and some are drowned. Thus wi
bos that the Importance of Water Id
Nature and In Human Life Is very
groat
Elizabeth Plonoff.
Such was my composition. I con
fess that on reading It over I felt
latlsflod because I found that It wm
written quite In the style of the
fourth class of the gymnasium, and
hot without knowledge of a chilj's
psychology. I knew that Bonn bub
bles are nearer to the Interest or a
twelve-year-old child than the com
merce of the Phoenicians; and I had
therefore dealt more with soap bub
bles, than with the sen ns a factor of
culture, I did not attempt to show
the superiority of wine over water,
although I might havo proved It
brilliantly. I did not attempt to
show how necessary it was In the In
terests of the revenue to plnce an
excise duty on water though why
should I not have done so. I hnvo
Been It proved by men with highly
developed feelings of patriotism! I
had not said a word that a fourth
Class Bchoolgirl could not know, and
It seemed to mo that I had said every
thing she could know. What then
did this respectable schoolmaster
want?
Let him try himself to write a
composition for a twelve-year-old
Bchoolgirl; I should like to see him
do it!
Why had he given my protege a
nought? I felt aroused and Insult
ed. Anyone In my place would have
felt the same, I believe. I decided
to have It out with the schoolmaster.
I called on him and saw before me
a long, skinny figure, closely resemb
ling the letter "V" turned upside
down.
"I beg to Inform you," I began,
"that I am the author of 'Water and
Its Importance In Nature and Hu
man Life Bent In by the fourth class
pupil, Elizabeth Plonoff."
"Are you not ashamed to avow it?"
he asked with scorn.
It Is not about myself I came to
talk I want only to know why you
gave Elizabeth no marks."
I felt sorry that I bad come with
out arms. With what delight would
I have sent a shot from a field-gun
Btralght at the teacher.
"My good sir," I began peacefully.
You, It seems, are under the Im
pression that a whole forest can grow
np before there exists a single tree.
You require from your pupil a clear
eposltlon of the Importance of water
In nature, but do you not know that
your pupil has no relations with na
ture at all, and can hardly have any
Idea of It. She lives In a nursery on
the second floor of a big stone house,
and from her apartment to nature
there Is a vast distance; because, as
you must very well know, nature Is
rigorously excluded from well-built
towns. Her own reatlves have not
troubled to Introduce her to nature,
and I assure you that she, Elizabeth
Plonoff, would find It quite Impossi
ble to tell you where nature Is, and
what sort of thing she!s."
"Indeed? That is all very strange.
But what do you want?"
"Set Elizabeth another theme. I
promise you I will not write the com
position." "Another theme? That I can do.
Walt please."
"He took from his table a little
book on the cover of which Inroad
'Paulson,' and began to turn over
the leaves."
"Here we are! Let her write, 'The
Sea and the Desert.' "
I looked at him kindly and implor
ingly. " 'The Sea and the Desert'," he re
peated. "An admirable theme."
"But my dear Blr! She has never
seen the sea or been In the desert,'
I excalmed in despair.
"Then she Is a very backward girl.
But try this; "The influence of Na
ture' "
"Again, nature!"
"Yes, yeB! Well, 'The Baltic Sea,
Its Commercial, Economic, Cultural,
and Political Aspects'."
"She Is not a merchant, or a poli
tician; she is too young, she takes no
Interest In "
"An impossibly backward girl.
What more can I do? Suppose I sug
gest, 'What is there in Common be
tween the Characters of Khclestakoff
and Tehatsky'?"
Like most men I am kindly and
humane up to a certain point. But,
remember, I am not Justifying my
self only confessing. I spanked the
schoolmaster and left.
The Old Story.
"Jane not In bed at 11:S"
"No."
"What's the matter wtth her?"
"She's ettlng up with a lovesick
Mend." Louisville Courier Journal.
Defined.
Bo many men are tied to tt
This simile It brings:
The ticker tape Is nothing loss
Than Fortune's apron strings.
Brooklyn Lite.
Time Wasted.
Some men loaf till they grow old
And then they brag and blow
About the fortune they'd have made
IfBBiillug Them Along,
'! see the proprietor of
CM' railroad restaurant has just
"la that bo? Who dial a
sandwiches to?"
BLOOMSBURQ, PA.
ItKAI) FROM THE EYloaT
They Aro lioliuvcd to Disclose the
Character of the Owner.
Every feature of the human face
Is bel loved by some person or another
to disclose tho character of lu, own
er. Perhaps the eyes are as trust
worthy a guide lu this respect as
there la.
No two pair of eyes are exactly
alike, utid It would bo impossible to
give any fixed net of rules for thus
reading character. A person must
rely upon his own Judgment for that.
Below, however, are given u few gen
eral hints on the subject.
Large, clear, blue eyes, usually de
noto seniblllty of character, and a
crpaclty and willingness for work.
Tholr owner Is also likely to bo foad
of enjoyment, Jenlous, and ofton In
quisitive. Round-eyed persons are not great
thinkers. 'They aro open-hearted,
observant, and ofton Inclined too
much to luxury.
People with narrow eyes, see less
think moro, and feel with groater In
tensity, Brown eyes denote a loving though
judicious temperament.
Women with light brown eyes are
rone' of gaiety, shrewd, and often of
a coquettish disposition.
Owners of deep-Bet eyes receive
Impressions accurately and doil
nltely. Great thinkers usually have had
cold grey eyes, for grey Is the color
of shrewdnes and talent. Eyes of
this description generally dcuoto bet
ter heads than hearts.
Green eyes occur more frequently
In women than In men. They de
note courage, energy and prldo. Oc
casionally they accompany a jealous,
veengeful disposition.
Black eyes are difficult to read.
They often show a quick disposition,
and sometimes are treacherous.
Tho Separate Blouse.
Since the separate blouse has more
firmly than ever established Itself In
smart favor, no one can be found who
will own up to having predicted that
THE SEPARATE BLOUSE.
this season would see It outside the
pale of new modes. The lingerie
blouse, however, seems to be giving
way to quite as dainty models In
soft silks, which, If not warmer, at
least look more substantial than the
sheer effects In linen, batiste and
lawn.
Here Is a ready made blouse that
answers all purposes of dressy wear.
It is made of figured China silk, of
heavy quality, with trimmings ot
lace and narrow soutaohe braid
stitched 'over coarse net. The lace is
stitched upon tho front of the waist
In decorative design, then outlined
with quarter-inch folds of soutache.
The trimming extends along the line
of the shoulder seams which are lost
In a one-piece yoke and collar of
sheer batiste stitched with silk braid.
The Japanese effect appears In the
sleeves which are outlined with lace
and braid,' with stitched or net be
tween. These fall over under sleeves
of the waist material, while the gir
dle reproduces the effect of the Jap
anese sleeve.
Finer than China silk for dressy
blouses Is chiffon cloth which comes
in a variety of figured designs as well
as In plann colors. It is rich look
ing and requires but little trimming,
if one wishes to economize, but with
emplecements of braid, embroidery
or lace, chiffon cloth Is fashioned Into
a number of delicious blouses for
theatre and dinner wear.
Removing a Tight Hint;.
"Most girls in childhood have
worn rings they have had trouble lu
removing from their fingers,"
said a Jeweler, "and yet the remov
al of a tight ring is the simplest thing
In the world, If you know how to
get about It If you try to remove
a ring merely by pushing It up, the
blood U forced from the lower part
of the finger to the tip, thus causing
It to Bwell. By winding threat
around the flag the swelling la pre
vented and the operation Is easy.
"You take a needle, flat In the
ye, and thread It with strong but
not too coum thread. Then, vory
carefully, you ps the head of the
needle under the ring tn the direc
tion of the wrist. By so ping the
needle beforehand you facilitate mat
ters, ha vine doo this you pull
down a few Inohesi of the thread and
withdraw the empty needle eo."
"Now," aeid h. ooottaulac "wrap
the long end of the tbrel round the
finger toward the Bail taiat, than take
the abort n4 aod uwiu4 It so.
You bob that the thread grassing as
It does against the ring, oasnot fall
to giadiMkUr work tt cat, mo nattav
bow tight M m b-
Tho IClnd You Have Alwayg
in use lor over no years,
- -
- ami nas nccn mauo unucr ins pr-
fC4J7---j?- sonal supervision ulnco Its Infancy.
'X SsCCU4 A1lAnn nn lw1wlvn YOU 111 tills
All Counterfeits, Imitations and" JUHt-as-jrnoU" nro imo
Experiments that trlflo vrlth and endanger tho health of
Infants and Children Experience against i:pcriuicut.
What is CASTORIA
Caatorin Is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, raro
goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is Pleasant. II
contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotlft
substance. Its age Is Us guarantee. It destroys "Worinn
and allays Feverlshness. It cures Diarrhoea and Wind
Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation,
and Flatulency. It assimilates tho Food, regulates the
Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep,
Tho Children's Panacea Tho Mother's Friend
GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS
Bears the
The Kind You Have Always Bought
In Use For Over 30 Years.
VMS Of WTAUH OOMMW, Tf MmM T(T, MtW VOM OITV.
coats von amm.
lino rtetween Young Girls and Wom
en Not Closely Drawn
The line of domaroatton la not
closely drawn between the modes tor
young girls and their elders, and it
la essential that such materials su
cloth and volvet be built upon tat.-
ored models. An unusual number
of pretty coats are shown this ..ea
Bon, commanding rather more atten
tion than sulrts, although the latter
are distinctly because of tholr smart
cut and perfect fit.
In the foreground la depleted u
suit of very dark Nattier blue panne
relvet, the coat harlug a vest of
Oriental braid aud stitching of silk
braid of simpler design. Front the
waiet Hue down to the aea the coat
is open at the sidos, :th buttons and
buttonholes so that tho front t""1
Pimm
C0AT3 FOn GIRLS,
sides can be connected, it desired.
The high incroynble collar Is of ibj
velvet faced with silk braid and lin
iHhod with a llltlp French tie of sat
in Tho second model Is light tan cloth;
look3 remarkably well stitched with
dark brown tilk braids of different
vUJths. Tho collar Is of brown vul
vt t outlined with braid and tho tin
tiro cont Is bordered with Cat silk
braid, as well. The buttons are of
brown silk set in circles of dull gold.
MAGAZINE
READERS
IUIIM MA0AZI5B
BwiiliMy iUiMtelart. good tUnim ft-
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All for ... . ii.co
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Abaa) al ordm t
8UHSBT lUOAZm
mmk j
IB
Bought, find which lias boon
nas porno mo mi,o
. , .
Signature of
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A
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.
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For people who are run-down and
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condidon. It is becoming more and
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tound in forest plants and roots.
Nearly forty years agi, Dr. It. V.
Fierce, now consulting physician to
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tute, at Hullalo, N. V.. discovered that
y scientifically extracting and com
bining certain medicinal principle
from native roots, taken from our
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The Hue includes drug envelopes,
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1 '
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