I THE TWO sJ | SOLDIERS ** "" | J?A C'optrriy/it. ISW*. by Edwin /.. Salnn $ 6-o*o*o-0-0-\;-o—O-O—O-O-O-C—O^-o-C—o—o-^ Iwas a brilliant holiday store, <•-'<* windows anil the shelves and the eases ablaze with filigree and thronged with dolls and dishes and engines and trains and tkates and sleds, and hobbyhorses hat galloped, and cows that mooed, and mice that ran, and—and every thing, absolutely everything, that ever enters the most rapturous Christinas dream. In the center of the large show win dows. fronting upon the gay street, stood two soldiers. They were by all odds the finest soldiers in the store, much superior to the personnel com posing the different troops and regi ments and companies stationed here and there along the aisles. The pair were made of tin, to be sure; but they were of heroic stature, eight inches tall, richly uniformed in black and yellow, and could be wound up so tb-it they would present arms several times In succession. The other soldiers, poor things, were compelled to remain the whole time at a "carry" or a "right shoulder" with out relief. Naturally these two soldiers were proud and of aspirations reaching be *— HL J"*" "on, TO Gnx AWAY PROM Tins ETKIIKAL GtTAIID MOUNT!" yond their present narrow quarters. They pined for a wider sphere. As they stood and stared with stern, fixed gaze through the plate glass into the gay street they talked together in toy language, and none, not even the most versatile linguists among the people passing and repassing, knew that thev talked. "Oh, to get away from this eternal guard mount over a lot of frippery!" sighed the one. "W itli all uiy heart!" agreed the other. "The monotony is frightful." "I'd give half my solder to receive orders to report to some little hoy," continued the ilrst. "Oh, for a change!" "But the majority of little boys are so rough and careless," responded the second. "I understand they scratch you and bend you and otherwise mal treat you without cause, and soon you're done for. I prefer duty of a more quiet, instructive nature, where 1 may teach by means of my deport ment rather than by violent action." "Well, I should enjoy a hard drill and a tussle, I believe," asserted the first. "Our organism is too tine for such active service, my lad," indulgently corrected the second. "What—scratches and dents? No, no. (Jive me a post of more elegance, where my uniform will he treated as it deserves." •*»•••• Christmas day had been over and gone a month when after their separa tion the two soldiers again encounter ed one another, but this time in a great heap of rubbish at the city dump, where the dump man had unwittingly thrown them out. "Hurrah! Hello, old chap!" exclaim ed the first soldier delightedly. "Hello!" returned the second, with rather more reserve. "(loudness! Iteen through the Seven Years' war?" Well might he put this query. The nther soldier was a perfect wreck. He had lost an arm and a foot, his head was sharply Inclined forward upon his best, lie had only one eye, his body was twisted askew, his gun was bro ken, his cup was missing, his features were battered and distorted, and as for his uniform of black and yellow there was hardly a spot of paint oil him! "J I've been having my tussle," an nounced the (li st, with a cracked laugh. "lint you why, you evidently found lust what you were looking for." "Yes," explained the second. "I fell Into an excellent post. It was the b.mils of a little t»o), sure enough, but be witnii'l allowed to hurt we See, I haven't a murk on uie." And lie ex- ( bibited himself proudly. True, he was nidi in dress parade . condition "Thunder and Mar*!"' chuckled the lirst. "And look at uie! I»o you mean to »u,V til lit you liescr Were Stepped "Oh, lio," replied the Second "I didn't lie around oil I lie fttxtr 1 wa* put away Just «a mnmi as he was done playing with me Ills mother had Mo ) oi| licit r Nlu.ved out Mil Ul|(ht dier. "And did he shoot at you with his rubber gun ever?" "Never," said the spick and span sol dier. "And be didn't bite you to see how soft you were?" "Never." said the spick and span sol dier. "Or drag you about among the chairs with a string?" "Never," said the spick and span sol- j dier. "Or sick the terrier 011 you?" "Never." "Or lake you to bed with hkn and roll 011 you?" "Never. I was always placed on the shelf in the closet." "Or kick you or whack you or throw you?" "Never. Watch—l can present arma as well as ever." "Or kiss you and hug you with all ! his might and cry for you when he was sick through eating too muck candy?" "Never. He used to forget me en tirely for days and days. Did your 'joy really do all that to you?" "Yes, all that and more," answered | the battered soldier softly. "And did he kiss you, yon say?" I asked the spick and span soldier a bit | wistfully. "\es; he kicked me and he kissed | me," laughed the lirst. "And did you enjoy it?" pursued the I aecond curiously. "I had the time of my life," declared | the other. "How did you iind things up to your expectations?" The spick and span soldier hesitated; then > that I'm k'>hp." , "Dour me!" mused the other. "I'm S?lnd my little boy was not like yours. Of course there are the knocks; but, thk vktkuans meet. , 011, our companionship was sweet! I I bet he's crying for me at this Instant, poor chum! Still, it is as well'that I am carted to the dump. I am old and disfigured and a back number, and I wanted togo before he would cease to miss me." The spick and span soldier was si lent. "Ili, yl!" soliloquized the veteran, j ; with a sigh and with a chuckle, stiffly rolling over on his back. "I'm past re pairs. but it was sweet—aye, it was , worth it! I—have—hud—the—time—of ! —my—life." And with his one eye he gazed through a chink in the debris up at the | stars. Fflieltoua. Barber—How's tin.' razor, sir? Customer—Didn't know I was being | shaved. Barber (fluttered)-Very glad. I'm liure, sir. Customer—l thought I was being rand papered.—London Piok-Me-Up. rSnnunl From ll«-r Kormcr State. "She's not us pensive as she was be fore you married her." "No; she's expensive now."—lndian apolis News. With the exception of the British parliament, the Swedish riksdag is the i ' Dldest of the existing legislative bodies. | What would you give for a Good Appetite? Not a false appetite, such as Is aroused by powerful and deadly drugs like strychnia, quinine and nux vomica, but a healthy appetite for good food? As our old doctor used to say," If you can't eat, you can't , work," and we might add, "or 1 play «ither." We are very sure that Vinol will find your lost appetite. It will arouse the vital organs to 1 call for wholesome food and ! help them to absorb It. Vinol Is a non-secret union ! of the valuable principles of i organic iron, cod liver oil and a good table wine. 1 It is pleasant to take, and both | nourishes and creates an appe- j tite for nourishment. ; Thousands of bottles have ; been sold on the guarantee of ' £ " money back," if not satisfied, J and a dissatisfied customer is ; ▼ery rare. L. TAGGART, imiGuisi. Mail Orders Supplied $\ per /Mllr hbrprcM Paid J \ Tito Phut to Ituy Cliosij) N IH AT ? £ J. F. PARSONS' | i Foley's Kidney Cure makes kidneys and bladder right. 112 Christmas ! Games FREE In each pound package of _ Lion ■ r 'Coffee from now until Christmas will be found a free game, amusing and instructive-50 different kinds. Oct Lion Coffee and a Free Game I at Your Grocers. G. SCHMIDT'S.^" FOR lr FRESH BREADi M PODUlar fancy CAKES, "2 n ICECREAM, '' —jßiKery, « - CONFECTIONERY Daily Delivery All order* given prompt and Willful attention. EVERY WOiVIAN SomeMn!es " oa ' l,a ™ ,i « bl '. ■onlhlr, renulating medie.n*. Only hsrialw. and : E ' 1 Iho j urest drugs should tee use... Hyou irani th« be.l, get 0 Op„ F@al's Pennyroyal Pißls Vs Tt "" «*" pwmpt. K.fe ar