I LOVED YOU. ONCE. And did you think wy heart Could keep its love unchanging, Fresh as the buds that start In spring, nor know estranging? Listen! The buds depart: I loved you once, but now 1 love you more than ever, "Tis not the early love: With day and night it alters, And onward still must move, Like earth, that never falters For storm or star above. I loved you once, but now-—- I love you more than ever. With gifts in those glad days, How eagerly I sought you ! Youth, shining hope, and praise: These were the gifts I brought you, In this world little stays: I loved you once, but now— I love you more than ever. A child with glorious eyes Here in our arms half sleeping — So passion wakeful lies; Then grows to manhood, keeping Its wistful young surprise: I loved you once, but now— I love you more than ever, When age's pinching air Strips summer's rich possession, And leaves the Lranches bare, My secret in confession Still thus with you I'll share: see this before we leave here. By the way,”’ she added, ‘“‘the gentle- men are expecting to return to-mor- row, and I presume they will propose an early departure for some other point. I am so concerned about Charley that I shall be glad “Charley who?’ asked Joe Lang- don, almost sharply. “Why, Charley Brantley. He is one of our own party, you know. You must have seen him.” “You mean the handsome fellow with the long moustache that kept so close to you the day we rode over to the mine!”’ A conscious lady's cheek. ‘“Yes,"”” she replied; Chrley Brantley.’ Langdon saw the blush and moved uneasily in the saddle. “Do you love him, broke?" “Sir!'’ blush reddened the “that was Miss been resented as a most impertinent one; but even the haughty Miss Pembroke could not get angry with heightening color she replied : “Yes, Mr. Langdon; I don’t mind telling you that I do love him. We are engaged to be married.” I loved you once, but now-- I love you more than ever. {G. P. Lathrop. ONE OF NATURE'S NOBLEMEN. “How lovely!” “Purty as a pictur’. nothin’ that lays over an sunrise on these mountains. the mist from that t'other side of the valiey., Makes a rainbow. You Kinder take to this thing, don’t you, Miss Pem- broke?" Oh, indeed. 1 wiper at the shrine of 1 limpse of such scenery as this is to me worth a journey across the conti- nent,’ and of Miss Pem- brook 's assertion was reflected in her There ain't October Look at risin’ cascade sort o am a ature, wor- One YOR, the truth flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, They were on horseback. and had halted on a high plateau where the sunrise and this choice bit of moun- tain had burst ously upon their view, To look two riders could not avoid the impression that both were somewhat out of place in each other's One was a beautiful young lady, fresh from the heart with an unmistakable air of culture and high breeding; the other was a hardy miner. whose knowledge of the world was confined to the wild, mountain- ous gold of California and Nevada. One had a slight, willowy form, displayed to good advantage in a neat-fitting habit of some rich ma- terial ; tho other revealed a tall, ath- figure, clad in garments that were coarse and unpretentious, but by no means unbecor They had chance, scenery simultane- at these one society. of ultra-civilization, regions letie ing. the merest of tourists from some Eastern city had stopped for a month at the little town of Blaze- away, and Miss Pembroke and her parents were of the party. Blazeaway, one year ago, had been nothing more than a mining camp, but it had grown like a mushroom in the night, as it were, and had become popular with travelers and pleasure seekers that a passable hotel was now one of its most important institations. In its immediate vicinity was some of the grandest scenery to be found in the whole range of the Sierra Neva- das. and this with its delightful climate and many advantages of loca- tion was the secret of its attractive- ness. It so happened that Joe Langdon, the miner, became the favorite guide of this particular party on their sight. seeing expeditions, during their so- journ at Blazeaway. He was a good- looking, big-hearted. intelligent fel- low, with a certain rough eloquence in his speech and manner, and a pe- culiarly graphic style of relating the legends and connected with the points of interest that eame under their observation. Strange to the proud Miss Pembroke became deeply interested in this Joe Langdon. She found him an entertaining companion, with views and ideas similar to her own, if they had only been cultivated, and she was amused rather than shocked by his simple, unpolished language. He liked poetry, and she read to him sometimes by the hour, while he lis tened with beaming eves and bated breath. And while she marveled | that a man so utterly without culture and learning could be fond of such | things, it probably never occurred to | her that it might not be so much the poetry as the musical rhythm of her | own sweet voice that engaged his | rapt attention. At any rate they were good friends, and when the entire male portion of the excursion party went off fora two woeks' hunt up the Sacramento river, Miss Pembroke was left with little else to amuse herself with beside this new admirer of hers. It was certainly a great comfort to her to have him always near her, as guide and protec tor, when she went beyond the limits of the little town. They had risen early this morning on purpose to see the snn rise. Lang- don having expatiated on the beauty of the scene as viewed from a eertain int on the mountain, Miss Pem- ke went into raptures over it, “It is the most beautiful sight I ever witnessed!’ she exclaimed, again and again. ‘How good of you to propose this morning ride, Mr. Lang- don. You are always thinking of some- thing new for my enjoyment. 1 mnst induce the rest of the party to RO anecdotes ay, She was not looking at him. She slowly into his face, or the nervous manner in which raised his hand to his throat and pulled at his collar as if it were choking him. he She was looking out over the valley, too much abashed by her own confes- sion to meet her companion’s gaze. ‘*I am anxious about Charley,” she said, after a while. ** I fear his life is in dang: Joe started a guilty. Had that flashed his mind? But the girl did not know. Wit continued $ } nd looked positively read the thought ving-like through she jeri ty gem id not averted she 11 sy atill eyes iid Fy temper, and trol of it. The caught a man his silver- valued so pausing to cone ices he struck the face with his riding nce heard that the man has sworn vengeance on him, and declared he would kill him at the first opportunity. The thought is 80 terrible that [ cannot drive it from my mind, and I fairly dread Charley's return. Perhaps you could contrive to save Mr. Langdon—"" Eh? I—I don’ t—did you speak to me, Miss Pembroke?” Charley has such a » sometimes Ie he pis went away he ine LEN he he ¢ NSE LIeT . : sllow across the whip. I have =i aim She now, with an ex- She saw how and with =a jump at con- Ea} looked at him pression of su rprise ; deathly pale he was, woman's readiness to iaimed too. You think I know you do!’ Miss Pembroke."’ making a mighty ef- fort to recover composure, and par- tially succeeding You say some feller has taken an oath he'd kill your—Charley Brant- ley. Who is the an’ what's his name?’ clusions she exe You Charley is in peril! “Wait # said the miner believe t rr £5 REIREANE . fallae CLIC, ‘The people here call hin ‘Whisky Tom.” He is dissipated half- breed. Of course you know him."’ Whisky Tom! 1 know him for a drunken scamp and vagabond,’’ said Joe, with emphasis. ‘‘He oughter been hung long ago. Why, bless your heart, Whisky Tom "ud murder mother for a glass o' whisky. When he says he'li Kill a feller you needn't flatter verself that he won't try his blamedest it, jest as soon as he can make a sneak on the feller. All I'm s'prised at is that he tried to steal a rifle—unless he wanted to sell it for money to buy liguor with. He never uses firearms nohow-—couldn’'t hire him to have anything to do with 'em. He does all his shootin’ with a bow an’ arrow, an’ he can knock a woodpecker out o’ the top of a Californy pine every clip. Why, Miss Pembroke, you're white as a ghost!” “Oh, won't you try and save him, Mr. Langdon?’ ‘Save who?’ ‘Charley. If { a low his to do anything like—like I him it would kill would” that should befal me. | know it It would been which was the paler of for the sun-bronze on the miner's face. It was a trying ordeal through which he was and for a mo- ment it seemed as if he were turning to ice; but the big. unselfish heart melted beneath the piteous, pleading gaze of those hat had played such havoe it during these sunny weeks, Langdon hard to tell the two, only have passing, eves t with Joe scious that tation. “It so be,’” he said, with another great effort to be ecalm—'‘if so be it should come in my power to do Char- ley Brantley a service, I'd do it, of course-—for your sake! But come, Miss Pembroke,’ he added, in a more cheerful tone, ‘you mustn't let yer- self think o' sech things, I guess Mister Brantley ain't in sech danger but what he'll take keer of hisself all right. It's time for us to be movin’ down the mountain. We'll have a sharp appetite for breakfast after the ride, I reckon; but it won't do for you to earry that white face back to the hotel. You'll skeer everybody out of ayear's growth.”” Then, after they had started off at a brisk canter, he said: “What do you say ton race, Miss Pembroke? Let's see which o' these horses can take Tag off the bush in a mile stretch.” less rate of speed, leaving a cloud ot dust in their wake, It was the next day after this oc- currence that Joe Langdon stood leaning against the trunk of a huge away, absorbed in thought. He was alone, and he could searce- ly have looked more pale and hag- gard if he had just risen from a long, wasting illness. “I don't know what ails me, onless I'm goin’ starin’ mad,” he muttered to himself. “I didn’t think it ‘ud strike me all of a heap to know that jest what it's done—blame my skin if it ain't! myself at all. It's the fust I reckon—I reckon it'll be—the last.” impulse, as if he were ashamed of his weakness. Langdon, blamed Joe you're a ing aloud, * how can a man help it. She ain't like other fine ladies. feller forget that nicer to the President she does tome. I don’t know what I've been thinking of all this time. day with her. I can’t bear to think of her going away" ‘You can’t, eh?’ interrupted a sneering voice, “If that is the case, it is time you were being taught a lesson!’ : Charley im, tall and in Joe looked up with a start Brantley stood before h handsome, with an his black eyes. The miner felt weak to think he ha« erowning folly of betrayvir to this man. you are in ! Pembroke,”’ continued Bran Cutts growing UNO ng sarcasm. i your persistent attenti Andy her go ing my absence, ean't bear to here, That is bad “Wait a said his 1 have heerd what I was to say out loud, an’ my denyin’ it now. I do love Pembroke, but I didn’t her know it, nor ain't for me: 1 your wife.’ And knowing that, you have the impudence to tell me that love her—you, a low, miserable specimen of humanity realize your own audacity !”’ cried Brantley his temper getting the better of him. You're a scoundrel Stop! : it was pale before, it “"Stop!”’ he repeated was terrible from There ain't but earth that can eall me sech names as that ROE away from #eiyl Mr. Bri voice hu Joe. i sk Y. : : rlish enoug! there 8 no use in Miss intend to let I know she to be you know she 8 on i lerricaran ti too ignorant to 1 Pome “ § Lar was dog face ghastly now and very man on J Oe igdon “ his voice its LInness ane jut sir—by the it = Saves you an live—an you re that man. you musn't do Eternal you musn’t only her love for you Now, You threaten drantiey, in a white You threaten me— Whatever was in | it remained unsaid stant Joe Langdon sprang uj with the quickness of the bore him heavily to the ground. The attack was so sudden and un- expected that Brantley was not pre- pared forit, but with a furious curse he straggled to his feet and drew revolver, He was about to fire heard a woman's seream., a man's shout, and a strong hand seized his arm and held it, “Prop that pistol!” cried a voice, “You when he's down! What had happened? What did it mean? Was that Joe Langdon lyirg on the ground with an arrow ing in his side? Was that Pembroke kneeling beside the trate miner? Was Mr. Pem- broke who had grasped his arm and it agi agin his when he stern Laura this Charley Brantley realized these things gradually, like 8 man waking from a nightmare. “You told me Pembroke,” weeping girl lifted lap. You told me to save I've done it 1 Whisky Tom, lurkin’ behind bushes yonder, with his bow drawn and an arrow p'inted at Brantley. 1 knowed what it meant, an Tom never missed his jumped onto Brantley him out o’ the way, an’ took the ar- row myself. Good-bye: don’t ery for me. I'm glad it turned out this way. I hope you'll be happy. Good-bye good-bye’ And Joe Langdon was dead. It was merely an episode; and after a handful of citizens had run the murderer down and hung him to the nearest tree, after the fashion of Western justice, the event was not long remembered. But there were two who never for got—Mr. and Mrs. Brantley. Lake Erie has during the past year kept up her record as the most dangerous of the great lakes for navi- gation. The record for the year on the lakes was 128 lives lost, 58 ves- sels, with an te tonn of 24,228, and valued at $1,040,400, wore lost. Partial losses by stranding collisions and fire bring the total lossés on boats to $2,112 488, Lake © Su- By lakes the loss of life was: Erie, 59; Lake Huron, 28; La v 10; Lake Michigan, 3M; Loke tario, 4; Detroit River, 5. to save him, Miss his head to her wreteh, seed that alm, so | | An Unknown Friend to the Southern Planter Recognized too Late. Not till after the wholesale de- struction of the alligator has ren- dered them almost extinet did it dawn upon man’s intelligence that this uncouth saurian has been of ma- terial assistance to him by destroy- ing large numbers of the smaller ani- mals which prey upon field and garden crops. This fact is coming to be recognized in Florida, and also in Louisiana. The following on the “The demand for alligator skins at the North, where they are tanned made into valises, satdhels pocketbooks, ete., has caused them entire de- nrose in their Before the demand almost resulted struction. of Louisiana were full of the saurians catching a stray pig or eur dog, but otherwise they were not supposed to be of any value at all, “With the disappearance of the wins noticed that there was a marked increase in the number of other mischievous animals ially in the rive fields of Plaquemine Parish. The muskrat increased to especs hich ping the water on the riceduring the grow. The damage caused by the em- Benson, the rats burrowing through necessitated constant watchfulness and entailed much hard either in rebuilding tl tire or in digging out the burrows and arth. filling in with solid infee +» front dents also is tion. necessd ng constant attent ix to avert the disastrous resulting from a crevasse “Truck farmers in the Plaquemine have that since the extermination f 3 01 #isO compl alligator that the common rabbit wild animals 3 and proved to cauliflower fact. our raccoon and other increased that bit structive largely especially has cabbage informapt » animals continued to i » would be a woven-wire fence farm or abandon th of his most profitable Several years since the polie of the parish an of of Plaquemine forbidding the ligntor, and with thei yrresponding decreas: ermias that the law has since For what ordins destructive v derstand been repealed reason Bird Butchery. lion birds are ered each year to plume the hats o womankind Terns from Cape Cod black partridges and | blue from Sunday Over five mi massn- nt hoopoes, golder pretty kiti- Island, egrets our southland and rail birds our woods are murdered to for display orioles AYE, wakes and herons bobolinks from and and from own fi feed the fo male passion The women of the period will hoot at the Tamil and the Sinhalese for slit ting their nostrils for the insertion of jewelry, but they will kill and mgtil- ate harmless carolers that plumes may dance from their bonnets In the case of the kittiwake, plumage taken at the birds have hardly learned to fly it is usual to tear off the wings Then there is question. A the is while the bird lives. to the are ime- eves and nostrils of the wearers to danger. A more life depends on vegetable life, and Michelet declares there ean be no life without bird life. — mn Star, [Washingt The Power of Thought. effects of said Dr. E. T. Sinclair, in medical annals, but which has never been given general publicity, ix that of a condemned murderer whgm the Royal Medical Society ob- tained the consent of the crown to upon. He was to have been hanged, but the day before the imagination,” At that The eves were bands o'clock in the morning. time physicians entered. man aged, his wator, knife, made over his temple, not sufficient, however, to break the skin, and a physician dropped tepid water, adrop at a time, upon the supposed wound and from there into the basin, In twenty minutes the man was un- conscious, and in an hour and a half he was dead. The cases where men have had a premonition, which they believed, that they would die at a cer- tain time, are explained usually upon this principle. Premonitions of this kind are very apt to prove fatal, and then they are considered as occult and mysterious.” —{8t, Louis Globe« Democrat. ms MRA 3 A SU: A Texas Congresasman’s Story. “Major Wintersmith rushed into General Hanson's room one day in a state of great mental disturbance,’ said Col. Kilgore of Texas. “ eneral,”’ he exclaimed, ‘a man out here in the hall stopped me just now and took me for you. 3 “He did?’ sald Hanson; ‘I'll go out and kill him.’ * Oh, don’t trouble yourself about shat,’ re he Major, ‘I've killed A YOUNG LAWYER'S STRATAGEM it Might Have Worked but for an Unex~ pected Incident. The following story is told of Tim- othy Coffin, who was for a long time Judge of the New Bedford District, says the Boston Herald: When a very young man he was retained In a case of sufficient im- portance to briog out almost every resident of the town, so that the little New Bedford court-room was packed when