THANKFULNESS.,
Through the long day the peasant wo.
man went
Gleaning the stalks the workers left
behind
In the wide field—and yet, when day
was spent,
But scarce an armful had she then to
bind,
sheaves she made thereof—one
small and fair
And as she passed the shrine along
the road
She left the tiny sheaf of gleanings
there
In thaukfulness—though light indeed
her load,
Flavel Scott Mines.
PURIFID BY FIR.
BY JOHN RIDGARD,
Two
A tremendous squawking and flut-
tering behind the log cabin, a woman's
cry “Get the gun” and “Here, Tige”
tim, soared upward while the scattered
feathers of the almost denuded chicken
i
{
“No,” echoed Dan. “Bum Burton
never squealed.”
“I broke my right hand,” sald Bum,
lunging up to the old man and hold-
Ing out the Injured member, “on the
head o' the scoundrel they Imported to
liek me, and then whaled the whole
gang with my left hand, didn't I, Dan?”
And Dan answered: “You're right,
Bum, you did.”
“We're pretty drunk, Dan and me,
but we must walk to camp to-night,
for to-morrow’s Thanksgiving, and I'm
foreman of the crew,” sald Bum, and,
whirling on Dan, he added:
“And I'm the best foreman in these
ain't 1, Dan? and the
me,
they, Dan?" and the big fellow play-
fully enught the little man by the back
of the neck and gave him a spin which
ended in a series of revohitions on the
floor, and from the recumbent figure
came the words:
“Not by a big
bum.”
“We stopped for suthin’ to drink, old
man,” sald Bum, “but seein’ 4s you're
old folks we won't bother you,” and
he broke out into
parts,
sight, could
they,
i
ground. The dog, with feet braced and
uplifted muzzle, gazed eagerly after
the retreating robber,
old man, bent but supple, with gun in
band. The hawk passed westward
over the narrow clearing and
near the top of a gigantic pine which
stood just within the border of
great forest beyond.
The setting sun struck full in the
eyes of the marksman through the tops
of the trees as he leveled his rifle and
transformed the long gray hair on the
bare head into strands of silver.
A woment he stood as from the sculp-
tor’s hand, in a pose tne more beauti-
ful in one old; the crack of
rifle came sharply on the alr;
hawk tumbled from its perch
the
®O
the
and
i
there was g melody in their
blénded tones,
enuine
The old man hastily threw open the
occupants of the room were startled
closed through the open doorway,
Above the level
forest the sky was ablaze with flaming
light. On the rushing
crackling sound of burning
and now there was visible an dancing
column of flame which
above the loft
of the farreaching
wind came the
treetops,
devouring
at
lest pine,
“My God, those curs have fired the
timber,” shouted Bum
Burton guessed rightly,
The region
invader, fit subject for impalement up
on the barn door as a warning to its
Kindred,
“It was a hard shot to make with the
sun in your face,” the old woman said,
with trembling and rested
her wrinkled hand, hardened with toil,
upon the arm which to the
best, the truest, in all the world.
Yet it was 1 hard world wiriech the
old couple had known. In the evening
of their days they were occupyi
homesteader's cabin in the great tim-
ber belt of the Upper Penisula of
Michigan, and from the bits of soil
Irving between the stumps and fallen
timber of the clearing
the potatoes and few vegetables which
in the short
that northern climate. An occasional
deer or partridge, furnished by the old
man's unerring rifle, and their domestic
fowls, relieved msonotony of salt
pork, of which, at the best, they never
had more than a scanty supply
It grew dark early: clouds filled the
sky: the wind was rismug and the great
trees bent and swayed before the com-
ing storm.
Supper was over. The old man sat
smoking and his wife was engaged in
clearing away the few dishes and the
remuants of the meal, when, without
warning, the door was thrown open and
out of the darkness came foul and blas-
phemous words,
A man of great stature stumbled over
the threshold, stooping his head as he
passed through the doorway. The broad
shoulders and deep chest bespoke
enormous physical strength; the sym
metrical limbs, displayed through the
closely fitting lnmberman’s suit, indica-
ted the greatest activity.
bruised and swollen, as from some late
fisticuff encounter, was lighted by
volioe, she
her
was
Pd
5 AR
managed to raise
were possible season ©
the
various logging
worthlessness, o1
discharged from the
camps for general
who could pot, because of known In
efliciency, obtain Bum,
was a prince of workmen,
employment
when sober,
quiet and gentlemanly: he Lad entire
i
!
erous and courageous nature,
and steadied himself by the edge of
the table, and turning, sent
volley of oaths to his laggard compan-
ion, name, “Dan” he prefixed
and suflixed with an eloquence of vitu
peration which was truly amazing:
‘T'm comin’, Bum, as fast as ever 1
kin,” soanded an answering voice, and
when Dan appeared the reason of his
delay was apparent.
whose
fifty men, That morning he had gone
on the
three miles a Hitle north of w
business to viliage, which lay
est of the
the
same course from th Burton camp. He
had there met Dan, old-time friend
and employe, who was on his way to
the camp. Here, too, he had fallen in
with a lot of those idle
of whom had been discharged from his
bent on ven
tim of the wiles
homesteader's cabin, and six in
an
ruffians, some
own camp and were
geance, A too easy vid
good nature could
When the Sam
the Phillistines
of his enemies, his
not anticipate a snare
drunk ns
him with the
truthfully described.
{it had been an unusually warm, dry
antumn, As bad been no
snow and very little rain, aud the earth
fr
On Wis
sanlted result which he
yet there
was as dry as in midsummer, In
ing the woods, seme of the men were
prompted by their desire to injure Bu
ton; others hoped to force employ
ment, as timber through which fire has
must be cut within the first
season or become a total loss to the
OWners,
Leaning against the door-casing, Bum
in an instant. A large
clearing surrounded the camp. There
they would be io safety and only there
“Dan,” he sald, “we must
camp. That fre will
where we stand,
man, pick up what you can quick, and
you and your wife follow us”
Dan darted out into the open and was
fully fifty feet away Burton turned
back to help the old couple out, but,
to his horror, the woman lay senseless
Bum sprang to
passed
was sobered
burn the
Come, old
A
the door and shouted:
“Come back, Dan!”
Dan obeyed instinctively,
“We can never get them there,
Burton. “Rake out all the sheets and
»”
sald
over the shanty, Uuse what water you
can find. I'll get more.”
The creck—he knew it well—was half
In
the
release
to
man's blouse, drawer-like
long stockings and rubber
shoes, and was loaded with
“turkey,” that is,
packs,
a great
a long bag stuffed
a cord attached to each end and passed
over one shoulder, If possible, ie was
drunker than the one who had pre-
ceded him,
Bum swung into the room frem the
support of the table, delivered a double
shuffle, gave a whoop, sprang like a
panther into the air and planted one
foot against the low rafter overhead.
As he came down, Dan seemingly an-
ticipated what was wo follow, for he
turned his back and received a kick
which caused the “turkey” to bound
far above his head, and, as his bundle
settled, Dan settled with it and tum-
bled sprawling upon the floor,
The old woman, terrified, flattened
herself out of harm's way against the
wall and the old man, advaheing, plac.
ing himself between her and the
drunken men,
The good-natured glant, seeing their
alarm, visibly modified the exuberance
of his profanity and exclaimed:
“Im Bum Burton, and I wouldn't hurt
a fly, would I, Dan?”
“You bet you wouldn't”
Dan.
“But when they got me drunk, they
thought they'd lick me, didn’t they,
Dan?’
“Yes, but they didn’t,” roared Dan,
“I put ‘em down, one top o' tother,
and when the big fellow smashed me in
the nose 1 never squealed, did I, Dan?”
answered
take their chances with the
deer of the forest,
He founil two pails and hurriedly at.
tached them, one at each end, to a six-
to
:
i
$
|
the creek,
Great sparks of burning leaves and
twigs and branches descended like
border of the clearing and In an instant
the wall of green becaiae a wall of
fire.
TR a marvelous thing appeared,
From that wall of fire a sheet of flame,
thrown heavenward, tossed upward as
by a demons hand, passed sheer over
for a dinner which he will never for
get,
It was a happy gathering in the cabin
that day. Dan and the old man at the
table, Burton lying helpless upon the
the other side,
closure great banks of rolling smoke,
quivering air,
Burton suffocated,
approach the creek.
low to the ground to breathe the purer
alr,
ing timber which extended
bank, and filled his pails, he
how. Sustaining the pole
neck with the ditficulty,
through the blinding smoke and hard
blinded, stagger
along the
knew not
ACTOsK
greatest
ly escaping falling ¢inders, he
the The fire lapped up every
vestlze Hife into the
tiniber,
of amd ate
very
soil,
Over and
stumps,
this floor of fire,
the burning logs
he made his way Yith
ful will, an less athletie frame, he
have fallen a hundred
consumed to ashies where he lay
Over
around and
ih less rowel
would
times and been
A bright flame shot up from the cabin
and the gallant fellow,
man energy, responded to the ned, as
the blooded racer to
He shouted of
hie
with superhu
his driver's call
words encouragement;
sprang into a burst of incredible
Spend
an ran to meet him, took a pail, and
together they dashed on water, aud,
when the fight was over, things black
lum Burton's eyes and the
fainted
ened before
m wlio “never squealed”
dead away
And
tering
an
blessed but late, the
troyer,
mut.
How
ig storin, the fire«des Cille
down upon the thirsty earth
the veil
inders came a flash
Through awful of rolling
a peal of
of
of lightning thunder and a
le
storn driving, drencking
Soon the fires began dim apd the
ash-covered earth became all black and
sodden
ark background great
ing shining from deep within
thie mwps and logs, seemed
\ 3
tiels for tat consuming
breathing ou Ig
power so lately rampant, ®t now con
the rock-moite
“J
wd | » little log
finesd within ga chambers
-
of its orders
ty
tum
abode
cabin lay
now and
on al
Burton, conscious i
agony, though no
ina
fas $e 1 thy
GuUring excoruciaiing
sotind escaped him to cate his suf
ferings The clothing
was burned, blackened, The
rubber packs fell crumbling from’ feet
gayly colored
torn and
were burned, swollen and bleed.
Voross the pall |
than +
HRN
3 ¢
Hee, Tar more
the marks of saloon
encounter, was a cut to th
a faliing, blazing bra:
burned ans well
and eyebrows were
Were COveresd with grea: Blisters, and
was removed,
ing
apparent that medical aid
when the clot]
came at once
must be procured
By
sible to reach
Dearing to the north If was pos.
‘h the village without pass
through the tim
it was a serious undertaking
»
0%
ing heaviest the
ber;
to face the storm and traverse even the
little clearing which was so lately cov
with fire. But Dan did it man
yet
oreql
fully
After
ide est
in
distress at condition of
their preserver, renewed ir efforts for
and fortunately did the very
thing their re
They covered the burns with
had gone the old people
the
hie
th
his relief,
with
best possible
ROUreys
tween the table and the bed,
One poor little putlet which had
found shelter under the house was sac-
furnish soup for the sick
man, ‘The old woman lovingly raised
her patient's head and fed him as she
His kissed the hand
that held the spoon and sald:
“Mother, te
to
this Is best Thanks
had.”
wis not in a barroom fight, but in
that had shown his
his nature was purified,
bettered for life
It
saving
COUrnge
lives he
find
and
ennobled the
act.
! y
CAME OF FORFEITS,
Merry Entertainment for the Long Winter
Evenings.
forfeits
he penalties for
uble to devi
An apple may
il 1
XK with an add
4 nough He n
0 another
CUNY
back w person, with ap arn
chair, « th firearms, ote
iw WS
ain
the also Tse
Marking a cert person’ height
1 as a
wall Iw
This is also a little dificult,
ng it may not
may
Judgment
as if the persons are siti
this some cotton batting taken from a
comforter
best, but the love and gratitude shown
Even so are sometimes born
never passed for any man when he
not reach and live upon a level
has ever known be
may
higher than he
mass of smoke and fSame. Here and
there a light sprang up in the under
the greatest difficulty,
flames which appeared in half a dozen
places on the roof of the cabin. The
barn and sheds were soon all ablaze,
The time for escape had passed, [It
was death to leave the clearing; it
was probably death to remain there,
The old woman at length revived, but
clung in speechless terror to her hus.
band. Dan found sheets and blankets
and with them covered the roof and
west side of the house, against which
the storm ofithe fire was beating. There
was water in a cask at the door, with
which he wet the covering as far as
possible, But in spite of his efforts the
fire started in places and he could not
quench it,
Then came Burton, springing over
blazing logs with two pails of water.
The sheets and blankets were wet
again. The fire suppressed for the mo
ment and the hero with his empty
buckets faced again that path of fire
through which he came,
Before hix eyes those dancing flames,
touching and bounding over treetops as
a flat stone ricochets on the surface of
the water, reached the lofty pine at the
With the approach of morning the
storm abated. The old man
friendly whinnging at the window,
which knew that his
escaped the fire. He would have
hy
he horses
re
were there place for any feeling but
anxiety at the delay in the doctor's
sun was an hour high
when the doctor arrived, and a rough
journey he had had. Poor Dan looked
as if he, himself, were In need of pro
fessional services, [lis fight with the
fire had not left him unscathed, and in
going town be had trod on many
glowing embers, which, covered with
ashes, had not yet yielded to the rain,
The doctor would scarcely have re.
he
to
when he learned
who was the patient, for Burton's
father was a geveral contractor for cut.
tant personage in that locality.
“Well, doctor, what do you think of
me?” sald Burton, feebly but cheerily.
after the doctor had examined and
redressed his injuries,
“You have had a close call” an.
swered the doctor, “but with eare you
will recover.”
Yet there was an air of concern in
the doctor's manner which Burton per
ceived,
“You don’t know me, doctor. 1 never
knock under. I'll pull through all
right,” he said, and ne did.
Under Burton's directions Dan de-
parted for the camp and returned
with a large portion of the crew, who
speedily restored the outbuildings and
repaired the cabin, They then left
after the warmest expressions of hope
for Burton's speedy recovery.
At the camp Dan had exchanged Lis
“turkey” for a prime fat young one of
a more seasonable variety from the
Inmberman’s Thankgiviog supplies,
This, with some other good things, he
delivered to the old woman as a basis
i
of the room
i bes is another ludicrous
ju there are vers
are in their judgment
gard to distances,
the
the
eel and
Giving dimensions
s ff
1 fos
i 1M
ment, as few
accurate
i
ig Who
in re
leaving room on two legs and
coming back with six is simple, as you
may readily see a chair or four-le greed
will victiin to wect
the requirements
Writing your name In one letter will
3
stool enable the
you bethink
yourself of making a large letter and
inscribing the name therein
Blowing out a lighted candle
the eyes blindfolded Is very funny, as
this
with
the person who is to accomplish
f candie,
is placed in front of
blindfolded, twice
proceedings begin, It
the candle is
all
the
turned about
then the
the right one.
Another judgment of a
to be
twice
similar na-
blind
and the
turned about 'n
told to shake hands with each other,
There will be some groping about be-
fore the is accomplished, The
fun will be increased if the two persons
are placed in opposite corners of the
room. Another idea is to walk straight
across the room when blindfolded. It
seems almost impossible to take a bee
line even when the aid of the eye is
allowed. This may be demonstrated
by the footpaths we see, for footpaths
are invariably crooked,
obiect
Licking Postage Stamps.
Licking postage stamps is a very com.
mon practice, and one that but few
people would associate with danger of
disease of any sort. Of course, illness
traceable to this cause is rare, but that
it does sometimes occur no one can
doubt. But, aside from the discase-
germ theory of abstaining from this
practice, it certainly is not a cleanly
habit nor is it & necessary action. It is
a good deal easier and safer to lick the
envelope, or, what is better, moisten
the corner of it with fingertips and
water, and then apply the stamp. A
wet handkerchief will dampen the on-
velope sufficiently to make the stamp
adhere. While great care is taken in
the preparation of the mucilage that is
put upon the postage stamps, it is im
possible to insure the perfect health of
the persons who handle them. An em-
ployee with an inoculable dissase
might spread his ill condition through
a whole country. It may not be neces.
gary to warn every one, but those who
have never had their attention called
to the subject will not fall, upon a mo-
ment's reflection, to see the folly of
licking postage stamps. :
THE YOUNC FOLK 3,
YOUTHILAND.
Tarovzh the mystical realm or oushland
Toe dreamers, wondering Zo
Fair are the skies above them,
Fairer the earth below
Gay is the summer sunlizht
Flashing from leaf and rill.
And the beautiful glamor of
Is over them still.
Youthlan}
Oh! Wide is that land and joyous;
What wealth of glorious bloom
Drighiten its every vista,
scatters each hint of gloom.
Musie, and joy an | beauty
chape, that can feel no chill
For tue beautiful glamor of Y outhland
Is over it sill,
Cut from that wonderful co intry
Went never a mortal vet
Put bore in his heart the sadn 33
Of a mournful sweet rearret
Well if its drea ns go with
ling his heart snd
And the besutifu
Be over him still,
1:30
Cri} will
f Youthland
giRINOr ©
3 are the friends never
overs thal never gr
darkly the cou ls
And the day grow late an i
may
»
Sear 10 Lhe heavenly cou
Fiselr eyes will
t
bide ig
is rad
bien si tif 4
HAUL Aino
them st
Abbie E
§ Over
newspap f+ Cian
into English, so
nas wi
’
ts
y talk i
sOF sh
that
lie down
English have
irl. Tom's «
ie
binese friends
iar 15 su clean that he would
noth he has dusted of the
where hs is It is claimed
3
i
dip
Ass
is
va .
pisos
that Tom
pan of
window
to lie
will take a raz an
water, 82d wash the g
in from of which he
© shawn and then rub i dey, mond that be
never > ise «down in
re glass without first wasii
Naturalists say that cits are she
they
ina
of the
going wo
nas been Known Lo
t nf 8
#eds Wi ng ik
vimals in the world: that
Sometimes we sce cals in the st
a have turned out o
vines by the people who have cone away
and these sor cals do
clean, but not their
fault, for how can a poor homeless cat
imve Any opportunity of
been
ve summit, i
t
BOL 100K very is
washing herself?
weak from
r thal she cannot! wash 1 and
i by she doen't care, So when you
Ld
And prefly soon she gels so
un ora]
dirty cat on the
tu .
ty, but
she has
WINGED SEEDS,
Tire usual way for seeds to be
by Ww
small and
brecres,
is the they are so
walted by
with the
meadow.
plants of
orchids. Aanl
like atoms of dust,
that answer to seed in
an and toadstools, are
borne away by the lightest breath of aif.
Bat most seeds are themeelves too heavy
for this. Sothey are offtimes providel
with thin, broud wings that carry them
before the wind ns a sail carrie« a boat. |
I'he pairs of ‘keys’ that hang in clusters
irom the mapletrees in spring are such |
inged fruits, When tripe they float
slowly to the ground, or ila high wind is
blowing, they are carrie] farther from
the tree. The neh has thick bunches of
winged fruit much like these, but single.
The elm has a thin papery border all |
aroun i its smi seeds, which makes them
quite conspicuous as they hang onthe
branchlets before the leaves have como |
out.
Numbers of plants have about the sends
delicate hairs or bristles that take the
place of wingi. A dandelion **clock,” or
a beal of thistledown, is a bunch of
seeds, each with a circle of fine bristles |
on the sunmil. When the seeds are ripe, |
along comes a bredze, and puff © away go |
ind, Sometimes
t
aga y be egail yw
This is the case
seed Of the moccasin. lowers an §
pinks, the other
our woods and bogs called
Liay
ani beattifal
bodies
spores,
moses
the seeds, hanging from their tufts of |
bristles, as the basket hangs: from a
balloon. The bunches of long silky hairs
that come from a bursting pod of milk.
weed, and fill the air around, have each
their precious cargo in the shape of a
small, brown seed. The sesds that ripen
in heads on the clematis, after the hand.
some purple flowerleave: hava fallen,
have loog feathered tals, Jiks slender
bird plumes, that do the sam + work that
js given to the silk of milkweed. The
“cotton” aronl the sevd« of the willows
at the riverside an! of the poplars aloog
city strretaserves the same useful pun
pose. Colton tell is only = bunch of
before men thought of spinning it, and
weaving it into cloth, it was making iteelt
tseful to the cotton-plant by helping to
THE sOLDIERS PET.
A mi itary gentleman furnishes the New
York Bun with a readable account of
sundry unusual pets which lie has seen or
heard of in Lis army experience, At Fory
Keogh, Montana, the men com.
pany had a black bear cub that hal been
captured bv some Cheyenne Indians and
brought to the barracks, The fellow at
once made friends with the cat, an | uader
the name of Pate, soon became a pet with
the men. The writer says
He was taught several tricks,
of one
such as
tune of a fiddle,
grew older he hal more liberty, the
3 :
Pete would go all over the post
CAITY-
and when be
found a comfortable nook or shady corner
there would sit for ‘ his
he hours until
Pele s reputation
Was
8% # trustworthy bear,
day when he
attempt 0
Ep poi dd ©
was caught red handed
w
held by the «
willie
un
as found 1 2 Lhe canon
bain and remnants of the
chair, i become en
of
i in angie | in the
problems: { guar
i i n ol guaried
O8K
Whe
familiarly
gente anima
about ten feet with a sturdy
silt of .
Aut ol
him
iis former « usual,
approached Hitherio
«
koocked the ner
the re.
excellent boxing }
had
wns
Lhe ver
ang he wou Ave
manner they
Pete carried
and chaiped to
ad
HEKe
fe
i i.
race
grace
TeAsOn Was
ie
mar
even into the
apparent
Ww
mos
ran
HO Was
ng =
HRT 14]
ar
wr y
Csi CONVYersalion
Was ai
discovered
up the canon
ght a walch and
Came game in.
Mm A visit to Pele
for
th Lhe prisoner
rge customer, and
immediately
was sel,
4 back the
[his
larger anima
Jur but it
{
was ket some Lime the
in
nev. r falling to call
was noticed that these
bad ind
ded 10 set a
ber, aad this
was to be shot
ai the
1
£ 8d A very ignce
iT Was de
the larger
rile
ido’t work, but three or four
then frulh was
animal was
mais
a all
had
periusce her
the
we lar rer
mother of Pete She
was
she
or ele
and
faithful
savage ani
fee cAsary 10
black hide
and the
COmpany re
llusions of
perhaps mors Tyee
CoOmmoniy
$4 : a 13 § ews 4 14
than other animals
their
for
Usinns
a bout
insta
a ladies
¥
olf
year, nee
into a pavilion of
and | to
yer which it made a
with a couple of pocket handker
if
ROI wean wit « £ g
ball In a cor: for
nest
chiefs. But many quadrupeds are not
for the moment re
shadows and such unreal
ft seen victims to il
oilien
developed by the Im.
only deceived by
j
lections,
but
lusions | ggely
f
ties,
agination
The horsd, for instance, is one of the
bravest of animals when face to face
with dangers which it can understand,
such as the charge of an elephant or a
wild boar at bay. Yet the courageous
and devoted horse, so steadfast against
the dangers he knows is a prey to a
hundred terrors of the imagination doe
t painly those of sight, for
the minor effect of il-
and “bolting.” in which panic
gains complete possession of his soul,
as a rule, by mistakes as
to what the horse sees, and not by mis-
interpretation of what he hears, It is
noticed, for instance, that many horses
usually start away from
more frequently
than from objects on the other. This
is probably due to defects of vision in
one or the other eye.
In nearly all cases of shying the
horse takes fright at some unfamiliag
object, though this is commonly quite
harmless, such as a wheelbarrow up-
side down, a freshly felled Jog or a
piece of paper rolling before the wind.
This instantly becomes an “illusion”
Is interpreted as something else, and
it is a curious question in equine ney
ropathy to know what it is that the
horse figures these harmless objects to
be. When Russian ponies first began
to be shipped to Harwich they usually
objected to pass near a donkey, This
reluctance was explained on the hy.
y lusions,
shying these
lusions
are caused
whieh shy
objects on one =ide
them
for bears. —London Spectator.
Cold Weather Cycling Dangers,
A warning to cyclists, in the form of
an annotation in the British Medical
Journal, calls attention to the risks
delicate people incur by riding in damp
and cold weather, the state of exhaus-
tion being conducive to the contraction
of colds and rheumatism. A theory
fect that “bicycling will tend to make
the woman of the future acquire a
squat figure,” and-here is another
warning-—-the suggestion may be not
improbably carried out if greater care
be not taken to have machines properly
adjusted to thelr riders, ‘The majority
of women buy bicycles the proportions
of which bear no relation to their own,
They ge them too small or too large.
Water is so scarce at Broomtown
Ala, and vicinity that farmers have
to haul it a distance of three and four
tailes,
eo a rn id -