————————— ww A AA ATI
RAINDROPS,
The raindrops fell—each drop a living
soul;
Joyfully they left their cloud home,
Rushing downward, through the un-
known,
-
And some fell on the parched ground,
And gave new life to the grass:
And some Into stately, grand-souled
rivers, and were one with them:
And some Into laughing streams, leapt
and danced their lives through:
some into the deep, wild ocean;
some Into stagnant pools—the
quick-souled raindrops.
when they were tired the wind
stooped down and carried the
raindrops home,
—Margaret Crowell, in Lippincott’s,
And
And
And
Gentieman J's Las! Job
BY HENRY RAVENCOURT
For years I have been a profes
sional rogue, living by the exercise of
my wits, whenever I saw an oppor
|
dinary Iaborers, my worthy self among
the number, dropped in singly, at dif
ferent times, and were then cared for
inside, and kept concealed in apart
ments arranged especially for our use,
All our tools were brought to the
place In cases of merchandise,
therefore, attracted no suspicious no-
tice,
The distance from our starting point,
the bank was only a little over sixty
feet; but to tunnel this out In the night,
entirely underground, arch it, and
wall it with boards, and make it se
cure—to smuggle in the things we
needed, and get rid of the dirt and
rubblsh—was a slow and discouraging
undertaking, which required a
deal of patience, nerve and pluck, and
the incentive of a fortune to be reach-
ed in the end, to keep our confeder
ates down to the laborious work,
And then, when this was all done,
after the nlcest engineering ealeula
tion and weeks of toil, we were only
fairly ready to begin the task of plere
ing a which was deemed im
its makers, and
good
safe
by which
idity, care and skill of the best mech
unsuspecting individual to my
possession,
My pals know
Jim,” because I
in
me
have
fashionable garb and tried
as
to ap
gentleman,
It is not necessary for the purpose
of my narrative that I should
the exact locality where my last ad
ventvre took place,
don't need to told; if you
know, the information would deo you
no good; and therefore it will be suffi
cent for that it was in a
thriving town Hampshire County,
Mussachusetts.
In traveling about the country, on a
prospective tour, I came to the
town In question, and found,
other things, that it contained a flour
ishing bank, built of stone, a story and
a half in height, standing on a small
plot of ground, entirely detached from
any other structure,
Some casual remarks and Inquiries,
Judiciously made, revealed the
that It contained a burglar-proof sa
in a and that it
contained deposits ranging
neighborhood of a
lion of dollars.
It
way so secure
even to
chman;
pregnability
because of increased
should have in “working
“Well,” 1 sald to myself,
ing to find way into
and if I succeed in
shall have money
me in a life of
long time.”
The first thing. after having settled
in my mind that that treasure
was to penetrated, to
the means to accomplish this purpose.
In the first place, it
necessary that should
der cover—and under cover for a long
time-—for It was no slight undertaking
to penetrate a hard,
wall of several feet in
immense casings of
be cut out and re
could reach the treasure;
to done
known in the community, in the
hours of night, honest tizens
were peacefully resting from tae tolls
of the day,
Fortunataely, or unfortunately, ac
cording to the light in which the mat
ter is viewed, the nearest building to
name
be
io
in
me Say
busy
among
stone vault,
quarter
was regarded as a place in every
against
the
need services
and this bell
pleased me
very 1
safety
the
+
the
we
plant.”
my
getting
to
enough maintal
luxurious
vault
be was devise
we work un
cetuented stone
thickness,
and stee
before
iron
moved,
this
and
be by men unseen and un
dead
while
by a man who had not been OVer Pros
perous in his business, and who
willing to sell out the same at a rea
souable figure.
But I did not go to him and offer to
purchase. I had a better scheme than
that, for 1 did not wish to be further
known in that community: and so |
put on the airs of a rich gentleman,
having more money than I could rea
sonably spend, and after a week or
my hotel hill with a great flourish and
went away, deeply regretted by
my distinguished acquaintance, and
more especially by those who had prof.
ited by my lavish expenditure.
I had a very faithful, shrewd and
industrious pal, and [ immediately
sought him and gave him full in
structions.
the dry goods store | speak of had
changed owners, and Robert Carpen-
ter, a quiet, honest, thrifty looking in
dividual had put out his «ign, and be
came a stald, sober, church-going
citizen of the thriving town, ready and
anxious to sell anything, from a s.lk
dress down to a yard of tape or a pa-
per of pins,
You may possibly think that a dry
goods store, open all the week days
to all kinds of customers, from early
In the morning til nine o'clock at
night, was not exactly the place for
working burglars to visit and remain
fv for weeks together; but It was Just
because nobody, not even the lynx-
eyed police, had the least suspicion
of anything of the kind being con-
cealed there that this particular es-
tablishment became one of the most
perfect “blinds” we could have chosen.
Where so many came and went, a
stranger, even If seen, was not liable
to attract attention and set gossips to
whispering of something unduly
strange.
‘But great care was taken that
strangers should not be seen there,
Our confederates, disguised as fare
mers, mechanics, train hands or or.
We had forced an which
had exposed the rear of the safe, and
several attempts to make a
its formidable wall, but for
hours the stout re
our efforts,
entrance,
breaeh in
and
all
After various experiments and many
hours steel
sisted
was suggested that
we should try the softening ens of
heat, and a blow-p
and
ful heat upon a given point.
pro
pe was used to di
rect concentrate the most power
long time,
1
slight
After being Kept for a
found we
impression with our best
un
we could make some
tools a "re
scarifying, so to speak-—and, though
wins we felt en
aged to proceed.
tediously slow,
“Continual dropping will wear away
a stone,” is a Xim a i as ti
hills; constant
ing
HS
:.4
i and rubbi:
portion of the
began feel thu
of the
It w
plate
a violent
tld
paused in
nti
uation,
as finally
had reached
blow w
Wot bu
gtorexeener,
$ :
Ruown in
rtiawith
kK. who was a resident
left in
| given out
had Rone Boston
new goods.
Next
ranged
the cellar of
outskirts
aledd
Hoved
to
each
New York. end
dezvous in East
These details
fixed upon
for
Coney
agreed Ke
routes,
Houston
having
the fol
the
Sunday
ime of robbers
thirty hours
good our
for
flight
night came
favorable
dark
were
to our
pose, being and
stormy
ised
they were
though we men
now
up to that degree of excitement as we
stood the thin, frail barrier
which only divided us from a fortune,
that we trembled, blanched and shook
like so many frightened culprits
J I
before
At length the hammer was raised, the
signal was given, the blow was struck
crash through the thin plate of
steel the fron was sent, crumbling the
shattering the Inner and per
mitting our bull's-eye lantern to flash
through into the great treasure
Bo excited were we that it
ficult for any to
CAsINg,
was dif
one resist the shout
for ntterance,
in a few minutes a space was made
large enough for one of us to
through, and, then was exposed our
We found that in
were
I ought to have been contented with
and might have got off free, as
my companions did, but what will not
a greedy man do?
could only open with powder, and, be
ing an expert at that business, { deter
mined, against the ad my coin
panions, to see the inside of It,
I accordingly prepared for the work,
while they were busy fn rewoving the
treasures already secured,
It chanced that | was alone In the
bank when I set off the fuse, expecting
only a slight concussion; but {he pe
port was louder than I anticipated, and
the effect was terrible,
The safe door was blown open, and
I was left unharmed; but the report of
the explosion was heard by a private
watchman In the vicinity, who imme
diately gave an alarm, which brought
crowds of people about the bank.
The rest Is soon told. My compan:
lons succeeded in escaping with thelr
booty, but, after a desperate resistance,
I was arrested. A speedy trial fol
lowed, and, of course, | was convicted,
That bank robbery was Gentleman
Jim's last job. I am in prison, and
not until ten years hence, If 1 live,
shall I once more be at Liberty. «New
York Weekly.
jee of
A MARYLAND BOAR HUNT.
migated Shortly,
On the farm of Mr. John Donnell
Smith, on Spesutin Island, there Is a
They
wild and vicious and have thelr
lairs In the cover of the marshes,
which they rove at will. Spesutia Is
land is about six of this
miles south
fertile land, but, in addition to
this, there are vast marshes between it
and the mainland, The island is divid-
ed Into three farms of about equal por
the Smith farm being on the
extermity. Several years ago
of the the farm
neglected and allowed to Inhabit
marshes, They bred there and now
they are unapproachable. Notwith
standing the great loss of thelr pro-
geny by drowning In high the
herd has increased,
At first little
the animals, but
their numbers
tions,
lower
some hogs
on we
the
tides,
attention
with the
and flerceness, Mr,
Smith has concluded to exterminate
them, particularly thelr depreda-
tions upon the crops are doing great
To nocturnal
farm, had
reaching a
hore,
vas pald to
increase In
as
visits
waler
damage.
the
prevent
to Mr. Smith
consid
but he
found that it was only amusement for
to
in a
helleved
1
erable distance from s
these
It
around
heavy
that a
them swim
even
erally
but a
of the
ROAWAY,
hog
until
short distance
front hoofs ot
these boars
comfort
Mr. Smit
soaingt
MEANS
may
of
¥% fk 3 f thao
many ol $
these
tnx x3
and haunts
Mr. Smith
8
#h
1
$3.8 Gan
there af
tir
t. the me
Lord Russell
He
asked wi
vished
the law?”
, and calmly
The restaurant
; the Lord
gardi the
i
of finishing their
seeing
ig law,
London
fashion
Wise Heads on Young Shoulders
have wise heads
fittle shoulders,
Here's an example that is really true:
Three little girls were fifteen
cents each, by their fond mammas and
allowed to go to a church lawn party
recently. The next day they were
digcnussing the event In much
the same strain that their older sisters
would do. Said one little curly head:
“1 think those ladies were real stingy
with their cake. They only gave us
one little bit of a plece.”
“Why, we could buy a whole loaf of
at the bakery for five cents
“And did
you see that lady give her own little
boy three volunteered
third, “But then we had a real nice
time and got nice large dishes of jee
cream,” continued the first speaker in
turn
“YX en,
Some children wot
on their diminutive
given
."
chake
pieces?”
and my
sociable, ‘cause it's to
help them,” added another of the trio,
That last remark settled it with
three little maids. Worcester Spy.
chureh
allowed for foreign correspondence,
Russian stamps having been substi
tuted therefor. As a protest the Fin-
ish people have adopted an unofficial
stamp, nnd this they are using instead
of the Russian stamp, Of course, it is
not recognized as postage, but its use
calls attention to this downtrodden
people mourning for the loss of their
untioual privileges. For many years
past (since its connection with Russia)
the Grand Duchy of Finland of which
the Czar is Grand Duoke—has enjoyed
its own coinage and postage. The
postage has now been practically tak-
en away, and the coinage may soon
follow suit,
FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.
INTEREST ON ACRICUL.
TURAL TOPICS.
ITEMS OF
Feed Pays—Witch Crass Experience
Odors In the
Bread and Skimmilk-Ete., Ete,
Hogs Fattened on Corn.
production of lean meat
By judicious
does
The
Usually the pigs are turned on clover
and given a mess of bran and milk
allowing apples,
or any food,
When sufficiently grown they are pen
ned up and given ground oats, bran,
succulent
I'he meat will be interspersed with fat
and will more per
market fat
bring
very
lean
in
than hogs
The Crinding of Feed Pays.
In the majority of experi
ate trials by farmers,
ments, and
in numerous priv
it has been proven that well to
it pays
crush and grind the fead given to and
mais, To the
trouble to look
}
Ye oid }
one who takes the
into the matter,
readily be int the
Witch Crass Fxperience.
f old land was
2 " “Ve ¥
LEE Were aa i Aloe! qirecily over
heaps of hen manure and wood ashes,
if an egg after | incubated
for a tens days shows cloudy
but with no living germ in it, we may
that the eggs were fertile, but
3 1
weg
or
. RUPE
killed] in
or bj
sOImMe way,
chilling or
he germ haz been
by foul air
ther cause,
perhaps
Bread and Skimmiik.
The Maine Experiment Siation has
been doling some excellent work In in
vestigating the digestibility and nu
tritive value of bread and the value of
skimmiik for cooking At
the dairy meeting of the Maine Board
f Agriculture in 1807, a paper was
read setting forth the value of skim.
milk as food. The admission is made
that taken by itself it rather thin
and does not “stay by.” but this is ae
ounted for by the fact of its belfig so
assimilated as not to satisfy
the sense of hanger When eaten,
purposes
in
ing, It has a value not
ciated by the farmer,
contain about
of nutrition as a
at all appre
Five pints of
the same
pound of
is more nutritious than a of
aysters,
srate a large number of dishes that can
be prepared with skimmilk, stating
quart
purposes, it is practically as valuable
a8 whole milk.
Owing to a belief in this
and cospecially In bread
making, some interesting experiments
been conducted at the
Lonves
bread and skimmilk were
ing mixed in the early evening and
baked the next morning. On each on
casion the skimmilk bread rose slowly,
requiring two or three hours more than
the water bread. The water bread
gave a whiter and lighter loaf, but the
analyses showed the greater nutritive
value of the milk bread, The differ-
ence In the carbohydrates, or fat-form.
ing constituents of the bread, was
slight, but in the protein, or muscle
constituents, the milk bread showed
a decided advantage. The average of
the three experiments showed for the
water bread 1475 per cent of protein
and 10.068 per cont for the skimmilk
bread. Bread or cake made with
skimmilk dries out less ra than
when water fs vsed in
dough.
Double Purpose Animals. !
There are cases where the farmer |
makes his animals serve a two fold |
purpose and thus obtain a profit from |
them where they might be kept at a
loss if there were only the one source
of Income from them
in the too often despised ox team,
One of these ix
if
to have a good yoke of three-year-old
spring, and them for
both spring and fall plowing, drawing
in hay and®other work In the summer,
feeding liberally all the time, and after
the fall work is over put them up and
stall feed them until about Christmas,
he can sell them for beef at a
higher price than they were worth in
the spring, and for more
than thelr the cost of all
grain given We have
and thus work team
March practically
without but a little hay
himself he
Ox team
ise
much
sometimes
cost and the
done
from
them HO
we had our
until November,
any cost given
at work, Ifone raises them
three-year-old
with plow or
enn Lave a
mt will
is
KO00
walk ne
the
such a
machine,
drag
we
the
be
by
horse, and
work
bull «
purpose
quickly BAVerase
team on
The
dovrhle
ur
an
to
BEIYEe i
a tread-mill by workl
much ol
wiern MNtates
ain br
line with
trunk
1. Paint
inch in dian EW
gas tar or grafting wax
8 Never cut the main
a tree if
ad
the outside, This
or
th linseed oil
AWAY branches
but thin
crowd
an be quick
Iy done with the pruning book on
long pole, and little or no Injury will
result, while if the large branches are
cut from trunk the tree is weak
ened and soon dies or is broken down.
9. Cut off dead branches as soon as
discovered and cover the wound with
paint te prevent further decay.
10, In training young trees, start the |
branches low: the trees will grow bet
be avolded
of
ont
the he when it becomes
od, from
1
!
the
fruit will be more easily done, and the
cultivation ean be as well and cheap
ly done with the modern acme or
the head were higher, while the trunk
of the tree and the ground under it will |
be so protected that growth will be |
better than If more exposed.
Controlling The Hessian Fly,
The great loss of winter wheat in
Ohio the past
winter makes it apparent that farmers
either find some
or go
of the winter wheat business,
means have been sugested,
wit none will prove effectual unless |
all the farmers in the neighborhood
adopt the same plan, The most im:
portant is thorough preparation and |
fertilization of the land so as to pro
vide the most favorable conditions for
strong and rapid growth. Early fall
plowing, repeated barrowing and drag.
ging until the seed-bed is thoroughly
pulverized will do more to counteract
the effects of insect pests than all
other means combined
Another important item Is sowing
late, say the first to the middie of Oc
tober. If sown early, the adult fly,
which resembles the mosquito, lays its
eggs in the sheath of the blade near
the base. The pupa develops and
reaches the flaxseed stage late in the
fall. During all this time it is absorb.
ing the juices of the plant. In April
sr May another brood appears and this
process ix repeated, the flaxseed stage
af this string brood being reached just
efore harvest when straw falling re-
out
Various
amitg If the seeding is d laved nati
@
October, many of the flies will have
deposited their eggs In the volunteer
grain where they will do but little
damage, An additional help is to sow
stripe of wheat early, say the last
week of August, The eggs will be
deposited in this which can then be
turned under. Volunteer grain serves
the same purpose, provided it is turn-
under and the
and rolled,
If it
od ground harrowed
Hessian
boee
early seeded
how-
wheat
inte as
all.
not for the
Inte would not
for general rule,
fields yield best,
in
growing
fly.
advisable,
were
seeding
as a
It
the
to
10
is necessary,
oy winter
us
Crop
mneh of
territory
or,
BOW
get an
Agriculturist,
in order at
possible
American
Short and Useful Hints,
Rome kicking cows are the result of
ked
Too
ki COWE,
much corn meal 8 injurious to
young chickens,
The
h
the
early maturing animals bring in
early returns,
Vegetables when kept in cellars
should be kept « ool
Many
Winter season by being kept too damp.
pumpking are lost during the
dark will
ns
the nests
the li
Keeping
i from
what
crop you take
always
CONSUL
! dea of
“NO grass
The Prank of Cellege Girls.
tty story ha ju ole
of
tal
stole a one
as about to be
married A week before
for the
up to her eyes
Lime
bride
there
mitt
wedding was
came
about
wi, a smart pull at
lowed by the entrance
the bell,
of
of
that
The n
hostess
a dozen
her classmates, who announced
they had come for luncheon =
ural of the at
this unexpected addition to her family
consternation
were assuaged when each girl pro-
duced not only the component part of
a most meal, but dainty in
dividual and sancers well,
When the merry feast was ended the
delicious
cups Ee
dozen cups and saucers were left be.
hind as souvenirs of the occasion. Nor
was this all. Carefully wrapped in
tissue paper and tied with baby rib-
bon in the Berkeley colors, blue and
were all sorts of small kitchen
conveniences —egg beaters, potato
ricers, larding needles, a set of silver
and the like. These were
stealthily tucked into the interstices
of the wedding chest, which was being
the happy college days comradeship. —
“ ni. A ——— - A
Bleck Sea Depths. hs
The explorations of the depihs of the
condi-
The greatest depth found is 1.-
A freshwater surface
through the
into
tion,
circulation.
depths are constantly
quite stagnant, and they are 20 Im
hydrogen
that no life is possible beyond 100
fathoms. Water from a depth of 300
fathoms smells like rotten egge. Thus
the bottom deposits, unlike those of
the open oceans, are barren of life,
and they show the further extraordi-
pary difference, unknown elsewhere,
of an abundant chemical precipitate of
carbonate of lime,
A Falling OH in Chinese Gods.
One result of the Chinese outhroak,
#0 far as Birmingham is concerned,
says Tit-Bits, is that the manufacture
of Chunese deities is falling off. These
manufactories turn out gods of all
sorts and sizes. Some are gods of
war, judging by thelr stern looks and
murderous swords; another, with a
bland look, is a god of peace; others
bear hideous leers. All are thoroughly
Chinese in character and expression,