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A POPULAR CQBNER,
Something Afcont Ihe Visitors to the
Postoffice Gorridors.
STARTING A LETTER ON ITS WAT.
Troubles of the Stamp and Delivery
Window Cleiks.
DECLllfE OP THE SPECIAL DELIFEET
rwnrmjr roa tb niErjiTcn.i
HBOUGH the cramped
corridors of that section of
I he queer old Government
uilding devoted to the
Post Office, flows an in-
-reasing stream of people,
nd the tread of many feet
has worn great ridges in
the stone steps, and even
the pavement which serves
ns approaches.
It is a simple truism to say
that Post Office
Corner js the most fre
quented and central location in Pittsburg.
The" tide of humanity ebbs and flows
through qneerold SmithCeld stne audJFifth
avenue archways of ancient color and graceful-curves
from early morn till dewy eve.
Appointments' of all kinds are made and
kept; marketers catch widely diverging car
lines by making use of the postoffice as a
"terminal; box owners rnsh in furtively'and
-glance through the glass for the letters that
seem so slow in coming that they never ar
rive, "hundreds of young people meet in the
corridors quite by accident; the public in
general rushes in to start the machinery ot
the mails freighting Uncle Sam with hopes,
fears, bids tor fortune, news of families and
individuals, in a word, their inner selves
concealed onlv by a thickness of paper. But
above all is the Tery apparent fact that the
zMs
B2.aaL
t cH.tL.y .ii'THs. SZ!?2S
BOXES TnEOUOU WHICH 4,000,000 BETTERS FLOW AX2TOALLT.
floating population of this big city rotates
'around this center.
An astonishingly large percentage of the
oul-of-door population of the city passes
through the postoffice corridors. Some have
some distinct business, others wander around
the office countless times a day, jnst as it
they could lay claim to business connections
of ttje highest character through affecting
dealings with so honorable an old gentle
man as Uncle Sam; much upon the same
principle that a man will dine in the
Bowery on n 20-cent basis and adjourn to
the steps of the Astor House with a tooth
pick adjunct and a well-led expression.
A EtrSHINO TIDE.
. But there is -by no means a marked
Tamount of Idling in Mhe -corridors. Xonr
- average Pittsburg business -man docs not
" allow his heels to cool very much. The
stream of these gentlemen actually pours
Ovmet: "GtmmeaZteo-CenlStamp,'
outg&ud in the archways all day long. Mes
sengers and young clerks dive through the
crdwd with bundles of mail matter or pack
ages. Greetings are exchanged, hands
hastily pressed, hats raised to pretty women
for the fair sex is constantly represented.
Acquaintances pass the compliments ot the
day and season, and unless limited to the
simplest salutations, busy people elbow you,
walk on vonr pedal pets or sweep you
around with scan test ceremony. The post
office corridors contain the most kaleidosco
pTccrowd to be fonnd in the two cities.
In. -this connection the figures on the
amount of business done by the departments
coming in direct contact with the public,
arc indicative of an-amount of postal busi
ness which a few cities, like Cincinnati, St.
Xouis. or Kansas Citv. would do well to
equal, and can never beat Taking up the I
lure slots, turougn.wnicn rittsDurg s letter
mail is sent, some interesting computations
can be made by anyone with a genius for
statistics. There are five 'of these orifices
wHcbjyawn unceasingly and cry, like the
daughters of the Horseleech for more. The
length of each orifice is eight inches,
undi a width of an inch or so.
Byv way of facilitating the proper separa
tion'or the mail matter into sections ot the
country or tbe universe to be reached, the
postal authorities have neat signs over fonr
of.the boxes indicating the points of the
compass. The first box to the left is
"South," then comes "Uorth," then "East,"
then VWest," the two last boxes getting, as
ajmatter of course, the bnlcof the mail.
"Withfits usual discriminating intelligence
tbVpublic generally obeys the mute behest
aid'drop' letters accordingly. Those who
sdfop a letter to Chicago in the Bast box
-" would be surprised to know how much in-
' convenience it causes the clerks on the in
side. So that quiet transmission is really
subserved by attention to the implied re
Through these cardinal point boxes an
enormous amount of mail flows. Superin
tendent of Mails Stephen Collins hauled out
a big book, and after some rapid marks with
a pencil, said tnai in w uiuum u ocptcui
ber the daily average of letters -was 90,000.
On the customary asis of 50 letters to the
pound, nearly a ton of letters found its way
toithi. inrf?irff ihi. offiee In every 24 hours.
kiHardlvlossimportantrethe twoalotsof
r'""TMWf .:. thmnirli irli if h ECW1D2 tiers
HMtHtH , M.r-- J -i
i
and small parcel ate dropped into the maws
of the postal.
There it also a small window adjacent
I through which larger parcel are received.
a-uu jjujuuu w4 we amp fflau ucpatuucui i-
erages 1,500 pounds of mail matter received
per diem.
THE SPECIAL DELIVERY.
The special delivery box is a law unto
itself. This branch of the quick transmis
sion of mails idea started out several years
since with a great flourish of trumpets and
really enjoyed desultory popularity. But
for wme reason it has steadily retrogressed
in its employment as a means of transporta
tion of messages. Not over 175 letters per
diem are dropped into the box at present,
and it is understood that this state of affairs
is noticed all over the country. Collec
tions are .made from the box every half
hour, and the special messenger boys are
under strict injunctions not to tarry by the
wayside while en route with the aecellerated
missives. Despite every effort to push the
service it is steadily declining in patronage.
An expert in human nature says that one
reason why the district messenger boy is,
the favorite emissary for sadden or impor
tant message, is because the person who
sends the letter can wait around until the
4LJ5L3M.
A btceet Applteantfor JiaiU
f(Big5)5)g5
boy returns -and then ascertain accurately
just how the addressed party -received the
missive. Especially is this said to be a cor
rect hypothesis when the sender is a young
man and the receiver a young woman, or
vice versa. Bnt this is coBJecture. How
ever, there is no doubt of the decadence of a
system which a capricious public clamored
for rigorously, hailed with satisfaction and
wearied of eventually.
The chief place of interest in the corri
dors of the postoffice is the stamp window.
The dark, good-natured man who passes out
the stamps so expertly and makes change
so affably is Mr. L. Cells. He is a long
Buffering employe of the Government, and
nas aoont as lively a time passing out an
cqniyalent-for -the $1,200 he handles every
day as could be imagined. Some of the
stamp combinations thrown at him would
baffle the most expert mathematician.
Here is one taken at random from the
calls which come every five seconds in the
course of the day:
"Give me 31 2-cent, 1 10-cent, 6
postal cards, 1 stamped envelope, 2
lettersheets and the rest in 1-cent stamps,"
says a breathless individnal balancing
a dollar of onr daddies on the abbreviated
counter. The problem is 31 2-cent, 62; 1
10-cent, 72; 6 postal cards, 78; 1 stamped en
velope, 81; 2 letter sheets, 87, 13 1-cent
stamps rounding up the dollar. Bnt the
stamp, seller has the goods piled in tne cus
tomer's hand and the dollar iu the drawer
before the traditional "Jack Bobinson"
could be said. His mental arithmetic
seems entirely infallible, and when change
is involved in the transaction the money
and the stamp appear with truly
MARVELOUS RAPIDITY.
The large majority of stamps sold are 2
cent. A great maur 5-cent stamps are sold
he'e for foreign mail, .a stamp of that de
nomination taking a half ounce of letter
material anywhere in Asia. If the letter
exceeds halfan ounce in weight the foreign
countries light onto it for the extra postage.
The letter must be of exact weight for trans
mission to Australia, a 12 good cents is what
the service demands.
The 3-cent letter-sheet, which is a sheet of
note paper and a stamped envelope com
bined, is a highly ingenions postal device
for which the last national administration
was responsible, but it has never had any
share of popular iavor for some unexplained
reason. The sheets were not printed by the
Government, but by a private firm which
furnished the sheets to the Government and
awaited the results on the sales. The latter
have not been a remarkable financial
achievement. The inventor of the device
was smart enough to secure a fat sum from
the firm which went into the scheme and
has since doubtless had occasion to congrat
ulate himself udoq his sagacity.
One of the most interesting features of
the arrangement of the corridor are the lock
boxes, of which there are 1,022. There
never were any call lock boxes in the PitU-
UnOe Sam Conngning Oeait-Lettert to the
Grave.
burg Postoffice, that idea pertaining ex
clusively to the bucolic mail service. The
revenue to tfce Government from the local
lock bores is a trifle over $8,000 per annum.
Very few of the above number are emptv,
as there is a slowly increasing demand tor
private repositories of mail matter, which
has been heretofore met by the extra bores,
a nice adjustment of demand and supply!
The carrier service extensions are thought
to be the means of keeping the lock box de
mand at a normal basis.
It is a singular fact that the, only cities in
America having more lock boxes than Pitts
burg are New York and Chicago. Cities of
Pittsburg's size or even above it, have far
less lock boxes. Officials attribute this to
conservatism, arguing that' Plttsbnrgere
cling with great tenacity to eU customs.
The possibility of confusion of Yale keys
or the chance of duplication and robbery of
boxes was mentioned to Mr. Collins, who
stated that even if a key was lost it would
be a pretty hard thing for if an evil-minded
person was to seenre a lost key he would
have no chance of trying the fit without
arousing suspicion. The Yale Company
makes special numbers for postoffices and
no one but the postmaster could order a
duplicate of a box key intelligently
by the record kept of each .box and
number of key. A box-owner could
ofcourse, order a duplicate by simply using
the nnmber stamped upon the key. But,
as he vfould be the only one who would
know which box the key fitted the seal ot
secrecy would remain intact, the scheme of
parties renting boxes and corresponding
without the use of postage by means of
duplicate keys, is sometimes tried, bnt not
often. The use of canceled stamps was not
much of a success, either. Ko matter how
clever the removal "of the canceling
stamp, it was a pretty hard
thing to eradicate the ink, espe
cially1 the kind now in use, which is
printers' ink and "permeates," as Louis
Harrison says in the "Pearl of Pekin."
Uncle Sam is not asleep, and the penalty of
three years in the penitentiary is too severe
to warrant any infractions of the laws
against defrauding the Government of post
age. There are 70 newspaper lock boxes, which
front upon the corridor leading to the up
stairs of the building. Many of them are
filled four or five times a day, which be
tokens the importance of the Pittsburg pa
pers upon the exchange lists of the journals
ot the nation.
THE GENERAL DELIVERY.
The general delivery windows are the cen
ters of a large amount of attention, almost
exclusive in fact, from the floating popula
tion of the city. Hundreds of people who
are in Pittsburg only for a few days have
their mail sent to the general delivery, not
desiring to have it sent to boarding houses
or hotels. In a general way, however, all
undirected mail goes o the carriers, who try
to locate the owner. Failing the letters go
to the directory clerk whose duty it is to try
and find the addresses of people not in the
directory. If the carrier fails to locate a
letter he stamps it as follows:
"Have your mail addressed to street
and number." Then the diiectory clerk
ruts on the folllowing inscription: "Not in
Directory." Then the letter goes to the
general delivery boxes,of which therearenp
ward of 200, for all possible snbdivisions of
the alphabet and first syllables of names.
There are about 4,000 letters carried in ibe
general delivery. If a letter remains in the
boxes a week without being called for it is
advertised. Two weeks are given the owner
to call for bis property, and at the expira
tion of that time the letter is sent to the
Dead Letter Office. Does TJncle Sam shed
tears, one wonders, as he empties sack after
sack of moribund letters into his little postal
cemetery? Hon many hopes, aspirations,
checks to tide over financial crisis, and other
important or vital matters have been sum
marjly buried?
As a result of advertising, an average of
one-tenth of the letters are reclaimed. As
for applicants for letters, there are at least
1,000 s day, many of whom come back time
atter time with blank despair written in
every feature. Others, again, come up
smiling every day and never get a letter in
the course of the year. It's a capital place
to study human nature. The most pro
nounced nuisance with which the clerk has
to contend is the man who insists that the
United States postal department is all
wrong and that he,'s all right
There is some epistolary flirtation inci
dental to every postoffice, and Pittsburg is
no exception. Finely dressed young girls
perfectly -sell known to'the clerk, come up
to the wiuqow and ask for some name noth
ing like her, own. .There it, of course, no
option but to deliver the" letter, but some
times the clerks exercise a wholesome dis
cretion in soarine away the would-be fair
offender against propriety in correspondence.
Many women come to the window and call
for letters in three or four names. Very re
cently orders were issued against this prac
tice, and the supposition is that the ukase
emanated from the good and great Mr.
"Wananiaker, who is, despite misleading
reports, as smart as any ot the balanced the
politicians and rounders.
"When the postoffice has four times as
much room as at present, in the new build
ing, it will be pleasanter for Uncle Sam's
Pittsburg mail service employes.
"Wales.
THE AMEKICAK LION.
Peculiarities of n Savace Beast That In
habit the Far West.
Chambers' Journal.
The mountain lion of North America is
one of the most dangerous of the wild ani
mals which are fonnd in the mountains of
the Par West. Althongh called a lion,
yet this animal bears no resemblance to
the African lion except so far a its
fierceness is concerned. It really belongs
to the same family as the wildcat or
catamount, but is of much greater size, gen
erally being about as large in bodyand limb
as a full-grown sheep dog. It is rarely seen
in the vicinity of settlements except driven
thither by hunger, when it will attack
cattle, sheep, horses, or poultry, and at
times human beings. But, as a general
thing, if not molested, it will not attack
human beings, though, it wounded, there is
no animal which will make a more desper
ate fight, regardless of consequences.
It cannot oe driven off from an attack as
long as life lasts; it must be killed to be
beaten. Its chief peculiarity is its cry,
which the most experienced hunter has at
times mistaken lor the wail of a child in
distress. This feature makes the beast more
dangerous, especially if he should establish
his lair in the vicinity of a settlement, be
cause, unless a person is an old-timer, he
will be deceived by that cry whenever
he hears it. It is the most perfect imitation
of a child's wail of lament I ever heard,
more perfect than the cleverest mimic could
ntter.
HE HAER0WLI ESCAPED P0TEETI.
A California Millionaire's Experience In a
New York Hotel.
It does not seem easy to realize how
cheaply you live in California until you
have tried some of the Eastern hotels, says
the San Francisco Chronicle. E. J.
Baldwin went to a, hotel jip New
York for a rest. He was only go
ing to stay a few hours in town. It
was about 3 o'clock when he registered,
and he wanted to take a little sleep before
he was called at 10. The gentlemanly clerk
recognized the name and the man, and
looked pleased to have a whack at the long
purse of the California millionaire. Bald
win had several hours' sleep and was called
at 10 o'clock as ordered. He went to the
office and asked for his bill. It was handed
to'him S30.V Mr. Baldwin looked at it.
"I am very much obliged to"yon for wak
ing ma at 10 o'clock."
"Why?" '
"If I had slept a few hours more it would
have busted me."
1 .
Pan tbo 1'le.
Detroit Tree Press.
The Bev. Joseph Cook says: "Beware of
the nation which does not eat pies." Come
to think of it, the nations which don't care
for pies, are great on revolutions, loose in
their morals, and are gradually degenerat
ing in rank as war powers. It takes mince
pie to keep a nation in the front rank.
A Concrecatlea ef One.
Lewlston Journal. 1
The Ellsworth American puts it mildly
jvnen it says mil ise resident Binuier at
IslejaVXaut'is "very4perseWring."' OHi
recent Sunday evening he held a service
with onlj'histeelf ad settaa 'mreseat. "'
PITTSBURG, SUNDAY,
A HPSKHG KOMANCE.
Finding a Bed Ear Compels a Pretty
Vermont Girl 6 Decide
BETWEEN TWO EAGER. SOITOES.
She Had Promised That Her Answer
Should be a .Kiss.
HlGtfFOK AT A TEEM02JT HUSKHTG BEE
(connESroirnsxcE or rax dispatch.:
Lahe St. Catherine, Vt., November
30. "Dancing in the barn" has been a fa
vorite fashionable diversion in the society
that spells its name with a capital S ever
since Mrs. Vanderbilt gaye the initiative
barn ball at Newport, and Lenox hastened
to seal the ceremony with the sign of popu
lar approval, but no swell stable festival
could equal in picturesque effects and genu
ing enthusiasm the series of old-fashioned
harvest revels and husking-bee carnivals
that have been given here during the past
month. Mrs. "Vanderbilt requested her
guests to leave their dia'monds at home, we
are informed. The country maidens haven't
any to bring; but they don't need them, lor
glowing cheeks and sparkling eyes, laugh
ing red lips and shining tresses that all the
Newport diamonds could not buy or lease,
need no adorning; while shy, sweet grace
of bearing, and the quaint dignity of unaf
fected simplicity in demeanor lend to
gingham gown and calico frock a piquant
charm and beantv.
Over the dun, barren fields, through the
rustling golden glory of fallen leaves, and
beneath the soft splendor of the late Octo
ber moon the country lads and lasses hasten
to the hnskings with swift and willing
steps. One, two, and even tbree miles they
walk, though horses stand idly in the
stables, for who would ride when the jol
liest part of the whole proceeding is the
walk home with your best girl after it is
over, and the lingering good night at the
gate? The yellow corn shocks are piled
high against the old barn walls, where, 'in
swaying festoons of aromatic cedar, lanterns
flash out of the dark and make heavy
shadows on the bright flushed faces of the
metry workers; fringes and tassels of pine
droop from the dark brown rafters, and
through it all subtle sweet odors drift from
the hay mow, whose summit is lost in the
gables. High up in a corner of the peaked
roof is fastened a wreath of cedars, where
never a girl wonld dream one would be
hung, and if any unsuspecting maiden ven
tures unconsciously beneath it, or is in
veigled by some mischievous youth into
its vicinity, she pays a mistletoe-bough
penalty to whatever swain happens to be
quickest at her side.
A KISS TO BE PRIZED.
How the sweet, glad voices ring thron'jh
the rustling of the dry stalks as swift brown
fingers strip the hnsks away and toss the
ears over their shoulders into golden, glow
ing heaps, which the men carry away in
baskets! What a shout and mad chase
when the red ear is found, and the fleet
footed finder rnns from her pursuers, brand
ishing it aloft, and how graciously and
sweetly, when .the race is over, she lifts her
moist, warm lips to the swiftest runner in a
kiss that is a kiss, with a smack to it that
you can almost taste yourselt the other side
of the room I
And when the work is done how quickly
room is made for the, long, table, improvised
out of barrels and boards; where jugs of
cjder, heaped-up plate..ofbrowndongh-.
nuts, great square tins of pumpkin pies,
and piles of red and yellow apples
are placed, while crazy seats of cornstalks
accommodate the guests, who are served
from the plenteous store! "We reverse the
conventional order of proceedings hereand,
instead of a lot of stupid men tearing dis
tractedly about the table and spilling most of
the viands they try to secure for their ladies,
the- men are seated themselves, and the
light-footed maidens, with their de.t, skillful
hands, serve them, and afterward sit down
beside them to share the feast. Once it is
dispatched, men and maidens alike help
to clear the floor, the fiddler mounts a
rickety platform, and all join in the old
fashioned country dances with the joyous
abandon of children until the moonbeams
get tangled in the distant treetops, and
warn them that it is time to pair off, like
birds in if ay, and start on tbe long walk
toward home.
But of all the frolics Farmer Jenkins'
husking bee the other night was the rollick
ingest, jolliest, merriest and gayest. In the
first place, the farmer has the biggest barn
and the best cider and the prettiest daugh
ter in the whole township, and, in the sec
ond place, his wife makes the sweetest
doughnuts and the thickest pumpkin pies
and the richest molasses cake ot anyone
near here. And, in addition to all these
attractions, a pretty little romance was
brought to a charming finale in a most
original and quaint manner just before the
husking was done.
A. RURAL BELLE.
Janie Jenkins is a most bewitching bun
dle of willful womanhood, with delicious,
demure little ways that win your heart, but
with a certain still proud dignity that com
mands your respect If ever stp lifts her
long, dusky lashes and reveals the wistful
depths of her -wonderful eyes, you feel like
taking her in your arms as you would a
baby that is sobbing; but if you so much as
touch the tips of her fingers she flashes a
look of scornful defiance from those same
depths that would right about face u whole
regiment of men. Even In her childhood's
merry games of forfeits no daring rustic
laddie ever .presumed to claim his rightful
kiss from Janie, for she didn't believe in
kissing and nonsense and would have none
of it, but she was a blythe, brave, bonny
little maiden, who knew hnw in Kteer hn-
own sled down the sparkling snow crust inv.
winter and sail ner own crazy skin over the
waves in summer, and thought no more of
going out in the pasture to catch and mount
the vixenish, perverse little mare she would
persist in riding (though not a man on the
place could handle her) than other girls
think of picking a bonquetof roses for their
corsage.
Everyone felt a little bitof awe in Janie's
presence, even the old biddies who knew she
never would amount to anything because
she would not learn to bake and brew; and
the honest country boys who admired her
afar off, and, flushed with strange, eager
joy, they couldn't understand when she
smiled, on them. But there was one person
who wasn't afraid of Miss Janie, and that
was Harrison "Wilkins, whose mother's
farm joined her father's, and who took
her out in her little cart on the first journey
she ever made in this world, when she
was six weeks and he was 6 years old. It
ws Harrison who carried her little shiny
dinner pail to school when she went to learn
her a b c's; who taught her how to steer the
sled and sail the boat; who bnried her kitten
when it died; who helped her break the
spirit of tbe fractious mare, and showed her
how to sit the saddle firmly and hold the
bridle well down in her firm little hand. It
was HarrisOn who took her where the first
May flowers came in the springtime;
who showed her where the first straw
berries ripened in Jnne, and who
shook .the, first chestnuts down for
her in October; who .helped her with
her sums in arithmetic and fought her bat
tles and who never feared or heeded her
pretty imperious ways at all. Perhaps it
was the care that his father's death brought
to him as a child that developed his Strength
and firmness and fearlessness; perhaps it
was only the dignity of his great love 'for
Janie, that made him her master. "Theday
thev burled the kitten he'told ber at to. cry,
Sbr"he Would "be Ills little Wife oase'dav;
nndwhea:f she indigantlyHise hw yowj
nevet.'Bever'to be anyWdy Vwile, JnljJ
DECEMBER 1, 1889.
laughed and said, "That's all right, Janie
for now, but you'll change your mind some
day."
?tri& CITX" LOVER.
Every one in "Wilton thought Janie and
Harrison were to be married that is every
one but Janie when there came upon the
scene Adolphus Comstock from a distant
city, who was the son of her father's oldest
friend. He came for the fishing and the
sketching, bnt he stayed for something
else.
He knew women only through the con
ventional formal medium of society, and
was such an exasperatingly and indifferent
cynical creature that he piqued most wfimen
into displaying their frivolous and least
attractive characteristics to him. He cared
more for his pointers than for his sister's
chattering friends; for a trout brook, his
rod and flies, than any moonlight excursion
or picnic, with a galaxv of pretty girls who
must be waltzed with and talked with. But
Janie knew the favorite haunts of the
speckled beauties herself and could give
him points on the fishing question beside.
Harrison hai taught her.. She could
pull herv skiff steadily and still
to where schools of bass hid in
the cool waters of the lake, and land
the gamiest of them without a scream,
and when she cleared a five-rail fence on
the wicked little pony which he had seen
her saddle and mount, his respect grew into
wondering, piquant interest- He liked the
proud reserve witn which this little rural
beauty met his advances, the pretty scornful
curl of the red lips at his finest compliments,
and the haughty poise of the small head as
her eyes flashed" cnarming negatives to his
proposals. He fancied what a wonder she
wonld be once she learned her power; what
a queenly beauty in the apparel which his
wealth could give her; what a strong tender
woman, once her spirit were broken, and her
heart melted.
Harrison looked on grimly at all this
wooing, ground his teeth sometimes as she
rode bv with the handsome stranger on the
horse he taught her how to ride, but al
ways smiled at last in confident content,
and said to. himself: "She will flirt with
that city chap to the end of the chapter, but
she wJlLbe my wife at last" He told her so
the day of the husking, when he was help
ing her fasten the cedar festoons. Her face
was temptingly near his as she raised it to
lift to him some moroof the greens, and they
were just beneath the kissing wreath, too,
but when he would have claimed his just
and lawful dues she stopped him witn a
pretty protesting "please," and as she turn
ed ber flushed face away he could see tbe
full white throat quiver a little as with a
sudden contraction, and the lips trembled
strangely. They were all alone in the big,
fragrant place just for a minute, and be
stooped suddenly and caught her with a
noose of the green rope he was draping, and
asked if she hid forgotten that she was to
be his wife some day, and when, instead of
the usual protest, she only laughed and told
him softly that when she was quite sure she
was ready she would give him the kiss she
owed him, he freed her and went on with
his hammering and whittling.
AT XHE HUSKING DEE.
That had been a trying day for Janie.
She had helped her mother with the baking
and her father with the barn decoration.
She had ridden twice into the village for
some forgotten ingredient needed for the
mysterious processes going on in the big,
sweet pantry, and, worse than all the rest
Adolphus Comstock had proposed to her in
the little parlor, where she sat polishing the
Bcarlet apples for the supper. It was all so
sudden, and everything was in such a flutter
that she'didn't know what she had told him,
but was dimly conscious of turning away
her face whence would have kissed her, and
faltering out something, about her giving
him he kiss some time when she was sure
.she anld.be. all.frvhjtu that-he asked ,her to
be
Janie was horribly afraid that night as
ibe tbpugbt it all over, while she braided
her long, glossy hair into a coronet for her
graceful little head, that she had half
promised to marry two men, and the worst
of it was she didn't quite know which one
she did care most for. It was too bad of
Harrison to say what he did when she had
so much to do and no time to think it out at
all, and after she had had one proposal.
But already the people were coming, and
there was no time to think then, so she flew
into a dark blue gingham , dress, with a
broad collar turned back from her 'soft,
white throat, and knotted with scarlet rib
bons, tied a red apron around her trim
waist, and tripped lightly down -the stairs
and through the moonlight to the barn,
where she met her guests with her merry,
glad greeting, and there seated herself on a
big corn shock, with her small, shapely
head outlined against the yellow corn heap
at ber back, and hot blushes sweeping over
her face- Something evidently was the
matter with Janie, for the lithe, brown hands
that usually were swiftest of all at tbe work
trembled provokinglv as she tore the yellow
husks away, with the soft eyelashes resting
against her warm, flushed cheeks.
Such a laugh as arose when Janie of all
others found the first red ear, bnt the girl
herself grew strangely pals for an instant;
then with a bound she flew as fleetly as a
deer round and round the room, in and out
among the workers. One by one the pur
suers all dropped out ot the race, except
Harrison and Adolphus.. The people knew
pretty well the state of affairs between the
three, and watched with breathless interest
the result of the race, which seemed to them
significant and prophetic.
A KISS AITS A BBXDE
The girl's steps grew slower.and at length,
finding herself in a corner, she cangbt at
one of the festoons and half climbed, half
drew herself up to the top of the great corn
heap, where she poised turned, and faced
them like a frightened bird in a snare.
Adolphus wonld have dashed up after her,
bnt Harrison pnt his big brown hand com
mandincrlv on the other's shoulder and bade
him wait. "TTnw. .Tanfe. "he said, in the oliLl
confident, sweet tone, "come down and taKek
your pick." '
Just for a second she waited, but in that
fatal second came back to her all the years
of sweet companionship, of helpfulness and
trust. "Why, of course she couldn't live
without hicq; of course she was to be his
wife some day, of conrse she belonged to
him hadn't'he always said so, even by the
kitten's grave, and just then the corn shack
she stood on gave a great slide, and, with
out any effort of her own, she-was in his
arms, and everybody was cheering and
shouting in the place. And right in the
midst of it all didn't Harrison say with a
triumphant gleam in his flashing eyes, "I
told you so, Janie; and now for the kiss."
She lifted the shadowy lashes just for a
second, with a look in her eyes that made
the big, strong fellow feel as weak as a
woman, and kissed him softly once, twice,
thrice, before them all. Then she ran away,
and he couldn't get near her again, until
after the tables were cleared ana the danc
ing was to begin.
The stranger disappeared, and no one
could find him at the supper, bnt when the
long lines of Virginia reel had been formed
he mounted the quicklr improvised plat
form, took Harrison's violin, bade him go
and find Janie to lead tbe dance, and then
he played such music as our people never
heard before, and watched Janie trip down
the center with both small hands held fast
and hidden in, hei' lover's broad brown ones.
The next morning be went away, and
there's to be a wedding on Christmas, and
he says hek coming back to play while
Janie leads the dance again. .Laurel.
A Trat hi si FJibcrmatt.
Trojr Press, l
Isaac T. Baker, -of Comstocks, father of
Eallroad Commissioner Isaac V.Baker, Jr.,
tell a new story to his friends. He saldr
-"I'm over 70 years of agej and soman has
eyersbaywa'we. Never Kfired a, pistol, or,
Kara wwjK mj- AiMS.t 3A yv WJ m(Dii vw
wM. ' Tlwrt ww a eod.-aM the ftany MIw
wm sagtirtdJtoewfliasrasBiiiffcT
CHAPTEB I.
It had grown dark on Burnt Ridge. Seen
from below, the whole serrated crest that
had glittered in the sunset as if its inter
stices were eaten by consuming fires, now
closed up its ranks of blackened shafts and
became again harsh and somber chevanx de
frise against the sky. A faint glow still
lingered over the red valley road as if it
were its own reflection, rather than any
light from beyond the darkened ridge.
Evening was already creeping up out of
remote canons and along the furrowed
flanks of the mountain, or settling on the
nearer woods with the slow home-coming of
innumerable wings. At a point where the
road began to encroach npon the mountain
side in its slow winding ascent the darkness
had become so real that a young girl ca nter
ing along the rising terrace found difficulty
in guiding her horse, with eyes still dazzled
by the sunset fires.
In spite of her precautions, the animal
suddenly shied at some object in the ob
scured roadway, and nearly unseated her.
The accident disclosed not only the fact that
she was riding in a man's saddle, but a foot,
and ankle that her ordinary walking dress
was too short to hide. It was evident 'that
her equestrian exercise was extempore, and
that at that hour on the road she had not ex
pected to meet company. Bafshe was ap
parently a good horsewoman, for the mis
chance that might have thrown a less.prac
tical or more timid rider seemed of little
moment to -her. "With a strong hand and
determined gesture she wheeled her fright
ened horse back info the track and rode him
directly at the" object. But there she her
self slightly recoiled for it was thebodyof
a man lying in the road.
As she leaned forward over ber horse's
shoulder she could see by the dim light that
he was a miner, and that, though motion
less, he wjs breathing stertorously. Drunk,
no doubt! an accident of the locality
alarming only to her horse. But although
she cantered impatiently forward, she had
not proceeded 100 yards before the stopped
reflectively and trotted back again. He-had
not moved- She could now see that his
head and shoulders were covered with
clods of eartli and gravel, and smaller frag
ments lay at hi' side. A dozen feet above
him on the hillside there, was a loot-trail
which ran parallel with the bridle-road? and
occasionally overhung it. It seemed possi
ble that he might have fallen from the trail
Hand been stunned. '
Dismounting. sne succeeded in dragging
him to a safer position by the bank; -The
act discovered his face, which was young
and unknown lo her. Wiping it with be
.; $fcjtJiatgj-flift..iig5
SHE COULD SEE BY THE JM
silk handkerchief which was loosely slung
around his neck after the fashion of his
class, she gave a quick feminine glance
around her and then approached her own
and rather handsome face near his lips.
There was no odor of alcohol in the thick
and heavy resDiration. Mounting- again,
she rode forward at an increased pace, and in
20 minutes had reached a higher tableland
of the mountain, a cleared opening ia the
forest that showed signs of careful cultiva
tion, and a large, rambling, yet picturesque
looking dwelling, whose unpainted red
wood walls were hidden in roses and creep
ers. Pushing open a swinging gate, she en
tered the inclosure as a brown-faced man,
dressed as a vaquero, came toward her as.if
to assist her to alight. But she bad al
ready leaped to the ground and thrown him
the reins.
"Miguel," she said with a mistress' quiet
authority in her boyish contralto voice,
"pnt Glory in the covered wagon, and drive
down the road as far as the valley turning.
There's a man lying- near the right bank,'
drunk, or sick, maybe, or perhaps crippled
by a fall. Bring him up here, ualess some
body has found him already, or you happen
to know who he is and where to take him."
.The vaquero raised, his shoulders, half in
deprecation, half in disappointed expecta-'
tion of some other command. "And your
brother, senora, he has not himself ar
rived." A light shadow of impatience crossed her
face. "No," she said bluntly. "Come, be
quick."
She turned toward tne house as the saan
moved away. Already a gaunt-looking pld
man had appeared in the porch, and was
awaiting her with his hand shadowing hisi
angry, suspicious eyes, and his lips, awfin
querulously. ,
"Ofcourse, you've got to stand oat tfcre.
aad give orders, and 'tend to year own fcaaaVi
nets afore yoa think a-' saiaainc to yosa".
owa Asta aad blood," fe aaM aaariavaoly
. "Ifcat'sallyeaeawr
ttwaWasfekaMai Msia
, S3 .,, ; 1 ,- ,
sairMMstluaiHit
far k - --- i mm urlitw w rl
A
1 sV -
turned the girl, with a certain conteajKious'
resignation. h g
"Oh, yes," struck in another voicafwhich.
seemed to belong to the femalpfthe first
speaker's species, and to be its equal in age
and temper; "and I reckon you saw a jar
bird on a tree or a squirrel on the fence, and
either of 'em was more important to yon
than your own brother."
"Steve didn't come by the stage and
didn't send any message," continued the
young-girl, with the same coldly resigned
manner. "No one had any news of him,
and, as I told you before, I didn't expect
any."
4'Why don't yon say right out you didn't
want any?" sai(Hbe old man, sneeringly.
"Much you inquired! Nb;I orter her gone
myself, .and a would it I was master here,
instead"of me and your mother beia the
dust of ihe yearth beneath jour feet."
The'young girl entered th'e honse.followed
by, ihe old man, passing an old woman
sealed by the window, who seemed to be
nurslne'her resentment and a larze Bible.
'which she held clasped against her shawled
bosom, at the same moment Going to the
wall she hung up her large hat and slightly
shook the red dust from her skirts as she
continued her explanation in the same deep
voice, with a certain monotony of logic and
possibly of purpose and practice also.
"You" and ofher know as well a I do,
father, that Stephen ia no more to be de
pended upon than tbe wind that blows. It's
three years since he set foot here it's three
years since be has been promising to come,
and. even getting money to come, and yet he
has Beyer showed his face, though he has
been a dozen limes within five miles of this
house. He doesn't come, because he doesn't
want to come. As fo your coin; over ia
the riage office, I went there myself at tbe
last moment to save you the mortification "of
asking Questions of strangers that they
know have been a dozes time answered.
already."
There wa3 such a ring of absolate truth
fulness, albeit worn by repetition, ia tbe
young girl's deep honest voice that for one
instant her two more emotional relatives
quailed before it; but only for a asosaent.
"That'gight!" shrilled the old wonan.
"Go oa and abuse your own brother. It's
only the fearyou have that he'll make his
fortune yet and shame you before the father
and mother you despise."
The yotafig girl remained standing by tbe
window, motionless and apparently passive,
as if receivingan accepted aad usual pun
ishment Bnt here the elder woman gave
way te sebtjwid smerincfceret anatliBg,
atVEioli the jortlferiwift away. Whether
LIOHT THAT HE WAS A MINES.
she recognized in her mother's tears the or
dinary deliquescence of emotioa, or whether,
aa a woman herself, she knew that this Mere
feminine conventionality could notpowlblv
,be directed at her, and that the actual coa-
met netweea mem naa eeasea, sne paesea
slowly on to an inner hall, leaving the male
victim, her unfortunate &tber, ia sacenmb,
as he always did sooner or-ltr, to their j a
fluence. Crossing the hall, which wss deco
rated with a few elk horns, Indian trophies
and mountain pelts, she entered another
room and closed the doer behind, her with a
gesture of.relfef.
The rooea, which looked upon a perch,
presented a riagnlar combination of jaasca
lino, business occupations and feminine
taste and a&rameat. A desk covered with
papers, a shelf displaying a ledger aad ac
count books, anotherseontaiaing works of
reference, a table with a vase of fewer
and a lady's riding whip upon it, a Map of
California laaked on either side by aa esa
breidered silken workbsg aad aa oval mir
ror deeked with grasses, a calendar aad interest-table
hanging below two schoolgirl
craysas of classio heads, with the legend,
"Josephine Forsyth fecit" were -part of its
iaeoagraeas accessories. The yeaag girl
went to her desk, bnt-preseatlr moved and
tarcea toward the window taoaghtfally.
The last gleam had died from the steel-blue
sky; a few lights like star paints began to
prick eat the. lower valley. The expression
of BaeateBoas restraint aad asriaraaee had
aat yat-faeM from her fee.
Yet she had Veen aeeastomd to scenes
llke,tfe sue she bad lost passes! throagh
slaee her girlhood, five years ago Alex
aadacXorsftb, her ancle, had broaghther
totaaaspet then a mere fee; aafcia on the
bHlstie ft arefage front ttia iasaarfarisMd
tmm,-turn ot oa asjwr taatnar
and hi Ul-temperwt 'wtts. Here.
J?orsyta by: reason ec atrnwra
afeafaataraad Imafaa eayasiay.
a nati
jggfe 'i MmiiiMM mmm
r-
between the' Brothers,. Josephine
?;
her position is the heart aad home' of '1
uncle withoat espousing- the cause 'Tot
either; and her father-was too pradeataetr
to recognize the near and prospective ai?f
vantages of such a mediator. Aecnstosll
to her parent's extravagant denunciations,
and her uncle's more, repressed bnt practi-sal!
contempt of thenr, ihe nxtfortnnate' girl
early developed a c-rnlcal disbelief ia th
virtues of kinship in tbe abstract, sad as'
er personally; Believing that her ftej
auu uocie lairiy represented taainrteraM
accredit calmly. True to - ttrfinitaj-,
'rst justice, which, she had ereets
tn?crumblls2 ruins of her own A.
iliAr, she was. tolerant of ererythin? batici
JHalto-her higher growth, had gi-MsnM?a)
Peculiar capacity for business whMs'ia3
tmmu UUIEKUUU .AIM UU2I1IT. HflWOarMr-i
;uearea ner to ber uncle. iramuis wftktM
strong passions and prejudices of mkSHS
naa none of these feminine me!
wholesome distrust of tMphrinritept'im
therefore, that when be died, twawsanKSM
it was found that he had left her iiifi
property, real and personal, limitad only byj
a swgie cQuauion, one was to fflBerta
ina vocation oi a "sole trader, ' aad'carryg
on the, business under the afcsae of "J A
Portytn." If she .married tbesfcrt a-kdj
husband's, inalienable under the-"Married?
Woman's .Property Act and subject darf
u uc me uujjt w ucruwo control aa-a 1
sonal responsibilities as a trader.
The intense disgust and discomfitare7j
her parents, who had expected to oit
actively participate in their brother'aTfoil
tune, may be imagined. But it waVfasi
equal to tneir tury wnen Joiepnine, iat
of providing for them a separate aaiais
nance out of her abundance, simply oKii
to transfer them and her brother to'hQw
house on a domestic but hot a busiasta
equality. There being- no alternative ihat
their former precarious shiftless life ia their
"played-out" claim in the valley, "tl
wisely consented, reserving the sacrtd rigM:
of daily protest and objurgation. la tfc
economy of Burnt Bidge Banche they sJea
took it upon, themselves to represent'
shattered domestic altar and its nntrifiil
Lares and Penates. So conscientiously 4M
tney perioral ineir tass: as to eves oees
allylmpede" the business visitor to the l
and to cause some -f t'nn mnin riiiiTiJfijjj
neighbors to seriously doubt the yosag- Wtti
commercial wisdom1. Bnt she waiiSl
Whether she thought her parents a i
ty or whether she regarded their proseali'I
tne ugnt oia penitential atoaeaHrJJ
some previous (disregard of the, m
knew. Public Opinion inclined" to tWlaiS
The black line of ridge faded oat wMTlwl
abstraction; and she turned frarfts32f
dow and lit tbe lamn-pn her JuK.MmfSia,
low light illnminaM her fswt aaaatSl
Un their womanly graces there wi
of what some people believed "to WrsT;
hub cuaxacicr, c&cepfc a MagMHyi
look of critical inquiry aad pati
tidn in her dark eyes; Her lea Wm
was somewhat rigidly twisted kt aTSSl
on tne top ot her head, as if MNi:
security than ornaaeat. Brow waafa
the prevailing tint of her eyebrews, IMMH
aet cyeiasues aau. eyes, ana was evta
gestpdin tbe aligSt aalluwBSMofltrl
plexion. Bat her lips were well eiari
fresh colored, and her hans and fci !
for a pretty girl had the not nggMtai i
iBiHg more.
pae sat oawm ana Began to eTissai
or papers oelere her with taate
aaelattentlea to,toil that
ifar eyas; paatiac at.
prattiiv katt taows, aatf Jm
tvaamaatUjM;! we
with a saate of sonethifif foifliHaa
ptttewwaaarwora aafttuy aaas
usteatajr. Tm sobbkIoI raagfc
her father's aaern tee aeaeaia i
upoa by a eahivatea aad a
terauee. "All right; I'll speak, tol
oace. w ait there." aM taadeeri
the well kaowa payskia uliwrmtfl
Dr.Daeaeaae.
".Look here," he said, with aa :
that was eelv saved froes beiaer l
a soft iatoaatie and a reaasarfaf
met Migai aelplng an aaaMaat
bagey. YW orders, eh?"
"O, js","j ssid Josepatae, qa
man i. saw ea taeroaa.
"Well, it's a had. case, and waste -
atlentioB. Aad as your hoasa is tit!:
est, I case with him here."
"Certainly," she saidgravely. "!
to the second reem beyond 9tr s -
it's ready," sfee explained to tw.
aTi17itSI in 4Va-Vail tuasalvuS 4Va -
"AnilTnAfc-Wi"iai.l b J-- --
closing the deor behiad aad regardJacp
wim cnueu ejge ou always ;
like to see sesae of bt Queer eas
thbris oaai-ai serious one, tear laifceti
just touch aad ge with hiss. IhstVaf
pieee of th,sa pressing ob the
bigger them that, bat aa aisek aavitfi
BaratXidge was atoDjf hi I !'
to hit it X wast seeKbedy bee. Ie
bj, soe oe wne oaa mm a bsm
speage, eh? sew oae who iaa't j
laint or sereaat, or evaa aftaaa a
breadth, ea?"
The oelor reee qaiekly to the girl's
aaa ner eyes Kiaftiea. "Ill cease,
thoaghtfally. "Whoiahe?" si
xne aoetor tsarea atigsuy at Has 'a
essential anery. "Doa't kaaw: ea MM
river mlaen. I reckon. It's i
I'll go ami gt everythiag resely.f
Detter, a aaasa, witn aaeesiaaaa j
ner gray frees, "pnt soraetaiaae
A rpur - Tkti niffwittilB nxuLi
did not Merir color.
A. asosaent later she entered the i
wss the oae that had always beea
for her brother; the verv bedoa
HucosscleBs man lav had beea
that morning with kwnnlu
this of this passed throagh aeriiast i
saw tsai me aoetor had. wheeie it, a
thestroagliaht in the eeateraf thai
stripped its oater eoveriaf
JeasMaal thaaahtfaliwss. aad
tae mattresses, eat it dta aat saeaajp
thesasMTeosr. There waaasjial(al
ia us uc mm soon ireesuy eaeaea
aa aiowes NauaiMaeatnaeaaMMu
the, open asorooea case, like a jewei i
we' taoie, saiBiHg witn spouses a
the heacLof the bed one of herawai
the "poweenl Bill foreman, wa
with the atiaglad curiosity aad.
perknee or ee accustomed to sat
uantui MmUt A fif alu. Ail it7l
at the oealraJ. nneoaseioBs Scate
bed, wheee sadnrings seeaed to her ton
been viearioaefr transferred to
cerned, leaf, aad drawn- feces" Aastl
down upe ms iawaaitr. Xaaa
ninely woo its d before the bated w-Maiu
and aaoahtssa displayed above -j
uiilu, iiiimm eraci o job apea i
nsu csnssaieer ay Daaaagee, m i
from wale the dark tansies ef i
been ruthlessly sheared, the Segaa ?m
tne ooetars aaeoneern ia nisi
"yhat Mattered who or what
srar-i -
The operatka began, "ita aa
earnest iatellieeaee she had
thnv & nmLttlv atl? mill ilTllA"d
the -doctor's -whispered orders,
half aaUeiBated these. She was
of a aiaralar eerieaitr that, far-freest
mesa or IfftseMa, seemed to IiftlksPaaM
abova f sjaWaary "weaknesses stVfcam
sex, 'bat atoet aer snpensr al
s round bar. Aisaost before tae'l
oaerattoa waa over, aad she i
eoual eari is the ostentotieassci
with whsajk tie doctor seeased aaaj
hitfatatWtostraaseab that
asualaaaa to a silver-bead
The storWketts htaathia;
szm&zxa
of
ETiucyue. sue was quite prepared- feiitt'
earlvefection and distrust oWmffft?
bond J and dissipated brother BteatiimkaaA,
jrr
Jk , 4k ..
. .' .
?.
. ' W. 11 ff
&
. . K ir . -- ... II
fw it-?-. .-'--'