The Handy Man
J By RALPH HAMILTON
(Copyright. 1919, by Western Newspaper tJmlon.)
Old Zeb Darrell stood at the curb,
his pipe, just filled, between his Hps,
an unlighted match in his hand. Its
sulphured end was pressed down upon ;
the edge of the iron-bound wheel of a
stationary buggy. As its driver start
ed up, the match flared, Zeb ignited
the tobacco, uttered a sigh of comfort
at having been spared all exertion by
cleverly utilizing a convenient source
of friction, and was hailed by a by
stander, who smiled at the action
which fully disclosed the Indolent
qualities of the old man.
"Looking for a handy man, Per
kins," spoke Zeb. "You don't happen
to know one, do you?"
"Why, there's Joe Lott, the carpen
ter, and his old helper, who started in
for himself doing odd jobs," but Zeb
shook his head dissentingly.
"Plutocrats, with their extravagant
charges," he declared. "You see, the
old place Is pretty nigh going to rack
and ruin. The porch is wobbly, half
the front cornice is hanging loose and
one edge of the kitchen lost its under
pinning last night in the big blow and
runs down hil! li!;<> an Ice slide. No,
what I'm looking for Is some handy
fellow who will put in about two
weeks tinkering around and mending ■
up odds and ends for his keep, and
mebbe a little extra."
"Why, come to think of it, perhaps I
can help you out," said Zeb's compan
ion. "Unless he's through with his
work up at the house, he's there now —
a likely, honest seeming young fellow,
who came along last evening and of
fered to fix up the fences for a bed
and his meals."
"I'll go right down to your place and
see him," said Zeb, eagerly. "If I was
spry as I used to be I'd fltf things
up myself."
Ward Evans, for so the handy man
called himself, had just finished one
task and was ready for another. He
listened to the story of Ills prospective
employer, readily tracing his niggardli
ness, but finally engaging to put in his
time at the Darrell place on a reason
able basis of compensation.
"I seem to have a natural knack for
tinkering," he explained to Zeb. "You j
furnish the tools and material and I'll
do the resrt."
"I should think he had a knack, as
he calls it!" observed Nettie Darrell
to her father a week later, and she
glanced admiringly at the ramshackly
house. Ward Evans had won her lik
ing magically quick. In the first place
he was good looking, and smiling, jok
ing, saying pleasant, cheering things
half of the time. He worked without
ceasing all day long and had an eye
for every loose shingle and flapping
board. He practically rebuilt the
house, the sheds, the walks, the fences.
There was some loose plastering and
he made It tight. Two grimy rooms he
repapered, straightened up the porch,
propped up the sunken kitchen and
suggested that a coat of paint would
make the old place look like new.
Evans had a flute he played eve
nings, and he was an expert in its mu
sical possibilities. Regularly he gave
his host and his daughter a concert.
But It was in his narration of his va
ried career that he particularly inter
ested them. He had been a circus
rider, manager of a ranch, a political
orator and superintendent of a logging
camp. He loved to refer to this latter
experience.
"It was there I met my best friend,
Willis Drake," he told his Interested
auditors. "That was the brightest
period of my life —except being with
you people," he added, with a glance
at Nettle, who flushed slightly, while
her father looked pleased at the com
pliment. "Ah, Willis Drake! a man
with a heart of gold—the life of the
camp. He left at the end of the sea
son to go back to his father, a wealthy
Southerner. He had left home to be
come a wanderer. I got a letter from
him a month ago, and what do you
think? His father had died, leaving
him a great fortune, and as soon as he
settles the estate he's coming to find
me, and he insists that we'll be like
brothers for the rest of our lives."
Evans received another letter from
his friend a week later. The latter
was coming after him at once. By
this time Ward had become friendly
and familiar with the Darrells. He
had completed the work he had agreed ,
to do, but he lingered on, and they
were glad to have him about, and
Ward was gladder still to bask in the
sunshine of Nettie's winning smile.
Then his frien«' arrived and bore
him away to the hotel. A handsome,
impetuous sort of a fellow, Drake took
a decided fancy to Nettie, and Ward
encouraged it. What better than to
see his dearest friend happy in the
possession of a wife worthy of any
man, in the estimation of Ward? He
sighed as he tokl this to Mr. Darrell.
It was with a secret pang that he
broached the subject of fostering a
further mutual liking between Nettle
and his friend.
"Well, I've sort of studied Nettie
about this match," reported Mr. Dar
rell, a day or two later. "It's no go.
She hasn't the least interest In Drake,
outside of his being your friend. In
fact, Ward. I'm pretty certain that
Nettie is already in love."
"Why, you amaze me J" began Ward.
"Who—"
"Are you blind? Who but yourself,
my worthy friend? And because I like
you, too. I'm glad of It," and humble, ,
self-sacrificing Ward Evans dared to
speak bis love at last. ,
DELVER INTO NATURE
AMATEUR GARDENER CRANK OF
THE HARMLESS VARIETY.
Do«« NO Injury, and If the Fates Are
With Him Possibly May Do a
Little Good in This Sordid
Old World.
When you meet a man now who has
a furtive, faraway look in his eyes do
not get the impression that he has
robbed a bank or Is planning some
such escapade, for the chances are
that he is only an amateur gardener
preparing to plant his back yard
patch. An amateur garden crank, it
should be known, is about the most
harmless creature on earth, the Okla
homa Times states.
There are many advantages in be
ing a garden crank instead of being
an automobile fiend or a chicken
raiser. All that is necessary to be a
garden crank is two seed catalogues,
a dime's worth of seed, a hoe, a small
plot of ground and much enthusiasm.
To be a chicken raiser one must have
at least a chicken house and a half
dozen chickens, besides subscribing
for a chicken paper or more dignified
poultry journal.
Chicken raisers who have all the
equipment necessary to be placed in
the class of "chicken cranks" have
also a large equipment of small live
stock, together with the roup and
other chicken ailments, that gives
chicken raisers so much to talk about.
Of course, a few eggs are necessary
to give chicken raisers complete hap
| piness. An egg a week, however, will
; keep one interested for months.
The amateur gardener should be
| encouraged. There should be a bo
nus offered and a large number of
prizes. It requires only a small plot
of ground on which to raise a large
amount of "garden truck." Few per
sons who have not acquired the gar
den habit realize the joy of seeing
the first little plantlet como through
the dirt.
Much depends upon the quality of
the seeds used. Even the most en
thusiastic naturalist should not ex
pect to get good strong plants from
seeds several years old or of a good
' quality. Nature is pretty generous
i where gardens are concerned, but
! even nature cannot overcome the
; handicap of poor seeds.
There are many vegetables which
even the most amateurish ama
teur should not attempt to grow
in town. For instance, potatoes for
a family of six cannot be grown from
a 4 by 20 garden bed, but on this
same space, with proper proportion,
plenty of onions, radishes, parsley,
letture, and perhaps another vege
table or two may be raised.
New Gun Makes "Dead Shots."
A French ii, . ntor has made a
frightful addition to the efficacy of the
revolver. A small but powerful elec
tric light is attached to the mechan
ism of pistol of ordinary size. By use
of lenses and mirrors the glare of the
circle of light which the lamp throws
is bright enough to be clearly seen in
daylight against so dark an object
as a light colored suit of clothes.
Now the center of the circle of light,
marked by a black spot by arrange
ment of the lenses, is exactly the spot
| where the bullet will strike. Thus all
he has to do is to place the black cen
ter of the blazing circle of light over
the heart of an adversary and pull the
trigger.
At night the light is shockingly
strong. Experiments with the new
weapon show that perfect greenhorns,
who have never used a revolver in
their lives, can shoot far more accu
rately than experts uslh-g an ordinary
pistol.
Up to 60 yards one cannot miss a
small bull's-eye. day or night, while
extremely accurate shooting is possi
ble up to 100 yards. The lamp ar
rangement adjusts automatically, by
levels, to distances.
New Time System Puzzles.
The use of the new twenty-four
hour time system in France is likely
to give rise to some rather curious re
sults. One of these is brought out
by A. De Mortellet, and relates to the
striking of the hour.
It will not be very practical to use
twenty-four strokes or less in succes
sion, as these would be very difficult
to count after a certain point. The
number of strokes should therefore
be reduced in some way.
He proposes using a double chime,
one bell for units and the second for
tens, the two bells to have a different
tone. Or else with a single bell rapid
strokes would show the tens, and slow
strokes the units.
"With two bells, one bell gives
strokes up to nine. The second bell
rings once for ten. For eleven, the
first bell rings once and the second
once, and so on in the decimal sys
tem. For twenty, the first bell rings
twice, and so on.
His Experience.
A nice, clean German lad applied at
a store for a job at selling clothing.
The boss liked the applicant's looks,
but doubted his experience.
"Have you ever sold clothing?"
asked the employer.
"Ach, yes!" answered the applicant.
"Good. Where did you sell cloth
ing?"
"Zwanzighundert Blankstrasse."
"Where? I never heard of such an
address."
"I solt my clothes there."
"Why—that's a pawnshop!"
"Veil, vere you dink I sell my over
coat —at a drug store?"
m m
The Sole Survivor
By GEORGE ELMER COBB
■ ■«
(Copyright, 1619, by Western Newspaper Union.}
Rhoda Lusk was singing fully a
quarter of her time, smiling -and
cheery whenever she was with her
friends, and happy all of the time.
Just now she was unusually joyous
and she went tripping about the house
thinking herself the most fortunate
young lady that ever was, or could be.
For the past six months of her life
had been a rare and radiant romance.
She had met Ronald Dudley, and her
fate, at one and the same time. He
was a manly, handsome young fellow
and he had won the good will of
Rhoda's parents and that of all her
other relatives. Ronald had to go
South to settle an estate, would re>
turn for good in six months, and then
there was to be a grand wedding and
the young couple would settle down
in a pretty bungalow within sight, and
even call, of the Lusk home.
Mr. and Mrs. Lusk had rented the
old Marsden mansion for five years.
It was ready at hand, had a beauti
ful garden and was sumptuously fur
nisfceQ. Miss Marcia Williston had in
herited it from her widowed mother,
had found it lonesome living all by
herself and had decided to make a
permanent home with a married sis
ter.
She was a tall, stately woman of
perhaps thirty, and had given up her
home as hud she given up the hope of
passing many happy hours under that
roof. Rhoda had heard her story and
it excited gentle pity In her gentle
soul. For five years Miss Williston
had waited for the lover, the pledged
fiance, who never came. There had
fallen to him through a legacy sev
eral whaling vessels, and he had
sailed away in one of them to familiar
ize himself with the business that was
to bring him his living income. His voy
age was to end in a year. Two went
by, three. Nothing was heard of the
missing North Star, or its owner, or
the crew. Mutely Miss Williston
bowed with resignation to the blow
that swept from life all she cared liv
ing for. She never paraded her sor
row before others.
"If Ronald should meet the face of
Miss Williston's poor lover!" breathed
Rhoda. and she shuddered at the mere
thought. "Oh, I must not forget," she
added. "Mamma told me to be sure
to find some odd corner or closet
where we can put our umbrellas and
rubbers."
Her parents had gone downtown to
obtain some odds and ends needed for
kitchen use, and except for the cook
no one was in the house except Rhoda.
She puzzled her active brain search
ing for a suggestion as to the disposi
tion of umbrellas and rubbers, and
finally gave up the task as she
dropped to a window seat under the
oriel window in the reception hall.
"The only way I see is to buy a
narrow wardrobe and fit it into f he
corner under the stairs," planned
Rhoda, and then, arising from the win
dow seat she noticed that its oak top
moved. She had not observed before
that the top was hinged. "Just the
place!" she exclaimed, lifting the
board. "Oh, my!"
Rhoda stood transfixed gazing down
into the deep, long space. There was a
layer of tissue paper at Its bottom.
Above showed a bewildering array
of finery—silk, satin, ribbons, embroid
ery, a wedding dress and veil and
dainty slippers; in fact all the acces
sories of an elegant bridal trousseau.
Rhoda stood In an enraptured dream.
Only when for the second time the
door bell rang, did she hasten to the
vestibule. She unlocked the screen
door latch and admitted Miss Willis
ton.
"I came to remove some personal
belongings," began the latter, and
then, with a sharp catch In her voice,
stared at the finery exposed in the In
terior of the window seat. Her lips
trembled and a quick pallor came into
her face. In an instant Rhoda com
prehended that the trousseau must be
the one she had prepared when her
lover went away and had not re
turned. Rhoda looked awed, sorry.
She was almost at the point of tears,
as she realized how cruelly the unex
pected confrontation must lacerate
the heart of her visitor.
"It was quite by accident that I lift
ed the cover," began Rhoda, but Miss
Williston with a wan, but kindly
smile, stroked the golden hair of this
more fortunate fiancee, as she recov
ered her wonted calmness.
"You have not offended nor hurt
me. dear." she said. "It was after
those reminders of a happy dream
that I came, but long since the mem
ory of the one I loved and lost has
become a consolation. Gome, all
your bright happiness in life is be
fore you! We may add to it by look
ing over my cherished mementoes."
To both those mementoes were pre
cious and sacred. In her quiet way
Miss Williston showed one after an
other of the articles. She even placed
the veil upon her head to please
Rhoda, and then —
"Marcla ! My Marcia !"
A bronzed, weather-worn man had
burst in the screen door. He caught
the swaying form of the wife that was
to be in his strong arms and covered
her face with kisses. And then, as
Marcia revived and clung to him sob
bing amid her wild joy. she heard the
words that told her that he alone of
the ice-crushed North Star had es
caped back to civilization after half
a decade exile in far Arctic regions.
m■ ■ ■
After the Years
Bj OTILUA FRANCES PFEIFFER
ICopyrigbt, 1919, by Western Newspaper Union.)
The kindly faced, gray-bearded old
man occupying section seven in the
Pullman sleeper gave a great start as
a poignant cry echoed through the
coach. He sought the source of the
outburst and, at sight of the white,
despairing face of a modestly attired
young girl, advanced towards her.
Her hands were clasped and her
eyes, affrighted, were fixed past the
open car window. She sat now like
one turned to stone by some vivid
calamity. She had boarded the train
at Denver, Marvin Hope had noted,
and the conductor had just appeared
at the other end of the car.
"You are troubled," he spoke in
stantly. "What is it, young lady?"
Elva Merrill turned her gaze upon
the speaker and burst into tears. "Oh, j
sir!" she breathed, gaspingly. "My
ticket! I was getting ready for the
conductor and for only an instant
placed it on the window sill. The
wind took it and—oh! what shall I
do?"
"Where were you going?" inquired
Mr. Hope.
The reply named a point in South
ern California, and added the further
Information that she had no money of
consequence and had given up a posi
tion she had held in a town fifty miles
from Denver. "What can I do?" she
faltered. "The ticket is gone. I have
no home, no friend nearer than my
destination."
"We shall arrange that," spoke Mar
vin Hope. "Just try and be calm. I
will speak to the conductor," and,
moved by an impulse his generous na
ture could not resist, he went to the
conductor, spoke to him for some min
utes and then returned to the side of
Elva. "It is all settled," he said, with
a great deal of cheerfulness in his
tone. "At the next station the conduc
tor, by my desire, will secure a
through ticket for you."
"But I cannot pay for it," remon
strated Elva.
"Not now, perhaps, but possibly la
ter. Listen, young lady. I am bound
for the same destination as yourself.
You will tell me your story, and we
shall try to discover some way to
make you feel free to accept a tem
porary loan from a lonely old man
who Is glad to aid anybody In dis
tress."
"Indeed, I can reimburse you P' de
clared Elva, fervently. "My friend at
San Druro is a Mrs. Honoria Purcell.
I was her companion two years ago,
but she was very hard to get along
with and I sought other employment.
Last week she wrote to me offering a
two years' contract and is seemingly
anxious to have me accept. I am sure
she will advance me sufficient to repay
you."
"I am sure of that, too," replied Mr.
Hope in his gentle, reassuring way,
"for Mrs. Purcell Is a wealthy woman
whom I know quite well. And your
name, young lady?"
"It is Elva Merrill." Marvin Hope
gave a violent start. It was well that
Elva had her gaze averted at that mo
ment, else she would have been
amazed, possibly alarmed, at the
manifest emotion of her benefactor.
He seemed to experience difficulty in
restraining an impulse to seize her
hands, or fold her in his arms, pouring
forth a wild torrent of words of glad
ness and Joy crowding to his trembling
lips. He recovered his self-possession
as Elva exhibited the letter from Mrs.
Purcell. He listened breathlessly to
the story of her life; bereft orf a moth
er, her only near relative, two years
previous, and later trials attending the
earning of her own living.
"Were there none other of near
kin?" he asked. "No dear friends?"
Elva shook her head sadly.
From that point until the end of the
journey Marvin Hope exercised a fa
therly care for the homeless girl, that
every hour increased her confidence In
him. When they reached San Druro
his automobile and chauffeur were in
evidence. When the machine stopped
It was before a beautiful mansion set In
the midst of an exquisite garden. Elva
supposed this to be the residence of
Mrs. Purcell.
"Home!" Mamdn Hope announced,
as they were met in the hall by a
motherly housekeeper—"my home, and
yours! My dear, I gave you a fictitious
name, for a purpose. lam your uncle
—your mother's brother, Marvin Hope
—and I was just disappointedly re
turning from a vain search for you at
your former home. I found no trace
and you can imagine the sorrow of a
lonely old man who awoke at last to
a longing hunger for the company of
his own flesh and blood. You will not
go to Mrs. Purcell. You will remain
here, my own adopted child, until you
marry."
"I shall never marry," spoke Elva,
and her fair face fell.
"What! Not even if Rodney Parton
comes after you?"
"Rodney Parton!" breathed Elva.
"You know of him?"
"My dear," replied Mr. Hope,
"searching for you I found him also
upon the same quest. You had left
your old home, never dreaming how
he loved you. Well. I telegraphed him
en route that I had found you, and he
is probably now speeding on his way
to lay his heart at your feet. This
shall be his home, as well as yours
and mine."
And, her arms about the neck of
this grand benefactor. Elva Merrill
sobbed out the joy and gladness that
was welling up within her happy souL
Hired Man's Life Saved.
James was bowlegged and felt ft
his duty to whip every hoy that re
minded 11; in of the fact. When he vis
ited in the country the hired man
laughed and told him he couldn't stop
ft pig if he tried. James told his moth
er what the man had said then add
od: "lie's pretty big. and I'm mighty
piad he didn't say I was bowlegged."
Ter : i
To ascertain whether artificial color
ing matter has been added to f en. plaee
a quantity <>n white paper and rub with
knife to a fine powder. Now brush the
paper with a brush, and if any prussian
blue has been u<ed there will be littf*
streaks on the paper.
Big Canadian Telescope.
The tube of the telescope erected by
the Canadian dominion at Victoria,
R. C., is large enough to permit of the
passage of a small automobile and the
reflector is 73 inches in diameter. The
movable parts of the telescope w
more than 40 tons, and the Jen*; r>! >ne
more than 4,000 pounds, yet one man
can easily move the mass into any de
sired position.
Music Not His Strong Point.
The leader of a volunteer orchestra
was greatly annoyed hy the 'cellist,
who repeatedly at a rehearsal was !r>
error; finally he stood near him, lis
tening. "Why, man." he exclaimed,
"your Velio i* not In tune!" The
player screwed at the pegs, hut a few
moments later the discord was re
peated. "Can't you tune your Instru
ment : demanded the conductor Irri
tably. "Xo-o !" >MId the stout 'cellist,
"net alvtuys. Then his face bright
ened. "But you should see how I can
skin fish!" The skinning of fish wav
his trade, the orchestra his side line.
Good Rule for Life.
We are ruined, not by what
really want, but by what we think we
do; therefore, never go abroad in
search of your wants; for if they be
real wants they will eoine in search of
you. He that buy: ..!.,.t <: s not
want will soon want what he cannot
buy.—Col ton.
Taxe*.
If folks had to pay taxes r*
> ■ x . o..iu .it a stuilier worM
than It is. # ARROW COLLARS
(R ~£'< \THE BEST THAT YOU " \\
CAN BUY »AT THE «AL J
Y PRICE YOU PAY
MONROE Cluett, Peabody <#• Co.. Inc., Tr&v, A" Y. SOFT
"HOLD-TIGHT" HAIR NETS ENJOY AN ENMABLE
/N\v* 1 //S NATIONAL REPLTATJON AND THE FRIENDStfIP
A X Of MiLUONS OF WOMEN—
"HOLD-TICHT" HAJR NETS ARE MADE OF THE
OCZ x\. nNEST REAL HUMAN HAIR. AJJL MIADES.
EVERY 'HOUD-TIGHT' HAIR NET CUARANTEEO
WHITF
WMIlt OR OKAY RITI. STORE. IF THEY CANNOT SITPLY YOU
CAP°"FRINGE SHAPE WRITE US STATE COLOR AND SHAPE.
H ATP I ADOLPH KLAR
AAJTTLXXV JL | 221-4UAVENUE NEWYORK
' %
>
M' 1 PHotograph
• ■ ..-V* * ~
S \ ' T: ' T)
j I __ MBfc
)
i OEM STUDIO
730 Phila. Street, - - Indiana, Ma.
? Opposi te Moore Hotel
Can't sleep! Can't eat! Can't even digest what little you (*O eat!
»
Ma ne or tvvo
IIJJWA ARMY & NAVY
FDYSPEPSIA TABLETS
will make you leel ten years
Best known remedy
HP for Constipation, Sour Stomach
ani Dyspepsia.
25 cents a package at ali Druggists, or
sent to any address postpaid, by the
U. S. ARMY & NAVY TABLET CO.
260 West Broadway, N. Y.
AMI IMI
I■■ I im. ; •■TWTiVisaMKis.. r mu . - JJL •I■ «■ 11■ MIMMI aia
.JtófflPìWiTTLE
JM W ! IIVER
WHAT YOU SURELY NEED
il a hcalthy, activc*, industrious livcr. Sciali doses of these pili#
taker. rejjularly insure that. You may a!so ceed a purgative
eometiroes. Thcn take orir
it will pay you rich dividenus ia Health aud Happiness.
GcnuL'te . Smeli Pili
bears Small Dosi
cignaturi /Sonili Price
DAQV ri4rPk"Q or HEALTHY COLOR .odicate* Iron in the Blood. Pale or
*" colorles» A _
fmcea uaually aliow ita absencc. A con- A | f? Q IRON PILLS
dition which will be much helped by lixvn 1