jieiSiel Jillk ill
B.-F. BOHWEIEB,
in czzrvao9-iE3 moi-in m nrporooaar or txs latb.
Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XLII.
MIFFLINTOWN. JUNIATA CX)UNTY. FENNA.. WEDNESDAY. MAT 2, 18SS.
NO. 19.
ii
The Sin or Omiiwioa.
It Unt tb thins yoa do, dear.
It's tha thing 70a leave nndon
Which 1tm 70a a bit of a beaxt-ach
At th. sattlug of the ma.
Tb tendsr word forgotten,
Tk lettar 70a dirt not write.
The dowsr 70a might bar sent, dnar,
Ars your haunting ghosta to-night.
Th atone 70a might bars lifted
Out of a brotber'a iw,
The bit of beartaoma counsel
You were hurried too much to lay.
Th. loving toach of tbe band, dear,
th geutla and wlnaouie ton
That you bad no time nor thought fur.
W itii truuUles enough of your own.
Thrm little acta of kindness,
bo fKliJ out of mind,
Thena chances o ba angels
Which errn mortals tind
Thy come In nii;ht and silence,
Kach chill, reproachful wraith,
Wh.n hope is faiut and flagging.
And a blight baa dropped on lalth.
For life la all too short, dear,
And sorrow is ail too grrat,
To antler our slow compassion
That tarries until too late.
Ami it's not the thing you do, dear, -
It's the thing 7011 leave undone,
W hu h gives you the bitter beart-ache)
At the setting of the sun.
A LITTLE UIIOWX WITCH.
Mie was an indescribably letta little
brown cteiture, with elf-locks hanging;
around her preternaturully old face
where tun eyes ail "lire and awake
looked out of their place" bright as
those at Browning's gypsy witch,
V1f h ponM rtooble ami qisitTipie
At p.ra-ure lue pi. or e.iuer puptl.'
The tart of all the sun in the sky and
It the sheen of the sea was on her skin;
and a melancholy like that of the
sphinx seen-ed to have turned the facet
to stone. She sat in a little hut by the
shore, whose door, was open; and she
hail a little dead chill across her
knees.
Of course we looked In, and then w
went iu.
- You poor child!" I said. "Tell me.
what is this? What does it mean?
How terrlMe for you all alone! Is
there nobody "
"That's just it," she sail. In a low.
hallow tone, and as If talking to liet
seir. NoNKly."
I kneeled down beside her, and
looked at the dead three-year-old baby
just our tlHVs age ptittini my arm
about the elder one as I di 1 so.
"You can kiss her if you want to,"
Mid the child, with a sort of gas?.
"She was so sweet."
I didn't want to. ISut I kissed ber;
and then 1 kissed the little mother
holding the dead buby ou her knee. She
lookel at rue agam a moment with
those fevered eye.", and then sha leaned
forward and rested her bead on my
shoulder.
"There's nobody kissed me," she
said faintly, since the day that wave
tumbled over father and be never uma
up. And the baby had fever, and be'd
gone up to town for some medicine,
and I was lo kiug out for him, and I
saw hini and the wave. It's stormed a
week siuce. Of course) It's stormed.
The sun couldn't shine if It would.
There's been nobody here. And there's
been nothing to eat. And "
"And what are you golug to do?" I
Interjected.
"I'm sitting here till I die, too.
Twon't be long-, you see," she said
faintly. looking up and leaning back in
her chilr agaiu. ''I'm so little it
won't take so long to starve as it does
sometimes. I don't feel so bad, you
know, because I shall see them so soon
now."
"Starve!'1 1 cried. "My dear child!
What do you think of such a thing
for?"
"There's nothing in the house to
eat." she replied In a dull tone. "There
basu't been this two days. What
else shall 1 do? And I am I'm glad
of it. It's the only way I can have my
dear people again!"she said with a little
dry sob. "And of course God meant
that I should, or he would have sent
something. I couldn't leave tne baby."
"lie has sent something!" I said,
crjirjg myself. "He has sent my hus
band and me. You shall go home with
us." And I tooK the poor baby and
laid It on the bei. and while the other
child loosed at me wit'i balf-bewildered
eyes. I proceeded to unpack our
lunch basket ami light the spirit lamp
for Ralph and 1 had strolled down
the beach for an old-time picnic by
ourselves and to heat some milk and
water, which I made her drink. "It's
too late tor the baby," she said, hold
It g it off a momeTit. I sat beside ber
and In a little tune made ber drink
some more. And then as she seemed
tilling asleep I went to tbe door, where
Ralph waited for a whispered consulta
tion about the baby.
"So, no," she said quickly, all alive
again. "Baby can be buried where his
father was. In the middle of a wave.
We can row out t' ere in a boat the
boat came ashore, you knew. Baby
would like that best." She said then
quickly: "She might, you know, she
might sink and tlnd ber father's arms
he loved her so."
How wizened and old and preter
natural she looked as she was saying
this In her thin and feeble volcel But,
of course, we could not think of any
such burial as she proposed, and the
baby bad a little funeral that outraged
none of the proprieties. And as no one
hi the region roundabout knew any
thing more about the children and
their father than that they had come
there and had lived some months in
that lonesome hut out of sight of any
but the sea-culls. When we went
away, which was in a couple of days,
took the little, lean, brown creature
home with us.
"For what else Is thereto Co?" I
said.
"I don't know as there is anything."
aid Ralph, dubiously. "And the little
wretch relies on us so much that 1
fion't suppose we can put ber off into
nj institution, as Aunt Juliet sug
gests." No it would not do. Don't you
the child la full of a certain sort of
refinement and strange idealities?
Didn't you see her rocking Elfle In the
twiliffhtf Tffla tiliMihs i4ani In inmi
fashion of that baby of hers. She sings
sweet old English ballads that I
Cant imagine whom she nicked CD.
and did you notice how careful she
was to make un the little narrel to take
with her? What do you suppose there
" in it? Something she called her
uuiaer-s wedding lines, and a little
oundle of letters, and an old photo-
aTapa of her ft hnr nn1 a rintr lust a
Plain gold one, that his father gave
wuen he was a boy. and that be
tor ner mother's wedding ring
nd the mother died, poor young tiling
and the war.
BUB alse. hut be wouldn't sell that.
She said all this as she was putting up
the parcel. I havent asked to see any.
thing In it."
"Uhat Is right. Respect ber reserves.
And by and by she may forget the
thing. I hope so. If we keep ber. And
it looks as though It were meant we
should."
"Well, if ever there were two young
fools wbo ought to have guardians
appointed!" cried Aunt Juliet, coming
over later. "Of course you can always
And a lending of Providence where
you want It. But I hope yon are going
to keep ber In the kitchen and make
her of some use!"
"You don't mean to send me away!"
cried a voice behind us. and Nina
that was the name we called her, tar
mother's pet name stood there, tip
toeing, her great eyes glowing and
darkening, her bands wringing one
another. "You can't mean to send me
away when you've brought me here,
when I've got nobody else but you,
when I love yon sol" And the tears
that her great despair and neighbor
hood to death had not called forth,
plashed over now in large drops. "You
know," she said, "that I will take care
of E(ne, and run Rose's errands, and
sew with Jane all day long, and I will
teach Effle ber letters, and I cm wash
dishes and pick over berries, and I can
dust and feed the cats, and put ice on
your headaches, and air the news
paper "
"For goodness sake, hold your
tongue, child," cried Aunt Juliet. 'I
should think she went by machinery.
Of course you'll make yourself useful.
And I expect," she said warnlngly to
me, "that she'll eat you out of house
and borne. The idea of taking In every
beggar's brat yon come acrossl"
But Nina had no idea of staying In
the kitchen. On tbe contiary, wherever
I was, she was, and I soon found that
she considered herself on tbe footing of
a 11 1 e or e d t daughter.
For a while now, Nina was- very
quiet; sometimes she cried a little all
by herself, but quite gently, over a doll
she p'ayed with; sometimes she came
and auxvl by ma, banging an arm
about my neck, silent for a long while;
sometimes she sat la tbe big window
and etooned ber old bal!ads to Ralph,
for whom she had devoloped an ex
travagant devotion. "He Is lovely.
Isnl he?" said she. "Oh, if I could
only do something for him! It it would
do him any good to walk right over me
I would lie down under his feet in
deed. I would!"
"That is very strong language, said
L "I can't see how that would do
him any good. And it would hurt
you."
I should want it to hurt me!" she
exclaimed passionately. "I can't do
anything for him except to be hurt!"
But al ter a season this feeling seemed
to abate somewhat; for Nina went to
school, and the new Interest and excite
ment there diverted her. till she began
to hate her lessons and defy her teacher,
an 1 presently to beg t stay at home.
Auil wbou ltatjti tfc nvsr she Was his
little girl, and most have an w
suitable to his little girl, she declared
she was nothing of the sort, bnt was
his little servant. Aunt Juliet hal
said so, and she needed and would
have no education at all.
Or course this phase ended by tbe
teacher giving her a reprimand before
the other children, and with that she
became, as you may say, uproarious.
She after that was more likely to be
found wading the river up to ber neck
when tbe school bell rang, or swinging
in tbe topmost bough of a tree, or
walking around the eaves of the house
with ber arms balancing ber steps,
than picking up ber hat and books.
Once, indeed, having her school
luncheon strapped over ber shoulders,
bhe stayed up in the tree all day and
all night, in spite of my efforts, Ralph
happening to be absent, and I felt that
she might not have come down at all
it she bad not seen the doctor call lor
little F.lhe of whom she was passion
ately fond, and into whom she had con
fidently told me, tne soul 01 me iitue
dead babv must have gone which
sight brought berdown so incontinently
as to bring a multitude of scratches
and bruises with ber. JN eitner entreaty
nor force could bring her to leave the
room after that till Etna was pro
nounced out of danger.
It's lust as 1 said." declared Aunt
Juliet, who being tbe person of means
in the connection, toot me uoerty 01
saying what she liked. "You've taken
a little hussey that you don't know
anything about Into your hearts to
break them!"
Nina was still, at 15 years, a little.
lean, brown thing with owl's eyes, and
as farouche and any as anything of the
woods, when Lance came borne, Lance
was Ralph's brother, and had been
awav at the naval school and then sailed
around the world, and had not been at
our home In these six years, "weu,"
be said, "what imp of darkness is
this?" And she beard him. And
nothing could bring ber into tne same
room with him during the whole time
of his stay. But by and by she hung
over the balustrade to listen to his
voir or she hung over the Daicony to
see him on the lawn all if he were not
looking or she flashed use a nreny
from window to window to watch him
if be strolled around the river path and
behind the fringe of birch and beech
with Flora Penny, our pretty neighbor.
"I always did hate a white girl," she
muttered- -I like dark people," she
siii, "like you aad ma. Ve are
Once or twice during Lanoe's stay
Vina went into the kitchen, and with
a strong hand compelled old Rose, the
cook, to show her how to prepare cer
tain dishes, and then she watched out
.i.i. h.a door of the luncheon room to
learn of their reception, which was
tolerably favorable.
I always knew I could do It II 1
wanted to," she said. . , .
TK.n .). miirht bave been observed
bent over work in hidden corners till
sue had finished a little purse of steel
beads.
tni.r she cried over the banisters.
tbe morning Lance was going away.
Von take thisl There's a lucky penny
"n'Lv.inn and saw ber bending
there-me strangest lady, ao serious
K V witch-Uke, that ever sent
-f will take it," he said, if you
. n.n and give it to me.
" And sap br.taP.rh. came down, as
if be drew ber iorwa -
willing power held her back, and hud
w ...7,. , if of a band in his.
iu, " nr her a little
iinfr frtrfn bis lordly
S rkiss me 'god-bye. turned and
bent and graveiy .
t Tho- in.tant she had broken
away, and bad raced out into the
orchard ana niaaen uci-ci..
.. ,hn she came in. some
hours' afterward, she aanoinced that
she was never going to wash the spot
upon her face that Lance had kissed.
"That girl Is a fool." said Aunt
Juliet, who had dropped in. I don't
know whether the fact that ber foot
caught in a croquet wicket and threw
her down on her way to the gate after
wards bad anything to do with her
remark or not.
Shortly after this Nina said. "Ton
know I always said anybody could do
anything if they only wanted to do it
I wanted to cook those things; and
you know what he said about them.
I wanted to make him a purse, and
there wasnt a knot in the silk. Now
I want to learn French and music, and
all that white thing Flora Uenny
knows. And you'll seel" And she
did.
2Tot all at once, of course, did we
see the desired proficiency; but she had
a natural aptitude for musie and for
art. And presently a strange quietude
seemed to have fallen on the house; and
now, instead of a little brown Imp
there was a slender, dark young girl
whose angles were turning Into curvest
ou whose olive cheek a ruddy tint was
blossoming, whose lips were a bow
knot of scarlet, and whose eyes there
never were such eyes out of a gypsy's
head I Tbe swift capricious u ess of
movement had become a sort of flashing
grace; Indifference to dress bad changed
to a wondrous taste for the pict
uresque; and carelessness for the feel
ings of others had vanished before ber
old. Intense tenderness for one and all
of us.
"She has been going through tbe
chrysalis stage." sail Ralph. "And
what a gorgeous butterfly she is going
to be I"
4he Is not going to be a gorgeous
butterfly at all." said I. "All that has
resulted from some dream of Lance.
And Lance will marry her white
enemy there, of course, and she will
sauden Into a little brown moth 01
some sort."
"Nonsense." said Ralph. "Lance
only opened her eyes. Every girl,
every boy, has to have a half-dozen
chances before the real one comes
along. Dont you remember Romeo's
itosaland? Yes, Lance will marry
Flora, and much joy go with them.
But our Nina shall do better."
Rah was right. One day Flora
oame in quietly with a letter in her
hand, and told us in her gentle-voiced
way of her engagement to Lance; and
if Nina bad a dream the dream was
over. But I was not at all right my
self; Nina did not sadden to any ex
tent for any length or time, and before
we could accouut for It to ourselves
she was brighter and sweeter and even
gayer about the bousa than any house
hold fairy. "You had better call me
your Brownie," she said, when I began
to perceive from how many little tasks
she saved me, bow much she looked
out for Ralph's comTort, how absorbed
she was in ElBe, bow she beautified
the house with ber pencil and bei
flowers, what a bit of vital hearth-Ore
she had become.
But while this peacefulness was
developing at home, there was trouble
broodiug abroad. itaipu's business
was In a sad way, and creditors were
cruel, and disaster was impending.
And one day it came. The great oper
ation on which, outside of his legal
business, Ralph had been engaged so
long, fell with a crash, and all our
hopes of the future, and all our cer
tainty of tbe present fell with it.
Everything was to be given up, and
with all the rest our home that bad
been such a nest of happiness for all
our married years.
Of course I did what I could to bold
ud my poor Ralph's bauds, and It was
settled that we were to go into lodgings
and live in tbe smallest way possible
while be was picking up some practice
again, taking a desk in an office that
was open to him.
"Now." said Aant Juliet, "you see
what it is to have burdened yourselves
with another mouth to feed and back
to clothe!"
"Nina is no burden," said L "She
is a blessing. She is an angel we en
tertained unawares."
"Oh, yes: she's all your fancy painted
ber: she's lovely, she's divine. But
she's got to live!" said Aunt Juliet.
"And you've got to nnd ner me means.
And I don't . see how you're going to
do it without starving and stripping
yourselves. Surely you can't afford to
keep a cook now; and I'll lane nose on
your hands. I've alwaps wanted her."
Ot course, I gave Rose tbe option of
going to Aunt Juliet.
'.No, 1 than you, ma'am," saiu
Rode, "I wouldn't live with your
Aunt Juliet, ma'am, not if she had tbe
only mansion there was in heaven!"
"I always told you I was your little
servant-maid," said Nina. "And now
I shall either so to worst some way, or
stay and do yonr work here. I cant
do too much for you. I can't do too
much for biml Do you know, once 1
thought for just a little while, that
Lance was the only man in the world I
Iance isn't a shadow beside him!
There isn't such a soul alive as his.
and you were made for him. Ob, if I
only were good for something now!"
We will all work together," I said.
thinking it best to disregard ber enthu-
s asm lest it become hysterical, "ibe
laundress and the second girl bave
gone; and it's just as well; for we
shouldn't have room for them in our
new lodlngs" and then it was I who
was hysterical, for I broxe aowa cry
ing, the thought of leaving my dear
borne being more just then than I could
bear. The appraisers bad been there
that day, going over everything, and
it bad all seemed sue a an intrusion ana
profanation that it had been too much
for me: and I wondered when an ap
parently accidental bucketful of water
was das riea irom an upper nuirj win
dow as they were going away, giving
them a thorough wettiug, if it had not
been too much lor someooay else ana
the old spirit might not be again taking
possession.
"It made something flash fire inside
me like sparks." said Nina, "to see
these men turning over our dear things.
Oh, why can't I do something to earn
some money in a lnmpl If there were
only a millionaire for me to marry. I
mieht marry him, you know I'm very
nrnttv "
"Oh, Nina!" I exclaimed. "Is this
tbe end of all my teaching?" Bat I
hui to lauzh in the midst of my trou
bles. But Nina did not look at it as I
did, the - s flair anyway being in the
of a mvth.
"I'd marry him, you know. In a
minute, if I could," sne sail, "ana
,m his money all to you. If I had
Aunt Juliet's money do you suppose
I'd take your cook? Do you suppose
i tat tham take Tour house? Nol If
I bad a quarter or tbe bonds she has
nacked away in that safety deposit box
iTV'a im make life so gay for you
til that you'd think you'd died and
gone to heaven. And he should never
nave a care again. And here's Effla
to grow up without an education
heavens! I'm so glad I learned some
thing at last she can have all that
now. She should bave everything, tbe
darling, If I had it, and you and he
should have the rest. I lie awate
nights aad picture how I'd spend a
fortune If I had it, and spend it all for
you."
Well, I felt such love more than re
paid me for all the trouble I bad with
her from tbe hour when I found ber in
the little ashing hut on the shore; and
1 told ber so, and we had a very en
joyable cry together.
I was sitting that night rocking my
self disconsolately by the low firelifcnt,
for we bad already begun to economize
in the matter of lamps, when Ralph
came in from outdoors and sat down
opposite. Nina was on a sofa behind
the screen, with Effle lying back in ber
arms, telling stories In a low voice to
the child, wbo had not yet outgrown
them, and I marveled a little to bear
ber and think It was my bit ot wildfire
famed.
Ralph sat looking in the fire and
occasionally throwing on a handful ot
cones and watching the swift, fragrant
maze mey maae.
"I suppose we shall have to so next
week," he said. "I've been over to
look at that little flat. I suppose it
will do. It isn't the place for you "
"Oh. anywhere is the place for me."
I said, "that you can manage to put
me in."
"Four rooms in the heart of the
town," be said bitterly; "no views
from any window but squalid back
yards, no river, no great hemlock trees,
no pine cones to burn on open fires-
Just the barest getting along till we
can do better if ever we can."
"Well." I said, it might be worse.
We can be very happy if we are only
well and bave each oilier."
"Yes"hesald,"yes. But it Is hard
to leave all we have worked for these
dozen years, all that Is dear to us;
hard, too, to have slipped by so nearly
as I bave done to a vast fortune as
that would bave been but for if it had
not been if 1 had only seen but there,
there, the more one tninks, the worte
it grows. The world Is all alike. Some
body else is slipping tolerably near a
fortune, with less likelihood of getting
it, by what I beard in the office to-day.
One of those English fortunes falling
due to some unttndable heir."
"I thought the things were all
frauds," said L "The great fortunes
in tbe Bank of England belonging to
people over there."
"Oh, they are very likely," said
Ralph, absently. "This wasn't one of
that sort. This is the case ot an
absent heir the son ot a man named
Strachan, Reginald Strachan, a man
of great wealth in London, and old
East Indian merchant, whose son mar
ried some young singer or other and
ran away with her one Romeca-
Romena Dysart. They fcjiv
traced to this oonclSU" si "
that a child vomi- uorn and ii&utod for
its mother, who died presently. And
all further trace of him is lost. The
case has been sent to our office by tbe
Lngllsh solicitors. If the son is living
he is a millionaire. If he is dead theie
is a fortune of some hundreds of thou
sands of pounds belonging to that
child. Rowena Strachan"
suddenly there seemed to be an
earthquake in the room, tbe screen
went over with a tbnd, and Nina, still
grasping Efne, had sprung forward and
stood between us, her eyes ablaze, the
color flushing her dark cheek, her lips
parted, "Rowena Dysart!" said she.
"That Is my mother's name I It is
inside the ring she said my father had
put it there with his own it is in ber
marriage lines. And Reginald was
her husband. It's all about them and
the father, the cruel, cruel father, in
the letters. Oh, you can prove it all!
It isn't called Strachan, as you Bald; it's
called Strawn, you know. And Nina
was ber pet name. And that child, wbo
is the mislrees of a fortune of hundreds
of thousands of pounds, and they're
yours! All ycursl Why, that's just
as plain as day," she said, without re
gard to grammar. "That's me!"
Caught at Last.
He was a sleek and well-taken-cate-
of gentleman. A handsome broadcloUi
suit adorned bis tall figure, while an
elaborate gold watch chain dangled
from his vest. A derby bat, patent
leather shoes and a silk umbrella coti-
Dieted his raiment, aBd be seemed oat
or place sitting among tbe broad
chested and heavy fisted composltcra
and printers that frequent a weJ-
known l'arlt xtow couee ana caie
saloon.
lie ate a hearty meal, and then ars-
Ing from bis seat, sauntered leisure'y
to the ice water cooler and quenchsd
his thirst at that general fountain.
Then be sauntered even more leis
urely toward the door and laid his baid
noon the knob. But an apparitttn
arose before him, and a big brawny
waiter in white apron and shirt sleeves
towered above him.
"II e thee." he said, "to the casbif. 's
desk and there pay thy reckoning. fr
thou bast fed well and should not try
to dodge the payment. I)o this or I
shall smash thee in the jaw!"
"But I have paid." said be of tie
broadcloth suit; "I have but now come
from yonder cashier's desk "
"Thou li-sst, for for five weeks h -e
I watched thee perform the sne.tk
act,' and we now demand the paymdt
for the whole. Should this continue
thou woulds't eat us out of house aad
home, and we care not to cater to sach
as thee."
Then he of tbe broadcloth suit
stepped to tbe cashier's desk and tl-ere
laid down his gold chain and valued
timepiece as security for his return
with tbe boodle necessary to settle for
his five weeks' board. Ills silk umbrella
be likewise deposited, with the sne
end in view.
Then silently and sorrowfully, amid
the amused shouts ot the spectators,
be strode to tbe door and mounted the
steps to the sidewalk.
Many times bad his pitcher gone to
the well, but at last it bad been broken.
Never rejoice but when thou hsst
done well.
No man practices enonomy who doss
not use light, sharp, bright tools.
Tbe man behind tbe times breaks the
CJlt; the wise man trains it.
Tbe note that is not due till two
years will be harder ou you ' than the
note due In a year.
Jt U estimated that to collect one
pound ot boney from clover 02.000
heads of clover must be deprived of
nectar and 3,730,000 visits from bees
must be made.
A THIEF'S ST6IIV
Bow a Crying Bavby Kept Him From
Robbing a County Treasurer.
Mr. Richard Church of Belvidere,
Alleany County, well-known in west
ern New York, recently visited Au
burn Prison, to look after the construc
tion of a steam engine which was being
built for bim in tbe prison shops. lie
was allowed to converse with tbe con
victs at work on the engine.
"How do you do, Mr. Church?" said
one of the prisoners, who had paused
to wipe bis face on the sleeve of his
striped jacket.
"You have the advantage of me,"
said tbe visitor. "I don't recognize
you certainly not in that uniform."
"Well, I know you," said the con
vict, smiling. "Do you remember one
dark night two years ago this summer,
when you were riding alone through
the woods just this side of Angelica?
You were driving yonr mare Kate,
when she suddenly shied and almost
turned over your carriage. You 6aid,
'Whoa! Kate; that's something new
for you to do. Behave yourself I' "
4 "Yes. I remember that incident. It
was the first time Kate ever was
frightened, and it surprised roe."
"Well. IU tell you what startled
ber. I had just stepped behind a large
brush heap by the roadside to get out
of your sight. The mare saw me. I
was on my way to rob the Treasurer of
Allegany county, I knew he was go
ing to deposit the county money in a
few days, and that be kept it in a box
under his bed."
"Did you get It?" asked Mr.
Church.
"No, but I came very near to getting
it. I got into tbe house. I had Just
reached tbe door of tbe bedroom where
be and his wife and baby were sleeping,
and was about to enter, when the baby
cried and awoke its mother. I waited
a long time, but I guess the kid bad
the colic. Finally I made my sneak
and gave it up for that night. I went
back to the big brush heap and hid in
it all day without a mouthful to eat. I
didn't want lo be seen anywhere around
that neighbornood, because I once stole
horses there, and some of the people
knew me."
"Did you try it again?" asked Mr.
Church.
"Yes, on the following night but
with the same experience. Tbe treas
urer was walking tbe floor with the
baby. Next day be took the money to
the bank and deposited it."
4 'So you were once an Allegany
County horseth ef?" said Mr. Church,
as the convict was about to resume his
work.
'Yes, there was a gang of us, but
it's broken up now. Do you know
where that big swamp is about four
miles from Angelica?"
"Yes, I do. It wa3 almost Impass
able." "Vl, in tbe middle ot that swamp
-mtr a stable which we built. All the
botaaa we stohrto - that section were
taken there. Y'ou remember that some
years ago that a great many horses
were stolen and were never found.
They were taken most of them over
into Potter County, Pa., and some to
Philadelphia, and were sold, but their
owners wouldn't have known them.
We used to fatten them up when they
were lean and starve them when they
were fat, and we clipped them and used
a great many old fakes to disguise
the 111. After a few mouths, when the
searches were given up, we ran them
off to market."
"Why was it that you never took
any of our horses?" asked Mr. Church.
"Our family always kept a large num
ber of fine animals, and seldom locked
the barns."
"We knew better than to rob people
whom we knew would spend twice the
value of a stolen horse to catch tbe
thief. We robbed poor farmers the
poorer the better. W e never stole from
a man that we knew would mate a
thorough search. A professional thief
runs as few risks as possible, but some
times be makes bold strikes, when
boldness will deceive as completely as
darkness. lie understands human na
ture. lie never enters a sleeping room
until that hour, lietween 1 and 2 a. h.,
when sleep is always soundest.
"I bave knowc, a good many crooks
in my day, and the old saying that
'there Is honor among thieves' is a d d
lie. If a thief is arrested he will al
most invariably squeal on his partners
if promised immunity from punish
ment. If it were not for that 1 wouldn't
be in these stripes to-day. What is my
name? Now you're asking me too
much. I am here under a bogus name
that's the truth. I once lived in
Allegany County, and have respectable
well-to-do relatives living there now,"
and the convict walked away to a dis
tant part of the shop.
For Duty's Sake; or. True to Herself
Mrs. Fitzoa borne never could under
stand why ber brother Ambrose Dar
leston should have chosen little Eve
Annecy for a wife. The girl was
pretty enough, and of good family, but
why did be not take one of the belles of
tbe season with a cold million when he
had the opportunity.
Mrs. Fitzos borne bad a country seat
at Sandy beach, and it was there ber
brother had met Eve, who was staying
at the hotel with her sister, Mrs. Lut-
treU, the widow of an Indian officer.
Sandy beach was rather a wild fishing
town and the fisher boys had things
pretty much their own way. There
was one place called Idle Corner, where.
the lads loafed around ail aay. Mr.
D arias ton tried in vain to have some of
them locked up for calling him names
wben he rode by, but justice was prim
itive, and be was only laughed at. Eve
took a different stand, for she had a
kind heart and wanted to improve their
condition. Often of an evening she
would purposely walk with her sister in
tbe direction of Idle Corner, and talk
to the lads, and as she bad a beautiful
voice, sang hymns for them, and they
soon learded to join in the chorus.
When Mr. Darlaston heard of this be
was verv anirrv with his betrothed, and
they had a quarrel finally, and he left
town for the Continent angered at ber
refusal to give up going to idle Cor
ner. When he returned to Sandybeach,
after two years' absence, be could find
no trace of Eve, whom he longed to
meet again. His sister coma oniy say
that Mrs. Luttrell was dead and that
Eve had gone away. He looked at Airs.
Fitzosborne angrily when be beard.
"But vou went to Eve wben you
heard that ah a was alone in the world?"
"My dear brother, why should I?
You know that I never inougnc ner a
good match for you."
Ambrose said no more, but the next
day be started for Sandybeach.
On the plateau at Idle Corner there
had been erected to the memory ot
Grace Luttrell a modest substantial
reading and coffee room, for the fisher
men and lads.
The elderly couple who were in charge
readily answered his questions, but he
scarcely needed telling that this mem
orial owed its existence to Eve.
"All tbe men bad helped In it" his
Informant added. "They couldn't do
no less seeing what those dear yonng
ladies had done for them. Mrs. Lut
trell was buried in the village church
yard; it was her own wish, and they
'tenaea grave amongst 'em. The flow
ers grow rarely upon it."
W here was Miss Annecy to be found?
She was a-governessing somewhere in
one of the big cities, for, as they learned
afterward, she sunk ber little all in tbe
building, and In making provisions for
its being properly kept up and taken
care of.
"Yes. she had left ber address with
him," tbe old man added, ".for she was
pleased to hear from any of tbe boys as
would write to ber, and here it was."
i rom an old book of devotions the
address was carefully drawn. Tbe
writing was Eve's, and Mr. Darlaston
left a tear upon the paper.
She was at Manchester, and thither
he hastened, torn with many doubts.
In one of the pleasantest spots in the
vicinity of Manchester be found the
bouse to which he was directed. A
smart young gardener was sweeping up
leaves on tbe carriage-drive, and vol
unteered the information that there
was no one at home. Missus and the
young ladies had gone to the church to
see the governess married.
without replying. Indeed scarcely
knowing what he did. Mr. Darlaston
turned and walked away. This was a
punishment too thoroughly deserved to
be retailed against. lie had forsaken
Eve just as she needed the support of
his affection, and some braver, nobler
man bad torn ber from him.
He paused at the gate.and folding his
arms upon it, was meditating sorrow-
rully on this bitter disappointment,
when suddenly Eve stood before bim.
older, more pens' ve. but not lees beau
tiful than when he last saw her.
One shy, swift look at the face that
grew radiant at sight ot ber and Eve
fluttered Into his embrace, pity for the
lines suffering had left on his features
combining with the old love to make
bim dearer than ever.
"But this is your wedding-day!" and
she was suddenly released.
"Mine! You have been misinformed:
I have just come from the wedding of
Miss liaynes. wbo has been finishing
off Mrs. Ayrton's elder girls. I only
teach and take care ot the little ones.
Oh. Ambrose, did you think I could
ever forget you?"
"Then I am more blest than I de
serve to be," he murmured.
And perhaps be was right, for even
Mrs. Fitzosborne has been heard to
acknowledge that Eve makes the best
of wives: and Darlaston under her in
fluence, has softened into a good aud
genial man.
The Little Apple Thief.
' I remember a case that happened
years ago iu Illinois. A lawyer friend
01 my lather defended a lad for stealing
apples. Tbe owner cf the orchard was
without pity, but the lawyer pleaded
that the child's act was merely one of
gluttony and that he ought to be In
dulgently treated. This was the view
of the matter taken by the justice and
he spoke to tbe accused in a fatherly
way. "lou bear." said be, "what
has been said about you, that you are
no thief; now I am going to acquit you,
but you must first promise that in fu
ture you will behave in a way to re
deem this fault you have committed."
The boy, who had been crying bitterly,
looked up, wipad away bis tears and
gave tbe required promise in a firm
voice.
Years passed away. One day as tbe
lawyer stepped off the traia at Detroit
he was accosted by a gentleman who
asked if he remembered Irm. "No, I
do not recall ever having seen you be
fore," was the reply. "Well, I'm the
little apple thief whom you once de
fended. I want to let you know that
I bave kept the promise I made on that
occasion. 1 now own a wagon f.tctory
in this place, am a married man and
the happy father of several children. It
la to you and the good justice of that
day that I am indebted for all this. 1
am sure that had I been sent to the re
form school I would very likely bave
grown up to be anything but an honest
man." Time and again has it been
proven that tbe penal system of all
civilized countries Is nearly powerless
to reform criminals. When they are
restored to liberty they are without re
sources. Society invariably refuses to
extend them a helping band, and they
are apt to be soon fairly driven into as
sociation with men whose record is even
more shameful than their own. This
is the reason why justice should be
tempered with mercy in tbe case of a
first offense, especially when the of
fender is young.
The Girls Who Marry.
"I always read the wedding notices
in the papers." said a Louisville citizen,
"and I am surprised to observe what a
proportion of the brides are working
girls' in its commonly accepted sense,
namely, that of girls who work In a
factory, but I luclude all those who
earn their own living, whether it be by
school teaching, dressmaking, working
a typewriter or the numerous other oc
cupations which are now open to the
feminine sex. According to my obser
vation these girls marry clerks, young
doctors and lawyers, railroad men and
others, many of whom subsequently
reach the greatest heights in business
or the professions. Many well to do
young men who have either inherited
or already accumulated something of a
competency marry girls who are accus
tomed to work."
"What conclusion, then, do you de
duce from your observations?"
"My conclusion is that tbe average
young man of the perloi is a much
more sensible creature than we give
bim credit for being. He has his fun
with the society girls and enjoys him
self, but when the time comes to select
a wife, he chooses her like Mrs. Prim
rose did her wedding gown not for
gloss and fineness of finish, but for
qualities that last. Thus the society
girl gets left. AH our old maids were
once leaders in society. The young
men thought they were not equal to
the task of supporting these maidens,
or the latter themselves were too higr
toned to accept any but a millionaire
and hence they still prefix 'Miss to
their names."
Never resent publizly a lack of courtesy,
!
A TENXTSOX CTPHEK.
Another Donnelly Shows That Dar
win wrote meFamoiu foe ins.
Mr. Swlnlwrne's theory of the Dar
winian authorship of Tennyson's
poems will open a new field of specu
lation. It may be found that authors
have changed places, for tbe fun of the
thing, more than this stupid old world
has any idea of. Perhaps it may be
found that Gilbert & Sullivan wrote
The Origin of Species." and that
Martin Farquhar Topper is responsible
for tbe bold flights of fancy that ap
pear under the name of Swinburne.
But tbe thought is bewildering. Let
us suppose, for the sake ot a temporary
standing ground tn this equation of
unknown quantities, that Darwin Is
Darwin, the scientist and philosopher,
and then It is not difficult to imagine
him taking long excursions Into the
realm ot poetry as a sort of rest or
recreation of his mental powers. In
deed, he may have designed to net up
the two works, the one of scientific in
vestigation and the other cl imagina
tion, and quietly watch in his declin
ing years the survival of the fittest.
And so he
"Smote the chord of Self, that, tremb
ling, passed in music out of sight."
Yet bits of his zoological research
will occasionally crop out. He says to
Beauty:
lie will hold thee, when his passion
shall bave spent its novel force.
Something better than his dog, a little
dearer than bis horse."
And again, and this is very like him
self:
"Like a dog, he hunts in dreams."
And here is a hint of his own great
discoveries with which he heard the
world ringing when he wrote it:
Men, my brothers, were the workers,
evsr reaping something new."
This speaks of bis own faith of the
truth of his theory:
Yet I doubt not through the ages one
increasing purpose runs."
This confidence finds expression con
tinually throughout the poems, but
especially in Locksley Hall:
I am heir of all the ages, in the fore
most files of time."
Here again the race Influence and
the conflict of heredity:
"I will take some savage woman, she
shall rear my dusky race."
But after all, says the critic, this
does not prove that Ba that is to say
that Darwin wrote Tennyson. Now
let us take some couplets at random,
beginning with the one above last
quoted, aud without pausing for ciphers
or cryptograms, 6ee what they contaiu:
'For it was in the golden prime.
Of good Uaroun Airaschid."
"Let the great world spin forever
down the ringing grooves ot change
"To muuia a luiffk Stata'a rier.;ep
.And shape the whuper of the turoue.
It will be found, after a little
scanning, that tbe name "Charles Dar
win is cleverly buried in each couplet.
If we number the letters, and add to
gether the values of those used, and di
vide the sum of all the examples above
given by four, the result will exactly
equal twice the square foot obtained
by the same method in numbering the
extracts backward. There are other
striking coincidences which we bave
not space at present to point out. The
ingenious ttuJent of Tennyson will
And them for himself, after be shall
have thoroughly explored, under the
guidance of Mr. Donnelly, the Baoon
ian cryptograms in the plays com
monly attributed to Shakesare.
Men's Styles of Dress.
Tbe tendency of styles among men is
toward a more flashy and gorgeous
dress. A few months since nothing
could be too modest for a man in good
society to wear; now everything Is
changed. Neckties must reflect rich
and brilliant colors, and a handsome
diamond pin is eminently in place.
Shirts are no longer plain, but em
broidered, plaited and frilled. If they
are barred with highly colored stripes
or dotted with resplendent figures it is
all the more fashionable. Tbe same
Is the case with handkerchiefs aud
mufflers, the gayer tbe more fashion
able they are. It wos only a short
time since that shirt studs were out
of date, but now they are coming back
in style. At first only one stud was
worn, and that was a plain, wLte
Covered button; then came tbe single,
plain, round bead gold stud, and sow
tbe bolder dudes are wearing two and
three gold studs.
Tbe truth is that modesty in dress is
going out of date and the Delly Var
den iriod k once more coming upon
us. Y'ou can see the approach of It
any time you go out on the streets.
The suits of clothing are richer aud
higher in color, jewelry more abun
dant, and the neckwear brilliant as
the rainbow. I don't know where this
all will stop, but the indications are
that the dress of the average gentle
man next summer will be something
stunning. If you will notice, the win
ter goods now on sale at the stores are
preparing the way. Woolen knit caps
have small tassels on tbe top, over
coats are needlessly ornamented with
fur, and even in gloves there is an at
tempt at display. I need not speak of
the richly embroidered suspenders and
underwear that you see in the show
windows. The fashions are on t:t
eve of turning a complete somersault.
A Japanese Shrine.
The Japanese of Nikko make pil
grimages to Lake Chinzenzi. eight
miles distant, where their sacred moun
tain guards the lovely sheet of water.
They bathe In tbe sacred water, pass
under a grand tori on tbe water's edge,
say their prayers at a temple and climb
the mountain to a lonely shrine at tbe
top. Tbe path to tbe mountain's sum
mit is kept in order by tbe temple
guardians, who charge twenty cents
for every climber, and the climber then
has bis name engraved on wooden tab
lets in tbe temple grounds, which is
fame enough for bis humble lifetime.
It is seven miles to tbe summit, and
tbe pain, instead of winding and zi.
sagging as a mountain path generally
does, pursues an air-llne from the bot
tom to tbe top and is simply a seven
mile staircase, with steps regularly
made ot sticks laid across and braced
In.
It matters not whether borne is
clothed In blue and purple. If It is only
brunluii ot love, smiles and giadnesa-
NEWS IN BRIEF.
Some astronomer has figured out
that the sua will furnish us light and
beat for ouly 10.OUO.000 years more.
The ancient Trojans carried the art
of soldering gold and silver to a height
to which modern jewelers cannot at
tain. Rubinstein has been made a Coun
cilor of Russia aud an Excellency.
Gladstone was in Parliament at
twenty-two, and at twenty-four was
Lord of the Treasury.
A swinging sign in front of a Chi
cago store bears the legend: "The
Truth Spoken IJere."
Lord Bacon graduated at Cam
bridge when sixteen, and was called to
the bar at twenty-one.
Peel was In Parliament at twenty
one, and Palmerston was Lord of tbe
Admiralty at twenty-three.
Misprints on occasions are of a
very painful nature. The editor of a
temperauoe paper who wrote, "Getting
drunk is folly," was horrified to read
In the sheet the next day that "Getting
drunk is jolly."
During his stay in San Remo,
Italy, Doctor Mackenzie, of London,
composed an overture to Shakespeare's
"Twelfth Night." The work is said
to reflect the life and humor of the
comedy.
During the past ten years no less
than six species of North American
birds have become extinct, and it is
claimed that the English sparrow has
been the mam cause or their disap
pearance. Germany has now more than
seventy man 11 factories ot "champagne
francals." Of 450.000 bottles im
ported annually by Russia, Germany
provides 300,000.
The stones of Temple Bar. after
having been exposed for eleven years,
have been built up into a gateway of a
brewer's residence. It is now called
"Temple Beer."
C. II. Jackson and George H.
Jackson, father aud son. are expecting
to graduate in June, at Hillsdale
(Mich.) College, and are pushing each
other for class honors.
There is to be a grand interna
tional exhibition In Berlin next May
of bunting trophies, of all sorts of
game, ancient and modern arms, and
Implements used in bunting.
The famous Goodwin sands in the
British chaunel are disappearing. They
have receded toward the Kentish coast
half a mile within a short time, and
show signs of generally breaking up.
The number of bides imported into
England for home consumption is esti
mated at 9,000,000 per annum, which
together with the domestic bides bring
the total number to about 20.000.000.
The great Leo X was Pope at
thirty eight. Having finished bis aca
demic training, be took the office of
cardinal at eighteen only twelve
months younger than r?as Charles
James Fox when he entered Parlia
ment. It would take, according to calcu
lations, C. 340,000, ynars to transport
the whole of the solid land down to the
sea. Should the whole of the solid
laud be reduced to one level under tbe
ocean, then the surface of the earth
would be covered by an ocean with a
uniform depth of about two miles.
John Quincy Adams, at tbe age of
fourteen, was secretary to Mr. lana,
then minister to the Russian court; at
thirty be was bimstlf minister to
Prussia; at thirty-five he was minister
to Russia; at forty-eight he was minis
ter to England; at fifty-six he was Sec
retary of State, and President at fifty
seven. There have been twenty-two Pres
idents of the United States, five of
whom were elected at fifty-seven and
six attained that great office before the
age of fifty. Three military men, past
sixty, bave been elected. Two died
very soon, and the other was General
Jackson, and he was but sixty-one
when elected.
According to a writer in UlacJt-
teood's Magazine the gypsies ot Tran
sylvania teach young bears to dance
by placing them on heated iron plates
while tbe trainer plays on bis fiddle.
The bear, lifting np Its legs alternately
to escape the heat, involuntarily ob
serves the time marked by the violin.
and eventually learns to lift his legr
whenever be bears music.
rasieur has among his patients In
Paris William Chapman Chamberlain,
a lexan ranchman who was terribly
bitten in the face by a wolf supposed
to be sufleriug with the rabies. Out
of 30G cases treated by Pasteur only
two, be says, were failures, and his
system was not observed in either of
them, while there bave been fatal re
sults in 7 out of 44 untreated cases.
Every man when be takes up his
cards at a game of whist holds one ont
of 65,01 3, 'J 000 possible hands. As
for the total number of variations pos
sible among all the players, it is so
enormous as almo3t to exceel belief.
Mr. Babbae calculated that If 1,000,
000 men were to be engaged dealing
cards at the rate of one de.il each min
ute, day aud night, for 100,000,000
years, they would not then have ex
hausted all the p issible variations of
the cards, but only 100,000th part of
them!
Among the books Ale Lincoln
read when a boy was "..E sop's Fables."
lie was always a good story teller, aud
it was told by one of his early acquaint
ances that "be could tell more stories
than anybody In school but Hazel
Dorsey." sop's stories helped bim
immensely, and he soon was a better
story teller even than Hazel Dorsey.
A lake at Klikuitz. in the Aus
trian Alps, has for many years mysti
fied every one by drying up at one
season of the year aud filling with
water and overflowing at another. Dur
ing the dry spell the people raise very
good crops in its basin. Recent explor
ations show in one part of the basin an
immense cave, which, when the waer
has reached a certain height, bfgius
sucking it up till the basla is empty.
Tbe cave leads to a long series of
underground lakes, all connected with
one another by a continuous current.
General Grant was elected Presi
dent at forty-six; but when a young
man, in the Mexican war, be so distin
guished himself at t'ae battle of Mo
lino del Rey that General Scott named
him for promotion on the field, aud at
the storming of Cbapultepec his cour
age and ability caused him to be speci
ally commended by General Worth.
And for these young acts ot skill and
valor he was made captain iu the regu
lar army. He was but thirty-nine
wben be gained bis victory at Fort
Donelson, and ouly forty-one wben he
took Yick&burg.
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