SULLIVAN that father'd soften if ho saw 'em once. The only grandohildren he's got on earth, and he nor ma never even saw them. If 1 dared I'd fix it so he should seo those two dear little tots once!" It was dark when Jason Hogarth reached his house. There were no lights in the front windows of tho big, equare farm house with an inoredibly long L back of it. He walked urj.._ 1 to the rear, where streams of cheery light shone from tho kitchen windows. A pleasant odor of frying ham greeted him as he entered the kitchen, where a table with a snowy cloth was set for supper, close to tho shining kitchen stove, "It was so chilly in the dining-room, 1 thought we'd eat supper out her"," said his wife, a small, slight, gray haired woman. "I enjoy eatin' in the kitohen of a cold night like this," said hor hus band. "It's gittin' colder fast. Sup per 'about ready?" "Yes; I'll take it right up." They talked little while they ate. Jason was inwardly rebellious ovor what he called his daughter's "impu dence," and Sirs. Hogarth's thoughts could not be given utterance, bcoause they wore of Jenny. "I must go up to the attio an' git out the buff'lo robes," said Mr. Ho garth, pushing his chair away from the table. "I'll start so early in the mornin' I won't have time to git the robes then. I guess I'll put right off for bed soon as I git the robes. I've got to be off by 5 o'clock. Five minutes later ho was in his musty, oobwebbed olchattic, candle in hand. When he had found the robos he said to himself: "Wonder if my big fur muffler ain't up here in some o' them trunks? I'll need it if it's cold as I think it'll bo in tho morning. Mobbo it's iu this trunk." Ho droppod on one lcneo before a small, old, hair-covered trunk, with brass-headod nails that ha 1 lost their luster years ago. Throwing up the trunk lid, ho held tho candle lower. His eyo fell on a big rag doll with a china Load. He picked it up and stared at it a moment. His mind went back to a Christmas long years ago. He was a poor young married man then, and he had worked nearly all day at husking corn for a neighbor, to earn money to buy that doll head, and his wife had sot up un til midnight to make the clumsy body stuffed with sawdust. He remombered how his little Jenny had shrieked with joy when she found the doll in her stocking the next morning. And what is this? A tiny, faded, blue merino baby sncque. His wife had made it bofora Jenny had yet como into the world. It was the very first tiny gar ment she had made, and her husband recalled how she had blushed and tried to hide it under her apron when he had found her at work on it. He re membered that he had taken it from her and kissed her, and then he had kissed the tiny garment itself. The candle in his haud shook strangely as he bent lower ovor the trunk and brought forth a tiny ohina cup with "From Papa/' on it, and a little sampler with "God bless father and inpther" worked in rather uncer tain letters by a little hand. There wis a string of blue glass beads that ho has given her on her fifth birthday and in a heavy black case was a daguerreotype of her with tho beads around her neok. The lit tle pictured face smiled up at him from the frame and there was a mist before his eyes when ho thought of how many, many times those bare lit tle arms had tightened in a warm em brace around his neok, and of how many times those smiling lips had kissed him and said: "I love you boat of anybody in all the world, farver." Everything in tho trunk was a re minder of her in her baby days, of his little Jenny. He sat down on the floor beside the trunk and took the things out one by one, the stern look in his faoe softening and his heart growing wirmer. iio smiled when he ca:nn to a little white sun bonnet and remembered just how Jenny had looked when she oame toddling oat to meet him, wearing it for the first time. It was 9 o'clock when he went back to the kitohen. His wife lookod np from the weekly paper she was read ing and said: "Why, Jason, you ain't been up in the attio all this time? I s'posed you'd come down an' gone to bed long ago." "I'm goin' right away. Set me out some breakfast on the table and fix the coffee so I kin make me a cup 'fore I start." "I shall get up an' get you a good hot breakfast myself, Jason." "You needn't to, Marthy, it'll be so early." "I shall get up just the same. How husky your voice is, Jason. I'm 'fraid you took cold up there iu the attic. What ever were you doing up there all this time?" "Oh, just lookin' over somo old things. I didn't tako any cold. Bet ter goto bed, Marthy, if you're bent on gittin' tip at 4 in tho mornin'." Why, Jason, how'd you happen to come in at the front door?" It was 9 o'clock at night, bitterly cold and stormy, aud Christmas Eve. Jason had just como homo from He bron. His wife had heard him drive into the barnyard and had made haste with her supper that it might be ready aud hot wheu he came in. She had also bathed her eyes hastily in cold tyater that ho might not know that she had been crying. But he would know if ho had any discernment at all, for she had been crying nearly all day. Her heart had been so heavy with thoughts of Jenny. "How'd you liappen to come in at the front door?" she askel. "You mustn't ask questions so near Christmas time," he said in a voice so light and joyous that she looked up quickly. He picked up a lamp and said : "I want togo iuto the parlor a min ute before supper." A moment later he called out cheerily: "Come in here an' see your Christ mas gift, ma. It's suoh a beauty I can't wait until morning." "Better wait until after supper any how. It's all on tho table." "No; como in here first." When she reached the opsn door of the parlor she saw her husband on his kneos between a little boy of about four years and a little girl of two, his arms around their waists. A little wo man with a thin, pale, tear stained face showing boneath her cheap little mourning bonnet, was standing be hind Jason. "And this is Walter Jason, named for me, and this is Marthy Isabelle, named for you," said Jason, joyously. "Come, come ma; stop huggin' an' cry in' over Jenny au' take a look at your gran'-ohildren. What do you say to them for a Christmas gift?" She knelt down and took them in her arms, saying incohoreutly : "Jenny—Jason--oh, dear—l—l— you dear, little things! Gran'ma's babies! You darlings! You darlings ! You're the best gift, the sweetest gift, the dearest gift in all tho world 1 The little poaoe child that came to Beth lehem was not dearer to his mother than you are to me. Kneel right down here by me, Jenny an' Jason, an' let me thank the Christ who was born on Christmas Day for this an' for tho beautiful Christinas there will bo un der this roof to-morrow!"--Detroit Freo l'ress. Term s---$ 1.00 in Advance; 51.25 after Three Months. OUR UK PLATE TRADE AND THE TARIFF. Cscolc),te ~ " iLStfl/c) 'i&kMli iiboi. liWion x '"lade nvror«itni'CouTitrit«.. ion fWfc '"V (««vi«\tlo>Koed m t\»e \jnrte(ilStabeß) (flarirjgthe.lhree fiscal yeors\ tending 'June 3brTß9iyßW%>lß#l ; M# ISO; , JSO'., p|if r ■■ i 500;-j Y T - sob - fiiUiffl «mwaroagite. j^L*^ Pounds. 1 tp i& m- • jfe; mp M2 Pbjmds IPouVldsj 's#sv HVurdo v l)ioseu■■■ 1 ■ —LI «>■■ ■*• WHEN LABOR LOSES. STRIKES UNDER PROTECTION HALF AS NUMEROUS AS IN GROVER'S REIGN. Free Trade Threats Doubled the Number of Strikers and the Loss Iu Wujjes Strikers Lose Two Dollars for Every Dollar's Loss Incurred by Employers. The Commissioner of Labor has just complete*? a report upon strikes, the period covtoed being from 1881 to Juno 30, 1894. Summarizing briefly the results oi recent years, 1891-1894, wo have the following results : Number Employes of strikes, nindo idle. IR9I-92, 24 months 3.010 505,735 1893-94, 18 montlis 2,201 747,980 WAGE LOSS OF EMPLOYES. Strikes. Lockouts. Total. 1891 92.. #25,874,330 *3,739,722 $29,314,058 1893-94. 39,170.519 7,110.032 45,293.151 LOSS TO EMPLOYERS. Strikes. Lookouts. Tctal. 1881-92.. $11,322,979 *2,311,986 $13,034,947 1893-91. 18,903,301 1,630,904 20,594,205 During the years 1891 and 1892 tho country was under nn Administration favorable to protection. During the later period to June 30, 1894, wo were afflictod with a free tfade Administra tion for sixteen months and the cer tainty of it during tho other two months. During tho free trado year and a half there were 242,245 more employes mado idle by strikes than in the two full years of protection. During the froo trade year and a half tho loss of wnges to employes was $15,979,093 more than in tho two full years of protection. During tho free trade year and n half the loss to employers of labor was §6959, 318 more than in tho two full years of protection. Bringing the facts down to an aver age monthly basis, wo have tho fol lowing: MONTHLY AVERAGES. Free Free Trotectiou. Trade. Trado 1891-92. 1893-94. Increaso. Employes made Idle.. . 21,072 41,554 20.482 Wage loss of em ployes..sl,22l, 419 $2,510,280 $1,294,837 Loss t o employ ers 568.123 1.144.120 570,003 During the present free trade Ad ministration there were 20,482 more employes idle every month, through strikes or lockouts, than during the protection period. The loss of wages to employes was 81,294,867 a month more under Mr. Cleveland's regime, and the loss to employers was 8576,- 003 a month more. Both employers and employes have common ground, and good reason, to oppose anything that will ever help to restore to power an Administration favorable to free trade. Farmers iu England. A bright American, who has busi ness connections in England and nec essarily resides there more or less, has been carefully noting tho conditions of English agriculture. His investi gations have extended over consider able time past in different parts of that country. He wrote recently, after a business trip on tho Conti nent, as follows: "The countries of Europe, outside of England, do not discuss the tariff to any extent. They are all, and are growing more so, protective as to their own industries and England will soon have to change front or she will kill off the few farmers yet left. In faot, aside from trucking in tho neighbor hood of the cities, there is not enough money in agriculture to pay rent and tithes." English agricultural statistics, show ing the decreasing area planted to staple crops every year, sustain this sentiment. Mop Tlilel I There seems to be no robber tariff at present. What is it that robs the Treasury of its gold aud the 'Govern ment of receipts necessary to sustain Government? How about feeo trade beiug a robber of tho Treasury and a thief of iudustry.—Saratoga(N. Y.)" Pftily Harotogian. NO. 11. PROSPECTS FOR POTATOES. Secretory Morton Says No Foreign Markets, and Farmers Must Feed Spuds to Stock. "The most serious complaint of the potato growth this year is the low price of the product, particularly in tbo Northwest. The report from the department's agent for Wisconsin and Minnesota represents that in the latter State tho tubers 'do not pay for dig ging.' Ho states that tho yield is enormous, 'on an acreage three times as great as in previous years,' that 'hundreds of acres will not be dug,' and that 'much of the acreage will go to feed stock.' " Hero is another startling announce ment on the official authority of tho Secretary of Agriculture in his Sep tember crop report. Can Mr. Morton reconcile tho above with tho Demo cratic promises made to farmers in 1802, that the value of all farm crops would be enhanced if the protection ists were turned out of office and the freo traders installed in their placte? Potatoos "do not, pay for digging," says the free trade Secretary's report-. "Hundreds of acres will not bo dug," even wheu so much labor is idle and wages ore so much cheaper than they were in 1892. "Much of tho ocreago will goto feed stock"—feeding pota toes to stock 03 well as dollar wheat, and corn to bo burned, too. Is there no hope for the farmers? Let us see if tho markets of the world won't savo him. Here are our exports of pota toes for the last five years: EXPORTS OF POTATOES. Year. Bushels. Valuo. 189 341.180 $310,483 189 557.022 301,378 189 845,720 700.032 18U4 803,111 051,877 1893 572,857 418,221 Note liow our exports of potatoes gradually increased during tho Mc- Kinley tariff period and how we cap tured half a million more bushels of the potato markets of the world in 1893 than we did in 1891. Note again tbat, directly the free traders got their fingers on the farmers' potato crop, our exports fell off ond wo shipped abroad 270,000 bushels less in 1895 than in 1893. Perhaps, though, thoro will be o clionce for the farmers to capture the markets of tho world during tho pres ent fiscal year. Mr. Free Trade Sec retary Morton enlightens us upon this point. His September report tells us that "800,030 hundred-weights of po tatoes were shipped to England during the first six months of this year" from Germouy. He also tells us that . "France shipped about tho same quantity." It would seem that Franco and Germany have go"t ahead of us, especially, "as England has nearly an average crop of very high quality, tho market there is glutted and prices aro as low or $lO o ton." This is equiva lent to 2.5 cents a bushel delivered in England. It is not surprising that formers, "particularly in tho North west," when they think of tho freight rate from tho Northwest to London and the cost of bags, commission and insurance, are complaining of low prices. A potato market at 25 cents a bush el in London, loss these expenses and the cost of seed, fertilizer ond labor, does not leave much margin of profit for the American farmer after he has captured tho markets of the world. No paying market in England, France or Germany, and Secretary Morton says"it is unlikely that we 6liall bo able to dispose of any of our surplus in Europe." We thought tho markets of the world wore waiting for our sur plus products. Can it be that tho markets of India, China aud Japan alone are open to us? Must we grow tubers to supplant the rioo crops of the Orient? We cannot but admiro Mr. Freo Trade Secretary Morton's candor in describing these free trade condition?, varying so gently, as they do, from the free-trade promises of 1892. Sec retary Morton soys that "these condi tions are worth noting." Thoy are, Mr. Secretary. The farmers will note them —will noto that "these condi tions" are not theories. Interest Bearing l)cbt. Cleveland, Julv 1, 1895 $716,202,001 Harrison, March 1, 1.893 585,034,209 Cleveland's inoroaso of debt,. $131,167,809