THE BLEST. Who are the blest? fl'hi'.v who huvu kept their sympathies awake, (Ami scattered joy for more thau cus tom's sake— ilfast and tender in the hour of need. Gentle in thought, benevolent in deed, ,"Whose looks have power to make dissen sion cease. Whose smiles are pleasant, and whose words are peace. j THE CLOCK J ♦ AND A HERO. * By Charles Do J Tom Dean was ticket agent and tele graph operator for the Union Pacific at Wellsvilie, a settlement of not more than a few dozen scattered houses, the most pretentious of which was the "Ho tel and Lunch Room." Abouta hundred yards down the track from this popu lar resort at "train time," stood a low, one-roomed building, the station — Tom's St. Helena. To an energetic, ambitious young man, socially inclined, Wellsvilie was •well nigh intolerable; but Tom had hopes and made the best of it. He had removed his belongings from the hotel to Mrs. Jordan's cosy little cottage, where he made himself at home. He found Miss Jordan a charming com panion and "years ahead of the ville in every way." Nevertheless, the un eventful days would drag, and the nights— well, after the 8.50 "accom modation" pulled out until 11.10, when the west bound "express" dashed past, one might as well have been stationed in the middle of the Great Sahara —at least, so Tom said many times. One raw, gusty December night just before the holidays, Tom with much pleasure piled the three cases billed through to Omaha on the truck and ran them down the track, ready to be hauled aboard the baggage car of the coming train. He was not over fond of work, but this meant the stopping of the express, the latest newspapers, and good reading for several days. To signal the express was an event. Taking a last look at the lights, he entered the station and slammed the door after him, as if to bar out the loneliness of the dripping outside world. The last light in >e hotel had gone out long before, the wind howled In the wires, the red light blinked and flickered. "Well, of all the forsaken —" The door opened suddenly, and two men stepped into the room, followed by a third. "Hands up—quick!" the foremost cried. In less than two minutes Tom was bound, gagged, and lying helpless be hind the partition in the baggage end i the room. "He's safe. Where's Jim?" asked the man who had spoken before. "Down to th' sidin'," came the an swer. "Set the whiV *'ght_" The door closed quickly after them. Out of Tom's bewilderment and con fusion came the question, what did it mean? Robbery? There was nothing worth the risk at the station, and the men had gone. , "Set the white light." That meant the express would not stop. "Down to th' sidin'." The blind sid ing. an eighth of a mile beyond the station by the sand hill! It ended in the gravel bank. The terrible truth flashed across his mind. He turned cold —great beads of moisture stood out upon his forehead; "26," with its living freight, was to be switched onto the siding at full speed! As the horror of it rushed upon him. Tom strained at the cords that bound him hand and foot with a strength he never dreamed he possessed. It was useless —the work had been done well. He looked quickly at the clock —10.41 — in 29 minutes more the train would be due. As he turned the knots of the gag pressed into the back of his head. Bearing heavily upon them, unmindful of the pain, he moved his head, forc ing his chin downward. They gave— they moved! Again he tried, and again until at list tho handkerchief slipped to his neck. "Help! Help! Townsend! Bill! Help!" he cried. But his voice was lost in the mocking howl of the wind and he realized that the effort was strength wasted and time lost. Again he looked at tho clock —only 26 minutes remained. How fast the seconds flew! 25 The sharp click, click, click from the other side of the partition caught his ear—a telegraphic message. " '26' 20 minutes late." "Thank God, a delay!" Forty-four minutes now—a pain of 20. Tlie train, due at 11.10, would not arrive until 11.30. Towusend relieved him at 12. "Too late! Too late!" rushed through his mind as he glared at the clock. Then the light of hope fairly blazed in his eyes. The summer before, when he had long, weary night watches, twice he overslept because his alarm had failed fcim, so, to Insure his "call," he had run a wire from the station clock to a bell in his room at the hotel. By an ingenious connection, when the hands marked 11.45 the ringing of the bell brought him violently out of the land of drearnß. When Tom was pro moted to the shorter watch, and went to live at Mrs. Jordan's, Hill Town- Bond, who succeeded him, fell heir to his room and"the devil's own," aa Tom called the bell. The clock was an Imitation of the old-fashioned, btg facud, caseless timepieces, with weights •nd chains, and a long, heavy pendu lum. •'Twonty minutes late,"he muttered. The hour hand was l«u than two inches from the connection, but how slowly It crept! If he could only move that hand! His kneea were free. He drew them up toward his chin, shot out his legs and came to a sitting po sition; then, by a series of short jumps and bumps, he reached the wall, braced his back against it, and with great difficulty worked himself to his feet. The pendulum swung close to his ear, but how could he reach the hand? Was he to fail now? His eyes quickly searched the room. A few feet to the right was the win dow, heavily barred, the torn shade partly down. His glance rested on the stick that weighted the latter —just what he needed. New hope gave him new strength. Inch by inch he edged himself along the wall to the shade, caught the stick between his teeth and sank quickly to the floor. He had suc ceeded—the stick was torn loose from its flimsy fastenings. Back again, up and along the wall he worked, until he stood nearly under the clock. He turned sidewise, raised his head until the stick pointed at the hand, made a terrific effort to reach it, failed, lost his balance and fell heavily to the floor. The bodily pain was nothing to him, but he groaned in anguish at the loss of time. He looked up—the clock had stopped! The hands marked 11. He could reach the pendulum. It must be start ed. There was still a chance of more delay. Again the struggle to regain his feet, harder now because of his grow ing weakness. IJearer and nearer he crept to the motionless rod —a nod of his head would start it — "My God," he suddenly cried, "why didn't I think of it before? Is there still time?" and seizing the heavy brass disk at the end of the pendulum in his teeth, he raised his head and detached it. The rod, freed of its heavy weight, swung rapidly back and forward, im pelling the hands onward at a greatly increased rate of speed. His eyes were following the minute hand. He could see it move; and the hour hand? Yes, it was creeping along. Tom's strength was going fast; he sank to his knees and rolled over on the floor, but his eyes were fixed on that hand. How long would it take to reach 11.45? Clos er and closer it crept—now it touched the iron connection and moved slowly past it. The alarm had been sounded, but there were 15 minutes more be fore Bill would arrive. He strained his ears to catch tne slightest sound — the noise of the storm was all that he could hear. Click, click, click came from the in strument —a message from Maysville. "26" had just passed. Maysville was 12 minutes up the road —it must now be 11.18. Tom tried to calculate the time since the hands started on their wild race, but his mind was a chaos of mad thoughts. What if Bill did not arrive in season? He rolled over on his face and waited for the worst. The door burst open. "Hello, where are you?" It was Bill's voice. "Stop '26' —hold-up at Dyke's siding —got men—" But Bill was gone. The red light flashed up the track, and "26" with a noisy grinding of wheels and many jolts, came to a stop. A posse was hastily formed, but when the siding was reached nothing was found but the open switch that meant death and destruction. The passengers and crew tried to make Tom believe that he was a hero, but he only pointed to the clock and said: "It was the 'devil's own.' " Persian I.niiien t Rtion. The Persian's imagination is one ot his strongest characteristics, and it has found full play in his religion. When he split with his Turkish brother over who should be successor to Mohammed, he did it with the fa natical enthusiasm with which he does everything—except tell the truth. The offspring of Fatima were henceforth the sacred embodiments to him. and when the Turks and Arabs with almost equal fervor disposed of the imams by various methods of murder held to be polite in those days, the schism was complete. The gulf between Shiite and Sunnite was fixed for all time. It has never narrowed. To this day, in periods of stress between the sects, the Persian accounts it a greater vir tue to have killed one Sunni than a whole company of Christians, and his conduct at all times, whether in war or business, shows at what value he holds the Christian. The cultivation of this religious ten sion, century af'er century, has wrought upon the Persian tempera ment like a corrosive acid. To the original formulae he has tacked on horrors and deprivation, hunger and laceration, enough to make an ordi nary savage turn pale. I have seen gentlemen of Indian tribes, shaken by spiritual grief, cry like infants over the atonement service at the burning of the White Dog. and listened to some touching ululations at ceremon ials in the uplands of Mexico. Even the colored camp-meeting has its tear ful Bide; but the Persians' doings in memory of what happened to the Imams make these seem like children's troubles.—Harper's Weekly. A Mnnnmont to l)«>il Horm, As Morioka. Rlkuebu, is the centre of the horse-breeding country, the people there are going to erect a mon ument called the "horse-soul monu ment"—of course the promoters are convinced, like the pious Buddhists they are, that the soul of this animal .Is Immortal—in memory of the horses | which were killed in the 1894-1895 : war. Mr. Oglwara. expert of tho war i office, Is making a design for tne ! monument.— Tokyo (Japan) Times. A WASTED WARNING. "I hear," said the poet. "There's a new counterfeit, And the people are cautioned To look out for it. "But I'm not a bit worried. And I'm not looking out. As if I had nothing To do but to scout. "It's the five-dollar size That is crooked, they say, And that kind of money Ain't coming m.v way." —Detroit Free Press. HUMOROUS. .fllobbs—l've been sold again. Slobbs —I thought you looked rather cheap. Nell—Jack has proposed to me. Jlere is the ring. Belle —Yes; I had a finger in that. Wigg—He's an experienced book keeper, isn't he? Wagg—Lend him a few and see. Sillicus —Everything is machine made nowadays. Cynicus—Yes; even office-holders. Tramp—Kind lady, can you oblige me with a bite? Kind lady—No; but perhaps my dog can. "Any bones broken?" asked the cy clist, who had run down the old man. "Confound it, yes!" responded the lat ter; "my collar button is broken." Ned —I don't see why you jilted Miss Gotrox for Miss Bluegore. They tell me Miss Bluegore's fortune is very small. Jack —Ye 3; it's small, but se lect. Wife —It was very nice of you to bring me this candy. Husband—Yes; it reminds me of you. Wife—How gallant! So sweet, eh? Husband- No; so expensive. "This parrot," said the dealer, "can speak two languages." "Really?" re marked the prospective purchaser; "what are they?" "Why-er-Engllsh and his-er-native tongue." "My darling," he gurgled, "I cannot understand what you see in me to make you love me so." "Well, Jack," she replied, "that's what pa and ma and all the rest of the folks say." Mrs. Mulligan—Poor Pat has had a leg ampitated. 'Twas an explosion. Mrs. O'Rourke —Dear, dear! An' is he resigned to his fate? Mrs. Mulligan— His fate, is it? Sure, he only has one. "I should think a date pie would be popular." remarked the patron. "What? A pie made of dates?" replied the pro prietor of the quick lunch place. "Oh! no. A pie that would have the date of its manufacture printed on it." "Why don't you goto work?" asked the good lady, handing out the victuals. "It's dis way, lady." explained the tramp. "Wen I'm hungry, I'm too weak to work an' w'en I'm full dey ain't 110 necessity fer me to work." Nicaraciian Customs. Among the many odd customs of Nicaragua, those relating to the dead are the weirdest to the stranger Some of these have been handed down by tradition from the Indians others were brought over by the Con querors—and the two are so blended that it is difficult to toll which pre dominates. As soon as the medico pronounces one's illness fatal, word is sent to the village padre, who pre pares to administer the last sacra ments of the church to the dying per son. Placing the consecrated wafer in the custodia —a vessel of solid gold or silver, oftert resplendent with rare jewels—a procession is formed and marches through the street. A small boy, ringing a bell, rushes ahead to announce the approach of the sacred presence, and after him follows a band of music, often a single violin, playing a dirge. If it be possible to secure any soldiers, they surround the padre, who, dressed in brilliant vest ments, is generally carried in a chair, over which four men hold a purple canopy. As the little cortege moves down the silent streets, every one bares his head and kneels, making the sign of the cross until the last soldiei has passed. Woo to the sacrilegious stranger who fails to show this mark of respect, and many have been the in stances where foreigners were pulled from their horses and even stoned for neglecting to follow this time honored custom. —W. Nephew King in Harper's Weekly. A Womnn nnit tlin Telephone. What a wonderful thing the tele phone is, and what a comfort to women it may be made, Is illustrated in an in cident of a few days ago, brought about by the kind act of a thoughtful and in dulgent husband, who is a well-known business man of this city. He decided to give his wife a birthday surprise, so he arranged that at a certain mo ment her mother, who lives in New York, and whom she had not seen for months, should ring up her daughter in this city. When the telephone bell sounded in the business man's house at the time agreed upon he answered the ring and then, turning from the telephone, he said to his wife: "Dearie, here's your mother on the wire in New York." The wife bustled to the telephone and heard the familiar voice of her mother In the utterance of one word, "Daughter." The answer of the business man's wife was: "Oh, moth er." Next came the sound of a sob from the mother over the wire, which was answered with a sob from this end. These women then proceeded to cry to each other in the most accepted feminine style until the telephone tolls amounted to? 5. which announce ment from "central" caused an abrupt breaking off of communication. The business man's wife declared, however, that It was the loveliest experience ah>< ever hud. — Philadelphia Record. C(ni«rli| Insanity. Two inmates of a Scotch asylum working In the garden decided upon an attempt to escape. Watching their opportunity when their keener was ab sent they appronched the wall. "Xoo bend doon, Sandy," said the one, "and I'll climb up your shoulder to the top, and then I'll gle ye a hand up tao." Sandy accordingly bent down. Tarn, mounting his back, gained the top of the wall, and dropping over the other side, shouted as he prepared to make off: "I'm thinking, Sandy, you'll be bet ter ta bide anither fortnight, for you're no near rlcht yet."—Glas'-ow Times. "PrewnM of Mind" Smith. The dean of Christ Church, in the '." sos was known as "Presence of Mind" Smith. A well-known tradition ex plained the name. Going down to Nunehani with a friend in his under graduate days, he returned alone. "Where is T V" "Well, we had an accident. The boat leaked, and while we were bailing it T fell over into the water. He caught hold of the skiff and pulled it down to the water's edge. Neither of us could swim, and if I hvd not, with great presence of mind, hit him on the head with the boathook, both would have been drowned."—Reminiscences of Ox ford. l/*ne'« Family Medicine Moves the bowels each (lay. In order to ho healthy thin in necessary. Acts gently on the liver and kidneys. Cures sick headache. Price 25 and 50 cents. It is believed by many that the dry cli mate of Southern Oklahoma and the south ern district of Indian Territory is goino to make till that section the home of tne finest grades of cotton. During the season it has developed that the cotton grown in the Choctaw Nation was of an extra good fiber, grading above the average and in great demand for export. Thirty minutes is all the time required to dye with I'UTNAM FADELESS DYES. Sold by nil druggists. There are no homeopathic physicians in the medical corps of either the army or the navy. The oldest German college is Heidel berg, 1336. • 100 Reward. *IOO. The readers of this paper will be pleased to loarn that there is at least one dreaded dis ease that science has been able to cure in all its stages, and that is Catarrh. Hall's Catarrh Cure is the only positive cure now known to the medical fraternity. Catarrh being a con stitutional disease, requires a constitutional treatment. Hall's Catarrh Cure is taken inter nally, acting directly upon the blood and mu cous surfaces of the system, thereby destroy ing the foundation of the disease, and giving the patient strength by building up the con stitution and assisting nature in doing its work. The proprietors have so much faith in its curative powers that they offer One Hun dred Dollars for any case that it fails to cure. Send for list of testimonials. Address F. J. CHENEY A Co., Toledo, O. Sold by Druggists, 75c. Hall's Family Fills are the best. The average annual number of homicides in South Carolina is 221. Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup for children teething, soften theguins, reduces inflamma tion, allays pain, cures wind colic. 25cabottlc The cornerstone of the White House was laid on October 1:5. 17H2. Piso's Cure is the best medicine we ever used for all affections of throat and lungs. WM. (J. ENDSLEY, Vanburen, Iml.. Feb. 10, li(00. Spanish sheep are white except those of La Mancha, which are black. Head Prof. S. A. WELTMEH'S advertisement in this paper. It should be of interest to you. To forget to wind a watch is a sure sign you are getting old. A Colonel in the Hritish South African army says that Adams' Tutti Frutti was a blessing to his men whil:- marching. Belgium has no na\y except a training ship lor the merchant marine. SmbwhwmHF Boat Cough Syrup. Tastes Good. Use (g in time. Sold &▼ druwrists. KH A LUXURY WITHIN THE REACH OF ALL! JJCTOgBW All Alike! LION COFFEE I hw 1 k 111 \ n is always the same. ) ( 1 1l M If J) One package is just like another. VV ) :.\ \ / V -! IVI ' U 11 uniform in every respect. I ,T NEVER VARIES. j*J* Watch our next advertisement. If you like one package you will like all LIOKT COFFEE. — LION COFFEE s not glazed or coated with egg mixtures and chemicals, but is I an absolutely pure coffee, full of strength and flavor. In every package of LION COFFEE you will find a fully illustrated and descriptive list. No h( usekeeper. in fact, no woman, man, boy or girl will fail to find in the list some article which will contribute to the'r happiness, comfort and convenience, and which they may have by simply cutting out a certain number of Lion i leads from the wrappers of our one pound sealed packages (which is the only form in which this excellent coffee is sold). WOOIJON CO., TOLEDO, OHIO. UNDER JHE SNOW. Ghastly Truths Revealed on the Disap pearance of Winter's White Mantle. Deadly dangers lurk In the ground loft bare by the departing snow. All Winter long there have been accumu lating deadly disease germs. Theae have been protected and kept alive by the covering of snow and now. with the first warm days, these death-bringing microbes are awakened by the rays of the sun. and as the ground dries they are carried to all corners ot the community In the dust th*t la blown everywhere by the Spring winds. The human body at this time is par ticularly susceptible to these germs, especially the germs of fevers. The system has been depleted by the fore going Winter. The blood Is sluggish and filled with Impurities. The nerves have not recovered from the tension they have been under for the past months. The stomach, the bowels, the kidneys, thei fiver are all at their worst. It is, therefore, not strange that these germs of disease find fertile ground In which to thrive, flourish and develop into deadly ills. Spring Is the time of year when one should fear an attack of fever, espe cially when the system is depleted,one should dread any severe illness. The vitality Is at a low ebb. There is less power of resistance to throw off di sease, and it Is on this account that fatalities are so much greater during the Spring months than at any other time of the year. There is but one way to ward off such dangers, and that is to fortify The war in South Africa has doomed the Highland kilt as a fighting dress, and it will now survive as a parade uniform only. Queensland, Australia, is twelve times langer than England, with a population about equal to that of Kir niingha m. .lll. .lll. Safest, surest cure fbr I If. 111 Sail throat and lung troubles. People praise Cough Syrup Refuse substitutes. Get Dr. Bull's Cough Svruo. H We make a specialty of mince I I meat employ the best skill use I I the best materials. yj | We stake our fame on it. We I I use it to advertise the many other I good things that we make. ILIBBY'S] I MINCE MEAT I A package makes two large I Your grocer will furnish it if you fl I ask him. You will find it better ■ Q than home-made—better than any I I mince meat you ever tasted. You'll I I eat Libby's foods thereafter. H I Libby, McNeill & Libby. Chicago I I Our book, "How to Make Good Things I ■ to Eat," sent free. I HDADGY NEW DISCOVERT; VI CP ■ quick relief and curea worst canes- Boo* of testimonials and 10 days' treatment free. Dr. ■. H. QREEN 8 SOUS Box B Atlanta. Oa DYSPEPSIA BSi 50r. From Manto Cliein. ('.» , i;«.» \\oonter St., N.\ " JiS Thompson's Eye Water the human body so that It will be come impregnable to the germs of In vading disease. To do this take Dr. Greene's Ner vura blood and nerve remedy. It will build you up quickly, it will re-estab lish your waning appetite. It will give you restful nights of sleep, it will give vim and vigor to the nerves, and it will dispel all existing poisons that have accumulated in the body besides counteracting the effects of others that may accumulate. Following Is ap Instance that will Illustrate the wonderful power of Dr. Greene's Nervura blood and nerve remedy. Sheriff Jonas T. Stevens, who Is sheriff of Hyde Park, Vt.. says:— "l have used Dr. Greene's Nervura blood and nerve remedy especially as a blood purifier. I had a very severe humor on my arms, accompanied by a very bad Itching, so severe that I could not sleep nights, causing me great incon venience by the loss of sleep by the Itching. A friend advised me to take Dr. Greene's Nervura blood and nerve remedy, which I did with the most satisfactory results, for the trouble has entirely disappeared, and I can now rest comfortably nights and have nope of my former misery from the burning, itching sensations." Remember Dr. Greene's advice will be given to any one desiring same ab solutely free if they will write or call upon him at his office, 35 W. 14th St., New York City. The New Elixir of Life VIN PALMETTE A wonderful tonic for restoring rigor and vitality. Makes the Old Young, Makes the Young; Strong. At your Druggist's, or pent prepaidaecurely ccaled and packed on receipt of price, ONE DOI.I.AR. Palmetto Chemical Company, P. O. Box 1991, N. Y. City. Bmum8 mum Greatest, Cheapest Food on Earth 1 for Sbeep, Swine. Cattle, I Will b« worth 1100 to you to reid whit | Bißßson Dollar Grass | For this Notice and 10c. ] Novelties, fully worth {lO to grt a blurt. I Fnp 1 I«\ 7 »|•lendld vegetable ami 3 I brilliant (lower teed packages aud catalog. | UERSEEDCrnsg"! RESCUE From SICKNESS " and SUFFERING. £ WELTMERISM. Mt the drugless science jMjKfjnßk of healing originated, practiced and taught by Prof. S. A. WELTMER, has rescued more hopeless cases than any other known method. All who desire Health and Hap piness or a Paying Profession should write at once for special offer and a free copy of "Weltmerism", fully Illustrated. Address PROF S. A. WELTMER, * 206 S. Ash St. Nevada. Mo. ADVERTISING MWT
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers