I? A TWO-STORY FARM. BY LEWIS B. MILLER. $ INCH dinner was over, I.0111 IMg glns. n strongly built, eonrsely c I n il, cheorf ill looking young fallow of twenty-four, wns start ing to bis work n Kii I n. He was riding one horse, bareback, nuil leading n not her. Heelng his wife In tint iloor of 1 lii? log, farmhouse. Willi tin- baby In her nrnis, lit! en lied out: "I'm going to plow In the buck field the rest of tin dny, Niinnle! Don't you bother about the cow If I'm n little Into getting home! I'll milk them after upper!" "Turn out ns enrly no you enn, I.em:" fclie culled buck. "All right!" he Answered, cheerfully. Waving his hiind to the bit by, he rode nwoy across the Held, whistling, while the hiiriiess cbiiins Jangled a loud ac companiment. At the further edge of the cultivated bind be stopped, got down, and put the horse to n turning-plow that had been left sticking in the ground. Let ting the plow slide ou Its bar, he fol lowed a rocky rond over h bill until he cnine to cultivnted bind iigiilu. Itoth Molds were thickly covered with dead, girdled trees. The back field was surrounded by bills, and the Held Itself was by no means level. Hosldcs other iineven ncss. It contained three or four sinks. Sinks, or sink-boles, are numerous In this part of Missouri. These fuuncl tdiapcd depressions lire generally sup posed to have been made by earth quakes, particularly by tin; great earth quake of 1812, which sunk vast tracts of land along the Mississippi lllver, In the southeastern part of the State. Hut however they originated, most of them are probably centuries old. They vary In size from n few yards In diameter and a few feet deep, to hundreds of ynrds in diameter, at the top, nnd a depth, nt the centre, of a hundred feet or more. Now and then one Is closed up, and becomes a deep pond. Most of them, however, linve Invisible openings at the bottom, and consequently the water draining Into them tinds Its way Into the under ground streams with which this aud other limestone regions abound. It was a mild day In the spring, and I.ein was feeling unusually cheerful. The first thing to do was to lay off n "land" to plow around. With the lines over his bend, he. chuckled to the team and struck out across the field, holding the plow with one hand and guiding the team with the other. Ills eyes were fixed ou a conspicuous dead tree at the far side of the field. Before going many rods the team mine to one of the sinks, u shallow .on, nml ivfitit flfitvii liiti. It rrhl IiiW- est part was perhaps ten feet below the general level. In the bottom was a small, muddy place, where water bad stood nfter n recent rain. The horses separated ns far as the harness -would let them on opposite Ides of the mud-hole. I.em, having the heavy plow to hold up, stepped Into the mud. The plow was already on the llrm ground beyond, when sud denly ho felt himself going down. The earth seemed to be opening and swal lowing hi ill up! As be fell he clung to the plow handles with all his might. The bot tom of the sink had dropped out, and he was hanging In the bole. The Hues being still around him mid under one arm, part of his weight was on them. and the horses were pulh d backward. As the plow-lienm rose up und the han dles came down, I.em's hands slipped off. Now bis whole weight was ou the lines nnd on the horses' bils. He clutched at the edge of the hole, but could not grasp It, aud sank lower aud lower. Already he could see the horses' tails as the animals were forced backward, ueorer and nearer to the hole. They, too, would have fallen In, but the Hues broke. Down, down Loin dropped. He fell about twenty feet and plunged Into water. Up he came, kicking nnd splashing hi 11 frightened way. Shaking the wa ter from his eyes, be tried to look round. There was not much light down here, but overhead was the hole be bad fallen through. It wns nearly round, aud looked like the top of a well. The horses were not to be seen, having taken themselves and the plow out of the dangerous sink. I.em's eyes soon became accustomed to the dim light, ami he could make out walls on two sides of hlin. (Ml the other two side there was only pitchy darkness. Out of the dnrk uess, to one direction, came u dull roar, which be kuew was mode by mu lling wuter. He bad dropped Into an underground stream. It appeared that a piece of the ltmestoue roof of the rave, which was also the bottom of the Bluk, hod become loose perhaps by the freezing of water In craeki the winter before and bis weight, there fore, hud been sufficient to make It fall. I.em let bis feet down several times without touching bottom. He swum first to one side and then to the other, but found only cold, slimy walls, too smooth to cling to. lty this time he was getting tired, and also becoming alarmed. Although he whs a good swimmer his strength would soon be gin to full. At lust he turned and wain Into the durkness, toward the running water. After going a few yards, be again let bis feet down, but still fulled to reach bottom, and bud to iwim on The roaring grew louder as he ad vanced lu the cave, until It Hounded like the noise of a great torrent. Hut I.em was familiar enough with these underground streams to know that this was not a large one, the sound being confined and Intensified by the cave. When at last he came to where he could wade the light be hud left be hind was barely visible, like the faint est (race fit dawn. Hut the water was ncck-dccp here, mid be kept on moving. It was cold, ton, us be was now beglntitng to realize. The far! her lie waded the shallower grew the wnler. until, nt last, It was only about half knee-deep. It was this shoal water, running over stones, that was making the noise. There was no light nt all here, and be stumbled along, feeling his way with his feet, until he got out of the water. Here lie slopped, on the grnvel of the creek bed, and stood thinking over his sit uation. It was now about one o'clock. His wife would not miss him until after dark, and would not become alarmed for nil hour or two later. 1'robably she would not start out to see what was the matter until late nt night. When she got to the bnck field, she would find the team and plow, but In the darkness would hardly discover the bole be hud fallen through un less she stumbled Into It herself. If she went to tin1 neighbor for assist ance, as she would probably do, they would not be likely to go down Into the sink, anil would not learn what bad become of him till nfter daylight. Then, by the time they got ropes and drew him out, about twenty hours, If not more, would have elapsed. Hut twenty hours of waiting, or pven half that time, In this dismal dungeon would be little less than horrible. I,em shuddered to think of It. And Nannie would worry herself nenrly to death. Hut there seemed nothing else to do. and be felt for n stone nnd snt down. Soon he found himself shivering in bis wet clothes, nnd bis teeth began The worst of It whs his to chatter. clothes would never dry In this soggy place, the nlr being already laden with moisture. After sitting ou the stone u few minutes he sprang up. "Can't stand twenty hours of this!" he said aloud, his words echoing In the cave. "I've got to do something!" lie kuew of several good-sized streams flowing out of caves In the neighborhood. TVre was one about half n mile a way. nud ns fur ns be could remember, the water seemed to come from this direction. The more he thought of the matter the surer lie felt that. If he followed this stream down, he would find an outlet. And he ought to traverse the distance in two or three hours, or nt the latest. by night. Hut to grope one's way through a black cavern, following an under ground stream, would be both disa greeable and dangerous, and lAm hesi tated to attempt It. He sat down on the stone again, undecided what to do. Ky this time be was thoroughly chilled, nnd n few minutes of Idle wait ing wns all be could hear. He sprung up again, resolved to make the at tempt. If be did not find an outlet he could at least keep himself warm by trying, nnd could get back to this starting point long before assistant came. lie groped nbout for a stick of some kind, but tht-re was none. So be start ed, feeling bis way with bis feet ns best he could. The wnler had one advantage; If would guide him, and if lie bad to return to It, It would also guide him back. He waded the shnl low, rocky stream slowly, nnd with the utmost caution After groping nlong for n consider able distance be came to deeper water, Higher and higher It rose until It wns round his waist, then tip to his arms lie now stopped, hesitating, and half inclined to turn back. Hut the thought of spending many hours in this wretch ed place was unbearable, and be kept on The water did not get too deep for wading nnd soon began to grow more shallow, further ou was shoal water again, for be could bear It roaring. He passed through n good deal of hallow water, and hud come to a deep er part of the stream. It was ulreudy up to b's knees, and be was moving more rapidly, when he sudden' stepiK'd into deep wuter. ruder bo plunged, head nud nil, but quickly came up. He tried to turn back, but swam again ;t the wall of the cave, He kept swimming nbout until he had found the ledge he had stepped from and climbed upon It. Again he was tempted to turn back and again the thought of those hours of waiting drove him forward. As might have to swim a good dlsluuce he pulled oft his boots, tied the straps together with a piece of leather string that he found In his pocket, and hung them around bis neck. Then he let himself dowii Into I he deep water aud Hwnui away. Now and then be stopped to feel for bottom, but without finding It. The slaes of the cave guided him. He bumped first against one nud then ngulnst the other. Again und ngulu be let down his feet, but the water was too deep. Ou be swam, ou and on until he was begluulug to feci discour aged. Hut at last be put down bis feet once more, and touched the rocky bot to. Now be waded, and when he came to shoal water, stopped and put on his boots ngulu. Then he moved on slowly and cautiously. As he was creeping aloug with his hands against the wall, be came to vacant space. He advanced Into It few feet, und by feeling for tne wnlls, found thut It was auotner cave branch lug off from the oue he whs following, He thought of the dnnger.lf he should have to retrace his wuy, of wauderlng Into one of these branch caves and getting hopelessly lost. Probably he had already pussed several of them without knowing It. There would be no danger from this one, for It was nearly dry. Hut; some of the others might buve streams How lug out of them, which he could nils take for the main streum. This thought made I .em fuel very uncomfortable, particularly as ho re called stories of several persons who, becoming lost In caves, hud wandered on until they died of starvation. Hut he divided to go abend. Wit Ii hand extended In front of 1 I in be moved on, feeling bis way step by stej) through the blackness. At last bis forehead struck some thing cold nnd wet, nnd be started back. It proved to be the limestone 'oof of five cave, which here up proacbed the floor. Stooping, he made his way under It. Lower nnd lower It nine, nnd be bad to get' down on bis amis nnd knees and crnwl through the shallow water. Then the roof be gan to rise, and soon afterward be ould stand upon bis feet again. For some time lie bail been henrlng sound that differed In character nnd volume from Hint made by the shoal water. The further be went, the loud- r this sound grew, until It roared like some great cataract. At first he was filled witli nwe nnd dread; but a little fleel lou told hi ill that a very small aterfull down here would make nil the sound he heard. So be kept ou until be wn only a few feet from here the stream plunged down. He stood nnd listened to the ilea fell ing roar, trying to find bow far the iter was falling. At hist he picked up n stone nnd threw It over the cliff. It struck in rather deep water, four or five feet down, ns nearly us he ould judge from the sound. He threw vera! more stones, which confirmed his belief thut the water was not fall ing far. Here again he was tempted to turn back, but the thought of all the dis tance be bad come, and of the danger of losing his way, ns well as of the long waiting after be got. buck, made him decide to keep on bis course. He got dowu ou hi bunds and knee and felt the ledge over which the shal low water wns tumbling. Finally, with some hesitation, be put his lin gers lu n crevice lu the rock nud begun to let himself over the ledge. I.nwet and lower he went, aud the wntct pouring over him. Suddenly bis linger slipped out of the slimy crevice and be fell back ward! liown he plunged Into n pool, with great splash that echoed and kept lining strangely In the cave. His bead went under, but be quickly got upon his feet iu water Utile more than waist deep. When he recovered from bis surprise be npproached the full, nud while the water poured ou him, put up bis hand and tried In vain to reach the ledge. Then he leaped upward with all his might, but. still could not reach high enough. Fear and weakness seized him. Now he regretted that, be had attempted to Hud his wuy out of'tbe cave; for now he could not go back If he wanted to do so. True, bis friends might come here in search of him; but also they might give up the search, concluding that lu hud been drowned. If they did. lie must cither find a way out or remain lu these rayless caverns un til he died. This thought so frightened him tbnt he turned and started ou more rap- Idly than he had yet gone. Now and then be slipped on the slimy stones nnd fell; but always he scrambled to his feet nud hurried on. Sometimes he would put up his hand and try to brush the durkness nway from his face. The intense, awful night that prevailed here enveloped him so close ly as to scein oppressive. If he re mained In it long, he believed it would penetrate to his very braiu and drive him mud. The more excited he becnine the fust- r he went, iu spite of his slipping and falllug. At almost every step be strained his eyes In the hope of discovering light niieud, only to be disappointed. He had nearly couciud il that there was no outlet to the ave. I'crhaps the stream flowed on down dowu nud fur below the Bur- fuce of the elirth plunged Into some subterranean lake! At last be gave a start, believing that he could detect a faint rny of light abend. For a little while he wus half afraid that It might be an optical Illusion. Hut on going a few yards further he saw, with a feeling of un utterable relief, that he had made no mistake. It wns light! He soon came to u place where the roof of the cave dropped nearly to the floor; nud again he bad to crawl. At last he emerged Into n larger part ot the cave, ut the fartht-j- end of which a dim light was shining In. Kagerly be started for the light, but stumbled over something ami heard a crash. Feeling about, he found the pieces ot a broken crock. Now be knew that he had come out Into somebody's milk-house." Avoiding other crocks, he made his way to the open air. It was night. but the slurs were shining. A house stood ou a bill ueur by. He recog nized it, and knew thut ho hud coma out of the enve nearly a mile from where he hail fallen In, and more than a mile from where he had expected to come out. Without stopping to apologize for tin Injury done lu the milk-house, be took the road nud hurried home. Th youug wife wus badly frightened when her bareheaded, bedraggled hut bund uiude bis appcurance ut the door, for she did not recognize him until be spoke. The horses bad come homo at tin usual time, about dusk, drugglug tin plow, and she hod gone to the buck field to look for I.em, but. without discovering the bottomless sink. Shu wus much alurmed at bis mysterious absence, and was on tho joint of tak ing the baby aud starting to a neighbor's. For a long time I.em intended to ex plore the cave through which he hud groped bis way, but the necessity ot wading and swimming In so much cold water, and the difficulty of car rying torches while swimming, uiado the undertaking such a formidable one that It wus never carried out, and the cave remains unexplored. I.em Is accustomed to speak of his farm, jokingly, as a two-story form. He snys, though, that tho upper part Is all ho cares to make use of, and that any oue who wants the under- 15 MUM AND GAnlM Wpnria In tin trtwhrrr tiff!. Strawberry plants may be worked until the rows are full of runners, nnd should any weeds or grass appear in the rows pull them out by baud, lis every weed tbnt goes to seed In u strawberry row means n hundred or more next spring. The beds will last two or three years If kept clean this jeur. Simile far tho II off. Willi shade in which the hog can be in comfort during hot weather means not only better health for him, but mi nctuiil gnin of a pound or more per ;biy witli the same ration, that the !iog without such nrrangcincnt actu ally loses a pound or more per day. One of the most perfect arrangement for this purpose is made by placing posts in the ground reaching about four feet above the ground Upon which a platform Is built of poles or cheap lumber, nnd such platform nr rHiigement covered over with u thick covering of straw. Scatter lime nud salt on the ground plentifully under tills shed. The suit draws damp and prevents dust from accumulating under the shed, and the lime is one of the best disliife'tiints that can be used about hog lots, and also destroys nil unpleasant odors. The absence of side wnlls allows perfect ventilation. One upon trying this plnn will be surprised to find how comfortable nnd pleasant h Is for the hog beneath the shed during the hot test of the weather, nnd how much he receives from the extra growth for the small outlay of labor lu const nii'tiug such shade. Plenty of pure water for (Irtnking purposes should be kept nt nil times within easy access of the hug, espe cially during hot weather. Fui m, Field nml Fireside. In good condition, but otherwise can not say tliey are of nny pnrticului value. ('rowing Pir,riinlp In Winter, The common pursnip is n root that nlways brings a good prbv Iu market. II can be grown ns cheaply ns uny other wbei the proper conditions lire observed, nnd these lire not nearly so difficult us mimy are upt to suppose. Yet the price remains high, nnd there nre times nenrly every winter when the demand cannot be supplied except nt rates which If the grower could get them would make this the most profit able crop grown. In such cases It is the fact 'that parsnips ure held buck by the difficulty of getting them to market that makes them scarce, rather than any real delleleney in the supply If It could be brought to the con sumer. The parsnip Is so hardy that It Is often left lu the ground all wluter, and thought It must be frozen It thaws out in contact with the soli nnd Its flavor is not Injured. There Is n diffi culty wlli those parsnips that are wintered where they grow. The plant starts to grow so soon ns the ground thaws, and after the Hint green sprout appears It very soon becomes unlit to eat. For this reason most growers put the parsnips in underground pits, covering them well with earth nud throwing some wuter on this to pre vent tnem from drying out. From these pits they must lie removed enrly lu spring an i placed In close proxim ity to Ice so that they will always be kept at near the freezing temperature. lKrylng Fruit In tlm Ilnuae, Fruit can be dried In the bouse with such n home-made device as Is shown In the cut. The l"x has a bottom of sheet Iron, with a wooden bottom two Under side ' A FRUIT DRYER. Inches above this perforated with boles. Alt Is admitted to the two- Inch space through holes In the sides of the box. A small one-burner oil stove beneath cuuses a constant cur rent of warm ulr to puss up through the box (lu which the fruit cau be placed on tiers of slatted sliclvcsl.timl out ut the top through the suiull open lugs lu the sides. The whole of the bottom of the box Is covered by the sheet Iron. New York Tribune. ground story cuu have It, free of rent. ! Youth's Companion. Laughing Plant. A flower known as the laughing plant, which grows In Arabia, Is so called because Its seeds produce ef fects similar to those produced by laughing gas. The flowers are of a brig hi yellow, while the seeds reseiu- the Uuuger was already lucurred, aud i ble small black beans. Karly Branding of Sheep. Good treatment bus ot course much to do with the curlier breedlug ofull sheep. If they ore poor aud thin they will not show much desire for muting, und sometimes It Is impossible to bring them arouud with any kind of success. Ewes Intended for early breeding should not Ik- made to live out Iu the hot sun without any shelter from It lu the middle of the day ex cept such as they can find outheshudy side of a fence. Provide them with sufficient shade, good pasture aud plenty of cleuu water through the summer, and then before you want to breed the n feed them liberally ou outs. This will often help to bring them arouud and give the desired re suits. Always buve a thoroughbred buck at tho beud of the flock, but the flock Itself should consist of grades. As they have better constitutions they will rustle oetter aud prove more prof itable. It Is the enrly (locks of lambs thut pay the best, and curly breedlug Is quite necessary tor success. The ewes must be fed liberally and Intelli gently until the lambs are born and ready for uiurket. We cannot afford to be niggardly In this respect. The little lambs relish roots lu the full and wluter, aud It pays to buve a stock of these on hand. On the whole the roots eeera to uo them good, aud tlmy require less of more expensive food. The root! aUo lielu to keep tun swes Forcing tfi Kirn; Kttpply. Forcing the bens to lay eggs Is sim ply ussls,lng nature to perform Its work .In the highest degree. We sup ply them with the needed elements to make eggs. AH the so-called tonics nnd stimulants do little or no good un less food of the rigid kind is supplied. The tonics mny increase the nppetlte, and the stimulants may force the sys tem to more ncllve work, but 1 1 if? gain Is oiil.v temporary, nnd lu the end n reaction Is more than likely to follow. If the right foods are given fbo tonics and stimulants mny, on oecnslons. do good, but ns n rule a healthy hen neeilf neither. It Is only when she Is run down mi n it, in good condition that she requires either a tonic or stimu lant. All this being taken for granted, the work of forcing the egg yield resolve Itself Into careful methods in feeding the hens. They must be given food 1 lint will not nl. go to fat, nud If In spite of tho selection of the food the birds show a tendency to fatten up too rapidly they must b-e forced to take more exercise. Keep the laying ben busy in scratching n good part of the day. and they will eat more nnd lay more. Feed them plenty of ground. green bone, pulverized shells, grit, nnd green tilings. All of these, including crap of meat, contain the elements needed by the laying hens. He more careful In feeding corn, which Is sure to produce more fnt than eggs, nnd the ireud, meal nnd similar fattening ar ticles. After one has fed the birds lib erally, forced them to take plenty of exercise, nud nttended to their gen- in I Health, there is little more that can be done. Thaf is nbout nil the forcing (hat will pay. There nre ot her artificial methods, bill their util ity Is rather doubtful. Anno C. Webs ter, in America il Cultivator. CHINA'S FAMED SAGE. REMARKABLE CAREER OF CONFU. CIUS, POET AND POLITICIAN. ItanHmi Vnr I'niirailnrtlTfl Orrlmrrtn. Observations nnd studies lend the Illinois experiment station to offer the following ns some of (lie ninny reasons why orchard nre often unproductive: First Too many growers nre expect ing n crop to 1m- given them without putting forth nny efforts themselves after tho tree have been set. The tip ple require the same careful at lent Ion us do other farm crops. Second Lack of moisture is a com mon cause of failure to the tipple grower In Illinois. This Is because grass and other crops ure allowed to compete with the trees for the mois ture supplied by rains. Water is Just us essential to the opplo tree on a hot summer's day ns It Is to the laborer lu the harvest field. Third Injuries resulting from at tacks of Insects or of fungous dis cuses are a very common cnuse of failure. These depredators will prob ably always consider tbnt they have ns much right to the products of the farm ns doe tho farmer himself. For this reason he must get bis artillery nml ammunition and fight the enemy Fourth Lack of fertility is n very common cnuse of failure lu southern western and some sections of northern Illinois. The tipple orchard cannot produce n profitable crop uuless pro vhled wllli tin ample supply of nitro gen, potash und phosphoric ncld. Fifth Some orchards lu the Still r- which hnve come to the notice of this station nre unprofitable because of Improper pruning or lack of pruning Light und fib nre essential for the development and ripening of the apple. Sixth Many varieties of tipple frees have been planted without nny thought given to their nduptublllly to the purtlciilar soil or climate. Loss in tipple growing is often wholly a matter of varieties. SeventhTrees propagated from tin productive stock have been responsi ble for many failures. Scions should be selected from bearing ti s or those which have demonstrated their ability for productiveness. F.lghth Sterility ns ti result of planting nn orchard of only one vnrl ety Is a common cause of failure, in part at least. Cross fertilization Is desirable with nil fruits. Ninth Excessive climatic condi tions, us tho February freeze of lS'.KI, or the killing of the blossoms by frost, tire oftentimes responsible foi unproductiveness. '" Poultry Notes. Boiling i:ie milk that Is fed to fowls lessens the risk of disease. Warm washed boiled potatoes, will kitchen scraps, make u very good com Illusion. Ordinarily hens nnd fowls should bt fattened at the expiration of the sec oud year. Poultry Is the chonpest, b(st nnc most corveiileut incut grown upon the farm. To raise ismltry successfully you must have suitable buildings and glv your fowls good attention. Fowls often learn to cut eggs by belug fed the shells nearly whole. Crush them before feeding. Sitting hens can be trained to leave I be nest of their own accord by huv lug the door open ut a regular time each duy. A handy way to feed roots to fowli is slui'.ly to spilt the beets or cub bilges length wise nud fasteu to the purtltlon with a long wire nuil. Wire fences with close mesh need not be a high as other fences because for various reasons the fowls do not readily attempt to fly over fheiu. The worst food for young chickens is sour corumeul. It Is a chief caus of dyseutery. Hotter buko It, or at lenst scald it nnd mix fresh every day Au overfat hen Is sure to product? but few eggs. Hesldes overfut hem are more liuble to diseuse than a her thut Is kept just hungry enough to scratch lu the litter all day. Kerosene or carbolic ucld und wntei poured Into the crevices about the roosts will kia red mites. Iu fulrly cleuu poultry houses there Is seldom much trouble from lice or mites Homo people's Idea of flcuuing a pool try bouse is far from thorough. While rich dlshwuter, milk, etc.. Il relished by fowls us a drink, purt water Is us much relished at least once n day as though they did not have the former, Pure, cleuu wutel now aud then Is relished by most r-uj ben. nit) Itevernpn "nil Triumph) He So Ail Milnlnlereil I.nwu That Not n Crlinlnnl Wan Lett In China How Ilia I:iimiI- OvftrcAiiifi film Temporarily, III the twentieth year of the F.mpcror Ling, iV.l 11. C, Confucius, the "nil complete, ancient teacher nnd perfect sngo," first felt the light In til" dis trict of Chinese Tsow. His fulhor wns Sliuli-leiing llclli, whose prowess was as large ns his slain re, and bis valor greater than both. Ills mother, consort of Ilcili's senility, und his sec ond wife, was Cbiiig-lsap, youngest daughter of the family of Yen. The usual miraculous episodes ohclttsler bis birth. When Confucius was only three years old his father, Scbolnr Hclb, died. Of his enrly schooling little tbnt Is trust wormy bus been preserved. Cer tn In It Is that his house knew full well the pinch of poverty. At lll'teen Con fucius, K'cw, or Confutse. had versed himself In studies far beyond bin years. At nineteen be contracted an alliance with u lady of the house of Keenkwnu. Iu the following year the stork visited bis dwelling. Cliliig-tsac gave birth to n son. I.e. Confucius was made keeper of gr.iln stores, next a wurdeu of public fields and binds. Even then bis humblest duties the fabric ot much rich para ble and simile were discharged with an uncommon thoroughness nml con scientious devotion. At two-nnd-twen-ty be flashed form into u public tench Ci; bis house became tiie rallying ground of thoughtful, ardent youths. In i'J!S H. C. his mother Joined her hus band In the valley of the shtld'jw. Five years nfterwnrd. when Confu cius, ii man of "north, south, cist nud west." was twenty-nine, wc tlnd him studying music under u famous prin cipal tunned Seiing. It. C. oil wiw him signaled out us teacher of proprieties lit the son of one of the chief members of Loo. A Inter date discovers him, n musical acolyte, student of poetry, history, ceremonies, antiquity nnd eth ics, imbibing wisdom ut the court of Chow. Here so enlrunciiiyly did u Hugo's music appeal to him Hint for three full mouths llesh food aud be were strangers. Now occurs n much-debated Incident, the rumored divorcing of bis wile. H. C. ."itMi. In the early twilight of his years, he wns appointed chief maiiis- trtite of Cl,iiiig-too, nnd iu this capac ity proved himself a manners reformer of no mean prowess. Next lie was re spectively assistant superintendent ot works under lnke Ting; then Minister of Crime. Huring this last tenure ot oftlce iHipulnrized by deft recce to the verdict of one froiu among Ids coun selors, whichever wns mos-t cogent such became of his sway that no of fenders showed tbeinst-lve. Corf til se was now the darling of the popuhice. Delegates of his adminis tration sped far atlcid, pilgrims Mocked In shoals from ofher States. In the heyday of his prosperity, at the tur ret of .ils power, arrived that tragic throwback which, from n worldy viewpoint, wns bis undoing. Hy the machinations of envious States ft was contrived that a cargo of cli-lty peer less dainozcls should be prcse'ited to his sovereign. These were sent 6.ten slbly us the portion of u good-will of feribs, In reality to seduce the King from the teuclilii!ri of his Minister. The veii'inious plot succeeded only too 'well. For dejected Confucius begau nt llffy-slx u ejele of weary w iin br lugs which were to last for thirteen years. Through all his hardships nnd perilous adventures belief In a divine mission sustained him. Of i hose truvulls am! travels, in nil likelihood, were born his most cou Hiitiiiiiat ; maxims. lYohnbly to that period wo owe his uplifting of ances tor worship Info a religion, innuy of his compilations, bis Immortal Ana lects, his Hides of Propriety and the contiguous Five Relations of Society to be Observed. Throughout bis ex istence, lrom the Alpha of his adoles cence to the Oniegn of bis obsequies, he seems to hnve been chiirncterlzed by a lofty nobility, a grand independ ence of thought nud speech, ti trans fcmlcnt purity of living. 1'pon some alleged stains ou bis escutcheon, such us the breaking of u forced outii, the praising of a gallant, lie, the present writer bus not sufllciciit knowledge or presumption to pronounce. Charitable, Confutse acknowledged the vital need of education for rich and poor alike. Narrow as to the functions of woman, ho was quick to see the Influence of right examples and to Insist upon their practice by those lu authority. To secure the common weal he realized thut good rulers nml good leaders benevolent despots, If you will er" Indispensable. Alive before bis time, posterity awarded this matchless conserve! aud ti'Hiiriniltter a glorious recogultlou. For JlMMI years countless emperors made nud still make udorlug pilgrimages to his shrine. To-day till native colleges raise side temples to his honor; bis disciples mny be mensured by the hun dred million. B. C. 41, by a fortunate twist ot fate, the wanderer could return to Loo. Coufutse was now sixty-nine, and, thanks to time oiul Inward mas tery, might "follow what bis heart de sired without transgressing what was right." He absorbed und diffused wis dom and poetry, collated history's pe?bles und undertook the reformation of music. B. C. 4S2 was bluzed by The demise of his sou, Le, toward whom he hud, of principle, maintained a stern reticence and dignity. Of bis daugh ters, ult hough we know one, at least, he had little or nothing to say. His decllniug years were punctuated by the death of loved apostles, whose In dividual loss apparently .aft'et-.d him more keenly than that of his own son. ICurly oue forenoon this king with out a t In-one with trailing stuff toddled out luto the sunshine. As ho went he simpered his lueluucholy swan song: "The great mountain must crumble, the strong beam must snup and the wise man wither away like a hiut." He took to his couch. A week luter, with uo wife or child to minister to bis dying hours, with no expectations o a life to come, muttering no prayer, betraying uo fear, the eud drew very nigh. Ou tba lltli duy ot the fourth month, 478 R. C. tluMT; the Perfect Sage, fell q ' Do you nsk for his niotim,L, nbout you. New York Mni press. " CURIOUS FACTi" A single wild tribe ()f dlans Is using forly-im,. fc' (tables which nre nbsubn,,). n to civilized nnt Ions. In the Vosges peasant nt the new moon nre Niipi,,,,,,, MMIKUCSJ lll-IMT null); t)n while those born at th,, ,( nre supposed to have , ' better reasoning power. ," norn (luring me wunin- lu,m ways precocious. The native of IVrsIn m , way of testing enrpet lo, true Persian product. hot charcoal Is droppd iif Mti k ' leaves n round singed spot. jfJ pet Is of the first qiin,v lhf ' wool can be brushed off witim without leaving u tnu-,. of ,j discernible. Palm lenf books, Hmt , ,. books mnde lu n must intvm,,, out of palm leaves, nn. ari!,. ' amongst the natives (,f -m pages of these books ti re tm, feet by one foot. The Klin, Kurope n few years ,Wii n book nlwnys with lilm, la inane ms notes. The garments of Oriental -r0-, not subject to chaiigi! of f,,!.: shape nlwnys the saine. frum J uon 10 generation, anil for thin men- wai-tiroiies are very mm, I claimed that lu some n-spw of the Countess 1,1 U BWql modern times. It I ttt-l it, ,.s or outgarmeiits, made from t,, selected skins proiamilii,., j length reaching her feet. in, to these nre cents nii.l imn fashioned from heavily wron, cades aud the richest wilks anu counting Into hundreds in miui The nature and lorn lion jn,; of the nests of the Kastern American birds show many , features. The grebe lu sts In ai the water. The prairie Inn. contrary, nests on the irroumT a terrestrial bird. Sonic limi the meadow lark, are partly a 1 nestling near the grotiiul in tri, imllgo bird Is licit lier nrlmml u rest rial, nlthough it nests In tli - The heron Is n strlliliiir nm the theory that habit ileciiW tl- Ing sltp. Although n femur; It places Its nest high In the t: does the wood duck, fililch l a: tic tiird. Our wood htiwki trees, but the marsh hank nl bogs, ns do tht imirsli gulls. Colomdo't Debt to lliCJ Colorado, more than .inyott In the Union, owes n delitofg to the camera. Hut for tlif i! incut of photography nlong lines the mutual rush of tourist wonderland of tin t lire would I In comparison with Its inwnt tlons. At lenst two-thirds of the 1 who visit Colorado ln-Iiigr earner: them. These photographic inn." vary from the smallest mid ! to the Inrgest nnd most nfni the market. These camera cntliusiiists at much to open up new resorts orado. They ure nut satlsli "shooting up" Manitoii nnd Peak and the Carden of tlieC they turn their faces from cb I nnd seek out solemn nioiititii ncsses tbnt have never wlw click of the camera shutter. T hardship, ami even dwr. snke of transferring mmif P:i ly Inspiring scene hi n plat' The result bns been that ouV been Induced to desert paths of travel, und Instead ef only a few page of uaturr 1 tunny tourists ure now whole, volume. One of the features of b' nieru work, which Is nimioj vor, aud which can he pract where to better mlvnntiige ttuui Slate, Is the photognipli? of In their haunt. Tin Ww exciting, limit of bear, mo and deer, with no weii)H but era, is claiming more ivi year. Denver (Col.) itepubllial Knoruioua fiiilulo'- The only structures In Jal seem to be earthipiiike prwf pagodas, which ure erw'tfd I ..... temples. There are muuj " seven or eight hundred )'''" ns solid ns when flint hum. There Is n reason for till 11 lu their construction. A lf practically a frame ''" " timbers, which stint i" base, und Is lu Itself 111 structure. I tti f Is reililclfd I' stable by peculiar ilevk H framework nnd siisni'liJ 1 npex Is a long, heavy two feet thick or more. It I from one end of the f"11"' more heavy Umber, audi''11 li v..nr ifff still more tltt lidded to these. The wlioM piwirmniia ruiiiliilmn. whlCD within six Inches of the ll'lw... -l.n..t, lt All S I rocks the pagoda the penduHJJ In unison und keen l6e irrm-llt, aliitam nt the framework, Congequeniir v rlum of the pagoda I nert' nml 11,1. 1. tlm OIlllUD""1- Of '"'I -OtlW great age of many from their holirtit one t. i,ilnrlf 'L lueui iu ue JMli ii-",B ' to the effects of the eartW I JIttA -ftroiioj noma" , Ijt rn .1... , .niers Of '"J ,. U ,tj VI- luu .-- .1 horhood surrouudlng To", l.n..A 1 1 il'tiffO!' - . ...... in I1- BCIIUUIg IUO piOUUCf wheels of these wugoui 'J run on electric Hut load the wagons nnd d" tho nearest trolley line cur picks thorn up, one aud buuls them to tue i' Council of Toledo & f , rlirht to run these vM".., city street railway trflt'!','(iif lug is oone mosuy - m Interferes very little W -American Cultivator- i I.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers