OLD TIME-
COINC HOME.
We hM that the days were evil,
We felt that they might be few,
For low wai our fortune s level,
And heavy the winters grew;
But one who had no possession
Lokked up to the ssure dome,
And laid, in hie simple fashion,
Dear friends, we are going home!
This world is the same dull market
That wearied its earliest sage;
The times to the wise are dark yet,
But so hath been many an age.
And rich grow the toiling nations,
And red grow the battle spears,
And dreary with desolations
Boll onward the laden years.
What need of the changeless story
Which time hath so often told,
The spectre that follows glory.
The canken that comes with gold
That wisdom and strength, and honor
Must fade like the far sea foam,
And death is the only winner?
But, friends, we are going home!
The homes we had honed to rest in
Were open to sin and strife,
The dreams that our youth wns blest in
Were not for the wear of life;
For care can darken the cottage.
As well as the palace hearth,
And birthrights are sold for pottage,
But never redeemed on earth.
The springs have gone by in sorrow,
The summers were grieved away,
And ever ve feared to-morrow,
And ever we blamed to-day.
In depths which the searcher sounded,
On hills which the high heart clonib,
Have trouble s and toil abounded
But, friends, we are going home!
Our faith was the bravest builder
But found not a stone of trust
Our love was the fairest gilder,
But lavished its wealth on dust.
And tin., hath the fabric shaken.
And foriune the clay hath shown.
For much they have changed and taken,
But nothing that was our own.
The light that to us made baser
The pat1! which so many choose,
The gifts there was found no place for,
The riches we could not use;
The l.;art that when life was wintry
Found summer in strain and tome,
With those to our kin and country
Dear frrends, we are going home!
Frances Brown.
By
JtOK, HERE was Intense exelte
Jf j mcnt within the palace
Q I 0 when the young Princess
f JH Darella defied her parents
TFf and flatly refused to wed
the husoand who had been provided
for lier. They persuaded and scolded
her in turn; they talked of his wealth,
bis position and his blue blood, but
they dared not mention his face, for
In their hearts they knew ho was hide
ous to look upon he was old and
wrinkled, with hardly a tooth left In
bis head.
The Princess was quite determined,
however, so she merely shook her
head In reply to their appeals. At last
the King completely lost his temper.
"In sooth." he crlad, "you are no
daughter of mine. Never has such
wilfulness been known in my family
before. I chose a worthy, kind hearted
man who is fit for you to marry, and
fou scorn him. For shame!"
"Ho shall never be my husband," de
clared ihe obstinate Princess. "I shall
know the man I am going to marry
directly I meet him," she added.
"What do you mean?" demnnded the
King ludigt antly.
"Last night when I was asleep,"
said the Princess, "a handsome young
Prince came to me in my dreams, and
he was, oh, so fair to look upon! He
was tall and straight and young, albeit
that his h.-.lr was tinged with gray.
And if 1 wait fifty, sixty or seventy
years, I shall be content if he claims
me at the end ct that time. But me
thinks an evil spell lies heavily upon
blm, otherwise he would come for
ward uow."
Then tho King grew simply infuri
ated with his duughter. He stormed
and raved at her, and at last, as a
punishment for her disobedience, he
condemned her to live all alone on a
little Island that could just be dis
cerned from the roof of the palace.
But the Princess Darella mude no
objections. When the time came for
her to leave her home she stepped In
to the boat quite willingly. She chatted
Bayly to tho crew as they bore her out
to sea, and she gazed undauntedly at
the littlo island on which she would
probably be starved to d?atb. When
thoy left her on the beach, with her
bundlo of things lying at her foet,
shj still seemed quite content with her
fate, and she waved her handkerchief
to the boat as long as she could see it.
The first thing Darella did was to
wander round the island In search of a
nice dry cave to llvo in; and when Bhe
bad found It she spread her few be
longings about, and tried to make it
look as comfortable and homelike as
possible, and then, of course, sho felt
hungry. When she set out to gather
herself some fruit and some berries to
eat she was surprised to . find that
somebody had already placed a pile of
delicious fruit in readiness for her.
"This is very nice," said the Prin
cess, us she dug her little white teeth
Into a Juicy pear. "I wonder who has
been good enough to do this for me. I
think I shall be very happy here."
And so she was. Although she never
met any human being upon the island.
11 her wants- were attended to In a
"just marvelous manner. A little heap
of fruit was always placed outsldo tho
door of her cave eyery morning be
fore she awoke, and when she went out
for her dully walk round the Island the
Mvo wai swept and tldlod before she
returned.
But one n!ght, as she slept, she heard
voice crying out loudly to her to
"Oh, what Is it?" cried tin frliriif.
ned Princess, leaping off ber couch
"in runnlna from th rav n..f t,a
?'"'a eo "othlug, except one large bat
2l '"-cling over her bend, una
talk WP" e"0UC,, tbat t,BU fould
vlLUt.Cn'" tali thw mysterious voice,
s .,a,her hut lven bU anctlon to
PlOt that lllS linon .nnrla ...
t promise to give bag of gold
WOSTES
LEGEND OF THE RED ROSE.
One day within a garden fair
Love found a maiden sleeping;
June sunbeams tangled in her hair;
The sentry lilies keeping
With rival purity and grace
Their ioving watch above her;
While o'er the happy dream --r's face
The whispering zephv-i hover.
Love ti-ed an arrow w.th a kiss
And sent it passion-la. 'n,
With cunning hands thrt could not mtss,
To wake the sleeping maiden.
It nierced her heart, sue woke and smiled,
With glances sweet and tender;
It mrde a woman of ..e child:
Love'j morning dawned i- splendor.
She felt the arrow in her breast,
Hhe s.v.v love's empty nuive-.
The slender shaft she deeper pressed
And smiled upon the giver.
Love beckoned her, she rose "ith pride,
To fly with her bold wooer;
lie pledged her she should be bis bride,
No lover would be truer.
A voire i.voke the dreamy air,
A feeble father sought her;
She turned from love in deep despair,
To prove a faithful daughter.
"O come," crivd love, "thy life shall be
Kncrowned with joy and beauty;"
"Tnka up thy cross and follow me,
Commanded stern-eyed duty.
She wrenched the arrow from her breast,
Her heart clung to it broken;
She laid them at bis feet and blessed
Her first and last love token.
A glory shone within her eyes.
She clasped the hand of duty;
Heaven saw the noble sacrifice '
And filled her soul with beauty.
Love took his silver how a. id madt
A grave; then, softly weeping,
In it her .heart and arrow laid
And left them ,n time's keeping.
The lilies, bending o'er the mound.
Mourned for the heart tl.ev cherished;
And when the brov ; leave: strewed tho
gr and.
Upon its rave they perished.
The wind grew hoarse and ceased to shriek
Among the barren bowers;
The sunbeams kissed dame nature's cheek,
Her b'.v.sh:s bloomed in flowers.
One on v.non the moss-grown mound,
The garden air perfuming.
With tiny arrowheads set round.
They jound love's red roue blooming.
MY' H'tlton.
to the Prince jrho first reaches this
island to-night. A few hours ago a
fleet of boats left his palace and set
sail for here. Each boat contains a
Prince and several trusty men, and
they are now racing, one against the
other, to see who shall arrive first
What do you wish to do? Shall the
Princes land and claim you for thelc
bride, or shall wc defend our island
against them all?
But the Princess Darella was so be
wlldered that she could do nothing but
cry.
"I don't like talking to a voice with
out an owner," sho sobbed plaintively.
"It gives me the creeps."
"I am very sorry," was the reply,
"for I am afraid it cannot be altered,
I have not the power to appear be
fore you Ju my own shape yet. At
present I am disguised as a bat, and
if you will look up steadily you will
be able to see me flying about.'!
So the Princess glanced up and saw
the bat darting in and out of the trees,
and it comforted her. Sho felt quite
willing to stay with him. for he had
such a nice voice.
"I think," she said, after a few min
utes' consideration, "that I would pre
fer to remain on this island. I am
very happy here, and I shall be more
so now that I have found somebody
who can talk to me. You see, I don't
wish to marry unless I meet my Dream
Prince, and there really seems to be
no chance of that. But can you defend
the island?"
"Certainly I can " replied the vole
eagerly. "But you must help me, too."
"Yes, I will," said Darella nromntly.
"if you will tell me what to do."
I want you to sit upon that hlch
piece of rock," explalnod the voice,
"and comb your hair until the fight is
over. I will go down to the water's
edge with my men and try to prevent
me rnncess lumling."
"With your men?" echoed the Prin
cess. ."Have you an army here?"
"Wen, not exactly that," replied the
voice, in a rather hesitating manner.
"But many of my companions are held
by the same spell that I myself am,
and I know they will do their best to
aid me if I ask them. But I must be
going. Look out to sea, and you will
be able to watch the bonts as they ap
proach our shore. Now. begin to comb
your tresses, and do not cease until I
return to you."
So Darella clambered up ou the rock
and after she unbralded her lovely
golden hair she commenced to comb
It. But every time she drew the sil
ver comb through, It came out in such
haudfuls that soon she thought she
would become bald. The wind caught
her beautiful curls as they fluttered
from her head, and blew them toward
the sea, but tho Prlneess had no idea
what they were being used for. In
the distance she could heur the men
shouting loudly, and, though she grow
very nervous, she never ceased her
combing; the more anxious she be
came, the more vigorously she went
ou with her tnsk.
In the meantime the bat that bad
talked so long to Darella was flying
round the Island arousing hundreds of
other bats. At the sound of bis voice
they all gathered n round him In a
dense gray cloud, nud hastened down
to tba water's edge just as the occu
pants of the boat? were prepared to
laud. But the moment the men placed
their feet upon the beach the bats
hurled themselves in their faces and
beat them back. Again and again the
men struggled forward, but they could
not advance at all. For not only had
they to fight against these vicious lit
tle creatures, but they could feel at
the same time something twining
rouud their legs Ond holding them
back. They did not know that It was
the goldoji locks of the Princess Da
rella that impeded their progress so
much, for when the wind rushed away
t with her silken tresses it bad orders
to twist thi-u Uout tin enemy and
hinder them as much ns possible. One
by one the men were beaten bnck to
their boats until, worn out by strug
gling and completely defeated by tho
bats, they decided to return to the
palace and leave the Trlncess to her
fnte.
When the lints saw they were vic
torious, they fell Into line behind their
lender, and In flits order thoy sudden
ly appeared before the maiden. She
jumped to her feet with four as she
saw thot hundreds of these littlo crea
tures surrounded her. but in n min
ute the voice she knew spoke to her
telling her not to be nfrnlit. ,
The Princess advanced a few steps
and held out her bunds gratefully.
"Dear little bats, I thnnk you," she
said kindly. "It Is very good of you to
hnve fought so bravely for mo, and
I wish that I could Rhow yon some
return'."
"You can! You can!" they cried, be
coming almost mad with excitement.
"Tell me how." cried Davolln eagerly
"I will do anything for you."
"Let us each kiss your hand," they
entreated. "Then wo shall be ablo tc
resnme our natural forms."
So. although the Princess did not
like it at all, she held nut her hands
and nllowed ench bat to caress them.
The bats thnt kissed her right hand
Instantly beenme men, while her left
hand wns the means of restoring the
women to their original shapes. The
Princess wns overjoyed nt the changes
that she saw around her, but after
looking about her eagerly her fuce sud
denly grew verj sad.
"Are there no more of you?" she
nsked. "Where la the bat thnt helped
me to-dny?"
Immediately she felt a soft touch
upon her hair, but before she had time
to object, a handsome figure, with
gray hair, stood before her. With a
little cry of Joy the Princess Darella
throw herself Into his arms."
"My Drenm Prince!" she said de
lightedly. "I always said we should
meet Rome day. How glad I am thnt
I remained true to you, although I
saw you only In my dreams!"
So the Princess married the Drenm
Frince, who proved to bo the King
of the Island, and a very wealthy one,
too. He and his companions lmd been
turned into bats ns a punishment fot
tensing some fairies, and tho spell
could only be removed In the wny I
have just described. Cussell's Little
Folks.
Man's Inhumanity to Uora.
They were coming down town on a
street car when, looking out of the
window, they saw a tragic sight. A
boy with rivers of tears streaming
down his fnce wns trying to lead home
a fine, ltirse Scotch collie, evidently
poisoned, for it foil over nt almost
every step.
"When I was a boy." said one of
the men on the car, "I had a kitten
which I had taught to perform many
little tricks. I dearly loved this cat
and It reciprocated this affection. It
wns one of the family, so intelligent
hud it become. One day a neighbor,
seeing my cat in his barn, killed It
with a hoe. 'As I stood weeping be
fore him he Inuglud at me and gruff
ly told me it would teach me to keer.
my cats at home.
"Thnt night I lay sobbing on my pil
low and could not sleep. At midnight I
rose and revisited the scene of the
tragedy. The man who lmd ruthlessly
murdered my innocent kitten hud a
beautiful garden which ho was devel
oping with loving enro.
I took out my big Barlow penknife
and set to work. Everything I could no)
pull up by the roots I clipper, off
Grape vines and currant bushes were
stricken. Not one living thing re
mained in the .garden whon I was
through. The havoc was complete.
Then I returned to bed and this time
sleep came. I was so tired. In the
morning my mother called me. but 1
slept until nearly noon. When I arose
my mother said: 'Bertram, some one
has ruined Mr. Blank' garden.' Then
she eyed me closely. 'Are you sure
thut Mr. Blank killed your cat?' 'I
saw him do it, and he laughed at me
when I cried,' I replied. 'That's all.'
snld my mother. No one ever asked
me if I did it." Kansas City Time
Wit on tlie Husiliigs.
Side by side with '.hat happy hust
ings retort by a candidate who, when
he had received a rotten egg full in
the faco, said, as he wiped off its nau
seous contents, "Ah, tlia is the sort
of argument used ty my opponent;
and even that is unsound," might be
sot Macauley's hustings retort to the
follow who thus apologized for having
struck him full in the face with a dead
cat, "I'm very sorry, sir; I meant it for
tho man behlud you." "I wish to God,
sir, you had meant it for me and hit
the mnn behlud me," retorted Macau
ley, with a tubtle scorn which, I fear,
was lost on the rough. Exquisitely
courteous was Thackeray's rejoinder
to tho hope expressed by his Oxford
opponent, "May the best man win."
"Oh, I sincerely hope not," replied
Thackeray, with a complimentary bow
and smile. In contrast to this retort
courteous might be set the following
passage of arms between two candi
dates for the University of Dublin.
One of them, a civil list pensioner,
said of the speech of his opponent thnt
"It betrayed the vulgarity of his char
acter, which not even a university ed
ucatlon could refine." Whereupon the
other retorted that "It was a great
pity that, when the gentleman had j
corruptly secured a pension or t.iixni a
year, be bad not had his tongue put
at the same time ou the Civil Llst."
T. P.'s Weekly.
A Sara Sign.
Fred Schwartz, of this city, managet
of a theatrical company now touring in
Florida, occasionally tells of some
?ueer experiences in bis letters tc
rlends here. Last week in a small
town he was met by a messenger boy
with two telegrams. The lad volun
teered the information that the show
would have a big house that night.
"Why do you think so?" inquired Mr.
Schwartz. "Because," replied the boy,
"everybody in town has been getting j
shaved to-day, and that's a sure sign."
That night, when a red beaded boy
was about to leave tho theatre between
the acts, Mr. Schwartz offered bin) a
return check. "Oh, I don't need one of
tuem." said the boy. "You'll be sure
to remember me. I'm the only red
bended boy In town."-Philadelphia
lie cm d.
Fcrtuno Tellers
As Crooks
Methods They Have Employed to
Got Money From Trust
ing Victims.
7 7 X7
tOsV F the fortune teller told for
jf sa X tunes merely, be might be
O T O regarded as a compare
tlvely harmless individual,
t0T simply possessing himself
by trickery of the shillings
and sovereigns of foots. He is, how
ever, generally n suggester of crime
and a blackmailer, snys London An
swers. In that description I include
the ladles with the gentlemen who
practice the art There are as many
women practlcers of these evil meth
ods as there are men, and a vastly
greater number of their victims are
ladles.
In 1808 a woman was convicted Of
having stolen Jewels worth 800 be
longing to her mistress, a Liverpool
lady. The prisoner had been a lady's
maid for four years. Sho was young
only twenty-three, intelligent, honest.
In the Easter of '08 sho accompanied
her mistress to Eastbourne, where, at
one of the chief hotels, the girl met a
woman with whom she beenme friend
ly. The stranger narrated how she
had her fortune told by a marvellous
woman, and the maid naturally longed
to have a peep into her future. She
accordingly went to the fortune teller,
being introduced by her companion.
This woman was a mere accomplice
of the "seer," sharing the profits of the
business, and living at the hotel in
order to meet victims. The maid, after
her conviction, and while working her
sentence, confessed all, and gave an
account of whut took place at the In
terview. The seer had subtly sug
gested the robbery to her, had hinted
that it would be successful, and had
pointed out that the money which
might be realized through it was sorely
needed if tho girl was to make certain
of the affections of the young fellow in
love with her, who, the fortune teller
stated, was wavering beneath the
temptation of a marriage with another
girl who was better off, but who would
make him miserable. The maid fell
into the trap laid for her. She stole
the Jewels and was quickly discovered.
The suggestion of crime or indiscre
tion for the purpose of subsequent
blackmail is part of the business of
most fortune tellers. The chief epi
demics of secret poisoning by women
hnve almost invariably been found to
hnve their origin in the foul den of the
pretended seer male or female.
In a case which came before one of
the law courts some time ago the meth
ods of the fashionable fortune telling
preyer were revealed in a startling
fushion. A gentleman of very consid
erable wealth, his young ond pretty
wife and her maid were stuylng nt
Mentone. Among the persons they
met at the hotel wns a very delight
ful lady, who, by the fascination of
her manner and elegance of her cos
tume, quickly won tho admiration of
tlie young wife. They decided to visit
a palmist in the town.
'The delightful stranger, an accom
plice of the fortune teller, had, of
course, instructed him In all the Infor
mation he required respecting tho vic
tim before the mooting.
"You are married," he told tho lady,
"and are moderately happy. Y'our
husband has faults" the victim had
confided them to her lady friend in
the course of many chats "more faults
than you know. You might hnve mar
ried better. There Is a gentleman here
now rich, titled, prepossessing in ev
ery wny who loves you passionately.
He Is related to a royal family."
The young lady was startled, flat
tered and curious, but more tho swin
dler pretended he could not tell her
then, and the lady and her companion
left him. She was naturally excited to
know who tho royal person might be.
Her companion undertook to try what
she could do to drag from the fortune
teller further particulars.
In a few days she brought the news
thnt the prince had dark brown hair,
was fond of dancing, and would be
at a masked ball to be held a night or
two later. So much the seer had dis
covered, but ho would my no more
thun that if tho lady went to the ball
tho prince would doubtless see her and
reveal himself. The temptation to
leiirn who he really was was too great
to be resisted. ,
It was a trap to enable the fortune
teller to blackmail the young wife af
terward, and the vllllnny was only dis
covered when tho lady was proceeded
ngalnst by a money lender for sums
borrowed to satisfy the bloodsuckers,
wheu at last sho confessed her foolish
tiess to ber husband.
The system of employing as decoys
fnscluating nnd well dressed women,
who take their places at the best ho
tels ns visitors and insinuate them
selves into the confidence of ladles
whom it is deemed worth victimizing,
is a comparatively modern develop
ment In tho art of blackmailing.
The idea thnt tho fortune teller Is a
vulgar fraud is altogether wrong. No
swindler Is possessed of greater ability
and unscrupulousness.
The- scoundrel De Tourvllle, who
murdered two of his wives for money,
hail recourso to foriune tellers to per
suade tho ladles whom he bad marked
for his victims to accept him. In both
cases the ladles had large fortunes.
Having ascertained their wealth and
other particulars, he laid a plan by
which each ludy was persuaded to con-
I suit, a fortune teller, who gave her
such a description of De Tourvllle as
her future husband, and as the only
man with whom she had a chance of
happiness.
Lacenaire, the assassin, said be bad
known for years . thut be should be
guillotined, as it had been foretold by
a fortune teller. The man be consulted
was a palmist, and, examining La
ceualre's band, he suddenly exclaimed:
. "Did you kill the man you wished
to Cm?"
"No, no!" shrieked Lecenatre, too hor
rified to withdraw his band.
"You did!" declared the fortune
teller. "You will die on the sea Cold."
And Lecenalre, who "believed In
nothing," believed blm. What wonder
men ana womeui or ordinary cre
dulity, startled br the rtvelsckm of
sofne tecret thus dererly seized hold
of, believes that the seer possesses
miraculous powers, both as regards the
past nnd the future.
Sir George Airy, the great astron
omer royal, once stated that it was by
no means an uncommon occurrence for
them to receive letters at Greenwich
Observatory from people asking what
tho fees would be for horoscopes which
would show them what the future had
In store. When they were Informed
that casting horoscopes was no part
of an astronomer royal's duties they
semeed to lose all respect for the office.
When he informed them, besides, that
horoscopes were nonsense, thoy won
dered bow such a simpleton had man
aged to obtain such a position.
BIRTHDAY GIFTS TO ROYALTY
Oddities or Soma Rtilm of Varlons
Countries.
Tpon occasions of royal birthdays
nnd other anniversaries, sovereigns
sometimes exchange unlquo presents.
King Carlos of Portugal, an artist
of considerable ability, usually sendrf
his paintings are gifts. Oue recently
presented to the King of Italy is so
executed that in oue position it repre
sents a sunrise at sea, but. If turned
around, becomes a sunset on a plain.
Upon her Inst birthday the Emperor
of Germany presented the Empress
with a music box that played all his
own compositions. Each of his sons
has an automatic model of a Prussian
soldier that goes through all the move
ments of the infantry drill, and even
fires blank cartridges from hla rifle.
The King of Spuln lias a number of
wax models of himself that open nnd
close their eyes. Within each is a
little phonograph that cries "Long live
Spain." Alfonso takes great delight
In sending these to friends among the
royal families of Europe.
Not long since the Sultan of Turkey
presented a German prince with four
splendid white Arabian horses and a
groom who could speak only Turkish.
The horses were very acceptable, but
the groom gave much trouble and was
finally shipped back to his own coun
try. When President Loubet presented a
handsome typewriting machine, fitted
with the Terslan alphabet, to tho Shah
of Tersla, that suspicious monarch
fenred it contained nn evil spirit nnd
had it thoroughly boiled.
Nothing pleased Frederick the
Great, of Prussia, more than the pres
ent of a giant or two to add to his regi
ment of tall men. Upon his birthday
he usnully received from his brother
sovereigns a number of recruits for
bin regiment of stalwarts.
King Philip IV. of Spain collected
dwarfs, and many diminutive speci
mens of humanity were sent him upon
his birthdays.
An English king once sent the Em
press Catherine of Kusslu a six-legged
cnlf, while an artist without arms, but
who painted rcmnricably well with his
feet, was presented to a King of Sax
ony by a Grand L uke of Baden.
A Joko on a Poittrss.
One evening at dinner Jean Inge'.ow
confessed "that though she had. often
written poems about nightingales, she
had never heard one sing. Every ci:e
commented on this ns extraordinary,
and we agreed that a poetess' imagina
tion was a mnrvellous gift, but we de
termined that not another night should
pnss without remedying this grievlous
omission. It wns in May, and about
0 o'clock we led forth Miss Ingt'!ov
to tho lime avenue, where tho nlght
Ingnles were singing in scores we nil
held our breath to listen ns one nfter
another, far and nrnr, broke into song.
Presently Miss Ingclow asked, anxious
ly: . "Well, are they singing yet? I
don't War anything!" In transpired
that being n Londoner, and uncertain
of unknown shrubberies on a chilly
spring evening, she hud defied drauchts
by tho simple expedient of putting
cotton-wool in her enrs before ventur
ing out! nt least sue snld it wns on
account of draughts, but I thought nt
tho time, and still think, that her de
termination to be betrayed into nnth-
ing thnt could savour of sentlmentnllsm
hud something to do with It! How- j
ever, she never minded being chnfied
iibout It, nnd enjoyed the Joke ns much
r.s any of us. G. B. Stuart, In Llpplu-
cott's Magazine.
Rolls tha Fishers' Pointers.
The failure of the sardine flshnry U
not the only disaster which lias this
vear bpfallen the Breton fishermen.
The gulls nnd other sea birds are also
vanishing from the const. This In
tensifies the calamity, because they
nro valuable auxiliaries to the fisher
man. They are to him what the
pointer is to the sportsman. Where the
shoals of sardines are there do tho sea
gulls gather in flocks, nnd the fishing
bonts In the senson follow their move
ments with a confidence thnt is neve
betrayed. But people with cheap
shooting licenses have of late years
wrought such havoc among these birds
that they are deserting the coast, and
Brlttnny feels her misery becoming
more thnn eoniplotc. Petitions are be
ing signed in the province praying for
legislative prohibition f such useless
slaughter. London Glebe.
Hate For it hhort IHstwnue,
A young mnn who Is blessed, with a
.Scotch kinsman i.eed never fear that
ho will be allowed to hold too high an
opinion of himself.
"What do 'you think of my project
to study luw?" naked young Wltherby
of his great-uncle, Hobert Donaldson,
a person whom lie was desirous to pro
pitiate. "I should call It a vera harmless
amusemeut," said Mr. Donaldson, dry
ly, after a comprehensive survey of the
young man's fatuous face and gay at
tire, "if not carried too far."
An Ancient Steam Mao.
There are a host of authorities on
hydraulics and mechanics that could
be quoted to support the assertion that
the steam engine is not a modern in
vention. Carplnl In tlie account of bit
travels, A. D. 1826, describes a species
of aeophlle, or steam, engine made In
the form of a man. This contrivance
was filled with "Inflammable liquid"
(probably petroleum) and made to do
terrible work In the battles between
the Mongols and the troop of Fres
ter John. ,
Japan admits that the war cost It
S676.O0O.OOa
True Stories of the Old Days.
By OR1N BELKNAP.
N early days In Michigan a
stray dog came to my
father's house, and ns he
appeared to be intelligent
and a fine looking animal
my father promptly took
blm In. 'Coon hunting being one of
my rathcr's favorite sports, which a
young man named Bacon shared en
thusiastically with him. a few evenings
Inter they started out to try tho new
dog.
A fulf moon shed a mild radiance
over the forest and enabled them to
note the actions of the dog, and in a
very short time he had an animal of
some kind up a big treo which stood
alone In an opening In the woods, and
as Bacon was a famous climber, tip
the tree he went and soon made out
the dark figure among the limits above
blm, but as he approached the creature
it climbed higher and higher until, at
the very top, it turned and greeted
its pursuer with a deep warning growl.
Dan stopped climbing, and in a tone
of voice which trembled in spite of
hlmseif, ho called out: "It is a wildcat,
Mr. Belknap."
"Well, cut a club and knock him off,"
replied my father.
Cutting and trimming a lim'; of tho
tree to mako a suitable weapon, Dan
slowly crawled up toward the brute,
which finally took refuge in tlie top
most tuft of branches, and slowly and
carefully rnislng the club above the
limbs above his head, where ho could
hnve full sweep for tho blow, he struck
with all hi3 might, and never touched
him.
Itight out into the air the cat sprang
as It saw the club coming, nnd so pow
erful was Its jump that the limbs of
tho tree were cleared entirely, and
with a resounding tnump it struck the
ground at quite a distance from the
foot of tho tree, and to my father's
amazement sprang to iti; feet and ran
like a blue streak for another tree.
Tho .og happened to be nt the other
side of the tree, nnd tha cat was en
abled to get quite a start in its new
race, but so swift was tin dog's pursuit
that the cnt wns overtaken ere the tree
wns reached, when, whirling suddenly,
tho brute sat up nnd with open paws
outstretched waited the onset. Know
ing nothing of the dog'j fighting quali
ties my father Instantly concluded to
let him entirely alone nnd note the re
sult. Coming with a rush, and bark
ing furiously, the dog dushed almost
into the cat's face, but stopping Just
short of the cat's grf.sp, as its paws
snapped together like the jaws of a
steel trap, backed away a few steps
and repeated the threatening maneu
ver. Again the cot's paws snapped to
gether Just in front of tho dog's nose.
Again and again war: this repeated
until the cat appeared to think that
the dog was not really In earnest and
omitted to slap its Jaws together.
Again the dog backed away, and this
time tho Jump wna in earnest. Once
Inside the guurd of the wildcat be seized
it across the chest, nnd that cat wfas
dead in ten seconds, nnd thnt dog
could not then have been boi ght for
money.
In long days ago, in Western Iowa,
my old friend Jim Files found a stray
dog at bis door one morning, and as he
was what Jim called "sech an ornery
lookin' brute," Jim deliberated quite
a while before finally accepting him.
It was in the fall of the year, and as
Jim went 'or his cows down In the bot
tom laud below tho house, the dog fol
lowed at his heels, and reaching the
edge of what had been a shallow pond
in the spring, a small rattlesnake
colled suddenly in front of them, in a
dried up pit where a cow bad some
time stepped in the mud, leaving a de
pression five or six Inches deep. Its coil
was completely hidden, leaving the
head and a few Inches of tho neck
raised theateningly above the surface,
while it rattled a warning defiance
agalust all comers.
The dog sprang forward to attack,
and .though it was apparent that the
snake had every advantage, Jim stood
quietly watching, as he afterwards
said. "Jest to see what tho littlo cuss
would do."
Approaching within a few feet the
dog stopped, and cocking his small
head to one side for a moment, studied
the problem. Walking slowly around
he now circled tho snake, Just beyond
bis reach, but so close as to engage
11 the reptile's attention, and as It
strove to bo in continuous readiness for
tho dog's attack, and as round and
round the dog continued to walk, in a
short time the snake seemed to grow
dizzy, and its head begun to wobblo
from side to side, wheu, quick as a
flash, the dog jumped hi aud Inserting
a paw into the hole ..v.r.g the rattle
snake into the air, catching him in his
mouth as he came down, shooic him to
death without receiving a scratch.
At another time Jim was the owner
of two dogs. One was of medium size,
active and ferocious, and a good hunt
or, and the other a great overgrown
good nu hired brute, could hardly be
mado to lay hold of anything. When
ever be could be induced to seize hold
of another animal he i.hvays shut his
eyes first a 3 he took hold and kept
them tightly shut until he let go.
Jim wns hunting along the bank of
the river one day wit both dugs along,
when he saw an otter swimming In the
river, and promptly put a rltio ball Into
blm, almlug at the bead.
The otter was hard bit, and though
It struggled and swam awkwardly
around, it soon became apparent thnt
it was trying to swim dowu around a
bend of the stream, where a pile of
driftwood offered a refuge.
The smaller dog was easily sent in to
attack tho otter, but though badly
wounded the otter could still prevent
the dog from swimming with bi n to
the bauk, and it begun to look, as
though ho would eventually tire the
dog out. After much rersuaslou the
big do was flually induced to swim
In to bis assistance.
Swimming up to .he fighting pair
the big bruto shut Its eyes tightly, and
mado a grab for tho otter, when at that
lnstaut, the other dog's head coming
in the way, bo selzad bim oy the side
of the bead r-nd turning Jits eourto
starteu towing the whole outfit ie short
Uke a steam propeller.
Jim said it was now only a question
of the small (log's endurance of the
pnln. lie still kept fast old of his
heme, but before the bank wns reached
the pain became unendurable, when
letting go of the otter he turned to
fight the big dog loose, and in the con
fusion the otter made good his es
cape. When my father was a young mnn
ha lived In Central Ohio, where a hand
ful of settlers were, for n time, quite.
Isolated In the big woods. The work
of clearing tho heavy forest was very
great, and as the first small fields were
fenced and planted to corn the pio
neers were very much annoyed, by the
depredations of black bears, which
clambered over the rail fences- lu the
night time nnd went for the rousting
cars in a style that wos exasperating.
Finally a hunt was planned and
the half dozen settlers gathered at the
cabin of the one whose field was har
ried the worst nnd where the benrs
entered the field, proceeded to Fit two
guns, heavily londed, and wlt' strings
attached to the triggers in such n man
ner as to hnve tho thieves prove their
own executioners. (Jetting everything
nrrnnged before nightfall all repaired
to the cabin to wntch In silence anil
darkness the result of Jielr well laid
plan.
The guns were tet In different places.
one on each side of the little field. Ono
was but a small rifle while the other
was a tremendous ufair, one of the
largest guns ever brought into that
part of the country. Both were heavily
londed and two big bullets wero
rammed down the throat of the larger
one.
As darkness set In a fine mist began
falling, and in a short time tho report
of the little gun was heard. The young
er members of the group were for rush
ing right out Into tho night, and it re
quired all the influence of the older
hunters to check them, as It was ex
plained to them that the falling mist
had shrunken the line, and that tlu
un was tired In this manner.
Quiet was finnllly restored nnd with
n lighted lautern In readiness again
they waited. Finally, near midnight,
tho roar of the big gun filled the silent
woods. Hushing out into the night
the larger party carrying the lantern
ran in the cornfield, while two others
ran down the cowpath which circled
the little field on the outside. A tre
mendous commotion wns heard ninona
the cornstalks in front, nnd the little
party of excited hunters ran down tlu
corn rows in hope, by the old of the
lighted lantern, to get a shot at tht
bear.
The mortally wounded animal, which
afterward proved to be a monster in
size, ran for the fence to climb ovci
into the woods. Outside tho fence the
two men could see nothing distinctly,
but hearing the riot of smashing corn
stalks and excited yells, the one i:i
front sprang for the fence to climb
over, at the very point where tho
tumult seemed culminating, and jit
ns he wns reaching for a bund hold ot
tho top rail the benr sprang over the
fence directly in front of him, nnd
tumbling down from the top of tha
fence knocked the hunter flat wpo;i
his back und fell nil over him, when
the stricken brute crawled a short dis
tance Into the darkness nnd died.
Yells of pnln nnd anguish now roe
from the prostrate hunter, so unex
pectedly flattened by the fleeing bear.
Climbing over the fence the pursuing
party now brought the light of tho
lantern to bear on his prostrate form.
and wero horrified to see that th?
poor fellow was covered- with blood
and apparently mortnlly hurt.
In a faint tone of voice he beggel to
be taken to the house, cxpluiuing that
the ferocious brute had torn his en
trails entirely out of him, aud when
tho open bosom of his buckskin hunt
ing shirt was openpd more widely, to
the horror of his friends out rolled n
pile of bloody entrails. The fainting
man wns tenderly carried to the house,
his clothes removed and body washed
und the skin wasn't broken on him.
The dying bear, dragging his entrails
nfter him, had deposited, part of his
bloody burden in the open bosom of
tho hunter's shirt, ns tho rails of tho
fence had torn them loose. The mor
tally wounded hunter recovered qui-.-k y
from his hurt, but not for tunny n ';iy
from the jeering merriment of b's
friends. Forest and Stream.
Municipal Thrift.
On the way from ono town on C.txj
Cod to unother a contributor to ti.e
Boston. Transcript came upon a ehar.u-
lng house by tho rondslde, which im
mediately claimed his attention. It
bore u fresh coat ot white pnlnt, which,
was well set off by green blinds. There
was a smooth piece of lawn in front, a
group of tine shnde trees, and ham
mocks, plnzza chairs, brilliant sofa pil
lows, and all the adjuncts of summer'
comfort in luxurious profusion.
"Whose place is this?" he demanded
of the boy of twelve who accompanied
him as guide and advlser-ln-gpiieral.
"Thnt there?" suld the boy. "Ob.
that's the poorhour ,"
"The poorhouse!" the man exclaimed.
"You seem to have luxurious papuen
In the town."
"Well, you see," was the explanation,
"we hain't got but one, 'n' she's an
old woman, 'n' the overseers they board
her out with one o' the neighbors 'n'
let the poorhouse to some o' them Bos
ton folks for the summer, V thut pay
her keep."
A Protested lilatua,
Bombay has Just adopted sturtrtvl
time, and tho change hus affected the
Indian mind in very curious ways.
Tho surrender of thirty -nine mlnutos
to Father Time Is made the subject ot
protest duly signed by 13,000 people
who are afraid of deferred breakfasts.'
delayed office hours and demoralized
religious periods. It takes an old civil
lzatlou to make really important con
tributions to the world's fund of hu
mor. New York Commerclul.
Mrs. Theodoro Nwles, of Bitter
Township, Petiu.. has, Just presented
her husbnud with No. 17.
Tho Government made only live sli
ver doll-ji s lu 11)03.