Montour American., December 27, 1906, Image 4

Montour American.
FRANK C. ANGLE, Proprietor.
Danville, Pa., Dec. 27, 1906.
I FICTION anZ i
!| FRICTION ||
By Margaret Murrey
] ! Copyright, 19CM, by Comer Sprasue < |
The most popular novel and "big
gest seller" of the year was "Aunt
Mary Moffat," written by an unknown
author, whose name and fame bad sud
denly gone abroad throughout the land.
Youug Dr. Brandon, Just returned
from Europe, hastened to congratulate
his successful friend, and to his amaze
ment he found the writer In the depths
of despair.
"John Hastings, what Is the matter?
Arc you not satisfied with being tho
most admired and discussed man of
the hour? You ought to be ecstatic,
elated, delirious with joy, and you look
as If you had swallowed a bad oyster."
"Why should 1 rejoice in success
when the only reason I tried for It is
gone?" John groaned.
"What do you mean?"
"I was engaged to Ethel Ransom,
you remember, and only waiting for
money to support her"—
"Some people consider that an insig
nificant detail."
"Unfortunately Ethel's father did
not, but now my fortune Is assured
she refuses to marry me altogether."
"May I ask why?"
"She declares that I have drawn the
character of Aunt Mary Moffat from
her grandmother and held her up to
ridicule before everybody."
"She is crazy!" Brandon exclaimed.
There are plenty of others," point
ing to a pile of letters. "All those are
from people who recognize themselves
or one of their relatives among the
characters of my book. Listen to this:
"Dear Mr. Hastings—l was BO pleased
to And you made me the heroine of your I
book. 1 told the editor of our village pa- I
per, and he put a piece in the Huckleberry i
Junction Post about it. Please send me
your autograph.
"There are more heroines, a number .
of heroes, and you remember the man ]
I called the "patriarchal parson'—the j
woods are full of grandfathers exactly
like him, it appears. As for the Aunt
Marys, their name Is legion—there are
at least three In every village In the '
states."
Brandon helped himself from the pllo \
and read aloud:
"Dear Hastings—Perceiving, as I cannot !
fait to do so, the depiction of my late lam
entable aunt In the title character of [
your book. I suggest that It would be a ;
thankful act for you to put a monument j
on her grave. Her folks can't afford it. j
It would be a good ad. for the book too."
Brandon laughed heartily.
"What fun It would be to get these
people together 1 Suppose we goto my
house at Knowlbrldge and give a party
for them. Perhaps If Ethel sees the
numerous other claimants she will give
up her idea about grandma."
John demurred, but was finally per- !
suaded by Brandon, who assumed the !
entire responsibility, and sent the fol- I
lowing letter to each of the original:*:
Mr. John Hastings requests tho honor i
of your presence October the sixteenth at :
seven o'clock to meet the ladles and gen- j
tlemen from whom characters in his j
"Aunt Mary Moffat" were drawn.
"I have Been your capricious charm- j
•rand prevailed upon ber to come to '
our party," 6ald Brandon, a few days
later. "She hesitated, but she will be i
there—the unmistakable glitter of cu- '
rioslty was In her azure orbs."
First among the author's guests to
arrive on the auspicious lGth was
an alleged "patriarchal parson," per- i
sonally conducted by a nephew named
Samuel Baugs. The heroine was repre- i
sented by a married woman (whose
husband came alsot, a young widow
and a sentimental maiden. Two clerks, j
a bank cashier and a commercial trav- |
eler appeared for the hero, and four :
Aunt Marys In various stages of se- !
nlllty came attended by enterprising ;
relatives
"I wish we had never invited them," i
•aid John nervously. "We will have a
row as 'sure as sparks fly upward.'"
"Leave It to your uncle," said Bran- ;
Aon. "I wouldn't miss It for a golden
corkscrew/'
"Suppose they And one another out
before supper."
"They can't break loose und wax con
fidential between now and 7 o'clock."
Brandon announced the guests as
they entered the drawing room. Sam
Bangs came last, his face radiant with
•miles and soap; placing one hand on
his spine, the other on his heart, he
made a real daucing school bow and
said:
"This is the proudest moment of my
life."
John thanked him and Brandon said
be was lucky to keep his heart where
he could lay his hand on it so readily.
Ethel arrived and Insisted ongoing
with the housekeeper to the butler's
pantry, where she stayed, looking
through the door.
Brandou, opposite John at table,
forced the conversation to be general,
steering It off the book, until the des- !
sert appeared, then John rose.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "1
have beeu fortunate enough to bring
together a number of people represent
ed In my book. We have the hero,
Thomas Presley; the heroine. Jennie
Jenklu«; the patriarchal parson, and j
Aunt Mury Moffat herself. Will tho«e
I have named rt*e while I drink their
good health?"
"Here is to Aunt Mary Moffat and all
her friends, relatives and acquaint
ances I" said John, and glasse* were
drained amid great applause.
Then, In order to Identify each char
acter, he suggested that all should be
Mated except the hero and heroine,
(k&d four Thomas Presleys and three !
Jenny Jenkins's were left staring, first
I
to perplexity, then in rage, at ono an. j
other.
"There must l>e a misunderstand- i
ing," >ald John. "Surely there can be
but one hero or heroine of n single
hook."
The three women talked at once, the
heroes muttered bitterly, the personal
conductors exchanged hasty coufl
deuces; John east a glance toward the
door, but Brandon laid a detaining
hand on his shoulder.
"My friends," be said, "it Is plain
that Mr. If listings has drawn compos
ite characters taking from each the
"uilitv for which you are best known I
Is uue clown in a tliree ring".! circus
less a clown because there are two ,
others 7"
Nothing could have been more in .
genlously offonslve, snd smoldering ir I
ritatloo threatened to burst forth. The'
Sfldpw tUiod bv Jobs t*» Drutji.it him
Brandon tried again.
"We have all seen 'Uncle Tom's Cab-
In' with two Uncle Toms, a pair of
Topsies and a brace of Evas, and none
of them differeth from another In
glory."
Here the butler announced that the
doctor was wanted across the street.
"For heaven's sake, don't go!" whis
pered John.
"Talk to them yourself; make 'em
laugh."
Before John could utter a word Sam
Bangs rose in wrath.
"This Is a nice job you have put up
on us. If these ain't the real folks in
the book how do we know you are the
real author?"
Approaching footsteps turned atten
tion toward the door, through which
marched a lively gentleman, who salut
ed and addressed the company.
"I am rejoiced, delighted, enchanted
to see you all," he bawled, "the crea
tures of tny Imagination—the charac
ters of my book. I—the famous—the
clev'r the Inimitable—the greatest of
authors, greet you."
"I knew it." Sam exclaimed. "Then
you really wrote 'Aunt Mary Moffat,'
and he is an impostor?" pointing to
John.,
"T-> perdition with him in live min
utes: Certainly I did—l wrote all the
books iu all the libraries—l made the
world, and the people are my chil
dren."
"It's genius," said the uiaideu.
"It's ruin," said the widow.
"It's mania." said Brandon, entering,
followed by a man who, steppfng be
hind the elated gentleman, took him
by the elbows and walked him out of
the house.
"That Is a paretic patient of mine,
who overheard me speak of this party
to his daughter today, and stole away
from his attendant to come."
I don't believe he is a bit crazier
than you are. with your composite
clowns, your three ringed Topsies and
your piratic patients," said Sam.
"There Is no time to explain—l have
terrible news." said Brandon. "One
of the servants has developed malig
nant smallpox, and you must all leave
the house as soon as possible to avoid
infection. There is a train to New
York in half an hour."
Sain made a boll for the door, fol
lowed by all but the widow, who re
fused to leave John.
"You needn't wait—l will attend to
him," said Ethel, confronting her sud
denly.
"Who are you?" demanded the aston
ished widow.
"I am the girl who is to marry Air.
Hastings."
"Are you sure you are the original
girl or only one of several?" a«ked tho
widow sarcastieai'y. "But perhaps
you are a composite.
Without saying goodbv, she marched
majestically out of the room.
"Heaven forgive that lie about the
smallpox," said Brandon, mopping his
brow. "Nothing loss would have
saved the roof over our heads."
BreuUiiiii tlie Chain.
la IH.SI a bill was introduced iu tlie
Massachusetts senate which provided
for a bounty of for the killing of
'a lynx or wildcat," says the Boston
Herald. When the bill was under dis
cussion Senator Kice of Essex, who
had a habit of asking the committees
to explain some parts of bills they had
reported, said he would like to ask the
committee who retried the bill wheth
or the term "lynx or wildcat" referred
to two different species of animals or
whether It \v;i- fhe same kind of an 1 ,
mal called by different names. Sena
tor Rockwell of Plttsfleld. who never
let an opportunity to say a good thing
pass, arose and said. "In the absence
of the chairman of the committee who
reported this bill I would say for the
Information of ihe honorable senator
from Ksaex. who, having always lived
In the eastern part of the state. Is not
probablv aware that for years there
has been a chain of wildcats roaming
ever the Berkshire hills, that the ob
ject of this bill is to take some of the
links out of that chain."
FRAUDS IN OLD BOOKS.
Aut-leul HUII Iturr Volume* Doefored,
lleitliirril nixl Imitated.
A well known collector acquired
what he took to • a t.f »u published
by Aldus In the year 1481). He paid
sl.u>o for it and believed that It was
an original Aldus, because the publish
er's press maik. a dolphin colled round
an anchor, appeared upon It. When
the liool; was shown to an expert it
proved to be beyond a shadow of
doubt a modern antique- that is lo
say, it was simply a copy of the orig
inal w«i;-k printed by an ingenious book
fakir. So clever was the imitation
that only an expert could lell it from
the original and rare book. Scores of
per-on- during recent years have
bought facsimiles of rare works under
Ihe impression that they v ere getting
th<- originals. Idekens' ■•Sunday l*n
.ler Three Heads" has been faked
many times and sold as original to
collectors who no dotibt treasure tliein
a- rarities 'ienuine copies of this
little book are wortli a good sum, and
sonic unscrupulous dealers, taking ad
vintage of i lie circumstances, have
I■:i • i it reprinted and palm ofif the
• opies on ting bibliomaniacs
for the genuine lirst edition.
Man\ men make a living by "doc
toriii —" old and rare books for un
scrupulous dealers. These men are
«<h-p: iii the art "I IHK»IC restoring flud
are tp'itc able to make any part
of an imperfeci copy. I'or Instance,
if a i ire book ha- a leal inis-ing It I*
handed over b> a restorer, who re
print- the page with battered type.
Hie paper upon which It Is printed be
ing afterward discolored with chem
icals or tobat-c > water in order to ghe
it the true antique hue.
The lirsi folio Shakespeare i-. of
course, of great value, and it is swfn
to sav that every possible deception
has been practiced iu fitting up copies
of thi- work for sale. ,\t one time the
manufacture of llrst folio Shakespenres
was ipiite a trade A first folio having
■icveral leaves missing had leaves In
sertetl from the second folio, while in
one case the entire play of "Cymbe
line" was reprinted and Inserted iu a
first folio. The "'faked" pages were
so cleverly done that several experts
were at tir-t unable to detect them
when turning over the pages of the
work in question Hook restorers, as
u rule, are most ingenious artists, and
they can produce an imitation of a
page of a rare book which will deceive
hundreds of collectors. One particu
lar restorer has "doctored" more than
a thousand old books during the last
two years, producing pages in faeslm-i
lie and supplying colopho. s or
-■ fe.{ capitals. There <i tblap
■ ■ Mug to uiake a bo-'- ■ •>' •
t 'an eaoiot I'fu.
I Malcolm's J
|| Rescue I
« Hy Gordon Talbot »
ijj Copyright, by W. K. (
"I'm worried about Nancy," said
I Peyton gloomily.
"You've got to worry about some
thing," was the consoling reply, as
Nancy Wescott's brother Billy did not
I see anything to worry about in the sit
j uation.
"But," persisted Peyton, "she never
I acted this way until that fellow Mal
• colm came down."
"Possibly it's Miss Malcolm," chuc
kled Billy. "If you were not holding
hands last night, It's because appear
ances pre deceit till."
"Nothing of the sort," protested Pey
ton, reddening. "1 was just trying to
make Nan a little jealous."
"And it looks as if she might be try
ing to play the same game," laughed
Billy. "See here, Tom, you've got a
fair wind and a pipe full of tobacco.
What more do you want ? Worry about
. sis when you get back t<> the island."
With a heavy sigh, Tom Peyton
threw his leg over the tiller to hold it
I while he lit his pipe. They had gone
over to the mainland for supplies, and
after beating their way against a head
■ wind it should have be,>n enough to
1 satisfy the heart of any yachtsman to
i have the wind right for a straight run
_ home.
It was live miles to the mainland,
an absurd distance to gr for butter, but
| the Wescott party liked the privacy of
' the island, and had not the launch bro
! ken down the matter ol' supplies would
have been unimportant. Billy had vol
unteered to sail over and get the but
; ter, aud Tom had invited himself togo
| because he was so utterly miserable
| with Malcolm dancing attendance on
Nancy.
For three years lie had been trying to
! get her to say yes to the all important
1 question, but she had evaded the issue
! with the skill of a diplomat, and in de
' spalr he had sought to force matters
I through arousing her jealousy by flirt
ing with Miss Malcolm.
! Unfortunately Nancy had seen
' through the plan and retaliated by en
j gaging in a desperate flirtation with
!
v
' IIP
THE NEXT INSTANT THEY WEKF. FLOt'N'DFR
-ING IN IHE WATER.
Malcolm. This had been the last straw,
and Tom was as miserable as It Is
given man to be.
I For awhile they were silent. Billy
lay dreaming in the bottom of the boat,
sending out great clouds of smoke as
he stared up at the sky, aud Peyton,
his leg still thrown over the tiller, was
engaged in devising torments to which
Malcolm should be subjected if he had
his way.
Neither noticed that a breeze seemed
to be springing up from the west. They
wero under the lee of Catliu island,
with its steep bluffs, and spinning
along nicely. Wescott island was only
half a mile beyond the larger Island,
and already it seemed to Tom that he
could make out Nancy and Malcolm
sitting on the rocks at the point. He
was just about to reach out for the
glasses when the boat slipped out from
under the protection of the cliffs, and
with a slap the strong wind struck the
sail.
The next instant they were flounder
ing in the water. Tom couldn't swim,
but Billy grasped his collar and hoisted
him onto the bottom of the upturned
boat.
"Hold fast for a moment," he com
manded as he slipped off again. He
floundered in the water for a moment,
then paddled toward the boat. "Here's
the coffee!" he called. "It's In an air
tight tin.and I'll bet it's all right."
"Better toss up your pipe, too," sug
gested Tom, who for the tirst time saw
that Billy's teeth were still clinched
on the stem. "They have seen us and
are coming out."
A row boat had put out from the
camp. In ii Malcolm and one of the
servants were pulling furiously, while
on the shore Nancy could be seen wav
ing frantically.
Malcolm bent his back to the task,
and presently as they came out he be
gan to shout messages of hope.
' Bet he thinks we're drowned aud
don't know it," laughed Billy, who had
abandoned his quest for floating prop
erty to watch the little comedy.
Malcolm, still putting, drew alongside
the boat and helped Peyton in. Billy
'climbed in over the side, and with a
hearty "1 thought I'd be in time" Mai
colm swung the boat's head about and
began to pull for the shore with the
Bi'.ine purling exertion. Billy shouted to
him to e.i-e up, that there was a chance
for salvage, but Malcolm did not un
derstand and kept on putting and pull
ing.
I lie whole camp was on shore to
greet them, and Malcolm pulled up in
tine style. "Have you a barrel ready?"
he puffed.
"What for?" demanded Hilly. "A
glass will do for me."
"To roll you on," explained Malcolm.
"When they take people out of the wa
ter they roil tliem on a barrel, don't
rou know"
"I'll murder the tirst man who tn<?s
It on me," threatened Nancy's brother
"Come on. Tom, let's get some dry
clothes."
They went oil toward the camp,
while the others gathered on tho beach
and talked it over. Twenty minutes
later Billy, appearing in the doorway,
demanded to know whether they had
brought in the yacht
"They're out after it no.v," explained
Nancy, pointing l<> where a little group
on the sand was watching three of this
men wiw wore pulling for shore, tow
ing the boat in Billy went off to join
them, and Tom sank into a piazza chair
near Nancy.
"How did Hillv cutna to utwwtV" «!>->
asKett curiously
"He didn't." he admitted. "It was all
my fault. We were going aloug so
nicely that I never noticed a squall
blowing up behind Catlin. When It bit
us I had my leg over the tiller, and be
fore I could get it clear we were in the
water."
"We were watching you from the
point," she smiled. "Mr. Malcolm was
so excited that for a moment I thought
lie was going to try to walk out to
you."
"lie certainly did work hard," ad
mitted Tom. "There we were sitting
high and dry on the keel and poor old
Malcolm breaking his back to get out
there before we drowned."
"You shouldn't laugh at Mr. Mal
colm," she reproved. "I suppose that I
must have been so anxious that I com
municated my excitement to him."
"I suppose you're anxious about Billy
a lot of times," he said idly. "That boy
would love to live in a boat and never
come «*i shore."
"I don't worry about Billy," she de
tiled. "He can swim like a fish."
"Then why"— he began. "It is be
cause I cannot swim that you were
worried?" he demanded.
"It would break up the party." she ex
plained, realizing what she had said.
"But you do care?" he pleaded. "Say
you do. dear?"
"Perhaps I do," she admitted.
"A whole lot?" lie persisted. Nancy
hesitated. The incident had been en
lightening. She knew her own heart
better than she had that morning. She
nodded her head.
It seemed to Tom only a moment be
fore Billy came tramping up from the
beach.
"It's all right, Billy," he cried. "It's
not Malcolm, after all. It's I."
"I'm glad of it," growled Billy. "It'll
keep you from being grouchy, and, any
how, that infernal Malcolm made us
lose the butter. 1 was Just going to
dive for it when he 'saved us.'"
Illvorce Anions; the Burmese.
Yhe marriage customs of the Burmese
are simple in the extreme. A man and
woman are married or are not mar
ried, according to whether they live as
husband and wife or not. A man may
have several wives, though in practice
he rarely has more than one.
A woman may have only one hus
band. Divorce is a matter for the vil
lage elders. No court is necessary, no
decree, no appeal to legal or ecclesias
tical authority Divorce is but the
breaking of a status. A wife retains
control of all her property when mar
ried; she has a half .share in all proper
ty acquired during marriage. If she
is divorced she takes her own property
and half that jointly acquired. There
is no blending of her authority with
that of her husband. She may do
what she will with her own.
There is no rule of primogeniture and
no power of bequeathing property by
testament. All the children inherit
equally. No Buddhist may make a
w!IL Whatever a man or a woman
dies possessed of must be divided ac
cording to rhe rules of consanguinity.
There is no preference of either sex.
All children are equal 111 this matter.
The oldest son shares alike with the
youngest daughter.—Lahore Tribune.
A uemarkahle furrier l'lßeon.
A remarkable story of the sagacity
and physical endurance of a carrier
pigeon is told in Nansen's story of his
arctic explorations. One day the pigeon
tapped at the window of Mrs. Nansen's
home In Christiania. It was Immedi
ately opened, and the little messenger
was covered with kisses and caresses
by the explorer's wife. After au ab
sence of thirty months from the cot
tage the pigeon had brought a note
from the explorer over a thousand
miles of frozen waste and another
thousand of ocean, plain and forest.
Ad\autnt«eN of Kilts.
The London Tailor and Cutter ol>-
serves with its usual keen insight Into
fcumau nature: "No one has yet sug
gested the utility of kilts. They never
bag at the knees, nor do they ever
require patching at that part, and their
hygienic properties are proverbial."
\\ lirrc Ho Saved.
Two residents of a suburban neigh
borhood were talking of the merits of
gas and electricity and their compar
ative cost. "Well, I haven't figured
It out carefully," said the man who
used electric light, "but I know I save
a lot of matches."
For a violin by I'etrus Guarnerius,
dated 1095, £2»<o was given at a recent
Sale in London; while one by Nicholas
Lupot fetched £240.
His Best Bread.
Baker—l keep the best bread. Cus
tomer (who Is complaining of the
bread's inferior quality)—l don't doubt
It. Baker—Then what have you to
complain about? Customer—That in
stead of keeping the best bread you
should sell the best and keep the bad
for yourself.
Social Danger.
So long as we have at the bottom ot
our social fabric an arm}' of vagabonds,
hand to mouth livers and slum dwell
ers. half starved, dirty, foul mouthed,
so long are we In Imminent danger.
And it Is want of work which make?
recruits for this army-Mirror.
The Knock-out Blow.
The blow which knocked out Corbett
was a revelation to the prize fighters.
From the earliest days of the ring the
knock-out blow was aimed for the jaw,
the temple or the jugular vein. Stomach
punches were thrown Ih to woYry and
weary the tighter, but If a scientific man
had told one of the old fighters that the
most vulnerable spot was the region of
the stomach, he'd have laughed at him
for an ignoramus. Dr. Pierce is bringing
home to the public a parallel fact; that
thq sVmacHJs the most vulnerable organ
out of\he ring as well as in It. We
protect pur h»atis, throats, feet and lungs,
but theSJMKibJrswe are utterly Indiffer
ent to, until the solar plexus
and knocks us out. Make your stomach
V'U'Hi wj Strang VjHTT- iuv of
Pierce's {jphjeiL McdiTal Jjiscoverv. "and
voiTm-oUrt/vottrso]f iiT vpur most vulner
u' i' 1 snot,. Medical Discovery "
cure., "weak stomach," Indigestion, or
dyspepsia, torpid liver, bad, thin and Im
pure blood and other diseases of the or
gan® of digestion and nutrition.
The "Golden Medical Discovery " has a
specific curative effect upon all mucous
surfaces and hence cures catarrh, no
matter where located or what stage It
may have reached. In Nasal Catarrh it
is well to cleanse the passages with Dr.
Sage's Catarrh Remedy fluid while using
the "Discovery as a constitutional rem
edy. Why the "Golden Medical Discov
ery" cures catarrhal diseases, as of the
stomach, bowels, bladder and other pelvic
organs will lie plain to you if you will
read a booklet of extracts from the writ
ings of eminent medical authorities, en
dorsing its ingredients and explaining
their curative properties. It Is mailed
free on request. Address Dr. R.V. Pierce,
Buffalo. N. Y. This booklet gives all tho
ingredients entering Into Dr. Pierce's
medicines from which it will be seen that
they contain not a drop of alcohol, pure,
triple-refined glycerine being used instead.
Dr. Pierce's great thousand-page Illus
trated Common Sense Modlcal Adviser
will be sent free, paper-bound, for 21 one
cent stamps, or cloth bouud lor II stamps
Addw«s Dr. Pi'irge a * ftbove
I "Fretty"
By Nancy Hazlitt
1 Copyright, IMU, by \Y. It. Caldwell
Alfarotta ran about the garden sing
ing shrilly:
"Dear, ilear, what can the matter b»?
Dear, dear, what can the matter be?
Dear, dqar, what can the m-a-t-t-e-r be—
Johnny so long at the fair?
He promised to bring me a bunch of bine
ribbon,
He promised to bring me a bunch of blue
ribbon,
lie promised to bring me r bunch of blue
ribbon.
To tio up my bonny brown hair."
"Fretty, I really wouldn't call him
out of his name—you know It Isn't
Johnny," Cousin Langley said provok
lugly from the leafy depths of tin*
grape arbor. "Besides, your hair isn't
brown, not in the least. Instead, it's
pure carrot c dor. also mighty pretty.
If I were a painter person I might call
it something else, but being what I am,
a stickler for truth"—
"Would you know the truth if you
met it in the road?" Alfretta flung at
him. "I don't believe so," she-went on
disdainfully. slinking her glowing
waves at him.
She was bareheaded, and the sun
struck out high lights from the Titian
mass above her white forehead, then
fell down to waken preen gleams in
her long lashed eyes. Slim as became
seventeen, tallish, light on little arched
feet, with a long neck upbearing her
face, she was distractingly pretty, es
pecially to eyes jaded "With artifice and
sick of fashion—more specifically,
Langley Madden's eyes.
Lnngley Avas only a third cousin, but
assumed that the tie of blood entitled
him to take an attitude so critical it
was more than brotherly in its candor.
Tie had come to Alderbrook farm for
six blessed, idle weeks after the stress
of a long tight and the triumph of a big
legal victory, lie had not been there In
years, although the place belonged to
him. Its present occupants, the Lanes,
had lived in it to oblige him. Therefore
he had had but a faint memory of Al
farotta as a solemn young person who
had disdained to be friends with him,
choosing rather to make companions of
?h» digs. the kittens and her pony,
Sar. p.
He recalled that she had barely tol
erated Susette Barlow, who, in spite of
being bigger, came sometimes to play
with her. Susette had been a famous
"X REOABDI.D IT AS MY DITTY TO MARRY
YOU."
comrade. He bad kissed her often,
called her his little sweetheart and
actually gone the length of sending
down to her from the city after he was
back there a birthday ring. Notwith
standing, lie had found her married and
happy, with a baby as round, rosy and
dimpled as he remembered her. Ten
years, he had reflected, made big
changes every way. Still he was not
quite prepared for the change they had
wrought iu Fretty.
The name was of his own coinage;
in all other mouths the girl was Alfa.
llc had been quite taken aback to find
that she did not resent his version of
the baptismal mouthful. Indeed, she
had said, with a little hovering smile,
"The one comfort about my name is,
no matter what people call me, they
can't possibly make it worse than It
Is."
The saying had in a way startled
him; he had not thought to find philos
ophy at seventeen in the rural regions.
But as time went on he discovered
that the philosophy was the least of
Fretty's surprises. Young as she was,
unformed and inexperienced, she had
a way with her, also a poise quite
wonderful to see. He did not wonder
that she had taken captive his artist
friend Vernon; it was Vernon's habit
to fall fitfully in love with every girl
who was iu the least out of the com
mon. Fretty had not a single usual
fiber in her. In proof, take the fact
that Vernon's adoration had not iu the
slightest degree turned her head.
"What have we to say to the painter
person, Fretty?" Cousin Langley ask
ed. coming out and laying hold of her
hands. "Are we going to tell him to
go about his business or are we going
to say, Yes. and tbuuky. sir.' when he
asks"—
"He won't ask." Fretty said, not try
ing to take away her bauds. "You see,
1 told him ai the very first I regarded
it as my duty to marry you. other
wise you would wa.-to :iil your money
-beside>. it was ilie only way to keep
Alderbrook in he family. lie agreed
with me, although 1 think he was <>ev
ry; It must have -eemed a shame to
him to mis- such an opportunity, lie
admitted that flirting was a necessity
10 him. 'that N why. I think, he Is
away just now."
"indeed?" l angley s:iid. his tone an
interrogation
Fret.. nodded, echoing: "Indeed!
Yes; M Wort ham -your divinity—
has ope.ii d tirasbieie came herself the
day be! u\ yelenlay. So Mr. VeiUoU
■jiddn'i -tay away longer."-
"Who says -die is my divinity? AnU
how <! i you like it. seeing you have
up propria ted me?" I.angley asked, col
erius. in «pite of himself. He felt all at
once young and raw and ridiculous
«vas in a temper over It. He want
ed to -hai . - icily shake her liaru.
was jes; • . of i «urse. but how beautl
fully sl.e h. d turned the tables on him.
Quite unac. ...mtably he found himself
tn in! ! ng. ! s baud- moist, his face, ho
knew, colored, an.l all without
:u ,v reason.
it • raid not be that the bare sugges
-11 mof I rettj the chikl, the plaything,
i; • i : attire he loved to tease —as his
wife, 112 mistress of his homo and
heart, hail thus overcome hhu. For
us at least he had thought of
Geoi Wort ham in that position,
f-he fitted it so beautifully and was
quite evidently ready to accept It.
••T ulwnva unswar mother'* teir
her. Remember yon wrote her about
Georgina two years back at least,"
Fretty salil, smiling sweetly, with the
faintest touch of malice. "As to my
liking her, what does that matter? I
have nothing to do with her, only with
you."
"You are quite resolved—to take
me, I mean?" Langley asked, his eyes
downcast.
Fretty looked pensive. "It seems—
one must do one's duty, however dis
agreeable," she said, with a little sigh.
Lnngley erected himself. "In that
case, suppose you kiss your crown of
martyrdom," he said, putting his face
close to her lips.
Fretty sprang back as far as their
clasped hands permitted and said, with
dancing eyes: "Next year will be quite
time enough for that. You see, I am
going away in the fall to be finished at
the Wlnslow school. Mother Insists
upon it.and I myself think it best. I
shall come back a fine lady—fine
enough. I hope, to do the family credit.
May I trust you not to marry Georgina
in all that time?"
"Certainly not," Langley said prompt
ly. "You will have to take me now or
risk losing me altogether. And I hate
finishing schools and all their works.
If you go through the mill I won't have
you—that's flat!"
Fretty snatched away her hands,
laughing heartily. "What an actor was
lost In you, Cousin Langley!" she said.
"You had such a ring In your voice!
I wish Tommy Hartwell had been with
in hearing."
"So! You want the heathen to rage,
you minx!" Langley said, again im
prisoning her hands, then the ring
coining back to his voice stronger than
ever: "Fretty, I know you were in fun,
but, please, dear, let's make It earnest
I want you—nobody else. I have been
wanting you ever sin..a I came, with
out having sense enough to know It."
"How about Georgina?" Fretty mur
mured, turning away her head so
Langley might not see the mounting
color in her cheeks.
Langley laughed triumphantly. "May
I be vain enough to speak the frozen
truth?" he asked, Ills lips very close to
Fretty's ear. She turned a little more
awaj* from hhu, saying very low:
"No! I can guess it. Georgina won't
have you; therefore you want me to
salve your broken heart."
"Of course. But how did you guess
It?" Langley asked, his heart thrilling
at thought of her care tq save another
woman from slurring., He had meant
to tell her what he knew for truth—
that ivhile Georgina would have ac
cepted him for his position and poten
tialities and given him comradely help
throughout their Joint career her heart
was by no means engaged, she being
of the equable temperament that
spends its Wildest, devotion upon itself.
Moreover, there was Vernon. All
along he hud suspected some kindness,
even more, between the pair. They
might have each other and welcome.
Fretty, sweet, slim, red haired Fretty,
was the one wife in the world for him.
Impulsively he caught her to him
and said betweeu kisses: "I see it all
now. You're a witch. You saw how
I needed comforting and proposed to
me right oft' the reel. Henceforth I
shall live to keep you from being sorry
for it."
"And I'll make you sorry for It as
long as you live if ever you dare say
that again," Fretty interrupted.
Again Langley laughed. He could
afford to. Fretty, in spite of her brave
words, was nestling to him like a hap
py child.
What Teui'her Sulil.
Last Sunday Benny made his debut
as a Sunday school scholar. When he
came home his relatives and friends
were anxious to hear a report of his
experiences.
"Well, Denny," said his mother, "did
you say the text?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And did you remember the story »i
the lesson ?"
"Yes. ma'am. I said it all off by
heart."
"And did you put your penny In the
basket?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Benny's mother grabbed him up and
hugged him ecstatically.
"Oh, you little precious!" she said.
"Your teacher must have beeu proud
of you. I know she just loved you.
She said something to you. didn't she?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I knew it," said the load parent.
"Come, Bejiuy, darling, tell mother
what the teacher said to mother's little
man."
"She said,"' was the .startling reply,
"for me to bring 2 cents next Sunday."
—New York Post.
Xoah'n AdviutaKF.
Mrs. Noah was complaining that her
clothes looked as If they had come out
of the ark.
"On the contrary," returned her
spouse, "they have lust come across
the water."
Herewith he congratulated himself
on the cheapness of Imported gowns.—
New York Sun.
As the Boy Saw It.
An Englishman tells the story of a
boy who saw an exceedingly bowleg
ged man standing in front of a hot fire.
Finally he could restrain himself no
longer and said, "Hey, mister, you'd
better get away from there; you'se
warpin'."
Wonderful Monastery.
At Solovetsk. in the Russian govern
rnent of Archangel, is the most remark
able monastery in the world. The mon
astery of Solovetsk Is Inclosed on ev
ery side by a wall of granite bowlder*
which measures nearly a mile in cir
cumference. The monastery itself U
very strongly fortified, being support
ed by round and square towers aboul
thirty feet in height, with walls twentj
feet *i;i thickness. The monastery con
sist.s in reality of six churches, whlct
are completely tilled with statues u!
all kinds and precious stones. Upor
the walls and the towers surrouudin#
these churches are mounted huge guns
which in the time of the Crimean wai
were directed against the British Whlti
sea squadron.
Nasal /ge!7s*\.
CATARRH /112«
cleanses, soothes mi J healn M
the diseased membrane.
It cures catarrh aud drives M
awav a cold in tUo head
quickly.
Cream It nun is placed into the nostrils, spreads
over the membrane an I is absorbed, Keiief Is Im
mediate and a cure follows. It is not drying—does
not produce sm-ezing. I.arge Size, 50 cents at Drug
gibts or by mall; Trial Size, 10 cents.
EI.V BROTHERS. f>i> Warren Street. New York
I To Cure a Cold in One Day
I Take Laxative Bromo Quinine Tablets. I
I Seven Million boies sold In past 12 months. This sigiature^*^^
BEATEN BY A HAIR. Orphans Court Sale
Hwnuihnl Hnmlln'x Flrnt Trj For tht 01 CALLABLE
IHiteil State* Senate. DP A T T7QT A TI? T
When Hannibal Hamlin wan speaker lXljxiJj JLoAAaJj •
of the Maine house of representatives, i
away back in the forties of the last ESTATE OF MARY LOCKHOUF,
century, there was in that body a cer- j DECEASED.
tain gentleman of faultless attire, , , „ ,
, ~ ! Bv virtue of an order of the Or
pleasing manners, good address and ■ • ,
some reputation, but he had one foible. I'' iau g ot .doutour County graut-
His hair was very thin, and he wan ed to him for such purpose,the uuder
hlghly sensitive In regard to it. signed Executor of the Jast will and
To hide his approaching baldness he testament of the said decedent will
bad a habit of carefully stroking with expose to public sale (freed and dis
bandoiine or other preparation each charged from all liens and encum
particular hah in its place. One ua> brauces whatsoever) upon the premiees
while in the chair as speaker Mr. Ilam- Township of -Derrv. in
lin. In th«_; innocence of a good and , _ ~, 1 , „ '
joke loving nature, sent for this gen- t,ie County of Montour and State of
tleman and, looking fixedly at his Pennsylvania, on
chuckle:" U<l POUs1 "" 1 saia With ° : FRIDAY, DEC. 28th, 1906
"Blank, old fellow, I just wanted to at ten o'clock in the forenoon of the
tell you that you ve got one of the Ha j ( j day, the following described real
hairs of your bead crossed over the eKtate 0 f t | ie sa ; ( j decedent, to wit:
otb f, l * . u ■, v All of that certain messuage or tene
"You insult me, sir! You insult me!" I . 4 „■ , . 8 .
replied the member, with unexpected ™ eut aud tract of laud s,tuate 1U t,ie
and altogether unnecessary lndigna- j Township of Derry, in the County of
tion, and thou, refusing to listen either Montour aud State of Pennsylvania,
to reason or explanation, he left the bounded and described as follows:
speaker's desk and returned to his seat. Beginning at a post in line of land ol
When Mr. Hamlin became a candi- Jolm Morrison, thence by lands of
date for the I ni'ed States senate this John Blee, Jr., south seventy-tnree
gentleman was a member of the upper Agrees east twenty-eight and a half
house of the Maine legislature. Al- . , ,
thmi'-h a member of the same party Pf rehes ' f s s,xfeea a,J(I a l,alf P er "
and only one more vote was needed to ches soath thirty-six degrees east sixty
secure Mr Hamlin's election, he posi- aud g eveu tenth perches, south sixty
lively refused to vote for the man by eight and a half degtees west forty
whom he believed he had been insulted, seven peiches, south twenty-five and a
He was <iefeared for a seat iu the liulf degrees east eighty-seven perches,
senate—by a hair, 'nit when the next thence by lauds of John W. Gouuigal
vacancy occurred lie tvas elected.— uor ti, S i X ty eight degrees east fortv
"Lives of Twelve Illustrious Men. . . , , . .. , . „
aud a hair perches, thence by lands of
William Schultz north eighteeu and
This is the \vJsT7nd"iau wav of pre onp -f our,h noril. forty-eight
paring oranges for the table: Peel the P trcl,es - uortl ' east
oranges, taking oft' as much white skin ve aud seven-tenth perches, north
as possible; then slice them off all twenty-one degrees west thirty uiue
round as you would an apple, regard- perches, north fifty-three degrees east
less of the sections. This leaves the nine and eight tenth perches, north
seed, tough, stringy central part and six aud a half degrees west thirty
most nt the inner skin together and is : eight perches,north forty degrees west,
a much less tedious process than re- ; seV euteen perches, north sixteen and a
moving the skin by sections. Use a , )alf de west teu perches, north
very sharp knife, so as to make clean . .
. . , , ~ thirty-one degrees east eijihtv perches,
cuts and not crush the fruit. . , , ®, *, *
aud by lauds of Peter Schultz north
r.»M i u-ui ition fortv-three and a half degrees west
"You sho.ild do* something to claim seventy-one perches, and by lands of
the gratitude of p ■ tcrity." Philip Schultz south forty-fiv deegrees
"What for':" asked Senator Sor- west sixty-four perches, nortii forty
ghmn. "I d■ f*i't know that posterity four degrees west nine aud eight tenth
will have anything I especially desire, perches, aud by lands of John Mor
and if it shoul-i ha\o there is no way r j gou eleven aud oue-fourth decrees
lor 'J * , K ' —Wawhiiu,- weg f uiuety-foar nerches to tiie place
ton Star. . . . - .
of beginning, with the appurtenances.
MaJ.cn in in white containing ninety-three acres and
"Jimmy's got a great scheme to get sixty-eight perches, aud whereupon
out o* school on nice days." are erected a
(ace. »»• 12-STORY FSAIB DWELLING HOUSE
the teacher thinks lies ill an sends I a f ra me Baru, and other usual farm
him home."—Philadelphia luquirer. I buildings
Kind Hearted. By a special order of the aforesaid
Hewitt—Why did you marty? Jew- Court the said premises with the ap-
Itt—Just to gi\e a friend of mine, a purtenanuces will be sold freed and
clergyman a lob.— New 'S vit Pr?ss. discharged from all liens and encum
„ , mi . trances whatsoever.
How's This
We offer One Hundred Dollars Ke ward ft TERMS 01* SALE. "lwenty-five
any case of Catarrh that can not (>a cured b* per cent of the purchase money shall
Hall's Catarrh Cure. be paid in cash upon the striking down
We the undersigned, have known F J of the property,and the balance there-
Cheney for the last 15 years, and believe bin a
perfectly honorable in ail business transac ol shall be paid on tlio conflimatiou
tons and flnanclally able to curry out an> ! absolute of the said sale. Deed to be
obligations made by their firm. ! delivered to the purchaser or purchas
?Vbst ATrcax. Wholesale j erg t lu-roof upon such confirmation ab-
O. Waldino, ICinnan & Makvin. WbolesaU , , , , , . .
Druggists.Toledo. Ohio. so,n,e ot tl,e sale an(l the Pajnaent of
Hall's Catarrh Cure Is taken lnternailj the balance of the said purchase money
acting directly upon the blood and muccuj aud tiie cost of writiug such deed shall
surfaces of the system. Testimonials sen' j lO , vi jj jj.. sv . c i, purchaser or purchas
ree. Price 75c. per bottle .Sold by alldrui
gists. ®l®.
Hold by Druggists, price "6c. par bottle ! WILLIAM HOUSEK,
Kamtiy puis are the t.esi Executor of the last will aud testa
= . m pnt of Mary Lockhoof, deceased.
MASTER S SALE : EniVA,tDSAYRKGEARIIA c R 0 L e ,
UF VALUABLE j Nor - - >7,J| ' ,90e -
REAL ESTATE
Administrator's Notice.
In Equity. [Estate of Mary Crosslf-y l te of the
Burousfh of Danville, in the county of
By virtue of au Order of the Court , , ,
■; l Montour and State of Pennsylvania
of Common Pleas ot Moutour County : , ,
... , ~ i deceased,
granted to him for such purpose, the „,. . , ,
h . , ... , Notice is hereby given that letters of
undersigned will expose to puhl.c sale , AduiistratiuU th „ above , ta te have
upon the premises situate tn the First j an^(] , o nnder . i?n , d . A „
Ward of the Borough of Danville, ; g iudebted t „ the s , id estate are
County of Moutour aud State of Peuu- ; p;<ymem aud those
sylvauia, on . t .] a j ins 0 r demands aarainst the
Saturday, Dec. 29th, 1906 .-aid e.-tnte. will make kiiowu the same.
at two o'clock in the afternoon of the w ithout delay, to, B A rE
said dav, the following described real j ' * .
.. 1 Adunn'strator
estate, to wit: j M t c
All those two eertaiu town lots of' * a r "'' '
laud situate in the First Ward of the
Borough of Pauville, Couuty of Mou- «ari j■c>( uiu
tour and State of Pennsylvania,bound- 1 ''" s p ( -j dress.
Ed aud described as follows, viz: Danville Pa.
THE FIRST THEREOF,—Frontiug _ _
thirty and five teuths feet ou Water Executrix Notice,
street on the South, two hundred aud of Mjchael H V 'a l:ze. late of
thirty two feet on alley ou the East. ~ ()f Danv.lie, Moutour
twenty seveu and uiue tenths feet on couuty d e ( . P a«.ed.
alley ou the North and two hundred
. ,
aud forty teet ou lot of laud hereiuaf t
ter described on the West, being Lot »» requested to make immediate pay-
Number two iu plan of lots laid out by me,it aud those having legal cla.n.s
. „ , T . against the san e, will present them
A. C*. \ oris. , - 1 « #«« «/»«■
THE SECOND THEREOF—Fronting *'" l 'out delav in proper order for set
on Water street ou the tfonth.lot Num- ,leme, ' t J° otrnervrj
ber four of Lewis Byerly on the West. MRS " MAR * JANE
r xecutrix.
an alley ou the North aud lot Number
two hereinbefore described ou the r>auvi a.. o\ s ,
East, coutaiuiug in lront thirty aud
five tenths feet ou Water street, two TTT. TT /• I
hundred and forty-eiyht feet ou Lot j yV IH-LIL
Number four of Lewis Byerly, tweuty j
seveu aud uiue teuths feet ou allev aud r fw en 2 h ;»n 1 Hth Ss. on Filbert S'
two hundred aud forty eight feet ou . ..
Lot Number two «b«»ve described, be-! 1,1,1 tklphl.l, la.
iug Lot Number three iu plan of lots ft ni |io e , VVfi j k 112 ~m e .a
laid «ut by A G. Voris, aud w!ie*e- m,/ p, niu i . Fiv udunt»s walk fr. m
upou are erected a b*" P' """ Depot.
Two-Stori B.ick Dwell nj Hutse,
aud other out brildings, with the ap-
purtf uauces. To be sold at. the suit of p,o ~e r dav Htjd upwards.
Paul M. Smith vs. Daniel Smith et al. -o
TERMS OF SALE:—Tweuty five *JV\EW CAN PLAN
per cent, of the purchase mouey shall (pr dfty
be paid iu cash upou the striking '
down of the property, aud the balance . , TT, . v o 11 1
thereof shall be paid on the coufirma K-l*!-A-N-b 1 a )Uleß
iou of the said. Deed to be delivered Doctors find
to the purchaser or purchasers thereof
upon confirmation absolute of the sale A good prescription
aud the payment of the balance of the , . .
purchase mouev, aud the cost of writ- * or MH nk,n •
iug deed shall bo paid by the pnrchaa- The 5-cent picket is enough for u-ua
er or purchasers. occasions. The family bottle (60 cents
WILLIAM L. SIDLER, Master, contains a supply for a year. All drug
MICHAEL BRECKBILL, Auctioneer gi>ts
BEATEN BY A HAIR.
Hwnuihnl llnnilln'H First 'lri For tb«
t:nlted States Senate.
When Hannibal Hamlin was speaker
of the Maine house of representatives,
away back in the forties of the last
century, there was in that body a cer
tain gentleman of faultless attire,
pleasing manners, good address and
some reputation, but he had oue foible.
His hair was very thin, and he wan
highly sensitive In regard to It.
To hide his approaching baldness he
had of carefully stroking with
bandoline or other preparation each
particular hair in its place. One day
while in the chair as speaker Mr. Ham
lin. In the innocence of a good and
joke loving nature, sent for this gen
tleman aud, looking fixedly at his
smooth and polished pate, said with a
chuckle:
"Blank, old fellow, 1 just wanted to
tell you that you've got one of the
hairs of your head crossed over the
other."
"You insult me, sir! You insult me!"
replied the member, with unexpected
and altogether unnecessary indigna
tion, ami then, refusing to listen either
to reason or explanation, he left the
! speaker's desk and returned to his seat.
When Mr. Hamlin became a candi
date for the United States senate this
jrentlemau was a member of the upper
house of the Maiue legislature. Al
thotiidi a member of the same party
j and only one more vote was needed to
secure Mr. Hamlin's election, he posi
tively refused to vote for the man by
whom lie believed he had been insulted.
He was ciefeared for a seat iu the
senate—by a hair, but when the next
vacancy occurred he was elected.—
, "Lives of Twelve Illustrious Men."
Ornn^eM.
This is the West Indian way of pre
paring oranges for the table: Peel the
oranges, taking off as much white skin
as possible; then slice them off all
round as you would an apple, regard
less of the sections. This leaves the
seed, tough, stringy central part and
most of the inner skin together and is
a much less tedious process than re
moving the skin by sections. Use a
very sharp knife, so as to make clean
cuts and not crush the fruit.
< ulculatiun.
"You sho.ild do something to claim
the gratitude of p > terity."
"What for';" asked Senator Sor
ghum. "I don't know that posterity
will have anything 1 especially desire,
and if it should have there is no way
for it to deliver the goods."—Washing
ton Star.
Mui-.cn Him White
"Jimmy's got a great scheme to get
out 0' school 011 nice days."
"How does he work it?"
"He goes out an' washes his face, an'
the teacher thinks he's ill an' sends
him home."-—Philadelphia Inquirer.
Kind Hearted.
Hewitt—Why did you marry? Jew-
Itt—Just to gi\e a friend of mine, a
clergyman, n lob.—New York Pr-?ss.
How's This
We offer One Hundred Dollars Reward ft
any case of Catarrh that can not (>8 cured tr
Hall's Catarrh Cure.
We the undersigned, have known F. J
Cheney for the last 15 years, aud beltevc- bin
perfectly honorable In ail business transac
tons nnd flnanclally able to carry out hu>
obligations made by their firm.
Wbst & Truax, Wholesale DruK'-dsts-Toled
O. Waldino, ICinnan & Mahvin. WbolesaU
Druggists, Toledo. Ohio.
Hall's Catarrh Cure Is taken lnternailj
acting direct ly upon the blood and muccuj
surfaces of the system. Testimonials sen'
ree. Price 75c. per bottle Sold 'jy alMrui
gists.
Hold by Druggists, price 7&e. par bottle
Hail's Family Pills nr e tiie t.tsi
MASTERS SALE
UF VALUABLE
REAL ESTATE !
In Equity.
3y virtue of au Order of the Court
of Common Pleas of Moutour County
grauted to him for such purpose, the
undersigned will expo.-e to public sale
upon the premises situate iu the First
Ward of the Borough of Danville,
County of Moutour aud State of Peuu
sylvauia, ou
Saturday, Dec. 29th, 1906
at two o'clock in the afternoon of the
said day, the following described real
estate, to wit:
All those two certain town lots of
laud situate in the First Ward of the
Borough of Danville, Couuty of Mou
tour and State of Pennsylvania,bound
ed and described as follows, viz:
THE FIRST THEREOF.— Fronting
thirty and five tenths feet ou Water
street ou the South, two liuutlred aud
thirty two feet on alley ou the East,
twenty seveu aud uiue teuths feet on
alley on the North and two hundred
aud forty teet ou lot of laud hereiuaf
ter described on the West, being Lot
Number two iuplau of lots laid out by
A. G. Voris.
THE SECOND THEREOF—Fronting
on Water street ou the South.lot Num
ber four of Lewis Byerly 011 the West,
au alley ou the North aud lot Number
two hereinbefore described ou the
East, coutaiuiug in lront thirty aud
five tenths feet ou Water street, two
hundred and forty-eight feet ou Lot j
Number four of Lewis Byerly, tweuty ]
seveu aud uiue teuths feet ou allev and
two hundred aud forty eight feet ou j
Lot Number two above described, be- j
iug Lot Number three iu plnn of lots
laid iut by A G. Yoris, aud v\ here
upon are erected a
Two-Storv B.ick Dwells Hutse,
and other out buildings, with the ap
purtfnances. To he sold at the suit of
Paul M. Smith vs. Daniel Smith et al.
TERMS OF SALE:—Tweuty five
per cent, of the purchase mouey shall
be paid iu cash upon the striking
down of the property, aud the balance
thereof shall be paid ou the coufirma
iou of the said. Deed to be delivered
to the purchaser or purchasers thereof
upon confirmation absolute of the sale
aud tiie payment of the balance of the
purchase mouev, aud tho cost of writ
ing deed shall bo paid by the purchas
er or purchasers.
WILLIAM L. SIDLER, Master.