A Smuggling
Episode.
By Florence Newhouse Fox.
I|
Copyrighted, IW7, by C. H. Sutcliffe. J
As Dorothy stepped from the tral..
she east a furtive look behind her and
made a dash for a carriage.
She was almost certain the tall mail
with a Vandyke heard had followed j
her all the way from Euston and still
bad his eye upon her. She crouched |
back In a comer of the vehicle with I
heart throbbing madly and nerves at a
high tension.
"Pi ve fast to the Glen hotel," she
ordered the cabman.
The driver whipped up his horses
and in ten minutes drew up before the
picturesque hotel in the woods of Glen
Echo.
As Dorothy sprang to the ground a
girl of twenty came around the corner
of the veranda.
"Dot Graham!" she cried to the new- j
comer. "Can X believe my eyes? lam
"PARDON ME, IS THIS MISS PBICli?" JIB
ASK EL) COUKTEOCSLY.
so glad to see you. We ure as dull as
rusty hoes up here since the season
closed."
"Come in! Oh, come In quickly!" j
Dot exclaimed, pulling her friend into
the house hurriedly. "Fan, I have been
followed."
"Followed?"
"All the way from Easton."
"Well," laughed Fan, "you must
blame your own charming face."
"No. no; it is not a vulgar flirtation, j
He is a detective."
"Nonsense. Why should a detective
follow you? Why, Dot, dear, you nre
trembling like a leaf. Come up to my
room and tell me all about it."
"It all wines from buying this coat
In Canada."
"Your new sealskin? L'm, isn't It a
benuty 7"
"1 hate tt." Dot flung the offending !
article upon the sofa. "Goodness only
knows whiu complications it has occa
sloned.* I wore it on the train, know- '
lng nothing of the duty imposed on i
such articles until brother George met
me af tho station in Easton. Even
then when he told me the danger I j
Incurred of being arrested for smug- ,
gllng 1 thought It one of his pranks, j
Tou knew George is never so happy j
as when he is teasing me. But when !
he Insisted upon my coming tip here j
to you uutll all danger was past I be
came really frightened and with cause,
as you will admit," continued Dot j
breathlessly, "for I noticed a man not
five minutes later standing near where j
I was waiting for the train who seem
ed to he watching me. Sure enough,
he boarded the same train and alight
ed at Glen Echo station almost upon |
my heels. Fan, will you harbor a fugt- j
tlve from Justice?"
Dorothy's woeful face was too much
for vivacious Fan Price. She bubbled
over with laughter.
"Tou are alarming yourself unneces-
Bartly," she assured her friend. "If I
the man had been a detective he would i
have arrested you then and there."
"Detectives are very shrewd people," '
pronounced* Dorothy distrustfully.
"I am glad you came to me. We re
main here until the first of the month. j
Father is keeping the hotel open to ac
commodate a party of congressmen
who are up for a two weeks' hunt, i
and mother refuses to leave him,"
Fan explained.
"What are your congressmen hunt
ing for?" Dot nsked.
"Bears." said Fan.
"I thought," and there was a mis
chievous twinkle In Dorothy's eyes,
"that they might be hunting for
dears?"
"in wnicn twinkled Kan.
"you would be obliged to flee from
danger once more."
Both girls laughed with the gladness
of youth, and for the time Dot forgot
ier anxiety. They ran up to the cedar
toom, where Mrs. Price with motherly
forethought was laying away summer
clothing In large paper bags scented
with lavender. They strolled out un
der the leafless trees in the cold No
▼ember twilight, exchanging confi
dences, aud came In shivering, late to
dinner.
The congressmen were all there,
gathered around one large table
which had been set apart for them.
As Dorothy passed onto the family
board she became conscious of an In
tent gaze fixed upon her; an Irresist
ible something drew her eyes toward
the men—toward one, at least, and
their eyes met.
j The color left tier race, ber eyes grew
sick with fear—tho fear of u?rcat To
be dragged like a common thief to
prison to answer the charge of smug
gling! The thought was unbearable.
She blamed the law that made it a
crime to wear one's own garments ta
' to one's own country.
Slipping into her seat she leaned to
ward Fan with a shuddering whisper:
"He is here! The one with short,
pointed beard. Don't look—and don't
tell your fathe* or mother."
Fan glared in the direction of the
congressmen, singled out the Vandyke,
which at that moment was oblivious
of her critical scrutiny in an interest
ed discussion of venison, and whisper
ed back:
"He does not look ferocious enough
to bite."
But Dorothy could not see the Joke;
it was an hour of agony for her. When
at last the meal "was over and they
could get away, the two girls ran up
to the safe seclusion of Fan's room,
where they talked it over breathlessly
and in whispers.
They decided that Dorothy should
steal away under cover of darkness,
take the first train for Easton and so
make good her escape.
As to the sealskin sack, the cause
of so much agltntlon, it was secretly
stowed away in one of Mrs. Price's
lavender bags; Dot enveloped herself
In a borrowed cravenette, hiding her \
face behind an automobile veil.
With timid step the two conspirators
slipped down to the lower hall. They j
coil Id near The men's voices as they
exchanged stories around the office
fire.
Just as the girls reached the lower
step, with freedom almost within
reach, th» office door opened and Dofs 1
pursuer sapped forth.
"Pardon me, is this Miss Price?" he
asked courteously. "Your father said
I would find you In the sitting room."
"Oh—er—yes," stammered Fail, try
ing to push palpitating Dorothy past
him.
He seeuied such a pleasant, \olite de
tective that for one recklcy moment
Fnn entertained the idea ot appealing
to him in liehalf of the innocent of
fender, but before she could speak he
pulled a letter from his pocket.
"It is for Miss Price and is from my
sister, Nellie Dayton," explained he.
"Nellie Dayton your sister?" both
girls exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes," he said cordially. "When sht
learned that I was coming up here for
a few days' shooting with some friend."
she insisted that I become her courier.
She also Intrusted to my care a kodak
picture—some of her own work, I be
lieve. It is a group of picnickers,
among them yourself and your friend
here. I recognized Miss Graham when
I saw her at the station at Easton, al
though It is throe years since I have
seen her. I was strongly tempted to
make myself known at once, but I saw
that she did not remember me."
Dot threw back her veil, disclosing a
bright smile and a face beaming with
relief.
"I wish you had, Mr. Dayton," she
said, impulsively extending both
hands. "It would have saved ine such
a scare."
"What?" inquired Dayton, mystified.
"Not afraid of me?"
"N-no of your beard," laughed Dor
othy, in which Fan Joined. "You were
a beardless senior when I met you
three years ago, you kno
"So 1 was. Why, I did not think of
that. What a chump I am."
Several days later, ww "Brother
George" came to Gleu Echo with a
significant ring for Fan Price, she told
him in confidence that his prank was
likely to cost his sister her freedom.
"Imprisonment?" he asked in a horrl
fied whisper. "That is severe punish
ment for smuggling one article."
"That depends upon the article smug
gled," Fan hinted, with a wise side
glance. "I am afraid our Dorothy has
been guilty of smuggling other things
than sealskin coats, and she began
three years ago."
"Three years a smuggler! Then she
deserves the limit for such an offense."
"Deserves it? She would not be hap
py without the full penalty of the law
—imprisonment for life! There, I told
you so," Fan added mischievously as
Dot and Mr. Dayton strolled into view.
"Here she conies now with her Jailer."
CONDITIONS ON MARS.
Bays and Years and Light and Heat on
the Red Planet.
The days in Mars are of about the
same length as ours—24 hours, 39 min
utes, Zi seconds. Mars makes her
orbit around the sun in a little more
than 080 days; therefore the seasons
are almost twice as long as they are
with us. The atmosphere of Mars Is
rich in watery vapors. Oceans can be
seen, and at the poles thick ice, which
melts when summer comes. The va
riations in temperature are extreme.
Mars receives only half as much solar
heat as our globe does. The sun ap
pears half as large, and the nights j
receive their light from two moons,
which are smaller than ours—Deimos
and Phobos.
Tho weight is such that one of oui
kilograms would only weigh ,'!7O grams
there. A man is only able to carry his
own weight on his back. Transported
to Mars, he could carry three times ai
much, something like 225 kilos. In
taking observations of Mnrs through
the telescope one can see a distinct red
disk, marked with more or less bril
liant spots. Some of the spots which
are greenish are the oceans; other very
red ones are the continents, greater
In extent than the oceans, which is tha
opposite to the way the earth is dis
posed. The most brilliant spots are
the Ice covered regions of the poles,
and the clouds are almost equally
bright. The atmosphere of Mars Is
more transparent than ours, and its
sky is Incomparably clear.
The waters of Mars are more divided
and distributed In inland seas Joined
by long arms, which are sometimes in
curving, hut oftenest almost rectilinear, j
and which mark the brilliant surface
with dark lines. Just as the line of
lead divides the panes of glass In outj
church windows. All these dark lines
form a pattern which Is relatively
symmetrical and which does not seem
to have been made by chance. A plan
so regular must have been designed,
and for a long time the observers of
Mars have been disposed to consider
these lines as canals dug by the inhab
itants of the planet for the needs of
their civilization.—Charles Torquet in
Metropolitan Maa-azlne.
| Beating the
Bryans.
t By LESTER CORNING.
| Copyright, 1907. by C. H. ButcllfTe. lj:
"That woman Is baca again," snap
ped Mrs. Paulding. Her son smiled. |
"That" woman could be none other !
than Mrs. Bryan, tho only person In
Glendale who dared challenge Mrs.
Paulding's pretensions to social leader- !
ship.
"They got In last night," said Fred |
mildly. "They had three weeks at the
Bhore, two weeks In the mountains and
a month In New York. They brought I
back a lot of things from there."
"And where did you get all this In
formation?" demanded Mrs. Paulding ;
in icy tones.
"Nancy," said Fred promptly. "I met |
her down at the postofflce and walked
part of the way home with her."
"I wish you would remember that I
do not like to have you speak to that
loud person," said Mrs. Paulding fret
fully. "Mrs. Beeman had the audacity
to ask at the sewing circle the other
afternoon If you were engnged to
Nancy."
"There doesn't seem to be a chance
for such luck," said Fred gloomily as
he rose from the table. "Every time I
ask her she reminds me how our re- S
Bpective mothers-in-law would love us."
"Every time?" echoed his astonished :
mother. "May I ask how many times
you have lowered your dignity by pro- |
posing to that impudent girl?"
"About u hundred," was the easy re
sponse. "One of these days I'll catch ;
her off her guard and she'll say 'Yes.' "
"I hope I may never live to see the
day," said his mother dolefully.
"I hope yon do,'" he said with a
laugh, as he bent and kissed the tightly
compressed lips. "You'd like her, mum
sey. If you didn't hate her mother so."
Fred slipped out of the room, and his
mother could hear the ramble of his
"NANCY AND I WBBK MAIiRIKD HALF AN
HOCK AGO."
laughter as he crossed the broad hall.
For a time she sat with compressed
lips as she pondered the situation. En
til two years before she had queened
it over the Glendale set both by virtue
of her husband's business and political
importance and because of own
skill as an entertainer. Then the new
pulp mill had been started at the upper
dam. and Kenfew Bryan lias brought
his family to live in Glendale.
From the first the two women had
crossed swords. Mrs. Bryan, who had
humbly followed other leaders In the
city, now asserted her right to the
title In the small town, and by the
brilliancy of her entertainments she
had very nearly wrested social su
premacy from her established rival be
fore Mrs. Paulding had realized what
was going on.
Her own entertainments became
more ambitious, and for the last year
the advantage had lain first with one
and then the other. To have Fred fall
a victim to Nancy Bryan was the
worst blow she had sustained, and
had sii« '-nown that Nancy's mother
was as fur. 's as she at the turn Af
fairs had taken she would have de
rived small comfort from that fact. In
blissful ignorance of Mrs. Bryan's
state of mind, she elected to believe It
a move of that designing woman.
To add to the disc» -nfort of the sltua- j
♦ Vu T'i d»\r C thn ♦w-*
Mrs. Bryan was to celebrate her re
turn by a garden party of unusual pre- s
tentiousness.
A number of her city friends were
to make tip a house party, and there
was to be dancing on the lawn to the
music of an orchestra famous through
out the state. • |
in toer calmer moments Mrs. I'auld
ing would have waited for revenge,
but Fred's admission of his love anger
ed her so that she lost her usual cau- .
tlon and announced a party for the
same afternoon and evening. She en
gaged a brass band for the promenade 1
music and arranged for a troupe of,
Arabian acrobats to perform on the j
lawn.
Glendale society was shaken to its I
foundations, and as each move was ;
communicated to the other contestant
through the medium of officious friends r
tome new feature was added as an off
set until it seemed that nothing short
of the engagement of a circus could
definitely settle the honors.
It was in this frame of mind that
Mrs. Paulding approached her son.
"You know that automobile you
wanted," she began at the breakfast
table. "I'll get it for you if you can de
vise some feature that Mrs. Bryan can
not possibly get for her party. That
woman has copied every Idea I have
originated so far."
"Do you give me carte blanche?" he
demanded.
"Spend as much as you like," she
murmured.
"Ana you won't ask what It Is until
I spring It?" he stipulated.
"I promise," she said. "I may rely
uiJfen you, Fred?"
"For the sensation of the season," he
assured, "take heart of grace, mother
mine. I am planning to shake Glen
dale to Its very foundations."
Much relieved, Mrs. Paulding hurried
to confide to her dearest friends that
she would have a sensation that could
not be equaled. This Indue course was
communicated to Mrs. Bryan, who
| worried much; but, since Mrs. Pauld
ing did not herself know the nature of
the surprise, she could not betray
Fred's plans.
The day of the "double header," as
Paulding Irreverently referred to It,
dawned bright and beautiful, and by 2
o'clock the festivities were under way.'
There were circus performances on
; both lawns, and honors seemed fairly
even. Mrs. Paulding went about with
a smile of confidence upon her face
and with skillful references to her sur
prise kept curiosity up to pitch. The
afternoon passed without the appear
ance of the surprise, and the dusk had
gathered before Fred disappeared, and
word was passed that he had gone to
engineer the great event. An hour lat
er the Paulding butler sought his mis
tress, and slie vanished into the house.
She found Fred In the library, and
with him was Nancy Bryan.
"I want to introduce you to the sen
sation," said Fred, with a laugh, as he
led the girl forward. "Nancy and I
were married half an hour ago."
"And this is your surprise?" she
gasped.
"Could you have a greater one?" he
asked. "Every one knows of the ri
valry between you and Mrs. Bryan. If
you turn your party Into a wedding re
ception you'll beat Mrs. Bryan to a
standstill. You've been bragging about
your surprise. You pretend you knew
It was coming all along, and the laugh
Is on Mrs. Bryan."
For a moment Mrs. Paulding hesi
; fated. In some ways it was a bitter
pill to swallow: but, as Fred had
j shown her, it was necessary to make
the best of the situation. She stepped
forward and took the bright faced girl
in her arms.
"My dear," she said sincerely, "I am
j» very glad to welcome my son's wife to
her new home. Let us go out on the
I lawn. I will introduce you to my
friends."
She turned toward the door, but
paused as down the street there came
the sound of a marching band.
"What Is that." she asked—"more of
the surprise?"
Paulding nodded his bead. "It's the
people from the Br.vans coining to con
gratulate the bride!" he exclaimed.
"Mr. Bryan was with us, but went
home to tell his wife and Invite the
crowd over here. You have swallowed
up Mrs. Bryan's party with your coun
ter attractions. I guess I've kept my
promise, haven't I?"
Mrs. Paulding patted the curly head.
"You have kept your promise," she
agreed. "You have shaken us all to
our very foundations." Then, putting
on her best smile, she led the way to
the piazza to meet Mrs. Bryan at the
head of her guests.
Standard Time.
Primarily for the convenience of the
railroad a standard of time was es
tablished by mutual agreement in 188."?,
by which trains are run and local time
regulated. According to this system
the United States extending from 65
degrees to 125 degrees west longitude
is divided into four time sections, each
of 15 degrees of longitude, exactly
equivalent to one hour. The tirst (east
ern) section Includes all territory be
tween the Atlantic coast and an Ir
regular line drawn from Detroit to
Charleston, S. C., the latter being its
most southern point. The second (cen
tral) section includes all the territory
between the last named line and an
irregular line from Bismarck, N. D., to
the mouth of the Bio Grande. The
third (mountain) section includes all
territory l>etwcen the last named line
and nearly the western borders of Ida
ho, Utah and Arizona. The fourth (Pa
cific) section covers the rest of the
country to the Pacific coast. Standard
time is uniform iusldo each of the"
sections, and the time of each section
differs from that next to it by exactly
one hour. Thus at 12 o'clock noon In
New York city (eastern time) the time
at Chicago (central time) Is 11 o'clock
a. ni.
Leprosy,
That leprosy Is a contagious disease
is unanimously admitted by the best
authorities, but the exact manner of
its contagion is certainly difHcult to
understand. There are many exam
ples of persons living for years in the
most intimate family relations with
lepers and remaining uninfected. And
often but one member of the family
will acquire the disease. On the other
hand, the history of the disease In dif
ferent parts of the world shows that
It never originates spontaneously, but
that its origin can always be traced to
human Importation. There are also a
very large number of recorded cases
where leprosy has resulted from a sin
gle contact of an abraded surface with
some lesion or secretion of an Infected
individual Those apparently contra
dictory facts must be explained on the
theory that some peculiar inherent pre
disposition, which exists only in a lim
ited number of individuals, is necessa
ry for the development of this strange
disease. There Is no reason to l»ellev»
that leprosy is a hereditary disease.—
Exchange.
He Wan an Expert at Figures.
After an absence of several years a
one time cavalier of a lady called on
her. He found her in the company of
her three children.
"Weil, well!" ho said. "And how old
are they?"
"Johnny." answered the lady, "is
seven, Jullu is five and Maud is two."
"Dear m».l" he cried, alarm In his
voice "Is It possible time flies lika
that? Who would think that you had
been marrUd fourteen years?"— Phil
adelphia Ledger.
The Incentive.
•Does yot r' son study Greek In col
lege?"
"Oh, yes. He's very enthusiastic
ovw It"
"I thought he didn't care for lan
guages T'
"He doesn't, &d a rule, but nert year
the football team la to have Greek
algtala and Harry 1b trying for the
'leven."—Kajsaa City Independent.
I <>
Making Good
"By Epe-f XO. Sargent.
Copyright, 1907. by Homer Sprague.
I) o
Timidly Elda opened the door and
flipped into the little low ceillnged
room that she bad come to know BO
well. Sometimes when the agent was
busy she would have to wait for half
an hour or so. and the photographs of
entertainers with which the wcdfe
were covered had come to seem like
old friends. Most of all, she liked to
stand In front of' a framed check lor
$3,000 that had been paid a prima
donna of note for singing only thine
songs at a society function. It wae
evidence that the business of enter
taining others did sometimes pay.
But there was no time for iooklng«t
the pictures today. No one stood toy
the agent's desk, and she looked over
"IT'S TOVIt TURN NEXT," HE SAID,
expecting the Inevitable nod and th«
curt: "Nothing doing today. Sorry!"!
that had rewarded her pilgrimages.
Her heart beat faster as the agent
swung brlskl.v around In his chair.
"1 thought you would be in, so I did
not write," ho greeted. "I have a
chance for you. It Is not very much,
but it will lead to better things if you
make good. The Bow Lake Boat club
wants some one to give a few reclta- j
tions at an entertainment." lie caught
up a pad of paper and passed it to her
after he had made a few marks. She
glanced 4t the white surface and saw
"$15." Carmontelle never spoke fig
ures. He always wrote them.
"I shall be glad of anything." said
Elda gratefully. "It Is very good of
you. When is it to be?"
"Thursday night. You go out on the
2:10 train. Brynm, enter Miss Testra 1
for the Bow Lake. Come in Thursday
morning for the ticket," he added as
the clerk made the entry. "You pay j
your own fare. It will be $0.40."
He turned back to his desk with a
nod of dismissal, and Elda went down
the stops as though the worn boards 1
were the softest clouds. The dreary
wait was over, and her chance had
come just as the little fund which rep
resented all that was left of her fa
ther's estate was dwindling to noth
ingness. With her fare and the agent's
commission deducted there was not
very much left, but still it was a be
ginning. and the beginning was what
she needed.
She spent the three day interval in
selecting her repertory. Before her
father's death following his bankrupt
cy she had been considered clever as
an elocutionist and Imitator. Now that
she sought to earn her living by her
single talent she planned with the ut
most care.
It was a loug, hot ride to Bow Lake.;
She could not afford a seat In the chair
car, and the little package of sand-1
wlches was but a poor substitute for a
warm dinner in the dining car.
Her reception at Bow Lake was still
more discouraging. A carriage had
been sent for her, but at the clubhouse
she sat alone for an hour before th«
steward snowed her wtiere to areas,
and there was another dismal wait be- j
fore she was summoned to the stage.
The tiny space back of the curtain
was crowded with men and women in
evening dress. Some of them she n- j
membered having met a few years le
fore when she had come north on a
visit, but they only stared at her blank
ly. They were not looking for ac
quaintances in paid entertainers, and
no one spoke to her until the stage I
manager came rushing up.
"It's your turn next." he said. "We
only want a couple of little bits, you |
know. We have so much of our own
talent."
He was off again, and Elda took her (
place In the entrance to await the com- i
pletlon of the song. Then the stage :
manager gave her a slight shove, and j
she walked out upon the tiny stage, j
She had appeared in public scores of \
times and had never felt the slight- j
est degree of nervousness, but now her !
whole frame shook, aud It seemed for
a moment as though she would fall.
Then the Bea of faces became a blur,
and she was no longer afraid of them.
After her second selection the thun
der of applause'told of the success she
had scored, and, faint and trembling,
but very happy, she sank down info a
seat In a dark corner.
No one seemed to notice her, and she
missed the little attentions that had
always been paid to her. She knew
that she had no right to expect them
Bow; she was n professional enter
tainer, but none the less It hurt.
They were passing refreshments to
the others, and the sight of the food
made her faint. The room seemed sud
denly to blur and then grow dark.
When she opened her eyes a Rain she
was In another room —a comfortable,
looking room—and Nell Bradford, an
old school friend, was looking down
Into her face with pitying eyes.
"You are all right now," she said as
Elda scanned the face with puzzled
glance. "You fainted hack there on the
stage, and we brought you here, where
we could look after you better. It Is
one of the small parlors."
"It was the excitement," explained
Elda. "You see. It was my professional
debut, and it meant so much to me."
Nell stroked the thin, trembling band, i
"Why didn't you come to us?" she de
manded. "We have been back for three
months, and we have been looking
everywhere for you. Dick nearly feli
off his chair when you cam® on the
stage."
"I did write," explained Elda, "tout
there was no answer, and bo many
others dropped me that I"
"We were in Egypt," explained Nell.
"There was some trouble with a cer
tain contract, and Dick went to look
after It himself and took me with htm.
We never dreamed of what was hap
pening."
"It's all right now," Bald Elda, with
a faint, smile. "I have 'made good,'
as Mr. Carmontelle would say, and my
future Is assured."
Nell smiled at the suggestion, and
the arrival of a tray with coffee and
salad brought the conversation to a
halt. Afterward those who had not
recognized Klsa Beverly in Elda Tes
tra, the entertainer, crowded Into con
gratulate her upon her success, and
Nell Bradford had hard work to keep
her big brother from driving them out
again. •
But Dick Bradford sat beside Elsa
in the antomobile that was carrying
them to the summer cottage they had
taken for the season, ar.u Elsa smiled
at the masterful way In which he plan- :
ned for her future.
"I'm going to town tomorrow," he
said, "and I shall have your trunk
brought out. You are going to stay
here until you get rested up, and then,
if you'll have me, dear, there will bo
an entertainment at the boat club to
celebrate our wedding."
"Are you sure that you really want
me?" she asked timidly. "It's uot Just
because you're sorry for me?"
"Pity!" he echoed, and Nell, sitting in
the tonneau, heard and laughed.
"lie's been like a bear ever since he
found that you were gone," she ex-!
plained. "Don't talk about pity to his
sister, who has suffered from his
moods the last three months. For my
sake, Elsa, say 'Yes,' and put mo out
of my misery."
"For Dick's sake," Elsa whispered
contentedly as her hand slipped into
his for an instant. "Mr. Carmontelle
said that If I made good I might get
other engagements, but I did not sup
pose that they would be for life."
A MAN AND A MOB.
The Way Lyon Playfair Handled ths
Lancashire Strikers.
During the great labor riots in Lan
cashire about the middle of the last
century the ready resources of Lyon
Playfair saved one of the only two
mills which remained open at the time.
The government was anxious that
these two should continue in action,
and supplied the workmen engaged
with muskets. But a great force of
strikers advanced upon oue of the
two, and it was obvious that the day
was lost. The mob meant to wreck
the place. Playfair, who was a friend
of the owner, appeared in haste among
them, keeping the proprietor out of
sight. He put the case frankly to the
strikers. The gates of the mill wero
closed, but the numbers of the strikers
made them irresistible; hence it was
of no use their all going in and wreck
ing the place. Let a few of them enter
the premises, remove the plugs from
the boilers, and thus, without damage
to the works, secure their stoppage.
Even a disorderly mob. bravely met by
a man of courage and tact, will listen.
So did tills one. Plnyfair's proposition
sounded fair, but might not treachery
lie behind it?
lie immediately put their doubts at
rest by offering himself as hostage
He would accompany the deputation
while the others kept guard over the
works. The men agreed, and Playfair
strolled off with the men chosen. To
gether they went to the boilers and
withdrew the plugs. This stopped the
works, but did no other dai.iage. While
thus engaged Playfair was able to lis
ten to the story of the leaders, and
found many of their demands most
reasonable and such that afterward it
was possible readily to concede them.
The llttlo party returned from their
Innocent wrecking and found the mob
honorably preserving order. The sci
entist gave them a couple of sover
eigns with which the buy food, and
they returned him three times three
In cheers. There remained only one
other mill to close, that at Ciitheroe,
and upon this the strikers now
marched. Again they were thwarted,
but this time not by pacific means,
but by the might of the military.—St
James' Gazette.
SUPERSTITIOUS.
General Grant believed in dreams.
Nelson, the English naval hero, al
ways carried a horseshoe with him Into
battle.
Von Moltke, the hardy old German
general, would never begin a battle on
a Friday.
Prince Bismarck of Germany would
never sit down to a dinner with thir
teen at the table.
President Davis of the Confederacy
believed that the presence of children
brought him luck.
James G. Blaine would never turn
back to re-enter his home even !f he
had forgotten something.
The father of Nicholas 11. of Russia
guided his actions by the advice of an
American spirit medium.
Admiral Farragut says he used to
be guided by a still, small voice which
told him what to do in battles.
The ameer of Afghanistan, the sul
tans of Morocco and Zanzibar and the
khedive of Egypt all maintain otlicial
astrologers.
Not Unspeakable.
"Bttf to my mind," said the clerical i
tourist from the east, "a plurality of
wives is unspeakable." "Iluh," snort
ed the good natured Mormon. "I never
even heard of one wife that was un
speakable."—Philadelphia Press.
USED BIBLE AS CIPHER.
A Verse From Solomon Told of a Msr.
riage Engagement.
When she left her home In the small
town to come to New York to take up
a special course of study her pet sis
ter was fast reaching the crisis of a
love affair. The pet sister was a most
winsome young lady and had long kept
a goodly train of suitors a-sighing.
Was this affair to be the grand affair?
The older sister hoped so, for she liked
the young man cordially—thought he
was just the sort to make a proper
brother-in-law.
But the weeks passed, and not a bit
of definite news about the progress of
the affair did the older sister receive
in her city boarding house. She be
came anxious. Louise, she thought,
must not goon recklessly trifling in
such Important matters.
Then one night about 10 o'clock, just
os she was going to lied, came a tele
gram. The servant brought it up.
The elder sister was country girl
enough to be thoroughly frightened by
the pale manlla, black inked envelope.
How ominous It looked! At length she
gathered courage to open It. This la
what she read:
Solomon six three. LOUISE.
Solomon six three! Whatever in the
world! Oh, why, yes, stupid, it of
course meant the Song of Solomon,
sixth chapter, third verse! But—and
her cheeks flushed with shame —she
had no Bible!
There was n great scurrying about
the boarding house to find a copy of
the sacred book. The girls were rout
ed out In vain. On ail sides the cry
arose, "Who's got a Bible?" Just think
of the sister trying to sleep that night
without knowing what that verse was!
It would have been just like a woman
to lie down to pleasant dreams, content
to know that she eouhl satisfy her cu
riosity in the morning— not!
The landlady, good soul, came to the
rescue. She was no heathen. She had
a Bible. Up to her room with it flew
the sister and shut the door. Such a
turning over of pages by eager, nerv
ous fingars! Solomon six three. She
found It, and then she cried "Hurrah!"
and laughed, for the verse was:
I am my beloved's, and my beloved !a
mine.
—New York Press.
THE SPECTER SWIMMER.
A Legend of the Sea T!i?t Still > ppeals
to Sailors.
The sailor as a class still holds fast
to the superstitions that have lioen his
especial heritage throughout all ages.
To him the sea i< still peopled with
phantoms. Men there are still <v!io sail
the sea believing in she power of the
Swimmer, men who be'.vve in the Wal
rus of unholy fame and in the exist
ence of the specter bark Lucy to bo
seen at auy time dodging in r.'ul o it of
the creeks and bays of the South Caro
lina coast. This is the tflle of the S vim
mer:
Near Cap.- l'lnlsterre there lived a
fisher maiden in days when the woi'l l
asked fewer questions than now, ami
with her lived her fisher sweetheart
On their wedding night, runs the yarn,
smugglers came down on their village,
a thieving, drunken band. When thej
left, having done all the damage tliey
could, the tisher maiden's sweetheart
had disappeared, whether with them
or through them was never known.
Instead of pining uselessly, as would
most woman, she dressed herself in
men's clot!*?* and started to find him,
dead or all "p.
For years she wandered over the
earth and ocean, and, though her dis
guise was penetrated several times
and she passed through a host of trou
bles whlrli vary with each telling, she
succeeded in keeping up her hunt. Fi
nally after escaping from an English
prison the vessel she was on was lost
at sea, and the simple Breton fisher
men enshrined her in a legend which
has her forever swimming the sens
still in set roll of the man she loved
aud haillus each craft she nears. A
sailor, lie he Yankee or Portuguese,
matter of fact in all things else or
grossly sti. :>rstitious, believes firmly
that if you hear the hail of the Swim
mer on a dark night at sea and an
swer it not woe follows swiftly. New
York Herald.
The world still has a considerable
supply of coal. Germany is credited
with L' 80.000,000,000 tons, sufficient to
last J,OOO years at the present rate oC
consumption; Great Britain and Ira
larnl claim 103,000,000,000 tons, with
an annual consumption about double
that of Germany; Belgium has 28,-
000,000,000 tons, France 10,000,000,000,
Australia 17,000,000,000 and Uussia4o,-
000,000,000. North America Is believ
ed to have 081,000,000,000 tons—more
than the total of the other countries
named. It Is the tremendous increase
In the use of coal that justifies alarm,
for while the supply of the United
States would last 4,000 years at the
rate of consumption in 1903, it will be
exhausted within a century at the rate
of increase of the last ninety years
continues. No estimate of the coal of
other parts of the world can be made,
but Asia has an enormous store.
slim i
A Hellablc
TO SHOP
Tor all kind of Tin Roofing*
Spouting and General
Job Work.
Stovea, Heaters, Ran«ea,
Furnaces, eto.
PRICES TAB LOWEST!
QOILITI TEE BEST!
JOHN HIXSON
NO. 1H E. FRONT BT,