STORY OF II
BRASS BUTTON
It Decided In a Matter of Life and
Death.
■ y WILL AWD BLAKEMAN
(CtfyrtfM, IMO, In l'fwi l'fwi A
r(nM»n |
In the dsns "if i*u MI WI*I I'oint
»pff two cndel*, tin" lit" from lb»
north. the othff front the south, who
Iwnmr greiit chums. Imusld Imrgan
wim thp southerner, litlwin t'handler
the northerner. It In seldom that two
J (HI DC men, eartl (kmwmliii such Mir
ling qualities, are In be found bound
together by the li« of friendship.
Without being awnre of ihe fuel, the>
B>oih were linlinsnta for the Imml t
I lip Mini# girl. him derided In hviif
of tli«* southerner When Chandler
Congratulated linrgati on bis hating
obtained the prize the latter illil no!
know thnt Ik* liiml won It from lit*
friend
Having been graduated, I'areau In
the cavalry and Chandler In the artil
lery. they served nt their hv|w«'lln)
bi:. I lons till the civil war came oti
Ili ro were two sets of Fulled stales
army officers from tßit* south during
th<- war those who went over to the
Confederacy and tltoae who remained
In the Fed em I nrm.v. hargau elected
to fight under the stars iiml stripes.
Ble came to thin derlalon after long
thought and great anguish. Hanging
themselves tinder the stors and liars
were hi* two brothers, Ills relatives
and the friends of his youth. To
eaixiiiie the northern cause would ren
der him to them a renegade, traitor— ,
all that Is hateful and contemptible.
He reached his decision without a
word of conference with any one, not
even bis wife, who sympathized with
the Confederate cause. She was disap
pointed, but resperted her husband's
inot i ves.
One of the Federal armies In the field I
was in a critical position. A council
»112 war was convened, and the general j
commanding called for the opinions of
those present. Oue of the generals
rose and said:
"We must send a man In among the
different divisions of the enemy who
will not only be able to bring us in for-
i
"*8 MAY NOT OUT OCT Of THIS."
motion of his numbers and condition,
but who lias the ability to form a plan !
for us of extricating ourselves."
"What officer of rank capable of
forming such n plan will be Willing to
place himself in tin* position of a spy?" i
asked the commander.
"Leave that to me. general. I w ill j
see that the plan is executed."
The next morning tin officer of rank. !
dressed In the uniform of a Confeder- j
ate colonel, attended by a single order
ly also wearing the gray, rode into the j
Confederate lines and announced him- j
self as having been sent out by the !
inspector general at Richmond to as
certain the condition and requirements
of the army and inuke a report thereof. I
lie was received by the general com
mantling with the respect due bis rank '
and given every facility for the execu- ]
tion of his work. An officer was di
rected to ride with him through the i
various divisions of the army, and the J
officers of the stn(T were ordered to j
prepare reports of the condition of j
their departments.
All day the spy rode through the
Confederate camps, inspecting the I
troops and taking notes of their re j
quirements While doing this he was ;
observing the position, its strength or!
weakness, the amount of artillery-in-j
deed, all such information as could!
enable htm to form a plan for getting j
the Federal army confronting the Con-/
federates from its perilous position, j
When he returned to the Confederate '
headquarters he called his orderly
aside and said to hint:
"We may not get out of this, and j
If we don't and you fin*! an opportu
nity to transmit any information let it
be this:
"Send a brigade around by the road
to G. and strike their left In rear
When you hear their guns attack I
tbeir right with all your remaining
force."
The orderly wrote this on a piece
of paper and committed it to memory,
then destroyed the memorandum
After supper the bo called Inspector
announced that, having finished his
work, he would set out for Richmond.
He was taking leave of the general
commanding when a Confederate of
ficer rodo up to headquarters and dis
mounted. Entering the general's tent,
seeing the "Inspector." he stood in
mute surprise. As for the "inspector,"
be turned a shade paler. The new
comer was an old army acquaintance
in ante bcllutn days, both having serv
ed at the same post.
"Chandler, what are you doing here
and In this uniform?"
"I came here to benefit the cause I
serve or die. 11l luck in meeting you
turns the scale for death."
There was n commotion In t v ~ f-~
fMerste iump at tl»l« dw»«t*r|r ttat j
tl«> find ht« orderly wfe
•tors *Ol fbit Nd It not been for *
lllwtH.i nrrltnl the? wmthl hsve (ml
swat with ample Information tn In
Wif the def'-it Dint |kw»lMv Itw M|i
litre of t!w r eh'de f> »•»■»• THpt WPf*
both nrr«*»i d. a drmnhc id «ntttl 111 'I 112
ttal entiviMiMl ami within an Irntit after
their detection were urn ten- <■*! to be
Itahged at daylight the nett morning
owing to their former acquaintance
and aerttee together aa brother "tfl
retn CnloMri Abert, the officer w be had
rercjulred Chandler, made a strong
effort to save hint lie appealed te
llhiitnotid In his liehalf h> telegraph,
but the authorities there seemed to
think that If either should lie spsrnd
It was the orderly, who was little
more than a liny
Meanwhile both men. lielng under
sentence of death, were permitted to
entntnanlcat* and to write letters to
Ulnae who would mourn them When
Colonel Chandler hail signified his
wiillilliesa tn undertake the mission
the oi.i. er who had arranged It sug
gi*sted thnt he take with htm an or
dniy, Iwth ns tiecumliif his snpposeiß
rank anil Ims luse if the principal were
deli t*'i| lb orderly might possibly
carr> tlu» I nrnistlon he hud arqulr
itl Volunteers wife railed for.and
the young man who was now nwalt
big en-rut lon bud I iron selected from
among those who bad volunteered.
l'p to this time Colonel ('handler was
Ignornnt even of bis orderly's name
The .toting man wrote a farewell let
ter lo his mother, addressed It and
laid it ou the pine camp tnbie on
Which lie hail penned It. Colonel
Chandler noticed the superscript lor.
and a look of anguish crossed his
fare
Soon after midnight came news that
but one of the two should be executed
as a warning to spies and wbl< h was
to suffer should be determined by lot
Colonel Chandler begged thnt he
might lie made Hie victim without re
sort to the wheel of fortune. His ap
plication was considered and a reply
returned that inasmuch as the order
from the secretary to determine by
lot which should die was specific the
general did not care to take the re
sponsibility of disobeying it. The ap
plication was forwarded by telegraph,
but 110 answer was rivelved before the
hour that had been fixed by the court
for the execution. So Colonel Chan
dler was informed that the matter
must proceed in conformity with the
outstanding orders.
At daylight In the morning the
provost marshal of the Confederate
force entered the tent where the two
spies were confined, carrying a hat in
his hand. Having read to them the
order bearing on their case, he said: ;
•In this hat are two brass buttons. ■
th one with raised letters 11. S. A.
stamped on it, the other bearing the |
letters C. 8. A. You will turn your ;
backs, put out a hand In rear anil
take a button. He who draws the C. 1
S. A. button will go forth to execu
tlon."
Colonel Chandler stepped up to the
officer holditiK the hat, thrust In his
hand, drew it forth, looked nt the let
ters on a button he held in it and
handed it to the officer. It was stamp- 1
ed C. S. A.
Any man thus imposing upon a fel- !
low human being the task of deciding
whether he shall live or die will nat :
urally be under considerable emotion.
The Confederate officer holding the
hat was so moved that he threw It
down without paying any attention to
the remninlng button. I .liter here
turned for the hut lo give it to its 1
owner, and. feeling for the button,
fnllisi to find it. He hunted for it,
turning up the lining, but It was not J
in the hat.
Colonel Chandler wus taken out and
hanged. When his body was let down
his right hand was found to be tightly
closed. The fingers were forced open
and out rolled a button stamped with
the letters U. S A. lie had tnken
out both buttons, giving up the one
iliai meant death Fearing that his
intention to prevent his young comrade
from sharing the chances with him
might be discovered and thwarted, he
had held the evidence of it tightly
closed In his fist till the last moment.
The orderly was sent to Filthy prison
at Richmond. There he was informed
that his superior had taken the chances
of both and had died concealing the
evidence of his act. The young man
was indue time exchanged and soon
after mustered out of the service, Ills
term of enlistment having expired.
When he reached home and was
clasped in his mother's arms he told
her the sequel to the story she already
knew—the story of the other button.
"Why. mother," he asked, "do you
suppose he took my chance upon him
self?"
"Because." she said, "he was a noble
man." '
The secret she kept from her son j
She was the wife of Donald Hnrgon.
nnd the man who had returned her son 1
to her was he who had loved and lost !
her to his friend Itut for the first
time she told her husband that he and
Chandler had been rivals and that
Chandler had not only suffered his loss
in silence, but had returned to her and
him their sou.
Ths Making of a Business Man.
So many panes of glass in old Mr.
Vitier's greenhouse had been broken
that lie had at last offered a reward of
10 shillings to any one who should
give Information as to the identity nf
the latest offender. The bait «oon
drew. A youngster called on Mr Vl' er
nnd Informed him that a lad tin ned
Archie Thompson was a guilty party
He received his reward, went away re
joicing. nnd the od gentleman forth
with wrote to the local schoolnnis er
demandlng the production of the said
Archie Thompson to make good the
damage he had done to his Windows.
Next day the Informer called again
"The schoolmaster sent me." he said
briskly. "I've seen a glazier, and he'll
put your glass right for 3 shillings
Here it Is, and"—
"Not so fast, my lad," said Mr. Vlner
"nave you come on behalf of Archie
Thompson?"
"Well, yes, sir, in a way," said the
boy. "Fact is." he continued confiden
tially. "I'm liim!"—London Answers
The envious man pines In plenty, like
Tantalus up to the chin in water and
yet thirsty.—T. Adams.
!.t THANKSGIVING|
That Had Been Made the Map
pier by a Long Separation.
ay SADIt OLCOTT.
|i «r>M«hl l»lu ||» AlnPf lran tlw AMn |
riatlnn |
Home people lime given up lh» no I
tlon I hat there I* s real devil I know j
that there Is. and I know II from my
own experience lie got Into me otic#
•n bad that Iwfnro I could get him out j
he bad broken up the wlnMe faintl> I
i lean my family my Mark, minelf I
and our children
Mark and I were hmnihl Hp on a<l
lolning farms He wa* the likeliest
young man In Ihe neighborhood, and a
»n hml many of Ihe girls were trying to
gel him. Amelia .lone* was the hint
gtiest of Hie lot for him and was bound
• hat If she couldn't get him no one else
should. I knew she was watching In in
like a cat, mul the way I found it out
was ibis: We were ai a roruhusking
She nnd Mali Tomklna were sitting on
the heap of corn to be husked, and
Mark and I were silting near Ihein
Mark struck a red ear and klssisl me
Amelia was looking straight at us,
anil you should have seen the look on
her face! It was just as if a rattle
snake was coiled for n spring
1 was a fiwil or I would after this
have known tlmt she would strike me 1
whenever she could. Then l was a baiu
dunce the evening In'fore Thnnksgl*
Ing. atul Mark danced nenrly every
dance with me. Hut Amelia b\ this
time saw how matters were going and
pretended not to care how they went.
Hut she w.i* working against me un
derhanded She didn't dream, though,
that when M:trk took me liotnc from
the dance u'i n Thanksgiving day wua
dawning in i • east what he was say
ing to me. 1 't even if she had known
it she'd bin tried to break il up.
Mark and were engaged .lust one
year. Amol tried n number of times
to make a h k between us, but every
time we fou I out that she was at the
bottom of \ it was told Mark about
inc. and so nre wns no harm done.
Resides. Ms trusted me Implicitly.
We ' Kin d to be married on
Than... givir day. just one year fmtu
the time \vl ii Mark nsked Hie to be
his wife.
The sumn r before we were mnr
ried Mark v.« building a house for us
to live in. \ii uncle had given hlni a
; little farm. >it there was no bouse on
It, and Marl spent the whole summer
getting it r<; dy. He had a man to
! THK DINNRR OCH HRt'NtTKt> I'AMII.T
ATM.
| help him till he got the framework up.
t Then he did the rest of It himself. We
planned It together, and 1 took ten
* times the Interest tn it thnt 1 would
have taken If It had been built by
others. I wns busy most of the time
! making up What we would need in the
■ vay of bedding and table linen.
The house wasn't quite finished by
| Thanksgiving day. but It was fairly
comfortable. Resides, it was nice to
j finish up when we were In it We
1 were married Thanksgiving morning,
and I cooked our first Thiinksgtvlug
dinner myself. Mark and I ate It
alone. We wanted to be alone. After
1 the children came we didn't want to
j be alone, but we did at tills first
j Thanksgiving dinner. We ate together.
I It was a very happy day, but t don't
j think it wns so happy as when we had
| a lot of littlo ones at the table with
us. Anyway, it wasn't the same kind
j of happiness.
Ten years passed without any trou
| ble whatever, then a lot of It all came
nt once. A letter came one day for
! Mark addressed in a woman's hand
Either of us opened the family letters,
| nnd I opened this mighty quick. It
] was from some one I'd never heard of,
: but was all about things that bad been
happening between her and Mark for
a long while. 1 was so wild when 1
j read it that I couldn't absorb any
: thing in particular except the end,
j which was. "With a thousand kisses,
| your loving," etc.
! That was the time when the devil
got into me. 1 just pinned the letter on
a cushion, took the children and went
right over to mother's, leaving a note
for Mark saying 1 never wished to see
him again As soon as I got quieted
down I thought, after till, there was a
slight chance that there mlsht lie somo i
I mistake. Then 1 waited for Mark to
come nnd at least try to make an ex
planation. Hut Mark didn't come.
Then I was frightened for fear he had
gone awn<r with the woman who had !
written hlin the letter.
I went to the house to see If he hud
lert any message for me. I found the
house just ns I had left It. I went In
nnd bnked about for a note. 1 did not
find anything nt all from Mark. Then
It rushed over me all at once what a
fool I had been. I had simply given
way to the other woman. 1 had left
everything In a state of uncertainty.
If I had waited till Mark came home
and showed him the letter he might
have explained it. And yet I didn't see
bow he could.
Months passed nnd nothing came
| from V "k. Otic day in the next Octo
, ficr Iv . walking along the road when ;
Iv ' n r': ' I :;iee> »<e| Amelia .1 olios i
•tw »%«. » •»< iMlwl »»*l twH lux-tune H
•liliini wM with « *nti fmt* Pl»
4i«t«i |i vf nmr w* »«!► were. ittid I
Mxln'i *e»»n hM for yeer* I tlmthl It
I mhnttlri have known her had II w>»t
Sr*>« fvy »hr VwA Mi* Mw me It wa*
«wi«« «112 IMlMimk triumph
"Oh fur the land* "* I
I "'What hn if 1 do tie' IVP pnw nml
i helped IN) tlper tn ruin w»!"
II *aw It now Hhe bad written
the leltri thnt had i for Mufli I
roll Ml (invf *r framed Ml flr«t Intplllar
wa* in turn *tid cnr«e tier Bm «he
' had rone on. nml I he*(t*ted In a f"w
; mlnme« It iwfiiMWl inn» that If I
charged hot with th» crime «he would
, onl* »atl nwny with her tin*e In the
ulr It wtmM eomplrtr her revenge
| I went home nnd apeut 1I«»» rout of
! the day crytnr 1 ihnnitht over the
thing* alioitt nir *lte had contrived In
ret to M nrir* ear* when <n> were on
rngisl tiinl how ho had told nie of
them Vml how hml I repaid him for
ht« roiiMrtice? I hml "Imply plnved
Into niir enemy'* hand* Murk wa* a
very hlfh amine tnnn. and Jwililli , «'<
my ml lon In leaUng htm without gl*
Ing lilm « • hatii-r to «ay it word In e\
platiatlon and my limine eonaldcrv I
| him guilty of Iho crime ht»d killed hi*
love for tne If I eon Id only know
where lie hnd com- I won HI go |o him
on tny knw*.
I lived In hope* I hut \lnrk would
«ome dn\ i-onie back to tun, hut lu> «lid
not Tl.e Minlnrd |n*l a* I hiid
loft It Kvery Thanksgiving day I
would go there Imping thnt. It Iwlng
tho nnttlvorsan of our wedding, Murk
would relent nnd come iwick there.
I lint hp novor came There was it
small Inmiiir front «omo properly he
had Inherited from lit* father, nnd
Mark before imtng away had given :tn
order ttint thl* income should lie paid
Ito tin- So I didn't suffer for fund*
Mnrk hml been gone tlvo years. nnd
every \onr I htttl gone to tho house on
Thanksgiving mornlnu lio|-Incr to tlnd
lilm lltotv. tin tlio flfth nimlvorsnry I
dotormlnoil to to thpro tho ovotilttp
boforo 'l'linnksßtvliitf nnd sloop llioro
I llfihtpil a tiro on tlio honrth nnd *nt
In my little rookrr thnt I Uho«I to »lt
<■> luMtldo Mnrk boforo thnt vor>
honrth. I drow hi* own |i|r ons.v rlmlr
up lH>*ido mo Mid thoro 1 sal tiiluk
itiK of him nnil what n liappv fnmlly
wo had Imh'H until I hnd hrokon It up
hy tny folly I l>lnnu*l myself nlono
for falling: Into such an opoti trap.
And. thinking. I < rWd myself to sleep.
I dreamed troubled dreams. First I
was hack at the husking with Mark.
Amelia .lone* was sittitiK near us on
the pile of unhuskod corn looking at
Us. and tier eyes seemed like coals of
tire Then we wore walking along
the road running |wist the house.
Mnrk was bending over me, telling me
: the story ho had told me years before.
And 1 said: "Tills is not really Mark.
Mark went away, and I have never
seen him since And yet here he Is
walking liesldo me." I woke up from
this dream, my heart benttug wildly.
I didn't wish togo to bed I feared
I wxiuld lie awake for hours So 1 took
a book from a table near tne and read.
Hut 1 fell asleep again and recotn
meuced tn.v dreamlug Tills time I
dreamed Mark came in and snt In
his chair beside nie.
I awoke and what did I see? Why.
Mark really sttting beside me Hail
it not been for the reassuring smile
oti his face I should have thought that
what 1 saw was his ghost. I sprang
toward hltn, and he took nie In his
arms.
"Oil, Mark!" I cried. "Have you for
given tne?"
I "Yes, I hovo forgiven you, aud I
have things to tell you. When 1 came
home and found you and the children
gone, the letter pinned to the cushion.
1 saw at a glance that Amelia Jones
had come up after a long silence to
strike us. I was angry- ungry with
you for falling into the trap, for uot
having confidence In me. I determined
togo away forever
"Hut I plni*l for my home, my wife
nnd tny children I was about to come
hack when I was drawn into a specu
lation. 1 concluded to wait for It to
tnukc me rich before returning It
took all I had put into it. I tried an
other and another till recently I
struck what has paid me. Then I re
solved to come back, forgive you. ask
your forgiveness and unite our fam
ily."
He went to the bureau, took the let
ter which had been for five years on
the pincushion and. bringing it back
with him, tossed it In the flame.
"Burn!" he said, watching It as It
Khrivejed. "You have made trouble
enough. It would he well If there were
a heavenly tire !n which we could burn
all past disagreements."
Oh. the happiness of that moment!
Though it was late, we went to moth
er's. took the children from their beds
and put them in their cribs at our own
home.
I had thought thnt no Thanksgiving
dinner could he as happy as the one
Mark and I had eaten together on the
day of our wedding. Hut that one was
nothing t> the dinner our ""reunited
family ate together on the day after
Mnrk burned the letter that had
caused our separation. Rut it was a
happiness that had been sharpened by
years of pain.
A Dream and Its Sequel.
"in one of the Kast Indian border
wars there was engaged an officer of
high repute, the member of an ancient
county family," says Mrs. Mayo la
"Recollections of Fifty Years." One
night the laird. Its head, started from
his sleep, exclaiming:
' " "There's the shot that has killed mv
brother!"
"Ills wife told him It was but a
dreani. He must have given au anx-
I lous thought to his brothers before
going to sleep. Next day the pair
were In the garden directing their gar
deners when the laird suddenly ex
claimed:
** "Do you hear the bagpipes?"
""No." answered the lady. "1 can
hear nothing. 1 atu sure tliero Is no
sound.'
" "Strange," said the laird, "for 1 cr.n
even hear what Is played. It Is "The
Flowers o' the Forest Are A' Wefe
Away."'
"A few hours later came the tele
gram reporting that the brother had
I been shot dowu by some bottler war
r.or and over his lonely grave the men
of Ids regiment had played the |.n
thetlc air whose mysterious echo seem
| eil to have reached the laird."
PHOEBE'S CATCH,
I rinhinq Trip Thnt Had Molt
Sfltlittiotory Results.
R» CLANIMA MACKIKi
ii«tn. til" In Aiwilrtn Imi Aaan
* MUM |
I Thetv ws* a Unite of ituiiitmt In the
atr. sithou|,i the calendar *till shown!
Its Heplemlier |Hi|c Here and theta
en the hillsides a tree flamed out, her
sld of .lark Frost The hay wrinkled
crisply Inlo while capped warcs, and
' titer all wm the odor of fl|>e gra|>ea.
I sweet elder and burning leaie«
rNoetic Allen leaned o»er the gate
and drank In the sweetness nf the sir
\ and looked at the blue nKit white Ws
ter and >n« the flaming tree
"Killed* frosty," she sniffed delicate
j l.v. "I'm always mighty glnd when
w ltiler tonic* around It's the co*le*t
' time of the year. Wish I knew which
w it y the wind was blowing"
ller pleasant face wrinkled In a
frown 11* she tried to i>eer around th«
corner of I'aptnln Atnos Hodge's new
house Ml her life she had been wont
i to see the weather vnne on the peak
of i"haitiii tig** barn, and now that Onp
IT KKLU Ot'T AT 11KK TOUCH,
tain Amos' house had interposed its
: j bulk l'hoebe felt personally aggrieved.
She had even approached the doughty |
captain nnd laid tier complaint before
| him "1 never can tell w hat the j
weather's going to be without seeing
i that vnne," she said
i "I'll put one up on my cupola,"
i promised the captain affably.
1 \ "I won't look at it—probably It'll not
be good for anything," said Miss j
Phoebe peevishly, and so she went
I home.
• Captain Amos and Phoebe had ;
I kuowu each other nil their lives; they
I hnd gone to school together, and they
I hnd attended merrymakings as they
grew older, l'hoebe had danced holes
in her slippers under the skillful guid
ance of Atnos Dodge, aud Amos had
, ' been caught by tils father while con
-1 coding a love let to Phoebe, and
! an Incipient romance hnd been de
stroyed.
[ | Amos had run away from his moth
, | erless home, nnd Phoet>» bad forgotten
, all about htm ii'itll years afterward.
when his father was dead and buried,
, ' he came home n childless widower and
, built u house on the brow of the hill
i beyond Phoebe's solitary cottage.
; ' There hnd been no sentiment about
I their meeting. Their t!r*t words had
i been a disagreement about the weath
. j er vane, and neither hnd recovered.
. i Now Phoebe i-raned her soft round
! throat In a vain endeavor to learn the
i i direction of the wind,
A barefoot ls»y whistled past, a fish-
I ing rod over his shoulder and a can of
I | bait dangling from liis hand.
"Where you going, HennieV" asked
; Miss Phoebe.
"After blues they're running down
in the channel,'" returned the boy.
"Which way's the wind?" asked
i i Phoebe.
"I dunno," said llennie stupidly.
"Dou't make no difference about wind
I | The tide's coming In, aud the blues
• i are running In with it."
• j "1 believe I'll go and get some for ■
i iny supper. It's too tine a day to stay
' in. llennie, I'll give you a ulckel if,
; | you'll get me some bait What you
I got there?"
i | "Mummies."
' l "Want to sell "em?"
"I don't mind."
"I'll take 'em. Wait a minute."
' | After the transaction was concluded
j Phoebe ran back to the cottage and
' ! donned an ancient skirt and knitted
j jacket. On Iter head she tied a pink
i suubonnet, and over her feet she drew
' j rubber overshoes sin- packed n small
1 | basket of lunch, fed the eat, hunted a
: rod ami line from the woodshed, locked
i up the cottage and scurried dowu to'
| her little boat house on the tieaeh below..
, | Presently she was rowing slowly out j
| toward the harbor's mouth, where lit-1
tie boats were dotted about laden with j
eager fishermen, for bluefish were run- j
, nlng plentifully.
Phoebe's bright brown eyes had dls-1
covered a more isolatid spot where I
she bad learned by exi*'rlence that j
the current ran swiftly and where ex- 1
cellent luck might be had. This was |
between the breakwater and the long
sand spit that became an Island when
the tide was high.
It was fast becoming an Islnnd now.
and save for one lone fisherman the
little channel was quite deserted, for
there wa# exciting sport In the har
bor's mouth.
' Such a clever little sailor woman as
Phoebe Allen found no difficulty In
geitlug her boat into the right posl
' tlon, dropping her anchor overboard
' and preparing for sport.
The lone fisherman proved to be her
i ispecial abhorrence. Captain Amos, and
and as his broad back was turned to
her and his great flapping hat quite
covered the back of his head he was
recognizable only by his size and the
dainty lines of his new boat.
One. two, three, into the boat they
rtomv«l llti'e --liver benu'lcs. Phoe
!)(•* itmi'k* (irrw plni «tt'i . Uf»tn"nl
»« *h«' pulled llo'w ifi I.it" i, li r.M hi-r
Mh aiiinwf nt flr*t and Hi" ti «ii|i|il»
nmtili<l lijr other* there w«-rp immnii
fitr plfl« In Vnrton* flahlp** lii-iflilhilH
11 *ii lim|i|hikil Ihnt C* pin In Atirn*
Wa« fl*llltt|f Willi n I'xl, lilnl «i *M
I'liifpltf* Allen ll I* nil unhwmil way
In I'th H It'll from N «liinll Itonl, htll
I'liei'lm Inwtl In *ee the «lltif IhwIJT
. o»mp hwliirlhk llif'iltfli the nlr Inln
lirr • rnfi it ml II nit> film I n |tl nln
Alllll*' frtt'itlll- tliettlnd
AI ln*t I'lmfhr Hit|ml<*il It«■ r Inst Ml
i>f halt null "wiiiib Urn itiir urnb»«rd
It Jerked forward. mill ihe foil th*
wplglit of it raptured (I*h An aha
fill Mini lii the |ti»l«* Hew tip, nml the
Intuit** hnnlt milliil mer her head and
• nnulii limit? In the uln" W "112 Cuptalft
\nu<«' diiiri Ist*»n hi* broad ahnul
dor* It rntiKhi nml nn*Ml ilirn*
Almo*t In the nnmr> lii*lmil <'■ ptnln
A lit iin l"*t hN trnlt In tin- *n mi* wiiy,
nnd lii* pull* |H>rfnrtticd the same up
wind leap, hi* llin' flew over, nml th*
hook Imbedded Itself 111 tin l Wnnlljr lll
trli ni lew nf I'lioelie'* knitted Jaekot.
Thru Captain A tuna. feeling Hi*
point nf I In- hook in hi* tender flesh,
jpllpil murderously
i "Woman!" tie threatened. turning
hi* lii'iul a* fur nrinitiil n* pain would
|H>rmlt.
"Mini" snapped Ihii ■1; Ml-s Pliwhf,
straining Hi lift* |">li> mill ngaltiat llin
captain's honk.
"What In tarnation" sputtered
A mo*, groaning "Womnn, you have
I killed hip."
| "Keep Htlll, dn," sald I'hoebe impn
t lout l> "You've gone nml caught
' yourself In my hook. II win tin* lust
1 one I hint If you'll ri'iii'h nround you
) might not It out."
"tint out nutliliik! 110 you under
stand iln> lOujrtisti language?" nuked
Captain Anum, with deadly calm.
I"Of Course 1 dn,"
| "Thou listen. Your hook is caught
l ln my hKlii ski n •K and I'm
bleeding to dciith. If yim .1 tinvn the
' goodness to lonk nround and see what
damage ynu'vo dnno," suggested Hie
. captain savagely.
| "Perhaps you'll look around and see
| what you'vt> dnnp," nn Ul Phoebe cross
ly.
| Slip craned hpr nook nnd lonkpd
! around at the captain's hack, which
j the point of hpr fish hook barely prick
! ed. At the same moment Captain
| Amos ppprpd around to spp lii s own
! hook caught In his neighbor's Jacket.
Something In the ridiculous situation
broke the Icy crust of years of sepnra
j Hon; It recalled another day when, an
i children, they had fished for minnows
in the mlllpond and, sitting together la
the old green lioat that had belonged
to rhoebe'g father, they tiad hooked
parh otticr quite as neatly as they had
done today,
j "Amos Dodge. you little ninny!"
j cried Phoebe in the same teasing
words slip had usp<l on that former 00-1
1 caslon thirty-live years ago.
| "(ilrls don't know how to fish," re
tortpd Amos as hp had done In that
other day.
1 "Does that hook hurt, Amos?" asked
| Fhoebe.
' "Not much," admitted the captain,
twisting his neck around to look into
Phoebe's sunbonnet. "Your boat's
drift lag a little, Phoebe. Don't get any
further away from me," he said in a
queer voice.
"I won't," said Phoebe gently. "Just
1 wait a minute, Amos, while I slip off
this jacket—there! Now I'm free of
your hook I'll help you. Walt, now,
till 1 get my boat over."
i By dint of careful maneuvering
Phoebe ran her boat near enough to
the other to lean over and touch the
hook. It fell out at hor touch.
"I was afraid the poiut might have
caught, but it's ail right, captain"—
"Amos," said the captain briskly. "I
1 wasn't any captain when 1 knew you."
"Amos," repeated Phoebe obedient
ly, "I hope it didn't hurt you."
"Not a mite, Plioebe. To toll the
truth"— He reddened and looked
doubtfully at his old sweetheart.
"Toll It," commanded Phoebe in her
old imperious way.
"I caught you on purpose," confess
ed the captain.
"Why?" blushed Phoebe. "What
ever"—
"Just to get acquainted again. You
, have been as stiff as a ramrod ever
since 1 came home again and" —
"Title's turning," said I'hoenio from
! the depths of her pink sunbonnet.
I "I've got lunch to eat."
"So've I," returned the captain
I promptly. "Let's go ashore and have
! a picnic."
! "I.ot's." said Phoebe.
That night when they trudged up
i the hill swinging their strings of sll
j very fish somebody saw them and
i said:
"Well, if Phoebe Alien ain't caught
! Captain Amos at last!"
Somebody else saw them and said,
"Land sakes. if Captain Amos ain't
caught Phoebe Allen, after all!"
And just then Captain Amos was
•myitis. "When you get over to tho
big house with me, Phoebe, tliero
won't be anything to shut off your
; view of the weather vane."
"I guess there won't be anything to
obstruct ni'- happiness either," sighed
! Phoebe contentedly.
A Locomotive's Breathing.
| The "breathing" of' a locomotive—
. that is to say, the number of puffs
, given during a Journey—depends upon
; the circumstances of its driving
| wheels and their speed No mat
j ter what the rate of speed may
| be, for every one round of the driving
! wheels a locomotive will give four
puffs—two out of each cylinder, the
cylinders being double. If tho av
erage circumference of the driving
wheel is twenty feet and the speed per
hour fifty miles, a locomotive wilt
give, going at express speed, S.'iO puffs
per minute, 52.500 puffs per hour anil
1.055 puffs per mile.—London Stand
ard
Russian Districts Malelea*.
Whole districts In Kuropean ilussla
have been denmlpd of their male popu
lation. Many of the men travel on
foot to the Immense territory opened
by the Transsiberian railroad, in parts
of which the state allots four and a
half acreg to each adult Immigrant.
Moorish Quarrying Still Used.
The method of getting marble In
Bpalu has not varied since tho days
when the Moors built the Alhanihrn,
and the transportation Is equally prim
itive
THE COTTON Clfi.
Whitney bt) the Mil Frntf IN# Werti
o» »r Old N«Tf»
Ml H Itlllti'f. tin- Itlti titlif t'f Hit" "1t»
• lift »ltl. If"' tl»- RI'MM of III* jrfl'lll
fnifri twiiiif Ibr»iii'h the of
* litil nri iilit ftPirro work H IIHIIII •**
mtixhir Hi# freshly |>l< mttoti «inrr4
w ll hill
I In- teeth of llic >:i» tore the lint
frttin iin* >m| inelly mul quickly, mul
t'iMiiit Whitney the Wm« ImO'ly thir
teen nt lIii« tlttiei rmllfiil nt 'iff* tHat
n lumhlne wiirklnit » nunlifr of «lml
l*r **«s nlmiillniiiHiiwly would rrtoln
tlntilrc the cotton itmwliiK Industry.
lie snld nothing In BIIJ brnlv bill »•!
In work building models mul ei|w>rt*
men ting III* illftli nillii wore rtior«
liiou*. fur hp lint mil) hint In mnke lila
own wheels. rofn. etc.. Ml in* bad «Im
tirst lo forge his own tool* mid even
lo rnntiufnct un- the paint wherewith
to color hi* tunny plans mid drawing*.
Htit hi - «iwi wImI In thi" md. iind.
thottKh tin' outbreak of *nr nml other
hindrance* ttfefented tin' Invention
from being iii -111 <■ 11 >- placed U|k>ll the
market until many jpar* afterward,
i lie tirst complete cotton gin ever con
structed was liiillt from those very
models nml plan* ant! with scarcely a
single alteration
The Springbok.
A peculiarity oft hit I most I ii'it ii 11 fill
nf South Afrlrnn antelopes Ih* spring
link in tlint It always li'ii|w over htimnii
tracks It l« nl Hiii'i' exceedingly shy
mill marvelously active. nml the rea
son for this strange until' Is Its in*
tense suspicion of any possible ene
mies. among whom It has come to ree.
ognlxe tnsin us the most dangerous. It
Is not only with human tracks tint the
springbok goes through lhis iierfortn
iince. for It does the s:ime with the
trucks of lioos or even when it nets
wind of n lion. The leap Is exceeding
ly graceful, and the atiimui covers from
1 twelve to fifteen feet nt each bound.
It drops on all four, feet at once and
Immediately rises again, making a clear
1 spring without any run its usual gait
when not pursued is a light springy
trol. The springbok usually travels
! with Its nose to the ground, as if con
stantly on the lookout for the scent of
! enemies.
A Mole's Nest.
i Among common animals few have
j been less studied in their life history
} than the mole. Mr. I.ionel E. Adams
I says that under the "fortress" which
: the mole constructs above the surface
1 of the ground will always be found a
! series of tunnels running out beneath
j the adjacent field. A curious feature
almost Invariably found Is a perpen
dicular run penetrating about a foot
below the bottom of the nest and then
turning upward to meet another run.
A mole is never found In his nest, al
though it may yet be warm from hla
body when opened Cuided by smell
and hearing, a mole frequently locates
the nest of a partridge or pheasant
above his run and. penetrating It from
below, eats the eggs. The adult mole
Is practically bllud, but there are em
bryonic indications that the power of
I sight in the race has deteriorated
Identified.
| William M. Chnse. the artist, was a
| picturesque figure, dressing lu clothes
\ that hnd a certain originality, though,
they conformed more or less to the,
prevailing fashions. On one occasion
Chase ou his way home stepped Into
s little wine shop and ordered a Jug
! of claret of a special brand sent to his
| house. The lad who btought It came
to the front door an hour afterward,
when lhe artist had already arrived.
"Siniie wine." tie said curtly. The
mi'.ld. knowing there was yet plenty in
the cellar and believing he lad had
mi'd • i in!"like, snld she was sure it
wits not fin' thai house and did the
j boy tvmetnber ihc name of the man
who ordered ii The twy didn't.
[ "Then." said the servant, "you've
| come to the wrong place: we tiever
ordered wine:" At this moment the
I boy spied I'lmse's famous hat on tlie
hall table. "Soy." he rsked. "does
that hat live here?" "Yes." said ihe
amused maid. "Then." said the boy
triumphantly, "here's where the wine
belongs!"— Argonaut.
Artificial Flowers.
It was In Italy that a demand for
artificial flowers tlrst arose. This was
due primarily to a caprice of fashion
which demanded that during festivals
blossoms in and out of their seasons
should bo worn and also to the fact
that their color and freshness were
stable. Later ou, in the middle ages,
the artificial so far superseded the
natural that both men and women
decked their heads with imitation
flowers of cambric, paper, glass and
metal.
A New Fruit.
A new fruit, the Iniilstinmborry, was
exhibited at the fortnightly show of
the Itoyal Horticultural society in the
Horticultural hall. London, recently.
Tills novelty lias been produced by
William Knighl of Ilallshani from the
raspberry and the loganberry, the lat
ter Itself a hybrid.
S0ITH1IH!
A nellAtolo
TIM SHOP
ror all kind of Tin Rooflna,
Speutlne ind Carters!
Job Work.
Btoyeo, Haatara, Ran«oe„
Fumacaa. oto.
PRICES TUB LOWEST!
QMLITT TDK BUST'
JOHN HIXSOV
NO- 11# a FBONT ST.