THE CCTOPUS. What is an Octopus, papa, That crushes people dead? A thing with awful cloven hoofs Aud horns upon its head? Or is it something like fish That has no tail or fin, And full of awful suckers that Just pull the people in? No, no, my son; no, not at all; You see him every day. He rides about in palace ears And goes to church to pray. He always wears the best of clothes And bears an honored name. You're thinking of the Devil Fish, But they are much the same. The man who grinds the people down In heartlessuess and greed: ‘Who eats the bread that others earn And fattens on their need: Who crushes hope from out the poor; Lives off, despising us: This is the modern Devil Fish, The real Octopus. —Town Topics, Marian’s Quick Wit. ude F. Smith Hymer. Bool fe ene 8. 8. 2.0. .8..8..8..0.0 8.08.0 PAT RN TT EN “There's no use, Marian, it's com- ing faster, so we might as well give up,” gasped Mr. Reed, as his daughter passed him with her arms full of stove wood. Marian paused to look toward the rapidly flushing sky. The forest be- hind them was on fire, and the wind was steadily licking it toward them. In a moment it would be feeding on the piled wood with which they were working. And let the fire destroy all this wood?’ she cried. “Oh, we can't we can't!” and desperately she struggled on. For fours they had worked together, rapidly, fiercely, in a brave attempt to outwit the fire. Again and again they had shifted the rows of corded stovewood seasoning for the winter's market, each time a few rods nearer to safety. But they could feel that the fire was ‘gaining headway. The forest back of their little farm was full of smoke and fiying cinders, and the few faint breezes that reached them were growing more and more heated. “Come on, child; after all, it’s only a wdodpile. We must be thankful that the house and buildings are safe,” said Mr. Reed, remonstratingly, as with feverish determination Marian kept at work. “But it isn’t only a woodpile—it's money!” she cried ‘It is more than that, for it means eyesight for mother. We will never be able to pay for the operation from the crops and we hoped so much from this wood. Oh, we must save it!” Her determination inspired the fath- er and for a while they worked on again feverishly. Marian's face was tense and pale, her hair disheveled, her hands torn and bleeding. Her father, too was well nigh spent, his eyes smarting from the smoke. “Just a few rods further. If we could only get it to the edge of this plowed field,” cried Marian, as he paused. “We can't make it, almost here now,” he said, breath fanned his cheek. Marian groaned. ‘“‘Oh, if the horses had only stayed ‘by us! If somehow we could plow a space between the wood and the fire we could save it even yet, couldn't we, father?” “Yes; but God knows where they are .now, for they'll never stop running as long as they smell the fire. If only some of the Teighbors were passing they would ¢ome in and help us.” +. In a spasm of renewed hope Marian scrambled to the top of the woodpile, and shading her eyes with her hand, logked off down .the valley. - A little red speck gleamed faintly in the road a mile or so away. “Where are you going, child?” call- ed her father but Marian was running furiously down the lane toward the house, her hair tossed backward on the wind. . That gleam of red on the road—she had seen it pass going in the direction from which it was now coming just before the fire was discovered. It was an automobile, and instantly a strange plan took root in Marian's brain. It must pass their house soon— if she could only reach the road by . the time it arrived there. She stum- ; bled in her mad" haste, but with a lit- - tle . gasping : cry she sprang up and struggled on again. The plow—the wood! Oh she must save the wood , for hen mother's sake! . Lea. Challis brought his auto to a sharp standstill almost upcn the girl. For a moment a fierce anger scorched ‘hith, Tbr’ she had deliberately thrown herself in his way, and such reckless- ness writer in the Chicago Record-Herald. He further declares that in China he found no wit or imaginations but tells the following incidents, which prove that the Chinaman has gcod uncon- scious substitutes for one or the other: One day in Shanghai, when I was feeling sick, I called a Chinaman to me and said, “John, do you have good doctors in China?” “Good doctors!” he exclaimed. “China have best doctors in wo'ld.” “Eudon, over there,” I said, pointing to a house covered with a doctor's “do you call him a good ddetor?” “Eudon goo doctor!” he exclaimed. “He great! He best.doctor in. China. He save my life once!” “You don’t say Sot I said.’ wag it? “Me velly sick,” he sali; confiden- tially. “Me callee Doctor Han Kou. some medicine. Get velly, velly sick! Me call Doctor Sam Sing Givee more - medicine. ‘Me grow worse. Going to die! Blimeby call Doctor, Eudon. He no got time, no come. He savee my life!” In Chefoo my wife engaged a Chi- nese cook. When he came she asked his name. Shaking hands with him- self and smiling, he said, “My namee Yong Hang Ho.” “Oh, that's too long!? said my wife. member all that. “How "he said, smiling. “What Y cc 3 mel said my wife, slowly, i Melville D. Landon.” . “FEL,” cried John. “Too long namee! Can't ‘member all lot. Callee you Charley.” = : : 5H The Shoe Shampoo. | “Willie is a precocious youth of about three summers. ‘He was out with the boys the other evening, and among Lis dissipations was the in- dulgence in a. shoeshine in a real up-to-date shoeblack’s chair. Next he got his hair cut, and when the barber asked him if he wanted a shampoo he replied: ‘“Suttinly, I want all the fixin’s.” "Recently when his father came home Willie had a chair in place and was ready to do business like a pro- fessional shoeblack . He addressed his father as follows: “Say, dad! get into de chair and I'll give your shoes a shampoo.” He got his. words a trifie. mixed, but there was one feature of the busi- ness he had down to the queen's tasic To humor him his father got into the chair and the boy went through the shoe shining operatien in pantomime, wich was so true to nature that every one laughed. The operation over, the youngster called out 1m a brisk tone: “Next! Five cents, please!” at the same time holding out-his hand for the coin. He got it and immediately closed his shop until he could spend the nickel.—Albany Journal. The rats of southern Italy are not only very cunning, but display good taste. They climb the orange trees. and suck the blood oranges, neagléct: ing the others i call you The old-fashi ned Woy of “ashi ing windows with soapy water followed by clear water. followed by dry- eloths and polishing with newspapers or chamois, is 2o0ing out. tortunatgly for the window washer. The houséWife of today washes her windows withiwater in which a little kercsene has; been poured and finds that she can::polish them at once with soft lintlesg cioth. Or she dips a rag in alcohol and then in whiting, rubs the glass wifh the mixture and polishes with chamois. Washing a Counterpane.’” The simplest, best and most conven- ient way of “doing up” a white coun- terpane is to put it. under a heavy press after washing it. Wash it in plenty of soapsuds, rinse thoroughly and put through bluing water. Hang it outdoors in the sunshine until al- most dry; then while slightly damp fold twice or more. lay on a clean.iron- ing sheet and smooth out with, the kands until fe from any : large wrinkles. Pla under it a - heavy smooth bo wl on which arrange. eight or more large irons or anythinz of heavy weight. Let it remain in this way over night er for twelve or four- teen hours. Remove it frcm this press and hang it on a line or clothes- horse to hecome entirely dry. The re- sult will be a beautifully smooth coun- terpane. For Needles and Pins. A convenience for the girl who is away on her vacation is a pin sheet. A six-inch strip of silk of the ordinary width is first covered with sheet’ wad- ding and then with six-inch sash rib- bon of a contrasting color. The softer silk side is studded with pins, stuck in just as they are when bought in the paper. There are rows of safety pins in various. sizes, pearl-headed pins, smaller pins with various colored heads to match different neckwear, and common black and white pins, all arranged in groups. At one end of the sheet is sewed two ribbons which match the lining silk, and the summer girl can roll up her sheet like a “housewife” ard pack it in her bag when travelling. At the hotel she fastens it up on the wall by means of two stout pins cor fine tacks stuck through the corners. Making Oil Cloth. Oil cloth for fioors is made on stout hemp canvas, which is woven very wide, so as tc have no seams in it. This canvas is first stretched {ight over a frame, then is covered with thin glue, or size, and rubbed down with pumice. This is to fill in the Bpace between the thrtads and make the whole very smooth. Then a coat- ing of thick paint is spread over the surface and rubbed in with a trowel. ‘When this is dry another coat is put on, and after that another and then a coat of thin paint, laid on with a brush. All of these are of one ‘color, and after they have been put om and dried, the pattern of the oil cloth is printed on by means of wooden: blocks. The outline of the design is cut on these blocks and for different “colors different blocks are used. Oil cloth for table covers is made of light, cloth or canvas on. which two coats, or per- haps three, of common paint ‘are laid on, and the design is then printed in the same way that.calico is printed. — M. F. Feurt in the Epitomist. Recipes. : Creamed Onions.—Cook Bermuda onions in water untii tender, rounding teaspoen of sugar w put on to cook and a level tea Of salt a few minutes before — dare. Drain and DOUTr a cream over. For the sauce melt a rQunding blespoconful of butter in aucepan, add a level tables) of flour and cook until froth, add one cup of hot milk and co minutes, beating hard all the tite, add a pinch of pepper ard a salt spocniul of salt. Potato Roscs—To two cunfuls of well-seasdned mashed potatoes, add the yolks cof two eggs and white of one, and beat them well toget ner. Place it in a pastry bag wi baving a star-shaped opening and press it through. As "ithe potatc comes from the tube, guide it in a cir- cle, winding it around unti it comes to a point. The little piles of potato wily resemble roses. Touch- them’ lightly with a brush dropped in egg, and place a bit of butter cn each ones Put them in the oven a moment to ‘brown slightly. The edges touched by the ezz will take a deeper color. Potato roses make ‘a good gatnish fer. meat dishes. > White Bread.—Mix one cup of scald cd milk, one cup of boiling water, one level tablespoon of butter; a level tea spoon of salt, and a level tablespoon of sugar together, and cool until luke warm. Add one-half yeast cake solved in one-half cup of lukewarm water. Mix with Six cups of flour = and stir well, then add enough more to make a dough that can be kmeadeqd. Knead a few minutes, put into & bow] and cover closely; let rise over night, In the morning knead -ten minutes, then cover and let rise again, shape into loaves, put in pans, and let rise again until nearly twice the original size, and bake well. If the weather is warm the second rising may be omit- ted and the bread shaped for the pans after beth kneaded well. 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