POETRY WORTH $ READING $ Ould Matt'ew Moran. "Och! 'tis he that looks natural, lay-t In' there dead," Said ould Matt'ew Moran, ,rWld the palms nt his feet an' the lights at his head An' the cross In his han', Heart an' soul are at rest, An' It's all for the best," Said ould Matt'ew Moran. When he'd laid by his coat an' had hung up his hat An' had shuffled away to a corner, an' sat Wld his stick twlxt his knees an' hla han's on the crook, 'Twas hlmsel', an' no less, had the "natural look." For the folk o' the parish were wont to declare Ne'er a wake a success unless Matt'ew was there. "'TIs a sorrowful world," he leaned over an' said To the man by his side, wld a shake of his head; "There's so much In It now that's de ceitful an' wrong, 'TIs a blessln' our fri'nd here was took while he's young." "He was slventy-flve lasht July," said the man, "An' I doubt If ye're more than that, Mlsther Moran." Wld a tap o' the end of his stick on the floor, "Shure a man Is as ould as he feels an' no more!" Said ould Matt'ew Moran. "Och! the breed o' men found In these days 'TIs a crime! Shure, they're not the strong stuff that was raised in my time. Who's the nlxt wan to go? Jf yc'll jlsht look around, Yo'll find manny a sickly wan here, I'll be bound. There's no life In thlm now like the lads in my day." So he sat in his chair an' jisht mut tered away, While the neighbors came in an' passed out o' the door In a stiddy procession. Ten minyits or more Since the ould man had spoken, the man by his side Found him sittin', asleep, wid his mouth open wide. Undisturbed in his corner they let him dream on Till the lasht o' the neighborly mourn ers was gone. "I've noddin,'" scz he, as he rose to his feet; "Och! the houses these days are jisht murthcred wid heat," I Growled ould Matt'ew Moran. "There's so much in the world that's deceitful an' wrong," Said ould Matt'ew Moran, "'TIs a blessin' indeed to bo took whin ye're young, Like that dacint young man. Well,' there's wan gone to rest, An' it's all for the best," Said ould Matt'ew Moran. The Sailor's Homing Call. My soul is steeped in the clear star shine Of the mystic night, And thrills at the wind's low, whim pering whine. Through the dull ghost-white Of the beating sail. The crystal gleam of the pale north star Is my only guide; The boom of the waves on the shores afar, Where the land men bide, Sounds the swelling chant. TIs the thrill of the magic homing call Of my own roof-tree; I am speeding back, 'neath the night's black pall, Where the heart of me Shall ever bide. Love's Patriot. Red are the flagrant lips Within the garden-close: Love, thy dear ones eclipse The beauty of the rose. White are the flowers that fill The meadows of the sky: Love, thou art whiter still Than any star on high. Blue is the sea agleam, And blue the dome of night: Love, thou hast eyes of dream Bluer and all delight. So, ever shall thou be, Since thou dost well combine These chosen colors three, American and mine! Julian Durand. The Coming Day. Grieve not, sad heart, there is an end of tears! Think not that sorrow shadows all the years; The darkest hour comes before the day, The saddest moments pass like night away. For Id the world is love and song and light; Work to bo done and battles still to fight. Mourn not the past, whate'er Is light will be. And each day duwn conceals a victory. Well Planned Farm. One Farmer's Idea of Dividing Ono Hundred and Sixty Acres. I submit the following diagram of a farm of ICO acres in 11 divi sions, two or ten, one of 20 and three of 40 acres each, writes a correspondent of the Indiana Farm er. The farm has a road on two sides and fronts the east. The ten acres on which the buildings aro located consist of six divisions. No. 1 dwelling and door yard, 2 orchard, 3 familj garden, 4 front barn lot, 6 truck garden, 6 barn lot, with ample room for feed troughs and straw stacks, allowing no stock PUOtiC WOAO . NORTH gioi IJJ-. Plat of Farm. loose In front lot, 7 open wood, pas ture, used for night pasture during the summer for the work horses, also handy for the milch cow, 8 per manent pastures, with some timber affording shade In summer and a wind break in winter. Nos. 9, 10 and 11 aro 40 acre fields for culti vation, and will admit of the three years' rotation plan. Some of the good features of this plan aro these. ; The larger llelds avoid the groat ex- pense of much fence building, and ( this is quite an item at this time. Again from No. S stock can be turned 1 Into any Held on the farm, doing away with the need of a lane, or driving stock over the eultivr-tod fields, getting from ono to another. j Host Fertilizer Vor Gardens. Wo always save all the poultry , manure which we scatter over the surface as evenly as possible and It i is well raked in before planting the seed. Wo also save the ashes from j our wood fires, and give the surface a generous sprinkling which is also mixed with the soil. This applica tion of potash makes our onions firm and fine flavored and makes our peas and beans bear an enormous quantity, and benefits other vege tables also. Did wo not have the ashes we should use the commercial fertilizer rich in potash for our on loiii!, peas, beans and tomatoes at least, besides sweet and Irish pota toes. Our spinach, lettuce, mustard, cab bage and peppers did the best when a good application of poultry ma nure was given. One year we grew nearly six dollars worth of mango peppers on a trifle over a square rod of land. These peppers were a mar vel to all who saw them and would have continued bearing longer but frost cut them short. Protecting Insect Destroyers. In France, painted notices aro posted on every farm and along the public highways, bearing the follow ing: "This board Is placed under the protection of the common sense and honesty of the public. Hedge hogs live upon mice, snails and wire worms animals injurious to agri culture. Don't kill a hedgehog. Toads help agriculturo; each one destroys 20 to 30 Insects hourly. Don't kill toads. Moles destroy wire worms, larvae and insects injurious to farmers. No trace of vegetables Is evor foun'd in his stomach; does more good than harm. Don't kill moles. Each department of France loses yearly millions of francp by the injury done by Insects. Birds are the only enemies capable of bat tling with them vigorously, they are a great help to the farmer. Children, don't take the bird's nests." Repairing Run Down Soli. Clover and the legumes will not restore an old and run down soil un less they are supplemented by man ure or fertilizers. A well managed system of dairy farming where every thing grown on the farm is fed out Is tho best and will produce more good manure than any other system of farming adapted to a large por tion of the country. Keeping Roys on Farm. Do you talk with your boys about the business of the farm? Is your daughter satisfied? Is your home such a one as she can Invite her young company to without being ashamed? Fathers and mothers, are you companionable with your sons and daughters, or must they sneak away from homo In order to haye an enjoyable time? Life of Peach Trees. It Is claimed that the moBt profit able period In the life of a peach tree Is from four to eight years. From a peach census taken last year In orange county, New York, It seemo that thorough cultllvntlon In essential to the peach trco than either pruning or spraying. THE MODERN BANK. What Happens When It It About to Be Examined. The modern bank was about to be examined. "Sorry to keep you waiting," said the assistant janitor to the examiner, "but the Prosidept "has to have a ,ew days to call In some collateral that ho had to use to negotiate a loan In order that his wife could give a string of poarls this year and beat some one else." "Don't mention it," said the bank examiner. "I am In no Immediate hurry. Still, perhaps I could see the cashier?" "You must give him a little time," said the assistant janitor, in a gently reproachful tone. "You must reme:r. ber that you sent no notice that you were coming, and of course he will have to hustle around and get from some other bank the money he had to borrow recently to buy his boy a rac In? car. It was only a paltry twenty thousand, but " "Well, I might go in and sit with the paying tellers a little." "Wouldn't have you associate with them for the world! You know we nre only paying them about ten or twelve dollars a week now, and as trey have large families to support, they are really shabby, and not fit company for a gentleman." "How about the office runner?" "Ho would be all right If toe were here, but he's down at the race track. Come around early next week and we'll have things fixed up so that you can send In a report to Washington that will be something really worth while. You'll have to excuse me now, as I must dust out the safe deposit boxes where we keep the securities left here by our customers for safe keeping." HIS MISTAKE. "Did you see the discouraged look ing young fellow who was in awhile ago trying to get a job?" "Yes." "That was J. Walter Clarke, who read an essay at his college r mi mencemont on 'The World Needs Us.' " A Child of Nature. It was a primitive ho::ie In the Tennessee mountains where the kitch en range Is still a thing of a vague and distant future. Cindy, the capa ble, buxum and barefoot, performed her duties on the hearth of the yawn ing fireplace, and deftly raked the coals around the baker whore the corndodgers were browning. A glow ing ember, unseen by all save old Rudd, rolled out on tho hearth as Cindy stepped forward with the pot hooks, and he sounded the warning. "Sa-ay, Cindy" "Whut, pa?" "You done sot yer fut on a coal o' fire." "Say I did, pa? Which fut?" Ambulance Field Examination. Scene Hamilton South Haugh; sol dier supposed to have been wounded is brought to surgeon's tent by bear ers. Bearer (reporting) Severe scr.lp wound, sir, accompaniod with Insensi bility. Surgeon Well, what have you done? Bearer Dressed the wound, f'r and gave him a little whiskey ami water. Surgeon Whiskey and water! I'oi aid you expect an insensible man u swallow that? Bearer He axed for 't, sir. Useful Place. Freddy Say, wouldn't you like e have three eyes? George Yes. Freddy Where'd you have tie other eye? George I'd have It in the back of my head. Freddy You would? I wouldn't. ueorge Where would you have yorr other eye? 'reddy Why, I'd have it in the end of my thumb, so 1 could poke it through a knothole in the fence and sec the ball game for nothln'." His Weigh. Fat Fellow When I weigh three hundred I'll stop. Lean Lad Stop what eating? Fat Fellow No; getting weighed. Heredity. Knlcker Whom does the baby re semble? Bocker Its yell takes after its' father's college. A Life Sentence. Teacher asked her scholars foi nmn very J" Fmtfuw, Oi oy . "Imprisonment for llfo." ' in -Mr mm Home-Made Brooder. Not Hard to Make end it Will Do Good Service. I have made and used a brooder that gives good results. The ma terial costs about two dollars and a handy person can build one in a day. The gas from the lamp does not go Into the chick apartment at all, but filters around under the floor, making it dry and warm, ex plains a writer in Farm and Home. The lamp flame is about three inches from the sheet iron. The heat flows f-n di DETAILS OF HOME-MADE BROODER, up gently through the drum, F, which is perforated with holes In the side, thus letting part of the heat out Into the hover and the balance In the brooder above. The heat res ervoir, G, between the sheet Iron, K, and the floor, C, is about one Inch deep. The tube, F, should not touch the sheet iron,' merely extend ing through the floor, C. It takes the least oil of any brooder I ever operated. In the cut, A, is the paper roofing over inch-matched boards, B; C is board floor of same material; D are small windows, E is the hover, H are holes in each side of the brooder for the escape of gas and fumes, L shows door to reach the lamp, N air space below the floor. Poultry Notes. While oats are a good egg pro ducing food, better results can be secured by alternating with bran. Rolled oats soaked In sweet milk Is a. good ration to commence feed ing young chickens. Scald out the drinking vessels once a week. Filth is easily carried to the system through drinking water. Clean dry earth is one of the best absorbents for the poultry house. Scatter it liberally over the floor. Sprinkle the nests with a solution of diluted carbolic acid. It will aid materially in keeping down lice. Boiling milk that is fed to tho fowls will increase its value and les sen the risks of its producing di sease. Stick to One Breed. The man who sticks to one breed from year to year through all its ups and downs, is sure In tho long run to enjoy the Just rewards for his constancy. The breeder who keeps changing from one breed to another, or who makes endless "crosses" hop ing to find one "easy to breed" is the one who is always complaining about his poor luck In the poultry business. A good poultryman can make a suc cess with almost any breed in the field. The Flock Degenerates. Some think that by crossing pure bred fowls better results can be ob tained, and they proceed to cross this, that and the other varieties to suit their fancies, and thus,the flock is degenerated. Careful breeding has been caried on for many years to bring out varieties useful for every known requirement. No cross is so good as the pure breed in all its purity. A Requisite For Shells. As hens require carbonate and phosphate of lime for their shells, it must be supplied in unstinted quan tities and In the most convenient manner for them to pick up and swallow. One of the best ways of supplying Is to keep old plastering, broken oyster shells or fresh bones pounded fine where they can help themselves. Chenpest Remedy. Kerosene Is the cheapest remedy for the red mites, or lice, that Infest the roosts and nest boxes. The pat ent lice killing preparations may be more effective in penetrating cracks and crevices, but coal oil is cheaper and more convenient. One of the simplest ways to exterminate the body louse ' is by means of a dust bath made of three-fourths soil and one-fourth wood ashes. Causes of Diseases. Nearly all poultry diseases are caused by oold, drafts, dampness, Im proper feeding or lack of cleanliness. Neglect or carelessness is at the bot tom of It all. Remember, that it Is easier to guard against disease than to cure It, and It Is almost al ways unsatisfactory to treat sick fowls. Overfat Hens. Beware of overfat, inactive hens; they are almost certain to be a source of trouble and at the best are unprofitable stock to keep either for layers or breeding stock. Now Is the time to weed out the drones. Keep Only Old Geese. Keep the old geese for brooding purposs. Market the young ones, Owse may M fHl be fcpt rn ser vice many years and thus differ from chickens. WOMEN OVERDO IT; WE ARE BECOMING A PEOPLE OF HARD-RIDDEN FADS. One of tho Chief Dangers of tho Ago Too Many Theories of Llfo The Food Faddist nt Fault. Ry Roxnnna Queen. "That poor child was washed Into heaven," said a witty woman when hearing of the death of a friend's young daughter. "The mother was a believer in cleanliness and little Susanne was the victim. "The youngster was always put In the tub morning, noon, and night, and many Is the day I've known her to have four or five baths. She was a peaky little thing, sick half the time, but the doctors could not make her mother realize that keeping tho pores open did not mean an orgy of bathing." The chief danger of the age is overdoing. We have so many theo ries of life that often we are worse off than without any. An overdose benefit Is like an overcooked steak; the best is lost. Few of us realize the distinction between a good thing and a too good thing, which is one cause that we are becoming a people of hard-ridden fads. The woman who is too fat Is told to reduce. Now, reducing Is all right, but rapid flesh shedding is a disease breeder. To reduce In mod eration is woll; to live for reducing Is a virtue overdone. Perhaps our fat friend Is told to exercise. Does she go in for a brisk walk twice a day and gentle calis thenics morning and evening? Not she. She walks until she Is ready to drop with fatigue, and bends, turns and twists like an aspiring contortionist until she loses her good looks and good health along with her flesh. If dieting is the order she draws no line between rtarving an.l pru dent eating; wrinkles and dyspepsia follow. A lengthened waistline usually means a belt dropped almost to her knees in front nnd a figure that is a caricature in its shortness of legs. Tho food faddist is in special need of learning that well done is not overdone. Who has not been pes tered with friends who, being told that the hot water cure is tho last thing in cure-alls, treat themselves like the tank of a locomotive, or who sneer at beef-eaters when they become nipped with vegetarianism. It is well to bring up children carefully, it is overdoing to bring them up so carefully that their young lives aro made miserable by rules and regulations, and they aro robbed of childhood's heritage of ronping. The successes in life are not al ways the boys and girls whose par p'l'n have advanced ideas. In child trr!ning. Perfection forced into too close range has a way of getting distorted. mother vith ultra views of de corum was horrified to see her 15-year-old daughter smoke a cigarette and dance a skirt dance for the amusement of her friends the first time she went unchaperoned. The girl explained that was like a der vish running amuck from an over dose of goodness. The sanitariums are full because women do not seem able to learn that to work is well; to overwork Is nervous prostration. Tell an lndlscrlmlnatlng woman that the polite hostess Is never Inat tentive to her guests, and that Is the house where the guest feels like shrieking "For heaven's sake give me a minute alone!" There's noth ing more tiresome than overdone hospitality. The crank is usually the person who overrides a good idea. To make pleasant remarks means popularity; to always make pleasant remarks is sychophancy or insinoer ity. Solid reading is good; never to read anything in lighter vein is to hnve a brain with as few high lights as a silhouette. To learn that well done is not overdone is the surest safeguard against life's excesses. Moderation may not be exciting, but It wears well. Queens Who Smoke. Somehow it seems unimaginable that Queen Alexandra or the German Empress or the Queen of Rumania should have taken to the "cigarette habit," to which most of the younger consorts of European rulers confess. Yet Carmen Sylva Is on a list of "Queens who smoke" which has Just been published, and explains that she has never yet put a poetic thought into writing without that best of nerve soothers, the cigarette, be tween her lips. The Dowager Em press of Russia, Queen Amelia of Portugal and the Dowager Queen of Spain are also among the smokers, and, of the younger generation, the Empress of Russia, who had never smoked a cigarette before her mar riage, is now probably the one whose dally allowance of cigarettes Is the largest. But, then, "ladies' cigar ettes" In Russia are of the mildest kind almost us mild as chocolate Imitations. A La Mode. "What's that curious looking oharm you aro wearing on your watch chain?" "ThPt 1 o"'- '"nt-of-qrmF chauffeur rampant., policeman, couch f.nt hiHtire nf the nesce exnnrtant " ITlTTTTlTTl 1" Her Great Secret I i"I"t"f"T'T'y"T'T'y"T''y'T'T'T''r'T"'y'',T,wy"t Tommy Daly waited until tho pretty girl wearing the gingnam apron pass ed very close to his table before ho asked the question that had been on his lips all day. "Goln' to the Jolly Three's masquer ado Saturday night?" he Inquired. "Sure I am," she laughed over her shoulder, as she passed on. "All tho girls Is goln'. What would I stay home for?" While this admission brought a cortaln quantity of balm to Tommy's troubled soul, It was not all he sought to know. In fact, his Inquiry was but preliminary to the main question, which he proceeded to put when tho pretty girl returned from the stock room and smiled In the most tantaliz ing way as she drow near his table. "What aro you goln' as, Kit?" he asked, innocently, pretending to bo vastly Interested in the mechanism of a nail puller. "I'm goln' to be a cowboy," hq added, in a burst of con fidence. "Ah, wouldn't you like to know, though?" said Kitty, lingering a mo ment to enjoy his discomfiture. "You got a nerve! What would I tell you for, an' have you tip me off to every body? I should say not!" "Honest, I wouldn't, Kit," protested Tommy earnestly. "I Just sort o wanted to know for myself. It's more fun when you know somebody before they unnask. I wouldn't give you away, Kit." "Sure, you wouldn't," she retorted, "because you won't have no chance. I ain't goln' to tell even my mother what I'm goin' as. You wait an' see," The next day Tommy kept his eyea and ears open for chance Information about the masquerade, with especial reference to the disguises to be as sumed by the girls of tho factory. However, news was scarce and diffi cult to obtain. Otto, tho apprentice boy, was his chief investigator, but Otto's reports wore lacking in the personal element most interesting to Tommy. "Thoy's a bunch of 'em goln' as jockeys," whispered Otto after Tom my hud bribed him with a cigarette to toll all he had overheard at the vari ous tables in tho big room. "An' two la goin' to bo newspapers their dress es will be all made out o' newspapers. Them is the two big ones at the last counter iu;:ir the fire escape," added Otto. Tom in interest in this informa tion was but lnuquld. "Wunt'.i Kitty goin' to wear?" ho dcmandc'i. "Didn't you get wise to that?" "Which one is Kitty?" asked Otto. lorani looked his disgust. "Tnat's Kitty the ono with the big bunch of hair over there near Ran som's desk," he explained in guarded tones. "Tho pretty one," he added, S with a smile glance at the boy. "Oh, her!" said Otto. "That's the one I heard Ransom askiu' what :ho was goin' as an' she said she wouldn't tell nobody." Saturday came and found Tommy no wiser as to the great problem of the hour. The shop was teeming with gossip of tho masquerade. There was even a wild rumor, which could be traced to no authentic source, that Ransom intended to lay aside his im pressive dignity as foreman for one evening and attend the reception of the Jolly Three. Along in , the afternoon Kitty con trived to get near his table and es cape Ransom's altogether too watch ful eye long enough to whisper a brief message to Tommy. "Say, I got a good joke on Ransom," she said. "Have you?" asked Tommy, bright ening visibly. "What is it? You can't make me sore stringln' him." Kitty tossed her head a bit at this. "I don't know what license you've got to get sore or get glad over his troubles," she retorted. "Anyway, lemme tell you. He's been just crazy to find out what I'm goin' as to-night." "He ain't the only one," said Tom my. "Well, I wouldn't tell him," pursued the pretty girl, "Just because I wasn't goin' to tell nobody it's more fun that way. But I found out that Miss Hasenbeck, you know, that ono that's scrappin' with him about chewin' to bacco around where there's ladles J found out she was goln' to-night as i a trained nurse. So I told Ransom on the dead quiet that I was goin' as a nurse. He'll think she's me!" con cluded Kitty joyously. "I don't see what he's trallin' around to find out what you're goln' to wear for," he snapped. "He makes mo sick." Kitty smiled archly. "Oh, go on!" she said. "Didn't you want to know yourself? What are you kicking nbout?" She glanced over her shoulder to bo sure they were unheard and then, stepping dellcously close to Tommy, said: "Some o' these girls is goin' as Jockeys. I don't think that's very nice do you?" "No, I don't," said Tommy. "They ought to know better." "I think," murmured Kitty, "that n nice quiet costume Is better some thing like a flower girl." Tommy's eyes glistened. "Do you like a flower girl costume?" he asked, eagerly. Once more Kitty took a quick look around and then she smiled sweetly at him. "Btrre T do," ph ld. nnd then floit 'd away, leav'.i.. ' t ' hnnnlnoen