00003000000 3O0OOCQ00OO0COO
1 ibel Mitchell's Will. i
0030000300000000300330000
HK rich merchant,
.Abel Mitchell,
called to bis typo
writer, "Yon may go,
Miss Morris," he
said. He did not
look up from the
rmiiers before him.
The young woman tamed to the
clock with ft little start of surprise.
It was only 4.30. Hut she quietly
put on her lint, find with a murmured
good night left the room.
Abel listened to the departing vnstle
of her skirts with n thoughtful ex
pression. There was a sensible girl.
A girl who never grated on his feel
ings. A girl who asked no nseloss
questions. She had reachod an age
of discretion. If Jim was determined
to marry a poor girl why couldn't he
have taken one like Emma Morris?
Abel oponcd a heavy envelope . and
drew forth a folded paper.
"Jim never was confidential with
mo," he grumbled. "Perhaps I didn't
invite his confidence. I don't know.
Now he has disoboyed my direct com
mand. That can't be overlooked.
When he told me about this girl I
said wait. 'How long,' he asked.
'Until you reach years of disoretion,'
I cried, and turned away. Jim is
twenty-fonr. Twenty-fonr. And I
married at twenty-one. Yes, and ran
away, too. But it was different with
me. My father had nothing to give
me, I was quite independent. He
was glad to have me shift for myself.
Jim's father is a rich man. Jim's
father has given him dollars where
my father begrudged me pennies.
Jim owes me filial obedience. He
has disobeyed me to his bitter cost."
He unfolded the paper that ho had
taken from the envelope aud ran his
keen gray eye down the closely writ
ten lines.
"He has given up his father for a
pretty face," he murmured. "Let
' him stand by the conseqnences. Who
is she? What is she? It matters
not. No donbt they trapped him into
this marriage. 'A rich man's son,'
they chuckled. But they'll rind
they're fooled. 'Father,' he said,
..'I am to be married to-morrow night.
Will you come with me to the "wed-'
dint?' I turned on my hcol. Then
I looked back. 'Yon know the price
J-ou pay?' I cried. 'Yes, father, ' he
said, with his head high up. 'I
know. Goodby aud God bios you.'
He asked a blessing on me! Ha, ha,
ha; that's too rich! But he'll get
evil for good this time. I'll cut him
off with a dollar. Let him sup on
herbs for a while. That'll take the
veneer from love's young dream,
I'll draw up a now will at home to
night and have it witnessed before I
Bleep, And to let hira know what his
foolish fancy has cost him, I'll write
him a lotter a letter he can show to
liis new relatives. That's the thing
ft letter."
He bent down with his head upon
bis hand and his eyes upon the paper.
A rustle of skirts in the doorway
drew his attention. . He did not laok
Up. It was a way he had.
"Ah, Miss Morris," ho said, "back
ajrain?" He had quite forgotten that
lie had sent her home.
The yonng girl in the doorway did
Dot answor. Her bright eyes were
fixed upon the old man. She expeotod
him to look up, If he had done so
ho would have soon a oharming vision,
Oke was a very pretty girl dainty and
Heat from the tip of her new hat to the
tips of her new shoes. But he did not
look up.
"Just in time," he added. "I want
lo dlotate a letter before you go."
He poured, and the young girl, as if
seized with' a sudden fancy, quietly
sicppoa into tue room and seated hor
eelf at the typewriter.
"Yon have been with us so long,
Miss Morris," the old man continued,
"that w viow you as a confidential
egout. Besides, this will be publio
proporty very soon. I am going to
write to my son. Last night he mar
ried an unknown girl against my
wishos. I am goiug to tell hira that
I wash my hands of hira and his; that
to-night I change my will, cutting him
off with a solitary dollar. Are you
reauyr
The girl at the typewriter gave the
instrument a preliminary click or two.
"James Mitchell," began tho old
man, "as you have seen tit to disobey
me, to cast my fatherly wishes in my
eein, x uesire you to know tliat J
Lave no wish to hold further 00m
tnnnioation with you. While I oherish
the impression that you were lured
into this unhappy marriage"
The typewriter stopped.
"Unhappy marriage," the old man
repeated, and the clicking reooiu
rneuoed; "yet I cannot accept this as
ut exouse for your uudutiful con
duct. To-night I change my will,
ana you may reat assured tbut your
name will be passed over with the
mallost possible financial considera
tion. I prefer to havo you under
stand this liore aud now. It will pre
vent you and your new friends from
cherishing any false hopes. This is
all I hare to say, and no reply will bo
expeotea Abei Mitcueli,. "
The yonng girl drew the sheet from
the machine, and bringing it forward
laid it ou the old man's desk. Abel
clanoed it through.
"A beautiful oopy," be said, and
carefully folded it. Tuen Lit jkied
It In an envelope and dipped a pen In
ink.
"I Ao not know his address," be
said, and knit his brows.
The girl at the end of the desk ex
tended her hand.
"if yon have no objection,-' she
quietly laid, "I will deliver it to him
in person."
The old man looked rtp at the fair
face bending over him.
"Why, who are yon!" ho criod.
"I am Alice Mitchell," said the
yonng girl.
fliitctioii!" repeated Abel, tinny.
"M-niy son's wife! And what
but the ugly words would not come.
He could not utter them in tho light
of tlioso gontlo eyes. "Will you bo
seated? he lamely added.
"Thank yon. no, said the girl.
"I have but a few words to say; they
will not detain you long." Abel's
ga.o dropped to the lotter and the
will, and a sarcastic smilo twisted his
mouth. "No, no," tho girl quickly
added. "I have not come to plead
with you. Yon are quite wrong to
imagine such a thing. And you wore
quite wrong, too, to insult me as yon
did in that letter." He looked up
again quickly. There wero tears iu
the gentle eyes. And there was a
glint of fire in them, too. "lou in
sulted me and you insulted my dear
father. . I havo no mother." She
paused a moment. "When yon in
sinuated that my father was mercenary
in this matter you did him a cruel
wrong. He was bitterly opposed to
our marrying without your consent.
I disobeyed my father, too. But it
was not for your money. This lotter
will bring ns nd surprise.".
The old man dropped his cyos be
neath her reproachful gaze.
Tertians I was nasty," lie slowly
said, "but the provocation was great."
Then he quickly added: '.'But, know
ing as you did that I opposed the
wedding, and your father opposed it,
too, why did you permit yourself to
marry my boy?"
'I could make it clear to you, I
think," said the girl gently, "if you
loved your boy.
The old man trembled. If he loved
his boy I All that was near and dear
to him all that was left to him of
kith and kin. The babe that a dying
wife had solemnly placed in his
paternal arms. If he loved his boy I
He drew a long breath and stared
hard at the blank envelopo ou the
desk before him.
'And now," said the young girl,
"I only want to add that I thiuk Jim
was quite wrong in crossing your
wishes. He might have waited. I
wanted him to wait. But he is so
proud, self-willed. I am very sorry
that I should be the means of sepa
rating yon, and, I am quite sure I am
not worth the great saonuuo my dear
my Uusbond jias ur. lo."
Abel was quite tare more wero
tears in her eyes again, but he did
not look up.
"Whore is Jim now? ' ho asked.
Then ho smiled grimly. "And why
ore yod tot enjoying yonr your wed
ding tour?
'There was a vacancy in tho bank
where my father is employed," said
the girl, "and father secured it for
Jim. His duties bogan to-day. Per
haps we will take our wedding jour
ney later. We have to look out care
fully for the main chance now, you
know.
"And you didn't expect to fall back
on my dollars?" said tho old man.
"Not a ponny of thom," quickly ro-
plied the girl.
The old man fidgeted in Ins chair,
"And why not?" he aBked. .
"I think you understand," said the
girl, and her gaze dropped to the let'
ter on the desk.
"Does Jim know yon aro hero?"
"No. At least he didn't know I
was coming, father will tell nun to
meet me at the corner at 5 o'clock. I
must go."
"Wait," said the old man quickly,
He looked at her searchingly. She
mot his gaze with a smile. Her miud
was on Jim.
Abel deliberately put the will baok
into the envelope, and the envelope
in its pigeonhole. Then he ptoked up
the letter in its unaddrossed envelope,
tore it into minute particles and tossed
them into the basket.
"I've changed my mind," he softly
ranttcred.
He pullod down his desk oovcr with
a bang and reached for his hat.
"There," he said, "I'm ready."
Then he added, "Will you give mo
your arm, my dear? As they passed
through the doorway ho paused.
"I think, Alice," he said, "that you
and I aro going to be very good
friends. And now we must hunt up
Jim and take him homo with us."
Juvenile l'reeoclty Jllluhted In (lie llud.
"Papa," said the boy, as they drove
along, "that's the same horsefly that
was buzzing around the horse wheu
we started out, isn t it?
"Yes."
"Then one horsefly will follow one
horse more n a dozen miles, won t it?
"It seems so."
"I reokon," said the boy, who had
been busy thinking again, "you'd call
it 0 oue-horBe fly, woaldu t you? '
"Perhaps."
"Then it was a one-horse town
where wo got this rig, wasn't it?"
"Don't be too fly, my son," said
papa, graspiug his whip and meeting
tho necessity firmly. Chicago Tr
buue.
Kngluna'i Hum For Aged Honrs.
Bombay, India, has an animal hos
pitul that was established more than
two thousand years ago. An odd in
stitution in England is a Home for
Aged Horses, Friar's Plaoo Farm
The Duke of Portland is president of
the society that manages it. Old
favorites, whose years of service are
numbered, oan find an asylum there
ana be tended carefully for the remain'
der of their lives. There is no suoh
asylum for horses in the Uuited States,
NEW YORK
Designs For Costumes That Havo Be
come Popular in the Metropolis.
Nrw YomtCiTt (Special). Nothing
could bo more attractive and dainty
than the evening wraps which are now
the rage for very yonng women as
well as older ones. Materials now
employed are of the handsomest.
the linings alone are made 01 fabrics
that were formerly deemed . quite
beautiful enough for a handsome
evening gown. The fur aud lace used
for trimming must needs be of the
rarest description.
There is no question but that the
wraps this winter are to be every whit
as costly as those of the last few
years. The designs hare beeu sent
Fi'..-T.f
Frock
OF
"TWEED
iiii
over to this country, and women who
have boon abroad buying their winter
wardrobes have sent over accounts of
the new wraps that have just beeu
designed , over there. Tho present
fad is to have at least ono long black
satin wrap. This, at first sight,
would seem to be a most economical
investment, for it is not so conspicuous
as the light brocades or velvets, of
which most of the wraps are ma lo,
and it is possible to wear it iu publio
conveyances, whioh, of course, is not
possible with the other wraps alluded
to. The smartest blaok satin wraps
are wonderful creations of the dress
maker's skill combiued with the beau
tiful trimmings supposed to be neces
sary to tbera. '
Costumes For Kverv-Iy Wenr,
Two useful gowns are shown iu the
large illustrations. One is a brown
tweed with an absolutely plain skirt.
The blouse waist is tucked and the
wide collar and flaring cufl's are
finished with stitched braid. A stock
and a long-ended cravat of cream silk !
complete the costume. With it is
worn a jaunty brown folt hat, which
is ornamented with brown quills anil
velvet.
The other frock is designed a littlo
more elaborately and has the strap
trimming whioh has beoome so popular
for this season, particularly for out-of-door
wear. The straps of blaok braid
trim the pointed tuuio aud is Beeu on
the ciroular flounce of the jupe proper.
The material is rough blue Berge and
the vest is ereain silk tucked, with
revers of lemon-colored cloth orna
mented by a fancy braid of blue, red,
cream aud silver threads aud setoffby
tiny blaok buttous, The revers and
slushed jacket are of the same material
aB the skirt and are braided to corre
spond. A broad-brimmed rough straw,
blue and white, is loaded with berries,
leaves and rosettes of blaok tulle.
The Vogue in Hnudkerehlefs.
Handkerchiefs in colors are in great
demand, and some of the prettiest and
newest are in silk aud lineu. The
plaids aie to be found iu these new
styles, pretty soft plaids, the whole
bandkerohief oomposed of them, but
in the most delicate colors, one having
violet predominating aud another
green, and so on. A protty handker
chief iu wuiek there is large jiropi
SI
jltft
.f t.
PAINTY F.VP.XIXB WBAP.
f
I
'K'-il-fi;..'
4m.4k
Jtilk
FMHI0N& I
tion of silk is of solid green -stripes,
which does not sound well, but is ex
ceedingly pretty iu reality. lied is
found iu these plaids iu stripes, and
also In handkerchiefs with narrow
hemstitched edges, the hem being of
the solid color embroidered with tiny
dots. All shades are to be found in
those little colored hems. Another
variety of the handkerchief with the
solid red hem has red dots worked in
side on the white linen, or tiuy red
bow knots in tho corners.
rreltv file In fluid I linlnn.
The jeweled hearts figure as slides
in some of the new gold chains com
posed of fine links.
Colors Kor Velvet downs.
Deep plum, garnet, gray and tan
are the fuHhiouable colors for cloth
aud velvet gowns.
nsnclAntne Coat V'nr Winter W ear.
The little covert coat has been im
proving the shining hour by assuming
decorative touches of fur that will un
doubtedly prolong its sphere of use
fulness far into the season. It has
appeared lately iu gray, brown aud
green, cut ou the mode of a basque
coat that is fitted to the figure with
a rounding tail 011 the hip and flat
collar levers folding in a group of
three ou the shoulder. An enterpris
ing tailor saw lit to run a narrow
piping of mink ou the edge of the ro
vers, over the fronts and around the
tails, and his happy thought hns
evideutly found instant favor, for
these trimmed coverts are almost the
first of the fur-touched wraps to go
into active service.
mm
A USEFUL
EVERYDAY GOWN
Evidently womankind is not yet
prepared to resign the oomfort of the
short, close-fitting fur jacket, for it is
easy to count them by the dozen iu
the furriers' cupboards, while they
are being snapped up over t le coun
ters. Until last year those ".if joe,"
as thoy are termed by the trade, were
cut of Eton shape, sheered oil
sharply at tho waist line, or a flute of
fur stood like a saucy little tail about
the hips.
Now the mode is to fit the short
haired fur basquo-wise to the body,
letting a spade-shaped tail fall below
the waist line for five inohes at baok
and front, but cutting out the pelt
high on the hips. Not one piuoh of
fullness is given the sleeve at the
A DBOORATED COVB11T COAT.
shoulder, and H runs to the knuckles
on the baud. .
1 1
1- .
pin 1
51 CHILDREN'S COLUMN.
ev
Who t.lken the ItnlnT '
"I." sntd the ilnek, "I cnll It fun,
for 1 havo my little red rubbers on;
They mnko n Running thrne-toed trunk
Iu the soft, oool mud. Quack! Quack!"
"I." cried the dnntlellon. "I,
My routs nr thlrstv. my Wis nro clryi"
And she lined her little yellow head
Out of hiir green Km"' had.
"I hope 'twill pour! 1 hope 'twill pour!"
fVonkfd the tree-toad nt hl Rrnv burk doort
"For with a brond Imif for a roof
I am perfectly weather-proof."
B"n the brook! "I Iniiuh at every drop,
And wlfh they never need to stop
Till n bin river I grow to be,
And could find my way to the sen."
Our Young Folks.
lllerovered Through Child.
Perhaps some of our yonng l oaders
will be encouraged to use their bright
eyes more constantly by this story of
how n little girl by her intelligent ob
servation helped nn older lad to begin
a series of important discoveries:
When Sir Humphrey Davy was a boy
about sixteen, a little girl came to hira
iu great excitement:
"Humphrey, do tell me why these
two pieces of cane make n tiny spark
of light wheu I rub them together."
Humphrey was a studious boy, who
spent hours in thinking out scientific
problems. He pnttod the child's curly
head and said: .
"I do not know, dear. Let us see
if they really do make a light, and
then we will try to make out why."
Humphrey soon found out that the
little girl was right; the pieces of cnue,
if rubbed together quickly, did give a
tiny light. Then he set to work to
find ont the reason, and after some
time, thanks to the observing powers
of his little friend, and his owti kind
ness to her iu not impatiently telling
her not to "worry," as so ninny might
have done, Humphrey Davy made the
first of his interesting discoveries.
Every reed, cane and grass has au
outer skin of flinty stuff, which pro
tects the inside from insects, ami also
helps the frail looking leaves tj stand
upright.
Taking a TCnyn-nrd Bpnrrow Home.
One often hears remarkable stories
about the intelligence of sparrows,
but we are apt to thiuk thnt such tales
must be taken with a grain of salt.
The following incident, however, is
vouched for by no less than five resi
dents of Chicago, who saw the whole
performance. Late one afternoon a
half-llodgod sparrow dropped from a
tree to the roof of a shod. It no sooner
landed than it begnn to croak as if it
had lost its last friond. Pretty soon
fifteen or twenty ecited sparrows
fluttered mound the little one and
seemed to be giving it some importnnt
advice. Evidently impressed, tho
yonng bird would strniehten up on its
slender les and stctcunt its nock.
Hut invuriably it would settle back in
to a forlorn honp aud take up its
nioiirnfnl cry whore it had left off.
Tho old sparrows grow more and moro
excitotl, and fiunlly a innle and fomale
fluttered dowu beside tho little one,
one 011 ench side. Aftor a moment's
parley the fcmnlo seized one of the
youngling's wings in its bill; then the
male grasped the othor wing nfter the
same mnuiior. Tliero wus a chorus of
Hhriuks from the other birds, a flutter
ing of the queer little group on the
roof, and then the two devoted birds
flow away, carrying 4he littlo ono by
its useloKS wings. I dare say that
you have already derided that the
father aud the mother bird had come
and carried their fledgling back to the
home nest. I believe so, too. Chi
cago ltecord.
Mlien Dewey V4'hs a Hoy.
One of the auoodotos told to illus
trate the daring of Dowoyasalud pre
sents a very fair picture of him iu his
mostchnracteristio moods. It foil to his
lot at au early ago, ns it falls by a cer
tain invcrtod primogeniture to the
younger sous of all country families,
to take the cows to pasture aud back
again. Tho pasture field was on a
small hilbide farm belonging to the
Dewey family, aud lying about a mile
b.dow the town, It was only a bit of
a walk, but George always saddled a
horse for it or hitched up the family
curry-alt. Petween the house aud the
farm tho Dog river falls into the
Wiuooski, and is crossed at a ford.
Vermont rivers rise rapidly aftor
rains, and returning lute one stormy
aftornoon in early summer, George
found that the stream had risen above
its banks and was moving swift and
swollen between him and the town.
Ho was rolling along iu luxurious
state through the fields in his father's
carry-all, and by his side was his
faithful courtior, Will Bodfield.
"We cn.i never cross Dod," said his
companion, whimpering, "We shall
drown sure."
"We crossed it an hour ago," re
torted the young admiral, turning a
frowning and critical glance on the
turbid waters. "What man has done
before, man can do again I Olaug!"
aud into the rushing stream plunged
the horse with one pale and one im
perturbable face behind it.
It was a brief but sensational jour
ney. A careering billow came along
and lifted the bed of the buggy free
from the wheels aud carried it down
toward Middlesex. Iu their acute
peril the two cow borders contrived
to scramble upon the horse's back, and
thus were borne to the batik. George
drove home in silence on the frag
ments of the wrecked carry-nil. Per
haps the most human touch of it all
was that he did not appear at the sup
per table. He went promptly to bed
without a candle or a bite, aud he said
not a word of his adventure.
An hour later Dr. Dewey came back
Com downtown, whore tale of the ex
ploit were afloat. In no very amiable
mood, he ascended to the bedroom of
his son, whom be found sleeping with
suspicious industry that did not de
ceive hira for an instant, "What is
this I hear, my son," he sn Id, ad
dressing the darkness, "about your
breaking np my carriage and nearly
drowning yourself?"
"I should think you'd be glad t
didn't drown altogether," came in an
argumentative but tearful voice from
under the cover. Dr. Dewey stood
for a moment in silence, and thou
turned and left the room without an
other word.
History has given no record of whaty
happened then. It would be pleasanfj
to imngine thnt a warm supper was
sent up to the lad; that a modernized
"fatted calf" was set before him. Put
in this easel am relating history as it
was given mo, and I am unable to say
whether forgiveness was freely given,
or that the brenk of dny saw condign
punishment meted out to the admiral-to-be
for his foulhurdiness.
An Insert Monster.
One of the most ferocious and in
genious of all the Insect t,i H e is the
ant-lion. This bitter enemy of the
nuts is a veritable, monster - in form,
but is hardly more than half an inch
long. Its body is fat, and covered
with little bunches of spiny hairs.,
hns six legs that look feeble euonc
but it has a head and pair of jaws tli
are ns formidable, compared - to '
size, ns the eating apparatus of an 1
ligator.
Unable to move rapidly or to 1
the ant-lion gains by strategy whfl
delicacies it finds necessary to healtl
and happiness. It constructs pitfalls
in the sand, down which the unwary
ant slides to certain death. i or the
purpose of excavating this trap it
hunts a spot of loose and dry sand,
under the shelter of a ledge or old
wnll, or nt the foot of a tree. In such
places ants are sure to be prowling
about.
Having selected a site for the pit- '
fall the ant-lion traces iu the sand a
circular furrow about two inches in
diameter. Placing itself on the in
side of this circle it thrusts the hind
part of its body under the sand as a
basis of operntion. Using one of its
forelegs as a shovel it deposits a load
of sand on its head, whioh is square
and flat. Then it gives its head a jerk
which tosses the sand to a distance of
several inches outside the circle. This.
process is repeated (the insect 'al
ways moving backward) until another
furrow is completed. Turning and
moving backward iu the opposite
direction from the j receding the third
furrow is completed inside the second
rirclo. This process is continued un
til the ant-lion reaches the centre of
the funnel-like pit thus formed. In
shoveling out the sand the insect al
ways dins at the inner sido of the circle
and makes the excavation steadily
deeper. If the aut-liou finds a pebble
in the way it carefully rolls it outo its
back and backs out of the pit with it.
Pailiug in this it digs a hole and
buries the troublesome stone. When
the pit is completed it is about two
inchts deep in tho centre, at which
pot the ant-lion takes its station,
burying all but its terrible jaws from
uew.
Protty soon nn ant in search of
food reaches the pit, looks down, sees
two odd-looking prongs in the bottom
aud sturts to investigate. Then the
sand begins 1 1 give way and the
frightened ant frantically tries to crawl
out. If it soems about to succeed in
this design the nut lion loads its head
with sniul and snaps the snnd at tho
ant. This iB dono so rapidly thnt the
unfortunate nut is struck by volley
after volley of sand and knocked back
into the pit. After the ant-lion has
supped on the juices of its victim it
toHses the carcass ont of the pit, re
pairs whatever dumages may have re
sulted in the capture aud calmly awaits
another nut. The ant-lion will not
tako a dead insect It prefers to do
its own killing.
'Aftor two years of this tricky exist
ence this ogre of the pit makes for it
self 11 cocoon of sand fastened together
nud lined with silk of exquisite tex
ture and color. On the outside this
cocoon looks like a little ball of sand
about half an inch in diameter. At
the end of two months the cocoon ie
torn open and a large and beautiful
fly resembling a dvagou-tty crawls out
and unfolds its damp wings. Thus
the ferocious creature of this pitfall
beoomes a beautiful dandy of the in
sect world, content to flit in the sun
shine a few days and die, after having
deposited some eggs that will hatch
out more ant-lions.
I'io IIrIoui Ab of the Forth,
Professor It. A. Fessonden of Al
legheny, Penu., in his address bofore
the American Association for the Ad
vancement of H.ieucont its meeting
in Columbus, Ohio, concluded that
the earth must be at least 600.000.0UO
years old.
He said that geologists used to think
that there was unlimited time for evo
lution, but Lord Kelvin showed that
the time was uot unlimited, aud must
be something like 200,000,000 years.
Later ho has brought the time down
idnce life was first possible on this
planet to loss than 50, 000,000 years.
Lord Kelvin's estimates are based
npon certain assumptions, 'he most
important being that the radiation co
etlloieut from the earth has remained
constant. If the radiation coefficient
waB teveral times larger than at pres
ent the age of the earth would have to
be iucrevsod very considerably.
A rough estimate of all sources of
possible error has led him to the con
clusion that we are justified in saying
the age of the earth siuce life was pos
sible on it is not less thau 000,000,000
years, perhaps less, aud consequently
Lord Kelvin Is not justified in hia
statement that life could not have been
ofigluated ou this earth. Chicago
Times-Herald.