THE WEATHER PROPHET 3 & bsi a OF BAD LEG. 7- By ELLIS PARKER BUTLER. v It was a big day for Bad Leg when Old Man JVir'ow climbed out of the stage and sl :".)? foot on Main street, and all the able-bodied men lu the city gathered to give him a glad welcome, for he had been well ad vertised. Old Man Barlow came from some where down In Maine some little place with u big Indian Jawbreaker name and he was daddy to Wopily Barlow, one of the most respected citizens of Bad Leg, and Woolly had let us I.aow the old man's good points. He used to sit for hours and brag about his daddy's value to a growing city like Bad Leg, until we came to believe that if we could just get Old Man Barlow to come West anC settle at Bad Leg wo would have the so-called city of Ringtail beat to a finish. So we all chipped in to raise enough to pay his fare West, and he came. When Woolly first raised the sub ject of the advantageousncss of Old Man Barlow as a citizen of our metro polis, we naturally wanted to know the old man's good points, and he asked Woolly, and the conversation went something like this: "Is he a good worker?" we asked. "Well, no," says Woolly, "ho ain't, very." "Is he a good fighter?" "Well, no, he ain't, very." "It he a good talker?" "Well, no, he ain't, very." And we went on down the list until at last Copper Jmlklns says: "Well, what In Sam Hill is he good for?" "Well," says Woolly, "he's the best weather prophet yon ever see. There never was a match for the old man at polntin' out what the weather will be. - He seems jest a natural born predlcter, and no mistake. Let mo tell you every man in the State of Maine is a weather prophet. You can lay your hand on any man yon run across first in Maine and you'll have it on a better weather prophet than the best in any other State. .Weather prophesying is a science in Maine. Kids there three years old can go out doors and sniff the air a minute and say, 'Cloudy weather to morrow,' or 'Snow 'fore nightfall, I reckon,' and hit it right every time. I don't s'pose you'll believe me, but the men have prophecy contests very winter, when the best prophets get together from all over the State to prophesy for,a championship belt. Well, my old man can give all of them four aces and win the game every time." ' So that was why we paid to have Old Man Barlow come to Bad Leg, and as soon as he landed from the stage and Limpy Taylor had made bis little speech of welcome and we liad done the honors at Ryerson's Palace, up speaks Copper Judkins and says: "Well, Mister Barlow, soeln' as tiow you've been initiated into the good society of Bad Leg and are now a full-fledged citizen of the eomin' metropolis of the West, what say you to giving us a little weather prophe cy right now. Just as a sample?" The minute Old Man Barlow heard the word "weather" his eyes began to sparkle, and be ran his hand down bis long white beard, and he says, "'Boys, I see my son here has been tellln' you I'm some at foretellln' the breather, an' he ain't told no untruth. I guess the weather is one critter I know from A to Izzard and back Again. I simply dote on the weather, and hev studied her all my life till I know her tricks like a book, and hev her all cod I tied and scheduled and put into rules and maxims and poe try. Jest let nie step to the door a minute." With that he did step to the door nd he looked at the sun to get his points of the compass, and then he held out his hand in the breeze which wasn't much of a breeze, but as much as we usually had at Bad Leg that time of the year and he says, short and decided like, "Wind's in the east; we'll have rain." Well, sir, you could have heard a pin drop if anybody had one to drop, but they hadn't. We was all mighti ly embarrassed, for the truth was that the breeze came from the east cix months every year at Bad Leg, and that was during the six months of dry spell, when it never rained at all. We ought to have told Old Man Barlow so, then and there, but he was smllin', so confident like and truthful, that, Beein' it was his first day in Bad Leg, we didn't have the ieart to do it So we let him go oft to his son's shack without saying anything, and he went off smiling. Fir3t thing Copper Judkins says "when the old man went out was, "He's a bloomin' old fraud!" But Ityerson spoke up quick and says, "'Hold on there, Copper; don't be so last. ' How do you know he's a lraud? Give him a show first," says le. "Of course," he says, "I'll admit we ain't ever had rain durin' the dry spell since mortal man come to Bad Leg, but then, wo ain't ever had a weather prophet, either. Mebby that's why. If he was just a com mon guesser I'd say like you say that's he a fraud but he ain't a common guesser. He's the champeen prophesyer of the State of Maine, and I figger that he's got such a grip on the weather that what he says has JlBt got to come true." Some of us thought as Judkins did, and some of us .nought like Ryer on, but the end of It was that we I agreed to give Old Man Barlow a lit tle time to prove up his case, which Is to say, that we'd wait and see if it did rain like he had prophesied. Next day Old Man Barlow come out and took his place on a chair be fore Woolly's shack, but we noticed he looked worried and kept casting his eVe Off tO the mstvilnl Hut nn rain come. Along in the afternoon a lot or cimias passed over and the old man chirped up some, but clouds don't rain in the dry season at Bad Leg, and all they did was to pass over, and by night Old Man Barlow was pretty glum, I tell you. Well, the old man seemed to know we was losing faith in him as the days passed, and he got mighty blue and downcast, and kent flwnv from all Of US. He would lust Kit nn hla chair and keep his eye on the little weather vane he had rigged up on a post before the shack, and talk to himself. When we passed by we would hear him sayine. "Wind 'a in the east: wind's in the. nsr n. Never knew it to fail before," or She's got to rain." or some such thing. I tell you it was miehtv nltiful tn see that poor old man and the faith he had in the weather, for he wouldn't lose faith. He seemed to feel hurt at the wav the weather un treating him, just as if some old friend had got to actine mean, hur he never believed the weather wnnM go back on him entirely, and he sat out tnore in the east breeze, day after day, waiting for the weather to come back and be forgiven. It was touching scene, and Rverson sue- gested that we ought to git up a convention to petition the Almighty for rain, but none of us being much of a hand at that sort of thin wo let it drop. We figured that if faith would do the work, Old Man Barlow had enough faith to brine- n rtoh, but, as for us, we had never known it to rain except after the wind shift ed to the west at the end of the dry season, so we couldn't be expected to have much faith in rain coming from the east. Poor old Barlow cot more and more downcast as the days went on, and we got to going round to try to cheer him up. but it didn't seem to do any good. He used to shake his head and Bay: "Eoys, I never knew it to fail 'East wind brings rain' I've said it a thonenml timet every time I said it, it brought the rain," and then the tears would pile up in his eyes and run down and splash on the ground like rain drops, and sometimes he would think they were rain drons. and then ho u-nnM look up, and when he saw the clear sKy, ne would drop his chin down into his whiskers and break down complete, like a little weak baby. uo, it was terrible! Sometimes we would wnllr 11 n tn him and sniff the air, and say: "Air smells damp this morning. Mister Barlow," but it never fnnlerl him and we couldn't get him to smile. He would just groan and shake his head in the same old doleful way. He got worse and worse as time went on, and he got thinner and thinner until he WAS A rpfflllnr alrol. eton, and his face was like a death's neaa with whiskers, and with two bright eyes looking out always looking for rain. And then one day he took to his bed and went out of his head. Sometimes he thought he was back in Maine and then ha would smile a poor, skinny smile; and sometimes he thnncht ha wci Noah, but the saddest was when he tnought he was the east wind tryin' to blow a heavy watering cart through a sand desert. When he thought he was that, the toughest of us had to Just sit down and cry, it was so pitiful. Then one day he failed pretty fast, and we knew he was going, and as he fell back on the pillow with his eyes shut, the rain began to fall out side to beat sixty. When he heard it, a sweet, peaceful smile passed over his face, and he opened his eyes and said: "She's come!" and then, after a minute: "It's all right now, life is worth livin'," and he seemed to strengthen up right away. For a little bit he lay enjoying th sound of the rain, and then he sort of raised himself on one elbow and looked out of the window, but in a minute he caught sight of his little weather vane, and the smile fled, and he fell back and died. You see, the wind was from tho west. We all stood .there, thinking how sad it was, I reckon, and none of us knowing what to do or say, when all of a sudden Copper Judkins left the room. The next we saw of him ha was out in the rain nailing Old Man Barlow's weather vane so it pointed from the east. Which leads me to re mark that Bomehow a feller always thinks of such things after they can't do any good. New York Times. Prosperity Reduces Birth Bute. The breeder who to improve his stock must keep them in great com fort on abundance of food finds his greatest d!2cu!ty in their tendency to sterility. Seeing that this law of fertility governs not only the animal but also the vegetable kingdom, may we not safely conclude that human volition has little to do with the birth rate, and also hold that the birth rate of a Batlou is inversely proportional to the well-being of its people? Nineteenth Century, A Terrible Indictment. The modern girl Is a sphinx; a hybrid kind of creature who dislikes children, talks an Incomprehensible language, mostly composed of slang terms picked up goodness knows how and where, and looks upon feminine graces as to use her own "elegant" term " tommy-rot. " Correspondent writing in tho Throne. ICliznlx-th Cnbot Agassi. Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, widow of Louis Agassiz, the celebrated natural ist, is dead. Mrs. Agassiz was her distinguished husband's assistant in his work, and also wrote his biog raphy. Since his death she has been instrumental In founding and foster ing Radtllffa College and other pub lic works. She was eighty-four years eld. The Mnnnrt-s of American Women. In Harper's Bazar, Mr. Henry James continues his desperate task of reforming the women of America. It 13 their manners that concern him now, and he writes of them sadly but frankly. "Let me thus then, making my image comprehensive, invite it to cover the cuse of the whole social opportunity of women In our rough American world that world indeed Whose admirable capacity for still feeding innumerable millions makes us even yet resent the application to Its liberality of any invidious epithet. We have to breathe low that it is rough, and that the free hand we have given on ail Bides to our women has done much less than we might have dreamed to smooth it; we other wise invite ourselves to taste over much of certain forms of tae rough ness. This, however, is a trifle If we only succeed in insisting, insisting with lucidity; than which there Is no better way, doubtless, than to appeal with directness. Directness is achieved, accordingly, when this peti tion to tho American woman is made, absolutely, against her much-misguided self, and when it is asked of her to recognize, not that her path is more lighted than that of her downtrodden Bisters In other worlds, but that the literally stands In need of three times their sufficiency of ad monition. It is in other words not three times easier for her to please and soothe and happily to exemplify, but three times more difficult by reason of the false Hght3 that have multiplied about her and that an at mosphere absolutely uncritical has done nothing to extinguish,'' A Left-Handed Party. A good many prospective hostesses are racking their brains for some new scheme for entertaining their friends. The woman' who entertains much knows that the guests whose hands are full are at their ease, and all stiff ness vanishes. If you cannot think of something with which to fill both hands, let us try to fill one only. You may either add to the invitation "Come with the right hand tied up," or the guest may be left in ignorance of the fate awaiting her in hall or dressing room. Let no one be excepted. The host ess greets the guests extending the left hand, and begs as a great favor that each one will register in the open blank book which she will on a table or desk near her. This ,alone will serve to banish the formality which is so apt to settle like a pall upon a company of people when they are met together for social purposes, especially at the beginning of the evening. The best of penmen can scarcely write the name legibly with the left hand, so all will meet on a :ommon footing. The page will soon' look worse than any kindergarten's first attempt at penmanship, and will afford amusement for all; while to the hostess it will become a pleasing souvenir of the occasion. After that almost any form of amusement will be doubly amusing when performed by the crippled guests. A soloist might Ling to her own left-handed accompaniment; a reciter make a speech with left-handed gestures; or all draw some simple object on pieces of cardboard fastened to a drawing board or on the black board, in which case it will be very amusing for the rest to watch the gestures and positions which the left handed victim will unconsciously assume. On no account must the right hand be r.sed all the evening, and comical forfeits should be in readiness to be imposed ppon anyone caught In the act. For refreshments anything requir ing a spoon or a fork may be served, and no little fun may be added if the hostess- has selected her menu with a view to the awkwardness of the company. Just as nil are through eating a large tray may be brought into the room, set In the centre of the table and uncovered while the hostess or a friend counts ten, then covered up fur one minute, then uncovered again while ten is counted, then each one writes (or tries to) the names of all the things remembered as seen on the tray. There should be a great variety of common things on the tray. Or, if it is too much trouble to write the names the guests may go one by one into a room with the hostess or a friend and feel of the things under the cover with her left hand, an nouncing the name of what Bhe thinks each one is, and the on who has charge of it writing down and keep ing track of the ones who guess the most correctly. What is Worth While? After being a housekeeper ovei fifty years, and all that time on a farm, would It not be a natural won der If I had not learned that to pro vide the wherewithal to eat and drink Is not all of life? What then is worth while? May 1 be allowed to say a few words in re gard to the family circle (the olde3t Institution on earth)? Is it worth while to starve the brain and dwarf the soul by overwork to keep spick and span, or to get rich In pocket that some one may live in idleness and spend it on luxuries? To earn a good living is a clear duty, but to have a happy home Is a greater one. A good stock of love Is the main thing in the beginning. Let in the sun shine, and after the necessary work Is accomplished for that day, swlns quite round sing, tell stories, or dance, if there Is music, and don't forget to do a kindness for some one As I do not cook much now I can not send an original idea in that line, but I do go away sometimes, and will offr some notes on that. Not long since I was at a home where there was only one child a daughter about twelve. Suddenly she cried out: "Do, mamma, please be quiet! I am doing the very best I can, and you are scolding me all the time." The mother was a nagger, a veritable scold. In olden times they fastened such on a ducking stool over the water to wash the slu away a few descendants still live. Later on John, the) husband, ap peared, and then the nagging began to work again. Why do you do this? Why don't you do that? He looked as though good victuals were wasted on him, for the nagging process was wearing him away, fle3h and spirit. I thought: "Poor woman, it would be hard to have a brain without a tongue, but deliver us from a tongue without a brain." In case John was a little stubborn and could not see that his wife need ed help, would It not be better to use the rule of the statesman or captain of industry diplomacy (or call it tact, if you like)? - For instance, if you have a large wash on hand and he has the labor ious task of going to the city or tak ing a trip to the country, make the proposition that he help you In the forenoon, and you ride with him in the afternoon. He may say: "Be fore I'll come to that, I'll have it done." But he doesn't need to come down. The Good Book says: "The husband is the head of the house hold," but It also says, "The wife shall be a crown to her husband," and we all know that the crown is just above the head of the good wife who never nags. Laura N. Kennedy, in the New York Tribune. Curiosities of Servant Question. In connection with the advanced position taken by "la,bor" in New Zealand, it is interesting to note the attitude of the domestic Bervants of that colony. A union has been formed which, through its secretary at Wellington, sent out circulars to housewives, informing them of the "claims" of the Domestic Workers' Union, and expressing the hope that their reasonableness would be ac knowledged by signing the agree ment accompanying the circular let ter, which informs those concerned that "by so doing you will obviate the unpleasantness of appearing person ally or by agent before the Concilia tion Board or Arbitration Court." Here are some of the "claims:" "The week's work shall consist of sixty-eight hours, to be divided aa follows: Work to commence every morning, except holidays, at 6.30 a. m., and cease on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7.30 p. m., with three intervals of one-half hout each for meals, and one hour's in terval in the afternoon of each day. "On Thursdays work shall ceasa at 2 p. m., with two intervals of one half hour each for meals. "On Sundays work shall cease at 2 p. m., with two intervals of half an hour each for raealB, but domes tics shall, if required, prepare tea between the hours of 0.30 p. m. and 6.30 p. m. on alternate Sundays. "On Wednesdays work shall csase at 10 p. m., with three intervals of half an hour each for meals and one hour Interval in tho afternoon. "On Sundays two hours shall b allowed to attend church in tho morning. "Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, King's Birthday, Anni versary Day, Easter Monday, Labor Day, and all statutory holidays shall be deemed to be holidays, and wor'j done on those days shall be paid fof at the rata of one shilling (twenty four cants) per hour." To what extent these "claims" have been acknowledge has not jel transpired. Harper's Weekly. New York' Oldest Street. Crooked, narrow, husv v street is the oldest thoroughfare ii New York City to preserve lis uria lnal form. It has always been a com mercial mart. The wettest hour of the day 'a at o'clock in the morning. TO CLEAR OUT THE WOLVES. Men With Ability ns Hunters to Be Appointed Forest Guards. Following up the wolf investiga tion by the Department of Agricul ture last year, the forest service is aiming to appoint men as rangers and forest guards who have had experi ence In hunting wolves and coyotes. As was stated In the Star at the time the wolf report was made by Vernon Ealley, the wolves do not, as gener ally believed, makes their homes and breeding places in the forest reserves. In fact, all of the dens found in the neighborhood of the reserves studied were in the foothills and outside the limits of the reserves. But the dam age the wolves did was very real, amounting, as near as could be esti mated, to $4,000,000 annually for the Western country for cattle alone, not counting sheep, horses and other animals. The forest rangers who have so far been appointed with a special view to their wolf hunting abilities are F. L., Drandensteln and J. S. Whltlach in the Sawtooth country, in Idaho, and William Poster and Geor.se M. Glo ver In the WlTid P.lver valley of Wy oming. As these men are Govern ment employes on a salary and not trapping for bounties, they will have no inducement to let the wolves breed, killing off only the qld dog wolves, n3 is so often the case with the professional trappers. They will follow the plan outlined by Mr. Bai ley and hunt out the breeding dens of the wolves and break up the fami lies In thiB way. The next three months Is the time when this work is most effective, and good results are expected. Other appointments will be made as rapidly as possible. Washington Star. Inconveniences of nn Indian Jnil. A prisoner in Hamporp Boalia Jail has a clear grievance against the Government. There are certain In conveniences inseparable from prison life which all reasonable criminals more or less unwillingly accept, but the most complaisant draws the line at being marked down and clawed by a leopardess In the seclusion of the prison yard. The animal seems tc have been Inspired by a suffragette like curiosity as to the Inside of a prison, and having got in by the highly irregular method of leaping the wall, she ensconced herself among the low brick piers on which the old barracks are raised from the ground. In the early afternoon she espied a prisoner in the yard, clear ing up, and like tho impulsive crea ture she was, promptly leaped upon him, striking h!:n tn the ground and at once started to clawing his back Then, with the fickleness of her Bex. she suddenly changed her mind, and in an access of shyness ran away and hid herself among the brick pillars Now Colonel R. R. Weir, Inspector General of Prisons, happened to be In the village, and to him the incl lent was reported. Though it can not be said that the duties of an Inspector-General of Prisons includes the destruction of vermin, Colonel Weir did not stop to consider techni calities, but borrowed a rifle. After loroe difficulty in getting within strik ing distance of the intruder as she lay in her fastness, he succeeded in planting his first shot behind her shoulders, after which nothing re mained to be done but to drag out the carcass and record its tape meas urement as more than seven feot. London Dally Telegraph. Stiff in the Knee Joint. The navy is not the only institu tion which has had trouble over an one-the-knee order, for kneeling a? well as standing orders have been fertile of trouble in tho: House of Commons. The late Sir Reginald Palgrave states that the practice of ordering delinquents on their knee; was stopped by the obduracy of a Mr. Murray, in February, 1750. Be ing ordered to kneel for the purpose of receiving the censure of the House for a breach of privilege, he refused to comply. His audacity was voted a high contempt, and he was sent to Newgate, where he remained till set free by the prorogation, four month; afterward. But the victory was his, for no one, according to Palgrave, was ever afterward compelled tc kneel at the bar. Oldfleld, however, records the following among later in stances: An election for the city of Westminster took place in 1751, when Lord Trentham was returned against Sir George Vandeport. Se rious outrages having been committed by the mob, one of the ringleaders, Mr. Crowle, an attorney, was sum moned before the Commons. The de linquent was commanded to kneel and was duly reprimanded by the Speaker. On rising he wiped his knees, and said ho had never been in 20 dirty a house before. Pall Mall Gazette. Put His Foot in It. , On one occasion in Scotland a guest arriving rather late at a coun try house was quartered in the naunted room.' Although profesqing :o be a Bkeptic, like many others, hi? courage vanished with the light. De termined, however, to protect him self as well as possible he placed a loaded revolver under his pillow and awaited events. As the clock struck midnight he saw a fleshy hand at the end of the bed, and, steadying hit nerve, he addressed the visitant thus: "If you do not Instantly remove your hand I shall Ore without further warning." He counted three and then discharged the bullet. A howl of pain which aroused the household followed, and it was soon discovered that the successful marks man had shot away two ot his owe toes. London Throne. BUSINESS CARDS. JUSTICE OP THE PEACE, Por.slon Attorney and Renl'.Estate Agent. RAYMOND E. BROWN, ATTORNEY AT LAW, BltOOkVILLE, Pa. (J. M. MCDONALD, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW, Real estate agent, patent secured, col lection!! mnd promptly. OlBce In Syndicate tiulldiug, lieyuoldsvllle, Pa. gMITH M. McCREtGHT, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW, Notary public anrl real estate agent. Col lections will rece ve prjmpt attention. Office In the Reynoltlrtvliio Hardware Co. bulldlug, Ualu street Ueynoldsville, Pa. )R. B. E. HOOVER, DENTIST, Resident dentist. In the Hoover buildlnf Main street. Gentleness In operating. QR. L. L. MEANS, DENTIST, Office on second floor of the First National bank building. Main street. I)R. R. DeVEUE KINO, DENTIST, Ptllce on second II nor of the Syndicate build Ing, Mutn street, Keyuoldsvllle, Pa. HENRY PRIESTER UNDERTAKER. Black and white funeralcars. Main street. Ruynoldsvllle, Pa. HUGHES & FLEMING. . UNDERTAKING AND PICTURE FRAMIN3. The C. S. Burial League has been tested and found all right. Cheapest form of In surance, becure a contract. Near Publlo fountain. Keynoldsvllle Pa. 1), H. YOUNG, ARCHITECT Corner Grant and Flftn its., Reynolds rllle. I'd. JOHN C. HIRST, CIVIL AND MINING ENGINEER, Surveyor and Draughtsman. Office In Syn dicate building. Main street. WINDSOR HOTEL, PHILADELPHIA, PA. Between 12th and 13th 8ta on Filbert St. Three minutes walk from the Reading Ter minal. Five minutes walk from the Penn'a K. R. Depot. European plan 11.00 per day and unward. Americau ulau fciOOuerdav. l Leech's jj J Planing Mill I i West Reynoldsville J m Window Sash, Doors, Frames. Flooring, I STAIR WORK Rough and Dressed Lumder, S Etc., Etc. $ 2 Contract and repair workiglyen 5 prompt attention. Z J Give us your order. My prices 3 Sjt are reasonable. J W. A. LEECH, Proprietor, jjj THE NATIONAL GAME. The Boston Club has sold Pitcher Joe Harris to the Providence Eastern League Club. Tenney covers more ground than any other first baseman in the Na tional League. Pitcher Brockett, of New York, la said to be as fast as anybody going down to first base. Jack Chapman maintains there is no one In the country who can out throw Hans Wagner, The Brooklyn Club has transferred Pitcher Henley to the Rochester Club of the Eastern League. Flick, of Cleveland, is hitting in great shape and is the best pinch batsman in the League. Manager Chance says that Blaine Durbin, who was signed as a pitcher, is a second Billy Keeler in the out field. "Send hira to Boston" or "to Wash-' lngton" is the cry in Pittsburg when any of the Pirates falls to do just what the fans expect. Frank Isbell, ot the White Sox, says he will retire after this season to become a magnate. He intends to , purchase the Wichita Club. Singularly Fred Odwell, who was last year farmed out by Cincinnati for weak hitting, this season to date is leading the Cincinnati batsmen. There is a pitcher on the Boyers town (Pa.) amateur team named Houck who has struck out ninety, batters in seventy-two innings. Seventy-two innings are the equivalent of eight games. Tommy Leach, though a midget in stature, is right up with the select bunch in making long distance hits. Another peewee who can bang the ball to the boundaries is Miller Hug gins of tle Reds. Pitcher Flaherty has rejoined the Boston team. While disabled, be acted as scout for the Boston Club. The ability of toe JOIe of Japan to 4ieep Pilent e.t a time nf national noe(j?:ty 4s remarka-ble. This ability la a dlotlnot aisioi in tiho great game: of war. In which knowledge of the enemy's tnovementj Is still most Im portiant. It would be a 'particularly notatle asset in war with a people like our5-eH'c-3, remarks the Cincinnati' TleneS'-Star. If an Ar.-ortcan battleship had been sunk off Santiaijo, It is a aife guess that all the world would have known of Ohs disaster, with de (Alia, within 13 mantes. The beauties of the English lang uaco are asuin evident, ta .the Wat,h liiifton Pc:t. in the 'Case of that west ern man who had skipped with the town ifundi and was dexcr!ed aj "six feet tall tni J13.U0 aorL"
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers