5H II i ! 5 C i tii c: 5i It was a grilling day In the July of 1876, as I sauntered Into the ofllce of the Western Union Telegraph Com pany, on Broadway, for the purpose .of sending a dispatch to my friend. George Moyers, the artist, who 1m plored of me to Join him instantcr at West Tolut, where he had pitched his tent for the purpose of doing a picture or two of the scenes enacted In that romantic locnllty during glorious War of Independence. I am a lawyer, and In '70 was a rising junior." I had been fagging cruelly, Bparlng myself no amount of labor, and when on that July day my longed-for vacation was at hand, I felt like a Bchoolboy about to get away for the real genuine holidays. As 1 approached the grating and awaited by turn to pop In the mes sage, I became Interested In a young lady, richly but plainly attired, whose svelte figure was simply perfection, and whose golden hair was wound round the back of her graceful head In massive and luxurious pleats. Of 'course any man of a certain ago obeys the Impulse which bids him gaze on a fair face or a faultless form It Is but nature's tribute to the beautiful -and In mere obedience to this mys terious law, 1 Btratned eagerly for ward to obtain a glimpse of her fea tures, but without success. "When will thl3 message be for warded?" she a3ked. In a low and musical tone. The clerk muttered something that I could not hear. "Oh, I hope it will go at once. How much am I to pay?" The phlegmatic employe proceeded to count the words, and announced that the message would cost two dollars. The young lady put her hand In her pocket, started, colored violently, be came deadly pale and palpitated: "I have left my purse at home, what am I to do?" The clerk bit his pencil and said nothing. "I live out of town and the mes sage would be too late," and In her perplexity she turned and faced me. She was perfectly charming. Lus trous violet-blue eyes, and long, sweeping lashes eyes sad yet Joyous, bright,, tender, A delicately formed nose, slightly retrousse, which im parted a piquancy to the face such as one 'only Bees in Greuze's portraits. Her golden hair came low upon her forehead, and she wore a hat sur mounted by a rich dark-blue feather that almost swung across her shoul ders. My voice was scarcely audible as I said: "I beg your pardon. I Inadvertent ly heard your conversation with the clerk. Will you permit me to relieve you from any embarrassment by al lowing me to pay for the dispatch?" She started as I spoke, and, be stowing upon me a haughty glance that almost amounted to defiance, ex claimed: "We are strangers, i.ir, and I can not accept your offer, however cour teously meant," and she turned from me. I felt nettled and strangely Irri tated. A keen sense of Injury smote me. I resolved to act. Plunging my hand Into my pocket, I Beized upon two silver dollars, and, finging them to the clerk, gruffly cried, "Send that lady's message," and, striding from the building, Bprang into a passing stage. "What a fool!" I muttered, as we rumbled along. "What a blooming Idiot to indulge in two dollars' worth of chivalry!" And then her defiant loveliness came back to me, and I felt elated, triumphant. She might be Lady Clara Vcre de Vero for aught I knew to the con trary; but be she gentle or simple, she owed me two mighty dollars. George Moyers met me at the dock at West Point. "Yoa never behsld such a charming ranch as I have dropped on!" he ex claimed, as we strolled up the hill. "It's all honeysuckle and sunshine, birds whistling, and a rustic porch over every window, and a summer house instead of a stoop, and a land scape in every corner, and such food ah! " And he Joyously kissed the tips . of bis fingers as he waved them in the direction of our temporary home stead. Our ranch was all that George had painted It, commanding a view 'ot the lordly Hudeon, with its glori ous and varied scenery. As we sat on the stoop lazily smoking our cigars, I related my adventure with the "Fair One With the Golden Locks." "Why, I used to think you a hard headed, shrewd, solid businsf.s man," laughed George, "but now I shall never see a two-dallar bill that I will - not think of my friend Tom Kendrick loafing around telegraph offices for the purpose of paying for the dis patches of damsels who have forgot ten their purses." Our life at West Point was an en chanting monotony a plunge la the river at seven, breakfast at nine, no letters to read cr write thank Heaven a prolonged smoke. Gsorge sketched, I read a trashy novel, with the full knowledge that it was rub bish of the most uncompromising hind, but exulted in its flimsy fiction, nevertheless; and then to the dock to ineet the steamer this Set, together , with that of attending the evening , parade at the Point, we regarded In common with ail the guests at Coi- Remarkable Dispatch. dy EMERSON BENNETT. zen's Hotel, and Indeed of the village, In the light ot a serious duty; and be the weather fair or foul, wet or dry, stormy or calm, the arrival ot the boat found us on the dock, like a pair of detectives, awaiting the lauding ot seme party telegraphed as "wanted." Six weeks had gilded away as though I had been In dreamland, nnd the hour was not far distant which was to summon me to work. The shadow of New York was upon me. One exquisite afternoon found us, as usual, on the lookout for the boat en route to Albany. Tourists from all climes under the sun were passing backward and forward, and George's excuse for gazing at the pretty girls was on the plea ot "studying char acter." "I never raw such a colorless lot," growled my companion, as the bont commenced to glide from tho dock. "As tigly as ah, that's comething over there In deep mourning the girl with the hay-colored hair." My heart leaped. , It was the young indy whom I had encountered at the telegraph office. My eyes caught hers and she flushed. The boat was passing along the dock. Sho spoke rapidly to her compan ion, a tall, arlstocratlc-Iooklng young man, toward whom, In that Blngle in stant, I conceived a deadly, aversion. This man instantly quitted her side nnd rushing to the stern of the boat shouted: "Your name and address; I want to get out of your debt" his tone as though he were addressing a lackey. "You are not in my debt," I defi antly retorted. The boat had almost passed from tho dock. He Bprang upon a scat, and rapidly wrapping a sliver dollar In a green back, I know not of what value, cried, ns he flung it: "Catch! Debt with Interest and thanks." Tho bont had passed away from the dock. I was not the "boss" baseball player In the Manhattan Club without being able to make a fair catch. I caught hi3 missile as it came flying through the air. With all my strength I sent it spinning back to him. It struck him, and a savage thrill of pleasure ran through me as I saw him apply a handkerchief to his face. The steamboat had passed away, and my heart's longings were with that fair girl who was being borne from me, whither I could not tell. What was this haughty beauty to me? What link between us? None, save an act for which a newly breeched schoolboy would flout me. Her husband, too. Strange to Bay, I never admitted the possibility of her being united to that man whenever the thought came to the surface, I did not give it breathing time, but sent it down to the unfathomable depths of undefined idea. Upon my arrival In New York I found a letter which compelled ma to take the night train to Boston. 1 ordered my berth to bo made up with out entering the sleeping compart ment, and smoking a cigar before turning in. It was bright daylight and we were slowing into the depot when the por ter shook me up. I rolled out of my berth and stood gathering my Im pedimenta together preparatory to going in for a wash, when a conduc tor exclaimed: "Please to let these ladles pass, sir." My fellow travelers were standing anxious, like Mr. Sterne's starling, to get out. I muttered an apology for blocking tho way, and, turning, cast a short, sharp glance at two ladles. One of them was the youne rirl whom I had encountered at the tele graph office. My holidays had passed away, and work, grim, gaunt, earnest, was upon me. jitters to be replied to, papers to bo hunted up, appointments to be made and kept, law books to be con sulted, opinions to be given, and every pigeon-noie in my waking existence crammed to the uttermost limits of its endurance. Bitterly I reviled the Ill-fortune that closed my lids in the cars; bitterly the ill-luck that forced SS&SZ&Q329 E2I?SZ32E3 fgSlgTJflgBSa Play not for gain, buf sport. Who plays for more Stakes his own heart; perhaps his wife's too. Herbert. . They say this town is full of cozenage. As nimble jugglers that deceive the eye. Disguised cheaters, prating mountebanks. And many such like libertines of sin. Shakespeare. Gambling with cards, or dice, or stocks. Is all one thing: ft Is getting money without giving an equivalent for It. Beech er. Gaming is the child of avarice, but the parent of prodi gality. Cotton. . A gamester, the greater master he is in hia art, the worse man he is. Bacon. f!i A gamester, as such. Is l spirit ot concentrated, essential selfishness. Beecher. ma Into a corner beneath tne bony knuckles ot time; bitterly the mock ing destiny that dashed the cup from my. lips thrice when the brimming nectar was within reach of them. My work was heavy, and demanded' a ceaseless vigilance. My work stood between nie and her imago, thrust ing it aside with an Iron and unswerv ing hand. It was a murky, drizzling morning In December, upon tho eve of the Christmas holidays. I had not the pleaBlng gratification of even seeing my bed upon the preceding night, as I was compelled to read up a case In volving a series of the most Im portant Issues, and my night's rest went down before the Interest of my clients. It was a disputed will rase, and I had been retained for the defendants. Mies iBabelle Van Zandt died on the preceding August, bequeathing the built of her vast property to her nephew and niece, the children of a deceased sister, and a comparatively small residue to a sole surviving brother, who now disputed the will on the grounds of undue Influence and the mental incapacity of the testatrix. On our side It was alleged that the testatrix was ot sound mind at the time ot her demise, and that the be questB wero the result of natural affection, and that she was further influenced by the fact that tho plain tiff was extremely wealthy and un married. There were two weak places In our armory. The first, that Miss Van Zandt had been estranged from her nephew up to within a few days of her death; the second, that Miss Van Zandt was generally considered some what eccentric. Her nephew, Mr. Ed ward Appleton, had married "a pen niless lass wl' a lnng pedigree con trary to the expressed wishes of his aunt; and it was solely owing to the influence of his sister Mabel that he was, at the eleventh hour, restored to the good graces ot his offended rel ative. It was late when I arrived at court, and, In addition to my brief, I was Incumbered with a ghastly headache, which, at every throb, led me to im agine that my Rkull was In Imminent danger of exploding as though through the agency of nltro-glycerine. The plaintiff had a cloud of wit nesses in attendance, and the case, from the magnitude of the property at stake, excited very considerable interest. The plaintiff's case was ably, elo quently and argumentatively stated by his counsel, and about twenty per sons who had been on terms of al leged Intimacy with the deceased were examined as to her eccentrici ties, and also with regard to her visi bly decaying mental powers, antece dent to her demise. My associate cross-examined such ot those witnesses as he deemed shaky, and, by dint of a series ot art ful and elaborate querieB, totally Ir relevant to the question at Issue, suc ceeded in driving a number of these witnesses into a state of mental irri tation bordering upon frenzy, and the remainder into a condition of hapless and irrevocable bewilderment. When he had duly impressed the jury with the conviction thnt the In dividuals who had appeared before them were each and all possessed ot a natural taste for perjury, he proceed ed to state the case for the defense, and in a brief but incisive statement painted the conduct ot the plaintiff in such hideous colors as to justify the refusal of the tears of a solitary angel to wipe the record out. It our case was indented with weak points, It likewise bristled with strong ones, and' one upon which we placed an unlimited confidence was the fact of the deceased lady's having tele graped to her nephew, a few days prior to her death, to come and re ceive her unqualified forgiveness. The substance of the dispatch was written by herself, copied by- her niece nnd transmitted by the latter to Mr. Ed ward Appleton, who acted upon it im mediately. The existence of this dispatch wa3 questioned. By a piece of extraor dinary good luck tho original, in tho handwriting of Miss Van Zandt, had been procured, and, with a cool,' self satisfied demeanor, my associate rose and said: "We propose to place Mi3S Apple-; ton on the Btand now;",and, 'turning to me, half-whispered: "You take her up, Kendrick; I'll hold myself in reserve." v Up to this particular moment I had preserved a masterly Inactivity; my head was splitting, and my ideas were deranged by the tortures of physical anguish. I would willingly have given a hundred, two hundred, yea, five hundred dollars for a respite, but the chance was too good to throw the cool, calculating, essential fj S3 e way; I could not afford to lose the opportunity, so, by a, vigorous effort, I drew myself together, and, glancing rapidly at the marginal notes scrawled on my brief, I turned toward tho Btand, and, blinded with pain, drawled: "You are Miss Mabel Appleton?" I am." "Niece of the late Miss Isabelle Van Zandt?" "Yes." "You recollect Tuesday, the 27th of July last?" "Perfectly." "You are acquainted with Miss Van Zandt's handwriting?" , "Intimately." "You recollect sending a dispatch to your brother at Montreal?" "I do." "At the request of your aunt?" "Yes; she wrote the substance of the dispatch." "Will you have the goodness to In form me If you have seen this docu ment before?" handing a half-sheet of note-paper all written over. She raised her veil. The court swung around me; Mabel Appleton held the original draft of the dispatch for which I had paid tho two dollars. That "bit o' wrltln' " is now framed nnd glazed, and suspended In a gold frame In my wife's boudoir, and many a time do we refer to that memornbla 27th of July, when I paid two dollars for a dispatch that was destined to do bo much for her, and so much for mo. Good Literature. It Is said thnt the use of an oil or gas engine on the farm results In a saving of from twenty to' fifty per cent, as compured with horses. Tests of reinforced concrete barges and pontoons have been conducted by tho Italian Government since 1897, and the results have been so gratify. Ing that several more of the strange constructions have been ordered. Consul-General William H.Michael, writing from Calcutta, says that a young engineer of Dalslng, Serai, In dia, has invented a machine which disposes of the wood in the stems of Jute at the rate of C0,000 stems per day. The quantity of sulphuric acid In mine water vnrles according to the district and condition ot the mine. Some mine water has been found to contain only a few grains, while the water in other workings often con tains over 100 grains a gallon." According to the Engineering rec ord, a concrete tahk at the San An tonio ga3 works has been in Eervics for three years, holding heavy Terias oil without showing any leakage whatever, although there is n general belief thnt oil destroys the cohesion ot concrele. A novel plan Is being experimented with In Australia with a view to rid ding it of the rabbit plague. A news paper Is placed at the mouth of the burrow, and the hole Is then stopped v.'lth earth. The rabbits are said to ba bo frightened by the rustling of the paper that they will not approach tho spot again, preferring to die In the burrow. The available coal yet stored In the earth in Germany 13 estimated by Professor Ferdinand Fischer, ot Got tingen, at 1G0, 000, 000, 000 tons; in England only 81,&00,000,000 tons; in Belgium, Austria-Hungary and France about 17,000,000,000 tons each. The store of Russia is but im perfectly known. North America can produce 684.000,000,000 tons, and Baron von Itichthofen has stated that China""has a supply nearly B3 great. Japan, Borneo and New South Wale3 have considerable coal; Africa, an un known quantity. Germany's coal should last another thousand years, but England's supply will begin to show exhaustion within fifty years. In the United. State: the production has Increased from about 6,200,000 tons in 1891 to nearly 43,000,000 in 1901. . An Excuse. Little Dick, the village "bad boy," wa3 wading through a shallow swamp catching frogs with a small landing net. He had just caught a fine speci men and transferred It to his bucket, when a young lady who was out for a walk happened along. "Little boy," she said, "don't you know It's very cruel to catch those poor little trogg!e3?" Dick straightened up and looked at her. She wore a gorgeous "crea tion" on her head, 'and something in its trimmings attracted his attention. "I want 'em to wear on my hat," he said. Youth's Companion. Wooden Clothes Are Xe:;t. , Wooden hats, coat3, carpets, tow els, as well as "wooden shoes," are promised by Professor Em II Claviez, of Dresden, who is said to expect to j teach all human beings to wear wooden clothes. After being ground into pulp, as for paper, the wool U impregnated with chemicals cad woven into yarns. The building of tho Chicago d. ia ago canal has been tho means cf so improving the sanitary condition in that city that the death rata, from typhoid and similar dtsaaaea h-o l)ca t reduced 67.5 per c;- , Drnlnnge of Hulls. Drainage permits of earlier crops and a larger proportion of air, warmth and moisture In the soil. Drainage benefits tho land also by af fording a ready outlet for all excess of water, thereby preventing Blagua ,tlon and removing a source ot evil, The bad effects produced by an ex cess of water all of which are, of course, removed by drainage may be enumerated at length. One evil pro duced Is the consequent diminution in the quantity of air within it, which air is of the greatest consequence, not only in promoting the chemical changes requlnlto for tho preparation of the food for plants, but likewise to tho rooto themselves. Excess of water Injures the soil by diminishing Its temperature In summer and In creasing It In winter a transposition of nature most hurtful to perennials, because the vigor of a plant in spring depends greatly upon the lowness of temperature to which It has been sub jected during winter (within certain limits), ns the dlfferenca of tempera ture between winter nnd spring is the exciting cause of the ascent of the sap. The presence of a large quantity of water in the soil also alters the re sult of putrefaction, by which some substances are formed which are use less to plants. An Increase In the proportion of moisturo in soils has a powerful effect upon its saline con stituents, by which many changes are produced diametrically opposito to those that take place in soil where the water 13 much less In qunntlty; and In this way tho good effects of many val uable constituents are greatly dimin ished, as for Instance, the action of carbonic acid upon lime and green materials, and gypsum upon car bonate of ammonia. The proportion of plant foods avail able in the soil for the use of crops Is largely Influenced by drainage and the amount ot surplus water lu the Boll.. The directions of the currents which occur in wet soils are entirely altered by drainage; In undrained loll are altogether from below upward being produced by the force of evaporation at the surface conse quently the spongioles of the plants are supplied with undesirable subsoil water; but when the laud la drained the currents are from the surface to the drains, and the roots are, conse quently, supplied with fresh aerated water. Drainage increases the ab lorption of carbonic acid, also the at mospheric supply of food, and cre ates a tendency In the plant to pro duce leaves possessing a different structure from those which the same plant produces In dry situations. An other important point is that on land that has been drained the system of lubsolllng can be adopted with ten fold advautage, which i3 an object of the highest importance, for there is no doubt that the use of the subsoil plow has been satisfactory on almost all soils, having been found as valua ble on light lands with rententive bottoms as upon those of a more com pact and stiff er surface, rendering lolls drier In wet weather and more moist during a season of drought. That a tenacious and Impervious sub loll must be relieved from the water collected and retained on Its surface before tho earth can be fitted for the trowth of vegetable matter has been most clearly and satisfactorily ascer tained. The best mode of effecting this object may be a question, but It Is probable that under-draining with tiles will be found the most econom ical method. A cold soil Is nevar capable of pro ducing profitable crops. An excess of water in the soil, in addition to Its Injury to the soil, also produces a constant dampness of the atmosphere, which hns been shown to be Injurious to plants, especially by diminishing evaporation, thus . rendering the process of assimiration slower, and in tome sections nnd on certain farms malaria results; in fact, there is every reason to believe that surface water, which is for the mo3t fart stagnant, Is by far the most Injurious, because In this manner the currents produced during the heat of summer namely, the period afrwhich vegetation should be most active will of necessity be entirely from below upwards, being produced by the evaporation of the rater upon the surface of the soil, the consequence being tnat ths roots ot the plants, instead of being supplied with water charged with the valuable plants foods, will ba supplied with water which has existed so long In the toil that It will have lost these vegeta ble Ingredients, and will, moreover, be charged with excreraentitious mat ters. No system of drainage can di minish the quantity of water which a oil receives; 'It can only affect the quantity which it retains and prevent stagnation by allowing it to escape freely that continual currents are pro duced so long as any excess of water remains. Drainage will not fail to pay a percentage upon the cost far greater than many other investments, as that land which uas been reclaimed by drainage will oftentimes require no manuring for years, the herbage, too, being of a peculiarly different species from that hitherto produced, as well ss being far more nutritious. Phila delphia Record. Good Horse Flesh. The chest in all breeds of horsc3 should ba wide, deep and round, and ribs well Inclined to the rear. These conditions are necessary to ensure ef ficient breathing capacity and staying power. Tho lower line of the chest towards the abdomen should t3 nearly horl tontal to the ground. Any undue in clination upwards of this line Is an In dication of want of power ot en durance. The abdomen In race horses should be round, and not too full. Too large an abdomen seriously Interferes with speed, by exciting an undue pressure on the lungs, and thereby affecting the breathing capacity. Where speed Is not required, this part ot the body may be more fully developed. The back and loins of all horses should be short. ' On first thought, a long back gives ub the Impression that such a condition Is conducive to speed; but on reflection It Is found that such Is not the case. Undue lengths of back and loins are gener ally associated with soft, "herring gutted" animals, and neceLsilates the expenditure of much more muscular energy In raising the forequarters than when the distance from the with, ers to tho croup is Bhort. The top line should Incline shortly towards the croup, and, passing over this part, should continue In a gentle down ward sweep to the tall. Short back and loins are also necessary where weight-carrying power Is required. The loins should be short, flat and broad. A slight convexity might be admitted, but a tendency to roach and hollow backs should be carefully; guarded against. Breadth of loins Is a verylmportant point In all clnsses of horses, for It Is over this region that the strongest and most powerful muscle In the body. Is situated the long, brond muscle which extends from tho pelvic bones to the Inst three or four bones of the neck, and the action of which is re sponsible for the rising of the fore part in galloping, Jumping and rear ing, and for lifting the hind quarters during the action of kicking. We have already noticed the bones and tendons of the leg from the knee and hock down to the ground.' Suf fice It to say that, in proportion to the klml of work tho horse has to per form, so should the size and shifpe ot these appendages be regulated. W. T. C, in the American Cultivator, Bowel Diseases of Poultry. Sometimes It happens that diarrhae occurs In flocks where the manage ment has been good, and at once the difficulty Is diagnosed by tho farmer or poultryman as cholera, or some other contagious disease that may be unknown. Tho cause is usually the free use of very watery green food. When rye, grass, tender weeds and other bulky foods are largely con sumed by the fowls the result may be a laxative effect, but this occurs most, ly when the green food Is very young, nt which stago of growth It contains a large proportion of water and very little solid matter. Tho effect is more readily noticeable when the birds have had but little green food, being kept during the winter and spring on a grain diet. The remedy for the dif ficulty mentioned is to confine the birds In their yards for a few days, feeding them twice a day on a ratioi of ten parts cornmeal, two parts sifted ground oats and one part fine bran, adding a gill of Unseed meal and a teaspoonful of salt to every quart, cooking the whole as bread. Weekly Witness. The Bug Nuisance. Dr. H. T. Fernald, of the Massachu. setts Agricultural Experiment Col lege, says that five-sixths of all the living creatures of ths globe are in sects, and that not more than one out of ten is friendly to man. He es timates that $2,000,000 or $3,000,000 worth of damage is anually wrought by insects, and that known means of protection, properly used, could pre vent about two-thirds of this loss. He Is, therefore, Impressing the necessity of a cloze study by all classes of peo ple of this question, with the hope ot saving foresU, shade trees and crops. Not to Be Continncd. According to J. E. Wing, unles3 one ia certain that his lambs will go early to market, say an age of not exceed ing three months, he had better dock them. Tails are unneccessary ap pendages to a modern sheep and are apt to get fouled. A docked lamb has a square look and seems fatter than one with a tall. What blood goes to nourish a useless tail would add to th9 growth of tbs body, no doubt. Weekly Witness. To Get Kid of the Groundhog. There is practically but one cure. Bisulphite of carbon will smother the pests in their dens. Saturate a rag with two tablespoonfuls ot the stuff, and push it down the hole as far as you can, then stop the hole up with sod or earth, and go away sorrow. fully, for 10U have committed mirr. der. Bisulphide of carbon Is very ex- piosive; have no matches or fire around. D. W. Brown, in th9 In diana Farmer. . Value of Quail. It Is said that the quail has been1 known to destroy sixty different kinds of weed seeds, and It Is a fact that about five per cent, of his food is, made up of seeds that are harmful to the farmer. He also destroys an nual'.y large numbers of inlurieus bugs. American Cultivator. The Rash riambor. To save foolish workmen froni in curring unnecessary risks, says the Builders' Journal, Is well nigh impos sible. Almost every year some rash, ti:oughties3 young plumber rushes out and does a Job ot wort. London Globe.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers