THE IDLE Call us the Idle singers who sit by the road and dream, Sunning- ourselves In the weather and winding a web of sixain. Cll us the nonproduceis our rinseis are on the loom Of silver cities of morning and golden valleys of bloom; We sail on a painted ocean with shallops of sliver sales, Or sit on a hillside telling; our own selveSi fairy tales. Call us the Idle singers, who wake and are worn In a day, Dreaming our dream of clover In the hyacinth porches of May; Dwellers In no man's temple, delvers In no man's feet. Call us the necromancers who dine on the honey meat; We swing us the golden hammers and the orinammo snvlls are ours, That the pageants may pass In muslo and the Princess of Ivove wear flowers. Call us the Idle singers, with never a hand on plough, Dreaming the dream of beauty and weaving the whence and how, Call us the roadside children oh, whether we sail or sleep We come back bringing the kingdoms of song from the vasty deep; Bunllght woven of fancy, laughter in golden bales. We bear to the worn world waiting to hark to. our fairy tales. Call us the Idle slnpers; whether wo toll or sing, The looms of our silver music aro weaving the web of spring; The thunder of many cities, the roar of the mills is heard, But we are the mnglc-makers who utter the final word; Dreaming the dream of beauty, or sailing the silver seas, Olve us who fear the thunder the making of melodies! Folger McKlnsoy, In Baltimore Sua. KIDNAPPED. s . The Queer But Nice Adventure of Arthur Gordon, C.E. (W. R. Hose In Cleveland Plain Dealer.) His cousin Emily had told him the electric staufiope would call at 3 o'clock. He was the guest of his cous in and his aunt his mother's only sis ter and so much like her. "I'd laiher slay here, Aunt Lucy," he said. "I'm not a strong admirer of afternoon receptions and I want to visit whh you." His aunt laughed. "It doesn't seem quite right to tuny you off in this summary way," the said. "But Kmlly has set her heart on having you there. You are her lion, you know." The tall young man frowned. "I don't like that. Aunt Lucy." he hastily said. "You heard me tell Emily so. If I thought she had any designs on my peace of mind I would skip this reception wMiout further notice." "You can . rely on 13mlly's 'discre tion," laughed his aunt. "If I thought otherwise wild horses wouldn't draw me out," persisted the young man. "I believe It is an electric that draws ycu this time," said his aunt "And isn't It 3 o'clock?" He glauced at his watch as he arose. "It Is. And how do I look? Any de tail omitted?" "You look the dear boy that you have always looked," she answered. "You are so much u&e Laura," And her eyes were misty. He oaught up his outer coat and hat and kissed his aunt. "Back soon," he cried as he hurried to the elevator. .His cousin Emily had been called away to attend an early afternoon function. Emily had arranged with her dearest friend, Anna Truesdoll, who was also interested in the charit able organization, to send her eelctrtc automobile with the man to the apart ment house.- The man would be there at 3 o'clock and take Arthur Gordon tft lha fnnptlnn ' Arthur had demurred at going, but Emily atsurred him he was expected and that It would be a grievous disap pointment to her If he stayed away Arthur Gordon had Just crossed on the Lusltanla, reaching his aunt's home that very morning, and he would have preferred much preferred to stay In the cczy apartments and visit with the aunt he had not see for a half dozen years. But Emily was Insistent. She toad told her friend, the hostess of the function, that Arthur was coming and there was a cordial welcome awaiting him.' And Emily's mother had asked him to oblige Emily,' and of course that settled It. ' It was a showery afternoon and a light whirl of rain beat upon him as he cpaned the outer door. An elec tric .stanhope was standing at the curb. ' The top was up and the cur tains down and the long apron covered the front. He hurried across the walk and running around the machine pushed aside the curtain and stepped la, "Number 72 Easht Bedford," he gald as he settled himself in the seat. Then he hastily added, "Pardon me for forgetting. I was in a private vehicle. No doubt you know the place. . . There was no response to this and for a moment the driver failed to make any movement. Then the stan hope slowly responded to the starting lever.- " Arthur Gordon looked around and gave a little start. The clear cut 'face beneath the brim of the drooping hat was not that of a masculine chauf feur. This couldn't be Emily's dearest friend. The dearest friend was with Emily. Besides, 'if this was Emily's friend she would have greeted him as he entered. . It was evident he was a stranger in a strange land. Here was V custom of which he had never heard. If your man can't take the machine around send the maid. If he could Judge by the section tf face that' was revealed to him the maid was decidedly handsome, and she wore a stunning hat He wondered , If it would be quite right to speak to her. He was in a democratic country now and would chance it, "Is it far?" he weakly asked. ' The maid did not look at him. 1 ''It is In' Clifton," she answered, Her voice was pleasant, even It her tone was crisp. ( "I know nothing of sections, he permitted. I am a stranger here." ( "The distance is close to seven fatten," said the maid. - 8INQER8. They had turned Into the bread avenue and suddenly the rain ceased and the sun shone and the blue sky appeared. - "Would you mind if I took down the curtains?" Arthur inquired. "I want a clearer look at this beautiful roadway." "If you care to take the trouble.' the maid replied as she stopped the macnine. Tt . , . . no was out or tne stanhope la a moment and had the curtains removed ana folded and stowed avay, He. gave the maid a quick look as he resumed his seat. "This Is ever so much nicer."- ho Bam. He had noticed the bright face, the long slim coat, the dalntly shod foot. And he felt that if Emily's dearest friend equalled her maid in looks she was a remarkably fortunate girl. The young man's roving eyes had noted in the roadway some dis tance ahead a long hung phaeton drawn by a steady going horse. The stanhope was not far behinri this ve hicle when a heavy car came whirl ing around the corner and cutting in close to the curb, caught in close to the curb, eaught a hub of the nhaeton and tipped the vehicle over onto the lawn.- The horse, old and steady, stood still. Arthur Gordon was out of the stan hope in an instant. The driver of the big car had made an effort to stop. He backed a little ways as Arthur ran forward and then suddenly darted ahead. "No, you don't," roared Arthur and sprang at the passing car and caught at the seat and pulled himself up. The maid ran the electric close to the curb and then alighted and hur ried forward. The passengers Jn the phaeton were "a woman and a little child. The woman, evidently a nnrse, nad been dazed by the fall, but was struggling to her feet. The maid ran forward and nicked un the child and held it close. The little one looked up In her face and smiled. "Baby dot a nassy bump," he said. and rubbed his curly head solicitous ly. The nurse came forward. "D-do you think he's much hurt?" she gasped. .. ... "No," the maid replied. "He has bumped his head a little. How is It with you?" "I seem to be all right," replied the nurse. "I was a little stunned at first. I want to make sure that the boy Is all right. You saw it, didn't you? You know it wasn't my fault." "It wasn't your fault," replied the maid. "It was something you couldn't have prevented." The throb of a heavy car drew her attention. She looked around. . The car that had done the mischief was halting by the curb. Beside it stood ONLY ONCEi DO IT NOW. I pass this way but once Let me not fall To answer e'en a faint, A half-caught hall. To reach out hand to hand, To stretch forth to aid, To share my source of strength With one afraid. To smile when smiles appeal, To weep with grief. . I pass but once and pause But moment brief. ,.- big policeman. Arthur Gordon, with one hand clutching the chauffeur, was looking down at him. 'Take charge of this fellow, offi cer, be said. "He tried to run away." I saw It all," replied the big police man. "An' I thank you for bringing him back. It was well done." He caught the chauffeur by ' the arm and drew him from the car. Arthur Gordon ran forward." "How is it here?" he asked. "It seems to be a happy escape," replied the maid. "The child ' has bumped his head, and perhaps it would be -well to take him to a doctor." "Yes, jres," said the nurse eagerly, 'Dr. Axmltag-Y Is the family doctor." ' "His office Is only a short distance up theavenue," said the maid. Aitbur Gordon turned back to tt policeman. "Officer," he said, "the little boy should be taken to a doctor to Dr, Armltage. He doesn't seem to much hurt, but it Is well to be sure. Have this man take you there in his car." "Good," said the big policeman "See here," whined the chauffeur, "it was all an accident I wouldn have tried to run away, but I was scared. And I'd been in trouble be fore, an'" "That will do," said the big police man. "Get In, ma'am, 'an' take the child." The nurse stepped into the car. and the maid brought the child to her. "Nassy bump," said the boy. "Will oo tiss it?" The maid put her Hps to the curly head. The policeman and the chauf feur stepped Into the cur. "I'll straighten up the carriage and tie the horse," said Arthur Gordon. "Thank you," said the big police man. "You're all right,' The car moved away, the little boy waving his chubby hand to the maid Arthur Gordon straightened up the phaeton, which" showed but little damage and then tied the patient old horse to the nearest post. The maid watched him for a ment. Then she went back to stanhope. ' , -Arthur was smiling when he sumed his seat. "That Was quite an episode," mo tlia re he said. Then it suddenly occurred to him that episode was not the sort of word he would use in conversing with an English mnld. It failed to bother this American girl. She did not ' reply to his comment, but her gaze rested on the roadway ahead. I liked the way you went after that chauffeur," she said. "You couldn't have looked more determined If you had been facing a roaring lion. Arthur suddenly laughed. "My dear young woman," he cried, the only time I ever met a roaring lion he was as much frightened as I was. I threw my hat at him and he ran away." The machine swerved a little, "And where did you meet a roaring Hon?" the maid inquired. He frowned. "I talk too much," he said. "It might have been somewhere along the line of the Uganda railway," said the maid. "There are Hons there, I believe," he abruptly answered. But of course, Hons were not the only annoyances that bothered the English engineers." He shook his head at her. "You have been listening," he sold, "That's one of my most admired qualities," said the maid. Perhaps you even know my name." The girl nodded the Btunnlng hat. "Yes, Arthur Gordon, late of Lon don, and son of Lord Sholto Gordon." Arthur groaned. "And my cousin Emily promised me faithfully not to repeat a word of this. Of course you heard It all from Miss TruesdeU?" The stunning hat was shaken vio lently. "No," the maid replied. "You must not blame your cousin. Does she know that you have come here to take an Important engineering position with an American bridge company? Does she know that you mean to be come an American citizen? He could only stare at her. The electric turned a corner . and drew up to the curb at a little distance from a handsome residence. There were many other automobiles halted In the street "This Is our destination," said the maid. Arthur slipped from the machine. "I know so little of American cus toms," he said, "that I am sure to blunder. May I ask if you will wait for me here?" The maid arose. "No," she replied; "I will go with you." In "Another blunder," he said and helped her alight. They passed Into the house and up the broad stairway. "You will wait for me," said the maid as she left him In the upper hall. There were other men in the coatroom, men who seemed to know one another, and who looked at the stranger a little curiously. But he had no thought for them. There was a mistake somewhere. How in the world did this beautiful girl know him for she was a beau tiful girl. - How was she connected with Emily's friend, Anna Truesdoll? It was a queer puzzle and - guessing didn't help it -. . : v He . stepped to the doorway. .. The girl he had supposed to be Miss Trues- dell's maid had Just emerged from the opposite room. He drew a quick breath. She was more beautiful than he had imagined. Her hair was dark and her eyes were dark, and there was a white spray of something In her hair, and ber eyes sparkled. Arthur noted these Interesting facts as be gave her a quick glance and he noted too that her afternoon . gown was something soft and shimmory and al together becoming, although ha could not have told its color and then she smilingly nodded and they went down the broad stairway together. There were many people below "d a large number seemed to know the girl. She piloted Arthur through the throng uutil they reached the hostess, a stout woman with a nervously effu sive manner. "Why, Althea," she said, "this is dear of you!" "Mrs. Ablugton," said the girl, "let me present Arihur Gordon, of London." "Charmed," sntd the hostess with her most cordial smile. "You are Emily Tclfer's cousin. She asked ma to look for you and make you ac quainted with somebody congenial, But I see you are In the best of hands. You are very fortunate to know Al thea, Mr. Gordon. I suppose you met at the legation in London." Arthur and the girl pissed along and presently found themselves a lit tle apart from the others. "I don't know what all this means," said Arthur hopelessly. "You seem to bave the advantage of me at every point. You know my name, my busi ness, my Intentions. All I know of you Is that you rtin an electric stan hope skillfully, that your name Is Al thea, and that you are very " "Here comes your cousin, Mr. Gor don." ...' Emily fluttered forward. "Why, Arthur, I thought you were either strayed or stolenl Mamma told ftnna Truesdell's man that you had gone. How do you do, Miss Ames?" "Miss Ames!" murmured Arthur. "Your cousin wasn't stolen, Miss Telfer," said the girl at Arthur's side. Although It amounts to the same thing. He was Kidnapped by me." Emily locked back at Arthur. "It's lovely to think you know. Miss Ames, Arthur. Why didn't you tell me you had met abroad? It must be his English blood that makes him so reticent. But there, I want to speak to Mrs. Ablngton." And she hurried away. 'The mystery is clearing, Isn't It?" said the girl. "I am Althea Ames, daughter of the managing director of the Columbia Bridge 'Co. My father met you in London last month and en gaged your services.' When he came home he told us a good deal about you. I'll admit that he aroused uur curiosity. Father knew that you reached New York yesterday and that you would go to your aunt's home. Business called him out of town early this morning, but he asked me to carry a message and an Invitation to you. If agreeable, you are to moot htm at the company's office at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning and dine with us In the evening. When you plunged so unceremoniously into my Btanhope, I realized there wns some mistake, but I felt sure you were the right man as soon as you spoke. I'm an American girl, you remember, and admit that I enjoyed the mystification which, after all, was a very simple one. ion don t see any harm in it, do you, Mr. Gordon?" He looked nt the glowing face, the dainty figure. Harm!" he echoed, "It's the luck iest and finest thing tnat ever hap pened!" CURSE OF CHILD LABOR. Disastrous Effects of Early Toll, on the Youths of the Nation. Disastrous effects of child labor up on the race "are dwelt upon by Dr. John V. Shoemaker In an editorial in the December Issue of the Monthly Cyclopedia and Medical Bulletin. "Child labor," he says, "tends to make 41io youth an undesirable citizen. "When a child arrives at its twelfth year it reaches the age of adolescence, which lasts nntll about the eighteenth year. During the stage the organs at tain their full development; the bones and muscles grow both In thickness and extent This Is all accomplished through good exercise and nutritious food, but when the necessary exercise is pre vented by the nature of the work per formed by the .Individual these mus cles atropy, and the results are general weakening' of the whole . body. The child falls to develop physically be cause It has no play; it falls to de velop mentally because It does not 0 to school and stimulate the gray mat ter. Other effects are the loss of educa tion, which makes them undesirable citizens, the too early strain upon the nervous system, the startling spirit of independence because they feel they form a support of the family, the loos ening of family ties, roving In the streets and a knowledge of vice and profanity which .they secure from their constant contact with the men in their environment." - ' Held Up by the Sentry. x Guzzle (after he- had succeeded In waking his wife) Open the dorsh! Mrs. Guzzle (head out of the second story window) are you sober? - Guzzle Yesh, - . " Mrs. Guzzle Then say ''reciproc ity." Plck-Me-Up. . t Graft. , . " Landlord You can't leave this ho tel till you: ifcy your bill.'. , Guest WlllVyou put that 'In writ, lng? Cleveland Leader. Bacteria in Milk. Milk may be heated and the bac teria contents killed in this way, but the pasteurizing temperature does not kill all the bacteria and a higher tem perature necessary to Bterlllze ren ders It more or less Indigestible. Not all forms of bacteria are harmful, In fact, some of them are necessary. The trouble Is they are so small It Is im possible to get personally acquainted with them, so cannot tell our friends from our enemies. Epltomlst'. Dairying Not Overdone, There are so many by-products from the dairy that the business of dairying can never be overdone. Be sides milk, butter nnd cheese, we have powdered milk, which may be shipped at little expense and kept for weeks In good condition, nnd other constituents of milk which nre being eiplolted In commercial ways for the manufacture of artificial ivory, paints and a good many other commodities that until recently have never been associated with dairy work. Eplto mlst ' Fast Walking Horses. It Is claimed by those who have trained many Worses that, taking the colt when training first begins, they can be trained to walk over four miles per hour. The walking gait Is the most Important one to the farm and road horse. The mistake with many In training young horses Is, that they are too soon put to trotting, which U a gait they more readily learn than fast walking. A farmer who has long trained his own colts to fast walking tells us that his horses with the corn cultivator do one-half more work in the corn field than the horses of his neighbor that were never trained to a rapid walk. In these times of scarce help on the farm that Is an Important consideration. It Is only a question of a little pa tlence and persistence in training colts or young horses to walk fast, if they are well bred. Good breeding comes in here as weir as in other things, as a well bred horse can be trained In any gait better than others Indiana Farmer. Selling Soil Feitilllr. Everything we sell from the farm represents a certain amount of soil fertility. The one exception, perhaps, Is butter. It Is difficult to trace but ter fat as a direct drain on the soil. It Is snid that a ton of wheat re moves betweea eight and ten dollars' worth of soil fertility, and that the farmer never gets It back. Of course. there nre ways or placing it by the proper rotation and stock raising, but the dairy farmer who selU butter or cream, Etops the leak before It hap pens. The difference Is the wheat farmer sells the raw .material, while the dairy farmer sells only the finished product In the shape of butter, and pork, if he feeds hogs, or cattle, if he raises calves with the skim milk. If part of the skim milk Is fed to chickens, so that egjs and poultry are sold, the manufacturing process Is carried still further and the ma terial sold off the farm carries a very sinnll percentage of fertility with it, in fact, the raising of the poultry sup- plies more fertility than Is sold a good many times over. Epltomlst. Fnt nnd rnrtinlly Fat Sheep. It Is altogether probable that many Stockmen will feed shpep this fall for the first time, and they may not be acquainted with nil the conditions leading to the best and most promis ing situation in feeding lines. The first thing to determine will be what to buy, says the Homestead. Will it be thin sheep, or those that carry more flesh? Thin sheep will gain more than fat ones, the general thrift of the two classes being equal. Thiu ewes will gain from one-fourth to one-third more than those in good flesh, and this probably explains why the thirl, good-mouthed ewes are sought more than those in better con dltion. It is a well-known fact among sheep feeders that females finish much more-quickly than males, although thin two or three-year-old wethers will make rapid gains. We have said that thin sheep will take on flesh faster than the sheep that is In good order, and we may say that it will require more time to fin ish them than those that are partially fat. Young lambs usually require more time to finish than older sheep, because they grow considerably under fattening conditions before they begin to finish. Old Western sheep are hardier than lambs, and this will hold true in the field as well as in the feed lot. Older sheep are not nearly so liable to gorge them selves on green feed or so liable to over-eat while In the feed lot. The feeder should make tip his mind that' when he is feeding thin sheep It will be necessary to feed them a long time. It sheep nre to be fed only a short time, they should be partially fat when purchased. Thin ewes can be started by turning them in corn fields, grazing' them on good pasture and by feeding fodder. Intelligence of Ants. If Dr. Howard, the chle of the Bu reau of Entomology of the "Depart ment of Agriculture, were not well known over at least two continents as an eminently practical scientist, whose intelligent and aggressive work has saved from bug ravages millions of dollars' worth of agricul tural produce, his story of the intelli gence of nut as observed In the greenhouses of the department, were certainly consigned to the "nature faking" class. But knowing the doc tor's hard-headed successes the posst. ble Imputation falls to the ground. As the story goes, one of the green houses of the department is fre quented In considerable numbers by a medium sized black ant, attracted by the presence of mealy bugs and plant lice on the hot-house plants. As Is well known ants are especially fond cf the nectar secreted by those insects. Some years ago a colony ot Liberlan coffee trees were started In the greenhouse. At the bases of the leaves of these, coffee trees can be found very small nectar-secreting glands. The nnts soon discovered this and sipped the nectar. Then the Idea seemed to occur to some clever am iuui uicsb nectar gianus would be the best "place In the world for the mealy bugs to liva nud grow fat and In consequence secrete a great deal more nectar than thny would if left on other parts of the leaves. But tha nectar gland3 on the coffee tree leaveii were each too small to ac commodate even one mealy bug. So the- word was passed around and the r-.nts gnawed the edges of the glands and enlarged them so that each would support a good-sized mealy bug, which the nnts then carried to It. The mealy bug throve exceedingly. The gland was enlarged still further and a whole family of mealy bugs was raised In the 'same hole. . Thus a custom grew up and many such greatly enlarged glands were found in a tew months, the nnts reaping a plentiful supply of their beloved nec tar. Herg then, said Dr. Howard, was an ant apparently taking advan tage or an opportunity which was new not only to the experience of the , Individual but new to the experience, of the race, and If we adopt the most reasonable of the definitions ot in stinct, there seems to have been dis played intelligence .of a high order. Indiana Farmer. The New- Strnwberrjr Bed. Considering the ease with which a small bed of strawberries can be grown we wonder why more farmers do not grow them. We read of renewing old straw berry beds, which Is all right, if it is the best one can do, but owing to in sect enemies and other causes I would not recommend the renewal of an old bed for the ordinary farmer. We change the bed from year to year, here and there over the garden, trying to get as far away from insect pests and fungus diseases as possible. As soon as we plow for garden truck we plow enough for the new bed. We-lay off the bed In rows four feet apart with the garden hand cul tivator; in this way we back up a loose spot every three- feet, as we would for a cabbage plant, only larger. We then go to last year's bed, which by the way Is young and has never fruited, and dig up good hardy plants, and when we can find enough of them, we dig .those that are not going to bloom, for they will at once produce runners instead of the bloom. We like to have a hunk of dirt to each plant. If conditions are favor able we do not water when setting, if otherwise we water them as set. We use a pan or shallow box to carry the plants from ihe old to new bed. If for some reason we delay our bed until the fruit Is set on plants, we clip off runners and fruit stems. We cultivate frequently with hand hoe and one-horse cultivators; good cultivation means much towards suc cess. We throw the runners aronnd for awhile, then allow them to set, be tween the rows, and widen as the sea son advances. When several run ners get set, it will necessitate pull ing out by hand some of the weeds. We experimented some with va rieties, but soon found two varieties which suited us and stayed with them. One of these deserves especial atten tion; It Is a seedling which originated near here, and was named by the originator, "Hoosier." It has very heavy foliage, is hardy, runners free ly, very large berries, abundant bearer, the berries are of excellent quality, but are strictly a "home use" berry as they are not firm enough to ship. One season, four square rods yielded fifty-three gallons. Abraham Bros., In the Indiana Farmer. Farm Notes. Why is It that so' many farmers neglect to provide water for their hogs? Hogs need a drink occasion ally when they want it, Just the same as anybody else. The scratching shed does not re quire to be anything elaborate. Any old building may be utilized for this purpose Just so there is plenty of sunshine, no winds, and a dry floor. ' Give hens an extra allowance of ' grain at night, scratching it amongst the litter, so, that the fowls can be induced to exercise before they get their regular breakfast. Give Ue mother sheep the most nourishing ration you can.. They need It for milk. Wheat bran Is Eood; clover hay Is uicrf. Plenty ot. water and some roots now and then will help out. The best prcver'Ive of garget is clean, careful milking and a vigorous rubbing and kneading of the affected part of the udder at the first sign ot ' trouble. Three or four days of such treatment will usually ward oft thtt disease. , -
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers