PAILUR&
i Irfxifr time I watched the purple fruit
, hwiiik hlsh above the orchard wall;
i Xxng time 1 stool In ruin and shine
, Haw morning rise and sunset fall;
Beard the World In the distant streets;
Uuessed Kama's banners against the
sky;
Helpless, thralled, 'neuth the orchard
wall,
In sun and In shower stood I.
It swung so low. It swung so near,
Time and again my apron wide
I held glad stretched It only fell
In Idle folds against my side!
I heard the banners flap aloft,
But dared not turn to see who won,
n. .1... n..nnA ...nil
The fruit enpurpled In the sun!
-Rea
J5hQ Time Clock.
Mnu tKo Ifoanoi- r( ilia Van A rA n Fnflline Kent
His Last Promise.
(W. R. Rose in Cleveland Plnin Dealer.) jfc
The clj mau arose from the In
valid chair with much dilUcnlty. He
beld last to the arm ami looked about
the dingy room in a furtive way.
"Henry hasn't come back," he
hoarsely whispered. He took a feeble
tep forward nu fell back asaiai and
clutched t the chair arm, gasping.
"Wh- where are my drops," ho
faintly stammered.
2lis shaking hand hovered over a
little table that stood beside the chair,
and then descended on a bottle. He
managed to spill a little on a hand
kerchief and held the doth against
sis nose and mouth.
Presently he laid It down and aualn
started about the room, as if fearing
observation.
"This may be my last chance," he
muttered. "Something seems to tell
me It Is."
He tottered away from the chair,
and crossing the room stood In the
doorway holding fast to the casing.
"I know I'm mad," he muttered.
"Henry knows it. Henry shouldn't
loava mn Alone. He mustn't he
- mustn't. Not after this. Henry is a
faithful boy. He has waited a long
time for the old man's money." The
yellow face suddenly wrinkled into
the semblance of a smlK "The money
iWill do him no good no good. He
'doesn't need It as much as I need
him." He drew a gasping breath.
"Henry must go with me, yes, yes."
Then his tone turned to a pathetic
whimper. "I'm afraid to go alone
afraid to go alone."
He let go of the casing and stumb
ling across the hall, disappeared in
the opposite room.
i He was gone perhaps five minutes,
and when he reappeared In the door
Iway was trembling and gasping, and
staring over his shoulder a3 if fear
ing pursuit.
He stumbled back to the invalid
chair and dropped Into It, his strength
Iqulte spent.
For a little while he lay there white
and shaking.
"I fixed it," he presently whis
pered. "I opened the canister and
locked the hammer and set the clock.
I may be mad, but I'm very cunning.
Henry doesn't know how tunning 1
am, no, no. I can't spare him. He
must go with me. I'm afraid to go
alone."
His voice traiUd off in a Utile
groan and he closed his sunkea eyes.
A moment later a door oeiow was
opened and closed and a chain jan
gled. Then a heavy foot was heard
on the stair.
"It's Henry," whispered the old
man, suddenly rousing from a doze.
"Henry has come back."
The man who entered the room
was of middle age and quite gray. He
was thin and pale and dingy in ap
pearance, and his shifty eyes studied
the old man's face as he came for
ward. "Wall?" he abruptly asked.
"Nothing, Henry," the old man
quavered.
"Any more attacks?"
"No, Henry. But you mustn't go
away again. I'm afraid to be alone."
"You were all right," said the
younger man. "I barred you in. No
harm could come to you."
"It ain't the outside harm that I
fear, Henry. I I'm afraid of myself."
"Nonsense. You've been dreaming.
Here, It's time for your powder."
ha mve the old man the medicine
' end looked again at the cheap clock
on the mantel.
- "What Ume Is It, Henry? I don't
- seem to see so well as I did."
The younger man gave the wrinkled
Care a. sham look.
"Just 2 o'clock. I was gone ex-
actly half an hour. Hinckley kept me
a little longer than I expected, and I
stopped at the butcher's for the beef
for your broth."
didn't eet a dear piece
did you?" the old man tremulously
asked.
"No." "
"TWfi rilrht Iti Isn't well to
imaste. What did Hinckley say?"
"He said those eviction suits would
tw) started next week."
"Good. You told him not to show
any mercy?"
"I told him to push the cases
along as fast as possible."
"That's right, that's right"
The younger man had taken a
jhalr near the window and sat with
bis back to the light, his shifty eyes
Itudyiag the old fa-e, end his flBgars
nervously drumming on the table.
"Hinckley said Jim's boy came In
to see him this morning."
"Jim's boy.' What did b' want-of
Hinckley ?"
Now, silent are the triumph streets,
And short and sharp the fast years fall,
And bright, a mass of foreign green
Bwava slow above the orchard wall,
I know not If the fruit abides:
We're over-watched, my soul and 1,
We think we only dreamed we saw
A purpose globe against the sky
We only dreamed It was for us.
The perfect weight on the ending
We only "dreamed that faith and hope
Would mold lis ore. to crown our brow.
We hnr the triumph Banners imv
Oalnst an unseen Glory sky,
But halilt-thnilled, beneath Hie wall,
Wo doze at peace, iny soul and 1.
Woodman, In The Now York Times.
"Me tolil him he'd heard his cralld-
father was very ill, and wanted to
know what he knew about It."
"(letting anxious about his grand
father's will, no doubt. How old Is
Jim's boy? I've forgotten."
"Twenty -seven."
"Married?"
"Ye3."
"I remember now. I sent him word
he mustn't marry without my con
sent. Yes, yes. I knew it would an
noy him. Is he doing well?"
"He's secretary of a small manu
facturing plant in Iiflkewooil. Hinck
ley said lie looked fairly prosperous."
"Needs capital, no doubt," cackled
the old man, "and expecls to get it
from the old man's estate. Hut we'll
fool him, won't we, Henry?"
He chuckled and gasped and had to
be lifted up and his pillow re-adjusted.
"Don't do that," the younger man
growled. "You've got no breath to
spare. Listen. Hinckley told me some
thing else. The boy and his wife are
coming here to see you this ufter
lloon." The old mau clutched hio son's arm.
"Do we want to see them, Henry?"
"I don't think it will do any harm
It will show them you are well cared
for. Liut you must be careful how
you talk. 1 don't want the boy to
think you are non compos."
"But 1 am, Henry; you know 1
am."
"Well, don't say too mucll. Ieare
the talking to me."
"Yes, Henry, I will." The weak
eyes of the old man searched his
son's face. "You've been with me a
long time, haven't you, Henry?"
"Twenty-seven years."
"It's a long time a long time to
wait lor an oiJ man's money. There,
there, you mustn't take offence.
You've outlived every one of them
every one except my sen Jim's boy
haven't you? You and Jim's boy are
the only living creatures that have
any claim to my money. Just the two
of you are left."
He dropped back and hU eye3
slowly closed.
"Here, here," said the youngsr
man, stepping forward. "You mustn't
drop asleep like that."
He put a glass to the old man's
lips and he sipped a little of the con
tents. "I've settled with Jans boy in me ;
will that's in the big safe across the
"I've settled with Jim's hoy in tne
hall. You know what he gets. Twen
ty-five dollars. All the rest goes to
my dearly beloved sou, Henry; yes,
yes."
The younger man frowned.
"I know all that." he said. "I've
done iny best to serve you, to make
you comfortable, haven t I?
"At my expense, Henry always at
my expense."
."Well, how could it' be otherwise?
Vu knot me here and you gave me
no chance to make- my way In the
world."
"I'm not framing you, Henry.
You've been faithful, very faithful.
I'm so used to you that l don't see
how I can spare you even on the
long Journey I'm going. I I want you
. i t -p ij
to go with me, Henry. I'm afraid to
go alone."
His voice trailed off again In a piti
ful whimper.
"See here," said the younger man
almost roughly, "you, mustn't talk
like that What would the boy think
If he heard you?"
The old man shook his head feebly.
"He won't hear me, Henry. You are
the only one that hears me, and you
don't mind.
"Yes, I do," replied the younger
man. "I don't like what you say, and
you eay It much too often. Hark,
what's that?"
A sound as, of some one rapping
on the lower door came to them.
"It may be Jim's boy," whispered
the old man.
"I'll go to the door," said the young
er raar. "Remember, you must be
careful what you say."
A cunning look overspread the old
man's wrinkled face.
"Henry doesn't like to hear me
sav It." he hoarsely whispered; "He
doesn't know I mean It all. He doesn't
know he's going with mo on the long
journey. He doesn't know the little
surprise I've fixed for him. Ho doesn't
know how long I've had It ready the
powder, the hammer, the clock. Hush;
here he comes." . . .
; There were steps upon th.3 stair
and the und of voices. A young
man, bright faced, clear eyed, ap
peared In the doorway. Behind him
was a pretty young woman, neat and
trim. Lu 'the background stood the
watchful Henry.
The young man oanie forward with
a quick step and pressed one of the
old man's bands.
"We were very sorry to ' hear you
were 111, grandfather," he said. "We
did not know it until yesterday. You
are better, I hope."
"Yes, yes," replied Hie old man fee
bly, "much better. Henry knows.
Ask Henry."
. "This la my wife, grandfather. Her
name Is Helen. "
The young woman came a little
nearer, a gentle smile upon her bright
face.
"Your wlte, eh? A child wile,'
muttered the old mau. "Well, what
does she want?"
"She wanls nothing, grandfather.
We are here only to ask after your
health and to oiler lo do what we can
to make you comfortable."
"I am comfortable," the old man
feebly responded. "Henry takes good
care of me. I can't do without Henry.
We are going away together very
soon."
"Going away?" the young uiim
echoed.
Henry stepped lorward and tho.ik
his head warnlngly at the old man.
"He doesn't mean that." he said,
"fie isn't tit to travel, as you sue."
"Henry knows," murmured the old
man, but his look was a cunning one.
"Come, come," he added, "what is It
yon want?"
The young man's face flushed.
"Nothing, grandlather, upthlng. If
you say there is nothing we can do
for you we will go."
"There Is nothing. Henry will tell,
you there Is nothing."
The young woman came forward
and gently pressed one of the wrin
kled bands.
"Gooduy, Fir," she softly said. "I
hope you will soon he much better
and I am sorry you will not let us
show how willing we are to be help
ful. May we come again?"
The old man looked at the bright
face. Then he turned to his son.
"May they come again, Henry?"
The guardian of helpless senility
shook his head.
"What is the use?" he asked. "Call
era .Irritate you. There is nothing you
want. You are comfortable and con
tented." "Yes, yes," whispered the old man.
"Very comfortable and quite con
tented. You hear what Henry says?"
The young man touched the sick
man's hand.
"Good-by, grandfather," he said.
"Come, Helen."
The two callers passed from the
room, the watchrul Henry following
them down the stair.
When he came back the old man
was muttering to himself.
"Well, they're gone and they won't
come back," said the dutiful one.
"Good," murmured the old man.
"It's better so. I seemed to see my son
Jim smiling at me when that boy
talked. And after you went out I
thought I saw Jim standing at the
door there looking at me with pity
in his eyes. I didn't treat Jim right.
I might have helped him when he
most needed it. But I'm a hard man.
I'm on obi sinner. And you are a
hypocrite, Henry-a fawning hypo-
I crlte."
j The younger ma.ii did not wince.
He looked at the old man' impasslve
ly. I "Do vou want anything?" he asked.
"No Henrv. Nothing. Only I
want you. Come here, Henry. Bend
(o gQ wUh me on
,,llirnv. Vm flfraid to go
that long Journey. I'm afraid to go
alone. Are you ready?
Henrv drew back.
"See here," he said, abruptly, "you
really mustn't talk any more of that
nonsense. ' You will go when your
time comes. I will go when my time
comes. Not before.
The old man's eyelids quivered.
"The time is coming soon," he mur
mured; "very soon. For both of us."
His evelids closed. "For both of us
very soon."
He was (inlet for some time. Then
he looked up. When he spoke his
tcuie seemed to have grown stronger.
"Sen here. Henry?" he said. "I have
lltlln surnrise for you. You have
wondered where I hid the will. I've
6een you looking for It. Yes, yes. It's
... ... niiii mltWrnr atnrlr
with the Santuzzl silver mining stock
and the government bonds only a
mtio nncknee. but' rich.' I hid them.
itonrv Wause I wanted to have
something that was still under my
wn mnlrol."
The younger man's face changed a
little.
"Where are these papers?"
There was cunning in the old man's
"When you were out, Henry, I
found them and put them In a box
In the vault and Bet the time clock
and closed the door."
"Vnii set the time clock?"
"Yes. It was a whim of mine, Hen
rv
'I understand. And at what time
win the door be released?
"At 8 o'clock tomorrow morning
It isn't very long to wait. And Hen
ry?"
"Yes."
"Thnre will be another emprise for
you when you open the door a great
surprise." ,
"Very well."
ThA vmimrer man turned away.
"I expect to start on that long
isDered the old
JUIXl UVJ
won "nnil nu must go with me.
rri.- OTuvno-nr man turned aHQ
fmwnprt nf" him. He was fast asleep
Th. mnmlnir dawned gray and
rheerless. The few lines of murky
light that penetrated the room had
Oiimroatlon Of tti9 SUn.
The old man was still asleep on th
Invalid ohalr. For weeks he sad not
been able to lie down, bis breath waa
so uncertain, his heart so weak.
At 7 o'clock the door opened and
Henry looked in.
SLlll asleep," he muttered, and
went away. He came back a naii
hour later bearing a tray with a bowl
and glass. He put his burden on the
table and raised the shade.
Something about the quiet Qgure
drew his attention. 1
He crossed the room quickly and
touched the old man's head. Then
he bent down and held his ear close
to the old man's chest.
"Uonc, i,u qulctiy said.
He went back and pulled down the
shade, and taking up the tray left the
room, softly closing the dour.
"There is no hurry," he muttered.
He looked at his watch. "3eve.u-flfty.
'11 wait until the vault Is opened."
He stepped into the room acnes
the salesroom. Much of the shelving
was left and at one side was the stor
age vault with Its paneled door. The
place had fallen into the old man's
grasping hands as many other
strange places had done.
Henry seated himself ou a broken
chuir near the vault door. Then he
drew a long .breath.
"I've earned a rest," be muttered.
I'm going away. I'm not too old to
enjoy life. I'll spend the money free
ly. It's all mine all mine. Whut
haven't I done to earn It? Fawned,
slaved, humiliated myself in every
way. Well, It's all over." He held his
watch in his hand. "That was a
strange Idea of the old mau's his
wanting me to go with him on the
ourney. He could not get It out or
his mind. Well, he has started alone. '
His face suddenly flushed, ho thiust
the watch back In his pocket and ris
ing quickly seized the vault door. It
yielded to his grasp.
And then, as he drew it open, mere
was a sudden rattle, a thunderous
crash, an outburst of flame and the
man was flung with terrific force
against the opposite wall.
The Insane old man had planned
the surprise all too well. How long
his mad brain tmd nourished the idea
oo one would ever know. How long
he had heiu me taui bomb lu readi
ness no tongue could tell.
He had started on the long Journey
alone, but his comrade of many yeaTS
had followed close behind.
The smoke lifted a little, the Mre
died out, but the man on the floor
gave no heed. All the riches of the
world were of no interest to nun no.
There were footsteps on the stairs,
and fresh young voices.
Jim's boy and his girl-wife were
framed for a moment In the doorway.
"What's this?" cried the startled
boy. He caught his wife's arm and
drew her into the hall. "There has
been an accident, dearest. Something
strange has happened. Come away
love It la no place for you."
And the heir of the great Van Ar-
den fortune son of the neglected son
of the dead old man across the way
gently turned .his wife aside and
softly closed the door.
QUAINT AND CURIOUS.
Germany is the envy or Ireland as
th luuiiinir nntato country of the
world. Nearly two billion bushels
annually.
Thn hattlenhlii North inkota will
be the first vessel of the American
navv on which the offlcers' food will
h cooked on electric ranges" and
ovens.
Th fiffherioH of Lower California, a
distance of 1500 miles, exclusive of the
nearl and shark fisheries, are control
led by one company, which liolds the
concession from the Mexican govern
ment.
The shlnment of fancy horses is
quite a feature In England, and rail
way cars for that purpose are built
for three horses; they nave a groom
room In front of the horses' heads,
and the stalls are padded.
Trelnnd eoea on iboomlng Industrial
Jy. She raised four million sheep last
voftr. (thinned nearly thirteen millions
of linen from Belfast to the United
States alone, and other exports were;
Cattle. $45,734,575; butter, $17,883,-
600, and eggs, $13,637,050.
One of the oddest domiciles on earth
Is that erected at Yokohama by Dr.
Vnnder Heyden. the noted bacterioi
oclst. of Japan. This Is a dust-proof
alp.nrnnf mlprnhe-nroof building Of
rinqa which stands In the open, un
shaded grounds of the hospital at Yo
kohama.
Although possessing an area of only
11,373 square miles, with a population
of 7,168,816, Belgium has a foreign
trade, which, In 1908, reached the col
ossal total of $1,125,929,000. giving
this little country the sixth rank as a
commercial power among the coun
tries of the world.
The largest barometer In the world
was recently set up In the Italian town
of Faenza, the birthplace of Torrl
celll, who discovered the barometer
and the "vacuum" which perpetuates
his name. The liquid used is purified
oil. Tendered free from air, and thus
gives a column over eleven meters
In height.
The Chilian government has grant
ed a German company a concession
to Install an electric power plant on
the Aconcagua River, In the vicinity
of Los Andes. This plant will supply
nower to run the government railways
between, Valparaiso and Santiago, a
distance of 114 miles, and also .will
provide light for the cities and towns
along the way.
Parents Worth Havlno.
My father and mother can never be bent
Ihey're the nicest that evi-r wre nuule;
iiitjjr rainemoer mo run they had when
And
Kiivy were younu.
an ini
guinea that they played.
And
better than all,
tliey play with u
theiiiHelven.
Yes. rt'iillv nml Imlv tlmv rlnl
Every nlKht alter dinner till bedtime has
come,
There's Wlllln and Ttiirtnn ami frim
And Alice that's me und my father and
immier.
EnciuKh for some royal good fun.
We ploy nilnil Man's IJurt and Hide and
un Feck,
You should see how my mother can
run!
They l"n't either one of them mind be-
iint "II,"
And tlif-v fitu'nvn urn ftwfnMv fnlr:
We noiiu of uh think the Kiinii-'fi ny fun
linloKH nil the players are "square."
And every new name wo teach father and
mm ner,
1'hev li'llcll nit the nlil nnpa tn tin'
So we rump and we play, bl and little
together.
With never u slpn of a fuss.
But sometimes a stronger man comes to
our play
He i-rwitH In no Millet find still.
That w. don't know he's here till we hear
a iiv-p kIkIi
Prom mn littlest one Hint Is Will.
Then we know that Ihe Haiidiiiiin has
Joined In our play
And lp trylntr to nut us to sleep:
Then lather niel mother both kips us
"siKMj-nlKht,"
And uwiiy inlo Dreamland we creep.
Philadelphia Iteeoid.
Billy Taft.
I thoiii;!it you would like
to hear
is Billy
and is
about my kitten. Ills name
Taft. He Is a tiger kitten
about one year old. Ho weighs about
nine pounds. Sometimes 1 dress lilm
In my doll's cloUhcs, but he does not
like that very well. In t'he winter he
likes the radiator very much, and If
we cannot find him anywhere, he Is
nearly always there. Marlon Johnson
In the New York Tribune.
The King of the Herrings.
This Is tlie narao that sailors give
to the chimera, a hideous fish related
to the shark, because It feeds on her
rings. It was called the chimera In
days gone by when It was much larg
er than It is now, after the fabulous
monster that was supposed to have
the body of a goat, the head of a lion,
and the tall of a dragon. Now It Is
seldom more than five feet long and
is no longer a giant.
The eggs of this strange fish are
very curious. So far as we know, no
other fl3h In the sea lay eggs that
Imitate their surroundings, but the
chimera's, which are oval, are bor
dered with a fringe that looks Just
like seaweed as they float upon the
water until the little fish are ready to
come out, says Home Notes. No one
would ever guess what they contain,
or what ugly creatures the baby
chimeras would become when they
are hatched.
A Cracker Ticket.
One day Inst winter in the class we
were notified by our teacher that we
were going to have a parents' meeting.
There were boys and girls in uor
class. We had lemonade, crackers
and cake which the children had
Ibrought. After we had finished our
lemonade two crackers were given to
us. The teacher said we might eat
one, but should keep the other until
she ate ihers. We each ate our one
cracker, and it tasted very good. A
few boys started to nibble and taste
the second one, then another tasto
and another, until the whole cracker
was gone; but I ate only half of mine.
Then the teacher said: "Hold out your
ticket for a piece of cake." The class
stared at her. She then told us to
hold out our crackers. Those that
had en'f.n only one had another crack
er and got a slice of cake for It. I
had eaten mine half way, so I was
given two more crackers Instead of a
slice of cake. Sara Mann In the New
York Tribune.
A Fairy Story That Came True.
Grace wished to hear a story. ' In
deed, Grace demanded a story. And
so Grace, being a little five-year-old
who held great power In the Hop
kins family, got her story, which
began as follows:
"There was once a little girl who
received a beautiful ring for a birth
day gift. But it grieves me 'to say
that the little girl was sometimes
careless. So she lost her beautiful
ring "
"Why, mother dear, that little girl
Is Just like me, and her ring is like
the one I lost, Isn't It?" interrupted
Grace.
"Ye dear; but something very
strange happened to this little girl's
ring. She dropped it while walking
along the river bank, and before it
tonched the bottom of the river a big
flsn opened his mouth and gobbled
the ring without even stopping to
taste it. Only a couple of days after
this, however, a fisherman caught the
fls-h. It was bought at market by a
mk who. when she cut open the
fish, discovered the ring. And the
funny part of the story is that the
cook worked in the family of the little
girl who lost the ring."
The mother paused and looked with
twinkling eyes at the little girl.
Grace stared, with a puzzled iook,
into her mother's face. Theta. with, a
laugh, she sprang from her c!ir and
rushed toward the kitchen.
She found what she had partly ex
pected. There was cook, holding up
the ring which Grace had lost a few
doys before.
"It was Just like a fairy tale come
true!" gleefully shouted Grace, as ph'e
ran to show the ring to her mother.-
Publicity. ,N
Animals That Weep.
While the act of laughing may be
peculiar to man, the same Is not true
of weeping, which, If we are tot ao
cept the testimony of a French na
turalist, Is a manifestation of emotion
lf!wt Is met with In (livers animals.
It is said that the creatures that
weep most easily are the ruminants;
with whom the act 13 so well known
that It hns given rise to trivial but
accurate express-Ion, "to weep like a
calf." All lumbers know that the stag
weeps, and we are also told that the
bear sheds tears when It comes to a
consciousness of Its last (hour. The
glruffe Is not less sensitive, and re
gards with tearful eyes the hunter who
hns wounded It. This animal also
weeps through downright nostalgia.
Dogs also are held to be lachrymose,
mid the same holds In the case of cer
tain monkeys. Spnrrmnn states the
elephant sheds tears when wounded
or when It perceives that It cannot es
cape. Aquatic animal", too, It appears, are
nble to weep. Thus, many authori
ties agree, dolphins at the moment of
death dnw deep sighs nnd shed tears
nbtmdnuily. A yoini? female seal was
observed to weep when teased by a
sailor, St. Hllalre nnd Cuvier recount,
on the authority of the Malays, that
when a young dugong Is captured the
mollier Is sure to he taken also. The
little ones then cry out and shed
tears. These tears are collected with
great are ry the Malays and are
preserved as a charm that. Is certain
to render a lover's affection lasting.
New York Press.
Dandelions.
The dandelion with its golden crown
may truly be called the world's flow
er; for wherever civilization has gons
Its yellow blossoms may be found, de
fying heat and cold, blossoming early
and late, under all conditions of clim
ate and moisture persentlng smiling
faces to the light of the sun. The dan
delion has two mottoes of life, one
"In union Is strength," the other "Nev
er sny die." Surely a plant or a hum
an being with such mottoes of life
ought to conquer tlie earth!
All flowers were once simple; that
is to say, each produced Its organs of
reproduction on a separate stem. What
a remarkable change has taken place
In the dandelion family since its sim
ple ancestors first Raw the light of
the sun, for now every golden disk
presents from one to two hundred
tiny, perfect florets, each with its dain
ty yellow ray. Pick a dandelion t
pieces nnd notice the hollow saucer
in which these set. What an economy
to have but one such receptacle for
a colony of flowers! Note the pistil
with Its ovary and the tiny pollen
producing stamens of each wee floret
and tlhe strong, hollow stem common
to all. Bridge builders and civil en
gineers know that nothing Is as flexi
ble nnd strong ns the hollow tube. The
dnndellon needs such a stem to hold
up her flower colony against the mad
March winds and beating early April
rains.
How did the dandelion lenrn to
crowd it? once separate flowers Into a
composite flower head, and fashion Us
wonderful stem, common to the whole
colony? Probably the flowers grew In
a flower cluster, as we see ma&y flow
ers growing today, and tihe crowding
together of the flowers has been an
aee-long process on the part of the
(plant, achieved through the law e
cross-fertilization, those plants that
were most closely packed being more
easily eross-fertlllzed and producing
stronger seed.
It is the old, unanswerable ques
tion. What is and why Is life?
We can only say that certain things
ore so and bow in reverence before
the power of their being.
The dandelion learned In some way
that It was better and more economi
cal to grow one yellow streamer to
every tiny floret than to surround ev
ery floret with Its own row; and what
a goodly sight It Is and what a merry
show the colony makes when each
tiny yellow banner Is flung open to
the sun as a signal to bees and In
sects to come and drink the honey
and carry the pollen from cup to cup!
Think of the advantages of cross-fertilization
the dandelion presents over
the violets, who must wait for cer
tain bees to enter their blossoms to
carry the pollen from flower to flow
er. Here every insect that lights' no
on the dandelion, every bug that
crawls over Its blossom, carries the
abundant pollen from one flower to
another. So close are the flowers, to
gether that our careless feet or the
brushing of our skirts In passing will
bring about that much-desired object
of the plant world, cross-fertilization.
When we remember that this la the
method that produces the strong seed
and, the sturdy plant, we know that
the reason the dandelion has taken
for Its motto, "In union is strength."
Is that it may outwork Its other mot
to, "Never say die."
The dandelion's seed-balls are as
lovely as Its flowers; they seem Hire
dream-flowers, or like memories of
happy days gone by. The dissemina
tion of seed Is another factor In the
life of the plant, and the dandelion
presents an example of perfect adap
tation to conditions in this particular;
but the story of the seed is another
story. Edith Willis Unn.
It is estimated that out of every
hundred Inhabitants of Great Britain
ami Ireland. iirty-IV.e drink aleohorh:
beverage-s. ,. -