#****•****#** * *#*#*#***#** •'Rnnceoioiii Organ i: ************* ************** Let me relate an experience of mine which redounds to the credit of that much despised instrument, the street band organ. There may be other in stances in whicD this instrument has figured as the cause of much happi ness, but I do not myself know, nor can I believe, that it ever produced any such amount of happiness on any oth er occasion. About- five years ago I was taking my summer vacation at a resort not far from Newport. The fact was we were engaged, Margaret and I, and we had reached that stage in the court ship that we criticised each other somewhat freely. On a certain even ing on which a dance was to be given at the Casino I brought to her a bunch of flowers, the very best obtainable at that time. It was quite difficult to get flowers at this resort, it being some distance froyi the city, and the diffi culty was heightened by the great de mand for flowers on an occasion such as the dance in question. Probably, too, I was guilty of forgetfulness In not putting in my order for the flow ers several days beforehand. At all events, the flowers that I did obtain were not so very pretty, and Margaret's face indicated to me, when I presented them to her, that she was not at all satisfied. In fact, there was a distinct sniffling air about her which irritated me greatly. I remarked some thing to the effect that some girls were like republics, in that they were un grateful. She said something to the effect that some men seemed to think more of billiards and tenuis and mint juleps than they did of their future wives. Our remarks grew quite point ed and sharp, and during the lull which followed some of them the air played by the hotel orchestra distinctly im pressed itself on my memory. Although this nil* was one which was supposed to be expressive of but tem porary parting, it really meant for Mnrgafet and me a long and weary ab sence from each other. I was unable to dissociate the painful feelings which this air brought up to me whenever I afterward heard it, for at this meeting, which had opened with a gift of flow ers on my part, we gave back to each other the promises we had made. I received back the ring I had given Margaret, and the various letters that had passed between us we solemnly agreed to destroy. The presents were to be returned or retained as each thought fit. However, there was one gold ring of unique design which I had given Mar garet some time before and which was never to be riffurned to me under any condition except in case she was in need of assistance. At the time it was given to her she had agreed to ever keep it, even if we quarreled and part ed. The next day I returned to my occupation in the city and did not see Margaret again. About five years elapsed between the happening of the event above chron icled and those that are now to be narrated. I was passing down tlie street in a quaint New England vil lage which in the winter time seemed to be entirely dead like the country round it and which was only awaken ed into life by the warm breath of siniug and the gayeties of the summer crowds who visited it. One of those street piano organs which had grown to be so common in the cities, but were looked upon as a novelty in the coun try towns, was playing some familiar airs, to which 1 was paying no partic ular attention until I heard the air, which turned out to be the funeral dirge of my only love affair. I stopped 011 the walk some distance away anil listened. The air censed, and the closed shutter of a house directly in front of which was the organ was opened and a hand which 1 still had time to see was that of a woman threw a coin 01* two to the player. The coin fell fiat near the play er, but another object bounded off some distance toward me. I stooped to pick it up and found it was a ring which had evidently come off la dy's hand who had thrown the coin. A second glance at the ring, to my in tense surprise, showed me that it was the ring 1 had given Margaret five years before. There wore the initials inside of it and the curious quaint carving on the outside. Full of strange thoughts, hopes, contending emotions, I involuntarily turned to the house to return the ring to the person to whom it belonged. Just as I reached the door of the house it was opened by Marga ret, who had come to get her ring again. A frightened look and a hasty pressure of her hand to her heart show ed me how much she was surprised and affected. I said nothing, for in deed the emotions of both showed plainly more than any words I could use. I passed into the house, closed the door, put the ring on her finger and then asked, "Did you mean to send it?" A faint "Yes" was all I could hear. In a moment I pressed her to my breast and, hungry with avidity, sought to satisfy the affection of a heart which had been for so many years yearning for a return. Later on we were mar ried and are willing to admit that we are happy as happy can be.—Exchange. FiiHtenliiK the Thread. The best way to fasten the thread at the end of a sewing machine seam is to turn hack on the seam just sewn and stitch for half an Inch or more. Then you can cut the thread and not stop to tie. which takes a great deal of time and Is absolutely necessary If you would not have your thread ripping out all the time. IRONCLAD FEVER. A Peculiar DINCHKC That Wni Killed by Ventilation, 111 the fight between the Monitor and Merrimac it was found that there was not sufficient'air in the turreted steam er for the crew and that the suffocating gases generated by the explosion of gunpowder found their way below and rendered it practically impossible for the men to work. Necessity therefore compelled the introduction of some ap paratus for artificial ventilation. The old methods in vogue for hun dreds of years had been retained even under the new conditions and but for the striking exhibition of direct inter ference with fighting capacity would have remained for many years longer. In the Monitor was placed a rotary blower, worked by steam. Air was thus drawn from one half of the steam er through a system of pipes and forced into the other. Various changes were made In later ironclads of this period. In some the air was drawn down the turrets and forced through out the vessel, thus rendering them more than ever liable to suffocate the men below in battle, while in others the supply was obtained through armored cylinders and forced out through the turrets. It was In the early ironclads that a peculiar disease developed which, be ing confined to those vessels, was soon designated ironclad fever. In this af fection the initial symptoms were much like those of typhus, but in a short time severe occipital pain was followed by complete aphonia and this by coma aud death. The introduction of ventilating appliances caused the disappearance of this singular disease, aud in time these metal boxes, almost entirely submerged, came to be regard ed as probably the most salubrious ves sels alloat.—Cassier's Magazine. SHOOTING IN SCOTLAND, An Immense Sum Expended Annual ly In TIIIH Form of Sport. As to the sums spent on shooting in Scotland, so large is the total that it is a difficult matter to arrive even at an approximate estimate. In Perth shire alone there are 4GT> shootings, of which about four-fifths are let to ten ants and bring in about £150,000 a year, or an average of £4OO a year, which seems about a fair estimate if it be borne in mind that this is an ex pensive country and that 50 of its best shootings bring £35,000, or an average of £7OO a year. In the whole of Scot land there are about 4,000 shootings, and as each of them must at least em ploy one keeper and one gillie during the shooting season some estimate may be formed of the money expended in wages and the number of people employed. In the deer forests and on the larger shootings there will often be from four to six men permanently engaged and from six to eight others working for the shooting season only. In a ,well known forest where I once spent many pleasant days there were three for esters, three gillies and three pony men out each day. On the grouse ground there were three keepers, with three underkeepers, a kennel man and two carriers going to and from tlie nearest railway station, a total of 18 men and five horses, not to mention the ponies kept for riding into tlie forest aud those kept to carry grouse panniers. On this property throe rifies could stalk each day, while three other parties of two each could shoot grouse, or the six could combine for driving.—Cham bers' Journal. Dead Loiter Curlon. In postofflce transactions the lack of ingenuity and even of ordinary com mon Ben.se is astonishing. The curios of the dead letter office include envel opes legibly cross marked "Return if not delivered" or "If not called for in five days, return to sender" without a word of further specifications. Others bear names without topographical data: "Hermann Kemper, painter and decorator, successor to Ititchie Bros. & Co." Workinginen, foreigners especial ly, often seem to credit mall clerks with the gift of geographical clairvoy ance: "Jan Jansen, at the miners' boarding house, or, perhaps, stops at Mrs. Haumgnrten's place"—llo town to hint about the state or county of the mining camp. "Please deliver as sdon as possible" some such letters are marked and seem often to have been plastered with an extra stamp in the hope of inducing the carrier to give the mutter his earliest attention.—Cincin nati Enquirer. Appeal* to Pear, Tlie appeals to tear have well nigh ceased, and yet there Is no fact which we ore so compelled to see as tlie fact of retribution. The law of retribution works In our present life. Wo become aware of It in our earliest Infancy, and we never become developed In charac ter until we have learned to fear that which Is evil and to sliun the conse quences of sin. There Is a sense of righteousness in all men, and all men know that unrighteousness brings pun ishment. It Is fair to assume that what Is a part of man's very structure here will continue hereafter. We may give up entirely the notion of a mate rial hell, but we cannot give up the doctrine of retribution. Suffering must follow Bin, and therefore to appeal to four Is not only legitimate, but it is In accordance with the structure of man's nature.—North American Review. Why WlmvnK Ilejolred, Mr. Wigwag—Did the new carpet ar rive all right? Mrs. Wigwag—Yes; it came tntaet. Mr. Wigwag—Hooray! Hip! Hip! That lets me out! Mrs. Wigwag—What In the world are you talking about? Mr. Wigwag—Why, didn't you say It came in tacked?— Philadelphia Record. GEMS IN VERSE. OLD FAVORITES. To Voaiig Men. Be firm! One constant clement in luck Is genuine, solid, old Teutonic pluck. See yon tall shaft. It felt tile earthquake's thrill. Clung to its base and greets the sunrise still. Stick to your aim. Tlie mongrel's hold will slip, but only crowbars loose the bulldog's grip. Small as he looks, the jaw that never yields Drags down the bellowing monarch of the fields. Yet in opinions look "not always hack. The wake is nothing—mind the coming track. Leave what you've done for what you have to do. Uon't be "consistent," but be simply true. —Oliver Wendell Holmes. The faith that life on earth is being shaped To glorious ends, that order, justice, love, Mean man's completeness, mean effect as sure As roundness in the dewdrop— that great faith la hut tlie rushing and expanding stream Of thought, of feeling, fed by all the past. Our finest hope is finest memory. As they who love in age think youth is blest Because it has a life to fill with love. , Full souls are double mirrors, making still An endless vista of fair things before Repeating things behind. So faith is strong Only when we arc atrong, shrinks when we shrink. It comes when music stirs us, and the chords, Moving on some grund climax, shake our souls With influx new that makes new energies. It comes in swelling of the heart and tears That rise at noble and at gentle deeds— At labors of the master artist's hand. Which, trembling, touches to a finer end. Trembling before an image seen within. It cornea In moments of heroic love, f Unjcnlous joy in joy not madu for us— V In conscious triumph of the good within. Making us worship goodness that rebukes. j Even our failures arc a prophecy, Even our yearnings and our bitter tears V t > After that fair and true we cannot grasp. As patriots who seem to die in vain Make liberty more sacred by their pangs. —George Eliot. Unbelief. There Is no unbelief. Wnoever plants a seed beneath the sod And waits to see it push away the clod, lie trusts in God. Whoever sa.vs, when clouds are In the sky, "Be patient, heart; light brenketh by and by," Trusts the Most High. Whoever sees 'ncath winter's field of snow The silent harvest of the future grow God's power must know. Whoever lies down on his couch to sleep, Content to lock each sense in slumber deep. Knows God will keep. Whoever says "tomorrow," "the unknown," "The future," trusts that Power alone He dares disown. The heart that looks on when the eyelids close And dares to live when life has only woes There is no unbelief, And day by day and night unconsciously The heait lives by tlint faith the lips deny— Qod knowcth why. —Bulwer. Art. Att is the child of Nature—yes, Her darling child, in whom we trace The features of the mother's face, Her aspect and her attitude, All her majestic loveliness Chastened und softened and subdued Into a more attractive grace, And with a human sense imbued. He is the greatest artist, then, Whether a pencil or a pen, Who follows Nature. Never man. As artist or as artisan, Pursuing his own fantasies. Can touch the human heart, or please Or satisfy our noble needs, As he who sets his willing feet In Nature's footprints, light and fleet, And follows fearless where she leads. —Longfellow. The A nglcr'N Wlnh. I in these flowery meads would be. These crystal streams should solace mo. To whose harmonious bubbling noise 1, with my angle, would rejoice, Sit here and see the turtledove Court his chaste mute to acts of love. Or, on thnt honk, frcl the west wind Ureal lie health and plenty, please my mind To see sweet dewdrops kiss these (lowers And then washed off by April showers. Hear, hear my kenna sing a song, There see a blackbird teed her young. Or see a laverock build her nest. Ilcre give my weary spirit rest And raise my low pitcliod thoughts above Earth, or what poor mortals love. Thus, free from lawsuits and the noise Of princes' court, 1 would rejoice. Or, with my Bryan and a book, Loiter long days near Shawford brook. There sit by him and eat my meat. There see the sun both rise and 6et, There bid good morning to next day, There meditate my time away, And angle on and beg to have A quiet passage to a welcome grave. Absence, The shortest absence brings to every thought Of those we love a solemn tenderness. It is akin to death. Now we confess. Seeing tlie lonclinoßa th.ir loss ha, brought, That they were dearer tar than we had taught Ourselves to think. We see that nothing less Than hope ot their return could cheer or hlcaa Our weary days. We wonder how, for aught Or all of fault tn them, we could heed Or anger with their loving presence near, Or wound them by the smallest word or dead. Pear absent love of minel It did not need Thy absence to tell me thou wert dear, And yet the absence tnakclh It more clear. —Helen Hunt Jackson. He was the first always. Fortune Shone bright in his face. I fought for years; with no effort He conquered the place. We ran; my feet were all bleeding, Hut be won the race. Spite of his many successes, Men loved him the same; My one pale ray of good fortune Met scoffing and blame. When we erred they gave him pity, Hut me—only shame. My home was still in the shadow; Ills lay in the sun. I longed in vain; what he asked (or It straightway was done. Once 1 Btaked all my heart's treasure. We played—and he won. Yes, and Just now I have seen lilin, Cold, smiling and blest, Laid in his coflin. God help met While he is at rest, 1 ain cursed still to live—even Death loved him the best. —Adelaide A. Procter. Pnwnated Days. The longer on this earth we live And weigh the various qualities of men, Bceing how most are fugitive Or fitful gifts at best, of now and then. Wind wavered corpse lights, daughters of the fen, The more we feci the high, stern featured beauty Of plain devotedness to duty, Steadfast and still, nor paid with mortal praise, But finding amplest recompense For life's ungarlanded expense In work done squarely and unwasted days. —LowelL THE NATURAL BRIDGE. The fact that the Natural bridge tract Is soon to be sold bus opened the way for some writers to romauce about It Is stated tbut It was a part of the Inheritance of Thouins Jefferson, but that is not our information. We have always thought that Mr. Jefferson pat ented the land—l. p., bought it from the crown at about a shilling an acre. Mr. Jefferson and George Washing ton both were farseelng men anil good Judges of land and "took up" numbers of valuable tracts. Washington partic ularly, owing to his personal knowl edge of our western (Virginia) lands, was fortunate In ills selections. Mr. Jefferson acquired the bridge tract in 1774. Of the bridge itself he wrote that it was worth a trip across the ocean to see, but for a long time Its inaccessibility caused it to be seldom visited, even by our own people. The construction of the old James River and Kanawha canal put it near a high way of travel. Later railroad lines came within a few miles of it, and now thousands visit It annually. Since Jefferson's time the bridge hns had many owners. At one period it be longed to tlie Harman family. Colonel Ilenry Clay I'arsons bought it .about 1881 and formed a stock company to "run" it. Ills residence there led up to his dentil at the hands of Conductor Goodman at Clifton Forge on June 21), 1894. To what extent he or his family held stock In the bridge company at that time we are not Informed, but the amount held is supposed to have been considerable.—Richmond Dispatch. Kilts Too Mncli For the Canaries, An officer of a highland regiment ar rayed in a kilt created a sensation In Las Pal mas recently and narrowly es caped arrest for being improperly at tired. lie had landed from the trans port Lake Erie, and 011 the promenade and in the hotels the unusual sight of a "man petticoat" caused a flutter among the Indies. "Girls turned their heads away 011 seeing him pass," says El Telc grafo of Las Pal mas, "and screamed as if they had seen a poisonous reptile. We noticed that certain ones amused themselves with an insane curiosity as to his Scotcli stockings." After describing the liighlander as wearing a garment which "from the waist downward was a kind of loin cloth that exposed half his thigh" El Telegrafo censures the town coun cil for allowing any one to appear in such guise.—London Mail. A Core Fop tlie Morphine Ifnhlt, Great Interest has been aroused in medical circles In Germany by the dis covery by Dr. Otto Emmerich of Ba den-Baden of a spccllic against mor phia poisoning and that peculiar form of disorder known in Germany as "morpbinlsmus," The Increasing use of morphia nmong a considerable section of society has been lately exciting much atten tion, and medical men have been una ble to prescribe any efficient remedy. It is claimed for Dr. Emmerich's dis covery that it has proved infallible in the numerous cases in which it lias been applied. It is n distilled vegetable oil of intense acidity, two or three drops of whieli are taken internally dally. After a cure, extending from three to six weeks, patients acquire all intense loathing for the use of the morphia needle.—Berlin Dispatch in London Chronicle. Liquor In Rann!a. Tlio Russian government Is experi encing great dlliiculty in its efforts to restrict the almost universal use of liquor among the laboring classes. The minister of linauce says the govern ment Is anxious "to save the popula tion from the baneful influence of the innkeepers, who, in order to make large profits, adulterated their spirits with noxious and deleterious sub stances which were proving ruinous to the lower classes. The average peasant was not content with remain ing In a public house until he had spent his last farthing, but often pawned ills clothes, furniture and fu ture crops. The public houses were acknowledged to be the most powerful agents of ruin and disorganization in the economic life of the Russian people and threatened the impoverishment of the whole agricultural population." Great Peach Year. Four millions of baskets of peaches from little Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland! That is now the estimnte made, nut by the growers nor the commission men, but by the prac tical, unsentimental and truthful spe cial agent of the Pennsylvania Rail road company, which expects to han dle a large part of the crop. All through the peach growing district in that happy part of the country the report Is the same. Not only will tlio peaches he plentiful, hut they will he large and luscious. The yellows, so long the bane of the grower, has al most entirely disappeared, and the Binall, knotty fruit, which In years past helped to ruin the price of the good peaches, will not be seen this season.—Baltimore American, Aeenrnte Tunneling. In a description of the recently open ed Central London railway The Ruilder says the loudest separate length of tun nel driven was from the Westbourne shaft to the Marble Arch shaft, the dis tance being over 1,200 yards, and the work resulted in nn error of only (lve elgbths of an Inch at the point where a junction was effected with the tunnel driven by another flrtn of contractors. In two of tho sections bore boles wcro put down into the tunnel for the pur pose of testing the lines, hut generally the lengths were driven through so ac curately that no recourse to bore holes was found necessary. ****■*****#* ************* :* 11 FARMER. •: * * ************* ************** The record of area of standing tim ber in the United States compared with a decade ago will form one of the most valuable items in the federal cen sus Just taken, says The American Ag riculturist. The serious depletion, par ticularly in the northern and eastern states, lias been a matter of much con cern for a number of years. Between the requirements for building puiqioKes and tlie paper mills we will be happily disappointed if the census figures do not show so great a loss us to bear out the earlier predictions of a positive famine period a generation hence. Fortunately the subject of reforesta tion and the intelligent care of our wooded area is receiving more atten tion than ever before and should do something to permanently check the disappearance of tlie forests. In tills connection it Is interesting to tiote that tlie well wooded south, with its infinite variety of trees, is receiving the atten tion of paper makers, who will proba bly enlarge tlietr operations in that di rection. Tlie soutli seems to be pecul iarly rich In the forms of vegetation suitable for tlie manufacture of cheap paper not only in her forest reserves, but in other fibers, sorghum, cornstalk, wheat and rye straw, etc. There Is certainly opportunity in tlie southern states to establish tills large nnd prof itable industry which in recent years has received so much attention in up per New England, New York, Wiscon sin and other northern states. Not only should there be growth in the home trade, but also In exports of paper, which last year amounted to $5,480,000. Country Fajrn, It will be but a short time until the fair season will be upon us again, says The National Stockman. These annual exhibitions should be of great benefit to the farmers and breeders, and in most cases they are. It is too true, however, that in many sections our annual fairs are not what they should bo. Managers have made the mistake of catering to the tastes of the greatest available attendants, and where the city population outnumbers that of the country the attractions have been of a kind that was not edifying or educat ing for those who live in rural dis tricts. The original idea of country fairs has been lost sight of by some as sociations. The blame for thfs is not so much to be placed upon those who run the fairs in many places as it is up on those who allow them to be run for other than their legitimate purpose. The way to make good exhibitions of this kind is to put good men in as man agers and then stand by them with your support and encouragement. This country owes much of its progress and advancement to the country fairs, and they should be maintained and im proved upon from year to year. Pasturing: Grnln, Many farmers who grow grain fol low the practice of pasturing their gralnflehls. The bencUt to the cows or swine or other stock is decidedly great; but If the pasturing be done under certain conditions it may seri ously Injure the grain plants. For In stance, If the soil in the gralnflcld bo very soft, the stock will trample the roots so deeply Into the ground that they will not be able to grow, or In soft ground the roots will not keep their hold when subject to a pull and will come up with the blades. This is quite as fatal to wheat and rye plants as is the trampling of them too deeply. If early sowing and an open autumn have brought a dense mat of rye or wheat, it may be necessary to graze It off. In that case the farmer can, when the frost hardens the ground, turn in his stock and guide them over the lleld, and no roots will be pulled out or trampled to death. In nuy case the stock should not be allowed to roam at will over the field nor to pass more than once over any one part of It. Re peated tramping by heavy cows will certainly injure the young grain roots. lrrl*cntiiHff Gardens und Lawns. There are some people who are sup plied with city water and, having hose, think it a duty to keep the water run ning all the time, or Just as much of It us tlie water companies' rules allow, notes The American Cultivator. They never allow the soil to get dry or warm If they can help It. Then they wonder why plants and shrubs do not grow better and havo more blossoms, and they get up earlier or sit up lutor to run a little more water on the lawn and garden. They do not know that warmth and occasional dryness are as necessary to plant growth as moisture. Only a water lily would stand such continual soaklngs. It Is to be hoped that those who have made arrange ments for the systematic Irrigation of their fields are wiser and know that their fields do not want water running through them all of the time. Judging Canned Good*. In buying canned goods see that the ends of the cans are concave or sunk en. If they are convex, It is proof that fermentation has taken place in the contents, and the stuff is not only unfit for food, but dangerous. When a can is opened, all the contents should be removed, as rapid fermentation in con tact with cheap tin generates a danger ous poison.—Texas Farm and Ranch. Vnlne of Birds. A French scientist has stated that without birds to eat insects and weed seeds the earth would In n few y,. n ™ become unluhabltable for mm LVlmn It Is considered that almost the entire food of the majority sf "birds consists of seeds n f soma anil Inserts o£ worms, the stutdncut Is uot hup tie. The Tribune Is The Leading Newspaper In Freeland! At the subscrip tion price of $1.50 per year the Tribune costs its readers less than one cent a copy. Think of that! Less than one cent a copy ! And for that you get all the local news, truthfully reported and carefully written up. Besides all the local news, the Tri- bune gives the news of the world in a con- densed form. Thus the busy workman can keep in formed as to what is going on in the world without buying any other paper. The Tribune is essentially a newspa per for the home cir- cle. You can read it yourself and then turn it over to your chil dren without fear of putting anything ob jectionable into their hands. Order It from The Carriers from The Office.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers