SOaoooeooißooeooooccoo£aßfioeoso*fiiieGt**aßoAaßAaAiQa : s j -A "Precious Trust I a i... .J ; "Her dresses with precision hang, j Her hat observes a stylish set, i She has a poodle for a pet—" —Frank Dempster Sherman, f The firm of Twist & Taffeta was progressive, consequently considerate. So, it being July, Will Merrivell got off at 1 o'clock on Saturdays. So did 'lona Wray, who was in the mail order department, and who frequently came to him In his position as manager of the cloth department, to match sam ples of order goods. On one of these I occasions he discovered that lona liv ed in the same suburb as he did. He found out, too, that they generally went out of the city at the same hour, on the same train. On learning which his spirits rose like a toy balloon. To be sure, lona was a pretty girl. She possessed not only beauty, but distinc tion. She held her slender young body so erectly, she spoke so frankly, but also with such dignified reservo, and she was so earnest and so conscien tious In doing the work intrusted to her that Will Merrivell forgot while in her presence to give the firm his best duty and attention. But, then, Merrivell was extremely Susceptible. If he had not been so susceptible it Is quite unlikely that he would have been confined with a precious trust. And if be had not been selected for the honor conferred upon him he and lona might never have proceeded beyond the boundaries where the courtesies of casual ac quaintance cease. Indeed she did not feel sufficiently familiar with him to mention the fact of her intention to stay an hour later in town than usual on one particular afternoon, although she had come down to Merrivell that morning for six yards of lavender broadcloth, to bo sent to a lady living In Arizona. "Hot day," remarked Merrivell. "It Will be fine to get away early." "Delightful!" assented lona. But she did not enter the North western depot at her ordinary hour, although Will paced up and down just without the railing and watched the great gates until his train had come and gone. Surely she would be here before the next train was due to leave. The thought of sitting beside her as the train rushed out of the smoky city into the beautiful green suburbs was delightful. He might even get up courage sufficient to ask to call! And If permitted to do so, how kind he would be to Bobby—if only Bobby would keep still about their little al tercation. Bobby had stretched a string across the sidewalk. Merrivell, running for the train, had fallen over It and skinned his shins. Observing the culprit, he had promptly grabboi him and given him chastisement brief but effective. Confound it! How was he to kuow that the little red-headed wretch was the brother of this charm ing girl? He would fall over strings all the way from Melrose to State street, if only— "I beg your pardon, madam!" His hat was in his baud, and he was bowing profoundly to a lady with whom he had almost collided when ho had turned so abruptly in his impetu ous walk. "Do not mention it!" cried the lady, who was young and pale and of al most tragic appearance. She was handsome, too, but evidently grief was responsible for the wild expres sion of large black eyes and the pite ous trembling of her lips. She woio deep mourning. She was apparently a foreigner. "But you will help me, sir? I am In desperation. Two hour 3 from now I take a train to the West. I came down here to make arrange ments for leaving. At my hotel I forgot some Important papers. I must return at once and secure them. In tho meantime may I beg of-you to un dertake the care of my darling Snow flower? It Is a precious trust and one which I would not confide to every stranger. Is this asking too much, sir?" Merrivell the susceptible, Merrivell the gallant, bowed still more courte ously. "I am honored," he assured her, "highly honored! Consider me at your service!" He felt Jubilant. This was an op portunity. Now, when lona Wray arrived, she would see with what gen tleness, with what tenderness he cared for this child of a stranger. She would appreciate all the lovely depths of his sympathy. She would be incredulous of the statements of that red-headed Bobby. She might even think Bobby deserved corporal reproval. And, when she passed through the gates L alo-e what a lingering glance would W she not send hack to him where he sat earing for the child of a lonely young widow. He would smile sadly in answer, and she would realize that It was only his sense of chivalry which kept him from her side. And all the way out she— So deep was he In the delicious dream he did not perceive the return of the black-eyed stranger until sbe was close beside him. "You are so good! I shall now feel perfectly safe about my little darling. I shall soon be back!" Then she disappeared and Merrivell found himself staring down upon the big, covered basket she had thrust iu his hand. Hallo! What kind of a game is this? Her darling Snowilow cr! Her precious trust! Was the child In the basket? Was the child dead? Was he to be Involved in an ugly 1 mystery? His face blanched. A cold I sweat broke out on his forehead. Ho ft could feel it trickling down his cheeks. K He glared wildly around. He sank down on tho bench, never re laxlng his grip of the heavy basket. Should he cut for it and run? Would not that arouse suspicion? Or —mer- ciful heavens! Here was lona Wray now —coming directly towards him, and looking sweet as a rose In her thin summer gown and big leghorn hat. He was wildly anxious that she should not see him, but she did. She paused in some astonishment? Are you ill?" she asked. "I have never seen you appear so—" she hesitated for a word —"so disturbed," she con cluded. He staggered to his feet, still hold ing hard the handle of the basket In his left hand and jerking off his hat with his right. "No—no! I'm all right—at least—" Hero something in the basket moved. He glanced down in a panic. lona's bewildered gaze followed his. Did that contain the mystery of his pallor, his excitement, his distracted air? "It's—it's alive!" he said in a blood curdling whisper. He hastily set the basket down and drew back. "What's alive?" gasped lona. "Her darling Snowflower the child!" he panted. "The child!" repeated lona with a shriek. "A baby in that basket!" Her cry attracted the attention ot the people hurrying for tho trains. ja MM Jißl ■ Many paused. A crowd gathered—aug mented. "Here—here!" cried a portly police man hastening up. "What's all this about?" "It's a child!" "It's a baby!" "It's tied iu that basket!" "Here's a loop hole for air!" "Who does it belong to?'' "The man was abducting it!" The cries increased in number. Ex clamations of horror resounded. A couple of railway officials passed through the throng. And meantime the basket rocked away on the bench in an uncanny fashion that sent shiv ers down the hack of the least imagi native. "I don't know anything about it!" protested Merrivell in an agonized wail. "A lady gave it to me to hold until her return. I " Lowering looks met his. A threat ening growl arose. "That's all right, sir!" grunted out a man apparently panoplied with au thority. "We'll attend to you. Officer, keep your eye on this fellow! lam going to open this basket." He whipped out a kuife—bent down. The curious crowd pressed closer. Not one of that breathless mob moved as the knife snipped—snipped along the taut lines. Suddenly the lid was jerked upward. There was a cry from the basket—not the cry of a child. It was a yelp. A wooly white poodle poked out his head and looked in quisitively around. The howl that went up from tho ob servers caused the hurrying suburban ites on the iron staircase to stand aghast. The big policeman burst into a bellow. He took his hand from Merrlvell's arm. lona laughed through her frightened tears. And, just when the hubbub was at its height, a fran tic woman hurst through the throng. I A Kaffir,„ fJ , queer experience of 1 i _ , _ DEMANE AND DEMANZA | I rairy Story, with cannibals. I 3 & Here is a Kaffir story. It is called "Demane and Demanza," and is a very good example of the kind of story cur rent among the dusky "boys" of South Africa. Demane and Demanza aro husband and wife, living together In a cave. Demane one day goes out to hunt, hut tells his wife before starting that on no account must she cook any food during his absence, lest the cannibals, attracted by the smell of the cooking, find out the cave and carry her off and eat her. Demanza, directly her lord had gone, commences to prepare a meal, with the result that one of the canni bals knocks at the "door" of the cave and demands admission, says the London Mall. This is refused him. So the cannibal goes and consults with his tribesmen, and they burn his throat, which changes his voice to a very smooth tone, like that of a girl. He returns to the cave and Is this time admitted. The cannibal at once ties Demanza up In a sack he has brought with him, and takes her away to his own habitation. Demane, re turning home with a swarm of bees he has found, discovers his wife's ab- She plowed her way to the bench, to the basket, her black eyes flashing fire. "You are a fine gentleman to trust!" she screamufl. She had turned, on Merrivell In fury. "Letting those horrid railroad men see my Sunflow er! Now, they will not allow me to take him in the passenger cat! And I shall not have my beautiful little love shut up in the baggage car! I gave htm the tiniest whiff of chloro form to keep blm quiet until we should have started. I went away to get a trifle more. He would have slept the whole way! But you—you impostor! You have betrayed me! You have abused my confidence!" She stormed away at a wonderful rate. "O, my precious pet!" she walled at last, catching tho drowsy canine to her bosom, "it's astonishing that he didn't try to steal you!" "I—l didn't know it was a dog!" protested Merrivell weakly. She flung fiercely around. "What did you think it was?" she demanded. "Oak Park train—a-all a-b-oard!" bawled the starter. Merrivell and Miss Wray sat to gether all the way out. They laughed Immoderately. He was assured bo might call. He did—ln fact, he is still calling. To be explicit, there is a rumor that —but this may be gossip. Anyhow, the girls in the mail order department smile when lona's work takes her to the cloth goods aisle. And Will's fellow-workers are guying him for taking down navajo blue when slio asked for sunburnt rose. At all events, these young people seem to be happy together on their free Saturday after noons. Best of all, Bobby, by some mysterious process, has been concili ated. As a chaperon, self-satisfied, obiquitous, and decidedly superfluous, he merits commendation, and gets nickles, dimes, and sometimes even— quarters. POPULARITY OF CUIGNOL. Purls Punch Not to ISo Turned Out of tho Champs Klysecs. Guignol, the Paris Punch, is not to be turned out of the Champs Elysees after all, says the London News. Not only the little ones, but a good many of their ciders will be delighted, for the entertainments given in the little theaters under the pleasant shade ot the trees in the famous promenade ot the French capital are of a very amusing character, ranging from little farcical sketches to grand spectacular dramas "in five acts and sixteen tab leux," and even little mystery plays that are certainly a survival from very ancient times. A very distin guished French statesman is said to have been very fond of witnessing the puppet performances. One day a clerk in his department was brought before him to be reprimanded for being late. "I am very sorry," said the clerk, "but the fact Is I stayed too long looking at Guignol, where I often go, on my way to business." "Dear me," said tho amiable minister, "I am sur prised wc should never have met there." The false alarm about a cherished Parisian Institution was due to the fact that the city surveyor went round to inspect the little theaters, which belong to the municipality, with a view to having them painted afresh before the opening of the exposition. Walnut I>yo for tho Ilnlr. To make a safe and sure dye for the hair from tho husks of walnuts, pro ceed as follows: Break the husks into an earthen jar, and add enough water to barely cover them. Cover the jar, and let it stand in a rather hot oven, but do not allow it to boil. Repeat tho stewing for three days, then strain off the liquid and arid a little alcohol. If a deep brown shade is required, use a third of the alcohol; If a reddish tint is needed, use equal parts of the liquid and the alcohol. —F. N. T. , Muy "Adopt" England. A letter has been received in Boston to the effect that Josiah Quincy, ex mayor of Boston, will make his home in the suburbs of London for the next few years, partly through the influence of Mrs. Quincy, who had lived in Eng land for three years before her mar riage. Auction. Forthwith he tracks the can nibal to his lair. The latter has left Demanza tied up In the sack, while he goes to fetch some relations to share in the feast that Is to follow. So Demane releases his wife and sub stitutes in the sack the swarm of bees and the husband and wife at once make themselves scarce. The would be feasters arrive and the cannibal tells one of them to get something good out of the sack. He attempts this, but is stung for his pains; so mine host himself, to disprove the charge of practical jok ing that has been unanimously pre ferred, goes to the sack, on opening which all the bees swarm out and sting him so unmercifully that he rushes from the cave and Jumps into a pond head first, and sticks in the mud at the bottom. Thus he dies, and De mano and Demanza appropriate all his wealth, and live happy ever after. There are plenty of other "fairy tales" equally strango, and nearly all of them treat of the fruit of diso bedience; virtue is its own reward, and like matters; but they have no story emblematic of our well-known prov erb; "Honesty is the best policy." || Velvot ISatiflfl as Trimming*. Black velvet hands and straps are quite the most general fashion note, pervading utmost all styles of gowns at the moment. Prom laee to cloth, and on organdies and silk muslins, the narrow velvet trimmings are almost universal, and though all kinds of sashes are worn, those of broad black velvot ribbon with colored linings are the most affected. The brightly colored linings in those sashes, which are the latest Parisian lad, add a charming new note of color to the gown.—Harper's Bazar. Victoria Loves Hr flnrden. Queen Victoria is said to have a knowledge of every detail not only of the various houses, hut also of the parks and gardens connected with the many royal palaces, which is wonder ful. Within a very few hours of the court arriving at Osborne the Queen mukes n tour of these gardens which ure close to the house, her first visit generally being paid to tlio lovely myrtle painted by the Prince Consort in 1858 from a sprig taken from the Empress Frederick's wedding nose gay. The sprig flourished, and is now a fine hush, and during the last 40 years it lias supplied Innumerable pieces of myrtle for the embellish ment of royal bridal bouquets. "When Perfectly Proportioned. The upper arm of the perfectly formed woman should end ut the waist line, so that she can rest her el bow 011 a table while standing erect, and her forearm should extend to a point permitting the lingers to murk a point just below the middle of the thigh. Her neck should he of the same circumference. A plumb line dropped from a point marked by the tip of her nose will fall at a point one inch in front of her great toe. Her shoulders and her hips will make a straight line drawn up and down. Her waist will taper gradually to 20 inches, her hips will measure from six to 10 Inches, more than this, and her waist will call for a belt from 22 to 2S Inches, li her height he from live feet three to live feet seven Inches, says a writer in Woman's Life. She should measure from her waist to her feet about a foot more than from the waist to the crown of the head, and her shoes should show a number half that of her glove. A "No. (i lmnd," for instance, should he accompanied by a No. shoe. Her weight, for the heights given, should he from 125 to 140 pounds. Jimt a I.lttlo Wrinkle, It Is considered fashionable just now to address a personal letter or an invitation to some entertainment with a certain addition. This Is in the nat ure of a prefix and it really adds to tho formal appearance of the envelope. Slightly to the left of the address and always above It, never on the same line with it, put the word "For" or else "To," besides the usual super scription. For Miss Van Alon To or Mr. Oliver naznrd. Tills is never used in writing a busi ness communication, hut it is much liked 011 personal correspondence. It is a mark of personal consideration, to bo a recognition of the dignity of the personnge to whom tile letter is addressed. No doubt it Is the Ameri can adaption of the stately old French form of addressing Die envelope of a letter: "Mine, a Mile.—, or "M. a Mme.—" At all events tho formality is a pleasing one. Take notice when the mail hags are next distributed and you will see mis sives in tile fashionable feminine hand writing of the present day with the prefixed preposition duly in place. The Bending of a letter in some wise re sembles the sending of a gift. Any thing which adds to the consequence of the individual to whom it is ad dressed gives liim or her additional pleasure.—Philadelphia Record. Physical Culture for Women. All women cannot have perfect feat ures. All women can and should have perfect forms. Physical exorcise, taken judiciously—the right amount at tho right time—will work miracles with the "female form divine." Ten times out of a dozen the female form is anything but "divine." Tills is tho fault of parents, environment, laziness, overeating, tight lacing and many other things. Men all the world over prefer beauty of form to any other attraction or charm in women. For tills prefer ence they exhibit excellent philosophy as well as excellent taste. For a wom an with a beautiful form is also a woman with a bonutiful temper and beautiful health. And the possession of the two means perfect happiness to any mortal man. Some women fear that physical cul ture spoils the round symmetry of form. This is an absolutely erroneous Idea. On the contrary, it gives to the body strength, grace and exquisite beauty, rounding out angles and ac centuating curves. The first important rule for womeil who take up physical culture— not as a fad, hut as an aid to health and beauty—ls moderation. The great trouble with the sex Is that it is apt to overdo along the line of work as along many others which but recently opened up to It. The result is always disastrous. Women must bear in mind that they are not training us prize lighters; they are striving to get their bodies into good physical condition. Their efforts are for health, strength, suppleness; a body symmetrically beautiful and free from all superfluous flesh, a mind alert, tranquil and not easily ruffled. These alone are the objects of physi cal culture. Walking is superb exercise. There is no other that can equal It for all around good results. But in order to develop symmetrical beauty of limb, arm and muscle other exercises must be added to it. The best thing for a woman nnxious to try physical culture is to take a few lessons from a thoroughly com petent teacher, as it is almost impos sible to accurately describe the dif ferent exercises without practical il lustration. Then she can practice them at home. The best time to exercise is just on stepping out of bed in the morning. Be sure to have plenty of fresh air when exercising; otherwise you do yourself more harm than good. Never exercise to the point of fatigue. Con tinue each exercise until the muscles used in that particular exercise are slightly fatigued. Then desist and try the next. Be sure and adopt a system of exercise that will equally develop the upper and lower parts of of the body. Do not develop legs and muscles to the detriment of chest and waist; always remember that symmetry is beauty. A woman of weakly or sickly con stitution should not at first attempt the very vigorous movements, but as she gains In strength she may success fully adopt them. Gymnastics and athletics develop mind as well as body. They bring the motor nerves Into play and thus ac celerate the brain's activity. Good health also means success in life. Every one likes the wholesome, rosy cheeked woman; she is invariably good tempered and charming. Some philosophical writer says there is no such thing as a red cheeked criminal. He might have added that there is no such thing us a rosy cheeked shrew. Some women Imagine that exorcise, especially the different gymnastic ex ercises, tend to increase the size of the waist. That this is not so is amply proved by the fact that all strong, ac tive athletic men have proverbially small waists in comparison to their size and chest development. On the contrary, persons who lead sedentary lives always commence to put on fat at the waist line. Tight lacing really increases the size of woman's waist, for lacing weakens the waist muscles, renders them flaccid and inactive, so that when the corset pressure is removed they fall about and spread, and the result is a large increase in the natural waist measurement.—New York Her ald. The craze for gold trimmings is de veloping in a most effective way through combination with heavy lace. A new garniture much in favor con sists of rings of guipure linked one through the other and applied as a hand. Automobile coats for autumn wear are shown in cranberry red cloth, heavily strapped, severely plain, and three-quarter length. The abbe collar, made of linen or wired lace and turning down in tabs in front like a priest's collar, is a fancy of the moment in Paris. Broad velvet cravats and girdles, gold fringed and drawn through gold clasps, are worn with soft wool morn ing gowns, for which they furnish al most the only trimming. Around tile edge of many of the boleros oti the new wool gowns there are, instead of the ordinary lace bor der, embroidered holes, through which is drawn velvet ribbon or soft lace or chiffon ending in choux on the bust. Boleros of guipure, point do Venise, Carrickross, etc., are applied upon gold tissue and finished with gold hut tons or tassels. Bands of the lace al so are applied to hands of gold tissue and used upon cloth or silk with ex cellent results. Point d' esprit, on which are applied trailing sprays of lace, is to he one of the most popular materials for young girls' evening gowns during the win ter. It is more durable than chiffon or mousseline and achieves consider able distinction through skilful use of the lace. A new trimming much in use among Paris dressmakers is a scallop of glace silk united to a scalloped edge of the gown material by openwork herring-boning. The herring-honing is seen also above flounce hems, down skirt gores, and, in fact, wherever an openwork effect is desirable. Tucking, edged with narrow gold lace, is seen in the vests of wool gowns; and a particularly good finish for the bottom of a skirt is furnished by a number of wide folds, looking like deep tucks, and edged with gold lace. It is said that gold lace will also flguro largely in winter millinery. The three-quarter length coats seem destined to take the place of the trail ing coats of last season, so far as se vere cloth coats are concerned. They will lie much more easily handled and will accumulate fewer germs; hut they cut the skirt length sadly, and only a tali, slim woman can wear them well. BIRDS AS ARCHITECTS. Their Ingenuity In Nest Ilulhling—lnflu enced by Environment. "A careful examination of a bird's nest will convince any one that it is a work of art. One cannot belp won dering at the Ingenuity displayed by Its architect, llow carefully a bird adapts Itself to environment Is well Illustrated by endleSs examples: The red-winged blackbirds, whose nests are usually built among reeds, flags or bushes, make their nests very much deeper when the place selected is subject to very strong winds than in more sheltered spots; and then, as a future safeguard, the mouth of the nest contracts so that the eggs will not fall out when the flags are swayed by the wind. Some birds really avail themselves of new and favorable con ditions," says A. Itadclyffe Dugmore in "Bird Homes." "The phoebe formerly built its nest exclusively on rocks, but now that houses and bridges are to be found throughout the country, this bird has, to a great extent, changed its former custom, and it now builds nests on almost any sort of structure built by man. This also applies to the barn swallow, while the chimney swift has taken possession of our chimneys and almost forsaken the hollow tree trunks, in which but a few years ago they built In large colonies. . . . The quail and many other birds, such as the meadow lark and some of the sparrows, often arch their homes over with either the growing vegetation surrounding the nest or witli some dry material brought for the purpose; and in some cases they build covered paths or entrances. "The crested flycatcher often makes use of a snakeskin in the construction of its nest, which occupies a hole in a tree. . The ruby throated hum mingbird saddles its tiny nest on a high branch and covers it with lichen, so that it resembles an excrescence on the branch. . . . The Baltimore ori ole hangs his well-built nest, a master piece of bird architecture, on the ex treme end of an overhanging branch, where nothing but a winged enemy can reach it. To guard against these the nest is made so that It looks some thing like a hornet's nest, with which the jays, crows or hawks would not care to interfere. . . . The eggs of the belted kingfisher are placed in a hole, often six or eight feet deep, ex cavated in a bank by the birds them selves, after as much as two weeks' work. The tailor birds sew the edges of a large, growing leaf around the nest, so that it is absolutely hidden from view. The bower birds use queer materials, such as bones, pieces of metal, shells, etc." Comfortable Footwear. Buckskin shoes are not commonly seen in Portland, though the old In dian moccasin may be much of a cur iosity, so when an Arizona man ap peared with a pair on his feet he at tracted some attention. A prominent cattleman of the land of cactus and hot sands who is in the city never wears any other shoes. The uppers are regular Indian-tanned buck; the soles are of sole leather, and he says they are just like a stocking to the feet. Although buckskin is supposed to be a lasting material, buckskin shoes cannot be worn in the wet, and they would not do in the plow field or the harvest Held. The buckskin came from a deer he killed in the Ari zona Mountains, and he paid $lO to have two pairs of shoes made. He thinks people who box their feet up in stiff calfskin are missing a whole lot of ease and comfort in life.—Port land Oregonian. The Wrong Man. An Irishman arrived one evening in Glasgow, and was obliged to put up there for the night. When going to bed he left orders to be called early aext morning. He, however, was ad mitted into a room witli a barber who was bald, and Pat, noticing it, began to chaff him as to the absence of his hair. This the barber eudured all the time in silence, and as soon as the Irishman fell asleep the barber arose and shaved him completely. I'at was called at the appointed hour and with out the least suspicion pursued his journey. After advancing a little way he got thirsty, and meeting a spring well 011 the roadside knelt down and tool; oil his hat, when to his sur prise he saw his condition and ex claimed: "I'm blowed if they didn't call the wrong man!" The Itiglit Answer. Marjorie is the small and only daugh ter in a family which boasts of several sons. Aged four is Marjorie, petite and imperious, and enjoying excellent opportunities for becoming spoiled. She has lately attained to the dignity of tlie kindergarten, and comes home daily with some fresh acquisition of wisdom. A few days ago it was ad dition, and she proclaimed proudly at the dinner table: "I know how much two and two make, and free and two, and four and two." "And what," said her father, "do you and I make, Marjio?" Without a moment's hesitation over these new factors in her problem, the little maid answered, with a dimple and a smile; "Sweethearts!" And all the family were satisfied with Marjie's arithmetic.—Answers. The Pope's Pen " The Pope does his private writing witli n gold pen, but his Pontiflcinl signature is always given with a white-feathered quill wiileh is believed to come from the wing of a dove, al though persous who have seen it say it must have eoine from a larger bird. The same quill lias been in use for more than forty years. It only serves lor important signatures, uud is kept in an ivory case.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers