Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, October 22, 1900, Image 2

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    FREfIfIND TRIBUNE.
KSTAIILTSIIKD ! BHB.
PUBLISHED EVERY
MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY,
IJY THE
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The TRIBUNE may he ordered direct form the
carriers or from the nilioo. Complaints of
Irregular or tardy delivery service will re
ceive prompt attention,
BY MAIL —The TitmuNß is sent to out-of
town subscribers for sl.s'! a year, payable in
advance; pro rata terms for shorter periods.
Tho date when tho subscription expires is on
the uddress label of each paper. Prompt re
newals must be made at the expiration, other
wise the subscription will be discontinued.
Entered at the Postofllce at Freeland. Pa.,
as Second-Class Matter,
Mnkf all money orders, cheeks. etc.,pnyible
to the Tribune Printing Company, Limited.
A list of English public school grad
uates serving in South Africa has been
made. Eton leads with 1000 besides
400 serving in the Volunteers; then
follow Wellington, 500; Harrow, 400;
Marlborough, 340; Cheltenham, 300;
Charterhouse, 380; Winchester and
Haileybury, 250 each, and Ilugliy 100.
Sixty schools have about 2500 "old
boys" at tlie front, besides over 3300
In the Volunteer service.
The most remarkable revelation yet
made in the new census is furnished
by the sad report of Omaha, Neb.,
which is able to show a population of
only 102,555 in 1000, after having
claimed at the census of 1800 a popula
tion of 140,452. It is explained that
tho census of 1800 was padded, hut
if sueli padding could escape undetect
ed, how can we he sure that it has
not been repeated or that there have
net been other errors?
The figures showing the extent of |
tlie foreign commerce of the United j
States for the fiscal year ending June
30 Inst are something stupendous.
The imports were valued at $519,714,-
C7C and the exports at $1,304,470,214
making a total of $2,214,103,554. The
most pregnant fact brought into prom- ,
inencc by an examination of the do- I
tabs of this vast trade is tho great in- j
crease in the importation of
the crude materials of manufacture |
and in the exportation of inanu- I
fa-iturcd articles.
N ice Chancellor Grey decided n |
care involving a mortgage for SIOOO,
tho transfer of which to George 11. !
Bc'tckcr of Philadelphia by Miss j
linnna McEadden of Atlantic City |
was alleged to have been made as a I
gift ,iust before the death of Miss
McVndden. The vice chancellor In I
his opinion says: "Gifts made just be
fore death are not favored in law for
the reason that this is a mode of trans
fer by mere delivery, and proof there
of lias to lie made when death has
closed the lips of the claimed donor."
Controller Traccwcll of the treasury
has rendered a decision In which no
holds that the Hawaiian Islands, un
der the act of May 20, 1900, consti
tute an Integral part of the United
States, and, therefore, officers of the I
navy therein are serving within the
realm or dominion of tho United i
States and consequently are not "be
yond seas" within the meaning of |
S ■etion 13 of the Navy Personal act.
It follows that such officers are not j
entitled to the same play and allow
ances as officers of the army similarly j
situated, and therefore must be paid
at the regular rates for officers of
their grade, without the increase given
by the act of May 20, 1900, to army
officers.
Comparing some letters of a cen
tury ago with others of this day,either
commercial or social, one cannot fail
to ho Impressed with the change that
lias been made in the direction of
brevity. And with this change has
come a hardness, an unfoellngness. a
want of -proper respect in tho writer.
Good letter writers are few and far
between. Men have no time to till
pages with interesting matter, but,
adopting tho commercial spirit of the
age, make 10 lines say what it took
100 to say in the days of our grand
fathers. What is called polite cor
respondence has been given over to
women, whose duties enable them to
dwell on Incidents and gossip that in
terest. Men will not take time to
write sueli matters, but all willingly
pause to read them.
An infantryman with fixed bayonet
has at least an equal chance against a
cavalry soldier with lance or sword.
f A BLACK SHEEP. 1
J BY HARRY ROCKWOOD. ?
"How sharper than a serpent's tooth
To have a thankless child !"
quoted Mrs. Deacon Washburn, in
weak, tremulous tones.
Harry, "her eldest born," stood be
fore her, tall, dark, with blazing eyes
and firinly-eompressed Hps.
He raised one strong, brown hand
with an impatient gesture.
"So you nre ready to take sides with
father against me!" he exclaimed, his
voice full of suppressed passion.
Mrs, Washburn sighed.
"Oh, dear! What can I say to you?"
sho cried, appeallugly.
"You can suy tliut you believe I am
a scape-grace, if this is what you
have in your mind. Of course there
is no blame anywhere except with me.
Joe nud Charlie are saints, because
they haven't spirit enough to draw
lines for themselves, nor resolution to
follow them in the face of opposition.
I merely requested father to let me
study for a profession, nud he fired
up on it, and said that his trade had
brought half a dozen children up
from infancy, feeding and clothing
them, and that Iris trade was good
enough for his hoys. Bah! As though
I had no right to look above a car
riage-maker's shop because I was
born in one."
Harry spoke with intense bitterness.
Wheeling abruptly, he would have left
the house nt once. But a slender form
stood in the doorway, and two deep
blue eyes met his in a glance which
wns full of mingled sympathy and ap
prehension.
"What is the matter, Harry?" ques
tioned the girl, a ring of anxiety In
her sweet tones.
"Another flare-up!" wns the senten
tious response. Then, in a lower tone:
"I'm going away, Pet. I've borne
this life as long as I can."
Petronilla Wayne—the orphan child
of a distant kinsman of Mrs. Wash
burn—reached both hands upward,
and placed them upon Harry's shoul
ders, which were almost as high as
she could reach.
"Please don't go!" she said, plead
ingly.
A rift of white crossed her cheeks.
But her word." did not cause theyoung
man to waver in his purpose.
"Do not remonstrate, Pet I've
thought It all over, and mnde up my
mind what is best I haven't been a
dutiful son at home—l have brought
disgrace upon my father's name. lie
said so t'hlp very morning. He said,
too, that I was the black sheep of Ids
(lock—because ef those boyish pranks
f mine, I suppose. I hate to go,
though, with you blaming me."
His manly voice showed signs of
breaking, and he turned away his face
to hide the signs of emotion which he
rould not keep back.
"I do not blame you, Harry. Per
haps it Is best for you to go, only—lt
will be very lonely for me. That is
Ml."
The girl spoke quite bravely. Harry
flared not trust himself to speak again.
Bending quietly, he kissed tho quiver
ing, upturned lips of Petronilla, leav
ing one of Ills own tear-drops upou
heir cheek. Then he pushed almost
rudely past her, and strode out into
the gray, misty morning.
Pet watched him out of sight Then
she saw Deacon Washburn, tall nnd
grim, coming up the path.
"Harry has gone, Uncle Joseph," sho
said, as the man ascended the steps.
"Well, he'll have a chance to try
flghtln' his battle alone—that's all I've
got to say," was tlie hasty response.
Then he added, pulling viciously at his
grizzled beard:
"He'll come bnck in a week. Uks
enough, and own that he's l'arnt a
■iesscm!"
But Harry did not "come back in a
week," nor in a mouth. A year passed
Yith no tidings from the black sheep.
Then there was a steamboat disnster
on one of tlie groat rivers, and among
the list of the killed Deacon Washburn
read tlie name of his son. There was
deep sorrow at tlie cottage after that,
and glooin settled upon the hearts of
its inmates.
Six years passed.
Deacon Washburn's younger sons.
Joe and Charlie, married, and settled
down to a humdrum existence within
half a mil" of their father's roof-tree.
But Petronilla Wayne remanied
with her benefactors. Mrs. Washburn
had become too feeble and tremulous
to attend to the household duties, and
the brunt of them descended upon
Pet's strong, young shoulders. So.
she went on with the simple routine
of housework, a trifle wan nnd siul
jyed after the news of Harry's death.
One day a new misfortune came to
(hem. The deacon's carriage-shop,
ivit.li all It contained, was burned,
and wliile attempting to extinguish
the flames, tlie deacon himself was se
verely injured. There was a ehunee
for his life, tlie doctor said, but his
physical labors could never be re
sumed.
Misfortunes never come singly. Be
fore Mr. Washburn was able to leave
tlie house, a former resident of the
town ptit in an appearance, declaring
that tlie Washburn cottage, and. the
valuable cultivated ground belonging
to tlie estate, wore held by a spuri
ous title; in other words, that Deacon
Washburn did not own tlicm nt all.
This was a startling discovery to the
unfortunate man. The elnimant of the
estate brought proofs which only a
long and expensive suit could set
aside.
"Sorry to turn you from your home,
which you have paid f< • fairly en
ough," said Mr. Hoskins, blandly.
"But it Isn't my fault that the person
who gave you the title to this prop
erty had no right to do so. Indeed,
you were in fault for not learning the
irresponsibility of the party when you
made the purchase. I shall not force
you to move away until you have suifi
clently recovered to do so. I am a
kind man at heart, you see, Mr. Wush
burn."
' Then "kind-hearted" Hoskins
smirked nnd bowed, and laft the cot
tage.
The deacon was half-crazed by the
situation. lie could not afford to
carry on an expensive legal suit, with
the probability of being defeated in
the end.
Charlie and Joe wore in no situation
to assist him: and Mrs. Washburn
was more weak and tremulous than
ever before.
There seemed to be no alternative.
They must give up their home aud
go—whither?
A week dragged away.
Then a letter came to Deacon Wash
bum, written In a scrawly business
hand. It was a pithy affair, and us
follows:
"I read in a newspaper that one Al
bert Hoskins disputed the legality of
Joseph Washburn's title to the home
and land which the latter was sup
posed to own. Knowing Mr. Hoskins
to be an unscrupulous villain. I will
come to Centrevllle, and legally op
pose bis claims, in your behalf.
Respectfully, etc.,
"Lansing, Attorney-at-Law."
A sort of Joy choked the voice of
Petronilln as she read the singular let
ter aloud to Mr. Washburu.
"But who is this Lansing? Another
fraud, It is likely," exclaimed the old
man, not daring to believe a turn in
his fortunes to be possible.
"Perhaps not. Uncle Joe; we mustn't
give up in tliut way, for I do not be
lieve God has forgottou us," exclaimed
Pet, stroking the silver-gray locks of
her benefactor.
"That's so, child. At any rate, this
Lansing can't do any worse by us
than Hoskins will, and we might as
well accept his aid, if ho has any to
offer."
So it was settled.
Within a week a civil suit in tho
courts began, which Deacon Wash
burn was not able to attend.
But he learned that Lansing, the
lawyer who had volunteered aid, wns
a brilliant young man, nnd that Al
bert Hoskins dared not push his claims
alter the attorney had presented the
other side of the case.
Tho claimant seemed to stand great
ly In fear of his opponent, and a ru
mor was circulated that Hoskins was
guilty of numerous crooked transac
tions, of which the young lawyer
threatened to convict him.
So, after a single day's trial, the
case was decided, and Deacon Wash
burn's title to his hard-earned pos
sessions pronounced genuine.
Early In the evening after the trial
a knock sounded upon the door of the
Washburn cottage.
Pet answered the summons, fling
ing tho door open wide.
A tall, dark-bennlcd stranger crossed
the threshold, and a pair of handsome
eyes looked down upon Petronilln.
She uttered a little gasp, her cheeks
flashing slightly, nnd then becoming
ns white as death.
"It is—Harry!" she managed to ar
ticulate.
"Yes. Pet. So you had not quite for
gotten the faee of the black sheep?"
returned his deep, musical tones.
"Forgotten you!" terminating her ex
clamation with a little scream of joy.
Tlien adding. In a bewildered sort
of way:
"But I supposed you were dead, and
we had been mourning for you all
these years. Is it really, truly, our
Ilnrry?"
The young man laughed softly.
"No, I did not perish in the great
disaster upon the Hudson, though it
wns by almost a miracle that I es
caped. The report of my dentil was
contradicted afterward, nnd had I not
supposed that you rend it I should
have written to you. I saw an account
of father's misfortunes in a news
paper. and thought it about time for
the 'black sheep' to return and redeem
his reputation. So I wrote to father,
signing ns Lansing. And 1 trust that
I shall receive a welcome tills time.
I have been very homesick for a long,
long time, for I wanted to see mother,
father, the boys and you, little Pet.
That was all he said to her then.
With a joyous light shining from her
eyes she led him into the cozy sitting
room.
Very gently they broke the news to
Mr. nnd Mrs. Washburn.
It was hard for them to realize that
this handsome, bearded stranger could
be their Harry, who had left them six
or seven years ago.
And when they fully comprehended
the glorious truth, nnd that it wns
their brave, talented Harry, who had
come to them in their need and saved
their home from the spoiler, they
evinced their joy in away that left no
doubt of a perfect reconciliation In
the heart of the young man.
Harry's visit to the old home-nook
was a protracted one. And when ho
went back to the city it was with a
promise to return at frequent inter
vals.
His success in bis chosen proression
was a brilliant one, and many were
the generous presents which he sent
home to his pallents, who had grown
to idolize him.
He found more than two worshiper*
at the old Washburn cottage.
Upon his next visit to said to shy
petite Pefronilla:
"Why did you not marry some one,
as well as Charlie and Joe?"
"Because I couldn't boar to thinls of
being happy with you gone," she an
swered.
Very gently he clasped her in his
arms, and asked, with his brown
beard close to her face:
"Can you think of being happy, now
that 1 have returned? Remember, 1
am the one 'black sheep' of the flock!"
He received her answer then. But
it was not until their wedding day
tliut the world knew how well she
loved Deacon Washburn's "blaelc
sheep."—Saturday Night
TRAMPINC IN FINE RAIMENT.
Leaning on ITIs (iofil-nvaded Cnnei He
Tnl<l of His Hard-dp Condition.
A tramp, attired In silk tile and
Prince Albert coat, set East Twenty
seventh street agog with conjecture
the other day. Spotless lineh, a clean
shaven face and a glib tongue added
to the make-up of the beggar. Many
thought him to be an estray from the
ranks of the Cook County Marching
club of Chicago, which cut such a
dash hero during the Bryan notifica
tion meeting.
Early in the morning he appeared
at the kitchen door of the home of
Fred 0. Ball, Ash and Twenty-seventh
streets. He trembled as he spoke of
the hardship that ill-luck had forced
upon him. He leaned on a gold-head
ed cane as he told Mr. Ball of his
hunger.
"This is my llrst visit to any man's
back door, my friend," ho said in a
tone of pathos. "This is the first time
I ever begged in my life, and I'll give
you this my last nickel, for a bite of
breakfast." He held out u nickel to
the man whom he sought to be his
good Samaritan, but Mr. Ball refused
It.
Mr. Ball led him Into the kitchen, and
soon the handsome beggar wus mak
ing away with a bowl of oatmeal and
offering profuse thanks between spoon
fuls. He had the tone of a polished
man, and when lie bad finished a good
meal he arose to go. Turning to Mr.
Ball, lie said: "My young friend, you
will yet hear from tills act of kiuduess.
I am a music teacher by profession
and have taught in some of the best
conservatories in the country. Mis
fortune overtook me and I confess that
right now I am holding the short end.
But I'll pull out yet and will remember
you."
Tears trickled down the fellow's face
as he left his benefactor nud wended
his way toward the railroad yards.—
Indianapolis Press.
QUAINT AND CURI U
If all the mountains In the world
were leveled, the uverage height of
and lafld would rise nearly 250 feet.
The old Chinese idea of fortifying
was to include as great an area as
possible within a more or less Impos
ing wall. Thus Nanking has 27 miles
of city wall.
A submarine boat to be propelled
by cable traction, has been desigued
by a French Inventor, for crossing
the English channel. It will accommo
date about 250 passengers, and will
make the journey In about an hour.
An ipventor lias hit upon a method
of putting stone soles on hoots and
shoes. He mixes a waterproof glue
with a suitable quantity of clean
quartz sand and spreads it over the
leather sole used as a foundation.
These quartz soles are said to bo very
flexible and to give the foot a firm
hold even on the most slippery sur
face.
In a large rookery of flying foxes
on the island of Tongatatu near Nuka
lofa, the bats, about 8000 in number,
occupy the tops of 14 large trees lu
the midst of the village. The rookery
Is carefully protected by the chief of
the village, who permitted the natural
ist to take away only three specimens.
It was understood that they had been
guarded by the people from time im
memorial.
There are several trees and plants
in the world whose berries, juice or
bark are as good to wash with as real
soap. In the West Indian islands and
In South America grows a tree whose
fruit maltes an excellent lather and is
used for washing clothes. The bark
of a tree which grows in Peru, and of
another which grows in the Malay
Islands, yields a line soap. The com
mon soapwort, which is indigenous to
England, is so full of saponine that
simply rubbing the leaves together In
water produces a soapy lather.
An objeot of great Interest to con
tinental Europe is a walking mountain
in Uard, France, which is moving
toward the river cf the same nnmo,
at the rate of 15 feet a day. in Its
advnnce it has destroyed the ma
chinery and pits of the Grande Combe
colliery, nnd has also destroyed nearly
a mile of the Alals railway. New
channels are being prepared for the
Gnrd nnd Garden rivers, which nre
sure to be choked up when the land
slide comes. Six hundred persons have
been obliged to leave their homes at
Grande Combo. The lower strata of
(he mountain, which risen sheer from
the valley, are grit and green mart,
j and both have given way owing to
I the in Alteration of rain.
Dolly's Danger.
Oh, what do you think has happened?
Doll Daisy almost died.
It frightened me so dreadfully,
Of course I cried and cried.
I rocked her to sleep this morning.
Anil laid her in a chair;
Pearl, the pussy, didn't know
That I had put her there.
And so, when she got sleepy,
What should she do but curl
Her great gray body in a ring
Right on my little girl.
About a Popular Foreigner.
The dooryard flower gardens are dot
ted with poppies of all kinds, from the
little single red fellows to ones that
look almost like the big white-headed
louble chrysanthemums. Although the
poppy is quite a favorite in this coun
try, none of the family is native to the
soil. All of our poppies came from the
old world. In Euglund, Scotland and
Italy the graceful scarlet poppy blos
soms In the wheatflelds ami grows
wild in waste places. Among the ruins
of ancient Itouie this brilliant flower
blooms luxuriantly. It Is very hardy,
and though an annual, scatters its seed
so well that they come up from your
to year In gardens where they have
once been pluntcd.
A Doflf'a I.oy>ilt.v.
One of my brothers, when a young
man, owned a handsome Newfound
land answering to the name of "SkUk
kum," the same being Chintook Indian
for "good," and amply deserved. When
my brother married, Skukkum was
graciously pleased to approve of his
choice, and extended a courteous but
distinctly condescending friendship to
the new member of bis family, evident
ly thinking that, perhaps, after all,
three might be company In spite of the
proverb. But he drew the line at four;
and, when the first buby came, his
courtesy gave way.
He not only absolutely refused to
come and look at the little tot, and be
Introduced to the new member of the
family, but, if it was brought Into the
room would Instantly either leave it
or march off to the farthest corner, and
lie down, with an air of offended dig
nity.
And yet the moment the baby was
placed in lils perambulator and started
out through the garden gate for a con
stitutional doWn the street, Skukkum
would promptly range up alongside
of the carriage and escort it through
the entire trip, keeping a most vigilant
eye upon any stranger, canine or hu
man, who ventured to approach his
charge without a cordial greeting from
the nurse-maid. The minute, however,
that the gate was safely reached again,
he considered his duty done, niul re
lapsed at once into his former attitude
of Jealous contempt. lie evidently
felt that, no matter hew much he might
disapprove of the baby personally, and
even feel free to express this feeling
within the privacy of the? family circle,
yet the youngster was, nevertheless,
do jure, a member of the family, and
entitled not merely to defence, but to
respectful attention before the eye of
the outside world. As the baby grew
older, he soon came to like him for his
own sake; and they were the best of
friends.—Contemporary Review.
Tho Dubinin* unil flu* Durinliifi.
Margaret, Joe, Kenneth and Patty
live In the country. They haven't
many playthings, but lots and lots of
plays. "Making believe" is great fun
for them, and they "make believe" so
much aud so hard, they really do be
lieve in most of their plays.
One of their finest plays is tho Dah
min and Durmln play. This can be
played all day, or only part of the
time, but Kenneth and Patty and
Joe are Dahmins all tho time. They
say the boys are Dahmins and tho
girl a Durmln.
Margaret says mamma is qu on of
tho Durmins, but Patty says, "No.
she's Jack Bean's wife, and Jack
Bonn is king of the Dahmins." Mam
ma is very proud of this honor, lor
she knows well what a fine man Jack
Bean is. lie Is the hoys' hero, and
Kenneth says he owns a gold boat
and a gold engine, and Is tho strong
est man in tho world.
It Is ben-sen that makes htm so
strong. Bon-son Is somewhat wonder
ful. Y'ou can take an Iron rope as big
around as the water-tower and it
isn't as strong as a thread of ben-sen.
Jack Bean cats a grain of ben-son
every morning, and that's what
makes him so strong, Kenneth says.
All the boys say he is the best man
In the world " 'cept papa."
Sometimes papa says there Is no
such man as Jack Bean, and oh, how
the children punish him! They climb
all over him, take off his glasses,
rumple his hair, and say he can never,
never be a Dahmin any more. Papa
Is glad enough to give in before such
determined foes, and promises to be
lieve in Jack Bean as long as he
lives.
Patty and Kenneth hare what they
call "Dahmin dinner" and that means
to save your cake and fruit from des
sert, and all tho licorice and enndy
balls you can get with the pennies you
earn going errands and carrying conl
for grandma's lire. Then you take
these good things (brown sugar sand
wiches are line for Dahmin dinners!
and sot a nice little table and eat your
dinner, and talk with a big voice like
a worklngman.
Dahmin men are brave. One day ,
mamma told Kenneth, who is seven.
to go on an errand. He was having '
a beautiful time on Jack Bean's gold
boat (made of dining-room cliairs), and
he didn't want to go. But Putty, who
Is live, said, "Go on, Ken, and don't
cry. Dahmin mans don't cry."
The Dahmins have more fun than
the Durmins because there are more
of them; but when Margaret Invites
two other girls to be Durmins, and
they have a Durmln war, then it is
exciting. They make their cannon out
of drain-pipe, and build forts out ot
boxes in summer ana snow in winter,
and have as big a war as Spain and
America!
But alas! mamma Is no longer Jack
Bean's wife and queen of the Dah
mins. Two little boys wore naughty
and had to be punished. As they sat
in chairs on each side of the dining
room till they could promise to be
good, Patty exclaimed, with the ears
running down his cheeks; "Mamma
can't be the queen, for she has de
graced the Dahmins!"
But mamma loves the Dahmins and r.
Durmins, and spends many a happy
hour watching their happy play, and
when siie kisses the little boys at
night she hopes they may grow up as
good men as their heroes—real and
make believe.—Youth's Companion.
An Emperor's Adventure.
The first Emperor Napoleon passed
his youth as a student in the military
school at Brienne. Like most lads, he
was fond of fruit, and a certain re
spectable, hard-working widow, a
fruit seller, took a deal of money
from him; but sometimes he had no
cash, and then the poor woman trust
ed him with as much fruit as he want
ed, and as soon us he hud money
again he paid her.
But it so happened that at the time
of his leaving the school his pockets
were empty, and he was a dollar In
debt to the woman.
As she smilingly brought him the
last plate of juicy peaches, he said to
her: "I am going away, good mother,
and I have not money enough to pay
you; but I will not forget your kind
ness if you will trust me now."
"Don't let that disturb you, young
sir! God keep you in health, and make
a happy man of you! Take these
peaches and welcome!"
We all know how in a short time
the student of Brienne became a gen
era! and conquered Italy, how he went
to Egypt, and returned to France
through a sen full of hostile ships, and
was made first consul, how he restored
order and peace in France, and be
came its most famous emperor.
There came a time when the emper
or returned to Brienne. He was no'
unmoved at the thoughts of his boy'
hood which the place called up, anc"
often wandered about unattended.
While walking in the street one day,
he—suddenly remembering the friend
ly old fruit woman—made enquiries
about her dwelling, which was in a
very low part of the town. He went
directly to It accompanied only by
one attendant.
A narrow door led them into a snialL
poor, but very clean room, which
served as a shop, where an old wom
an with two children knelt by thi
stove, preparing their scanty evening
meal.
"Can I buy any fruit here?" asked
the emperor, looking round ut the
empty baskets.
"O, yes, sir." sold the woman; "the
melons are ripe." And she fetched
one.
While the two strange gentlemen
ate their melon, and the woman laid
one or two faggots on the tire, one of
the strangers said to her:
"Have you heard that the emperor Is t
expected here today? You know him,
don't you? He used to be at the col
lege."
"Of course I know him! Many a
plate and basket of fruit did be buy
of me while he was a student here.
In the old days!"
"But did he always pay you proper
ly for what he had?" usked her visitor,
carelessly.
"Why, to lie sure he did, sir," she
answered, going on with her cooking.
"But, my good woman, you do not
keep quite to the truth," said the
other gentleman, laughing, "or else
you have a bad memory; for, in the
first place, I am the emperor, and in the
second, I did not pay for those peach
es, besides which, I am to this day
one or two dollars in your debt, which
now I am come to pay."
In the meantime the second gentle- ■*
man counted out and laid on the table
$240, capital and interest.
The emperor gave orders that the
miserable house was to be pulled
down and another to be built for the
poor, hardworking woman in its place, j
"In this house," he said, "will lA
lodge whenever I come to Brienne,
and it shall lie called by my name."
He extended his kindness to the
children, for he provided well for the
girl, and the boy he placed In the
same military school ut which he him
self had been educated.
Flatting an Art In China.
Nowhere in the world is the art of
fishing so highly developed as in China.
Rivers, creeks, stagnant pools, the
great ocean and the little tank, lakes
and garden ponds, all furnish their
quota to the sustenance of man. Even
rice grounds are turned into fish ponds
in winter. The inhabitants of the
water are killed with the spear, caught
with tlie hook, scraped up by the
dredge and captured by nets. They
are even dived for by birds trained for
the purpose. Eels are fed in tubs and
jars until customers carry them off.