HE.
To mc a childish pledge she made—
She promised, some day, to be mine-
How splendidly she is arrayed!
To me a childish pledge she made—
Long since forgotten I'm afraid—
Her laugh is like a draught of wine;
To me a childish pledge she made,
She promised, some day, to be mine.
I kissed her oft, in those dear days,
When she was eight and I was ten;
How fair she is, how proud her ways!
I kissed her oft, in those dear days,
And now I may but stand and gaze,
Nor claim the love she gave me then!
I kissed her oft, in those dear days,
When she was eight and I was ten.
RATHER A NEAT JOB.
¥Y profession isn't a popular
one. There Is considerable
prejudice against It. I
don't myself think It's
much worse than a good many others.
However, that's nothing to do with
my story. Some years ago me and
the gentleman who was at that time
connected with me in business—he's
met with reverses since then, and at
present isn't able to go out—were look
ing around for a job, being at that time
wither hard up, as you might say. We
•truck a small country town—l ain't
a-goin' to give it away by telling where
it is, or what the name of it was. There
was one bank there; the President was
a rich old duffer; owned the mills,
owned the bank, owned most of the
town. TEere wasn't no other officer
but the cashier, and they had a boy,
who used to sweep out and run of er
rands.
The bank was on the main street,
pretty well up one end of it—nice, snug
place, on the corner of a cross street,
with nothing very near it. Wo took
our observations and found there
wasn't no trouble at all about it. There
was an old watchman who walked up
and down the street nights, when he
didn't fall asleep and forget it. The
vault had two doors; the outside one
Was chilled iron, and a three wheel
combination lock; the inner door wasn't
no door at all; you could kick it open.
It didn't pretend to be nothing but
fireproof, and it wasn't even that. The
first thing we done, of course, was to
fit a key to the outside door. As the
loek on the outside door was an old
fashioned Bacon lock, any gentleman
y my profession who chances to read
Jiis article will know Just how easy
jhat job was, and how we done it. I
may say here that the gentlemen in
my lino of business, having at times a
lood deal of leisure on their hands,
o considerable reading, and are partic
ularly fond of a neat bit of writing. In
fact, in the way of literature, I have
found among 'em—however, this being
digression, I drop It, and go on with the
main job again.
This was our plan: After the key
was fitted t was to go into the bank,
and Jim—that wasn't his name, of
course, but let it pass—was to keep
watch on the outside. When any one
•assed he was to tip me a whistle, and
then I doused the glim and lay low;
after they got by I goes on again. Sim
ple and easy, you see. Well, the night
as we selected the President happened
to be out of town; gone down to the
city, as he often did. I got inside all
right, with a slide lantern, a breast
drill, a small steel jimmy, a bunch of
skeleton keys, and a green baize bag,
to stow the swag. I fixed my light
and rigged my breast drill, and got
to work on the door right over the
lock.
Probably a great many of our read
ers are not so 'well posted us me about
bank locks, and I may say for them
that a three wheel combination lock
has three wheels in it, and a slot in
each wheel> In order to unlock the
door you have to get the three slots
opposite to each other at the top of the
lock. Of course, if you know the num
ber the lock is set on you can do this;
l )iit if you don't you have to depend
C your ingenuity. There is in each
I these wheels a small hole, through
yhieh you can put a wire through the
jack of the lock when you change the
tombination. Now, if you can bore a
sole through the door .and pick up
those wheels by running a wire
through those holes, why, you can open
the door. I hope I make myself clear.
1 was boring that hole. The door
was chilled iron; about the neatest stuff
I ever worked on. I went on steady
enough; only stopped when Jim—
which, as I said, wasn't his real name
—whistled outside, and the watchman
toddled by. Ry-and-by, when I'd got
pretty near through, I heard Jim—so
to speak—-whistle again. I stopped,
and pretty soon I heard footsteps out
side, and I'm blowed, if they didn't
come right up the bank steps and I
heard a key in the lock. I was so dum
foundered when I heard that that you
could have slipped the bracelets right
on me. I picked up my lantern, and
I'll be hanged if I didn't let the slide
(Up down and throw the light right
onto the door, and there was the Presi
dent. Instead of calling for help, as I
supposed he would, he took n step in
side the door, and shaded his eyes with
his hand and looked at me. I knowed
( ought to knock him down and cut out,
but I'm blest if I could, I was that
surprised.
"Who are you?" says he.
"Who are you?" says I, thinking that
was an innocent remark as he com
menced it. and a-trylng all the time to
collect myself.
"I'm president of the hank," says he,
kinder short; "something the matter
With the lock?"
By George! the idea came to me then.
THE MEETINC.
SHE.
We played together long ago,
I promised to be his, some day—
Ah, doubtless he's forgotten, though—"
We played together long ago,
I promised to be his, but oh,
He keeps so far, so far away!
We played together long ago,
I promised to be his, some day,
He used to tell me I was fair—
I wonder if he thinks so yet?
He used to kiss my lips, my hair,
He used to tell me I was fair—
Ah, if our pledge were kept—but there
Is much to make a man forget.'
Ho used to tell me I was fair,
I wonder if he thinks so yet?
I "Yes, sir," says I touching my cap;
| "Mr. Jennings, he telegraphed this
morning as the lock was out of order
and he couldn't get in, and I'm eome
on to open It for him."
"I told Jennings a week ago," says
he, "that he ought to get that lock
fixed. Where is he?"
"He's been a-writing letters, and he's
gone up to his house to get another
letter he wanted for to answer."
"Well, why don't you go right on?"
says he.
"I've got almost through," says I,
"and I didn't want to finish up and
open the vault till there was somebody
here."
"That's very creditable to you," says
he; "a very proper sentiment, my man.
You can't," he goes on, coming round
by the door, "he too particular about
avoiding the very suspicion of evil."
"No, sir," says I, kinder modest like.
"What do you suppose is the matter
with the lock?" says he.
"I don't rightly know yet," says I;
"but I rather think It's a little wore
on account of not being oiled enough.
These 'ere locks ought to be oiled about
once a year."
"Well," says be, "you might as well
go right on, now I'm here; I will stay
till Jennings comes. Can't I help you
—bold your lantern, or something of
that sort?"
The thought came to me like a flash,
and I turned around and says:
"How do I know you're the Presi
dent? I ain't ever seen you afore, and
you may he a-trying to crack this
hank, for all I know."
"That's a very proper inquiry, my
man," says he, "and shows a most re
markable degree of discretion. I con
fess that I should not have thought of
the position in which I was placing
you. However, I can easily convince
you that it's all right. Do you kuoW
what the President's name is?"
"No, I don't," says I, sorter surly.
"Well, you'll find it on that bill," said
lie, taking a hill out of his pocket; "and
you see the same name on these let
ters," and he took some letters from
his coat.
I suppose that I ought to have gone
right on then, but I was beginning to
feel interested in making him prove
who ho was, so I says:
"You might have got them letters to
put up a job on me."
"You're a very honest man," says ho;
"one among a thousand. Don't think
I'm at all offended at your persistence,
No, my good fellow, I like it, I like it,"
and ho laid his hand on my shoulder.
"Now, here," says he, taking a bundle
out of his pocket, is a package of $lO,-
000 in bonds. A burglar wouldn't he
apt to carry those around with him,
would ho? I bought them in the city
yesterday, and I stopped here to-night
on my way homo to place them in the
vault, and, I may add, that your simple
and manly honesty has so touched me
that I would willingly leave them in
your hands for safe keeping. You
needn't blush at my praise."
I suppose I did turn sorter red when
1 see them bonds.
"Are you satisfied now?" says he.
I told him I was thoroughly, and so
I was. So I picked up my drill again,
and gave him the lantern to hold so
that I could see the door. I heard
Jim, as I call him, outside once or
twice, and I like to have burst out
laughing, thinking how he must be
wondering what was going on inside.
I worked away and kept explaining to
him whnt I was a-trying to do. Ho
was very much interested in mechan
ics, lie said, and knowed as I was a
man as was up in my business by the
way I went to work. He asked mc
about what wages I got, and how I
liked my business, and said he took
quite a fancy to me. I turned round
once in u while and looked at him
a-sotting up there as solemn as a blled
owl, with my dark lantern in his
blessed hand, and I'm blamed If 1
didn't think I should have to holler
right out.
I got through the lock pretty soon
and put in my wire and opened it. Then
he took hold of the door and opened the
vault
"I'll put my bonds in," says lie, "and
go home. You can lock up and wait
till Mr. Jennings comes. I don't sup
pose you will try to tlx the lock to
night."
I told him I shouldn't do anything
more with it now, as we could get ID
before morning.
"Well, I'll hid you good-night, my
man," says he, as I swung the door to
again.
Just then I heard Jim, by name,
whistle, and I guessed the watchman
was a-oomlng up the street.
"Ah," says I, "you might speak to the
watchman, If you see him, and toil him
| to keep nil extra lookout to-night."
"I will." says he, and we both went
to the front door.
"There comes tho watchman up the
rtreet," says he. "Watchman, this man
has been fixing the bank lock, and I
want you to keep a sharp lookout to
night. He will stay here until Mr.
Jennings returns."
"Good-night again," says he, and we
shook hands and lie went up the street;
I saw Jim, so called, in the shadow of
the other side of the street, ns I stood
on the step with the watchman.
"Well," says I to the watchman, "I'll
go and pick up my tools and get ready
to go."
I went back into the bank, and it
didn't take long to throw the door open
and stuff them bonds into the bag.
There was some boxes lying around
and a safe as I should rather have liked
to have tackled, but it seemed like
tempting Providence after the luck
we'd had. I looked at my watch and
see it was just a quarter past twelve.
There was an express train went
through at half-past twelve. I tucked
iny tools in the bag on the top of the
bonds, and walked out of the front
door. The watchman was on the steps.
"I don't believe I'll wait for Mr. Jen
nings," says I. "I suppose it will be
all right if I give you his key."
"That's all right," says the watch
man.
"I wouldn't go very far away from
the bank," says I.
"No, I won't," says he; "I'll stay
vigh K about here all night."
"Good-night," says I, and I shook
hands with him, and me and Jim—
which wasn't his right name, you un
derstand—took the twelve-thirty ex
press, and the best part of that job
was we never heard nothing of it
It never got into the papers.—Wav
erley Magazine.
lias Neither ISrotliers Nor Heauti.
Miranda, a timorous spinster, who
has reached a "certain age," has neith
er brothers nor benus. 11l lien of more
capable and competent protection,
when she goes abroad in the eveniug,
says the New York Post, it is under
the convoy of a messenger hoy. She
has complained that by some inexplica
ble law of chance, whenever she has
flowers or notes to be delivered, ber
call Is invariably answered by husky
youths strong enough to handle a
trunk, but when slio desires an escort
or some one to carry a heavy bag to tile
railroad station a tiny scrap of an
urchin presents himself at the door.
Iteturning from the theatre one night
this week with a diminutive specimen,
she was compelled to stand on a street
corner waiting for a car. The hour
was late and Miranda was nervous
and half afraid. She said as tnueh.
Her hired companion reassured her:
"It's all light, lady. Nobody ever
speaks to anybody when anybody sees
anybody Is with a messenger boy."
Province of the Newspaper.
It Is generally conceded among men
of the best thought that the newspaper
best serves the people when it tells the
happenings of the world as they are,
not as they ought to be, says the Car
thago (Mo.) Press. The preachers and
the reformers are supposed to cover
the field of reform, and the newspaper
through its editorial columns frequent
ly touches upon the same theme, but in
the news columns, giving a true picture
of events as they are, is the only policy j
that finds justification. This does not |
moan that the columns of a newspaper j
should be filled with improper lan- '
gunge or that things should be told |
there which the young aud guileless |
should not know. Nor does it mean i
that the space should be given over to !
sensationalism after the manner of the
yellow journals. What the people want
to know is what is going on in the
world around them, aud it is the prov
ince of the good newspaper to supply
that want in a clean, legitimate man
ner.
An Hour a Ray "Wustcd.
More time is lost and more labor
wasted in Ivondon every day than in
any city in the world, says the London
Mail.
Everything has apparently conspired
to make Londoners do unnecessary
tilings and to waste many years of
their lives in doing them. Wo have
never had sufiicient energy to throw
oil! the accumulated legacies of neglect
in tho past.
Compare London with the next larg
est and busiest city in the world—New
York, which was more seriously handi
capped by physical conditions. The
New Yorker saves at least an hour a
day which is lost to Londoners, and he
schemes to economize labor which the
Londoner recklessly wastes.
Still Dredging the Suez Cmml.
The work of dredging the Suez Ca
nal, wlilch goes on daily, is bearing
good results. Last year the maximum
draught for ships in the canal was
twenty-five feet seven inches, but from
the beginning of this year it was raised
to twenty-six feet three inches, and
during the first four months of 1902
forty-four vessels have availed them
selves of this improvement. Similarly
also the breadth of ships is increasing,
the largest beam in transit having been
that of the Japanese battleship Hat
suse, seventy-six feet six Inches.—Lon.
don Globe.
I! UKU I>lHmoiul Fauna,
la one ol' the mines near Kimhorley,
sa.vs London Golden Penny, a diamond
of 400 carats was found u few weeks
ago. It is a pale yellow color, aud its
form is that of an octahedron. Owing
to its great size the news of its dlscov
, cry has caused much ecccltoment, and
! the owner did not feel quite easy until
lie had placed it in a safe in one of the
local banks. The exact value of the
I diamond is not yet known, but fifty
per cent, of it must be paid to the Gov
ernment, niul experts say that tills sum
alone represents a considerable for
tune.
Craminar ns Itliyme.
Three little words you often see,
The articles A, An and The.
A noun, the name of anything,
As School or Garden, Hoop or Ring.
An adjective describes the noun,
As Great, Small, Fretty, White or Brown.
In places of nouns, the pronoun stands,
As lie or She, Your arm, My hand.
Verbs tell of something to be done,
To Read, Count, Laugh, Sing, Jump or
Run.
How things are done the adverbs tell,
As Slowly, Quickly, ITI or Well.
Conjunctions join the words together,
As men And women, wind Or weather.
A preposition stands before
A noun, as In or Through the door.
The interjection shows surprise,
As, "Oh, How pretty/' "Ah! how wise."
The whole are called nine parts of speech,
Which reading, writing, spelliug teach.
An Experiment. With Electricity.
A thin sheet of paper, if rubbed with
ft brush or the palm of the hand, in dry
Missing Sweethearts* Puzzle.
'-' ;: k J
Find tlic sweethearts oi' whom these girls are talking.
weather, will become charged with
electricity in a short while, and will ad
here to the hand or to the clothing. A
thick piece of paper, such as a postal
card, If electrified in the manner' de
scribed, will attract light things, such
as small pieces of cork, etc.
Balance a walking cane on the back
of a chair and offer to bet that you j
will cause the cane to fail without j
touching it, without blowing at it or
_
without touching the cliair. All you
have to do is to dry n jiostal card over
a light, aud to rub it well on your
sleeve. As soon as you get the card
near the end of the cane It will follow
the card, as a needle follows the mag
net, until the balance Is lost, so that the
cane will fall to the floor.—New York
Tribune.
llow to Mdko a ('amp Hammock.
There are times again and again In
camp and out of doors dens that boys
A PRACTICAL HAMMOCK FOR BOYS.
love to have, when n place to "roost"
tvhlle reading or a place to "snooze"
through a day of drizzling rain Is In
great demand. Generally when one
most wants it the forest branches and
twigs are too wet to use for a bed, and,
besides, It is too much trouble.
Now here is away to make a really
practical hammock that will "just fill
the bill." Get several barrels, break
them up and remove all the nails from
the staves. Bore a three-quarter inch
hole in each end of each stave with a
heated poker. Then laee thin rope
(clothesline is good) through the holes.
This can be accomplished easily by
noting the method of lacing in Fig.
AB. The stay blocks, 0 and D, should
be twelve inches long. The hammock
can be made entirely comfortable by
placing upon It several couch pillows
and covering them with a shawl.
The Mftglo ThreaA.
If anybody should tell you that you
can it n two without touching it, a
thread hanging from the cork inside a
sealed up bottle, you would be likely
to think that he was guyiiig you. But
it may be easily done, and in such a
way as to completely mystify the spec
tators.
Get a clear glass bottle—a pickle bot
tle will do—and to the under part of
the cork attach a bent pin. To the pin
tie a piece of thread long enough to
reach three-fourths of the way down
the inside of the bottle, and to the
lower end of the thread fasten any
small object, say a shoe button, to
make the thread hang taut.
Insert the cork and seal it with wax,
and say to the company that you are
going to cut tlie thread in two without
opening the bottle,—in fact, without
touching the thread.
To accomplish this, you need a read-
ing glass, or sun glass, an access to the
window where the sun is shining clear
and bright. The feat is more mystify'
iug if you perform this part of it in
private; so you go to the window, hold
up your sun glass so that you can focus
the rays from the glass directly on the
j thread through the side of the bottle,
1 and in a short time the heat from the
i focused rays will burn the thread in
two pieces, the end from the button
attached falling to flie bottom cf the
bottle. Then go back to the company
with the bottle, and they will see that
the cork has not been moved, and yet
the thread is cut.
The Camel.
(A Small Boy's Composition.)
lie is called the ship of the desnii
; because lie runs over the sand like a
I ship and dont sink in. He runs differ
ent to the horse because he lifts up
two legs on one side of ids body and
then two on the other. He has about
a hundred stumlcs and each holds
about a quart so when his master kills
him he can have a good drink. His
blimp is made of fat and he eats this
when lie cant gel grass or liny. Some
camels are not camels because lie lias
two humps and his hair dont grow all
over him and were it dont is called
calluses [callosities] because It kneels
down and wears away. The Arab loves
his steed better than his wife and in
our books theresa piece about him
caled the Arab and his steed. Ills
master was a prisoner and his faith
ful enmel took him round the waist
and bore him swiftly to his morning
friends.—Spectator.
"I'omuiy Atlilns" Saved the Kitten.
llow many folks would risk tliofi
lives to save a kitten? Yet this dan-
ger was willingly faced by a young
recruit during a fire which broke out
at the barracks in Southampton on the
19th of December, 1901, and which
consumed a great deal of regimental
goods. The men all worked with a
will to save the clothing, rifles and
other arms from the iiames. It theD
became known that in one of the
looms in the burning building a wee
tortoisoehell kitten had found a home.
The quarters were now shrouded In
thick clouds of smoke, and the flames
were playing about venomously. In
spite of the peril a "cruity" declared
he meant rescuing the little pussy cat.
Dashing through smoke and flames he
innde his way to the room, snatched
up the terrified kitten, and by-and-by
emerged from the fiery furnace. Amid
the cheers of the onlookers ho took
kitty to a place of safety and rejoined
Ids mates in their efforts to secure tlie
property of the regiment. Well done.
Private Tommy Atkins!
CThe Funny
+J*ide of
Life.
He Got Belli or.
A very recalcitrant debtor
Received a calorified lebtor,
'Twas from his physician, 1
Who said: "I am v/ician
You'd pay me for curing your lebtor." '
—Baltimore American.
Tact.
"What do you suppose is the secret
of Miss Bland's social success?"
"She always remembers exactly
what to forget."—lndianapolis News.
Not tl© Only On©.
Wife—"Really, she's the worst gossip
In the neighborhood. Why, I heard
this morning that she "
Husband—"Come, now, don't try to
beat her at her own game!"— Catholic
Standard and Times.
Kin Idea. '
"I want you to understand, sir, that *
my pride forbids me to accept anything
(rom you after I marry your daughter.'*
"How are you going to live?"
"Well, I thought you might make
gome kind of a settlement beforehand.'*
—Life.
Fnlly Prepared.
i n - ji^
* A.
s- $
€
"Now, if me pole don't bust I orter
land a few beauties in dis pool."—New.
i'ork Journal.
The Gain© of l.ove.
Ted—"ls that girl who married the
aid fellow satisfied with the match she
made?"
Ned—"Yes. He wasn't worth as much
as he claimed, but as he turned out to
he ten years older than lie owned up
to, she considered it about a siand-off."
—New York Sun.
A WlKterl I.tfe.
"Think of the opportunities that gin
has had: Presentation at court, Euro
pean travel, a long residence in Eon-,
don, and a wide acquaintance with tliolf'
aoliility." r
"And all for nothing."
"Yes. Poor tiling! She is to marry
tn American, after all."—Life.
Dirn on tli© Farm.
First Hen—"You remember Alice
Cluckatuck? Well, she is ou the stage
in the barnyard scene of an agricul
tural play." <
Second lien—"l am not surprised,
i'ou know, she was hatched by an incu
bator, and never knew what it was
to have a mother."—Puck.
Delicate, Yet .Emphatic.
"What I object to," said the young
woman who wants to vote, "is taxa
tion without representation."
"If it is all the same to you," said
the young man who was too bashful to
propose directly, "I should bo only too
bappy to represent your sentiments af
the polls at every election."—Washing,. I
ton Star. /
Disproving nil Adfif:©.
"I can never marry you," said the
beautiful blonde.
"But," pleaded the wealthy man,
"won't you make my life happy for
the short years I will he here? I am
troubled with a weak and faint heart."
"In that case I accept you."
And yet they say faint heart never
won fair lady.—Chicago Nevis.
Waiting to ll© Askprl.
' W i
Bobby (visiting his nuntj—"Auntie,
won't you pleuse ask me to hnve an
other piece of cake? Mamma said I
pould have a second piece if you asked
me to."—New York Journal.
Hoquel.
And they lived happily ever after.
Naturally this preyed ou Ihe mind of l
the princess. *-
"It's a sign we're not in the best soci
ety!" she exclaimed, terrifledly.
The prince strove to comfort lier, ar
guing that marital bliss was not of ne
cessity bourgeois; hut at this her liigh
aess burst into tears, remarking with no
small acerbity that men lack discern
ment, anyway.—Puck.