SONG FOR AN AUTUMN DAY,
BY CLINTON BCOLLABD,
Bull en pkv, and a sea
That heaves its sombre breast;
'And a wind that dirges ceaselessly
In blind unrest.
And yet. and yet one heart
Is blithe as a May-tide flower;
One soaring spirit bears no part
In the gloaming hour!
Blue is the sky (her eyes!)
And bright is the sun (her smile!)
And there is a right of paradise
For a dreaming while.
—Collier's Weekly.
THE STRAWS
OF DEATH
How a Rivalry Was Settled on the
Firing-Line.
By W. O. Geclian.
THK regiment was settling
tlotvu l'or the night with
some grumbling and much
4 profane jesting, for Western
volunteers possess a sense of humor
superior to the most trying conditions.
Somewhere In the darkness in front,
the Filipinos were taking pot shots
between their cigarettes, as an occa
sional zeu! attested.
"There go the blamed typewriters,"
cried a young private. "Firing at
fireflies, as usual. No sleep to-night."
"Typewriters" was a contemptuous
appellation given to the Fourteenth
Regulars, because the popping of their
magazine guns in the distance slightly
resembled the noise of the machine of
peace.
"I'tit your mouth on the safety
notch," ordered the captain from the
right of the company. "They're send
ing out the outposts. Get their bear
mgs so that you can shoot around them
if the ball opens up."
Two men were receiving final In
structions from the colonel, previous to
venturing into the hostile country in
front. "Sneak out about 200 yards,"
ordered the officer, "and lie low. If
you see any signs of an attack, try
to get back and warn us. If you can't
get back, you must warn us somehow,
and take your chances. No need to
tell you to be careful. You hold the
lives of many men in your hands. Good
luck, hoys."
This sort of work is called Cossack
outpost duty, and men detailed upon
it should not be men of family or
nerves. A few nights previously two
nervous men were detailed upon it.
One of them fired at a white pariah
dog. The shot caused the Filipinos
to concentrate a series of volleys last
ing thirty minutes in the direction of
the outposts. The Americans awak
ened from a sound sleep and let go
several unauthorized volleys. Conse
quently the two nervous men, being
between two fires, were riddled with
two kinds of ammunition.
The two men detailed for this even
ing's work were of different metal.
"Morituri te salutamus, colonel." said
one with a reckless laugh. With the
easy nonchalance of veterans, they
gave the rifle salute, and, sliding over
the top of the trench, disappeared into
the night.
"There go two good men, observed
the colonel.
The two men tiptoed across the dry
rice paddies, each holding his rifle at
the ready. There was no sound ex
cept the occasional hiss of a random
bullet, or the faint and distant pop of
a rifle.
"Guess this is far enough," said one
of the men at length; "here is a little
hollow. Why, it is almost as safe as
the trench." The other acquiesced
with a faint murmur, and they
sprawled upon the ground facing the
enemy's territory.
"It's a queer freak of fate that we
two should be detailed on this to
gether," observed the shorter of the
two, "after avoiding each other so suc
cessfully."
"It's blamed queer, Osbourne," re
turned tlie other, "but we'll have to
stand it."
"It is not (hat I would want a better
man for a tight place, Wade," said Os
bourne, "but there is that one tiling."
"Yes, I know," wearily; "that's the
trouble. If you were not as good or a
better man than I, there would be no
danger of Helen Bartlett earing for
you."
"We were good friends in the old
days, Billy," said Osbourne, rather
huskily; "if one of us only loved her
a little less."
"No go, Tom," replied the other. "It
is either her or the jumping off place
for me. Our friendship was a friendly
thing, hut she is above that. Would
you : —"
c "No, you are right. It's no thorough
fare. I wish it were ended, one way
or the other."
"What can we do?" queried Wade,
with studied composure. "We can't
gouge each other with bayonets out
here, and Springfields at two yards is
a bit too unique."
Osbourne laughed harshly. "We
might draw straws, the loser speedily
to meet an accidental death."
"No, thanks," replied Wade. "I am
am willing to take my bullet, if it
comes, hut not that way. One of us
might get it decently at any time."
"You're right, Wade," said Osbourne.
"You're a good fellow."
"Same to you," returned Wade.
"Let's quit chatting and attend to our
work."
For some time they lay silent, star
ing into the darkness for things they
could not see. even had they been
there. Ouly the intermittent popping
of musketry and the occasional zeu!
of u Mauser bullet broke the silence.
Now and then they could see through
the blackness a faint, momentary red
flare.
"Confound tliem," observed Os
bourne. "I he Filipinos can smoke, any
how. I'm dying for a cigarette."
"If you light a ma toll here," said
Wade, "we'll be targets for about 4000
ifles."
"That's true enough," agreed Os
bourne, with a soft chuckle; "cigarettes
are rather expensive out here." An
other period of silence followed.
"Wade," inquired Osbourne, sudden
ly, "are you willing to try a wild
scheme for settling this matter for
ever?"
"Anything fair and reasonable," re
plied the other. "What's your plan?"
"Draw straws," said Osbourne, brief
ly, "the man who gets the short one
to stand up and light a match, and—
go to his fathers."
Wade caught his breath and re
mained mute for some time, consider
ing. "Not so bad," he observe*!, after
a time: "but we are on duty now."
"O, Fudge!" said Osbourne, lightly;
"the Filipinos wouldn't attack for all
the loot of Manila. An outmost here
is merely a matter of form. Besides,
one of us will be left."
"That's so," returned Wade, "and I
see no objection."
"You fix tlie straws, then," said Os
bourne, quickly. "I'll draw." lie be
gan to whistle softly in a nervous
fashiou, as men do when they are
close to death. Wade fumbled silently
with some fragments of rice straw.
Ills movements were slow and mechan
ical. Some men are constituted that
way. "Here, Tom," he said, stretching
out his right list. "May the better
man get it."
Osbourne extended a hand that
trembled slightly, and fingered the dis
closed ends of the straw for a brief
time. Suddenly he clutched one and
pulled It out. At the same instant
there was a strange, soft thud, and
Wade fell upon his face. His limbs
moved convulsively for a moment;
then he lay motionless.
"For heaven's sake, Billy! what's
up?" cried Osbourne, in an agonized
whisper. He laid his hand on the
man's face, but jerked it away liorri-
Ued, for it touched something warm
and wet.
"She's mine!" he muttered, with
fierce triumph; then, "Poor Billy."
A thought came that caused him to
gasp and shiver. He hesitated, reached
for tlie dead man's hand, and loosened
its clasp from the other straw. It was
several inches longer than the one he
had drawn.
"What shall I do?" he moaned. "Oh,
Billy!" ho cried, shaking the dead
man's shoulder, as if to rouse him.
"What shall 1 no?" Only the far-off
popping of tlie rifles broke the oppres
sive stillness.
"What would yon have done?" he
asked in tile same strain. "By Jove!"
suddenly, "you were a good man. Y'ou
would have kept tlie compact. I lost
fairly. Bear witness, Billy, I am as
good a man as you."
He laid his liantl for an instant on
the dead man's forehead. Then he
rose slowly, and fumbled in his pocket.
At length be found a match. For a
moment he stood Irresolute, inhaling
strong breaths of air. Already he had
begun to feel the horror ol' being shut
out from it forever. It was hard to
give the signal for his own dentil.
His teeth enmc together with a click,
and, scratching the match on his shoe,
he held the flame before his breast.—
San Francisco Argonaut.
Making tho Dead Live.
Dr. Lnborde, of Paris, appears to
have given a striking demonstration
of the possibility of restoring to life
persons apparently drowned or other
wise asphyxiated. It is well known
that forced or artificial respiration has
often been successful when all hopo
seemed to have vanished. Dr. La
horde's method consists in producing
rhythmical traction of the tongue,
which has been found to revive res
piration when other means had failed,
and he has invented a small apparatus
for the purpose. In the course of ex
periments he chloroformed a vigorous
bulldog, so that breathing seemed to
have ceased. After fifteen minutes
tongue traction tlie animal recovered.
In another experiment anaesthesia was
carried to a more extreme point, and
it took two hours of the action upon
the tongue to restore sensibility. In
the case of a human patient the sub
ject is laid on his hack and tlie tongue
Is grasped by a pair of tweezers, at
tached to the apparatus, by means of
which a continual pulling in and out
process Is kept up. The experiences
seem to point to the assumption that,
athougli an animal organism may have
apparently ceased to live, a germ of
life may exist somewhere within which
Is kept alive, and gradually tho in
fluence of tlie living spark spronds to
(he rest of the system.—Loudon Tele
j graph.
Autumn Leave. Instead of Crape.
"Within the last two months I have
had at least a dozen orders from my
customers to supply autumn leaves in
stead of crape as a badge of mourn
ing." said a Columbus avenue under
taker. "These leaves are woven iutc
a wreath and tied with black ribbon,
and they make, to my mind, a much
more artistic emblem of grief than tlie
long streamers of crape usually fast
ened to the front door.
"I don't know who is responsible for
! I lie innovation, but I certainly think
: the idea a pretty one, and I hope it
! will keep on growing."—New York
| Tribune.
An Abfturrtlty.
The craze for affixing tablets to his
toric houses has uow reached the ha
tlietlcal stage. It is announced that a
tablet has been affixed to a house at
Soden, near Frankfort, with the fol
lowing inscription; "In this house
Richard Wagner spent the first night
on German soil after his exile of eleven
years. August 12-13, 13(10."—London
Post
The Hungry Blackbird.
6aid the blackbird at the glowworm's
door:
"I've lost my way to-night;
Please come out and guide me homeward
with
Your pretty little light."
Said the glowworm: "Sir, I greatly fear
If I come out to shine,
Though you might reach your home, that 1
Should not return to mine!
And she kept the door shut all the time
And would not show her head,
So that naughty, hungry blackbird went
Off supperless to bed.
—Chicago Ttccord-llerald
His Reward.
It was Donald's lirst year at school
and lu came home one day a very sober
boy.
"Mamma," ho said, "the teacher says
If we do it again we'll all have to stay
after school. I don't know Just what
it is—if we whisper or we don't study—
but anyway it's something like that,
and when she told us, we all cried
together."
"Well," said mamma, "you need not
feel badly, because 1 don't suppose
you will have to stay," and she gave
Donald a reassuring smile.
"Why?" lie asked.
"Because you have too much sone.
It must be a very stupid boy who will
play and whisper in school and then
have to stay in and study in play
time."
Donald seemed satisfied with this
hopeful view of the case.
Two days after, his mamma saw him
coining up the street holding liis head
so high lie fairly leaned over hack
ward. lie came in and hung up his
hat.
"IIo! Some boys may like to play
and whisper aud get kept, but I've got
Sense! All the boys but me got kept.
AIISSING PARENTS' PUZZLE.
l' VN i* i ~7|i
Find the lather and mother of These children.
We can't tell yet which it was—whis
per or not study—but it was one of
'cm, and I just was still and worked,
and here I am!"— Youth's Companion.
A Trick IVltli n Coin.
"Give me a five-cent piece and a
handkerchief. I place the coin in the
middle of the cloth, and cover it witii
ail four ends of the handkerchief, un
til the eoiu cannot be seen any more.
Convince yourself, please, that the coin
is still in its place."
The performer slips his two hands
in between "a" and "li," pulls tlie
handkerchief apart, and tlie coin Is
gone, absolutely gone.
While folding end "a" over the coin
the performer slips a small ball of
wax underneath the end and presses
the end against the coin, fastening the
two together. When he pulls the
handkerchief apart the coin slips into
his left hand. Shaking the handker
chief, he removes wax and coin, and
returns the handkerchief to its wner.
—New York Tribune.
An AmuHino: Trick With Fire.
Soak a piece of linen thread in n
strong solution of salt (two tablespoon
fuls of water to one tablegpoonful of
salt). Take it out and let it dry, re
peating this three or four times before
you are ready for the performance of
this marvelous trick.
Show the piece of thread to the audi
ence, and as the thread will look like
an ordinary pieep of linen thread, no
body will know that it lias been pro
pared. Suspend a light ring from
the thread; set fire to the thread and
burn it up. The ring will stay sus
pended, although the thread is burnt.
This experiment must be executed
with great care, as a line fibre of salt
suspends the ring instead of the burnt
thread, and the least 1)11 of draft or
shaking will spoil the experiment. This
*®§ &J-
V V i r - . ~, r^
trick can also be done in the following
manner: Take a small piece of muslin
and tie a piece of linen thread to each
of the four corners, as the figure
shows, forming u sort of hammock.
This hammock, together with the
thread, place in a strong solution of
salt, as described before. Take It out
and dry it, and repeat this treatment
three or four times before the per
formance. Hang it up. as shown in
figure, and put an empty egg shell in
the hammock. Set fire to it, and yon
will see that although the threads and
muslin are burnt up, the egg v%*ill stay
suspended ia the air.—Chicago Tribune.
A Tuic-of-War.
Ppecky was a very greedy little
chicken. Whenever Mother Hen gave
him a big, fat worm to divide among
bis little brothers and sisters, naughty
Specky would run off with it to an
other corner of the yard and gobble it
all up himself.
Mother Hen soon found out this
greedy trick of Mr. Specky. and so one
day when she found a nice juicy worm,
instead of giving it to him. she called
little Topknot.
Topknot ran off with her prize and
all the rest of the chickens after her.
Specky went, too, you may be sure,
and because he was stronger than the
rest, he pushed through and grabbed
hold of that lovely worm.
Then all the little chickens were
scared, for they knew that ho was
much stronger than Topknot and
would soon get it away from her. So
they all grabbed hold of Topknot's
end and tugged away, five of them
pulling against one.
I don't know how it would have
ended, for Specky was very strong,
but Mother lieu saw tlie tug-of-wur
and witli angry clucks she marched
over to tlie struggling chicks.
l'oor Specky! She gave him a peek
that sent him flying, and away tumbled
tlie others over backward. And then
Mother Hen ate the worm herself,
after nil!— Brooklyn Eagle.
Invasion of Canada.
The "American invasion"' of Canada
is assuming proportions that are al
most alarming to those who fear tlie
future domination of settlers from the
States. It is estimated that in the first
srxen months of tlie present year over
5,000,000 acres of land in Manitoba and
Northwest Canada have been pur
chased by citizens of the United States.
A recent issue of the Medicine I-lat
News says: "Tlie Influx of settlers to
tlie Canadian West is simply wonder
ful. At Medicine Ilat we are in a po
sition to size up the great incoming, es
pecially of Americans, as we see here,
daily, train load after train load of
would-be settlers, bringing with them
car-loads of miscellaneous effects—
horses, cattle, implements, household
stuff. The rush of settlers is unprece
dented. and is taxing tlie railways to
the limit to handle the business iu con
nection with tlieir trade."
How to Grow.
The proprietor of a small store in
New York says his trade came from
only a small section of the city until
lie began to advertise in a newspaper.
Now lie draws enough trade from be
yond his old limits to more than pay
for his advertising. "Besides," lie says,
"I am sowing seed for the time when
1 shall have a large department store.
The only way for my establishment to
grow is by newspaper advertising."
Americans Are Forest Lovers
By Eben Grcenough Scott.
™ all the forest-loving races of Europe, none has sought the wood**
Ofor the woods' sake, like unto the English-speaking people; no.'
has ever afforded the spectacle of an annual migration to the
wilderness in such magnitude as do the Americans of to-day.
They go with the eagerness of hounds loosed from the leash, and,
buoyant with the spirit of adventure, accept adventure's strokes
T^T—or rewards with the indifference or delight of a knight of
Mancha. Nor have the Americans stayed at the mere enjoyment
tmmmmmaJ their adventure; they have embodied it in their literature.
They have been the first people to introduce into fiction the life,
savage and civilized, of the forest, and to portray in classical accents the real
life of the woods, the lakes, and the plains. Their first novelist of reputation,
Cooper, laid his scenes in the forests of the upper Hudson, of the Susquehanna,
and in the Oak Openings of Michigan; Irving descends the Big Horn in a bull
boat, and follows the adventurers across the Great Plains and the Rocky Moun
tains, and through the desolation of Snake River to the Oregon; and Parkman,
enlightened by his tribeship with the Ogalallas, has endued history with the
spirit of the wilderness, and has drawn inspiration from its woods and streams.
The greatest and best of the Americans, their writers, poets, philosophers
and statesmen, all have worshiped Great Pan in his groves. Bryant, Lowell,
Emerson, Agassiz made annual pilgrimages to the woods; Webster composed a
part of his Bunker Hill Monument oration on a trout stream; death overtook
Governor Russell on the banks of a salmon river; and the present President of
the United .States was called out of the Adirondacks to assume his oifiee; while
President Harrison, the moment his duties were done, turned his back on
White House and sought repose in a cabin on the Fulton Chain. These are a
few only of the worthies of our land out of the great number who have hied
to the woods for recreation, observation and inspiration; who. indeed, ,
have gone into the woods for the woods' sake. We can say of the American
forest what Jacques du Bois said of the forest of Arden: Men of gron worthy
resorted to this forest every day.
999 ? ¥ ¥
imaginary Crimes
By Major Richard Sylvester,
Superintendent of the Washington (D. C.) Police. ✓
SN every walk of life we meet with queer and at times sm*
prising experiences, but the police hear and sec more that
tends to question humanity than employes in any other line
It seems strange, hut nevertheless it is true, that persons
have dreams and hallucinations which arc reported to the
police as facts lor investigation. Dreaming of robbers, they
have awakened suddenly with all the excitement and alarm
that would attach to a genuine case, fired revolvers at the
supposed intruder and only been reconciled to their mistake after close inquiry
proves it such.
I know of a case where it was reported that a burglar knocked at the
bedroom door before entering to carry off money and valuables. There was j
another Instance of a prominent official of the Government who, while ex
perienclng the wildest horrors in his sleep, jumped out of bed and fought the
bedpost, imagining that he was attacked by burglars, and the exhaustion which
followed his midnight defense was as great as if he had actually encountered
marauders. This gentleman had seen service in the Mexican War and through
the Civil War, and bad hand-to-hand encounters which, however, were attend
ed with hardly more serious results than the imaginary conflict.
The greatest imposition is that which occurs a great many times a year
when persons who cannot or do not want to pay their just debts report that
they have been rohlted of sums of money. They will prearrange to give
color to the truth of their report, but are generally found out in the end.
A man has been known to have reported being held up by footpads In
order to avoid paying out part of his income to his wife, and all kinds of losses
have occurred to those who courted the sympathy of creditors about the first
of the month.
The public should not believe everything they read and hear about burg
laries and highway robberies, for many of the cases so reported, after investi
gation, are shown to be without foundation.
#9 * 9 ¥
America's Great Future.
By President Roosevelt. T
SHE world has never seen more marvellous prosperity than
that which we now enjoy, and this prosperity 1s not
ephermeral. We shall have our ups and downs. The war.
at times will recede, hut the tide will go steadily higher.
This country has never yet been called upon to meet a crisis
in war or a crisis in peace to which it did not eventually prove
equal, and decade by decade Its power grows greater and the
likelihood of Its meeting successfully any crisis becomes even
more assured.
* We are optimists. We spurn the teachings of despair and distrust. We
have an abiding faith In the growing strength, the growing future of the
mighty young nation still In the flush of its youth and yet already with the
might of a giant which stands on a continent and grasps an ocean with eithei
hand.
Succeed? Of course we shall succeed. llow can success fall to come to a
race of masterful energy and resolute character, which has a continent for the
base of its domain, and which feels within Its veins the thrill that conies to
generous souls when their strength stirs In them and they know that the
future is theirs.
No great destiny ever yet came to n nation whose people were laggards oi
faint-hearted. No great destiny ever yet came to a people walking with their,
eyes on the ground and their faces shrouded in gloom. No great destiny ev.rj
yet came to a people who feared the future, who feared failure more tlam 1
they hoped for success. With such as these we have no part. *
We know there are dangers ahead, as wc know there are evils to fight and
overcome, but we feel to the full that pulse of the prosperity which we enjoy.
Stout of heart we see across the dangers the great future that lies beyuud,
and we rejoice as a giaut refreshed, as a strong man girt for the race; and
we go down into the arena where the nations strive for mastery, our hearts
lifted with the faith that to us and to our children and our children's children
It shall he given to make this Republic the greatest of all the peoples of
mankind.
??????
Why Country Boys Succeed
By John Gilmer Speed.
cou KTRY hoy's lack of opportunity Is Ills best equipment fot
w 0 the serious struggles of life. This sounds paradoxical, hut It is
x- 1 A, £? ' roc. It is just as true as the opposite proposition, that the
U £k □ greatest hindrances n city boy has to contend with are the op-
O ® O portunlties which beset him when young and pursue him until
uL 7 -~lu lie begins the real business of life-a business which each Indt-
I'UUDUU.I vidual must carry on lor himself. For the city boy everything*
is made as easy as possible. Even pleasure becomes to blm I
an old story before he is out of his teens. Brought up In the feverish rush op
a place where great tilings are happening day by day, he sees the world
with a cynic's eyes atul despises the small things which, like the bricks in a
house, go to the upbuilding of characters and careers. He believes in using
large markers in the game of life; for pennies and small units of value he lias
little taste and scant regard.
The conditions surrounding the country boy are as different as possible.
There is a deal of regular work that every country boy must do, and
this regularity of employment, mostly out of doors, Inculcates industrious
habits, while It contributes to a physical development which in after years Is
just as valuable as any athletic training that can be had. He cannot run as
fast, perhaps, as those trained by a system; he may not be able to jump so high
or so far, or excel In any of the sports upon which we bestow so much time and
from which we get so much of pleasure, but Ills development enables liim to
buckle dowu to the hard work in which hours are consumed and from which
very little or no immediate pleasure is extracted. His strength may be some
thing like that of the cart horse, but the cart horse is to be preferred where a
long and steady pull is required. The thoroughbred race liorse has a tine flight
of speed nnd canters with delightful lightness and grace along the park bridle
paths, but the heavy work is the work most in demand, and lor that we want
the draft animals every time. ,
Enthusiasm Is the spur to endeavor, and at the same time It is the savor of
life. The country hoy whose ambition has taken him to town comes filled with
enthusiasms. Even the little things are novelties to him, nnd as he accomplishes
this and that he feels that he is doing something not only interesting but
valuable. His simple tastes have not been spoiled by a multiplicity of gratifi
cations, and so he is glad of everything good that comes his way. At thirty, if
lie leads a clean life, he has more of the boy in him than liis city cousin has"left
at fifteen. He does what is before him because It is his duty, while the other
is too apt cynically to uuestion the value of doing anything and ask, "What is
■he use?"