THE COUNTRY ROAD,
From the busy fields of farmer folk
It starts on its winding way,
Goes over the hill, and across the brook.
Where the minnow love to piny;
Then, pant the mill with lt water wheel, ,
And the pond that aliowa the sky;
And Tip to the bridge by the village slprc.
And the church with Its spire so high.
Yon would never think that the country road.
From the hill to the store, could bo
So long to a loy with an errand to do ...
And another boy to see.
You can never dream how short Itls
From the farm to the frozen pond.
Nor how very much further It always .Is
To the school house Just beyond.
' t
Oh. the country rond! at the farther end
It runs up hill and down.
Away from the woods and the rippling brook
To the tolling, rushing town.
But, best of all. when you're tired and sick
Of the noisy' haunts of men,
if yon follow It buck. It will lend you home
- To the woods und llelds again,
-St. Nicholas.
South Branch Farm
CTpHR Taneys had lived on the
South Branch Farm since colony
times, and no Taney had ever
cheated a man of a cent. They lent
no money, and they borrowed none;
tbey never sat at any mun's table, or
sked a guest to theirs.
Tho Taney pew a front one was
filled every Sunday, come rain or
shine. I Mrs. Taney, a middle-aged
woman, with her gray hulr In a tight
little knot behind, and wearing the
puma rusty black gown and bonnet
ifor a doien years, was always, like
he others present. Hut sometimes
he was asleep. For this was the
ne hour in the week when she could
lit down on a cushion, and fold her
iiands. Tho air was warm; the music
ijoft and sweet; no wonder she slept
Sometimes the words that were read
stirred ber. soul; It seemed as If her
nlldhood woke, as if the tears must
come to her long dry eyes. But they
never did. By tho tluio she had walk
id, home with her son William, the
ftjango story of Bethlehem, or heav
enly glory to come, had faded into a
gpubtful dreum, and all that was real
jjras the South Branch farm, the price
of pork, or the fall in potatoes. After
church, dinner must be reudy, (piping
lot, too, ou account of the boarder), in
balf an hour; then she had the sheep
look after, and the poultry to feed;
iten supper; then milking. The Ta-
iJeys had never kept any "help." Mrs.
iney bad brought up six children,
eea sole cook, seamstress, tailor and
Hairy maid: vet her husband, old Ben.
wayi had said:, '
i "Sanjih s not a capable woman. No
fftney blood in ber."
Ben had been dead five years; but
bis wife went on, carrying a growing
load', on the back which lacked bone.
llam was a harder task-maker than
father iud( been;: the very oxen
the lash of tenor, and their corn
off one-half. lie sat in the kitch
en now, with a book before him, while
mother and youngest sister, Letty,
pvcre cooking supper. 1
' "Take that butter off of the table,"
s said suddenly.' "Molasses will do.
(What are you cooking meat for? It's
n$t necessary. Tut it back in tho
foliar."
Yes, William," replied the mother,
submissively. "Only I thought tho
Loarder "
"We can't afford-to feed him like a
lord. You'll have to exercise scono
iny, mother, I can't always be here
to look after things. How can I fiver
bay for the meadow lots, if the money
Is thrown about lu this way?"
' "In what way, WH.am?" Mrs. Ta-
gey s scared eyes wanaerca over vie
ire kitchen, the smoldering coals in
corner of a grate,' the half-starred
of her little girl. "I try to save,
,'m sure. What way do you mean?"
"Oh, every way!" closing his book
iwltfi a bang. "There's a leak at every
corner. Why I toll and slave the year
found. But with such a lot of mouths
U feed " .
He glared at Letty, who shrank
Sjto the pantry. 8he did not come
ut during supper, and ber mother
isred not call ber. The girl was cry
ing as usual, and her tears exasper
ated William. Poor Letty felt the hor
rible guilt of her hearty appetite sore
tpon her. She .was always hungry;
tungry to faint now.
Mrs. Tany forgot' to eat her bread
or drink her milk. Tho meadow lots!
it was to buy these lots that her hus
band had made their lives bare, and
bard, and wretched, from their wedding-day.
The good,, wholesome prod
uce ot the farm, which should have
fed the children, bad gone to market,
;whlle they ate the refuse; the money,
which should have educuted them, had
been put in the bank to buy these lots.
When her baby was ill, no. doctor. was
brought, and the child died; the money
saved went to the lots; the mother. had
begged for a bend.-stuue for the grave.
There was Letty,' growing to le a
woman, half-clothed, without a spar
kle of fun or pleasure to lighten her
young life; while poorer girls dressed
and went out, and hud company, and
enjoyed, as the young should, days
filled with comfort and happiness Ev
ery penny thus saved, William laid by
for "the lots." Yesl those twelve
acres bad come to be tho ahsoluto
Uod for these people. Not u happy
life, nor God. nor heaven.
After supper bis mother followed
him out
"William," she said, desjieratcly,
"how many years will it be before you
ran buy the lots?"
"Years? The. lots!" In unfeigned
amazement. "I bow on earth cun
Tou understand business?"
It was tho first time she bad ever
spoken In this way.
"I don't know. But I am afraid I
win not live to see it. It la so
long" '
She went back to the kitchen. The
dishes stood untouched upon the ta
tie, and little Letty was seated upon
the steps, a basket of red peaches be
side her, which the boarder brought
down from his room. "
He was a young man, a teacher In
a Virginia country school, who bad
come up to these hills geologizing In
his summer vacation.
"I brought them from the Mcftrlde
farm, Mrs. Taney," he snld. "They
are a very common kind In the Shen
andoah valley," handing them to her.
Mrs. Taney's thin features grew
warm.
"I reraeiaber a tree at home Just
like these," she said, " by the old mill.
My old nurse used to bold me up to
pull them for myself."
"Your little girl , tells me you came
from Fauquier County. It is a flue
county." : ' ...
"It Is the most beautiful in the
world," said Mrs. Taney. . ,
She stopped and went in hastily.
She felt the tears choking her. She
could hear Mr. Burke tell the 'child
that his school was in Fauquier, and
that he often passed her grandfather's
house. It was for sale now with a
dozen acres about it; would sell very
cheaply, no doubt Land had depre
ciated since the war. "A quiet com
fortable little homestead, too," ho said,
"as any In the Btate."
Mrs.. Taney paused in her work..
"Oh, if I could only show it to Let
ty," sho said to herself. "The dear
old farm. The sunny porches, the
Bourbon roses, and the great oaks
centuries old. She never had spoken
of her old home to her other children,
but to Letty she had talked of it often
when they were alone. Letty was
like herself, the others were all Ta
neys." She came to the door.
"Do you know, Mr. Burke, if there J
Is an old negro on tho place gilr
dener?" ncle Tod? Oh, everybody knows
the old man. And bis stories about
the Clevelands, de family,; as he calls
them." , .
"We were tho Clevelands. And old
Tod is really living yep" she laughed
for the first time in a year.
When Letty had gone in, Mr. Burke
paced up and down the porch. He
was a manly, largo-nntured reung
man, and his heart ached jsitb pity
for the poor, pinched lives of this child
and her mother. All he could do to
show them kindness was to lend books
to Letty, which she devoured eagerly,
for she was fond of reading, in fact
she had obstinately persisted in stay
ing at the free school until she had
educated herself.
William Taney waited until ' the
young man had gone, and then he
went into the pantry, where his moth
er wfcs straining tho last crook of milk.
Something in bis manner made her set
it down, trembling.
"You have bad news to tell," sho
said. -
"No," with an uneasy, stricken
laugh. "MoBt folks call it good. Fact
is, mother, I've mado up my mind to
marry" .
"Oh, William," her old cheeks color
ing. '
"I made up my mind three months
ago. Ana tne girrs courtca, and the
wedding's to be . to-morrow. There
now. No need for you to look in that
way. I'm generally pretty close-
mouthed about my own business, you
might know that. And I dtdn't choose
to have the matter cackled over at
home. The girl's Miss Sophy Craw
ford." His mother came toward him. He
was her son after all, and this was
the turning-point of his life. She put
her Rrms about him and kissed him.
"Ood bless you, my boy," she said,
lie stood Immovable as a log.
"Don't let us have any fuss." he
said, "You'd better sit down. You're
shafting all over. Well, that's all.
There'll be no wedding hubbub here.
don't hold to spending money in
fowling a lot of guzzling fools. Tho
urawrorus nave a regular mowoui in
the morning. But you don't want to
go, I reckon?" uneasily,
"I should like to see you married."
timidly. '
."Oh, nonsense." There's no sickly
sentiment about me. I'll have Sophy
home by supper time.' You'll have to
see to things here."
He lighted his candle and turned to
go.
"By the way she was here a month
ago."
"Yes." Mrs. Taney remembered dis
tinctly the gross-featured.' black-eyed
young woman, who bud swaggered
through the farm-house In her cheap
silk and gilt jewelry.
"She came to look at her new home
well she rather took a fancy to the
south chamber. You'd better tlx it up
for her." ' .
."My room, William?"
"Yes. It's ell the same to you. Of
course you can go up to Letty's."
Letty, who bad been at work In
side, cam out, and threw her arms,
sobbing, about her mother. She knew
that It had leen her mother's room
for thirty years. . All Mrs. Taney's
children had bcn born In It the baby
died there. (
William stopped and came back,
saying: .
"Niw. look here. It's Just as well
to speak plainly at once. I'll have no
opposition from you, Ietty, nor from
from any other woman. I'm the
head of this house. My. wife shall be
mistress of It She brings me a snug
bit of money and I'll not have her nor
her family Insulted In It." ,
"My son."
But he stalked on to bed.
There was no time th next day,
for Mrs. Taney or Letty to even think
of the coming trouble, They were up
as usual, two or three hofirs before
lay, kindling fires, milking and cook
ing breakfast for the six harvest
Iiands. Then came washing, a dinner
at noon, all the work of a farm, In
short, what falls on a woman in addi
tion to what was the cleaning and
preparation of the room, which the
bride had chosen for her own. Mrs.
Taney moves sluggishly through tho
latter part of her work.
"What is the matter, mother?" ask
ed Letty. Mrs. Taney laughed fee
bly. "I don't know. I feel like a clock
that Is nearly run down."
Letty made no reply. The child had
lately been absent-minded, Indifferent,
while her mother talked, apparently
wrapped In her own thoughts. Could
It be, the motlwr thought Letty nl so
was forsaking her? Mrs. Taney had
only one other daughter: the baby
who died. The other children were
sons, all of whom, except William,
had gone Went and married there.
She hail often wished they would nxk
her to visit them, that she might see
their children. But they never did.
While they were hanging out
clothes that afternoon, Mrs. Taney
heard a tap, three times repeated, on
the orchard fence. Itty's face color
ed. She dropped the clothes and ran
behind the apple-tree. As she came
bnck her mother suw her thrust a
note Into her pocket. Mrs. Taney
grew- suddenly sick ot heart. Letty
with a secret Letty carrying on a
clandestine love affair?
While Mrs. Taney soqd doubting
whether to ask the child for her con
fidence, Ijctty had disappeared. A few
moments later, the girl went down
the road in her clean dress and sun
bonnet It was but a trifle, yet it
stunned the Jnded woman as a sharp
blow would have done.
The other farmers' daughters kept
up a peijietudl, , vulgar flirting and
secret courtship. But Letty was her
own eweJumb, delicate and pure.
Mr. Burke, coming over the fields
that afternoon, with his hatchet and
bag of specimens, was amazed to see
Ixtty standing on the road In earnest
conversation with a man. "A coarse,
red-Jawed, lieery fehow," was his an
gry verdict. The fellow talked long
and earnestly. Then he took Letty's
hand anil pressed It fervently. Burke
turned his back on them, and struck
across the bills. The girl's mother
should hear of this at once, he said to
himself, decidedly.- Then he slacken
ed his pace. What was it to him
Why should he vex himself about this
girl Or meddle In her' love affairs?
He went slowly back to the hills. But
the ulood rushed with a strange beat
through his veins.
In an hour Letty was back at work
with redoubled vigor, to make up for
lost time. Her mother scanned her
Innocent, meek face wjtb a breathless
terror. ,
Surely there was no guilt there. She
would not doubt her; she would not
ask a question.
"I have dressed the table with flow
ers," the mother said, "and made a
cake a real bride's cake. I hope
William won't be angry. But this Is
so different from weddings. In Vlr
glnlu. Oh, Letty, If you and I could
only go to the old houso and sleep for
one night In the room which was mine
when I was a child. I think Just that
thing would give me years of life."
"There they come," cried Letty, ps
the big Crawford carriage was seen
dashing up th road. Sho grew very
pule and shrank back. The girl had
always been afraid of her brother
William; and his wife, she suspected,
would be as hard a ruler and a more
vulgar one.
But Mrs. Taney led her to the porch,
"You must welcome them, Letty,"
she Bald.
The bride watched them from the
carriage window with keen, Jealous
eyes. Her father had given her a hint
as to her future course.
"You've made a good match, Sophy,"
he said. "Bill Taney's got as long a
purse as any man In the country, and
the farm s comfortable. But the old
woman and her du'ater will be a draw
back. They'll try to rule over you
rougusuou, iikci.v. just take your
stand at once. Let cm see you will
be mistress In your own home."
"Trust me for that, puppy," said
MIhs Sophy.
The whole Crawford family had ar
compnnted her to see how she would
hold her ground.
When poor Mrs. Taney stepped for
ward, therefore, her thlu face red
dening, and her hand held out, the
bridle received her welcome with a
cureless nod.
"I hope you will be happy In your
i 11PW i1()111(. 111V tU,ar ... ,,...,,
I i.iv
j "(ih. no doubt, ma'am! I generally
hold my own pretty well. Come In,
PUI'Py. Come, Mie. I want yon to see
my bouse before It Is dark. Here's
the living room. Kill must tit that up
into a parlor double quick, too. D'ye
hear that. Mr. Taney?" laughing
loudly. "You needn't trouble yours. 'If.
tna'iim, to show the way. Come along,
all of you."
William stopped, und looked with
simden pity at his mother, and then
followed his wife, who went, talking
loudly, up the stairs.
. Mrs. Taney and Letty placed the
supper on the table. The bride came
In, tho noisiest of the noisy party. Sho
wen hastily to the head of the table
saying,
"This Is my. place, I believe."
William gravely motioned bis moth
er to a seat among the strangers. His
wife bore herself as though she had
been mistress for years, and found
fault freely when the humor "seized.
her. The bread was dry nl chaff, the
bam was bitter with salt, she snld.
"That's your Idt-a of cooking, moth-
er Taney, eh? I'll give you a hint or
two, to-morrow. We young
people
have progressed, you know." I
"Not tnat I mean to take the work
out of their hands," sho snld to her
slstei, aside. "No, no! If we feed
'em they've got to earn their bread."
Letty ove.lieard the whisper, and
her scared face grew a shade paler.
"Very nice old sliver, William," said
the bride, directly, weighing the
spoons on her finger, and then read
ing the mark.
"Cleveland, eh? You must have
that altered, please, to our Initials. I
can't use spoons with strange names
on 'em."
William glanced uneasily at , his
mother. But the latter did not speak.
"Very well, my dear, It shall be as
you please," he snlL
As the days lengthened Into weeks,
(he bride found her sway becoming
more absolute. It occurred to Will
iam, sometimes, that she might share
In the work. But like most farmers
of his class, he used to see his mother
drudge, from morning until night, and
vaguely supposed it was her natural
condition of life. Sophy carried tho
keys and dealt out ine provisions. Her
ruddy, animal beauty pleased him; it
was a pity, he thought, to liuir It with
hard work.
.Meanwhile, Mr. .Burke had taken
lodgings with a' neighboring farmer.
He kept dose scrutiny ou Letty. sole
ly for her mother's sake, he told him
self. She met the "beery fellow"
twice, and took long walks with him;
she received letters from him by mall.
The geologist found that this matter
Interested him more than his fossils.
even.
One morning Letty came into the
room, when William stood Joking with
his wife before going to tl.e fleld.They
loosed at her with astonishment, for
the girl was always silent and shy.
Brother, I want to speak to you,"
she said, catching her breath.
Well, go on," snid Sophy, Impa
tiently. "What are you afraid of?"
Letty spoke directly to William, Ig
noring her. "The potatoes and apples
must be picked over, nnd the cellars
are damp. Could one of the hands do
It?"
''Good gracious! Do you want har
vesting to stop?" cried Sophy. "You
and mother Taney can do it at your
leisure. Io you suppose your brother
pays men such ruinous wages to wait
on a lot of women?"
"You have always done It," said
William.
"Mother Is not well, William."
"Well, manage It as you like. I
can't be bothered with the kitchen
work," he burst out
Letty left the room hastily.
"That's right, William. The truth
Is, you're too open-handed. You enn't
afford a parcel of able-bodied women
In idleness, if you ever mean to buy
the meadow lots."
"Thut's a fact!"
The mention of the meadow lots
keyed his courage.
When he came back thnt afternoon
he found Sophy, resplendent in a pink
flowered muslin entertaining hnlf a
dozen girls In the pnrlor. He stopped
to joke and romp with them. The
next moment the door opened, and
Letty stood, like a ghost, on the
threshold.
"Come to mother!" she said.
"What Is the matter?"
"You have killed her, I think," she
said quietly.
The poor old woman had sunk down
on the floor of the cellar and lay as
if dead.
William trembled as he lifted her.
Tho doctor of the village hapened to
pass at the moment.
"No, she Is not dead," he said, after
examining her. "Great exhaustion. It
will be a long Illness. She must have
rest and careful, nursing."
Letty stepped forward.
"She will have both. Mr. Burke,
will you carry her to Mrs. Wright's
across the road? She has promised to
give mo a room."
The crowd about her were so stun
ned at the child's action that they did
nothing to oppose it.
Mr. Burke promptly lifted the thin
figure in bis arms, and laid her in the
bed in Mrs. Wright's shaded spare
room, before Wllllum had recovered
his senses.
"Don't you see how disgraceful this
looks?" Sophy cried, shaking him.
"Your mother turned out Whut will
folks say?"
He hurried after Letty, scolding and
ordering them back. But Letty did not
answer him.
"Mrs. Wright will charge boarding.
D'ye hear?"
"1 -shall pay her," said Letty quiet
ly. Mrs. Taney's Illness lasted for
weeks. William's wife smoothed the
matter over to the community as best
she could. "The Wright house was
more quiet than hers. She was will
ing to pay the boarding to Insure com
fort to dear mother Taney," et cetera
Secretly she rejoiced to escape the
trouble of the sick woman.
When Mrs. Taney was able to come
down to the porch of the cool farm
house for the tlrst time, she sent for
William and his wife. The doctor
was there, und .Mr. Burke nnd Judge
Wright, nnd little Letty and a man
whom Mr. Burke nt once recognized
as "the fellow," and so be turned hi
back on Ulm contemptuously.
"You've got quite a color, Mother
Taney," snld Sophy. "You'll soon be
able to come over. Help with the can
ning, eh?"
"Mrs. Taney," said the doctor,
"needs a long season of rest lefore
health Is restored. I have recommend
ed n change of air a Journey "
William exchanged ularuicd glances
with bis wife.
"Why, you must take us for mil
lionaires, doc," sho cried. "Change of
ulr? Journey? That sort of prescrip
tion suits city, fine ladles. But farm
ers' wives, who have to earn their liv
ing, can't take time for such folder
ols." The doctor would have answered,
but Letty ut her hand on his arm.
There was a fulnt pink on her cheeks,
and her blue eyes sparkled like steel.
"Fortunately, my mother," she said
gently, "is not in such a strait I
have arranged for her to take the
Journey, Wt are going to-morrow to
Virginia. I have bought her old home,
and we shall live there. She will
have a long change of air."
William turned ghastly pale.
"Bought? What money hnd you?"
"Her own share of the estate," said
Judge Wright calmly. "Letty is of
age. She seems to have always been
under the Impression thnt she nnd her
mother were dependent upon you. She
came to ask me about It two months
ago; and I, as her guardian and execu
tor, had nothing more to do than to
hand her over her share, which was,
you know, iu lionds. She has chosen
to Invest It in Virginia land. Mr.
Hlpps made the purchase for her."
nodding to the beery lawyer, who nod
ded gravely back again.
Mr. Burke moved suddenly over tc
his side, with a beaming recognition.
"How do you propose to live on thin
furm?" said William.
"My mother will withdraw her por
tion of the estate." said Letty. "She
Is entitled to a third, you know."
"Withdraw? Thirds? Why. I've
use for It. If she does that. I have
done with the meadow lots!"
His voice was like that of an en
raged dog.
"ion seem, illinrn, said Jule
Wright, "strangely to have forgotten j
the position of your mother and sis- t
fer. You have drawn the Interest of J
your mother's money.
It must all, of
course, be refunded. Little Letty has
a clear head. She will manage very
well. By the way. she has suggested ;
to ine that your wife should send over i
the Cleveland silver, and all other ;
household property belonging to your
mother before marriage."
When William nnd his wife went j
out of the gate, he seemed to have
shrunk Into n smaller and older man.
The last words heard from him were
"lots." "It's .all your fault," In a
fierce bitterness.
When they hnd all gone, Letty put
her head down on her mother's lap.
"Now, mother," she said, "for the
roses nnd the old oaks, and rest, and
home! We shall find poor black Tod
there, waiting; and all your
friends "
There was an uneasy cough behind
them. It was Mr. Burke, waiting to
say good-by.
'I shall be a neighbor, too, Miss
Letty."
"Yes, I remember," blushing very
much. i
lie held her hand a moment.
"You you are not sorry that I shall
be there too?"
But Letty only blushed more ab
surdly, and could not answer. Peter
son's Magazine.
WHY BOYS LEAVE THE FARM.
Farmers Encourage Sons to Enter Pro
fessional Life Agriculture Waning. ,
The trend of modern education nnd
the motives that inspire study in many
of the different' departments nnd
which mark the lungulshment, If not
a sure decay of a scientific course in
agriculture, was never more clearly
morked than In an informal talk made
by President J. K. Patterson of Ken
tucky State College, delivered before
the legislative investigating committee
in Lexington.
For the purpose of ascertaining how
much money was needed in the differ
ent departments for their proper mate
rial equipment the Agricultural De
partment came up for discussion, nnd
In response to a direct question from
Chairman J. W. Newman of the com
mittee President Patterson said:
"During the past few yeurs the
course of study in agriculture at the
college has been merely nominal, al
though the past year has brought signs
of a revival. I have found that neith
er the farmers of the State nor their
sons show the least preferment for ag
ricultural pursuits of studies, and,
therefore, for wnnt of proper, or I
might say sufficient patronage, the de
partment hns been allowed to droop.
As a general rule when the sou of a
farmer conies to the college he enters
the classics of some of the liberal pro
fessions, believing that when his
course is completed he will be In a
better position to make money than If
he remained a farmer. To a great ex
tent this feeling is encouraged by the
farmers themselves, although they fall
to realize that the professions are con
siderably overcrowded and their earn
ing capacity reduced almost to a min
imum. "The slight' revival in the study of
scientific agriculture has been enhanc
ed by Secretary Wilson of the United
States Department of Agriculture, who
has done more for the solid interests of
the farmers of the country than nny
other one man. Through the opportu
nities offered by the government
wherein remunerative positions are
open to men of marked scleutiflc abil
ity along agricultural lines, seenu to
have been a stimulus to some, but they
are very few. The capacity to make
money seems to be the primary consid
eration 'with the great bulk of students
while tho mental development, which
comes us a natural result of their
studies, Is mado a secondary inn Iter."
Horseshoe Nails for Gun Barrels.
Gunmakers say there Is no Iron so
well fitted for their purpose as that de
rived from horseshoe nails and similar
worn fragments. The nails made or
iginally of the best stuff obtainable,
receive from the coitanj pounding of
the horse's feet ou hard surfaces i
peculiar annealing and toii'beninr,
making them n most perfe.-t substau
for the manufacture of the llnest gu'i
barrels.
Ills Opinion C'ti.-wmcil.
"You say you think Shukspeare Is a
foolish and trivial writer'.'"
"1 do," answered Mr. Meektoti ru'h:r
tremulously.
"But you use! to be almost a:i idol
atrous admirer of his works."
'Yei. But that w is l el'i:e llourlett.i
and I went to :;iv !h; 'Ta 'ii.; of th
Shrew." " Washington Star.
Purely Menial.
"I don't think he bus any mental bal
ance." "Why, that's his strong point. That's
the only sort of balance he has. He
Imagines he has money lu the bank."
Philadelphia Udger.
Many I'hurc-hes Id Australia.
Australia has more churchei per
capita than any other country. She
has 210 churches to every 100,0 X) pea-pi.
gkirflventionl
Te snltnesa of the Dead Sea is at
tributed by W. Akroyd in considerable
degree to air-borne salt from the Med
iterranean. Exposing pure oil of turpentine
mixed with one per cent of oil of lav
ender is the finest of all simple meth-d
ode for purifying the air of a stuffy
room.
Leather railway ties are made by
grinding scrap leather very fine, sub
jecting to a refining process, and com
pressing to different grades of hard
ness In a moulding machine.
A British naturalist suggests that
the destruction of animal life by heavy
rains has received too little attention.
The mortality among Insects and all
small animals Is certainly very great
In a late experiment In Switzerland
a Scotch boiler was found to be 159
degrees C. hotter at the upper part
than at the lower part, and the torn
peratures changed nut siignny aner
two hours. As this peculiarity 'Is a
t'blef objection to this form of genera
tor, n test of other Hollers is uesireu.
The Fuel Builders. These are the
ferns, which In the carboniferous perl-
od attained n rank growth. The spores
of the ferns, found on the under sides
of the leaves, which answer the pur
pose of seeds, form a brown dust, and
this dust, heated and compressed, com
poses great masses of coal. Jet Is also
another work of these little builders.
A new luminous fungus has been for
I warded to Europe from Tahiti. It Is
said to emit at night a light resembling
J that of the glow worm, which It re
tains for a period of twenty-four hours
I after having been gathered, and It Is
used by the native women In bouquets
of flowers for personal adornment In
j the hair and dress. It Is believed to
grow on the trunks of trees.
According to a recent pamphlet by
an Italian doctor, a sure way of re
j storing life In cases of syncope Is to
hold the patient's tongue firmly. After
I two other doctors had worked for an
J hour without result over a young man
' who was apparently drowned, he thrust
a spoon into the patient's mouth,
' seized the tongue, and worked it vlo
! lently until the patient gave signs of
life.
I Considering the possible Influence of
nlcoiyd upon human evolution, Dr.
' Harry Campbell assumes that such civ
ilizations as those of Babylon and
' Egypt may date back thirty thousand
years and that agriculture by migra
tory tribes may extend back thirty
thousand years more, but concludes
that the use of alcohol as a beverage
hns not been known more than ten
thousand years. He finds no reason to
, believe that as was suggested some
years ago, the discovery of fermented
liquor gave the first civilizing quicken-
' lng to the brain of npe-Suan.
! Observations as to the height of the
diurnal sea breeze are few in number,
' albeit of considerable Importance. By
means of a captive balloon, sent up
from Coney -Island a number of years
' ago, it was found that the average
height at which the cool Inflow from
' the ocean was replaced by the upper
I warm outflow from the land was from
, five to six hundred feet At Toulon,
In 1813, the height of the sea breeze
was found to be about thirteen hun
dred feet, and a distinct off-shore cur
rent was found between nineteen and
twenty hundred feet. More recently
, 11)02 on the west coast of Scotland,
Dines, using kites, had noted that the
kites would not rise nbove fifteen hun
dred feet on sunny afternoons, when
the on-shore breeze was blowing.
ONCE SAVED ELKINS' LIFE.
West Virginian Hescned from Peril by
lluudlt Cole Younger.
Senator Elklns, of West Virginia,
talked for the first time the other day
! of his late meeting with Cole Younger,
the Missouri bandit recently released
from the Minnesota penitentiary. It
developed that Younger came to Wash
ington to enlist the influence of Sena
tor Elklns nnd other prominent public
! men who showed Interest in his affairs,
. in an effort to get the terms of bis
parole from the Minnesota pardon
board modified in important particu
lars. Younger claimed that the condl
tions imposed upon him as a "ticket of
leave man" form such a handicap that
he Is practically debarred from making
! a living In any legitimate way.
Many versions have been given of
the manner lu which Younger saved
the life of Senator Elklns In Missouri
nearly a half a century ago, but Sena
tor Elklns says that none of them have
been accurate. The Incident occurred
Just after the fight at Independence,
Mo. Elkius says It was about 2 o'clock
In the afternoon and he was returning
"from seeing a girl." He was mount
ed on a good horse, bad a new pair of
cowhide boots and a new broad
brimmed bat. In rounding a turn of
the rond ho almost rode into Quan
trells' gang, The particular portion of
the organization which took him pris
oner was known as "Parker's men.'
Elklns says he has always believed
that one of the reasons why he was
Immediately accused of being a spy
was tho desire of some of the rou
fellows to have his new boots, his line
horse and his broad-brlniined luit.
they did not hesitate to say that in
their belief such possessions were "toi
good for a Yank." There was but one
man in the command t'tat Klkins knew
that was Cole Younger. Younger and
Elklns had lived in the saute neighbor
hood In Missouri as boys together and
Cole decluwd that Elklns had a father
and brother in tho Confederate army
and it was impossible that he could be
a spy.
Elkius said: "I told Y'ounger to stay
mighty close to me, as I did not like
the looks of the fellows who surround
ed me and the way they talked to me
when they told me to sit down on a
big walnut log alongside the road. Cole
aald he never hud a man before or
since quite so respectful to him. I In
sisted upon him standing in front of
me all the time. It was a good thing,
too, because there was no question
that if it had not been for Younger!
determined af'tude and his i snounaa-
ment that he would take a shot at th4
fellow who banned me while the lead
ers were disposing of my case I doubt
If the State of West Virginia would
ever have been able to avail Itself of
my services. Cole snld It was not true,
that they wanted my boots and horse,
but they were greatly enraged liecnuso
the day before they captured me Par
ker, their leader, and old man Christo
pher had been killed. They were bent
on revenge."
EXPERIMENTS ON THE BRilN.
Electricity Is Not Dangerous When
Mild Current Is Used.
Experiments on tbc brain of a living
subject with electric currents have
been comparatively rare, as there has
prevailed among phyaldaus and phy
siologists the Idea that sncb a course
of experimentation was extremely dan
gerous, mere have recently been
published, however, records of some
experiments carried on by M. S. Leduc,
with the object of using the electric,
current to produce sleep and of study
ing its effect on the brain generally. In
early experiments it was shown that
the brain la the best: conductor of elec
tricity in the human body, being about
3,000 times more conducting than mus
cle. It was also observed that when
a continuous current was passed
through the head from one enr to the
other, that the sensation of giddiness
was produced and that objects ap
peared to revolve In the same dlrec-,
tions as the current flowed. However
when the electrodes are placed on the
forehead and neck and the current sent
from back to front the effects are In
nocuous so long as a mild current la
used, and In some cases may ! bene
ficial. According to M. Leduc, the most
satisfactory current Is one of four mil-
liamperes at thirty volts, which Is
broken or Interrupted 100 times a Bed
ond for nine-tenths of the period of
Interruption. The first effect noted
was the disappearance of the fnculty
of speech, after which followed the
loss of the motor faculties. Under or
dlnnry conditions there Is no nffection
of the respiration or pulse unless the
current is Increased, and then It may
cense. The patient is said to awaken
Instantaneously from the electric sleep
and to experience a feeling of refresh"
ment.
POINTER FOR FLAT BUILDERS.
Why Not Adopt Some Ppace-Huving
ltevices of Ships?
"It Is a wonder some of your New
Ynt'lr hllllripra (Inn'f hnrrnur l,kna In
economizing spnee from shipw-rIghts.isB
1 .1 T .-1 ! .. I. 1 ! . i , 1 - ' j. 1
nuiu iiu r.oonu urcjlllt'LT, wuo CUIUS I
over in the Cedrle. to n New York 1
Press man. "We are beginning to put
up small apartments in London and
some of the big midland cities uow.
So far British builders have not been
so badly cramped for room as the
builders of some apartments I have
seen in New York, but we may come
to It
'The strict economy of space in
even the best cabins of the modern
Atlantic liners is a revelation to an
architect who has never made a study
of it. Fixed sofas in odd corners that
can be made into a comfortable berth
la a Jiffy, washstands that fold up ami
disappear without any fuss or mess,
racks for stowing awny small things
that always seem to disappear when
they open, are Just as essential in a
small apartment as they are aboard
ship. ' '
"The average outside cabin on a
liner Is smaller than the average bed
room In a bachelor apartment. There
are more conveniences In It when the
cabin steward has opened everything
out. But after staying for one week
In the guest chamber of a fashionable
bachelor apartment near Broadway
and Greeley square I felt a sense ot
expansion when I went down to the
steamer to choose a cabin for my re
turn voyage."
Frankly Owned His Fault.'
Although there has been complaint 'V s t
of late about a growing lack of disct j 1
pllne in the ranks of the French army,
the demoralization has not, It is be
lieved, progresstd seriously, as the fol
lowing incidents, coming from a
French naval port will illustrate:
A general holding a high commano
made his appearance a few days ago-
at the barracks of an infantry regi
ment, which, In obedience to his orders,
was promptly drawn up in the yard.
Then he explained the reason in a
brief address. He said that as he was
walking in the town attired lu mufti
on the previous day a man belonging
to the corps, who was the worse for.
liquor, accosted hlin rudely and asked
him to stand blm a drink. "Let lilru
step out of the rnnks," he concluded,
Immediately a bugler emerged, and,
saluting, said: "it is I, mon general."
The Incident is characteristic and
apropos of it one Is reminded of such
nn adventure which befell a certain
French marshal. A grenadier, who
was exasperated ut some Injustice that
had lsen done him, pointed Ms pistol
at hlin and pulled tho trigger, but it
did not go off. Without moving a
muscle, tin? veteran cried: "Four days
in the cells for keeping your arms in
a bad state." The bugler's honesty can
scarcely have fniled to be nn extenua
tion of bis offense in the eyes of the
general.
Summoned by Name.
An exciting lover's quarrel was once
brought about by the young wom-in's
accidental rending of a telegram where-
in the upf.rvnnte lover had spoken er
l is new yacht in terms of 'ndetirmei
lit
omitting to mention the fact that Ger-
nldine was only a boat. A similar
blunder Is reported by a Philadelphia
paper.
There were five pa-si ng'rs in the
street enr, nnd as it approached tt
crossing the conductor calbd " Will
lain!" One man got up and went out.
"Ann!" announced the conductor, und
a woman left the car.
Tucked away In the corner was a
litttu man with a foreign-looking race.,
When the conductor called "George!",
nnd another passenger alighted, thi
little man awoke to tho situation. Ifi'l
rose, tlbtoed down the aisle and wbil-'
pered to the conductor:
"Before you calls out de name of djj
lady in dere, I'll tell you I wants t4
git off soon. My name Is Paul." ,'
t It's the fresh man who is apt to fpii
I la a pickle.
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