A NEW YEAR'S ST011Y.
Ily 'S. D. McManus.
I want to toll you this New Year's
night, what happened Jlst a year ago
In Hank Harmon's blacksmith shop.
'Taln't much to toll, nor over much for
an outsider to harken to, but It means
a mighty sight to mo and tho boys,
an' I, for one, Jlst llku to think ot It
nn' talk It over nnd kind ot hug and
embrace tho words, exprcssln' It as tt
wcro, nnd hold tho sentences Hko n
bitter sweet morsel under my tongue
My strength don't In any wise lay In
rolatln' things and Incidents, and It
will bo a good precaution, when I warn
you not to break In Into mo and ac
cordingly Interrupt mo, for t will tako
flno-halrcd and top sawyer work to
mako my story look no If It had any
sonso or meanln' at all, except to mo
and tho boys as understand It com
plete.
Jlst a year ago tonight wo met In
Hank Harmon's blacksmith shop to
celcbrato tho day by gettln' so para
lyzln drunk, that wo could dlsremom
bcr tho miserable homes wo had
sneaked away fruni and . tho heart
broken and down-lookln' wlvcn an-l
children wo had left In thorn. Wo Lung
a !iohb blanket over tho biggest cracks
In tho sides atter Hunk had fnstcned
tho door, nnd then we was In shnpeful
condition,. to. guzilo and pour down
our rcd,-hot, thirsty throats, Jlst as
much ot Joe Howard's red-hot, plzen
hot whisky as wo could manage to get
with our tnmblln' hands, to our weak,
walorln', disgraced mouths, Atter this,
wo know what would most likely hap
pen, Judgln' ot courso by what had
happened before wo would fall over
amongst tho cinders and boss hoot
Joallns and od wagon tires and drag
(colli and scrap Iron, whore wo would
Bleop Hko hogs hogs as had lost their
Rolf-rcspccl-r-untll tho cold and tho
uncomfortnblcuess would wako and
" sober ub enough to crawl home to our
wretched bounce, which wo would
mako wrotcjiedcr and mlscrablor by
our comln.
Wo talked of this tonight, nnd wo all
PUT THE HOSS DLANKET UP.
remembered everything that was dono
undi said, as It it was writ on tho black
walls Of tho Bhop with whlto heat run
UlnMronitrom the forgo, and wo all
Agreed too, never to try .to dlsromcm-
bcr that night tho night when God or
some of his shining holy nngols como
down to ua and shamed us Into bcla
decent, oobor, Ohrut-lovlr.' men.
"TUcro la recollections," Jim Cam
cron said, "that tillers ought to be
recollected and kept Hko a blazln' torch
(n front ot us, Somo ot thorn fer
safety saico ana somo for snnme sako,'
nnd Jim furthermore said wo ought to
wear the memory of them disgraced
and wicked days about us is an an
cient pallor or somo old Bait, woro a
dead gooso about his neck ns a keep
sako that ho had been low down and
sinful.
Hut drunkards as we all certainly
was, and what Is more, vcrgln' clost
onto beln' bar-fer-kceps, old drunk
ards as was no likely salvation for, wo
wa'n't any of us so very happy and
comfortable and easy Into our minds, at
the beglnnln' ot that night a year ago
In Hank Harmon's blacksmith shop
In tho alley, Jlst off tho Rudy some
thing, bullygard In tho city of Sardln
apolls, whero wo boys lived. We put
tho hoss blanket over tho gaplnest
cracks to keep tho wind f rum flarln'
out tho smutty lamp that stood smokln'
and wobbly on nn old table where
Hank writ hla accounts, amongst a lot
of nails and bolts and rivets and smnll
genrln', with n Jug ot Joe Howard's
cheapest, helllshest whisky In the mid
dle as a kind of devil center plcco. 0,
can't I, nnd can't all ot us cronies Jlst
remember exactly, how that Jlggly,
trembly, dirty old table looked and I
am bound that It had the delirium
tremens, If anything in tho world bar
rln' a man can have them. I enn smoll
tho oil that Hank spilled when ho
filled tho lamp with his nervous,
shaky hands and It run nlong amongst
tho old Iron and under Hauk's day
book and dropped over the edgo onto
tho floor and went down a crack. And
there was tho whlto Jug with tho blue
letterln': "I gal.," with a sheaf of bluo
wheat below to make It look tasty and
sell.
And this was our Now Year's tablo!
Four men made In tho Imago of God!
And men for thotr folks and neigh
bors to bo proud of except they was
drunkards. There was Jim Cameron,
ono; mo, two; Jim Green, three,
whoso father had been n preacher
and Hank Harmon, as owned tho shop,
As I said wo wa'n't over happy nnd
comfortable- that night, considerln' we
had such a reckless layout and an
early start. I havo frequent noticed,
that you cau't always kick consclenco
undor tho table or scttco as you can
an unruly dog that whines and barks
when ho ban no cnll to. And some
how consclenco has n habit ot gettln'
around nnd In tho way on such doln'
Jnya as Now Year's, Christmas and tho
like, And four consciences ns hadn't
had their Just deservln's nor Innings
for mnny a month, slipped their halters
that night a year ago and managed to
make thlngj unpleasant for tholr own
era, I suspect tho troubled waters
mentioned In tho scriptures means
somethln' llko this. Hut any way wo
was troubled ouaccountably.
Not so onnccountably cither, for wo
wasn't bo old and hardoned and crusted
In slu and drlnklu', but wht wo all
could think when we glvo ourselves n
chance, which wo made suro not to do
over frequont, because It was uot
agreeable.
Ono thing that made us tcol n trlflo
down and dismal was that tho koopor
ot tho Happy Homo saloon, Joo How
nri, had Jlst moved n day or bo back
out ot his old house down by tho gas
works nnd tho tannery, into his hand
somo now residence frontln' tho park
and tho library bulldtn. It was the
prettiest, tastiest, Imposln'lst houso In
tho Circle and ho had nmdo every dol
lur ot It out ot such fellows as mo and
tho rest ot us.
And then Jim Cameron hoi moved
that very day Now Yoar'a cay trom
tho homo his father had given him
izh every brick tud hoard In It was
Hko a llvln', lovln' thing to Jim had
moved Into n little old untidy frowsy
hntion ti!M n lntinr1 In fniSf nrnV nnplln'
shutters. In n part ot the town whero
self-rcspcctln' folks didn't generally
try to got. And Jim knew, and wo all
know that ho and the reet of us and a
lot moro had built Joe's houso in tho
park, and that every nnll In It If it
was counted a dozen times, wouldn't
count up ns many ner a tenth ns many
as tho tears shed fer Its puttln' up!
Wo collated that ono ot us had hand
ed enough hard earned money over hl3
counter to pay for the grand stairway,
every Inch of which was tho premium
work of an artist and a man as mado
grand Btalrways for n llvln' nnd never
botched, and I reckoned, Jlst makln' a
rough, unflgurln' estimate, that I had
traded enough with Joe ono tlmo and
another to ns much, or may bo more,
than pay for tho plate glas3 windows,
uot mentlonln' tho stained qncs, that
looked Hko flower beds set into his
walls, with wreaths and roses and
young children nnd bluo sky nnd grass
and things. And there was my wife
and youngsters at homo it such a
place as wo had finally got to could bo
callod a homo with tho windows filled
with old quilts and cushions and not
enough in tho cupboard to eat to much
more than provent them from goln' to
bed hungry. And this was New Yoar'B
night! It wasn't a cheerful, glowln'
outlook, no odds how perseverln' ono
tried to bo chirk gleeful over It.
Hank Harmon remarked as ho took
his placo at tho table, with his back
agin tho door to provent nnyono from
droppln' In oncxpected, that likewise,
makln' a rough, uneducated callatlon,
ho bed helped Joe Howard In tho build
In' ot his mansion, ns tho newspaper
callod Joo'a houso quite n consider-
able, even to tho plnchln' of his fam-
lly for provisions nnd clothln'. Hank
collated ho had dono as much toward
tho house, as tho puttln' In ot tho
plumbing plpln' chandollers, with
tho furnnco throwed In for fair mcas-
uro and good tcolln'. And spcaklu' ot
tho furnace, Hank happened to recol
lect that thero wasn t a stick ot wood
or a pound of coal in his house, and
JIM BEGAN TO CRY.
his wlto was sick and his children not
Bwoatln' with beln' ovcrclothed or
overfed. And rcmlncscenlng along
this line, wo naturally got dismal and
down-hearted and somo of us It wns
me for I needn't protend to confuso
or forgot nnythlng that happened thnt
night moved that wo uuanlmously
tako a drink and I accordln' pulled tho
cork from tho whlto Btono Jug, with
tho bluo letterln' and wheat sheaf.
But Jim Cameron nor Hank nor Jim
Green held up their cups, but I filled
mine In a manly, don't-care way Jad
act closo to the edgo of the table by
Jlat then, Jim Green began to cry.
And it wasn't a drunk, maudlin
swasby cry that makes one tiled, but
a great, man, heart-breaKlr. heart
full cry, not loud nor noisy, but low
and heavy with bitterness and re-
raoiGe and the useless wishln's that
you hadn't done some things. And
whllo Jim cried wo all looked away
and kinder above each others heads
and I sneaked my cup of whisky from
the table nnd emptied It without male
In' any BDlnshln' in tho nail whero
Hank tempers his boss shoes. After
a spoil, Jim got where ho could speak,
and we was" nil wlllln' he should have
the (loor. Ho said ho didn't know how
many houses ho had helped to build,
but expected he had dono his share,
ttlft lift Mil L n r ti. u'llli n an A rnrfn I n t V
of ono heart ho had broken by his
wayward wicked ways Jim didn't
say whose heart It was, but wo all
knew It was his mother's. And sho
had died alono and neglected list a
year ago. So many things happen Just
a year ago! Then Jim begun again,
(ho could talk Hko his father I bus-
pect) and said that whllo ho knew he
had killed tho ono who loved him best
and tho one that ho loved best In the
world, killed her with cruel shame and
sorrow-wlth God's help he was re-
solved to make her glad In heaven to-
night, that ho would never touch nn-
uuiur urop oi liquor ns long as hi,
lived
liicro was stillness for a time nnu
tho edges of the old blanket flapped
Hko big, ragged evil wings and tho
uncorked Jug sent out a smell that put
onn in mind of venomous snnkes and
closo by danger, while the smutty,
cmacked lamp flared up and then nl-
most went out as lf even that little
puny, crippled light was ashamed of
Its company. Pretty soon, Jim Cam
eron pulled his legs out from under
tho trembling table, and straightening
himself up ns best he could, beln' so
tall and stnndln' ns ho did right under
tho eaves of Hank's shop said, "Boys,
I havo a notion that amounts to dead
certainty, tint my wife and I will
niovo back to our old home before long.
We are both homesick for tho grass
and geraniums nnd big trees In tho
front yard, and tho stone dog on the
door Btep, and tho llttlo room whero
our babies died. I think wo shall gc
back pretty soon, because you see with
God's help, and God for a -witness nnd
Hank Harmon and my neighbor, Wll-
"am wren, ior witnesses, i now hoi
eranly promise with my dead chll-
THERE WAS NEW YEAR'S
DIN-
NERS TODAY.
drcn to hear, too that I, like our
friend who ba3 Jlst left us, will novcx
touch another drop ot Intoxicating
liquor so long as I live." And he
picked up his hat and went away.
And mo and Hank was lwf t alone,
But Cameron hadn't much moro than
shut tho door, when Hank, as owned
tho shop, kicked the box out from
under him and como nigh to upsettln'
tho infirm old tablo and whllo he put
I, en hla ragged overcoat, kind of care
less remarked only anyono that
kuowed Hank would have known that
U0 was In solemn, awful earnest that
It didn't look neighborly nor civil to
leavo company llko this, but ho
guessed no, I'll ho damned If I
Ciiesa (Hank wasn't a swearln' man,
novor) ho said, I know I must do as
Jim Green and Jim Cumeron havo
done, and with God to help mo and
God and you, Willlum Wren, to bo my
witnesses, I, Henry Harmon, will never
drink another drop ot intoxicating
liquor so long as I live. And tho rick
ety old door dragged back to Its placo
nnd ho was gone, and l alono
'
Thero was but ono decent, manly
thing left for me to do, nnd by this
tlmo It was tho only thing I wauted
to do nnd standing up with only God
for witness and Ho was enough I
promised as the other boys had prom
lseci, nnu tnen, wun n tnrend ot a
prayer that would tanglo Itself with
niy
md
other thoughts, I took the Jug an
smashed It upon tho anvil.
Whllo It como to us unexpected that
we Bhould begin a now and decent life
jlat llko a mcssago from God, almost,
It was put upon ui to help ourselves,
list all th&t was n-.isslble. God ntnoii
clost by us, though, And was always In
reach wnon wo most necucu mm. It
was a hard won victory, but wo won It.
"In conclusion," ns thoy say In story
booko, it is only fair to mention that
Jim Cameron and hla wife have pos
nesslon once moro of their stone dog
and geraniums, and Jim Grcon lives
with them, and thero Is another baby
In tho houso whoso namo Is James G.
Camoron. Thoro ore no blankets In
the windows ot my homo today, and
Hank Harmon Is as happy and pros
perous as a decent, hnrd-workln' God-
fearln' man can well bo, nnd In every
ono of our homes there was Now Year's
dinners today, that makes my mouth
water to eveu think of uow.
l1OXJjD VAST WEALTH I
BUT HAD SOME THRILLING AD
VENTURES.
tii. Tlco Tkon rriioner nn.i nd
Hoverl NarroiT iNcapn for It Is Life
-l'.iploriMl llm Iilnnil of I.uxon nnd
Mliittanno,
Edward Robatock of St. Loula will
jtart for Manila in a few wceka. It
.vlll be his second visit to tho Philip-
jlncs. He says tho Islands aro full of
oId' aml Predicts that tho tlmo Is not
:ai a'8'nni w"cn tho rush thither win
Dc Breater than to the Klondike. All
:,mt ,s "ceded ho oaya Is mining las.
There nro all kinds cf minerals, tho
30,1 18 C(1,la1' lf not ""Dorlor, to. that of
u " "inmiii, uuiamu ui
' " " "ii " . , ,
"'"" """,
lnil)0,r Bood water Is plentiful and llv-
M ' , ,u V , , ,i T. "
' " , ''""" n'v ,'
' , ," ." " , , Z
t 7.1 w
1 0
f1 . "arro ! ' "l.!" "inl ".lap ?, ?I
""V . ' 1 Z ' " .i
o thn . . lr
Btock dcc,do(, to c3tploro t'll0 iMillIp-
pne8( nn(, ,cf gan Franc,8C0 on 0ct.
20 1898 A month ater hQ proacntcd
himself to tho American consul at Ma-
min nnd stated hlB nlnns. Ho was
simply advised to carry no weanons.
With nn English companion named
Cochran, ho Journeyed by rail 120
mllos to Calumplt. where a native
Filipino was engaged as guide, and
tho three started up tho .Grand rlvor
to Cablno, whero they met tho Filipino
general In command ot that district.
Ho was easy of persuasion and treated
mo party wun tno utmost courtesy,
oven to wining, dining and serenading
them. An officer nnd two Filipino sol-
dlera escorted them to tho hills, whero
gold waa found In nearly every stream,
Mr. Rcbstock Btaked off u placer claim
of twenty ncrcs, nnd expects somo day
to reap a harvest from it provided he
is protected by laws which may hero-
after bo enacted. Ills claim Is record-
cd at Manila. Before returning to put enough pockets In a pair of trou
Manila thoy had tho oxporlcnce of sera. I was oue of the first tailors in
mooting a half dozen Igarotos, against this locality at least to suggest two
wnom they had been warned by tho hip pockets Instead of one, and I io
Flllplno soldiers, who said they wero member I was callod a bonefactor.par-
savago trlbo of aborigines and would
kill on sight After a dinner of roast
fish and herba, with the Igarotos, tho
prospectora returned to Manila, and la-
ter sought Agulnaldo at Malolos. but
the Filipino leader was not to bo seen,
JiiB secretary, however, assured thom
thnt so long as they went unarmod
thoy would havo nothing to fear from
either natives or soldiers. Thoy ato
tholr Christmas dinner near tho town
of Balowag, sweltering In aluaca toats
m mo glare of tlio noonday Bun. They
wero just finishing their meal when
two Filipino officers nnd two privates
rushed up. Tho privates carried rifles,
ono of tho onicera held a drawn Bword
in uis hand, anrtihe other pointed a
Bix-snootor at them. About forty or
litty natives had been attracted by
their camp lire, and thoy formed al-
most a solid wnll around tho men when
tno onicera came up. All tho tlmo
they wcro talking, ono of tho officers
waB shaking his revolver lu tho faces
of the prospectors, whoso protestations
woro ot no avail. Thoy wero hustled
off to n Spanish convent and locked up
wun thirty Spanish prisoners. After
much persiinslon thoy Induced tholr
keeper to telegraph to Agulnnldo's sec
retary, but Instead of receiving an or
der releasing them, ho was Instructed
to send them back to Manila. Tho
Idea of doing further prospecting at
thnt tlmn nn thn lalntwl rif T ntAti ...nr.
then abandoned, and the prospectors
separated. Mr. Cockran securing em-
pioymont in Manila. On March 9 last
Mr. Rcbstock emhnrke.1 fnr 5tnmi,nt.n.
gn on the island of Mindanao. Think-
lug It unsafe to acknowledge his Amor-
lcnn citizenship, ho passed himself oft
for a German. But ho wan mistaken
for a Bny. a"1' Anally Imprisoned by
tho Moros. Tho president of tllo Mo-
ros, however, was easily Induced to
release him when ho agreed to glvo n
half Interest In nil tho claims he
could peg off In Mindanao. With
an escort of eight Filipino soldiers,
Mr. Robstock visited tho hills, and
found gold everywhere But whon ho
was ready to leave Mindanao ho had
consldernblo troublo, and finnlly put
himself In tho custody of two officers
of, ,tho, l!"lte1 ?tn.tC8, B"n!)0at tPtrel-
whlch fortu"atey had touched at Zam-
Itnnrtrvn At Inut tin ti'iti nltln tn unnnli
uimub'i. v ' i" maun
tho steamer Putnam and returned to
.MttlllUl. iir. uousiouk, Having Iiau
'urther prospecting until tho lusurrec
tlon was put down.
iiimuuii indiMirr iiuiped by u... Wnr.
ono ot tho results of the Spanish-
American war has been a remarkable
stimulus to certain departments of
Spanish industry. Although many
morchnnta havo Buffored by tho loss of
Cuba, nnd havo had tholr operations
severely hampored thereby, other
houses have taken to manufacturing
on tho Bpot products which used to bo
got from that colony, sugar is ono or
tho chief articles imported, but thoro
woro formerly fow refineries In Spain.
During tho last fow months, however,
a numbor of refinerlea havo been
established. So far It seems to hnvo
beon tho Germans who hnvo prolltod
most by tho situation. Tho German
houses havo their agents on tho spot,
and so succeed In booking a big sharo
of tho orders. In other departments,
too, It Is very much tho same. Bar-
solona, Madrid and othor largo towns
have recently adopted tho electric
light, but although tho field la open to
everybody, most ot tho tenders woro
Germans. London News.
,TS FOE 13 WOMAN NOT MAN
Metmcotl by SInto 8c.
Alan Is not tho chief enemy to tho
promulgation of the woman's BUffrago
movement, as a ilelogato to n conveu-
1,0,1 tho east recently nillrmed to
tno meeting of her sister association.
In $.0 course of her talk she related
her experiences with n clipping bureau
nnd how a great light broke In on her
comprehension, upsetting some tho-
orlca aho had nursed for years. Fall-
lug in her reading of newspapers to
discover any attacks on tho right of
her sex to enjoy tho prlvllego of the
ballot sho contracted with a press bli
reau to furnish her tho class of matter
sho was unublo to find for herself. Sov-
eral weeks passed and not a slnglo
clipping of tho kind sho wnnted
reached her. A number fnvorablo to
uio conrerring or tno ballot on women
nowover, lorwnrucci. &no proiesi-
cu ana received an answor that among
tho hundreds of newspapers that
reoencu ineir omce aauy nono opposeu
1,10 u,ea ot wmen voting. Assuming
tlmt favorable notices would bo acccpt-
abl tho buroau 1,0(1 ran1 tho extracts
thoy forwarded. They were sorry, but
" was tho best they could do. and no-
orgo would bo mado for tho work
performed. It was then, according to
thls 'legate's confession, that n light
damned on her. Instead of finding tho
meriier nnu more privncgeu sex op
posing her In her fight for tho uso or
tho ballot she found, as sho confessed,
to her chagrin, tho monster mun, U
not openly favorablu to hor ambitions,
ut least passively Indifferent. Dis
armed, sho knew not in what direction
to turn, and, na Bho admitted, sho has
since not been quito bo active in urg
mg equal rights In suffrage,
GOOD FITS FOLLOW REFORM.
""cadonro of Truuacr rorkrn ns n siuu
'it Men a droning Hotter,
Correspondence: A tailor who
has mado trouserB for many statesmen
and public men of tho country for
moro than thirty years has a curious
reason for hla belief that tho country
Is getting better. "When I waa first
In business," ho said. "I never could
tlcularly by my southern patrons. You
know why, of courao. Thoro waa a
tlmo when every gentleman carried a
flask whorover he went. That la what
led to tho second hip pocket. Tho
gentleman nlso carried a weapon of nt-
tnck and defenso. Slowly, by degrees,
tho extra 1i!d was dronnod. I think
It was tho weapon pocket that waa
dropped first, and ot lato years somo
of my patrons havo askod mo to leave
out both bin nockots. and now I have
n few, customers who want no pockets
whatever In their trousers. As n mat-
ter of cood fit there Is no ouostlon but
thoy nro right, and I havo alwaya said
that pockets aro tho causo of most of
tho baccy, flabby trousers you Beo In
tho street. But asldo from tho sar-
torlal side of tho case, tho absence, or
rathor tho tendoncy toward decadence
of pockets In trousers Is an Indication
to my mind that the world Is getting
hotter. It moans that men ar.o not so
much addicted to tho bottle, or to bol-
llgorency. Reform nnd good fits go
hand In hand." New York Sun.
A Frlrnd ot thn Itlrh.
The character of Cornelius Vander-
bllt's private generosity is well illus
trated by a single Incident described In
tho Philadelphia Press. Tho lato Sam
uel Barton had been a lifelong friend
of his. They hnd been plnymates and
8c1,oolmates' ad at 8cllo1 Barton,
?vho wa!! somewhat tho elder, had
been mado tho custodian of his friend's
pocket-monoy. When both the boya
Brow lo niannoou Mr- uarion necamo a
succossrui oroKer, nut in late years for-
luno waB UK"1'- 10st '3 money,
a" 1118 "oaun gradually gavo way.
Mr Vanderbllt heard that Mr. Barton
waB in sonie distress of mind, as well
ns 01 U0lJ'. nnd called upon him. Tho
meeting was llko that of men who
havo boon playmates. Thoy Bpoko ot
tholr sports and of tholr oxperlencea at
tho boarding-school, and at last Mr,
Vanderbllt very delicately Inquired If
thoro wns anything that waB causing
Mr. Barton anxiety, and his old play-
mate roplled thut ho was fearful that
his estato would not leavo his family
comfortably provided for. Thereupon
Mr. Vanderbllt said, speaking tho fa-
. .in. .. m
miliar nnmo oi ciiuunoou uays;
swn, don't lot thut worry you." That
wnR nil hn snlil. lint tlin tinvt ,lnv t,
deposited In Mr. Barton's nnmo a largo
sum of money. Whon Mr. Barton
heard that, It seemed to glvo htm
peaco, and ho called his family to him,
said that ho was content to die, bade
thorn good-by, and then, saying "I nm
very tired," turned his face to tho wall.
nnd In a moment waa gone.
" U.
A Georgia boy's composition on "Tho
Lawmakers ot Our Country" reads aa
follows: My pa Is n lawmaker. Ma
makes tho laws at homo, an' pa makes
" b,,co ..,m uummj. ru
liaa bee" in tho legislature two times,
au 1,0 " 8 llloro "Bam lr tho voters
uu" 1 "" 'K"1 " toro no
cornea norae. no gon-ruiiy comes
"orao on unnstmas wnon wo havo
something to eat. Wo expoct him this
unriaimns. Atlanta constitution.
savinc Hpnco.
M13S Sllmdlot "Hero's an advortlso-
mont of 'a lltorary man' who wants
board. Docs ho Bay bo's a lltorary
man to show ho's a person ot refine
ment and culture?" Mrs. Sllmdlot-1-"No;
It's to Bhow thnt ho can't pay
much." New York Weokly.
