• - • PrtixCE "BissTAitcic ' s Inst criticism on
F Lord Randolph Churchill is thtit ho is
P u twopenny Catiline. "
| Pennsylvania's next senator. Col.
* f ; Quay , contemplates visiting Florida for
| ; Ihe benefit of his health .sometime in
\ February. '
% Col. J. S. Mosijv , of gticrr.lla war-
it fare fame , will shortly publish his per-
\ soual reminiscences of the late un-
? pleasantness. _ _ _ _ _ _
\
I' Tho youngest of eight persons who
} . wcro present at the recent annual
: iinner of the Harvard class of 1828 in
} ' Boston was Dr. Holmes , aged 77 years.
i- .
\ The famous ophthalmologist , Prof.
I ' " riodrick Horner , died recently at Zu-
r eh at the age of 55. Ho was one of
the most distinguished pupils of Grafe.
, . .
[ 1 1. i
- It is said that tho papers anil MSS
Df his father which Col. Fred Grant is
r • editing will make two or three vol
umes the size of the General's "Mum-
r - Dirs. " '
The remains of California's noted
oenefactor. Lick , were deposited last
Sunday in a niche in the foundation on
ivliicli the great Lick telescope is to bo
jlaccd.
Rev. Mk. SruitCEON , writing from
Mentono , says ho is yot too lame to
travel to England , but hopes to be home
and to occupy his pulpit in tho latter
part of January.
Rev. Heniiy Mouton , rector of
Philadelphia's St. James Protestant
Episcopal church , having become too
Dlil to perform tho duties of his posi-
; ion , has resignod.
Among the students of medicine in
; hc University of Naples is Miss Sophie
Bakunin , daughter of the famous Rus
sian agitator , whoso widow marr.od
; hc Neapolitan lawyer , Carlo Gata-
duzzL
Oxe of the most successful commer
cial travelers in York state is a negro ,
lie knows hs ! business thoroughly , is
• espected by all who know him , and ,
; o far ai known , is the only colored
Jrummcr in the country.
Tiieke died at Munich , a fortnight
* igo , Dr. Joseph Haller , the noted edi-
; or of the A'cuc Munchner Zeitung and
; hc author of several scientific works.
Sis principal effort was a learned essay
> n "Spanish Proverbs , " which brought
lira much distinction.
PocKETVAnMEit3 are a device for
keeping the hands warm. A warmer
:8 composed of a tin box an inch in
Remoter and six inches long holding
i fuse of slow-burning material which
& au.ns for more than an hour without
iinoke or gas. The warmer is put in a
pocket or carried in a muff.
The creditors of Pr ncess Ypsllanti ,
ihe 'widow of the late Greek ambassa
dor at Paris , will receive the best 4 per
: ent , of their demands , which aggre
gate more than $700,000. This sum is
exclusive of the unpaid taxes of the
arince himself , wlreh represents an
enormous amount , but for which his
ivulow is not responsible.
The Oregon state officials were
thrown into a bewildered state of
amazement recently when the scereta-
rv of slate received a bag containing
t 5529 50 from the county court of Jose-
nhine county. The legislature at its
_ last session made an appropriation for
a bridge across the river at Grant's
pass. The bridge and another were
built out of the appropriation , andthe
above was the ballance left , which was
sent back to be placed in the state
treasury.
iEAR the Zoological gardens , Phila
delphia , Pa. , one day recently , a man
was walking on the track of the Penn
sylvania railway as an engine was ap
proaching. Head Keeper Byrne , of the
> • garden , shouted a warning to him. The
train drew nearer and nearer , but the
man never lifted his eyes from the pa
per until just as the locomotive was
\ ibout to hurl him into eternity he cool-
- ' ly stepped off the track , and as the cyl-
mder of tiie rushing engine caught his
; . ; oat and tore it off his back he turned
'
- : o Mr. Byrne , who had jumped the
? iencc expecting to pck up a corpse ,
t Mid said : "These durned railway com-
' < panics want the earth. They took my
f , .tist dollar to carry me here , and now
i ; hey take the only coat Iv ' o got to let
* aio walk on their durned old track.
A tall , fine looking man , clad in a
| ' arb'of a wild westerner , strolled into
f : ho Fifth Avenue hotel. New York ,
jjT Thursday night , A dude clad in a
I ilrcsssuit stared at him as if he were a
| i wild beast The westerner stared
If back for a moment until he had looked
P- the dude out of countenance , and then
k. walked over to the young swell and
w said in a thundering voice : "Well ,
H what is it ? " "What is what ? " asked
L the dude , turning red. "You must
t : . have forgotten your manners to stare
II _ 1 at me as you did. I know -forgot
IL mine or I would not speak to you about
B- ' it. I look rough , and all that , but you
It * *
| l arc probably more of a canos ty to mc
| L than I am to yon ; still I know better
1' than to be so rude as to stop and look
vou over as if yon were on exhibition. "
The incident attracted considerable at
f tention , and the dude lost no t'me in
getting away.
rj ,
S"
I'
v
Too Much EiiNmI.viiIii ? .
Great complaints an' frequently
made by grown people of the d.sliirb
ance made by hoIm" . talkative little
ones ; but lite tables might bo turned
with perfect just cs.since eh"ldron arc
as often disturbed by their elders. Jt
parents and nurses would understand
the injury done to a cluld by interfer
ing with his intelligent plays and I lis
efforts to get clear notions of h s new
world , they would soon give up the
foolish habit. The tender brain should
at least lie left in quiet liberty to appro
priate tho things it linds agreeable , and
the groping senses steadily encouraged
to accomodate themsulw s to their sur
rounding ? . To disturb the harmony of
what obsrvntion may bj going on is
liko shaking a surface of clear water
so that no true reflection can be given.
To illustrate , let us take a scene from
an early hour , when the baby is just
waking. The father rushes in. eager
for a romp. • • Where is Bobby ? Oh !
just waked up. lie wants to come to
his papa. " And Bobby is mounted on
papa's .shoulder , while little sisters
dance around one playing peck a-boo.
one shaking a rattle , while a third
insists on pa-a-cake. ( The bewildered
baby laughs and crows during the ex
citement , but how distinct or intelli
gent are his emotions ? The pussv
comes in , and Bobby must look at her ;
but before his little hand has learned
the softness and warmth of her fur
whish ! a carriage is going past the
window , and he must notice for an in
stant , the swift steeds and prancing
horses. Horses , rattle , peek-a-boo , pus
sy , dancing little girls , pat a-cake , and
noisenthusiastic father , all in the
course of five minutes. Any one of
the amusements continued to tue child's
satisfaction might have given some
help to a germ of thought. But not
only minutes , but days and years are
passed in a whirl of half-finished
games and capricious petting. Is it
any wonder that , arrived in the school
room , the boy's mind is hazy and aim
less , or that he does not understand
system and steady work ? "What does
it mean ? ' aslcs the disappointed father.
' • Where does ho get lis laziness ? " It
is almost irreverent to say that a con
scientious , painstaking parent may be
officious and meddling , but it can be
true of the father as well as of the
mother , who , extremely anzious to do
her full duty by her darling charge ,
may easily overdo Babyhood.
The Largest Farm in the World.
In the extreme southwest corner of
Louisiana lies the largest producing
farm in tho world , says The Missouri Re
publican. It runs 100 miles north and
south and tweuty-uve miles east and
west , and is owned and operated by a
syndicate of Northern capitalists. Their
general manager , J. B. Watkins , gives
an interesting account of this gigantic
plantation , which throws the great
Dalrymple farm of Dakota into the
shade completely. He was cornered by
a reporter at the St. James Hotel last
night and asked to give the particulars
of his gigantic enterpise. "The millon
and a half acres of land in our tract , "
Mr. Watkins said , "was purchased in
18S3 from the State of Louisiana and
from the United States government.
At that lime it was a vast graz ng land
for the cattle of the few dealers ol the
neighborhood. When I took possession
I found over 30.000 head of half-wild
horses and cattle. My first work was to
divied this immese tract into conven
ient pastures , establishing stations or
ranches every six miles. The fencing
alone cost in the neighborhood of $50. -
000. The land is found to be best
adapted to rice , sugar , corn and cot
ton.
"All our cultivating , ditching " , etc. .
is done by steam power. We take a
track , say half a mile wide for in
stance , and place an engine at each
side. These engines are portable , and
operate a cable attached to four
ploughs , and under this arrangement
wo are enabled to plough thirty acres
a day with only the labor of three
men. Our harrowing , planting and
other cultivating is done in a like
manner. In fact , there is not a
draught horse on the place. We have ,
of course , horses for the herders of
cattle , of which we now have 16,000
head. The Southern Pacific Railroad
runs for sixty-six miles through our
farm. We have three steamboats
operating on the waters of our own
estate , upon which there are 300
miles of navigable waters. We have
an ice factory , a bank , a ship-yard and
a rice mill. "
Keepsakes.
Each lover has a. keepsake
For the memory of his love ;
One has a. note or a ribhoii ,
Ami one a curl or a clove.
But I am rich iu keepsakes ;
Three notes I treasure apart ;
There are two , accepting my presents ,
And oue , declining my heart.
Eating Properly.
The fact that so many adults , even
persons of culture , have wrong habits
in eating , coupled with that of the imita
tive tendency of children , affords one of
many arguments against the presence
of very little ones at the common ta
ble. Haste in eating is naturally ac
companied by haste iu feeding on
the part of the mothor or nurse ,
which is frequently the cause of the af
ter-habit , in the child , of taking too
large mouthfuls and swallowing them
too fast. Often an otherwise careful
mother , perhaps preoccupied with con
versation , or anxious to be free to do
something else , will give her child such
large and frequent mouthfuls that after
it has grown to tho self-feeding age
the practice is continued and the habit
lixed. Perhaps children are naturally
inclined to cat too fast ; it certainly is a
common fault , and one which may be j
avoided by deferring the self-feeding !
and letting the mother , by patient , de
liberate feeding , aid the child in form
ing correct habits. Neither should this
duty be left to an ignorant or thought
less nurse , who may have her own
reasons for haste. Care in this matter
may seem to cost too much time , but
the result will be worth all the expense.
Babyhood. ' $ i
t
mmmmmmmmmmmmmammmmmmmmmmmmmmmammm
"
stolen glories.
Sly darling's glorious eyes I
iy darling'a ludluut smile I
Sweet fleams fiom panidii-e ,
With naught of earthly guile !
Mirrored u-Illiiu those eyes
Henvcrra holiest love I sec.
Ami in eacli Fin le's sweet guise
I read heaven's storied glee.
Whence came these glorious eye f
Whence came this smile so sweetl
When from bright paradise
She tripped vith baby feet.
A last fond glance , with sighs ,
.She gave her angel guide ,
And tben through earthly skica
Iler downward way she hied.
And memories of those eyes
Forever linger there ;
Each eartbly smllu e'er dic3
For heaveu's , unaware.
O maid with stolen eyes
And faintly echoed smile !
How sure ofparadise
When far lrom earthly guile
And , when above earth's skici
Again you uendour way ,
The angel , iu .surprise ,
"Long lost , hut found , " will say.
Karl JIarble , iu Boston Folio.
A Stray.
The red rays of the setting sun lengthened
the shadows against the black deadened hills ,
as the workmen swarmed out of the pit ami
dragged weary , stiffened limbs along the dif
ferent paths leading to the habitations above.
Veiy grotesque some of them were , with
blackened faces , from which eyes gazed out
with the weary pathos one sees in the eyes of
oxen , with bent figures and stooped shoulders
from work in rooms where the roof was often
not four feet from the lloor , where water lay
in pools nud bred rheumatism iu joints , warm
ed by the sun all too seldom.
The motley nature of the mining village was
shown by the different dialects in which the
conversations were carried on , the broad
slurred intonation of the English miner ; the
rouud , rollicking tones with the note of a
caress In it that is native to the land St. Pat
rick loved ; the soft decided voice of Scotland ,
and , as a background for this flotsam and
jetsam that is drifted to us by the ocean , was
heard the sharp , slightly nasal voice of the
native of our Middle States.
But different an was their nationality , their
minds seemed to run much in the same groove.
There was some dissatisfaction with the rec
ord of the da's work , and menaces ominious
to the managers were exchanged with curses
and clenching of black , hardened hands.
Fragments of their conversation came to a
woman standing at the top of the rickety
• tepa leading up the face of the cliff above the
miue3. Back of her was a row of bare , un-
paiut d houses where the workmen lived ;
some of the women were about the doors ,
iloueby and dishevelled , calling out to one an
other and to the children in coarse , shrill
voices , which now and then a laugh and a
joke with the home-coming workmen. Only
the woman at the steps stood alone silent. A
few nodded to her ; only one man spoke to her
in passing , while many looked at her iu a way
that made her face flush and her teeth set.
She was handsomer than anything they ever
saw about the pit's mouth , but the husbands ,
sons , and lovers kuew better than to greet her
before the eyes of their women folks. Four
years ago she had learned that and ignored
them , men and women , ever since , only she
could not but see the glances that needed no
interpretatiou to bring a flush to her brown
cheek and a cold stare of bravado into her
gray eyes.
The bne man who spoke to her was not a
good sight to look at. He had partially washed
the coal dust from his face at the tank by the
pit enough to t-liow deep biue scars furrowed
iu his face by a blast of powder.
"Good eveuin' to ye , Kate , " he said , as he
reached the level wheru she stood. "Here is
the lad ; 3'c'd better watch him about these
steps , it's a bad place for little chaps , " and he
swung from his bhoulder a sturdy little yellow-
haired boy of lour years.
"I ain't scared , " he announced with a lisp.
"I want Dan to . "
cany me , carry me up.
"What's the matter down theie. " asked
Kate with a nod towards the pit "Something
wrong ? "
"Oh , yes ; same old story , some o' the men
docked a half a car because a wee hit o' slate
happened in. an' the new cars are short weight
theiay. . The men won't put up with much
more , and some o' them are makeu ugly
threat" . "
"Who do they threaten ? "
"Miffbty near all the ollicials , the new over
seer vouug Hepburn , iu particular. "
"Why sol"
"They think he roijrbt appeal for them to the
company to have the rules changed abi/ut the
weight measurements. But he's only a bit of
a youngster himself , and hasn't much back-
hone , though he is the doctor's nephew , an'
they dou't much like the idea of a college-bred
younc man over them. Oneo' the men as has
worked in the mine himself would suit them
better nol1 that I blame them much though
for the doctor's sake there'd be many a man
stand up for him , " he added , as he walked on
to the company boardiuc-house.
The woman , leading the child , turned also
from the steps towards the little cabin she
called home , around the unpainted boards of
which clambered morning glories , while at the
hack could be seen tall sunflowers and holly
hocks that bordered the little square of a gar
den where a few siekhlooking vegetables
were coaxed into existence , showing to the
curious that its owner must have come from a
farm. Otherwise how came she with a knowl
edge of the uceds of her plants or a patience
that would carry rich loam in baskets from
the woods in order to have a bit of green in
the midst of the red clay and the black coal
dust around her ? It was the only attempt at
a garden on the cliffs. Tenants have small
encouragement to improve or cultivate ground
beloiuring to coal companies , as under existing
rules , they are , in man } places , ejected on four
days' notice for the most paltry of porvoca-
tious.
As she pa scd a window of the company
boarding-hi.uso she heard a voice say :
"Hello , Dan ! had a nice chat with Kate out
there ? Yer getting to be great friends. "
"Well , I should hope Dan ain't so hard upas
to pick up friends among tramps and stravs ! "
"That's enough said the man called Dan.
' • I'll not be lettin'
man or woman speak
against her wheu I'm iu hearen. The doctor
says I have to thank her fer the sight o' my
eyes this minute. It was her nursin' more
than his medicine as saved 'em when I got
burnt with the powder. 1 tell ye there wasn't
another woman iu the place would a looked at
me without gettin' sick. But Kate ! Why.
she jest walked in and helped Doe take care of
me as if I was handsome as a picture-book ;
an' she's done good turns to lots of the boys ,
though some of them are too mean to speak
up for her , an' she's got more leantin' than
most folks here though she is only a stray "
The girl walked on to her own cioor and sat
down wearily ou the wooden step , while the
child scampered after a pet kitten.
A stray ! That was all. Four years since
she came first a big-eved girl of seventeen ,
dusty and foot-sore from "long travel from
where , they never knew an 1 when she sank
fainting ou a door step and was carried inside
the one tavern in the place , there was much
wonder among the people as to who she could
be ; and when the doctor laid her child in her
arms and asked if there was any word he
could send for her to her husband or relatives ,
she only looked at the babe's pink flower-like
face in a half-curious , half-loving way. as if in
doubt whether it coula be heis , and then ,
drawiDg it close , she looked squarely at the
doctor , and said : "There is no one. " '
In a small place gossip soou spieads , and ere
long tiie communitj knew that the tramp was
a mother but no wi 'fe a thing to be shunned
by the virtuous to be pitied , after a fashion ,
but to be left alone. She was penniless and
without friends. The doctor's voice was tin
only kind one she hud heard since tho day tin
child was born , and he looked on her pitying'
ly , perhaps helped to It by the memorv of a lit
tie daughter's grave over the hill , whoso occu
pant would have been this girl's age had sin
lived. A sober man of fort } ' years he was. t
kindly , Christian gentleman who had settlec
among them years ago , when the wife and ha
bv daughter had dropped into their eterna
sleep while on a visit to this mountain of the
Alleghauies. He was held in much respect In
the people. His kindly hauls had eased manj
a broken bone or crushed limb among them ,
and he did what he could to soften the harsL
judgment of the villagers towards this girL
and his best was little.
Two weeks after coming he ventured on th
subject of her destination and Intentions. S (
far she said nothing except her name , and
when asked , she said , "Kate. " that was all
The doctor found her as usual looking witl
unseeing C3"es across the hilN. seemingiy heed
less of the yellow-haired , brown-e\ed babe it
her lap , for she had been in a soft of apalhi
ever since its birth.
"I have come to have a talk with vou
Kate , " said the doctor. "This little fello ' w is
old enough now for vou to take him home ,
when-ver that is , ami I have come to see wha :
arrangments can be made. "
"I have no home now , " she said , with i
little break in her voice.
"But there must be some one. Come now.
my girl , tell me what you can. I want to bi
your friend. You need one. heaven knows
There must be some one the boy's father. "
"He Is nothing nothing to mo or to it tin
coward ? " she burst out , with more feeling
than he had heard her express before.
"But you must have some one to take can
ofou ! Ilow are you to live ? "
'
' 'I did not want to live. Tney should have
let me die in the street that day ; they had nc
right to touch me ! "
"Hush ! " said Dr. Hepburn , sternly. "W <
should never question the decrees of heaven
Every life has a use of its own else it woulc
not be given. "
She laughed harshly : c'Use ! What use ii
my life now , the life of a nameless outcast ? "
"You have your child to live for. "
"Ah ! " she breathed , with a half sob in he
throat , "doou " think I have not thought oi
him ? How am I to live through the shame o
it when he grows older and understands ? Bet
ter we should both die now , now before hi
grows ashamed of his mother. One night thi ;
thought came to me as if some one had whis
pered it in my ear. It was dark but. I secmec
to feel , the presence of forms pointing i .t ti :
and whispering ' . hame. ' I can't tell you hov
terrible it was. The only way to escape it was
to die both of us. 1 got upsoftly and lit tin
candle. I did not think how I was to do it
only in some way I was to end our lives. Ah
how afraid I was of making a noise that woulc
awaken him ! I crept across to the bed so soft
ly. I lifted a pillow. Its weight on a babj" !
face would stop its breathing so quickly ; bui
as I bent over the babe , I saw It wasnol
asleep. It had been lying there quietly butitj
eyes were wide open. It smiled up at me , auc
for the first time reached towards me its arms.
Oh , how I knelt there and kissed it and criec
over it ! That was the first lime I cried sinct
this trouble came to me , and it seemed to ease
the dull , aching pain in my heart But 1 lei
the candle burn all that night 1 was afraid
to be in the dark for fear of that temptalior
coming again. Do you think it ever will ? '
Her cheeks were quite flushed and her cyei
wet as she clasped the child close to her auc
appealed to the doctor.
"God bless me ! " he ejaculated , springing tc
his feet and walking back and forth , the tean
in his own honest , kindly eyes. "God ble i
me ? What a scoundrel I hat man must be ! '
Then he sat. again beside her.
"Where weia you going when vou took ill ? '
Her face flushed : "I was looking for him
He said once that his bu.iness was in the cox
region. When no letters came I tried to find
him. I walked from town to town , sometime !
sleeping in the woods. I walked until I woulc
get dizzy and drop with fatigue ; but I had nc
time to rest Mv one thought was to lind hiic
in time , but the coal fields are so wide I nev
er knew how wide before ! "
"Perhaps } ou can And him yet , " ventured
the doctor. 'We might advertise. "
"Now , " she answered. "No ; it was not foi
royfcclf only for the child , but it is.too late ! '
"You must think of your future. If you '
will not go home , or And him , who will takt
care of you and the child ? "
"I will. I can work. "
"But where , and what at ? "
"Here ; it is as good a place as any other ,
there must be some work for a woman here ,
enough to keep us and pay these people. The
people seem buried here , shut oft from the
rest of the world. That Is the best for me.
and I can woik at anything. Some oue wiL
work don't think ? "
give me , you so
"Godble B me ! 1 hope so , " he answered. " 1
I'll try to fix it , but its a weary place , child ,
and a dreary life for you here. "
"My life would be that any where , it does
not matter. "
And so it was settled. Sewing housework ,
nursing , washing anything in the way oi
work she did well , anil did cheaply for am
who wou'd give her the chance , but she maik
no friends and resented all overtures from the
curious Thev knew no more of her past nou
thau they did the day she came among them.
Xate was the only name they knew her bv.
Her boy she called Paul.
"It was my father's uame , " she said to the
doctor. "He is dead. The disgrace cannot
hurt him. "
The boy grew and thrived , but it was al
most as quiet as the mother , lor it had no
playmates only a kitten and a few chickens.
The mothers of other children resented the si
lence , so like pride iu this tramp , and called
the childien to their sides wheu the baby na
tures would reach hands to each other all un
knowing to the social gulf between them.
Even her kindness to the sick won her no
hearts , for she did all so coldly though so well.
Their sidelong , meaningglanccswheu she h i > t
met their faces with her child iu her arms had
closed forever any sympathv between them.
The child she worshiped. Jler moody , gray
eyes' would warm and the closed mouth smile
oulv for him. and once , when a fever among the
children laid little Paul low , the doctor was
startled by the wild grief of this girl who
seldom spbke'.imong them.
"Be Kate " he said her in
quiet , , , putting a
chair , "you must not give , vay like this , the
chancesarethat he will recover , but should
he not we must bow to that higher Will ; be
sure what will be , will be for the best. "
"The best ! " and she laughed bitterly. "If
he were to die to-night you would try to con
sole me by saying it was best. Dou't you
know that this is a punishment for that other
time when I did not 'naut him ? And now
just when wc have grown to be everything to
each other you tell me it is a merciful God
who would part us ! People should love noth
ing if thev wish to be happy , it brings a curse
always. How can 3-ou understand ? Others
have "husbands , homes , children. I have only
him only him ! " and she sank beside the httie
bed in a passion of sobs that were stilled only
by a nareortic from the doctor's hand.
But little Paul did not die , though the doc
tor was anxious for manv daj-s and very
thankful when he could safely say all dange r
was past Kate did not say much , it was as
if she feared to give a voice to her joy lest the
pentun einot.ons would be beyond her con
trol. But her glad eyes , asshe kissed her boy
iinifj'res-ed the doctor's hand , held in them
more gratitude than words could express.
"You have done so much for me , " she said ,
' • and mv iite is so Useless , all I can do in re
turn seems so little ! "
"Tut , tut ! If it were my boy Hal ! , you
ivould do as much if j'ou could ; be a good
• jirl , that is all I shall expect iu payment , and
[ n jour gratitude for your boy , return thanks
anlv " where they are due to the Giver of all
life ! "
He had in all things been her friend , and ,
sitting on the wooden step iu the deepening
dusk with the miners' words stiil in her ears
"a strav" she dropped her face in her hands
thinking : thinking of his goodness since that
first day , and then she let her memorv wander
back over the hard , joyless toil among these
people where only one voice had b ! " m helpful
und kind , back over dusty roads where she
liad dragged tirpd feet in a hopeless search ,
hack to the days when her girl's heart had
beat warmly at the gift of a love to which she
responded with what she fancied was the last-
lug love of her life , and which she knew now
was only the result of a starving soul in a
child's body , a welcome ray of light across
the unloved , monotonous level of her life , but
a ray that was to sere and burn all the rose
tints of youth into a lifeless mass of ashes.
Latelva knowledge had been creeping bit bv
bit into * her heart , aud tilling it with a supreme
contempt of j-clf. Ah how vile she wan grow
ing In her own eyes ! How often , lately , had
Mie freed her mind from the fetters of the past
and let her thoughts w.iudcr where thev would
in the sweet pastures of a longed-for present !
How often Mu ? had checked herself on the
brink of will hopes by muttering bitterly : "A
turnip a stray ! A thing lower In his thoughts
than a lost dog. which he would shelter. ' A
dog at least Is faithful ; I am not even that.
A true woman's love should be tiie same al
ways. Neglect desertion , nothing should
change the U.ing she had dreamed of as an
endless love. " And now she knew she bad not
even that virtue to redeem herself , not even
lasting love for her child's father. She had ,
iu her thoughts , only loathing for him and for
herself. Ah , how bad , bad he would thinkber
If he knew her weakness , her faithlessness , In
the oue instance where n woman's faithfulness
to a sin is a virtue ! But the man of whose
opinion she thought was Dr. Hepburn , the
kindly , calm-eyed friend , whose life was tilled
by ihe memory of a gentle little woman , who
slept in the same narrow green bed with their
one child he who had been faithful so many
years. What would he think 'f he knew the
weakness and ilckiencss of her nature as she
had known it lately ? And then her face grew
hot as she remembered when this knowledge
had gained ou her , and how his helpful words
and kind eyes had helped to verify It.
The child , tired of play , had crept into her
lap and cuddled down to rest with one brown ,
chubby hind : against her neck as she stooped
to kiss him , muttering :
"I owe even your life to hfm , my darling ,
anil there is no return we can make. If he
knew the truth he would think my dreams a
degradation to us both. "
The night closing in threw its shadow over
a woman in whose muni had began the natur
al revulsion that follows the dispelled illusions
of youth ; and the slow-growing scorn of self
crept into her heart , lollowing close on the
steps of remorse , that laggard whose voice is
always "toolate , too late ! "
* * * * *
There was a ripple of excitement In the air ,
a vague expectancy through the mining vil
lage. The men ha 'd left oil work , and stood
around In groups , smoking and talking , while
awaiting the verdict , and the women gossiped
and shook their heads over the probabe out
growth of the owner's visit to the mine.
"My man says as how that car thev come
to the junction In must have cost thousands ,
and here is us glad of two rooms and a bad
roof a-top of them. It'll be no free country
until our men get the good of their work in
stead o' them high-toucd uobs as own3 so
many pits they don't get to see them once a
year. My man 6ays as how the time's a-comin
when they'll have to bend. "
"Or be blowed , " broke iu a neighbor , with a
laugh.
"Oh , Mrs. Dugan , " chimed in another , "It's
ycrself has always an answer on yer tongue ,
an' If what 1 hear is true yer not far off the
mark. Some o' the hoys have been drinken
and will stop at nothen not even dynamite. "
"Au' small wonder , " answered the Dugan
woman , "with the short weight an' a half car
lost to ye if but a bit o' slate happens in as-
who can help it there in the dark ? an' the
'pluek me' stores , where we must buy or leave
the work * , an' scarce ever docs a dollar come
in our door ; It's all used for provisious as fast
as it's earned. "
"I hear It's quite a gang o' them come big-
bugs , all o' them a-makeu a round o' the dig-
gens. "
It'll be a sorry round to them if them scales
an' some o' the rules aint changed afore
night Now you mind what I'm tellen ye ! "
And thus the prophecies drifted from one
to another , aud a woman , with a basket of
clothes on her arm and a little yellow-haired
child at her side , stopped short in the black ,
dusty road , as from the other side of a high
board fence half drunken curses came to her
ears.
ears."Be quiet Tom , " admonished another
voice , "aud don't drink any more , or vou'll
give ihe whole thing away. I am sick of it
since I saw the doctor with them. He has
been mighty good to lots of us ; but the rest
can bum for all we "
"Let 'em all burn. Doctor an' 3oung Hep
burn are big-bugs asmuch as the stockhold
ers , with their line words au' their high an'
mighty ways. Yer all a lot o' toadies to that
cursed doctor. His word 's law to all o' ye ,
an' d'ye spose it would be If he was common
worken stuff like us ? No. It's the learniii'
an' the high-toued way of his that ve knuckle
to , an' I tell ye , Jim , we talc it out o' them
all. Hurra for equal rights ! "
"Hush Tom. Lay low here in the grass ,
and take a sleep till yer sober enough to keep
a close head. If the boys that's inithcarj-ou
biowin' like this there'll be the devil to pay.
Yer likelv to be found missin' , au' don't you
ierget it ! "
"Shut up ! " growled the other. "Thev
won't change the rules. Won't they ? Let
tue alone ! 1 know what I'm doiu' . just as
well as I know who put the nitre glycerine on
the track by entry number nine. It'll put an
end to their bightseein' . It'll teach other
stockholders to respect workin' men's rights.
Hurra ! " Aud the voice continued muttering
threats and curses at moneyed men and aristo
crats , while the woman stood motionless in
the bare road , her face whitening , her eyes
full of horror as the meaning of the man's
words dawned on her , and then , dropping the
clothes basket , she lifted the child quickly ,
clasping him so tight that he cried out in
• right aud surprise. She did not iiced , but ,
turning , ran with the swiftness of a hound
back toward the village. She heard a shout
behind her , but did not turn. The child's
cry had told the men of her presence. The " *
were shouting at her to stop ; hut ou she ran ,
with the one thought uppermost in her heart
safety , his life depeuus on her speed. Oh ,
how slowly the road moved under her feet !
But she could tell lhat , despite her load , Mie
was gaining on her purMiers. Their vo ces
Zrew fainter. She gained tiie hilltop above
the mines. There was still a half-mile of road
to cover. She could see the groups of
men around the pit's mouth. Oh ,
how far away it seemed ! Could she
* ver reach it ? Her breath came in
short gasps ; her head was tilled with a
buzzing that was maddening ; she could not
tell if it was the murmur of far-off voices or
nuly the rush of riotous blood in her own veins.
Perhaps she was too late ! She tried to cry out
' .o the people below. Oh , were thevblind ' that
; hey could not see her ? She reaehe 'd the strag
gling village street Down its length she ran ,
\ wild ligure with streaming hair , aud the
frightened child clasped close in her arms.
Women aud children scattered in terror as she
passed. Nothing but a mad w oman could ever
" ook like that. Down among the crowd she
sped , heedless of outstretched hands of men
to stop her , heedless of thier word of ques-
: ion , on , on , until she dropped , blind and
iizzv , at the pit's mouth. Only for a moment
; he lay so , while rough , kindly hands 'lifted
; he screamiug child. Then she staggered to
uer feet
"Dr. Hepburn ! " she gasped. "Where ; "
"lie has just gone down the shaft with the
visitors. What's the matter ? " It was the scar-
raced man , Dan. who ausw ered her , holding
the child in his arms.
"Quick ! " she gasped. "The cage ! Take
ue down it It is life or death ! "
"All right Get iu. Do your quickest , " he
said to the engineer.
"I'll do it , Dan , " said the man turning in-
io the engine-roo.il. Gnod God What's this ! "
"What ? " came from a diz < ? n throats.
"The ropes are cut with acid. Look here.
It is not three minutes since I left the engine.
Something is up. Tiie cage won't work ! "
A thriil of horror went over the crowd.
ClearH the pint wa < not a general one. All
were sullen and dissatisfied , but only a few
had been in the horrible cousp racv. To the
woman's senses was carr.ed the thought , "too
late ! " when someone near her said :
"Well , the stairs are left"
"The stairs ! " She had not thought of that
"Where are tbey ? " she asked.
"Here " answered the
, a man standing near
black-looking aperture.
She turned swiftly to Dan. "Be good to my
boy , " she said , and , kissing the child , she
turned before they were rightly aware of her .
intention and plunged into the depths of the I
narrow stairway. From landing to landing j
she staggered , feeling her way as best she '
; ould iu the intense blackness , ( alliugat times ,
against the slirnv , oozing walls , straining her
syes in hopes of a gleam of lamps. Down , J
ibwn , down ! Oh , would she over get to the
bottom ? Iler breath was going , a dizziness j
was coming to her. She tried to stand erect !
but she stumbled gropingly against the wail ,
and felt a strange weakness growing on her.
Oh , to tight it off until she could reach him !
to silence for one moment that drip , drip , drip
she heard from the roof could hear growing
Into a roaring torrent , nearer nml nearer It }
came. Another Hep and it would engulf her. )
Down she staggered , her whole remaining f
strength collected Iu a wild scream as thine t.
black ; phantom like waves closed around her.
A partv of men just entering the car at tliu
main entry , stopped appalled nt that Mirlek. '
They looked at one another In questioning
amazement.
"Is tiie mine haunted ? " asked one of the \ %
visitors. "That certainly sounded like nothing VI
earthly. " f
"Come , " said voting Hepburn , picking tin a V
lamp ; "tliir * Is .something wrong. That I
sounded fn m the stairs. Come , Uncle ! "
Aud there , in the bend of the stairs , they j
fouud her. Five steps more would have
brought her iu sight of the lamps she bad
struggled so to reach. Blackened and wet
from " the. dripping walls , nhe lav unconscious ,
and from her lips trickled a red stream that
formed a tiool ou the black floor.
"Tills Is serious , gentlemen. A broken y
blood-vessel , " said the doctor , bending over
her. "Jlull , ring the ball for the cage. We
must get her above-ground at once ! " J
The bell was rung , hut no answer returned. I
The wire had bieii cut Young Hepburn I
looked grave. "There is something wrong , se- j
riously wrong , here. We must return by the 1
stairs. " While he spoke they heard the voices f
of men , who had followed "Kate with lights , ;
ami in another minute the two parties of men
met in the uarrow passage with questioning i
wonder hi their faces , and the blackened , blood- /
stained form between them. Iu a few inin- 1
utes the cutting of the wires was tol I , and I
the men slowly carried the unconscious form >
up the dripping stairn , tollowed by the party 1
of visitors , who said little , but felt. In a vague I
way , that Borne danger and mystery was In \
the air.
Up into the light of day thev carried her
while the jicople stood about awestruck and
fearful. They wiped the black from the still
face , aud watched eagerly ttie faint sig.is of
life struggling back , until the heavy lids
quivered and opened to see Dr. Hepburn bend
ing over her. A gasp for breath , and then she
whispered : "You safe ? I was In time. "
"In time ! What do you mean ? "
"The nitro-glycerine on the track by en
try number nine. .Mv life has been some use
at last. Call Jim Mason. i
The doctor repented the name , and a man g
from the crowd came forward , his fat e white ,
and his mind sobered by the unexpected turn
of the plot hatched In the brains of a few i
drunken , desperate men.
"Jim , " she gasped , "I heard nil. Once you /
said 3ou owed me a debt. Pay It now. " ,
The sight of her face , with death In It ,
brought him to his knees beside her , while
great tears Mood on his rough cheeks.
"I'd a died before I'd a done a harm to
you , Kate , after the kindness to my old moth- ,
er. as you tended on her deathbed. What can
I do ? "
"Promise no harm to the mines , they keen
so many souls alive ; no harm to the doctor. "
"I swear it by the memory of me mother !
I'll do no more such dirty work ! "
She tried to raise the hand nearest to him. ,
but the arm was powerless broken by the
fall. She struggled for breath , but could not
"
speak further. A workman told lowly of her " "
bursting among them saving it meant life or
death to reach them. The visitors crowded t
near to see the face of this woman now that //a
the black from the walls had been wiped / I
from her features. Among the rest was a tall , "J
handsome man of ubout tuirty years , with A
blonde hair and brown eyes , who leaned over y
to gain sight of her. As he did so his face l
was one of horror , as he ejaculated : "Kate ! " /
Dr. Hepburn glanced up quickly. "You J ,
know her ? " he usKed. f'
"I ? Why , no that is " ( '
"Hush ! she is trying to speak. " ;
That cry of "Kate" seemed to have reached f
her. The grey eye * opened once more. "How ' , .
longhave I to live ? " she whldireu. < ]
"Not an hour. Kate , mv poor girl , Is there • " v ,
anything I can do for you ? " V
She looked assent "My boy. " They 1
brought the little fellow , and she tried to loot '
around as if for someone else. fi
"What is it ? " asked the doctor. 'J
"The voice that said Kate. " 1
"She wauts to see you. " And he made way fl
for the tall gentleman , whose eyes and hair I
"
were the color of little Paul's. "He came and J
stood sileut beside her , his face very pale.
She looked at him long , thcu turned her eves
to Hepburn , and whispered : "My boy is mine I
none other's all mine. Will you take him ?
Teach him to forget the ehnme his mother.
He has no name "
"He shall have mine , mv poor girl. Don't . I
fret about his future. He shall be as my . |
sou. " M
"Your son. " And die tried to tmile. "That M
is beat vour name. I have none you hear ! "
and her eyes turned to the tall , pale gentle- /l /
man "lioname only Kate ever you hear ? " •
"I hear , " he said , " in a low voice. I
"Go where I can't see you out of my
sight" And as he stepped back the doctor m
held the child up to Kiss her. A great calm I
was settling over her face as he stooped to M
catch her last words. <
"It was for your sake to be of Fome use M
my life for yours. You neVer guessed you
would have thought me bud but now just at 'm '
the last , woulJ you would you " and her tM
eves told the storv. and her request to thenuiii M
who had never dreamed of this unasked for M
love , jfl
"My poor Kate , my poor Kate , "he said , and M
pressed the wished-for kiss on lips through ifl
which the last breath had fluttered. (9 (
He lifted the child in his arms with a pity M
iug , protecting clasp. As he rose upright his < H
eyes met those of the tail , pale gentleman. IM
r or oue instant they gazed acro-s the dead ]
woman into each other's souls. There was no * M
need of words , and in silence the death angel ' < M
rang down the curtain ou the Inst act of Ihe
Stray. JIary Jillis Jlytin , in tiie Current. ;
The Nobleman and the JJrieklaycr. ,1
Mrs. Society I fctippose you never
hear of your daughter , who eloped with M
that youngbricklayer ! ,
Mrs. Oldfam Yes , he has got rich. il
and , they are living in New York in M
fine style. '
• 'That is a comfort certainh * . Has fl
the foreign nobleman who married 9
rour other daughter returned to his
sastle yet ? " 9
"Oh ! no ; he is just in love with
America and says In ; wouldn't think of 9
joing back to Europe. " 9
"Indeed ! Where have they been 9
lur ng the last three or four years ? " 9
"V.siting with the bricklayer. " 9
Omaha World. 9
lie was Xo Tell-Tale. 9
The code of schoolboy honor outlaws 9
i tell-tale , and there is no meanness 9
vhich high spirited boys more thor- 9
jughly despise. 9
When Salmon P. Chase , afterwards ! 9
enator , governor of Ohio , secretary of -9
: he treasury and chief justice of the ,9
[ Jnited States , was a boy , he was at 9
• chool at ( incinnati. ' 9
One day sa\s the Cleveland Lender , fl
there was a lire made in one of the j9
room ? . The boys were called up and 9
jatechised as to its origin. All except j9
[ " "base denied any knowledge of the af- M
" air. When the question was put to , H
lim as to whether be knew who had Wk
lighted the lire he replied : < S
"I do. "
• • Who was it ? * ' iS
• • I will not tell. " ' 9
The professor grew angry. The pres- { S
ident was called in and Chase was aira n :
lsked. He again refused , sayingMr. . ifl
President , I ' did not intend to insult : H
? rof , Black , but I am not going to lie. | fl
[ know who made the lire , but I will jfl
eave the school before I will become a , ' M
: ell-tale. "
As he said this his large intellectual iJM
ve looked squarely into that of the . |
president , and the latter fulK appreci- 9
ited that he meant it. He said that he ;
ivould excuse Chase this time , and dis- '
missed him with a slight reprimand- H
