THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: SEPTEMBER 16, 1917. IS A The Omaha Bee's Busy Little Honey-Makers I T is difficult to isolate that particular sense which signifies to us the change in Mother Nature's moods, Have you ever stopped to analyze just what it is that first tells you vat the advent of the Autumn sea son is here? Is it the eye which first notes the coloring of the leaves and the land scape in general? Is it the golden sunsets and harvest fields, sunflowers, or the cat tails the country roads bedecked with goldenrod. Is it because you hear the rustling of the fallen leaves under your feet, you miss the robin's cheery note and in place of it hear the wild ducks flying overhead? Perhaps it is the sense of feeling when th,e first frosty wind brushes and pinks your cheeks, or is it the smell of burning bonfires and the apple cider? The greedy little squirrels scamper across your path while hoarding up their store of acorns for their winter supply, and give us assurances that they too have caught the significance of nature's mood. Our perceptions have registered the change and we are filled with new energy and ardor fornew accomplishments. The crisp air has proved the best kind of a tonic. V Have you been on any tramps in the woods or to any picnics where you cook your food over a campfire? The early morning is a splendid time for outdoor excursions. Some Saturday when there are no studies to occupy your thoughts, arrange to take a hike and cook your breakfast by the road side, true gypsy fashion. Take along a basket and gather nuts, hawes, or berries if perchance there are any to be found. Have you any pictures of your vacation trips or of your little friends playing soldier? One group of Busy Bees in Omaha has a regular com pany of soldiers which marches every evening between 7 and 8, imitating their big brothers who are in the army. One little girl spends most of her time knitting for her dollies which have taken on a military appearance of late. She is practicing up on her dolls so that later on she can make warm mufflers for the soldiers going to France. Margaret Towle of the Red side won the prize last week, Viola Died ricksen of the Blue and Hazel Ryan of the Red side won honorable mention. tris By LittI Folks (Prize Story.) My Trip to Colorado. By Margaret Towle, Aged 11, Weep ing Water, Neb. Red Side. We started out on -Saturday and went to Lincoln. It rained that night so hard we could not leave until Mon day morning. We reached Minden hat night It rained that night, too, fiO next morning we went to Hendley in the mud. We stayed there until Saturday and had a good time. Sat urday we started out again for Colo rado Springs. When we got there it was real dark, so w". could not see much of the town. We stayed all night at the Elk hotel. The next morning; we drove up to the Cave of the Winds, but did not " go in to see it. That afternoon we went to the Garden of the Gods. On our way there we saw many pretty, rocks. We saw bteamboat Kock ana the Balanced Rock. The next morning we went up to the Cave of the Winds again and took our lunch. We ate dinner up there. It was 7,475 feet above the ground. We also went inside the Cave of the , Winds and found it very pretty. That afternoon we went through Cheyenne canvon to the "Seven Falls." We ' had our pictures taken on some don keys. The one I was on was whit!e and was 48 years old. The next days we went on to Den ver. When we got there we went through the capitol building. We had left our car in one of the driven ' ways around the building. When we looked down from the tower we could see our machine. The next morning we were ready to start home. We reached home Monday morning. . . (Honorable Mention.) A Trip to Coon Rapids. By Viola Diedricksen, Aged 11 Year, Marne, la., Route 1. Blue Side. I will tell you about a trip which !. took un to Coon Rapids. . We started from home at about: 8 o'clock in the morning and took two " .: of Our neighbors , along. -We went about ten -miles northeast through Elkhorn. I think it is a nice little town. Then we came to a town named Audubon. They were just paving the streets in Audubon, and when we got about a half mile out of the town we had to ask some people which road we should take to Coon Rapids. ' Then we went a little ways and came to a bridge that had big holes in each side of it Papa was r lather frightened about going over it with the car at first, but we went over all right. A couple of miles further east of that bridge was a little store named Viola, and papa said he thought they must have nanied that store after me. The store, Viola, was aHnnt'oiorht miles from Coon Rapids, and when we arrived at our friend s home there it was about 11 o clock in the morning. 1 Our friends took us all over the town of Coon Rapids in their car. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon they served lunch and at 7 we started for home again. ''.- We reached our home at 10:30. I was so tired that I went to bed and papa and mamma had to do the chores. Well,-as my letter's getting lone, I will close. f (Honorable i Mention.) Mary Learned a Lesson. By Hazel Ryan, Aged 11 Years, Her man, Neb. Red Side. One day Sadie, one pf Mary's ' friends, came over to see her. They were playing house. Sadie was the little girl and Mary was her mother, wiiiu i thev were busily playing Marv's mother threw some . lemon. . drops from the window. Mary loved lemon drops, so she told Sadie that children should not eat candy and promptly ate them all herself. hen " they came in from , play, Mary s mother asked her how Sadie enjoyed tin UmAfl llrrtflB. "Oh," said Mary, I was the moth er and Sadie was my nine gin, i I did not give her any of the camdy: Hr mother said nothing at that mo ment, but at dinner, Mary was not served with her favorite pudding, bhe .:tVi tr in her eves while the others ate their pudding. After din ner her mother tow ner tnat sne was not given any pudding because she had been very unkind and selfish to SaMary, too, realized then how Sadie Mt without anv candy, and she resolved never to be so selfish again. Her mother had taught her a lesson j . which, no doubt, many little girls " ,, would profit by. My story is get ' ting long, so I will close. An Enchanted Ring. Bv Teannette Marie Olipant, Aged 12 Years, iiw soutn uamciu ,n -venue, Hastings, Neb. . Blue Side. One day as little Helen was play intr nnt-of-doors. she happened to look down at a daisy. On the daisy s head was a little ring, big enough to wear on her little finger. As she stooped to tal'e it in her hands she heard a voice say, "I am an enchant ed ring. I will take you any place you want to go." . t. . . Hp en was delighted to hear this because she dreamed the night before that she went to visit Fairyland. Im mediately she said, "I wish ,to visit Fairyland very much. Prettv soon she found herself in boat with many fairies laughing and talking and as small as the fairies. The boat was made out of the bark Rules for Young Writers L Write plainly on one (Ida of the paper only and number the pave. g. Use pen and Ink, not pencil. J. Short and pointed article will be riven preference. Do not oo ever 850 words. 4. Original stories or letter only will be used. 61 Write your name, age and address t the top of the first page. A prize book will be given each week tor the beat contribution. Address all communications to Chil dren's Department, Omaha Bee, Omaha, Neb. BUSY BEE WITH THREE PET KITTENS (Ory Sua can tell you that when we went home we were burned so badly that we could hardly walk. We were sick the next two days and were burned so badly that we could hardly stand a sheet on us. But after two days we were well again, except tha I could not walk straight or could not put my arms out straight. After a while we were all right and had learned a good lesson. ($ilihdai jook DOROTHY HALL. This is to introduce little Dorothy Hall and her pet kittens, Pinky, Bluey and Snowball. Dorothy is 11 years old and lives in Norfolk, Neb., where she has just recently moved from Aurora, 111. For the history of their lives you must read Dorothy's letter on our page today. of a birch tree. In one end of the boat was an orchestra playing rap idly, while one little fairy danced. The fairy who danced was dressed in lilac leaves and lilacs. Soon the boat stopped. Helen asked them where they were going to take her. They said they were going to in troduce her to their king and queen. In a second she was in front of a beautiful palace with towers and ponds of fish around it. The king and queen were very glad to meet her. They said she could visit them as much as she wanted to and she did. She always had good luck with her enchanted ring. How do you like school, Busy Bees? I like it fine. My Rabbit. By James Roby, Age 8 Years, 206 Second Avenue, Red Oak, la. Blue Side. One sun-shiny day last spring while I was out in the country, in a field, helping my father rake corn stalks, I found a nest of little rabbits. I wanted a little rabbit, vet I heard that the mother rabbit would long for her babv. Passing this thought aside. I nicked uo one of the little ones. 1 placed him in my pocket and when the work was completed I carried my little treasure home. The following day my father built a place for him to live. When the neighbor boys saw my rabbit they laughed and said, "He will never live." Day after day passed by. I fed my rabbit milk and other things which we had at home. He is now a large rabbit Papa says he is half grown. This is my first letter to the Busy Bees. I hope my letter will be printed. Our County Fair. Edna Kiene, Aged 10 Years, Deshler, Neb. Red Side. Our county fair was held this week in Deshler. The fair grounds are ahout one half mile south of town, Wednesday was children's day, when all school children were admitted free. There were many vegetables and grains exhibited. I took second premium on muffins in the rookinir deoartment A sailor performed on a pole 100 feet high each afternoon and evening. The fireworks in the evening were beautiful. There were races and ball games every afternoon. There was a merry-go-round and a Ferris wheel on the grounds. , I enjoyed being at the tair very much this year. ' A Day on the Lake. By Edward Bourbeau, Age 14 Years, 317 North First Street. Council - Bluffs, la., Red Side. This is my first story, to this page and I hope to see it in print. One day four of us boys decided to go to the lake and go rowing and swim ming. We started out early in the morning on the lake and went over to the bathing house. "' We remained all day fishing and swimming, with nothing but bathing suits on, while the sun's rays beat down on us. I The Pet Kittens. By Dorothy Hall, Age 11 Years, 1109 Prospect Avenue, NortoiK, Neb. Blue Side. I am sending a picture of myself and my kittens, and I shall tell how we found them. One cold morninsr in April mamma went tut to the broom closet in our flat at Aurora, 111. And what do you think she found? Why, five little kittens, but three were dead. We have kept them until now. They are quite large. When we came back trom tne east our car was loaded, so we left them with a friend, who sent them soon afterwards. . Their names are Pinky and Bluey. We named them that because ones nose is pmk and the other ones is blue. The little kitten in the middle is our friends kitten, Snowball. Last week we went away to the park at Long Pine and left them home. We had a little neighbor girl feed them. I think they did not like it very well. When they first came here they were afraid of the grass, because we Uvea on tne tnira noor i Aurow and they did not go down stairs. You should have seen how they would spit and growl at the grass. , This is the second time I have writ ten. A Quaker's Stroke. Hazel Prange, Aged 8 Years, S004 Cass Street, Omaha, Red Side. Cine noon a time there was a Quaker on board an American trading vessel, when a rrencn snip came ujj and opened battle, everyone on board ii traHincr vessel with the exception of the Quaker fought desperately for their lives. ..... . , , The Quaker with his hands clasped behind his back walked calmly and quietly up and down the deck in the midst of all the bullets. At last a Frenchman jumped on board to lead the French. The Quaker slipped up behind him, put his arms around his waist and threw him overDoara. Ha Read Paare Three Yean. Eva Adams, Aged 13 Years, Wolbach, , Neb.. Blue Side. I have been a reader of this page (nr three vears and like it fine. I am IS vears old and in the eighth grade at school. I would like to be a mem ber of this page and be on the blue side. I hope you Busy Bees will write to me and 1 will answer every leuer. will write again. My Visit to Chicago. Howard Anderson,' Aged 10 Years, 2409 South Sixteenth Street, Blue Side. Once I visisted my aunt in Chicago which is a much larger city than Omaha. They have elevated street Six Years Old Tomorrow (Sept. 17): Name. School. Brust, Florence E... Monmouth Pk. Loosemore, Grace E Castelar ' Ldrgren, Loraine.- Saunders Tavlor. Marvin J Druid Hill Wilson, Alice G Sacred Heart Seven Years Old Tomorrow: Berliner, Ruth Park Harris, Clifford Kellom Jackson, Myrna Lake Myers, Thomas R....Holy Family Procopio, Samuel ..Mason Shaaahan, William St. Mary's Sigmon, Ernest Windsor Wallace, Bernice Hawthorne Wilhelm, Wilbur C Dundee Eight Years Old Tomorrow: Heck, Bridget bt. Josephs Kisicki, Frances.. Highland Kuchoro, Eileen..... Lake Shonquist, Elwin Miller Park Sofia, Mary Train Tallman, Marjorie Saratoga Wigton, Margaret R Castelar Nine Years Old 'Tomorrow: Holz, Victor Clifton Hill Rampacek, Albert .Dupont Robinson, Arthur Lake Welch, Lawrence F St. Peter's cars that run above the house tops. I was very much frightened the first time I rode on them for fear they might run off the rails. It was a very nice walk to Jackson park from where my aunt lived. We used to go down there most every day. There were a lot of people bath ing in Lake Michigan. My brother and I had a ride in a motor boat around the lagoon. We also visited White City, which was very beautiful at night. We went to Lincoln park and saw all the animals and birds. Then we went home. The Boys' Working Reserve at Work By Frederic J. Raskin Washington, Sept. 13. The first campaign of the United States boys' working reserve has been a great suc cess. A couple of months ago the secre tary of labor, co-operating with the Council of National Defense, and a number of patriotic public-spirited citizens in civil life established the United States boys' working reserve. The object was to mobilize the boys of America between the ages of 16 and 21 for productive work in war time. There are between 5,000,000 and 6,000,000 boys between the ages of 16 and Zl in the United States. Au thoritative statistics show that at least 2,000,000 of these boys are ether idle or change their occupation during the summer months. The boys' working reserve deals primarily with these lads. While the intention of the re serve is to enroll them for industry as well as for agriculture, the most important problem pressing during the early summer following the start ing of the movement was, of course, the supplying of boys to the farm. There is always a shortage of labor on the American farm and, until this systematic mobilization of the boys of the nation had been effected, the problem seemed practically insoluble. Three Generations Knit. By Lyle Baird, Aged 11 Years, Wol bach, Neb. Red Side. The Red Cross of Wolbach is knit ting for our soldiers. I am going to knit a scarf, mamma a sweater and frandma socks. We must all help, also write to some of the soldier boys that may be called to Deming, N. M, I did not get to write you as soon as I ought to have as I was in Fre mont and on my uncle's farm visiting. A Model Man. Adam, the first, was a man o lovable aiaposmon ana a moaoi nusosna, so i mm Informed by the rscords of early vents. Nevr tones In the recollection of his blot- raphers did he speak 111 of his beloved soulmsts In the presence of human com pany, and, according to those who were let Into his exclusive confldenoe and were able to know all his private affairs, he never kicked on her cooking nor growled at her housework. Whether she wore her gowns high-cut or low In the neck was a matter of little or no concern to mm so long as she was respectably attired In the fashion of the period. And when she got tired trom the Palm Garden for nibbling apples without someone's consent Adam did not sneak oft to Reno, as husbands do to day, to apply for a divorce. No. He east aside hts overalls, threw up his Job and wsnt out with the little lady like a little man. That was the kind of a sparerlb he was. Cartoons Magaslne. , lllllllllllllllillllllllllllHIIttllltlllllllllllltlllllllUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ..UMIMIIIMIMIIIIIIIUIMIlllUIUIHIIIIII THE FATAL RING FEATURING PEARL WHITE I Written by George B. Seitz aniFred Jackson and Produced ! V by Astra Film Corporation Under Direction of Mr. Seitz S - ' . '. .,,.,,.U.,,.,,.,1.,,S.SI,1IIS.IS1III1II'JIIIIIIIIII'IIHM Bll B1IBI 1BUB I IB MBIIBI IB I 'B1IB1 IB"SH '''"-'-"-- - T " - The reserve has been working quietly through the different state or ganizations and other organized bod ies handling boys and young men, such as the State Councils of Defense, the Young Men's Christian associa tion, the Boy Scouts, the Boys' Club federation, the Department of Agri culture and the Department of La bor. William E. Hall, a lawyer and business man of New York City, who has been working for years in estab lishing and maintaining boys' clubs in New York City and who was as sociated with Herbert C. Hoover in the work of Belgian relief, is national director of the boys' working re serve. ' , The great war, it is now univer sally recognized, must be fought, and probably will be won, on food. In the end the mighty conflict seems likely to be decided not by armies of men or piles of munitions, but by the quantity of food which is on hand for the final drive, . " i 1 i i . . .- It occurred to Mr. Hall and others identified with this movement that the thousands of oldef school and col lege boys could be used on the farms to take the places of the thousands who, allured by the offers of higher salaries and wages, had left the fields for work in the factories. A great shortage of labor was threatened and the crops seemed certain to remain in large proportion ungarnered. It was decided to appeal to the boys of the nation. And the appeal was an swered royally. Reports from all over the country indicate that thousands of boys have responded patriotically to the call of their country1, and they have been making good on the farms. The farmers who were at first prejudiced against city boys are now singing their praises. Eighty boys in Arizona spent five weeks chopping and thinning cotton wood to the extent of 1,000 acres. They earned $3,600, out of which they paid $1,WJU tor board, leaving them a net of $2,000, or about $15 apiece. They had. fheir own camps and their own officers (teachers in the Phoenix High school with some agricultural expe rience) and the camp discipline, on a strictly military basis, is reported to have been excellent. But they went without any sordid motive and their profit has been exceptional. The state director of the reserve in Nebraska, Mr. Paul H.' McKee, re ports that his boys adopted the slogan "Nebraska's Corn Crop in the Crib by Christmas.". In Maine the boys have been digging potatoes In Aroostook county and their work has been good beyond our most sanguine hopes. Not one of them wanted to quit." Another comment from Maine is in teresting. It is from Portland and is to the effect that, "after a couple of weeks work, the boys are able to do very nearly as much t and as good Long Island farmer wrote to the state organizer: "There is only one sugges tion I have to make: Send as many more boys as you cin." A report from the reserve leader in Connecti cut says that "time and time again farmers who were slow in accepting members of the reserve are now ask ing for more and more help of that kind, and wondering why the state enrolling otftcer doesn t find it tor them." One New York state boy re fused a salary of $90 a month in a factory to work on the farm for $30 a month because he felt he could be of more service to his country by so doing. Another boy from a western state wrote home, "the work is hard, but I enjoy it more than school and I am getting used to it . . . Tell the other fellows it is no cinch on the farm, but, if you are willing to work hard, the farm is the place." One bov is West Virginia with a broken leer wrote: "Please advise me if I can go in the reserve when I get able. I have a leg broken and will he able to work in about two months. want to do mv cart in the war. One New Jersey boy, rejected by the navy because of poor eyesight, wrote: "I wish to do something for my coun try in the way of farm work.' A Wisconsin bov. a hieh school gradU' ate. declared that he is "willing to do any work, go anywhere, for any time and at any price." and added that he wants-to "begin at the earliest pos sible moment. Synopsis. "THE FATAL RING." Episode 11. . Pearl Standiah. Pearl, White Nicholas Knox Earl Foxe Richard Carslaks Warner Oland High Priestess Ruby Hoffman Tom Carleten Henry Gsell Miraculously, Pearl escaped death in the explosion that destroyed the mountain cabin. Extricating herself from the ruins, she found the "Spider" unconscious and managed to half drag, half carry him to a nearby stream, where she splashes water up on him until he recovered. Then she returned to look for Tom among the wreckage. His watch and chain" pres ently turned up, proving to her that he had been killed. Opening his watch-case, she found her own picture where" formerly his sister's' picture had been, and she threw her self down, half fainting, among the debris. . There, the forest constabulary found her and as an Arab spy looked on from the bushes they carried her back with them to their camp. In the meantime, the' Arabs had encamped further up in the moun tains and in solemn conclave had determined that Tom should die at sundown. They set to work at once to prepare the altar, but during prepa rations, the High Priestess was bitten by a poisonous weed-spider, and saved just in the nick of time by Tom, who formed a tourniquet out of a stick, a stone and his handker chief, sucked the poison out of the wound and cauterized it with the heated blade of his pen-knife. The High Priestess, indebted to him for her life, offered to do him any service that would render nis remaining houri on earth more happy. At that moment, the Arab spy ar Vived with news of Pearl's rescue. Tom asked the Priestess to send Pearl word where he was. The Priestess took advantage of Grayina's love lor her to send him with the message, promising jum her love if he served her. Gravina set off to notify Pearl of Tom's approach ing death. Meanwhile, under orders from the "Spider," a member of his band named "Sapper" had obtained' en trance to Carslake's house, passing himself off as a telephone inspector. By connecting the telephone wires with the electric light circuit, Sapper contrived to shoot electricity through Carslake to render him temporarily out of the running, obtained posses sion of the diamond and set off with it for Pearl's camp. Carslake's housekeeper, in attempt intr to prevent -Sapper's escape, ob tained his coat and in it, his instruc tions. Accordingly as soon as he had recovered, Carslake followed to the mrtiinlains. Th Sanner delivered the diamond and a moment later, Gravina informed Pearl of Tom's whereabouts.- But on the way through the woods, Gravina had met Carslake and had arranged for Pearl to be ambushed. He was jealous of Tom and did not want him to be rescuea. Pearl set out to obtain aid for Tom and was held up by Carslake, who got the diamond. Returning, she met the forresters, wno roae wun ner io save Tom. . . , , Then Pearl started after Carslake, who meant to catch the night train for town. Missing the train at the sUtion, Pearl confiscated a motor car, raced the train to a spot where a r.riHo-! ran over the tracks, and from the bridge, leaped to the top of the moving train. - ' All unaware of her nearness Carslake set comfortably in the last car. Pearl covered him witn ner re volver and demanded the diamond, but just, as Carslake was about to hand it over, he observed his lieu tenant creeping on Pearl from the ith a drawn stiletto and he signalled for the fellow to strike. last summer have shown what they can do, once their American spirit and their enthusiasm is aroused. Thousands of city boys, unaccus tomed to hard work and unused to farm life, went out on the farms all over the country and "made good." They convinced - prejudiced farmers and scoffing theorists that the city boy can be of practical use on a farm. Imbued with a new spirit -the spirit I of '17 the boys went at their work ? ... i . . pi . . witn aeiermmauon 10 win. ncy put . on jeans, rolled up their sleeves and pitched in with a will. The letters from satisfied farmers singing the praises of city boys as helpers show how successful was the beginning made this summer by the United States boys' working reserve. The Secret of Mirrors And Whence They Come They say that a man's first thought on entering a room is, "Where is there a place to sit down?" but a woman's first thought is, "Where is there a mirror?'' Whether that has always been v man's first thought is difficult to state, but it doubtless has been woman's from time immemorial, for from time immemorial there have been mir rors. It is only since the beginning of the sixteenth century that mirrors . have been used as articles of house hold furniture and decoration and there are few, women of the present day who do not realive and make use of their artistic value in adorning their homes. The mirrors of antiquity were pr!n cipally of bronze, highly polished and about the size of an ordinary hand mirror. They were usually provided with a handle and sometimes were mounted on a stand. The principal . feature of these ancient mirrors was the design incised on the back. They belong to the period about 400 to 500 B. C. During the middle ages, from the twelfth to the end of the fifteenth century, pocket mirrors or small hand mirrors carried at the girdle were con sidered a necessary part of a lady's toilet. . V The pocket mirrors were small cir cular pieces of polished metal fastened in a circular box and covered with a lid. These mirror cases were made of the costliest of materials and .were oftentimes lavishly -decorated with jewels. The mirrors carried at the belt had not cases, but were provided with short handles. The method of backing glass with metal for mirrors was well known in the middle ages, though steel and sil ver mirrors were almost exclusively used. Small convex glass mirrors were made in southern Germany before the beginning of the sixteenth century, but it was in Venice that the making of glass mirrors on a commercial scate was first developed. The Venetians guarded their secret jealously and for about a century and a half that enterprising republic en joyed the monopoly of the manufac ture: By their statutes any glass maker carrying his art into a foreign country was ordered to return under pain of imprisonment to his nearest relatives and if he disobeyed this com mand he was followed and slain. Notwithstanding these circum stances, the knowledge leaked into .France and French mirrors soon ex celled in quality the Venetian prod ucts. From then on the secret of mirror making became generally known and soon spread to other countries. Philadelphia Ledger. President Wilson has called on, the young men of the nation to serve their country by joining tne unitea States bovs' working reserve. He declares that it is the patriotic duty of .every vounsr man between 16 and 21 not now employed to devote his spare time to some productive work and help support the nation in the present crisis. The letter containing the presidents appeal was aaaressea to Secretary ot Labor wuson, un der whom the reserve operates. The service of these voung men to their country, however, the president says, should be without interrupting their studies at school. He expresses the hope that all those eligible will ioin the bovs' working reserve "to fit themselves by training and study for good citizenship ana proaucuve service. It is a certainty that the boys, of the United States will respond to the rail when thev are made to under stand that their country really needs them. Thousands of them during the Rapier Tongue of . ruiuieiiei ui Mieuiuiii f don't know when he is most ter- ify&ie:." a nervous young officer once complained of Lord Kitchener, "when he looks and. says nothing at all or when he doesn't seem to notice and you think everything's going off all right and then all of a sudden he whips out his tongue and runs you through with it I" ' f Both the eye and .tongue of Kitch ener of Khartum, England's great sol dier, so tragically lost with the Hamp- , shire, were indeed terrible weapons when directed at either the inefficient or the self-sufficient Arouna a per sonality so striking as that of K. of K."'so many stories gather that it is difficult to distinguish fact from fa- . ble, but, indeed, fable is often scarcely less illustrative of the fundamental truth than fact The ruthlessness of Kitchener s sarcasm has probably been exaggerated: its effectiveness has not. ' It is not certain, although it is widely believed, that during the Boer war he yaqueicnea tne sen-importance of an ineffective leader of a col umn after the following manner. The officer had several slight engage ments with the enemy and after each wired optimistically to his chief that ( "during the action a number of Boers were seen to fall from their saddles." Kitchener became annoyed and re ceived ..o more similar messages after he had politely telegraphed: "1 hope when the Boers teu tney did not hurt themselves." But there is little doubt, in view of his intolerance of "pull" and favorit ism, that he really sent another and more neatly sarcastic telegram, A no bleman, whose son was serving in the yeomanry; desired the youth's pres ence at home for a wedd" g, ball or some other important f tal event. Counting on his rank an social im portance, he ventured to telegraph the commander: "Please allow my son rjt'irn . at once; urgent family reasons." , Kitchener replied promptly: "Son cannot return at all; urgent military reasons." . . . . In another instance, popuiariy nar rated, the snub was administered to the presumptuous noble by word of mouth. A subaltern of exalted fam- ly had been sent out to join his suit jn Atrica ana maae tne misuse remembering his social and forgetting his military rank. He made the amaz ing error of addressing his chief as "Kitchener." ' The other officers were aghast and looked or . quick: ana stern reproof. Instead K. of K. drawled nonchalantly: , ; . "Oh, why be so beastly tormai with me? Why don't you call me Herbert?" Youth's Companion. ; Next to Xothlna. A eommerolal traveler while enroute through the south relates this ot a darkey purchase of oheese from the local etore: "Boss, how much Is er nlckeVa worth ot dat er cheeses?" ... "Can't ell nickel's worth, Sam; It a too falf h ' "AH right; rme tor a dime's worth, eap- UThs storekeeper ' cut a thin slice, and Sambo remarked: "Oh. oh! Tou-etr perty near missed It, didn't you, ceptalat'r Everybody's Magaslne. 1