A boy was born 'mid little things,
Between a little world and sky
And dreamed not of the cosmic rings
Round which the circling planets fly.
He lived in little works and thoughts,
Where little ventures grow and plod,
And paced and ploughed his little plots
And prayed unto his little god.
But, as the mighty system grew,
His faith grew faint with many scars;
The Cosmos widened in his view
But God was lost among the stars.
II.
Another boy, in lowly days
As he to little things was born,
But gathered lore in woodland ways,
And from the glory of the morn.
As wider skies broke on his view,
God grcatened in his growing mind;
Each year he dreamed" his God anew,
And left his older God behind.
He saw the boundless scheme dilate,
In star and blossom, sky and clod,
And as the universe grew great,
He dreamed for it a greater God.
Sam Walter Fon.
A Chronicle of the Sawdust.
BY FLORENCE KINGSTON HOFF
MAN. (Copyright, 1901, by Dally Story rub. Co.)
Fow peoplo poeplng within tho quiet
room whero little Mrs. Cronln rocked
lior sick baby could liavo rocognlzod
her as tho original of tho flaming post
ers with which tho town was literally
plastorod. These portrayed a highly
colored fomalo standing orect upon
two ferocious Hons with tho Stars and
Stripes waving above hor head. Yet
they were meant for her, and like tho
renowned Dr. Joclcyll and Mr. Hydo,
Mrs. Cronlu lived two different lives
as wldoly antipodal as theirs. Plain
Mario Dloo, boforo her marriage,
though known to tho circus world as
MIlo. Torophlno Bellofontnlno, buo had
been as proud as a queen to becotnu
Mrs. Cronln, for though all of nor col
leagues voted Jim a slow one and a
very poor match for tho brilliant
niadomolsollo, It was Just that voiy
fitolldly and tranquil affection which
most endeared him to his llttlo wlfo.
Jim was n liccpor In Robinson's Gi
gantic Mcnngorlo, and day after day
ho went patiently on with his work,
cleaning tho animals' cages and doling
out tholr rations, without ono slnglo
yearning In his honest soul for nny
nioro ambitious position, whllo bo did
it all so quietly that tho savago brutes
hocded his presoucu no nioro than that
of tho files buzzlug through their
cages.
Ho and Mario woro married In the
spring and had boon blissfully happy
for a year on Jim's modest earnings,
which, though not munlflcont, woro
amply sufficient for tholr Blmplo noedB,
but when tho bluo-oyod baby canio to
"Oh, Tako Thorn Awnyl"
Tho Original of tho Flumlug Postors.
comploto their happiness, Mario found
In this new responsibility a stimulus
for further activity, and whon tho llt
tlo boy was llvo months old, alio In
sisted In splto of Jim's piotcstH on go
lug back to hor work.
Llttlo Jlmmr "was u sturdy chap who
novor gavo thorn a moment's anxiety:
thoy got n good womau to tako euro
of him, and with her mind thus ro
llovcd, Mario fell back naturally ir.to
lior old linos, though Dlnbolo and Cor
borus, hor formor charges, proved les3
tractablo than of yoro, having boon
usod for a year and a half to tho bru
tal ferocity of Slgnor Harattl, rocontly
dlsmlssod for drunkunnoss; but sho
got on pretty woll after n tlmo, tho
Hons learned onco mora to obey hor
milder methods, and as sho snatched
llttlo Jimmy to hor nreiiBt each day
after tho porfnrmauco, ovory kiss upon
his rosy chocks encouraged her to
work on for his dear oako.
During her performances Jim was
novor very far away, for thoso woro
jus on-uuiy momiHu, ua tuougu twr
big guards stood always at tho gato
of tho Hon cage, whoso Interference
had novor yot been necessary, It
ccomcd to tho honest fellow that his
wholo happiness hung by a single
thread, and In hla loving heart truly
ho died dally.
And now tho baby had fallen 111 and
though his nurso assurod them It was
nothing sorlous and that spasms woro
quito common with teething children,
Mario folt as sho watched tho llttlo
form lying qulto still across her knees,
or again twitching convulsively whllo
nor heart almost stopped beating, that
sho simply couldn't leavo him.
Dut, alas! Whon sho presented her
self before Mr. McGrath, solo man
agor and proprietor of tho show, one
glnnco Into his flshy llttlo eyes con
vinced hor In advanco that any appeal
to his sympathy would bo useless.
"Lcavo yo off from 'tho matlnay, Is It?
Now, I'm awful sorry, Mrs. Cronln,
but It ain't to bo thought of. 'Biz Is
biz,' that's my motto. You and them
Hons Is my most drawlu' card, and If
'twas to git about you wasn't goln to
perform, wo might as well closo tho
circus, for wo shouldn't tako In a
liver " horo ho spat copiously and
conclusively. "I'm real sorry tho kid
Is Hick," ho added, seeing her whiten
and trcmblo boforo him, "but I guess
ho'll pull through, and you ain't In the
ring ovor a half hour nny way."
How could oho explain to this man
that her courago was all gone, that
ovory norvo In hor body seemed to
qulvor and snap, ho wouldn't under
stand, and with a sickly falntnoss
stealing over hor, sho dragged hersolt
round to tho dressing tent and strug
gled to got into her gaudy tights.
Mother Mcachln, who took chnrgo of
tho wnrdrobos, eyed her pityingly.
Sho d had children herself long ago,
and as sho saw how Mario shook and
tromblod, and hearing tho band, knew
mat in a fow minutes nioro sho would
bo called, sho pressed n flat, black hot
tlo upon her, saying, with real kind
ness: "Tako a swallow, dearie; It'll heart-
on yo up a bit; you are all shakln' llko
a leaf."
Dut Mario, after only a sip, thrust
It from her, Buying, faintly: "No,
sank you, Mozzor Mcachln; It mako
mo but moro seek," and then as tho
woll-known music struck up and sho
know thnt hor hour had come, tho old
woman heard her whisper to herself:
"Oh! bon Dleu des MIsorables, pro-tcgo-mol
do ccs botes foroccs pour l'a
nfour do ton Flls unlquo," thu3 sho
prayed.
As sho bounded Into tho Hon cage,
with feet that folt heavy as load, sho
noticed that, for tho first time, both
gunrds woro nbsont, and onco moro
tho deadly nausea seomcd to steal ovor
hor. Hut Jim was thoro, and ho
Einlled encouragingly. Sho struggled
to ovorcomo this hlthorto unknown
fear, and prepared to put tho llona
through their paces.
Corbevus was tractablo enough, but
Dlnbolo, nlwnya uncertain In his tem
per, was unusually Impatient this nft
urnoon. Hut tho performance went on
to all Intents and purposes Just ns
usual, and with heartfelt thankfulness
Mario braced horsolf for tho last feat,
a wild danco over nnd among tho
Hons, ending In n final tableau as sho
unfurled tho Stars and Stripes to tho
tuno of "Hall Columbia."
Sho gavo n cut with hor whip to
forco tho Hons Into recumbent posi
tions, when Just ns sho miulo hor first
poso between thorn, a hugo mastiff,
which, unnoticed by Its owner, had
boon crcoplng uoaror nnd noaror to tho
cngo, now sprnng at tho bars, bark
ing fiercely. If you havo over seen
this hnppon ns l havo, you already
foresco the result; If not, I can hardly
plcturo to you tho wild fear, panto
uhd tho fury of the Hons.
Still and trembling fdr one Urlcf in
Btont, they rushed at each other and,
before Mario could chango hor posi
tion, nho lost hor balance nnd foil
heavily ngalnst tho bars whllo tho
shock dislodged tho tiny pistol always
Jn hor belt, nnd flung It far beyond hor
rench. Then tho lions turned upon
her, their yes wild with fury.
"Cerberus, Dlnbolo," sho shouted, as
sho struck nt them with her whip,
trying in vain to fix them with hor
oyes. Dut It was useless. Throo times
they chased hor round tho cngo whllo
tho audlonco hold their breath.
"Tho guards!" gasped tho peoplo,
"Oh I God, tho guards," their absence
being now noticed for tho first time.
Ah I but tho audlonco had forgotten
Iltnt Snntehlng tho long-handled
fork (kept for emergency), ho dashed
at tho cngo, Jnbblng nnd prodding tho
Hons with Its stinging prongs. Nothing
but tho knowledgo that ho must bo
outsldo tho cage-door to open It for
Mnrle, kept him from dashing In
among tho Hons, whom ho seemed to
fear no moro than nnts.
Then, as for one Instant driven to
tno cud of the ouge, they turned again
upon Mnrlre, Jim flung the door wldo
open sho dashed out and the heavy
Iron swung to again, but not beforo
DIabolo's claws had fastened upon Jim,
ripping his arm open from shoulder
to wrist, and almost tearing It from
Its socket. As ho sank upon tho
ground a bleeding, unconscious moss,
Mr. McGrath and tho delinquent
guards hurried to the spot.
Tho nudlenco roso to a man, nnd
for a moment panic seemed Inevitable.
Dut tho thought In every mind that it
was probably all ovor for Jim, did
moro to quiet them than tho efforts of
tho manager, nnd as several doctors
hurried from tho crowd, and Jim on a
hastily Improvised litter, was borno
from tho tent, followed by Marie, her
solf bleeding from several wounds, tho
tinsel and gauzo almost torn oft hor
back, many women and even men
sobbed aloud.
When tho lacerated arm had been
dressed and tho fractured shoulder set,
tho doctors turned their attention to
Marie, telling her that it might have
been so much worse, for though Jim's
left arm would bo useless for many
months (they feared, though thoy
nover hinted It, forever), his Iron con
stitution and sober habits would has
ten nnd lnsuro his recovery.
Mario's Injuries woro mere flesh
wounds, painful, but In no wlso dan
gereous, and though tho doctors mo
mentarily expected a total nervous col
lapse, sho pulled herself together In a
way marvelous to behold, seeming to
havo eyes, ears and thoughts tor no
one but Jim.
Tho next day, as Jim lay faint and
weak but conscious upon his bed, with
Mario sitting besldo him and Jimmy's
cradlo closo by, Mario said, bravely:
"It Is zat you aro now to worry abut
nosslng, my Jim, me, I will work for
boso whllo you and zo bebo get woll."
Jim smiled faintly, as sho leaned
over him lovingly, but his woll hand
closed with nstonlshlng strength over
hers, ns sho said firmly: "That's as
It may be, Marie, but you'll havo to
work at something else, for though
I've lost ono arm, maybe, I've still got
tho other, and you and mo ha3 quit
tho circus business for good. No," as
sho scorned about to Interrupt 'him,
"I'vo said my say, and though I don't
put my foot down often, it's down this
tlmo for keeps."
And it wns Just nt this Juncture that
tholr good landlady handed Mario a
letter addressed to Jim in a queer, un
formed hand, and whllo Mario held It
for him, Jim, with difficulty, read as
follows:
I'm a plain feller and no saint, but I
do admire a brnvo man when I meet him.
and I never seo a neater Job than ye
done yesterday. 1 hear tho gal's yer
wife, and If yo over leavo her do the
lion act analn I say y0 don't deBervo to
keep her. As ye may be a bit Bhort till
ye ult coin' again, I cncloso a trllle
which I shan't nover miss from a plio I
made on tho trak last week. And yo
Jabbing and Prodding.
needn't never try to thank me, for I shall
bo miles uway when yo git this Jotter
from a KillKNl).
Tho letter held flvo clean bills of
ono hundred dollnrs oach, and llttlo
Jimmy crowed with delight ns tho
pretty green things fluttered down
upon tho counter-pane.
A llrnulr Hint.
Mmo. Sarah Dornhnrdtrogularly In
dulges In a apongo bath, which, sho
nays, affords exquisite refreshment to
tired muscles and Jaded spirits. Sho
finds It nn excellent auxiliary In pro
serving hor apparently peronnlal
charm. It consists of half a pint of
alcohol, two ounces of spirits of. cam
phor, two ounces of spirits of ammo
nia, flvo ounces of sea salt, and enough
boiling water to mako ono quart. Tho
wholo should bo agitated thoroughly,
thou rubbed into tho skin with tho
baro hands. It Is oxcollont to hatha
tno neck nnd shoulders boforo donning
evening drdsa.
IBmsm
A wnlf among tho birds might bo
an appropriate namo for tho common
yot strango creature I want to toll you
about, says a writer for tho Chlldran's
Column." Perhaps tho word "tramp"
would bettor express tho Idea than
does tho word foundling, for wo pity
foundlings, babies left by their cruel
paronts to tho caro of n friendly world,
or orphans whom donth has cast upon
charity for protection. Dut wo nnvo
no lovo, pity nor respect for tho hu
man tramp, and this feathorod fellow
of whom I am writing docs not de
serve many of these things either.
The cowblrd, or cow blackbird, Is n
wanderer upon tho faco of tho earth.
Ho has no homo
ho novor had a
homo and his pa
ronts novor claimed
him or know him,
but left him to tho
.tender morcles of
other birds that
brought him up be
cause tuoy could
not holp them-
solves. But I will
tell you all about
that later. Let us
tell you all about
that later. Let us
Cow Dlackblrds.
first get acquainted wltb. this bird, and
then wo shall know him tho next tlmo
we seo him. Tho cowblrd is a first
cousin of tho common blackbird that
makes so much noise In our dooryards.
For all his closo kinship ho has not
Inherited nny of th common black
bird's better qualities. Ho has lost all
tho gloss of his plumage and now
woars a coat as dusty and brown as
nny human wandorer you over saw.
Ho has lost the common blackbird's
neighborly habits, and usually flocks
"all by himself' out In tho pastures
The only crcntures that stir any In
terest In hlB being aro cattlo, and
wherovor you seo s herd of thoso ani
mals grazing ovor tho pasture you aro
pretty likely to seo n cowblrd flying
over their backs, dodging about tholr
feet or even resting upon their backs.
That is why ho Is called "cowblrd,"
because cattlo seom to bo tho only an
imals ho cares anything about.
Dut I have not yet told you of tho
most unblrdllke trait of this rolatlve
of the blackbird, and I am sure you
will say he docs not deservo our re
spect when you hear all about him.
His poor orphaned baby might call
forth our pity If wo were not positively
certain that when It grows up It will
do tho samo thing. Tho cowblrd novor
builds a nest of Its own, but tho fomalo
lays her eggs In other bird's nests and
leaves tho other birds to care for hor
child. Worso than that, sho selects
Bomo tiny llttlo pair that build a dainty
house, like tho llttlo yellow birds and
layB hor egg in their nest only ono In
a nest. You can Imagine tho dismay
of the yellow birds when thoy come
homo to find a great egg of thoftcow
blrd there. They cannot roll the In
truder out, tho neat walls aro too high,
and thoy themsolvos nre too small, so
they lay their eggs and hatch them,
together with tho cowblrd's egg. Thon
a sad thing happens, for tho llttlo cow
blrd Is so much bigger and stronger
A TWO-STORIED NEST.
thnn tho llttlo yellow birds, and his
nppctlto Is so much moro vigorous that
ho gets nil tho food tho parent bird
bring and loave3 tho llttlo yellow birds
to dlo. A pretty stato of affairs. I
should eray!
Dut I must tell you a good Joko on
tho cowblrd that this samo yellow bird
plays sometimes. Often when tho yel
low birds como homo and find their
now nost occupied with a cowblrd's
egg thoy go to work and build tho
walls n llttlo hlghor and thon lay a
falso bottom, ns It wero, over tho In
truder. Then they lay tholr own oggs
uu In the socond story of tholr house
nnd hatch thorn, too. Dut tho cow
blrd's egg, getting no heat from tholr
tiny bodies, does not hatch at all, and
ono cowblrd moro has failed to como
forth to troublq thoso llttlo feathered
martyrs.
Food Value of Htiear.
A striking' paper on tho "Dietetic
Vnluo of Sugar' appears In last wook's
Issue of tho Drltlsh Medical Journal,
by Dr. Wllloughby Gardner. Roughly
apeaklng, tho world's consumption of
.sugar In tho lost flfteon years has
doublod, whllo In Great Drltnln It h3
troblcd por hend In forty years. An
other interesting point Is that tho Eng
lish and Americans stand easily nt tho
head of tho list ns tho sugar-eatlns
nations. Dr. Wllloughby Gardner ;s
labllshes tho fact that augar Is a po
tent creator of energy and maintainor
of stamina. This, ho contends, la not
only proved by laboratory experi
ments, but by the case of tho dato
eatlng Arabs, tho flno health of tho
sugar-cane-eating negroes, nnd tho re
sult obtained by Alplno climbers, Arc
tic explorers, athletca and Gorman sol
diers fod on a special diet Dr. Wll
loughby Gardner's general conclusion
la that tho increased height and weight
and tho Improved health of the Eng
lish peoplo In tho Inst half century
aro largoly duo to tho lncrcasod con
sumption of sugar.
Philadelphia' Charitable Funds.
Philadelphia has no less than thirty
seven different funds thnt havo been
left to it for various charltablo pur
roses. Tho largest of these Is tho Glr
ard estate, which passod on tho death
of Stovon Glrard In 1S31. It now
amounts to nearly $1G,000,000. Tho
lncomo from It last year was ?47S,87C,
which was devoted to Glrard College
Tho next largest fund Is the Delawaro
nvenue fund, which consists of tho
principal of Glrnrd's legacy of $500,000
and on accumulated Income of nearly
half us much. Most of this lncomo
will bo dovoted to Improving tho river
front The othor thlrty-flvo trusts
nmount to ?1,301,G6G, tho lncomo from
which last year was $57,431. Thero
nro twelve fuol funds, from tho lncomo
on which 1,944 tons of coal woro dis
tributed. Somo soup trusts yield ?7G5.
Kloff nnd Tinker.
A quaint story attaches to an old
nlo-houso at Enfield, which bears tho
roraarkablo sign of "King James and
the Tinker," Hunting ono day In tho
neighborhood, James I. got separated
from his courtiers, and pulled up at
this houso, whoro ho Joined a tinker
sitting In tho poroh. In tho courso of
conversation tho tinker said ho would
dearly lovo to see tho king. "Mount
behind me, then," said James, "and
you shall havo your wish," and, tho
tinker taking him at his word, they
rod away. "But how shall I know
the king?" asked tho tinker. "Oh,
that Is easy enough," said James, "for
all tho courtiers will bo barohoadod."
When thoy reached tho party the man
Little Women f Mexico
1JJ Ul . X
iii wk ii i, k'm m
r t t r misk iKr--ty,, . x. wiMk.- r i
ATI foMm
In Moxlco, as in many countries, tho
mothers of tho working classes havo
very llttlo tlmo In which to caro for
and coddlo tholr children. So tho old
er slstors aro always expocted to play
tho part of "llttlo mothers," and many
of taom tako complcto charge of tho
weo onos of tho family. As the train
passes every small vlllago you will aoo
theeo llttlo girls with tholr charges,
chattering and playing nmong thorn
solves and watching expectantly for
moaejfc Thoy aro known as Ccntovlta
of pots and pans looked round puzzled.
Suddenly realizing that ho and hla
companion wero tho only two peoplo
with their huts on, he slipped V tho
ground In consternation, nnd Imllored
pardon for his great prosutnptlon. But
tho king, delighted with his Joko, win
royal recklessness, knlghtod him on th;
spot and gavo him a ponslon of 50
a year.
Kindness dives Eatlsfaotlon.
If wo tako a selfish view only of do
ing holpful things for others we find
sufficient renson; for It Is a fact that a
kindly action, kindly recolved, loaves
In Its wako n feeling of satisfaction
and content. It Is true, unfortunately,
that nalghborly acts nre not always
received in qulto tho spirit In which
they aro offered, but you cannot nffqril
to loso your pleasure In proffering
such acts oven If your nolghbor doos
rccelvo It rather stiffly. Perhaps you
havo waited n llttlo too long. And
It Is not tho gift ltsolf nioro than tho
plcasuro of being romembored tho
kind thought that prompts tho gift.
So a call nnd chat with a sick nolgh
bor, tho loan of a paper or book or
tho now pattern, may nil count as
gifts, nnd thoy count up so fast, If wo
only watch out for opportunities jthat
wo aro amazod that they havejfevor
been neglected by us. An Important
question Is "Who is thy nolghbor?"
Surely others besides your own inti
mate friends.
I hold him great who, for Love's sake',
Can glvo with generous, earnest
will; 'J
Yet ho who takes for Lovo's sweet
sako, fll
I think I hold moro gonerous still.
Kecpiilty far n aenoral Standard.
In the creation of a bureau of stand
ards this country has taken a forward
stop. Up to tho prcsont we havo had
to verify our Instruments In Germany,
but now that wo havo a bureau of our
own, we will bo able to rely on our
selves. What would still further help
things would bo tho national adoption
of a reasonable systom of weights and
measures, such as tho metric system
Until that Is done wo shall havo groat
difficulty and confusion In tho stand
ardization of measures. Take, for In
stance, tho bushel measuro that is used
for wheat. It dlfTors In various states
between points twenty pounds apart.
There Is a variation In othor measures
and until one standard Is arranged for
wo shall always havo troublo. Phila
delphia Inquirer.
Liability of Medical Institutions, r
Is a charitable medical institution
llnblo for the negligence of one of its
surgeons In operating on a patient
gratuitously? Tho Supremo court, Ap
pellate division, of Now York, In a
recent decision In tho case of Collins
vs. Now York Post-Graduato Medical1
school and hospital (09 N. Y., Supp.
1,060), holds that such an institution
is not liable for damages whero tho
surgeon Is employes hn3 been selected
with proper caro, and with no reason
to bollovo him to bo negligent or In
competent When tho Institution has
oxccrclsed duo caro In tho selection of
Its surgeons and other employes tho
court holds that it has then fulfilled its
duty, and Is not responsible for tholr
negligence.
Nonos meaning thnt thoy are always
willing to catch a penny thrown from
tho car window for thom. Thoy aro
usually dressod in somo plcturesquo
way, and most of tho tlmo tholr plfc
turosquo garmonts aro vory ragged aull
old. In spite of tho burden of havlns
to c;ro for small brothers nnd sisters,
and In splto of tholr tattered clothes!
tho little Centovlta Ncnos nro happy
as larks, contented with tholr lot, and
Teady for any sport or games that may
coma up. '
way r rmessu t
V