HIS BEST
CHUM
By EUNICE BLAKE
Johnny Iloxoy, ngcd fourteen, wont
to bed ono night with a splitting head
ache. The next morning he remained
In slumber, and no effort to awaken
him availed. He did not seem to bo
In pain, sleeping tranquilly. lie re
malned asleep week after week, month
after month and year after year. lie
needed very little food, and 'that was
given him by various methods devised
by tbu doctors. lie slept seven years
In the satno room, In which no chango
was mado during that time.
When Johnny went to sleep a llttlo
girl thirteen years old was his "best
chum," as ho called her. They were
In tlio same class In the saino school
and used to study their lessons togeth
er, for Lucy Treadwell lived directly
across the street from Johnny, and
they had not far to go to reach each
otho. Lucy grew from childhood to
womanhood, seeing almost dally a per-,
son of the opposite sex who was In a
perpetual slumber.
Ono day Johnny showed signs of
waking. For a week thcro was hope
that ho would do so, but thoso about
him had been so often disappointed
that they had lost confidence In his
recovery. But ho did awaken, and
when he came to himself he was
alone.
Ho lay for some time, after becoming
conscious, with closed eyes, thinking
of his sufferings "tho night before,"
as ho supposed It was, and feeling
much relieved to bo out of pain. Then
ho attempted to turn on his other side.
Ho was surprised to flud himself very
weak. Lying In bed without using
his muscles had taken his strength.
While on his back he opened his eyes,
still seeing nothing but the ceiling.
Hearing a step in tho room, he turned
so that he could see a young woman
sitting beside a window reading. She
was unknown to him. When Johnny
as a boy had awakened In the morning
and did not have to go to school lie
usually lay In bed reading.
"Is this Saturday V" he usketl.
The girl started, and Johnny was as
tonished at the sound of his voice. The
girl I'osc-svxcltudly. tame to his bod
side; then ran Immediately out of the
room. Johnny in Ills amazement
thrashed about and while dohui so put
his hand to Ills lace. I) wns covered
with hair.
"What ' In tho world"- he began
And. sitting hp in lied, lie sa w In a mir
ror tlie relleetion of a man. He was
dumt'oUnded. He moved, and the re
tlection moved. After It had followed
several of his movements he covered
his face with the bedclothes" and gave
way to a nervous chill.
Hearing persons hurrying Into the
room, he threw off the clothes. His
mother, looking much older than "the
night before." run into the room, fol
lowed by the young woman, who had
gone out of It. and. taking him In her
arms, sobbed:
"My dear boy! Heaven be thanked!"
"What is it. motherV" cried the af
frighted John. "Something strange has
happened! How big I am! now rough
my voice! I seem to have grown to be
a man overnight!"
"You have grown to be a man, dear,
but not overnight. You went to bed
one night when you were a boy and
have slept continuously ever Blnce."
There was silence for some tlinu
while a realization of this singular an
nouncement was working Its way into
John's brain. Then ho asked a dozen
questions so rapidly that his mother
found difficulty In answering one be
fore another camo forth. Finally he
pointed to tho girl, who seemed as
much affected by his recovery as his
mother, and asked who sho was.
"She is was your best chum. Lucy
Treadwell.
"Good gracious," exclaimed John
wonderingly, "Is that Lucy?".
"Yes, I'm Lucy. I've prayed for your
waking ever since your long sleep bo
gan."
"She has been here nearly every day
since your slumber began," said John's
mother ,
"And happened to bo here when 1
woke," said Johin and ho put out both
hands to her. "What a woman you've
grown to be! How old are you I
mean how old am I?"
"You're twenty-one, and you know
that I'm a year younger than you.
That makes mo twenty. Can you see
any trace of your 'best chum in mo?"
"A trjicc only," replied John. "You
were a pretty little girl then; yon are
a beautiful woman now."
Mrs. Iloxey said sho must go und
call tho doctor at once. John must not
get excited and take no action what
ever till tho doctor had seen him and
given directions concerning him.
John obeyed tho tlrst Injunction, but'
soon forgot all about tho last. His
mother had no sooner loft the room
than ho reached for Lucy's hand and
drew her to a seat beside him.
"So you have been hero constantly
since I have been in slumbcrlnnd.
Why did you come so regularly?"
Lucy turned away her head.
"You were my 'best chum,' and you
have proved yourself worthy of the
name. I don't seem to know whether
I'm boy or man. I remember the kiss
I gavo you yesterday I mean boforo 1
went to sleep. I wonder, should I kiss
you now, would It taste the same?"
"I don't know." was tho reply, the
face still averted.
John put his arms about her, drew
her down to him and kissed her.
' "It's worth a thousand of tho oth
ers." ho nald.
A Dream Joke.
Almost every ono has dreamed of
writing a poem, delivering a Bpeech
or making n witty remark that seemed
at tho time wonderfully brilliant, but
that, recalled on waking, proved to bo
either commonplace or wholly mean
ingless. That Is not always tho case,
however, as this story, which the Nov.
Washington Gladden Is fond of telling,'
proves.
"I dreamo'd," says Dr. Gladden, "that
the old house that formerly stood near
my church was still there and that old
Mr. Deshlcr, who has been dead many
years, still lived In It. I also know
that his old dog, George, who never
failed to bark at mo when I passed tho
house, still lived. In my dream 1 was
passing the house when the door open
ed and the old gentleman camo out,
followed by George, who. as usual,
rushed barking up to me.
" 'Now, now, George.' said the old
ninn. 'you ought not to do that You
know that's a friend of ours. That's
Dr. Gladden.'
" 'Oh. I have met George before,' I
responded to the Introduction. 'In fact,
George and I have for some tlmo hnd
n bowwowlng acquaintance.' " Ex
chango. Riding In a Jlnrlklsha.
When the European or American
tourist first lands in Japan ho at once
demands a Jlnrlklsha, Having read of
It and heard so much of It lie wants
an Immediate experience of It as soon
as he finds himself In the laud of Its
birth. Almost any day ono may sco a
procession of men and women, nshoro
for a day or two from a steamer. In
port, making their way up tho crowded
thoroughfares of Tokyo, sitting rather
awkwardly in their Jlnrlklshas, trera
bllng unbalanced over the axle, not
knowing whether tho thing Is going to
tip backward or fall forward, so loose
ly does tho puller seem to hold the
shafts. The first time ono gets Into a
Jlnrlklsha ho always feels like a baby,
and this gawkish sensation coupled
with that of tho uncertainty of one's
position in balancing it, renders the ex
perience not quite so pleasant as an
ticipated. But the only way for com
fort Is to sit back at one's case and
leave the responsibility to the man who
pulls it Japan Magazine.
To the Manner Born.
In "Hamlet," act 1. scene 4, occur
these lines:
Ay, marry, ls't.
But to my mind, though I atn native hero
And-to tho manner born, It Is a custom
Moro honored In tho breach than tho ob
servance. Some hnve maintained that in this
ease "manner" should be spelled "man
or," because the former was an old
variant spelling of the latter. Tho
phrase would then be applied to a per
son nccustomed to the usages of a lo
cality. But tho weight of opinion fa
vors "manner" as used, for instance,
by Swinburne in the sentence, "Ho has
not the eyes nnd nerves of one to tho
manner born." In this case the phrase
refers to one hnvlng n lifelong ac
quaintance with given conditions nnd
customs, regardless of whether they
are associated with a single locality.
Philadelphia Press.
Sourco of Robinson Crusoe.
Tho Edinburgh Courant, long slnco
dead, is worthy of remembrance, not
only by Edinburgh nnd Scotland, but
by tho literary world at large. Its cdl
, tors Include Daniel Defoe, who seems
to have been tho first occupant of Its
editorial chair, to which ho appears to
I have gone on his liberation from New
j gate. "Old and Now Edinburgh" men
, tlons "tho Edinburgh Courant of Oct
10, 1707 (then edited by Daniel Dofoe),"
but Dr. Chalmers in his "Life of Do
I foo" says it is not suspected that ho
I continued long to edify tho Edinburgh
' citizens with his lucubrations. It was
1 doubtless during his Edinburgh sojourn
that Defoe heard all about Alexander
Selkirk, of Largo, the original of Robin
son Crusoe. London Chronicle.
Language of the Nose.
"nero Is an article In tho paper that
says a woraun's character can bo de
termined by her nose."
"Well, there may bo something in
that but thero's n surer way. No ono
can make a mistake concerning a wo
man's character If ho will look at tho
noses of other women who meet her.
Tho extent to which thoy turn up at
such times shows Just what she is or
Isn't." Exchange.
In the Same Boat. ,
Nowlywcd nusbnnd Tho tlmo has
come, dearest, when I shall havo the
painful task of acquainting your fa
ther with tho fact that I am heavily
In debt Wife Don't mind that I'm
sure he'll give you the sympathy of n
companion In adversity. London Tele
graph. Insulted Indeed.
"Why Is Mrs. Van Wombat so nngry
with you?''
"It seems tho cook she lured away
from mo Is not satisfactory." Kansas
City Journal.
Her Scheme.
"Why docs your fiancee study tho bill
of fnro so long?"
"Sbe wants to flguro to mo nftcrward
how much T will save if wo get mar
ried." Mcggcndorfer Blacttcr.
Discoveries.
So many famous discoveries have
turned out to bo rediscoveries that we
become cautious about asserting that
any event or achievement was tho first
of Its klnd.-John Fisko.
Accomp!ldji.
"Is he well versed?"
"Yes. He's a fool in many Innguage9
and on many subjects." Philadelphia
Ledger.
A Valued
PocketPiece
By JOHN Y. LARNED
My father was killed fighting on tho
northern side In tho battle of Gettys
burg, on the 2d of July. I was old
enough to remember the news of his
death and tho military funeral that
was given him when his body wns
sent home. Thirty years after his
death I was paid a silver dollar bear
lug date of 1803. Since it mnrked the
date of my father's death In battle, I
prized It, and, Instend of parting with
it, I cut on it my father's Initials.
Ono day while traveling I fell In with
n young man, with whom I chatted.
On entering tho station nt Cleveland
tho car door was thrown open and a
trainman cnlled: "Clovelandl All out!"
Tho young man. surprised that tho
train would go no further, made In
qulrlcs nnd discovered that ho must
stop overnight lu Cleveland. He nt
once begnn to exnmlno tho contents of
his pockctbOok nnd found that he had
barely enough to pay his bill nt o hotel.
I asked him to permit me to lend lilm
some funds, but ho refused, saying
thnt ho had Just sufllcleut to got
through. I insisted on his taking more.
nnd ho said If I hnd any loose change
In my pocket he would accept It ns a
loan. The only coin I hnd was my
pocitec piece. Alter a moments hesi
tation I handed it to him. Ho tried to
get my address in order to return tho
loan, but we wore leaving tho train In
a crowd, and 1 hurried away.
Not long nftor this tho newspapers
were filled with accounts of tho mur
der of Richard Thornton, a wealthy
man, in Buffalo. The caso was ono of
those mysterious happenings thnt at
tract widespread attention. A nephew
of the deceased, Edgar Thornton, wns
nccused of murdering his undo in or
der to secure his estate. Tho murder
ed man wns very old. a bachelor, and
his houpohold affairs wero administer
ed by a Mrs. Ferguson, n widow, who,
tlio evidence seemed to Indicate, wns
endeavoring to Induce him to mnke a
will In her fnvor. Tho Mate attor
ney, by patching together bits of evi
dence, mnde a very good case, show
ing that the nephew, in whose favor
it will had nlroady been mnde. fearing
that the' woman would succeed In se
curing one giving her tho property,
had murdered his uncle to prevent his
doing so.
Mrs. Ferguson swore that Edgar
Thornton wns with his uncle on the
night of tho murder, the two being to
gether In tho uncle's bedroom. She
claimed to have heard high words be
tween them. Edgar hnd left the house
at 11 o'clock. She did not see Rich
ard Thornton till the next morning,
when she found him dead, witli a pil
low pulled over his face. A weak
point In tho prosecution wns that
some 9200 that the deceased had
on hand in n desk wns missing. The
state nttornoy declared that the ac
cused had taken the money In order to
mnke it appear that the murder had
been committed for the purpose of rob
bery. I read tho newspaper reports of the
trial, missing only ono day's report.
The next Issue of the paper mentioned
thnt the accused had endeavored to
prove nn alibi.
The serrants In the house were all
against Mrs. Ferguson, testifying that
she kept Mr. Thornton In a sort, of Im
prisonment, but they, wero persons of
no education, and their evidence was
easily pulled to pieces by the prosecu
tor. Indeed, Mrs. Ferguson proved that
they had been liberally tipped by Ed
gar Thornton whenever he hnd called
on his uncle.
It did not take mo long to make up
my mind thnt the" accused was guilty.
Ho could not have been innocent unless
Mrs. Ferguson had perjured herself in
testifying that he wns with his uncle,
and tho only person with him.ni tho
night of tho murder.
I rend the summing up of tho case
by the prosecutor, and my nttontion
wns attracted to these words:
The prisoner has claimed that on the
night the murder wns committed ho was
trnvolhiK on u train between Cleveland
and Buffalo.
My meeting with tho man to whom
I had loaned a sliver dollar flashed
upon me. Could this Edgar Thornton
be the person I hnd met? That per
son was to remain over in Cleveland
nt a hotel. The accused claimed to
havo been on a train,
A human life might depend on my
action. I took n train for Buffalo and
when I arrived went to tho courtroom
where iho trial was balng held. In the
prisoner I recognized my fellow trav
eler. I called for his attorney, told
my story mid wan put on the stand. 1
testified that on n certain date the
evening of the murdor I had entered
Clevclnnd with the nccused nnd had
loaned him a silver dollar, whldi I
described. The prisoner produced the
Identical dollar I had given him with
the Initials nnd date I had scratched
on It.
There ivas a sensation in tho court
room A man who wns about to be
convicted of murder wiis ncqultted nnd
was heir to a fortune. When I asked
how he happened to have been on n
train Instead of In n hotel in Buffalo
he said he had found passago on a
combination milk and passenger train.
Mrs. Ferguson had perjured herself to
be revenged on tho man to whom she
had lost her fortune.
When Edgar Thornton "went to his
home on his release ho found It filled
with fi'twers from sympathetic friends.
I have the pocket piece, moro valued
thai. ever.
Child Life In Africa.
Child llfo In Africa has few pleasures
hnd many sorrows and is lu n stnto of
tonstaut rovorsal nnd change. From
tho tlmo of a boy's birth until ho has
gone through tho "dovll bush" ho is
llttlo thougtfl of, but as soon as he has
passed through Its torrlblo ordeals and
practices ho Is regarded ns n man nnd
nn asset In the nntlvo community
With n girl It Is different It Is very
hard to procure girls for tho mission
stations because they arc considered
specially valuable as workers and pos
sible money brlngers until the jHjrlod
arrives for them to enter and pass
through tho "greo-greo" bush ordeal.
Then they nro regarded ns women and
eligible for marriage, and their Indus
trial value decreases. Still, If they
rear larro families, their market vnluo
keeps up In a measure, for In certain
sections of Africa tribal custom per
mits u man to sell, 'loan or rent out
hN wives or keep them lu household
slavery or give them their freedom.
I'rcoilom Is conferred by presenting the
wife with the long tooth of a leopard,
tvhlch Indicates that sho Is no longer
slave, but a free woman, uot a di
vorced wife. Christian nerald.
A Bornard Shaw Criticism.
Before fame camo to him Bernard
Shaw wrote dramatic criticisms for tho
London Saturday Review. The follow
ing sitmplo Is characteristic of tho man:
"I am In n somewhat foolish position
concerning a play at tho Opera Co
miquc, whither L was bidden this day
week. For some reason I was not
supplied with a program, so that I
never learned the name of tho play.
At tho end of the second act the play
had advanced about as faris an ordi
nary dramatist would havo brought It
five minutes after tho first rising of tho
curtain or, say, as far as Ibsen would
have brought It ten years beforo that
event Taking advantago of tho sec
ond interval to stroll out Into tho
Straud for n llttlo exercise, I unfortu
nately forgot all about my business
nnd nctuully renchod homo boforo It
occurred to me that I had- not seen
tho end of tho play. Under theso cir
cumstances it would ill becomo me to
dogmatize on tho merits of tho work
or its performance. I can only offer
tho management my npologlcs."
Eastern Vormont's Marbles.
Though tho western part of Vermont
includes tho most extensive marble in
dustry in this country, tho eastern part
Is a virgin field, where, In tlio lnck of
a general study of tho stratigraphy,
the structure, the paleontology nnd the
arenl geology, It is at present not only
Impossible to dctcrmlno tho nrca and
position of many of tho beds, but nlsrf
even tho thickness of Borne of the mar
ble formations, which are but partly
exposed. Tho marbles of eastern Ver
mont, many of which aro dolomitlc,
vary widely In kind und character, and
the outcrops, though few in number,
are scattered from the Massachusetts
lino to tho Cnnadlan boundary. Many
of the marbles are suited only for In
door ornamejitnl use. The greater part
of the ledgei are to bo clnsscd as min
eral reserves, which will be drawn on
in tho future.
Burial With Military Honors.
After u battle tho dead nro burled
"with military honors." Theso lu times
of pence are both impressive and elab
orate, but in tlmo of war they aro
much curtailed. The principal fea
tures aro tlio playlug by mufiled drums
of the dead march, tho rcstiug on the
arms reversed by the troops engaged
and the final firing into the air over
tho grave of thrco blank volleys. Tho
number of volleys is always tho same,
but tho number of men comprising tho
firing party Increases with tho rank of
tho deceased. A mufiled drum is a
drum tho cords of which havo been
loosened bo as to slacken tho parchment
head- and cause It to glvo forth on be
ing struck a dull, mufiled sound. Lon
don Scraps. ' ,
Intellectual Life.
People without lntcllectunl life are
virtually under condemnation to hard
labor. Unless their thoughts can give
them wholesome occupation they must
find it for their hands. Otherwise they
cannot live well and must expect de
terioration. But, unluckily for lazy
people, tho achievement of a good
grade of Intellectual llfo involves nbout
as much work as anything else. Life
without effort seems not to hnvo been
intended. The original plan was to
have it end by starvation nnd, though
people nowadays get around that, they
cannot altogether defeat tho original
Intention. Life.
A Slight Absentmindednoss.
"now nro you getting on as the pre
siding officer of your now club?"
"Pretty well.'' replied tho emphatic
woman.
"No trouble with pnrllnmentnry
points?"
"Not much. The only difficulty 1
have Is to remember thnt you must
hold on to the gavel and hammer with
It Instead of throwing It" Washing
ton Stnr.
Mean Suggestion.
"I made Miss Oldglrl mad tho othei
day."
"now so?"
"She said she would give mo a few
wrinkles, a ml I said I didn't enro tc
take them, although I knew sho had
plenty to spare." Baltimore American
Jn Awful Shape,
"Why don't you go to work?"
"I'm so dead tired of doing nothltu
thnt I'm too tired to dr. anything."-
Cleveland Lender.
No great deed Is dnno by falterert
who nsk for certainty George Eliot
PERFECT SPECIMENS OF EARTH'S MOST CURIOUS AND INTER
ESTING CREATURES GATHERED TOGETHER INTO ONE
IMIVSENTSE MENAGERIE
COWBOYS, COWGIRLS, INDIANS, MEXICANS, SCOUTS and TRAPPERS
PRESENTING FEATS AND SCENES OF THE
REAL WILD WEST
MILE LONG GOLD GLITTERING FREE STREET PARADE
ON MORNINQ OF DAY OP EXHIBITION.
NORTH
Afternoon
Thur:
PROTECT
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H practically no carbon. Oil thnt absolutely Oi
H reduces friction. Then you will be in the ranks ffl
H of the care free motorists who use
H the standard tested motor oil. H
STANDARD OIL COMPANY
i . i
PLATTE
and night
sday, May 13.
t
