HOW IT HAPPENED.
I got to thlnkln' of her, and n-wundcrn what b)ic done,
That all her slstera kep' a-glttlng married one by one,
And her without no chances und the Uest'glrl of the pnek
An old maid Avith her hands, you intent guy, tied belilnd her hack!
And raoUier, too, afore she died, Hhn list to Jos' take on
When none of 'em was left, you know, but Evallne and John,
And Jes' declare to goodness 'at the young men must be bllno , f.
To not see what n wife they'd git If they'd got Kvallne!
I got to thlnkln' of her, as I say, and more and more
I'd think of her dependence, and the burdens 'at she bore, A
Her parents both a-beln' dead, and all her sisters gone
And married off, and her u-llvln' there alone with John
You might say Jes a-tollln' and a-slavln' out her life
For a man 'at hadn't pride enough to git hlssolf a wife
Less some one married Evallne, and packed her off some day
Ho I got to thlnkln' of her und it happened that-away.
James Whltcomb III ley.
The Blue
T7 WAS In tlte midst of preparations
for leaving Manila for a trip to Ja
pan, so there wris plenty for me to
do; but here I sat half Way up the
staircase, wasting precious time talk
ing to old Ham Rao, the Cingalese
Jewel merchant. My house was situ
ated directly opposite the camp, where
the troops waited for the transports
to take them home, and I Was never
tired of wutchlng these vendors of
Hawed sapphlros and Slain rubles,
which were apt to drop from their
crude settings 'at the first wearing,
trying to Induce the soldierB to buy
their wares for wives and sweethearts
at home. They occasionally paid mo
a visit, and sometimes I picked up a
good pearl or opal for a small price.
Of all these mysterious, soft-eyed
people, Ram llao interested me the
most. On the way out via Suez, I
had spent four delightful days at Co
lombo, and the old man, who was very
homesick, used to like to come and
talk to me of the Jewel shops of his
native city, and of the beautiful En
glish bungalows and the Cinnamon
Drive, which had so impressed me.
Remembering the beautios of that
land of spices and flowers, I did not
wonder that the poor soul felt that
Manila was "all the same as hell."
To-day he was crouching beside his
boxes, a curious figure with a square
of checked cotton wound about his
not her limbs, mo that it looked like a
long tight skirt. Like most men In
Manila, he wore a white linen coat,
but his long hair was drawn up be
ihind into n Psyche knot, and his tor-Itoise-shell
comb was pushed back un
til it made a crown, the ends toward
his face.
Just behind me on the steps squat
ted my worthless little Filipino maid,
Portuna. She should have been at
the sewing-machine, where I had left
her with strict injunctions to finish
her work without delay; but I was
ho interested in listening to Ham Hao
phut for the moment I did not notice
her.
"Yes, Memsahib," he was saying, "I
;o home to my country. You buy only
'this one beautiful nln. It is a rift at
I
seven, rupees. Three days ago a sol-
Mer offer me for it fifteen dollar gold,
I Pay no, but to-day with seven ru
pees more I buy passage on the steam
er that goes to-morrow to Ceylon."
Fie hold up a breastpin formed of
two tiger claws, fastened together
with a clumsy band of gold, set with
garnet. It was extremely ugly.
"Oh, Ram Rao," I protested, "I
don't want the thing."
"Oh, but Memsahib only seven ru
pees, and then I leave this horrible
city. You so good to me, I never for
get, and some. day you come to Cey
lon, you find Ham Hao there to show
you things most wonderful the tour
ist never see, and he take you where
you buy pearls and Ivory elephants for
a smile."
I was weak, and yielded. I did not
want the atrocious piece of Jewelry,
but I was homesick myself, and sym
pathy alone made me take the pin and
give Ham Hao his fiye dollars.
His old eyes sparkled, and with a
gesture of infinite grace he kissed Uiu
hem of my linen skirt, thpn turning to
his box took out a little gold ring set
with a small blue moonstone.
c "If the Mem will wear this," ho
said, "she always have the good luck
and bless the memory of Ham Hao."
"Oh, no, Ham," I said, "keep the
ring. You might sell it for some
thing." "This ring I sell never," he Bald,
firmly, and looking not at mc but at
Portuna, mumbled a few words in a
vtrange language.
"Oh, senora," said the woman, ea
gerly, "take the anlllo it is of no
value. He feel bad you no take
muoho malo, you no take."
I was struck, as I had sometimes
been before, by the curious kind of
Freemasonry which seems to exist be
t wmii i the race of the Kant. Mere
wan thlit atupld, flst-nowd Malay
.wman Trim eniert U fully undor
tMi the f!lnc and even the Ian-
Moonstone.
2
gunge of Ram Hap, with his lofty car
riage and high-bred, Intellectual face.
I slipped the ring on my linger, and
Ham departed, heaping blessings on
my head.
"It seems to me you're looking un
usually well this evening," remarked
my husband, as we were seated at the
dinner-table.
"Oh, my dear old boy, how can I, in
tills old jusl " I protested. "I do need
some now ball-gowns sadly, but I
thought I would get one more wear
out of tlls nnd save my money to in
vest In Japanese crepes and gauzes. 1
am so glad that I'm not looking like
a fright in It, though."
I had been asked, as one of the
sober matrons of the army set, to give
out favors at the bachelors' cotillion
that evening. Tom drove with me to
the Potenclana Building, then went
to the club, promising to return for
me when the dance was over.
There was a larger gathering than
usual that evening. The cotillion club
had Increased In size, and several dis
tinguished people honored us with
their presence. "We had a major-general,
an admiral, and a high official
of the civil government there that
night.
As I seated myself at the favor
table, little Tom Macon, of the artil
lery, rushed up. "My! Mrs. Crane,
you do look stunning to-night! You
simply have got to come and dance.
Don't sit here, come and Join our gid
dy circle. I'm uwfully sorry 1 en
gaged my partner so long before
hand!" Tommy was a nice boy, and, If I
had been married only live years ear
lier, might have been my son. Such
outspoken admiration on his part was
rather a surprise.
"But, Tommy," I said, "I'll dance,
of course, if I'm needed, but 1 have
no partner, besides I came to give out
favors."
"There are plenty of dowagers here
to do that," he said.
The high official was approaching.
I knew him slightly. He was a vory
pompous person, and I had always
found him rather hard to talk to.
"I have been tlod by those young
people," he said, with a wave of his
hand toward a group of cotillion man
agers, "that I am expected to renew
my youth to-night. I have not danced
the germ an for many years. May I
have the pleasure of dancing it with
the belle, of the ball?"
"If by that sounding title you mean
myself," I answered, Immensely flat
tered, "I shall be most happy," and
we took our seats in two empty chairs
In the cotillion circle, Just as the mu
sic began for the first figure.
The high official danced abomina
bly, but I did not find him hard to
talk to that evening. He was not at
all the kind of man I had supposed
him to be. He was Jocose Indeed,
flirtatious, and he whispered 'stilted
compliments In my ear all the time we
sat together.
I must confess that this time was
rather limited, for I was constantly
on the iioor. This was a surprise. I
had always enjoyed a good dance, and
was rather a favorite chaperon with
the young people; but such attention
as I received tills evening had been
unprecedented for years. I was past
my first youth, and there were many
young and pretty girls present; but, I
noted it with astonishment, I was the
belle of the ball.
Before the evening was half over I
was laden down with favors. Young
naval ensigns, whom I scarcely knew
by sight, gave me paper hats nnd
Japanese toys, and then bore me off
In the wait with an unmlstnknble air
of triumph. Haughty officers la the
division staff, who always wore such
a preoccupied air when I met them
on the Luneta, that 1 almost hesi
tated to bow and disturb their weighty
cogitations, came to me with ofl'cr
llit'r of fan and wooden hoe., The
general and tvie admiral hovered
about iny chair until the. high ornVInl
bt'came quite grumpy. When Tom
came Im latru in the reuiur, he stood
watching me with n surprise which I
could not help "but col wis liuiflatlar
Ing. At the conclusion of the cotillion,
my partner escorted mo to the dTess-Ing-ro&m
door, where he expressed tho
wish to "wait upon" me soon (lie
never made calls.) He tmde mo good
by with an almost fatuous smile as
he pressed nay, squeezed my hand.
"Well, old lady, you've done protty
well," said Tom ns he edged into tho
victoria with mo and iny favors. "The
children will think that Santa Glaus
Is abroad In the land. There's enough
stuff here to trim a good-elzcd Christ
mas tree."
"I really had a delightful time," I
said. "Why, Tom, I felt quite as I
used to as a girl at our dances at
home. Do you remember that Bum
mer cotillion, where we first met?"
"Remember! I should think sol
That was nearly twenty years ago. I,
n callow second lieutenant, fresh from
"West Point, and you a Blender little
girl In n pink frock! You were aw
fully protty then, but " and here
my husband went on to say something
foolish, which was quite unusual for
him; for, happy as we were, with us
those things were more often under
stood than mentioned.
As 1 was preparing for my needed
repose that night, I took off my rings
as usual to lock them away In my
Jewel-case, and dropped one, which
rolled off Into some dark corner. I
looked for It for a moment, but being
very sleepy and seeing that only the
little moonstone ring was missing, I
postponed the search until morning. I
then informed Portuna of the loss.
She told me later that, after looking
thoroughly, she had been unable to
find the ring. I was almost sure that
It had rolled underneath the wash
stand, but when we moved that piece
of furniture nnd it was not there, I
dismissed the tiling from my mind, as
the article was really of no Intrinsic
value.
That (evening ns my carriage stop
ped by the bandstand on the Luneta,
and as I exchanged greetings with my
friends, I saw many of my partners
of the previous evening. A few of
them stopped for a word or two, but
many of them passed on with merely
a 1k)W. I was rather amused to see
that staff officer who had nearly shed
tears the evening before, when a pre
vious engagement had prevented my
accepting from him a tin trumpet be
decked with rlblMin, pass me by with
a stony stare. He never bhw mo at
all. Indeed, I could not but remark
that the fervor of my admirers of the
night before had waned perceptibly.
Upon reuchlng home that evening, I
found an unpleasant episode in prog
ress. As we drove through the front
door, Into the stable, which occupies
the ground floor of most Manila
houses, a hrge group of servants,
children, and chickens stood watching
a fight between Domingo, the stable
boy, and Juan, the cook's assistant
An Domingo was belolwing his an
tagonist about the head with a brass
candlestick, the consequences threat
ened to become serious, but the co
chero, descending from his box, lay
about him wiui his whp until finally
the combatants separated.
I stopped to inquire Into the causes
of the affray. When n Filipino Is an
gry he Is very Incoherent, and the
mixture of Spanish and Tugalog which
the two culprits poured forth was
quite unintelligible to me. From thq
cochero 1 gathered that somebody had
promised to marry them both, and
that each was determined to murder
the other In consequence. After
threatening them both with the cala
boose (Jail), I ascended the stairs, and
there received Portuna perched on the
newel-post, ber bare feet tucked up
under her red skirt, her hair freshly
annolnted with cocoanut oil, and her
eyes dancing with an unholy Joy. I
could not help feeling that she was at
the bottom of the whole affair.
Two days before I left for Japan,
Portuna came to me and said that she
was unable to go with us. She in
formed me that nothing but the fact
that she was to bo u matrlmonla
would have Induced her to leave the
children nnd myself.
"Whom are you going to mnrry,
Portuna?" 1 asked, wondering wheth
er Juan or Domingo were to curry off
tho prize.
"A man muy rlco, senorn," she de
clared, proudly. "He give mo beauti
ful Jewels and fine caso. You see
him often on the Luneta Simon Se
bustlano." I gave a start of surprise. Scbas
tlano was one of the most Influential
Filipinos in Manila. I simply could
not believe that ugly, undersized Por
tuna could have captured his fancy.
Ho was good looking, too; there was
a strain of the best Spanish blood in
his veins; he had been well educated,
and was high In tho ranks of tho Fed
eral party. It was as much of a mis
alliance for him to marry Portuna ns
for the scion of an aristocratic New
York family to seek in marriage a
Bowery factory-girl of the most hum
ble antecedents. The more I thought
or It, the most unlikely It seemed; and
when n.w InforniPd me that he had
lKen brought up In IiIk house as the
daughter of his enchem, the new wa
more Incomprehensible than yer,
knowing an I did the claew dlftinctlons
of those people.
For tlhe next two months the chil
dren ahd I reveled In the beauties of
Japan. By October wo returned to
the head of tho family, who was hard
at work In Manila.
I was greeted with the pleasing
news that orders were on the way for
us to go home. So I determined to
enjoy ns fully as possible tho last
weeks of our sojourn In tho East.
"When we were bidden, then, by one
of the various political parties to n
great banquet, I decided to go, as it
was to be nearly tho lust of my Fili
pino entertainments.
All the American civil officials and
many officers of tho army and navy
were there. I folt quite lost among
so many personages of rank. I was
token out to the repast by a nice In
fantry major, and we sat far down
below tile notables.
Some distance from where I sat, I
saw my late cotillion partner talking
to a Filipino woman; on looking more
closely I perceived that he was en
gaged In an animated conversation
with could It be Yes, It certainly
was Portuna! Portuna, quite as un
beautiful as ever, but gorgeously ar
rayed; her camlsa stiff with ethbrold
ery, a spray of diamond roses four
inches long in her hair, and about her
neck o string of pearls for which I
would have given ten years of my ex
istence. She seemed to find the re
marks of the high official Interesting;
Indeed, she laughed In a coquettish
manner; and us for htm, he did not
seem to find the lwinquct the perfunc
tory bore these affairs usually are to
men of his kind he really appeared to
be enjoying himself.
When the banquet was over, Por
tuna came up and greeted me with
effusion. She was not proud. She
asked about the children with tears
In her eyes, nnd promised to come and
see them. She Introduced her hus
band, who regarded her with adoring
eyes. I found him to bo very intelli
gent, nnd we talked together of the
traffic question and of the future of
the Malay race while we were sitting
out a dance (I sat out several that,
evening).
The high official rushed up to us.
Not having seen him for two months,
I supposed thnt lie hud come to pay
his respects. He barely nodded to
mc.
"Oh, how do you do, Mrs. er
Crane." Then, "Where Is Unit uttru'
tlve little wife of yours, Scbastluno?
I want to see If she will dance the
Rlgodon with me."
With that he darted off, nnd I soon
saw him standing, with Portuna ns a
partner.
The next time I saw Portuna was
on the transport Sheridan. We left
for home on very short notice, and in
some way she heard of It, und appear
ed Just before the vessel sailed, bear
ing gifts of plan und Jusl and Canton
linen for mo and the children. She
was the very sumo Portuna, but the
evident affection she had for me had
awakened quite a warm feeling for
her in my heart, so I submitted to her
embrace, while the children clung to
hor with tears.
The lust gong1 hud sounded, nnd
when half way down the gangway
Portuna turned nnd waved her hand.
The sun fell upon her costly rings,
and among the diamonds nnd pearls,
I noticed upon her little finger tho
glint of a blue moonstone.
LeaiUng over the side of the ship,
Tom and I saw her enter a comfort
able little private launch, and steam
off in state.
"What u promotion for Portuna," I
remarked. "How do you suppose it
over happened V"
"It Is rather remarkable," said mj
better-half, as ho lazily flicked tho
ofthes from a Germinal cigar, "but
then you know, for a Filipino, Por
tuna is really a very protty woman."
Snn Francisco Argonaut.
Culnose Durial.
When a rich nnd Important China
man dies ids funeral-is conducted with
much pomp und splendor. Ills friends
und relations, instead of sending
wreaths, send Innumerable banners.
These are mude of white sUk with Jn
scrlptiorm beautifully worked in black
velvet, and express the sender's good
wishes to the decensed himself or to
the members of his family for many
generations. On the day of the fun
eral these banners nre carried by hired
men, who are dressed all alike for tho
occasion. After the funeral, which
lasts several hours at tho cemetery, is
over tho banners are brought back,
nnd eventually grace the rooms of the
late Chinaman's house. The more ban
ners there nre the greater Is consider
ed the honor paid to his memory, and
his family afterward take a great pride
In showing them to their friends nnd
acquaintances.
An Optimist.
"Do you think Uiat the standurd of
popular tuste is higher than it used to
be?"
"Certainly," answered Mr. Storm
ington Barnes. "You must remember
thut people of the previous genera
tions had no opportunity of ecoing my
Interpretations." Wtahlngton Star.
Great goodiies.! The old-fashioned
album U making its reappearance.
P. a DEPARTMENT 13 BUSY.
Many Change Made In Names of Old
and Familiar Office.
The Postoffico Department has been
playing havoc with the old familiar
names of offices throughout the coun
try. It has been obliged to discontinue
the mall service at New York. To bo
sure, It Is not the New York of the
Great White Alley whose postal fuclll
tics have been cut off, but a town of
somewhat smaller slzej in the State of
Iowa. It has also been the uuhappl-'
ness of tho people of Rook Brunch, in
tho same commonwealth, to lose their
postofllcc, and the records have been
transferred to Corrcctlonvllle. Ominous
name! Let us hope the records aro
straight.
In Michigan the department linn
amended the name Sault do Ste. Mnrlo
Into Sault Salute Marie, und it has
established the offices of Racy and
Rescue. In Minnesota that noble of
fice known for years as Proetorknotfc
has lwcn shorn of Its final syllable, und
the famous orator Is known only by
his Christian name upon the nuiilliur
lists now. Skog Is n new name In Min
nesota, and n good one. In Mississippi
Chunkeys Stntlon has been trans
formed Into Chunky. In OregoijNuedy
has been, stricken from tho 11?$ and
In Pennsylvania Arcadia has been es
tablished. In the Philippines Mushutc has boon
discontinued. Equality has been ostalv
llshod In South Carolina and a new
Bunker Hill has arisen In Tennessee.
Doevllle has also sprouted In Tennes
see, and there the much-sought John
may have hs home.
In Texas Ilawley has been trans
formed Into Blessing and an Arp ho
appeared, doubtless u modest tribute
to tiie humorous gentleman of that
pseudonym. Virginia has a new Dot,
n Pilot and a School, but lias lost n
Cool Well und a Dell.
Correspondents who have hitherto
addressed foreign letters to Beuluh,
Llandyssll, must npw use larger en
velopes nnd write It Beulnh, Newcustlo
Emlyn, Carmarthenshire. ljlkewl
Llwyndafydd, New Quay, Cardigan
shire. Why has West Llss,
Hants, been complicated into WeBt
Llss, East LIsb, Hunts? And why
hns Tygerfonteln, Cape Colony, boon
"erased from tho list?" Does tho
change of Victoria West Road to
Hutchinson Indicate a disloyal ten
dency In the colony? !
The Postofllce Department is always
busy changing names, establishing,
discontinuing, moving offices, reform
ing their spelling mid generally keep
ing them In order. For light summer
reading try the "United States. Official
Postal Guide," whose yellow covers
appropriately hint at Its Interesting
contents. New York Sun.
HISTORY MUST BE REVISED,
If All that Reiiils Uiifiivornhly Should.
He Stricken Out.
Since .Mflfi, when the great and gen
oral court declared Roger Williams to
be unfit for fellowship nnd banished:
him from the state, there have been,
seven different petitions to have tliO'
edict revoked. All have received tht
Indorsement of religious us well as pa-J
lltlcol leaders, yet there bus never
been a sufficiently vigorous expression,
of public sentiment to bring It about.
The last petition bfore the legislature
represented all shades of religious,
feeling. It was signed by descendants,
of those who had been Instrumental in
driving Roger Williams to Rhode Isi-i
and nearly .'100 years ago. - But tradi
tion Is powerful, almost suqjrtM, and
what has, Kone on the statute books
stays. Tho failure to repeal any law
that Jias long been useless Is nn exam
ple of the same kind.
In view of Huch facts, It Is some
what surprising that there Is. going on
now another movement to have the
name of the apostle cleared. In spirit
the people of this State respect tho
memory of Roger Williams as deeply:
and as sincerely as the citizens of
Rhode Island or of any other New
England commonwealth. The persons'
who are determined to have the ban
removed appear to be endowed M'lth
much of the unquenchable enthusiasm
of Williams himself, which enabled
him to conquer In spite of all (jbstucleit
nnd persecution. The leaders of tho
now movement aro now circulating u
petition at all the watering places hi
New England, and after signatured
have been obtained here it will be sent
to St. Louis for tho approval of all thy
Now Englnndere who visit the World's
Fair, and thence to different sections
In the West where purltuu sentiment
Is strong. It Is hoped to have tho
names of 1,000 men nnd women of
prominence in this State olone, nndi
many more names from Massachusetts;
and Now England people In pther parte
of the country.
However, the edict agninst William
was not peculiar to the times. Other
fearless thinkers in politics and theol
ogy were banished. If we nre going
into the matter of erasing from our of
ficial records everything that reads un
favorably now, our whole history will
need to be remodelod, revised and ex
purgnfced. The toTnfiernniont of purii
tan times was cold, stern and brlcky
Why try to innko It appear to b what
It was not? Boston Advertinc
