OUR. CHILDREN'S CORNER.
I WHEN BILL! AND BERTHA FOUGHT. f
By Annie James.
Billy waB Bevon years old nnd his
.sister Bertha wan two yearn youngor.
They had always played In tho great
'est good humor together, each giving
up toys or, bonbons to tho other In tho
Moat loving and generous mannor.
But one day a Naughty Voice whisper
ed Into BIlly'H ear: "Tako all tho ap
ple and enndy from Bortha. You aro
big and strong and can do It."
They wore playing In tho warm Bit
ting room when tho Naughty Voice
whispered in Billy's car. They had a
lllttle table spread for make helievo
dinner, an applo cut In halves and two
blocks of taffy. Bertha was playing at
being hostess and Billy was hor "com
pany." Billy reached across tho table
and took both blocks of taffy, putting
one in hi mouth and tho other into
hie llttlo trousers pocket.
"Oh-o-ooh! You took all 'o can'y,"
said llttlo Bertha, looking shocked at
her guest's very uncivil conduct. "You
muBt'nt do 'at way bruver. You mus'
play nice."
The Naughty Volco again whisper
ed and Billy obeyed its promptingB.
He reached over and took tho two
pieces of applo jumped up from tho ta
ble and ran out of tho room, looking
back thru a crack in the door to muko
a wry face at Bertha and laugh at her
tears.
"You're a bad D-a-d boy, bo you
aro," cried Bortha. "I'll not.p'ay wif
you any more. I dont llko you Bo I
don't. Givo me back my can'y an ap
ple or I'll go tell mamma."
"You'd bettor not tell mamma," said
Billy, threateningly. "I'll smack your
cars If you do."
Bertha began to weep loudly and de
clared ho was a bad, bad bruver. 1311
ly, fearing that their mother who was
Jn the sowing room up stairs might
hear, ran into tho sitting room and
clapped his hand over Bertha's mouth.
The Naughty Volco hod prompted him
how to act. "Shut up this minute," he
commanded, his fat fist crushed
agalnBt Bertha's mouth.
Now the owner of tho Naughty
Voice was in his glory. All ho had to
do was to whisper into Bertha's oar to
have a fight started. Tho situation
was prlmo for just such a thing.
Bertha, being now very angry with
her bad brother, listened In turn to
the Naughty Volco and heedod what
'it said. "Fight!" it whispered In hor
ear. "Scratch, bite and pull hair."
Bertha, a strong llttlo pudge of a
girl, thrust her hands into her broth
er's curly hair before that follow know
ho had any Indention of retaliation.
She pulled and scratched, hurting Bll
ly till ho began to cry out But ho
fought like a little animal, scratching
his sister's wrists and pulling her
laxen hair nearly oft her head.
How long the fight might havo last
ed there is no way of knowing, but It
would probably havo kept going till
one or the other hod oried "nough!"
for the Naughty Voice was whisper
ing first in Billy's ear and then in Ber
tha's ear, urging them to "fight llko
soldiers and never givo In." But tho
noise of tho conllict tho crying and
shuffling of feet caught the ears of
their mother away up stairs and hur
rying down to tho sitting room she bo
held a sight that at first quite took
away her breath.
After she had separated the children
She led them to her room, whore she
placed them on chairs in front of her
and sat down to question the causo of
such an unusual and shocking Bight
as she had just witnessed in tho sit
ting room. After tho drying of tears,
the adjustment of collars and shoe
laces and smoothing of hair, Billy and
Bertha told their stones.
"But why did you tako all the can
dy and apple from your sister?" asked
their mamma, addressing Billy.
"Didn't you know that was solfiBhness
and that selfishness is wickedness?'
Billy hung his head, but made no
answer. The mother turned to Bortha:
-'And you, little daughter, should have
come to mother about It, Instead of
fighting with your brother over it Be
cause he was naughty was no excuse
.for you to be so, too."
"But bruver spoiled tho play," pout-
cd Bortha. "Ho et up our play dinner
nn' mado an ugly face at me. I jes' had
to fight, ninmma."
Whllo thero was a smile lurking In
the mother's tender eyes, her voico
became very, vory serious. "Well, my
dear little son and daughter, I can see
but one way to avoid future quarrels
and fights between you. If I Bend Bor
tha to her great aunt Mary and Billy
to his grandmother, in the country, to
live, thero will bo no chanco of your
falling out again- Of course, you can
not bo allowed to visit each other
again after tho separation."
Bertha's faco grow sorlous and her
lips trembled as though she were
about to break into tears. "I don't
want to go to my great aunt Mary's,"
sho whimpered. "I want to stay wlf
my mamma and "
Here tho little miss broke into sobs,
unable to complete hor sentence. Tho
mother turned to Billy. "Well, son,
what havo you to say In regard to go
ing to live with grandmother?" sho
asked.
Billy hung his head in a shamed
way, batting his eyes furiouBly, as
though something were in them. "I
I want to stay at home," he said in
tremulous tones.
"But how can I allow you to remain
hero if your sister stays?" asked his
mamma. "You don't wnnt to bo with
hor, do you?"
Billy nodded his head vlgorouBly. "I
wnnt to have sister at home," he ad
mitted.
"But children who fight don't love
one another." urged the mother.
"I love sister," said Billy, thinking
that he was about to loso her forover.
"I was very naughty, mamma, and I
think I need a whipping," he pleaded.
"It was all ray fault, for I took the
i ! i 1 ''
i i ; i i ! ; J I ' , , -,-.
! : ! 1 i ' ; : i : 1 si 1
She pulled and scratched until Billy cried out.
play dinner and et some of it, and
put the rest in my pocket. I don't
know why I was so bad honest I
don't mamma."
The mother folded both little oneB to
her breast, saying: "It waa tho
Naughty Volco that whispered In your
oars. If you pay any heed to it it will
come again and again, each time whis
pering louder and bolder, urging you
to do very, very naughty things, until
at last you will become a very wicked
boy and bring grief to those who love
you so dearly."
Billy sat very quiet, meditating a
'moment. Then he broke out with:
"If the Naughty Voice whiBpers to
me any more I'll make a face at It and
tell it to get a move on itself, I will.
And now, mamma, may sister and I
stay at home with you and papa?"
Bertha had dried her eyes during
ner brothers and mothers conversa
tion, and was an interested listener.
Without waiting for her mother to an
swer her brother's question she said
vehemently:
"The ole Naughty Voice whispered
to me, too, mamma, dear. I dess it tole
me to fight bruver, tause I jus' fought
him as hard as I tould but all tho time
I was not mad wif him. I love bruver
an' don't want him to bo sent away to
Granny's."
"Then my little son and daughter
won't ever, ever again liBten to the
Naughty Voice?" asked mamma.
"They will always remember what
happened today when the wicked
promptings come to their ears?"
"xes, Indeed, mamma," promised
Billy, "I'll not forget that I was al
most sent to live with Granny away
from papa and mamma and Bertha. I
would have been so unhappy I would
just have died of homesickness, so I
would."
"An' I'll never, never fink of quar
reling wlf bruver again, nor biting
blm and pulling his hair," declared
Bertha ."An' we'll play at keeping
house and having dinner, too, won't
we, Billy?"
Billy sat straight up taking from his
pocket the appropriated play dinner,
holding it out to Bertha. "Here Bor
tha, take it an' go and fix up tho din
ner again. I'll ceme down in a minute
Sand knock at the door. Play I'm eom-
pany invited to dinner. Will you?"
"Yes, bruver, an' play 'at I'm a
great lady like mamma, an' 'at I'm
having a party. Ole Towser and ole
pussy-cat can be uver company. They
don't like taffy or apple an will Bit
at the table very quiet."
Then, with tho apple and taffy in
her apron, Bertha ran, happy and
laughing, from the room to prepare
tho feast for the expected company.
And it is safe to say that never
again did the Naughty Voico find lis
teners in Billy and Bertha. Their ono
experience with him had almost cost
them their happy home and each oth
er's society, and they never, never for
got it
H Jests and Jingles.
Wise Boy.
HIb Mother Tom, I'm afraid that
that girl you aro going to marry does
not know how to cook.
Tom I know she doesn't mother,
and what's better than all she has
promised nover to try to learn.
Force of Habit.
The Doctor Gracious, man. You
gare that poor fellow arsenic yester
day instead of salts. Havo you no ro-
gretT
The Druggist (absently) No; but
have something just as good.
A Hot One.
to
Mr. Naggitt I've a great mind
go to tho mass meeting tonight
Mrs. Naggitt Whoso?
Mr. Naggitt Whoso? Whose what?
Mrs. Naggitt Whoso great mind?
The Way it Works.
She Don't you think a woman is
clever enough to do any work that a
man can?
He She's smarter than that. Why
she's clever enough to make tho man
do the work and give her tho benefit
of it.
Paying the Freight
Willie (aged seven) Say, pa, when
a man expresses an opinion can he
collect charges on it?
His Pa He can, if he's a lawyer.
if
2
Tolstoi In His Home.
By all odds the most interesting
national feature that Russia allowed
me to see was Count Tolstoi's novels.
And yet I had never read any of Tol
stoi's novels before meeting him, and'
my notions of his altruism were vague
Indeed, about what tho Ideas are of
people who have never been In Russia
or seen Tolstoi, and who, on learning
that you have been there and met him
ask immediately: "Say, on the level,
is he a fakir or not?"
Once and for all, so far as my sim
ple intercourse with him Is concern
ed, It may be most boldly declared that
he never was a fakir no more of one
when he was sampling all the vices'
he could hear of, than he Is now in
urging others not to follow his exam
ple as an explorer of Vlcedom.
Tho man at Yasnaya Polyana, in
1890 was a fairly well preserved oldi
gentleman, with white beard, sunken
gray eyes, overhanging bushy eye
brows, and a slight stoop In the
shoulders, which were carrying, I
think, pretty close to seventy years of
age.
The place looked neglected and un
kempt in many respects, but tho two
remaining wings of the old mansion
were roomy and comfortable. Eight
children of tho original sixteen were
living at the time of my visit, ranging
in years from thirty and over to four
teen. Tho countess was tne "doss oi
the establishment in and out of the
house. What she sold of a morning
constituted the law for tho day, so far
i i i
as woric was concerneu. ano nnu as
sistants, and I think a superintendent
to help her, but she was tho final au
thority in matters of management
The count did not appear to tako
any active part in the direction of af
fairs. Ho spent his time writing, rid
ing, walking and visiting with the
guests, of whom there were a goodly
number. At ono timo he may have
worked in tho fields with the peasants
but in July of 1896 he did not aharo
any of their toil at least I personally
did not see him at work among them.
What the countess really thoughti
about the whole business I never'
found out. We had one short conver
sation about tho count and his workj
during which Bho delivered herself of
theso remarks: "You will hear raanyj
things here thnt I do not agree with 1
1 believe it is better to bo and do than
to preach." I judged from these sen
timents that Tolstoiism as a cult had)
not captured her. But that sho thought'
much of the count as a man and hus-1
band was evident from hor solicitous
care of him. From "My Life So
Far," by the late Joslah Flynt in "Suc
cess" Magazine.
Kissable.
Grace You look tired. There's an
awful worn look about your mouth.
Evelyn I guess you don't know my
fiance.
An excellent demonstration of the
art of government was given by thut
guileless policeman of Newark whoi
assaulted, battered ana nigged to a
biatlon house tho acting mayor of that
settlement. The acting mayor seems
to have invited and deserved his fate.
He asked questions. Ho criticised the
curt generality of the answers he got.
In short, he committed tho unpardon
able sin of "giving lip" and not mov
ing on, He was lucky to escape with
his life. A policeman's time Is valu
able. He has many friends to convorse
with. Strangers havo no claim upon
his attention. The first duty of a good
citizen is to be meek.
The circus giant has to sise up to
the situation.
