! MYSTERY OF THE ROSE y* - Lawrence hunt er carried a big bunch of pink roses with him when he called on Alma Bentley with an important mission in his mind, and he felt that he was particularly fortu nate in having ^ ' them, as they were country-bred roses, grown properly in the open air, and the last of the sea son. He had heard the young woman be moan the fact that she never saw any roses except those raised in hot-houses, that she did not consider art superior to nature, and should never forget the dear roses that grew In the country, In the garden of their old home--they were filled with tender associations. Therefore Lawrence Hunter was full of a happy Importance, as he presented her with the roses he had plucked him self from the bushes in a friend's gar den that same day. iuu whi nna mem aengnuuuy mi grant," he said, as she took the great bunch of bloom in her fine, slim hands, and looked at them with such loving appreciation that the young man’s pulse went up to fever heat. She was dressed as became a rose queen, in snowy white, and her golden hair was bound with a filet of blue, which color enhanced the fairness of her complexion, as she probably meant it should, in the artlessness of art. And as she held her lovely face with its delicate rose-color above the roses, the young man, strengthened his resolve to propose that- ' But there is an old adage about man proposing. The queenly Alma knew that she could not continue to hold the roses without weariness, even flowers become burdensome, under certain con ditions, and she placed them tenderly in a china vase, and when they were arranged to suit her fastidious taste, lingered to drink in their subtle beauty. "They bring up the sweetest asso ciations of a happy past,” she said, romantically. "Petals of pink, and hearts of gold, how I love yoiri I revel in your adorable sweetness!” And she buried her face in the mass of roses, the better to inhale their odor, and then Lawrence, who felt the insanity of jealousy stealing over him, noticed that her slender form was shak en with sobs, and he sprung to her as sistance. But she gave a wild shriek and escaped from the room, leaving the astonished lover gazing into space. He heard cries and exclamations, the hurry of flying feet, doors slamming, and—silence. He waited, but no ono / “POISON TASTER TO MY QUEEN.” came, and he went home with a pro found conviction that he had just es caped making a fool of himself—that Alma Bentley was a woman with a past, that he would call on her—or cul tivate her society, no longer. And he lay awake all night, thanking his stars that he was not her accepted hus band. The next day he watched anxiously for some word, a note, any explanation, but none came. He wandered that way In the evening, and finding the house dark and closed, was so piqued and furious that he rung the bell and in 'quired if the young woman was at home. "Yes,” the domestic said, “but not able to see any one—quite ill, under the doctor’s care.” “The plot thickens,” said the young man to himself, as he turned away, more in love than ever, and determined to probe the mystery to its depths. Suppose she had a past—so had he, and he laughed grimly as he thought of some pages of his life that ho would have been glad to tear out and burn. Poor little girl! Some foolish romance of her early teens that had roses in it— and a lover! What then? How many love affairs of his own had left memo ries and associations—only he was a man and could forget. Well, he would teach her to forget if she would give him her confidence and love! He waited meekly but expectantly a week—two weeks, and v/hen a third had nearly passed, met Alma face to face. Both were riding, but she threw him a sweet smile and a bow as they passed, and he thought he had never seen her looking so well, not excepting that fatal evening of the roses. After a decorous time he called, and was as nervous as a woman as he wait ed to hear the rustle of her silken skirts, and learn from her lips the mys tery of the incident of the rose3. There was no hint of illness or pal lor, but Just a slight shade of anxiety on her face as she cordially welcomed the young man. “You must have thought me out of my senses,” she said, as soon as they were seated, "when I rushed out of the room that night; but I could not help ft, I lost all my self-control and cried 1 like a child. Mamma said I was very silly.” “Were you so much overcome?" asked Lawrence kindly. “Overcome? I was blind, frantic with pain.” “I have heard,” said the young man, “of people to whom the odor of certain flowers was painful on account of memories. If I had only known that my unfortunate roses had the power to rouse slumbering recollections of hap pier days, rather than revive such memories, I would have left them with er on their stems!” "Memories,” repeated Alma vaguely, "what had they to do with me? I don’t understand you, Mr. Hunter.” “Was it not an overpowering rush of associations connected with the roses that brought on your attack of ill ness?” Alma stared a moment, then laughed merrily. "No, indeed, it was the overpower ing rush of a bee concealed in one of the roses, and it stung my poor lip so that I was a fright for weeks and suf fered from the poison, too.” “And it wasn’t a memory?” Law rence’s tone was jubilant. “No, but it is now, and a very dis agreeable one. I am pledged hereafter to artificial roses.” “Let me have the life-long position of poison-taster to my queen,” sug gested Lawrence gallantly, and his queen, being in the mood, accepted him for the position. THE SUN'S HEAT. Would Melt a 200,000 Mile Icicle In a Single Second. We believe that we are speaking the truth when we say that there is no more than one person In ten who has anything like a correct idea of what an icicle forty-five n^iles in diameter and 200,000 in length would look like. It is also true that there is no necessity for one being provided with a mind that would enable him to form a correct conception of such a gigantic cylinder of ice, for there Is no piobability that any one will ever live to see an Icicle even half so large, yet it is interesting to know that Sir John Herschel, the great astronomer, used an illustration in one of his articles on the intensity of the sun’s heat. After giving the diameter of the great blazing orb, and a calculation on the amount of heat radiated by each square foot of its im mense surface, he closed by saying that if it were possible for an icicle forty five miles in diameter and 200,000 miles long to plunge into the sun’s great burning sea of gas, It would be melted away and utterly consumed, even to its vapor, in less than one second of time! Such an icicle would contain more cu bic yards of ice than has formed on the rivers and lakes of the Untied States during the past 100 years: its base would cover the average Missouri county, and its length would be almost sufficient to reach the moon. Where tlio Money Went. He was a very little fellow, but as bright as a dollar, as pretty as a Cupid, with more of a regard for per sonal appearance than the god of love, and lived in the suburbs. He had been saving up his pennies, nickels and dimes with the understanding that on his birthday he should be permitted to go to town and spend his money just as he might see fit. The day came and with his aunt he visited the city and spent the entire day away from iiome. When he returned in the even ing hi3 father asked him if he had en joyed himself. His nonchalent reply was: "Yes, sir." "Did you spend all your money?” was asked suggestively. “Yes, sir.” "What did you buy?” queried tht parent. “B’nanas.” “You don’t mean to tell me you spen. all your money for bananas?” “Yes, sir.” “Good heavens, child; why did you throw away all your money on bananas? Surely you did not eat all you bought with that $2.” “No, sir. I dess boughted ’em all day an’ I did eated two of ’em. Den I had lots o’ fun skinnin’ th’ others an’ trow in’ ’em at dogs.”—Indianapolis Senti nel. Where Sea Serpents Had Xo Show. A Georgia drummer was talking to a crowd of the famous “blue snake” of Florida. The drummer said: “I was workin’ in the field one day with a nigger, and niggers are scared to death of blue snakes, when he give a yell, ‘Blue snake!’ and went Ilyin’. I didn’t know wc.cU way the durn snake was cornin’, so I took after the nigger, and we went out of that field like two streaks of lightning, leavin’ our hoe? standin’ up in the furrow. What Be came of the snake I don’t know, and I didn’t go back to see until the next mornin’, and, by gum! what I found there surprised me about as much as anything I had met up with in Florida. The snake had hit my hoe handle plumb in the center, and it had swelled up so that I got a thousand shingles, 10,000 feet of weather boardin’, four cords of firewood, 100 fence rails, enough floorin’ for the Baptist church and 500 barrel staves out of it.’,’ The listeners expressed their belief vigor ously. "And,” concluded the drummer, when he could be heard, "that hoe-han dle was still swellin’ when we got it to the sawmill.” Irreverent. “What do you know about gold and silver?” asked the young farmer of the j irreverent youth. "You are too young to/understand anything about the coin- ! age question.” ' 7"Oh, of course,” Jeered the youth, j 'n guess I am too young to be a safe ! (man to sell a gold brick to.” j The allusion was painfully personal. ' —Indianapolis Journal. I FARM AND GARDEN. MATTERS OH INTEREST TO AGRICULTURISTS. Some Vp-to-Date Hints About Cultiva tion ot the Soli and 1'leliU Thereof— Horticulture. Viticulture and Flori culture. HE EARLIER IN life a weed Is de stroyed the easier, and the smaller the damage It will have done. This is al most self-evident. A weed is a thief In the cultivated ground, intent on making a vigorous growth and robbing the rightful plants of their nour ishment, says Prof. B. D. Halstead, who has made a study of weeds and their treatment. This work •does not begin until the young plant establishes its roots in the soil and has spread its leaves in the air and sunshine. If the weed is killed before this point is reached, a double work is done, the theft has been prevented, and the weed is killed. The germination of the seed has provided the condition for easy destruction tnat wouia not novc obtained had the plantlet remained snugly enveloped by the seed-coats. One of the best methods of ridding a soil of weeds is to arrange for rapid wholesale germination of the weed seeds, after which the young plants should be promptly killed. But all weeds are not annuals; and If the soil is filled with those that live from year to year, other methods of ex termination must be follow’ed. Weeds get their living in the same way as other plants—they need to have room In th,e soil for their roots, and space In the air and sunlight for the stems and leaves. Cut them off from these sources of food/ and the means of performing the vital functions, and death sooner or later must follow. It is evident that repeated removals of the portion above ground will continually weaken the plant, and if to this is added an occa sional upturning of the roots, the weeds must die. Some of them will stand a great deal of torture, hut it is the only general way. There is no panacea for weeds, noth ing that can be put on a field to kill them, unless it be a full and proper ap plication of that which, for the lack of a better and neater name, is called “el bow-grease.” This will not only kill the weeds, but also improve the culti vated cyops. It is beyond reasonable expectation that all annual weeds will be either killed in the seed or soon after germi nation; some dodge the hoe, while others will be missed by the rake. The next best thing is to keep them from seeding. The perfection of a crop of seeds is the end and aim of the whole existence of a weed. If one, for ex ample, removes the large cup-like flower cluster of the carrot, there will soon be a half dozen to take its place and hurry matters, in seeming fear that they may share the same fate before the seeds are matured. If a weed gets a late start, it spends very little time on stem building, but blossoms almost from the soil, and puts all its energies into the perfection of its seeds and the continuation of its species. A "pusley” plant will, if left to itself for a few days, ripen a million seeds, and do it without ostentation. Much depends upon the destruction of the last weed. If 999 are killed and the thousandth one left to enjoy the su perior advantages which the destruc tion of the others has given, it may be worse than if all had lived and struggled with each other through an imperfect growth. One well-grown and heavily-seeded weed will leave a large legacy for evil in a rich field. It is the few weeds that are left in the cornfields that, having had the best, op portunities, do the mischief and con tinue the pests. Weed seeds have, a remarkable way of disseminating themselves. One farmer, by every means in his power, roots out the cursed Canada thistle, while an adjoining field may be largely devoted to the propagation of this prickly pest. The thistle seeds are provided with miniature balloons, by means of which they are carried by the lightest winds and will find a fa vorable place to grow in the well-tilled field of the thrifty farmer. Therefore, in the extermination of these pests there must be an earnest and concerted action. Pruning I'lowerlng Shrat>«. One of the first requisites to success ful pruning is to be able to correctly distinguish between shrubs which ought to be pruned in winter and those which ought to be pruned in summer. If a mistake be made in this connection, effects diametrically the re verse of those we wish to bring about will be the inevitable result. Another important requisite to insure complete success is that the various kinds of shrubs be pruned in the proper season. Owing, no doubt, to the pressure of work in the summer time, the pruning of flowering shrubs is too often neg lected, and when ultimately attended to It is, as stated above, generally left to persons who, from lack of knowledge or through carelessness, cut away a quantity of wood, which, if left to the following spring, would produce a pro fusion of blossom. Let us take, for instance, such shrubs as forsythias, viburnums, ex ochorda grandiflora, prunuses, many spiraeas, weigelas, etc., which flower in the spring or early summer. The proper time to prune such shrubs is im mediately after they have done flower ing. If the plant to be operated upon be your l and expected to grow larger in order) to fill its place in a bed or else where, ail that will be found necessary will be to cut away part of the previous year’s growth. Special attention will, of course, have to be paid to the bal ance of the plant, and the operator must, as far as circumstances will per mit, strive to give It a natural and graceful form. If the plant has at tained the desired size, the old shoots can be thinned out and cut back to suit the situation and taste of the par ties Immediately concerned, and It will be found that young shoots will at once develop and be In the proper con dition to yield an abundance of flowers the ensuing year. A specimen can thus be kept In good shape and form for many years without any apparent change In its size. In a mixed shrub bery this method Is of great advantage, as It limits each plant to its allotted space and prevents It from encroaching on its neighbor, or obscuring from view many of the finer but less robust growing shrubs. Many people are under the Impres sion that such shrubs as hardy azaleas, rhododendrons, etc., cannot be success fully pruned, but such Is by no means the case. I have myself found It quite practicable, by Judicious and careful pruning, to transform, in a few years, tall, gaunt, unshapely plants of the kinds Just named Into beautiful and de sirable specimens. The pruning of this class of shrubs should also be executed Immediately after they have done flow ering, and it will be found, as stated above, that young shoots will at once develop and be In the proper condition to yield an abundance of flowers when the appropriate time arrives. uuier uuweriiig snruDS, sucn as ai theas, hydrangeas, Roglnla hlspida, clerodendron, serotinum, etc., should be pruned In the winter time. Summer pruning would indeed be highly Injuri ous In this case, for the simple reason that by cutting away any of the young growths wo would, in most instances, be mutilating that part of the shrub on which the flowers are produced. Win ter pruning is a comparatively more simple operation than summer pruning, from the fact that at this season plants can be cut back to almost any part, and In the spring young shoots will break away and produce a profusion of blos soms at the proper time. For shrubs having an effect from their fruit or foliage, such as berberry, eunonymus, calllcarpa, mahonia, etc., 1 would recommend winter pruning. If trimmed in the summer time it gives them a stunted appearance, which mars the beauty of their foliage at a time when it shows to the best advan tage and is most appreciated. It will be observed that ini the fore going remarks the pruning of flowering shrubs is simply treated in a general manner. Of course, it goes without saying that it would be almost impossi ble, and especially in a short article like the present, to lay down a hard and fast rule that would apply in all cases, for the fact is that in order to obtain the best results, each species requires special treatment, a thorough knowl edge of which can only bo acquired by practice and training. If, however, the hints given above be attended to, blun dering in pruning, and the failure and disappointment consequent thereon, can, to a very great extent, be averted, and many a shrubbery can be trans formed from a chaotic mass into a thing of beauty—at once pleasing to the eye and an ornament in the landscape —American Gardening. Destroying the Hessian Fly. W. C. Latta of Purdue University gives the following advice: Owing to the prevalence and destructiveness of the Hessian fly this year, concerted ef forts should bo put forth to prevent a recurrence of its ravages upon the next wheat crop. In order to prevent a se rious attack of "the fly” tho following measures should be adopted: 1. Thoroughly burn all fly-infested wheat stubble in which there is not a stand of young clover or grass. 2. Prepare very early a border, one of two rods wide, around each field of wheat, and sow the same to wheat In August. 3. Turn this border under very late, using a jointer, following with roll and harrow, and then sow the entire field. By taking this course many of the' insects which escape the fire will be buried when the early-sown border Is turned uuder, and the late sowing of the general crop will avoid the earlier attacks of any remaining “fly.” If these precautions are carefully and generally observed by the farmers the Hessian fly will not seriously damage the next wheat crop. United effort Is necessary to bo effective. Few Suggestions.—The long-suffer ing mother will find this list of inesti mable benefit during the whole trying season: To remove fresh fruit stains stretdh the stained portion of the goods over a basin and pour boiling water through it until the mark disappears. To remove old fruit stains, wash the stained portion of the goods in oxalic acid until clear. Rinse thoroughly in clear rain water, wet with ammonia, rinse again and dry. Grass stains should be rubbed In either molasses or alcohol until they disappear, and shonlcf be washed as usual. Pink stains should be soaked in lemon juice, covered with salt and bleached in the sun. If they are on colored material they should be treated with oxalic acid in the same way as old fruit stains. A mixture of one-third of powdered alum to two thirds of tartar is also good for obsti nate ink stains and others. Ink stains on carpets are removed most easily with lemon juice or oxalic acid. Wagon grease, tar or pitch stains should be rubbed well with lard and then washed in the usual way. Colors which have faded under the influence of acid may be restored by treating them with am monia and chloroform. Colors changed by alkalies may be restored by acid treatment. The bicycle has destroyed the sale of more horses than even the electric road has done. Wise Old King Cerrops. Did I say that the people who lived there (Athens) at that time were simple-minded? Rather childlike they were in some wavs, and not so worldly wise as they might have been hud they lived some thousand years later; but they were neither simpletons nor altogether savages. They were the foremost people in Greece. It was all owing to their king, wise old Cecrops, that they had risen to a condition supe rior to that of the halt barbarous tribes around them, lie had shown them how to sow barley and wheat and plant vineyards; and he had taught them to depend upon these and their docks and herds for food, rather than the wild beasts of the chase, lie had persuaded them to lay aside many of their old cruel customs, had set them in families with each its own home, and had in structed them in the worship of the gods. On the top of the Acropolis they had built a little city, and protected it with walls and fortifications against any attact from their wnrlike neigh bors; and from this point as a center they had, little by little, extended their induence to the sea on one side and to the mountains on the other, liut, ' strange to say, they had not yet given i a name to their city, nor had they de cided which of the gods should be its protector. l iso h Cure is the medicine to t reals up children's Coughs and Colds.—Mm. M: (J. Hlunt, Sprague, Wash., March 8, ’04. An Antoinette Wrap. If there is no new dress under the sun, Aaron's linen coat being' worn to day by women and pantaloons having been found from the stone epoch, there are at least designs that reappear like comets at such long intervals that they are new to some consecutive genera tions. Thus it is with a certain Marie Antoinette cloak, that lias appeared and seems destined to a career. Not so very old in its design it is so ex tremely odd and its career was so short in its day that it comes with all the effect of surprise. This hood is ex ceedingly wide und is hooped round the opening, and when on the head stands out like an inflated half balloon some what flattened on top and leaving a wide space on each side of the face, that may be filled with hair or shad ows The width of this hood reaches out to that of the widest sleeves ever made. Attached to a long cloak it is bound to figure in evening wraps next winter, but forstalling the time, they are occasionally seen on hotel piazzas at night, and made of taffeta beruched or of satin lined with cloth; one or two travelers have worn them coming from l’aris to the beech. The effect is truly marvelous The Nickel Plate road has authorized its agents to sell tickets at greatly re duced rates to Albany, N. V., on occa sion of the meeting of the German Catholic Societies of the United States in that city. Sept. 15th to 18th. For particulars address J. Y. Calalian, Gen'l Agent, 111 Adams St., Chicngu Stock In Ohio. The auditor of the state of Ohio has completed his annual tabulation of the returns of animals made by the various counties It shows a notable decrease in the number of sheep in the state, there be ing only 3,005,405 this year, against 3,555,185 in 1894. A decided reduction in the number of horses is also shown. In 1804 there were 854,840, aud this year there are but 705,805, a decrease of 28, 045. There are 1,553,001 cattle in the state, a decrease of 43.504 from last year. An increase ’ is shown in the number of hogs, there being 1,437,303 tliis year, against 1,331,100 in 1804, an increase of 100,534. "lutos't Maglo Corn Warranted to cure or money refunded. Ask yoor InijfKlst for it. Fiicv 16 cento. The First Horse that Ever 'Lived* There is a Greek legend tellling how Athens came by its name, and there is a noble horse who plays a prominent part in the legend. If we are to be lieve the story, he was the first real fiesh-and-blood horse of which we have any account. Some men say that he was the first animal of the kind that ever lived, but this is doubtful. Snowy white, without spot or blemish from the tips of his ears to the tips of his amber hoofs, how he must have astonished the simple-minded folk of Cecropln when he leaped right out of the earth at their feet! if you should evergoto Athens and climb to the top of that wonderful hill called the Acropolis look around you. You may see the very spot where it all is said to have hap pened. Ilonieseekert* Kxcursionfl* On Aug. 20th, Sept. 10th and 24th, 18115, the Union Pacific System will sell ticket from Council bluffs and Omaha to point south and west in Nelrnska and Kansas a so to Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho, east of Weiser and south of Heaver Canon, a't exceedingly low rates. For fu l information, as to rates and limits, apply to A. C. Di-nx, City Ticket Agent, 1802 Fainam St., Omaha. Net). GREAT BOOK FREE; When Dr. R. V. Pierce, of Buffalo, N. Y., published the first edition of his work. The People’s Common Sense Medical Adviser, he announced that after 680,000 copies had been sold at the regular price, $1.50 per copy, the profit on which would repay him for the great amount of labor and money expended in producing it, he would dis tribute the next half million free. As this number of copies has already'been sold, he is now distributing, absolutely free, 500,000 copies of this -most com plete, interest- COUPON ing and val uable common No. 111 sense med ical work ever - published— the recipient only being required to mail to him, at the above address, this little coupon with twenty-one (31) cents in one cent stamps to pay for postage and pack ing only, and the book will be sent by mail. It is a veritable medical library, complete in one volume. It contains over 1000 pages and more than ,joo illustrations. The Free Edition is precisely the same as those sold at $1.50 except only that the books are bound in strong manilla paper covers in stead of cloth. Send now before all are given away. They are going off rapidly. Th« Larfeit Elk cm Record. The largest elk of which I have us authentic record waa formerly owned by Mr. O. R. McKenzie, of Sullivan county, New York, and kept in bin park until it had to be killed for . 1900 Daiglai St.. Vaaha, \ik IM DC BoxSHa.Kochettw.M.Y. ■ 1IY1 UsP