SHORT STORIES.
A MUTILATED POET.
When a western editor was gifting in
feU office one day a man whose brow
sras clothed with thunder entered.
iFercety seizing a chair, he slammed
al umbrella on the floor, and sat down.
"Are you the editor?" he asked.
"Tea."
"Can you read writing?"
"Of course."
"Read that, then." he said, thrusting
at the colonel an envelope, with an In
scription upon It
"B said the Colonel, trying to
ipell It.
"That's not a B, It's aa S," said the
man.
"S; oh, yes; I see! Well, It looks like
Salt for dinner,' or 'Souls of sinners,' "
'sold the colonel.
"No, sir," replied the man; "nothing
of the kind! That's my name Samuel
H. Brunner. I knew you couldn't read.
called to see about that poem of mine
fou printed the other day, on the 'Sur
cease of Sorrow ! "
"I don't remember It," said the col
Mel. "Of course you don't, because it went
Into the paper under the Infamous title
af 'Smearcase Tomorrow.' "
"A blunder of the compositor's, 1
suppose."
"Yes, sir; and that's what I want to
tee you about. The way In which that
poem was mutilated was simply scan
dalous. I haven't slept a night since. It
posed me to derision. People think
that I am an ass. Lot me show you.
The first line when I wrote It read in
this way:
Lying by a weeping willow, under
neath a gentle slope.
"That is beautiful, poetic, affecting.
Now, how did your vile sheet present
It to the public?
Lying to a weeping widow to Induce
her to elope.
"Weeping widow, mind you! A wld
w! O, thunder and lightning; this Is
too much!
"But look a-here at the fourth verse.
That's worse yet:
Cast thy pearls before the swine and
lose them in the dirt.
He sets it up In this fashion:
Cart thy pills before the sunrise and
love them if they hurt
"Now, Isn't that a cold-blooded out
rage on a man's feelings? I'll leave It
to you If It Isn't"
"It's hard, that's a fact," said the
Ooloncl.
"And then take the fifth verse. In the
arlginal manuscript It said, plain an
daylight:
Take away the jingling money; It Is
only glittering dross.
"In its printed form you made me
lay:
Take away the tingling honey; put
some files In for the boss.
"By George, I felt like braining you
with a fireshovcl! I was never so cut
up In my life. There, for Instance, was
the sixth verse. I wrote:
I am weary of the tosnlng of the ooean
as it heaves.
"It Is a lovely line, too. But Imagine
my horror and the anguish of ray fam
ily when I opened your paper and saw
the line transformed Into:
I am wearing out my trousers till they
open at the knees.
"That is a little too much. That
seems to me like carrying the thing an
Inch or two too far. I think I have a
constitutional right to murder that
compositor; don't you?"
"I think you have."
"Let me read you one more verse. I
wrote:
I swell the flying ec.hoea as they room
among the hills.
And I fet-l my soul awakening to the
.ecstasy that thrills.
"Now, what do you s'pose your mis
erable outcast turned that Into? Why,
luto this:
I smell the frying shoe aa they coast
along the bulls.
And I peel my soul mistaken In the
erctary that whirls.
"I must slay that man, where Is her'
"He is out Just now," said the col
onel. "Come In tomorrow."
"I will." said the poet, "and I will
come armed." Ex.
BIO DOG KELT THE HEAT.
The big dog lay on the pavement In
front of the custom house In New Tork.
He was a yellowish, brlndly sort of
dog, enveloped In a coat of heavy fur
that seemed very much out of place
with the thermometer at S. So the
big dog thought, at any rate, for his
face expressed extreme weariness, and
from hla open panting mouth great
drops of water dripped on the hot flag
stones. A symathetlc crowd of mes
senger boys and loungers gathered
around him and volunteered counsel
after the manner of the angels min
istering to Elijah.
"Hully geet But he's a whale," ald
one.
"Newfoundland," suggested another.
"Naw, he ain't neither," said the shoe
trlng man. "St Bunnard, you can al
alway tell 'em by the color."
"Itallana dog; verra good; sir' chat
tered the pushcart man, showing all
his white teeth In the delight the sug
gestion afforded him.
"That dog don't act light, I tell you,"
aid a seedy looking man. Impressive
ly. "Look at them eyes. I shouldn't
wonder If he was going mad. He
wouldn't be the first one this hot
weather, either."
The big dog turned his head slight
Mr and looked up aa If In appreciation
of the speaker's acumen. Several of
the crowd drew back.
"That'a the Idea," said the seedy
looking man. "diva him air. Most
likely he's ran all the way from Har
lem down here In the flrat stages of
byderfoby. What he needs la sir and
wmethlng to cool hla blood."
"Send for the Ice man," Irreverently
suggested a small newsboy, who was
quickly suppreMed.
"That kid's all right," said the seedy
looking man, who was gaining confi
dence. "We got to do something. One of
you fellows go for a policeman and an
other of you get a chunk of Ice some
where. Maybe we can save him yet."
Two of the messenger boys hurried
away with the spirit of noble charity
in their pace. The crowd by this time
had increased to a small multitude.
"Now," said the seedy-looking man,
turning to a fakir, "gimme one of
them fans and I'll keep down his tem
perature till they git back."
lit seized the broad palm leaf, and
stepping in Tront of the canine suffer
er, described an arc through the air
which caused the fan to pass within
three Inches of the patient's nose.
"Ounce!" said the big dog, Indig
nantly, starting to his feet. "Ounce!
Ounce! Ounce!" he continued loudly.
But by that time there were only ' a
few whose physical Incapacity left
them still within hearing; these only
accelerated their speed. The big dog
opened his eyes In melancholy wonder
and settled himself upon the pavement.
Thn a cool-appearing man in a blue
suit came out of the custom house,
says the New York Sun, and said,
"Here, Rex," and the big dog rose and
followed him down the street toward
Broadway.
Five minutes later three policemen
rounded the corner ot double quick
time, an ambulance dashed op, and
the gong of an approaching Are engine
was heard up the block. But they found
only an overturned pushcart, whose
owner was gathering up his wares with
soft Italian curses, a man picking up a
scattered stock of palm leaf fans, and
a crowd of people watching from the
second-story windows.
HE KNEW THE ROPES.
It's the canny old bird that cannot
be caught with the bird lime of litiga
tion. You've probably heard of Lawyer
Hackett Of Somerset A little while
ago he purchased some land over
which there had been a lawsuit for
years, until the parties had spent half
a dozen times what the land was worth.
Hackett knew all about It Some of
the people wondered why he wanted to
get hold of property with such an Incu
bus of uncertainty on It Others
thought that perhaps he wanted some
legal knitting work and would pitch In
redhot to right that line fence question
on his own hook.
That's what the owner ot the adjoin
ing land thought, says the Baltimore
Herald. So he brace dhlmself for trou
ble when he saw Hackett coming across
the fields one day.
Bald Hackett: "Where's your claim
here, anyway, as to this fence?"
"I Insist," replied the neighbor, "that
your fence Is over on my land two feet
at one end and one foot at least at the
other end."
"Well," replied Hackett, "you go
ahead Just as quick as you can and set
your fence over. At the end where you
say that I encroach on you two feet,
set the fence onto my land four feet.
At the other end puBh It onto my land
two feet"
"But," persisted the neighbor, "that'e
twice what I claim."
"I don't care about that," said Hack
ett "There's been tight enough over
this land. I want you to take enough
so you are perfectly satisfied you have
got your right, and then we can get
along all pleasantly. Go ahead and
help yourself."
The man paused, abashed. He had
been ready to commence the old strug
gle, tooth and nail. But this move of
the new neighbor stunned him. Yet
he wasn't to be outdone in generosity .
He looked at Hackett
"Squire," said he, "that fence ain't
going to be moved an Inch. I don't
want the blamed old land. There
warn't nothing to the fight but the
principle of the thing "
A MATRIMONIAL MIX-UP.
X few more such matrimonial prob
lems as that of which the Richmond,
England, Justices have patiently but
vainly sought a solution would proba
bly render an appointment on the Com
mission of the Peace a less coveted hon
or than It Is at present Mrs. Gobtton
a few wecka ago summoned her hus
band for arrears of maintenance under
an order, and the defaulting Gibson
pleaded that a former husband of his
reputed wife one Joe Boxall was still
living. At a subsequent hearing Sam
ucal Boxall, a brother of Joe, appeared
and deposed that be bad met him last
spring.
At the next hearing, a day or two
ago, a man claiming to be Joe Boxall
himself entered the witness box and
swore that he separated from his wife
about twenty years ago, and had near
ly ever since been living In France.
Confronted with this witness, Mrs. Box
all stoutly affirmed that he was not
Joe Boxall, but Joe'a brother, Tom,
who, she mid. had gone to Australia
about the same time that ber own hus
band went to Franc.
Other witnesses, however, swore pos
itively to their recognition of him as
the veritable Joseph which they had
known eighteen or twenty years ago,
and Samuel Boxall, on being further
Interrogated, declared that Tm did
not go to Australia until several years
after Joe disappeared; that he was liv
ing eighteen month ago In Western
Australia, when he had written to his
brother Samuel, and added, by way of
putting a final touch to the confusion,
that Tom "had a wife of his own now
living In Battersea."
On the other hand, there are un
doubtedly weak points In the alleged
Joseph's account of himself, for where
as Samuel had described him aa able
to write letters, and Mrs. Gibson's
marriage certificate purported to bear
his signature, he admitted In cross
examination that the nohle art of pen
manship was not Included among hla
accomplishments. There was a con
siderable gap, too, in his French rec
ord which he at last endeadvored to fill
up by stating that he had been "In the
ginger beer department" a ministry
which Is certainly not known in Paris
by that name, though In the present
state of effervescence over the "Affaire
Dreyfus" It would be no unapt descrip
tion of more than one official bureau.
In the result the bench declined to
make the order applied for by Mrs.
Gibson against her second husband;
but "they did not otherwise express
any opinion on the case." This de
cision seems to mean that though they
cannot for the moment precisely Indi
cate the persons liable for Mrs. Gib
son's maintenance, they feel reason
ably certain that he will ultimately be
discovered somewhere or other among
the crowd of Boxalls, No accounts are
yet to hand of the condition of the
magistrates since the last hearing of
the case; but we should think It not
Improbable that some of them are suf
fering from acute headache.
HIDDEN IN PETTICOATS.
Quite a sensation was recently caus
ed at Jassy, In Roumanla, by the death
of a Mme. Balsch, who has, by her ec
centricities, for years past, attracted
much attention In that town.
Some years ago she was the wife of
a Herr Veldimann, by whom she had a
daughter. After a year or two of mar
ried life she divorced him and a mar
ried a Herr Balsch, by whom she had a
son. Soon after the latter's birth she
left her second husband.
She then went to Paris, where she
called herself Countess von Balsch.
Toward her children she never seemed
to feel anything but the greatest ha
tred, and when her son died she sent
the body to his father for burial. She
turned her daughter out of her house,
and the unfortunate girl was only kept
from starvation by the kindness of rel
atives. After the death of her second
husband she returned to Roumanla,
where she lived in complete retire
ment. In spite of the fact that she was ex
tremely wealthy she lived in the most
wretched manner, and was generally
reputed to be a miser. A few days ago
she died. When her daughter came
to examine her belongings no trace of
money could be found. In going
through her mothef's clothing, how
ever, she noticed that one of the petti
coats seemed stiff, as If heavily lined.
She ripped it Pn and found over 200,
000 notes sewed under the lining.
This put her on the track, and all
her mother's petltcoats, of which she
had on enormous number, were exam
ined. In nearly every one large sums
of money were found, amounting all
together to between 2,000,000 and J.0OO,
000 francs. Fremdenblatt
LI HXING CHANG'S MISTAKE
Ono day, some years ago, LI Hung
chnnir was making a Journey from
Tlen-TBin to Shanghai, on the BU'Bjner
of the Chinese Mutual company, of
which he Is the principal owner, says
the Philadelphia Saturday Post. Being
of an Inquiring disposition he -asked
many questkms about the machinery
and the furnishings of the ship. What
Interested him most was the barometer,
and Captain Baker explained It with
great care and described the minutest
details.
Several months after, when Captain
Baker arrived at Tlen-Tsln at the end
of a voyage, he was Informed at the
steamxhlp office that Earl Li wanted
to see him at the Viceroy's yamen.
The captain, Judging from the expe
rience of other men, expected to re
ceive a reward for faithful servloe, and
dressing hlmeelf with core took a
rickshaw for the residence of the
greatest man in China. Upon arrival
ho was shown Into the reception room,
and pretty soon LI Hung Chang made
his appearance, followed by a servant
carrying a handsomely mounted ma
hogany box. He put it on the table,
opened It and took out a beautiful
barometer, which had Just arrived
from Paris. After Captain Baker ha
admired the mechanism of the Instru
ment, Earl LI turned to him and sold:
"Now, I want you to show me how
you f-etell events with this thing."
"You cannot foretell events with a
barometer," sold Captain Baker, In
surprise."
"You told me you could," retortod
Earl LI.
"I never did anything of the kind,"
exclaimed the astonished seaman. "I
told you that by comparing the changes
In the temperature and the direction of
the wind with the movements of this
Instrument we could anticipate a storm,
but I did not say anything about fore
telling events, because that Is Impossi
ble." The viceroy stared at the sailor with
astonishment, and exclaimed:
"You are an Ignorant Incompetent
fellow. Don't you know that the
weather la the moat uncertain thing In
the world? Other events are governed
by laws and arbitrary conditions, from
which the weather Is entirely free, and
anybody who can and out what the
weather la going to be ought to be
able to foretell ordinary events."
Then with a contemptuous motion he
dismissed Captain Baker from his pres
ence, and never spoke to him again.
"Why does Mlsa Leftover say aha la
twenty-four when everybody knows aha
Is forty."
"Perhapa she Is trying to take advan
tage ot the speculative Instinct In
men."
"How can that beT
Hh may think that soma would be
willing to take her at twenty-four who
would consider her too high at long."
Detroit Fret Pre.
THE BABY.
"She is a little hindering thins,"
The mother suld;
"I do not have an hour of peace,
Till she's In bed.
"She clings unto my hand or gown.
And follows me
About the house from room to room
Talks constantly.
"She Is a bundle full of nerves
And wilful ways?
She does not sleep full sound at nights
Scarce any days.
"She does not like to hear the wind.
The dark she fears;
And plteously the calls to me
To wipe her tears.
"She Is a little hindering thing,"
The mother said:
"But still she Is my wine of life,
My daily bread."
The children what a load of care
Their coming brings;
But, oh! the grief when God doth stoop
To give them wings.
A FAREWELL
PERFORMANCE
Jacfl Halllday and Doris Verrall were
what the society papers especially the
penny ones call "smart people." They
lived in a dear little world of their own,
whose Inhabitants had nothing what
ever to do but eat, drink and be merry;
a charming sphere where everybody
tried their very hardest to be amusing
and amiable, and where nothing was
ever taken seriously that Is, In public
The greatest enemy of these Utopians
was boredom, and this they avoided by
being superficial merely sipping at
things instead of Imbibing the huge
draughts that ordinary mortals are apt
to indulge in. When they did a good
deed they did it by stealth and threw
mud at it afterwards; when they spoke
of things humand and divine they hid
their true selves and real meaning un
der an Impenetrable cloak of flippant
slang and cheap witticisms. Each one
of them was a hero or heroine of an
external comedy with a single part.
Thus, the net result of their acquaint
anceship was that Doris Verrall had
never got a word of sober sense out of
Jack Halllday, while Jack Halllday had
never heard a syllable of wisdom issue
from the delicate lips of Doris Verrall.
Doris was an only child and mother
less. She and her father had kept
house toetgher and mutually spoilt one
another these laft fifteen years. They
had a miniature Mayfalr palace all to
themselves, an Arcadia that would
have surprised most of the Utopians
among whom Doris tok her pleasures,
by reason, of Its restful simplicity and
quiet affections. Father and daughter
were very fond of each other, each in
their own way Mr, Verrall in a digni
fied, old world manner that reminded
one of Balzac's elderly aristocrats,
while Doris showed her affection by be
ing disrespectful. She treated "Dad-
lUflay," as she playfully styled Mr. Ver-
Vrall
like a big Bpolled child, and he
as clay under her fingers.
It was a Sunday evening In June.
The sky was clearing fast after a day's
rain, and London looked as If it had
Just come home from the laundry.
Doris and Mr. Verrall, who had gone
down to the park for a mild constitu
tional, ran up against Jack Halllday,
bent on a similar errand, and bore him
home to dinner. He had never dined
en famllle with the Verralls and won
dered what It would be like. The Idea
seemed strange at first sight because it
was new. London men are above all
things creatures of habit, three-quarters
of whose lives are carefully plan
ned and mapped out for them by that
huge machine, society. This Baves them
the trouble of thinking, and other dis
comforts. So Halllday thought for a
moment and came to the conclusion
that Doris was a nice girl and would
keep him in a god temper half the even
ing if he kept her amused the other
half. Mr. Verrall he hardly knew.
The dinner was a success. All three
enjoyed It Jack Halllday most of all.
It was different from the shallow glit
ter of Us everyday life. It reminded
him of "Home Sweet Home" and the
domestic Doris, carefully looking after
her white-haired old father was an un
expected revelation. It seemed strange
to think that this pattern of filial of
feotlon was the cynical, witty and flip
pant Doris Verrall he had hitherto
know n For a minute or two the very
thought made htm uncomfortably self
conscious. He was an Intruder, he hod
no place In the domestic economy of
that household, no right to pry Into
their attachment and intimacy. This
feeling gave way after the first few
moments. No one, save himself, noticed
the Incongruity of his presence; he was
evidently a welcome guest and belong
ed to the picture. Doris had never seen
him so quiet before. To him she seemed
a new being, more like one of the peo
ple In the books he read In his lonely
chambers than the Miss Verrall of
yesterday. When she talked to the old
man the theater with the solitary actor
seemed to have closed Its doors; but
whenever she addressed a remark to
Jack the portals reopened, the foot
llghU glared brightly as ever. Perhaps
It waa his fault Habit was stronger
than natur. He could not speak as
he felt, and ahe took the cue. In spite
of themselvea they could not shake off
the heartless Jargon that veiled their
true aelvea In a most of precocious
cocksureness, cynical affectation and
superficial worldllnese.
The old gentleman listened amusedly.
He rather enjoyed their curious meth
od of evading sense and sincerity.
There waa a certain misapplied clever
ness In It all that was new to him and
seemed full nf the pretty vanity and
overflowing vitality of youth simply
a mood, a mood that had Its fnultN, no
doubt, but waa Interesting all th same.
He did not know that Jack and Doris
spent the greater part of tnelr lives
an. Id similar drivel, and that both. In
that Instant, were tired to death of It
loathed. To them it sounded out
of place, bad taste, even vulgar. Yet
it was their language; they could not
shake it off; they could not talk to each
other but in that profane tongue.
Each could see the reflection of their
thoughts in the other's eyes, but neith
er was strong enough or bold enough
to be real, to rebel.
They grew silent after a time while
Mr. Verrall talked lovingly about
books and pictures and men and wo
men who had written and painted them.
The old gentleman had a simple, home
ly way about him that was restful.
Doris and Jack listened contentedly,
and again Halllday thought of the peo
ple In the books, while the girl looked
encouragingly at her father even
tenderly, Jack thought She stayed In
the dining room while the men smoked
a cigar, and then Mr. Verrall, with
many apologies, settled In a big arm
chair for his usual after-dinner nap.
It was nearly dusk, and Jack asked
her to play for him In the twilight, so
they went up stairs to the drawing
room. Doris seated herself at a piano
while he went over to the fireplace and
sank deep Into a big chair piled with
cushions. Doris played divinely and
the music went deep Into his soul. It
wove subtle spells as It filtered through
the shadowy room and made him
sink deeper into the chair and guard
the silence of death lest he should lose
a single note of the harmony that spoke
to him out of the dimness, out of the
fleecy haze that wrapt all things. A
whole world of spirits whispered in his
ears; they told him of Jack Halllday
much about Jack Halllday. The little
devils that pop in and out of everj
man's post were murmuring fitfully
around him, exercised maybe by the
dim light, maybe by the music and
shadowy figure at the piano, maybe by
all three together. It was too dark for
Doris to se his face, so he left hlB
feelings have full play. Every note
raked up some long forgotten dust
heap In his heart, recalled thought
after thought of past homes, ambitions
and love chiefly love. Shadowy faces
of nameless men and women, faces
long forgotten and all too well remem
bered, that had left their mark on boy
hood, youth or manhood, rose from out
the gloom. Now the notes wove them
selves Into words soft words that had
made his heart beat madly In other
days, or humbled him through their
wealth of spotless purity. It was quite
dark now, save for the moonlight, but
he sat still in the chair listening to the
voices that surged In his ears. He had
shut his eyes and pressed both hands
to them so that he Bhould be still blind
ed to the present blind to all save the
sweet pain of the hour, the sadness and
longing for better things that filled his
naked soul.
Suddenly the music ceased. Doris
closed the piano with a bang and, turn
ing a tap In the wall above her head,
filled the room with & great blaze of
light Halllday sprang hastily from
his chair, then, regaining some of his
old composure, "By Jove, you might
give a fellow some warning!" he said.
She smiled, divining the cause of his
nervous face and the softness In his
eyes with a woman's ready intuition.
Then they both rubbed their eyes be
cause of the sudden glare of the elec
tric light, till she laughingly said'
"Caught you napping, Mr. Halllday! I
really didn't know that you ever took
anything seriously," and a picture of
the Invariably flippant and supercilious
Jack Halllday rose up before her. She
salw a half reproachful, half pained
look in his eyes, so she added, "1
must't be personal or you'll hate me;"
then, taking a chair to the other side
of the fireplace, she went on tentative
ly, "Let's talk sober sense for an houi
or two and keep up the Illusion."
"Intoxicated nonsense is nicer, isn't
it?" he onsw:i-ed weakly.
"Mr. Halllday, do you want me to
frown?"
"No, but" the smile that was on his
face died away as the pain In his eyes
deepened. "Do you know what you ore
risking? Are you in earnest? Shall
we really take each other seriously for
a change?" He pauBed here, wonder
ing whether single men and women
ever did take each other seriously in
his world, at least. In the other world,
where people had to work for a living,
it was different They had to be seri
ous or go under. Then he looked at
her for an answer, marveling at the
kindness and good will In her face.
"Why not?" she said slowly. "Does
n't the smal Italk sometimes bore you
more than the big words? Weren't you
serious when I turned the light on?
Tell me what you were thinking about,
if I'm not too curious." ,
Doris was silent now. She was wait
ing for him to speak. Her heart was
too full for words, filled by that strange
new sensatnm that made her wish to
help him, to comfort him and give
happiness even at the risk of her life,
a feeling unselfish, self-sacrifice, and
purely womanly that Increawd with
every word that he uttered.
Jack began nervously, galnln gforce
as he went along. "The music rather
stirred me up and set me thinking of
the nothing, the empty nothing that
represents my past a thing I thought
was gone and done with quite gone.
It's different with you," he went on,
"You've got some one at home you can
talk sense to. I haven't. I sit alone
In my rooms sometimes and think of
another life than the feeble Imitation
of a one I lead sometimes real, some
thing like the people who say, Time
is money1 lead. We say, 'Time Is made
to he killed.' I suppose It's because
we've got the money. It's not the work
I want, but It's something different to
the aimless vanity of our life."
8he looked at him kindly, it seemed
to him. He thanked her with hla eyet
and continued: "This may be en ti
me nt, even sickly sentiment but yos
know that when a man begin that way
he Is ten times worse than a woman.
It's a long time since I saw anything
real anything lasting. Perhaps If I bad
I would not have believed in it, would
have pooh-poohed it. May I be person
al? I envied your father tonight and
I envied you. I always thought your
life as empty and aa hollow as mine,
or else I should never have complained.
It was all new to me; it ought not to
have been only one forgets every
thing In time. I suppose the real world
Is full of men and women who live for
men and women, but I've been playing
my part alone all these years without
help and without helping." He spoke
disjolntedly, with a voice changing
from husky to broken and back again,
rolling out every word painfully, sad
ly, as though he were alone In the room
and speaking to himself. He kept hi
eyes away from Doris, save every now
and again when he looked at her wist
fully, pleadingly. When he caught hei
eye he say pity in It and even fancied
there was love as well. Her face waa
that of a woman a real woman, ten
der and sympathetic.
He continued his monologue. "Then
the twilight and the music, and may I
say you, too, got hold of me and set
me thinking of my people that are gone
and the sister miles away In India, and
a thousand other selfish thoughts ot
self-pity. But It's not too late to Join
the other people, to get out of the nar
row world, the pack-of-cards thing I've
built that's now toppling over." He
stopped and looked at her Inquiringly
for words. He knew she would com
fort him, could comfort him, that he
could find peace, even happiness, with
her. It was all part of the new sensa
tion that had made him pour his heart
out to her and look to her for help to
face Iris new life. She spoke to him. It
was difficult for her to restrain her
voice lest It should be too tender, but
there was an occasional tear In it In
spite of her self-command; and he lov
ed her the betetr for it She even
thanked him for the confidence he had
shown her; and then she spoke to him
of his family and himseclf and other
things they had only dared to vaguely
hint at in the past
They sat long together, talking a
old friends dofl openly, intimately, with
out restraint There was a new sense
of rest in both their hearts now; a
vague thing that people recognize and
call happiness when It I haa become a
memory.
The house was very quiet; there waa
a stillness over all things that was al
most new to them. They had avoided
It in the other days. The play with the
one part was over now, and the theater
razed to the ground.
Mr. Verrall come In later on and
Joined them, till Jock reluctantly said
good-night
Doris saw him as far aa the hall.
They shook hands, he pressing her five
little fingers to his Hps and thanking
her earnestly, saying he had never
spent a happier evening and asking if
he might come again and talk to her.
She sold: "Of course."
The door olosed on Halllday, on all
the vain trumpery of his past and he
went home planning a new world built
on the ruins of the old. Tet the old
was not utterly worthless, for it bad,
given him Doris Verrall. ... .
Owl Courtships.
Very funny, It Is, from the human
point of view, to witness the love-making
of a couple of owls on a moonlight
night, as they sit together on the cop
ing of an old wall, or on the horizontal
limb of some giant of the forest. Perch
ed on the same bough, or the same wall
of ruin, the lady owl, though usually
much bigger and stronger than her
mate looke the picture of demure coy
ness, If a little excited inwardly, like
a girl at her first ball.
But the male owl, says the Pall Mall
Magazine, Is very much In earnest; for
a moment or two ne remains quite
til, theh he puffs out all his fethers.
bows, and utters a softened scream.
followed by a modified hiss that Is full
of tender meaning, and then he nudges
her with his wing; she opens her big
eyes vary wide, ana gives nim a side
long glance that may be a hint, for,
horrible to relate, from the depths of
his Interior he instantly brings up a
half-digested mouse; and, although she
Is full of similar rodents, and stag
beetle as she can comfortably hold,
she opens her mouth and accepts the
fragrant gift with a murmur of satls
fectlon that speaks volumes of love
and thanks. Then, when the dainty
morsel haa been disposed of, they ca
ress each other tenderly for a moment
or two, and then sit closely pressed to
each other's side while the process of
assimilation Is perfected, after which
they simultaneously flit away Into the
moonlight on noiseless wing In search
of further prey.
Not only do the owls guard each
other with a devotion that Is rarely met
with among more favored creatures,
they positively idolize their lll-favoredl
offspring, for whose sake they willing
ly risk not only liberty, but life. A
young owl Is not an attractive looking
object from our point of view, but In
Its father's and mother's eyes It Is per
fection, and the way they wait on It,
cuddle and caress It, feed It and keep
It clean, must be seen to be believed.
OETTING EVEN.
"Oh, yes," said the stocky man with
the square Jaw, "my married Ufa la
quite a happy one."
"Glad to hear It," said the thin man
with the thin hair. "Got any particu
lar system V
"Well, yes. Whenever my wife get
Into a tantrum I go out and find the
fellow who Introduced us and glv !
another licking."
i
