I
The Love
gHB little boy was a particularly
II little boy. I mean, of course,
: that bis body was very small
Ten for bis few years. And as we see
little or nothing of one another ex
cept our carefully clothed bodies, it
Is not strange that we mutually judge
of our si'e by them;' that is, we do
this unless we are very well acquaint
ed. Indeed. Doubtless, too, this to bent.
for how it would embarrass some of
us If we were to be Judged In another
way. Take, for Instance, your papa's
friend, Mr. Brown, the portly gentle
man who visits at your house some
times, and who wears such a handsome
watch chain, and who talks about
stocks; or take Miss Wheezle, the tall
and stately lady who converses with
your mamma about the latest fash
tons and says the minister's sermon
last Sunday was "really sweet" how
do yon suppose they would feel if, by
some marvelous change of size, this
world were to be Judged by mind or
soul? But, bless your hearts! they
never think of such a thing, more than
the rest of us do; and so we all are
quite contented and cheerful.
It may as well be admitted, too, that,
as his uncles and aunts said, the little
boy was "such a strange child!" Ills
Aunt Dora, who had five children of
her own, all so precisely like the other
human peas In the pod that if one had
rolled out It would have been difficult
to designate exactly which one It was
his Aunt Dora, I say, even went so
far as to remark that he was "the
strangest ever;" but this assertion per
haps should be considered a trine em
phatic, for Aunt Dora underscores the
words of her speech very much as she
does those of her letters.
But the little boy was strange; this
must be conceded. For example. If you
made to him an assertion based on an
assertion your father had made to you,
which was based on an assertion his
fattier had made to him, which was
based on an assertion hU but it is
needless to carry the train of argu
ment further, for about this time the
little boy would quite upset yon by
remarking, "Yes, but why" or, "But
doesn't It seem," and then he would
ask all sorts of embarrassing ques
tions; that Is, questions of which un
fortunately yon had forgotten the an
swer. Of course, It should be remem
bered that be was too young to un
derstand bow much deeper than rea
son Is faith and how absolute should
be the confidence we place in the wis
dom of our grand fathers. However,
this has llf-tle to do with the story, ex
cept as it tends to indicate what man
ner of child was our small hero.
The little boy was a great reader,
and all books, good, bad. or indiffer
ent, that came to his small and some
times grimy hands were absorbed by
him with complete Impartiality. So,
much of his time he lived in the bright
Country of Imagination, where are
many wonderful things. Often his
mother would say to him: "Now, little
boy, you really must pat yonr book
away, go out, and play In the sun-I
shine." Then he would put the book
to one side, take his bow and arrows,
and go to his cave. It was not much
of a cave, being, In fact, but a hollow
In a great oak Just within the edge of
a wood; but be imagined that its dl-'
menslons were tremendous and Its
secrecy complete, and so, as his Imag
ination was as large as his body was
small, the "cave" did quite well for
his purposes. He had drawn a dingy
cloth across the bole so as to conceal
It from observation, and he used to
say to himself, as be approached the
"cave" and gave three distinct whis
tles to announce bis coming to his faith
ful servitors, that nobody would sus
pect that the Mysterious Lord of the
Forest lived there; and. Indeed, nobody
i
wouiu. iou wouki dc surprised couiu
you know how often this retreat was
attacked by wicked bandits and how
frequently It was assailed by painted
savages, but it was defended with
great vigor and always came off with
credit, and even glory, to Itself and Its
redoubtable master.
The little boy went to school, and for
some time be did not tblak much of bis
teachers. They were a trying lot, he
felt; always asking questions concern
ing matters that were of no conse
quence and Instating on answers that
were equally Irrelevant to the real In
terests of a boy's life. His teachers
said that he read with expression, but
that tbey could not get him to take
an Interest In bis otber studies. His
mother received this report with anx
iety, aud his Aunt Dora remarked that
she always bad said so, although no
one could reinemler that she bad. Tbe
change In this condition of affairs took
place after Miss Hattie Joined tbe
procession of the little boy's teach
ers, and by this time be bad grown
so large that be was almost ten years
old Other people might say that there
were Miss Hattlea and Mlsa flatties,
bat after a few days the little boy
knew very well that there was only
one real Miss Hattie; the rest were
s.JBre imitations, who bad. doubtless
-reotltioualy. secured a name of
tbey were all unworthy. The
of this transcendent fact
to dawn upon him under
ircumstancoa. Ha had.
and a purloined piece
Hfaed on tbe back of the
Wrowt of bla tbo highly
"DUM8B." The only
for4 who was tbo
4VJ. ui kept hlai
t CJ war
of a Lad
to have some other boy write that
word on your back?"
The little boy though about It, and
then said that he didn't believe he
would care, for the other fellows would
know it was only a joke anyway.
Then Miss Hattie talked to him. and
.shetekl.8pK!n(lly.,..andsoaipeftl?iI
to the best that was in his childish
heart that the little boy said to him
self that it was mighty curious about
teachers. Then he looked at her some
what timidly, or at least dubiously,
and saw how kind was the glance from
the great blue eyes that met his own.
And from that starting point it was
only natural that he should notice how
lustrous were the curly brown hair
and bow pink were her cheeks, for
even little boys must notice thiugs,
you know.
Now you who have forgotten the
emotions that sway the heart of child
hood may deem the idea absurd, but I
am ready to avow my convictions, nay,
my complete assurance that then and
there, and while that conversation still
was in progress, the tender passion
first began to stir and make itself felt
in the brown corduroy breast of the
little boy. Never had he been talked
to so kindly save by his mother, and,
of course, all things good are to be
expected of mothers. A simple, boy
ish gratitude which stood ready to lose
itself in admiring adoration awoke in
his heart, and did not go to sleep again.
From that time he was Miss Hattie's
faithful knight errant, to run her er
rands and heed her every suggestion;
and It seemed to him. as he constantly
Improved In his studies, that ber
cheeks grew more pink, ber wavy hair
THE LAD PURSUED
more lustrous, and her beautiful eyes
more tenderly blue; that Is, it would
have seemed so had he not known
that in the nature of the case such a
thing must be Impossible. He was
very glad that she boarded just across
the road from his father's house, for
this gave him a perfectly natural op
portunity to carry her books home
nearly every night, thus Imperfectly
demonstrating his loving adoration.
About this time tbe little boy lx;gan
to hate John with an intense, burning
hatred. Who was John, anyway, the
great, clumsy fellow? What right hail
he to be hanging about Neighlxir Grts
com's house, at which his teacher
boarded, particularly In the evening?
Miss Hattie was so kind that she tol
erated his presence, of course, but his
loutlsb attendance must be very an
noying to her. After the little boy
grew up he would whip John; be would
teach him a much-needed respect for
tbe sanctities of place aud association.
Oh, that he were grown up now! The
little boy used to feel of the muscles
of bis arm and wish that they would
develop faster. Strange that this odi
ous John never noticed his look of
undying hatred and scorn, but always
gretted blm with a cheery, "Hello,
Twofer! How are we to-day?" Some
time he should know how we were to- j
day! Should he oh, thought to give
pause to the beating of bis heart!!
should be tell Miss Hattie of the emo
tions with which be viewed her match
less charms, and ask her to wait for
him to grow up? No; she might It
was hardly conceivable, but she might!
heedlessly laugh at blm; and what
were life then? Better to wait, and
let her of her own accord observe bis
unwavering devotion. But that John!
now tired of him she must get!
One night, after the little boy bad
been In bed and asleep a long time, an
owl came and sat on the limb of tbe
oak tree near bis window and said,
"Hoo-oo-o." Ordinarily this would not
have waked blm, but for some reason
It did that night; and when the owl
again said, "IIoo-oo-o," he thought be
would get up and see where the bird
was and what it was doing. Ho he
crept out of bed and pattered to the
window, reaching It Just in time to
see the owl fly away.
Now you must understand that by
this time the little loy bad grown so
big that he was more than ten and
one-half years old, and, of course,
when a boy has attained that ripe age
he knows a thing or two when be sees
It 80 It will not be considered sur
prising that when, as he stood the
window, he aaw two men lurking in
the shadow of Neighbor Orhvom's
boos be know that something was
wrong. Wbea be aaw tbe I rat man
ho thaett for wmt It might bo
KSa. wk to kJ awaisd. tot
reprehensible habit of lingering about
that bouse until late hours; but when
be saw the second man be realized tbut
the situation was even worse than he
had suspected.
"They're burglars!" he whispered to
himself; "I'll bet they're burglars, and
I've got to do somethlu' 'bout It.
They'll scare Miss Hattie terrible."
Just what he would, or could, do the
little boy did not know, but he felt
very certain that be must do some
thing, and that Immediately. So,
merely stopping to shout, "Hurglars!
At Griscom's!" to his father, he ran
across the road as fast as bis little
bare feet would carry him. The win
dow at which he had seen the two men
was open now, and one of the men
had disappeared, while the other was
two-thirds through the opening. The
little loy did not hesitate an Instant,
with the yell, "Burglars! Burglars!"
be threw himself upon the leg that
still was without the window, caught
It, aud clung to It for dear life.
What followed never has been at all
clear to the boy. He remembers that
there were muttered curses from the
man he held, a dark form that Jumied
from the window and ran past him, a
ruhh of feet while he still valiantly
held to the leg; then there seemed to
come a crash of all things, and he
was lost In a great blackness and knew
no more.
When the world came hack to him
Miss Hattie was holding him in her
arms. Mrs. Grlscoin was standing by
bis side with a basin of water In her
hand, and his father aud Nelgblior
Grlscom were holding the rulflan who,
as he afterward learned, had beaten
him down with a moHt cruel blow.
Even then he noticed that Miss Hat
tie's nightdress was very white and
very pretty, and It .seemed to him
that, so rolied, her cheeks were even
pluker, her hair more wavy, and her
eyes more tenderly blue than tbey
were when she appeared In more con
ventional costume. But be dismissed
THE BUUOLAR.
this thought as soon as possible, feel
ing that to dwell upon the scene which
must be embarrassing to her in the
recollection was a species of treason
aud a departure from that high honor
In which a chivalrous knight should
hold his lady fair.
There was a time during which the
little boy was very sick. The blow had
been most brutal, and for days his life
hung by au uncertain thread. Then the
vitality of youth asserted itself, and he
gradually found more and more secure
footing on the goodly highway that
leads to health. How bis little ro
mance, a very real romance If It was
extremely infantile, grew In those
days! For Miss Hattie called to see
him every day! And such Jellies as
she brought to him! And such flow
ers! Aud she was so kind and lov
ing! Aud sometimes she even kissed
hliu ah, how bis small heart heat
then! And she called him a hero!
He almost made up his absurd little
mind that the eventful hour bad come.
He would propose to her; he would
let ber know exactly bow a fellow felt;
be would assure her that her evident
and faithful love would not be In vain
If she would wait a decade or two
for him. But again the hateful
thought she might buigh at hlra. Ah.
that "but!" His heart turned falut,
and he did not propose.
Quite fanciful and Impossible, Is It?
I tell you that there Is many a bald
headed and supremely dlgnilled fath
er of a family who need turn but a few
leaves in memory's book until he
reaches a page wheren is written the
story oh, of course, my dear sir, a
very absurd story of a time when he,
too, an awkward, shambling school
boy, whs tremendously in love with
some sweet-faced, gentle-souled wo
man, anywhere from ten to twenty
years his senior, whom, bavin,' small
est conception of the real meaning of
marriage, be hoped to marry smic day.
if she would be good enough to tit
for him; to whom he would have pro
posed such a blissful waiting but for
an Inexplicable fear of her laughter.
Jones, Brown, Robinson, how Is It?
Honestly, now. Why should we hes
itate before the confession? What un
fledged love In life is more beautiful?
no touch of grosser passion about
It; wholly Ideal, unselfish, and sin
core. With the little boy entirely recovered,
It seems almost a pity not to terminate
the story, but there Is one other Inci
dent so directly connected with It that
It probably should not he omit led. It
was In the long summer vacation, and
the little boy now bad grown to ex
tremely big that he was nearly eleven
years old. For several days lie bad
seen little of Mian Hattie, wbo appear
ed to bo rery busy and preoccupied
aad kissed bla only Id an ab-nt-
iriludeil way. 1I had noticed, how
ever, that John was uot banging about
neighbor Griscom's bouse as much as
usual, aud was glad to feel that at
j last he was learning bis place; It cer-
taiuly was time!
j On a certain day be had visited the
Griggs boy, who lived quite at the oth
er end of town, and when be returned
bis father and mother, were crossing
the road from Neighbor Grlscom's.
The little boy wondered why they were
arrayed In their best, aud so he asked
them: ,
"What you been doing?"
His mother smiled as she answered:
"We have been attending a wed
ding." '
"Whose wedding?"
"Can't you guess?"
"No."
But a great fear bad seized upon tht
heart of the little boy even before his
mother replied:
"Well, we attended the wediug of
Miss Hattie and Mr. John."
The mother smiled again. How was
she to know, how was she even to sus
pect, that the Iron had entered his
soul? Without saying a word, he left
the room, sought his little chamber,
and here threw himself upon hiB bed.
So this was woman's love! This was
the woman's constancy! This was all
that her kisses meant! For his heart,
he never would love again. And that
Johjj, too! Well, the woman who could
be content with such a love could
never have been worthy of his own.
It had been a fortunate escape for him,
he said. Ah, we are human, aud grapes
are sour, even when we are but three
feet high.
In an hour or two he was playing
one-old-cat with two other boys. He
would hide his crushed and broken
heart; and, besides, he said to him
self, what he had read In a particu
larly fascinating book, that it would
be dishonorable to continue to love
the wife of another. Fortunately, the
tragedies of youth do not strike deep,
but they leave a mark on the lives
we lead none the less on that account.
His mother watched him for a time
as he played, then turned to his father
and said:
"What do you suppose made him
act so queerly when I told him about
tbe wedding?"
His father, who had forgotten a thing
or two, responded:
"I can't guess."
And as the little boy never told a
soul the story of his first love, even
Miss Hattie herself never having the
slightest Idea of the real slate of the
case, the reader must decide for him
self, If he can, bow I came to know
so much atwut It. Public Ledger and
Philadelphia Times.
HOW TO TAKE CARE OF COATS.
Troubles of the Tailor I'uttitiir On
Coats Correctlr.
"Now that the overcoat season Is on
again," suld an uptown tailor to a re
porter for the New York Times, In the
course of a conversation on the care of
clothes, "one sees the utter Inability of
the average man to properly wear aud
care for his garments. Jackets may
be worn anyhow without much de
tracting from their owners' appear
ance, but overcoats, like frock coats,
require care In handling and In wear
ing. Not one man In a thousand knows
how to put on his coat correctly. Ig
norance and carelessness In disposing
of the garment when not in tie make
the wearers of even the lest coats
'look like thirty cents' beside the man
with a cheaper article, but who knows
how to wear and care for It
"Men curse their tailors when after
a few days' wear they find their coats
out cf shape at the shoulders and
hanging badly. Tbe art of the taihir
has, of course, a great deal to do with
the appearance of a coat, but on the
customer himself much more depends.
"Most men when they are being
measured and fitted assume all sorts of
unnatural postures. They forget that
what they really want is a garment to
fit their ordinary shape and not the
forced figure which tbey present to the
tailor.
"Then, again, when the new coat
comes home the owner tugs It on any
how and wears It flapping open. Every
new coat should be carefully molded
by tbe wearer Into the shape of bis
everyday figure. He should get his
shoulders well Into It, and In order to
arrive at that result, be should have
assistance on at least the first six
occasions on which be wears bis gar
ment. The coat should be carefully
buttoned downward, not the reverse,
as Is so often tbe case. For at least
one hour on each of the first six days
of use the coat should be kept but
toned. It will then have adjusted It
self to the peculiarities of the figure."
Too Many Lawyers.
Overcrowding Is tbe motto of the day.
The factories are overcrowded. The
theaters are overcrowded. Tbe tene
ments are overcrowded. The one reason
why one does not say the street cars
are overcrowded la that they are some
thing worse. All such overcrowdings,
however, are sparseness and loneliness
compared with the overcrowding of
tbe bar, writes tbe New York Commer
cial. In 1801 there were fifty-eight law
schools, with 0,073 students. Now, ac
cording to an estimate made by Prof.
Hoffctilt of Cornell, there are 120
schools, with 14,000 students. Mean
while the number of full-fledged law
yers In tbe United States Is said by the
last census to be about 114,100. No
other profession, with the exception of
tenchlng and of medicine, li so popu
lous. The great pleasure In going to an
amateur abow la In talking about li
after It Is all over.
Htw oftoa a act!
t cause!
OLf
I FAVORITES
The Faded Coat of Bine.
My brave lad, he sleeps in hii faded coal
of blue;
In his lonely grave, unknown, lies tht
heart that beat so true.
He sank, faint and hungry, among tb(
famished brave,
And they laid him. and and" lonely, with
in his nameless grave.
Chorus:
No more the bugle call the weary one;
Best, noble spirit, in thy grave unknown.
1 shall find you and know you among tin
good and true,
Where a robe of white is given for lh
faded coat of blue.
He cried: "Give me water and juat one
little crumb,
And my mother she will bless you
through all the year to come;
Oh! tell my sweet aimer, so gentle, good
and true.
That I'll meet her up in heaven in rnj
faded coat of blue!"
"Oh!" lie said, "my dear comrade, you
cannot tHke me home,
But you'll mark my grave for mother,
she will tind it if she cornea;
I fear she will not know me among tin
good and true,
When a robe of white is given for th
faded coat of blue."
No dear one waa by him to close hii
sweet blue eye,
And no gentle one wns nigh him to giv
him sweet replies.
No atone marks the ami o'er my lad s
brave and true,
In his lonely grave he sleeps, in his fadrt
coat of blue.
Sliznon'a Hons.
Know'st thou the luud where tie lemor
tree blows
Where deep in the bower the gold oraiigi
grows?
Where zephyrs from heaven die aoftl)
away,
And the laurel and myrtle tree uerei
decay?
Know'st thou It? Thither, 0! thithei
with thee.
My dearest, my fondest! with thee wouli
I flee.
Know'st thou the hall with its pillared
arcades,
Its chambers so vaat and its long colon
nades? Where the statues of marble with fea
turea so mild
Ask "Why have they used thee so harsh
ly, my child ?"
Know'st thou it? Thither, O! thithei
with thee,
My guide, my protector! with thee would
I flee.
Know'st thou the Alp which the vapoi
enshrouds.
Where the bold muleteer seek his waj
thro' the clouda?
In tbe cleft of the mountain the drag-t
abides.
And the rush of the stream tears tin
rock from its aides;
Know'st thou it? Thither, O! thithei
with thee.
Leads our way, father then come, lei
ua flee.
Goethe.
WINNER Of COOKING CONTEST.
Miss Johnson, who won tbe frsc
prize at the Bryn Mawr cooking too
test, is a native of Sweden. .She In
slsts she has no special recipes foi
her culinary creations, but preparei
them after models In use for years.
"In making bread," said Miss John
son, "I use flour and yeust, and let It
raise over night, I do not use whole
wheat flour."
In the competition exhibit the prlz
winner showed cookies, bread, mine
and pumpkin pies. The medal award
ed ber consists of a star, pendant from
a gold scroll, on which Is engraved
"Bryn Mawr First Annual Culinary
Contest-First Prize.
"I wish uiy mother In Sweden could
read what the papers said of me," wai
Miss Johnson's only expression of
pride In her victory.
Chan iced Ills Purpnan.
"Tbese purists .n language who
shout so much about grammar alwayi
make tne think of the fellow out lc
my district who was fishing off a dock
and fell Into tbe water," said Repre
sentative Beldler, of Ohio, a few dayi
ago.
"Homo people near by helped hire
out Then one of the rescuers asked
How did you tome to fall Into tin
water?
" 'I didn't come to fall Into the wa
ter,' lie replied. 'I came to fish.
Bait Lake Telegram.
We And that we have reached tbai
age when we like to grumble alwmi
the young folks who think ther dldu'i
hare a good time at a party uni,
U07 laugnea and aang and shouted oa
tto atreats on the way boom.
IMPROVEMENT IN FARM LIFE.
(Education Adds to tba latereoto of
Life In the Country.
No phase of life In the wonderfully
leveloping life of this country exceeds
In Importance and Interest the life of
ju farmer, which still and for gen
ratious must engage tbe attention of
lie great mass of our people, aud no
ther phase of life shows a greater In
telligence and a quicker realization of
opportunity. Aside from all of the Im
proved machinery, which still coutlnues
to Improve, and the use that is being
made of the rural mall delivery, the tei
phone and the trolley car, there is ev
ident a 'di-e'per realization vt posHlbill
lies In the effort to make Intelligent use
tt all of the many ways to better life
and enhance effort. The educated farm
er Is coming to be as prominent a figure
as the educated man In any walk of life.
The same demand for Intelligent work,
the kind that makes of a man "educated
from the top down, rather than from
the bottom up," Is felt in work of farm
ing, and It Is being met.
A striking illustration of it is a class
of more than fifty girls at the Minneap
olis College of Agriculture that this
year have taken up the study of scien
tific farming, says the Indianapolis
News. This college Is ten years old, but
It has only recently been admitting
girls. The course they take Includes
botany, chemistry, physics and geology,
requiring In the first two years at least
two terms !u each. In about two-thirds
of the course the boys and girls are
Instructed together In language, math
ematics, science, civics and some tech
nical work, but the girls are taught
cooking, laundering and sewing, where
the boys are taught blacksmlthing and
veterinary science. Cenerally the girls
are directed more than the boys to
household art, home economy and do
mestic science. Both are taught to plan
farm buildings and to lay out grounds.
Attention Is given to the furnishing of
houses, to literature, music and social
culture, with the Idea "of making the
farm home the most attractive spot on
earth." What tbe result of this will be
must be left to the future, but the ex
periment Is watched with the keefiest
Interest by educators. The confessed
dilllculty in the past of keeping the sons
of farmers at home. It is felt, will In a
way be met by training farmers' girls
to an Intelligent Interest In and knowl
edge of farm life, together with a
knowledge of ways and means to make
that life more attractive and protltabls
a every sense.
Word for Word.
It Is not a new plaint among legisla
tive and other loquacious bodli that
the shorthand report Is not all that
It should be. but If the reporter's Bide
is lehs frequently presented It Is not
because there Is nothing to be said.
A member of a committee found fault,
so the Christian Kndeavor World says,
with the way their speeches were rei
ported; bis own, In particular, were
scarcely recognizable when seen la
print.
He did not want bis speech "cut,"
neither did he want them embroidered.
He wanted them to come out In tha
paper exactly as be made them. 80
did the member who spoke next,
whereupon the shorthand writers re
taliated, with this telling result:
"The reporters -ought not to the re
porters ought not to be the ouea to
Judge of what Is Imjtortaiit-uot to
say what should lie left out - but-the
memls-r can only Judge of what la
Important. Ah Ias my speech -as-a
the reportsss what I say Is reported
sometimes, no one-nobody can under
stand from the reports -what It Is
what I mean. So - It strikes me -It baa
struck me certain matters-things that
apM-ar of Importance are sometimes
left out-omitted. The reporter -tha
papers points are reported I mean
to make a brief statement -what tbe
paper tbluka of Interest -la reported."
Ikmi pi I men ta ry.
He was a little late for the dinner,
and we all had to listen to bis abject
apologies to the hostess, who, however,
Informed blm that be was "better late"
and so on. "And all tha way from
New York, too! But where Is your
brother T'
"I am commissioned to tender bis re
gret. You see, we arc so busy that It
was Impossible for both of us to get
away, and so we tossed op to sea
which of us should come."
General attention and "What an or
iginal Idea! And you won?" from the
lady of the house.
"No" the young man had caughl
light of a girl he know and divided
attention made him abscut-uilnded "I
lost."
C ruelly U Kiiu-na.
There are any number of people who
jave recipes for dlsi.osliiK of air.r ir.
tens. These are not the cats of whlcu
one wishes to dlsoose for fltll-t'tt Hatlf Kilt
the poor little waifs cruelly put out to
And a home ,r people who consider
themselves humane and would not pui
nytbing to death on any account, says
writer In the New York Times. Min
nie Madderti Fluka one aal.l that .ha
could always give away any stray kit
ten which came to ber bouse as a stray
by getting It K(0(i physical condl-
a no men tying a ribbon around Its
erk, with a smart b w at one side. Tha
Jt would then present aU(.u au srlsto-
ratlc and blue-blooded appearance that
.'cw people could resist II.
OyaUr of Artilloial Propagation.
Investigation has shown that oysters
ire susceptible of srllflclsl pronsgatlon,
lust as shad, salmon and otner food
lab,
CoaMn't Corner Hiss.
MISS Gushing Which itn mmf.m
sir. Dashing blondes or bronrttea?
ack Dash inr h i
rv
V
I
nw gin 1 am with.
