Our Washington Letter
WEEKLY BUDGET OF NEWS.
Interesting Gossip from the Nation's Capital—Problem of Keeping
Yeung Pe:ph in the C untry Receiving Attention of the Agri
cultural Department—Cause of Durand's Retirement.
'eaw tj -me") /—\
HlawLa)
WASHINGTON.—How to keep the young peo
ple of America on the farm is 8. question to which
the department of agriculture is devoting a great
deal cf attention and effort. Secretary Wilson
and his lieutenants believe the future welfare of
the nation demands that the drift cityward be
checked and that what America needs mainly is
to become imbued with an appreciation and love
of country life. ,
President Roosevelt himself entertains views
on this subject that are well known and that dis
tinctly favor the idea that the love of country life
should be cultivated among the American people.
The establishment of the agricultural high
school in a number of states s a movement cal
culated to help along the great design of teach
ing the country boy and country girl a better
knowledge of the farm and farming and through
this a better appreciation of country life. Assist
ant Secretary Willet M. Hays, rl the department of agriculture, is devoting a
great deal of attention to the agricultural high school. He will probably go
south at an early date to assist in the establishment of such high schools in
Georgia and look Into the work done in other states, especially Alabama.
Georgia is about to establish 11 of these schools, and an official of the
department has been advising state officials as to locating them and securing
suitable land3, adapted for experiment purposes, where the schools are to be
established.
Alabama has nine agricultural high schools, Minnesota two, North Dakota
one, Wisconsin two and South Dakota one. Prfo. Hays believes the move
meat is destined to spread rapidly until every state in which the average
price of farm lands is high will have a number of agricultural high schools,
one on an average for each congressional district.
PLAN ADOPTED BY THE DEPARTMENT.
The plan on which the department of agricul
ture is working i3 the establishment of a complete
educational ladder on which the farmer boy may
climb from the rural school up to the agricultural
high school and then on up to the agricultural
college.
The first step in the ladder, according to Prof.
Hays, is the consolidated rural school: the second
the agricultural high school, and the third and last
the state agricultural college. Hence the depart
ment. is friendly to the movement through the
United States for consolidated rural . schools,
intended to take the place of the district schools.
One consolidated rural school can be established
in a township and the children can be taken to it.
They would be housed in better buildings and
given better teachers and belter instruction than
under the system of one small school for each
school district of a few square miles. There are
about 300 consolidated rural schools in the United States, but the tendency is
for the number to increase, thus supplanting the old-time district school and
making the “little red schoolhouse” a relic of the past.
Prof. Hays’ idea is that in the old system of education which is now large
ly in force through the country, the texts, the teachers and the ideals are all
centered in some city profession, and the boy or girl who is to be a farmer
lias little place therein. The school system has thus been a potent influence
in leading the American people from the farm to the city.
What is wanted is an educational system that will build up the country
life of the American people. On the one hand there are the city primary
graded schools, city high schools and colleges and universities. It is the
purpose of the department of agriculture to build parallel with them a sys
tem in which education in agricultural pursuits, coupled with a good general
education, may be obtained.
DURAND TOO SLOW FOR ROOT DIPLOMACY.
That Sir Mortimer Durand is too slow for the
energetic diplomacy of Secretary Root is the ex
planation given for the retirement of the British
ambassador. The friction came about, it is said,
through the failure of the Briton to cooperate sat
isfactorily with the secretary in the negotiations
for a treaty with Canada which would end all dis
putes between that country aid the United States.
Mr. Root has made this subject his hobby and
seems determined to leave such a treaty as a
monument to his administration.
Secretary Rco:, concluding that his great
aspiration could not be realized by having all
the negotiations pass through the hands of the
British ambassador, “by the circumlocution route,”
as he termed it, that is. requiring the submission
of each step to the British foreign office at Lon
don. to be transmitted thence to the Canadian
government, proposed that Sir Mortimer obtain the sanction of his government
to the suggestion that the Canadians be taken into the negotiations. Sii
Mortimer, acceding to the wishes of Secretary Root, sounded the British gov
ernment and obtained permission to proceed to Canada to see what could be
done.
The victory of Secretary Root was most remarkable. He secured for the
Canadians what they have been unable to obtain for themselves, direct rep
resentation and participation in diplomatic negotiations. Sir Mortimer, under
authority obtained from the British foreign office, proceeded to Canada anc.
conferred with Earl Gray, the governor general. Sir Wilfrid Laurier and othei
Canadian leaders. After explaining the astonishing victory won for the Cana
dians by Secretary Root, Sir Mortimer had no difficulty in bringing the Cana
dians to an agreement to appoint a representative.
Secretary Root was elated, but was doomed to disappointment. The
Canadian government lias net sent a representative to Washington. Whether
Sir Mortimer has been held resjvonsible for this is not known. He may not
have shown as much interest in Mr. Root's laudable ambition as the secretary
of state wished and lack of cooperation may have weakened him here.
ROOT MAY URGE CALVO DOCTRINE.
That Secretary of State Root will perform
another great international mission, in represent
ing this government at The Hague Peace Con
gress next spring, is expected by public men who
know most about the motives back of his recent
tour of South America.
There is a strong impression that, as head of
the United States delegation to The Hague, Mr.
Root will present vigorously, on'behalf of the gov
ernments of all the Americas, the demand that
the Calvo doctrine be recommended for a place in
accepted international law. This is the doctrine
to which the minor republics of the Americas are
just now so devoted, that debts of a government,
or of its citizens, may not be collected by force
by another government.
Diplomatic authorities now recognize that
the United States must either espouse vigorously
and effectively the Calvo proposition, or else have
the less powerful governments of the continent strained and convinced that
the United States are net sincere in their protestations of friendship.
Latin America is prepared to array itself behind the United States if the
United States will take up their contention in this matter. It is willing to
accept the Monroe doctrine as merely the beneficent guarantee against Euro
pean interference, provided that doctrine be supplemented, in the policy of
the United States, with advocacy of the Calvo programme. But if the United
States are unwilling to make this concession, Latin America will regard the
Monroe doctrine as simply the threat by the United States of ultimate intent
to dominate the entire western continent.
CLUBS TO PROMOTE TARGET PRACTICE,
The action of the United Spanish War Vet
erans in taking itp the subject of rifle practice at
its recent annual encampment in this city is high
ly gratifying to the national board for the promo
tion of rifle practice as a step in the encourage
ment of rifle practice among civilians.
The United Spanish War Veterans now have
more than 200 camps. It is proposed to organize
civilian rifle clubs in as many of these camps as
possible. While ostensibly civilian clubs, these
will really be military rifle clubs, for the military
rifle of the United States will be used, along with
the army revolvers of the standard patterns. The
members of this organization are mostly young
men who have had training in rifle shooting either
in the militia or in the volunteer service during
the late war. They propose to keep up their mili
tary training, and, as part of that work, will- en
gage in rifle practice.
The movement toward civilian rifle practice, while necessarily of slow
growth, is proceeding with sufficient rapidity to gratify those who have it most
at heart. Since the organization of the national board and the reorganization
of the National Rifle association great strides have been taken in the direc
tion of acquiring a national reserve of marksmen. Congress has encouraged
the work by providing national trophies and for annual pistol and rifle
matches and recently increased the militia appropriation so that $500,000
annually is available r militia practice and the acquiring of ranges and
Bhcoting^galieries. racti^^ .g expecte(j to do much for the militia. Just as the
taste for military training inculcated in boys in high school cadet corps leads
many of them to join the militia later, so it is believed that men who learn to
Soot as civilians will 3 .in the militia because of the additional facilities for
practice they will thereoy enjoy.
ENGLISH IDEA OF THE SITUATION
Professor Roosevelt gives an example of the new spelling of Cuba.
—F. C. Gould in Westminster Gazette.
PAT NOT TO BLAME.
Yardmaster Had Had Three Chances
to Shut the Door.
Not long ago I overheard a conver
sation at a station outside of Chicago
that to me was very amusing. Our
train had pulled in, and our engineer
had left his engine to the care of a
round house attendant. An old man
came along whose business it was to
polish the iron horse.
‘ Can you run an engine?” asked Pat
of the yardmaster.
“No,” he answered, “I can’t run an
engine. Can you?”
“Can Oi run an engine!” sniffed
Pat in derision. “If there's onything
jOi’d rather do all day long, it is to run
*an engine. Huh, can Oi run an en
gine!”
• “Suppose," suggested the yardmas
ter, “you get up and run that engine
into the house.”
“All right, Oi'll do that same,” Pat
ibluffed, and he climbed into the cab,
llooked the ground over pretty well,
.spat on his hands, grabbed the biggest
ihandle and pulled it wide open. Zip!
the went into the round house. Pat
saw the bumpers ahead and guessing
v:hat would happen, reversed the
.lever clear back. Out she went—in
again—out again.
Then the yardmaster yelled: “I
[thought you said you could run an en
gine!”
But Pat had his answer ready. “Oi
had her in there three times. Why
didn’t you shut the door?”—The Sun
day Magazine.
Needless Formality.
“Are you a witness in this case?”
“Go 'long, jedge—you knows I is.”
“Did you see the prisoner steal the
hog'1”
TAKE CARE OF CLOTHES.
Proper Treatment Will Add Much t*
Their Usefulness.
I know many men who would be
quite well dressed if they would only
refrain from lumbering up their pock
ets; in fact, 1 wonder that some tail
ors do not send home a printed warn
ing with each suit; “This suit is noS
constructed to carry heavy weights.”
Take those bundles of papers out of
your inside pockets and button your
coat up and you will find that you
look much better than you do now.
You have stretched the coat a bit out
of shape, but it may recover itself.
Remember to take everything ou1
of the suit and fold it up. That is the
only fair treatment for a good suit
Clothes are warmed by the body
while they are being worn, and while
they are warm they get molded into
shape. If you always keep one pocket
loaded with a handful of loose chang?
and another pocket weighted with a
huge bundle of keys, these pockets
will become permanently damaged.
Possibly you may have noticed that n
new suit never looks quite so well
as a suit that has been worn half a
dozen times; that is because the new
suit has not been warmed by beinr
worn, and therefore the cloth is not
molded to the shape of the figure. A
new coat should always be worn but
toned up for the first few days.—Chi
cago Tribune.
PROPER FOOD AND EXERCISE.
Nature of Occupation Should Be Guide
to the Diet.
A nice point of diet insisted upon by
a medical writer in Health Culture is
that if it is properly proportioned to a
POINTS OUT NEEDS OF MARINE CORPS
Brig. Gen. G. F. Elliott, commandant of the marine corps, in his annual
report urges an increase in the commissioned and enlisted personnel of the
corps and says the demands for both officers and men are daily on the in
crease. He states that unless prompt action is taken in this matter by con
gress he will be unable to carry out the directions of the secretary of the
navy and that the efficiency of the corps will suffer materially.
“My, my, jedge—don’t you know I
see him?"
“Well, what time was it?”
“Jedge, you knows ez well ez I does,
dnt hit wuz watermillion time!”
“But—what time was it by the
clock?”
“Lawd he’p you, jedge!—how could
dey be a clock in de middle er a
watermillion patch, half a mile fum
a house what never had a clock in it
sence de day de fust shingle wus nail
ed on? How some er you white folks
ever gits ter be jedge is mo' dan I kin
understand ”—Atlanta Constitution.
Clogs in the North of England.
At least 4,000,000 pairs of clogs are
sold in the northern counties of Eng
land every year. The “clog” is a
sort of shoe with a wooden sole
(made in one piece) and a leather
top. The sole of the clog is finished
with a set of “corkers” or "irons," one
for the heel and another for the front
of the sole. These irons are about a
quarter of an inch wide, one-eighth of
an inch thick, and are made to fit the
shape of the sole somewhat as a shoe
is fitted to a horse’s hoof. A good
trade might be built up by American
manufacturers in supplying either
machine made wood soles or the
‘blocks” from which the hand sole
makers shape the finished sole, as
well as in the “irons” or “corkers.”
sedentary life, lack of exercise will
not be felt. There is no absolute aeed
of the long walk, the dumbbell or In
dian club, unless it has been preceded
by an excessive meal. Exercise is a
good and necessary thing, but always
in relation to what and how much one
has been eating. “Many a man,” say3
Sir Henry Thompson, “might safely
pursue a sedentary career, taking
only a small amount of exercise, and
yet maintain an excellent standard of
health, if only he were careful that the
intake in th£ form of diet correspond
ed with the expenditure which his oc
cupations, mental and physical, de
manded. Let him by all means enjoy
his pastime and profit by it, to rest
his mind and augment his natural
forces, but not for the mere purpose
of neutralizing the evil effects of
habitual dietetic wrongdoing.”
In brief, if a man labors hard with
his hands he may safely eat a big
meal, and need not be over particular
what it consists of, but if he is inert,
he must look carefully to his diet.—
Baltimore Sun.
On the Move.
Eva—There goes Willie Bluffem. He
boasts that he travels in the best of
society.
Jack—Yes, and the faster he travels
the better it is for him.—Chicago Daily
News.
■ WWW WWW WWW WWW
Names Rooms After Flowers.
One woman who has built a country
home on a most elaborate plan has In
troduced many novel ideas in its ar
rangement and furnishings. She is go
ing to name every guest chamber
after a flower, and is carrying out that
Idea to the smallest detail. Thus the
walls of the violet room, which is
perhaps the prettiest room of all, are
covered with French tapestry in the
design of which violets predominate.
The drapery on the dressing table is
[of muslin and lace tied with bunches
of violets, and mauve ribbon is chosen
to tie the hangings of the bed as well
as the curtains. Even a mammoth
bottle of violet perfume is not forgot
ten.
Proof of Character.
Actions, looks, words, steps, form
the alphabet by which you may spelt
characters.—Lavater.
Husbands Plentiful in Thibet.
In Thibet the law allows every wom
an three husbands.
rO REMOVE BAD ODORS.
Many Remedies for Unpleasant Smells
of Cooking.
A generous lump of soda placed in
pots and pans in which fish, cabbage,
onions and other strong-smelling foods
have been cooked, will make them
smell sweet and clean.
A teaspoonful of vinegar boiling on
the stove will counteract the smell of
strong food.
A teaspoonful of ground cloves on
a few hot coals will produce the same
result.
A sponge placed in a saucer of boil
ing hot water, in which has been add
ed a teasponful of oil of lavender,
gives a fragrance of violents to a
! room in which it has been placed.
Flies will not remain where the odor
of ail of lavender is.
A stale crust of bread boiled with
cabbage will absorb the disagreeable
odor.
A large lump of charcoal in a re
frigerator will prevent a musty smell.
A' pound of copperas dissolved in
boiling water, if poured into drain
pipes, will dissolve the grease and
other impurities.
An onion breath may be gotten rid
of by swallowing a mouthful of vine
gar or drinking half a cup of hot wa
ter in which a pinch of baking soda
has been dissolved.
A few mouthfuls of lime water, or a
few drops of the tincture of myrrh in
a tumbler of water will sweeten an un
pleasant breath, and a small piece of
orris root, if chewed, will give a vio
let odor to the breath.
Excellent Salad Dressing.
For those who dislike the taste vl
oil, the following salad dressing 13
very good: Mix together one tea
spoonful each of salt, sugar, and mus
tard, and one-half teaspoonfnl of
white pepper; add the well-beaten
yolks of two eggs, and stir until thor
oughly mixed and smooth. Melt two
tablespoonfuls of butter in half a
cupful of hot vinegar, and add it slow
ly to the eggs. Stir in gradually one
cupful of sweet milk scalded, and mix
all well together. Cook in a double
boiler until thickened, but do not al
low the dressing to boil or it will
curdle. Let ccol, then whip in the
beaten whites of the eggs. Thin with
a little cream when ready for use.
Cover tightly, and put in the refriger
ator. This is a delicious dressing for
various kinds of salad.
Cider Apple Jelly.
With cider fresh and sweet from
the press, try -making apple jelly.
Wash and wipe fine flavored, rather
tart apples, quarter and put into a
preserving kettle with cider to near
ly cover. Cook gently until the ap
ples are soft, then strain and measure
the juice. There should be about
half as much cider as fruit. Allow
for each pint of juice a pint of sugar,
heating the latter in the open while
the juice is cooking for 20 minutes.
Turn the sugar in with the juice, stir
until dissolved, remove the spoon and
cook five minutes longer. Pour into
hot sterilized glasses and set on thick
folded newspapers or a board out of
a draught. When cold, cover with
paraffin, brandied pa^-or or circles of
paper dipped in white of egg.
Onion Soup With Cheese.
Cut into small eighth-inch squares
two medium onions, or four ounces;
fry them in butter and moisten with
two quarts of broth, adding a bunch
of parsley garnished with chervil, bay
leaf and a clove of garlic; season with
a little salt, pepper and meat extract:
boil for 20 minutes then remove the
boquet and pour the soup over very
thin slices of bread placed in a metal
or earthenware soup tureen, in inter
vening layers of bread and Parmesan
cheese. Sprinkle a little Parmesan
over the top of the soup. Lake it in
a hot oven.
Chestnut Stuffing.
The following is a stuffing espe
cially for turkey: Select 15 large
chestnuts and boil them in water un
til they are very tender; then re
move the skins and shell and pound
them in a mortar until they are
a paste. Stir a half pound of bread
crumbs into four ounces of suet (beef
suet for choice), add salt and pepper
and a little lemon juice to taste.
Mix into this a pound of the chest
nut paste and the stuffing is ready to
use.
Creamed Potatoes.
For creaming, baked potatoes are
much better than boiled ones, as they
are more mealy, and when one desires
the empty shells for serving any
form of potato not baked, they may be
gathered by baking potatoes for a day
or two for other meals, scooping out
the inside and either mashing or
creaming the potato, brushing the
shells with butter and setting aside
until time for using them.
The Care of Shoes.
Shoes may be kept up to the mark,
by rubbing the tops with a piece of
black cloth dipped in a solution of
cream and black ink, and by polish
ing the lower portions vigorously
with a piece of old flannel. An old
pair of shoes, if treated in this way,
and all missing buttons replaced,
will make a good appearance, particu
larly if before this is done they have
had the heels straightened.
Prune Cake.
Cream a half cupful of butter with
a cupful and a half of sugar, add a
cupful of milk and the stiffened whites
of five eggs alternately with two and
a half cupfuls of prepared flour, or
enough to make a light batter. Fla
vor with a few drops of essence of
bitter almonds, and bake in four layer
tins. When cold put the prune filling
between the cake layers.
To Remove Old Wallpaper.
Stir a quart of flour paste into a
pail of hot water, and then apply this
mixture to the walls. Being thick, it
will not dry quickly, but will saturate
the paper, which may then be easily
scraped or peeled off.
Cure for Chilblains.
Make a soft paste of soap and wa
ter (any good, pure soap will do).
After bathing feet in water to which
salt has been added, put a thick coat
ing of this paste on the affected parts;
moisten frequently and also repeat
frequently V
“Where There’s a Will—”
By M. E. LOWMAN.
(Copyright, 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
Kent Trevor came round the cor
ner of the house whistling his latest
acquisition in “ragtime," a Ashing rod
on his shoulder, a tin can of “bait”
in his hand. He stopped expectantly
at the back piazza steps, but seeing
no one, called: “Mother!”
“Yes, Kent, in just a minute,” came
a voice from the kitchen; and in
about that time the owner of the
voice, a sweet faced woman with a
Arm mouth, appeared.
“I thought you were out here,
mother, I only wanted to tell you
that I would not be home to dinner,
as John and I are going over to the
Blue Pond. But you may expect a
Ave pound trout fcr supper.”
His mother smiled. Kissing his
hand to her he resumed his whistling
and set off with a sturdy stride across
the Aelds to meet his chum. Pride
and affection showing plainly in her
countenance, his mother watched him
out of sight.
As he left the Aelds and entered the
road he was joined by his friend, John
Fenton, a boy of his own age, whose
face lacked the strength that was the
predominant characteristic of Kent's,
but had far more claim to beauty.
They reached Blue Pond, a famous
Ashing place, in good time and pro
ceeded to the business of the day.
“I was just thinking, Kent,” said
John, “of the contrast between to-day
and yesterday. To-day we are a cou
ple of idle vagabonds, apparently ab
sorbed in thoughts of angle worms
and roach, with a possible trout later
on as a lure; yesterday,” and. he
threw out his chest and spoke in as
deep a bass as he could compass, “yes
terday, we stood in the classic halls
of Senoia high school and orated (at
least you did) and received the plaud
its of tne admiring multitude, and in
cidentally our diplomas and the con
gratulations of our friends on being
Arst and second honor men. Was yes
terday a reality and to-day a dream,
or vice versa?” Kent laughed, albeit
a little soberly.
'To me they are both realities and
both a little saddening. It is no light
matter to leave your childish days be
hind you and find yourself confronted
with the great problem. What is my
life to be? or rather, What am I to
make of my life? for after all, we
choose what it is to be. Have you
thought that to-day is probably the
last we will spend together in the old
careless fashion? What are you going
to do now that you have graduated
from the high school?”
“Father says I am to help him in
the store for a few years, with a final
view to partnership I suppose, as I
am the only boy in the family. What
are your plans?”
“I am going to college.”
“P-h-e-w! I thought it was just
all your mother could do to keep you
in the high school until you grad
uated, and now you announce in the
coolest manner and as a matter of
course that you are going to college.” |
“My plans are not perfected yet, bat i
if you w’ill not mention it I will tell
you what I am thinking of. You know
the people of Chetney have to come
to Senoia, 15 miles, for their mail, and
it is a great inconvenience to them.
Judge Dent has been trying for a year
to make arrangements to have the
mail delivered there three times a
week. He is about to succeed in this
and I intend to apply for the position
of mail carrier. It will only pay $350
a year, but that will take me to col
lege for one year. I can go and come
the same day, and that will take but
three days out of the week, and the
rest of the time I can help with the j
farm work and relieve mother of a
good deal of care. All my spare time j
I shall put in preparing to enter the
junior class, and when I get through
that I am going to make the money
to take the senior year."
“I must say you are gritty. But
even if you get the place you surely
cannot take the horse from the crops
three days in a week or there will be
no crops. It would take a lot of your
wages to buy a horse; you haven’t
even a bicycle and you cannot walk
30 miles a day.” #
“Buying a horse is not to be thought
of. I have a plan, but I proposB to
keep that to myself yet awhile, at
least until I can talk it over with
Judge Dent. I am to see him about,
it to-morrow. Now let’s get to fish
ing. I promised mother a five pound
trout for supper.”
The next morning Kent had an in
terview with Judge Kent and when
they parted the judge looked very
much amused, while Kent’s jaw
looked square and determined; but
there seemed to be an excellent under
standing between them, for the judge
clapped Kent on the shoulder and
said: “You’ll do. Kent. I hope your
plan will succeed. It certainly de
serves success.’’
“Thank you!” Kent quietly re
sponded. “I am sure it will succeed
if I am allowed to put it to the test.”
When Kent returned to his home he
was observed by his mother to be
very busy with his tools under the
woodshed, and afterwards spend sev- j
eral hours each day in a small but
secluded piece of woods back of the
house.
In a short time, through Judge
Dent’s influence, the position of mail
carrier was secured to Kent Trevor.
Not only had John Fenton been ex
ercised in mind as to the manner in
which the mail would go to and from
Chetney, but the entire village specu
lated upon the probability of Kent’s
doing this or that; but all agreed on
one thing, that if Kent Trevor said ^e
would take the mail back jtnd forth
he would do so, even if he had to
crawl.
At length the day came when he
was to make his first trip. His ap
pearance in the village as he called at
the post office for his mail bag was
the signal for such a shout as had not
been heard in the rather sedate vil
lage of Senoia for many a day.
“Where did you get your seven
league boots?"
"When did your legs grow so
long?”
“What did your mother feed you
on to make you grow so tall?”
“Lie down, Sonnie, so as to let us
pat you on the head.”
“You expect to drink water out of
the clouds, don't you?”
“No, no; he’s going to sweep the
cobwebs out of the sky.”
These were a few of the exclama
tions that greeted his first appear
ance. It really seemed as if the vil
lage had resolved itself into one
laugh, long and loud. Hut Kent
laughed with the rest, tossed saucy
replies to those who addressed him
and stalked on the even tenor of his
way.
He dismounted at the post office,
strapped his mail bag firmly to his
shoulders, remounted and se off at a
pace that augured well for the speedy
delivery of the mail at Chctney, fol
lowed by the cheers of the crowd. As
he passed out of sight one gentleman
was heard remarking to another:
“Not one boy out of a thousand has
! the pluck and determination to do a
j thing like that. Mark me, we will
hear from him yet in a way to make
us proud of him.'”
Kent’s arrival in Chetney caused
little less commotion than his de
parture from Senoia. Judge Dent
was on hand to meet him and after
the delivery of the mail insisted upon
taking him home with him as he
wanted a talk with him.
After dinner as they stood on the
shaded veranda he put his hand on
the boy's shoulder and said “Kent,
my boy, I am proud of you! You
have this day proven that now and
henceforth you are the master and
not the slave of circumstance. It re
Mounted on Stilts of Great Height.
quiretl no little moral courage to do
the thing you have accomplished.
Most boys would rather face a loaded
gun than the ridicule you encountered
to-day.”
“And I am no exception, sir; but
I was determined to face it even as I
would a loaded gun, and the anticipa
tion was far worse than the reality.
There was plenty of ridicule, but it
was the good-natured article.”
“You have not yet told me how
you ever came to think of such a
thing."
“I was reading lately of how the
Scottish shepherds used enormous tall
stilts in tending their flocks, both for
the convenience of seeing a great dis
tance and of getting over ground at
a rapid rate. I then remembered that
I was the champion s ilt-walker
among the boys of otir village a few
years ago. and as 1 had in view apply
ing for the position that you have
since so kindly secured for ine. it
occurred to me that if the practical
use of stilts were feasible in Scotland
it was equally so in America. The
more 1 thought of it the more prac
tical the idea seemed to me. and 1
determined to carry it out if I should
be made carrier. I had to put in a
good bit of practice to perfect myself
sufficiently to undertake it. but I
think I succeeded fairly, for I made
the distance here to-day in marvellous
ly short, time."
“Well, I admire your grit. Xow
there is another matter 1 want set
tied.”
And before Kent left Chetney it
was arranged that on the days he
brought the mail to Chetney he
should remain with Judge Dent as
long as possible, studying under his
guidance to fit himself for the junior
class in college.
For a whole year Kent went back,
and forth on his stilts with the mail,
and so well did he apply himself to
his studies under the direction of
Judge Dent that he easily entered the
junior class, where he soon became a
favorite with student and instructors,
even as in the old days at Seno.£.
high school.
Benny on the Mole.
The mole is a small animal than
lives just below the surface of the
earth and raises welts on the ground
when it desires to move from ono
spot to another. You catch a mole
by digging for him. except that you
generally don't get him. His fore
legs consist of a pair of sharp claws.
The mole is a silent animal and ab
hors the society of man, bin is Torn!
of roots. I know a boy who caught
a mole after hunting for Lim three
days and sold its skin for two cents,
which he gave to the heathen, who
are perishing and have no clothes.
My Uncle George says a mole in tho
ground is worth two on the face —
Chicago Tribune.
At the Age of Forty.
Smith—So you are celebrating thn
fortieth anniversary of your birth, eh 5
Jones—You have said it.
Smith—Well, it has been said that
a man at 40 is either a philosopher or
a physician. Which are you?
Jones—A philosopher, I guess, a I
least, I seem to feel under everlasting
obligations to the chap who married
the girl I was spoony on at the a*i
of 20.