BOB HAMPTON uus, dreams.” He seated himself comfort ably at her feet. “You would, cause me to believe you a most impractical person. Miss Xaida." “If that were only true, I am sure I should be most happy, for it has been my fortune so far to conjure up only pleasure through day-dreaming —the things I like and long for be come my very own then. But if you mean, as I suspect, that 1 do not en joy the dirt and drudgery of life, then my plea will have to be guilty. Back of what you term practical some one has said there is always a dream, a first conception. In that sense I choose to be a dreamer.” “And not so unwise a choice, if your dreams only tend toward re sults.” He sat looking into her ani mated face, deeply puzzled by both words and actions. "I cannot help noticing that ycu avoid all reference to my meeting with Mr. Hampton. Is this another sign your impractical mind?” “I should say rather the opposite, for I had not even supposed it con cerned me.” "Indeed! That presents a vastly dif ferent view lrom the one given us an hour since. The distinct impression was then conveyed to both oir minds that you were greatly distressed re garding the matter. Is it possible you can have been acting again?" “I? Certainly not!” and she made no attempt to hide her indignation. “What do you mean?" He hesitated an instant in hie re ply, feeling that possibly he was treading upon thin ice. But her eyes commanded a direct answer, and be yielded to them. "We were informed that you expe rienced great anxiety for fear we might quarrel—so great, indeed, that you had confided your troubles to an other.” io wnom: “Miss Spencer. She came to us os tensibly in your name, and as a peace maker." For a moment she sat gazing direct ly at him, then she laughed softly. “Why, how supremely ridiculous: I can hardly believe it true, only your face tells me you certainly are not in play. Lieut. Brant, I have never even dreamed of such a thing. You had informed me that your mission was one of peace, and he pledged me his word not to permit any quarrel. I had utmost confidence in you both." “How, then, did she even know of our meeting?” “I am entirely in the dark, as mys tified as you," she acknowledged, frankly, “for it has certainly never been a habit with me to betray the confidence of ray friends, and 1 learn ed long since not to confide secrets to Miss Spencer." Apparently neither cared to discuss the problem longer, yet he remained silent considering those questions which might decide his fate. “You speak of your confidence in us both,” he said, slowly. “To me the complete trust you repose in Mr. Hampton is scarcely comprehensible. Do you truly believe in his reform?" “Certainly. Don’t you?” The direct return question served to nettle and confuse him. “It is, perhaps, not my place to say, as my future happiness does not directly de pend on the permanence of his reformation. But if his word can be depended upon, your happiness to a very large extent does." She bowed. ‘ I have no doubt you can safely repose confidence in what ever he may have told you regarding me.” “You indorse, then, the claims ha advances?" “You are very insistent: yet I know of no good reason why 1 should not. answer. Without at all knowing the nature of those claims to which you refer. 1 have no hesitancy in say ing that 1 possess such complete con fidence in Bob Hampton as to reply unreservedly yes. But really, Lieut. Brant, I should prefer talking upon some other topic. It is evident that you two gentlemen are not friendly, yet there is no reason why any mis understanding between you should in terfere with our friendship, is there?" (TO UK CONTINUED.) a>Y" e/. H/GG//SCJ i. I CHlNZdZ BANANA CBOWINg m BOW JJSNDS NZJUB IfOJBOZ/Ul/U. The people of the United States consumed over $7,000,000 worth of im ported bananas in the year 1902. Each year the importations are increasing and at the rate of nearly a million dollars per annum in value. The West India Bulletin states that in the height of the season, upwards of 20 steamers per week leave Jamaica alone laden chiefly with bananas for the markets of the United States Comment is unnecessary upon what this trade has done for Jamaica, par ticularly since the decline in the sugar industry. Banana growing is to-day one of the most profitable industries in that island, notwithstanding the fact that tornadoes sometimes destroy whole fields. Further, the indirect in fluence which this trade has had upon tourist travel can not be easily esti mated. The frequent, passage of steam ers lias attracted thousands of people to the W est Indies to spend the win ter. Why should not the Hawaiian islands take some more considerable part in this large and increasing in dustry and commerce? This is a ques tion worthy of careful consideration. This territory possesses soils and climate admirably adapted to the growth of bananas.' It also is free from tornadoes, the grower thus avoid ing the great losses that come to planters in some other countries. A great market, on the Pacific slope of the main land of our own country, is at Hawaii's doors. The banana plant is used in an al most infinite number of ways. Nearly every part of it is put to several uses. To describe these in full would require a small publication in itself. Here only brief mention can be made of some of them. The ripe fruit is known to most northern people simply as an article of dessert—a mere incidental to a well provided table. In tropical coun tries, however, it is a staple article of food, the native population frequently being quite dependent upon it. It is eaten not only raw but cooked in a great variety of ways. The unripe fruit is also cooked, some varieties being better in this way than when ripened. Some varieties are especial ly adapted for drying and in favorable climates may be dried by the sun without resort to artificial means. In this form, they may be used as are other dried fruit now so common in me markets. Banana flour or meal is made by re ducing the dried fruit to a powder. Other secondary products that have been made from bananas are preserved ripe fruit, alcohol, vinegar and wine. The fruit-bud of some varieties is cooked and eaten and is said to be very good. The flowers, fruits and corm or root-stock are said to have medicinal value. The corm is also used as food for stock as is also the part of the fruit stem inside the “trunk." The latter is also used as food by the natives of some tropical countries. The leaves have been used as fod der for stock and Prof. Hilgard states that they contain nearly as much al buminoids as average meadow bay. The fibre of the leaves of the or dinary bananas has long attracted at tention and continues to do so. That of the so-called fibre banana (Musa Textilis), as is well known, is the souce of the Manila hemp of com merce and is one of the most valuable | fibres in the market. The banana fibre while of fair qual ity and adapted to some uses is so in ferior to that of Musa textilis that the former does not find a ready market except when the latter is scarce and the price very high. It then brings only half the price of Manila hemp. It is inferior both in strength and luster. The Hawaiian banana trade had its beginning between 40 and 50 years ago. As early as the year 1864, ac cording to Thrum's Hawaiian Annual, there were 121 bunches of bananas ex ported from these islands. Probablv these were the first of the Chinese variety to be shipped from here, since Hillebrand records that this species of Musa was first brought to us from Tahiti about the year 1S55. in the year 1863 only CO bunches w-ere ex ported. but from this time onward the trade increased slowly until it reached its maximum in the year 1896. In this year the export amounted to 126 - 413 bunches. The next three year’s show a considerable decrease in this export. From that date to the pres ent time there are no figures to show the size of the shipments, for since annexation to the I'nited States the Hawaiian custom house authorities have made no specific classification of bananas sent to the mainland. It is probable, however, that the shipments were light until last year when they increased again. This drop in the Hawaiian trade was no doubt due to the diligence of those interested in the Central American and West Indian fruit trade in extendh,. their trade westward. The Hawaiian product suffered in the market not because of inferiority, for the Chinese variety is considered superior in flavor ^ the Jamaican. The latter, however, can be handled more cheaply because of its hardiness The future development of the banana trade of course cannot be fore seen, but there is no reason to sup pose that the limit of capacity has yet been reached. The figures above show a steady increase in consump tion in America. In the future more of the bananas from the British West Indies will probably find an outlet in L The Chinese Banara. the markets of the Mother Country. It is possible that the public taste may become more discriminating, thus giv ing a stimulus to the trade in the finer varieties. There seems no good reason why the Hawaiian islands should nor now assume a very much larger share in the trade The soil, the climate and proximity to market are all in the! • favor. CITY MEN AS FARMERS. Find Health and Zest If N<.*ning More in the Operation. Great is the debt of gratitude due the man who makes money in trade nr professionally and spends it on farm ing as a fad. says the St. Loris Globe Democrat. He is laughed at by The real yeomanry as one to whom the proper purpose and value, of ready cash are unknown, and who scatters It on fantastic experiments; but the amateur takes his own course and en joys it mere than his critics imagine. A city's most energetic population is recruited from the farms, and the old merchant or practitioner, as a rule, craves the country when he retires. This passion is strong even among those born in cities, and if they want to amuse themselves with little ex travagances on the soil they ought to have sympathetic encouragement. It is seldom that farming is attempted on Monte Cristo principles, but surely it is better to scatter a million on the soil than to sec it lapped up by brok ers in a single night. Occasionally a wizard in selecting and crossing plants comes along and causes the world to marvel by the new varieties he pro duces and the old ones lie improves. Inventors who have never lived out of a city street constantly add to the machinery that places American agri culture far in the lead. Give the city farmer the glad hand. The money he "fools away” is not barren. He finds health and zest, if nothing more, in the operation. Modern Hotels Needed in China. Modern hotels are much needed in China. Ordinary establishments at Tsingtau and elsewhere get five to six dollars gold a guest day. The ac commodations are inadequate and the fare poor.