n ."X 11 v."r uin '''''"""'''I'waMiB'aMMJal 1 k - . .4.-&$'H;H:Bl:.HJv '- ' '. '. ' ' '. - ON THE A South African ft . i.teUiU ii Jti .!.; Ji .!- fc !'. itt .:. (Conclusion.) The tiny broke ut Inst, ntul the guards entered the tent and cut the bonds thnt bound the pi tanner's less. The upper part of his faie was envel oped In n thick woolen inutller, nnd thus blindfolded he was led out to die. His grave was already dug, and they stood Iilm beside It. The firing party consisted of four men; three of th? illles held blank cartridges and the fourth was to deal the death blow, but none of them knew who held the deadly weapon. The flrliiK party were In chaige of an officer who held a revolver In hU i hand. Should the prisoner be alive after the party had fired, It was the ullleer's duty to execute the sentence himself. 'Present! Tire!" The rlllcs rang out, and Hendrlek stood by his grave unhurt. Without a word the officer advanced to within three paces of the doomed man, rais ed his revolver, and a bullet crashed through Hendrlck's brain. He fell forward, and then rolled on his back, the bandage slipped from his eyes, and V !" C $ f . 'I 't ' ' The Mercy 'J . 'I. A Wartime Story of the ' iy V ' !' ' ??? Wi ' ' ' ' J Night had jUBt fallen upon the veldt. The short dusk had suddenly deepened Into a heavy, thick obscurity, im penetrable for a space until there rose the rim of n full moon over the edge of the plain which showed hard and clear against the great disk. The nnt hills, that alone broke the monotonous flatness, flung Interminable Inky shad ows as the cold, white glare, eitctilc in Its fierce Intensity, shone out level across the plains. Hy the edge of the marsh a transport wagon had outspanned for the night, and within the circle of firelight, where moon and llamo struggled for the mastery, loomed the wavering outlines of the trek oxen tethered to the dlssclboom, and now and again the figure of a man. The only sounds were the crackling chirps -of the bullfrogs in the vlel, and the voices of two men who sat leaning back against the kaioss of meer-kat skins Hung over ono of the wagon wheels. "No!" repeated the elder man, the transport rider and owner of the wagon raising his voice. "With us they shall not come either she or tho brat." "Out look, Jakob," persisted tho other; "It is now three weeks, four weeks, that wc are on the trek, and she has followed all the time, and car ried the child, too. How tho poor girl lives I do not know. Take only the child. Jakob." "flow are we to eat? How is the vrouw to eat?" demanded the lioer querulously. "Are theie not enough mouths to fill already? And God knows how much further the span can go without water In this accursed country; they huvo enough to pull, as It Is. And why should I feed the wife and child of every black schelin that Is fool enough to want them? Ver domte swnrtzkop!" And he spat angrily Into tho file. "Hut tho child," persisted Pletj "that Is small and eats but little, not a quarter ns much as a dog. Hesldes, Klaus may run away If tho girl falls sick, and he nlono knows the road and the drifts ncross tho river." There was a moment's pause. "Well, then, the brat, In God's name," snap ped the other. The girl can walk, as she has walked these three weeks," ho added, and rolled himself Into his rug to avoid further surrender. Plot rose stlfily to his feet; the night breeze was growing chill. Ho knocked tho ashes out of his pipe, kicked somo fuel into the embers of the fire and wont around to tho other side of tho vvngon, whore tho tlneo Uasuto boys vvero lying. "Klaus!" he culled. "Here a mo ment!" A urunt from one of the blankets answered him. "Baas Jakob says a baby may ride with tho vrouw In the wagon, but the girl must still walk." There was a sudden movement at his feet and a dark Hguie rolled out of tho blanket. "No, boy. no! Not that!" His hand was boing covered with kisses. Plot drew it sharply away, and, taking a strip of blltoug from his pocket, thrust it into tho nasuto's grasp. "Here, this may help for tho girl; It was all I could got," ho answered roughly, and turning on his heel ho wont back to where his brother lay sleeping. Haas Plet was as averse to being generous as the transport rider, though for other reasons. For a whllo Klaus lay still. Presently, carrying tho piece of hard sundrled moat and his own supper of boiled mealies, ho crept shivering from his blanket and went slowly out to tho silent veldt, In tho direction from which tho wagon had como, as ho had gono every night to listen for tho signal that told him Delta was thero among tho nnt hills. Then ho would cheer her up and sit ueBlde her while iho e wuio of his poor ratloua, lover a odgc with Jnr Hint wrenched . .. , .,- .,x .g cvcl.y ,mlt nill, tt hJ BokC lh0 ,icavy VELDT Love Story ill ' .-it Ji .!. .!'. jk ;ti .!'. iii j.s J'. Jt jt. - the fuce of the dead man lay upturned to heaven. His exerutlonei took u step forward, and then a ciy of agony startled the morning air. "liendilck! Ilendiltk! My Cod! My God! Hetidilek! My brother! And 1 have killed him. Oh. Cod. forgive, forgive!" Paul Hoopslad placed hlq levolver to his lorchead. and fell across the toipse of his brothei'. They loved each other In life, and together they Joined the gieat unknown. That morning the English army stormed the heights of Glencoe. and the Boers were defeat d with heavy slaughter, anil side by side with Cap tain Hick Harvey lode .lohn Martin. In the engagement Captain Harvey was wounded, and sent to Durban, wheie Nancy inn wed her soldier lovet back to health. He told her the story of Hendrlck's death as he had heard It fioin one of the Boer prisoners. "He loved me." she said us the tears inn down her cheeks, "lie said he would serve me to the dentb. and In rescuing my father he lost his life!" (The End.) ! ' 'W l ' 'J ' t - 21', , ' of the Boer Transvaal :k- ' ' ! ! ' V' ' 'J ' ' ' ' ' ' ' though they were not enough for her and the child, Klaus grasped the kerrle dangling from his belt at the recollection of the cut across the mouth that the drunken transport rider hud given him with his sjambok when he had asked his permission. Besides, there was the baby, and he could not have left both of them behind, so fai from the kraal and her own people. But Baas Jakob was a hard man, and he did nut under stand such things. Kvnr since tliey had left Burghers-dorp-many weeks ago she bud walked after them, the baby slung on her back; and there were et thieo weeks more and the desert strip to cross before they reached the Great Belt anil the river. But the baby was to ride in the wagon now with the vrouw. und tho girl would not be so tired. Ah! Baas Plet was a good man bet ter than Baas Jakob. He would help; and later on he might even be rich enough to buy a fow head of cattle and some ponies and they would all go hack to the old place on the Krel, and He started to his feet as the pipe of a honoybird came faint ly out of tho distance. Betta was there at latt. The wagon was creaking nlong un der the burning noonday sun; the ox en stumbled lazily with lolling ton gues; crawling at snail's pace without fear of the Hick of the lash, for every one was asleep except the little voer loper trudging in front of the two leaders, crooning an endless native song to himself. Suddenly theie was a stir under tho tilt. The cuitaln was Hung aside, nnd Baas Plot stepped out on to the fore Ii.ii t of the wagon, yawning sleepily. "Boy!" he shouted, "onsaddle the mare. I shall ride on to the water hole beyond the drift. It cannot he far off now." Klaus appeared from underneath the wagon, where his blanket was slung hammock fashion In the day time, "No. Baas Plet. the spruit should nut be more than one hour's ride now, and the hole Is only two, threo miles further." Presently he brought tho mare around from the back of the wagon, where she had been tied up. tightened the girths and i oiled up the ilem of the neck halter. Baas Plet swung himself off the edge of the wagon Into the saddle. "Tell tho Baas when he wakes up," ho said; and with a shake of the reins cantered off through the dust. "It cannot be far now," repeated Klaus to himself, as he watched him until ho became invisible In the midst ir die viihI in own exnanse of sun scorched hillside. It was now five days since they had left the last vlel, nnd he had giv en nearly all his share of tho hot muddy wnter that tho vrouw served out to the girl for the last few days, hut that was very, very little, and she was sick, too. Tho baby was certainly the most contented of nil, lying In an empty sugar box under the shade of the tilt, engaged In colling the soft end of the eighteen-foot lash round and round Its chubby nrms. It grew fntter nnd merrier every duy. Tho vrouw rather liked It. black as It was, for she had no children of her own. All at onco camo a warning shout from tho voerloper. They were right on tho edge of tho drift, und tho lead ers began to pick tholr way slowly down tho steep hank over tho loose rocks nnd sand. Klaus wna busy put ting the heavy Iron shoo drag under one of tho hind wheels, while Baas Jakob, In a bad temper at having hla sleep disturbed, sat upon tho front of tho wagon, swearing at him and tho other boys for being lazy. Now sliding sideways over a smooth, sholvlag rock, now plunging down wagon crashed down the hnnk only to come to a dead stop nt the bottom, Imbedded In sand up to the nxls. The tpan were knotted In a tangled mob of clashing horns and twisted yoke reins, snulllng and pawing up tho sand with Impatient hoofs; Instinct told them that water was there but It was far. far below, for the rains had fallen many mouths back. "Veidonite roolnccks"' raged tho angiy Baas, beside hlnipclf. "Twist their tails; get that lion spike here. Hendrlk -that will make tho devils move." But It was of no use; the spnn only became mote hopelessly entangled. In vain Klnus dashed In among them, sjambok In hniiil. kicking heie and slashing there, while lleuililk and the voeilopet called upon the beasts by name and urged them forwaid. Wn ter thej knew was there, and water they would have. "The whip' Why don't you take the whip, you schelins? Where Is It?" loaied the Infui luted Boer, rising and glaring about the wagon. As he went foiward he stumbled over the baby and Its box, upsetting it and sending the child rolling across the iloor of the wagon, where It lay In a hall on a heap of skins, crowing with delight. People so seldom play ed games with It. The Boer thrust the empty box back against the side with his foot, and snati bed up the bamboo whip bundle. Polling It caiefully above his head In both hands, lie gave a preliminary lloutlsh, but the end was caught in something the bial again, curse It! It opened wide eyes of pleasure at him, holding up Its dimpled wrists, wound loiiud witli the end of the lash, With a savage oath he kicked It oft the end of the wagon into the midst of the stiuggllug cuttle and brought tho gieat whip down upon them with all his force. Again nnd again It uncoiled and whizzed down with a crack like a rifle shot, cutting Into the steaming Hunks of the plunging mob until they bellowed again. Scat red and bleed ing, deafened by the leportof the whip and the hoarse yells of the men, the maddened beasts straightened out, and with Klaus and the voerloper tugging at the leaders' heads, strained, pant ing up the further bank of the drift. It was late that evening boforo Klaus crawled stealthily away from the wagon, taking a full beaker of fresh water from tho pool, nnd his suppel; the Buas was veiy angry with him because the wagon had stuck In tho drift though how could he help It If the oxen would not be driven? and had forbidden him to leave the wagon to bee Betta. But no Baas could keep him from doing thnt, no matter how many hidings he got for It. Klaus walked for many hours, hut the girl did not come. Of course, hav ing the baby to carry again would make her take longer; for Buas Jakob had told him how he had seen It roll off tho wagon that morning trying to reach a big tortoise on tho rond nnd crawl after it unhurt, und how he had watched it there until Betta had pick ed It up when she came along. Still, she would catch them up next evening, and he left tho water beaker and tho food tied up In a pleco of a rng under a heap of stones In the middle of tho road, so that the ansvogcls could not get at them, and Betta might find them there In the morning. But Betta did not catch the wagop up next evening, or the noxt. Four days afterward they had pass ed the edge of the desert and out- ! spanned among the shady tamarisks and the willows by the banks of tho Great river. "Never mind, Klaus," said Baas Plet kindly, patting him on the shoulder; "hunger is n bad death, hut It Is God's will. Besides," he added, with a smile, "thero mo yet ninny good girls In Bu sutoland. But you will stay with Baas Jukoh and me yet a hit?" "I stay with you and Bans Jnkob," answered Klaus simply. "He treats me as well as nny other Bans." (Tho End.) Htmnlnirc'ii Astrniiomlrul Clock. The celebrated astronomical clock of Strusburg Is In the minster, or cathe dral, and was originally designed by an astronomer named Isaac Habrecht, In the early part of tho sixteenth cen tury. Previous to this time, In fact as early us 1354, Strasburg hud an as tronomical clock. It was In three partB. The lower part had a universal calendar, the central part an astro labe, and In the upper division wero figures of the three Magi und tho Vir gin. At every hour the Mngl came irwnrd and bowed to the Virgin; at tho same time a chime was pluyed, and a mechanical cock crew. This clock of tho Mngl, as It was called, stopped in tho early part of the slxteonth cen tury, und was replaced by n clock made by Habrecht, which ran until 1789, when it stopped, nnd all at tempts to put Its works In order fulled. In 1838 a clockmaker named Sehwllguo undertook to remodel tho Internal machinery, and finished It In 1842. Mlti Kata Herd. Thomas D. Heed's daughter, Miss Katherlno Reed, was among tho forty eight young women who recolved the Chancellor's certificate of the wom an's law class of the University of New York the other evening. Tho Hall of Madison Square Garden. Tho young women have completed tho five months' work which teaches them the elementnry principles of Jurisprudence and gives thorn a working knowledge of commercial nnd business law. Tho University prize scholarship was awarded to Miss Louise Brewer, nnd an essay prlzo of $50 to Mrs. Frank Northrop, IMUWOALENANDHOME ITEMS OF INTEBEST FOB MAIDS AND MATRONS. Ttifi Mtnl .ViirMrl Ui-to-Uute l'nru (Kiln The Niitrltr nt thn St moll I it Milium (Inn NtjlM In l'uutneur Our Cooking Hrliool. UrUlnn Homo llir Colt. (Kate l'mtuim Ogomle. who In u native of KreitmtK. Me. coiiltlljuteil tblt poem to Harper n .Miik.izIiio Tot Mai oh, 1m.) Out of tlio cluxer Mini lilueM'M'd Knm llo turned tliem Into the ilxer lane; One nfler iinother he let UiiMii I'iihm, And dimmed the tmmlow li.us ugillil. t'ntler the willow mid ovei the hill, Ilu pnlli'iiil followed their sober puce: The hum n whittle fill iinee wn still, And noun thing Htmdowed bis uuutiy fan Only n boy' and hU father Irnl said He IK'vei could let his nuuKStei go, Two nlleud. were lylllK dead, Under the feet or the ttainpllim f'-' Hut nfter the ewnliii; woik was done, And the nous wnu loud lit the inemhiw swamp. Over liM shoulder he hIiihk hl B'l". And Hli'itllhll) followed tin footpath damp. Across tho clover and through the wheat, With loyolutu homt nnd purpose ki tin. ThouKh cold mm the dow to tho hmryliiK feet. And the blind bat's Hitting xturttod him. Tin Ice Mnce then hud the lime boen whlto And the oulmrds sweet with uppli) bloom, And now, when the cows came h.iek at night, Tho foible father drove Hum homo. Strlet In Storking. Seldom have fashionable feet been 6o ornately clad as this season. The new hosiery Is marvelous in Its glory, and n small foitune could readily be expended Just In this ono department of the hbops. The mint expensive Blockings, of course, are thoae of silk of the cobwcbbleat texture, lino enough almost to be passed through a ring. Some of thcbo ate exquisitely ctubroldeied. Theie are black silk stockings daintily powdered with tiny flowers, like the forget-me-not, worked In delicate hues. Other black stock ings hnve u dlnmond pattern, bright in color, woven up the front. Upon this lighter background of pale pink, blue, green, violet or purple is embroid ered a riuliiMie trnceiy of vines. A pair of blight, yellow silk stockings has a diamond pattern In black, pro ducing an essentially stylish effect, In stockings of pnlo tint, tho diamond design Is always of tho black, and vice versa. Some of the new black silk stockings aro cut out In tho fiont, to display long, narrow appliques of lace. Others have the holes worked around with buttonhole stitch, nnd underneath are set pieces of gayly col ored taffeta. The old stylo stocking known ns "opera" top, that Is, tinted In some delicate color, the lower half dyed black, reappears in a modified form. Instead of an abrupt line be tween the say, luveuder top und black lower portion, tho colors aro blended by a graceful lino of black embroid ery. Iu openwork Blockings the effects are Indescribably delicate. In sonio the omnmentul stripes extend the on tiro length of the stocking; In otheis tho openwork Is carried only pnrt wny. Some of theso openwork stockings look like fairy lnco woik. Up-to-ilute 1'nra.ol.. The pnrnsol Is an important adjunct to a summer gown. It must be becom ing, for It Is a movable backgiound, and the clever woman realizes that It sho'ild be of a color and design that wl& harmonize with her complexion and her general style. The new para sol Is a thing of beauty, showing al most endless variation In the coloring and kind of fabric, In design and In tho shape and style of handles. The exhibits In the shops of these useful and at tho bamo time highly decora tive accessories of feminine dress run tho entlro gamut ot parasol Invention, from the frivolous and Huffy chiffon that lookH as If fabricated from n Hoot ing summer cloud, to the serviceable but stylish sunshade of plain silk, A conspicuous novelty this spring Is the squuro parasol, covered with one of tho popular Persian pattern handker chiefs. These hnve a bizarre effect, but they nro extremely stylish, nnd mny bo carried with almost nny costume. Silk parasols scalloped around the edge und trimmed with white silk braid are an other novelty, nnd still others nro mndo of bunds of silk Joined together with open hemstitching. Satin para boIs, with velvot polka dots, are very stylish. These have quite Bhort, thick natural wood handles. The spangled parasol is another novelty, but It Is a llttlo too pronounced nnd dazzling to bo popular, except with tho woman who ban such a large nsnortment of sunshades that she can lay It aside as Boon as die wearies of tho glitter. Tho parasols of transparent mate rials, like chiffon, nnd those of lnce, nppeal persuasively to tho woman of essentially feminine taste. They are very dainty, elegant and extravagant, but are well fitted to give tho crown ing touch of distinction to an elabo rate summer toilette. There Is an end less number ot variations carried nut In the transparent mnterlals. Chiffon is tucked, shirred and niched Into shape, and finished with ruffles, and thero are frills and falls of lnce, in sertion and applications of passe menterie. One of theso nlry, fairy novelties is of whlto satin, covered from tho edge to tho tip with knife plaited chiffon, tho plaltlngs growing narrower as they approach tho fer rule, ruchlngs of the chiffon appear ing here and thero along tho edge of them. A plain white satin parasol, decorated with designs of appllquo lnce, Is a desirable purchase, and an other white parasol Is of satin, covered with point d'esprlt, over which cho- willl j&iyiiK C A A JifSr fwEt nlllo cords are sowed In a network de sign, and is finished with two frills of point d'esprlt. edged with several rows of white chenille. Black Chan tllly laco and white chiffon combined togother, the chlfTon being accordion plaited between bunds of Insertion. The center of the parasol Is sometimes of cream lace, and tho band below of tucked chiffon, edged with plaited nif ties finished with a narrow cream laco edge. Black and white Is a very fash loiiableconiblnatlon In parasols. Sonio tlnies flowers of black laco aro applied upon the chiffon, and beneath tho airy laco floworB a color pink or green Is Inserted, giving a very rich and airy effect. A full black laco over a rulllo of chiffon hangs from tho edge of tho frame to flutter gracefully about the dainty head that It will shadow. There are parasols for every occasion tho drive, the morning wulk, the afternoon promenndo and tho links. The auto mobllo parasols this season arc of plain Bilk, In different shades, red or purple being the most fashionable. They nro equipped with a wooden handle of medium length, not very thick, nnd nro of medium size, finished with a niching of whlto liberty silk. Tho coaching parasol Is mado of plain or shaded silk, and appears as heioto fore, with a thick, short handle, which may bo either In light or cbonlzcd wood. Very beautiful aro the new parasol handles from Paris. The wood Is In pastel tints and tho handles aro deco rated In cut steel. Sometimes tho han dle Is covered with black velvet, upon which the ornamentation In cut steel appears In effective contrast. Another fashlonablo parasol bundle Is a ball entirely studded with rhlnestoiies. Smart Amnrlcmn (llrl. An American girl, Miss Burdlott by name, hopes to make a good thing out of tho coming Paris exposition. She has bought tho Pompellan house, built about forty years ago by Prince Je romo Napoleon. Tho houso Is on tho Conns la Heine, ami Miss Burdlott pro poses to transform It Into tea and re freshment roovis for weary sightseers. Meals will be served In tho atrium, where niUBlcans will play, Just ns when "Plon Plon" gave Italian fotes thore. Tho waitresses will wear Pompellun costumes, nnd, aside from tho refresh ment fenturo, tho place will bo well worth seeing simply as a curiosity. Miss Burdlott expects to make enough money during tho exposition to pay for tho house. Coo kin if Ptitiool. A now method of preserving food has been devised by a German, Herr F. W. Graeff. It Is effected by exhausting the air from the receptacle containing the food, then Impregnating It with an Inert gas such as hydrogen, nitrogen or carbonic acid at any desired pres sure, und finally scaling up hermetical ly. Liquids may lie treated as well as solids, hut they need restoring to their original condition by heating or bull ing before consumption. Custard Eggs Put six eggs In boil ing water, remove from fire nnd let thoni stiind, closely covered, for 11 vo minutes. Allow ono cup ot boiling wnter for each egg. Cheese Fondu -Molt ono-half cup rich cheese (crumbled) und onc-ha'.f tablespoon butter In ono cup hot milk. Add u well-beaten egg, ono saltspoon salt, one-half saltspoon cnyonno and ono cup soft breadcrumbs. Bake hi butteied scallop shells until brown. Wheat Crisps Mix one cup cream (Bweet or sour), ono-fourth cup sugar, one saltspoon salt and ono cup whole wheat Hour. Knead In Hour till stiff, roll out very thin und cut out. Bako on ungrcased tins In hot oven. Macaroon Souillo Scald one dozen, macaroons In a cup of milk. Pour giiidually upon the beaten yolks of three eggs and cook over hot water, stirring constantly till slightly thick ened. Fold In tho stlfily beaten whltea of threo eggs and bako In buttered mold Bet In hot water for twenty min utes. Turn from mold and servo with whipped cream. Mock Oyster Bisque One cup cod fish soaked in cold wuter and picked Into bits. Boll It twenty minutes, put ting it to cook with ono pint cold water and one pint Btralned tomato. Add one saltspoon soda, ono pint of milk, one tablespoon of butter meltod nnd mixed with ono tablespoon of cornstarch, one Baltspoon of whlto pep per. Boll up onco and serve. (Mrs. Lincoln.) Italian Chicken Boll a chicken till tender In lightly salted water. Whllo It Is cooking dtp out a pint of 4ho broth and put with it ono small onion sliced nnd a tablespoon of butter, half a teaspoon ot salt and a quarter of a pound of macaroni broken Into Inch pieces. Cook till water has noarly boiled nway, then add ono cup of milk and cook slowly till tho macaroni haa absorbed the milk. Sprinkle grated cheeso over It. Boll tho chicken liquor till reduced to one pint, removo tho fat and thicken slightly. Pour maca roni ovor tho chicken and tho Bunco ovor tho vvhalo, (Mrs. Lincoln.) Tho supremo excollenco In all things Is simplicity. ' l U MBilMlS ljgffii!giwgrorev WQ4N3 WVwi ,-. r- K