THE HTT-LE SCH09L.
HE Echnol bouse
over which Mloi
Mnttio Smith had
reigned for quite a
number of years
was situated on a
hill Just boyond tho
dtmlnutlvo vlllago
of Wales. It was
upon tho outskirts
of a wood and said
to bo In a snaky
p4a.ee. Miss Mattic, however, had nev
er seen any snakes and didn't believe
there were any. Sho had no objections
whatever to tho situation, but tho houso
ttsolf was old. Whenever Miss Mattlo
met a school trustee sho was bound to
(ell htm right decidedly that sho must
have a now school houso, one with a
cellar for tho coal and room for her
desk away from tho draught
But in tho spring tlmo tho draught
from the door wns very welcome, and
Miss Mattle was grntoful for all tho
air she could get as she sat at her desk,
hearing tho spoiling lesson.
"Hero, hero," drawled Miss- Mattlo'o
pet. Nan Foster. Thon Nan enmo to a
pause and fiddled nervously with tho
pockots of her apron.
"Well," queried tho teacher.
"I know what it means," declared thn
little girl: "I know so well that I didn't
have to look In tho dictionary, but I
ean't say it to save my life."
"It means a boy," volunteered a Tory
small girl, glancing dicamlly out of the
sehool room wludow.
"Oh, yes, of course, I know it means
a hoy," said Nan, hastily, "a boy who
a, dear, I can't say it."
Miss Mattle put a sudden end to the
- lZ7l i
"IT SKEBRED HER. "
MSeulty by furnishing the dictionary
Meaning, whereupon the pupil at the
lest et the class murmured grumbltng
ly that that was Just what be would
nave said If he had been given his turn.
After the spelling class had retired
the arithmetic class came and estab
lished itsolf In n very long row before
MIm Mattle. Down at the end of the
arithmetic class was a little Dutch boy
with blue eyea and flaxen hair. He wan
a Tcry bow scholar, and he didn't look
M M he would remain foot all the time.
The blue eyea were fastened earnest
ly upon Mlsa Mattlo'a face as she put
the question: "It an apple Is divided
late two parts, what are the parts
ailed, Johnny Smellier?"'
"Halves," answered the tittle Dutch
hey.
"If the halves are divided Into two
parts what are the parts then called?"
' "Quarters," answered the little Dutch
hay.
"And If the quarters are divided Into
twe parts what are the parts called?"
Inquired Miss Mattle, determined to
discover what prodigious amount of ar
ithmetic this small boy knew.
"Salts." answered the little Dutch
hay without a moment's hesitation.
All morning the school children had
heea calling Johnny Smeltzer "Tow
Head," but when tho next recess ar
rived he was chrlBtened "Snlts."
It was astonishing, considering the
limited dimensions of the village of
Wales, that Its youthful population
should have been of such a critical
tarn of mind. The children at the lit
tle old schoolhouse on the hill laughed
openly at tongue tied Bon Windsor, not
withstanding that his father was a
school trustee and a person of much Im
portance. .They made derogatory re
narks In regard to Sarah Wyand's new
honnet and Danny Rider's big shoes
and Tommy Gill's poor little hat that
his mother had cut out of a piece of
Mae velvet They even smiled at Miss
Mattle's bronze slippers, and declared
la audible whispers that they "must
pinch awful." But when Johnny Bmelt
er appeared oue ornlng In Ben Wind
sor's trousers, the uproar was tremen
dous. The silence bell Bounded, hut
the whole room continued In convulsive
giggle, for Ben Windsor's trousers
lagged about the little Dutch hoy's legs
Sa a manner never Intended by any clv
Nftaed talloi. and for "short pants" they
were extraordinarily loag and for "long
pants" they were, without doubt, "hlgn
water"
"Snlts must bo terrlblo poor," whis
kered Josslo Brown, "to have pants
glvo to htm."
"Ho 1th poro," rcturnod Ben Windsor,
"hlth motha 1th our wathwoman."
It was upon tho following day at
noon that tho littlo Dutch boy diffident
ly approached Miss Mattlo's desk.
"What Is it?" asked Miss Mattle,
keeping on with her writing.
For a silent mlnuto Snlts pulled
awkwardly at tho voluminous trousers,
then he blurted out, "My mother can't
help It about Ben Windsor's pants.
Sho wish sho could."
"Your mother Is a very good woman,
I am suro," returned Miss Mattlo caro
Icssly. "You mustn't mind what the
school children say."
Snit'4 faco flushed to tho very roots
of his whlto hair. "Oh, I don't mind,"
ho said, with his eyes upon tho plat
form, '"laln't that," and still ho lin
gered, Now, perbaps, It came to Miss Mat
tlo Smith that this little, white-haired
Dutch hoy considered it her duty to
stop tho school children's chattering
about Ben Windsor's discarded apparol.
If bo, It was very foolish of him. He
hadn't lived long in tho village of
Wales or ho would know botter than to
oxpoct such a thing of her. Why, sho
hadn't ovon attempted to hush that
audible whisper directed towards her
own high heeled slippers. A faint red
enmo Into her chcoks, too, and sho In
quired a trifle sharply, "Is there any
thing clso you have to Bay, Johnny
Smcltzcr?"
The littlo Dutch boy's head was
bowed very low, as ho murmured: "Can
I run for tho prlzo if I woar Bon Wind
sor's pants?"
Miss Mattle burst Into a ringing
laugh; she couldn't holp It, It was so
exquisitely funny. But evon as she
laughed, sho felt her conscience prick
her, for poor little Snlts, fumbling and
pulling at the baggy trousers, laughed
Yes, he minded very, very much, wear
ing Hot other boy's trousers.
"I know one thing," remarked the
teacher's pot, throwing her proud little
head In tho air, "If I was Snlts I
wouldn't come to school If I had to
wear people's old pants. His mother
ought to go to the store and buy him
a pair wtth her wash money."
"I won't play with him while he
wears Bon Windsor's pants," said Char
ley Stills, virtuously.
"Neither will I," cried George Watts.
"Neither will I," echoed Sammy Lin
ger. The appearance of Ben Windsor's lit
tle sister, hand In hand with a smiling
nurse maid, put an end to the unchari
table conversation. Fanny Windsor
had cried to come up to the school
house, and as she hadn't been very
well "lately, she was not allowed to cry
la vain. Ben was ordered to take good
rare of bis little sister, and the nurse
departed, leaving her charge In the
midst of an admiring group. Fanny
Windsor was fat and dimpled, and did
tot show any signs of her recent Illness
except In a certain lmperlousness of
manner that was extremely amusing.
All the early part of that afternoon In
the school room the visitor behaved
perfectly. She was only three yearo old,
but she repeated her letters with her
eyes off the primer, and sho counted up
to twenty with creditable rapidity. It
was during the fifteen minutes' recess
that she grew determined and venture
some. She insisted upon seesawing
with one of the large boys, she slapped
three of the girls, and In the end was
sen marching oft alone, crying vehe
mently that she dared anybody to como
with her. When the bell rang Fanny
Windsor had disappeared.
If there had ben a cellar to the little
old school house there would have been
a probability, at least that the trus
tee's small daughter had wandered Into
It or fallen Into It, for very likely tb
cellar would have bad no steps.
MUs Mattle and all the pupils, even
; the three girls who had been slappod,
I were in a great Butter looking for the
missing child. Ben ss'.d the .:.e
couldn't bare gone homo, because sue
wan afraid to cross the stream. .
It was a faint, far away sounding cry
that told them, cellar or no cellar, Fan-'
ny Windsor was under the school houso.
Sho had crept through a small oponlng,
which, by all means, should have led
Into tho cellar. It was such a very
small opening that only a very Bmall
boy, who no longer lived In tho vlllago,
had over investigated tho region" from
which sounded the forlorn cry. The
small boy had seen wonderful things
under tho school house, lighted, very
well, ho declared, by sunshine sHootlng
through tho chinks. Ho had seen four
snakes and a nest of spiders as big as
butterflies, nnd a wholo lot of bats. Bon
Windsor's littlo sister must havo hcen
seeing the wonders, too, tor sho began
to scream loudly.
"Can't anybody got her out?" cried
Miss Mattle. wringing her handB.
Ben put his scared1 faco to tho opening (
and called, "Fanny, FAnnyl"
Tho screams under tho houso grew
louder. '
"We'll havo to tear up tho Bchool
houso floor to get her," exclaimed Willie.
Day, excitedly.
"She'll bo Bmothercd by that tlme,'
said Snmmv Linger.
"Fanny, como along this way," plead
ed Ben. "Horo'th brotha,"
"I reckon she's caught," said George
Watts.
"Mcbbo a snako's got her," suggested
a littlo girl.
Then Bon screamed, "I theo a wptt"
Many and many a time tho school chil
dren had laughed a Ben for calling
rat a "wat," but none of them laughed
now. "
In all that anxious crowd only on
mortal realized that something must
bo done. The littlo Dutch boy picked
up a stick and tho next instant Bnn
Windsor's trousers went wriggling
through the opening.
"Oh, dear," cried Miss Mattlo, wring
ing her hands harder than over, and
Miss Mattle's pet hid her faco and wept
aloud. There was n terrible scuffle
under the old uchoul house. It Bcemod
to last a long tlmo; then thero was s
strange quiet Ben Windsor, palo and
trembling, had drawn back from the
opening.
"Mebbo they'a both dead." said Sam
my Linger, huskily.
At a safo distance from tho oponlng a
boy was stooping, with his hands upon
his knees. "Somo'n's a-coming," ho an
nounced In a fearful whisper.
The something that first showed up
at tho opening was a round, dimpled
tear-stained face, and Bon Windsor
caught his little sister In his arms and
kissed hor wildly. Following after
Fanny came Snlts. Watching Snlts
drawing himself through the hole, one
understood how very small the bole
was. The little Dutch boy's fair face
was whltor than usual, -almost as white
as his hair; and his blue eyes looked
quite dark as ho got upon his feet and
stood bashfully, whirling by the tall
that third something, which, had It ap
peared first, would have caused a scat
deration In the crowd. "It skeered her,
but It hadn't hurt hor yot," he an
nounced, soberly. The third some
thing was a dead rat Then Miss Mat
tie's pet, who had unveiled her eyes,
cast an eloquent glance Into the teach
er'B face. "Snlts Is a hero, ain't he.
Miss Mattle," she asked?
Miss Mattlo nodded her head.
"And I reckon he's paid for them
pants a hundred times over!" cried
Willie Day, enthusiastically, and again
Miss Mattle nodded her head.
Later on It was doclared that Snlts
built the new school house, for If Bea
Windsor's father hadn't seen the dead
rat with his awn eyes, he might sever
have roared out threateningly: "The
old rat hole shan't stand another sum
mer; we'll get a new school house, or
we'll havo none!" Louise R. Baker, 1b
the New York Observer.
Coals of Fire.
"Take my seat," sho Bald.
A flush of genuine gratitude suffused
the pink and white complexion of the
man who waa clinging to the strap.
"Thank you," he answered cordially.
The age-end woman betook herself
to the front platform, where she af
fected to smoke her cigarette lnsou
clantly, but her thoughts were never
theless with tho past, when conditions
were different, and her heart waa full
of the bitterness of remorse. Detroit
Tribune.
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
Wear a clean apron while ironing or
bed-making.
To clean bamboo furniture uoo a
brush dipped in salt water.
The eyes should be bathed every night
In cold water Just before retiring, aad
they will do better work the following
day.
When very tired lie on the back, al
lowing every musclo to relax, letting
he hands go any way they will, and
keep the eyes closed.
Oil stains may be removed from wall
paper by applying for four hours pipe
clay, powdered and mixed with water
to tho thickness of cream.
If you have to sew all day, change
your seat occasionally, and so obtain
rest Bathing the face and hands will
also stimulate and refresh.
For stains In matting from grease,
wet the spot with alcohol, then rub on
white castile Boap. Let this dry In a
cake and then wash off with warm salt
water.
Where It la desirable to see the
tongue of a very small child tho object
may be accomplished by touching the
upper lip with a bit of sweet oil, whtch
will cause the child to protrude Its
tongue.
Sore or Inflamed eyes are relieved by
bathing in tepid or warm water Is
whf:h a littlo salt haa been dissolved.
An Individual towel should be used la
all such cases never ene which la
ured In common by members at the
, uihily. - ' ' - -i
FABM AND GrAEDEN.!
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO .
AGRICULTURISTS. !
Some Cp-to-Date Hints About Calf..,
tlon of the Soil nnd YleliU Thereof
Horticulture, Vltlsalture nod F'urV
culture. ,
N bulletin 28 Of
tho Iowa exfVjr'
ment station, l'rf
Pammcl Bays:
Poisoning f'c a
eating tho roo f
Cowbano (Clr.ua
maculata, L.) is nU
Infrequent In t?e
state of Iowa n.d
elsewhere. It t-
'fecls man, crtl o
and horses. Every now and then, theo
are accounts of poisoning from "wl'd
parsnips" In our papers. Tho wrll ir
has at various times received communi
cations with specimens of "wild par
snips." The subject Is of considerable
Interest and especially so because tho
plant 1b widely distributed In Iowa, and
a lnrge number of people nro not awaro
of tho poisonous nature of tho root.
Spotted Cowbano Is a member of tho
carrot family, or ns It is known botan
ically, Umbolllferae.
It Is a smooth marsh perennial 2.5
foot high with pinnately compound
leaves 2-5 times pinnate; tho lcavis
have long petioles, the coarsely ser
rate leaflets aro lanceolate to oblong
lanceolate 1-5 Inches long. Stalk of the
umbellets numerous and unequal.
Flowers whlto, fruit broadly ovato to
oval, small, J. lines long. Grows In
will
mil Mi& . JSga &&.,
ffrrS2!faBi??'raow,fl . flowers .asuTfralt;
IdulSL Bejt-ol AgricaUanv. division of Botany. aVihUy r
marshes and In low grounds. The
stemB spring from thick, fleshy under
ground roots that taper at the lower
end. These usually number from three
to five, but slnglo specimens are also
met with. On cutting the roots a sharp
pungent odor is given off, Intensified by
boiling.
Mistaken for Parsnips.
Public opinion, In the west at least,
has answered this question In the
affirmative. There Is a diversity of
opinion concerning tho, plant which
causes tho poisoning. The majority of
people attribute the cause to the par
snip running wild, and this belief Is
Indeed very wide spread. So wide,
spread is this belief that It seems quite
tojm 1 TKlelrf rooU ofCowbane, ngbttyre
6cd. Younf ttenu coming out neir the top. At
(2) crou kcUoo ef rooU At (!) loofitadlaU ieo-
Impossible to dispell It from the minds
of some people. I have been particu
larly fortunate In the cases which are
here recorded to Identify the specimen
In every case which caused the poison
ing, and moreover, I have also to offer
good evidence that tho cultivated par
snip running wild does not cause pois
oning. The wide spread belief of tho poison
ous nature of the cultivated parsnip
running wild 1b entertained by a large
number of people, and also to some ex
tent by the medical fraternity, A few
years ago, Prof. Frederick B, Power, of
Passaic, New Jersey, and one of his pu
pils, Mr. J. T. Bennett, undertook some
i experiments to determine whether the
cultivated parsnip running wild had
any toxic properties.
Mr, Bennett failed to detect the pres-
ince of any poisonous principle In tho
oot of tho truo wild parsnip (Pastlnaca
tiattva), and when tho boiled roots wero
fed, In considerable amounts to a cat,
uo symptoms of poisoning wero mani
fest We may add as a further testi
mony, that Prof. Power reports that
la associate, Dr. Cramer, insisted up
on eating one-half of the raw roots
from Mr. Rynning, of West Stl&m,
tVlB., which wero supposed to cause
oaBes of tho poisoning. Dr. Cramer re
ports no ill effect whntover. Ono of
the largest of tho fresh raw roots
weighing three nnd one-half ounces
nvolrdupolB, was chopped flno, mixed
with Eomo raw mest and fed to a small
dog. Tho animal ato It greedily and
without dlsturbanco. Thero were no
symptoms whatever of any poisonous
action. I havo on different occasions
eaton tho wild parsnip, Pastlnaca sa
tlva, without any 111 effect, so that tho
above results are corroborated. I will
admit that I had somo hesitancy at
first, and that Mr. Sexton, tho foreman
of tho agricultural department, did. not
expect to see mo alive by evening. I
must confess also that the roots wero
somowhat woody and not very palat
able. Dr. J. J. Brown, Sheboygan, Wis,, as
quoted by Dr. Power, states that he had
prepared and dug euough wild parsnips
for a good dinner, which he ate, and
can testify that ho can discover but
littlo difference, cooked or raw, from
cultivated parsnips and thoso which
had run wild for about fifty years.
The cases reported by Prof. Power,
the writer and others aro Instructive
as showing that in nearly all cases
where It was attributed to parsnips
running wild, tho roots sent with spec
imens indicated that Cowbano had
been eaten. Experimentally no better
evldence Is needed than these where
persons havo eaten the wild parsnip
and no HI effects have followed. Peo
ple should therefore become familiar
with the deadly plant described above
and throw aside superstitious belief.
In this very common belief we have an
other evidence that writers who have
attributed the poisoning to cultivated
parsnips running wild have not Inves
tigated for themselves, thoy have as
sumed that tho plant is poisonous.
The Banana Trado.Tho New Or
leans Times-Democrat says: California
and tho eastern fruit have played havoc
with the banana trade of New Orleans.
Nearly all the steamship lines plying
between this port and the Central
American banana ports havo reduced
the number of vessels in service, and
the banana trade Is set down as dimin
ishing 50 per cent from the last spring
trade. The California crop of fruit has
been an exceptionally large ono this
summer, and has flooded northern,
eastern and western markets to the
detriment even of the local fruit in
thoso sections, and peaches are about
50 cents a box thero and apples as low
as (1.50 per barrel. Bananas being an
all year crop have been brought In com
petition with this seasonal fruit, and
they can be bought cheaper in the
localities mentioned than In New Or
leans. Pigeons Out of all the birds that
may be called domestic the pigeon
holds the first place. The dove that
went forth from tho ark to search the
state of the earth has developed many
species during the ages. No bird can
bo "crossed" more easily than the pig
eon. These birds are more carefully
classified than any others, and another
thing in their favor is that they have
really more intelligence than any of the
feathered flock. Pigeons are affection
ate creatures and are always ready to
show their appreciation of any kind
ness shown to them. Tho "carrier"
class of pigeons has not many varieties,
but they have quite a literature of their
own. A thoroughbred pigeon can wing
It at the rato of about 30 miles an hour.
That is the average rate of speed, but
in the Franco-German war, during the
siege of Paris, that was frequently ex
ceeded. Ex.
Twenty-five years ago men thought
It impossible to overdo the horse bust
aeti the unexpected happened.
Dompntlo Flax Crop.
The Minneapolis Market Record sayit
"The movement of the new crop of flax
dates from about threo weeks ano,
when receipts nt Minneapolis Jumped
from littlo or nothing to as high as
31,000 bushels In a day. These heavy
receipts began about a week earlier
than In 1894, 1893 or 1892, and about
two weeks earlier than In 1891. But
taking tho first threo weeks' move
ments of nil years on record, this year
outdoes them all, so far as receipts at
this market aro concerned. In 189L
the year conceded to havo broughl
forth tho heaviest crop yot harvested
tho receipts at Mlnscapolls during tht
first three weeks of tho movement a
that crop were 16,820 bushels, but latoi
the arrivals became heavier, and con.
tlnued very heavy until the
next August. In 1892 the first
threo weeks of the now crop
saw 30,192 bushels received on this
market, or nearly twice as much as In
1891, but receipts fell off much earlier
hat senson. nnd for the crop year they
were much lighter. In 1893 the re
ceipts during tho first three weeks of
the movement wero 24,220 bushels.
This year they dropped off soon after
January 1, and continued Bmall to the
close of tho crop year. Last year, 1894,
the receipts during tho corresponding
period were 85,010 bushels, but this
year during the same time they havo
been 16C.240 bushels, or nearly twice
those of any previous year, and about
ten times as much as was received dur
ing the camo period in the memorable
year of 1891. The yield this year prom
ises to exceed that of any year Blnce
1S91, so that In three states a harvest
fully as great as that of 1891 might
reasonably be expected."
Spluncli.
This Is ono of our very hardiest
crops, and seed can be sowed very early
in spring, and again In September for
lato fall and winter crops, and in Octo
ber for winter nnd spring crop. The
differences between the leading, varie
ties are slight. Long Standing Summor
Spinach, especially for spring planttng
K best. Sow seed with the drill. The
indicator will tell you how to set It for
sowing this seed. Don't raise more
than you are reasonably sure you caa
sell. If demand and prices are good
when tho plants have made some, but
not their full growth, It may In some
cases pay to thin them, leaving tho
remaining ones three or four inches
apart to come to full size, and selling
thinnings. Wo use ordinary ten-quart
peach baskets In which to put up the
crop for market.' Or the plants may
be put in bushelcrates or barrels, and
sold by the peck or other measure, or
by the barrel to retailers. Usually we
cut the whole rows down as fast as the
crop 1b needed for sale,- pushing a
sharp and bright "crescent" hoe under
the plants Just on top of the ground,
thus cutting tho plants off and leav
ing them ready for gathering, washing
and putting up for market. Applica
tions of nitrate of soda often have a
wonderful effect on thlB crop. If we
are crowded for room, we sow a row of
spinach between each two rows of early
cabbages. The spinach has to be taken
off in good season, when all the spaca
is needed for cabbageB. Ex, v
Wet or Dry Foods.
From a strictly theoretical standpoint
we are taught that these foods should
bo given dry that the animal will eat
it slowly, giving ample time for the
8allvary secretions to form, nB does maa
when eating crackers, etc. But is this
truo? My experience says no. Our
horses and cattle are a little lower dowm
in the animal scale than man, and their
animal natures ure not controlled by,
mental faculty as that of man Is or
should be. Placn food in reach of the
hungry animal and the one object is to
swallow it as quickly as possible.
Again, let a man attempt to make a
meal from strictly dry food and he finds
a glass of water a vry satisfactory ac
companiment Probably it suits our
tastes better in this way than to have it
ground and made into a mush, but tho
animal does not object to it so, and the.
fluids thus taken answer tho same pur
pose. Furthermore the salivary secre
tions in both horse and ox have beea
found by chemical aralysls to contala
little or nothing of a digestive nature
farther than emulslficatlon. Ex.
Preventing; Potato Scab.
A bulletin of tho Indiana experiment
station says:
1. Potato scab is caused by the at
tack of a minute vegetable parasite, as
was first demonstrated at this statioa.
2. It chiefly attacks the crop
through infected seed material.
3. Tho Beed material may be disin
fected by Immersion in a bath of cor
rosive sublimate.
4. The corrosive subllmato solution
should be of the strength of one pre
mlllo (2 oz. to 15 gal. of water).
5. The bath should be about an hour
and a half long, although some varia
tion in time is immaterial.
6. Cutting and planting is done as
usual.
7. The result of the treatment is a
crop essentially free from surface blem
ishes, and of greater market value.
8. Sometimes a considerable la
crease In yield resultB from the treat
ment 9. The method Is easily and cheaply
applied, and worthy of extended trial.
Turnips as a Hoed Crop. It Is cheap
er and better every way to have turnips
groWn in rows so that they can be cul
tivated and hoed than to sow tLam
broadcast The latter method bap - m
erally prevailed owing to tho too . ,.a
mon idea that growing a cro- ,vub I -tie
labor makes It cheaper. I'.nt v ,e
the turnips are drilled and alt , ted
this extra labor Is more than 'l'-i'J by
Increased product, thus Making the
drilled turnips cost less per bushel thorn
those Bown broadcast There Is a fur
ther advantage iu the tact that the cul
tivated turnip may be kept free from
weeds, thus saving labor in future
crops. Ex. .
if
1