15he Bondnvaurv A
Continue !
Story.
By HALL CAINE.
CHAPTER VI. ( Continued. )
The coming of Michael Sunlocks
startled him out of his tipsy sleep of a
quarter of a century and his whole
household was put into a wild turmoil.
In the midst of it , when he was at hia
wit's end to know what to'do for hi *
prisoner-guest , a woman , a stranger to
Grimsey , carrying a child in her arm .
presented herself at his door. She
was young and comely , poorly but not
meanly clad , and she offered herself to
the priest as his servant. Her story
was simple , touching and plausible.
She had lately lost her husband , an
Icelander , though she herself was a
p foreigner , as her speech might tell.
And hearing at Husavik that the priest
of Grimsey was alone old gentleman
without kith or kin or belongings , she
had bethought herself to come and say
that she would he glad to take service
from him for the sake , of the home he
might offer her.
It was Greeba , and simple old Sir
Sigfus fell an easy prey to her wo
man's wit. He wiped his rheumy eyes
while she told her story , and straight
way sent her into the kitchen. Only
one condition he made with her , and
that was that she was to bear herself
in his house as Icelandwomen bear
themselves in the houses of Iceland
masters. No more than that and no
less. She was to keep her own apart
ments and never allow herself to be
seen or heard by a guest that was
henceforth to livewith him. That
good man was blind and would trouble
her but little , for he had seen sorrow ,
poor soul , and was very silent.
Greebn consented to this with all
earnestness , for it fell straight in the
way of her own designs. But with a
true woman's innocent duplicity sho
showed modesty and said , "He shall
never know that I'm in your house , sir ,
unless you tell him so yourself. "
Thus did Greeba place herself under
the same roof with Michael Sunlocks
and baffle discovery by the cunning of
love. Two purposes were to be served
by her artifice. First , she was to be
constantly by the side of her husband ,
to nurse him and tend him , to succor
him , and to watch over him.Next ,
she was to he near him for her own
sake , and for love's sake , to win hinv
hack to her some day by means more
dear than those that hadwon , him for
ler at the first. "She had decided not
to reveal herself to him in the mean
time , for he had lost faith in her af
fection. Ho had charged her with
marrying him for pride's sake , but he
should see that she had married him
for himself alone. The heart of Ills
love was dead , but day by day , un
known , unseen , unheard , she would
breathe upon it until the fire in its
ashes lived again. Such was the de
sign with which Greeba took the-place
of a menial in the house where her
husband lived as a prisoner , and little
did she count the cost of it. .
Six months passed , and she kept her
promise to the priest to live as an Ice
land servant in the house of an Iceland
master. She was never seen and nev.er
heard , and what personal service was
called for was done by the snappish
old man servant. But she filled the
i old house , once so muggy and dark ,
v/ith all the cheer and comfort of life.
She knew 'that Michael Sunlocks felt
the change , for one day she heard him
say to the priest as he lifted his blind
face and seemed to look around , "One
would think that this place must be
full of sunshine. "
"Why , and so it is , " said the priest ,
"and that's my good housekeeper's
doing. "
"I have heard her step , " said Mich
ael Sunlocks. "Who is she ? "
lit ! "A poor young woman that has lata-
ly lost her husband , " said the priest.
"Young , you say ? " said Sunlocks.
"Why , yes ; young as I go , " said the
priest.
"Poor soul ! " said Sunlocks.
It cost Greeba many a pang not to
fling herself at her husband's feet at
hearing that'word so sadly spoken.
But she remembered her promise and
was silent. Not long afterwards she
heard Michael Sunlocks ask the priest
if he had never thought ofmarriage. .
And the priest answered yes , that he
was to have married at Reykjavik
about the time he was sent to Grimsey ,
li but the lady had looked shy at his
banishment and declined to share it.
"So I have never looked at a woman
again , " said the priest.
"And I daresay you have your ten
der thoughts of her , though so oadjy
treated , " said Sumocks.
"Well , yes , " said the priest ; "yes. "
"You were chaplain at Reykjavik ,
but looking to be priest or dean , and
perhaps bishop some day ? " said Sun-
locks.
"Well , maye so ; such dreams come
in one's youth , " said the priest.
"And when you were sent to Grim-
sey there was nothing before you but
a cure of less than a hundred souls ? "
said Sunlocks ,
"That is so , " said the priest.
"The old story. " said Sunlocks , and
"he drew a deep breath.
But deeper far was the breath that
Greeba drew , for it seemed to be the
last gasp of her heart.
A year passed , and never once had
Greeba spoken that her husband might
Tiear her. But if she did not speak ,
lu she listened always , and the silence of
r her "tongue seemed to make herxears
the more keen. Thus she found a way
-to meet all his wishes , and before he
bad asked he was answered. If the day
was cold he found gloves to his hand ;
1 he thought to wash there was water
"beside him ; if he wished to write the
pen lay near his fingers. Meantime ho
never heard more than a light foot
fall and the rustle of a dress about
"him , but as these sounds awoke pain
ful memories he listened and said
nothing.
The summer had come and gone in
-which he could walk out by th < 3
priest's arm. or lie by the hour within
sound of a stream , and the winter had
fallen in with its short days and long
jiights. And once , when the snow laj-
( thick on the ground , Greeba heard hin
I say how cheerfully he might cheat
time of many a weary hour of days
like that If only he had a fiddle to be
guile them. At that she remembered
that It was not of money that hail
placed her where she was , and before
the spring of that year a little church
organ came from Reykjavik , address
ed to the priest , as a present from
someone whose name was unknown to
him.
"Some guardian angel seems to
hover around us , " said Michael Sun-
locks , "to give us everything that we
can wjsh for. "
The joy in his blind face brought
smiles Into the face of Greeba. but her
heart was heavy for all that. To live
within hourly sight of love , yet nevor
to share it , was to sit at a feast and
eat nothing. To hear his voice , yot
never to answer It , to see his face , yec
never .to touch it with the lips that
hungered to kiss it , was an ordeal
more terrible than any woman's heart
could bear. Should she not speak ?
Might she not reveal herself ? Not yec ,
not yet ! But how long , oh , how long ?
In the heat of her impatience she
could not quite restrain herself , and
though she dare not speak , she sang.
Ic was on the Sunday after the organ
came , when all'the people at Grimsey
were at church , in their strong odor
of fish and sea fowl , to hear the strange
new music. Michael Sunlocks played
ic , and when the people sang Greeba
also joined 'them. Her voice was low
at first , , but she soon lost herself , and
then it rose above the other voices.
Suddenly the organ stopped , and she
was startled to see the blind face of
her husband turning In her direction.
Later the same day she heard Sun-
locks sayto the priest , "Who was the
lady who sang ? "
"Why , that was my good housekeep
er , " said the priest.
"And did you say that'she had lost
her husband ? " said Sunlocks.
"Yes , poor thing , and she is a for
eigner , too , " said the priest.
"Did you say a foreigner ? " said
Sunlocks.
"Yes , and she has a child with her
also , " said the priest.
"A child ? " said Sunlocks. And then
after a pause he added , with more in
difference , "Poor girl ! poor girl ! "
Hearing this , Greeba fluttered on the
verge of discovering herself. ' 'If only
I could be sure , " she thought , but she
could not , and the more closely for the
chance that had so nearly revealed her
sha hid herself henceforward in the
solitude of an Iceland servant.
Two years passed and then Greeha
had to share her secret with another.
That other was her own child. The
little man was nearly three years old
by this time , walking a little and talk
ing a great deal , and not to be with
held by any care from going over every
corner of the house. He found Michael
Sunlocks sitting alone in his darkness ,
and the two struck up a fast friend
ship. They talked in any fashion and
played on the floor for hours. With a
wild thrill of the heart , Greeba saw
those twain "together , and It cost her
all she had of patience and self-com
mand not to break in uponthem with
a shower of rapturous kisses. But she
held back her heart like a dog on the
leash and listened , while her eyes rain
ed tears and her lips smiled to the
words that passed betweenthem. .
"And what's your name , my sweet
one ? " said Sunlocks in * English.
"Michael , " lisped the little man.
"So ? And an Englishman , too.
That's brave. "
"Ot's the name of your 'ittle boy ? "
"Ah , I've got none , sweetheart. "
"Oh. "
"But if I had one perhaps his name
would be Michael also. "
"Oh. " .
The little eyes looked up into the
blind face , and the little lips began to
fall. Then , by a sudden impulse , the
little legs clambered up to the knee of
Sunlocks and the little head nestled
close against his breast.
"I'l be your 'ittle boy. "
"So-you shall , my sweet one , and you
shall come again and sit with me and
sing to me , for I am very lonely some
times , and your dear voice will cheer
me. "
But the little man had forgotten his
trouble by this time and scrambled
back to the floor. There he sat on his
haunches like a frog and cried , "Look !
look ! look ! " as he held up a white
pebble in his dumpy hand.
"I cannot look , little one , for I am
blind. "
"Ot's blind ? "
"Having eyes that cannot see , sweet
heart"
"Oh. "
"But your eyes can see , and if you-
are to be my little boy , my little Mich
ael , your eyes shall see for my eyes
also , and you shall come to me every
day and tell me when the sun is shin
ing , and the sky Is blue , and then we
will go out together and listen for the
birds that will be singing. "
"Dat's nice , " said the little fellow ,
looking down at the pebble in his
palm , and just then the priest came
into the house out of the snow.
"How comes it that this sweet littla
man and I have neVer met before ? "
said-Sunlocks.
"You might live ten years in an Ice
land house and never seethe children
of Its servants , " said the priest.
"I've heard his silvery voice ,
though , " said Sunlocks. "What Is the
color of his eyes ? "
"Blue , " said the priest.
"Then his hair this long , curly hair
it must be of the color of the sun ? "
saitl Sunlocks.
"Flaxen , " saidthe priest
"Run along to your mother , sweet
heart , run , " said Sunlocks , and , drop
ping back in his seat , he murmured ,
"How easily he might have been my
son , indeed. "
Kneeling on both knees , her hot faca
turned down and her parted lips quiv
ering , Greeba had listened to all this
with the old delicious trembling at
both sides her heart. And going back
to he ? own room , she caught sight of
herself in the glass and saw that hes
eyes were dancing like diamonds and
all her cheeks a rosy red. Life and a
gleam of sunshine seemed to have shot
into her face in an instant , and while
-t ,
she looked there came over her a
creeping thrill of delight , for she
knew that she was beautiful. And be
cause he loved beauty , whose love was
everything to her , she cried for" joy ,
and picked up her boy , where he stood
tugging at her gown , and kissed him
rapturously.
Thq little man , with proper manly
Indifference to such endearments ,
wriggled back to the ground , and then
Greeba remembered , with a flash that
fell on her brain like a sword , that her
husband was blind now , and all the
beauty of the wor' l was nothing to
him. Smitten by this thdught , she
stood a moment , while the sunshine
died out of her eyes and ihe rosy red
out of her cheeks. But presently it
came to her to as herself if Sun-
locks was blind forever , and if noth
ing could be done for him. This
brought back , with nangs of remorse
for such long forgetfulness , the mem
ory of some man , an apothecary in
Husavik , who had the credit of cur
ing many of blindness after accidents
In the northern mines where free men
worked for wages. So thinking of this
apothecary throughout that day and
the next , she found at last a crooked
way to send money to him. out of the
store that still remained to her , and
to ask him to come to Grimsey.
( To Be Continued. )
Unappreciated Flowers.
The New York Times tells a story
about a distinguished gentleman of
tbat city who came home from a pub
lic dinner the other night and woke
ui his wife by exclaiming "Got boo'-
ful bouquet for you , darling ; right off
the gov'nor's table boo'ful , boo'ful
flowers. " "Well , put them in some
water on the table and get to bed ,
dear , " said his sleepy wife. Next
morning , when his wife examined her
husbands "boo'ful" floral offering she
was shocked by the discovery that It
was a big bunch of artificial flowers ,
and they looked very much if they had
been rudely snatched from some girl's
hat.
Society Woman Runs a I anndry.
About a year 'ago Mrs. Alfred Scher-
merhorn , a society woman of Brook
lyn , lost her fortune in speculation ,
nearly all of her swell friends mani
fested such strong disposition to drop
her acquaintance that Mrs. Schermer-
horn took the initiative by dropping :
theirs , and being a woman of sense
began to look around for some means
of self-support. She hit upon the idea
of operating a laundry and opened
such an establishment in Southhamp-
ton , L. I. , where the faithful among'
her former friends are helping to make
the "venture a success.
Wine at 8"OO a Drop.
In the famous cellars of the Hotel
de Vllle at Bremen there a dozen cases
of holy wine which have been pre
served for 250 years. A merchant fig
ures out that If the cost of maintain
ing ; the cellars , payment of rent , inter
est upon the original value of the wine
and other incidental charges are con
sidered , a bottle of this choice Ma-
deria has cost no less than $2,000,000 , .
esch glassful $270,000 , and a single
drop could not be sold .without loes
under $200.
A Blow at HU Pride.
Two Spaniards who had been absent
from Cuba for several years recently
sailed up the harbor of Havana and
walked through Its renovated streets.
"Does it not give you pain , " one trav
eler was overheard inquiring , "to see
the stars and stripes waving over Mor-
ro 'castle ? " "No , " replied the other ,
looking earnestly at"him. . "What pains
me to the quick is tosee that the
Americans have in two years done
more for this island than the Span
iards did in almost 400 years. "
Ignorant Sophmorea.
The professor of English a I William *
college reports that he put test ques
tions to forty sophmores of that insti
tution to ascertain the extent and
character of their reading. He found
that ten .could not mention six plays
of Shakespeare , that thirty-four could :
not tell who Falstaff was , that thirty-
five could not name a single poem of
Wordsworth's or Browning's and that
fourteen could nottell _ who wrote "In
Memorlam. "
Vermont Used to Bar Circuses.
Not until twenty years ago were cir
cuses allowed to exhibit in Vermont ,
.but the circuses used to skirt three
sides of the state closely , and it was.
most gratifying to the proprietors to
see the way in which the men , women
and children of the Green mountains
used to troop across the border into
New York , Massachusetts and New
Hampshire to enjoy the feats forbid
den them at home.
The Torturing Feed Bag.
One of the animal tortures of the
day is the feed bag that is pulled over
a horse's nose , as if it were a muzzle ,
and supported by a rope or strap over
his head , asserts an observing writer.
When the breathing holes become
clogged with oats or corn on a hot and
humid day the victim's suffering must
be Intense. Besides , it is poor'econ
omy , as a horse wastes nearly as much
as he eats'by the act of tossing the
bag up to get a mouthful.
Ootn Paul's Smoking and Drinking.
Paul Kruger smokes almost inces
santly and for many years drank
amazing quantities of beer daily , but
only on once occasion did he ever
taste alcohol. That * was at'Bloeinfon-
tein after the signing of an alliance
with the Orange Free State. On that
occasion Oom Paul took off a bumper
of champagne , and he liked it so well
that he has never tasted it since.
Wedding Garment for Hire.
There are three or four shops In
Philadelphia where costumes for wed
dings and-funerals may be hired at a
reasonable rate. The renting of mas
querade costumes and of men's even
ing clothes IB a business as old almost
as pawn brokering , but this renting
of wedding and funeral clothes is said
to be. something new.
Began in a Gravel Fit.
Congressman Charles B. liandis , the
Indiana orator , is another self-made
statesman. These are his own words :
"I pitched hay as a lad , worked in a
gravel pit in jay youth , and attended
college only when I reached manhood. "
f - * - - * . * . * * - * a * - j - * T * * * * * * * a , % a > * * > * * * ' * * * * * *
-a a , aa a , * * a * * * * * _
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r' WV" * H i . . r ST T r . * * * * * * * * * * * * !
I Commoner Comment * I
>
Extracts From W. J. Bryan's Paper. j-
' fS'SA"jS" s i l * 'ttt"l 5ltt
The Strike.
A strike is on between organized la
bor and the steel company , and it seems
to involve the right of labor to organ
ize for its own protection. President
Shaffer , who represents the men , is
confident of success , while the officers
of the Steel trust as yet show no sign
of weakening. Mr. Shaffer says that
the men will not resort to force and
that there will be no destruction of
property. As long as this promise is
kept , public sympathy will be with the
laboring men.
The right of labor to organize ought
not to be questioned , andyetthe growth
of trusts is directly opposed to the in
terests of.the laboring men , and , as
every trust is a menace to the labor
organizations , it is strange that any
laboring man votes with the trusts.
When the head of a great corporation
controls all the factories which employ
skille'd labor in any particular- , he
is very likely to dictate terms. Capital
does not need food or clothing. Jf it
remains idle for a month or a year its
owner simply loses his'income for the
period of its idleness , but with the la
boring man it i different. His hunger
cannot be suspenden ; his need for
clothing and shelter knows no cessa
tion ; the children must be cared forT
and with all of the nation's , boasted
prosperity the average wage earner is
not able to live long without work-
Heretofore , the laborer has found his
protection in the fact that the employ
er could not close down his factory for
a great length of time without loss of
trade and loss of employes. In , case of
a strike his business was. in , danger of
being absorbed by other firms , , and his
employes were apt to be scattered.
When , however , the monopoly of an
industry is complete the employe can
not seek work of a rival firm because
there is no rival firm , and he cannot
engage in. other businesswithout los
ing the advantage of his skill and ex
perience. It is-to be hoped that the
laboring men will win , in the present
conflict , , but if they were as-unanimous ,
on election day as. they are when a
strike is ordered they could remedy
their grievances , without a , strikeor
loss of employment. .
The steel trust may prove a blessing
in disguise if it convinces the wage
earnersof the country that "a private
monopoly is. indefensible and. intoler
able , " "
JFo- MiddleGroanflu
If anyonethinks that plutocracy can
be placated by an abandonment of sil
ver , let him read the New York Sun.
That paper has earned the right tobe
considered the chief exponent of the
money 'worshippingelement in Ameri
can politics. Instead of thanking the
Ohio democrats for ignoring themon
ey question it warns them , that anti
trust legislation would be moredan
gerous to. the-country than , freesilver :
It says : :
" 'We demand suppression ! of all
trusts. ' There-isa monstrouspropo
sition , "Were there any way of
carrying it into effect industrial dis
aster more widespread and ruinous
than has ever fallen upon * the country
would be the result. There would , be
a commercial cataclysm. The amount
of capital and of labor-dependent upon ,
these combinations is sovast that to-
crush themwould be to bring on un
paralleled economic calamity compared
with which the freecoinage of silver
would have been a fly bite- " "
Sor we are to < have a panic and ; all
sorts of calamity if we destroy the-
trusts'.1 Well , this. is. discouraging-
But it only shows that there isrun
ning through all the republican pol
icies , the same vicious principle and
every policy is defended by the some
brutal argumentAccept our poli
cies ; submit to our demands , or we
bring on a panic'r ! Some think that
they can make peace with the money
trust and.then fight the other trusts ,
but it is a vain hope. There is no mid
dle ground. The democratic party
must be with the people * entirely or
against them entirely. The moment
it begins to compromise it loses , more
than it can possibly gain.
A Pertinent Criticism.
The San Juan , Porto Rico , Hews ,
commenting on the supreme court de
cision in the insular cases , says :
"We are and are not part of the
United States , We are and are not a
foreign country. We are and are not
citizens of the United States. We are
and are not to have our money back.
The tariff is and is not void. The con
stitution does and does not extend and
Its limitations do and do not apply.
"
"Upon these points the justices"dis
agree , five in favor and four against.
Are we or are we not , or are we it ? " '
This about covers the case but the.
editor of the News should remember
bliat there is a ' 'perhaps' ' before the
freedom of the press in "our posses
sions"now. .
| After Secretary Wilson has kckedno
the sugar trust into smithereens by
providing enough raw sugar to keep
all the refineries going will he kindly
provide a way of smashing the oil trust ,
which has a cinch on all of the raw
material in its line
Political conditions become corrupt
because vice is continuous in its opera
tion while virtue is often spasmodic.
Hie many who simply want good gov-
2rnment arouse themselves occasional
ly to secure some necessary reform but
bhe few who make money out of legis
lation are always alert and active.
Let the democrats of Ohio vote the
ticket and then begin the next day af
ter election to organize the congress-
il districts so that itwill not be possi
ble for a corporation democrat to se
cure a nomination.
Mr. McLean makes a mistake when
he assumes that he can overthrow the
Kansas City platform by attacking Mr.
Bryan. He was so exultant over the
triumph which he achieved in the re
cent Ohip convention that his paper ,
the Enquirer , contained the following1
editorial item :
' 'Since the adoption of the Ohio plat
form perhaps Marse Henry Watterson
will not regard it as necessary to per
severe in a controversy with William
Jennings Bryan. "
It has been an open secret for some
time that Mr , McLean did not like Mr.
Bryan , but the public is not so much
interested in knowing1 Mr. McLean's
opinion of Mr. Uryan as it is in know-
his views on public questions. Mr.
McLean aspires to represent Ohio in
the United States senate and as a s5na-
tor holdingoffice for six years he
would vote on several important ques
tions. His platform denouces trusts
but the remedies proposed are not suf
ficient ; he ought to endorse the reme
dies set forth in the Kansas City plat
form or suggest others equally good.
His platform denounces imperialism ;
he ought to endorse the remedy pro
posed by the Kansas City platform or
suggest some other remedy equally as
good. His platform does not state his
views ou government by injunction ,
arbitration and the blacklist : Mr. Mc
Lean ought to make his position clear
on these points.
Mr. McLean will have tovote onva
rious phases of the money question.
Whether congress will have to deal
with the proposition to open the mints
to the free and unlimited coinage of
silver at the ratio of Hi to 1 will depend
upon conditions. No one is able to
speak with certainty upon the subject ,
but the republicans arc pushing the
following : .
BILL.
To > maintain the legal tendersilver
dollar at parity with gold.
Be it enacted'by the senate and
house of representatives of the United
States of America in congress assembled
That the secretary of the treasury is
hereby authorized to coin the silver
bullion in the treasury , purchased un
der the act of July 14th , 1800 , into such
denominations of subsidiary silver coin
as he may deem necessary to meet pub
lic requirements , and thereafter , as
public necessities may demand , to re-
coin silver dollars into subsidiary coin ,
and as mu'ch of any act as fixes a. limit
to the aggregate of subsidiary silver
coin outstanding , and so much of any
act as directs the coinage of any por
tion of the bullion purchased under the
act of .Inly 14th. 1890 , into standard
silver dollars , is hereby repealed.
The secretary of the treasury is here
by directed to maintain at all times at
parity with gold the legal tender sil
ver dollars remaining outstanding ; and
tothat erJd he is hereby directed to ex
change gold for legal tender silver-dol
lars when presented to the treasury in
the sum of five dollars or any multiple
thereof , and all provisions of law for
the use and maintenance of the reserve
fund in the treasury relating to United
States notes are. in the discretion of
the secretary of the treasury , hereby
made applicable to the exchange of le
gal tender silver dollars.
Mr : McLean resides at thenational
capital and knows what is going on ;
why was his platform silent about this
question ? It is easy to "sit down on"
Mr. . Bryan he is only important as he
aids in accomplishing reforms but to
"sit down on * ' democratic principles
and a national platform is a more seri
ous , matter. Before Mr. McLean puts
on the senatorial toga he is. likely to
discover that the voters of thedemo
cratic party are a great deal 'more in
terested in principles than they are in
individuals.
The Commoner is under obligations
to. the Minneapolis Times for its. long
rangedefence of Mr. Bryan. The edi
tor of the Commoner does not claim to
speak for anj'one except himself , . but
he has faith in the righteousness , of
the Kansas Citjr platform and there
are so. many people who believe w.ith
him that he has no fear of becoming
lonesome. If any democrat is tempted
to purchase the favor of financiers by
a surrender of democratic principles ,
let him read the obituary notices of a
number of prominent democrats who
ended their political existence between
1893 and 1896.
The Commoner in its last issue ,
speaking of the Ohio convention , cred
ited General Finley with the resolution
reaffirming the Kanaas City" platform.
This was an error ; the resolution was
introduced byY. . L. Finley , editor of
the Kenton Press , and not by General
Finley. Apologies are hereby extend
ed to both gentleman.
Constant Eeader No. the republican
party does not assume the responsibil
ity for the drouth ; it claims credit for
everything good butblames Providence
for everything "bad.
The stability of the country's boast
ed prosperity is well measured by the
panic aroused at the thought of a total
crop failure.
Xothing is cheaper than a good book
While the Ohio democrats have by
bheir timidity weakened themselves on
national issues they are strong on state
issues. It will be interesting to hear
cvhat the republicans have to say
ugainst the Johnson planks in regard
to equal taxation and a popular vote on
franchises.
The injury accomplished by our pol
icy of imperialism is wide spread. The
people of South America have been in
spired to free government by our ex
ample and the nearer they approach
free government the more material has
their progress.
PRIMITIVE CHINESE MONE-YT
* " "
*
jjjr
Erm Wli a WorkmanVs9Tml& Wills
a Batchat.IT
*
The little brass cashfthe Chinese
coins , the lineal descendants , in un
broken order , of thebronze axe of re
mote Celestial ancestors. From the
regular hatchet to the modern coin"
one can trace a distinct , H somewhat
broken , succession , so that It Is Im
possible to say where the one leaves
off and the other begins. Here ! s how
this curious pedigree first worked ifc-
self out : In early times , before the coin
was invented , barter was usually con
ducted between producer and consum
er with metal implements , as It still
is In Central Africa at the present day.
At first the Chinese in that unsophis
ticated age were content to use real
hatchets for this commercial purpose ,
but after a time , with the profound
mercantile instinct of their race , it oc
curred to some of them that when a
man wanted half a hatchefs worth of
goods he might as well pay for them
with half a hatchet Still , as it would
be a pity to spoil a good working im
plement by cutting it In two , the
worthy Ah Sin Ingeniously compro
mised the matter by making tin
hatchets of the usual size and shape ,
but far too slender for practical usage.
By so doing he invented coin , and ,
what is more , he Invented It far earl
ier than the claimants to that proud
distinction , the Lydlans , whose elec-
trum staters were first struck in the
seventh century B. C. Cornhill Maga
zine.
NICKELS ARE DESPISED.
Street Venders Who Sell Xothing ! <
Than a Dlme'a Worth.
There are many stories in this city
where a nickel is not a welcome me
dium of exchange , because nothing so
cheap Is sold , but It is hard to believe
that there Is a street stand which
would not welcome a five-cent pur
chase. If any one is curious In this re
gard let him go to one of the fruit
stands in Cortlandt street , near the
Pennsylvania railroad ferry , and try
to make such a purchase , says the New
York Tribune. "Let me have five cents'
worth of cherries , " said a man the
other day , pointing to a loose pile of
the little red fruit. "As much as all
that ! " exclaimed the street merchant ,
and not for a single minute did he
cease dusting a bunch of bananas. The
intending purchaser waited a moment ,
then crossed the street and repeated
his request to another stand. "Well ,
you're a cheap one ! " exclaimed the
vender. "You want to spend a whole
nickel do you ? " He did not stop sort
ing oranges. The man who longed for
cherries tried a third stand. "We
can't sell you less than a dime's worth
of anything at these stands , " replied
the man in charge. "You'll find an Ital
ian up the street who will take the
lead money. The "cheap" man decided
"
he didn't want cherries after all , and ,
going into a cigar store , bought a
whole bunch of cigarettes with the
money.
Cheap Meals in toil don.
"Speaking of cheap restaurants , "
said a gentleman who has just return
ed from a visit to London , to a Wash
ington Star writer , "reminds me of a
dining saloon in the Whitechapel dis
trict of London , where a relishing and
fairly substantial meal may be had for
half a penny , or one cent in our money.
This cheap repast is not served up in
the shape of a cut from a joint and two
vegetables. It is a big brown pie , very >
juicy and very hot. The absence of
beefsteak is evident when you cut the
pie , but you find Inside a liberal
jprinkllng of sheep's liver , onions and
turnips , and a plentiful supplyof
? ravy. For a half penny extra two
dices of bread and a cup of tea are
juppllsd. Between the hours-of twelve
ind two the poor and hungry from all
? arts of the east side of the city flock
: o the dining room. Most of the pat-
ons are shoeblacks , penny toy men.
: ostermongers , and now and then
roung clerks whose salaries will not
jermlt them to indulge in a more cost-
y dinner. "
Bnttoos for the Church.
There is far more in the oft-repeated
statement that old buttons if useful
tor no other purpose may serve as an
) ffering to the Lord. It is recorded as
i fact that a clergyman's wife was
nending clothes for her boys when one
> f her neighbors called in to have a
'riendly chat. It was not long betore
; he visitor's eye was attracted by a
arge basket more than half filled with
juttons. The lady could not help re-
narking that there seemed a very good
mpply of buttons. Thereupon she be-
jan to turn them over and suddenly
jxclaimed : "Here are two buttons ex-
ictly the same as those my husband
aad on his last winter suit. I should
icnow them anywhere. " "Indeed , " 'said
: he clergyman's wife. "I am surprised
: o hear it. As all these buttons were
round in the collection bag I thought
[ might as well put them to some use. "
Before she had finished speaking the
visitor hastily arose and said she must
3e going.
A Fiona Hop .
Judge Rice of. Novena is perhaps
lacking in a sense of humor , but he is
the most punctual man in Indiana.
SVhen made superintendent of the Sun-
Jay school he at once setabout to re
form in the matter of attendance and
punctuality. A few Sundays ago he
lad the pleasure'of making the follow-
jig statement : "My dear fellow-work
ers and children , I am. able to an
nounce today that out of the entire
school only one. person is absent
little Maggie Wynn. Let usall-hope
that she is sick. "
. > -M