K
[ i HERE , " said Marlowe to his
wife , tossing a letter Into her lap ,
1 i "I hope we have seen tnc last of
him. "
"From Roger , " said Mrs. Marlowe ,
with a sigh.
Then she read these lines :
"Here I am at Flagstaff , Ari. , and
within two weeks I start with three
other good men and true on a prospect
ing tour. One of the men says lie
knows of a mine of marvelous richness ,
once worked by Indians or Aztecs , or
eome long forgotten beggars of an
tiquity. Perhaps he's a liar you know
J don't place much faith in human na
ture but the other men say that he has
shown up nuggets as big as your
thumb , so there may be something in
It. Imagine me as a millionaire ! I
nave a present in mind for Mllly. At
any rate this Is touch and go wibh me. |
I've been down on my luck so long that
If I don't strike it rich now I'll leave
my bones In the mountains. "
"Poor fellow , " said Mrs. Marlowe ,
trying to wipe away a tear , unobserv
ed.
"Poor humbug ! " roared her husband ,
avagely. "If anything shows the de-1.
generacy of woman it is her fondness
for rascality. Roger is a liar arid a
cheat ami you know It , yet you have
Always an excuse for his follies and an
apology for his crimes. "
"He has been unfortunate , " she be
gan.
"Unfortunate , " he interrupted , "in I
I that he was not killed lon ago in his ii
escapades or jailed for his villainies.
He might have then been saved from e
some punishment in the next world ! " d
1 "Of course I know , " she returned , dI
i < with a pitiful attempt at fairness , "that 11
) he has not been exactly good , but you 11S (
must consider his disposition. He is BO
impetuous , so careless , that he never
stops to think of the consequences of is
his actions. "
"How logical and at the same time
how touching , " retorted Marlowe , bit- si
'terly. "He is only a mere child of 32 , siSi
not old enough to know the difference
between right and wrong. So careless ai
that he has twice written another aidi
man's name to notes that I have been le
compelled to pay ; so impetuous that he
has been four times in hiding for as 11
saulting people who were wicked
enough to thwart his cheating. lie m
thinks so little of the , consequences of bi
his actions the deai ; child ! that he has biki
been false to every promise and deceiv ki
ed every man or woman who trusted. ,
' " '
* l him. " kiA
9 she cried , entreatiugly. A
"Dare you deny it ? Shame on jou m
to waste tears or regrets on this dis b
grace to humanity. Of what value are re
rew
love , charity , kindness , and benevolence w
when bestowed on a monster and with ca
held from real suffering ? I have never in
heard you become sentimental over the le
leov
woes of the poor washerwoman on the ov
Lack street with a criple.I son and a
daughter little better than an idiot ; you or
are not noted for yotffr charity or visit so
ing the sick ; but Roger f in possession io
Of perfect health Osid all his" Censes , but of
without single good trait , a villain as
who never clid an honest deedj Pah ! " ui
fce wound up In jitter disgust. a
Pretty Mrs. Martowe buried her lace OE
in her handkerchief and had notliing OEm
to say. In fact , there was nothing she
could say. The small portion of fair
ness and common sense she possessed sa
acknowledged that Roger , her hand he
some cousin , was a thorough villain , (
nnd a curse and a burden to every one an
he met ; that he had fleeced her hon
est , manly husband ; that she would be pa
happier if she never saw the scoundrel bl
again and yet ? 4
Meanwhile Marlowe was pacing the Tl
floor and when he came to a halt in ra
front of her his face was set with reso 4
lution. th
"Now , Milly , listen to me , " he said , to
jternly. "I know that you have written to
to him. That must stop. You have pi
piui
sent him money. Send no more. I will ui
not argue ; I will command. One word nc
of correspondence , one cent of money , je
that goes from you to him will mark le
our separation. "
"Walter , " she cried , rising to ler lu
luHi
feet , and clasping her hands In hor Hi
ror , "you do not mean that ? "
"Yes , I do , every word. I hate , de-
epise , and loathe the man ; his presence V5y
is a taint. The wretch would sell your V5Si
letters if he could raise money in 110 Si
other way. I will write to him , and I'll IK
IKS
warrant he will not show my letter. He S <
will get no more money , and you shall insi
take none of his , if he becomes a bill siai
ionaire. If you communicate with him ai
aiv
I will leave you ; if he comes to see you \v
I think I will kill him. "
Some men might have been touched
at this juncture by the aspect of Mrs
Marlowe in a dead faint , but Mr. Mar ,
lowe was too thoroughly angry to be a
diverted by any cause. But he raised
her tenderly enough and laid her on a s :
couch and waited until she began to
open her eyes , and then h6 left her to
write a letter to Roger Arnott that
would sting his soul to silence.
Apparently It did , since no word
came from the ne'er-do-well for six
months , and then arrived a box ad
dressed to Mr. Walter Marlowe.
The servant brought the express
man's book to Mrs. Marlowe to sign ,
and told her that the box was in the
hall.
hall.She
She went to look at it with inward
quaking , although it was a prosaic
wooden affair , and might have come
from Hoboken. But her presentiment
was correct. In the upper left hand
corner was rudely printed : "From Rog
er Arnott , Tombstone , Arizona. "
" Is it for me ? " she asked quivermg-
"No , ma'am ; it's for Mr. Marlowe. "
"Thank goodness ! I mean let it lie
bhere , and give it to him when he comes
home. "
Then she hurried away and hoped
that her husband would not tell her
what the box contained , while at the
same time she was burning to know.
Mr. Marlowe made no remark on the
subject until after dinner , and then he
; aid , with an ominous frown :
"A box came from the rascal to-day. "
"Yes , " she assented , afintly.
"A present for you , I suppose. After
ill I have said ! "
"Please don't , " she said , with a half
rightened shrinking away from him.
'Really ' , I have had nothing to do with
t. ! I never wrote to him , or sent word
u any way , after what you said. "
"Of course not , " he said , with open t
yes. "My dear , I don't suspect you of
eception only of feminine weakness.
blame Roger for his audacity , after
jy distinctly telling him that he must
end you nothing. However , it shall b
o back. " t
"But , " she corrected , mildly , "the box
directed to you ; perhaps the present n
; yours. "
lie frowned vexatiously over this
iggestion and then , rising impatiently ,
lid : ' * Let us see. " t ]
The box was brought into the library fc ]
nd put on the table. When opened it
isclosed a lot of straw on which lay a tl
tfter.
Marlowe tore it open contemptuously
ad read with rising wrath :
"Dear Old Boy I know you ordered le
LO to not write to you or Cousin Milly , ti :
lit I never promised to abstain , I have I
habit of having my own way , you oJ
in
' 'You will be delighted to hear that
did not succeed in locating the mine. I
fter a mouth of horrible hardship one ei
tan died and we three survivors got
ack just as poor as we started , and
iduced to skeletons in flesh. No one h :
elcomed us ; in fact , no one seemed to w
wP
ire , one way or t'other. But we got P <
loney somehow , and as fools never SI
arn by experience we three started
it again. in
"This time we actually found a mine , inbl
at any rate struck a rich lead of ore ; bl
> rich that I might have been a mill-
naire if I could have got the stuff out ci
the mountains. The ore was almost
; soft as clay , and we had shoveled I
i I don't know how many tons when bid
cursed band of Indians swept down d <
i us , killed my two chums , and took Pi
e prisoner. " fcV
"O , heaven ! " cried Mrs. Marlowe. fcL
"I had better not read any more , " L
id Mr. Marlowe , gravely. "Why does
> tell ail this , anyhow ? " m
She gave him a reproachful glance
id said : "Do go on. " iy
He had een scanning the following it :
iges and now looked up with a trou- alH
ed face. H
"This is too horrible , " he muttered.
lien , with sudden resolution , he readi tl
.pidly. tlh
"The devils dragged me around with h ;
iem for a week or more , and then to
toac
rtured me in a fashion that I believe ac
be unique. They brought me to a
ace beside a running stream and set
i a post on its verge. On a flat rock fc
jar by they laid out a quantity of
rked meat , and then they spiked my
ft hand to the post and left me. * ' hi
Marlowe looked at his wife. Her eyes hifc
id a half glassy stare and every ves- fc
fck
ge of color left her face , but she mo k :
oned him to go on.
"It is too dreadful to give in detail. e :
7"hen you are calmer you can read it re
aurself If you care to do so , I will
ive you the substance. For two days
e suffered agonies of thirst anil hun-
er in addition to the heat and the pain \ \
i his hand. He could not pull up the
take or get the spike out of the wood ,
nd on the third day are you sure you IE
IEt
; ant to hear it ? " t (
"Yes yes. " h
hfi
"With his hunting knife he severed fi
is hand at the wrist It was the only
-ay to escape from the imprisonment ,
nd between death and '
He stopped and caught his wife as
he pitched forward , A
"What a fool I was to gratify her
i
cnrjoslty , " he said sharply to himself1.
"The yillaln ! He seems always des
tined to cause her pain. And to think
that he lived through all that agony and
can write about it in this strain ! The
devil takes care of his own. "
Meanwhile he was chafing her hands ,
and when she revived he was about to
help her from the room , when she push
ed him away and ran to the table.
"The box the box , " she cried , fever
ishly. "Let me see it ! "
"The box ? See what ? " he asked ,
wondering if she had gone mad.
"Don't you know can't you under
stand ? " she exclaimed with an impa
tient stamp. "He has sent us you
something. I want to see it. "
" A piece of mineral , perhaps some
of the ore for which he paid so dearly , "
he replied. "Of what consequence is It ?
To-morrow will be time enough. You
had better go to bed now. "
"You'll drive me crazy , " she said ,
trying to push him aside. "If you will
not look at it "
"There , there , " he said , soothingly.
"You shall see It. What a foolish girl
you are. I believe the fellow has hyp
notized you , or rather charmed you
like a snake. To be anxious to see at
some " athi
trifling hi
He checked himself with a gasp- .
A misshapen package came to view ,
: oo light for ore no form. An Indefinaj j
jle shudder ran through his hand and I
jp his arm as he slowly unrolled the
mslngs and then dropped on the table
-a human hand. nc
Roger's left hand complete , even to or
he silver ring on the little finger , shriv-
led and wan , distorted at the palm , the-
ingers drawn In as if clutching aome- ar
hing , and the muscles of the wrist bi
tump haggled and discolored with
> lackened blood. A hideous object at toi
he best to be displayed in a civilized
louse and doubly repellant when con-
tected with its taking off.
For the space of a minuteneither wlwi
poke and it seemed as if the thing had wi
een a serpent to charm them. Thea. stj
lie woman touched it shdveringly. niidl
bat broke the spell. rei
"What hideous prank is this V cried ) so :
tie man . " t\v
, passionately. "The fellow
rould jest with Satanbimselfl I'll ch
urn the thjng. "
"Wait ! " said the wife , picking up-the
"He must have had some mo-
ve. See ! He ' r
says : 'My dear cousin ,
pray you take goods care of thispart
f me. It is my left hand I never did
inch harm with that. Keep it as a me-
icnto until I come to claim it. Then an
trust you will not refuse me my nrop-
rty. "
Marlowe smiled grimly.
"He seeks to torment me anil per- -P.e <
aps work on my sympathies , " he said ,
-ith recovered nerve. "Is there no int :
nstscript asking for money ? I nm
jrprised ! But that will come later ,
fell , I will gratify your precious cous- a , i
i ; I will keep his hand. It will make
novel ornament for the librar * : ta
le. " tal
"How can you. ' be so-heartless"she
: ied.
"My dear , what will yom have ? ' Am to
not carrying out his-wishes ? Shall L
ury it in the cellar , , or put it in m safe Sll
sposit vault at bank ? He-Is-evidently "it
roud of what most men would want to kec
> rget. It is an eccentric notion and ces
11 humor it. I can > be eccentric , also _ If
et it lay where it has fallen. " " Ifwil
"I cannot bear to look , at lfc" sha wil
loaned. to
"You need , not , " " he responded , coli- in
r. "There is no necessity for your vis ga1
ing this room. Please to remember ed
lso > that you brought this on. yourself , ceiI
[ ad you. been inquisitive-1 would I
a.ve opened the box aud thrown the Jnt :
ling away , and. you would have been fro >
one the wiser. Bat you would not hit
ive it so. Now let it lie. 1 forbid you hitW
> toueh it as you have already , " he W !
aded , quickly.
"You will keep it ? ' she stammered.
"Of course ; at least until he sends
> r it. "
"But he says he will come for it. " '
"He had better not. I have warned evi
im that he must not enter these doors.
he wants his hand he may wt
sr it ; if he comes in person well , he '
nows what will happen to him. " cai
She looked at him with swimming
yes and then went slowly out of the DoS
aom , saying , "Poor Roger. " S
* * * * * * * hei
The hand laid on the table as Mar- sal
> we had promised a hideous paper bn
weight , at which no one cared to look zoi
ivice except Marlowe. He took a grim bu ;
elight in gazing at the thing , exnuiin- for
ig the nail hole In the palm , and trying
o get off the ring , which resisted all Ro
.is efforts. Then he would indulge in cai
requent speculations over the owner ere
f the hand. sta
"He is well punished , the rascal , but rer
cannot find It in my heart to pity him. ov <
[ any an honest man has suffered more , he
Lnd it is not much loss te him , what- ha ;
ver the Inconvenience. He makes a tea
living by scheming and cheating and
his mutilation will be a sympathetic
aid. I suppose he sent me this hand to
horrify and torment me. Well , he miss
ed his guess. "
But Mrs. Marlowe was not so philo
sophical. She never got over her horror ,
and kept her word by not entering the
library. She would not even talk about
it , and soon Roger's name was no more
heard between these two.
Thus matters stood for foui ; or five
months , until one day toward the cad
of January when they were sitting at
dinner.
Mr. Marlowe had been particularly
vivacious , having made some specially
good business deal that morning , and it
was some , time before he noticed that
UiS wife was qopvous and abstracted.
"Well , what is the matter ? " he asked ,
at length. "Has the milliner disap
pointed you ? "
"You think I am a child , " she replied ,
with a pout. "I'll not tell you. "
He laughed in an irritating way until
she was piqued into speaking.
"I saw Roger to-day. "
hat ! Has he dared " There
tvas danger of his sweeping everything
3ff the tabls In his excitement. "After
ill I have told you ! "
"Doii't be hasty , " she returned , with
i little ring of resentment in her tones.
'I did not speak to him or he to me ; in
"act , I doubt if he saw me. "
"Yet he came to see" you ? "
"There you go again with your infer-
nces. How do you know he did ? He
nay have been looking for you.
"For me ? Tell me about it , " he de-
nanded , impatiently.
"There is not much to tell , " she an-
iwered , slowly. "I was coming down-
itairs when I saw Roger in the lower
tall. He went into the library , and I
veil , you know I never go In there ; so I
ailed Susan and told her that there
v& & a vlsior in the library. "
"And wbat did he want ? "
"He wasn't there. "
"He wasn't there ? "
"Noj There was no one in the % library.
Vasn'fc that strange ? "
"Not at all. You were simply mis-
iken. "
"No , skr , " sheprotested. . "I saw him
s plainly as I see you. Haven't I seen
im often enough to know him ? "
"Too often , " he retorted bluntl/ .
Well , I'm going to'investigate this af-
ilr. "
Which he old , but to ne > effect. No one-
ad seen Roger except Mrs. Marlowe ; .
) one hafl admitted * a visitor that day
let any one out.
"It was an optical delusionsaid
Marlowe , with a laugh , "Sucb things
e not uncommon , andgenerally mean
liousness. "
"A delusion ? " Sirs. Marlowe1 laughed ,
o , but nervously. "Perhaps it was ,
it I'm sure J have not felfi at sail ill.
jrhaps " Thenshe shuddered and
Bailie distraught that Marlowe ,
ho dearly loved his pretrj , foolish
Lfe , gave up all idea of going out and
ayed at home to keep her company.
He took up the latest magazines and
ad bits here and there , she ran orer
me new music on the pfano , and be
seem vfhilesthey chatted , until a
arming evening was developed.
"I declare , " " said Marlowe--
} kmg at hiswatch , "it is-11 o'clock ,
aw time doesfly wben a manis fa
re ! " "
MrsMarlowe blushedcharmingly -
d laid her dimpled haiwls oat his-
oulder. Theii she gave a terrible-cry
d pointed , to the hall with a shaking. '
sen.
Marlowe turned like a flash > and saw
or did. he see Roger's mocking face j ,
eringcin from the semi-darkness ? ? '
kVith. a fierce imprecation he dashed : ; :
o
o the hall and in a few minutes
:
me back with a bewildered face. {
'You yore saw it ? " she-whispered ! in
Eaint voice-
'I thought I saw something , " he ad-
tted , reluctantly , "but I was mis-
xem It was the shifting.o the gas-
ht on thecurtains. . "
'Noj no , " she Insisted , clinging : closer :
him. "Ib was he Roger. "
'How coal'd it be ? " he demanded
arply. "Still , " he added with a frown ,
may beafter all. It would : be in
eping with his malicious-spirit to con-
il himself and play these-baby tricks.
I catch , him "
Lt that moment the doop-bell sounded
th a clang that caused Mrs. Marlowe s
utter a little scream , and Marlowe ,
spite of his habitual self-command ,
ve a nervous start. Then he recover-
himself and went to the door to re- c ;
Lve a telegram. T
He glanced at Its contents as he came P >
o toe parlor and would have hid it t
m his wife , but she was too quick for t
n and read it over hi& shoulder : g
'Tombstone , Ariz. , Jan , 23 , 1895. To b >
alter Marlowe : Roger Araott killed e
day in quarrel. Shall we ship body ? t :
"H. B. CURZON , . Liberty Hotel. " Sid
'He is dead ! " she exclaimed wildly. d
yet I saw him you saw him ! ' * a
'Come , come , " he-said , checking her s
ideut tendency to hysterical alarm. Iia
Ve will talk this over to-morrow a
you have become calmer. "
'But you will send for you will take
re that he ' *
'Yes , yes ; I will attend to all that ,
a
tn't talk any more to-nighU"
She submitted to being led away to
r room , and when he had seen her
fely bestowed he returned to the li-
siry and wrote a letter to "H. B. Cur- .
n , " giving directions for the decent
rial of Roger's body , and prepared it
r dispatch next day.
is he arose to retire his eye caught
iger's hand , and the strangest feeling
;
me over him , as of something cold
jeping up his back , until he felt as if
inding in a current of damp air. It
luired a vigorous effort for him to
ercome this weakness , yet somehow
could not bring himself to touch the
nd , and after a moment spent in pro-
with himself against his weak *
1 ness , he laid the letter on the table and
went to bed.
It was some time In the middle of the
night that he was awakened by bis
wife.
"What is the matter ? " he asked.
"Why are you sitting up in bed ? "
"I hear something , " she replied , with
quivering lips. "I have been listening
for a long time , and it is driving me
crazy. "
"You have a nervous spell , " he said ,
holding her reassuringly.
"No , I am not imagining I hear it.
Something is moving around the house
as If searching for something. I hear it
above and below and on the stairs. It
Is walking walking and Oh , if it
should come in here ! "
To his dismay he saw her eyes dilate
again while her face became deathly
pale , Ue was out of bed in an instant.
"Moving around , is it ? " he said , going
to the closet for his revolver. "I'll make
it move if I meet It. "
"No , no , " she pleaded , following him
and holding him fast. "I shall go mad
if you leave me alone. "
"Milly , for heaven's sake ! There
thereI'l ! not go. Wait. Let us listen.
I hear nothing ; do you ? "
"Nothing , " she said , after listening
intently.
"You see you were mistaken. "
She shook her head in mute protest ,
but after a while consented to lie down
again. He sat up and smoked a cigar
by the fireplace , keeping his ears
pricked up , but heard nothing. Finally
sleep overcame him and he returned to
bed.
bed.Once
Once he thought he hesrd a noise , a
faint rustling below , and dnce he was
awakened by his wife's troubled moan
ing in her sleep.
In the morning she arose with him ,
something unusualfor her , an'd they
went downstairs together. She made
no comment on the' happenings of the
night , "but to his surprise she walked to
the library and directly to the table.
"Loot ! " she said , with n little cry of
terror.
The letter he had written was lying
as he had left it , but on' the envelope
was faintly scrawled "Roger. "
"And the hand ! " she ctfied. "It Is
gone ! I knew it I knew it ! ' *
"You knew ? " he questioned' , wonder-
Ingly.
"It was Roger. He was looking for
his hand ! " Chicago Tribune1.
LEGITIMATE GOLD BRICKS.
Tlieir Sale at the United States'-Asaay
Office in Wall Street.
Beneath stout bars guarding a wide ,
aarehed window of the United States
army office in Wall street thousands
of" dollars' worth of little gold bricks ,
thehonest and true kind , pass every
day from Uncle Sam's coffers to the-
hands of jewelers and linkers. And *
all that Uncle Sam clinics for the-
exchange is & cents on $100 dollars-
for the large bars and 5 cents on $100 *
for the small ones.
For the week ending July. 28 the gold'
bars ( they did not call them bricks
in the * assay office ) exchanged-for gold
coin amounted to ' 5190,780.17. This Is
i small figure coir # \\ifti-what the-
office lias done on. a busy day * Once ,
six or seven years ago , when a large
luantify of gold was to shipped to
Buixxoe the assay office , exchanged
8,000,000 into bars. J ,
The ! irs Unele Sam dispenses are of : of
: wo geaeral sizes , the $5,000 size for. u :
: he bankers , and the $150 size for jevw -
rfers , the small size being about ai' ai
nch and. a quarter long , three-quarters im
pride , and perhaps half an inch or less m
n thickness. Very often they run up-
o $200 or even more invalue. Theii
size adapts them to the size of the
eweler'S-crucil > Je. As for the banker , '
le does not melt his gold ; he contents
umself with shipping it back and forti
icross the ocean. | "
l
A remarkable featureof this ex- '
rhange of legal tender for gold bars- ?
i
s that one can not always get just
Tl
he amount he wishes. If a jeweler
> r a banker wishes $10,000 in gold bul- fiha
ha
ion , Uncle Sam gives him as near that
imount as he possibly can. It may be thWi
Wi
19,970.50 or $10,000.30 , because the
eh
mrs vary in size and weight , and
te
> ractically all of them have odd cents
in
n thenvalue. . Two bars the cashiei
en
landed out one day. this week were
ru
itamped $531.70 and $123.10.
in ;
In buying gold bars the purchase ! '
of
irst tells the cashier at the assay of-
de
ice how much he wishes ; the cashiei
tii
omes as near this amount as he cac
on
vith the oars on hand , and then the
urchaser goes next door , to the sub-
w )
reasury , where he deposits his legal
ci (
ender , gold certificates , greenbacks , or
on i
old. coin , for the amount designated ,
y the assay office cashier as the near- '
st to the desired amount , receiving
herefor a certificate which , upon pre-
entation at the assay office , insures the .
e :
Irfivery of the bars. But before they
sa
aay be taken away the recipient must
er !
ign for them in the register which
ies open beneath the bars of the wide-
trched window. New York Post.
She Understood Them. to
I re is an extract from a girl's essay :
People are composed of boj'S and girls , [
lso men and women. Boys are good
111 they grow up and get married. Men thi
vho don't get married are no good US1
ither. Girls are young women who to
rill be ladies when they graduate. Boys en
.re an awful bother ; want everything
hey see except soap. If I had my way
talf the boys would be girls and the
ther half dolls. My mamma is a wom- coi
n and my pa is a boy. A woman is a sai
rown-up girl with children. My pa is do
uch a nice man that I guess he must ac <
iave been a girl when he was a little
When a woman who has chased a t.
aan wins what she started out for , It 1,0 >
las a very unhappy tendency to n- ho ;
wgge thers. an ]
PAGAN RITES IN SCOTIA.
Many Scottish Customs that Oriel-
natcd in Superstition.
Nearly all travelers In central Africa
have referred to the curious custom !
prevalent among all pagan native tribej
of driving quantities of nails Into sa
cred trees and other objects that hav
been adjudged worthy of veneration
and this not in malice , but as a religion f < <
rite , the nails in question being Intend
ed as votive offerings. Exactly the sami
thing may be witnessed to-day at th
sacred well of St. Maebruha , In Loci
Maree , Rossshire , where is an ancleni
oak tree studded with countless nalll
of all sizes , the offerings of Invalid pli
griins who came to worship and bi
cured , says a writer In Stray Stories.
Pennies and half-pennies also are tl
be seen in enormous quantities drljei Ii
bark and f
edgewise in the tough ,
friend of the writer's who ylslted tht
spot some little time back discovered
in a cleft high up in the trunk what hf
took to be a shilling. On being extract
ed , however , it proved to be counter
felt. Probably the donor , finding thai
he could get no value for his coin Ii
the natural world , concluded he might
as well try , as a last resort , what effecf
It might have on the spiritual. :
Of course , the poor cottars and oth
ers who flock to St. Maebruha witJ
their nails and their pence do not for J
moment admit that they are asslstini
at a pagan ceremony. .But they mo
undoubtedly are. Well worship has al
ways occupied K& Important place U .
paganism , and the .sacred oak , befor * *
which each pilgrim must thrice knee
ere humbly presentinghis .offeclng-
what is it but an obvious susvivaloi ,
the sacred groves of Druidical times ? '
> >
THE FUN OF CAMPING OUT.
More and more popular Is camplift
becoming each year , says Country Lift
in America. With those who go intf
the deep1 woods In quest of big ganu
and fish the camp life is , after all , th *
real attraction , and not the mere de
sire to kill. But where one can maki
these trips there are thousands whi
cannot. For these there are peacefu
rivers , wood-girt lakes and ponds ant
beautiful spotson the shores of OH
Neptune available for quite as charm
log a two-weeks' outing beneath can
vas. In making up a camping party
choose you such congenial spirits ai
shall be foresworn * to philosophies
optimism.
And let there be a wag among them
who , catching the humor of every sit
uation , puts to liight all thought OJ
discomfort. A level site near a sprinj
with plenty of shade , a pleasant shee
of water with good fishing ; pine bough ;
for a bed and driftwoodfor a fire
and who would trade hislife for i
king's patrimony ? How delicious th
fish flavored with the pungent emok
of the fire ! How rarely satisfying th
simple bill of fare , and how few , aftet
all , are the needs of this life ! Youn
is the joy and happy freedom of tin
gypsy and vagabond. You have be
come a species of civilized barbarian
and it is good. Sunshine or shower
what matters it ? You take wha )
comes and give thanks , and if you ar
nf tjjr..ricri f . . T-.t ime of _ ihe h aut ?
f each is absorbed Tnftr'your verj
iiture. Long days , lazy days , but hap -
y days , are the days in camp. Uuj
ad mishap will don the jestejrV caj
ud bells and parade through memory-
lany a time during the after month *
BANKRUPTS IN LIVERY.
urious Laws Once Knforced.4in Knr-
inland and Scotland. .
At one time England and , , Scotland
inkrupts were compellled to wear
istmctive dress. This was a resuli
enactments passed at various time *
Scotland from the year KXKJ to 1G88
tie Edinburgh Court of Sessions spec !
2d the dress to be of parti-color , one
Uf yellow and the other brown , some
ting after the style of the dressnovi
orn In English prisons by the worst
ass of prisoners , those who have at
mpted to escape or been guilty a
urderous assaults on officers. Th
mctment also provided that the bank
ipt should be exhibited publicly in thi
arket place of his town , for a perio *
two hours and then sent away , coa
imned to wear the dress until sncl
me as he had paid his debts or som
ic else had done it for him.
Although this was a period of lawi
hich can only be described as fero
ous , this law was such an outrage
public sentiment that In 1688 it wai
far repealed that the wearing of tn
ess was only compulsory In casa
which fraud had been proved , or
iriously enough , If the bankrupt ha <
en convicted of smuggling. Thi
me practice was legal , but not gen-
ally in force in England down to thi
ar 1S3G. The idea was , of course , t
irn persons who might have giver
edit that the bankrupt was not abl <
pay , but popular sentiment soon reo
nized that it was wholly unfair tc
ipose excessive penalties on a mau
tio might have become bankrupt
rough no fault of his
own , and , as
ual , when the law became contrary
public feeling It ceased to be op
ative.
Higher than a King.
'I have played cards enough to be.
me fairly familiar with whist slang ; "
id one American financier , "but J
n't quite see why you refer to ai
e as a Pierpont Morgan. "
'Because , " replied the other. "If >
; ger than a king. " London Answera
According to statistics , out of eaci
00 people In love sixteem becon
pelessly Insane. The other 084 art
17 temporarily out of their k